Sri Aurobindo’s Method of Interpretation

To understand the intent of the Veda one needs to understand the nature of its language as also the abstract psychological phenomena which it represents. These two aspects are interlinked and are central to Sri Aurobindo’s method of interpretation.

Language, in the early Vedic period, was at a stage where it was extremely fluid. It had not been cast into a fixed mould where each word referred to a particular thing and that thing alone. There was a creative utilization of word roots and each root could have multiple meanings. The word that a root gave birth to held, first, the sense of the root, and then, of the object which it named.

“The word for the Vedic Rishi is still a living thing, a thing of power, creative, formative. It is not yet a conventional symbol for an idea, but itself the parent and former of ideas. It carries within it the memory of its roots, is still conscient of its own history.”^[1]

“When in English we use the word “wolf” or “cow”, we mean by it simply the animal designated… But for the Vedic Rishi “vrika” meant the tearer and therefore, among other applications of the sense, a wolf; “dhenu” meant the fosterer, nourisher, and therefore a cow. But the original and general sense predominates, the derived and particular is secondary.”^[2] 

Secondly, there is a particular kind of inner, psychological experience that is being expressed through the hymns of the Veda. In fact, this fluidity of language gave the Rishis a suitable medium for conveying their abstract experiences.

“In that original epoch thought proceeded by other methods than those of our logical reasoning and speech accepted modes of expression which in our modern habits would be inadmissible. The wisest then depended on inner experience and the suggestions of the intuitive mind for all knowledge that ranged beyond mankind’s ordinary perceptions and daily activities.”^[3]

This inner experience is also the deeper layer of meaning behind the outer ritualistic and naturalistic framework and the Veda itself reveals it in certain passages. In such verses, the veil of symbols temporarily lifts and the spiritual intent is seen without any doubt whatsoever. One is required to find and hold on to these clues and correlate them with other occurrences of the same ideas. Eventually, one is able to affix the exact meaning to each symbol, each image, and the seemingly disconnected mass of hymns becomes a unified expression of a single conception.

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[1] The Secret of the Veda, Pg.54, Line no.6 from bottom

[2] The Secret of the Veda, Pg.55, Line no.1

[3] The Secret of the Veda, Pg.10, Line no.2

Conquest over the Dasyus

(This article was first published in the Dec 2016 issue of 'The Call Beyond', monthly magazine of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, New Delhi.) 

We have unravelled many secrets of the Veda in the past few articles and have now reached the end of our series.

We have understood to not take the Veda as merely a book of ritual for the fulfilment of human desires but as the foremost book of spiritual knowledge, a profound expression of the Rishis, seers of the Truth. We have learnt to look beyond the words of the Veda and their common meaning and understand their deeper, psychological import. And thus, we have come to see the Veda as a representation of the ascent of consciousness from the darkness of Ignorance to the Infinite Truth and Beatitude of the Supramental Consciousness.

In this representation, the Veda made yajña, the physical act of sacrifice, as its centrepiece and medium for invoking a wide spectrum of deities – Agni, Indra, Saraswati, Brihaspati etc. – all symbols of psychological phenomenon of an illumined consciousness. Sri Aurobindo writes:

“The sacrifice is the giving by man of what he possesses in his being to the higher or divine nature and its fruit is the farther enrichment of his manhood by the lavish bounty of the gods. The wealth thus gained constitutes a state of spiritual riches, prosperity, felicity which is itself a power for the journey and a force of battle.”^[1]

The battle here is the ongoing inner battle between the pure, illumined mind and life powers, the devas, which continuously seek an ascent towards the Truth-consciousness, and the powers of ignorance, the daityas (called dasyus in the Veda), which constantly limit and obstruct one’s progress. While the gods are the children of Aditi, symbol of Infinity, the undivided supreme consciousness, dasyus are the sons of Diti, of duality, of a divided consciousness.

Dasyus are known by various names such as Vritra, Pani, Atri, Rakshasa, Sambara, Vala, Namuchi, etc. They are all “powers of division and limitation, Coverers, Tearers, Devourers, Confiners, Dualisers, Obstructers, as their names indicate, powers that work against the free and unified integrality of the being.”

They are in strict opposition to everything pure and good that the gods and the Aryan seers stand for. The seers have the will to act, kāru, the gods perfect their action, sukratu, but dasyus oppose both and are akratu. The seers find the sacred Word, the mantra or brahma, they are its singers, brahmā, the gods are invoked by it and they uphold it, giravāhas, but dasyus are haters and destroyers of the Word, brahmadviṣaḥ[2]. 

The gods are magnanimous givers of Light, dasyus are its withholders. This withholding is sometimes symbolized by the kidnapping of cows by the demon Pani, sometimes by the obstruction of waters by Vritra – both cows and waters being symbols of Light of the Truth. The gods must constantly fight the dasyus to recover the lost Light. This is the ongoing battle within the human mind and the Vedic sacrifice is its profound representation.

