[Aw1HhC0m]

27 Similes in One Vedic Hymn!

By London Swaminathan



Rig Veda, the oldest religious book in the world, has beautiful poetry in it. The Vedas are records of man’s earliest thoughts on God and philosophical matters. When the Vedic seers wanted to convey their thoughts they used lot of similes as well. Vedas can be interpreted symbolically, metaphorically and literally. Hindus believe that the RISHIS (seers) have heard it (SRUTI) and not composed it. Westerners think 400+ poets composed it. Whatever may be the interpretation, nobody can deny the poetic content in it.


Vedas are dated 1500 BC by Max Muller. Hindus believe it they are eternal-timeless. Whatever the date may be, no one can deny that they were the earliest records. The wonder of wonders is that it was not written, but passed by word of mouth from one generation to another. No book in the word has this credit. It was not a single poem or hymn. It was huge-1028 hymns, 10,552 rcs or couplets, 4,32,00 syllables. Veda Patasalas (Vedic schools) in South India teach the Vedas the same way as it was done on the banks of Saraswati, Sindhu and Ganges thousands of years ago. It is a literary marvel- greater than the Seven Wonders of the World.


Hindus called the Vedas- Word of God. Veda means knowledge. God revealed this knowledge for the greatest good of mankind. Otherwise who will sing,

“May all be happy and rid of diseases
May all have a happy and harmonious life
May nobody ever be afflicted with suffering”

When people in other parts of the earth were killing each other or the animals for food and fighting for their survival, Hindu seers were praying for the welfare of the humanity. But they were not arrogant. They also said,
“Let noble thoughts come to us from all directions”.


Kalidasa, the classical Sanskrit poet, used more similes than any other poet in the world (Please read my post AMAZING STATISTICS ABOUT KALIDASA). But the root of his similes lies in the Vedas. If a society has to understand complicated similes they must be highly educated. If a poet has to use so many similes in a single hymn, he must be a great poet. A lot of later day poets do it only when they sing about a woman. Men become poetical when they see beautiful women! But here one poet by name Grtsadama sings about the Vedic Twins Asvini Devas. It is a spontaneous outburst of his thoughts. It is gushing out like water from a natural spring or an artesian well. I have given below Griffith’s translation of RV. II-39



गरावाणेव तदिदथं जरेथे गर्ध्रेव वर्क्षं निधिमन्तमछ |
बरह्माणेव विदथ उक्थशासा दूतेव हव्या जन्या पुरुत्रा ||
परातर्यावाणा रथ्येव वीराजेव यमा वरमा सचेथे |
मेने इव तन्वा शुम्भमाने दम्पतीव करतुविदा जनेषु ||
शर्ङगेव नः परथमा गन्तमर्वाक छफाविव जर्भुराणातरोभिः |
चक्रवाकेव परति वस्तोरुस्रार्वाञ्चा यातं रथ्येव शक्रा ||
नावेव नः पारयतं युगेव नभ्येव न उपधीव परधीव |
शवानेव नो अरिषण्या तनूनां खर्गलेव विस्रसः पातमस्मान ||
वातेवाजुर्या नद्येव रीतिरक्षी इव चक्षुषा यातमर्वाक |
हस्ताविव तन्वे शम्भविष्ठा पादेव नो नयतं वस्यो अछ ||
ओष्ठाविव मध्वास्ने वदन्ता सतनाविव पिप्यतं जीवसेनः |
नासेव नस्तन्वो रक्षितारा कर्णाविव सुश्रुता भूतमस्मे ||
हस्तेव शक्तिमभि सन्ददी नः कषामेव नः समजतं रजांसि |
इमा गिरो अश्विना युष्मयन्तीः कष्णोत्रेणेव सवधितिं सं शिशीतम ||
एतानि वामश्विना वर्धनानि बरह्म सतोमं गर्त्समदासो अक्रन |
तानि नरा जुजुषाणोप यातं बर्हद ... || (RV 2-39)



ghrāvāṇeva tadidathaṃ jarethe ghṛdhreva vṛkṣaṃ nidhimantamacha |
brahmāṇeva vidatha ukthaśāsā dūteva havyā janyā purutrā ||
prātaryāvāṇā rathyeva vīrājeva yamā varamā sacethe |
mene iva tanvā śumbhamāne dampatīva kratuvidā janeṣu ||
śṛṅgheva naḥ prathamā ghantamarvāk chaphāviva jarbhurāṇātarobhiḥ |
cakravākeva prati vastorusrārvāñcā yātaṃ rathyeva śakrā ||
nāveva naḥ pārayataṃ yugheva nabhyeva na upadhīva pradhīva |
śvāneva no ariṣaṇyā tanūnāṃ khṛghaleva visrasaḥ pātamasmān ||
vātevājuryā nadyeva rītirakṣī iva cakṣuṣā yātamarvāk |
hastāviva tanve śambhaviṣṭhā pādeva no nayataṃ vasyo acha ||
oṣṭhāviva madhvāsne vadantā stanāviva pipyataṃ jīvasenaḥ |
nāseva nastanvo rakṣitārā karṇāviva suśrutā bhūtamasme ||
hasteva śaktimabhi sandadī naḥ kṣāmeva naḥ samajataṃ rajāṃsi |
imā ghiro aśvinā yuṣmayantīḥ kṣṇotreṇeva svadhitiṃ saṃ śiśītam ||
etāni vāmaśvinā vardhanāni brahma stomaṃ ghṛtsamadāso akran |
tāni narā jujuṣāṇopa yātaṃ bṛhad ... || (RV 2-39)



