Rescuing
our Vedic Priesthood
Dr.
S. Yegnasubramanian
1.Our
Scriptures
The
word veda is derived from the Sanskrit root vid which means
"to know". Since our religion follows the vedic injunctions, it is
known as "Vedic Religion". The word religion implies the meaning of dharma.
The texts that give us the complete knowledge of dharma are called dharma-
pramANa. They are fourteen in number and are: four Vedas, six VedAngas
(the organs of the Vedas), and four UpAngas (secondary organs of
the Vedas). These fourteen texts are glorified as vidyAsthAna’s -
the abode of true knowledge and wisdom. (See Appendix 1 for a comprehensive
list of our scriptures and what they deal with). As codified by Sage Veda
Vyasa, all four Vedas put together had 1,131 SakhAs (branches).
However, only 10 are available today, and of those, only two are nearly
complete!
The
Vedic literature can be broadly classified into four groups:
1.
SamhitA: the mantra portion;
2. BrAhmaNas:
the portion dealing with rituals;
3. AraNyakas
- the forest texts, and
4. Upanishads
- the portion dealing with Vedic philosophy.
The
principles of dharma as embodied in our religion are all centered on the
Vedas.
2.
Glory of the Vedas
Apasthambha
Sutra describes
Vedas as the Pramana: (authority - pramanam vedasca).Manu Smriti
hails them as vedokhilo dharma moolam (the root of dharma);
Bhagavan Sri Krishna says: vedaisca sarvair-ahameva-vedya: (I am known
through the Vedas).
The
Vedas are Infinite (anantA vai vedA;); They are the very breath of Iswara:
(yasya niSvasitam vedA:) They are without beginning: (anAdi) and
of non-human origin (apourusheya.) They teach the glories of all
creations and the principles of dharma and enshrine true knowledge and wisdom.
That is why our scriptures proclaim: vedo nityam adheeyatAm tad uditam karma
svanushtIyatAm (practice the Vedas daily; practice well their
prescriptions)
It
is our great fortune that we have inherited such a rich and cherished dhArmic
tradition. It should be our foremost duty and goal to preserve such a tradition.
Our ancestors led a peaceful and contented life following the path set by the
Vedic guidelines. That path withstood the tests of historic times and was
smooth to follow without obstacles.
3.
The guardians of our scriptures – the Vedic Priests
Wayne
Howard, in his book “Veda Recitation in Varanasi” writes: “ The four Vedas are not
“books” in the usual sense, though within the past hundred years each Veda has appeared
in several printed editions. They are comprised rather of tonally accented
verses of hypnotic, abstruse melodies whose proper realizations demand oral
instead of visual transmission….. The ultimate authority in Vedic matters is
never the printed page but rather the few members of the Brahmana caste who are
today keeping the centuries-old traditions alive. However, the Vedas are
approaching a point in history, which will determine whether they survive or
slip into extinction. They have shown remarkable vigor and perseverance in the
past – thriving under potentially destructive political, economic, and
religious upheaval – but whether they can withstand the accelerated rate of social
change in the twentieth century is a formidable question which leaves their
future in grave doubt”.
No –
that doubt should never be allowed to sustain. Because, if Vedas have to
perish, it amounts to the destruction of dharma itself, the root of an
entire civilization, culture and tradition. However, as Howard had correctly
observed, the ultimate authority of Vedas lies with the vedic priest , who,
through a tradition of oral transmission, has been propagating them over
generations.
4.
Vedic Chanting – a perfectly formulated oral tradition
The
Vedas are called ‘Sruti”- which means, what is heard. It is never read
from a text, since the recitation of any veda mantra should conform to
the following six parameters, namely, varNa
(letters); svara (intonation); mAtrA (duration of
articulation); balam (force of articulation); sAma (uniformity),
and santAna (continuity). If any of these parameters is not maintained,
it would change the meaning of the mantra itself, leading to even diametrically
opposite effects!
In
the absence of a written text, our rishis had devised many ways to
prevent even a small error to creep in to the recitation of the veda-mantras.