Sri Aurobindo explains, “the Vedic idea was that the subconscient darkness and the ordinary life of ignorance held concealed in it all that belongs to the divine life and that these secret riches must be recovered first by destroying the impenitent powers of ignorance and then by possessing the lower life subjected to the higher… by the penetrating action of the Light and the Truth the powers of the ordinary ignorant sense-activity become subject to the Aryan.”[3]

The release of the cows and the waters is like the advent of the divine Dawn and with it comes the release of the Sun of Truth. The Light then ascends the hill of being, the lower realms of body, prana, and mind, and makes way to “the luminous upper ocean of the divine existence.”[4] This ascent to the home of the Sun, to swar, is the ascent to the state of Immortality. So is born from the Truth the supreme state of Ananda to which the Rishis aspired by the sacrifice.

With this, we conclude the series. Our aim was to present some of the most important portions of Sri Aurobindo’s masterwork, The Secret of the Veda, to help the readers understand the spiritual significance of the Veda. Readers who have found this series interesting, should be inspired to read the original work and delve deeper into the mysteries of the Veda.          

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[1] The Secret of the Veda, Pg.242, Line no.25

[2] The Secret of the Veda, Pg.234

[3] The Secret of the Veda, Pg.238, Line no.10

[4] The Secret of the Veda, Pg.244, Line no.24

Brihaspati - The Creative Soul-Force

(This article was first published in the Nov 2016 issue of 'The Call Beyond', monthly magazine of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, New Delhi.)

Brihaspati is one of the most important Vedic deities. In the later Puranic literature, Brihaspati was merely the teacher of the gods. However, in the Veda, he has a much deeper significance and a larger role to play in man’s spiritual development.

Brihaspati is also referred to as Brahmanaspati in the Veda – a name which was omitted in the Puranas. We have to first understand this name to begin unravelling the symbolism behind Brihaspati.

The word ‘brahman’, among other meanings, signifies the Vedic mantra, the intuitive Word which expresses the Truth. The Rishis were seers of the Truth and the mantras were the expressions of that Truth in words.

Sri Aurobindo writes: “Brahman in the Veda signifies ordinarily the Vedic Word or mantra in its profoundest aspect as the expression of the intuition arising out of the depths of the soul or being.”[1]

Brahmanaspati is the Master of this Word.

Now, we have to understand that this Word is no ordinary word but the creative Power or Force by which, first, the all-containing and all-formulating (supramental) consciousness[2] descends into matter, and then, it is also the means by which man ascends out of the subconscient to that same Supramental consciousness. For both processes, the Word is the means.

In the later Puranic tradition, both these processes were separately represented – the former by Brahma, the creator, the foremost of the holy trinity; and the latter by Brihaspati, the counsel to the gods, who guides them towards the Truth.

“The Divine, the Deva, manifests itself as conscious Power of the soul, creates the worlds by the Word… This power of the Deva is Brahma..

The manifestation of the different world-planes in the conscient human being culminates in the manifestation of the superconscient, the Truth and the Bliss, and this is the office of the supreme Word or Veda. Of this supreme word Brihaspati is the master… Brihaspati gives the Word of knowledge.. to the gods and especially to Indra, the lord of Mind..

It is easy to see how these conceptions came to be specialised in the.. Puranic symbolism into Brahma, the Creator, and Brihaspati, the teacher of the gods. In the name, Brahmanaspati, the two varying stresses are unified and equalised. It is the link-name between the general and the special aspects of the same deity.”[3]

Brihaspati is thus invoked by the Rishis to facilitate the ascent to the luminous Truth-consciousness or Supramental-consciousness. Although, this consciousness is manifest in man, but it is obscured by the Inconscient and the Subconscient – represented in the Veda as the Dasyus, sons of darkness, Vritra, Vala, Pani etc.

But it is not by physical weapons that the Dasyus are defeated, but by the power of the intuitive Word, the brahman, that Brihaspati and other Gods subdue the dark forces. This was perhaps the origin of the mythical brahmāstra of the Puranas and Itihasas.

bṛhaspatiḥ prathamaṃ jāyamāno maho jyotiṣaḥ parame vyoman

saptāsyas tuvijāto raveṇa vi saptaraśmir adhamat tamāṃsi

sa suṣṭubhā sa ṛkvatā ghaṇena valaṃ ruroja phalighaṃ raveṇa

bṛhaspatir usriyā havyasūdaḥ kanikradad vāvaśatīr ud ājat

– R.V. IV.50.4-5

“Brihaspati, coming first into birth from the great Light in the supreme ether, seven-mouthed, multiply-born, seven-rayed, dispelled the darknesses; he with his host that possess the stubh and the Rik broke Vala into pieces by his cry. Shouting Brihaspati drove upwards the bright herds that speed the offering and they lowed in reply.”[4]

           

Brihaspati is often imaged as one who breaks open the dark mountain caves and releases the Light by the force of the Word. This represents how the Soul-Force breaks open the rock of this material existence and reclaims the luminous Truth-consciousness.

