God can be visualized in three different ways:
God can be visualized in three different ways:
1. Saakara (with form as its easy to show love/affection). Gods are identified by gender.
2. Nirakara (formless, but saguna. A god which punishes bad people and rewards good people). Gods also have a gender in this case.
3. Then the gods talked in Upanishads. (They are Nirakara and Nirguna). God is referred to as IT here. There is no gender associated. They also do not reward/punish people. It is above all.
https://youtu.be/srAnLGWzZw8?t=2748
https://youtu.be/srAnLGWzZw8?t=2748
1. Saakara (with form as its easy to show love/affection). Gods are identified by gender.
2. Nirakara (formless, but saguna. A god which punishes bad people and rewards good people). Gods also have a gender in this case.
3. Then the gods talked in Upanishads. (They are Nirakara and Nirguna). God is referred to as IT here. There is no gender associated. They also do not reward/punish people. It is above all.
https://youtu.be/srAnLGWzZw8?t=2748
https://youtu.be/srAnLGWzZw8?t=2748
Thing is that in Vedas, there is only God beyond form and concepts, who cannot be worshiped as such, but only the concepts of God can be worshiped. (which is undoubtedly the fact) Thus, God as an entity cannot be worshiped, but only concepts of God can be worshiped. And these concepts are assigned some attributes and qualities for the sake of worship. Anything that is worshiped is just a concept in our mind. That is the stark reality. As the Vedas tell, they (concepts of God) "created form where form was not, created light were light was not, and born together with the (spiritual) dawn". "They regenerated themselves (in the sky of mind), assuming the names used in Yajna". (Rigveda 1.6)
ReplyDeleteIt is clear in Vedas that concepts of God (called Devas in Vedas, esp. Rigveda) are born in "the spiritual dawn". They are "the shining ones" (RV 1.6) who "light up the sky". (sky of mind) They are the rays of the God, the spiritual sun. Thus, the God, the "spiritual sun", "sows inspiration", and hence is called "sower" (Savita) and prayers to Savita are for "inspiration". (Rigveda 3.54, Yajurveda VS 1.1 and so on...) This spiritual sun is himself called by different names Agni, Indra, Matarishvan, Yama... as is the wont by the sages/worshipers (Rigveda 1.164) Thus, it is the worshiper who imagines the One Reality differently. (Rigveda 10.114)
The spiritual sun, is again, the Self of God that encompasses the whole creation. (Ref : Rigveda 1.164 and many others) It pervades everything and yet encompasses externally. (Yajurveda 40) This "Sun", is poetically called "the Truth hidden behind the golden vessel (of delusion)", (Yajurveda 40) and poets pray to "see this Sun" ( remember the prayer jyok ca sUryam drshe and many verses in Rigveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda)
Alternatively, the final Reality is poetically called the "who" (kaH), as the answer to the question "who is God?". (Ref : Hiranyagarbha hymn, Rigveda 10.129, cited in YV, Sh. Brahmana and many others) (Also compare with Aitreya Aranyaka : "who is the Self we meditate upon.") This Final impregnable Reality is given different attributes to worship, so that "who is the God we worship." (check Hiranyagarbha hymn)
"Thus, it is only this "who"; who knows exactly why and when this creation happened. The concepts of God (devas) are later than the creation. Hence, indeed "who" knows what exactly has happened". (Rigveda 10.129 misquoted by people as agnostic without noting the poetic beauty)
Alternatively, we can also see God as Creator of matter, as well as transformed initial Energy, both reflections of each other. This is met in Purusha sukta, as "Viraj" (the special ruler and Creator), "Purusha" (All pervading energy). Thus, the initial Energy gets transformed to all beings, from Purusha, the concept of Creator is born. But, from the Creator is the creation born. (Compare Purusha sukta : From Purusha is Viraj born, from Viraj is Purusha born) This is also reflected in another Vedic dual concept "from Daksha is Aditi born, from Aditi is Daksha born" (Daksha = Creativity, creator, Aditi = Infinite Energy)
These are altogether the VEDIC ideas of God summarised.
Btw, how are you doing, Anantha Narayanan? Haven't seen you for some days. :)
It is also interesting to note that the spiritual mind of the Devotee is poetically called "Dyaus" (sky), which imagines the God as in full forms, corresponding to Vedic Indra (as all deities abide in the concept of Indra, RV 3.54). Again, the physical reflection of this spiritual mind is associated with earth, and seers pray for a "wide earth". (broad mind)
ReplyDeleteThe Dyaus and prithivi are thus poetically referred to as couple in the Vedas, (refer any verses containing the two) where Dyaus (sky, spiritual mind) is the male and Earth is female. Rigvedic Indra, the concept of All concepts in One, removes the blocks in the spiritual mind (called sky), and establishes link between sky and earth (spiritual and physical mind) as rain, by killing the blocking "raincloud in the sky" and restoring the eternal order (Rta). This "act of Indra is well praised by sages", and this "killing of Vrtra" is accompanied by giving the essence of life, "soma" to the worshiper and himself taking back the essence of the life in poetic song (sAman, the soma in songs as described by Madhucchanda Vaishvamitra in RV 1.6 - 1.13) by the worshiper. The worshiper thus pours out the life in his songs or "mingles songs with soma" (common feature of Rigveda) for the "soma giver" to "enjoy".
Vedas are so poetic and so deep. Simple people quoting Brahmanical myths and ritualising them and mocking them will all need to understand the realm of poetry once.
The nature and truth is so poetic that it can be described only by poetry. And that is what keeps Vedas alive for the future generations. May be some day the society will be able to progress themselves to reach such a mental state of knowledge to know the reality.