BATTLE OF SWAR

THE Veda speaks constantly of the waters or the rivers, especially of the divine waters, apo devh or apo divyah, and occasionally of the waters which carry in them the light of the luminous solar world or the light of the Sun, svarvatr apah. The passage of the waters effected by the gods or by man with the aid of the gods is a constant symbol. The three great conquests to which the human being aspires, which the gods are in constant battle with the Vritras and Panis to give to man are the herds, the waters and the Sun or the solar world, ga apah svah. The question is whether these references are to the rains of heaven, the rivers of Northern India possessed or assailed by the Dravidians -- the Vritras being sometimes the Dravidians and sometimes their gods, the herds possessed or robbed from the Aryan settlers by the indigenous "robbers", -- the Panis who hold or steal the herds being again sometimes the Dravidians and sometimes their gods; or is there a deeper, a spiritual meaning?

 Is it not rather a system of symbolic meanings in which the herds, indicated by the word gah in the sense both of cows and rays of light, are the illuminations from the higher consciousness which have their origin in the Sun of Light, the Sun of Truth? Is not Swar itself the world or plane of immortality governed by that Light or Truth of the all-illumining Sun called in Veda the vast Truth, rtam brhat, and the true Light? and are not the divine waters, apo devh, divyah, or svarvath, the floods of this higher consciousness pouring on the mortal mind from that plane of immortality?

rig veda: 7:49:1-4 says:

समुद्रज्येष्ठाः सलिलस्य मध्यात पुनाना यन्त्यनिविशमानाः | 
इन्द्रो या वज्री वर्षभो रराद ता आपो देवीरिहमामवन्तु || 
या आपो दिव्या उत वा सरवन्ति खनित्रिमा उत वा याः सवयंजाः | 
समुद्रार्था याः शुचयः पावकास्ता आपो .. . || 
यासां राजा वरुणो याति मध्ये सत्यान्र्ते अवपश्यञ जनानाम | 
मधुश्चुतः शुचयो याः पावकास्ता आपो ... || 
यासु राजा वरुणो यासु सोमो विश्वे देवा यासूर्जं मदन्ति | 
वैश्वानरो यास्वग्निः परविष्टस्ता आपो ... || 

"May those divine waters foster me, the eldest (or greatest) of the ocean from the midst of the moving flood that go purifying, not settling down, which Indra of the thunderbolt, the Bull, clove out. The divine waters that flow whether in channels dug or self-born, whose movement is towards the Ocean, -- may those divine waters foster me. In the midst of whom King Varuna moves looking down on the truth and the falsehood of creatures, they that stream honey and are pure and purifying, -- may those divine waters foster me. In whom Varuna the king, in whom Soma, in whom all the Gods have the intoxication of the energy, into whom Agni Vaishwanara has entered, may those divine waters foster me." (VII.49.1-4)

It is evident that Vasishtha is speaking here of the same waters, the same streams that Vamadeva hymns, the waters that rise from the ocean and flow into the ocean, the honeyed wave that rises upward from t he sea, from the flood that is the heart of things, streams of the clarity, ghrtasya dharah. They are the floods of the supreme and universal conscious existence in which Varuna moves looking down on the truth and the falsehood of mortals, -- a phrase that can apply neither to the descending rains nor to the physical ocean. Varuna in the Veda is not an Indian Neptune, neither is he precisely, as the European scholars at first imagined, the Greek Ouranos, the sky. He is the master of an ethereal wideness, an upper ocean, of the vastness of being, of its purity; in that vastness, it is elsewhere said, he has made paths in the pathless infinite along which Surya, the Sun, the Lord of Truth and the Light can move. Thence he looks down on the mingled truths and falsehoods of the mortal consciousness.... And we have farther to note that these divine waters are those which Indra has cloven out and made to flow upon the earth, -- a description which throughout the Veda is applied to the seven rivers.

SARASWATI

saraswati is not only goddess of inspiration, she is at one and same time one of seven rivers in early aryan world. saraswati is important not only in herself but in her connections with other rivers and also other goddesses who are plainly psychological symbols especially with bharti or mahi and ila.  

"ila saraswati mahi, tisro devir mayobhuvah; barhih sidantvasridhah."
"may ila saraswati and mahi, three goddesses who give birth to bliss, take their place in sacrificial seat, they who stuble not."

