An interpretation or a critical analysis of a book is a series of logic based thought with respect to the “understanding of the given book in the light of the knowledge acquired or that already present”. Hence it is to be understood that the readers choice in interpreting or criticizing a book is subject to change depending on the circumstance and instance of “when” the book is read.
What are the Vedas and why interpretation or critical analysis of the Vedas is useless!!
“Vedas” is derived from “Vid”. “Vid” literally means “to know”. “Veda” means “knowledge”. The Vedas are a collection of fourteen books or parts and they are also called as “Chaturdasa Vidya”. The main purpose of the Vedas is to establish happiness or to remove sorrow by acquiring knowledge of the TRUTH. Hence the Vedas is also called as “Shoka Nivritti Shastra”.
Every man searches for a means to stay happy. Happiness drove the rishis (ascetics) to seek the basis of happiness and we have what we call the Vedas – the establishment of TRUE knowledge to give continuous happiness or BLISS.
The state of mind during the process of knowledge acquirement is unique to the Vedas. It is by a basis of “Understanding and the Establishment of a Strong Foundation for TRUTH to Maintain Knowledge thereby Giving Bliss” unlike the other fields where the knowledge acquired is dissipated during an act in a field other than the knowledge specified by it.
Hence it is necessary to study the entire Vedas drinking (assimilating) it’s meaning and continuing its study that one comes to apprehend the simplest TRUTH explained in the Vedas. So unless and until one has fully understood the Vedas in the perspective of the rishis, one will not be able to apprehend this “eternal” Truth.
Why is the message of the Vedas said to be simple. Sri Adi Sankara explains that the Truth is available to everyone as clear as water held in ones palm. All the religions in the world cry out only one message “The Lord is omnipresent”. Yet very few people have come to realize this Truth. We find every religion fighting with every other one establishing their “Lord” who is called omni present as they did not “understand” the SIMPLE Truth in the EXACT sense.
The message of the Vedas is said to be a “Rahasyam”- A secret and a very unique secret. In the general sense a secret is information held by an individual or a group of individuals. But this Rahasyam is unique in the sense that even though the prophets around the world have screamed out the Truth very few have understood it. Hence the Vedas are called as a Rahasyam.
Why should not one try to interpret or criticize the Vedas!?
The Truth of the Vedas is achieved by a sequence of logic entirely different from what a person “generally” follows. Hence unless the method of understanding, used to logically understand the Truth is known, it is futile to debate on the Vedas.
Further when one brings to light the conditionings of his mind in understanding the Vedas he is forced to interpret it and if he does not find/experience the Truth of the Vedas in his daily life he tends to reject the Vedas.
Hence the Vedas is best understood by a gradual continuous study under a Guru who teaches the Truth of the Vedas according to the conditioning of the seekers mind so that he can readily interpret the teachings in his daily life. Therefore it is also peremptory that the Teacher be a “jnani” a SEER of the Truth. Hence a self effort to understand the Vedas by individual analysis might lead to a conditioned knowledge of the Truth. A conditioned knowledge of the Truth is as good or as bad as ignorance. Where there is light, there darkness cannot be and where there is darkness even a single beam of light will illumine the place thus there is light only. Similarly there is either knowledge or darkness. There is no state of a mixture. Until knowledge is complete anything lesser is ignorance. When knowledge occurs, ignorance disappears or vanishes or removed as explained in the Vedas. There can be no room for doubt any more.
Hence the Vedas are not to be analyzed before completely understanding the Vedas by discussion with a Guru- a jnani.
