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Part 1: The Vedas: Structure, History, and the Essence of the Ṛgveda Let us begin; we will chant Oṃ three times. Today we will continue our series on the Vedas. I would like to briefly recap from last time. The Vedas mean knowledge, understanding. They constitute four fundamental collections called Saṃhitās, which means 'collection'. These are the Ṛgveda, Yajurveda, Sāmaveda, and Atharvaveda. Each Veda is followed by the Brāhmaṇas, which engage in rituals; they are like manuals for the priests. They are followed by the Āraṇyakas. These are philosophical texts; 'araṇya' means forest. These texts originated in the forests, capturing the dialogue between teacher and disciple, focusing on the philosophical part of the Vedas. They elaborate on what is only symbolically indicated in the Vedas. The final part of the Vedas is the so-called Vedānta. 'Anta' means end, so it is the end of the Veda. These are the Upaniṣads, which further develop the Āraṇyakas. From this branch of literature, six worldly disciplines follow: Kalpa (ritual), Vyākaraṇa (grammar), Śikṣā (phonetics), Nirukta (etymology), Chandas (metrics, the science of rhythm), and Jyotiṣa (astrology or astronomy). Each Veda has four parts, which correspond to the four stages of human life. Human life consists of four periods, dividing the whole into quarters. First is the Brahmacārī āśrama, where one should devote oneself to study, ideally until the age of twenty-five. It is interesting that according to the latest scientific research, the human brain matures only by the age of 25. Then follows the period of the householder, the Gṛhastha-āśrama, when one should establish a family, care for it, and work for society. When a person departs—actually after fifty, when their hair begins to gray—it is against dharma to remain at home; they should have gone to the forest and devoted themselves to sādhanā. Of course, we do not have that option. I believe human life leads a person in such a way that after the age of fifty, there is a tendency to calm down a bit, turn inward, and devote more attention to spiritual matters. The last stage is the Sannyāsa āśrama, after 75 years, when a person should free themselves from attachments and fully dedicate themselves to spiritual life. For that Brahmacārī period of study, the Saṃhitās belong: Ṛgveda, Yajurveda, Sāmaveda, and Atharvaveda. For the Gṛhastha-āśrama, the Brāhmaṇas are connected; they speak about performing rituals, using mantras during yajñas, and the like. The Āraṇyakas are associated with the Vanaprastha-āśrama, that transition into the forest, dealing with the philosophical part. For the Sannyāsa-āśrama, there are the Upaniṣads. The Upaniṣads actually contain the essence of the Vedas. The Veda is beautifully divided, but originally the Veda was only one. That was in the Satyayuga, the Golden Age, when harmony reigned, positive qualities prevailed, people were connected to the divine order, and they sustained it. The separation from God was very small, a very thin veil. Over time, people became increasingly attached to objects and to people; they became attached to material things and grew coarser. The Veda was slowly fading, and with that fading—it is actually connected to the fading of the flower—not a decline in the years of the Vedas, but a decline in the understanding of the Vedas. After Satyayuga comes Tretāyuga, then Dvāparayuga. And now we are indeed in Kaliyuga. At the end of every Dvāparayuga, Mahāṛṣi Vedavyāsa is born. 'Vedavyāsa' means editor; it is a title here. Vedavyāsa is the editor of the Vedas. He is actually an embodiment of the God Viṣṇu, an incarnation whose task is to adjust the Vedas so that people can understand them once again. In the Purāṇas, there is a long list of various Vedavyāsas who incarnated in different Dvāparayugas. Our Vedavyāsa from the last Dvāparayuga is named Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana. 'Kṛṣṇa' means full of bliss, the one who attracts others; it also means black and mystical, mysterious. 'Dvaipāyana': 'dvīpa' means island, so it is because he was born on an island, as he indeed was. Mahāṛṣi Vedavyāsa, our own, was born on Gurupūrṇimā. Perhaps the others as well, actually, I do not know. But we always remember him on Gurupūrṇimā. Mahāṛṣi Vedavyāsa wrote the Mahābhārata, 18 main Purāṇas, and 18 subsidiary Purāṇas. He also spoke of the Mahābhārata and the Purāṇas, as well as some sub-Purāṇas. The Mahābhārata itself plays an active role; he is related to the Pāṇḍavas, the Kauravas, and is an indirect relative of Yudhiṣṭhira and Kṛṣṇa. He essentially emerged within the Mahābhārata. Mahāṛṣi Vedavyāsa gathered the Vedas, essentially organized them, and passed them on to his four principal disciples. The Ṛgveda was received by Paila Ṛṣi, the Yajurveda by Vaiśampāyana Ṛṣi, the Sāmaveda by Jaimini Ṛṣi, and the Atharvaveda by Sumantu Ṛṣi. These Ṛṣis passed the Vedas on to their disciples, who in turn passed them to their own disciples. Over time, small variations arose