"eva hyasya sunrta, virapsi gomati mahi; pakva sakha na dasuse"

"mahi for indra full of rays, overflowing in her abundance, in her nature a happy truth, becomes as if a ripe branch for the giver of sacrifice. "

rays in vedas are rays of surya, but not physical light, nor the word "go" can be translated as an animal. mahi is full of rays of surya; she carries in her this illumination. she is "सून्र्ता", she is word of blissful truth.

it has been said of saraswati that she is impeller of happy truth, "चोदयित्री सून्र्तानां". saraswati is an awakener of the consciousness to the right thinking or right state of mind, " चेतन्ती सुमतीनाम". she is mother of the rays, the herds of sun, full of energy and brings knowledge. as saraswati represents the truth audition, sruti, which gives the inspired word, so the ila represents dristi, the truth vision. bharti or mahi is largeness of truth consciousness. 

पावका नः सरस्वती वाजेभिर्वाजिनीवती | यज्ञं वष्टु धियावसुः || 
" may purifying saraswati with all her plenitude of her forms of plenty, rich in substance by thoughts, desire our sacrifice."

चोदयित्री सून्र्तानां चेतन्ती सुमतीनाम | यज्ञं दधे सरस्वती || 
"she, the impeller to happy truths, the awakener in consciousness to the right mentalisings, saraswati upholds the sacrifice."

महो अर्णः सरस्वती पर चेतयति केतुना | धियो विश्वा वि राजति ||
"saraswati by the perception awakens in consciousness the great flood (the vast movement of ritam ) and illumines entirely all the thoughts. "

VISHWADEWAS IN THIRD HYMN

vishvedewas means universal collectivity of divine powers. in this hymn they are called for general action which supports and completes the function of ashwins and indra. they are to come to sacrifice in their collectivity and divide among themselves, each evidently for the divine and joyous working of his proper activity, the soma which the giver of sacrifice distributes to them;  " विश्वे देवास आ गत | दाश्वांसो दाशुषः सुतम || ". 

in the next rik the call is repeated with greater insistence; they are to arrive swiftly, " तूर्णयः", to the soma offering or it may mean , making their way through all the planes of consciousness, "waters", which divide the physical nature of man from their godhead and are full of obstacles to communication between earth and heaven; " अप्तुरः सुतमा गन्त तूर्णयः". they are to come like cattle hastening to the stalls of their rest at evening tide, "उस्रा इवस्वसराणि". thus gladly arrive they are gladly to accept and cleave to he sacrifice and support it, bearing it up in it's journey to it's goal, in it's ascent to the gods or home of gods, the truth, the vast; "मेधं जुषन्त वह्नयः". 

IMAGE OF OCEANS AND RIVERS

the veda speaks of two oceans, the upper and lower waters. these are ocean of the subconscient , dark and inexpressive, and the ocean of the superconscient, luminous, and eternal expression but beyond the human mind. vamdeva in the last hymn of the fourth mandala speaks of these two oceans.

( समुद्राद ऊर्मिर मधुमां उद आरद उपांशुना सम अम्र्तत्वम आनट | 
घर्तस्य नाम गुह्यं यद अस्ति जिह्वा देवानाम अम्र्तस्य नाभिः || )

 he says that a honeyed wave climbs up from the ocean and by means of this mounting wave which is soma (amsu) one attains entirely to immortality; that wave or that soma is the secret  reality behind the action of mind in it's shining clarity (ghritasya , symbol of clarified butter) ; it is the tongue of gods with which they taste the delight of existence; it is nodus (nabhi ) of immortality in which all activities of immortal state or divine existence is bound together. 

vamdeva goes on to say ,
(वयं नाम पर बरवामा घर्तस्यास्मिन यज्ञे धारयामा नमोभिः | 
उप बरह्मा शर्णवच छस्यमानं चतुःश्र्ङगो ऽवमीद गौर एतत || )" let us give expression to this secret name of clarity , let us bring out this soma, this hidden delight of existence; let us hold it in this world sacrifice by our surrenderings or submissions to agni, the divine will or conscious power which is master of the being. he is four horned bull of worlds and when he listens to the soul thought of man in its self expression, he ejects this secret name of delight from its hiding place." 

