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Plate 7
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hurdle to Samadhi. The same is depicted in another
The attempt at the same spiritual readiness is depicted by an
(ii) rn~
oufeR;qiklksr (kena up.)
peacock
free and peaceful. In other words, the bird symbolizes
the human soul, controlling the evil forces and allowing the forces of
goodness (peacock) at the right to have a free-play resulting in spiritual turn,
symbolized by the swastika, with its four arms turning to the right. Quite
opposite to this is another Swastik, symbolizing the turn of consciousness on
the wrong side, inviting bondage. One of
On
the urn containing ashes of a dead person, a peacock is often painted (plate No.
7) obviously as a symbol of the good power taking the dead to heaven. Elsewhere,
we find a U-shaped symbol containing within itself the bits of a snake, with two
peacock heads on either side at the top, each having a crest resembling the
flame of burning fire (plate No.7). This obviously means that liberation is
possible only by the spiritual energy symbolized by U-shaped symbol, but only
when it is able to overpower the forces of evil and continue to guard its
resurgence.
The U-shaped symbols are also found on the picture of Buddhist
tradition (plate No. 8) symbolizing the tree of enlightenment. or Bodhi_Vriksha.
Here we see at least four U-shaped symbols clearly. Two more may be seen in one
of the hands of the two guards standing on the either side of the tree. At the
top of the tree, we find two U-shaped symbols joined together to the only flower
of the tree. Without attempting to comment in detail, it is at least certain
that here too the U-shaped symbol is associated with the enlightenment of
yoga-samadhi.
VEDIC
YOGA - Now to speak of Yoga in the Vedas is to invite a strong objection from
those who think that Father Heras has said the last word on
bUnzL;kst LFk bUnzL; lg LFk
bUnzL; cya LFk bUnzL; oh;Za LFk bUnzL; ft".kos ;ksxk; czã;ksxSoksZ ;qufTe
--- ft".kos ;ksxk; {k=;ksxkSoksZ --- ft".kos ;ksxk; bUnz;ksxSoksZ
;qufTe - --- ft".kos ;ksxk; lkse;ksxSoksZ ;qufTe --- ft".kos ;ksxk;
vIlq;ksxSoksZ ;qufTe --- ft".kos ;ksxk; fo'okfu ek Hkwrkfu mi fr"BUrq
;qDrk e vki LFk ¼v- o- 10-5-1&6½
Without attempting a detailed commentary, it may be pointed that
five-fold Jişnu yoga means the jina-yoga or the yoga of tīrthankara.
The practices in five other Yogas mentioned there as contributing to Jişņu
Yoga may be taken to correspond to the five parmeshthis of
Jain tradition. Besides these yogas, Veda also knows Hair – Yoga(Rv. 1.56.1),
Chandhas Yoga (RV. 10.114.9) and gha-Yoga. In addition to these yogas, the Vedas
are full of indirect reference to practice of yoga and meditation. In fact the
concept of Veda itself is inseparably connected with yoga. In this connection,
it will be sufficient to quote here the following two mantras :-
(1) ;Lekr~
dks'kknqn~Hkjke osne~] rfLeUuUrjon/eSue~A
d`rfe"V czã.kks
oh;sZ.k] rsu eka rilk nsokorsgAA (Av.
19.72.1)
(2) vO;lÜp
O;pl'p fcya fo";kfe ek;;kA
rkH;keqn~/k`R; osneFk dekZf.k
d`.egsAA (Av. 19.68.1)
In the first mantra, there is a reference to descent and ascent of
consciousness to dig out the Veda from the innermost sheath of human
consciousness and to restore it to the same. This is actually the yoga process
by which one can gain what the mantra calls the Brahma-vīrya to do the
desired deed. In the second mantra, the poet talks of uniting the un-manifested
and the manifested levels of human personality by filling the gap between the
two. Then, he says how by digging out the Veda with the help of both the levels,
the actions have to be performed.
Here, of course, the word Veda does not mean any book. It is the
supreme consciousness derived from the Non-corporeal agency, called Apuruşa.
Hence Veda is called Aporuşēya, that is the Veda obtained from Apuruşa.
This is possible only when all the extrovert human energies are withdrawn to the
inner-most level where the supreme consciousness called Veda is obtainable. Here
it is called Brahma-Veda. When it is drawn out to a little lower level for the
first time, it is called Vedas, the wealth or achievement. Also it is known as
Atharva- veda, meaning the Veda with
a downward trend. When it comes to mental level. it becomes threefold as Rik,
Yaju and sāman which are supposed to exist as un-differentiated at the
Atharvaveda level.
The three, also known as Trayī represent the creative power
responsible for the creation of many thoughts, desires, emotions and actions
etc., but as Atharvaveda, it is the undifferentiated trinity working as the
source of the three and their manifold creation.
It is on the analogy of the four Vedas, as the undifferentiated
consciousness together with differentiated trinity, that the four Samhitās
of Vedic mantras have been designed and named.
THE
VEDIC LANGUAGE – Thus it is obvious that the word Veda has so many nuances and
shades of meaning. This could be possible due to a unique characteristic of
Vedic language. In order to make a particular word the composite symbol of more
than one ideas or concepts, it is customary to multiply the sense of root from
which the word has originally come. This canbe amply illustrated by the root vid
of the term Veda. The root vid can be used in the following senses :-
1)
Vid, to know, to understand (vid jñāne)
2)
Vid, to be, to exist, to live, to be present (vid sattāyām)
3)
Vid, to think, to contemplate (vid, vicharaņe)
4)
Vid, to be conscious of, to narrate, to explain, to live, to reside (vid chetanākhy
ananivasesu)
5)
vid, to obtain, to acquire, to achieve, to accomplish (vid lābha).
It is with this and some other devices that Vedic people succeeded
in making the common sanskrit a suitable medium for expressing the supramental
and transcendental truths grasped by rishis in Samādhi, This tendency has
affected not only the epics, puranas and some other great works of Sanskrit
language, but also the literature of other Indian languages and even foreign
traditions.
THE
PARALLELS OF VEDIC SYMBOLISM - It will, therefore, be worthwhile to point out
briefly some of the parallels of Vedic symbolism in other traditions. The most
conspicuous is the symbolism involved in the concept of the first man. According
to Vedic tradition, either the human soul or God is conceived as the first man.
The same thing is meant in the following statements:-
1)
"In the beginning, there was only Atman, all alone. He desired that he may
have a wife, so as to procreate" (Brh. Up 1.4.17)
2)
In the beginning,
Atman was all alone, like a male. After investigation, he found none except
himself. ... He did not enjoy solitude. He desired a second one. He himself
became like a male and a female hugging each other. He divided this very form of
himself, with the result that there was one husband and one wife.... From this
couple came the whole creation. (Brh. Up 1.4.1).
If we compare these statements with the Biblical account of Adam,
we find that, besides the phonetic identity between the two names, Atman and
Adam, there is also similarity in the details of the story associated with them.
Like Atman, Adam also did not enjoy solitude and hence desired a mate. This
mate, however, was created by God. In Bible, nevertheless, it came out of Adam
himself on the basis of his own rib that was taken out by God. Then the whole
creation came into existence, as a result of their union, just as we find in
Vedic tradition.
Another important name is Manu, the first man of Indian tradition.
Like Atman, this is also found in Jewish, Christian and Islamic tradition as
Noah or Nūh, while in ancient