Thus Spake the Divine - The Original Form of Vedas

Thus Spake the Divine

The Original Form of Vedas

In this chapter, Poojyasri Maha Periyava justifies the reason for Vedas being in Sanskrit language and removes the conflict that exists between Tamil and Sanskrit in certain quarters.

It is really a sad state of affairs that people confront each other saying that one’s own language is the best compared to other languages. Language is just a tool for communication. It cannot remain the same across regions. Each group of people might speak a different language or a different dialect of the same language. There would be different languages in each country. It is, hence, totally meaningless to get into a fight on the matter of language saying “this is my language”, “my language is the best one”, “your language is inferior to my language” and so on.

There can be a division in language by way of, say, known language and unknown language. Fighting on account of language is just not justifiable. If someone asks, “Do we need Sanskrit for the sake of language”, I would as well say No! However, since Vedas, which are the root of our religion, and all our Shastras are in Sanskrit, that is why, for the purpose of protecting our Vedas and religion, I say that we should protect Sanskrit as a language.

Which is superior, Tamil or Sanskrit? There is a verse in Tiruvalluva Malai in which the poet says, “I gave a deep thought to this. Both Sanskrit and Tamil are superior in their own ways. The Vedas are in the Sanskrit and Tirukkural is in Tamil. Tirukkural is also a form of Vedas in Tamil, which is known as Tamil Marai. (We have seen about the etymology of the term ‘Marai” in the last chapter).

If there is something equivalent to Vedas that does not exist in Tamil, then we can say that Sanskrit is a superior language. Tirukkural is equivalent to Vedas and hence both the languages are equal in their status”

The poet says that Sanskrit can, however, be considered as a superior language over Tamil because Vedas have been written in Sanskrit. But one may say, “So what? We can get Vedas translated in another language!” But translation or interpretation of some literary work from the original language in another language may damage the essence of the original version of the subject.

For example, there would be an apt word to connote something in one language for which, while translating, there may not be an equivalent word in the other language. The exact meaning and interpretation conveyed by that particular word may lose its essence if it is translated in another language. The translator also translates the subject based on his level of knowledge on the subject matter.

Hence, the translation would only remain at that translator’s knowledge level. Further, there are also many translations of a particular subject. Hence, a discerning reader has to refer to the original version to understand the exact context and meaning of a word.

That is why I am of the strong view that Vedas must be kept in their original form. Keeping the original form of Vedas, many scholars, with their level of knowledge on the subject, have interpreted Vedas in different languages. Since the original Vedas remain un-translated, different points of views have been inferred from the same.

That is why Vedas must be preserved in their fullest form and it should be ensured that the new points of views interpreted from the original Vedas do not take the root of a new religion. That is why all Vedas have remained confined under one common religion, which is known as the Vedic Religion.

This article is a snippet from the Book Thus Spake the Divine, is available online at www.giri.in and across Giri Trading Agency Private Limited, A chain of Speciality Stores dealing in all kinds of products needed in Indian Culture and Tradition.

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