R. Narayanaswami
Active member
Few examples (about 6) of the adhyatmic or spiritual meanings of the Veda mantras are provided in Table below to explain how the image and understanding of the Veda mantras change if one looks at only the external word meanings or if one looks at the spiritual word meanings.
No. Vedic Word External Word Meaning Spiritual Word Meaning (Sri Aurobindo)
1 Gau (or Go) Cow Particular type of Light or Knowledge -
Sri Aurobindo translates ‘gau’ as “ray-cow”
2 Ashva Horse Life energy that devas can bestow
3 Adri Hill Forces of Beings of inconscience and ignorance
4 Aapah Water Divine energies flowing from the heights purifying all mankind
5 Nadi River The flowing current of energies
6 ghrta Ghee Clarity or light
It is thus important to understand the spiritual or adhyathmic meanings of Veda Mantra words to fully understand the 'inner and deeper meaning' conveyed by the Veda Mantras. Sayana Acharya published, for the first time in the 14th century CE, the word-by-word meanings of all Veda mantras in his celebrated work, "Vedartha Prakasha". Sayana provided only the direct or external meanings of the Veda mantras, even while stating that the Veda Mantras have spiritual meanings as well. Sayana's work is considered as a seminal work on the understanding of the Veda mantras and Vedas. Sri Madhvacharya had stated in the 13th century CE that all Veda Mantars have 3 meanings, "triartho vai vedah" but scholars of that time did not take those ideas forward, even though Raghavendra Swami in the 17th century published "Vedarthamanjari" explaining the spiritual meanings of the Veda Mantras as suggested by Sri Madhvacharya.
It was Sri Aurobindo, the great Yogin, who, in 1914, by direct vision at first and later on by studying the Veda mantras, propounded the spiritual and psychological meanings of the Veda Mantras. Prof R. L. Kashyap, Hon. Director of SAKSHI Trust, Bengaluru, has translated all Veda Mantras with spiritual and psychological meanings in about 30 volumes during a 15-year period from 1999 to 2014. He has written also another 35 books and booklets explaining different aspects of the Vedas. We thus have available the adhyathmic meanings of the Veda Mantras and are able to fully understand and appreciate the 'spirituality and wisdom' in the Vedas.
No. Vedic Word External Word Meaning Spiritual Word Meaning (Sri Aurobindo)
1 Gau (or Go) Cow Particular type of Light or Knowledge -
Sri Aurobindo translates ‘gau’ as “ray-cow”
2 Ashva Horse Life energy that devas can bestow
3 Adri Hill Forces of Beings of inconscience and ignorance
4 Aapah Water Divine energies flowing from the heights purifying all mankind
5 Nadi River The flowing current of energies
6 ghrta Ghee Clarity or light
It is thus important to understand the spiritual or adhyathmic meanings of Veda Mantra words to fully understand the 'inner and deeper meaning' conveyed by the Veda Mantras. Sayana Acharya published, for the first time in the 14th century CE, the word-by-word meanings of all Veda mantras in his celebrated work, "Vedartha Prakasha". Sayana provided only the direct or external meanings of the Veda mantras, even while stating that the Veda Mantras have spiritual meanings as well. Sayana's work is considered as a seminal work on the understanding of the Veda mantras and Vedas. Sri Madhvacharya had stated in the 13th century CE that all Veda Mantars have 3 meanings, "triartho vai vedah" but scholars of that time did not take those ideas forward, even though Raghavendra Swami in the 17th century published "Vedarthamanjari" explaining the spiritual meanings of the Veda Mantras as suggested by Sri Madhvacharya.
It was Sri Aurobindo, the great Yogin, who, in 1914, by direct vision at first and later on by studying the Veda mantras, propounded the spiritual and psychological meanings of the Veda Mantras. Prof R. L. Kashyap, Hon. Director of SAKSHI Trust, Bengaluru, has translated all Veda Mantras with spiritual and psychological meanings in about 30 volumes during a 15-year period from 1999 to 2014. He has written also another 35 books and booklets explaining different aspects of the Vedas. We thus have available the adhyathmic meanings of the Veda Mantras and are able to fully understand and appreciate the 'spirituality and wisdom' in the Vedas.