These fool-proof methods used to chant each veda-mantra in various
patterns and combinations are known as : vaakya, pada, krama,
jaTA, mAlA, SikhA, rekhA, dvaja, danDa, ratha, and Ghana. Among these, vAkya,
pada, krama, jaTa and Ghana methods of chanting are more popular and
let us analyze them only here. Vaakya or samhitA pATha is to recite a mantra
in a sentence straight with appropriate intonations. In sentences, some of
the words have to be conjoined in chanting. In pada pAtha, a sentence is
broken down to ‘words’ or pada’s, which gives the student the knowledge
of each word. In the krama method, the first word of a sentence is added
to the second, the second to the third, the third to the fourth and so on,
until the whole sentence is completed. This method enables the student to
understand not only individual words but also how the words combine in
recitation with the attendant modification of the svaras. Scholarly
priests capable of reciting the entire veda-SakhA in the karma format
is given the title “kramavit”. In the jaThA method, the first
word and the second word are recited together and then the words are recited in
the reverse order and then again in the original order. For example, in the krama
method, if they are recited as 1-2; 2-3; 3-4; 4-5 etc., in the jaThA method,
they are recited as 1-2-2-1-1-2; 2-3-3-2-2-3; 3-4-4-3-3-4 and so on. Scholarly
priests capable of reciting in the jaThA method are given the title “jaThAvallabha”.
The Ghana
combinations
of words will be 1-2-2-1-1-2-3-3-2-4-4-2-3; 2-3-3-2-2-3-4-4-3-2-2-4 and so on.
A priest who can recite in the Ghana
These
methods of complicated recitations in a oral tradition were devised in order to
preserve the purity of the word, the sound, intonation, pronunciation, accent
and sound combinations of the vedamantras. By repeating the words in
manifold ways, the correct tally of words was also kept which has naturally
ensured its purity. To enable the scholars to take up the difficult methods
recitiation, it was believed that, more difficult methods of chanting earned
more puNya or merit!
5.
The Merit, and the Plight of a Vedic Scholar Today
Just
to illustrate what it takes for a priest to earn the title of a ghanapAThi,
let us briefly analyze what is involved in the training. For illustration, let
us consider only one portion of the krishNa yajur veda, called the taittiriya
samhitA. In this portion there over 2,000 pancASat’s (1 pancASat =
50 pada’s), amounting to 109,308 pada’s. We can roughly assume
each pada to have 3 syllables, thus totaling ~330,000 syllables. In the Ghana
method of chanting, each syllable gets repeated 13 times, thus amounting to
4,290,000 utterances. And each of these utterances have to conform to all the
six parameters discussed earlier. Only when a person becomes capable of
reciting this in any order asked, gets the title of a ghanapAThi. This
is for only one samhitA portion in Krishna yajur veda alone. Then
there is Sukla yajur veda, rig veda, sAma veda, and atharva veda.
There
were scholars proficient in more than one veda as evident from the names
dvivedi, trivedi and caturvedi. In addition, there are other samhitA
portions, brAhmaNa portions, AraNyaka poritons, and the Upanishads,
in the vedic scriptures alone. After proficiency in ghanapATha, some
learn lakshaNa-ghanapATha, which deals with the characteristics of each
letter, its origin, how it has to be emphasized in a mantra, its varNa,
the presiding deity, etc etc. Then there are purANa’s, dharma-Sastras
etc. All these were learnt without any book, tape or any such instruments
in the oral tradition, and were stored just in ~200 grams of the human brain!
And the most interesting thing is, it was not that one or two individuals who
were proficient in this dharma, but an entire society was well versed in
this! Such a scholarship takes well over 25 years of intense education in a gurukulam,
in addition to observing all the religious disciplines!
Having
analyzed what it takes for a vedic priest to become a ghanapAThi, let us
look at his plight in modern day society. When there is so much of respect and
recognition for all other secular professionals – be a doctor, lawyer,
engineer, scientist, businessman, artist etc. – the respect and the compensation
extended to these vedic scholars are pathetically far below standards. On the
one end we are all proud to inherit such a rich and cherished vedic tradition,
but, on the other, not being sensitive enough or even negligent towards preserving
and transferring it forward. At this rate, what were originally 1,131 SakhAs,
and are only 10 today, will further deteriorate leading to a great loss to
human-kind. The only guardians of this rich tradition are the vedic priests.
Because of the way the society treats them and the poor compensation, they are
not motivated to send their children to vedic schools (pAThaSAlA’s).
