Vedas – Its Significance and Teachings

Universal time cycle according to Hindu Scriptures keep on rolling in measures of Chatur Yugas (Four Yugas) namely Kritya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dwapara Yuga and Kali Yuga. In every Dwapara Yuga, Veda Vyasa takes up the tasks of compiling Vedas, Upanishads and Puranas for the benefit of humanity. Krishna Dwaipayana, the current Vyasa compiled the four Vedas.

Vedas represent the foundation and basis of Indian spirituality and culture. The word Veda comes from the word Vid in Sanskrit which means Knowledge. They are divine revelations compiled from the teachings of ancient sages based on their direct enlightenment as a result of their union with the Supreme Divine.

There are four Vedas – Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva, Rig Veda is the most ancient and a pre-eminent one. Veda is said to be fundamentally a record of experiences of intuition and revelation belonging to various stages of development and exploration. People in Vedic times looked upon the universe with some kind of a transcendental feeling and to them the most important things were the phenomena of Nature, the sun, the moon, the stars, day and night, rain and the storms. Quite naturally, the Vedas were narrated in a language referring to Nature and also to animals like cows and horses. Largest number of verses and hymns are addressed to Agni, the Mystic Fire.

Although there are several interpretations provided by various scholars, the one provided by Sri Aurobindo is the most apt and correctly represent the true value of Vedas. According to him, Vedas have a dual representation – one for the ordinary physically minded men and another for the initiates and those who are high up on the spiritual evolutionary path. The physical minded men in the early stages of evolution is concerned mainly with material interests of life and therefore not tuned to seek the higher spiritual development. The second level of revelation is for spiritually evolved people who can understand the deeper spiritual essence of the teaching.

Fundamental Teachings of Vedas

• At the centre of all creation and this universe is a Supreme Reality and Consciousness
• This Reality is present in the heart of all living beings – it is the soul
• This Supreme Reality also manifests and presents itself to us in many forms, names, powers and personalities whom we call God.
• The only true Knowledge is the knowledge of the Supreme Reality, everything else is ignorance.
• Yoga is the means and method to enter into contact with this Supreme Reality.
• The Vedas speak of the immortality of the human life and of the possibility of death and also there is a clear perception of divinizing human life.