Why Read Rig Veda?

 

 

 

I have been interested in philosophy since my childhood. My spiritual awakening journey began with easy-to-understand books by Paulo Coelho to slightly more complex ones by Carlos Castaneda and James Redfield. However, my interest in Hindu philosophy and its teachings arouse only a while ago. It was somewhere during this period that I picked up this book, Why Read Rig Veda? by R.L.Kashyap, from my uncle’s bookshelf. However, I soon realised that my interest itself wasn’t sufficient to comprehend the various concepts and knowledge present in the book.

Since then, numerous resources, including Gita for daily living podcast by Neil Bhatt and lessons from my uncle have helped lay the foundation for my spiritual path and I feel confident to dive deeper into the core of Hindu spirituality and wisdom. Recently, I picked up this book once again and to my delight, I was able to sufficiently understand the book and learn from it.

Divided into 25 short chapters, the book discusses the essence of Rig Veda, the true significance of various Devas and Devis and our relationship with them, the connection between spirituality and human psychology, and the relevance of Rig Veda in our everyday lives. The book also touches upon the main concepts in the Rig Veda as well as explains some verses from it.

My key learnings:

- None of the knowledge contained in the Rig Veda is ritualistic.

- True knowledge and understanding of the Divine can only be gained through our own spiritual practice and experience.

- The wisdom of the Rig Veda is beneficial only when it is applied on one’s inner self or the Ātman and when one embarks on the journey inwards.

- All the scriptures, including Vedas and Upanishads, are only a source of vast information.

- There is no concept of hell or eternal damnation in the Rig Veda.

The book is as informational as it is an eye opener. Contrary to mainstream view, the 1028 hymns of the Rig Veda are symbolic in nature. One word can have various meanings based on the context. This includes references to Gods and Goddesses, demons, rivers, animals, etc. Hence, any translation or understanding which is based solely on the literal meaning of the word would lead to a grave misunderstanding of this Vedic text.

It is important to note that the book will be more useful to those who, along with having a keen and sincere interest, are already familiar with the basic concepts of Hindu philosophy and Vedanta.