Mandala 1
The first Mandala ("book") of the Early Iron Age (around 1000 BCE).[1]
Contents
All the Hymns in first sukta is addressed to
Vishvadevas, is often quoted as an example of emerging monism or monotheism
. It forms the basis for the well-known statement "Truth is one, sages call it by various names":
- índram mitráṃ váruṇam agním āhur / átho divyáḥ sá suparṇó garútmān
- ékaṃ sád víprā bahudhâ vadanty / agníṃ yamám mātaríśvānam āhuḥ
- "They call him Indra, Garutman."
- "To what is One, sages give many a title / they call it Agni, Matarisvan." (trans. Griffith)
- – Rigveda 1.164.46
Interpretation
Max Muller described the character of the Vedic hymns as a form of henotheism, in which "numerous deities are successively praised as if they were one ultimate God."[2] According to Graham, in the Vedic society it was believed that humans could contact the gods through the spoken utterances of the Vedic seers, and "the One Real" (ekam sat) in 1.164.46 refers to Vāc, both "speech" and goddess of speech,[3] the "one ultimate, supreme God", and "one supreme Goddess." In later Vedic literature, "Speech or utterance is also identified with the supreme power or transcendent reality," and "equated with Brahman in this sense."[4] Frauwallner states that "many gods are traced back to the one Godhead. The one (ekam) is not meant adjectively as a quality but as a substantive, as the upholding centre of reality."[5]
The Vedic henotheism may have grown out of a growing recognition of a "unitary essence beyond all the deities,"
Selected hymns
| Sukta | Name | Deity | Rishi | Metre | Incipit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Agni-Sukta | Agni | Madhushchandhas Vaishvamitra | gayatri |
agním īḷe puróhitaṃ |
| 1.22 | Vishnu-Sukta | Vishnu | Medhatithi Kanva | gayatri | prātaryújā ví bodhaya |
| 1.32 | Indra-Sukta | Indra | Hiranyastupa Angiras | trishtubh | índrasya nú vīríyāṇi prá vocaṃ |
| 1.89 | Shanti-Sukta | Vishvedevas |
Gotama Rahugana | jagati (trishtubh) | â no bhadrâḥ krátavo yantu viśváto |
| 1.90 | Madhu-Sukta | Vishvedevas | Gotama Rahugana | gayatri (anushtubh) | ṛjunītî no váruṇo |
| 1.99 | Agni-Durga-Sukta | Agni | Kashyapa Marica | trishtubh | jātávedase sunavāma sómam |
| 1.162 | Ashvamedha-Sukta | The Horse | Dīrghatamas Aucathya | (trishtubh) | mâ no mitró váruṇo aryamâyúr |
Publications
The editio princeps of the book is due to Friedrich August Rosen, published posthumously in 1838. It was the earliest edition of a Rigvedic Mandala, predating Max Müller's edition of the entire Rigveda by more than 50 years.
References
- ISBN 978-93-5260-673-3.
- ^ a b Taliaferro, Harrison & Goetz 2012, p. 78-79.
- ^ Graham 1993, p. 70-71.
- ISBN 978-0-521-44820-8.
- ^ Frauwallner 1973, p. xvii.
- ISBN 978-9004102200.
- ISBN 978-90-04-11695-5.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-898723-93-6.
- ISBN 978-1-4384-6055-0.
Sources
- Frauwallner, Erich (1973), History of Indian Philosophy: The philosophy of the Veda and of the epic. The Buddha and the Jina. The Sāmkhya and the classical Yoga-system, Motilall Banarsidas
- Graham, William A. (1993), Beyond the Written Word: Oral Aspects of Scripture in the History of Religion, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-44820-8
- Taliaferro, Charles; Harrison, Victoria S.; Goetz, Stewart (2012), The Routledge Companion to Theism, Routledge, ISBN 978-1-136-33823-6
External links
Sanskrit Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Works related to The Rig Veda/Mandala 1 at Wikisource