(धामन ते विश्वम भुवनम अधि शरितम अन्तः समुद्रे हर्द्य अन्तर आयुषि |)
in the this verse he openly describes as ocean of the heart, (समुद्रे हर्द्य ), out of which rise the waters of clarity, ( घर्तस्य धारा); they flow becoming progressively purified by mind and inner heart.  he speaks of the whole of existence being triply established, first in the seat of agni, which we know to be truth consciousness, secondly in the heart, the sea same as heart ocean and thirdly in the life of man. the superconscient, the sea of subconscient, the life of living being between two, - this is vedic idea of existence. 

the sea of superconscient is the goal of the rivers of clarity, of the hoenyed wave, as the sea of subconscient in the heart within is their place of rising. this upper sea is spoken as sindhu. he says first gods sought and found the clarity the ghrtam, triply placed and hidden by panis in the cow, the gavi. the word go, is used in double sense of cow and light. cow is outer symbol and inner meaning is light. the cow is really aditi, the infinite consciousness hidden in subconscient and the triple ghrtam, is triple clarity of liberated sensation finding its secret of delight. half of a verse says, "one indra produced, one surya, one the gods fashioned by natural development out of vena."; for indra is the master of thought mind, surya is supra-mental light, vena is soma, the master of mental delight of existence, creator of sense mind. 

he means in thus hymn that the divine knowledge is all the time flowing constantly behind our thoughts, but is kept from us by the internal enemies who limit our material mind to the sense action and sense perception. they are like horses controlled and reined in; only when the waves of light have nourished their strength to the full does the straining steed break these limits and they flow freely towards that from which the soma is pressed out and sacrifice is born.
 and the goal is sindhu. superconscient ocean. 

this vedic imagery throws a clear light on similar symbolic images of puranas, especially on the similar famous symbol of vishnu sleeping after pralaya on folds of snake anantha upon the ocean of sweet milk. anantha means infinite, therefore they have told plainly that all pervading deity sleeps in period of non creation on the coils of infinite. and the ocean of milk is itself the vedic image as we saw here. 

INDRA IN THIRD HYMN

as in second hymn, so in third the rishis begins by invoking deitis who act in nervous or vital forces. there he called vayu who supplies vital forces, brings his steeds of life; here he calls the ashvins who use the vital forces, ride on steed. as in second hymn he proceeds from vital forces or nervous action to mental, he invokes in his second movement the might of indra. 

the out pressing of delight desire him, suta ime tyavah; they desire the luminous mind to take possession of them for its activities; they desire the luminous mind to take possession of them for its activities; they are purified , anvibhistana, by the fingers and the body. ten fingers indicate ten daughters of surya. these sisters who dwell in pure mind, the subtle ones, anvih, the ten brides, dasa kshipah, because they seize the soma and speed it on it's way. they are probably identical with ten rays "dasa gavah". they seem to be described as grandchildren or descendants of sun, "naptibhir vivaswatah" (IX.14.5). they are aided in task of purification by seven forms of thought consciousness, sapta dhiyayah. 


he is addressed as indra of the richly various lustres, "indra citrabhano". the soma juice desire him. he come impelled by the thought, driven by illumined thinker within, "dhiyesito viprajutah", to the soul- thoughts of the rishi who has pressed out the wine of delight and seeks to manifest them in speech, in inspired mantras; "sutavata upa brahmani vaghatah". 

he comes with speed and force of illumined mind power, in possession of his brilliant horses to these thoughts, "tutujana upa brahmani harivah", and rishi praise to him to confirm or hold the delight of soma offering, "sute dadhisva nas canah". the ashwins have brought and energised the pleasure of the vital system in the action of ananda. indra is necessary to hold that pleasure firmly in the illuminated mind so that it may not fall away from consciousness.

( दुसरे सूक्त  की तरह ही तीसरे सूक्त में भी ऋषि उन देवताओं के आह्वान से शुरुआत करते हैं जो हमारे मानसिक विचारधाराओं और महत्वपूर्ण शक्तियों पर प्रभाव डालते हैं . दुसरे सूक्त में जैसे उन्होंने वायू का आह्वान किया था जो हमें अश्व रुपी प्राणशक्ति प्रदान करता है ; उसी प्रकार यहाँ अश्विनी का आह्वान किया गया है जो महान शक्तियों का उपयोग करते हैं और अश्व पर भ्रमण करते हैं . इस सूक्त में जब हम nervous action से मानसिक शक्तियों की ओर बढ़ते हैं तब हम इन्द्र का आह्वान करते हैं जैसा पिछले सूक्त में किया गया था .

