Teachings of the Vedas: An Introduction

I am glad to introduce this book, originally written in 1976, by my revered father, Pandit Dharam Dev Ji Vidya Martand, a widely acclaimed vedic scholar, linguist and author (known as Swami Dharmanand Saraswati after he took sanyas in the later part of his life). The original book was the first in the series he had planned as the Founder President of the Vishwa Veda Parishad, to popularise the teachings ofthe vedas among the new aspirants. It received an enthusiastic response at that time and has since well-served its main purpose. My father had devoted his entire life to the study and teachings of the vedas. It was his mission, which he pursued with utmost devotion and enthusiasm. There was hardly any important aspect of the vedas which he had not touched upon in his writings. This present book is divided into two parts. Part One provides basic information ( in a question-answer form) on such matters as whether vedas were revealed by God at the time of creation or authored by the rishis; the relation between God, Soul and Nature; the relevance of their study in the modern age, particularly in countering violence, terrorism, corruption and the all- pervading gloom. It also aims at removing misconceptions about the vedas, such as whether they sanction animal sacrifice, consumption of liquor and gambling. This section ends with focus on the unique features of the vedas. Part Two presents the English translation of some sukties from all the four vedas. These sukties had been mostly selected and translated by my father. I have also added a few which I liked. (Sukties, which though part of the mantras, carry deep and complete meaning of their own and are very popular for their pithy and pointed expressions.) I have taken some liberty of editing these two manuscripts trying to keep as close as possible to the original. If, however, I have erred somewhere, I wish to be excused by the Almighty, my father, scholars and the readers. In this humble endeavour (as in some earlier ones), I have been ably advised, supported and helped by my sons, Pranav and Pavitra. I am grateful to Shri Prabhakar Arya for agreeing to publish this book on behalf of his family trust in Hindaun (Rajasthan), which is doing a great service by promoting and publishing authentic literature on the vedas by ethinent scholars in Sanskrit, Hindi and English.

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