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► Origin and Universality
Origin and Universality
“‘Vēda’ means knowledge; it always is. It has neither beginning nor end. It is referred to as an-anta, without end; for it is sound sacred, sustaining, and salutary. It is to be only experienced; it cannot be limited or communicated. Therefore, it is a marvel, an unprecedented phase of personal experience for each one.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sutra Vahini, Chap. 3
“Vēdas are very old, have no describable origin and are timeless. Vēdas do not need support from any quarter as they support themselves. In fact, Vēdas are God’s Breath. […] God is present everywhere, God is omnipresent. Therefore, Vēdas, which simply constitute the Breath of God, are also omnipresent, i.e. they are everywhere. The sounds of Vēdas, the essence of Vēdas, the fragrance of Vēdas are indeed to be found all over the world.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Summer Showers in Brindavan 1972, Chap. 2
“The Vēdas are Eternal Truths. They existed even before the people of this land discovered, practised and experienced them. Just as Western physicists announced the existence of gravitation after their experiments, the ancients of this land demonstrated the innate authenticity of the Vēdas through their own experience. Here too, the Vēda existed long before it was discovered and put into practice. Newton’s Laws of Gravitation benefited the whole world. They express universal truths applicable to all places and times. They are not confined to Western countries only. So too, the Vēda is Truth, not merely for Bhārat but for all people on earth.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Vahini, Chap. 22
“The ancient ṛṣhis performed intense penance to understand the Truth hidden in the Vēdas. The vibrations of their spiritual practice have spread throughout the universe. They are not limited to India (Bhārat) or any particular place. They can be practiced anywhere in the world, whether in America or Australia. Being the embodiment of Truth, they do not change according to time or place.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse, 18 October 1993
“The Vēdas are the most ancient among the world’s scriptures. They are a vast storehouse of wisdom. They enabled man to have an over-view of the Universe. Historically, they are the earliest known book of knowledge. They are the roots of human culture and striving. Manu has declared: ‘Everything is derived from the Vēdas.’ All knowledge, all the principles of right living, all qualities are derived from the Vēdas.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. 23, Chap. 24
“It is wrongly assumed that the Vēdas had only the one section of the population, one caste, one race and one community in view. This is the result of misreading and mistaken inference.
They are concerned, it was said, only with the Bramhins and with the Pundits among them. This, too, is a wrong conclusion. Every Vedic ritual had as its goal the prosperity and peace of the world. The Vēdas yearn to establish the welfare of the three worlds – the nether regions, the earth and the heaven. It is a pity that a narrow outlook is foisted by short-sighted people on such profound texts. The Vēdas do not allow scope for distinctions on the basis of caste or creed. They assert:
– I shall save whoever keeps Me in memory.
– I shall be beside whoever is beside Me.
– Whoever adores Me in whatever Form and through whichever Name, I shall manifest Myself before them with that Form, bearing that Name.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. 15
“The Vēdas declared that space and time are essential factors in human birth. Although, superficially, it may appear as if there are differences between the findings of science and the declarations of the Vēdas, essentially, there are no differences. The Vēda has revealed many truths not discovered by science. Science has not yet found many of the Truths declared by the Vēdas.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 7 March 1997
“Sanskrit is an immortal language; its voice is eternal; its call is through the centuries. It has embedded in it the basic sustenance from all the languages of the world. Revere Sanskrit as the Mother of languages. Do not ignore its greatness or talk disparagingly about it.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Vahini, Chap. 22
“The Vedic literature is the most ancient in the world. It is a treasure house of wisdom. It has contributed to the all-round development of man. The Vēda is the first-ever book in human history. It is the birthplace for human culture and the basis for all kinds of powers. All branches of learning have their origin in the Vēda. All dharmas and virtues have sprung from the Vēda. The Vēda is endless, unfathomable, indefinable, and blissful.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Speaks 1990, Chap. 16
“The sages in ancient times had the inner vision and experience of the Divine and they gave expression to this revelation through the Vēdas. They are applicable to entire humanity for all times.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 18 October 1993
“All the Vēdas are intent on helping man to become aware of Divinity in him and all around him. Picture for yourselves the peace that seers gained by that awareness, and yearn to learn the lessons the Vēdas treasure, for all mankind irrespective of caste, creed, race or nationality.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Dasara Discourse, 20 October 1982
“Gama and āgama are the names given to the inhaling and exhaling of the Lord’s breath which were the origin of the Vēdas. All in all, the Vēdas represent the emanations from the breath of the Lord. The great sages who listened to these mantras as revelations from the Divine found the key to them in eight basic letters. All the Vedic mantras with their musical rendering were remembered by reflecting on the eight letters: ‘a, ka, cha, ṭa, ta, pa, ya, śha’. The great seers fostered the Vēdas by the use of these letters.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. 22, Chap. 29
“Truth is always new. It is never aging. For example, can you say this Earth is old, the sun and the sky are old? They are not aging, they are every day new. Similarly, Vedic wisdom and knowledge are fundamental Truth, eternal and timeless. This Truth is responsible for the renewal and longevity of Creation. Vedic tradition offers the best tools for transforming ourselves and connecting to the Eternal Truth.”
