Post No. 10,310
Date uploaded in London – – 7 NOVEMBER 2021
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tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com
This is part five of Amazing Unity and continuity in the Rig Veda, the oldest book in the world.
If a society has something uniform to show that means they must have existed there for at least 500 years before that. It takes a lot of time to codify a grammar for a language. Scholars see some uniform factors in the literature of that language and then only codify a grammar. This is applicable to the style or genre they follow, the cliches they use etc.
If you listen to BBC news of Second World War they are different in accent, tone etc. if you watch old Black and white movies then you feel how much they have changed now. It changes slowly in olden days, but faster nowadays because of advanced communication technology. Vedic style, cliché and prosody show us that they belonged to one period and then changed completely at the Upanishadic time, more during Paninian days.
Let us continue with 36
36.PARDON FOR SINS
Throughout the Vedas we see the rishis begging for pardon for the sins they committed. This is continued until very recently in Tamil and Sanskrit hymns. Repentance is seen in many hymns.
37.SAPTA RISHI
The Great Seven Seers are seen individually as well as collectively. Reference to Seven Seers (Sapta Rishi) is in Tamil Sangam literature too.
38.GRAMMAR/PROSODY
Grammar and prosody are well established by the time of Rig Veda. Names of Seven metres are told by Brahmins even in Sandhyavandana Mantra everyday. They are from the Vedas. Most famous Gayatri mantra is named after the Gayatri metre.
39.REPETITION OF LAST LINES
Nowadays compositions of famous musicians have a refrain. In Hindu Bhajans also, we see it. In several Vedic hymns we come across repeated lines in every stanza. This is found only in the Vedas, not in ancient Tamil literature. Later day Tamil music compositions have this.
40. DIALOGUE POEMS
Over 20 dialogue poems are found in the rig Veda spreading over several Mandalas. I have not seen any such dialogues in ancient Tamil poems. This also shows unity in Rig Veda.
41.FATHER/HEAVEN, MOTHER/EARTH
Sky is the father and earth is the mother. When max Muller saw this he compared the Dyaus/Sky with Zeus of Greeks and got excited. He claimed that he also belonged to the same Aryan race. This lead Hitler to claim of Aryan Pure Blood! Those who read Hitler’s autobiography Mein Kampf will find it.
42.HEROIC CHILDREN
Vedic Hindus always pray for Heroic children. This is also unique. Later Hindu literature pray for SONs but they are not keen to say Heroic children.
43.TRUTH/ RTAM
India’s government emblem has the Upanishadic saying ‘Truth alone triumphs’. This Truth /Sathya and rtam (Truth as well Rhythm) are found in hundreds of places in the Vedas. No other religious literature has so many references.
44.SAME GODS IN FOUR VEDAS
Though the Four Vedas came about in a period of 1000 years, the amazing fact about them is they praise the same gods and goddesses. In the same period in Egypt and Babylonia we came across hundreds of Gods and Goddesses and all of them are in Museums and Encyclopaedias now. Where as the same Vedic Gods and Goddesses such as Indra, Varuna, Mitra, Sarasvati, Bharati, Aditi etc. are worshipped by us.
Indra’s name is found in Bogazkoy Cuneiform clay tablet of 1340 BCE and in my next door neighbour’s name as well. Prime Minister of India has that Indra in Nara+ Indra +Modi. As a brahmin, I recite Vedic Gods’ names thrice a day in daily ritual Sandhyavandana. Temples have all the Vedic Gods.
When all other ancient gods have become museum pieces, millions of Brahmins worship the Vedic Gods (Agni, Vayu, Arka, Vageesa, Varuna, Indra, Visve Deva; Yamaya Namah; Vishnu, Gayatri, Sarasvati) every day in thrice a day prayer!
45.BOAT/ SHIP SIMILE
Boat or Ship simile is there in almost all Mandalas. It shows their maritime trades with other countries.
46.SEEDS OF PURANA- THREE STEPS
From the very beginning we see Three Steps of Vishnu an allusion to Vamana or Tri vikrama Avatar. We have also reference to Manu and Floods, which means they know about Fish Avatar (Matsyavatar). Commentators refer to various Avatars in interpreting Vedic mantras.
For the Three Steps, commentators give different meanings as well.
47.FOREST FIRES
Forest fires are described in all the Mandalas. Whether they did it to clear the forests or used the natural forest fires to cultivate, we never know. But the fires and the animals screaming and running from the scorching heat are described vividly.
48.NYMPHS
Hindus believed that all the natural sources such as lakes, trees, ponds, sea and hill tops have nymphs. Greeks carried this belief to their lands as well. Sangam Tamil literature have got lot of references to Anangu/Nymphs)
49.PANINI’S LIST OF CHANDAS WORDS AND GRAMMAR
Panini in his Ashtadhyayee grammar book quotes the Vedic grammar. This also covers all the Mandalas. The comparison helps to understand the grammar of Classical Sanskrit.
50.War and Enemies
War and enemies are constantly referred to. Does it mean the Vedic Hindus were war mongers or they were constantly under attack. Either way the reference in all the ten mandalas make us think that next to agriculture, army recruited more employees. But like modern literature they might have referred to internal enemies (Kama, Krodha, Lobha); it need not be blood shedding wars! The Dasa Rajna Yuddham – War of Ten Kings) is referred to by many Vedic poets.
51.Amrit
Amrit figures in all mandalas of Rig Veda.. Amrit is used in 2000 year old Tamil Sangam literature as well . ancient Tamil literature has over 50 references to it. They use the Rig Vedic Sanskrit word Amrit wth different Tamil spellings.
xxxx- subham xxxx
tags- unity in Rigveda-5