4.4g. The Vedic Texts

According to the unanimous opinion of ancient sages of India, including the authors of the six systems of philosophy known as the Darśana Shastras, the Vedas were revealed by Parabrahman at the beginning of the human creation. The meaning of the word ‘Veda’ is knowledge. It is derived from the root form~ (vid) to know. By Veda, we mean the knowledge given by the omnipotent and omniscient Lord of the universe at the commencement of the human creation for the harmonious development and guidance of mankind; As worldly parents give knowledge to their children for their welfare, so Parabrahman, who is our divine father and mother revealed the eternal truths through the Vedas for the well-being of all people. Parabrahman is within and without all beings and things. The sages’ hearts were pure and receptive, and Parabrahman inspired them with knowledge. On account of His omnipresence and omnipotence, Parabrahman does not stand in need of paper, pen, or ink, nor does He stand in need of uttering words with a physical mouth like human beings. It was enough for Him to inwardly prompt the hearts of the sages in order to instill in them perfect knowledge. As pointed out at the very outset, the glory of the Vedas has been sung by all the Dharmaśāstras or Smṛtis.^[1]

Verbal testimony śabda could be either sacred or secular. The sacred word indicates the Vedic texts. The Vedas are self-evident, self-valid. They do not need the help of any other pramāṇa or the thing to prove their validity. They are authoritative in total. The Vedas are conveyed in the same form and order in every age, as they were in the previous periodical cycle (kalpa).^[2]

The Bhāṣyakāra iterates:

saṃhitābrāhmaṇarūpo yastathopaniṣadātmakaḥ |
āraṇyakasvarūpaśca vedaḥ prāmāṇyabhāg bhavet ||^[3]

“The Veda has four parts; Saṃhitā, Brahman, Āraṇyaka, and Upaniṣads, these all must be considered to be most authentic and the source of true knowledge.”

He invariably explains in the bhāṣyas about the significance of the Vedic scriptures. For example,

“sarve vedā āmananti”^[4]

“That goal which all the Vedas glorify, which all austerities proclaim, desiring which (people) practice Brahmacarya, that goal I tell thee briefly—it is Aum, Akṣarabrahman.”

Śabda or scriptural testimony is viewed as the only guide for the knowledge of Parabrahman, as the Vedas are apauruṣeya. They, therefore, are free from error and are definite.

Thus, one must acquire the resolute knowledge of Parabrahman through scriptures alone. The scriptures (śabda) are the best escort in the matters of the metaphysical knowledge of the ultimate. They take us beyond the limits of the other two pramāṇa, viz perception, and inference. They supply us all transcending comprehensive knowledge of Parabrahman. Their authority depends on the principle of svataḥ prāmāṇyaṃ. In this way, the fundamental questions in philosophy and spiritual sādhanā (endeavor), so far unanswered, get most convincingly answered by the verbal testimony. There is an element of Guru-guided compulsiveness in the spontaneous acceptance of this pramāṇa, for it has ideal perfectness, completeness, convincingness, coherence, self-evidence, pragmatic workability, and absence of contradiction.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Brahmasūtra 1/3/28-1/3/30, pp. 113-115

[2]:

Vacanāmṛta Sārangpur 6

[3]:

Svāminārāyaṇa Siddhāntasudhā Kārikā 256

[4]:

Katha-upaniṣad 2/15, p.99