The Veda or Holy Speech forms crucial link between absolute Brahman and the magnificent universe outside (called Kārya Brahma). Vedic hymns reveal to us the true Self (Brahman) and simultaneously stir weal (Yajña) and order (Rta) in the worlds through the mechanism of rain cycle. In this section we look for some evidence in support of this mystic link.
FIRSTLY, we look at the Vedic thesaurus (Nighantu). Nighantu provides synonyms for many entries, but one entry is particularly interesting. It is Speech (or Holy Speech or the Veda). This entry has 57 (underline 57) synonyms. Such a big list does alert us to take these synonyms of speech seriously while these appear in the Vedic text.
Further, this entry ‘Speech’ is sandwiched between the entries ‘cloud’ and ‘water’. For me this arrangement of entries is deliberate and intuitive and not random. I see it as Holy Speech is the catalyst in converting (or stirring) clouds into rain (waters). And also all of us are aware how rain (or water) is crucial for our survival and prosperity.
SECONDLY, the proposed mystic connexion between Holy Speech and Water (or Rta) is unmistakably endorsed in the Vedas, e.g. RV I.164.41-42:
गौ॒रीर्मि॑माय सलि॒लानि॒ तक्ष॒ति॰॰॰॰
Gauri (Cow or Holy Speech) moos and creates (worlds) by creating waters.
तस्याः॑ समु॒द्रा अधि॒ वि क्ष॑रन्ति॒ तेन॑ जीवन्ति प्र॒दिश॒श्चत॑स्रः।
ततः॑ क्षरत्य॒क्षरं॒ तद्विश्व॒मुप॑ जीवति॥
From her, inspirations inundate that bring life and felicity to four directions;
Thence pour the inexhaustible waters (i.e. akshara), the blood and soul of universe.
Readers may wonder why I translated ‘samudra’ in the mantra 42 as inspiration. Because the god of first line of the mantra is Speech; and of second line, Waters. This too supports the crucial...
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...VIII.3.7 ibid.) where there is no reference to Soma at all but the word ‘piti’ (translated as feast or drink in noun sense) is still there:
अ॒भि त्वा॑ पू॒र्वपी॑तय॒ इन्द्र॒ स्तोमे॑भिरा॒यवः॑।
स॒मी॒ची॒नास॑ ऋ॒भवः॒ सम॑स्वरन्रु॒द्रा गृ॑णन्त॒ पूर्व्य॑म्॥
O Indra! Men urge you with hymns (stomas) for first favour/acceptance (of stomas);
Rta-serving Ribhus laud you as it behoves;
Austere Rudras (hymn-chanters) laud you as the Primeval Man.
Moreover, if Brahman is called as Pavamana Soma, the Vedas too are so called. The Atharva Veda (XIX.71) calls the mother Veda as Pavamani (पावमानी pāvamānī).
The word ‘dhara’ is also interesting to note. Normally, it is explained as stream of Soma (libation) or of waters. But look in the Nighantu the entries for speech. It means Holy Speech as well.
What does this suggest? That mantras (or hymns) form the primary and essential offering.
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"From the Bhagavad-Gita." Prentice Hall Literature. Trans. Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood. Upper Saddle: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2004. 182-89. Print.
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