Vol. 4 · pages 141–145

130 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES “As from a fire made of moist wood various modifications of smoke proceed, so is the breathing of this great being; the Rig-Veda, the Yajurveda, the Sama-veda, the Atharv-angirases, the Itihasas, Puranas, science, the Upanishads, verses (slokas), aphorisms, comments of different kings—all these are his breathings”. There is a third explanation 1 given in the Satapatha Brahmana: “I settle thee in the ocean as they seat” Mind is the ocean. From the mind-ocean with speech for a shovel the gods dug out the triple Vedic science. Hence this verse has been uttered: ‘May the brilliant deity to-day know where they placed that offering which the gods dug out with sharp shovels. Mind is the ocean; speech is the sharp shovel; the triple Vedic science is the offering. In reference to this the verse has been uttered. He settles it in Mind”. The Taitteriya-Brahmana has three explanations to offer. It speaks of the Vedas as being derived from Prajapati. It also says Prajapati created King Soma and after him the three Vedas were created 2. This Brahmana has another explanation 3 quite unconnected with Prajapati. According to it: “Vach (speech) is an imperishable thing, and the first-born of the ceremonial, the mother of the Vedas, and the centre-point of immortality. Delighting in us, she came to the sacrifice. May the protecting goddess be ready to listen to my invocation, she whom the wise rishis, the composers of hymns, the gods, sought by austerefervour, and by laborious devotion.” To crown all this the Taitteriya Brahmana offers a third explanation. It says that the Vedas came from the beard of Prajapati. Legends regarding the origin of the Vedas are also to be found in the Upanishads. The legend recorded in the Chhandogya Upanishad is the same as that found in the Satapatha Brahmana—namely that the Rig-Veda originated from Agni, Yajus from Vayu and Sam from the Sun. The Brahad Aranyaka Upanishad which is a part of the Satapatha Brahmana, records quite a different legend. It says: “Prajapati (identified with Death, or the Devourer) is said to have produced Vach (speech), and through her, together with soul, to have created all things, including the Vedas.” “By that speech and that soul he created all things whatsoever, rich, yajush, and saman texts, metres, sacrifices, creatures, and animals. The three Vedas are (identifiable with) these three things (speech, mind and breath). Speech is the Rig-veda, mind the Yajur-veda, and breath the Sama-veda.” 1 Muir I pp. 9-10. 2 Muir I p. 8. 3 Ibid. I p. 10.

131APPENDIX I Coming to the Smritis there are two theories as to the origin of the Vedas to be found in the Manu Smriti. In one place it is said that the Vedas were created by Brahma: “He (Brahma) in the beginning fashioned from the worlds of the Veda the several names, functions and separate conditions of all (creatures). That Lord also created the subtle host of active and living deities, and of Sadhyas, and eternal sacrifice, he drew forth from Agni, from Vayu, and from Surya, the triple eternal Veda, distinguished as Rich, Yajush, and Saman.” In another place he seems to accept the story of Prajapati being the originator of the Vedas as would be evident from the following: “Prajapati also milked out of the three Vedas the letters a, u and m, together with the words bhuh, bhuvah and svar. The same supreme Prajapati also milked from each of the three Vedas one of the (three) portions of the text called savitri (or gayatri), beginning with the word tat …….. The three great imperishable particles (bhuh, bhuvah, svar ) preceded by om, and the gayatri of three lines, are to be regarded as the mouth of Brahma”. It is also interesting to note what the Puranas have to say about the origin of the Vedas. The Vishnu Purana says: “From his eastern mouth Brahma formed the gayatri, the rich verses, the trivrit, the samarathantara, and of sacrifices, the agnishtoma. From his southern mouth he created the yajush verses the trishtubh metre, the panchadasa stome, the vrihat-saman and the ukthya. From his western mouth he formed the saman verses, the jagati metre, the saptadasa-stome, the vairupa, and the atiratra. From his northern mouth he framed the ekavinsa, the atharvan, the aptoryaman, with the annushtubh and biraj metres.” The Bhagvat Purana says: “Once the Vedas sprang from the four-faced creator, as he was meditating ‘how shall I create the aggregate world as before?’ …… He formed from his eastern and other mouths the Vedas called rich, yajush, saman, and atharvan, together with praise, sacrifice, hymns, and expiration”. The Markandeya Purana says : “From the eastern mouth of Brahma, who sprang by an imperceptible birth from that divided egg, there suddenly issued first of all the Rich verses, 2. resembling China roses, brilliant in appearance, internally united, though separated from each other, and characterized by the quality of passion ( rajas). 3. From his southern mouth came, unrestrained, the Yajush verses of the colour of gold, and disunited. 4. From the western mouth of the supreme

