The Veda is the most ancient as well as the most lasting
knowledge (or Sastra) discovered by man. That is to say, man has
not invented it; he has only recollected it in the serene silence
of the soul. So, the Veda can lead man into the Vision of the
Truth, unreachable by the senses and un-related to the material
world. It is inaccessible to human reason because it is
transcendent. So, it is described as Paramam Vyoma, the Great
Protector, also Indestructible, Thath, Truth. These words denote
all the four Vedas, beginning with the Rg Veda.
The term Veda was originally applied to the Supreme Lord,
Paramesvara, the All-Knowing. (Veththi ithi Vedah - He who knows
is Veda). Then it was applied to the principle of understanding
(Vedayathi ithi Veda), that which makes known is Veda. The Rg and
other Vedas have the all-knowing characteristic. So this meaning
too is appropriate. Later the word was applied to activities in
consonance with the Vedas - activities promoting the goals laid
down, namely, Righteous, Economic, Volitional and Spiritual.
The Supreme Lord is All-seeing; He is the Person on whom all
the hymns of the Vedas converge. The Vedas enable man to get the
vision of that Lord and those who have earned that Vision are the
Rshis. They were guided by the Vedas; many psalms, hymns and
declarations emerged from them. As a result, the Supreme Lord
Himself is referred to as the Great Sage (Maharshi) in the
Brahma-Sutra. Among the 108 Names of Siva, the Supreme Lord, we
find Maha-rshi and Mukhya-rshi (the Chief Sage, the foremost
Sage). Even the Veda is personified and referred to as Rshi, for
the same reason. Brahmam (the Vast Expanse) is another word which
denotes the Supreme Lord as well as the Veda. Hence, all acts,
undertaken with no other desire than the attainment of Brahmam,
are also known as Brahma activity - Brahmayajna. A Rshi yajna is a
sacrificial act - with no desire to earn the fruit ensuing
therefrom - designed to gain the Vision of Truth.
While performing such sacrificial acts and yajnas, the
expression, Swaaha, is used. Yajnas are pure, auspicious, sacred
acts. This exclamation Swaaha, used while offering oblations or
reciting the Veda, is full of significance. Kesavaaya Swaaha,
Praanaaya Swaaha, Indraaya Swaaha: The expression is used in this
manner. The meaning generally given is "Let this be duly consumed.
May these materials we are now placing in this holy fire be fully
accepted and consumed, so that through this Fire they can reach
the Deity for which it is intended - Kesava, Prana, Indra." Doubts
may arise - why pray to Fire for something which is inevitable,
because it is the very nature of Fire to burn all that is put into
it. But the scriptural meaning is different. Kalidasa in the poem
"Kumara Sambhavam" describes the Himalayas as "Devathaatma"
(Divine Souled), that is to say, the Embodiment of the Divine. The
scriptures distinguish the Divine Body and the Material Body,
which each entity and being possess. The Divine Body of every one
cannot be cognised by the senses. When an oblation is given to it,
it becomes sanctified. The Aahuthi is trans-substantiated into
Havis.
The oblation or Aahuthi is thus described in the Veda. The
offering and offeree become one through the acceptance. (The Attha
and the Adya). Who in this case is the offeree, the acceptor? It
is Agni, the Divine Power inherent in Fire, in the Sun, in the
Warmth of the Vital Air that sustains Life. When with the
recitation of the appropriate ceremonial formulae, material
oblations are placed in Agni with the phrase Swaaha, it is not a
mere exclamation; it is expiation; it is realisation of the
prayer, which the ritual represents.
