Skip to main content
Loading Explore guides…
Rigveda · Acedra
Home
Explore
Languages
Rigveda
Sign in to save
Chat
If YouTube asks you to sign in, open the video on YouTube.
Watch on YouTube
Reload player
Transcript
45 segments
Copy
Hide video
0:00
Friends, among the most important scriptures and texts of India, Rigveda is the most special. Rigveda is the oldest religious document of India. It is the longest and also the oldest among the four Vedas. The sad thing is that where people know about Mahabharata and Ramayana and even Puranas. People often do not know about the Vedas. It is not that we do not respect the Vedas. On the contrary, we consider the Vedas to be the roots of our religion.
0:22
Through Vedic Maths, Vedic Astrology, Vedic Meditation, we have made the word Veda a synonym which means something that's ancient and profound. But this respect has also created a strange distance. We hold the Vedas in such high regard that they have almost become alien to us. It doesn't help that Vedas aren't exactly the easiest documents to read. These are written in the language called Vedic Sanskrit, which is much more difficult than the Sanskrit you
0:49
study in school. It's lots more older lots more complex. Take for example this chant which is from the seventh mandala of the Rigveda it is called the Bhagya Suktam
1:13
as you can see even if you know basic Sanskrit then understanding the Vedas and grasping their meaning is still difficult also as humans we connect with stories from which we can learn something. You can apply the lessons in your life. Which is why Ramayana and Mahabharata are so popular. But Vedas were not developed for this reason. It also does not help that for the most part of history. It was absolutely forbidden for some people to listen to the Vedas let alone study them. Even
1:40
writing the Vedas was considered to be a great sin. For example, in the Anushasan Parva of Mahabharata, we see that whoever sells the Vedas, that is, whoever trades in them, whoever finds faults in the Vedas and whoever writes the Vedas, all of them will be drowned in hell. Look, I don't want to sink into hell. So let's clarify some things. First all of these comments are latter day edition. You don't see such harsh language used in the actual Vedas. Also, it would
2:05
not be right to take these lines literally. Because such language was often used for poetic effect so that people would be afraid that the Vedas cannot be tampered with at all. The goal was to ensure that the Vedas never get corrupted here. And yes for that purpose the language was gate kept so that no wrong person could tamper with the Vedas. Think about it. The Vedas are the only surviving texts of the entire Indian
2:27
European culture. Being able to accurately preserve the Vedas for thousands of years despite all the invasions. That is an amazing feat in itself. In fact, people will be shocked to know how elaborate a system was developed to protect the Vedas. Entire families were responsible for remembering different parts of the Vedas. Each family was called a branch. In the branches, children do not just memorize the Vedas in a linear manner. They had multiple methods of
2:51
chanting. Sometimes forwards, backwards and then with double repetitions. All of this wasn't just a way to flex skills. This was an encoding to ensure that no part was accidentally left out or any wrong additions were made.
3:31
Today's written Rigveda, which you can order online, was created by finalizing the knowledge of multiple families across generations. So you can essentially say that we have created a decentralized human blockchain system through which information cannot be corrupted at all even if some part of the network was destroyed.
4:23
The lines that you have just recited are the first three lines of the Rigveda part of which we also call Agnisuktam. This mantra is dedicated to Agni Dev. He is being pressed here as The Eternal Priest. Because it is through Agni ji only that we convey our offerings to the Gods. Now let us understand the structure of Rigveda. The entire Rigveda is divided into 10 mandalas which are also called books in English. There are many hymns in each Mandala. That means there
4:48
are many Hims. Think of them like chapters. And each Sukta has multiple verses or Richas. The word Rig in Rigveda comes from the root word rich. Which means verse of praise. From this comes the word Archana meaning worship. And Richa meaning a stanza. So, the literal meaning of Rik plus Veda is The Knowledge of Praise Verses i.e. Rigveda. Agnisukta is the first mantra of the first mandala. So, it is natural if you understand that this is the oldest mantra of Rigveda. But that is
5:19
not really the case. Unfortunately, these 10 mandals are not arranged according to time. It is very rare that scholars from India and the West align with each other on matters of history. But surprisingly, here both align that the second to ninth mandalas of Rigveda are older as compared to the first and tenth mandalas. So the first and last mandalas are like the cover of a book that envelops the rest of the mandalas. Additionally, divisions two to seven are
5:48
called family groups. Because these mandalas were written by specific families of sages. For example, the second Mandala was written by Rishi Gritsamada. Who was adopted into the Bhrgu lineage. The third Mandala was written by sage Vishwamitra and his clan. The fourth Mandala was written by the Vamadeva and Gautam families, the fifth Mandala was written by the Atri family. The sixth division was won by the Bhardwaj family and the seventh
