PART 1
ATHARVA VEDA
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About the Book
This book presents topics from the ancient scripture, Veda, selected to match the present-day settings
and to address emerging problems.
Keywords: Vedas, Brahmacharya, Marriage, Blessings, God, War, Oneness
TIMELY FROM THE TIMELESS, ATHARVA VEDA
Copyright © 2018 by T Balakrishna Bhat
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Preface
The vast Vedas containing several thousand verses have been transmitted orally retaining its purity not
just with respect to the words but also for their precise order and intonations for thousands of generations
without break. Our ancestors undoubtedly must have benefitted from and must have seen the potential
value of this great treasure for future generations for putting the great effort unprecedented in human
history preserved as if in a time capsule.
Recognizing that the timeless Vedas are timelier now than ever before, an effort has been made here to
bring out the thought capsules present in the ancient Vedas and set them in the language and form of
topics relevant for the present times. Every person in this world is likely to find something useful and
transformative for him in them.
The four Vedas will be covered in four parts. The Part 1, now ready, corresponds to Atharva Veda.
T Balakrishna Bhat
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Table of Contents
ABOUT THE BOOK .................................................................................................................................................. 2
PREFACE ................................................................................................................................................................ 3
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
BLESSINGS ............................................................................................................................................................. 7
ABOUT GOD ........................................................................................................................................................... 8
RIGHT WAY OF KNOWING GOD ............................................................................................................................. 9
PRAISES AND PRAYERS TO GOD ........................................................................................................................... 10
ON THE "ONLY ONE GOD" DEBATE ...................................................................................................................... 11
IS GOD MALE OR FEMALE?................................................................................................................................... 12
ON SELF AND GOD REALIZATION ......................................................................................................................... 13
ADHYATMA - SPIRITUALITY ................................................................................................................................. 14
SPIRITUAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL EXCURSIONS ..................................................................................................... 15
ON THE QUESTION OF CREATION ........................................................................................................................ 17
A BIT ABOUT STARS ............................................................................................................................................. 18
A NOTE ON TIME.................................................................................................................................................. 19
ON HONORABLE GUESTS ..................................................................................................................................... 20
MAN! YOU ARE GREAT! ....................................................................................................................................... 21
OH MEN! .............................................................................................................................................................. 22
O LEARNED ONES! ............................................................................................................................................... 23
OH KING! ............................................................................................................................................................. 24
OH ROGUES! ........................................................................................................................................................ 25
HEY GOD! ............................................................................................................................................................. 26
FOR GOD'S SAKE .................................................................................................................................................. 27
WAYS TO ELIMINATE BAD DREAMS ..................................................................................................................... 28
VALUE OF ANGER ................................................................................................................................................. 29
SALUTATIONS - NAMASTE - TO ENEMIES ............................................................................................................. 30
HINTS ABOUT MEDICINAL PLANTS ....................................................................................................................... 31
BENEFITS OF SUN BATH ....................................................................................................................................... 32
A WAY TO FACILITATE APPROVALS ...................................................................................................................... 33
POWER STATEMENTS .......................................................................................................................................... 34
GUIDANCE FOR GROWTH OF MIND AND INTELLECT ............................................................................................ 35
IN PRAISE OF VIDYA ............................................................................................................................................. 36
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STARTING A BUSINESS ......................................................................................................................................... 37
ABOUT COWS ...................................................................................................................................................... 38
GLOBAL ANTHEM (A PRAYER TO EARTH) ............................................................................................................. 39
SWAAHAA - THE SWEETEST WORD IN VEDAS ...................................................................................................... 41
HOW SHOULD THE KING BE ................................................................................................................................. 42
CALL FOR PEACE ................................................................................................................................................... 43
BE PREPARED FOR WAR ....................................................................................................................................... 44
THE ULTIMATE PROTECTION STRATEGY ............................................................................................................... 45
WHO ARE OUR SAVIORS ...................................................................................................................................... 46
COLLECTIVE PRIORITIES ....................................................................................................................................... 47
A BOUQUET OF INDIVIDUAL PRIORITIES .............................................................................................................. 48
ABOUT MARRIAGE ............................................................................................................................................... 49
ABOUT REMARRIAGE ........................................................................................................................................... 51
POWER OF MAKING A RESOLUTION .................................................................................................................... 52
PRAISE FOR BREATH ............................................................................................................................................ 53
BRAHMACHARI .................................................................................................................................................... 54
A TEST ON SELF CONTROL .................................................................................................................................... 56
LONG LIFE ............................................................................................................................................................ 57
ONENESS OF MIND - SAMANASYAM ................................................................................................................... 58
MAY IT BE SO ....................................................................................................................................................... 59
ACKNOWLEGEMENTS .......................................................................................................................................... 60
ABOUT THE AUTHOR ........................................................................................................................................... 61
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Chapter 1
Introduction
Timeless Vedas appear to be more timely now than ever before. Vedas were revealed to Rishis of yore,
thousands of who conveyed specific points in tiny capsules called Richas. Sometimes these thought
capsules are somewhat direct, but many a time are put forward in a coded way. Yet their beauty is that
they have always been relevant and have something for the present as also for the future wherein the
words take on ever new meanings as time goes by. Each and every Richa is worthy of research in depth
and can earn many a PhD and provide valuable contemporary results and solutions to contemporary
social, political, psychological, national, economic, religious, philosophical, environmental, managerial,
scientific, health, education, and family problems. In the Vedas - Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda,
AtharvaVeda - the Richas are compiled in to Suktas. Suktas are broadly put together as Kandas. Each Sukta
may have contributions from more than one Rishi. Also, a Sukta may or may not describe only one specific
topic. Veda means to know. On the whole the canvas of the Veda is the entire universe. Man, nature, God,
creation, prayers, praises, scoldings, invocations, attacks, war, love, science, technology, medicine,
education and also ways to bless, curse, command, entreat, entice, invite anything and anyone including
God in all His manifestations are covered. Anyone who studies the Veda will surely find an inspiration to
do something great during his lifetime. Not only that, in all probability he/she will develop special insights
and solutions too for the problems at hand. Above all one will find oneself to be confident, find out the
direction and be able to achieve whatever one sets out to do in life. Veda never says believe me, it never
says obey me, surrender to me or to anyone. Instead it says: discuss in broad daylight in the morning,
afternoon and evening and establish a clear thinking, Medha (6.108.5 Shounaka Rishi). This could be the
guiding spirit in this exploration too.
Here is the first richa by Rishi Atharva.
1.1.11 Ye trishapta pariyanti vishwa roopani bibhrataha, vachaspatirbala tesham tanvo adya dadhatu may.
May the lord of the Vedas who supports the whole universe of seven triplets (such as perhaps in the
present state of knowledge and enquiry, creation + sustenance + destruction, time + space + energy, satwa
+ rajas + tamas, matter + antimatter +space) give the strength and knowledge of that entire body to me
today.
* * * * * * *
1 Here the three numbers correspond to Kanda, Sukta, and Richa respectively
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