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Part 1: The Revelation of the Vedas: Seers, Mantras, and Eternal Vibrations Hari Om, good morning. Hari Om, good afternoon. Let us chant Om together three times. Today we continue with the second part of our series about the Vedas, focusing on Vedic mantras and their power, the translation of the Vedas, their age, and their relevance for both children and adults. The Vedas consist of mantras that appeared to the ṛṣis. These mantras arose in the consciousness of the seers. The word ṛṣi is translated as "the one who sees," a seer. A ṛṣi is simply someone who sees. The ṛṣis practiced austerity, ascetic discipline (tapasyā), combining it with a razor-sharp intellect. Through deep meditation, they were able to receive the Vedic mantras. I heard a beautiful analogy: the ṛṣis, with ocean-sharp tools, guided the herd. The depths of the ocean symbolize that the Vedic mantras are hidden in the deepest layers of consciousness, in the depths of knowledge. Thus, the ṛṣis revealed mantras that already existed but were unknown to people. This land did not know anything about them. Just as Sir Isaac Newton uncovered the law of gravity, which existed but was unknown, the ṛṣis revealed eternal truths. Ṛṣis are called mantra-dṛṣṭi, meaning "those who see mantras." This signifies that they did not create the mantras; they merely received and transmitted them. I was considering the Czech word věděti (to know), which derives from the word "to see." This is a kind of proof preserved in language that vision precedes knowledge. To see is to know. The Vedas are infinite because the entire creation is infinite, and the ṛṣis revealed only certain portions. Among the ṛṣis, there were also women, who are named as seers. I introduced myself to an acquaintance engaged in science, and he remarked that it is not unusual. Throughout human history, even today, many discoveries come through a form of revelation—perhaps in a dream, or meanings are revealed before the direct vision (dṛṣṭi). For example, Dmitri Mendeleev dreamed of his periodic table of elements. Or the contemporary physicist Richard Feynman, who received the Nobel Prize for discoveries in quantum mechanics, also received this knowledge essentially as a revelation. When accepting the prize, he said, "I think I can say with certainty that no one understands quantum mechanics." There are many more such examples. Many individuals engaged with Eastern teachings, the Vedas, and Sanskrit. For instance, Robert Oppenheimer, one of the creators of the atomic bomb (which was later misused), studied Sanskrit and quoted the Bhagavad Gītā. But such insights come in fragments unless one has performed great tapasyā, great austerity; then they coalesce into more purposeful wholes. Scholars used only a very small part because they did not perform such intense tapasyā. The ṛṣis, through intense tapasyā, became the great bearers of knowledge. The title "ṛṣi" was first given to those who revealed the Vedic mantras. Later, it was used for the great sages of the Upaniṣadic era, and even later, we have the title Maharṣi. A Ṛṣi is also called Satyavācaka, meaning "one who speaks the truth." When we manage to unify the inner space (the microcosm) with the outer space, then we are able to hear all the sounds in space. If we are in unity with everything, we can hear these vibrations. That is actually the case with the ṛṣis. Sometimes you have to be able to hear these vibrations and resonances, just as the ṛṣis did. Now, I would like to say a few words about translating the Vedas. Translation is very difficult; to do it justice, one would have to write many books and commentaries. We have many commentaries that were presented. A scholar wrote an extensive treatise, but he is uncertain about many words. Interestingly, he served as the first minister of Ukraine for 16 years, and despite being so busy, he deeply studied the Vedas. The Dutch Indologist Jan Gonda dedicated an entire book to accurately capturing the meaning of the word dhyā. This word is derived from Dhyāna (meditation) and means "inspired vision" or intuition. Saṃdhyā also means meditation and intuition. When it requires an entire book to explain a single word, we see that translation is not simple. Presenting the entire Veda is a monumental task. Many books and dictionaries have been compiled. Primarily Western scholars did a great deal of this work, but they were not familiar with the practice or the power of mantras. Indeed, by chanting certain mantras, one attains prosperity and peace. Mantras arise through their vibrations, as progress and development unfold in the universe. Different schools and various Brahmin lineages specialized in different parts of the scripture. They were the descendants of those ṛṣis who revealed the Vedas. For