Hindu Texts

"Oral tradition, too, presupposes longer intervals of time than would be necessary, had these texts been written down. Generations of pupils and teachers must have passed away before all the existing and the many lost texts had taken definite shape in the Vedic schools,"

"The whole foundation of Mueller's date [for the Rigveda] rests on the authority of Somadeva, the author of 'an Ocean of (or rather for) the River of Stories' who narrated his tales in the twelfth century after Christ. Somadeva, I am satisfied, would not be a little surprised to learn that 'a European point of view" raises a 'ghost story' of his to the dignity of an historical document."

"It is quite clear that we cannot fix a terminum a quo, whether the Vedic hymns were composed 1000 or 2000 or 3000 years BC, no power on earth will ever determine."

"Only relative chronology has been well argued for."

"As to the actual date of the Veda … if we were to place it at 5000 BC, I doubt whether anybody could refute such a date, while if we go back beyond the Veda, and come to measure the time required for the formation of Sanskrit … I doubt whether even 5,000 years would suffice for that. There is an unfathomable depth in language, layer following after layer, long before we arrive at roots, and what a time and what an effort must have been required for their elaboration, and for the elaboration of the ideas expressed in them."

"We may reasonably argue that such a fixed form and substance would not easily be possible in the beginnings of thought and psychological experience or even during their early progress and unfold- ing. We may therefore surmise that our Sanhita represents the close of a period, not its commencement, nor even some of its successive stages. It is even possible that its most ancient hymns are a comparatively modern development or version of a more ancient lyric evangel couched in the freer and more pliable forms of a still earlier human speech... The Veda itself speaks constantly of 'ancient' and 'modern' Rishis tpurvebhib... nutanaihy. the former remote enough to be regarded as a kind of demigods, the first founders of knowledge."

"All attempts to date the Vedic literature on linguistic grounds have failed miserably for the simple reason that (a) the conclusions of comparative philology are often speculative and (b) no one has yet suceeded in showing how much change should take place in a language in a given period."

"The opinions of best researchers in the matter of the age of the Ṛgveda differed not by a few centuries but by a few thousands of years. Now it is clear that the presumption of 200 years for each of the literary epochs in the birth of the Veda is purely arbitrary... it was strangely forgotten on how weak a footing the prevailing view actually stood."

"Max Muller's dating of the Veda illustrates the arbitrariness involved in the production of theories that are then propagated as "facts" in generations of schoolbooks."

"We cannot, however, explain the development of the whole of this great literature, if we assume as late a date as round about 1200 or 1500 B.C. as its starting point. ... The more prudent course, however, is to steer clear of any fixed dates..."

"It was once said that dates in Indian studies are like bowling pins, set up only to be knocked down later. I do not think that this ought to stop us from making suggestions."

"With this great anointing of Indra, Tura Kavasheya anointed Janamejaya Parikshit. Therefore, Janamejaya Parikshit went around the Earth completely, conquering on every side, and offered the horse in sacrifice. With this great anointing of Indra, Chyavana Bhargava anointed Sharyata Manava. Therefore, Sharyata Manava went around the Earth completely, conquering on every side, and offered the horse in sacrifice. With this great anointing of Indra, Somasushman Vajaratnayana anointed Shatanika Satrajita. Therefore, Shatanika Satrajita went around the Earth completely, conquering on every side, and offered the horse in sacrifice. With this great anointing of Indra, Parvata and Narada anointed Ambasthya. Therefore, Ambasthya went around the Earth completely, conquering on every side, and offered the horse in sacrifice. With this great anointing of Indra, Parvata and Narada anointed Yudhamshraushti Augrasainya. Therefore, Yudhamshraushti Augrasainya went around the Earth completely, conquering on every side, and offered the horse in sacrifice. With this great anointing of Indra, Kashyapa anointed Vishwakarman Bhauvana. Therefore, Vishwakarman Bhauvana went around the Earth completely, conquering on every side, and offered the horse in sacrifice. With this great anointing of Indra, Vasishta anointed Sudas Paijavana. Therefore, Sudas Paijavana went around the Earth completely, conquering on every side, and offered the horse in sacrifice. With this great anointing of Indra, Samvarta Angirasa anointed Marutta Avikshita. Therefore, Marutta Avikshita went around the Earth completely, conquering on every side, and offered the horse in sacrifice. With this great anointing of Indra, Udamaya Atreya anointed Anga. Therefore, Anga went around the Earth completely, conquering on every side, and offered the horse in sacrifice. With this great anointing of Indra, Dirghatamas Mamateya anointed Bharata Dauhshanti. Therefore, Bharata Dauhshanti went around the Earth completely, conquering on every side, and offered the horse in sacrifice. This great anointing of Indra, Brihaduktha the seer proclaimed to Durmukha, the Pancala. Therefore, Durmukha Paficala, being a king, by this knowledge went around the Earth completely, conquering on every side (AB VIII.21)."

