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Now the outer meaning of the riks
can be understood from Sāyaņa's commentary. But the secret sense,
as stated earlier, is dependent on the meaning of the symbols.
Yāska, the author of the nirukta, also says the meaning of
the mantra is difficult to grasp. According to him the mantra
called 'brahman' revealed itself to the rişhis in
tapas, askesis, not in any other way. He states: "It (mantra)
brahman the self-born came to the rişhis who were
doing tapas, therefore they became the rişhis, in
that lies the rişhi hood of the rişhis'' nirukta
(2.11). Elsewhere he observes that the purport of the mantra
is difficult to know. "The shore (of knowledge) of the mantra has
to be reached by tapas'' nirukta (13.13). It is
clear that in the view of Yāska there is no other means except
tapas to understand the meaning of the Veda and that mantra
reveals itself to the rişhi stationed in tapas. What
we have said in regarding the manifestation of the mantrās,
its eternality and its being a creation - all these are decisively
substantiated not only by the mantrās themselves, but justified by
Yāska also. The bŗhad devata supporting
Yāska, says: "The mantra is not perceptible to one who is
not a rişhi'' BD (8.129). The treatment in the bŗhad
devata of topics like the rişhi's capacity for seeing,
the purpose of the triad (the three types of mantrās), the
efficacy of the rituals properly performed, goes without doubt to
reinforce the position of the esoteric significance of the Veda.
These are the dicta:
"He knows the Gods who knows the
riks. They are to be approached through yoga with
self-control and skill, understanding, general knowledge and above
all tapasyā'' BD (7. 130).
"The Gods accept the offering of the
sacrificer who knows the Deity of the mantra but not of him who
knows not the deity'' (131).
"The Deity does not accept the libation
offered in ignorance. Therefore the libation is to be offered to
the Deity with self-control in the mind'' (132).
"He is like a God worthy of praise in
heaven even by the Gods, who is pure and studies the Veda
with knowledge of the Gods and the mantra'' (133).
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