The Veda is known as Chhandas also. This name means pleasant,
joyous; it is also associated with the kindred meanings - strong,
vital, shielded. Since all the attributes and characteristics can
be predicated of the Vedas, the name referred to above is very
appropriate. The sacred ceremonies and rituals which the Vedas
expound confer joy not only on the participants but on the entire
world and even on worlds beyond. The Supreme Lord who is the
source of Bliss, is known in the scriptural text as Yajnaanga
(having the Vedic ritual as His Limbs), Yajna-vahana (using the
Vedic ritual as His Vehicle). When Godhead assumes Form the first
manifestation is Hiranyagarbha (the Golden Womb). This too is
embodied Bliss, having as vehicle the Bird with wings of Beauty,
or Garuda. The Supreme Lord is also known as Vrsha-ratha, He whose
chariot is the Bull, the symbol of Dharma (Righteousness). This is
the reason why in temples we find the bird Garuda carved or kept
as an idol before the shrine of Vishnu and the figure of the Bull
or its idol placed before shrines of Siva.
Chha or Chhaadana has as its root meaning another important
aspect of the Vedas - shielding, fostering or promoting, promoting
the welfare, the ultimate liberation of humans engaged in the
unceasing round of worldly affairs. Humans are ever caught up in
activities pursued with the profit available as the purpose. They
have to be moulded as righteous men and women at the same time;
the Tree of Life has to be guarded to offer them fruits and shade.
The Veda has to shield from destruction the activist 'doers'
(Karma lovers) from the evil temptation to court unrighteousness
and, the inquiry-fond thinkers (Jnana seekers) from the evil
temptation to pursue the pleasure-bound senses. Since the Veda
both guides and shields, these verses are called, in totality,
Chhandas. Through their role as armour or shield, they shower
Bliss on all who rely on them. "Chhaadanaath chhandaasi." By
shielding they become "chhandas."
There is a myth about the Vedic rituals, collectively known as
Yajna. Once, Yajna fled from the gods taking the form of a black
antelope; the gods went in pursuit, but they succeeded only in
retrieving its skin. That skin became the Yajna, the symbol of the
rite. The white, dark and tawny colours on that skin represent the
Vedas, Rg, Yajur and Saama, and it was adored as sacred for this
very reason. It was honoured as symbolising the Triple Knowledge,
that is to say, Mastery of the three Vedas. The skin is used by
the officiating priests and other participants in all Vedic
ceremonials in order to invoke the protecting hymns, called
Chhandas. The three colours are believed to represent the three
worlds too and, therefore, he who is seated on the skin or wears
it benefits the three worlds by his Vedic recitations and
oblations.
The master of the ceremonials at the Vedic yajna is described
in the vedic scripture as the "Foetus in the Womb." As the foetus
is safe and secure, with its fingers clasped and body prostrate
enveloped in the mother, the priest initiate must be enveloped in
the antelope skin symbolising Mother Veda. To human eyes, it is
just a skin but during Vedic rites, it becomes a shield. This is
the reason why, before wearing it, the initiate prays, addressing
it, "You are the shield, Charma, shield me as Charma." Charma
since it shields man from grief, injury, and wrong has come to
mean happiness and bliss. Vishnu, the second of the Trinity, is
the embodiment of Bliss. And Vedic sacrifices confer bliss. Vishnu
is praised as Yajna itself (Yajno vai Vishnuh). The Lord Vishnu is
the embodiment of the Triple Veda.
Upasana means the acquisition of the Presence of the Divine,
the achievement of the Bliss of adoration. Vedic tradition
sanctions four paths as legitimate and fruitful to win this
achievement. They are called Sathyavathi, Angavathi, Anyavathi and
Nidaanavathi. We shall consider these in some detail.
Sathyavathi: The scripture defines the Divine thus:
"Sarva Vyaapinam Aatmaanam, Ksheere sarpith iva arpitham" - The
Aatma is immanent everywhere, just as ghee interpenetrates every
drop of milk. When the seeker pursues the Truth with this
conviction urging his endeavour, his sadhana is called Sathyavathi
(Truth-based). "Maaya thitham idam sarvam, jagadavyaktha
moorthinaa," the Lord declares, "In My latent form, I am in entire
Creation, operating the mystery. See in Me all this, see all this
as Me". When one succeeds in this effort the Sathyavathi path will
lead to success. "I shall be visible to you as all this and in all
this," the Lord assures. The Lord promises this Vision of
Immanence and Transcendence to whomsoever that persists with
sincerity on this Sathyavathi path.
