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Post No. 10,470

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Hindu’s fourth Veda Known as Atharvana Veda (AV) has very interesting information about magical and miraculous herbs. One hymn talk about making you invisible; another verse makes you to see the future. How good would it be to see future of yourself, your family members, the government, and your own country? Commenting on this hymn Ralph T H Griffith mentioned that even Milton’s Paradise Lost has some information like this.

Let us look at the hymn in AV, Book 4; Hymn 20 (Sukta 122)

The hymn is a charm addressed to a magical plant, for the acquisition of superhuman powers of sight.

First let me give you the interesting bits, before giving you the full verse:

Mantra  1 in the hymn:

“It” : the magical plant; O Goddess, the divine plant is directly addressed and also spoke of in the third person. The plant is said by Daarila (one of the ancient commentators) to be the Sadam Pushpaa (Semperflorens, Ever blooming), not yet identified. Its virtues resemble those attributed in England to Euphrasy or Eyebright. The plant with which together with Rue, and three drops from the Well of Life, the Archangel Michael ‘purged the visual nerve of Adam’ (Paradise Lost XI. 414), and enabled him to look into the distant future.

MY COMMENTS

This is nothing new to Hindus. We have a whole book called Bhavishya Purana (Bhavisya= Future) giving what is going to happen in future. There is a very clear description of Kaliyuga in Puranas and Vana Parva of Mahabharata (Please see my earlier articles on the same subject).

In Bhagavad Gita, Krishna shows to Arjuna, what will happen in future. Even before Arjuna killed his foes, they were all devoured by TIME. Probably Hindus believed in a Parallel Universe, where everything is acted already and recorded. I wrote about Time Travel by two Tamil Saints Tiru Gnana Sambandar and Sundarar , both of them went back in Time and brought back the dead alive. Thousand years ago they recorded it in verse and said two dead people were grown up according to their age when they came alive. That shows the dead people were living somewhere in some state or level.

And we have one more incident of Live TV broadcasting by Sanjaya in Mahabharata. The Blind King Dhritarashtra wanted to know what happened to his sons in the battlefield of Kuru kshetra. Sanjaya got divine vision to see it LIVE and he told everything in a running commentary.

The Western world knows only one Nostradamus, but Hindus have thousands of Nostradamus. They did not want to interfere in the Cyclical Time, but watched them as if children watch Video games. Very rarely they interfered in the course of TIME and did some miracles. This blog has lot of miracles done by saints regarding FUTURE. Nowadays westerners use this theme in science fiction stories.

What is this herb?

Unfortunately, the hymn did not name the herb. Why? Our seers deliberately hid some information from the public. They knew that even one bad guy can abuse it and destroy humanity. We read about Rasputin like characters throughout history. Even several Hindu saints were jailed for abusing their super human powers. Hindu scriptures say that while you practise certain Yogic things, Goddess will send you temptations in the form of magical powers. Several saints misuse them and never go up in the spiritual ladder and land themselves in prisons.

Even Swami Vivekananda , while replying to a question about PAST, he said everything is recorded in a film roll and placed inside you. If I wanted to see I can unroll it and see, but I am least interested in it. Imagine yourself in his condition and dared to look at your future. What would happen to you mentally if you come to know that you were a worm in the dirtiest place on earth in your past life! So, better not look at past or future but concentrate more on PRESENT is the advice of Hindu saints.

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Mantra 2

In the second Mantra of the hymn, the seer wants to see ‘Three Several Heavens’, ‘Three Several Earths’ and these ‘Six regions’ one by one.

The footnote given by Griffith is not satisfactory. Vedic seers use NUMBERS indiscriminately. No. 3 and No.7 occur in thousands of places. Not all mean the same. Even in Harappan civilisation No. 3 and No.7 are seen more in seals showing that it is a Vedic Civilization.

Here Griffith says three heavens are Earth, Sky and Heavens. Again they are divided into three. No.6 mean four directions and Up and Down making it Six.

My Comments

We see the underlying meaning clearly. The seer believes that he can see up to heaven with the help of the herb; he was very clever in saying ‘IT’ without naming the herb.

Suppose we consider it a fiction, then we must at least give the credit of writing the first science fiction story to the seer.

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Mantra 3

It is more interesting from another angle; Here comes two similes, one regarding tired bride longing to go to bed in the palanquin (portable bed). ‘Vahyam’ is the Sanskrit word used here. Vah= to carry. Until this day we use Vahanam for vehicles and temple Mounts of Gods/Vahanam. English word ‘VEH’ilcle is derived from  this VAH, so do Tamil Vaahanam (in temples)

Another simile is Eagle , which is Garutman in Sanskrit. Here the interpreters say it is Sun. Veda called Sun as eagle, ship, one wheeled chariot, Eye, speckled cow (with Sunspots), swan etc. Highest number of epithets to Sun is found in the Vedas than any literature in the world.

My Comments

Throughout Vedas we come across Suparna, Syena, Garutman etc which foreigners translate as falcon, eagle, vulture, kite without rhyme or reason. Sun is called Eagle because it looks from top with clear vision.

