Riddles in Hinduism Vedas infallible not to be questioned

Riddles in Hinduism Vedas infallible not to be questioned

Riddles in Hinduism - Riddle No. 4
Why suddenly The Brahmins Declare the Vedas to be Infallible and not to be questioned?

To say that the Vedas occupy a very high position in the Religious literature of the Hindus is to make an understatement.

To say that the Vedas form the sacred literature of the Hindus will also
Be an inadequate statement.

For the Vedas besides being a sacred literature of the Hindus is a
Book whose authority cannot be questioned.

The Vedas are infallible.
Any argument based on the Vedas is final and conclusive.
There is no appeal against it.
This is the theory of the Vedic Brahmins and is accepted by the generality of the Hindus.

On what does this theory rest?

The  theory  rests  on  the  view  that   When  the  Vedic  Brahmins  say  that  the  Vedas  are Apaurusheya what they mean is that they were not made by man.

Not being made by man, they are  free  from  the  failings,  faults  and  frailties  to  which  every  man  is  subject  and  are  therefore infallible.

It  is  difficult  to  understand  how such  a  theory  came  to  be  propounded  by  the  Vedic  Brahmins.

For  there  was  a  time  when  the  Vedic  Brahmins  themselves  thought  quite  differently  on  the question of the authority of the  Vedas as being final and conclusive.
These Vaidik Brahmins are no other than the authors of the various Dharma Sutras.

The following are the views expressed by the Dharma Sutras on question of the authority of the Vedas:

To begin with the Gautama Dharma Sutra. It lays down the following rule on the question of the infallibility of the Vedas.

"The Veda is the source of the sacred law" 1-1.
"And the tradition and practice of those who know the Veda" I-2. "

 "If authorities of equal force are conflicting, (either may be followed at) pleasure" I-4.

The Vashishta Dharma Sutra propounds the following view:
"The sacred law has been settled by the revealed texts i.e., Vedas and by the tradition of the sages" I-4.

 “On the failure of (rules given in) these (two sources) the practice of Shishtas (has) authority" I-5.

The views of Baudhayana are given below:    
Prasna I, Adhya ya I, Kandika I.
(1)  The sacred law is taught in each Veda.

(2)  We will explain (it) in accordance with that.

(3) (The sacred law), taught in the tradition (Smriti) stands second.

(4) The practice of the Sishtas (stands) third.

(5)  On  failure of  them  an  Assembly  consisting  at  least  of  ten members  (shall  decide disputed points of law).

The  view  taken  by  the  Apastamba  Dharma  Sutra  is  clear  from  the  following extract  from  that Sutra:

 "Now,  therefore,  we  will declare  the  acts  productive  of merit  which  form part  of  the  customs of daily life" 1-1.

"The authority (for these duties) is the agreement (samaya) of those who know the law". 1-2.

"And (the authorities for the latter are) the Vedas alone" 1-3. With regard to the Shishtas both the Vashishtha Dharma Sutra and also the Baudhayana Dharma Sutra have taken particular care to define who can be regarded as Shishtas.

The Vashishta Dharma Sutra says:
 "He whose heart is free from desire (is called) a Shishta". I-6.

Baudha yana goes into much greater details about the qualification of the Shishtas. This is what he says:
"Shishtas, forsooth, (are those) who are free from envy, free from pride, contented with a store of grain sufficient for ten days, free from covetousness, and free from hypocrisy, arrogance, greed, perplexity and anger."
"Those  are  called  Shishtas  who,  in  accordance  with  the  sacred  law,  have  studied  the  Veda together  with  its  appendages,  know  how  to draw  inferences  from  that  (and)  are  able  to adduce proofs perceptible by the senses from the revealed texts. "

Baudhayana has also something very interesting to say about the assembly whom he authorises to decide.

The following are his views on the matter:
"Now they quote also (the following verses): 'Four men, who each know one of the four Vedas, a Mimansaka, one who knows the Angas, one who recites (the works on) the sacred law, and three Brahmanas belonging to (three different) orders, constitute an assembly consisting at least of ten
members. "

"There may  be  five,  or  there may  be  three,  or  there may  be  one  blameless man,  who decides (questions regarding) the sacred law. But a thousand fools (can) not do it). "

"As an elephant made of wood, as an antelope made of leather, such an unlearned Brahmana; those three having nothing but the name (of their kind)".

This review of Dharma Sutras 'According to Ma x Muller the period of the Dharma Sutras was sometime between 600 and 200 B.C.  Shows that the
(1) Veda
(2) Tradition (Smriti)
(3) Practice of Shishta and
(4) Agreement in an assembly

Were the four different authorities which were required to be referred to in the decision of an issue which was in controversy.

It also shows that there was a time when the Vedas were not the sole infallible authorities.

That  was  the  time  represented  by  the  Dharma  Sutras  of  Vashishta  and  Baudhayana.

Apastambha  does  not  invest  the  Vedas  with  any  authority  at  all.  Knowledge of Vedas is made by him as an electoral qualification for membership of the Assembly whose agreed decision is the law and the only law. The Veda was not at all regarded as a book of authority and when the only recognized source of authority was an agreement arrived at in an Assembly of the learned.

It is  only  in  the  time  of  Gautama  that  the  Vedas  came  to  be regarded as  the  only  authority.

There was a time when an agreed decision of the Assembly was admitted as one source of authority.
That is the period represented by Baudhayana.
This conclusion is reinforced by the Satapatha Brahmana.

Reality views by sm –

Saturday, September 20, 2014

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