Sri Tathāta
“Everything is there in the Vēdas. The essence of all the religions like Hindu, Islam, and Christianity is there in the Vēdas. Even Christians sing the glory of God in the same manner. Even the Mohammedans extol the five elements and worship the god for wealth. Hence, God is one for all religions. God is one. There is difference only in names. Mohammedans offer prayers to God five times a day. Hindus also pray to God in the morning and evening. We should never say that the Vēda is only for Hindus. Vēda is for all.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 6 May 2008
► Effects of the Sounds
Effects of the Sounds
“Even if you cannot chant the Vēdas, if you only listen to the sounds with devotion, they will elevate you to a higher level. Though the child does not know the meaning of the lullaby sung by the mother, it is induced to sleep hearing the tune. Similarly, listening to the chanting of the Vēdas with undivided attention, will give you immense benefits. The hymns of the Vēdas constitute the Cosmic sound (nāda bramhan) which is highly potent.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 18 October 1993
“Every syllable of the immortal Vēdas is a lighthouse guiding every aspirant on the royal path towards Self-realization. Imbibe these precious virtues and merge in that sublime eternal oneness.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Vedic Chants
“The outstanding feature of the Vēdas lies in the fact that the sound of the mantras, by itself, has a meaning apart from the words which are themselves full of meaning. The sound of the Vēda mantras activate our subtle energies. The sound also affects the atmosphere, resulting in individual and collective well-being of the world. Collective well-being does not refer to Humanity alone.”
Sri Chandraśhēkhara Sarasvatī of Kāñchī Kāmakōṭi Pīṭham
“The Vēdas come from certain fundamental sounds, and their variations. The slightest modification of the sound changes the meaning of what is said. No written language is able to represent all of the Vedic Sounds. It is impossible to write many of the words. The Vēdas are God’s breath and can be transmitted from person to person only by voice.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Conversation with Sai, by J. Hislop
“Vēdas lift the individual to higher levels. The subtle effect of mantras mentioned in the Vēdas cannot be seen or heard by the senses. They have to be experienced in and through the inner consciousness. It is foolish to try to shape the world. Shape yourself as the embodiment of Peace, Love and Reverence. Then you will see all as Love, Compassion and Humility.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 21 March 1967
“The ṛks (mantras of the Vēdas) reach up to the highest reality, the luminous void, where all the gods are firmly established. If one does not know this, the mere recitation of the ṛks would serve no purpose. The ṛks abide in the Immutable, Supreme Ether where all gods are seated. The mantra is of no use to one who does not know this.”