example, the Ṛgveda is divided into ten books (maṇḍalas). In the third book, ṛṣis like Viśvāmitra and Jamadagni appeared. The Brahmin lineage that transmits this third book is associated with them. In this way, specific hymns or time-mantras (kāla-mantras) are preserved from generation to generation. Thus, certain vidyās (sciences) are transmitted. Regarding the sciences, it is said they are Anādi (without beginning) and Ananta (without end). The Veda also says about itself that it is not the work of man; it simply is and commands. They are Aparuṣeya (not of human origin). In the Bhagavad Gītā, Lord Kṛṣṇa refers to Himself not as the creator of the Vedas, but as the knower of the Vedas. You will not find in the Vedas or Purāṇas any assertion that they were created. According to the śāstras, the Vedas existed even before creation, before the Big Bang. Brahmā created with their help—with the help of Vedic mantras and vibrations. As Brahmā created the universe from the seed and its vibration. Here, mantras are spoken of on the level of vibrations. One hundred years of Brahmā span 300 million human lifetimes. When Brahmā concludes his life, Mahāpralaya occurs, leading to dissolution. It is a great event when everything dissolves and returns to its source. Space, time, and form end. The lokās (worlds) dissolve, and individual consciousness disperses. The entire universe contracts into a single point. In physics, this point is called a singularity. In the Vedas, it is called Bindu. We have this Bindu when we graphically depict Om; the dot above is the Bindu, symbolizing the dissolution of the universe. This small point symbolizes the universe in latent form. After Mahāpralaya, a new age begins. A new Brahmā comes who begins to create a new world again. And again, He creates through Vedic mantras. The Purāṇas state that Vedic vibrations manifest in his heart and show him the path of creation. Thus, Brahmā actually creates through these vibrations by his austerity and the power of meditation. Those vibrations are not unknown to our contemporary scientists. In fact, they essentially agree that the diversity in the universe arises from different vibrations. So, the Vedas as vibrations are what actually govern the creative process of the universe. Part 2: The Creative Power of Vibration and Mantra The Vedas, as vibrations, represent the creative process of the universe. This process of creation is infinite, and therefore the "waters" (the primordial substance) are also infinite. In vibrations, we know that they create sounds and cause things to be maintained, destroyed, or created. We have conducted extensive research on vibrations. For example, it is known that when flowers or vegetable plants are exposed to beautiful music, such as classical music, they thrive. When cows are played beautiful music, they produce more milk. When they are played harsh, negative music like metal, they do not like it and produce far less milk. I have also heard some very interesting conclusions from researchers who wanted to find out what the best vibration for vegetables would be. They examined and examined, and in the end, they realized it was the singing of birds. From this, it is clear how belief can mean to believe everything, and when we start to cause this, we cause confusion. Consider, for example, homeopathy, where healing occurs only with the vibrations of a substance. This vibration is capable of restoring the organism to a certain balance and healing illness. Or laser light, which is actually a kind of vibration that can even kill or cause something like an earthquake. The power of vibrations can also express the biblical solution. Perhaps you know the story of the conquest of Jericho? The people who conquered it walked around the city for seven days. The priests were blowing the horns of rams, creating certain sounds. They walked for seven days, and on the seventh circuit, the walls fell down. Therefore, the affirmation of vibrations or mantras is very significant. Chanting a mantra can heal illness. Chanting mantras can potentially heal diseases. This is known by those who possess the power of concentration and the art of invoking the power of that mantra. The sounds are meant to evoke the power of the mantra. Svāmījī told us, for example, about special mantras that protect against snake or scorpion bites. Svāmījī taught us more advanced mantras. And there are still people who know these mantras and are able to use them. But those who wish to use these mantras must live a very pure way of life. They must not take pride in that healing. They cannot take everything for granted during the chanting of the mantra. If, for example, they were to accept only water as an offering, the power of that mantra could be lost; it could depart. So these are very subtle things. Vedic