Sri Aurobindo summarily explains:

“The conscious Soul-Power that is the universal creator and realiser, leads in all his (man’s) activities. It gives him the guidance of the Truth in his relations with all creatures and therefore he acts upon them with an entire and spontaneous mastery. This is the ideal state of man that the soul-force should lead him, Brihaspati, Brahma, the spiritual light and counsellor, and he realising himself as Indra, the royal divinity of action, should govern himself and all his environment in the right of their common Truth.”[5]

This is the secret of the Vedic deity, Brihaspati.

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[1] The Secret of the Veda, Pg.318, Line no.2

[2] The Secret of the Veda, Pg.318, Line no.15

[3] The Secret of the Veda, Pg.318, Extracts from Parah.2

[4] The Secret of the Veda, Pg.143, Line no.11

[5] The Secret of the Veda, Pg.324, Line no.11
Picture Source: Wikipedia

The Angiras - Human & Divine

(This article was first published in the Oct 2016 issue of 'The Call Beyond', monthly magazine of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, New Delhi.) 

In the Veda, there is a recurring mention of the lost Light which was concealed by the dark forces and recovered by the gods, but with the special aid of the Angiras.

Angiras is perhaps the most complex and deeply-layered symbol in the Veda. Sri Aurobindo writes, “the interpretation of the Angiras myth gives us the key to the whole secret of the Veda.”[1] He examined the symbol of Angiras extensively in the book and here, only a part of the analysis is presented.

Angiras are presented in the Veda in many ways. Two of the primary presentations are: firstly, as a clan of Rishis – the original Rishis, the human fathers, who discovered the Light and ascended to the heaven of the Truth; secondly, in a purely symbolic sense, as powers and sons of Agni. Sri Aurobindo begins by analyzing the latter presentation.

The word ‘Angiras’ is derived from the root aṅg, which is a nasalised form of ag, the root of ‘Agni’. This root contains, among other meanings, the sense of a forceful state as also of light. Force and Light are two companion ideas in the Veda. Agni is not just an aspect of Light but of Force guided by the Light. Agni is therefore called kavikratuh, the seer-will, the force of action which works according to the inspired or supramental knowledge.

Similarly, Angiras, sons of Agni, are active powers of the mind guided by the Light of Truth. They are referred to as agne aṅgira ūrjo napāta- “O Agni Angiras, Son of Energy”, and Agni itself is called prathamo aṅgirāḥ, the first Angira. It is evident that the usage of the word ‘Angiras’ is purely symbolic here.

But why then are they also referred to as the human fathers, pitaro manuṣyāḥ? 

“Our fathers broke open the firm and strong places by their words, yea, the Angirases broke open the hill by their cry; they made in us the path to the great heaven; they found the Day and Swar and vision and the luminous Cows”[2]

- R.V. I.71.2

Were they originally demigods, powers of the Light and Flame, who became humanised as the fathers of the race and the discoverers of its wisdom? Or were they originally human sages who were later deified by their descendants? 

Sri Aurobindo rules out both these processes which are common in European myths. Instead, he brings forth another tendency, which is peculiar to the Veda.

He explains that primarily, Angiras represent the ancient human fathers, the first souls to ascend to the supramental consciousness. Later, the composers of the Vedic hymns utilized the meaning inherent in the word ‘Angiras’ to represent psychological powers necessary for such ascent. These powers are akin to the psychological aspects symbolized by Agni.

“..in this mystic symbolism the seven Angiras Rishis.. (became) divine powers and living forces of the spiritual life without losing altogether their traditional or historic human character”[3]

“In this work of the sacrifice they appear in a double form, the divine Angirases, who symbolise and preside over certain psychological powers and workings like the gods, and the human fathers, pitaro manuṣyāḥ… who have conquered immortality by the work, have attained the goal and are invoked to assist a later mortal race in the same divine achievement.”[4]

Sri Aurobindo reminds us here that the Puranas distinguish between two classes of ‘Pitris’ or ancestors - the divine Fathers, a class of deities; and the human Ancestors - to both of whom the pinda is offered.[5] This is only the continuance of the original Vedic idea. Understanding this helps us better appreciate our annual traditions related to the Pitris.

While there is much more to the Angiras legend, such as their association with another important deity, Brihaspati, but the above are the main ideas behind their symbolism. Sri Aurobindo summarily states:

“It is for the great human journey that they are invoked; for it is the human journey from the mortality to the immortality, from the falsehood to the truth that the Ancestors accomplished, opening the way to their descendants.”[6]

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[1] The Secret of the Veda, Pg.245, Line no.9

[2] The Secret of the Veda, Pg.199, Line no.19

[3] The Secret of the Veda, Pg.161, Line no.24

[4] The Secret of the Veda, Pg.187, Last Paragraph

[5] The Secret of the Veda, Pg.187, Footnote

[6] The Secret of the Veda, Pg.188, Line no.8