Angavathi: The Universal being is the Fire, the Wind,
the Sun, the Moon and all else. He is the Breath that sustains
life in all beings. He is the Fire that illumines all. He is the
Rain that feeds the plants that provide sustenance. So, He can be
adored either as Fire (Agni) or as Wind (Vayu) or as Rain
(Varuna), as having graciously assumed all those beneficent forms.
This approach through the benign manifestation or Angas, is the
Angavathi path. Anga means a 'limb', a 'fact', a 'feature'.
Anyavathi: Picturing the many-faceted Divine and
symbolising, in perceivable ways, the attributes that are
evidenced in each facet, the seeker endeavours to acquire the
Presence of the Divine. One form of the Divine, the Omnipresent
(Vishnu) is pictured as having the Conch (symbol of the Primeval
word or Sound), the Wheel (symbol of Time) and the Mace (symbol of
Might and Majesty). With the facet to which is ascribed the power
and willingness to overcome obstacles (Vighneswara), the single
tusk symbolising sharpness and concentration is associated, Iswara
or Siva (the facet of disintegration and dissolution) has the
Soola or Trident (symbolising in its three prongs, the Past, the
Present and the Future). Rama, the form of righteousness or Dharma
is always pictured with the Kodanda, the bow which can send the
arrow (will) straight to the target. Krishna, the manifestation of
Universal love, has on His Crown a peacock feather, symbolising
the thousand-eyed glance of Grace. He bears a flute on which He
plays enthralling tunes; the flute is the symbol of the ego-less
desire-less seeker. The facet of Wisdom pictured as the Goddess
Saraswathi, has a Veena in Her hand; the Veena is a stringed
musical instrument, symbolic of heart-strings responding with
harmony and melody, to the gentle touch of the True, the Good and
the Beautiful. Seekers meditate on these pleasing Personifications
and the significance of the symbols of their attributes and adore
the Divine in the Delight that wells up in their hearts. This is
named Anyavathi Path - the Path through symbolised Divinity, Anya
meaning the other, the adjunctory, the appurtenance.
Nidaanavathi: This path is slow but progress is always
achieved when each step is successfully negotiated. "Sravanam
(Listening to the Glory of God), Kirtanam (singing joyously His
unique graciousness), Vishnoh smaranam (keeping in memory and
recapitulating always the Majesty and Mercy of the Lord), Paada
sevanam (Aspiring to fall at the Feet of the Lord), Archanam
(offering prayers to the image or idol of the Lord), Vandanam
(offering gratitude for blessings received), Dasyam (Surrendering
to the Will of the Lord), Sakhyam (Confiding completely in Him),
Atma Nivedanam (Dedicating thought, word and deed to Him),
Thanmaya-aasakthi (Longing to merge in Him) and
Parama-viraha-aasakthi (Agony at the slightest separation from
Him)" - these are the eleven stages which the seeker has to pass
through to win the final Consummation in Bliss. Hence, the name
for this path is 'slow and sure' (Nidaana).
These four paths (Sathyavathi, Angavathi, Anyavathi and
Nidaanavathi) are each one progressively more commendable than the
previous ones, as far as simplicity and practicability are
concerned. They award, in the end, Oneness with the Universal
Will. Of the various other Upasanas or Sadhanas which are
mentioned in the sacred texts and practised by seekers,
Pratheekopasana (Idol adoration) or Prathiroopopasana (Image
adoration) is included under Angavathi Upasana. "Sarvathah paani
paadam thath, sarvathokshi Siro mukham" - "Everywhere His Hand and
Feet, everywhere Head and Face". The Lord (Madhava) has His Hands
everywhere, for He is in all. He sees through all the eyes. He
thinks, plans and resolves in all heads. He eats through all
mouths, hears through every ear. Through one Form, you can adore
Him as all Forms. This is the highest ideal - He is latent in all
beings; He operates unseen in and through all. This is the
Prathiroopa-upasana, worshipping Him as present in each. There are
sundry other Upasanas too mentioned in the texts:
Bhanopasana: Ascribing to the Lord the Highest
splendour, the deepest compassion, the most potent Power, etc. and
worshipping Him as such.
