वैदिक प्रार्थनाएं- Vedic Prayers for Global Peace and Universal Well-Being

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VEDAS are the most ancient source of Indian knowledge tradition.

The profound message envisioned in the Vedas is not only relevant for Indians but also beneficial for the whole humanity. It is therefore, that such select Vedic prayers have been compiled in this book which solicit peace and welfare for all beings in the world. It is worth mentioning that the auspicious aspirations for global peace and universal friendship as expressed in Vedic prayers, are rarely to be found elsewhere. Besides, no negative emotions such as hatred and aversion arising due to sectarian, caste or gender-based differences are available therein. Vedas proclaim that the earth is our mother and so all of us, its inhabitants, are one family.

Dr Arvind Gupta, Director, Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), New Delhi, after listening to one of my online lectures, suggested that I should select a good number of such prayers from the Vedas which are relevant to the modern world and translate them in Hindi and English in a manner which might appeal to the contemporary society. He also announced that VIF would be glad to publish the volume.

Accordingly, I started working on his suggestion and tried my best to complete the task assigned to me during the last two years. First of all, I read through all the mantras of four Vedas and marked the appropriate ones, then prepared a translation in Hindi and English. It was intended that the translation should not be too literal, rather it should gel with the modern mind. Hence it has been endeavoured to bring out the essence of each mantra in a lucid language, The selected mantras from all the four Vedas have been divided under the following eight' headings:

1. One Earth, One Family

2. Peace

3. Well-being

4. Nature/Environment

5. Friendship/Amity

6. Education

7. Feminine Power

8. Culture

The Vedic verses have frequently addressed the earth as our mother, sky as father and other aspects of Nature as kin members. This clearly manifests that the idea of "one earth, one family" was underlying the ancient Indian viewpoint.

There is no doubt that humanity today is tired of violence and is in dire need of peace more than ever before. It is because we are compelled to bear the blatant effect of a pandemic and a global war caused by the mighty storm of anger and aversion. In fact, 2020 was the most stressful year in recent history. Global Emotions Report 2020³ shows how people in more than 140 countries and areas are living. Every living being is restless today; even the equilibrium of nature is disturbed due to perverted mindset of humans and is giving rise to severe disasters. Positive values like cooperation, complementarity, and coordination are becoming rare and still rarer.

It is therefore that even after acquiring the highest level of physical comforts and conveniences, the humanity is still craving for the basic sense of well-being. The main reason behind this craving is an absence of friendship amongst various entities of the universe.

Vedic prayers present a benign sense of natural affinity among the visible and invisible, gross and subtle, micro and macro. Vedic verses depict an intimate emotional bonding between human beings and nature. In fact, this thread of intimacy between both these aspects of universe reflects a symbiotic relation like two parts of the same single whole in which environment is not treated as an external factor.

On closer analysis, it becomes clear that the eternal and universal features of Vedic culture reflected here are: its antiquity, humanism, cosmic well-being and the idea of one single conscious principle pervading everything in the world, etc. The Vedic code of conduct teaches that we must inculcate these values and get elevated in life. It is therefore that several verses about Vedic education signify such message as: may our character be pious, our thoughts pure and may we always follow the noble path!

UNVEILING its logo, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi said that the overarching theme of India's G-20 presidency in 2022-23 will be vasudhaiva kutumbakam, a verse from the ancient Sanskrit text of Maha Upanisad. Vasudhaiva kutumbakam underlines the interconnectness between human, animal, plant life and nature. India has an opportunity to showcase its ancient thinking for the world during its G-20 presidency.

The world is conflict-ridden, violent and unstable. The sudden eruption of Russian-Ukrainian War at the heart of Europe in 2022 plunged the world into this century's most serious geopolitical crisis yet. The memories of the two world wars in the twentieth century in which hundreds of millions of people were killed in direct and indirect combat were revived. Top political leaders and experts have begun to warn about the possibility of a global conflict in the twenty-first century. A new world war would destroy humanity and the planet comprehensively.

Instability is not new but currently the humanity faces an existential threat from climate change, an arms race, autonomous technologies, civil wars, pandemics and terrorism. The last century saw two world wars and numerous other wars and conflicts in which millions of people perished. In addition, there have been natural and man-made disasters.

The Covid-19 pandemic exposed the extreme vulnerabilities of the humankind. The pandemic has claimed over six million lives and continues to rage. The ability of the humanity to deal with pandemics, nature's fury and conflicts arising out of mutual suspicion and hatred is questionable. The situation has become worse given that the world's resources are limited, biodiversity and the environment have been damaged irretrievably in many cases. Millions of life forms have disappeared and the remaining are facing the danger of extinction. Vast areas of the oceans have been declared as no fish can survive there due to excessive marine pollution.

A lot of what has happened has to be blamed on humans. The self-interest of the human race has led to overexploitation of the planet. There is a lot of knowledge but relatively little wisdom. Modern economic models are based on the relentless exploitation of resources. Crass materialism and greed have overtaken restrained living. The earth's geochemical, physical and biological processes put strict boundaries that, if crossed, would threaten the very existence of the life on earth. The latest scientific research tells us that many of these boundaries have already been crossed and some are in danger of being transgressed. Man has to show some respect to nature and restrain his selfish urges. The alternative is to face nature's furry and become extinct.

As Gandhi Ji said, there is enough on planet earth for our needs but not for greed. At this rate of exploitation of resources, humanity will not survive long. Technology cannot offer a complete solution to mankind's problems. Technology is a double-edged sword. It can give solutions but also create problems.

Sustainable development is the key to survival. One requires a more balanced approach to living. The balance will bring equilibrium and sustainability.

The Indian civilization has survived for thousands of years. The Vedas and the subsequent literature have emphasized balanced and sustainable living. The essential message of the Vedas - that of sustainable living -is valid today. It needs to be restated and contextualized to modern conditions.

The four Vedas, the earliest scriptures anywhere, available in written form, deal with many issues, which are eternal and remain valid today. The yearning for peace is foremost among them.

Pursuing material gains, sustainable use of resources, preservation of the environment and respect for all forms of life is essential to Vedic thinking.

The Vedas led to the emergence of a rich variety of philosophical texts. The Upanisads developed the Vedic thought further and deepened it. Profoundly insightful commentaries were written. New ideas were encouraged. Dogma was shunned.

Vedic teachings offer ideas for the construction of a narrative for the modern world. They help to ease the pain of the modern world. Vedic teachings are universal and retain their relevance for all times. Although they form the core of Hinduism, they are quite secular.

The present collection of Vedic hymns introduces the reader to the basic human yearning - the yearning for peace. The hymns have been divided thematically under "one earth one family" "peace", "well-being", "nature", "friendship", "education", "feminine power" and " culture".