1 THE ARYAN CONQUEST. 27
2 are related to the Sanskrit and the ancient Iranian exactly in the same way
3 as these European languages are closely related to each other; in other
4 words, they are sister languages. Secondly, it proves that, even before these
5 nations had separated, they had attained toa certain degree of civilization;
6 they tilled fizlds, reared cattle, used tools, built houses, wagons and boats,
7 The Rig Vedea (literally “fount of knowledge,” or “fount of vision ”) ig
8 regarded by the Hindus as the highest, the most sacred and the most ancient
9 of the Shastras.. They claim for it divine revelation, and in its very sub-
10 stance revere it as a portion of the Divine essence, perfect, infallible and
11 containing the primitive truth. Along with the Parsi worship and the
12 Chinese philosophy, it is indeed one of the most ancient things existing in
13 the world. It supplies the oldest evidence concerning the life of the Aryas
14 who settled in the regions of the Indus 2000 years Bc. The Vedas are
15 four in number, the Rig, the Sémé4, the Yajar and the Atharvan. The Rig
16 Veda, entitled Mantra, is a collection of hymns, metrical prayers and invo-
17 cations, 1,017 in number. In its collective form it is called Sanhita, or a
18 collection of poems, and it is in fact the only true and original Veda. It
19 contains 10,580 verses, all addressed to the gods. Indra, the god of rain,
20 who had command over the clouds and brought the showers which filled the
21 streams and rivulets flowing from the Himalayas, received the largest num-
22 ber of songs. Agni (JZ. ignis), the god of fire, who guided people, became
23 the next object of adoration. The Sdmd, consists of extracts from the
24 Rig. The Yajar also borrows much of its materials from the Rig. The
25 Atharvan, otherwise known as Brahmana, is of a considerably later date than
26 the Mantra, or Rig Veda, and furnishes directions for performing the sacred
27 . rites in which the priestly families sing the hymns and give explanations
28 on various points. The Vedas draw before our eyes a vivid picture of the
29 phenomena of the heavens. They lay before us a charming view of the
30 operations of nature, and teach us to look with awe on everything grand
31 and sublime. The hymus belong to different ages and, before the art of
32 writing ‘was introduced, were preserved by the saintly families, or Rishis, to
33 whom they are believed to have been revealed. In that shape they were
34 handed down for generations from father to son. Some of the poems are
35 written in a very ancient dialect, legible only to the best Sanskrit scholars,
36 and presumably belong to the earliest period of Aryan existence. Others
37 are written in soft poetical language and belong to later times, when the
38 Aryans had made considerable progress in civilization. At every step they
39 disclose imaginative power and liveliness of fancy. They contain no his-
40 torical facts, but give sacred legends, formulas for public worship, ritual
41 observances and ceremonies. Many of the poems are ascribed to family
42 priests and minstrels, and in some the name of the Rishi, or author, is also
43 mentioned. Thus, it is said: “ This song was made by Darghatamas, of the
44 race of Angiras,” or, “This new hymn was composed by Nodhas, a descen-
45 dant of Gautama.” The sacred hymns were faithfully preserved by the
46 minstrels, after they had advanced eastward from the land of the Indus.
47 The earliest hymns fail to furnish any clue to the older abodes and
48 previous fortunes of the race of men who delighted in them. We may,
49 however, gather from a variety of similes and metaphors in them, that the
50 Aryas, who had a common camping ground in Central Asia with the in-
51 habitants of the far West, were a people given more to the keeping and
52 breeding of cattle than to the work of the plough. They were a pastoral
53 people, of nomadic habits. The Gopds, or Gopals (cattle-keepers) were held
54 in high estimation, and a cowherd was at times called a prince. The Rishis
55 who composed hymns prayed their gods to bestow upon them many cows
56 The Rig Veda.
57 Its undoubted anti-
58 quity.
59 The four Vedas.
60 The lively pictures
61 drawn by the Vedas.
62 The sacred hymns.
63 Their languago.
64 The Aryans presum-
65 ably a pastoral people
66 of nomadic habits.
67 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh Ji eLibrary NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com