Vedic Philosophy

The Vedas are the most ancient and invaluable treasure in Indian literature. They can be termed the
most ancient literature of the world history. Literally, the Veda means knowledge which the sages realized and
verbalized in form of the mantras and published. These are regarded beyond human imagination (apaurusheya)
in Indian tradition. Though the Nyaya Philosophy regards them God created and terms them to have been
presented by human being (paurusheya). They are known as ‘Sruti’ (revelation) and have been conserved in
unwritten form since time immemorial. The Vedas are in two parts – Mantra and Brahmin (Mantra Brahanatmako
Vedah). The meaningful sentence chanted in praise of the gods is called the Mantra. The compilation of the
mantras is called Samhita. The Samhitas are four in number – Rik, Yajuh, Sam and Atharva. Rik is the mantras
which are versified and chanted in high pitch. Their compilation is called the ‘Rigveda’. Some mantras are
mainly prosaic and read gradually. These are called ‘Yajus’ and thei compilation is called the ‘Yajurveda’. Sam
is the versified mantras and are sung on occasion of the yagnas. Their compilation is called the ‘Samveda’. The
Samveda is the compilation of the mantras associated with rituals. The Yajurvada also has its utility for the
rituals. Rik, Yajuh and Sam together are called as Trayi. It is known from the word Trayi that the Atharvaveda
belongs to much later period and it was not recognized as the Veda for a long period of time. All these four
Samhitas have their separate priests (Ritviks). The priest of the Rigveda is called ‘Hota’who invokes gods by
chanting the praise mantras. ‘Adhyavaryu’ is the priest of the Yajurveda who duly carries out various parts of
the yagna. Udgata is the priest of the Samveda who chants the mantra in melodious tone. Brahman is the priest
of Atharveda who duly monitors whole yagna ceremony.
An overall description of various parts of the yagna – yagadi is found in the Brahman. It is called the
Brahman because bears detailed description of Brahma or Yagna. The Brahman has been composed in prosaic
form. The interpretation of the mantras is claimed to have been done in it. ‘Aranyak’ is usually the final part of
the Brahman scripture. They have been placed between the Brahman scriptures and the Upnishads. They bear
the reflections of the great figures (sages) who dwell in forests (aranya). Usually the Aranyak is predominantly
devotional. The Upnishads come as the final part of the Vedic literature in which Vedic philosophical contem
plation attains its peak.
Philosophical Tendencies in the Vedas
Three tendencies of philosophical thoughts can be seen in the Vedic literature – Polytheism, Monothe
ism and Monism. According to several western thinkers the evolution of philosophical thoughts occurred in the
Vedas are from Polytheism to Monotheism and Monism respectively. These tendencies usually developed
simultaneously in the Vedas.
Polytheism
The Polytheist form is bewildering part of the Vedic literature. When man of the Vedic era felt that all
the great forces of the nature he is surrounded with are fully under his control, then he imagined the conscious
forces working invisibly behind them. The Vedic people imposed personality in the natural forces and these
natural forces became godlike for them. They adopted the feelings of fear, wonder and woship for the gods,
chanted songs in their praise, worshipped to please them and receive their grace and offered sacrifices to them.
It is a kind of natural Polytheism in which grotesque physical happenings assumped divine form.
PHILOSOPHY
(2)
The ancient and new deities in the Vedic Samhita are indefinite in number. Sometimes their number is
regarded limited to thirty-three. They have been put in three categories each of elevan – Aakashastha Devta
(sky dwelling gods), Antarisksha Devta (space dwelling gods) and Prithvisth Devta (earth dwelling gods).
Mitra and Varuna gods are regarded as the sky dwelling gods, Indra and Murut are space dwelling gods and
Agni (fire) and Soma are accepted as earth dwelling gods. Since all deities (gods) of the Vedic circle of gods
are the natural forces, it was regarded as the Polytheism.
Henotheism
Mr Max Muller conceptualized the Henotheism as a link of the Vedic Polytheism and Monotheism.
According to him before reaching the Monotheism, the Vedic sages reached the Henotheism. Max Muller says
that it is known from the praises of the Rigveda that when the particular god eulogized by the Vedic sages they
exaggerated his importance and declared him the best, neglecting other gods. According to him it was a sheer
ladder to reach the Monotheism instead of being a final principle.
Monotheism
Though the Rigveda’s mantras appear to be inclined to the Polytheism yet the circle of gods could
satisfy longing of the Vedic sages as it was against religious consciousness. Instead of searching separate
causes of the natural events, they took interest in their primary or primitive cause. The Vedic sages reached to
Monotheism in the process of that search. Instead of searching separate causes out of the natural incidents,
they took interest in their primary cause. The Vedic sages accessed the Monotheism in the process of the
search. They did not search the supreme god out the the gods but tried to find out the simple power functioning
behind them. We can see the complete expression of this tendency where the Vedic sage says the truth is only
one and the Brahmins call it with different names like Agni, Yam, Matrishwan etc. We can see the seed of being
steadfast in the self in ‘Vishwadeva Sukta’ in which all the gods have been called ‘Vishwedeva’ in their entirety.
The concept of season also proved helpful in making one feel the Monotheism. Belief in the natural laws creates
faith in the one god. Thus, the idealistic tendency toward, necessity of religious logic and pre belief in morality
made the Vedic sages access the Monotheism.
Monism
Even the Monotheistic concept could not quench the thirst of the Vedic sages to gain complete one
ness. This concept could bring oneness in the gods. In place of several gods, an emphais was laid on the need
of the one god who creates the world, operates it and who is beyond and separate from it. Since even this
concept continued with distinction between the God and the nature, hence the Dualism could not come to an
end in it too. Therefore, the Vedic sages had a deeper contemplation and discovered the Monism. Although the
ideology of of Monism is found in the Upnishads, yet some of its thoughts are available in the Vedic Samhitas
as seeds. In the Rigveda, the approach of Monism has two forms –
First the Pantheist approach in which the nature has been made integral with the God. It negates the
distinction between the God and the nature which is reflected in the Polytheism. The God has not been termed
as beyond tthe world but pervading in it. The other important example of this tendency is the Purush Sukta of
the Rigveda in which it has been said that ‘ Purusha is the only truth’.
The second form of the Monism is one which we obtain in consequence of the discovery of causes of
the world. The sages have clearly accepted the principle of causation in it. They accepted origin of the universe
from not only one reason but they tried to determine its form also. The concept of this kind of monism is found
in ‘Nasdiya Sukta’. According to it, all the dualities – truth and untruth, birth and death, sin and virtu, etc are
finally synergic in this world only.