Shraddha Chauhan and Fatah Singh
17E/257, Nandanvana, Chaupaasani,
Jodhpur, India 342008
email vipink@mail.nplindia.ernet.in
The
word Hari has been used in Vedas for soma( Rigveda 9.2.6,9.3.3,59 etc.). The
word seems to be derived from the root Hree, to fetch. There are general
expressions of two Haree of Indra, who are the carriers of his chariot. These
carriers or horses are quoted as a doublet by the word Haree iti ( At other places, like Nighantu 1.15, Haree
have been stated to be carriers of
chariot of Indra, Haritaah of Sun and Rohitah of Agni ). In Brahmanic
literature, these haris have been equated with the lower and higher aspects of
human individuality( Shadvimsha Brahman 1.1), the duals of Rik and Saama( Shatapath Brahmana 7.9.4.2),
Heaven and Earth( Taittiriya Samhita 7.9.4.2), Day and Night( Jaiminiya Brahman
2.79) or with full and new moons( Taittiriya Samhita 2.5.6.2-3). At other
places in Rigveda, there is also mention of more than 2 haris of Indra(
Harayah). Indra has been said to be associated with hundreds and thousands of
haris( Jaiminiya Upnishad Brahmana 1.14.3.5). The integrated form of these
horses is Hari in singular form, while the upward and downward motion of the
totality of Harayah has been considered as Haree iti in duality. Such type of
description of multiplicity in integrity is also available here and there in
the mantras of Sukta or prayer of Hari( Rigveda 10.96).
There are many words in the mantras of
Hari Sukta which have been formulated on the basis of word Hari. One such word
is Harya which is symbolic of motion and luster according to the meaning of
wordroots( Dhatu patha 1.344). This prayer also contains many other words
derived from this root, like Haryata, Haryatam, Haryatah, Haryate, Haryatau.
This Harya root may be considered to mean a desire to be able to be of use to
Hari. Thus, when soma is called Haryatam madam, this may mean that love or desire which is able to attain that
element of happiness which is called Hari.
In Nighantu or the book of words of
Rigveda, Harayah word has been classified under the synonyms for man, and like
at so many other places in this classical book, this classification has been a
puzzle for vedic scholars. In the mantras of
Rigveda, these harayah, if one
is able to unite them with the chariot of Indra, can purify soma, and also
bring Indra to drink soma at the place where soma is being purified. In every
human being, these Harayah of Indra combine mutually to form the Haariyojan, as
in Rigveda 6.45.18 :
Roopam roopam
pratiroopo babhuuva tadasya ruupam pratichakshanaaya. Indro maayaabhih
pururoopa eeyate yuktaa hyasya haryah shataa dasha.
According to this mantra, it is
desirable to realize that form of God
which is manifesting in different forms. To realize this, Indra can
transform himself in different forms by his illusion or Maayaa when hundreds of
Harayah get united to generate the condition of happiness of saama, called
Haariyojana.
In Rigveda 2.18.3-5, there is an
imagination of a chariot which is drawn by desires and emotions. These can be
called the real Harayah. In this sukta, not only two, but even hundreds of
harayah are supposed to be united with the chariot. The meaning of uniting all
the Harayah with chariot is that state of Hariyoga where soma itself becomes
Hari. In other words, the above human
chariot is an individuality of individualized Indra or Aatma which is full of
Hariyoga, one who wants to milk the divine power by becoming one with God. It
is to be kept in mind that in Vedas, one is Indra as an individuality and the
other is an Indra as a totality. Indra as individuality is an image of the
Indra of totality. The examples of individuals who have attained Hariyaga can
be given as seers Gritsamada and Vaamdeva of Rigveda.
The image formed in the about paragraph
about the mysterious meaning of Harayah seems to get confirmed from the
following mantra of Taittiriya Samhita 4.2.9.6:
Tasmintsuparno
madhukrit kulayee bhajannaste madhu devataabhyah. Tasyaasate harayah sapta
teere swadhaam duhaanaa amritsya dhaaraam.
The meaning is that
there is a main hawk who collects nectar for gods and seven harayah are sitting
beside him milking swadhaa or the power to sustain the basic life.
