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Written by Sri Swami Chandrashekarendra
Saraswati |
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So far, in speaking of the Vedas, I have dealt mainly with the Samhita
part
of each sakha or recension. We have already seen that the Samhitas are
the main text of the Vedas. Apart from them, each sakha has a Brahmana
and an Aranyaka.
The Brahmana lays down the various rites - karma - to be performed and
explains the procedure for the same. It interprets the words of the
mantras occuring in the Samhita, how they are to be understood in the
conduct of sacrifices. The Brahmanas constitute a guide for the conduct
of yajnas.
The word "Aranyaka" is derived from "aranya". You must have heard of
places like "Dandakaranya" and "Vedaranya". "Aranya"means a "forest".
Neither in the Samhita nor in the Brahmana is one urged to go and live
in
a forest. Vedic rites like sacrifices are to be preformed by the
householder
(grhastha) living in a village. But after his mind is rendered pure
through
such rites, he goes to a forest as a recluse to engage himself in
meditation. It is to qualify for this stage of vanaprastha, to become
inwardly pure and mellow, that Vedic practices like sacrifices are to be
followed.
The Aranyakas prepare one for one's stage in life as an anchorite. They
expound the concepts inherent in the mantras of the Samhitas and the
rites detailed in the Brahmanas. In other words, they explain the hidden
meaning of the Vedas, their metaphorical passages. Indeed, they throw
light on the esoteric message of our scripture. For the Aranyakas, more
important than the performance of sacrifices awareness of their inner
meaning and significance. According to present-day scholars, the
Aranyakas incorporate the metaphorical passages representing the
metaphysical inquires conducted by the inmates of forest hermitages.
The Brhadaranyaka Upanishad, as its very name suggests, is both an
Aranyaka and an Upanishad, and it begins with a philosophical
explanation of the horse sacrifice. |
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