Question about The Vedas, The Upanishads

[handy guy]

Originally Posted by Jainarayan

I don't know how far the o.p. has gotten in the quest to read translations of the Vedas, but I wouldn't bother. The Vedas are not where the philosophical and theological foundations of Sanātana Dharma will be found. You'll find that in the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Puranas, the Tamil writings, the Itihasas. The Vedas are largely poetry, hymns, praises to various gods (stotras, suktas, stutis), rituals. Just my opinion, so no one need get butthurt.

It would be foolish indeed to delineate or suggest limitations on where another person will. may or may not get spiritual inspiration and how the Spirit moves and works through that...for where is Om not?

[Jainarayan]

Originally Posted by Shivani Devi

Actually, I couldn't agree more.

The only Veda I read more than once and actually cared about was the Rig Veda and pretty much only because of the Gayatri and Mahamrityunjaya Mantras - ...

I read about a dozen of the major Upanishads (some are still part of the Vedas prior to Yajur Veda IIRC) and most notably, the Katha, Kena, Isha and Chhandogya Upanishads which are probably the most notable of the Upanishads with the inclusion of the Mandukya Upanishad as well......

I cherry-pick from the Rig Veda... the Sri Sukta, Nasadiya Sukta, Purusha Sukta, etc., the Shanti Mantras, the Gayatri and Mahamrityunjaya Mantras, etc. Basically the more well-known prayers and hymns... Rig Veda-Lite. I've got a couple of copies of some of the Upanishads, the more well-known ones. Two of my new favorite slokas are

Īśāvāsyam idaṃ sarvaṃ
yatkiñca jagatyāṃ jagat |
tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā
mā gṛdhaḥ kasyas viddhanam ||

‘Whatever there is changeful in this ephemeral world, all that must be enveloped by the Lord. By this renunciation, support yourself. Do not covet the wealth of anyone.’ Īśopaniṣad 1

na tatra sūryo bhāti na candra tārakaṃ
nemā vidyuto bhānti kuto'yam agniḥ |
tameva bhāntam-anu-bhāti sarvaṃ
tasya bhāsā sarvam-idaṃ vibhāti ||

“The sun does not shine there; nor do the moon and the stars, nor do these lightnings shine. So what to speak of this fire? Him shining, all shine after. All this shines by his light.” - Kāṭhopaniṣad 5.15 I chant this in my daily puja when offering aarti: oṁ śrī kṛṣṇāya namaḥ mahānirājanam samarpayāmi

So yeah, much of the Vedas and Upanishads have practical applications but much of them are intellectual and philosophical. My thing is bhakti, philosophy tends to make my brain bleed.

[Jainarayan]

Originally Posted by handy guy

It would be foolish indeed to delineate or suggest limitations on where another person will. may or may not get spiritual inspiration and how the Spirit moves and works through that...for where is Om not?

I'm suggesting that the Vedas are not a good place to start. One has to walk before one can run. I daresay most Hindus know of the Vedas and their contents from the temple chanting of pujaris.

Take the Mantra Pushpam of the Yajur Veda for example:
oṁ yo apām pushpam veda
pushpavān prajāvān pashumān bhavathi
chandramāvā apām pushpam
pushpavān prajāvān pashumān bhavathi
ya evam veda yo apām āyathanam veda
āyathanavān bhavathi

agnirvā apām āyathanam āyathanavān bhavathi
yo agner āyathanam veda āyathanavān bhavathi
āpovā agner āyathanam āyathanavān bhavathi
ya evam veda yo apām āyathanam veda
āyathanavān bhavathi ...

Fire is the source of water, He who knows this,
Becomes established in himself,
Water is the source of fire,
He who knows this,
Becomes established in himself.
He who knows the source of water,
Becomes established in himself,
...

samvatsarovā apām āyathanam āyathanavān bhavathi
ya samvatsarasya āyathanam veda āyathanavān bhavathi
āpovai samvatsarasya āyathanam āyathanavān bhavathi
ya evam veda yo apsunāvam prathishthithām veda
prathyeva thisthathi ...

Rainy season is the source of water,
He who knows this,
Becomes established in himself,
Water is the source of rainy season,
He who knows this,
Becomes established in himself.
He who knows that there is a raft is available,
Becomes established in that raft.

One can learn to chant it, or memorize it for memorization's sake, but it's pretty nonsensical at face value, huh? This explanation and analysis http://gemsofupanishads.blogspot.com...planation.html is why one shouldn't read the Vedas at face value, or with which to start learning about Hinduism... what is their value if they're not understood?