Preserving the Vedas: Why it is a Lifetime Mission

[krsiyer]

Preserving the Vedas: Why it is a Lifetime Mission

“If the divisions of labour on a hereditary basis are good for all society, what specifically is the benefit gained from the vocation of Brahmins that is preserving the Vedas?” is a question frequently asked.

The potter makes pots for you; the washerman launders your clothes; the weaver weaves clothes for you to wear; the cowherd brings you your cattle; everyone does some work or other essential in the life of everybody else. The rice (or wheat) grown by the tiller sustains us all. The cloth woven by the weaver is indispensable to our modesty; it is also needed to keep us warm in the cold season. We drink the milk brought by the cowherd and also use it to make buttermilk; we cook our food in the pot made by the potter. We find that all jatis provide commodities useful for the society. What is the Brahmin's contribution in this context? What vocation is assigned to him by the Sastras which are the basis of varna dharma?

The Brahmin has to learn the Vedas by listening to his teacher chanting them; this is adhyayana. If adhyayana is chanting the Vedas, adhyapana is teaching the same. The sastras have charged the Brahmin with the additional duty of performing various rites including Vedic sacrifices. The Vedas contain lofty truths. People in modern times may not be averse to the idea that these truths are worthy of being cherished. Society requires knowledge, arts, etc. The Vedas are a storehouse of knowledge. So the idea that we must have a special class of people to propagate the truths contained in the Vedas may seem reasonable enough. According to the sastras, however, such a special class is needed to preserve the sound of these scriptures. This class is constituted by the Brahmins and they perform their function on a hereditary basis. The idea that propagating the truths of the Vedas will help mankind may be acceptable to many, but not the belief that a small group of people can contribute to the good of the world by preserving the sound of the Vedas.

The community stands to lose if the peasant does not till the land and the potter, weaver, carpenter, etc., do not do their respective jobs. But would you say the same thing about the work of the Brahmin? What difference would it make to the society if he ceased intoning the Vedas? To understand the questions raised above we must first try to find out the nature of the Vedas. No purpose is served by approaching three subjects entirely on an intellectual level. We must accept the words of great men who know the Vedas deep in their hearts. "How can we do that, sir?” some people might protest. "We are rationalists and we can be convinced of a truth or statement only on the basis of reason or direct knowledge."

What do we do then? How can anyone claim, as a matter of right that all subjects ought to be brought within the ken of human reasoning? Man is but one among countless creatures. Take for instance the experiments conducted by a physicist in his laboratory. Does a cow understand them? If the scientist formulates certain laws on the basis on his experiments, does the cow say that "These laws of physics do not exist"? But how are humans ignorant of physics to know about such laws? They trust then statements made by people proficient in the subject. To illustrate, take the example of any common appliance. Let us assume that you are told that it works on the basis of certain principles of science.

Jaya jaya sankara, hara hara sankara !

Source: Voice of Paramacharya – Hindu Dharma.

[Kanchi Periva]

The community stands to lose if the peasant does not till the land and the potter, weaver, carpenter, etc., do not do their respective jobs. But would you say the same thing about the work of the Brahmin? What difference would it make to the society if he ceased intoning the Vedas? To understand the questions raised above we must first try to find out the nature of the Vedas.
No purpose is served by approaching three subjects entirely on an intellectual level. We must accept the words of great men who know the Vedas deep in their hearts. "How can we do that, sir?” some people might protest. "We are rationalists and we can be convinced of a truth or statement only on the basis of reason or direct knowledge."

Excellent point, down right practical and hard hitting on the rationalists we have amidst us in plenty. Also goes to prove that the world is getting to a difficult spot because of the allocated work not done by a class of the population - it is all too clear in this post!!

[brindavankanchi]

Shri KRS IYER, i came across a very interesting story about GRAMAPHONE. Read on

First Words on Gramophone.....
Did you know this?

HMV Company had once published a pamphlet giving the history of
gramophone record. Gramophone was invented by Thomas Alva Edison in the 19th century. Edison, who had invented many other gadgets like electric light and the motion picture camera, had become a legend even in his own time.

When He invented the gramophone record, which could record human voice for posterity, he wanted to record the voice of an eminent scholar
on his first piece. For that he chose Prof. Max Muller of Germany,
another great personality of the 19th century. He wrote to Max Muller
saying, "I want to meet you and record your voice. When should I come?"

Max Muller who had great respect for Edison asked him to come on a
suitable time when most of the scholars of the Europe would be
gathering in England.

Accordingly, Edison took a ship and went to England. He was introduced to the audience. All cheered Edison’s presence. Later at the request of Edison, Max Muller came on the stage and spoke in front of the instrument. Then Edison went back to his laboratory and by afternoon came back with a disc. He played the gramophone disc from his instrument. The audience was thrilled to hear the voice of Max Muller from the instrument. They were glad that voices of great persons like Max Muller could be stored for the benefit of posterity.

After several rounds of applause and congratulations to Thomas
Alva Edison, Max Muller came to the stage and addressed the scholars
and asked them, "You heard my original voice in the morning. Then
you heard the same voice coming out from this instrument in
the afternoon. Did you understand what I said in the morning or what
you heard this afternoon?"

The audience fell silent because they could not understand the language in which Max Muller had spoken. It was `Greek and Latin' to them as they say. But had it been Greek or Latin, they would have definitely understood because they were from various parts of Europe. It was in a language which the European scholars had never heard.

Max Muller then explained what he had spoken. He said that the language he spoke was Sanskrit and it was the first sloka of Rig Veda, which says "Agni Meele Purohitam." This was the first recorded public version on the gramophone plate.

Why did Max Muller choose this? Addressing the audience he said, "Vedas are the oldest text of the human race. And Agni Meele Purohitam is the first verse of Rig Veda. In the most primordial time, when the people did not know how even to cover their bodies and lived by hunting and housed in caves, Indians had attained high civilization and they gave the world universal philosophies in the form of the Vedas.”

Such is the illustrious legacy of our country!

When “Agni Meele Purohitam” was replayed the entire audience stood up in silence as a mark of respect for the ancient Hindu sages.

This verse means:

"Oh Agni, You who gleam in the darkness, To You we come day by day, with devotion and bearing homage. So be of easy access to us, Agni, as a father to his son, abide with us for our well being.