Vedic Scriptures of India

25. Brihadaranyaka of Shukla Yajurveda:
This text forms the 17th book of the Kanva Shatapatha Brahmana, and the 14th book of the Madhyandina Shatapatha Brahmana. The initial 2 Prapathakas in the Madhyandina version deal with the Pravargya rite, and the last 6 constitute the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad, whose details are beyond the scope of this webpage. In the Kanva version, the Pravargya portions are present separately as kanda XVI.

26. Maitrayaniya Aranyaka:
Since this text is identical with the Maitrayaniya Upanishad in 7 Prapathakas, its discussion is beyond the scope of the present webpage.

27. Katha Aranyaka:
It comprises of 3 Prapathakas, of which II and III largely deal with the Pravargya rite.

28. Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana:
This text is also known as the Talavakara Aranyaka and is the only extant Aranyaka of Samaveda. In the introduction to his commentary on the Kena Upanishad, Shankaracharya states that the Upanishad forms the beginning of the 9th chapter of Brahmana of that Sakha. In the extant manuscripts, the Kena Upanishad forms the 10th Anuvaka of the Upanishad Brahmana section, which occurs in the 4th Adhyaya of the Jaiminiya Brahmana proper. The JUB is then followed by the Jaiminiya Arsheya Brahmana. This Aranyaka deals with the esoteric meanings of various Samans, and also deals with concepts that are later found in Tantric Hinduism. It also gives spiritual interpretations of several Rigvedic mantras.

F. Age of the Samhitas and the Brahmanas:
The estimate of the modern historians and archealogists fluctuates quite wildly from 1200 BC to 2500 BC
As per the time details given in the scriptures the following is noteworthy:
6.3. The Vedic Units of Time – Macro level
SATYUG 4,32,000 YEARS X 4 = 17,28,000 YEARS
TRETA 4,32,000 YEARS X 3 = 12,96,000 YEARS
DWAPAR 4,32,000 YEARS X 2 = 8,64,000 YEARS
KALIYUG 4,32,000 YEARS X 1 = 4,32,000 YEARS
1 MAHAYUG (GRAND TOTAL OF ALL THE YUGAS) = 4,320,000 YEARS
71 MAHAYUG = 43,20,000X71 = 1 MANVANTAR
1 MANVANTAR = 30,6720,000 YEARS
14 MANVANTAR = 4,294,080,000 YEARS
(There are 14 Manvantars)
The earth remains submerged in the water for the period of 8,64,000 years i.e. half the number of Satyug, before the start of each Manvantar, it also remains submerged in the water for the same number of years, i.e. 8,64,000 years, after the completion of each Manvantar.
So in 14 Manvantars the number of years
17,28,000 x 15 = 2,59,20,000
(Number of year in Satyug)
+ 14 Manvantar = 42,9, 40,80,000
1 Kalpa = 4320,000,000 years
One day & night of Brahma = 4,320,000 Mahayug x 100 = 4,320,00,000 years
Since the one moment in the life of Brahma is considered to be of our 100years, therefore the life of Brahma in 100 years will be
4,32,00,00,000 x 360 x 100 = 1,555,200,000,000 years

The Present Age of Cosmos according to the Vedic System is as follows:

There are 14 Manvantaras altogether. The present period is passing through the seventh Manvantara called Vaivaswata Manvantara.
One Manvantara consists of 71 Mahayugs, out of which 27 Mahayugs have already passed. We are passing through the first phase of the Kali Yuga which itself is the third Yuga of the 28th Mahayuga and which has come after the passing of Satya Yuga, Treta and Dwapar Yuga.
The time period of Manvantara (exclusive period, when the earth is submerged in water, in the beginning and in the end) = 306,720,000 years
1) Multiplying these years by 6 = 30,67,20,000 x 6 (Because we are in the midst of 7th Manvantara, of the Svetvaaraah Kalpa and 6 Manvantaras have already passed) = 1,8,0,300,000 years
The time period of Pralaya consists of 17,28,000 years since 7 Pralayas have passed, after the end of 6th Kalpa and before the beginning of 7th Kalpa, so 17,28,000x 7 = 12,096,000 years
Adding we have:
1,840,300,000 + 120 96 000 + 1,852,396,000 years
Therefore, after 1,85,24,16,000 years ‘VAIVASVAT MANVANTARA’ has started.

2) 27 Mahayugs with each Mahayuga consisting of 43,20,000 years. 43,20,000 x 27 = 116,640,000 years have passed
Total = 1,96,90,56,000 years
3) Now the time period of Kali Yuga in the 28th Yuga =
Time period of Satya Yuga = 17,28,000
Time period of Treta = 12,96,000
Time period of Dwapar = 8,64,000
TOTAL = 38,88,000
Since all the above three Yugas have already passed, it means that after 38,88,000 years, Kali Yuga came into existence.
4) Kali Yuga started on Bhadrapada, Krishnapaksha -13th day, in Vyatipaat yoga at midnight, in the Aashlesha Nakshatra and the age of the Kali Yuga has been fixed as 5101 years as till date that is Vikram Samvat 2057 = Shaka 1922 = 2000 AD.
Sum of all the three Yugs = the Sum of 27 Mahayugas and Manvantar + the time period of Kali Yuga till date.