Geethopasana: Adoring Him as the Master and Preceptor
who teaches the Geetha and reveals the Way. The epic Mahabharata
is revered as a Veda, the fifth one. It sets out the code of
morality that man must adhere to for realising his goal, both here
and hereafter. It is an inexhaustible treasure-chest of guidelines
for righteous living and spiritual uplift. Here, the Lord can be
seen on the theatrical stage of Dharmakshetra, with all the
equipments and roles, the plots and counter-plots, the denouements
and devices, for the Cosmic Play He is enacting in His own
marvellous way. That play is the epic, the Mahabharata. In this
play, the actors and actresses, the dialogues and texts, the cues
and songs, have been assembled by Him. He is the cast, the
director, the audience - all. It is Madhava who manifests Himself
and manipulates in every thing and being. On one side, boundless
material strength urged on by un-righteous greed, and on the
other, the apparently limited strength of the Atman, the
ever-righteous. In the Cosmic Confrontation and conflict between
these two forces, the Lord stands forth as the arbiter, the
supreme embodiment of the victory of Right over Might. This is the
ultimate ambrosia available in the Mahabharata - the Bhagavad
Geetha, the Song of Divine Triumph. The core lesson which the epic
is bent on teaching is contained in the Geetha - the seeker
surrendering, with the words, "Karishye vachanam thava - Your word
shall be obeyed" and the Lord admonishing the seeker, "Swadharme
nidhanam sreyah - In fulfilling the duty assigned to you lies your
safety and prospertiy." All work should be tested on this
criterion.
The path of dedication to the Will of God (Bhakthi) should not
be discarded, for it can lead you to all-round delight and bliss.
Instead, if one closes his eyes and instills into himself the
conceit that He is Brahmam, he will miss the joy and become a
victim of anxiety. When you pound husk you cannot expect rice
grains to result, can you? And, Krishna is no other than the very
Brahmam!
Adwaithopasana: "The body of the cow has milk in it. The
milk has ghee in it. But, the ghee cannot be a source of strength
to one. The milk has to be drawn, yeast added to curdle it, butter
has to be churned out and clarified to produce the ghee which,
when consumed by one can give one strength. So, too, though God is
omnipresent and omni-motivating He has to be discovered and
cognised in order to realise Bliss, Awareness. Like oil in
mustard, butter in yogurt, like water inside the earth, like fire
in timber, God is present but not patent in everything. God is in
the human body and in the human mind. To become aware of Him
there, spiritual effort is necessary. When that is undertaken, the
unity of both can be realised. One will not thereafter experience
"two" or "difference". The awareness of the one without a second
is 'Liberation', release from bondage.
Visishta-adwaitha (Qualified Monism): Ramanuja
considered the problem whether the God whom one seeks to worship
and realise as real must be conceived as being apart from oneself,
or whether God can be conceived as in oneself. His answer is: Life
is the soul of the body; God is the soul of Life. God is the
grantor, the force, the sustainer. Seek Him in that spirit. The
Supreme Sovereign Purusha in whom all the elements reside, and who
is the indweller and inner motivator of all Creation, can be known
and experienced only by winning Grace through surrender.
Understand well His transcendence and immanence and, realising
one's deficiencies, surrender the ego in order to partake of His
Glory. The mental attitude of the seeker should be "Thwam eva
sarvam, mama deva deva: Thou alone art all, O my God of Gods".