based on local traditions and rituals, so various types of schools began to emerge. They are called Śākhās; 'śākhā' means branch. Over time, each Veda actually had several schools that interpreted it. In total, there were 1,131 schools, which is quite a lot, and so little has been preserved. One who recites the Vedas must know the name of the ṛṣi who revealed that mantra or hymn. It is an expression of respect to the ṛṣi who brought us that particular knowledge. Furthermore, there is the need to know the meter (chandas) in which the mantra is composed, the method of recitation (there are about nine fundamental ways), and the name of the God (devatā) to whom the mantra is addressed. In the Purāṇas, there are more stories about how the Veda came to the earth. The Purāṇas were allowed some variation, so the versions of the stories differ slightly. There is a story that at the beginning of creation, Brahmā, the creator, created the gods (devas) and demons (asuras). The demons were the first; they were older. The demons gradually joined the path of Adharma, the path of injustice and negativity. Brahmā sent them to the underworld, Pātāloka. The demons did not like it; they wanted to gain dominion over all three worlds—the earthly world, the heavenly world—and they already had the subterranean one. They began to perform austerities and succeeded in obtaining the grace of Lord Śiva. Then they came to earth and started to trouble the sages, and their powers grew. The gods (devas) live in the heavenly realm, Devaloka, a place of pleasures. They guard those pleasures, and their powers weakened because they did not practice any sādhanā or austerity. When the demons saw that the gods had weakened, they overcame them and took possession of heaven. This battle, as the scriptures say, repeats itself—the battle between Āsurī Śakti and Daivī Śakti, between divine and demonic forces, continuously recurs both within us and outside. The gods went to Śiva and asked for help. Lord Śiva sent them to the goddess Gāyatrī. Gāyatrī said that she begets four eternal sons through the powers of the Vedas and Dharma. Then devotion, dharma, righteousness, and proper conduct will arise again, and they will strengthen the gods. The goddess Gāyatrī closed her eyes and concentrated the forces of the Vedas and dharma within herself. From her eyes came forth light, and from this light the Vedas were born. Goddess Gāyatrī thus sent them to earth. As they came to earth, dharma began to be restored, devotion renewed, and all that is positive revived. Then the gods regained heaven once again. In this story, we have a great lesson for us: we must never abandon our sādhana. If we stop practicing and just celebrate, that Āsurī Śakti will always overwhelm us. So, if someone cannot practice for some reason, they should at least do something. It is better to continue. Now, finally, to those individual collections. The first is the Ṛgveda Saṃhitā. The word 'Ṛk' means hymn or mantra. So the Ṛgveda Saṃhitā is in verses. It contains 1,028 hymns; it is the oldest book in the world, containing 10,170 mantras, which is about half of the mantras contained in all the Saṃhitās combined (they have about 20,500). The Ṛgveda is divided into ten books, or Maṇḍalas (circles), according to the lineage of the ṛṣis who revealed those hymns and also according to the deities to whom those mantras are dedicated. There are nearly 30 women ṛṣis mentioned. The Ṛgveda has five main schools today; there used to be 21. The Ṛgveda praises the devas. The word 'deva' actually passed into Latin as 'deus'. We know Zeus, the ruler of the gods in Greek myths. In English, the word 'divine' comes from the word 'deus'. The word 'deva' means a being of light or a radiant being. The devatās represent a certain aspect of God—a certain energy, vibration, or quality. They are essentially beings on a different level of existence who govern our material existence here. If someone turns to the devas, they are actually turning to that one God, perhaps to that aspect of the one God they are addressing. For example, if someone turns to Sūrya, the sun god, they are actually turning to the principle of light, to the consciousness that manifests that light. Otherwise, regarding the physical sun, just a practical note: I have heard that according to the Vedas, one should be in the sunlight only until ten o'clock. According to our European summer time, that would be eleven o'clock. After that, it becomes harmful, and I think that's exactly what the doctors say. So the Vedas recommend, if one can, to practice sādhana in the morning under the sunlight, or perhaps go for a walk, to make use of the first sun rays, which are the healthiest. Svāmījī also recommends putting water into a copper vessel, letting it sit overnight. The combination of the first ray of sunlight with copper and that water creates energized water, a kind of tonic we can make. Each deva can have multiple names depending on the aspect it represents. In the Ṛgveda, there is also the Gāyatrī mantra. It is said