Rig Veda Hymn xxxix (RV 2-39)-Asvins

1.Sing like the two press-stones for this same purpose; come like two misers to the tree of treasure;
Like two laud-singing Brahmans in the assembly, like the folk envoys called in many places.
2. Moving at morning like two car borne heroes, like to a pair of goats ye come electing;
Like two fair dames embellishing their bodies, like a wise married pair among the people.
3. Like to a pair of horns come first to usward, like to a pair of hoofs with rapid motion;
Come like two Cakavas in the grey of morning, come like two chariot wheels at dawn, ye Mighty;
4.bear us across the rivers like two vessels, save as ye were yokes, naves, spokes and fellies.
Be like two dogs that injure not our bodies; preserve us, like two crutches, that we fall not.
5. Like two winds ageing not, two confluent rivers, come with quick vision like two eyes before us.
Come like two hands most helpful to the body, and guide us like two feet to what is precious.
6. even as two lips that with the mouth speak honey, even as two breasts that nourish our existence,
Like two nostrils that protect our being, be to us as our ears that hear distinctly.
7. like two hands give ye us increasing vigour; like heaven and earth constrain the airy regions
Asvins, these hymns that struggle to approach you, sharpen ye like an axe upon a whetstone.
8. These prayers of ours exalting you, O Asvins, have the Grtsamadas, for a laud, made ready.
Welcome them, O ye Heroes, and come hither. Loud may we speak with brave men, in assembly.


When we read it, we have to remember that Homer started to write the first book in Greek (Illiad) nearly 700 years after this. Tamils started to write their first book (Tolkappiyam) 1500 years after this. Moses said his ten commandments only 500 years after this. Unlike the primitive similes in the Gilgamesh we see high quality here in the Vedas.
Please contact swami_48@yahoo.com or Swaminathan.santanam@gmail.com for more details.
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[fameintatenly]

Sir,

Very interesting.

[kKFB1BxX]

Thanks.There are lots of interesting things and mysteries in the four Vedas.
I am writing more articles.
Keep in touch.

[Desflahd]

Sir,

thank u sir, keep going.

[CarrieSexy]

Yes . There are numerous beautiful similies in RV. Here is one.
आध्रेण चित् तद्वेकं चकार सिंह्यम् चित् पेत्वेना जघान |
अवस्रक्तीर्वेश्यावृश्चदिन्द्र: प्रायच्छद्विश्वा भोजना सु-दासे // RV_7,18.17 //
E'en with the weak he wrought this matchless exploit: e'en with a goat he did to death a lion.
He pared the pillar's angles with a needle. Thus to Sudas Indra gave all provisions.


On reading this one is reminded of Bharathi’s verses in Panchali Sapatham.
நரி வகுத்த வலையினில் தெரிந்து சிங்கம்
நழுவி விழும் சிற்றெறும்பால் யானை சாகும்
வரிமிகுத்த உடற்புலியைப் புழுவும் கொல்லும்
........

[Clilmence]

And see this one. In just two lines, there are four similes. RV 3-45-3

गम्भीरान् उदधीनिव क्रतुम् पुष्यसि गा:-इव।
प्र सु-गोपा: यवसम् धेनव: यथा ह्रदम् कुल्या:- इव आशत // RV_3,45.3 //

Like pools of water deep and full, like kine thou cherishest thy might;
Like the milch-cows that go well-guarded to the mead, like water-brooks that reach the lake.

Indra is praised in this mantra. He cherishes pious works like rivers filling the seas and like the cowherds filling the needs of his cows. He goes to such kratus or pious works so eagerly just as the cows seek their pasture and like the rivulets seeking the lakes.

[Maymayfor]

Dear Vikrama
Thanks for giving the similes form the Vedas.
I have read books on Similes from Upanishads,Similes fro Valmiki Ramayana
and similes from Mahabharata.So far I haven't come across any book on similes in the Vedas.
If you know anything please let me know. I will ask the SOAS (University of London)library to buy it.
I know it is voluminous work.

[nanyaHgoc]

Dear Swaminathan,
I do not know of any book on similes of Veda. While studying Rig Veda, I was impressed by the numerous similes in the couplets. Since I am studying it from another point of view, I am unable to spare much time on it. Wish some one took up a project to collect all the similes, classify them and present in the form of a book.

[JonnTEN]

Look at this simile. The praises from the worshipper to Indra flow spontaneously and in plenty. Like the stream going down a declivity, they rush sppedily.
प्र-वत: न ऊर्मि: गिर: ब्रह्माणि नि-युत: धवन्ते | // RV_6,47.14 //


We all know that life is a mixed bag of pleasures and pains. They come alternately. As Thiruvalluvar says, what follows grief is not the same. Who knows the ways of the God? He degrades some and exalts others. At one time he gives pleasures. At the next he gives pains.

Every religion speaks of it. The bible says, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Quran says “O Allah, You give sovereignty to whomever You will and You take it back from whomever You will. You exalt whomever You will, and You abase whomever You will.”

Our own Tamil poem வெற்றிவேற்கை says,

குடைநிழலிருந்து குஞ்சரம் ஊர்ந்தோர் நடை மெலிந்து ஓரூர் நண்ணினும் நண்ணுவர்
அறத்திடு பிச்சை கூவி இரப்போர் அற்றைப் பொழுதே அரசாளினும் ஆளுவர்

RV describes this alternate changes of fortune with a simple but effective simile.

क: ईम् स्तवत् क: पृणात् क: यजाते यत् उग्रम् इत् मघ-वा विश्वहा अवेत् |
पादौ इव प्र-हरन् अन्यम्-अन्यम् कृणोति पूर्वम् अपरम् शचीभि: // RV_6,47.15 //

Who can adequately praise, satisfy, worship you, Indra? As the back foot goes forward and the front is made the follower, you make people remain in front or back.