Religion assignment
jennyswufe
WR1BLecture2-ReligionoftheVedasupdated2017.pptHinduism 2
The Religion of the Aryans
Vedas, Sanskrit and Sacrifice
The rich variety of images in contemporary Hindu temples and culture gives clues as to the multiple sources of the traditions.
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Re-cap on origins: Three probable sources
- The Vedic tradition (religion of the Aryans)
- The Harrapan tradition
- The (other?) indigenous traditions
Note that the popular form of deity, Ganesha, the elephant-headed god, does not appear in the Vedas at all. This is clear evidence that contemporary Hinduism is not entirely the same thing as Vedic religion.
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Not in the Vedas…
The Aryans
- Invaders?
- Indigenous to India?
- Or nomadic people from the Steppes?
There is a great emphasis on the value of cattle in the Vedas. The cow is held to be sacred by Hindus today.
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Who were the Aryans?
- A nomadic people – herding cattle – and enjoying beef!
- (e.g. In the Rig Veda (RV: VIII.43.11) Agni is described as “fed on ox and cow”)
- Controversial topic.
- Dwijendra Narayan Jha is Professor of History at the University of Delhi
Note that “The Myth of the Holy Cow” was so controversial as to be briefly banned in India. One religious text declares meat to be quite simply ''the best kind of food,'' while another captures Yajnavalkya, a revered Vedic sage who lived around 500 B.C., confessing to a particular weakness for beef. ''Some people do not eat cow meat,'' he is quoted as saying. ''I do so, provided it's tender.''
Meanwhile, the Mahabharata recounts the story of King Rantiveda, who earned his renown by slaughtering 2,000 cows a day in his royal kitchens and distributing beef along with grain to apparently grateful Brahmins, the Hindu priests.
See useful review of the situation and background at http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/17/books/holy-cow-a-myth-an-indian-finds-the-kick-is-real.html
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Aryan means noble in Sanskrit.
The word Aryan, along with some sacred Indian symbols (notably the swastika) were requisitioned (stolen) by the Nazis before WW2. Do not allow this to confuse you.
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Hindu Swastika
The right-hand swastika is one of the 108 symbols of the Hindu god Vishnu as well as a symbol of the sun and of the Hindu sun god, Surya. The symbol imitates, in the rotation of its arms, the course taken daily by the sun, which appears in the Northern Hemisphere to pass from east, then south, to west. It is also a symbol of the sun among Native Americans.
In Hinduism, the right-hand (clockwise) swastika is a symbol of the sun and the god Vishnu, while the left-hand (counterclockwise, called sauvastika) swastika represents the goddess Kali, night, and magic.
The auspicious symbol of the swastika is very commonly used in Hindu art, architecture and decoration. It can be seen on temples, houses, doorways, clothing, cars, and even cakes. It is usually a major part of the decoration for festivals and special ceremonies like weddings.
(http://www.religionfacts.com/swastika )
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Aryan culture: warlike; primitive?
It is clear from the Vedas (the sacred texts of the Aryans) that their culture was not as civilised as that of the IVC.
There are references in the Vedas to attacks on Anaryan peoples in (round) cities.
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Aryan (Vedic) Religion: devas and asuras
The Aryans believed in powers of nature which they referred to as devas (beings of light) – they also believed in other, powerful entities referred to as asuras.
In time, the devas became more like gods, the asuras were understood almost as anti-gods or demons.
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“Gods” in
the Vedas
- “Devas” (literally “shining beings”) in the Vedas seem to represent natural phenomena which the Aryans sought to influence, placate or control…
Key concepts in Vedic Religion:
- Henotheism, Sacrifice, rta (cosmic order)
Sacred Text: the four Vedas
- “Veda” means “knowledge” in Sanskrit.
- There are four:
- Rig-Veda,
- Sama-Veda,
- Yajur-Veda,
- Atharva-Veda
What do the Vedas contain?
- Hymns of praise, prayers for material prosperity, rituals…
- “all saving knowledge”?
- Most Hindus have no access to these scriptures either in written or in aural form.
The Vedas and Sacrifice (Yajna)
Vedas consist of hymns (samhitas) and ritual instructions for the use of these hymns in the proper conduct of ritual sacrifice.
e.g. agnihotra fire ceremony
There are many well known books written in the post-vedic period, also known as Samhitas or Sanhitas, because the word “Samhita” also means “systematic compilation of knowledge”. Vedic samhitas should not be confused with these samhitas of post-vedic period.
