Secret of the Veda, New U.S. Edition [Paperback]

Aurobindo Ghose (Author), Sri Aurobindo (Author), Aurobindo (Author)

Book Description

Series: Guidance from Sri Aurobindo | Publication Date: January 1, 1995

Sri Aurobindo breaks new ground in interpreting the ancient Vedas. His deeperinsight into this came from his own spiritual practices for which he found vivid allegorical descriptions in the Vedas. The hidden meaning of the rig Veda isrevealed with numerous translations and commentary. Many have been perplexed bythe reverence accorded to the Vedas when they read past commentaries ortranslations. Sri Aurobindo was able to uncover the mystery of the doublemeanings, the inner psychological and yogic significance and practices and theconsistent, clear sense brought by this psychological view of the Vedic hymns.Finally, the true inner meaning of the Veda and its relevance to the seekingafter self-realization and enlightenment is revealed.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)

Product Details

• Paperback: 581 pages
• Publisher: Lotus Press (WI); [Centenary ed.] edition (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0914955195
• ISBN-13: 978-0914955191
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #231,450 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Deeper Spiritual Meaning of India's Oldest Spiritual Text, May 5, 2007

By 

David Frawley (Santa Fe, NM) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secret of the Veda, New U.S. Edition (Paperback)

The Rig Veda is probably the oldest and best preserved of the ancient spiritual literature of the world, dating from anywhere from three to five thousand years or more according to different scholars and mystics. The Rig Veda is also the oldest book in an Indo-European language and contains many keys to Indo-European language, culture and religion long before the Christian era. Yet there is still much debate and controversy as to what the Vedas mean, who composed them, when and where.
Besides this important historical debate about the origins of the Vedas is a perhaps yet more significant debate about their real meaning and import. Do the Vedas reflect an older and deeper spirituality of humanity, the lost yogic teachings of earlier ages of light long before the present spiritual Dark Age or Kali Yuga? Or are the Vedas are they just fragments of primitive poetry which we should not read too much into? While modern academics hold to the latter, mystics and yogis uphold the former.
The Secret of the Veda is probably the most important book that attempts to show a deeper spiritual and yogic meaning to the Vedic teachings, its deities, practices and sages. It is also highly noteworthy that it was written by Sri Aurobindo (1872 - 1950), widely regarded as one of the greatest gurus, sages and philosophers of modern India, with a spiritual fame that exceeds that of Mahatma Gandhi in the country. The Secret of the Veda is the only extensive book on the Vedas written in the English language from such a reputed sage and enlightened master. Sri Aurobindo brings the Vedic world alive to us and opens up for us the vistas of the Vedic mind. He does not just project his opinions on to the Vedic experience but brings unfolds the Vedic experience from within.
For anyone looking for the spiritual meaning of the Vedas, the Secret of the Veda is easily the best and most accessible place to begin. It includes a deep study of Vedic deities and seers and reveals the hidden background of their thoughts and their meditations. As a published scholar on Vedic knowledge over several decades, including having written translations and interpretations of the Vedas, as well as studies in Yoga, Vedanta and Ayurveda, I count the Secret of the Veda as one of the most important books that I ever read. It was the key text that encouraged me to follow the Vedic work that has become my life mission. I believe the book has the ability to change the life of anyone who seriously contemplates its deep knowledge. It takes us through the spiritual origins of our species to our connection with the eternal consciousness in its ever new unfolding.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exploration of the psychological truths of our existence, October 1, 2005

By 

Paarth - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret of the Veda, New U.S. Edition (Paperback)

The rishis of the ancient Vedas sought to wrest the truth of time and space by digging deep into the secrets veiled in the laws of matter. They wrapped their tremendous discoveries in seemingly incoherent symbolisms in the Vedic texts and the true knowledge lay buried and lost to human understanding. For centuries these texts were passed on by word of mouth, generation to generation, in a tradition of ritualistic knowledge. Sri Aurobindo was convinced that more lay beneath these ancient texts and exposed them with the light of his formidable sadhana.
The vedic hymns reveal a mystical source of inspiration with a precise explanations of the powers that can powerfully guide the inner progress of the spiritual practise. These are not easy texts to follow as the symbols of the vedic period were very different from the familiar symbols of technology and communication that dominate the modern world. Any effort to benefit from these ancient guides requires the reader to make a determined step into the symbolisms of a time vastly different from today.
As with most of Sri Aurobindo's works, the best results are available to those who attempt the practise.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stop chanting, start decoding, October 9, 2005

By 

Tusar N. Mohapatra "Savitri Era of those who ... (Indirapuram, India) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret of the Veda, New U.S. Edition (Paperback)

This epoch-making work of Sri Aurobindo on Vedic mysticism is of immense import as far as hermeneutics and psychology are considerd. It is the most original contribution of Sri Aurobindo to the modern knowledge systems. To the reader of this work, Indra is no longer a mere mythological deity, but the master of his own 'indriyas', senses, with whose active help, it would be easy to win new frontiers of awareness. Varuna is not simply the lord of the sea but the highest psychological state of oceanic vastness, light and purity into which we all must aspire to surge forth. By this simple exercise of replacing the connotations, one turns with profit the Vedic text of great antiquity into an excellenct self-management treatise. The Veda is no more prisoned in rituals and conventions but becomes a handbook of self-culture.

As a result, thematic unity between the Veda and the Upanishads has been restored. By addressing the most primordial existential issues besetting human life, the Veda is a univesal testament, and Sri Aurobindo has delivered it from the confines of a particular religion.