The Vedas

by Chandrasekharendra Saraswati

The Vedas are the ancient scriptures or revelation (Shruti) of the Hindu teachings. They manifest the Divine Word in human speech. They reflect into human language the language of the Gods, the Divine powers that have created us and which rule over us. There are four Vedas, each consisting of four parts. The primary portion is the mantra or hymn section (samhita). To this are appended ritualistic teachings (brahmana) and theological sections (aranyaka). Finally philosophical sections (upanishads) are included. The hymn sections are the oldest. The others were added at a later date and each explains some aspect of the hymns or follows one line of interpreting them. The Vedas were compiled around the time of Krishna (c. 3500 B.C.), and even at that time were hardly understood. Hence they are very ancient and only in recent times has their spiritual import, like that of the other mystery teachings of the ancient world, begun to be rediscovered or appreciated even in India. Like the Egyptian teachings they are veiled, symbolic and subtle and require a special vision to understand and use properly. This book contains selected discourses of the Paramcharya rendered into English from Tamil by the late N.S.S.Rajan.Originally published in the year 1988 it has run into seven editions till date.

Genres: Philosophy, Religion, Spirituality, Hinduism, Classics, Theology, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Jagadguru Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Shankaracharya Mahaswamigal (born in a Kannada Smartha family as Swaminathan Shasthri; 20 May 1894 – 8 January 1994) also known as the Sage of Kanchi or Mahaperiyava (meaning, "The great elder") was the 68th Jagadguru Shankaracharya of the Moolamnaya Saravjna Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. Mahaperiyava's discourses have been recorded in a Tamil book titled "Deivathin Kural" (Voice of God).

Reviews

[Rucha · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you give a book 10+ stars on here? This book contains eternal knowledge and just blew my mind. Everything we need to create peaceful and happy lives is clearly explained in this book. The Vedas by Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati gives us a detailed account of the Vedas, and the many, many accompanying books written by realized souls to help us understand the Vedas. One of the things that struck me, and there were many, that was written in the book, is that our human minds are so limited in the capacity to see and feel everything the universe offers us. We only have 5 senses, and so we think, if we cannot make out something with those 5 senses, then it doesn't exist. Yet, there are many things going on this world that we cannot hear or see because we are not in tune with the higher consciousness. It makes sense because then how do we explain the heightened abilities of some people (psychic) or those who are able to recall a previous birth? Just because we do not have science or research to back something up, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. This is very little of the knowledge and wisdom contained in this book. The Vedas also goes into many Sanskrit words, meanings, and breaks down the different accompanying books, why they were written, for what purpose and with what intention, how we should use them, etc. I will be coming back to this book again and again.

[Bharath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding book which discusses the origin of the Vedas, it's teachings and various traditions. The tone is very respectful of all traditions and outlines the age old wisdom of the Vedic tradition very effectively. If the history of the Vedic tradition is of interest to you, this is a book which will be very enlightening.

[Ajay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful.

[Hemant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good introductory book to the Vedas and associated texts (Vedaang. Upaanga, and others).
Note: Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati was more traditional in nature and hence some of his statements in the book may appear as orthodox and regressive to some modern readers. His successor Sri Jayendra Saraswati was more open and less orthodox in his views and practices.

[Sikha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great! Membuatku lebih mengerti tentang Veda dengan segala hal "remeh temeh yang penting"-nya. Harus dibaca oleh semua orang Hindu untuk mendapat gambaran besar tentang pustaka Hindu dan tradisi Hindu.

[Richa Nidhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I am not the bibliophile enough to review The Vedas. This is not only a book but a sacred book for Hindus. I am in awe with the writing style and find myself lucky to read The Vedas

[Anantha Narayanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very concise guide about Vedas. A must read for all

[Dharmabum · Rating 5 out of 5]

While almost every religion has an authoritative text that forms the basis of the religion itself, there may not exactly be an equivalent in Hinduism. The closest equivalent for the Hindus may be a collection of vast, varied literature called The Vedas.
The Vedas are one of the oldest known texts, perhaps to all of humanity. Having passed on orally, much of these texts is believed to have been lost. Vyasa, a sage, is believed to have compiled them and hence the appellation - Veda Vyasa.
There are four Vedas - Rig, Yajur, Sama, Atharvana. Then the six vedaanga or auxilliaries - Siskha (pronunciation), Nirukta (etymology), Chandas (metre), Vyakarana (grammar), Jyotisha and Kalpa (procedures). Along with Meemamsa, Nyaaya, Purana and Dharma Shastra, these are called Vidyasthanam - or the abode of knowledge.
There are four more, called Upaanga (appendage, literally) - Ayurveda (the science of life), Arthashaastra (economics), DHanur Veda (weaponry), Gandharva Veda (fine arts).
As one can notice, these texts are extremely varied in their scope and cover a plethora of subjects, both spiritual and pertaining to everyday life.
In this book, Mahaperiyava, as the Saint of Kanchi is called, introduces the reader to each of these. With a chapter devoted to each of the texts listed above, he describes the main purpose of each text. It is a splendid introduction to anyone who is interested in having a birds eye view of the Vedas. After all, that's all people like me can afford, given that neither do we know the knowledge nor do we devote time for learning it.
The chart in the form of a concept map at the end of the book is comprehensive and gives a quick view of pretty much all the key texts.

[Abinav · Rating 5 out of 5]

An introduction about the different scriptures and the significance of each of them, this is written or probably dictated by a spiritual guru very revered in the part of the world that I come from it carries the blessing of a guru.

A great book overall for introduction on Indian philosophy and way of thinking

[in8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://5cense.com/19/664.htm

[BigBrain · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the content to be healthy as it elaborately skims through the necessary excerpts from the veda which again could be an interpretation of the author.

Be Good, Do Good!

[B Winters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure if this is the right copy but mine was just the vedas with English interpretation.

[Varun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its an OK book for an introduction to Vedas and all its sub-books.