"This food Rama Margaveya proclaimed to Vishwantara Saudasamana ... This also Tura Kavasheya proclaimed to Janamejaya Parikshit; this Parvata and Narada proclaimed to Somaka Sahadevaya, to Sahadeva Sarnjaya, to Babhru Divavridha, to Bhima of Vidarbha, to Nagnajit of Gandhara; this Agni proclaimed to Sanashruta Arimdama and to Kratuvid Janaki; this Vasishta proclaimed to Sudas Paijavana. All of them attained greatness having partaken of this food. All of them were great kings; like the Sun, established in prosperity, they gave warmth, obtaining tribute from all the quarters (AB VII.34)"

"Then the Vasus, the Gods in the eastern quarter, anointed Indra for six days with the Paficavinsha rite, with this chant, this sacrificial formula and these exclamations, for overlordship. Therefore in this eastern quarter, whatever kings there are of the eastern peoples, they are anointed for overlordship; "Oh overlord" they call their kings when thus anointed in accordance with the action of the Gods. Then in the southern quarter the Rudras, the Gods, anointed him for six days with the Pancavinsha rite, with this chant, this sacrificial formula and these exclamations, for paramount rule. Therefore in this southern quarter, whatever kings there are of the Satvants, they are anointed for paramount rule; "Oh paramount ruler" they call their kings when thus anointed in accordance with the action of the Gods. Then in the western quarter the Adityas, the Gods, anointed him for six days with the Pancavinsha rite, with this chant and this sacrificial formula and these exclamations, for self rule. Therefore in this western quarter, whatever kings there are of the southern and western peoples, they are anointed for self rule; "Oh self ruler" they call their kings when thus anointed in accordance with the action of the Gods. Then in the northern quarter the All-Gods anointed him for six days with the Pahcavinsha rite, with this chant, this sacrificial formula and these exclamations, for sovereignty. Therefore in this northern quarter, the lands of the Uttara Kurus and the Uttara Madras, beyond the Himalayas, their kings are anointed for sovereignty; "Oh sovereign" they call their kings when thus anointed in accordance with the action of the Gods. Then in this firm middle established quarter the Sadhyas and the Aptyas, the Gods, anointed him for six days with the Paficavinsha rite, with this chant, this sacrificial formula and these exclamations, for kingship. Therefore in this firm middle established quarter, whatever kings there are of the Kuru-Pancalas along with the Vashas and Ushinaras, they are anointed for kingship; "Oh king" they call their kings when thus anointed in accordance with the action of the Gods."

"With this great anointing of Indra, Vasishta the priest anointed Sudas Paijavana the king. Therefore, Sudas Paijavana went around the Earth completely, conquering on every side, and offered the horse in sacrifice."

"Then in the upward quarter the Maruts and the Angirasas, the Gods, anointed him for six days with the Pancavinsha rite, with this chant, this sacrificial formula and these exclamations, for supreme authority, for great kingship, for suzerainty, for supremacy, for preeminence. He became the supreme authority, as connected with Prajapati (the Lord of creation). Anointed with this great anointment, Indra won all victories, found all the worlds, attained the superiority, pre-eminence and supremacy over all the Gods, and having won the overlordship, paramount rule, self-rule, the sovereignty, the supreme authority, kingship, great kingship, the suzerainty in this world, self-existing, self-ruling, immortal, in yonder world of Heaven, having obtained all desires, he became immortal"

"May I win all victories, find all worlds, attain the superiority, preeminence, and supremacy over all kings and overlordship, paramount rule, self-rule, sovereignty, supreme authority, kingship, great kingship and suzer ainty; may I be all encompassing, possessed of all the Earth, possessed of all life, from the one end up to the further side of the Earth bounded by the ocean sole ruler (AB VIII.15)."

