Mantra: Yajur Veda 32.15
mEDhaam mE varuNO dadaatu
O Varuna , one who is worthy of selection as a master (sachidaananda)! Give me the capacity to grasp things quickly
mEDhaam Dhaata dadaatu mE
O Dhaata, one who upholds and supports us (sachidaananda)! Give me the capacity to grasp things quickly
Synopsis:
mEdhaa
Root: mEDhaa (aashu grahaNE) = capacity of a person to grasp quickly
The fast we are in realizing truth and understanding the human life, we are better off.
varuNO = one who is worthy to be selected as our master = sacchidaananda
Root: vRung (varaNE) = worthy
God is:
Omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient
Dhaata = = one who upholds and supports us = sacchidaananada
Root: Dudain (dhaaraNa pOshaNa yOhO) = one who upholds and supports us
We are praying to sacchidaananda for mEdha
What is prayer?
Praarthana vai sankalpa. Prayer must get translated into determination and then into action (practice). Once done, our prayers will definitely gets answered.
What are we praying for? mEdha
How to get it? Through practice.
I.e. anyone can improve their mEdha shakti. Some may be fast. Some may be slow. But everyone can improve their mEdha shakti through practice and effort.
There are a set of suukas called mEdha suuka
Shraddha = belief in truth (facts) = commitment to realize truth
mEdha should get converted into shraddha
Shrat = satyam = truth
Placing our belief in truth after analyzing the truth (through mEdha) is shraddha. At the end of mEdha, it should get converted into shraddha.
shraddha and mEdha is important together.
Another Mantra: Atharva 19.64.1
shraddAncha mEdhaancha jaatavEdAha prayacchatu
Let the omniscient bestow on us shraddhA and mEdhA
Vedas promote logical reasoning before believing
Most religions say “believe”. Vedas promotes questioning. This analytical power is mEdha. Question, analyze, experiment. Now after doing all that, then you believe in truth.
Vedas say “Discover in truth”.
Belief in truth (shraddha) comes at the end of our discovery in truth (mEdha)
Another Complimentary Mantra: Rig 10.53.6 manurbhava
Think and Act (don't blindly follow)
Be someone who is capable of thinking, analyzing, experimenting, discovering
Root: manu (gnyAnE) = knowledge
Mantra: Yajur Veda 33.14
priyasaH santu suurayaH
Let all people who are noble and knowledgeable be liked by us and let us be liked by them
In other words = be in good company
Synopsis:
priyasaH = those who are liked
Root: pring (priiraNE) = to like
suurayaH = noble people
santu = be in association with
Be in good company
When we are in good company, when we like them, when they like us, we will become like them. We will also become good. The combination becomes perfect. Whatever we get becomes intelligence, nobility. The noble people (suurayaH) are knowledgeable as well as they practice what they preach. They are capable of moving ahead. They take along with them so many other people. Being in company of them helps us move ahead as well.
Show me your friends. I’ll tell you who you are
The company we keep, the friends we make reveals what type of person I am. In accordance with that, we shall be in the company of people who are noble and wise. Let us like them. Let them like us.
Another Mantra: jaanataam sangamE mahi
Let us be in the company of those who are wise and noble.
Mantra: Yajur Veda 25.15
dEvaanaam sakhyam upasEdimaa vayam
We shall be in close proximity (be very near to) those who are noble and great (learned)
There are several mantras in the Vedas like this.
Feature of the Vedas is that it is complementary to one another. NEver contradictory.
Mantra: Yajur Veda 33.32
tvam varuNa pashyasi
O varuNa (sacchidananda)! You are the knower of all (we cannot hide anything from you)
Synopsis:
varuNa = one who is worthy to be selected as our master = sacchidaananda
Root: vRung (varaNE) = worthy
Sacchidaananda = sat (entity) + chit (consciousness) + aananda (always in bliss)
pashyasi = to see
Sacchidaananda = One who is omnipresent. He is everywhere. He can see everything. He knows everything.
Sacchidaananda = One who is omnipotent. One who is capable of doing anything without the need of anything else (like a tool).
We (satchit) are not like that. We need a shariira indria manas to be active. Without the shariira indriya manas I am in a dormant state.
Sacchidaananda is capable of seeing anything without eyes. Hear anything without ears. KNowing anything without a brain.
Another Complimentary Mantra: Rig 4.16.2
dvou sannishadhya yanmantrayEtE
rAjA tadvEda varuNastritIyaH
Meaning:
Even if two people discuss something in absolute secrecy, the third person (sachidananda) already knows it
Speaks about the omnipresence of sachidananda
If we chant this Mantra, we get the feeling and know that God is in us always. Then, the possibility of us doing something wrong becomes lesser.
Today, we fear to tell a lie in a place of worship. When we are outside we don't feel His presence. This Mantra teaches us that there are no boundaries for this god.
This is a just entity. If you do well, you are rewarded. If you do bad, you will get the punishment. There is no escape from this saccidananda because he is one who knows everything.
kanakadaasa Story
When he was in a Gurukula, his teacher summons all disciples and gives each one a banana. Task is to eat the banana in such a place where no one will know it. All disciples disperse and came back. Each one tells where they ate it (in a forest, behind a door, etc.)
Kanakadaasa did not eat it. He says he could not find a place where saccidaananda cannot see.
Once we believe this, we will strive to be perfect and thus contribute to the welfare of the society as ideal citizens.
Mantra: Yajur Veda 33.35
sarvam tat indra tEvahE
The whole universe is under the control of that entity who is the wealthiest (sacchidaananda)
Synopsis:
sarvam tat = everything
indra = one who is the wealthiest = sacchidaananda
tEvahE = is under your control
There is a system established by sacchidaananda. Within the system, we are free to operate.
Freedom definition = kartum akartum anyatA kartum shaktiH
The power to do, not to do, or to do in a different way
God will never interfere in your freedom. Then how is everything in His control? The rules of the game is in His control. We are all under the control of the rules.
We are bound by the framework. But within the framework, we are free to do, not do, do it another way. But the framework itself, the system itself is under the control of the establisher of the system (sacchidaananda)