The Foundations of Psychological Theory in the Veda

Starting this month, we begin a series, “The Foundations of Psychological Theory in the Veda” by Mr. C. Krishnamurthy, member, Sri Aurobindo Society, Singapore. Readers of this Newsletter would be familiar with Mr. Krishnamurthy from his series “The Secret of the Veda: A First Attempt” which probed the origins and structure of the Vedas, and their interpretations through the ages. The series, which ran from March 2010 to December 2011 was very well received by a discerning readership.

This month we start with the first part of “The Foundations of Psychological Theory in the Veda”. In this part, Mr. Krishnamurthy explores the consistency of word-meanings in the Veda that give clues to the deeper psychological and spiritual symbolism they represent.

Sri Aurobindo begins Chapter IV of ‘The Secret of the Veda’ thus: “A hypothesis of the sense of Veda must always proceed, to be sure and sound, from a basis that clearly emerges in the language of the Veda itself. Even if the bulk of its substance be an arrangement of symbols and figures, the sense of which has to be discovered, yet there should be clear indications in the explicit language of the hymns which will guide us to that sense. Otherwise the symbols being themselves ambiguous, we shall be in danger of manufacturing a system out of our own imaginations and preferences instead of discovering the real purport of the figures chosen by the Riṣhīs. In that case, however ingenious and complete our theory, it is likely to be a building in the air, brilliant, but without reality or solidity....”

While pursuing ‘Indian Yoga for self-development’, Sri Aurobindo got the first contact with Vedic thought indirectly and as a surprise. During this stage, though his intent was not in finding the meanings of the mantrās, the secret that lay hidden in the Veda stood revealed to him. Then with this prompt, he went into deeper pursuits of the hymns, traditional knowledge, ancient usages and the Shastrās. He thus broke the seal over the age-old secret embedded in the language of the Vedas.

The following are some of the important points he determined during the process of development of his own psychological theory.

1. To bring out a higher sense of the Veda, it is necessary to determine whether sufficient psychological notions exist in the clear language of the hymns, apart from just figures and symbols.

2. Find from the internal evidence of the Sūkthās, the interpretation of each symbol and image and the right psychological function of each of the Gods.

3. For each of the fixed terms of the Veda, a sound psychological justification fitting naturally into the context must be found. This is to ensure a sense that is firm and without fluctuation.

4. Language of the hymns is fixed, invariable, carefully preserved and scrupulously respected. If one infers that there are incoherence and uncertainty in the interpretation, then Vedic Riṣhīs must have used a language that is free, variable, shifting and uncertain. However the hymns, on their very face bear exactly the contrary testimony. This clearly proves that the problem lies with the interpreter, who has failed to discover the appropriate relations.

5. Finally it is necessary to show by a translation of the hymns that the interpretations that were already fixed must fulfil the following conditions:

a. Fit in naturally and easily in whatever context.

b. Illuminate what seemed obscure and create intelligible and clear coherence, where there seemed to be only confusion.

c. Hymns in their entirety, gives a clear and connected sense, not only by showing logical succession of related thoughts but also in the verses to follow thereafter.

d. Result as a whole is profound, consistent and contain antique body of doctrines.

To continue in Sri Aurobindo’s own words “.......then our hypothesis will have a right to stand besides others, to challenge them where they contradict it or to complete them where they are consistent with its findings. Nor will the probability of our hypothesis be lessened, but rather its validity confirmed if it be found that the body of ideas and doctrines thus revealed in the Veda are a more antique form of subsequent Indian thought and religious experience, the natural parent of Vedānta and Purāna.”

Genesis of Sri Aurobindo’s theory: He developed his own hypothesis containing appropriate reasons with conviction, purely for the benefit of those who followed through his writings and philosophy. Apart from giving out the clues he himself received, the path and its principal turnings, he has also clearly given the milestones achieved and solutions to overcome problems at various cross-roads.

1. Before reading the Veda, he was none the different from majority of educated Indians. For them, the Upanishads were the most ancient source of Indian thought and religion and the Rig Veda in its modern translations was only an important document of Indian national history, seldom carrying any value for a living spiritual experience.

2. The figures of three female energies, Ila, Saraswati and Sarama that were revealed to him, represented faculties of the intuitive reason - ‘revelation, inspiration and intuition’. It was at this stage that he got partial clues more towards identity of name rather than identity of the symbol.

