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Ayurvedic Therapies- 6 - Yoga and Ayurveda
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Vedic writings are inclined to subtle and profound use of symbolism with richness of poetical image and mystic depth and fullness of knowledge and expression of spiritual experience of truth. This is what enables encoding of limitless knowledge in countable volumes of hymns and mantras in the four Vedas and the consequent Vedic treatises like the Upanishads and Darshanas. The Vedic symbolism is reflected in the allegoric story-type lucid style of the Puranas as well. As the eminent chairman of the AIOC 31st Conference had put it –– “The Language of God is the language of light, illuminating intuition”. Therefore it is only the spiritually enlightened sagacious intellect of the seers (the rishis), which could decipher the Vedic symbolism and explain its deeper import to the scholarly minds and also expand the relevant teachings for the welfare of the masses.
Vedmurti Taponishtha Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya was the seer-sage of this era who disseminated the light of spirituality and truth of the Vedic knowledge to awaken the divinity of human heart, wisdom of human mind and grandeur of human culture – leading to all-round progress of mankind. His Hindi translations of the 4 Veda Samhitas, 6 Darshanas, 108 Upanishads and the entire spectrum of Vedic literature, and over three thousands books and volumes written by him in an easily comprehensible style stand as a living testimony to the fact that Vedas indeed contain beneficial and supreme spiritual insights.
In his views1 –– “Vedic symbolism is an expression of the enlightened intelligence of the rishis which conveys deep meanings and preeminent knowledge”. Before attempting to understand the implications of the Vedic hymns and mantras we must first decipher the Vedic symbolism. For example, in the present context of Vedic Cosmology or Science of ‘Creation’ of Nature, understanding the underlying meanings of the following symbolic words is of utmost important. It should be remembered that the script (and hence the words) which we might find in the printed collection of Vedic hymns today are formed by decoding the ‘sonic signs’ or ‘phonetic patterns of shruti’ used in the ancient Vedic texts. This is why at times a ‘symbolic word’ might appear to be familiar to us as a word in modern Sanskrit language with altogether different meaning; thus, leading to a misinterpretation. For instance, the word ‘Âpa¡’, in modern Sanskrit means water but what it (or more specifically the structure of syllables pronounced exactly like it) symbolizes in the Vedic literature pertaining to cosmology is different, as shown below:
1. Aditi: It is referred as the light infinite, the mother (origin) of divine powers, the vast cosmic intelligence in which knowledge and force are unified. In terms of cosmology, it symbolizes the coherent, joint impact of the three fundamental elements of cosmic creation – mitra, varuña and aryam³, defined below. Anarvan is a synonym of Aditi in Vedic Cosmology.
2. Âpa¡: It indicates the stimulated, active, collective state of mitra, varuña and aryam³. This is what accounts for the manifested dynamic state of Nature and hence is also named as Salilam, Maya and Asat (the illusion of seeing the unique, eternal sat in varieties of ever-changing forms and actions in the world, in the ‘manifested’ Nature).
3. Vrahatº¡ Âpa¡: It represents that state of activity of the three fundamental elements of cosmic creations (sat, raj and tam) in which other elements (including physical particles, structures and eventually the chemicals, compounds etc) are formed. Its other name in Vedic terminology is the reflection of sat in which raj and tam are manifested. It includes the ‘plasma state’, which in the modern scientific terms is defined as the highly condensed energy state of (the components of) the universe at the time of creation.
4. V—ata¡: The activity of fundamental particles does not result in any creation on its own. Its existence and functions are subject to the God’s Will (evolutionary impulse of the unique, eternal, self-existent Cosmic Force). Thus, the active state of Âpa¡ defined above either results in creation or gets entrapped in the state of V—ata¡ – which corresponds to the scientific term ‘Cyclic Reversible Reaction’.
5. SHambar: This represents the eddy currents and cyclic transitions in the fluidic state of Âpa¡.
6. TwaÌÚ³: It represents the fundamental radiations (energy waves) generated by the evolutionary impulse in Âpa¡ that lead to vajra-p³ta (occurrence of Vajra¡).
7. Vajra¡: It symbolizes the grand Collision of Masses in the Vrahatº¡ Âpa¡ (plasma).
8. Hirañya Garbha: It represents the infinite explosion (the Big Bang) in Vrahatº¡ Âpa¡ due to Vajra-p³ta.
9. VashiÌÚha: It symbolizes the charge-less particles emitted from what is left in the fundamental mass beyond mitra, varuña. It is the ‘neutron’ in the language of Physics.
