About
These are some Rig Veda mantra commentaries by Wendy Doniger of U. of Chicago who is a sanksrit scholar and well known Indologist. Her wiki page provides an impressive background:
"Wendy Doniger was born in New York City to immigrant non-observant Jewish parents, and raised in Great Neck, New York, where her father, Lester L. Doniger (1909–1971), ran a publishing business. While in high school, she studied dance under George Balanchine and Martha Graham.
She graduated summa cum laude in Sanskrit and Indian Studies from Radcliffe College in 1962,and received her M.A. from Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in June 1963. She then studied in India in 1963–1964 with a 12-month Junior Fellowship from the American Institute of Indian Studies. She received a Ph.D. from Harvard University in June 1968.
Doniger has written 16 books, translated (primarily from Sanskrit to English) with commentary nine other volumes, has contributed to many edited texts and has written hundreds of articles in journals, magazines and newspapers.
Doniger's trade book, "The Hindus: An Alternative History" was published in 2009 by Viking/Penguin. According to the Hindustan Times, The Hindus was a No. 1 bestseller in its non-fiction category in the week of October 15, 2009. Two scholarly reviews in the Social Scientist and the Journal of the American Oriental Society, though praising Doniger for her textual scholarship, criticized both Doniger's poor historiography and her lack of focus. In the popular press, the book has received many positive reviews, for example from the Library Journal, the Times Literary Supplement, the New York Review of Books,The New York Times, and The Hindu. In January 2010, the National Book Critics Circle named The Hindus as a finalist for its 2009 book awards. The Hindu American Foundation protested this decision, even though many disagree with them, alleging inaccuracies and bias in the book.
In 2011, a lawsuit was filed against Doniger and Penguin books by Dinanath Batra on the grounds that the book intentionally offended or outraged the religious sentiments of Hindus, an action punishable by criminal prosecution under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code. In 2014, as part of a settlement agreement reached with plaintiff, The Hindus was recalled by Penguin India. Indian authors such as Arundhati Roy, Partha Chatterjee, Jeet Thayil, and Namwar Singh inveighed against the publisher's decision.The book has since been published in India by Speaking Tiger Books."
The reasons I chose to put her following commentaries in my blog are manifold: (a) almost 90% of Americans and Indians, especially hindus, may've heard of vedas but don't know what's in them; (b) Prof. Doniger raised the awareness about hindus in the west with her writings and speeches; like all famous personalities she is embroiled in controversy mainly from the "hindutva" people who don't represent the mainstream hindus; (c) she doesn't filter salacious content in the vedas For example she wrote
"The Sakspath Brahmana says that part of Urvasi contract with Pururavas included the stipulation that he must ‘strike her with his rod’ three times a day."
Those who didn't read the Saksapath Brahmana, would consider it in bad taste, especially so when the exact sloka or passage in the Brahmana is not provided. If she made the same comment about a revered god like Vishnu, there would be hell to pay. But she knows her limits and makes the reader aware that what we hear from the pundits is white-washed and holier-than-thou posturing.
I tried to dig up novel ideas stated in Rig Veda. In Rig Veda it was mentioned that
Dadhyañc was given a horse-head with which he told the Asvins about Soma and the beheading of the sacrifice; Indra then cut off that head, and Dadhyañc’s own head was restored by the Asvins.
Similarly in Daksha Yagna episode, Siva's lieutenant Veerabhadra severed Daksha's head and Asvins came to his rescue by attaching a horsehead.
Even to those believing Vedas are just ancient soap operas of devas and devatas, it should come as a surprise that 5000 years ago the rishis demonstrated organ transplanting. In this manner, we can interpolate that wireless communication, hypersonic missiles, light speed travel, etc. are all not just imagined but demonstrated in Bharata.
The final note of some controversy is Aryan Invasion Theory (AIT). The astute readers of vedas believe that embodied humans, called Aryans, originated in Tibet first and spread in all directions after receiving vedas from the paramatma. They believe vedas are indigenous and Aryans didn't invade Bharatavarsha. Their thesis, with dubious claims of DNA evidence, is specious because Tibet is considered still north of Bharat and those living south of Tibet would be the natives or indigenous people. It is possible that the Aryans descended into their dwellings carrying vedas much like the europeans spread in Americas with bible, thus conquering the natives with trickery.
You may ask: "Do you believe in vedas?" My answer: by hamsa ksheera nyayam I take them with a pinch of agnosticism. For me they provide a glimpse of an ancient civilization that gave raise to my Self. Without them, I don't exist and having total faith in them makes me feel wholesome yet tiny because I would be a naught without them, much like earth is a speck in comparison to the multitude galaxies and blackholes in the universe.
Table Of Contents
CREATION
DEATH
THE ELEMENTS OF SACRIFICE
THE HORSE SACRIFICE
GODS OF THE SACRIFICE: AGNI AND SOMA
SOMA
INDRA
GODS OF THE STORM
SOLAR GODS
SKY AND EARTH
VARUNA
RUDRA AND VISNU
REALIA
WOMEN
INCANTATIONS AND SPELLS
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