वेदम् परम प्रमाणम् – Vedam Parama Pramaanam
(Mukkur Sri Lakshminarasimhachariar)

– Part 3-

This happened for real on the banks of the Godavari, in Rajahmundry. Adiyen is not telling a lie. This is a true incident. There was a person named Jagannatha Ghanapaathi. He was a Salakshana Ghanapaathi. When he started chanting a mantra, it will be like ‘Kamsukandam’, his voice would resonate like pure bronze..! It would sound as powerful as a hundred people chanting together. He would chant alone. Such was the sheer majesty of his recitation.

He was an examiner. A person came to him and asked, I have a desire to learn Ghanam from you. You must teach me. He agreed. He taught him and the student learned. He mastered almost every part flawlessly. Finally, a spot in the seventh Kaandam. That is…

“Vrushaavaam vaam vrushaa vrushaavaagum retho thaaretho vaam …. thuth thadhaathu thadhaathu thskyo thskyo thadhaathu thuth thadhaa thutha thadhaathu thskyo oho… thskyo thuthu thskyo ghrutham ghruthagum thskyo thuthu thskyo ghrutham…“

In this place, sounds like is, itthu, ikku are all densely intertwined. ‘Thskyo thuthu thskyo ghrutham ghruthagum thskyo thuthu thskyo ghrutham‘

The student could not grasp this spot. He taught him for fifteen days. No matter how many times he said it, the student was saying something else instead of ‘Thskyo thuthu thskyo ghrutham ghruthagum thskyo thuthu thskyo…’ It just wouldn’t come. He saw this and said, I cannot teach you anymore. Please do not torture me further. You may leave..!

He burst into tears. He had chanted everything else perfectly. Why didn’t this one spot come? What sin did we commit in our past lives? He was very worried that this sound wasn’t grasped. What did he do, the teacher said it’s impossible anymore. He got up and was about to go inside. He used to come on a cycle daily. He started pushing the cycle to leave.

The Acharya who was going inside, that Jagannatha Ghanapaathi, called him. Come here like this, he said. Is there full air in this cycle? There is, he said. Sit like this, he said. See that place where air is filled in the rear wheel, he opened that spot slightly. It went ‘Sssss‘. You have to say it like this, he said. He let the air out like that twice. He got it…!! When the air was released, that resonance came out perfectly for ‘Thskyo thuthu thskyo thskyo thuthu thskyo‘. He got it immediately. He started chanting beautifully. He was so happy. Immediately he fell down again and again and did namaskaram to Jagannatha Ghanapaathi. Don’t do it to me, do it to the cycle..!!. I taught you and you didn’t get it. This insentient cycle taught you and you got it. Prostrate to the cycle, he said..!!

See, we humans think we can pronounce every sound. But insentient objects lower than us, bird species, all these speak much more distinctly than us. They pronounce sounds much more beautifully than us. When an insentient object, a sound coming from a cycle tire raises a Vedic dhwani, hearing that he understood. He didn’t get it when taught until now. This happened visibly like that. Therefore, because Vedic pronunciation is very difficult, because pronouncing that sound is a state that requires a lot of hard work to earn, one must go to that Gurukula and struggle to learn it. ‘Aadau Vedaah Pramaanam. Akshara raasi grahanam.‘

That is why when the Veda says ‘Nathapanijanitha naattiya kanta moolatho bhaaga aabhyanthara samngnaka samvaaranatha alpapraana prayathna arthamaathrika paraangabhootha arka devathaaka braahmana jaathi akaara‘ – the Veda assigns a jaathi to every single aksharam here.

‘A’ and these are Brahmana jaathi. ‘Ja, Ksha’ are Kshatriya jaathi. The ‘Na’ varga are Vaishya jaathi. The ‘Tha’ varga are the Chaturtha varna, the fourth varna. Thus, syllables appropriate to the four jaathis combine to form a padam. Many padams combine to form a vaakyam, many vaakyams combine to form a panchaasat, many panchaasats combine to form an anvaakam, many anvaakams combine to form a prasnam, many prasnams combine to form a kaandam, and many kaandams combine to complete a Samhitai..!!