Ṛg Vēda
“The sacredness of the Vēdas is such that even mere uttering of the mantras, without understanding their full meaning or merely listening to them, will have some sanctifying effects. The potency of the Divine vibrations from such mantras will confer unique blissful experience on the listeners.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 4 October 1989
“Sound is the very core of the Vēda. Sound is associated with harmony and melody and hence the Vēda has to be heard and ecstasy derived therefrom. It is not to be analysed, commented upon and judged. This is the reason why the Vēda is called Śhruti (that which is heard). Through listening alone to its recital, the awareness of the ātmā and of the Bliss it confers can be earned. The Bliss thus acquired manifests in words and deeds that confer bliss on all around.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Vahini, Chap. 22
“Vēdas embody the cosmic sound. It is not easy for laymen to understand the Vēdas. But whether they are understood or not, their Truth permeates the Universe. They embody the śhabda bramhan (Cosmic Sound). They are not confined to a particular place, time or person. They pervade the cosmos.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. 23, Chap. 24
“The Vedic mantra has a Divine power, which interacts with the human power. When the mantra is chanted with proper intonation, the 65 Divine forces, that are latent in man, become manifest. The Divine force that emerges out of the human beings merges in the sounds (nāda) of the Cosmos and assumes the Form of the Universal Consciousness. This nāda is Vēda.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Vedic Chants
“No doubt, even listening to the recitation of the Vēdas is itself capable of purifying your mind. It is śhabda bramhan (Cosmic Sound). Sound is the first attribute of God. Śhabda bramhan is all-pervasive.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Inaugural Discourse in the Pūrṇachandra Auditorium
on 18-10-1993 at the Vēda Puruṣha Saptāḥa Jnāna Yajña
“The Sound of a mantra is as valuable as its meaning.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. 3, p. 242
«The sound of the Vēdas is highly sacred. It is extolled as śhabda bramhamayi, charācharamayi, jyōtirmayi, vāṅgmayi, nityānandamayi, parātparāmayi, māyāmayi and śhrīmayi (embodiment of sound, mobility and immobility, light, speech, eternal bliss, perfection, delusion and wealth). It is compulsory for everyone to learn the Vēdas. If it is not possible, at least one should chant the Name of God. Whatever Vedic Mantras you learn, you should be able to chant them properly. Otherwise, you don’t need to learn them at all!”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 19 October 2004
“Vēdas must be chanted with grandeur so that the sound can be properly heard. Vedic Mantras not only produce beneficial vibrations in the pulse of the one who chants them properly, but also similar vibrations in those who may hear them. Since it is spread in the atmosphere, it ensures well-being here and hereafter... The outstanding feature of the Vēdas lies in the fact that the sound of the Mantras by itself when chanted has a meaning, apart from the words themselves, which too are pregnant with significance.”
Sri Chandraśhēkhara Sarasvatī of Kāñchī Kāmakōṭi Pīṭham
“Devotees who go to a temple ring the bell. The general belief is that it is intended to attract the attention of the Deity. Does it mean that God is asleep and you have to awaken Him by ringing the bell? God is always awake and is listening to the prayers of everyone. It is just like a visiting card which you present to any important person whom you want to meet any favour or help. Ringing the bell is only to draw the attention of the Lord towards you. The sound of the Vēda is also like ringing the temple bell.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 18 October 1993
► Importance of the Meaning
Importance of the Meaning
“Mere chanting of the mantras without knowing their meaning is like a horse carrying a load of sandalwood pieces on its back without experiencing their fragrance. Today, like that horse, we are carrying the load of the mantras without experiencing the fragrance of their meaning. If we are able to know the meaning, we will be able to visualize the form behind the particular mantra. One has to chant the Vēdas mantras at least by knowing a little of their meaning.
Chanting with focus on the meaning, thus, calms and clears the mind and actually rejuvenates it. You might notice that sometimes your mind is much clearer and your attention more focused, after chanting. Every word that we utter and every thought that we think leaves its subtle impression on the mind, and so do all the words and sounds that we listen to and absorb. Everything that we listen to also leaves its residue in the mind.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Vedic Chants
“The Vedic injunctions have infinite meanings. All may not be able to comprehend the inner meaning of the teachings.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 18 October 1993
“Vēdas are not to be only recited, but to be put into practice after knowing their meanings. Mere recitation may give some joy, but, recitation after knowing its inner meanings makes one’s entire life fruitful.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Vedic Chants
“Others who ruminate over the meaning of the mantra and feel the emotions of exaltation and supplication are able to derive delight. Recitation, without understanding the meaning, might grant a little superficial satisfaction but the hymn can pour from the heart only when the meaning is sensed.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Prasanthi Nilayam, Inauguration of the
Vēda Puruṣha Saptāḥa Jnāna Yajña on 21 October 1982
“The root of the word ‘Vēda’ means ‘to know’. Vēdas are also known as chhandas; this name means pleasant, joyous. Other important meanings of this word are vital, strong and shielded. All these are the qualities of the Vēdas as it is shielding, fostering, promoting the welfare of humans engaged in the unceasing round of worldly affairs, and conferring the ultimate liberation. Humans are ever caught up in activities pursued with the profit available as the purpose. They have to be moulded as righteous men and women. The Vēdas shield people on the path of action (karma mārga) from engaging in unrighteous acts, and protect the seekers of knowledge (jñāna mārga) from the temptation of the senses. Through their role as armour or shield, they shower bliss on all who rely on them. The sacred ceremonies and rituals that Vēdas expound confer joy and bliss not only on the participants but also on the entire world and beyond.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Vahini, Chap. 24
“Sādhaka: Swāmi! We do not find today feelings that produce such prayers anywhere among men. People repeat these Vedic prayers, as gramophone records do, without any knowledge of their meanings, out of sheer habit. Is it not so? Do they get the Wisdom that is the most precious treasure of God?
