The value of reading Vedic Literature in Sanskrit - Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (16'09")

Text of the video:

Dr. Hagelin: There's one more question on the subject of Maharishi's Vedic educational approach from a student at Maharishi University of Management, David Pohlman. He asks Maharishi, "What is the special value of reading Vedic literature in Sanskrit for students in your Consciousness-Based system of education?"  English translations, however imperfect, being comprehensible, engage the intellect and heart and seem to offer educational and inspirational value. So I guess the question is: 'What is the value of reading Vedic literature in Sanskrit?'

Maharishi: Every Sanskrit word is lively on all levels - surface level, deeper level, deepest level, and transcendental level. Vedic expression, in any word, Vedic expression is the expression of Totality. This Totality is available in one word "A".

So, Vedic is the language where "A" is inevitably pronounced while pronouncing any word. You take any alphabet, any consonant, "A" is there. And "A" is the total field of knowledge. So whatever you say, Totality flows, this is Vedic word. Specialty of Vedic word, Vedic sound, is, it's a flow of Totality, it's a flow of infinity, flow of Totality, flow of infinity.

Veda , it cannot be translated. There can be experience - our own consciousness can completely identify with the transcendental field. And it is that level which is permeating on all levels of expression - subtle, and gross, and very gross, and very huge, enormous galactic universe. So, it is the expression of the Vedic sound that is the expression of holistic value of knowledge.

Vedic sound means it has a flow of Totality. When you say "Ag-ni-mi-le" any "mi-le", some part of "A" is there. In all the letters, when we say "A, E, U...", like that "Ka, Kha, Ga... Cha, Ja ..."A" is there. ("A" is there whenever we say any vowel or consonant:) Every Vedic sound has some of "A" in it, and whole day when we are speaking Sanskrit. Sanskrit is very near the Vedic, it's not yet total Vedic. But total Vedic is the total flow of Wholeness. "Purnat purmam udacyate", That is the Fullness: from Fulness, Fullness flows. From Fulness, Fullness flows.

So the sound of the Veda, whatever differentiated values on the surface, but it always reverberates in some value of Totality, total knowledge, some "Atma"...

Whatever we say, it's a flow of "Atma", it's a flow of "Atma"...

Even a drowsy man speaks, less drowsy man speaks, a man awake speaks, a man who is more fully awake within himself he also speaks, a man who is awake within himself in the transcendent, he speaks, but his speech is heard on it's own level, that is Being.

So the recitation of the Vedic words means we are stirring up, in our own awareness, some feature, some quality of Totality...Totality...Totality. This is Vedic language. This is Vedic culture. No matter what you do, you are stirring up Totality, you are stirring up Totality, stirring up Totality.

Vedic texts cannot be translated, because in translation, you can translate only isolated values. Translation is in space-time boundaries. So surface of it, next level another surface level, next level another surface level, next level another surface level.  In the translation you can't do it. That is why Veda is not known, Veda is not known through reading the books. (This is the difference) Veda is known by being Totality. And this is fully awake Atma, fully awake consciousness. Regular practice of Trancendental Meditation makes that level more and more acquainted to our awareness. And then, someday, totality of it becomes lively in our awareness. Then our awareness, our consciousness, is the consciousness of Totality. Then "Aham Brahm": I am Totality, I am Totality. So "I am Totality" is not an intellectual concept, it's a reality, it's a reality.

So there is a great meaning in the words, but because it is that most delicate level of physiology, most delicate level of physiology, which requires so much purity. We just use one word, 'purity': purity of eating, purity of breathing, purity of everything. Purity also comes in that conception of the house, and what time you go, there is an auspicious time to go out, or inauspicious time to meet the friends and quarrel with them and all that.  Very delicate balance, all these are fulfilled in that life which is only for That. That is the Vedic way of life.

In India also, Vedic way of life has been a lot damaged due to the foreign rule for so long, for so long. And now, whatever Vedas are being taught, they are taught from the translation. The translation does not do justice to that eternal voice of Totality which is the reality of the Transcendental Consciousness. "Richo akshare parame vyoman": Richas are in that collapse of the transcendent, infinity. Where is the collapse in the nature of infinity?   Infinity is made of points.   So infinity and point.   Relationship of infinity with its own point is a collapse.  In this collapse, that means, within the framework of the Unmanifest Totality is the structure of the Veda.

So, Veda is the reality of the Unmanifest field. And in the Unmanifest field, all the memories are there. And when the memories wake up, they are heard; their activity is heard. So it becomes shruti. "Shruti" means that which is heard. Shruti is the Veda.  Shruti is the Veda.

It's a very beautiful field of blessing to mankind. Only it has to be properly brought about. Our effort is to have some kind of very pure atmosphere, pure colony, and there we want to culture these Vedic people, and then they will be able to enliven real Vedic chanting.

What happens with the Vedic chanting? Harmony comes to be established in the field of disharmony. For example, the rains have not come for two or three years or a long time. When the Vedic pandits, when they recite the Veda, one day, two days, three days, four days... rains will come. And coming of the rains means, the disharmony in the atmosphere becomes harmony. So the rough trends become harmonious trends. (If there is a drought, then the Vedic pandits recite, and rains will come.)

So, our program is to have this group as soon as possible, have this program as soon as possible. And this is the Vedic way of life. Experience of the Atma, which is predominant in this way of life, Vedic way of life, that will sustain harmony in the whole world of consciousness, whole world of consciousness, quietly stirring up the Transcendent. And Transcendental reality is that which is present everywhere: omniscient, and omnipotent. Everything is influenced by That, just like the sap in a tree. There are leaves, there are branches, fruits, flowers, so many variety in the tree, but all pervaded by sap.

So this reality, this is the field of Atma, this is the field of consciousness, this is the field that has been mathematically worked out to be the ultimate reality, unified field, through different sciences. But in Itself, it is the science and technology and the scientist himself, everything is that one reality, from where, from One, three come out, and from three, the whole symmetrical evolution of life.

So we can train the people, individuals, to that supreme awakening, where Totality is a living reality.

Purity, purity, purity, purity.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is widely regarded as one of the foremost scientists in the field of consciousness.