"You are the urge, you are the path, you are the goal." The
spiritual effort must be one-pointed, unwavering, untiring.
Dwaithopasana (Dualism): The Dualistic outlook on the
relationship between God and the individual is that of husband and
wife. Vishnu, the Lord, the ever-free, ever-full, has to be adored
as the wife adores the husband. Among such sadhakas, Chaithanya is
most noteworthy. He established a distinct Chaithanyopasana
itself. Without the anguished yearning for the Feet of Lord
Krishna liberation cannot be gained. Why? Even purification of
one's intelligence is not possible without that yearning. This is
the assertion of Chaithanya. He declares that sages and others
capable of being immersed in inner bliss can enjoy the ecstasy of
the supreme consciousness through the contemplation of the
auspicious, restorative and cleansing attributes of the Lord, Sri
Hari. No text or scripture is needed for one to realise this
bliss. Sunk in the waves of that Divine ecstasy, the person
ignores all the norms of social behaviour and escapes from all
conventions; he sings aloud the names of Hari, sheds streams of
joy, dances in divine delight and experiences unadulterated
genuine bliss. He feels that the Lord's Feet have made every inch
of ground holy. Thus they sing the glory of the Lord fully attuned
to Him. This Sadhana was emphasised, as the easiest and most
fruitful, by Chaithanya. His foremost goal was to attain the
absence of body-consciousness in the flood of ecstasy that surges
from melodious group-singing of the majesty and mercy of the Lord.
There are a few other forms of worship which merit mention. The
Gowdeyopaasana is one such. Sri Krishna, formulated and
incorporated in the unmanifest Immanence, as Purushothama and
Radha, formulated and incorporated as unmanifest Universal Energy,
are both visualised, and known as Krishna-Radha or more commonly,
Radha-Krishna. Madhava is another name of Krishna, signifying that
He is the master of Cosmos or Prakrthi. So, the name used in this
Upasana or worship is Radha-Madhava. The recitation of this Name
is held by the adherents of this path of worship to be capable of
leading to the ecstasy that can confer liberation from all forms
of bondage. The acharyas or founders of this Upasana declare this
to be the attainable goal. The Lord is the very embodiment of the
nectar of delight. Living beings can get immersed in spiritual
delight only when they imbibe that nectar. The Sruthi texts
proclaim that those born in Ananda can live only in and through
Ananda. The sacred name Radha-Madhava is the key, it is said, to
the treasure-house of that precious nectar.
Radha-Madhava is Prakrthi-Purusha and this dual category is
assumed to represent the duality of Jivatma and Paramatma, the
Individual Soul and the Universal Soul, the Wave and the Ocean.
Worship is offered to both through that Name. Vallabhacharya
proclaimed "Krishnasthu Bhagavan Swayam" (Krishna is the Lord
Himself). Attaining Him was explained to be equal to merging in
the Universal, the goal of genuine monists.
Saivopaasana is also a notable path. This emphasises the
worship of Siva as formulated in the Lingam or Symbol. "Lingam
Sarva Kaalam". The Infinite Lingam is the symbol of the Primal
Energy which forms the basic cause of the origin, condition and
progress of the 'elements' that compose the Cosmos. The Lingam is
the Form of Siva Himself and realising it as such is asserted as
the ultimate goal, liberation.
Virasaivopaasana advocates the worship of Siva, the Lord
or Isvara, as the one and only, everywhere and always. The merging
of the individual in the splendour of the Linga or Isvara is the
acme of all Sadhana, the achievement of Liberation.
Paasupathopaasana: The individual entity (Jiva) is tied
by the bond (paasa) of the qualities or modalities arising from
nature. Pasupathi (Siva) is worshipped in order to earn freedom
from Bondage.
