Here, Racehorse, are your haunts for
bathing; here are the traces of your champion hooves. Here I have seen the
blessed reins that guide you, which those who guard Cosmic Order cherish. [Rk
Veda I, 163, 5]
Whatever sin is found in me, whatever evil
I have done, if I have lied or falsely sworn, Waters, remove this stain from
me!
Yours, O King, are solaces a hundred, a
thousand! Great and far-reaching be also your favors! Drive far away from us
baneful Destruction. Remove from us whatever sin we have committed Rk Veda I,
24, 9]
Within him is fire, within him is drink, within him both earth and
heaven. He is the Sun which views the whole world, he is indeed Light itself--
the long-haired ascetic. [Rk Veda X, 136, 1]
With all the pleasing skill we may; the
birth of Gods we now proclaim in chanted hymns, that Men to come may know the
truth of what befell. The Lord of the Holy Word, like a smith, blasted and
smelted them together. In erstwhile ages of the Gods from nonexistence
existence came. [Rk Veda X, 72, 1-2].
He who from birth was chief of the Gods,
the wise one, protecting with his might the other Gods, before whose energy and
mighty exploits the two worlds tremble: he, Men, is the Lord! Who stilled the
quaking of the mighty earth and set at rest the agitated mountains, who
measured out the middle regions of space and gave the sky support: he, Men, is
the Lord! Who slew the dragon and loosed the seven rivers, who drove the cattle
out of Vala's cavern, who brought forth fire from between the rocks, victorious
ever: he, Men, is the Lord! [Rk Veda II, 12, 1-3]
If we weak men have sinned against the
Gods through thoughtlessness and frailty or through pride, absolve us from this
fault, O Savitr, and make us clean from sin before Gods and men. [Rk Veda IV,
54, 3]
You set free Shunahshepa from a thousand
stakes, when he was already set for the sacrifice. So Agni, wise Priest, come
and take your place and liberate us from the bonds that bind us. [Rk Veda V, 2,
7].
“The Seer, our father, once offered all these worlds in oblation, assuming
a priestly role, and sought to gain riches by the power of prayer; he himself
entered later creations, while shrouding in mystery the first creative moment.What was the primal matter, what the substance? How could it be
discerned, how was it made? From which the Designer of all things, beholding
all, fashioned the Earth and shaped the glory of the Heavens?
Sahasraksha
sahasra bahu sahasrapaat | A myriad eyes are his, a myriad faces, a myriad arms
and feet, turning each way! When he, sole God, creates the Earth and Heavens,
he welds them together with whirring of arms and wings.
What was the timber and what the tree from which the Heavens and also
the Earth were chiseled forth? Ponder, O wise Men. Question in your hearts. On
what did he rely when he formed these worlds?
“The
haunts where you dwell, O Designer ever true to your laws, on high, in the
depths, and in every region between, disclose to your friends at the hour of oblation.
Willingly offer your body in sacrifice, thus enhancing its vigour.” [Rk Veda X,
81, 1-5].
“With all the pleasing skill we may; the birth of Gods we now proclaim
in chanted hymns, that Men to come may know the truth of what befell. The Lord
of the Holy Word, like a smith, blasted and smelted them together. In erstwhile
ages of the Gods from nonexistence existence came.” [Rk
Veda X, 72, 1-2].
You have no knowledge of him
who created these worlds; some other thing has interposed between you. The reciters
of hymns who ravish life in their ritual proceed with their muttering,
enwrapped in confusion and ignorance. [Rk Veda X, 82, 7].
Rosy Dawn advances, adorned
with the brightness of many a beam. She pursues her way on her well-equipped
chariot, arousing Men to joy. Come, O twin Spirits, at break of day on your powerful
chariots. We offer in sacrifice this honey-sweet draught for your delectation.
How is it that, though united and unsupported, he does not fall down? By what
inner power moves he? Who has seen? A firm pillar, he protects heaven's vault. [Rk
Veda IV, 14, 3-5].
