The Classical Indian Religious Tradition.

The Veda.

The term 'veda' means 'knowledge'. The Veda originated among people, who lived in the region that is now Modern Afghanistan and central Asia. These people migrated to India between 1500 and 1000 B.C.E. They lived in the area of the Panjab. Date of composition of the vedas is placed between 1500 and 600 B.C.E. The earliest of the Vedas is the verses (rg) of praise, datable to 1200 B.C.E, with obvious connections to the Iranian religion recorded in the Avesta, following which the chants of the samaveda and the formulae of the yajur-veda were composed. The yajur-veda occupies the center of Vedic culture and exhibits a more Indian flavor. The Veda is a liturgy. The vedas, oral compositions by poets and priests, have been transmitted through a highly ritualized form of oral recitation.

The people of this period experienced the phenomena of the natural world as powers that affected their lives. They named these powers as 'devata'. The devata, who thus represented the forces of nature, were considered, as personalization, with manifestations of personal will. The devata and the natural world are linked, the one being the cause of the other: the physical world being rooted in the action of the devata. The devata were presumed to control the phenomena of the natural world and thereby also said to control the people.

The poet-priest made sacrifice of food and other gifts to the devata, together with recitation of verses of praise (rg-veda). A request was made for material rewards on earth and heaven. By sacrifice, the priest established a relationship with the devata. In return for the sacrifice, the devata, (literally 'ones who give'), were said to have used their power for the benefit of the sacricifer. This is a Barter or Exchange relationship. The Latin phrase, 'do et des' describes purpose of the sacrifice very well viz "I give in order that thou wouldest give".

The above description, according modern scholarship, is not accepted by tradition. Tradition states that there is a single deva, with many attributes, rather than the description of several devata. One attribute of the single deva is brought to the foreground during the sacrifice.

Sacrifice ranked first among the various rituals to acquire knowledge.

Over time the meaning of the sacrifice began to change. The sacrifice was viewed as a power in its own right. Now it was not the contents that mattered in the sacrifice but the knowledge of the mechanics of the sacrifice e.g. the numeral rules that are followed in the correct performance of the ritual. When the ritual is understood, it can be manipulated. Knowledge of the ritual is power, which was kept secret. The Veda came to be memorized and recited independently of the system of ritual sacrifice. The Veda was not primarily a written text but the power speech that came forth from the mouths of Brahmans. When one merely recites the Vedic chanda with knowledge in effect offers the sacrifice with which it is connected.

The subjects of Indian Religious Tradition will be dealt with in relation to the themes of Sri Vidya.

The Classical Indian Religious Tradition.

The Veda.

The yajur-veda occupies the center of Vedic culture and exhibits a more Indian flavor. The devata were presumed to control the phenomena of the natural world and thereby also said to control the people.

The poet-priest made sacrifice of food and other gifts to the devata, together with recitation of verses of praise (rg-veda). By sacrifice, the priest established a relationship with the devata. Sacrifice ranked first among the various rituals to acquire knowledge.

The sacrifice was viewed as a power in its own right. Knowledge of the ritual is power, which was kept secret. The Veda came to be memorized and recited independently of the system of ritual sacrifice.