Sai: My dear fellow! You yourself said now that they recite the Vēda as gramophone records do, didn’t you? So, they gain as much wisdom and aiśhvarya as those records get. How can they acquire the treasure of full potence? Planting a branch that has been severed, can one claim that it is a tree growing there? Those who recite the Vēdas with the awareness of their meaning, experiencing at the same time the feelings embedded in the hymns, they alone can earn the Grace of bramhan, the bramha vidya, the Highest Wisdom, the Supreme Treasure (sakalaiśhvarya).”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Leela Kaivalya Vahini
“The Vēdas have emphasised that man will be truly human only when he lives up to human values and practises the good life. Many who chant the Vēdas these days have difficulty in understanding their purport. When they fully understand the meaning and chant the mantras, they will derive greater joy. Only then they will experience the full sacredness and potency of the Vēdas.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 3 October 1989
“Those who utter the mantras today do not grasp their inner meaning. Even if the full meaning of a single mantra is understood, it will be sufficient. Every day, the śhānti mantra is recited:
‘Om; sahanāvavatu; sahanau bhunaktu; sahavīryaṅ karavāvahai.’
What does this signify? ‘Let us move together in unison. Let us live in harmony in communion with each other.’ What a wide vision is present in this mantra!”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 3 October 1989
“When we listen to a Vedic hymn, we immediately perceive that its sound carries something very beautiful, powerful and highly sacred. As it comes to the meaning of the words, though, things become more difficult, even for experienced sanscritists. Or we may, rather, say that Vedic hymns include various meanings at different levels, ranging from the most down to earth to the most spiritual one. The access door to their highest spiritual significance has been largely forsaken, but it can be disclosed again by beings of high consciousness.”
Sri Tathāta
“What is recommended is ‘sacrifice’ of the wayward mind, dedicating it to God so that it becomes stable and calm and not bringing a living animal and killing it. That is adherence to the outer literal meaning of the injunction, not to the inner and valid import. Listen to the significances of Vedic aphorisms and rituals and scriptural injunctions with selfless, pure and joyful concentration. Treasure them in the heart for practice in daily life and for sharing with other earnest souls.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Prasanthi Nilayam, Inauguration of the
Vēda Puruṣha Saptāḥa Jnāna Yajña on 21 October 1982
► Welfare of the World
Welfare of the World
“Today, a great deal of wickedness, troubles and turmoil are prevalent in the world due to the decline of the influence of the Vēdas. Water, air and food are all tainted by pollution. We are forced to lead a polluted life.
When the air we breathe is itself polluted, how can we lead a pollution-free life? The environment and the elements should be pure to ensure purity of heart. The cause of this pollution lies nowhere else except in our own actions. Whatever words we utter spread to the entire atmosphere. We can purify the atmosphere of the world by chanting the Vēdas and singing the glory of God. The rishis in ancient times used to move in the forest and chant the powerful Vedic mantras to purify the atmosphere of the whole world.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 18 October 1993
“The bliss conferred by the practice of Vedic teachings cannot be experienced in worldly activities. Hence some people took up the task of chanting and preaching Vēdas and thereby uplifting the world.
In the sacred Vēdas, Divinity is the undercurrent. Peace and security are very essential in our daily lives. These originate from man’s heart. One can never correctly define what peace is and what security is. Vēdas abound in such sacred secrets.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Vedic Chants
“Vēda is the name for a mass of Divine Knowledge. Vēda teaches the Truth that cannot be revised or reversed by the passage of time through the three stages – past, present and future. The Vēda ensures welfare and happiness for the three worlds. It confers peace and security on human society.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Leela Kaivalya Vahini
“Chha or chhādana has as its root meaning another important aspect of the Vēdas – shielding, fostering or promoting, promoting the welfare, the ultimate liberation of humans engaged in the unceasing round of worldly affairs.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Vahini, Chap. 23
“The Vēdas are the very form of God. There are many mantras to propitiate the pañcha bhūtas (five elements). The five elements are our very life-breath. They sustain our life. The world itself is a manifestation of the five elements. But people forget to express their gratitude to the five elements. What a sin it is! We fill our minds with unnecessary information and consequently fail to give due respect to the five elements.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 19 October 2004
“Earth, atmosphere, water are polluted. All major elements in our life are polluted on the physical, energetic and mental levels. Vedic rituals work on all levels: physical, energetic, mental and even beyond. Disorder appears only on the three inferior levels. The means to purify them is to connect them to the subtle levels. This connection is possible through Vedic chants and mantras. These Vedic rituals and chanting enable the Light of Truth to penetrate human consciousness and the perfect order to be established even on the physical level.”
