The Rigveda || Mandal 1 || Sutra 105 || English Podcast

Key Themes:

1. The Nature of Existence and Cosmic Order (Ṛta): The hymns repeatedly inquire about the fundamental principles governing the universe and life. This includes the movements of celestial bodies (Sun, Moon), natural phenomena (lightning, rivers, sea), and the underlying "law of cosmic dynamics of evolution" (Verse 5). The concept of Ṛta (eternal water and law of life, cosmic order, truth) is central, with the Rishi questioning its location, who upholds it, and how it manifests (Verses 4, 5, 6, 12, 15).

• Quote: "Where is that eternal water and law of life hidden or gone? Who at the present time observes that same ancient and eternal yajna and law of life, and how?" (Verse 4)
• Quote: "Where is the law of cosmic dynamics of evolution? What is truth and what is untruth? What is eternal and constant? What is existential and mutable?" (Verse 5)
• Quote: "What and where is the ultimate cause of the original life and law, what is that omnipotence?" (Verse 6)

1. The Human Condition and the Quest for Bliss: The Rishi contrasts the cosmic order and divine bliss with the struggles and suffering of human life. He describes being overwhelmed by the "loves and cares of existence" (Verse 7) and feeling consumed by the challenges of life, like "knives and sickles" or "mice eat up the warp and woof of cloth" (Verse 8). The desire is to transcend this suffering and attain a state of "ecstasy and bliss," which is seen as connected to the divine and the "soma of existence" (Verse 2, 3).

• Quote: "And yet the loves and cares of existence overwhelm me as a wolf pounces upon a deer thirsting for life and existence." (Verse 7)
• Quote: "The knives and sickles of life all round cut into my vitals as rival mistresses consume the lover’s heart and soul... so do the cares of life eat away the original wealth of me who am, in reality, your admirer and worshipper..." (Verse 8)
• Quote: "May that ecstasy and bliss of our life never fall below the top of heaven. May we never suffer frustration in vacuum of the peace and joy of the soma of existence." (Verse 3)

1. The Importance of Knowledge and Revelation: A strong thread running through the hymns is the plea to "heaven and earth" (rodasī) to "know the secret" and "reveal" the mysteries of existence, the divine, and the path to liberation. There is a call for scholars and researchers to study and understand these principles (Verse 10, 12, 13, 14). The "Lord of knowledge" (Yajña) is invoked as the "harbinger of truth and the message of Divinity" (Verse 4).

• Quote: "May the heaven and earth know the secret of this mystery and reveal it to men, the ruler and the people." (Verse 1) (This phrase or similar variations appear at the end of almost every verse).
• Quote: "O men of knowledge and generosity, this new, laudable, sacred, useful and secret principle of nature’s truth and law of physical evolution is worthy of study, discussion and development." (Verse 12)

1. The Divine Powers and Their Roles: The hymns refer to various divine powers (Devas) and their functions. Brahma is the creator, Varuna reveals knowledge and shapes the wise, Mitra (the sun) and Varuna (the moon) are mentioned alongside Aditi (sky), Sindhu (river), Prithvi (earth), and Dyau (heaven) as forces that can strengthen resolution (Verse 15, 19). Agni (fire, vitality) is seen as a vital power in nature and the Yajna of humanity (Verse 13, 14). The "five generous founts of energy and joy" residing in the heavens are identified as "fire, wind, vapours of water, electricity and the sun" (Verse 10).

• Quote: "Brahma, lord supreme, creates, Varuna, lord of love and justice, reveals the knowledge and shapes the man of knowledge who knows the ways of nature and the ways of the world." (Verse 15)
• Quote: "Agni, scholar of heat and vitality, that laudable knowledge of yours is worthy of confirmation with reference to the presence of vitality in various forms of nature." (Verse 13)