132 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES Brahma appeared the Saman verses and the metres. 5 and 6. From the northern mouth of the Vedas (Brahma) was manifested the entire Atharvana of the colour of black bees and collyrium, having a character at once terrible and not terrible, capable of neutralising the arts of enchanter pleasant, characterized by the qualities both of purity and darkness, and both beautiful and the contrary. The verses of the Rich are distinguished by the quality of passion (rajas), those of the Yajush by purity (satva) those of the Saman by darkness ( tamas), and those of the Atharvan by both darkness and purity.” The Harivamsa supports both theories that of Brahma and Prajapati: “For the emancipation of the world, Brahma, sunk in contemplation, issuing in a luminous form from the region of the moon, penetrated into the heart of Gayatri, entering between her eyes. From her there was then produced a quadruple being in the form of a Male, lustrous as Brahma, undefined, eternal, undecaying devoid of bodily senses or qualities, distinguished by the attribute of brilliancy, pure as the rays of the moon, radiant, and emboidied in letters. The god fashioned the Rigveda, with the Yajush from his eyes, the Sama-veda from the tip of his tongue, and the Atharvan from his head. These Vedas, as soon as they are born, find a body (kshetra). Hence they obtain their character of Vedas, because they find (vindanti) that abode. These Vedas then create the pre-existent eternal brahma (sacred science), a Male of celestial form, with their own mind-born qualities”. It also accepts Prajapati as the origin. It says that when the Supreme being was intent on creating the Universe, Hiranyagarbha, or Prajapati, issued from his mouth, and was desired to divide himself—a process which he was in great doubt how he should effect; the Harivamsa proceeds: “While he was thus reflecting, the sound ‘om’ issued from him, and resounded through the earth, air, and sky. While the god of gods was again and again repeating this, the essence of mind, the vashatkara proceeded from his heart. Next, the sacred and transcendent vyahritis, (bhuh, bhuvah, svar ), formed of the great smiriti, in the form of sound, were produced from earth, air, and sky. Then appeared the goddess, the most excellent of metres, with twenty-four syllables ( the gayatri). Reflecting on the divine text (beginning with) “tax”, the Lord formed the savitri. He then produced all the Vedas, the Rich. Saman, Atharvan, and Yajush, with their prayers and rites.”

133APPENDIX I Here we have eleven different explanations regarding the origin of the Vedas—(1) as originating from the mystical sacrifice of Purusha, (2) as resting on Skambha (3) as cut of scrapped off from him, as being his hair, and his mouth, (4) as springing from Indra, (5) as produced from Time, (6) as produced from Agni, Vayu and Surya, (7) as springing from Prajapati, and the Waters, (8) as being the breath of Brahma, (9) as being dug by the Gods out of the mind-ocean, (10) as being the hair of Prajapati’s beard and (11) as being the Offspring of Vach. This bewildering multiplicity of answers to a simple question is a riddle. The writers who have come forward to furnish these answers are all Brahmins. They belong to the same Vaidic School of thought. They alone were the guardians of the ancient religious lore. Why should such a coherent body of scholars should have given such incoherent and chaotic answers to a very simple question? II Who is the author of the Vedas? The belief of the Hindus is that the Vedas are supernatural productions. To use the technical term the Vedas are Apaurusheya i.e. made by a non-human agency. What is the evidence in support of this dogma? Among the Ancient Sanskrit literature there is a class of works called Anukramanis. They are systematic indices to various portions of the Ancient Vedic literature. Every Veda has an Anukramani, sometimes more than one Anukramani. Seven Anukramanis for the Rig-Veda are known to be in existence, five by Shaunaka, one by Katyayana and one by an unknown author. For the Yajur-Veda there exist three Anukramanis, one for each of the three Shakhas, Atreyi, Charayaniyas, and Madhyandina. For the SamVeda there are two Anukramanis, one is called Arsheya-Brahmana and the other is known by the name Parishistas. One Anukramani to the Atharya-Veda is known to exist. Its title is Brihat-Sarvanukramani. The most perfect Anukramani according to Prof. Max-Muller is Katyayana’s Sarvanukramani to the Rig-Veda. Its importance lies in the fact that it gives (1) the first words of each hymn, (2) the number of verses, (3) the name and the family of the Rishi who composed it, (4) the names of the deities and (5) the metres of every verse. What emerges from a reference to the Sarvanukramani is that the Rishis are the Authors of the hymns which make up the Rig-Veda. The Rig-Veda therefore on the evidence of the Anukramani cannot but be regarded as a man-made work. The same must be the conclusion regarding the other Vedas.

134 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES That the Anukramanis are realistic is proved by many passages in the Rig-Veda in which the Rishis describe themselves as the composers of the hymns. Below are given a few of such passages: “The Kanvas make a prayer to you; hear well their invocations.” “Thus, O Indra, yoker of steeds, have the Gotamas made hymns for thee efficaciously.” “This hymn has efficaciously been made to you, O opulent Asvins, by the Manas.” “These magnifying prayers, (this) hymn, O Asvins, the Gritsamadas have made for you.” “Aspiring to heaven, the sage Kusikas have made a hymn with praises to thee, O Indra.” “Nodhas, descendant of Gotama, fashioned this new hymn for (thee), Indra, who art of old, and who yokest thy steeds.” “Thus, O hero, have the Gritsamadas, desiring succour, fashioned for thee a hymn, as men make works.” “The sages generated an efficacious production and a prayer of Indra.” “These hymns, Agni, generated for thee, celebrate thy bounty in cows and horses.” “Our father hath discovered (or invented) this great, seven-headed hymn, born of sacred truth; Ayasya, friend of all men, celebrating Indra, has generated the fourth song of praise.” “We, the Rahuganas, have uttered to Agni honied speech; we incessantly laud him with eulogies.” “Thus, all ye Adityas, Aditi, and ye ruling powers, has the wise son of Plati magnified you. The celestial race has been lauded by the immortal Gaya.” “He it is whom they call a rishi, a priest, a pious sacrificer, a chaunter of prayers, a reciter of hymns; he it is who knows the three bodies of the brilliant (Agni),—the man who is most prominent in bestowing gifts.” Apart from the evidence of the Anukramanis there is another sort of evidence which mistakes against the theory of the Vedas being Apaurushya. The Rishis themselves have treated the Vedas as a human and as a historical product. The hymns of Rig-Veda distinguish between ancient and modern Rishis. Here are a few of them: “Agni, who is worthy to be celebrated by former, as well as modern rishis, will bring the gods hither.” “The former rishis who invoked thee for succour.” “Hear the hymn of me this modern sage, of this modern (sage).”