10. U̳: Marks the dawn of cosmic creation and manifestation of Nature. (i.e. the state of transition from equilibrium to non-equilibrium of the sat, raj and tam gunas discussed in the previous article of this series).
11. Nakta¡: Marks the infinite absorption of all creation, absolute destruction (end) of the universe. (i.e. the state of transition from dynamic non-equilibrium to static equilibrium of the sat, raj and tam gunas discussed in the previous article of this series).
12. Ashva¡: It symbolizes physical manifestation of energy and power in the universe.
13. Soma¡: It represents the cosmic radiant energy (which is the source of all physical mental and emotional experiences and activities). Its sublime source is still, eternal and omnipresent. Its physically manifested form is what generates solar, lunar and other kinds of lights and energy radiations from different planets, stars and other huge balls of activated mass.
14. Mitra-Varuña: These symbolize the fundamental particles of opposite charges that constitute the atoms of any mass; Varuña represents the positively charged ‘protons’ and Mitra the opposite, namely, the negatively charged ‘electrons’. [In the poetic style of some Vedic hymns, these are also mystically described as –– mitra surrounds all nuclei of existence and together with varuña (in the nucleus) generates the beauty and perfection of structure….].
15. Aryaman: In terms of vedic symbolism, this force fulfils the happy impulsions of light and harmony of the movement of infinite knowledge and power of that pure Vastness. It represents the (energy) radiations that pervade in a mass apart from protons, neutrons and electrons.
16. Matarishwan: It is the colossal momentum generated by the energy explosion of the Big-Bang. It gives rise to the expansion of initial mass.
17. Vaishw³nara Agni: It represents the ensemble force of all energies of Nature. It is the heat of life, and creates the sap, rasa in things. All the dynamic physical energies, devouring, enjoying, purifying, preparing, assimilating, forming become possible through its force. It is the Will in vital spiritual energy (pr³na), and the dynamic force in the bio-energy. All of the signals of our nervous system are assured of their action only by its support. It rises and transfigures its powers into the Maruts (symbolizing the energies of mind).
18. Bh—agu: It symbolizes the sublime content of energy that is absorbed in the eternal ‘stock’ at the time of Nakta¡ (absolute destruction, end of the universe). This is what maintains the Dynamic Continuum necessary in U̳ – at the time of cosmic creation (manifestation of Nature).
19. Angirasa (Apastama): It is said to symbolize the supreme fluidic state of activation of fundamental elements after the collision of the mass in the Vrahatº¡ Âpa¡ (plasma). In scientific terminology, it is the initial form of quark soup, etc in the Gutt’s period.
20. Martanda: It symbolizes the contracting universe.
It is worth noting that these interpretations of symbols are not arbitrary. The hymns and mantras – in the Vedas (esp. the Rig-Veda) – associated with them describe the corresponding aspects of cosmic creation and also delineate in coded formulae several other secrets of cosmology and related sciences that are yet to be unfolded by the modern scientific research. Savants of Vedic literature as well as modern sciences have studied these hymns and mantras at depth and elucidated the Vedic symbolism for the benefit of the wider class of readers. The recent book by Scholar Ram Mohan Roy2 is notable in this regard. The reviews of this book by Dr. NK Rao3 of Missouri, USA further enlighten the knowledge of Vedic Cosmology.
Roy summarizes for us the latest in modern cosmology, from the versions of Big Bang to versions of the Steady State models. He summarizes their strengths and their weaknesses, and then he adumbrates what he believes (and provides evidence for) is the model that the Rig Veda constructs. The rishis of Rig Veda considered the universe to be made of "fluid" (not as fluid as in water but "the flow of matter particles"), and that it was rotating. The rotation's effect on this spherical volume of fluid makes it take the shape of an ellipsoid (the shape of an egg). In the standard Big Bang model the universe is not rotating but its constituents are. The Big Bang theory has challenged the postulates of a steady state model. The book provides quick but precise summaries of those alternate theories. The Big Bang model also proposes that the mass-energy before the universe came into being was concentrated at a single point. The Vedas instead tell us that in the beginning there was no mass-energy. It was a complete void. Ed Tyron in 1973 put forward a theory that makes the same argument.
The Vedic sages considered the creation of mass-energy to be continuous and that it was being created on the surface of the universe. How a void can have a surface? Well, in the Vedic model, the universe has a nucleus, which is at absolute rest. There is an axis of the universe passing through this center around which the universe is rotating. Space can be divided into two, manifested and unmanifested, and the creation of matter and antimatter will continue as long as the universe is expanding.
