Vedā: Ananta, not Anaadi

Vedā: Ananta, not Anaadi

Usually, we hear people tell (starting from the later epic period) that Vedas have no beginning, they are apaurusheya (not man’s creation), and even that the seers who sculpted out the beautiful verses from divinely inspired thoughts were mere media to chant what they simply were (forced to) see. It is not much surprising since Hindus have rarely tried to acknowledge the great seers like Medhatithi Kanva, Dirghatamas Aucathya, Barhaspatya Bharadvaja… but try to lionize the fake “man gods” and supposed incarnations, wasting lots of strength, words, and eulogies to them. This should be the most brutal insult to the great Vedas, the divinely inspired poets, and real heroes in India’s literature and history.

It is pity that we still don’t learn about the real ruler who lived in flesh and blood – Sudas, who first came up with “Bharata” and established the “India” from a mass of conflicting tribal confederations. How many of us have even heard about the real legend Rjrashva, who fought with the Persians and defended our homeland from “invasion”? How many of us remember the real Vedic poets who proved their inspired brain through their astonishing and flawless works?

By telling that Vedas came millions of years ago dictated by some God, we are not only diminishing ourselves to a kind of dogmatic blindly religious people but also insulting the very efforts and talent of the wordsmiths of Vedas. It is not surprising to see that such advocates have either a little contact with Vedas, a misunderstanding of Vedas, or limit their interpretation to only certain realms. How cannot one not remember the anonymous poet who has spared us only his pseudonym, as “Hiranyagarbha Prajapatya” but has crafted one of the most beautiful poems of Rigveda – the Hiranyagarbha poem? And certainly, a genuine reader can just from inspection, separate the poems of Dirghatamas from the mystic way of progression. The prayers and praises of the Vedas take us to a world of poetic beauty, where words limit our speech. Some poems are simply spellbound.

The Vedic poems have resounded through ages, as a poet himself declares confidently in Vedas. (uttaraani yugaani) However, the interpretations and meanings have only grown with time. Till humanity lasts, newer interpretations will continue coming for Vedas, and Vedas will always remain adapted to the age in which they are interpreted. Such is the beautifully and thoughtfully crafted verses of Vedas. Surely, there is indeed a divine inspiration. And one should certainly remember the Vedic poets who made those inspired lines flow through their thoughtful usage of words symbols and imagery. The philosophy of Vedas is simply beyond time and space, so they extend and prove right as long as humanity exists. It is not based on a single concept of God, mere theological dogma, cultural dogma, or a taboo, but on pure spiritual correlations between nature, the physical life and the spiritual life of a man as a creature, a physical being, and a seeker.

Yes. Vedas are not really “beginningless” in the sense every word of Vedas have the beautiful divine inspiration of the incomprehensible nature of the cause. But, Vedas are “ananta” – endless. They will last, their words will last, the core of their philosophy will last. Last forever.

Author/Researcher: Kiron Krishnan