If we look at the Veda aksharam by aksharam like this, some sounds must be chanted from the naabhi.
‘Yattharathi tharathi yathyattharathi thatthaththarathi yathyattharathi thath‘
This must be chanted only from the naabhi. A person was saying ‘Yattharathi tharathi yat…’. If said like that there is no use. The sound ‘Yattharathi tharathi yathyattharathi‘ comes from the naabhi. There is a dhwani sthaanam and karanam for it. Where that dhwani should be said from is all a determined matter. Therefore, it must be held and chanted from the naabhi.

Some sounds don’t need to be said from the naabhi. They come right from the kantam, that is, the throat. Some are like that, look at this:
‘Chandramasayasi chandram chandramasi mama maasi chandram chandramasi mama asi mama mama aasyasi mama bhogaaya bhogaaya mama aasyasi mama bhogaaya bhogaaya mama mama bhogaaya bhava bhava bhogaaya mama mama bhogaaya bhava‘

This comes right from the kantam. It doesn’t need to be brought down to the naabhi. Some padams are like that.

Some come right from the mouth, called thaalu madhyam. Without going up to the kantam, from the mouth:
‘Thaam vaava vaava thaam thaam vaava dhevaa dhevaa vaava thaam thaam vaava dhevaa dhevaa vaava vaava dhevaa‘ See, it comes right from here, it doesn’t go down.

Some sounds come right from the lips.
‘The huve huve the the huve sava sava huve the the huve sava huve sava sava huve huve savaah mahagum sava huve huve savaham‘
It comes right from the lips. Therefore, the sthaanam for Vedic chanting is from the naabhi to the lips.

Therefore, if a person sits and chants the Veda…
‘Thriyasthrigum shathvai devathaahaa‘

In his divine body, in his body from the naabhi to the lips, in those respective places, all thirty-three crore Devatas are seated. That is why ‘Veda vidhyaa braahmanebhya: veda vidhye dhive dhive namaskuryaath‘. We must daily bow down and worship those Veda-viths who chant the Veda. The Veda itself commands that we must fall down and worship the Mahans who carry it, telling us to see that and do it.

Therefore, the sthaanam is like that from the naabhi to the lips. It must be chanted like that. Some in these specific dhwanis:
‘Idaa idopahoothae daa idaa‘ – It must be chanted like a goat bleating. It must be said like a goat bleating in that place.

‘Hingaaraaya svaahaa hingk hi hi iheva keva hi hi‘ – That means it must be said like a horse neighing.–!! ‘Hi hi hee…‘ means that sound must be said like the horse neighing.

‘Thathkrouncha dhwani veethayaa sumangalaa‘ If you strike a bell and let it be, how the reengaaram remains for some time, some sounds must be chanted like that. Therefore, there is a kramam established for that Veda to say it exactly without changing that pronunciation.

Such an immense wealth of the Veda, Aadau Vedaa Pramaanam. Such a Veda is the Parama Pramaanam

The Vedas are ‘Chatvaaro Vedah’. We speak of them as Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharvana. Just as there are four Vedas, there are also four unshakeable, foundational attributes of the Veda. These are attributes unique to the Veda alone, impossible to find anywhere else. They call this ‘Anithara saadhaarana’ (exclusive and unparalleled). You cannot find this elsewhere. These four unique attributes belong solely to the Veda, which is the Supreme Authority.

What are they..? The great Acharyas elaborate on this. Whether it is Sri Adi Shankara Bhagavatpada, the propounder of Vishishtadvaita Sri Ramanujacharya, or Sri Madhvacharya (Ananda Tirtha) – all three Acharyas unanimously declare this in one voice.