Sri Tathāta
“The Vēdas belong to those who value them, who are moved by thirst for spiritual uplift, who desire to practice them and who have faith that they will benefit by that practice. No one else has the right to talk patronizingly of the Vēdas or disparage them. For, all such talk will be hollow and insincere.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba,
Sathyam Shivam Sundaram Vol. 2, by N. Kasturi
► What they Teach
What they Teach
“‘Ananto vai vēdāḥa’ (The Vēdas are infinite). The Vēdas are immeasurable, unrivalled and filled with bliss. Vēda is derived from the verb ‘vid’, to know. Knowledge of the Supreme is Vēda. It represents ātmā jñāna (Knowledge of the Spirit), bramha jñāna (Knowledge of the Universal Consciousness) and advaita jñāna (Knowledge of the One that subsumes the many). These different terms are synonymous.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Summer Course in Indian Culture & Spirituality,
Brindāvan, 3 June 1990
“The Vēda lays down what has to be done and what should not be done. When these prescriptions and prohibitions are followed, one can earn the good and avoid the evil. Vēda is concerned with both the material and the spiritual, both this world and the beyond. All life is Vēda-filled.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Leela Kaivalya Vahini
“Developing faith in the ātmā Principle and loving it earnestly is true worship. There is only one Divine Self. Feel that it is more loveable than any object here or hereafter – that is the true adoration you can offer to God. This is what the Vēdas teach.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Vahini, Chap. 1
“The Vēdas seek to promote good thoughts, eliminate ideas of evil and help mankind to lead a good life. Hence, they have to be cherished and fostered. If the injunctions given in the Vēdas are followed by mankind, they will be freed from all afflictions. Most of our troubles have arisen because we have forgotten the Vēdas.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Speaks 20, Chap. 23
“The Vēdas have taught the means to make life in the world pure and meaningful. They have declared: ‘Immortality can be attained only through sacrifice; neither wealth, nor progeny nor good deeds can confer it.’
So, cultivate the spirit of sacrifice by developing love within. Determination also, gives rise to sacrifice, which leads to Immortality. Develop love, give up hatred, and reduce desires. Cultivate the spirit of sacrifice.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 4 October 1989
“Mother Vēda has been kind to her children – the human race. To sanctify its cravings and to uplift the race, she has posited the concept of Time – and its components, the years, months, days, hours, minutes and seconds. Even the Gods were declared to be bound by Time.
An individual is caught in the wheel of Time and Space and rotates with it, unaware of any means of escape. But, really, he is beyond the reach of Time and Space.
The Vēda is bent upon the task of making him know this Truth, and liberating him from this narrowness. Mother Vēda is compassionate; she longs to liberate her children from doubt and discontent. She has no desire to inflame or confuse; wise men know this well.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Vahini, Chap. 22
“Vēda is derived from the root ‘vid’, which means ‘to know’. The Vēda teaches how to achieve purity of heart, getting rid of impurities.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. 22, Chap. 29
“We should not neglect the Vēdas. The secret of the entire creation is contained in them. They reveal to us the goal and purpose of life. The Vēdas are replete with divine mysteries and deep spiritual truths.”
Extracts from Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s discourse
during Ati Rudra Mahā Yajña, August 2006
“The Ṛg Vēda teaches Unity. It exhorts all men to pursue the same holy desires. All hearts must be charged with the same good urge; all thoughts must be directed by good motives towards good ends. All men must tread the one Path of Truth for all are but manifestations of the One.
People believe today that the lesson of the unity of mankind is quite new and that the idea of progressing towards it is very praiseworthy. But, the concept of human unity is not at all new. In ṛg-vedic times, the concept has been proclaimed much more clearly and emphatically than now. It is the pre-eminent ideal of the Ṛg Vēda.