that the Gāyatrī mantra, in its condensed form, contains all the Vedas, and not only the Vedas but also the auxiliary sciences, the Vedāṅgas. So whoever sings the Gāyatrī mantra is, in a way, singing the entire Vedas. The Ṛgveda is invigorating. In it, the gods are worshipped in various ways, and the most important is yajña. Yajña should take the form of a sacrificial fire. Yajñas purify the atmosphere and lead to the welfare of all. The Ṛgveda praises or urges people to cultivate good qualities such as truthfulness, hospitality, and reverence. Some time ago, I read a study examining what makes one happy, whether it is money or something else. When they finally completed that complex research, the findings were surprising because they discovered that dance comes first, which is essentially movement. Āsanas are also a kind of dance. Secondly comes charity, the giving of gifts. And in third place, selfless action, karma yoga. So all these teachings of the Ṛgveda are actually given to us so that we may be happy. We actually have all of this in our manifested life, so we fulfill all three main points. The Ṛgveda further contains various legends and stories. Some of those stories later became models for social life. For example, in the Ṛgveda, there is a story narrated about the marriage of the daughter of the god Sūrya, and this story became the model for wedding rituals; it is followed even now. The Ṛgveda is considered a treasury of knowledge and an encyclopedia of all wisdom. According to the Ṛgveda, the most important thing in life is karma, actions. It is precisely actions that move a person forward. The duty of a person is to perform good deeds for oneself as well as for the entire country, for everyone. The Ṛgveda also mentions the duties of the king. We say this as inspiration for when elections come. The king should possess the finest conduct, the highest virtues, be well-versed in the sacred scriptures, contribute to the development of the state, not frighten his devotees, observe Brahmacarya (which means to control the senses), and rule justly. The duty of the subjects, in turn, is to choose a worthy person as king—one who is strong, intelligent, just, devout, and knowledgeable in the sacred scriptures. So here the Ṛgveda clearly says that one should be active, that people should participate in social life. One of the main aspects of the Vedas is the performance of yajña. Those of you who have attended a yajña know that there are several paṇḍits present: four main paṇḍits and assistants. The four main ones each know one Veda. The paṇḍit who lectures on the Ṛgveda, a connoisseur of the Ṛgveda, is called the Hotṛ. His duty is to invite the Gods to come to the Yajña. The Vedas also contain the so-called Mahāvākyas. 'Mahā' means great, 'vākya' is a sentence or statement. Each Veda has its own Mahāvākya. The Mahāvākyas actually reveal our relationship with God, revealing that we are one. Part 2: The Vedas: An Overview The principal Mahāvākya (great saying) from the Ṛgveda is Prajñānam Brahma: "Consciousness is Brahman." The Ṛgveda also contains ten Upaniṣads. Every science has what is called an Upaveda, a subsidiary or supporting scientific discipline. For the Ṛgveda, this is Āyurveda, the Veda of life or medicine, which has become quite popular recently. The first three Vedas are associated with fire, wind, and the sun. The Ṛgveda is connected with Agni (fire). According to the Vedas, Agni in its latent form is the dominant factor on Earth. It is true that fire is everywhere; we can invoke it at any time. In its latent form, we can strike a match or a stick anywhere and awaken that fire. The ṛṣis say fire is a cosmic force at the level of Earth. In Jātaveda, it is said that just as a mother carries a child in her womb, the earth carries the divine fire as a child in her womb. It is true that the core of the earth is fiery. There is more of this fiery symbolism in the chapter about Yajñas. Agni and other gods who prevail on Earth or have that relationship to Earth are worshipped with mantras from the Ṛgveda. The Ṛgveda ends with a beautiful prayer: "May all people come together and think with one mind. May all hearts unite in love. May the goal be shared. May all live happily with a common intention." I have written down some inspiring thoughts from the Ṛgveda from a certain book. These are such beautiful thoughts, thousands of years old, yet ever relevant: The wise always follow the laws of nature. This is like our golden teaching. We should see only the rising sun. It means to walk the path of progress. The one who walks it alone is a sinner. We should separate ourselves before eating. Lakṣmī, who wishes well for all, lives where wise people speak clearly after they have considered what to say, and where a friend knows the secret of friendship. Wise people unite to achieve great goals together. They mutually know each other’s hearts and minds and share common thoughts. They do not quarrel among themselves, do not violate the laws of nature, they prosper and behave