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Where did they they from?
- Vedas are considered “shruti” – that is “revealed” or “heard” by sages (rishsis) in ancient times; not written, composed, or invented, but eternal and pre-existent sacred sounds.
The Vedas consist of…
- Samhitas (hymns of praise)
- Brahmanas: (instructions as to how the hymns are used during sacrificial ritual)
- Upanishads (philosophical reflections on the meaning of the hymns and sacrifices)
- No ethical instructions or guidelines for living
Examples of Vedic Samhitas
- “We cry out for you, hero, like un-milked cows to the lord of the living world !
- To the lord of the unmoving world whose eye is the sun, O Indra !”
From the Yajur Veda
- “May the Vasus prepare you, with the gayatri meter, you are the earth,
- May the Rudras prepare you, with the tristubh meter, you are the sky.
- May the Adityas prepare you, with the jagati meter, you are the heaven.
- May the Visvedevas, common to all men, prepare you, with the anustubh meter, you are the directions.
- You are the unchanging direction, make unchanging in me children, abundance of wealth, abundance of cattle, abundance of heroism.”
- — Taittiriya Samhita, 4.1.5[14]
Note the abundance of deities, and the emphasis on the correct pronunciation of the ritual sounds, with the importance of the correct technical meters of the hymns being repeated throughout. The correct sounds contain the divine power of creation, maintenance and even destruction.
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Resonance and Creation.
- Cymatic patterns produced by sound waves using water (L) and sand (R)
For further information on the power of sound to create patterns, see the six minute video “Cymatic Frequencies --- Complex Patterns and Vibration of the Universe” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-vneqZE-Gc
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Rta: Righteousness in the Vedas
- “Dharma” is not a concept in the Vedas. “Rta” is.
"In Hinduism, dharma is a fundamental concept, referring to the order and custom which make life and a universe possible, and thus to the behaviours appropriate to the maintenance of that order.“ (Oxford Dictionary of Religions)
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Vedic texts: allusive and elusive
Vedas refer to myths that have not survived in written form.
These have been re-imagined and re-written many times:
E.g. the battle between Indra and Vritra (“the enveloper” – a great serpent) who had imprisoned rivers…
Indra – the lord of thunder, Slayer of the serpent Vritra, releaser of the waters…
(using the divine weapon vajra, the thunderbolt)
Melting glaciers?
(ref Radhakrishna, B.P (1999). Vedic Sarasvati and the Dawn of Indian Civilization (42 ed.). Memoir Geological Society of India.
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The two great gods of the sacrifice: Agni and Soma
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It is not entirely appropriate to use illustrations of these deities, as the Aryans did not use images in their worship.
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Agni, the god of fire, is bet left to the imagination – with all the qualities that might be associated with fire in all its forms – here we have a homely fireplace and a terrifying forest fire. We also have Agni, the name of the nuclear weapon developed by India in recent years.
Rig Veda 8.48.3 – Hymn to Soma
We have drunk Soma and become immortal; we have attained the light, the Gods discovered.
Now what may our enemy’s malice do to harm us?
What harm, O Immortal, mere mortal man's deception?
(Ephedra? Agaric?)
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The sacrifice was central to Vedic religion. It was not necessarily a sacrifice of animals – indeed, as we shall see, animal sacrifice came to be frowned upon in most branches of Hinduism. Central to the sacrifice, however, was the mysterious plant called Soma – it is not known what sort of plant Soma was. It may have had hallucinogenic properties, judging by some of the hymns in the Vedas, indicating that the Soma produced altered states of consciousness.
Further Devas…
- Varuna – the Ocean – Guardian of rta
- Surya – the Sun
- Rudra – the Howler
- The Maruts - storms
- Maya – “mysterious power”
Sacred action: karma
- Sacrifice and Karma – the way of action – changing meaning of “karma” from (proper) “performance of the sacrifice”
- Always retaining the idea of actions which are sacred.
The Vedic ordering of Life
- Brahminical forms of Vedic religion have provided the “orthodox” view of Hinduism for scholars.
- We will examine these forms next time, in lecture 3.