But I would go further; eagles are praised for bringing miraculous Soma herb from the top of the Himalayan range. We may look at it as a magical bird who can identify miraculous herbs. The Vedic Seers/Rishis might have trained them to identify the magic herbs and bring them. In another verse in Atharva Veda a seer sings about the amazing abilities of birds and animals in identifying the magical herbs (Read my article posted recently)

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Mantra 4

God with 1000 eyes; this phrase is repeated several times throughout the Four Vedas. It is applicable to most of the Vedic Gods. The most famous Purushasukta hymn of Rig Veda 10-90 described the Cosmic Person (English word Person is derived from Purusha in Sanskrit) with 1000 eyes (Sahasraaksha); later Puranas attributed it mostly to Indra. One interpretation is Indra is Sky and 1000 eyes are Stars.

The same mantra give two more interesting points:

Arya and Shudra: Let 1000 eyed god place “IT” on my Right Hand and I will see each Shudra and each Arya; Four castes are mentioned in only one place in the oldest book Rig Veda (10-90). Here Arya and Shudra were only mentioned; not all the four castes. We may take it as all human beings.

The other interesting point is Let 1000 eyed God place it on my RIGHT HAND.

This right hand is praised sky high only in Hinduism. All rituals regarding negative things such as death are left handed. Hindus circle the dead body in anti clockwise direction. All good things are done with right hand, right foot, right shoulder etc. Tamils sing “O New Bride! Step with Your right foot into this New House (husband’s house)” . 2000 year old Sangam literature say that tigers would consume its prey only when it falls on its RIGHT side!

Brahmins in their thrice a day ritual called ‘Sandhyavandana’ start with their right side in doing everything. Brahmins use left side for giving oblations to departed souls. The Pradakshina (circumambulation) means going in the right direction (Dakshina = South, Right. Facing East you begin your rituals and then turn right to do a round)

So much information is there in that one word. Throughout the Vedas, we see the significance of Right Side.

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Mantra 5, 6, 7, 8

These four mantras deal with demons, ghosts etc. all negative forces. Kimidins, Yatudhanas, Pisachas  and Kasyapas.

My Comments

We don’t have a proper interpretation for Kasyapas. It is the name of a Seer /Rishi. But here it is explained as “semi divine genii connected with or regulating the course of sun”. it is not making any sense. We know the 60,000 thumb sized Valakhilyas travelling in front of Sun (read my article on Valakhilyas and Gulliver Travels Lilliputians)

Another thing mentioned here is the HOUND WITH FOUR EYES. It is already in RV 10-14-11. Yama god of death comes with Two Dogs and their eyes (2+2) make Four. Sarama and Sarameya are taken by the Greeks and changed to Hermes (H=S in Greek). Please read my old article on Hermes= Sarama.

So, we understand the magical herb would help anyone not only to look into future but also to drive away the evil spirits.

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Last Mantra (9)

This mantra speaks about the fiends flying in the mid air. Here, Griffith adds, as witches in Europe are popularly believed  to do.

This is very superficial; Hindus have a long list of Ghosts with different capacities and various habitats. Westerners couldn’t even explain the Chost ‘KIMIDIN’

Griffith’s explanation:

Kimiidin- One of a class of malignant spirits. According to Nirukta of Yaska,the word originally means one who goes about crying ‘Kim Idaaniim? Quid nunc? What now?’ or ‘Kim Idam? What is this?’ Literally a quid nunc; a vile an treacherous spy and informer.

Ref.RV VII-104, RV X-87

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Here is the Full Hymn -AV; Book 4; Hymn 20

Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, [1895], at sacred-texts.com

HYMN XX

A charm for the acquisition of superhuman powers of sight

1.It sees in front, it sees behind, it sees afar away, it sees
  The sky, the firmament, and earth: all this, O Goddess, it
   beholds.

2.Through thee, O godlike Plant, may I behold all creatures that
   exist,
  Three several heavens, three several earths, and these six regions
   one by one.

3.The pupil, verily, art thou of that celestial Engle’s eye.
  On earth hast thou alighted as a weary woman seeks her couch.

4.The God who hath a thousand eyes give me this Plant in my
   right hand!
  I look on every one therewith, each Sūdra and each Āryan man.

5.Make manifest the forms of things; hide not their essences from
   sight.
  And, thou who hast a thousand eyes, look the Kimidins in the
   face. 

6.Make me see Yātudhānas, make thou Yātudhānis visible.
  Make me see all Pisāchas With this prayer, O Plant, I hold thee
   fast.

7.Thou art the sight of Kasyapa and of the hound who hath four
   eyes.
  Make the Pisācha manifest as Sūrya when he rides at noon.

8.Kimidin, Yātudhāna from their hiding-places have I dragged.
  I look on every one with this, Sūdra and Aryan man alike.

9.Make that Pisācha visible, the fiend who flies in middle air,
  The fiend who glides across the sky, and him who deems the
   earth his help.

—subham—

tags–  Future, Seeing , Magic Herb, Atharvana Veda, Four Eyes, Dog, 1000 Eyes