आनंद की धारा इंद्र की इच्छा करती है  , " सुता इमे तवायवः";  जिस से उज्जवल मन इस आनंद की धारा को  स्वयं में समाहित कर अपने कार्यों में उपयोग करे .  वे पवित्र हैं " अण्वीभिस्तना ", उँगलियों और शारीर से .
सूर्य की दस पुत्रियाँ दस किरनें हैं जो सुक्ष्म रूप में उज्जवल मन में निवास करती हैं ; ये किरनें आनंद की धारा सोम को समाहित कर उसकी तीव्रता को बढ़ा देती हैं . ये चेतना के सात स्तरों के द्वारा शुद्धी के कार्य में भी मदद करती हैं।
 इन्द्र को अभूतपूर्व कांति वाला बताया गया है " इन्द्रा याहि चित्रभानो ", सोम जिसकी इच्छा करते हैं . वह ऋषि की अंतरात्मा के प्रकाशित  विचारों से प्रेरित होकर आते हैं , "  धियेषितो विप्रजूतः " जिन्होंने आनंद की धारा को प्रवाहित कर उसे अपनी वाणी में प्रकट किया; "  सुतावतः | उप बरह्माणि वाघतः ".

अपने प्रतिभाशाली अश्व रुपी विचारों के साथ वह प्रकाशित मानसिक विचारों की गति और शक्ति के साथ प्रकट होते हैं , "  तूतुजान उप बरह्माणि हरिवः " और ऋषि सोम के आनंद को उन्हें प्रदान कर उसे स्थिर रखने की प्रार्थना करते हैं और  उनकी स्तुति करते हैं , "  सुते दधिष्वनश्चनः ". अश्विन आनंद को लाते हैं और इन्द्र उसे प्रकाशित मन में स्थापित रखते हैं जिससे की वह चेतना से ओझल न हो जाए . )

इन्द्रा याहि चित्रभानो सुता इमे तवायवः | अण्वीभिस्तना पूतासः || 
"come o indra with thy rich lustres, these soma juices desire thee; they are purified by subtle powers and by extension in body."

इन्द्रा याहि धियेषितो विप्रजूतः सुतावतः | उप बरह्माणि वाघतः || 
"come o indra, impelled by mind, driven forward by illumined thinker to my soul thoughts, i who have poured out the soma juice and seek to express them in speech."

इन्द्रा याहि तूतुजान उप बरह्माणि हरिवः | सुते दधिष्वनश्चनः || 
"come o indra, with forceful speed to my soul thoughts, o lord of bright horses; hold firm the delight in soma juice."

NUMBERS OF PRINCIPLES

the number seven plays plays an exceedingly important part in vedic system, as in most very ancient school of thoughts. we find it recurring constantly, - the seven delights, " सप्त रत्नानी "; the seven flames, tongues or rays of agni, "सप्त ज्वालः "; seven forms of the thought principle, "सप्त धितायः " ; seven rays or cows " सप्त गवः "; seven mothers or fostering cows "सप्त मातृ" , "सप्त धेनवः ". all these set of seven depends upon vedic classification of fundamental principles, the tattvas of existence. these seven principles are : 1. pure existence - सत ; 2. pure consciousness - चित ; 3. pure bliss - आनंद ; 4. knowledge of truth - विज्ञान ; 5. mind; 6. life; 7. matter.

in the veda then we find the number of principles variously stated. the one was recognised as basis and continent; in this were two principles divine and human, mortal and immortal. the dual number is also otherwise applied in two principles, heaven and earth, mind and body, soul and nature, who are regarded as the father and mother of all beings. 

the triple principle was doubly recognized, first in the threefold mundane principle, mind,life, body upon built the triple world of veda and puranas. but full number ordinarily recgnised is seven. this figure was arrived at by adding the three divine principles to the three mundane.

also the seven rivers are conscious currents corresponding to the sevenfold substance of ocean of being which appears to us formulated in the seven worlds enumerated by puranas. it is their full flow in human consciousness which constitutes the entire activity of being, his full treasure of substance, his full play of energy. in vedic image, his cows drink of the water of the seven rivers. 