nonviolently. That was the Ṛgveda, the oldest book in the world. Now, the Yajurveda. The word Yajus means sacrificial text. It is the sacred Yajña, which means worship, and it is also the word Yajñā. The Yajurveda has 40 chapters and 128 mantras. The Ṛgveda invokes the gods through mantras, and the Yajurveda actually uses these mantras during the performance of Yajña. It focuses more on the performance of the ritual, the Yāga. It describes the rules for constructing altars, the rules for various types of sacrifices, and so on. Previously, there were 101 schools of the Yajurveda; now only 6 have been preserved. They are divided into two main branches. Mahāṛṣi Vedavyāsa entrusted it to his disciple and also to his nephew, Yājñavalkya. Once, there was a disagreement between the teacher and the disciple. It is said that the Ṛṣi Vaiśampāyana was once invited by a group of ṛṣis to a gathering where attendance was mandatory. At the same time, he was performing a Yajña. There was a need to complete the Yajña, so he asked his disciple Yājñavalkya to instruct the other disciples so they could complete it together. Then ego spoke through Yājñavalkya. He said that, of course, he would do it alone and there was no need for the others. Naturally, Ṛṣi Vaiśampāyana did not like that. He said he did not need such a disciple. So Yājñavalkya said he would leave. The Ṛṣi told him to return what he had learned from him, meaning the Yajurveda knowledge he had imparted. Yājñavalkya returned it. He then practiced austerities for God Sūrya, the Sun God, asking to be accepted as his disciple. After some time, that austerity was successful, and God Sūrya gave him a different version of the Yajurveda. Yājñavalkya then returned and taught his classmates this different version. The original version is called the Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda, known as the Black Yajurveda. The new version is the Śukla Yajurveda, the White Yajurveda. This designation does not mean something is bad and something is good. It signifies that in the Black Yajurveda, the Saṃhitās (verses) and the Brāhmaṇas (prose commentaries) are mixed together, whereas they were always separate before. The Black Yajurveda predominates in South India, and the White in North India. The Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda has four schools, and the Śukla Yajurveda has two. The Yajurveda, like the Ṛgveda, also deals with charitable service within human relationships, dharma, business life, etc. The Ṛgveda imparts knowledge and science, and the Yajurveda advises how to use things properly, how to maintain society, how to walk happily. The main Mahāvākya from the Yajurveda is Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi: "I am Brahman." The Yajurveda is especially important for the philosophy of Advaita (non-dualism), of which Ādi Śaṅkarācārya is a great proponent. To be complete: The Black Yajurveda has one Brāhmaṇa, one Āraṇyaka, and three Upaniṣads. The White Yajurveda has one Brāhmaṇa, one Āraṇyaka, and two Upaniṣads. The Yajurveda also has an Upaveda, a subsidiary Veda. This is Dhanurveda, a kind of martial art, combat skill, the art of warfare. Dhanurveda was taught by brāhmaṇas, and their students were kṣatriyas. In the Purāṇas, there are many stories about warriors who had powerful weapons invoked by mantra. On the battlefield, when a warrior needed a certain weapon, he would invoke a specific mantra, and the weapon would materialize. Dhanurveda also teaches yogic postures that helped warriors maintain their condition. These were recited during the performance of the Yajurveda. A paṇḍit who knows the Yajurveda is called an Adhvaryu. During the Yajña, he builds the altar, prepares the sacred vessels and tools, and performs the ritual. The Yajurveda is associated with the wind, with Vāyu (the father of Hanumān), and also with Indra, as sometimes both names merge. Vāyu represents breath and prāṇa. In yoga, it is connected with prāṇāyāma, the practice of breath control. In that subtle form, Vāyu and Indra are the dominant factors in the atmosphere—the space between the Earth and the Sun. The mantras dedicated to those gods who dominate the atmosphere are precisely the mantras from the Yajurveda, called Yajus. Here are some inspiring thoughts from the Yajurveda: You have received this form in order to awaken and attain the knowledge of the Vedas. You are immortal, you are nectar. Mother Earth, do not torment me and I will not torment you. Illuminate yourself and radiate divine beauty. Behold God in all the happiness of the world. Use all things of the world with detachment. To whom do all these things belong? That is actually everything Swāmījī teaches us, isn't it? Next is the Sāmaveda, the third Veda. Sāman means song, chant, hymn. It is that which destroys sorrow with its sweetness. Sāmans are mantras from the Ṛgveda sung in various tones. The mantras from the Ṛgveda are set to music in the Sāmaveda according to a scale of seven tones. The same mantra from the Ṛgveda can be chanted in different