mantras need to be chanted in a specific rhythm and intonation. Otherwise, they are not as effective. In the Vedas, there is a story about the divine craftsman Tvaṣṭṛ or Viśvakarmā. He began to practice austerities, repeating a mantra with the goal of obtaining the favor of the deity Indra. With that intention, he began practicing ascetic disciplines so that he could have a son who would ultimately be able to kill Indra. But during that recitation, he made a mistake; he erred in the intonation and the rhythm. So the result of this austerity was completely the opposite. By the power of that transformed mantra, he requested a son who would be killed by Indra. That is what happened. So we must handle those vibrations very delicately. We have to be very careful how we deal with the vibrations. For example, a radio has different stations, different frequencies. We might want to listen to a beautiful concert. As we tune the dial, we introduce a slightly different frequency. With only one small adjustment on the radio, we might find ourselves listening to a football match instead of a concert. Therefore, the correct pronunciation of mantras is very important—correct rhythm, correct accent. It is essential to learn through the auditory form from the guru. That is also why the Vedas were not written down for a long time, because many subtle sounds cannot be accurately recorded. Even the epics, which were not written down in the Vedas, because it was impossible to write down their sound vibrations. So when we learn directly through the auditory path, we actually receive the mantra in its entirety. The Vedic scholars, the mantra practitioners, when they heard them, learned them in their entirety. We also know this from attending Svāmījī’s lecture or a satsaṅg. Thus, we gain a certain intellectual knowledge. But besides that, we gain many other things. We may receive answers to our inner questions. Solutions to our problems come to us. We feel joy and energy. So from that intellectual knowledge, we receive many other things as well. If we simply read this lecture or perhaps watch a webcast, that is good. But we won’t gain as much as we would from receiving the presence itself. It is similar with the transmission of the Vedas. He says it was many years ago when he had dreams in which he saw a certain god. He had visions in which he saw some god. The dreams came often, but he did not know which god it was. He had an emotional connection to him, but he couldn’t find out anywhere who he was. However, one time he came to a seminar. It began that people started going to Svāmījī to receive blessings. So he also joined the queue. When we go for a blessing, we should also offer something in return, even if just symbolically. So he said that he would offer his God. For the blessing, he indeed thought of his own conception of that God. The lecture began. Svāmījī spoke about the Celts. They lived and they had a sun god. And this one looked like this and that. So the person realized that this was indeed the true God from his dreams, the God of the heart. And we all have our own experiences of what happens during satsaṅg or during the lecture. So, a little more about the age of the Vedas. That means the time when the Vedas were revealed. Western scholars consider the period to be approximately 2000 years before our era. As all evidence suggests, that time is far older. For example, the Vedas describe a stellar constellation. This constellation was present six thousand years ago. Such evidence of the antiquity of the Vedas is the river Sarasvatī. The Vedas describe the Vedic civilization as having lived on the banks of the Sarasvatī river. This river Sarasvatī was flowing, so scholars did not know what to think about it, whether this river existed or did not exist. A few years earlier, thanks to satellites, it was possible to trace its ancient course. The Vedas speak of the river Sarasvatī as a mighty river, as a mother. The Vedas attribute to Sarasvatī not only the role of a goddess of speech but also a powerful and effective role. Sarasvatī was 1600 kilometers long, flowing from the Himalayas to the sea. In some places, it was several kilometers wide. It existed long before 3000 years BCE. Apparently, around 3000 BCE it began to dry up, and by around 2000 BCE it was already dry. This indicates that the Vedas must have existed before the Sarasvatī river dried up, as people were already living there at a time when there was flourishing and development along the riverbank. I won’t keep you much longer, just one more kind of proof or confirmation. According to the Vedas, a year lasts 360 days. And we think that nowadays what the Vedic seers said has been proven by the 365 days of today. So this would indicate a very distant time when the Earth was actually closer to the Sun.