Atharva Veda (Set of 2 Volumes)

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Volume I

About the Book

Atharvaveda gives us the idea of Modernity as the essence of the dynamics of life and existence. The Ultimate Reality is Sanatan-eternal, universal, original and ever vital, constant in the essence and mutable in existence, every moment. The Sanatan renews itself, every moment, the same yet not the same all time, just as the day-night cycle, bright and dark, is the same as before and after, and yet it is new every morning in relation to time. Modernity is thus the latest manifestation of existence is relation to the past and obsolete in relation to the future (10.8.23) but poised ever in the present. And this is true in and of all fields of life including Dharma and values.

Atharvaveda, as all the other three, asserts the Unity of God (13, 4. 16- 18): God is One, not two, nor three, nor four, nor five, nor six, nor seven, nor eight, nor nine, nor ten. All the manifestation of the One are called by different names.

Atharvaveda begins with a prayer for the zest of life and celebrates the honey sweets of life : Let the winds blow honey sweet, let the rivers flow honey sweet, let the oceans roll honey sweet and so on and on.

Atharvaveda celebrates the Earth as one Mother home of humanity and enjoins all to come and be family.

Atharva- Veda is Brahma Veda, umbrella knowledge of existence both Murtta and Amurtta, concrete and abstract. It is the knowledge of Prakrti, Mother Nature, as well as of Purusha, the Soul, the individual Jiva as well as the Cosmic Soul Brahma.

Some of the important themes of Atharva- Veda are: Kala, Time (19,53-54), Kama, Desire (9, 2; 19,52), God is One (7, 21; 13,4), Jyeshtha Bramha, Supreme God (10, 7- 8; 8, 9-10), Worship (7,14-16 and21), Brahma Vidya(9, 1), Creative evolution (15, 1-18), Cosmic self-organising organism (19, 1-6), Cosmic Dynamics (11, 2), Holy Cow metaphor of the universe (7, 104;10, 9-10; 12, 4-5), Sun metaphor of Divinity (13, 1-4), Cosmic peace (19, 9-12), Mother Earth (12,1), Human soul, birth, rebirth, Yama and the mystery of the human being (10, 2), Brahmacharya (11, 5), Love, marriage and family life (7, 37-38; 14, 1-2), Hospitality (9-6), Social organisation (7, 12), Rashtra, Nation (7, 35; 19,24), War and peace (11, 9-10), Victory, freedom and security ( 16, 8; 17, 1), Language (7, 43), Sarasvati (7, 10), Paradise and bliss ( 4,36); 12,3). There are many other themes such as health and age, cure of diseases including cancer, poison and depression, sun, moon, night and day, full moon and dark night, freedom from desire, freedom of speech, election, parliament, dealing with evil, violence, sabotage and enemies, and personal, familial and social management.

About the Author

Dr. Tulsi Ram Sharma M.A., English (Delhi, 1949), Ph.D. (London, 1963) has been a university professor, academic administrator, researcher, and writer of long standing with prestigious assignments.

Besides his professional studies of secular literature in English, Hindi, Sanskrit and Urdu, Dr. Tulsi Ram Sharma has devoted his life and time to the study and discipline of Sacred literature specially Vedas, Upanishads, Darshan Philosophy, Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata with concentration on the Bhagwad Gita, Greek, Roman, Sumerian and English Epics, Gathas of Zarathustra, Bible, Quran, and the writings of Swami Dayananda, and Swami Vivekananda, in search of the essential values of Sanatan Vedic Dharma with reference to their realisation in life and literature through social attitudes, collective action, customs, traditions, rituals and religious variations across the fluctuations of history.

Foreword

Veda Bhashya by Prof. Tulsiram - A step to make Vedas available to the English World

I have had the privilege of going through some of the chapters of Yajurveda Bhashya written by Prof. Tulsiram, a well known Vedic scholar and author of English language and literature. I congratulate him because he has done this translation for an average English reader who is keen to know the Vedas. Knowledge of the Vedas is like the knowledge of science. Vedic language is a scientific language and nobody can understand that without the profound knowledge of Vedangas, especially Nirukta of Maharshi Yaska and the grammar of Panini and Patanjali. Nobody can interpret the Veda mantras without these two. This translation proves that Prof. Tulsiram has done this insightful translation after doing hard work in both Vedangas.

In translating the Vedas, only literal meaning is just not sufficient, sometimes it may create confusion and contradiction. Prof. Tulsiram deeply merges himself into Vedic Mantras, thinking deeply about words, derivatives and analyzes the hidden nuances of meaning in their context. For example, 'Sumitriya na aapa oshadhayah santu. Yajur. 36, 23': If we take literal meaning in the ordinary sense, "may the waters, vital forces of life, and herbs be friendly to us and may they be enemies to those who hate us and whom we hate", it will not make acceptable sense. After raising some questions, he says, "How can we accept this?" So, after going deeply into the words and context he gives this meaning of the said mantra: May waters, tonics, pranic energies and medicinal herbs be good friends of our health system and immunity and let the same waters, tonics, pranic energies herbal medicines act against those ailments, diseases and negativities which injure us, which we hate to suffer and which we love to destroy, moreover let them have no side effects because side effects too help the negativities and injure us.