Look at how these philosophies (Matham) came to be. Advaita, Vishishtadvaita, Dvaita… Matham means opinion or philosophy! This is Adi Shankara’s opinion . This is Ramanujar’s opinion . This is Ananda Tirtha’s opinion . They derived and presented their respective opinions based on their interpretation of the Veda. Those who followed their path, their disciples, have been adhering to those respective Sampradayas to this day..!

However, while there were differences in opinion among them when finding the meaning of the Veda, when interpreting it, when it came to speaking about the Veda itself, when extolling the greatness of the Veda, everyone spoke exactly the same way..! There was no difference of opinion among any of the Acharyas regarding that. Difference in opinion arose only when extracting the meaning of specific Vedic sentences. But when speaking about the nature of the Veda, our Vaidika Acharyas have all spoken in perfect unison..!

When we observe this, we see four unshakeable attributes belonging to the Veda: Nithyathvam (Eternality), Apaurusheyathvam (Non-human origin), Avicchinna Parambaraagathathvam (Unbroken lineage of transmission), and Ananthathvam (Infinity).

First is Nithyathvam – the attribute of Eternality. Nithyathvam means that which always exists. ‘Atha evacha Nithyathvam’ says the Brahma Sutra. The Brahma Sutra declares, ‘Atha evacha Nithyathvam’ – therefore, the Veda is indeed eternal.
When discussing ‘Nithyam’ (Eternal), the Acharyas classified it into three categories: Swaroopathah, Pravahathah, Swabhavathah.

Does the Veda have an eternal form?
Is it eternal through the continuous flow of time?
Does it exist perpetually?
They inquired if the Veda truly exists in these ways.

Observe this carefully. We see the cycles of time passing—Krita Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, Kali Yuga. Countless Chatur Yugas continuously come and go. Even as the Yugas change, the Veda must remain unchanging in that continuous flow of time. Does it remain so..? Yes, it is existing..!

‘Yo Brahmanam vidhadhaathi poorvam yo vai vedaamscha prahinothi thasmai’. It is said that Narayana created the four-faced Brahma from His lotus navel, and then… ‘Jagaadha Saamavedam tham Hayagreevam Upaasmahe’. He bestowed the Vedas upon that Brahma. He initiated him into the Vedas. With his four faces, Brahma learned the four Vedas. From him, many others learned. Through an unbroken Guru-Shishya lineage (Oran vazhi), it has been grasped, retained, and taught by one person to the next, right up to this very day. Because of this, it is eternal in the continuous flow of time.

Next, observe how it exists eternally in its inherent nature. When speaking of this, the Acharyas said: ‘Yath satthve yath satthvam, yath abhaave thath abhaavah’. This means: If the Veda exists, Paramatma exists. If there is no Veda, there is no Paramatma. Now, we will all agree with the first part. But not everyone will readily accept the second part. Everyone will agree that if the Veda exists, Paramatma exists. But how can one say that if there is no Veda, there is no Paramatma? Can we really say that if the Veda ceases to exist, Paramatma ceases to exist..?

Look at this world today. The number of people studying the Veda might decrease. Eventually, the chanting of the Veda on earth might even stop completely. Just because of that, can we say Paramatma doesn’t exist? Even if it is not chanted here on Bhooloka, it is being chanted elsewhere. It is being chanted in Devaloka, or in some other realm. If not in this town, it is chanted in another. Therefore, can we definitively say that without the Veda, Paramatma doesn’t exist..?

So, what is the true meaning of this statement? – Only if the Veda exists, can we truly realize that Paramatma exists..!! Because He can only be realized through the authority of the Veda (Pramaanam), and since realizing Paramatma without the Veda is extremely difficult, the Veda is paramount.

Therefore, it is said about Paramatma, ‘Yasya nisvasitham Vedah’ – the Veda is the very breath of Bhagavan. What gives a human being dignity and value? The presence of breath. As long as there is breath, there is value. If breath ceases, this physical body has no value. Similarly, if the Veda, which is His very breath, does not exist, Paramatma Himself loses His eminence.

