Late Sh.Brahm Datt Bharati in his book 'Max Muller A lifelong Masquerade' has exposed the inside story of a secular Christian missionary who masqueraded all his lifetime from behind the mask of literature and philology and mortaged his pen, intellect and scholarship to wreck our great tradition . I agree that there was a transformation in Prof.Mux Muller's views at the fag end of his life as is evident from his publication 'India: What can it teach us'. It seems that this change in mindset of Max Muller was as a result of exchange of views on the Vedic texts between Swami Dayanand and Max Muller. However, by this time damage had already been done since Max Muller's exegesis and translation of the Rigveda were already out containing for example satanic definition like henotheism coined by him for the Vedic religion. 'India: What can it teach us' did not replace Max Muller's reprehensible portions of his earlier works and the same are still reported to be part of some of the educational courses.
The double game of Prof.Max Muller is evident from the letter he wrote
on 16th December, 1968 to Duke of Argyll "The ancient religion of India is doomed and if Christianity does not step in whose fault will it be"(Life and letters of Friedrich Max Muller). In his book 'Aryavarta - The Original Habitat of Aryans' Swami Vidyananda Saraswati(Ex-Fellow Punjab University) has further quoted a letter written by Max Muller to his wife "This edition of mine and the translation of the Veda will hereafter tell to a great extent on the fate of India. It is the root of their religion and to show them what the root is, I feel sure, is the only way of uprooting all that has sprung from it during the last three thousand years."
Swami Dayanand in his book "Rigvedadi Bhashya Bhumika" as an illustration has quoted some of the gross misinterpretations of the Vedic hymns done by Max Muller. With regard to the Sanskrit scholarship of Max Muller, Swamiji concludes in Satyarth Prakash "He has written only a little here and little there by seeing the commentaries written by people of this country" Swamiji also has commented upon the works of medieval age Indian scholars like Sayana, Mahidhar, Uvat, etc. Some of whom did not follow the proper methodology for interpretation of figurative language of the Vedas and in the absence of that either interpreted certain mantras in a vulgar manner or interpreted them only ritualistically thereby undermining the profound philosophy of the Vedas. Commenting upon the Vedic works of Western scholars Pt. Nardev Vedalankar, Editor of the book Shastra Navanitam(A concise study of Hindu Scriptures) pub. by Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, South Africa says "Western scholars have erred even in their expositions of the Vedas. They have given their commentaries of the Vedic texts on the basis of the classical Sanskrit instead of basing their meanings according to the methods followed by the ancient rishis. This has brought about much misunderstanding. The Nirukta book of Acharya Yaska and the Nighantu(Vedic dictionary) will be helpful for commentaries of the Vedic texts. Similarly the Brahmanas and the Shakhas(branches) of the Vedas will be also helpful for the study of the Vedic literature.
Pt.Nardev Vedalankar further states "During the middle ages intellectuals of India like Acharya Sayana, Mahidhar and Uvata wrote commentaries on the Vedas and these became the basis on which some Western writers made their commentaries. We have to bear in mind that during this period the ancient method of studying the Vedas according to the system of the Rishis had been in disuse. By then numerous sects and cults had been created. They all accepted the authenticity of the Vedas and consequently, interpreted the text of the Vedas to their advantage in such a way as to reinforce their own beliefs and principles. It is therefore not surprising that many sects sacrificed animals at Yajnas to appease their gods and justified their actions by their interpretation of the Vedic mantras. Such yajnas were never performed in ancient India."