Saakthopaasana: "Sarva Deva mayee Devee" - "Devee is all
Gods". The Primeval Universal Energy, Aadi Paraa Sakthi, is
conceived as the matrix of all forms of Divinity. The Cosmic Urge,
the Prakrthi, is the cause of the variety and multiplicity of
expression, the manifold forms. The Maheswara (Supreme Divinity)
has this capacity to manifest and is therefore so named. Maheswara
and Paraasakthi are two aspects of the same Force. This
dual-faceted Force motivates the Universe, from the vast expanse
of the sky to the entire earth. The unmanifest Supreme Person
manifests as the Feminine Universal, the Maya, the Paraa-Sakthi.
In each individual, it is experienced as knowledge, strength and
activity.
Jainopaasana: (the Marwari community, in worshipping the
Lord, adopt a Vaishnavite slant. Idols of Vishnu, with the
traditional equipment of the Conch, the Wheel, the Mace and the
Lotus, are found in Jain temples). The Jains have as their mantra:
Namo arihanthaanaam
Namo Siddhanaam
Namo ayiriyaanaam
Namo uvajjhayaanaam
Namo Loye sabba saahoonaam
meaning,
Salutations to the great heroes (Mahavira) who have conquered
desire etc.,
Salutations to the Siddhas (those equipped with supernatural
powers),
Salutations to the great Masters of Spiritual Wisdom,
Salutations to the great Teachers who transmit the wisdom,
Salutations to the good persons of all lands.
This five-fold adoration helps remove the evil effects of all
sinful acts. Experiencing the meaning of this mantra gives one the
sum of prosperity. The Jains declare that when one merges in this
universal adoration, one is liberated and attains Moksha.
Sikh-upaasana: The Preceptor (Guru), who reveals the
Atma and makes one conscious of Its Existence as one's Reality,
has the highest place in this system of worship. The collection of
the teachings of the Gurus - referred to as Granth Saheb - is
extolled and revered by the Sikhs. It is derived from the spring
of Bharathiya spiritual traditions. Its ideas form the very core
of Bharathiya cultural traits.
Christ upaasana: Lord Jesus is the Saviour. Man is by
nature prone to fall into sin, knowingly or unknowingly. Jesus
shed his heart-blood on the Cross to free man from sin and cleanse
his soul. Follow this Lord and his teachings contained in the
Bible and worship him - this is Christ upaasana. Sing his glory
and adore him through hymns - this is the mode of worship which
this Upaasana envisages.
Muhammadan-upaasana: "Imaamdaaree khaidaa mey ho,
Pygambar mey bharosa." Acquire self-confidence and place all
burdens on God; have implicit faith in the Power of God every
moment of living; recognise it at every step; - these are the
rules for meaningful life. One has to evidence one's rectitude in
the Durbar of the Lord, when one lays down his body. So, one has
to follow the straight path laid down by the Lord until the very
end. For this, the Holy Quran is the guide; it has to be revered
and observed down to the very letter. This is the spiritual
instruction to be observed in this Upaasana.
"Allaho Akbar; La Illah Ill Allah". This is the sacred formula
of Islam. It signifies that God is the supermost Sovereign; Allah
is the undisputed unexcelled Ruler of Creation. He alone is worthy
of worship. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says, "there is
nothing higher than Me." The Quran formula says the same. The
Muhammadan upaasana too is a Form of the same spiritual practice,
based on the same Truth.
All these upaasanas reveal that, since man initiated his
age-long inquiry into his own truth, he has accumulated,
especially in Bharath, a vast spiritual treasure which can save
him from sorrow and bondage. The treasure is so vast and so deep
that it has survived the passage of centuries as vast and as deep
as ever it was, unaffected by the emergence of different modes or
the influx of other forms of worship.
Besides, the spiritual wisdom of India is today a triumphant
Beacon, shining in One resplendent flame in the thickening
darkness, illumining all lands, encompassing all races and
enchanting all mankind.
There is no fortune more splendid than being born on this
sacred land, Bharath, repository of this magnificent and
beneficent culture, which can save the world. Becoming aware of
this blessing is, indeed, a spring of immeasurable Ananda.