THIRD HYMN- ASHWINI

In The third hymn of madhuchandas appear ashwinis.

They are first described as ashwins, swift footed lords of bliss, much enjoying, -“ drawatpaani subhaspati, purubhuja”. The word “shubh”, is capable of signifying either light or enjoyment, but here appears with adjective “purubhuja”, much enjoying, and verb “canasyatam”  meaning  take delight, thus should be taken in sense of weal or bliss.

Next twin gods are described as “ashwins, divine souls many auctioned , thought holding”, who accept and rejoice in words of mantra , “ with an energetic thought” – “purushamsasa nara saviraya dhiya dhisnaya”, nr in Vedas is applicable both to god and men,  and does not simply mean a man. It meant originally strong or active, and then a male and is applied to male gods, active divine powers or souls or purushas opposed to gnah, who are their energies.

“sawas” and it’s adjective savira, give idea of energy, but always in association of farther idea of flame or light. “savira” is therefore a very appropriate epithet for “dhi”, thought full of shining and flashing energy. “dhisnaya” is connected with “dhisana”, intellect or understanding. 


"dastra yuvakavah suta nasatya vriktbahirsah, aa yatam rudravartani"

ashvins are described as "effectual in action", powers of movement, fierce moving in their paths," dasra nasatya rudravartani. vedic epithet dasra can be taken in sense of doing, acting , shaping, accomplishing. 

nasatya can be taken from nas as to move as ashvins are riders on horse that they are described often by motion, swift footed, fierce moivng in their paths. 
rudra must have meant at one time, shining deep coloured red. fierce and violent is therefore likely to be as good sense of for rudra as "red". 

the ashwins are both "hiranyavartani", and "rudravartani", because they are both powers of light and of nervous force; in the former they have bright gold movement, and in later they are violent in their movement. in one hymn (V. 75.3) we have the combination "rudra hiranyavartani", violent and moving in path of light. 


ashvins are riders of horse, the ashwa, symbolic of force and especially of life energy and nervous force, the prana. their common character is that they are gods of enjoyment, seekers of honey; they are physicians , they bring back youth to old, health to the sick, wholeness to the maimed. 

another characteristics is movement, swift, violent, irresistible; their rapid and indomitable chariot is constant object of celebration and they are described here as swift footed and violent in their paths. they are like birds in their swiftness, like mind, like the wind ( V77.3 and 78.1). they bring in their chariot ripe or perfected satisfaction to man, they are creators of bliss, mayas. 

they show that ashwins are twin divine powers whose special function is to perfect the nervous or vital being in man in sense of action and enjoyment. but they are also powers of truth of intelligent actions of right enjoyment. they are powers that appear with dawn, effective powers of action born out of ocean of being who are able to mentalise securely the falicities of higher existence by a thought faculty which finds or come to know that true substance and true wealth. 

अश्विना यज्वरीरिषो दरवत्पाणी शुभस पती | पुरुभुजाचनस्यतम || 
"o riders of steed, swift footed, much enjoying, lords of bliss, take delight in energies of sacrifice. 

अश्विना पुरुदंससा नरा शवीरया धिया | धिष्ण्या वनतं गिरः || 
"o riders of steed, male souls effecting a manifold action, take joy of words, o holders in intellect, by a luminously energetic thoughts. "

दस्रा युवाकवः सुता नासत्या वर्क्तबर्हिषः | आ यातंरुद्रवर्तनी || 
" i have piled the seat of sacrifice, i have pressed out the vigorous soma juices; fulfillers of action, powers of movement come to them with your fierce speed on the path. "

mantra 8 & 9 of second sukta for MITRA VARUNA

MANTRA-8

   with the ritam ( truth ) as agency, ritena; 

    increasing the action of the truth in man, rtavrdha; 

    touching or reaching the truth, enabling the mental consciousness to come into successful

    contact act with and possession of truth consciousness, rtasprsa;

    mitra and varuna are able to enjoy the use of vast effective will power, kratum brantam asathe;

MANTRA -9

    the two requisites in which vedic rishis always insist are light and power, the light of truth                  

    working in effective enlightened will. thus mitra varuna are shown to us in closing verse of hymn    

    working in full sense of truth, kavi tuvijaata urukshaya.

