Talk:The Vedas:The One Goal

By Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swami

According to the Vedic tradition, a yajña consists of offering havis (oblations) into the sacred fire while chanting the prescribed mantras and invoking the appropriate devatā. The mantras are regarded as inseparable from the deities they invoke. In one sense, the mantras themselves constitute the sonic form of the devatā-s; in another, they are understood to nourish and strengthen the deities invoked through the sacrifice.

The discourse illustrates this relationship by comparing it to the collection of taxes by a government. Although different taxes are collected by different departments through different procedures, they ultimately serve the same sovereign authority. Similarly, each Vedic rite has its own presiding devatā, prescribed mantra, and specific sacrificial materials, yet all sacrifices are ultimately dedicated to Parameśvara, the Supreme Reality.

The analogy is extended further by noting that, unlike an earthly ruler who may not personally know each taxpayer, Parameśvara, as the Supreme Sovereign, knows every individual and is fully aware of the sincerity with which sacrifices are performed. Consequently, ritual performance cannot be reduced to mere external action or formal observance.

The discourse further reiterates that every yajña rests upon three essential components: the prescribed mantra, the sacrificial offering (havis), and the devatā to whom the offering is made. Together, these integrate speech through the recitation of the mantra, the body through the act of offering, and the mind through meditation upon the invoked devatā, making yajña a coordinated act involving thought, word, and deed.