Generally they come from economically backward families, and so they drop out
of schools early, striving to make a living and to support their poor families.
All others who have already migrated to secular education are not going to
revert back to vedic learning in the traditional sense. In addition, the
personal
discipline
to be observed by the vedic priest being so stringent (otherwise, the rituals
and mantras are believed not to give the desired result, and to even
bring demerit), it makes one to shy away even more. When compared to the status
of priest-hood in other religions, the plight of the vedic priest is really
sad.
6.
What can be done to bring back the lost glory of the vedic priest ?
Even
though the situation appears very gloomy, there is lot of hope today. The very
fact that a forum like this wants to address this issue itself is very
encouraging. Following are some of my thoughts to help foster and propagate
this tradition, though by no means exhaustive:
1.
The first step is for every member of this varNa to be aware of what we
have in our vedic scriptures and become sensitive to this education.
2.
Even if one may not have time or may have other limitation to learn, observing the
disciplines, one could at least support those who learn, and the pAThaSAlA’s
that teach.
3.
Many of the teachers in these pAThaSAlA’s are highly under-paid and they
continue to teach just to foster this dharma. With the affluence of the
NRI community, support can be given to increase the compensation for the
teachers and stipend to the students.
4.
Scholarships for advanced vedic learning can be implemented to motivate
students
not to discontinue from a full curriculum due to economic reasons.
5.
Most of the mantra’s employed in rituals are from Vedas. Actually
rituals (samskAras) are aimed at developing the eight inner values (Atma
guNa’s), which are: compassion (dayA), patience (kshamA), free from
jealousy (anasooyA), purity (soucam), keeping cool (anAyAsam),
not being miserly(akArpaNyam), absence of attachment (aspruhA),
and peace (mangaLam).
The
more we shy away from rituals, more are the chances of losing those mantra’s,
since less will be the motivation for the priest to practice them!
6.
There can be awareness courses on samskAra’s (there are ~ 41 samskAra’s
from conception to cremation!), so that every member of the varNa will
develop an interest and faith in them. Such faith will increase their respect
for the vedic priest as an AchArya.
7.
We believe that giving dAnam (gift) to a priest washes our sins. The
priest gets this power because of his vedic knowledge. Hence, the compensation
for the priests should be given with faith, humility and sincerity so that, it
is not just a compensation for a job done, but an offering (sambhAvanA)
for blessing our families in the name of Vedas.
Unless
this varNa raises to bring back the glory of the vedic priest, it may be
difficult to expect others to raise to this call. After all, religious
practices are only for the believers, and these discussions are aimed at those
who have an implicit faith in this dharma.
With
a renewed thrust and commitment, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The vedic-priesthood
will certainly become well respected in society with this awareness.
Institutions
like the Sringeri Vidya Bharati Foundation Inc. USA, organize mega yajnas
like the ati-rudra-mahA-yajna of 1997 bringing ~100 vedic scholars from India,
essentially to appreciate and respect the vedic priest-hood, in addition to showing
to the present and the future generation, how an authentic vedic ritual could be
conducted, even outside of India, and how such knowledgeable priests are available
even today.
Source
Material:
1.
"The Vedas", Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay
2.
“Rescuing our Vedic Pundits”, Dr. S. Yegnasubramanian, Page 9, The Hinduism Today,
Dec. ’97.
About
the Author
Dr.
Yegnasubramanian (Dr. Mani) is the Chairman of the Sringeri Vidya Bharati Foundation,
and the Sanatana Dharma Foundation, USA. He is also the advisor for several
temple organizations within USA, Canada and India. Dr.Mani has been teaching
vedic/puranic scriptures, the Bhagavad Gita and Vedanta for the past two decades
in New Jersey, to groups of adults and children. He is the editor and publisher
of the international journal, Paramaartha Tattvam in which he writes regularly
on various topics of Vedanta, vaidika samskaras, and bhakti in general. He was
the general chairman of the first Ati-rudra Mahayajna conducted in the Poconos in
1997 and the Satachandi yajna in 2001. Under the auspices of the Sringeri
Shankar
Mutt,
he organizes veda sammelans all over India every year involving thousands of vedic
scholars. He was a trustee and the Chairman of Religious affairs of the Bridgewater
temple from inception until the kumbhabhishekam in 1998. He gives lectures and
short courses on sanatana dharma, scriptures, and Vedanta, all over USA and
Canada. He represents the Hindu Faith in Interfaith Forums and conducts Youth Forums.
