[Advaita-l] Advaita Vedanta and the Vedas

[sidha at omkarananda-ashram.org]

Vedas and Advaita Vedanta

Every name used in the Rig-veda is the name of the Sun, at least you can
say it
for the 99%. Different names for his different qualities. A mantra in the
praise
if Aditya states, "some call him Indra, Mitra, varuna and Agni, some
suparna and
garutman, but the truth is one, scholars name it differently, some call
him Yama
and matarishwa". Where than a place for Paganism? Eka eva rudro na
dvitiyovatasthe = "there is only one Rudra, there doesn't exist a second."

In fact the mentality behind the sun was, suryah aatma jagatastasthushashca,
surya is the self of the conscious and unconscious things. The problem is
that
those who condemn the Vedic system don't understand it the least, that is why
we don't have any cause to dislike them, we just pity for their ignorance.

Look at this mantra, "with a golden disc the truth is covered, O Sun, take
the
disk away that I may be able to see the truth, O Pushan, O Yama, O Surya, O
Prajapatya, take away your rays, that I may be able to see your most radiant
form (even more than this one), which is the most blissful, that Purusha
which
you are, I'm that too".

Purusha is the Vedic equivalent to the Brahman of the Upanishads. You would
clearly see the concept of "Aham Brahmasmi" in the above stated Mantra.
Brahman
litterely means the mightiest, or the all pervading and Purusha verbally
means
the thing existing in every being. The following Mantra would make it more
clear, "Purusha is all this, that which was existing and that which is
going to
come in to existence. This is his mightiness, but the Purusha is even greater
than this".

In the end, I would quote the mantra, "I know that great Purusha, which is
the
mightiest, and above darkness, about which it can be told only by the sun,
only
by knowing him one transcends the death, there is no other way for it".
This is
the secret of Sun worship. That only the sun is the direct manifestation
of the
Supreme and contains mostly all of the qualities of the Supreme, at least
more
than any other of his manifestation.

In the end, those who condemn the Vedic religion just see the outer sun,
but the
realization behind the sun was utterly different in the case of the
Rishi's or
Vedic seers. Looking in to the condemnation of sun worshipping in the old
testament, also suggests that those people didn't understand this hidden
secret
in sun worshipping.

As the Rig-veda states it, "some see the voice (Vedic voice), but still they
don't see, some hear it, but still don't hear it, it is only one among the
chosen few, to whom this voice opens itself, as a newly married wife opens
herself to her husband".

I think, Jesus Christ, being a self-enlightened great soul, understood this
fact, and used the terms "my father" for the supreme God, which are
similar to
the Vedic statements, "O you all the sons of the immortal supreme! Hear unto
me". And many things more than that, which have yet to be discovered by a
Vedic
Scholar.

Did you know that word Yahvah (I think, I don't need to tell you about this
word, tettragrammaton, sorry I don't how to spell it) is frequently used
in the
Vedas for the sun and Supreme. The word literally means the biggest, same
meaning as the word Bhuman of the Upanishads has.

In the end I would like again to quote a Rik from the Rig-veda, "That, which
resides in the letters of the Riks and which resides in the Highest space (in
the form of the sun) and in which the entire universe and all the Devas
reside,
if one doesn't know that, what is the use of the Riks to him? (i.e. each
Vedic
Mantra becomes meaningless to him)" (Note that Deva in plural means
"rays", so
it can't be translated with "Gods", as there is only one God).

All that which I have quoted here, are of the Vedas and not of the
Upanishads,
or later Veda related books.

Loving Regards,

Siddhartha