OP
OP
vikrama
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64 The riches prayed for by the rishis.
The first verse of RV is a prayer to agni. There the deity is described as giver of wealth – ratna dhatama
रत्न धातम. In many places of RV, the same description, but in different terms, is repeated.
Not only agni, but vAyu, indra, azvin, sUrya, uSas and all other deities are spoken of as presiding over wealth and showering wealth on the devotees. Almost all the prayers seek wealth.
It makes us wonder why vedic rishis gave so much importance to wealth. The terms used to indicate wealth are ratnam, vasu, rayi, rekna, dhanam, radhas etc. (रत्नम्, वसु, रयि, रेक्ण, धनम्, राधस्). There is nothing to indicate that they are different from each other and are various forms of wealth.
What does wealth denote? Is it money as we understand to day? No. There was no money mentioned in RV.
Is it gold, silver etc? There is mention of gold – hiranya हिरण्य. The devas are said to be wearing golden ornaments. Their chariots are made of gold. Gold, with respect to devas is only an indicator of brightness. But the humans are never mentioned as wearing or using anything made of gold. Only very rarely, nearly four or five times, we come across a prayer for hiranya. But prayer for vasu, rayi etc occurs nearly a thousand times.
Does wealth denote any material prosperity? The rishis pray for food, long life, fame, progeny, pleasant homes, protection against enemies. Besides all these, they also pray for wealth. So it is learnt that wealth does not include any of these.
What did they do with the wealth received from gods is not mentioned anywhere.
So the wealth they demanded from gods is something different and very important too.
While their other demands like food, progeny, long life etc. fulfilled their material needs and made them happy, the wealth they demanded seems to have made them enjoy bliss.
Let us turn to Bharati. He wants a small piece of land to sustain him. In the same poem he wants that in his garden the cuckoo should coo to bring him bliss. In another poem, he sees god in everything from the feathers of the crow and the leaves of the trees and enjoys bliss in everything.
Wordsworth says in his Daffodils,
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
He recalls the sight of the flowers when he was lying on his couch and it brought him
immense pleasure.
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
So wealth, according to great souls like Bharati and Wordsworth, means the bliss brought by enjoying the beauties of nature. So we can safely assume that the vedic poets also could have this bliss in mind when they wanted wealth from the gods.
This is corroborated by other verses from the same RV. We find instances of the poets enjoying the beauties of nature and getting lost in it.
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[TD]मधु | वाता: | ऋतयते | मधु | क्षरन्ति | सिन्धव: | माध्वी: | न: | सन्तु | ओषधी: RV_1,90.6
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[TR]
[TD]मधु | नक्तम् | उत | उषस: | मधु-मत् | पार्थिवम् | रज: | मधु | द्यौ: | अस्तु | न: | पिता RV_1,90.7
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]मधु-मान् | न: | वनस्पति: | मधु-मान् | अस्तु | सूर्य: | माध्वी: | गाव: | भवन्तु | न: RV_1,90.8
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
For those who live righteously, sweet is the breeze, the rivers are sweet; let the herbs be sweet to us;
Our days and nights are sweet; the Earth is sweet; let the father Heaven be like nectar;
The plants and trees are sweet for us and let the Sun be pleasant to us. Let our cows be (give milk) sweet like honey;
Look at Bharati again. One of his free verse runs thus.
இவ்வுலகம் இனியது, இதிலுள்ள வான் இனிமையுடைத்து.
காற்றும் இனிது. தீ இனிது, நீர் இனிது, நிலம் இனிது.
ஞாயிறு நன்று, திங்களும் நன்று.
வானத்துச் சுடர்களெல்லாம் மிக இனியன.
மழை இனிது, மின்னல் இனிது, இடி இனிது.
கடல் இனிது, மலை இனிது, காடு இனிது.
ஆறுகள் இனியன.
Here is a piece of RV translated by me into Tamil, where the poet enjoys the dawn and showers encomiums on her.
உலகிற்கு ஒளிதரும் உஷையெனும் நங்கை
இனிய சொற்களின் எழில்மிகு தலைவி
பல நிறப் பாங்குடன் ஒளிர்வது கண்டோம்,
கதவினைத் திறந்து, காட்டினள் செல்வம்.
ஒவ்வொரு உயிரையும் விழித்தெழச் செய்வாள்
எனக்கு முன்னர் எத்தனையோ மாந்தர்
எண்ணிலா விடியல் கண்டு களித்து
எங்கோ போயினர், இன்று அவர் இல்லை.
உஷையின் ஒளி கண்டு உள்ளம் மகிழ்ந்திட
இன்று கிடைத்தது எமக்கொரு வாய்ப்பு.
புதிய மக்கள் நாளை வருவர்
விடியலின் எழிலை வியந்து போற்றுவர்.
So wealth demanded by the vedic rishis could be the bliss of enjoying the beauties of nature. It requires an appreciating mind which the poets were blessed with.
