Vedic Hymns

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Lecture 1

• Vedic Hymns their philosophical import

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Mohenjo-Daro Harappa

• Discovery of two 4000 year old cities 400 miles
  apart
• Well-constructed cities of advanced civilisation
• Not much idea of these ancient people
• Mohenjo-Daro Hill of dead
• No idea of the collapse Indus Valley Civilization
• Abandoned about 1700BC
• Possibility - Great flood, devastating
  earthquake, invasion by Aryans
• Still finding new artifacts

3
Invasions

• Indian languages and cultures from external
  influnces
• Through NW border even protect by Northern
  Himilayas as natural barriers
• Dravidians first Indian inhabitants
• Believe these people from East Africa
• Aryans conquered Dravidians about 1500BC
• Aryans related to Persians and Europeans
• Sanskrit similar to Greek and Latin
• Invading armies from Persians, Alexander the
  Great and Huns from Central Asia were early
  invaders
• 800AD Muslims settled in South Indus River
• Invaded India around 1000AD with their swift
  horses

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Invasions

• Indo-Aryans brought a religion on the principal
  of One God (Tawheed)
• Vedas used to praise the powers of Nature
• Bought with them fire worship, Soma, composing
  religious poems
• Hymns for praising gods accompany with
  offerings
• Since Vedic times till today, Vedas knowledge
  supposed to be accessed by hereditary priesthood

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What are Vedas?

• Earliest literature record of Indo-Aryan
  civilization
• Most scared books of India
• Original scriptures of Hindu teachings, spiritual
  knowledge
• Philosophical truths stood over the test of time
• Highest authority for all Hindus
• Means wisdom, knowledge, vision
• Language of Gods in human speech
• Laws of Vedas regulate - social, legal, domestic
  and religious customs
• Obligatory duties of Hindus
• Drawn from thought of successive generation
  generation of thinkers and different levels of
  thought

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Origin of Vedas

• Earliest documents of human mind
• Difficult to confirm earliest portions of Vedas
  came into existence
• Hindus seldom kept historical record of their
  religious, literary and political realization
• Another said as Hindus need to reincarnate to
  next life why record?
• Historians provide many guesses
• None free from ambiguity

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Who wrote the Vedas?

• Believed humans did not compose the revered Vedas
• Handed down through generations by word of mouth
• General assumptions - Vedic hymns taught by God
  to the sages or revealed themselves to the sages
  who are the guardians of the hymns
• Known to be compiled by Vyasa Krishna Dwaipayana
  around 1500BC ( Time of Lord Krishna)

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Classification of the Vedas

• Divided into four
• Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda
• Rig Veda - main text
• Four vedas also known as Chathurveda
• First 3 Vedas agree in form, language and content

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Structure of the Vedas

• Each veda consists of Four parts
• Samhitas (hymns), Brahmanas (rituals), Aranyakas
  (theologies), Upanishads (philosophies)
• Collection of mantras/hymns is called samhita
• Brahmanas - ritual texts - include precepts and
  religious duties
• Each Veda has several Brahmanas attached to it
• Upanishads form the concluding portions of the
  Veda and known as Vedanta - end of the Veda and
  essence of Vedic teachings
• Upanishads and Aranyakas are concluding portions
  of Brahmanas dealing with philosophical problems
• Aryanyakas - forest texts - objects of meditation
  for ascetics
• Earliest civilized inhabitants worshipped a
  mother Goddess and a horned fertility God
• Worshipped sacred trees, animals, ritual washing
  and purification

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Rig Veda

• Hymns considered to be oldest and most important
  of the Vedas
• Composed between 1500BC to 900BC
• Consist of more than 1,000 hymns and organized
  into 10 mandalas or circles
• 2nd through 7th are the oldest
• 10th the most recent
• Works of many authors, seers called rishis
• 7 primary seers. Examples- Atri, Kanwa, etc
• Vedas gradually reduced extensively
• Considered best source of knowledge
• Doctrines seems to have improved
• Hymns for praising Aryan Gods for giving them
  victories in war and wealth plundered
• Superior weaponry and skill in fighting
• Hymns of horses and warriors with spokes, spears,
  bow, arrows and iron weapons

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Rig Veda-continuation

• From nomadic to agriculture way of life,
  established new social structure of patriarch
  families dominated by warriors
• Eventually with the power of the Vedas the
  priests dominated
• Worshipped of devas with brightness and radiance
• Worshipped Sky Gods e.g Prthvi, Aditi
• Greatest God Indra (War and weather God), many
  gods for various purposes.

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Sama Veda

• Contains melodies or music for chants from Rig
  Veda for sacrifices
• All verses are traceable to Rig Veda
• 8th 9th books devote to Indra, Agni and Soma
• Considered as origin of Indian music and
  stimulated great artistry to make sacrifices
  worthwhile to their patrons who supported the
  priests
• Train musicians and functional as a hymnal for
  religious rites.

13
Yajur Veda

• Many hymns of the Rig Veda
• deviates from the original text on ritual
  formulas
• Two collections of samhitas called white and
  black
• After 10BC conquest of Aryans were quite complete
• Caste system in place, warriors settled as ruling
  class over the agricultural society
• Priests and ceremonies gained influence and
  exerted over the wide society of people
• Indigenous were enslaved amd as cheap labor for
  the ruling class
• Famous horse sacrifice by the royals. Parts of
  the horse symbolize different aspects of the
  universe so that tremendous power is invoked.
• Complicated and obscure rituals used as
  representation of the Aryan dominance of land and
  waters of India and natural powers what sustain
  agriculture.

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Athara Veda

• Latest and 4th Veda of different category
• 3 Vedas- Rig Veda-reciting, Sama Veda-Singing
  and Yajur Veda-ritual
• Draws from the customs and beliefs of the
  Pre-Aryan or Pre-Vedic India
• Much longer than Sama and Yajur veda and only 1/6
  of Rig Veda.
• Magical spells and magical words
• Line between the prayer and magic and between
  white and black magic is usually drawn by ethical
  considerations
• Bheshajani - healing, cures using herbs to treat
  fever, leprosy, jaundice, dropsy and other
  diseases
• Aryans look down on local herbal medicine as they
  were more advance in treating illness
• Also used for successful childbirth, romance,
  fecundity, virility, etc