3. Certainly his stay in South India helped him turn deeply towards the Veda, especially after two important observations. Through these, he received a serious shock to his earlier belief regarding the racial division between Northern Aryans and Southern Dravidians. Firstly, he did not find any difference between the physical appearance of Aryans and Dravidians. The faces and features of Southerners, be they Brahmins or from all other castes and classes, matched perfectly with those in the Northern States such as Maharashtra, Gujarat etc. Secondly, there was no expected incompatibility between the Northern Sanskritic and the Southern non-Sanskritic tongues.

4. Initially for him, the Tamil language appeared totally different to the Sanskrit form and character. However after deeper study and scrutiny, he found their commonality and was well guided by words or families of words. In fact through Tamil, he could even establish new relations between Sanskrit and Latin and also occasionally between Greek and Sanskrit. Beyond obtaining suggestion for the connection, it also proved the missing link in a family of connected words. It was through this Dravidian Tamil, he perceived the development of the Aryan tongues. Thus with certainty he could see the original connection between the Dravidian and Aryan tongues. This could only suggest that the two divergent families were derived from one lost primitive tongue.

5. The following quote from Sri Aurobindo summarises clearly as to how he was driven into looking up the Veda in the original. “It was, therefore, with a double interest that for the first time I took up the Veda in the original, though without any immediate intention of a close or serious study. It did not take long to see that the Vedic indications of a racial division between Aryans and Dasyus and the identification of the latter with the indigenous Indians were of a far flimsier character than I had supposed. But far more interesting to me was the discovery of a considerable body of profound psychological thought and experience lying neglected in these ancient hymns. And the importance of this element increased in my eyes when I found, first, that the mantrās of the Veda illuminated with a clear and exact light psychological experiences either in European psychology or in the teachings of Yoga or of Vedanta, so far as I was acquainted with them, and, secondly, that they shed light on obscure passages and ideas of the Upanishads to which, previously, I could attach no exact meaning and gave at the same time a new sense to much in the Puraṇas”.

6. Sri Aurobindo considered himself fortunate for his ignorance of Ṣāyana’s commentary. Ṣāyana has always given variable significances to the same words. To deliberately make the interpretation ritualistic, he removed all fine shades and distinctions between words and gave their vaguest general significance. This could have easily prevented Sri Aurobindo in freely attributing natural and psychological significance to many ordinary and current words of the Veda.

In total contrast, Sri Aurobindo showed great importance to fix and preserve the right shade of meaning. He gave precise association for different words, however close they may be in their general sense. Also in the verbal combination of words, he did not believe that the Vedic Ṛishis used words indiscriminately, without feeling their proper associations and exact force.

A few examples to show the differences:

Word Sri Aurobindo Ṣayana

dhi “ thought ” or “ understanding ” thought , prayer , action, food etc.,

ṛtam “ truth ” truth, sacrifice, water etc.,

Kratu “ wisdom in action ” or “ will with wisdom” wisdom, sacrificial ritual etc.,

Ketu “play of inner knowledge that illumines” “illumination”, rays of light to objective world

It is clear that Ṣāyana kept the options for the meaning of the words in such a way that he can bring them in as he wanted to make the sense ritualistic.

Sri Aurobindo’s approach was quite straightforward, not departing from simple and naturalistic sense of words or clauses. When this rule was applied, he found that not merely the separate verses but also the entire passages came into evidence. This made the whole character quite sound and the scripture presented the richest golden thought and the spiritual experience continuous.

Apart from giving a wealth of psychological significance to the context, the Veda has another perspective too. It is possible to give either an external and materialistic value or an internal and psychological one based on our conception.

Examples:

• rāye, rayi, rādhas, ratna : may mean either a) material prosperity and riches applied to objective world or b) internal facility and plenitude as applied to subjective world. The word rāye to mean ‘spiritual facility’ is used in the Upanishads (from hymns imported from the Rig Veda) but the translators of Rig Veda have given it only a materialistic meaning.

• dhana, vāja, poṣa: may mean either a) objective wealth, plenty, increase of all external possessions or b) plenitude and growth in the spiritual life of the individual. ‘vāja’ which occurs frequently in a context in which every other word has a psychological significance. If this is translated as ‘physical plenty’ it will be incoherent and the homogeneity and totality of thought would be completely lost.

6. According to Sri Aurobindo, for the transformation to be complete one condition is necessary where we admit the symbolic character of the Vedic sacrifice. In the ‘Bhagavad Gita’ the word ‘yajña (generally translated as sacrifice) is used in a symbolic sense for all action, be it internal or external and consecrated to the gods or Supreme. This raises the question, whether such symbolic use of the word was inherent in the Vedic idea of sacrifice or was it born of a later philosophical intellectualism?

(to be continued)

- C. Krishnamurthy (chamathu2003@yahoo.co.uk)