It is for this reason Sri Aurobindo in his book "Bankim-Tilak-Dayananda" pub.by Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry (1940 Ed) in the Chapter on Dayananda and the Veda has remarked " Neither Western scholarship nor ritualistic learning has succeeded in eliminating the psychological and ethical value of the hymns, but they have both tended in different degrees to minimise it. Western scholarship minimise because they feel uneasy whenever ideas that are not primitive seem to insist on their presence in these primeval utterances; they do not hesitate openly to abandon in certain passages interpretations which they adopt in others and which are admittedly necessitated by their own philological and critical reasoning because, if admitted always, they would often involve deep and subtle psychological conceptions which cannot have occurred to primitive minds! Sayana minimises because his theory of Vedic discipline was not ethical righteousness with a moral and spiritual result but mechanical performance of ritual with a material award. But in spite of these efforts of suppression, the lofty ideas of the Veda still reveal themselves in strange contrast to its alleged burden of fantastic naturalism or dull ritualism. The Vedic godheads are constantly hymned as Masters of Wisdom, Power, Purity, purifiers, healers of grief and evil, destroyers of sin and falsehood, warriors for the truth; constantly the Rishis pray to them for healing and purification, to be made seers of knowledge, possessors of the truth, to be upheld in the divine law, to be assisted and armed with strength, manhood and energy. Dayananda has brought this idea of the divine right and truth into the Veda; the Veda is as much and more a book of divine Law as Hebrew, Bible or Zoroastrain Avesta." "Dayananda stands justified by the substance of Veda itself, by logic and reason and by our growing knowledge of the past of mankind." Sri Aurobindo further says "In the matter of Vedic interpretation I am convinced that whatever may be the final complete interpretation, Dayananda will be honoured as the first discoverers of the right clues."
After having got the right clues and key to understand the Vedas from Swami Dayananda, I feel Vedic scholars are obliged to push ahead the task of Vedic research and Vedic etymology not only to remove misgivings and misconceptions about the Vedas but also simplification of their knowledge (without any compromise on their proper meanings) which can be used as a tool to further enrich the existing physical, social and spiritual sciences. For this it is important for scholars to put Vedas and their multi-dimensional/allegorical language in the right perspective and to truly project them as basis of our philosophy and culture. It is the considered view of eminent Vedic scholars that without adoption of the proper methodology and right approach as propounded by ancient rishies for interpretation of the Vedas, it is nearly impossible to bring out the gems of Vedic truths, nuances of Vedic thought and to understand the mysteries of Vedic symbolism. Pt.Nardev Vedalankar,therefore, rightly points out"The time has come for a rethink on the interpretation of the Vedic mantras according to the system of the sages of the ancient India. It is imperative to use the method of the ancient rishis for the interpretation of the Vedic texts in order to get the correct meaning." (Source: Shastra Navanitam - A Concise Study of Hindu Scriptures, pub.- 1981 by Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, South Africa).
The double game of Prof.Max Muller is evident from the letter he wrote
on 16th December, 1968 to Duke of Argyll "The ancient religion of India is doomed and if Christianity does not step in whose fault will it be"(Life and letters of Friedrich Max Muller). In his book 'Aryavarta - The Original Habitat of Aryans' Swami Vidyananda Saraswati(Ex-Fellow Punjab University) has further quoted a letter written by Max Muller to his wife "This edition of mine and the translation of the Veda will hereafter tell to a great extent on the fate of India. It is the root of their religion and to show them what the root is, I feel sure, is the only way of uprooting all that has sprung from it during the last three thousand years."
Swami Dayanand in his book "Rigvedadi Bhashya Bhumika" as an illustration has quoted some of the gross misinterpretations of the Vedic hymns done by Max Muller. With regard to the Sanskrit scholarship of Max Muller, Swamiji concludes in Satyarth Prakash "He has written only a little here and little there by seeing the commentaries written by people of this country" Swamiji also has commented upon the works of medieval age Indian scholars like Sayana, Mahidhar, Uvat, etc. Some of whom did not follow the proper methodology for interpretation of figurative language of the Vedas and in the absence of that either interpreted certain mantras in a vulgar manner or interpreted them only ritualistically thereby undermining the profound philosophy of the Vedas. Commenting upon the Vedic works of Western scholars Pt. Nardev Vedalankar, Editor of the book Shastra Navanitam(A concise study of Hindu Scriptures) pub. by Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, South Africa says "Western scholars have erred even in their expositions of the Vedas. They have given their commentaries of the Vedic texts on the basis of the classical Sanskrit instead of basing their meanings according to the methods followed by the ancient rishis. This has brought about much misunderstanding. The Nirukta book of Acharya Yaska and the Nighantu(Vedic dictionary) will be helpful for commentaries of the Vedic texts. Similarly the Brahmanas and the Shakhas(branches) of the Vedas will be also helpful for the study of the Vedic literature.