While in the modern Big Bang model the universe can be open or closed, the Vedic model suggests differently. And the cyclic model proposed by scientists, that the universe will expand and contract continuously is also found in modified form in the Vedic model. It suggests that each cycle is independent of the other and there is no limitation on how many cycles there can be. The researchers4, 2, 5 also cite specific texts and hymns (mantras) or their complete reference in the Vedic scriptures with authentic meanings and scientific implications using the grammatical decomposition and liaison rules with evidential support of ancient scholarly works.
As remarked by Dr. Rao3 –– “The work of Roy2 is important in that he tries to figure out the hidden meanings in the Rig Veda by drawing careful analogies and comparisons, and telling us when he is not sure of a particular meaning of a particular word or hymn. The living universe, Vivasvana, the first pair of particle and anti-particle (matter and anti-matter) are Yama and Manu, the early part of the universe when the surface tension was the most important force constraining the expansion of the universe the battle between these two forces is the immortalized epic battle of Indra and Vrtra. Radiation is Rudra, and the remnants of radiation from the early universe, the cosmic background radiation, is viÌa. Brhaspati represents the expansion of the universe, gr³mya is the recent scientifically discovered subatomic particle boson, arañya is fermion, and so on. All the claims in this research treatise are buttressed by relevant hymns, and the author also provides interesting asides on how the myths and fables of other cultures and religions were borrowed from the latter ‘Brahmins’ and politically motivated scholars and thus were misconceptions and wrong or partial interpretations of Vedic knowledge”.
It is a pity that many of us, the learned generation of Indians, have chosen to accept the misinterpretations without bothering to study and reinvestigate the facts in the precious treasure of our scriptures and get directions from the Vedic knowledge, which discovered science of life as a whole - not only of matter or physical manifestation of Nature, as we do now. If we seek, the Vedic science can provide proper solutions to our problems of today, guide the path of happy progress, keeping complete harmony with Nature, and also reward our scientific quest by deciphering the Ultimate Truth. References:
1. Acharya Pt. Shriram Sharma: (1955): Bhav Abhivyakta va Parimarjit Hote Hein Partikon Ke Madhyam Se. Akhand Jyoti (Hindi). Vol 7. pp 19-21.2. Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1999): VEDIC PHYSICS: Scientific Origin of Hinduism. Golden Egg Publishing, Toronto, Canada. 3. Dr. R.N. Rao: Reviews of the book by Roy (www.indiastar.com/closepet5.html)4. Sharma Bhavna: Vedic Srishti Vigyan. Amar Granth Publications, Delhi. 2002.5. Acharya Pt. Shriram Sharma: RigVed Samhita, Vol. I-IV. Brahmvarchas Shantikunj, Hardwar (India). 1994.<>
Vedmurti Taponishtha Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya was the seer-sage of this era who disseminated the light of spirituality and truth of the Vedic knowledge to awaken the divinity of human heart, wisdom of human mind and grandeur of human culture – leading to all-round progress of mankind. His Hindi translations of the 4 Veda Samhitas, 6 Darshanas, 108 Upanishads and the entire spectrum of Vedic literature, and over three thousands books and volumes written by him in an easily comprehensible style stand as a living testimony to the fact that Vedas indeed contain beneficial and supreme spiritual insights.
In his views1 –– “Vedic symbolism is an expression of the enlightened intelligence of the rishis which conveys deep meanings and preeminent knowledge”. Before attempting to understand the implications of the Vedic hymns and mantras we must first decipher the Vedic symbolism. For example, in the present context of Vedic Cosmology or Science of ‘Creation’ of Nature, understanding the underlying meanings of the following symbolic words is of utmost important. It should be remembered that the script (and hence the words) which we might find in the printed collection of Vedic hymns today are formed by decoding the ‘sonic signs’ or ‘phonetic patterns of shruti’ used in the ancient Vedic texts. This is why at times a ‘symbolic word’ might appear to be familiar to us as a word in modern Sanskrit language with altogether different meaning; thus, leading to a misinterpretation. For instance, the word ‘Âpa¡’, in modern Sanskrit means water but what it (or more specifically the structure of syllables pronounced exactly like it) symbolizes in the Vedic literature pertaining to cosmology is different, as shown below:
1. Aditi: It is referred as the light infinite, the mother (origin) of divine powers, the vast cosmic intelligence in which knowledge and force are unified. In terms of cosmology, it symbolizes the coherent, joint impact of the three fundamental elements of cosmic creation – mitra, varuña and aryam³, defined below. Anarvan is a synonym of Aditi in Vedic Cosmology.