tones, giving rise to various Sāmans or chants. The number of Sāmans can range from 1 to 18, as given by tradition. The musical chanting of mantras from the Ṛgveda aids spiritual development and the gaining of favor from God. The Sāmaveda contains 1,875 mantras and 2,639 Sāmans (chants), mostly taken from the Ṛgveda. It is essentially a songbook for proper recitation during Yajñas, setting the melodies, repetitions, and where certain syllables should be inserted. The Sāmaveda became the foundation of Indian music. There are seven tones (Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni), three scales for different vocal ranges, twenty-one variations of tones, and forty-nine prolonged tones. In Europe, we have the scale Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do. In India, each tone is connected to a cakra and a specific planet. For example, 'Sa' is the lowest tone associated with Sūrya (the Sun), and 'Dha' with the lowest cakra, Mūlādhāra (the earth element). Research has found that the tone 'Sa' in Hindustani music resonates with the tone of the Earth itself. There is a teaching about music called Prastāra, which means the mathematical arrangement of rhythm and scales. I remind you that this is a science thousands of years old. Indian music can inspire us because Indian songs are always positive in theme, which cannot always be said about Western music. If, for example, someone falls into a depression and writes a song, it becomes a hit, and listeners may also fall into depression. Singing and listening to music have a profound impact on the mind. Perhaps we should reflect more on what we sing and listen to. Even children's songs can sometimes be destructive. The paṇḍit who knows the Sāmaveda is called an Udgātā. He sings the mantras of the Sāmaveda and performs some less important rituals. In the Bhagavad Gītā, Lord Kṛṣṇa says, "Among the Vedas, I am the Sāmaveda." The main Mahāvākya from the Sāmaveda is Tat Tvam Asi: "You are That." The Sāmaveda originally had a thousand schools; now it has only three. It has nine Brāhmaṇas, one Āraṇyaka, and fourteen Upaniṣads. Its Upaveda is the Gandharvaveda, the science of music and dance. Unfortunately, the Gandharvaveda is no longer available. It originally had 30,000 verses. Yoga postures and mudrās are also used in dance. The Sāmaveda is associated with the Sun (Sūrya), which dominates the celestial sphere. The Sun is a symbol of wisdom and light. One aspect of the Sun is the God Savitṛ, to whom the Gāyatrī Mantra is addressed. It represents the spiritual evolution of the human mind. The verses from the Sāmaveda are therefore called Sāmans. The Upaniṣads say that for a Yajña to be successful, three types of mantras were derived: from Agni arose the mantras of the Ṛgveda; from Vāyu arose the mantras of the Yajurveda; and from Sūrya arose the mantras of the Sāmaveda. Some inspiring thoughts from the Sāmaveda: God is the radiant light that illuminates our hearts. Every spiritual aspirant contemplates the hidden Lord, who is present as light in their own heart, to gain faith and strength to perform good deeds. No one can overpower the God to whom they have surrendered. As the knowing God, the destroyer of all our problems, dwelling in the centers of all, gracious to all, He guides us on the straight path. That was the Sāmaveda. We still have the Atharvaveda left, but it is already night, so we will finish it another time. I would like to share an experience about the Sāmaveda. About three months ago, I was at a celebration or festival at an event in Sanjita. It was a place where young boys were raised and trained to become paṇḍits—a six-week camp where they practiced. Many paṇḍits and people engaged with the Vedas were present. For everyone, it was amazing; there was a paṇḍit there who knew the Sāmaveda. For them, it was an incredible darśan to have a person who could recite all of it. From the beginning, I was thinking I would see someone recite the Sāmaveda. Of course, I didn't understand a single word, but it is truly beautiful because the melody is completely different from everything else—very deep and slow. Unfortunately, there are only a few people left who can still sing it. Jasračpurī says he is truly amazed that I did not know how to translate the word "pleasure." Regarding the third āśrama, the Vanaprastha āśrama, it was meant to be in the forest. When you think about it differently: after you leave the Brahmacārī āśrama and have a family, all your attention is devoted to your children and profession. Then the time comes when the children leave home. What is that jungle you are supposed to enter afterwards? It is the jungle of having to return to your own emotions and thoughts and start dealing with yourself again. When you are a Brahmacārī, you devote yourself to theory and learning; it is like living in a structured city. In the Gṛhastha āśrama, you are in the outer world, using that knowledge. Then you must go inside to that inner jungle. Finally, in the Sannyāsa āśrama, you must also renounce that jungle.