That is why, if we want to state a truth, we state it by quoting the Veda. And if Bhagavan wants to instruct us, He says, ‘Veda moola pramanaath’ – “Look at the Veda.” He Himself points to the Veda as the ultimate authority, stating that it is there in the text. Since the Veda connects us to Bhagavan and Bhagavan to us, the Veda possesses the supreme attribute of being His very breath, existing eternally alongside Him.

Furthermore, is it eternal in its form..?

‘Namasthe the namo namasthe rudhra rudhra the namo namasthe rudhra the rudhra rudhra the the rudhra manyave manyave rudhra the the rudhra manyave’
When this mantra is chanted, everyone immediately recognizes it as the Yajur Veda.

‘The asmin vividhe vividhe’ – Hearing this Swaram, we recognize it as the Rig Veda.

‘Yadhaadhithyena vai sagasthaapayathi’ – Hearing this, it is immediately identifiable as the Atharvana Veda.

‘Hayaa hayaa haa oo haa oo haa’ – This is unmistakably the Sama Veda.

Just by hearing the Swaram (intonation), we recognize it—this is Sama, this is Yajur, this is Rig, this is Atharvana. Because we are accustomed to hearing it, the distinct form of each Veda becomes clear to us. It exists precisely in that Swaram. Thus, the Veda is eternally present in its structural form through its Swaram. And as Bhagavan’s breath, it exists eternally with Him.

Apart from this, it has been transmitted through an unbroken lineage of instruction (Upadesha Parampara) down to this very day. In all these ways—in its form, in its natural essence, and in the continuous flow of time—because the Veda exists eternally, the sound of the Veda remains indestructible. What do the Shastras say? During the time of Pralaya (cosmic dissolution), all sounds are destroyed. Whatever sounds exist in the world will be completely wiped out in the Maha Pralaya. But observe this: Only the sound of the Veda is never destroyed.

This supreme nature of the Veda is what all Acharyas have revealed.

Seeing Bhagavan,
Aalaama maratthin ilaimel oru baalakanai
Gnalamezhu mundan Arangattharavinaiyaan
Kolaamamaani aaramum mutthutthaamamum mudivillathorezhil
Neelameni aiyyo niraikondathennenjinaiye

Thus sang Thiruppaanazhwar. Looking at Ranganatha, he cried out ‘Aiyyo’..! ‘Aiyyo’—no further words came out. That is experience. They call it ‘Anubhava parivaaham’ (overflowing experience). Did he write that song to win a prize? No. He is looking at Him directly, and from that overwhelming experience, the words pour forth. When words failed him, he just said ‘Aiyyo’. He is saying, “The beauty of that divine dark form has completely captivated my heart, what can I do..!!”

What kind of Lord is He? He is the Vatapatra Sayi, the one resting as a child on the banyan leaf.

‘Baalam Mukundham manasaa smaraami
Karaaravindena padaravindam
Mukharavinde viniveshayantham
Vatasya patrasya puteshayaanam
Baalam Mukundham manasaa smaraami’

Munchaguncha thadhaathithi Mukundah: ‘Mu’ means Moksha (liberation). ‘Ku’ means the Aishwarya (wealth/prosperity) we need in this world. He is the one who bestows both. That child, Mukunda, the Vatapatra Sayi, rests on that banyan leaf.
Such a supreme Lord protects the Veda within Himself even during Pralaya. Then, during the cycle of creation, He initiates Brahma into the Veda again. From this, we must understand one thing – Are we protecting the Veda, or is Bhagavan protecting it..? Bhagavan protects it far more carefully than we do! He keeps it imperishable within Himself during Pralaya. He holds it within and then releases it again. Therefore, Paramatma is its ultimate protector.

The Veda is not destroyed even during the time of Pralaya. Therefore, we must realize that the Veda possesses the attribute of Nithyathvam —the quality of being eternal.

There are many other authorities (Pramaanas), many other literatures, and countless other sounds in the world. But they are all perishable. We must realize that the Veda alone is imperishable.