Post No. 10,378
Date uploaded in London – – 25 NOVEMBER 2021
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Whole world knows Hindus worship everything from tree, snake, rivers and hills to numbers and grammar. As a Hindu when I get up between 4 am and 4-30 am in London, I look at my right palm and I say ‘I salute you Lakshmi, Sarasvati and Govinda’ (Karaagre vasate Lakshmi……). The age old famous sloka is recited by millions of RSS workers as well in their Pratasmaran (Morning Thoughts). Just before stepping on the ground from the bed, they ask the ‘pardon of Mother Earth’. It is not only done by high class orthodox Brahmins but also by farmers before ploughing the land, wood cutters before cutting the trees and thieves before robbing the people. But nowadays thieves go to Tirupati Balaji and share their booty in the money box there! I mean the political robbers and film word black marketeers.
The idea is optimum use of everything with environmental awareness in mind. That is why they respect everything. In the Rig Veda, the oldest book in the world, even stones pressing Soma plant and Wooden spoons used to pur ghee in the fire have separate hymns.
Now let me tell you about two hymns in the Atharva Veda, where there is ONLY numbers. They are addressed to Vanaspati and the Bull. The first hymn is described as a charm to get prosperity for the people and the second one for the welfare of the cattle. But why do they numbers 1, 10, 100 and 1100 is NOT explained by anyone. Is it not like beating around the bush . They could have directly asked the gods Give me this, Give me that. In fact there is more into it.
Look at the hymn and I will give my opinion on it.
HYMN XV
A charm for general prosperity
1Plant! I have those who shall avert the threatened danger, ten
and one.
O sacred Plant, produced aright! make sweetness, sweet thy self,
for me.
2Twenty and two, O Plant, have I who shall avert the threatened
ill.
O sacred Plant, produced aright! make sweetness, sweet thyself,
for me.
3Thirty and three, O Plant, have I who shall avert the threatened
ill.
O sacred Plant, produced aright! make sweetness, sweet thyself,
for me.
4Forty and Four, O Plant, have I who shall avert the threatened
ill.
O sacred Plant, produced aright! make sweetness, sweet thyself,
for me.
…….
…..
11Thousand and hundred, O Plant, have I who shall avert the threatened
ill.
O sacred Plant, produced aright! make sweetness, sweet thyself,
for me.
It goes up to 11 in the same way
Ralph T H Griffith adds the following as footnote in his translation:-
Stanzas 3-11 of the hymn , which is a charm for general prosperity, are exactly the same with the exception of the numbers which increase by 11 in each stanza (thirty and three , forty and four, and so on ) up to one hundred and ten . In stanza 10 and 11 concluding with one thousand and one hundred.
XXX
NEXT MANTRA
HYMN XVI
A charm for the increase of cattle
1Bull! if thou art the single bull, beget. Thou hast no vital sap.
This is similar to the previous poem. The hymn is a charm for the increase and prosperity of the cattle. It goes up to 11 like the previous hymn.
Xxx
In the Rudram Chamakam (Anuvakam 11) Hymn of Yajur Veda
We have the following numbers
“Let me be granted the uneven number one, three, five, seven, Nine, eleven, thirteen, fifteen, seventeen, Nineteen, twenty one, twenty three, twenty five, twenty seven, twenty Nine, and thirty one, thirty three, and even numbers four, eight, twelve, and sixteen, twenty, and twenty four, twenty eight, thirty two thirty six, and forty and forty four, forty eight to ensure food and its production, its continuity, and the urge to enjoy, the origin of all productions, the sun, the heaven, the head of all, the infinite, the all pervading like the sky, time and the like present at the end of total consummation exists at the end of it on the earth as universal form, the Antaryami the immortal, the inner ruler of every thing, the omni present and omni potent.”
Odd numbers go up to 33
Even numbers go up to 48
xxxxxxx
My comments
Number symbolism is found in many cultures; but Sanskrit hymns are the oldest hymns with numbers. Even the most famous mantras are known only with numbers E.g. Eka/1 Aksharam (Om), Pancha/5 Aksharam (Namasivaya) , Shat /6 Aksharam (Saravanabhava) , Ashta/8 Aksharam (Narayanaya)etc.
But in the Yajur Veda the Chamakam numbers are not explained properly; here in Atharva veda also the explanation given by foreigners is wrong.
Traditionalists believe that Vedas are based on secret sounds and the proper recitation is more important than its meaning.
Another thing we see here is Ayurveda. Vanaspati (Head of Herbs or Herbal forest ) is addressed in the hymn.
One more point to be noted is Pati, Vati, Mati suffix which are found in the Rig Veda. Now we see them commonly in names such as Sarasvati, Ganapati and Indu Mati. We see the continuity throughout the Vedas and modern day naming of boys and girls. Hinduism is a Living Religion!
Later Tamil Siddhas also used this number symbolim
Yajur Veda Chamaka numbers in Sanskrit:-.
एका च मेतिस्रश्च मेपञ्च च मेसप्त च मे
नव च म एकदश च मेत्रयोदश च मेपंचदश च मे
सप्तदश च मेनवदश च म एक विशतिश्च मे
त्रयोविशतिश्च मेपंचविशतिश्च मे
सप्तविशतिश्च मेनवविशतिश्च म
एकत्रिशच्च मेत्रयस्त्रिशच्च मे
चतस्रश्च मेऽष्टौच मेद्वादश च मेषोडश च मे
विशतिश्च मेचतुर्विशतिश्च मेऽष्टाविशतिश्च मे
द्वात्रिशच्च मेषट्त्रिशच्च मेचत्वरिशच्च मे
चतुश्चत्वारिशच्च मेऽष्टाचत्वारिशच्च मे
वाजश्च प्रसवश्चापिजश्च क्रतुश्च सुवश्च मूर्धा च
व्यश्नियश्चान्त्यायनश्चान्त्यश्च भौवनश्च
भुवनश्चाधिपतिश्च
–subham—
tags- Numbers, Atharva Veda, Number symbolism
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