Kalpa consist of 4,32,00,00,000 years and out of these 1,97,29,49,101 years have passed. Therefore, the earth’s existence, according to the calculations devised by our ancient sages, comes up to 1,97,29,49,101 years till date. It is interesting to note that according to scientific calculations, the age of the cosmos is estimated between 15 and 20 billion years.

G. Methods of Interpreting the Vedic texts:

Numerous methods have been used in ancient and modern times to interpret Vedic texts. A resume of the same is given below. Note that since the Vedic literature itself is heterogeneous, there isn’t a single method that is best suited for interpreting the entire Vedic literature. For instance, if the hymn in question is merely a praise of an act of charity, it is futile to impart a spiritual meaning to it. So also, if the hymn reflects a spiritual method, it is inaccurate to force a ‘nomadic culture’ meaning into it just to satisfy the requirements of AIT. There is no sharp boundary between these different methods of interpretation, all the more because many of these are indispensable even for the other methods of interpretation. For instance, no one can ignore Vedic grammar while translation Vedic hymns. The various methods of interpretation of Vedic texts are as follows -

• Yajnika School: This is a ritualistic interpretation of the Vedas and is exemplified to a great extent in the Brahmana texts themselves. In certain cases, it is seen that the ritual employment of a mantra has no relationship to its actual meaning. Rather, the mantra seems to have been rubricated into the ritual merely on account of the presence of a word or two that have a phonemic similarity to a word that would correctly describe an object or an act connected with the ritual. It must be noted however that the employment of the Vedic Samhitas in rituals has actually contributed to their preservation down the ages. Moreover, the details of the ritual acts in the Brahmanas often give some measure of the cultural background and the material aspects of ancient India. Last, the Samhitas of Yajurveda and Samaveda are in reality liturgically arranged for aid in ritual performances. After the Samhitas and the Brahmanas, we have another vast corpus of literature called the Kalpasutra, which describes the minutiae of Vedic rituals in a systematic and a comprehensive manner. The Kalpasutras are considered in a separate section. Most of the extant commentaries of the Vedas follow this technique although they draw elements from other modes of interpretation as well.

• Nairukta School: This is the etymological method of interpretation of words or phrases occurring in the Vedic mantras and its origins can be traced to the Brahmana text themselves. The text par excellence of this mode of interpretation is the Nirukta of Yaska, which itself is a commentary on a collection (called Nighantu) of difficult words occurring in the Vedas. The Nirukta of Yaska was apparently preceded by a dozen works belonging to this genre as he quotes them profusely. Nirukta is considered one of the 6 Vedangas of the Veda along with grammar, astronomy, phonetics, ritual and prosody.

• Dharmashastric School: In his Nirukta, Yaska quotes the opinion of some who derive legal instructions from certain verses of the Rigveda. For instance, in Nirukta 3.3, he observes that some interpret Rigveda 3.31.1 to mean that daughters can also inherit the property of their father whereas some state that only sons are eligible for inheritance.

• Naidana School: Nothing much is known about this school of interpretation although a text called the Nidana Sutra by Patanjali exists. From the citations of their views in the Nirukta of Yaska, it appears that they were closely allied to the Aitihasika school of interpretation with the caveat that they paid more attention to the original context of or the cause for the composition of Vedic hymns.

• Mimamsaka School: The followers of this school believe that all the Vedic texts should be treated as a harmonious whole, that the correct import of the hymns can be understood if we consider the context, the relationship of various sentences and of words in those sentences; if we consider parallel passages in various texts; and if we interpret passages after determining their central import. Unfortunately, the method is mostly restricted to the interpretation of Brahmanas, Aranyakas and the Upanishads, as exemplified in the Purva and Uttara Mimansa Sutras (and also numerous commentaries on them). The Vedas are considered eternal, uncreated Word, free of any references to temporal events and free of defects associated with human compositions.

• Aitihasika School: The followers of this school of interpretation hold that each and every mantra or hymn is related to an Itihasa i.e., a traditional account of ancient events, and accordingly they interpret the concerned hymn or verses in conjunction with that Itihasa. For instance, Yaska narrates an Itihasa connected with the Nadi Sukta (Rigveda III.33) wherein Sage Visvamitra is said to have addressed the rivers with the concerned mantras whereupon they allowed him to cross over. The Brahmana texts contain numerous such Itihasas and the now-lost Shatyayani Brahman is often quoted by the commentators of Rigveda for these Itihasas.