Rigveda
The Rig-Veda is part of the Hindu Vedas; these religious scriptures consist of 1,017-1,028 hymns (many intended for sacrifical rituals), contained in 10 books (Mandalas). Prominently mentioned, within the Rig-Veda, are the gods Agni, Dyaus Pitar, Indra, Prithivi Mater, Vishnu; as well as the sacred Soma. The Rig-Veda was completed by 1500 BC. (Fisher)
The Rigveda is of interest because it describes a very early stage in the evolution of Hinduism. Its hymns were composed over a long period. Scholars date it to the second millennium BC by relating it to the Aryan invasion theory. The astronomical references in the Rigveda date to the third and the fourth millennium BC. There is also the question of the reference to the Sarasvati river, lauded as the greatest river flowing from the mountain to the sea. Archaeologists have concluded that the river went dry perhaps before 2600 BC or certainly before 1900 BC.
The names of gods and goddesses found in the Rigveda are found amongst many other Indo-European speaking people as well. This also indicates the text's antiquity.
According to the Shatapatha Brahmana, the number of syllables in the Rigveda is 432,000, equalling the number of muhurtas (1 day = 30 muhurtas) in forty years. This statement stresses the underlying philosophy of the Vedic books that there is a connection (bandhu) between the astronomical, the physiological, and the spiritual.
The authors of the Brahmana literature described and interpreted the Rigvedic ritual. Yaska was an early commentator of the Rigveda. In the 14th century, Sayana wrote an exhaustive commentary on it. More recently, Swami Dayananda, who started the Arya Samaj and Sri Aurobindo have emphasized a spiritual (adhyatimic) interpretation of the book. Subhash Kak has shown an astronomical code in the organization of the hymns.
The Rigvedic view considers the universe to be infinite in size. It divides knowledge into two categories: lower (related to objects) and higher (related to the perceiving subject). The lower knowledge is taken to be beset with paradoxes whereas higher knowledge is not.
References
- Fisher -- Living Religions (5th Edition -- 2002), p.82
- Aurobindo -- The Secret of the Veda (1972)
External links
Refer to the Rig-veda at sacred-texts.com