THREE INTERESTING STORIES FROM THE BRAHMANAS (Post No.4042)
Compiled by London Swaminathan
Date: 1 July 2017
Time uploaded in London-15-59
Post No. 4042
Pictures shown here are taken from various sources such as Facebook friends, Books, Google and newspapers; thanks.
Vedic literature has four parts: 1.Samhita/hymns, 2.Brahmanas, 3.Aranyakas and 4.Upanishads; following are some stories taken from the Brahmanas:-
How Bharadvaja studied Vedas!
There is a story in the Taittiriya Brahmana (3-10-11-3) about Bharadvaja studding the Vedas
Bharadvaja lived through three lives in the state of a religious student (brahmachari). Indra approached him when he was lying old and decrepit and said to him,
“Bharadvaja, if I give you a fourth life how will you use it?”
Bharadvaja said, I will be a Brahmachari studying the Vedas”
Indra showed him three mountain like objects, as it were unknown. From each of them he took a handful, and, calling to him, Bharadvaja!
“these are the three Vedas. The Vedas are infinite. This is what you have studied in your three lives. Now there is another thing which you have not studied. Come and learn it. This is universal science. He who knows this conquers a world as great as he would gain by the triple Vedas.
Tamil has a saying “What you have learnt is a handful of sand and what you have not learnt is the size of the earth” This must have come from the Bharadvaja episode, though there is verse attributed to Tamil poetess Avvaiyar. There Sarasvati, Goddess of Learning, says what she has learnt is only a handful…. etc.
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Name Aitareya!
Sayana in his introduction to Aitareya Brahmana gives the reason for the name of the Aitareya Brahmana. An ancient Rishi (seer) had among his many wives one who has coaled Itara. She had a son Mahidasa Aitareya by name. The rishi preferred the sons of other wives to Mahidasa, and went even so far as to insult him once by placing all his other children in his lap, except Mahidasa.
His mother felt very sad and prayed to her family goddess, who appeared in her celestial form in the assembly of people, placed him on a throne, and gave Mahidasa, as a token of honour, a boon which had the appearance of a Brahmana. This was given to him because he surpassed all other children in learning. The boon having been received a Brahmana, consisting of 40 sections, came through the mind of Mahidasa, and its Aranyaka was revealed in the shape of the vow of a hermit. Hence these books are named after him, Aitareya Brahmana and Aitareya Aranyaka.
According to Hindu scriptures, vows, curses and blessings can assume visible forms as stated in the story. But the real meaning is that Mahidasa was inspired and he poured out this Brahmana. In short divine inspiration created this Brahmana.
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How to Deal with a Mistake?
The following story from the Kaushitaki Brahmana, declaring how to deal with a mistake, is not given in the Aitareya Brahmana:–
“King Pratardana sat down in the presence of the Rishis of Nimisha and asked the question,
“If the Sadasya should make known a past blunder, how would you be free from sin?”
The priests were silent. Their Brahman said, “ I do not know this, alas! Let us ask our teacher of our fathers, the elder Jatukarnya.
He asked him, “How the blunder could not become a blunder? by saying the passage again, or by an offering?
Jatukarnya said, “The passage must be said again.
The Brahman asked him again, “Should he say again the Shastra.. or whatever else it may be, from beginning to end?
Jatukarnya said, “As far as the blunder extends, so far let him say it agai., whether a verse or a half verse, a foot, a word, or a letter.
Then said Kaushitaki, “Let him not say the passage again, nor let him perform a penance offering”
“it is not a blunder”, so said Kaushitaki; for whatever blunder the Hotris commit at the sacrifice without being aware of it, all that Agni, the divine Hotri, makes whole; and this is confirmed by a verse from the Rig Veda” – Kaushitaki Brahmana 6-11
My Comments:
King Pratardana is in Mitanni civilization dated around 1400 BCE; the name Pratardana is in Vishnu Sahasranama as well. Since we find the King Pratardana name in Turkey inscription (1400 BCE), all the Aryan migration theory gets exploded. In fact, the Hindus from India migrated to different parts of the world including Turkey and Iran before 1500 BCE; that is why we find archaeological evidence in Turkey (Bogazkoy inscription) and Dasaratha letters in Egypt (Amarna letters).
There is another interesting point; in the Vedas, if someone finds a grammatical mistake no one should or could correct it. It is taken as a true statement. Such is the sacredness and infallibility attributed to the Vedas.
It is same in the field of religion. If a wrong is done to a devotee, not even god can interfere in it. God advise the wrong doer to fall at the feet of his devotee. The underlying thread in all these stories is “Truth”, in Sanskrit Rtam; English words Truth and Rhythm are derived from Sanskrit. Hinduism believes in Order and Truth. Not even God can go back in his words whether it is a curse or boon. He can only prescribe an exit strategy but could not go back on his words.Hindu Gods must obey the Vedic order i.e. Rtam and Satyam That is how all the Asura and Rakshasa Hindus got boons and curses form the Gods. This explodes another myth concocted by the foreigners that Asuras and Rakshasas are Non Aryans. They are part and parcel of Hindu society. That is why they prayed to Hindu Gods and got all the boons. The deeper you study the Vedas, the more you know the foreigners’ conspiracy against Hinduism.
One must read a Hindu scripture in its original; foreigners take one or two passages and misinterpreted it according to their whims and fancies and mislead us.
-Subham–
Tamil and Vedas 