Pt.Nardev Vedalankar further states "During the middle ages intellectuals of India like Acharya Sayana, Mahidhar and Uvata wrote commentaries on the Vedas and these became the basis on which some Western writers made their commentaries. We have to bear in mind that during this period the ancient method of studying the Vedas according to the system of the Rishis had been in disuse. By then numerous sects and cults had been created. They all accepted the authenticity of the Vedas and consequently, interpreted the text of the Vedas to their advantage in such a way as to reinforce their own beliefs and principles. It is therefore not surprising that many sects sacrificed animals at Yajnas to appease their gods and justified their actions by their interpretation of the Vedic mantras. Such yajnas were never performed in ancient India."
It is for this reason Sri Aurobindo in his book "Bankim-Tilak-Dayananda" pub.by Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry (1940 Ed) in the Chapter on Dayananda and the Veda has remarked " Neither Western scholarship nor ritualistic learning has succeeded in eliminating the psychological and ethical value of the hymns, but they have both tended in different degrees to minimise it. Western scholarship minimise because they feel uneasy whenever ideas that are not primitive seem to insist on their presence in these primeval utterances; they do not hesitate openly to abandon in certain passages interpretations which they adopt in others and which are admittedly necessitated by their own philological and critical reasoning because, if admitted always, they would often involve deep and subtle psychological conceptions which cannot have occurred to primitive minds! Sayana minimises because his theory of Vedic discipline was not ethical righteousness with a moral and spiritual result but mechanical performance of ritual with a material award. But in spite of these efforts of suppression, the lofty ideas of the Veda still reveal themselves in strange contrast to its alleged burden of fantastic naturalism or dull ritualism. The Vedic godheads are constantly hymned as Masters of Wisdom, Power, Purity, purifiers, healers of grief and evil, destroyers of sin and falsehood, warriors for the truth; constantly the Rishis pray to them for healing and purification, to be made seers of knowledge, possessors of the truth, to be upheld in the divine law, to be assisted and armed with strength, manhood and energy. Dayananda has brought this idea of the divine right and truth into the Veda; the Veda is as much and more a book of divine Law as Hebrew, Bible or Zoroastrain Avesta." "Dayananda stands justified by the substance of Veda itself, by logic and reason and by our growing knowledge of the past of mankind." Sri Aurobindo further says "In the matter of Vedic interpretation I am convinced that whatever may be the final complete interpretation, Dayananda will be honoured as the first discoverers of the right clues."
After having got the right clues and key to understand the Vedas from Swami Dayananda, I feel Vedic scholars are obliged to push ahead the task of Vedic research and Vedic etymology not only to remove misgivings and misconceptions about the Vedas but also simplification of their knowledge (without any compromise on their proper meanings) which can be used as a tool to further enrich the existing physical, social and spiritual sciences. For this it is important for scholars to put Vedas and their multi-dimensional/allegorical language in the right perspective and to truly project them as basis of our philosophy and culture. It is the considered view of eminent Vedic scholars that without adoption of the proper methodology and right approach as propounded by ancient rishies for interpretation of the Vedas, it is nearly impossible to bring out the gems of Vedic truths, nuances of Vedic thought and to understand the mysteries of Vedic symbolism. Pt.Nardev Vedalankar,therefore, rightly points out"The time has come for a rethink on the interpretation of the Vedic mantras according to the system of the sages of the ancient India. It is imperative to use the method of the ancient rishis for the interpretation of the Vedic texts in order to get the correct meaning." (Source: Shastra Navanitam - A Concise Study of Hindu Scriptures, pub.- 1981 by Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, South Africa).
1 comments:
very helpful for a philosophy student like me. in academic circles there is a great need for the inclusion of interpretation that are based on ancient indian traditions rather than medieval and modern scholars having different aim behind their interpretation.
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