2. Âpa¡: It indicates the stimulated, active, collective state of mitra, varuña and aryam³. This is what accounts for the manifested dynamic state of Nature and hence is also named as Salilam, Maya and Asat (the illusion of seeing the unique, eternal sat in varieties of ever-changing forms and actions in the world, in the ‘manifested’ Nature).
3. Vrahatº¡ Âpa¡: It represents that state of activity of the three fundamental elements of cosmic creations (sat, raj and tam) in which other elements (including physical particles, structures and eventually the chemicals, compounds etc) are formed. Its other name in Vedic terminology is the reflection of sat in which raj and tam are manifested. It includes the ‘plasma state’, which in the modern scientific terms is defined as the highly condensed energy state of (the components of) the universe at the time of creation.
4. V—ata¡: The activity of fundamental particles does not result in any creation on its own. Its existence and functions are subject to the God’s Will (evolutionary impulse of the unique, eternal, self-existent Cosmic Force). Thus, the active state of Âpa¡ defined above either results in creation or gets entrapped in the state of V—ata¡ – which corresponds to the scientific term ‘Cyclic Reversible Reaction’.
5. SHambar: This represents the eddy currents and cyclic transitions in the fluidic state of Âpa¡.
6. TwaÌÚ³: It represents the fundamental radiations (energy waves) generated by the evolutionary impulse in Âpa¡ that lead to vajra-p³ta (occurrence of Vajra¡).
7. Vajra¡: It symbolizes the grand Collision of Masses in the Vrahatº¡ Âpa¡ (plasma).
8. Hirañya Garbha: It represents the infinite explosion (the Big Bang) in Vrahatº¡ Âpa¡ due to Vajra-p³ta.
9. VashiÌÚha: It symbolizes the charge-less particles emitted from what is left in the fundamental mass beyond mitra, varuña. It is the ‘neutron’ in the language of Physics.
10. U̳: Marks the dawn of cosmic creation and manifestation of Nature. (i.e. the state of transition from equilibrium to non-equilibrium of the sat, raj and tam gunas discussed in the previous article of this series).
11. Nakta¡: Marks the infinite absorption of all creation, absolute destruction (end) of the universe. (i.e. the state of transition from dynamic non-equilibrium to static equilibrium of the sat, raj and tam gunas discussed in the previous article of this series).
12. Ashva¡: It symbolizes physical manifestation of energy and power in the universe.
13. Soma¡: It represents the cosmic radiant energy (which is the source of all physical mental and emotional experiences and activities). Its sublime source is still, eternal and omnipresent. Its physically manifested form is what generates solar, lunar and other kinds of lights and energy radiations from different planets, stars and other huge balls of activated mass.
14. Mitra-Varuña: These symbolize the fundamental particles of opposite charges that constitute the atoms of any mass; Varuña represents the positively charged ‘protons’ and Mitra the opposite, namely, the negatively charged ‘electrons’. [In the poetic style of some Vedic hymns, these are also mystically described as –– mitra surrounds all nuclei of existence and together with varuña (in the nucleus) generates the beauty and perfection of structure….].
15. Aryaman: In terms of vedic symbolism, this force fulfils the happy impulsions of light and harmony of the movement of infinite knowledge and power of that pure Vastness. It represents the (energy) radiations that pervade in a mass apart from protons, neutrons and electrons.
16. Matarishwan: It is the colossal momentum generated by the energy explosion of the Big-Bang. It gives rise to the expansion of initial mass.
17. Vaishw³nara Agni: It represents the ensemble force of all energies of Nature. It is the heat of life, and creates the sap, rasa in things. All the dynamic physical energies, devouring, enjoying, purifying, preparing, assimilating, forming become possible through its force. It is the Will in vital spiritual energy (pr³na), and the dynamic force in the bio-energy. All of the signals of our nervous system are assured of their action only by its support. It rises and transfigures its powers into the Maruts (symbolizing the energies of mind).
18. Bh—agu: It symbolizes the sublime content of energy that is absorbed in the eternal ‘stock’ at the time of Nakta¡ (absolute destruction, end of the universe). This is what maintains the Dynamic Continuum necessary in U̳ – at the time of cosmic creation (manifestation of Nature).
19. Angirasa (Apastama): It is said to symbolize the supreme fluidic state of activation of fundamental elements after the collision of the mass in the Vrahatº¡ Âpa¡ (plasma). In scientific terminology, it is the initial form of quark soup, etc in the Gutt’s period.