"Of the cows for which the Brahmin Udamaya Atreya gave at the middle of the offering, the Praiyamedha seers aided in sacrificing, two thousand of myriads day by day. Eighty-eight thousand white horses, side steeds, Vairoch- ana loosing them, the king gave when his Brahmin was sacrificing. With these brought from each country, all daughters of wealthy men, ten thousands Atreya gave, with necklaces on their necks. By reason of the gift of King Anga, having given tens of thousands of elephants at Avachatnuka, the Brahmin Atreya, wearied sought for attendants. "A hundred to you, a hundred to you," so saying he grew weary; by saying "a thousand to you," he got back his breath (AB VII.22).f"

"Soma is the breath (KB IX.6)."

"The full Moon night in the Phalgunis (Virgo) is the beginning of the year (the winter solstice)."

"Breath is immortality, thus by immortality he crosses death (KB XIV.2)."

"The year is a revolving wheel of the Gods; this is immortality (KB XX.1)."

"Each quarter verse of these chants he recites, taking it separately; thus each breath he places in himself. With the last he utters the Pranava (Om); thus he lets go of this breath: therefore all the breaths breathe along this breath (KB XV.4)."

"Soma (the Moon), the king, is the year. Coming with the seasons he approaches (KB VII. 10)."

"The eye comes into existence first when man comes into existence."

"The [sun] never really sets or rises. In that they think of him “He is setting,” having reached the end of the day, he inverts himself; thus he makes evening below, day above. Again in that they think of him “He is rising in the morning,” having reached the end of the night he inverts himself; thus he makes day below, night above. He never sets; indeed he never sets."

""Your offspring shall inherit the ends of the Earth." There are the people, the Andhras, Pundras, Shabaras, Pulindas, and Mutibas, who live in large numbers beyond the borders; most of the Dasyus are descendants of Vishwamitra (AB VII. 18)."

"Later books, such as the Aitareya Brāhmana, which belong to the 2nd millennium BCE, speak of the expansion of the Vedic religion into regions called Uttarakuru and Uttaramadra beyond the Himalayas to the northwest. Aitareya Br. 8.14 says Uttarakuru had Vedic consecration for their kings. Ptolemy knows of these regions as Ottorokorrha and describes them lying between the Aral and the Caspian Seas and Megasthenes and Strabo are emphatic that the Uttarakuruvah [Hyperboreans] are connected with the Indians."

"Therefore they say, "the breath is Vayu (God of the wind), seed is breath; seed comes into being first when man comes into existence." In that he recites a triplet to Vishnu, thus he makes his breath perfect. A triplet to Indra and Vayu he recites. Where there is expiration, there is inspiration; in that he recites a triplet to Indra and Vayu, thus his expiration and inspiration he makes perfect (AB 111.2)."

""Forward" is the breath, for all these creatures advance following after the breath; thus he creates the breath, he makes the breath perfect (AB 11.40)."

"Verily does the Invoker establish speech and expiration and inspiration in the self, with a full life, for fullness of life; a full life he lives who knows this (AB 111.8)."

"The cups for the two deities are the breaths (AB 11.26)."

"The Upamshu and Antaryama cups are expiration and inspiration (AB 11.2 1)."

"The offerings to the seasons are the breaths (AB 11.29)."

"Savitar is the breath (AB I.19)."

"Prajapati (the lord of the year) felt love towards his own daughter, the sky some say, the dawn others. Having become a stag he approached her in the form of a doe. The Gods saw him. "A deed unknown Prajapati now does." They sought someone to punish him; they could not find anyone among them to do this. So they brought their most terrible forms together in one being. To him (Rudra) the Gods said, "Prajapati here has done a deed unknown; pierce him." Having aimed at him he pierced him; being pierced he flew upwards; him they call "the deer" (mriga). The piercer of the deer is he called by that name (mrigavyadha). The female deer is Rohini; the threepointed arrow is the constellation of the three-pointed e arrow."

"The kindling sticks for the sacred fire are the breaths ... The Divine invokers are expiration and inspiration (AB 11.4)."