After giving the actual sense of the Mantra he writes that this Mantra is a reasonable prayer for the health programme of an advanced society, and then, logically in the next Mantra, follows the prayer for a full hundred years and more of life and healthy living (Tacchakshurdevahitam purastat-Yajur.36, 24).

The translation by Prof. Tulsiram is without any extraneous motive and without any extra-academic intention. The translation has been done purely as communication of the Vedic message for the welfare of mankind.

While giving his opinion on the Vedas Prof. Tulsiram writes in his Introduction. Veda is the Voice of God revealed in scientific Vedic Sanskrit free from local color and historical facts, therefore Vedic language is to be interpreted and understood according to its own laws and structure, and the only key available for such interpretation is the Nirukta of Maharshi Yaska and the grammar of Panini & Patanjali. According to Maharshi Dayananda Saraswati, 'without reference to these bases of Vedic interpretation certain words have been given a distorted meaning in the translations of Max Muller, Griffith, Whitney and even Sayana.' Actually the torch light for proper translation today, as Aurobindo says, is the Arsha tradition followed by Maharshi Dayananda Saraswati.

At the end I will say that this translation of Yajurveda, based on Nirukta and Grammar, follows the known ancient Indian tradition. It is factual, without prejudice or hidden motive. Prof. Tulsiram thinks deeply on every word of the mantra, looks into the context and etymology according to Nirukta and then does the translation. I congratulate him on this one more pioneering step to make the knowledge of Vedas available to the western world and the average English knowing reader. May God give him long and healthy life so that he continues to do this kind of stupendous work.

Introduction

This translation of Yajurveda is meant for an average English knowing reader who is keen to know:

What is Veda? What is it all about? Is it old or new?

If it's old, what is its relevance today? And if it is relevant, is it relevant to me also? Or is it relevant only to some particular community in some particular country at some particular time?

These are relevant questions especially in an age of science, democracy and globalism.

Veda is Divine Knowledge in metalanguage. The very word 'Veda' means knowledge. It is derived from the root 'vid', which means: 'to be, to know, to think, to benefit from' and 'to communicate' .

So whatever is is Veda: the very world of existence is Veda. The knowledge of the world of existence is Veda. The extension of knowledge through thought and research further is Veda. And to use that knowledge for the benefit of mankind with the protection and preservation of nature and the environment, without hurting any form of life, that is Veda.

Veda is knowledge, pure and simple, as science is knowledge. Science is knowledge of nature as nature is and as it works according to its own laws. In science, there is no story, no history. Similarly in the Veda, there is no story, no history. And just as science is knowledge in scientific language free from local colour and historical variations of form and meaning, so Veda too is knowledge in scientific language free from local colour and historical variations. Therefore Vedic language has to be interpreted and understood according to the laws and technique of its own structure as stated by seers such as Yaska, Panini and Patanjali and as explained by Swami Dayananda in his grammatical works and his notes on Vedic words in his commentary on the Vedas.

But there is a difference between scientific knowledge and Vedic knowledge: While science is knowledge of nature to the extent that man has been able to discover it, Veda is the quintessential knowledge of all that is, including Nature and humanity, all that happens, all that we are, all that we do, and all that we reap in consequence of our action. It is the Original and Universal knowledge of the Reality of Existence and the Ideality of our aspirations, covering the facts and processes of existence, their interaction and the laws that operate in the interaction. In short, Veda is an eternal articulation of Omniscience, The Voice of God.

Vedic knowledge is classified thematically into three: Stuti, Prarthana and Upasana. Stuti, praise, is solemn reverential remembrance and description of the attributes, nature, character and function of divine powers. Prarthana, prayer, is an autosuggestive resolution to realise our limitations and rise above those limitations by calling on Divinity for aid and blessings when we have exhausted our effort and potential. Upasana is meditation, the surrender of our limited identity to open out and participate in the Divine Presence. Stuti implies knowledge (Janana), Prarthana implies humility and action (Karma), and Upasana implies total love and surrender (Bhakti). In consequence, formally, Vedic knowledge is divided into four:

Rgveda is the Veda of Knowledge, Yajurveda is the Veda of Karma, Samaveda is the Veda of Bhakti, and Atharva-veda is Brahma Veda, an umbrella, celebrating the Divine Presence as in Book 10, hymns 7 and 8.

Atharva- Veda is Brahma Veda, umbrella knowledge of existence both Murtta and Amurtta, concrete and abstract.