    kavi means possessed of truth consciousness and using it's faculties of vision.

    tuvijata is multiply born, for tuvi means force. by birth of god is always meant in veda their

    manifestation; thus tuvijata means "manifested multiply", in many forms and activities. 

    urukshaya means dwelling in wideness.  

mantra-7 , sukta-2 for MITRA VARUNA

mitra is "putdaksha", possessed of purified judgement; varuna is "risadas", he destroys all hurters or enemies. 

there are two obstacles which prevent the intellect from being a perfect and luminous mirror of truth consciousness ; first impurity of discernment or discriminative facultywhich leads to confusion of truth, secondly the many causes or influences which interfere with the growth of truth by limiting its full application or by breaking up connection and harmony of thought that express. 

varuna is "risaadas", destroyer of enemy, of all that seek to injure the truth. mitra, represents love, joy, and harmony, the foundation of mayas, and is "putdaksha".  working with purity of varuna and imparting that purity to discernment, he enables to get rid of all discords and confusions, and establish the right working of strong and luminous intellect. 

MITRA VARUNA- 1

after indra vayu, mitra varuna is called in 7-9 mantras of second sukta. 
"mitram hue putdaksham, varunam cha rishadasham| dhiyam ghritancin saadhanta |7|
riten mitravaruna vritavridhavritashprisha| kratum brihantmashathe |8|
kavi no mitra varuna, tuvijata urukshaya daksham dadhate apasam |9|

in previous mantras indra and vayu have been called upon to perfect the nervous mentality, 

"niskrtam dhiya" by thought. but this thought has itself to be perfected, enriched and clarified before mind can become able of free communication with truth consciousness. therefore varuna and mitra, powers of truth are invoked " accomplishing luminous thought, " dhiyam ghritancin sadhanta.

"dhi" means thought or intellect.
"ghrta"- root "ghr" conveys idea of a strong brightness or heat. , it also mean to sprinkle or anont, greek chrio. it is capable of being used to signify any liquid, but specially bright thick liquid. thus it inwardly indicates rich and bright state or activity of brain power, (medha) as basis and substance of illuminated thought.

by "dhiyam ghritacim" therefore means the intellect full of rich and bright mental activity.

INDRA VAAYU - gods of second sukta.

first three verses are addressed to vayu alone, next three to indra & vaayu.
indra is psychological interpretations of hymns representing mind power. the word for sense- faculties "indriya" is derived from his name.
his special realm is "swar", a word which means sun or luminous, being akin to surya, the sun. surya represents illumination of ritm (truth) rising upon mind. swar is that plane of mental consciousness which directly receive illumination.

vayu is always associated prana or life energy, which contributes to the system all the ensemble of those nervous activities that in man are support of mental energies governed by indra. their combination constitutes normal mentality of man.

indra and vaayu awaken in consciousness ( cetathah) to the flowing of soma which represents ananda, divine delight of being. this is to say, the mind power and life energy working together in human mentality are to awaken to inflowings of this ananda. ananda thus received constitutes a new action preparing immortal consciousness in mortal & indra and vayu are bidden to come and swiftly perfect these new workings.

vedas, the revelation

Veda is the creation of an age anterior to our intellectual philosophies. in that original epoch thought proceeded by other methods than those of our logical reasoning and speech accepted modes of expressions which in our modern habits would be inadmissible. 

the wisest then dependent on inner experiences and the suggestions of intuitive mind for all knowledge that ranged beyond mankind's ordinary perceptions and daily activities.
their aim was illumination, not logical conviction,
their ideal the inspired seer, not the accurate reasoner. 

the rishi was not the individual composer of the hymn, but the seer, (drasta )  of an eternal truth and an impersonal knowledge. the language of veda itself is sruti, a rhythm not composed by intellect but hear, a divine word that came vibrating out of infinite to the inner audience of the man who have previously made himself fit for impersonal knowledge. 

the word itself, drsti, and sruti, sight and hearing are vedic expressions. these and cognate words signify, in esoteric terminology of hymns, revelatory knowledge and contents of inspiration.

in the vedic era of revelation there is no suggestion of miraculous or the supernatural. the rishi who employed these faculties, had acquired them by a progressive self-culture. knowledge itself was a travelling and a reaching, or a finding and a winning; revelation came only at the end and light was the prize of final victory.