Vaidiks & Vedic Religion

[Vishal Agarwal]

----Original Message Follows----
From: Samar Abbas <abbas at IOPB.RES.IN>
Subject: Re: Vaidiks & Vedic Religion
Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 12:56:42 +0530

Mr. Abbas Wrote
Does the term `traditional Vaidiks',
mean that these people were not Arya Samajis ?

Vishal replies:
No, they were not Arya Samajis. For your information however, the founder of
Arya Samaj, Svami Dayanand Sarasvati was an Udichya Samavedi Brahmin, but
had completed the study of Shukla (Madhyandina) Yajurveda as well as the
Purva Mimamsa in the tradtional manner by the age of 14. During his
extensive travels over Uttarapatha, he successively came across more and
more Vedic texts, as is evident when his writings are analyzed keeping in
mind the chronology. For instance, in the first Edn. of Satyartha Prakasha,
he recommends the 'Ranayaniya Sutras' under the study of Samaveda. This was
probably because one of his patrons in the earlier years was a Ranayaniya
family of Mathura. The specification 'Ranayaniya' is absent in his later
works. In his works however, he quotes only the Gobhila Grhya. He also
refers to a Saunaka sutra in the 'Samskaravidhi' and from context it is
clear that it ought to be a Grhya sutra of Samaveda. Whilst it is the
Vaitana Srauta which is called the Saunaka sutra, he obvioulsy has referred
to the Kausika sutras. Some modern scholars however opine that the Saunaka
sutra is a text available to Svamiji but extinct now (they point to the fact
that Oppert has mentioned one Saunaka Grhya sutra in his catalog).

Anyway, he has quoted some sutras from Katyayana Grhya which are not found
in the Paraskara Gryha. Two decades back, the Katyayana Gryha sutra was
published for the first time from some manuscripts obtained from Pune etc.
and all the mysterious quotations were found therein.

Another interesting thing is that he quotes the famous words "Vani bhutva
parivrajeta' etc. from Jabala Upanisad as from Satapatha Brahmana. Perhaps
he saw a manuscript of Jabala Satapatha (the Jabalas are a branch of
Vajasneyins). This is rendered probable by the fact that he spent 2 full
years in the Vindhyas- the tradition home of the Jabalas according the the
text 'Yajurvedavrksa'. We might also then point out that Bhagvatpada
Samkaracarya, who lived with his Guru in the Vindhyas for 2 years also
quotes from the Jabala Sakha.
Anyway, Svamiji had planned a visit to Madras in 1883 but he died before he
could go there. Or else, he would have encountered a much stronger Vedic
tradition there. From contemprorary (or near contemporary accounts like
those of Pt. Lekhram), we discern that he encountered traditional reciters
of Samaveda at Alwar, of Rigveda at Jaipur, of Yajurveda/Rigveda at
Anupshahr in UP etc. I donot know if any recitors survive in these cities
today.

Regards,

Vishal





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