Talk:The Vedas:Veda Bhasya

By Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swami

The sound of the Vedas must be kept alive. For this purpose, it would be enough if Brāhmaṇas memorised the mantras and chanted them every day. The power of the sound, the power of the mantras when vocalised, is sufficient to bring good to mankind. I said, you will remember, that chanting the Vedas with faith, even without knowing their meaning, is vīryavattaram. However, that statement does not fully reflect my view.

A student has to spend many years memorising the Vedas and studying their meaning. It is not easy to keep him in a Vedic pāṭhaśālā for such a long period. I must therefore explain why I said that it is not necessary to know the meaning of the Vedas and that preserving their sound is itself important. To insist that a student should chant the Vedas only after mastering their meaning is to expect too much. Such an insistence may discourage students even from memorising the hymns. If that happens, how will the sound of the Vedas be preserved? It was for this reason that I remarked, half seriously and half in jest, that "the meaning is not necessary; the sound itself is sufficient."

There must indeed be a large number of people who can chant the Vedas and preserve their sound. At the same time, there must also be a system through which at least some among them are taught the meaning of the mantras. It is for this reason that we have taken a serious interest in teaching the Veda-bhāṣya. The Vedas are profound in meaning, and many great teachers have written commentaries upon them. Their efforts must not be allowed to go in vain.

In our homes we perform many rites—marriage, Śrāddha, Upākarman, and others—and during these ceremonies Vedic mantras are chanted according to the priest's instructions. By the grace of Īśvara, we have not yet reached the unfortunate stage of abandoning these rites altogether. Even so, Vedic practice is steadily declining. One important reason is that we do not understand the meaning of the mantras being chanted.

Educated people today find it difficult to develop genuine involvement in rituals when they merely repeat the mantras after the priest without understanding them.

We cannot expect people to be convinced merely by telling them that chanting the mantras, even without understanding them, is beneficial. The mantras used for different rites are distinct, and each has its own significance. When we understand this, we realise that there is a sound rationale underlying these rites. Moreover, the mantras possess an emotional appeal that becomes evident only when their meaning is known. Understanding their meaning therefore creates deeper involvement in the ceremonies in which they are recited. It is because this understanding has been lost that purposeless repetition has come to be irreverently compared with the chanting of Śrāddha mantras. The meaning of the mantras—including those recited during Śrāddha—must be understood both by the priest and by the kartā. We must evolve a proper system to make this possible.

The priest himself must first understand the meaning of the mantras and the significance of the rituals at which he officiates. Today, many priests are themselves unaware of the meaning of what they chant. If a kartā or yajamāna asks, "What does this mantra mean?", the priest is often unable to answer. How then can the kartā develop faith in the rite?

I believe that many middle-aged people today sincerely wish to understand the meaning of the mantras. I also believe that the decline of faith in ritual is largely because they are made to repeat the hymns mechanically after the priest. It is for this reason that we are making efforts to ensure that those who officiate at rituals—the upādhyāya-s—acquire proficiency in the Veda-bhāṣya so that they may explain the meaning of the mantras to those on whose behalf the rites are performed.

According to the Nirukta, one of the six Vedāṅga-s, a Brāhmaṇa who chants the Vedas without understanding their meaning incurs a curse.

Many great teachers have therefore written commentaries on the Vedas to inspire faith in Vedic rites and to explain their significance. Śrī Madhvācārya composed a commentary on the first forty sūkta-s of the first kāṇḍa of the Ṛgveda. Skandasvāmin also wrote a bhāṣya on the Ṛgveda. Bhaṭṭa Bhāskara composed a commentary on the Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda, while Mahīdhara wrote one on the Śukla Yajurveda. In more recent times, Dayānanda Sarasvatī, Aurobindo Ghose, and his disciple Kapāli Śāstrī also produced expository works on the Vedas. Among all these commentaries, however, that of Śrī Sāyaṇācārya has acquired particular prominence, and many scholars, including Western Indologists, have regarded it as authoritative.

If the Yajurveda is counted separately as the Śukla and Kṛṣṇa recensions, there are five Vedas in all. Sāyaṇācārya wrote commentaries on all five. Although commentaries on the Vedas existed before him, he was the first to produce a comprehensive bhāṣya covering the entire Vedic corpus.