"The Prauga is a litany of the breaths; seven deities he celebrates; seven are the breaths in the head; thus he places the breaths in the head (AB 111.3)."

"They say ‘The eye came; it was a serpent; thus did poison come to the priests; he used these (verses) connected with (Soma) the purifying, and repelling poison, in praise’."

"On the new Moon of Magha he rests, being about to turn northwards: the priests also rest, being about to sacrifice with the introductory Atiratra chant; thus for the first time they obtain him (the Sun or the year); on him (the year) they lay hold with the Chaturvinsha rite; this is why the lay hold rite has its name. He goes north for six months; him they follow with six month rites in forward arrangement. Having gone north for six months he stands still, being about to turn southwards; the priests also rest, being about to sacrifice with the Vishuvat (solstice) day; thus for the second time they obtain him. He goes south for six months; him they follow with six month rites in reverse order. Having gone south for six months he stands still, being about to turn north; these also rest, being about to sacrifice with the Mahavrata day; thus for the third time they obtain him. In that they serve him (the year) three times, and the year is in three ways arranged, verily it serves to obtain the year. With regard to this the following sacrificial verse is sung, Ordaining the days and nights, Like a cunning spider, For six months south constantly, For six months north the Sun goes (KB XIX.3)."

"The year is sixfold having six seasons; by this sixfold offering the Gods obtained the sixfold year with its six seasons, and by the year all desires, all immortality (KB XIV.1)."

"The Vishuvat is the head of the sacrifice (KB XXVI. 1)."

"In silence, with closed eyes, the priests sit until the Nakshatras (lunar constellations) appear. When the Nakshatras appear, they open their eyes; the Nakshatras are light. They enter the two oblation holders by the western door; thenthe Adhvaryu approaching the pole of the northern oblation holder says, "May you sing prosperity to the sacrificial session." They creep beneath the axle of the northern oblation holder, muttering an Atichandas verse to Indra; verily by the Atichandas verse the sacrificers smite away evil under the axle. "We go around the oblation holders to the north," Kaushitaki used to say, "following the path of the sacrifice, not being concealed from the Seven Rishis." (KB XXVII.6)"

"The full Moon night in the Phalgunis is the beginning of the year; the latter Phalgunis are the beginning, the former the end. Just as the two ends of a circle unite, so these two ends of the year are connected. In that he sacrifices with the Vaishwadeva sacrifice on the full Moon night in the Phalgunis, verily at the beginning he delights the year. Again the four monthly sacrifices are sacrifices of healing; therefore are they performed in the joinings of the seasons, for in the joinings of the seasons, pain is born (KB V.1)."

"May I be all-encompassing, possessed of all the Earth, possessed of all life, from the one end up to the further side of the Earth bounded by the ocean, sole ruler."

"Three hundred and sixty are the days of the year; so great is the year; the Lord of creation is the year; the sacrifice is the Lord of creation (AB II. 167)."

"The Vishuvat is like a man; the first half of the Vishuvat is like the right half of a man; the second half of the Vishuvat is like the left half (AB IV.22)."

"There is nothing in them, as far as I am aware, really inconsistent with the most ancient book we possess, namely, the Rigveda, and they throw much light thereon, and on all problems concerning ancient India."

"We have three versions of a statement by Megasthenes... Pliny (VI. xxl.4-5) reports about the Indians: "From the days of Father Bacchus to Alexander the Great, their kings are reckoned at 154, whose reigns extend over 6451 years and 3 months." Solinus (52.5) says: "Father Bacchus was the first who invaded India, and was the first of all who triumphed over the vanquished Indians. From him to Alexander the Great 6451 years are reckoned with 3 months additional, the calculation being made by counting the kings, who reigned in the intermediate period, to the number of 153." Arrian (Indica, I. ix.) observes: "From the time of Dionysus to Sandrocottus the Indians counted 153 kings and a period of 6042 years, but among these a republic was thrice established... and another to 300 years, and another to 120 years. The Indians also tell us that Dionysus was earlier than Heracles by fifteen generations, and that except him no one made a hostile invasion of India but that Alexander indeed came and overthrew in war all whom he attacked...""

"It is absurd to suppose that the elaborate royal genealogies were all merely figments of imagination or a tissue of falsehoods."