Book Presentation

"Lessons on Vedic Hymns"

by Dr. Ekkirala Krishnamacharya

Sookthas are Su-Ukthas, meaning the well uttered ones. The Veda Sookthas are good utterances. They are observed in the Nature and uttered forth as such by the Vedic Seers. The Vedic Seers knew "How it is and how it is becoming".

The becoming of the creation upon the background of "BEING" is a process of Sound and Light. The Sound uttered forth in creation resulting in universe was well realised by the seers. The process of experience of Sound from Silence is a variety. These varieties are expressed out as Sookthas. Of the many Sookthas, a few Sookthas have been explained by Master E.K. to inculcate taste to the aspirants.

Every spiritual aspirant is well benefitted by regular uttering of Sookthas at least 30 to 60 minutes a day. Hence the present booklet is an offering to the aspirants by the W.T.T. Brotherhood.

Content: Foreword; Agni Sooktham; Vaayu Sooktham; Aswani Sooktham; Indra Sooktham; Purusha Sooktham; Sri Sooktham; Purusha Sooktham-Text; Sri Sooktham-Text.

The World Teacher Trust, India, 1994.

Sample:

Extract: Aswini Sooktham, Rigveda, Mandala 1, Sukta 111

10. Paavakaanah Saraswathee Vaajebhirvajineevathih, Yagnam Vashtu Dhiyaa Vasuh.
11. Chodayithree Soonruthaanam Chethanthee Sumatheenaam, Yagnam Dadhe Saraswathee.
12. Maho Arnah Saraswathee Prachethayath, Kethunaa, Dhiyo Viswaa Viraajathi.

STANZA 10
Saraswathi is purifying and food-giving. She is the very embodiment of the wealth of enlightenment, May she ever live in our Yagna with all her speed.

STANZA 11
Saraswathi awakens utterances of truth. She stimulates the minds of those who have good mind. Oh ! you Such a one, live ever in my Yagna.

STANZA 12
The branching stream of the river Saraswathi makes the ocean of light more and more conscious. She makes the wills of the various beings more and more illumined.

Introduction to Stanzas 10 to 12

Saraswathi is the goddess of the flow of self-expression after it is being uttered. In the human beings She exists as speed. In all the living beings She exists as the undercurrent which escapes through utterance into objectivity. In all the conscious, subconscious, supraconscious beings, she lives as the word that is concealed, half-revealed and fully uttered. In the inanimate beings she lives as the `Mandra' level of consciousness and from her these inanimate beings make their properties manifest. She is described as the mighty flow of a river which pushes its own droplets of consciousness on and on to culminate into the ocean of light which is called self-realisation. She is also described as the embodiment of the word that is being uttered when she travels upon the swan of respiration.

EXPLANATION
STANZA 10

Saraswathi is addressed as having purifying nature and as an embodiment of the wealth of wisdom. The utterance of the word emerges far beyond the levels of the objective mind. In the realms of semi-subjective slumber of consciousness, she makes her first appearance. Impurities of intention, presentation and interpretation belong to the conscious mind which is on the very surface. Hence these impurities cannot touch the Goddess of Speech. At the worst they can join with the level of sentence formation and the attachment of commonly accepted meaning to the words. The very origin and development of the utterance into a word is never influenced by intention. Therefore, Saraswathi is described as the Goddess who purifies and who remains pure. One who meditates upon the utterance and traces its origin will become purified in mind.

She is described as having the wealth of food. The intention to utter is the same centre as that which governs the intention to feed the body and the mind. The centre of consciousness is also the centre of utterance and the centre of vitality. The centre of consciousness causes the intention to utter. The centre of vitality gathers Agni and other Devas as food to make the necessary energies grouped for the utterance. This is the wealth of food that is gathered by Saraswathi. This includes the intake of food, water, air, etc. through metabolic activity. Then the vehicle is made ready to make the utterance. The centre of consciousness is worked out by Agni, Indra-Vayu and Mitra-Varuna. The vital centre is worked out by the Aswins and the Viswadevas with the help of Indra. The utterance of the word as voice and speech is worked out by Saraswathi with all her group of Devas. From the very awakening of the cosmos, the Devas work out the pulsations and the utterances of the universes, solar systems, atoms and individuals. Therefore, the Yagna of making an utterance of self-expression in an individual is the highest point of realisation for all the Devas. They find their object realised in the utterance of the individuals when the utterance is tuned with the pre-cosmic levels of consciousness on the plane of the Gandharvas.

Saraswathi is the synthetic Goddess of all the efforts of the Devas. She forms the very stream of utterance and hence she is described as having high speed. It is a matter of experiencing a beautiful flow of speed that is unimpeded.

STANZA 11

According to Samaveda School (the musical approach of the Vedic Science) the utterance of the individual in perfect tune of thought and word in the shape of music is the fulfilment and realisation of Yagna. It is the experience of music that gives the culmination and fruit of Yagna. Hence, she is described as the conductor of the whole Yagna.

The origin of the word is the origin of truth. It lies in the innermost levels of consciousness that cannot be approached by surface mind and the objective utterance. When the mind joins the word, then there is the possibility of defective utterance and misrepresentation. Beyond these levels lies the origin of utterance and hence Saraswathi is described as the one who stimulates truth as utterance.

When the individual mind is made to merge into the plane of the workings of the Devas, then the speech is also embellished with truth. Here truth does not only mean a true representation of known facts, it also means the true representation of all the unknown levels and the universal truths.

For those who keep the mind good-intentioned and happy, Saraswathi touches that mind with her utterance of speech and makes it awakened and enlightened. The very intention to be happy or otherwise exists only on the surface mind. If the intention is to be happy and good, then Saraswathi joins it and makes it a part of herself. If the intention is otherwise, then Saraswathi has to oppose it and explode it with a disturbance that results in mental struggle and agitation.

STANZA 12

Here Saraswathi is described as the mighty flow of a big river. She is described as having streams that are branching. The branches represent the various modes of approach and the various applications of the utterance to shape into the various branches of wisdom. It also represents the various tones and intonations that follow the intentions and humours of the utterer. She is also described as having these streamlets flown into the ocean. Here the ocean is described as that of light. As the Speech awakens us into the many branches of wisdom in the shape of the one who teaches and the one who receives, then the wisdom culminates into the one who receives. Then the wisdom culminates into the one experience of wisdom which is enlightenment. The highest consciousness of enlightenment is the musical experience of the Gandharvas.

At first the voice is used by the animals and the birds to express their own feelings and requirements. So too with the human being when he is primitive in evolution. As he is more enlightened, his voice contributes to learning and teaching and explaining things. In the next level, it is being trained by the individual to contribute to the construction of sentences with all their counterparts and carry the import. Finally the voice will be trained to become musical and get tuned for singing. This contributes to the melting of the individual mind on the background of the Gandharva plane consciousness. Thus the streamlet makes its culmination into the ocean of experience.