A man should think on wealth
and strive to win it by adoration on the path of Order, counsel himself with
his own mental insight, and grasp still nobler vigor with his spirit. [Rk Veda
10.31.2. rvg, 459]
In how many parts was He
transformed when they cut the Purusha in pieces? What did His mouth become?
What His arms, what His thighs, what His feet? His mouth then became the brahmana,
from the arms the rajanya was made, the vaishya from the thighs, from the feet
the shudra came forth. [Rk Veda 10.90.11-12. upb, 894].
This does not mean the caste system. It is
the supreme Lord who manifests Himself as all that exists! L et’s remember, Shree Rama was a Kshatriya
King. Shree Krishna was a Cowherd, Yadava, Vaishya and Gautama who became the
Buddha was also a Prince? Where is a Brahmana here? Probably Nara-Narayana
Rishi became a Brahmana Rishi! Kings were also great learned competent to
discuss scriptural matters with Sages and Rishis! Moreover, Brahmana is
‘Knowledge of Brahman and anybody could attain it!
At first was neither Being
nor Nonbeing. There was not air nor yet sky beyond. What was its wrapping?
Where? In whose protection? Was Water there, unfathomable and deep? There was
no death then, nor yet deathlessness; of night or day there was not any sign. The
One breathed without breath, by its own impulse. Other than that was nothing
else at all. [Rk Veda X, 129, 1-2].
The Moon was born from his
mind; the Sun came into being from his eye; from his mouth came Indra and Agni,
while from his breath the Wind was born. From his navel issued the Air; from
his head unfurled the Sky, the Earth from his feet, from his ear the four
directions. Thus have the worlds been organized. Seven were the sticks of the
enclosure, thrice seven the fuel sticks were made, when the Gods, performing
the sacrifice, bound the Man as the victim. [Rk Veda X, 90, 13-15].
Aum. O terrestrial sphere! O
sphere of space! O celestial sphere! Let us contemplate the splendor of the
Solar Spirit, the Divine Creator. May He guide our mind. [Rk Veda (Gayatri
Mantra) 3.62.10. hp, 345].
Incidentally, Sharadhvan, King of Gadi
Kingdom, later came to be known as ‘Vishva Mitra’ (Friend of the World) after
he got the mantra of Devi Gayatri and, thus, became the drushtara, Rishi. He
raised to the status of Brahma Rishi with the help of the Gayatri mantra during
his askesis. It is the mantra propitiating the Sun God and one attains the very
form (sarupya) of the Savita Devi
from the incessant chants of Gayatree.
“O
learned people, may we with our ears listen to what is beneficial, may we see
with our eyes what is beneficial. May we, engaged in your praises, enjoy with
firm limbs and sound bodies, a full term of life dedicated to God. [Rk Veda
1.89.8. rvp, p. 287]
Now may this God Savitri, the strong and
mighty, Lord of all wealth, vouchsafe to us his riches! May he, extending his
far-spreading luster, bestow on us the food that nourishes men! These songs
praise Savitri of gentle speech, whose arms are full, whose hands are beautiful.
Preserve us evermore, O Gods, with blessings.” [Rk Veda VII, 45, 3-4]
How I long, O God, for the gracious touch
of your hand which heals and brings refreshment, which softens all
chastisements of the Gods. Regard me, O Mighty One, with an indulgent eye. [Rk
Veda II, 33, 5-7]
Foremost Purifier, let your lights shine on
us now, inspiring us to skill of mind and hand. [Rk Veda IX, 36, 3].
Your
remedies so pure, O powerful Storms, afford us relief and bring us joy. Those
which our father Manu chose I beg from the Lord for my own well-being. May
God's missile be deflected from us, may the anger of the blazing God overshoot
us! Relax your bow of wrath toward our well-wishers. Have pity on our sons and
on their children! [Rk Veda II, 33, 13-14]