20. Martanda: It symbolizes the contracting universe.
It is worth noting that these interpretations of symbols are not arbitrary. The hymns and mantras – in the Vedas (esp. the Rig-Veda) – associated with them describe the corresponding aspects of cosmic creation and also delineate in coded formulae several other secrets of cosmology and related sciences that are yet to be unfolded by the modern scientific research. Savants of Vedic literature as well as modern sciences have studied these hymns and mantras at depth and elucidated the Vedic symbolism for the benefit of the wider class of readers. The recent book by Scholar Ram Mohan Roy2 is notable in this regard. The reviews of this book by Dr. NK Rao3 of Missouri, USA further enlighten the knowledge of Vedic Cosmology.
Roy summarizes for us the latest in modern cosmology, from the versions of Big Bang to versions of the Steady State models. He summarizes their strengths and their weaknesses, and then he adumbrates what he believes (and provides evidence for) is the model that the Rig Veda constructs. The rishis of Rig Veda considered the universe to be made of "fluid" (not as fluid as in water but "the flow of matter particles"), and that it was rotating. The rotation's effect on this spherical volume of fluid makes it take the shape of an ellipsoid (the shape of an egg). In the standard Big Bang model the universe is not rotating but its constituents are. The Big Bang theory has challenged the postulates of a steady state model. The book provides quick but precise summaries of those alternate theories. The Big Bang model also proposes that the mass-energy before the universe came into being was concentrated at a single point. The Vedas instead tell us that in the beginning there was no mass-energy. It was a complete void. Ed Tyron in 1973 put forward a theory that makes the same argument.
The Vedic sages considered the creation of mass-energy to be continuous and that it was being created on the surface of the universe. How a void can have a surface? Well, in the Vedic model, the universe has a nucleus, which is at absolute rest. There is an axis of the universe passing through this center around which the universe is rotating. Space can be divided into two, manifested and unmanifested, and the creation of matter and antimatter will continue as long as the universe is expanding.
While in the modern Big Bang model the universe can be open or closed, the Vedic model suggests differently. And the cyclic model proposed by scientists, that the universe will expand and contract continuously is also found in modified form in the Vedic model. It suggests that each cycle is independent of the other and there is no limitation on how many cycles there can be. The researchers4, 2, 5 also cite specific texts and hymns (mantras) or their complete reference in the Vedic scriptures with authentic meanings and scientific implications using the grammatical decomposition and liaison rules with evidential support of ancient scholarly works.
As remarked by Dr. Rao3 –– “The work of Roy2 is important in that he tries to figure out the hidden meanings in the Rig Veda by drawing careful analogies and comparisons, and telling us when he is not sure of a particular meaning of a particular word or hymn. The living universe, Vivasvana, the first pair of particle and anti-particle (matter and anti-matter) are Yama and Manu, the early part of the universe when the surface tension was the most important force constraining the expansion of the universe the battle between these two forces is the immortalized epic battle of Indra and Vrtra. Radiation is Rudra, and the remnants of radiation from the early universe, the cosmic background radiation, is viÌa. Brhaspati represents the expansion of the universe, gr³mya is the recent scientifically discovered subatomic particle boson, arañya is fermion, and so on. All the claims in this research treatise are buttressed by relevant hymns, and the author also provides interesting asides on how the myths and fables of other cultures and religions were borrowed from the latter ‘Brahmins’ and politically motivated scholars and thus were misconceptions and wrong or partial interpretations of Vedic knowledge”.
It is a pity that many of us, the learned generation of Indians, have chosen to accept the misinterpretations without bothering to study and reinvestigate the facts in the precious treasure of our scriptures and get directions from the Vedic knowledge, which discovered science of life as a whole - not only of matter or physical manifestation of Nature, as we do now. If we seek, the Vedic science can provide proper solutions to our problems of today, guide the path of happy progress, keeping complete harmony with Nature, and also reward our scientific quest by deciphering the Ultimate Truth. References:
1. Acharya Pt. Shriram Sharma: (1955): Bhav Abhivyakta va Parimarjit Hote Hein Partikon Ke Madhyam Se. Akhand Jyoti (Hindi). Vol 7. pp 19-21.2. Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1999): VEDIC PHYSICS: Scientific Origin of Hinduism. Golden Egg Publishing, Toronto, Canada. 3. Dr. R.N. Rao: Reviews of the book by Roy (www.indiastar.com/closepet5.html)4. Sharma Bhavna: Vedic Srishti Vigyan. Amar Granth Publications, Delhi. 2002.5. Acharya Pt. Shriram Sharma: RigVed Samhita, Vol. I-IV. Brahmvarchas Shantikunj, Hardwar (India). 1994.<>