He was awarded the title of “Dharma-rakshA-mani” by the Shankaracharya of
Kanchi in 2003. Dr. Mani is a scientist by profession who retired from Bell
Labs.in 2001. He works presently at Andrew Corporation in Warren, NJ and lives
with his family in Skillman, NJ.
Appendix
1. Our Scriptures (Dr.
S. Yegnasubramanian)
I.
Vidyasthanas (Source
of Supreme Knowledge) – 14
a)
Vedas (4) : Classified
by Vyasa - 1131 recensions (SakhAs): ~25,000 mantras
Name
Rishi Seer SAkhAs Contents
Rig
Agni Paila 21 Hymns on Devas; Social Life; Soul...
Yajus
Vayu Vaishampayana 101 Rituals/Yajnas, Sacrifices...
Sama
Aditya Jaimini 1000 Devotional Hymns, Music, Peace...
Atharva
Aditya Sumanthu 9 Devatas, Creation, Mantras to ward off
enemies/evils
b)
Vedangas: (6) & c) Upangas (4) (to
understand Vedas completely and in depth)
Vedangas
Upangas
1.
Chandas Meter, Poetry 1.
MeemAmsA
Enquiry
2.
Nirukta Words & Roots 2. NyAya Logic
3.
SikshA Phonetics
4.Vyakarana
Grammar
5.
Jyotisha Astrology /
Astronomy
3.
PurAna Magnifying glass of Vedas; 18 Maha
Puranas,
18 Upa; Puranas and Ithihasas
6.
Kalpa Yajnas,
Samskaras...
47.DharmaSAstra
Smriti, social frame, duties
II.
Upa Vedas (4)
1.
Ayurveda Science of Life 3. DhanurvedaScience of Weaponary and
Warfare
2.
Artha SAstras
Science
of Wealth /Economics
4.
Gandharva veda
Treatise
on fine arts, music, etc.
III.
Aranyakas and Brahmanas - Vedic
Scriptures learnt and interpreted by
Rishis
in the forests are Aranyakas and those interpreted in homes for homely
use
are Brahamanas:
Veda
SAkhA Aranyaka Brahmana
Rig
Sakala, SAnkhAyana Aitereya, Kousitaki Aiterya, Kousitaki
Yajus
Taittiriya,
MaitrAyania,
kAnva,
mAdhyandina
Taittiriya,
BrhadAranyaka,
MaitrAyania
Taittiriya,
Kanva Satapatha,
Madhyandin
Satpatha
Sama
RANAyaNiya,
Jaiminiya,
Kauthuma
TalvakAra,
PancavimSa, VamSa,
Arseya,
SadvimSa, ChAndoghya,
Mantra,
Daivata, Jaiminiya,
Samavidhana,
Samhitopanishad
Atharva
Saunaka, PippalAda Gopatha
Upanishads:
are placed
towards the end of Aranyakas. They deal with aspects of realizing through the
path of knowledge (jnana marga), the nonduality (abhedha) of Brahman. They are
considered as the quintescence of Vedas.
Veda
Main Upanishads
Rig
Veda Aitereya, Kousitaki
Yajur
Veda Taittiriya, Kathopanishad, Brhadranyaka, Isavasya, Maitiya,
Svetasvara
Sama Veda Kena, Chandoghya
Atharva
Veda Mundaka, Mandukya, Prasna
PrasthanatrayI:
(Texts on
Tattvajnana - Knowledge of Self - Metaphysics): 1.
Upanishads;
2. Bhagavad Gita; 3. Brahmasutras; 2 & 3 are not vedic scriptures, they are
given this status due to their content.
32
Primary Vidyas: (Primary
Knowledge) 4 Vedas, 6 Vedangas, 4 Upangas, 4 Upa Vedas, 2 Ithihasas,Tantra,
Smriti, Nastikamata (agnosticism), 3 Sastras (artha, kama and shilpa),
Alankriti (asthetics), Kavya (poetry), Desabhasha (linguistics), Avasaokti, Yavanamata,
Desadhidharma.
………………………………….
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