All are parts of God, His Power, His Energy. The ātmā that is the Reality in everyone is, in truth, the One manifesting as the Many. The Vēda demands that difference and distinction should not be imposed. This universal inclusive outlook is absent among men today. They have multiplied differences and conflicts and their lives have become narrow and restricted. The Ṛg Vēda, in the ancient past, pulled down restrictive barriers and narrow feelings and proclaimed Unity.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Leela Kaivalya Vahini
“The sacred Vēda instructs all that one requires for his spiritual advancement. It instructs one the means and methods to overcome all sorrows and grief. It instructs one in all the spiritual disciplines which can give unshaken peace.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Vahini, Chap. 23
“The Vēdas have a universal outlook, embracing all that is noble and sacred. They have taught the principle of samatva (equality) in respect of everything. They have proclaimed the concept of oneness. They taught men to face joy and sorrow with equal serenity.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 3 October 1989
“Since ancient times, the Vēdas have been teaching profound truths. They form the basis for a peaceful and prosperous society. The term ‘Vēda’ refers to ‘wisdom’, ‘discrimination’, and ‘being’. There are many people who chant the Vēdas from dawn to dusk, but no one is trying to understand the utility and significance of the Vēdas.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Speaks Vol. 32 (2), Chap. 7
“The Vēdas should not be treated as mere mantras. It helps to realise full knowledge and wisdom. They confer security on humanity and show the way to happiness and peace. The goal of human life is to sacrifice desires and realise the Divine.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 18 October 1993
“The mantra can create new subjective states in ourselves, alter our psychical being, reveal knowledge and faculties that we did not possess before. It produces similar results in other minds than that of the user, but can produce vibrations in the mental and vital atmosphere which result in effects, in actions and even in the production of material forms on the physical plane.”
Sri Aurobindo – Vedic Chants
“The Vēdas teach not only karma (rites, rituals, vows, sanctifying observances) but also dharma. In fact, it is said that the Vēdas are the roots which feed dharma and hold it fast – ‘vēdōkhilō dharma mūlam’. Since dharma is the sustainer of the entire world and Law regulates the Cosmos, Vēdas have universal validity. There are latent as well as patent forces that urge every particle or wave in the Cosmos.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 20 October 1982
“Each hymn of the Vēdas is called a ‘ṛk’ which means ‘praise’. And the word Vēda is derived from the root ‘vid’, ‘to know’. And what exactly should we strive to know? We must know the One, which has no second, no another, no other. So, every word, every statement in the Vēdas, every mantra or ‘ṛk’ in them, connotes only the One, though out of insufficient or wrong understanding people mistake the lesson and ascribe the words to indicate the Many. It is essential that the true import be grasped by all. Since the opportunities to learn it have declined, mistaken interpretations gain currency. In the course of this week-long Vedic Yajña, we shall delve into the deeper significance of the Vedic Teachings.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on the first day
of the Vēda Puruṣha Saptāḥa Jnāna Yajña, 21 October1982
“It should be noted that every Vēda is intended to enable man to make his daily life holy and good. Although human life is transient, the allotted span must be used for sacred purposes and to realise the Divine. The Vēdas have the power to enable man to transmute his life and make it sublime. Whether consciously or otherwise, from morning till night, man carries out the duties laid down by the Vēdas. Every act is governed by the dictates of the Vēdas, but it is only when these acts are done with an understanding of their purpose will their true character be known.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 22 October 1982
“Learning derived from various Śhāstras and all the Vēdas is of no avail if it does not help you to reach the Feet of the Lord.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Summer Showers in Brindavan 1973, Chap. 27
“The quintessence of the Vēdas is the glorification of sacrifice as the supreme virtue. Of what avail is all your study or listening if there is no change in the way you live and you have not understood your true nature? The highest knowledge is understanding the value of sacrifice. It is a source of limitless joy. It leads to immortality.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 3 October 1989
“Trust everything as God’s work, whatever your vocation or profession. By dedicating all actions to God, you sanctify every act in daily life. That is the message of the Vēdas.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 22 October 1995
“The Vēdas tell you those things that cannot be known by anything else. The word Vēda means ‘knowledge’, knowledge that cannot be acquired by the senses or the intellect or even by unguided intuition. The Vēdas endeavour to open the eyes of man to the falsity of dualistic experience, the reality of the only One – advaita (the non-dual One). They proclaim it, loudly and with enthusiasm.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 18 August 1964
“‘Vetti iti Vēdaḥa’; Knowing, knowledge is Vēda. That is to say, man can know from the Vēdas, the Code of Right Activity and the Body of Right Knowledge. The Vēdas teach man his duties from birth to death. They describe his rights and duties, obligations and responsibilities in all stages of life.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sathya Sai Vahini, Chap. 11 ‘Values in Vēdas’
“The wealth acquired through the Grace of Mother Vēda (Vēda Māta) is the most potent Wisdom itself. For this reason, the Vedic ṛṣhis prayed thus: ‘God! You are the very Embodiment of the Vēda (Vēda Svarūpa). Fill me, not with the burden of cattle and children, but with the Wisdom that is the source of param aiśhvarya. I shall be fully content with that wealth (dhana). And, since such wealth is capable of being utilised for your service, you too will be glad when I have it.’”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Leela Kaivalya Vahini
► Foster the Vēdas
Foster the Vēdas
“Every individual should take a pledge to nourish the Vēdas on the right lines. The welfare of the nation and the prosperity of the world are dependent on the Vēdas. Within the next ten or twenty years, even the few who possess the Vedic knowledge may not remain. Hence, there is an urgent need to take concerted measures to provide the resources and the encouragements for the propagation of Vedic studies. The Vēdas are not to be used as a means of earning a livelihood. The Vēdas are the means of establishing a link with the Divine. Those who have studied the Vēdas must dedicate their lives to promote them.