One further development of Harayah
state appears in the word Harita. Many Harayah combine to form a doublet called
Harita, as in Rigveda 6.47.19 :
Yujaano
haritaa rathe bhuri twashteh raajati. Ko vishwaahaa dvishatah paksha aasate uta
aaseeneshu suurishu.
Thus when two Harita horses are united
to the chariot of human individuality, Indra sits on it as Twashta. This is the
condition of those individuals who are sitting in trance, who have no side of
despise within themselves. This freedom from despise is attained because the
meaning of Harita is – to be free from Asurya, to make the saying of Aatma vai
haritam hiranyam ( Kaathak Samhita 10.4) true by all means. In other words,
those two horses of Indra( Haree iti) which were called upper and lower levels,
full and new moon, Heaven and Earth or horses on either side, they now unite as
Rik and Saama( Shatapath Brahmana 4.4.3.6), perhaps symbolic of knowledge and
emotion. They may give rise to the strange imagery of daksham mahe paayayate
hiranyayam rathamaavrityaa hariyogamribhvasam( Rigveda 1.56.1). This
imagination presents a picture of that hiranyaya kosha which is called the
level of oneness with God. Here is formed the Haariyojanam saama of all the
earlier Harayah. The Hariyoga name may be called the chariot of happiness of
emotional trance. This chariot is also called the Harita ratha( Rigveda 3.44.1)
:
Ayam
te astu haryatah soma aa haribhih sutah. Jushanah indrah harihbir na aa gahya
tishtha haritam ratham.
According to this mantra, before
inviting Indra to sit on Harita ratha, Harayah had already purified the haryata
soma. In this mantra, 4 words with similarity to Hari have been used. In the
next mantra, it is prayed that after attainment of Haryata stage, one has to
appease Usha or the god of dawn, to make the sun illuminate etc. In the next
mantra, Indra is said to hold two horses, one of which is heaven called
haridhaayasam and the other is the earth called harivarpasam or the roopa of
Hari. Indra gains sufficient food from these 2 horses, when Hari goes inside
these two( Rigveda 3.44.3). In 3.44.5, the weapon of Indra has been called as
haryantam arjunam vajram which is surrounded by white rays. This has been
unveiled by the purification of soma by purifying stones named Harayah. The
verb harya which is the base of all the words used here, symbolizes the
spritual love or emotion.
The difference between the words
Harayah, Haritaah and Hari should be clearly understood. According to rigvedic
mantras, Harayah can only purify Hari or soma etc( Rigveda 9.96.2 etc). Haritah
can carry eem power to sun( Rigveda 7.60.3, 10.31.8). They are like hawks(
Jaiminiya Brahamana 3.84). Hari is a state which can shower happiness etc( see
adjective vrisha of Hari in Rigveda
7.10.1, 9.2.6, 9.5.9 etc.). Now one can guess what does it actually mean when
in common parlance one says Hari Om Tat Sat. Eem is considered as some form of
energy which goes upwards, while uum is considered to come down. In Rigveda
10.101.10, there is a reference of Hari eem also.
The other word in Vedas which is similar to Hari is
Harini. In Shaunak Samhita of Atharvaveda 10.2.33 :
Prabhraajamaanaam
harineem yashasaa sampareevritaam. Puram hiranyayeem brahmaaviveshaaparaajitaam.
This Harini which is full of lights
has been called the abode Aparaajitaapuri of Brahammaa. This is also called the
Hiranyaya kosha. This word also appears in Rigveda 10.96.9. Here Harini iti
appears as a word in duality form. These two harinis move to acquire vaaja or
some power. The non – duality of this dual Harini iti appears to form the
singular form which is Aparaajitaapuri of Brahamaa in Atharvaveda. The word
meaning of Harini is – Harih neeyate yatra – where Hari is carried out.
Shraddha Chauhan
Vedic Exploration of
Human Individuality (In Hindi)
( Gaveshna Prakashan,
17E/257, Nandanvan, Chaupaasani, Jodhpur, India 342008)
For puranic view of HARI, click
here
For information on NAHUSHA, click here