Yajurveda Quotes

Wilhelm Rau has compiled the Vedic references to pottery from the oldest strands of the Black Yajurveda and found that although the potter’s wheel was known, it was hand made pottery that was prescribed for the ritual sphere. This suggests to him that “the more primitive technique persisted in the ritual sphere while in secular life more advanced methods of potting had already been adopted.” Should this assumption be correct, “we can pin down the transition from hand-made to wheel-thrown pottery, as far as the Aryans are concerned, (down) to the earlier phases of Vedic times” (Rau 1974, 141).12 Of relevance to this line of argument is a verse from the Taittīrlya Samhitā (4, 5, 4), stating that what is turned on the wheel is Āsuric and what is made without the wheel is godly (e.g., Kuzmina 1983, 21). According to Rau’s philological investigations, the characteristic of this oldest pottery was that it was made of clay mixed with various materials, some of them organic, resulting in porous pots. These pots were poorly-fired and ranged in size from about 0.24 m to 1.0 m in diameter at the opening and from 0.24 m to 0.40 m in height. Furthermore, they showed a lack of plastic decoration and were unpainted (Rau 1974, 142). Of further relevance is the fact that firing was accomplished by the covered baking method between two layers of raw bricks in a simple open pit. In later times this was done with materials producing red color. Rau advises excavators to be “on the lookout for ceramics of this description among their finds” (142).

Om Namah Shivaya ‘I bow to Shiva’ is the translation. Shiva is the ultimate transformational God who serves the highest self. It is one of the most famous Hindu mantras. The Shiva Panchakshara is called, or literally Panchakshara. The Mantra of Five Syllables. Om' is excluded.) The mantra originates in the Hindu Yajurveda, where the first syllable occurs many times. The five syllables-'' Na'' Ma'' Si'' Va' and' Ya' are supposed to represent five environmental elements-' Na' represents' earth.' Ma' stands for' wind' Si' stands for' fire' Va is the' Pranic breeze' and' Ya tone is the heaven or ether. Om Namah Shivaya' is believed to bring you closer to Shiva's god, and to all that it reflects in nature.

La designación «lengua védica» para el indo-ario antiguo se debe a que los documentos a través de los cuales este nos es conocido corresponden al corpus textual que recibe el nombre genérico de Veda. La tradición india clasifica estos textos según varios estratos: cuatro Saṃhitā o colecciones en verso de himnos religiosos (Ṛgveda), cantos (Sāmaveda), fórmulas litúrgicas (Yajurveda) y oraciones con diversos fines (Atharvaveda); Brāhmaṇa o comentarios en prosa a los textos anteriores; Āraṇyaka y Upaniṣad o comentarios en prosa de carácter más especulativo; Sūtra o manuales técnicos relacionados con rituales, costumbres, etc.

A manera de secuencia cronológica, los especialistas proponen la clasificación tradicional en una versión más refinada: 1) El Ṛgveda es la colección más antigua; empero, se trata en sí misma de una antología de fragmentos de diversas épocas y orígenes; de esos fragmentos se considera que los libros III, IV y V conforman el núcleo más antiguo. Además se cree que la colección sufrió modificaciones durante su conformación. 2) Las partes versificadas de las otras Saṃhitās. 3) Las porciones en prosa de las Saṃhitās, en particular las del Yajurveda. 4) Las porciones en prosa de los Brāhmaṇas, los Āraṇyakas y las Upaniṣads más antiguas. 5) Los Sūtras.

Kathopanishad: This is one of the most beautiful and popular Upanishad. Some understand this as ‘Kata’ for ‘Katha’, which is derived from the recension of Krishna Yajurveda - Taittiriya Brãhmana. The sublime doctrine of the Vedãnta, presented in this Upanishadis very attractive and appealing. This has won the appreciation of many inquirers, including French and German scholars. It is one of the best books on Vedãnta philosophy and poetry of ancient Hinduism. Swami Vivekananda often used to quote from this Upanishad. No other Upanishad has so much of thought elevation, depth of expression, and beauty of imaginations that this Upanishad possesses.

In the Brāhmaṇa period, the Soma plant ceased to be a commonplace. It became a prized item in the ritual, which was difficult to procure and so was first rationed and then substituted. In the Baudhāyana Śrautasūtra (6.14), the Adhvaryu asks the seller if the Soma came from Mūjavat, which obviously was still a source of supply. In the Yajurveda (Maitrāyani Saṃhitā 1.160), the sacrificial offerings are hung from a tree with the words, "This is your portion, O Rudra! With this food pass by beyond the Mūjavat". By now, Mūjavat is the civilizational outpost beyond which lies the unknown. Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra (10.9.30) enjoins the priests not to give the genuine Soma to a Kṣatriya or a Vaiśya, even when it was available. They should instead be given the juice of the fruit of the Nyagrodha tree ( Ficus indica, the Indian fig). Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa (4.5.10.2-6) lists the substitutes for use in the ritual when Soma is not available. In decreasing order of preference, they are the Phalguna plant with the red blossom; the Syenahrta plant; the Ādāra plant; the reddish Durva plant; or as the last resort, any of the golden coloured grasses. The explicit mention of red and golden suggests that the substitutes were chosen to resemble the original Soma in one parameter, colour. Also, the cow to be given as the price for Soma should be red brown with red-brown eyes, no doubt because this was the Soma colour (Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa 3.3.1.14).