Today all the ceremonies prescribed by the Vēdas are being given up. Most people are engaged in meaningless superstitions. How many are adhering to the injunctions of the Vēdas? People must be prepared to adhere to them even at the cost of their lives. The Vēdas must be considered as their life itself. Only those who have this determination and conviction are competent to propagate the Vēdas. Be fearless in propagating the Vēdas.”
Sathya Sai Baba
Discourse at Pūrṇachandra Auditorium on 28-9-1987
“My task is to open your eyes to the glory of the Vēdas and to convince you that Vedic injunctions, when put into practice, will yield the results promised.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Sathyam Shivam Sundaram, Part 2, Chap. 3
“Access to the Vēdas is the greatest privilege this century may claim over all previous centuries.”
J. Robert Oppenheimer
“A regular study of the Vēdas and the practice of their teachings confer all forms of wealth. The Vēdas are a gift of God for the welfare of the entire humanity. The Vēdas make no distinction on the basis of religion, caste or nationality. The Vēda mantras can be chanted by one and all.
It is Swāmi’s wish that the Vēdas spread to every country so that every human being irrespective of religion, caste or nationality learn and chant them.”
Extracts from Sathya Sai Baba’s discourse
during Ati Rudra Mahā Yajña, August 2006
“Swāmi expects the people to foster Vēdas and is showing the way by making thousands of students of the Sai Educational Institutions, right from the primary school, to learn Vedic chanting. There is actually no compulsion to learn the Vēdas. All the students willingly come forward to learn. You should make the children learn the Vēdas with enthusiasm, without compulsion. They should be made to realize the greatness of the Vēdas by sweet persuasion.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 18 October 1993
“Vēda is like a kalpa vṛkṣha or a tree which gives whatever we desire. However, in order to protect it, we have to practise or constantly recite Vēda. That is a kind of water which we have to give so that the tree may flourish. We also have to provide a proper fence around this tree and the discipline with which you conduct yourself will be the fence. Your sādhana is the fertilizer for the tree to grow. It is only when you have this adhyayana, discipline and sādhana that the Vedic tree will give you flowers of dharma and the fruit of prajñāna. Thus, the Vēda can help us in fulfilling all our desires. Whatever activity we undertake, unless we take the necessary care and bestow the necessary attention, we cannot enjoy the result.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Summer Shower in Brindavan 1974, Part 2, Chap. 27
“In the Śhukla Yajur Vēda (XXVI – 2) it is urged to spread the beneficient words (vācham kalyāṇīm) of the Vēdas to all people without distinction of caste, creed or sex, even to people of other religions. Now the time has come, as declared by Swāmi Vivekananda in 1901 (Complete Works III – pages 454-461, The Religion we are Born in) that the Vēdas and the Gāyatrī Mantra must be propagated among all, as before, irrespective of caste, creed, sex or religion. Women should also perform sandhyā as in olden times. ‘This Vēda is our only authority, and everyone has the right to it.’”