It is the knowledge of Prakrti, Mother Nature, as well as of Purusha, the Soul, the individual Jiva as well as the Cosmic Soul, Brahma. It begins with a celebrative description of the thrice-seven variant evolutes of Prakrti and a prayer to Vachaspati, Lord of Nature and the Word of Knowledge, to bless us with the strength, energy, intelligence and knowledge emanating from those thrice-seven forms of the world of Nature and Spirit. It covers the world of humanity from the individual to the total collective personality of humanity, including social structures from the family, community and the nation up to the international United Nations. It pays homage to Divinity, Jyeshtha Brahma, Supreme Presiding Spirit and Power, immanent and transcendent, which creates and sustains and winds up the world of existence in each cycle of creation, eternally (10, 7-8, and 19,6). Towards the end Atharva- Veda pays homage to Brahma and Mother Veda with thanks for the gifts of good health and full age, vibrant pranic energy, noble progeny, ample wealth, fame, lasting achievement and divine lustre of life. These are the gifts of Vedic knowledge in life, and when one cycle of existence reaches the hour of completion, the Mother Knowledge returns to her eternal and Original abode, Jyeshtha Brahma Itself, the mighty, mysterious, awful Silence, impenetrable Darkness, Smaller than the smallest conceivable, yet Greater than the greatest imaginable, the Original and Ultimate Home of all that matter, energy, thought and Speech is, beyond time and space.

Some of the important themes of Atharva- Veda are:

Kala, Time (19, 53-54), Kama, Desire (9, 2; 19,52), God is One (7,21; 13,4), Jyeshtha Bramha, Supreme God (10,7-8; 8, 9-10), Worship (7, 14-16 and 21), Brahma Vidya (9,1), Creative evolution (15,1-18), Cosmic self-organising organism (19, 1-6), Cosmic Dynamics (11, 2), Holy Cow metaphor of the universe (7, 104;10, 9-10; 12, 4-5), Sun metaphor of Divinity (13, 1-4), Cosmic peace (19, 9-12), Mother Earth (12, 1), Human soul, birth, rebirth, Yama and the mystery of the human being (10, 2), Brahmacharya (11, 5), Love, marriage and family life (7, 37-38; 14, 1-2), Hospitality (9-6), Social organisation (7,12), Rashtra, Nation (7, 35; 19,24), War and peace (1'1, 9-10), Victory, freedom and security ( 16, 8; 17, 1), Language (7, 43), Sarasvati (7, 10), Paradise and bliss ( 4,36); 12,3). There are many other themes such as health and age, cure of diseases including cancer, poison and depression, sun, moon, night and day, full moon and dark night, freedom from desire, freedom of speech, election, parliament, dealing with evil, violence, sabotage and enemies, and personal, familial and social management.

As you open the text of Atharvaveda, you find the words: Vachaspati Devata, Atharva Rshi. 'Devata' here means the subject which is dealt with in the mantra. 'Devata' as a Vedic term means a presence, a power, a force, which is brilliant, illuminative, and generous. The 'Devata' of a mantra may be God, the One Sacchidananda Brahma, or Savita, the same One self-refulgent God; or it can be a generous divine power of Nature such as the sun, moon, earth; or it can be a noble person of brilliant quality of nature, character and performance as a ruler, leader, commander, teacher, etc. What the 'Devata' means in any particular mantra depends on the total context that emerges from the mantra in its thematic environment of the hymn.

Atharva is the Rshi of the opening mantra. The Rshi in the Arsha tradition is not the author of the mantra, Rshi is the exponent of the meaning of the mantra. As Maharshi Yaska says in the Nirukta, Rshis are the 'seers of the mantras' : they are the sages who went into deep meditation unto the universal frequency of the Cosmic Mind and experienced the voice of Divinity speaking in the mantra, the mantra, a semantic correspondence of the Divine Voice, the Divine Voice, a sound correspondence of Divine Awareness of the Reality of Existence in the modes of Being and Becoming.

Who then is the poet of the Vedas? The answer is in Yajurveda 40, 8: That Cosmic Spirit which pervades and rules every moving particle in the moving universe is "the poet, thinker, all-comprehending, and self-existent". That is the Lord who creates the world of existence, ordains the Laws of its dynamics, and reveals the poetry of its' beauty and majesty, the Vedas. "From that Lord of universal yajna were born the Rks and Samans. From Him were born the Chhandas of Atharva-veda and from Him were born the Yajus" (Yajurveda 31,7). The Vedic lore comes in Pura-kalpa, the beginning of the world of humanity (Shvetashvataropanishad, 6, 22) and when its function is over at the end of the kalpa, one cycle of existence, it retires into Brahma-loka (Atharva- veda 19, 71, 1).

The Vedas were revealed by the Lord Omniscient to four primeval Rshis: Rgveda to Agni, Yajurveda to Vayu, Samaveda to Aditya, and Atharva-veda to Angira, directly in their spiritual consciousness. The Sage Brahma received and collected the four from them and passed them on to other sages.

When were the Vedas revealed? What is their age? How old are they? As old as the age of humanity on earth. The Lord who creates humanity leaves them not to nature as animals. He enlightens them with the knowledge of existence and their place in the world with the vision of their journey and its culmination. Swami Dayananda works out the age of the Vedas on the basis of Surya Siddhanta which in the year 2010 A.D. comes to 1,96,08,53,110 years.

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