For many centuries, Sāyaṇācārya's commentary continued to be studied. In recent times, however, there arose a fear that interest in the Veda-bhāṣya would disappear. Those who memorised the Vedas without studying their meaning became priests, while those who pursued poetry and other branches of learning often did not learn even to chant the Vedic mantras. As a result, the study of the Veda-bhāṣya steadily declined. It was in these circumstances that we established the Ṣaṣṭyabdapūrti Trust to preserve and promote the study of the Veda-bhāṣya.

When the Trust first began conducting examinations, the Veda-bhāṣya was little more than a printed volume lying unsold in bookshops. Publishers themselves doubted whether many copies would ever be purchased. After the establishment of the Trust, we began awarding scholarships to students and supplying them with copies of the Veda-bhāṣya. Soon our concern was no longer whether the books would be sold, but whether sufficient copies would remain available for new students. It is only through the grace of Parāśakti that we have succeeded in reviving the study of the Veda-bhāṣya. So long as Her grace continues, there will always be students willing to study it and copies available for them.

Before ceremonies such as marriage, Upanayana, or Sīmantonnayana, we ought to consult a Vedic scholar proficient in the Veda-bhāṣya so that the meaning of the mantras employed in these rites may be explained. On the day of the ceremony itself there is seldom enough time for such discussion. If we understand the meaning and significance of the mantras beforehand, our participation in the rite becomes far more meaningful.

Today, however, we scarcely find time even to prepare properly for a wedding. The chief concerns of the bride's family are the musical ensemble, the dance recital, the marriage procession, and countless other arrangements. We give the least importance to what constitutes the very soul of the marriage sacrament—the Vedic mantras. The Vedic paṇḍita-s who recite these mantras are likewise treated as the least important participants in the celebration. Even if only a few people retain faith in these mantras, it remains necessary that at least some Brāhmaṇas be trained in the Veda-bhāṣya for their benefit and instruction.

We print invitation cards for marriages and Upanayana ceremonies and distribute them widely, inviting entire towns or villages, and spend large sums on the celebrations. Yet we pay little attention to the rite itself or to its significance. This is not right.

If we understand the meaning of the mantras recited during a ceremony, we derive far greater benefit from it. We often continue performing rites simply because we do not have the courage to abandon them. In the same way, we must recognise that it is improper to perform a rite without understanding the mantras that accompany it. We should therefore seek the guidance of a learned paṇḍita. As I have already said, rites performed with an understanding of the meaning and significance of their mantras are more fruitful. We must have faith in the Upaniṣadic declaration:

Yad eva vidyayā karoti tad eva vīryavattaraṃ bhavati.

At an Upanayana, it is the brahmacārin himself who chants the mantras. Likewise, at a marriage it is the bridegroom who recites them. What then is expected of the assembled guests? Have they come merely for the meal, for conversation, for the dance performance, or to listen to the nāgasvaram? Is their role simply to enjoy themselves? Certainly not. The Vedic mantras deserve the highest reverence. When they are being chanted, we honour them by listening attentively. These mantras promote the welfare of all. If those present listen carefully and understand their meaning, they too earn merit, even though they are not themselves the kartā.

Consider the Aśvamedha. Only a sovereign ruler who has established supremacy over all other kings—a Mahārāja or Sārvabhauma—is qualified to perform this sacrifice. Thus, in any given age, perhaps only one individual possesses the authority to undertake it. Since the Aśvamedha is said to yield the highest merit among Vedic rites, one may ask whether the Vedas are partial in granting such merit only to an emperor. If ordinary people, however virtuous, are unable to perform the sacrifice themselves, are they thereby deprived of its fruits? Would this not suggest an unfair preference for those possessing power and resources?

No such partiality can be attributed to the Vedas. While a Vedic sacrifice undoubtedly benefits its performer, it also promotes the welfare of the entire world. If I light a lamp in darkness, does its light illuminate only me? It illumines everyone present.

The kartā may indeed receive certain special benefits. Yet the śāstra also prescribes a means by which others may obtain the same merit, and the Vedas themselves declare this. Although ordinary people cannot perform the Aśvamedha, they may learn how it is conducted, listen attentively to the mantras recited during the sacrifice, and understand their meaning. In this manner they too obtain the full benefit of the sacrifice performed by the sovereign. This principle is itself stated in the Vedic section dealing with the Aśvamedha.

In the same way, whether it is a marriage, a funeral, or any other Vedic rite, those who attentively follow the proceedings and listen to the mantras with an understanding of their meaning also obtain the full merit associated with the ceremony.