OM, GAYATRI and SANDHYA
by Swami Mukhyananda, 1989
Sri Ramakrishna Math
“In January, 1960, a great Sanskrit scholar from Sorbonne, France, Valestin by name, who was in India to translate the commentaries on the Vēdas into French, arrived at Prasanthi Nilayam. One evening, during an interview with Baba, he suddenly caught Baba’s hands and pleaded ‘Baba! Vedic scholarship is fast declining in this Holy Land. You must revive it, You must foster it’. I was there, nearby. I felt that East and West were also there, awaiting with palpitating heart, the reply that Baba will vouchsafe. For the Vēdas are for both East and West, for all mankind. And Baba did not disappoint mankind. He said, ‘I have come for that very purpose, for Vedic revival. It shall be done. I will do it. Wherever you are, you will know of it. The world will share that joy, that light’.”
Sathyam Shivam Sundaram, Vol. 2
“Our students are chanting the Vēdas every day. Each Mantra is attributed to a particular form of divinity. It is necessary that one knows all the Mantras. If one wants to purify his thoughts and understand his true Self, he should take Vēdas as the basis. Unable to understand this truth, many students are behaving like thieves when it comes to chanting the Vedic Mantras. One who does something wrong and feigns ignorance is a thief. Likewise, one who has the ability to chant the Vēdas but does not do so full-throated and wholeheartedly can also be called a thief. All students can chant the Vēdas, but some of them are not joining others in chanting. They are not making proper use of whatever they have learnt. They are keeping to themselves all that they have learnt. I am observing the students as they chant the Vēdas. Having learnt the Mantras, they are expected to chant them. But, some of them are keeping silent. In a way, they are resorting to vidya chōratvam and daiva drōham (theft of knowledge and betrayal of God). In this manner, the educated are becoming traitors and betrayers. Only those who chant wholeheartedly whatever they have learnt are eligible for sākṣhātkāra (God-realisation). When the students chant the Mantras, ladies sitting on the other side also join them. They have every right to chant the Vēdas. None can deny them their right. They feel inspired to chant the Vēdas when they see our students chant. There are many small children sitting here. Who has taught them the Vēdas? They hear attentively while the senior students chant the Mantras and learn them by heart. However, there are some educated persons who sit by the side of Vēda chanting boys and yet remain tight-lipped. I am observing them. What is the use of sitting with Vēda group if they do not make efforts to learn and chant them? They are bigger thieves. They listen to Vedic chants but do not participate in them. One should listen and also chant the mantras in order to experience divinity. […]
Everyone should necessarily learn the Vēdas, contemplate on them and chant them wholeheartedly. There is no point in merely learning the Vēdas if you do not chant them. There are some who chant the Mantras when they are here but forget them when they go outside. You may go anywhere but you should repeat the Mantras at least in your mind. […]
Students may commit mistakes without their knowledge. But, once they realise their mistake they should not repeat it. Whatever Mantras you hear today, you should be able to chant them tomorrow. When all people chant the mantras in unison and in perfect harmony, bramhan will manifest right in front of you.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 19 October 2004
“Why do you eat food? Is it to preserve it in the stomach? No. The food partaken should be digested and the essence should be supplied to all parts of the body. In the same manner, you should understand and assimilate the Vedic knowledge and derive strength from it. It should be expressed in your thoughts, words and deeds. You should take part in the propagation of the Vēdas and share your joy with others.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 19 October 2004
“Embodiments of Love! Students!
Whatever you have learnt here, share it with others. It is not enough if you share it with others, you too should put your knowledge into practice and derive benefit therefrom. We prepare many delicious items at home and serve them to the guests. Is it not necessary that we should also partake of them? Likewise, we should digest the Vedic knowledge we have acquired and also share it with others. All types of knowledge have originated from the Vēdas. That is why the Vēda is extolled as sarva vijñāna sampatti (the treasure chest of knowledge). But unfortunately, we are not making proper use of such a treasure. Share your knowledge to the extent you have acquired. Never forget what you have learnt. With sincere effort, you will certainly be able to attain sākṣhātkāra. How did Markandeya attain sākṣhātkāra? He repeated the pañchākṣharī mantra forgetting himself. As a result, Lord Īśhvara appeared before him and showered His grace. Those of you who wish to have the vision of God should digest the Vedic wisdom you have acquired and share it with others.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discours on 19 October 2004
“Every human being must revere the Vēdas. It is the very foundation of life. Every act of daily life has its roots in the Vēdas. Whether everyone knows this or not, the Vēdas pervade everything. […] Your hearts are filled with all kinds of feelings. How can you fill them with the nectar of the Vēdas? Everyone must regard it as his foremost duty to work for the revival of the Vēdas and live the Vedic way of life.”
Bhagavān Sri Sathya Sai Baba – Discourse on 28 September 1987