The first verse of RV is a prayer to agni. There the deity is described as giver of wealth – ratna dhatama
रत्न धातम. In many places of RV, the same description, but in different terms, is repeated.
Not only agni, but vAyu, indra, azvin, sUrya, uSas and all other deities are spoken of as presiding over wealth and showering wealth on the devotees. Almost all the prayers seek wealth.
It makes us wonder why vedic rishis gave so much importance to wealth. The terms used to indicate wealth are ratnam, vasu, rayi, rekna, dhanam, radhas etc. (रत्नम्, वसु, रयि, रेक्ण, धनम्, राधस्). There is nothing to indicate that they are different from each other and are various forms of wealth.
What does wealth denote? Is it money as we understand to day? No. There was no money mentioned in RV.
Is it gold, silver etc? There is mention of gold – hiranya हिरण्य. The devas are said to be wearing golden ornaments. Their chariots are made of gold. Gold, with respect to devas is only an indicator of brightness. But the humans are never mentioned as wearing or using anything made of gold. Only very rarely, nearly four or five times, we come across a prayer for hiranya. But prayer for vasu, rayi etc occurs nearly a thousand times.
Does wealth denote any material prosperity? The rishis pray for food, long life, fame, progeny, pleasant homes, protection against enemies. Besides all these, they also pray for wealth. So it is learnt that wealth does not include any of these.
What did they do with the wealth received from gods is not mentioned anywhere.
So the wealth they demanded from gods is something different and very important too.
While their other demands like food, progeny, long life etc. fulfilled their material needs and made them happy, the wealth they demanded seems to have made them enjoy bliss.
Let us turn to Bharati. He wants a small piece of land to sustain him. In the same poem he wants that in his garden the cuckoo should coo to bring him bliss. In another poem, he sees god in everything from the feathers of the crow and the leaves of the trees and enjoys bliss in everything.
Wordsworth says in his Daffodils,
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
He recalls the sight of the flowers when he was lying on his couch and it brought him
immense pleasure.
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
So wealth, according to great souls like Bharati and Wordsworth, means the bliss brought by enjoying the beauties of nature. So we can safely assume that the vedic poets also could have this bliss in mind when they wanted wealth from the gods.
This is corroborated by other verses from the same RV. We find instances of the poets enjoying the beauties of nature and getting lost in it.
[TABLE="width: 1755"]
[TR]
[TD]मधु | वाता: | ऋतयते | मधु | क्षरन्ति | सिन्धव: | माध्वी: | न: | सन्तु | ओषधी: RV_1,90.6
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]मधु | नक्तम् | उत | उषस: | मधु-मत् | पार्थिवम् | रज: | मधु | द्यौ: | अस्तु | न: | पिता RV_1,90.7
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]मधु-मान् | न: | वनस्पति: | मधु-मान् | अस्तु | सूर्य: | माध्वी: | गाव: | भवन्तु | न: RV_1,90.8
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
For those who live righteously, sweet is the breeze, the rivers are sweet; let the herbs be sweet to us;
Our days and nights are sweet; the Earth is sweet; let the father Heaven be like nectar;
The plants and trees are sweet for us and let the Sun be pleasant to us. Let our cows be (give milk) sweet like honey;
Look at Bharati again. One of his free verse runs thus.
இவ்வுலகம் இனியது, இதிலுள்ள வான் இனிமையுடைத்து.
காற்றும் இனிது. தீ இனிது, நீர் இனிது, நிலம் இனிது.
ஞாயிறு நன்று, திங்களும் நன்று.
வானத்துச் சுடர்களெல்லாம் மிக இனியன.
மழை இனிது, மின்னல் இனிது, இடி இனிது.
கடல் இனிது, மலை இனிது, காடு இனிது.
ஆறுகள் இனியன.
Here is a piece of RV translated by me into Tamil, where the poet enjoys the dawn and showers encomiums on her.
உலகிற்கு ஒளிதரும் உஷையெனும் நங்கை
இனிய சொற்களின் எழில்மிகு தலைவி
பல நிறப் பாங்குடன் ஒளிர்வது கண்டோம்,
கதவினைத் திறந்து, காட்டினள் செல்வம்.
ஒவ்வொரு உயிரையும் விழித்தெழச் செய்வாள்
எனக்கு முன்னர் எத்தனையோ மாந்தர்
எண்ணிலா விடியல் கண்டு களித்து
எங்கோ போயினர், இன்று அவர் இல்லை.
உஷையின் ஒளி கண்டு உள்ளம் மகிழ்ந்திட
இன்று கிடைத்தது எமக்கொரு வாய்ப்பு.
புதிய மக்கள் நாளை வருவர்
விடியலின் எழிலை வியந்து போற்றுவர்.
So wealth demanded by the vedic rishis could be the bliss of enjoying the beauties of nature. It requires an appreciating mind which the poets were blessed with.