6:10
division was won by the Vashishtha family. According to the scholar Shrikant Talgiri ji. These family books also have an internal chronology. According to him the oldest family books would be mandalas six, three and seven. These would be the oldest layers of the Rigveda. Then after them the second and fourth mandalas were composed. This was the Middle Rigvedic Period. And finally Mandals five, eight, nine, one and ten were composed. Fifth Division is interesting
6:36
because it is a family group but was written in the later stage. So according to Talageri ji, the heart of the Rigveda are Mandals Six, Three and Seven which are composed by the sages Bharadwaja, Vishwamitra and Vasishtha ji's clans. From here come the two most secret mantras of the entire Hindu religion. The first is the Gayatri Mantra, which is the tenth verse of the 62nd Sukta of the third Mandala. Om Tatsaviturvavarenyam Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi Dhiyo Yon Prachodayat. May
7:04
we attain the beautiful splendor of Goddess Savitri who guides our thoughts. People think that Gayatri Mantra would be dedicated to a Goddess Gayatri. But that is not the case. The mantra is actually dedicated to Savitr the God of pre dawn, and the Name of the Sun before the Sunrise. The mantra is called the Gayatri Mantra because the meter in which it is composed is the Gayatri meter which has 24 syllables in it. And then in the
7:33
12th verse of the 59th Sukta of the seventh Mandal of the Rig Veda, we find the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra. Om Trayambakam Yajamahe Sugandhim Pushtivardhanam Urvakamava Bandhanat Mrityur mukshi Yamamritat. Its literal meaning is that O Tryambaka, O three- eyed one, just as a ripe cucumber naturally separates from its branches, similarly we should naturally become free from the fear of death.
7:58
looking at the Rigveda is that it is a journal of the sages of the Puru Bharata Kingdom. Look, in the olden times, the sages who were in the king's courts , they used to play multiple roles – they were royal advisors, court poets, even spiritual guides. The sages would connect with the Gods and conduct Yagyas for the success of the kingdom. Which was believed to be responsible for giving great material benefits to the king. In return, the sages were highly respected in the kingdom.
8:24
And they were financially supported by the Kingdom as well. The Rig Veda is essentially a collection of mantras composed by a certain group of sages who lived during the Puru Bharata kingdoms. Look, there is no doubt that the most important deity of Rigveda is undoubtedly Indradev. Like it's not even a question. He is the most mentioned, most praised, most lauded God almost in every mandala of the Rig Veda. In the Vedas, Indra ji has been called the king of gods.
8:51
This may seem quite surprising to you considering how irrelevant Indra has become in modern times. *meme noises* Think about it. Today, more than 1200 towns in India are named after Shri Ram ji. For Vishnu ji it is over 1300 but Indra ji has almost about 50 towns in his name. Neither do we praise Indra ji nor do we go to Indra ji's temple. And yet if you think about it Indra is everywhere. The word Indra itself comes from the word senses. Meaning one that belongs to Indra which is why
9:22
the five senses are called Panch Indriya in Hinduism. Many common terms also come from Indra. Like rainbow, Delhi also used to be known as Indraprastha, the area of Indra ji. Indore is also named after Indraji. And there are so many people in Punjab who use the word Indra in their names. Which also comes from Indra. So how do we go from such a huge presence to almost irrelevance? Look at the oldest family book of Rigveda which is sixth Mandal composed by Rishi Bharadwaj.
9:54
Through his mantras, he has represented Indra ji as a warrior king. Someone who is like a military leader. He is also called the great Indra. For example, in the 19th Sukta of the Sixth Mandal, sage Bharadwaj says, O Indra, give us the power to win the battle. Please hand over all our enemies, whether they are our relatives or strangers, into our hands. Even in the seventh Mandala composed by sage Vashistha. We see how Indra helped Sudas to defeat the coalition of 10 tribes
10:24
along the banks of River Parshuni or River Ravi. Hymns say that Indra made Sudas' enemies scatter like birds. Pukhtas, Bhalanas, Alinaas, Shivaas all were defeated. Indra literally acted like Sudasa's divine general who protected his chariots and rerouted the enemy tribes. After the victory according to Srikanth Talageri, the defeated tribes would move westwards Pukhtas would become the Pashtons Bhalanas would become Baluchis Druhyus would become Druids Parthavas the Parthians and
10:55
Brgus the Phrygians it was only because of Indira's military support which made Sudas the most powerful king of this time. The five major tribes you see on this map are Anu Druhyu Puru Yadu and Turvasu. In combined form they were also called Panchajanya. And this term is mentioned in the Rigveda multiple times. The Rig Veda was originally composed by the Puru tribe. Especially his family sages who were also called Angirasas. But among these, the Anu and Druhyu tribes
11:25
who moved west after the Dashragya War and later became Iranians and perhaps Celtic. Their sages were also called Atharvans or Bhrigus. It seems as if there must have been a deep enmity between the sages Bhrigu and Angiras, which may not have been just political but also religious. Experts believe that before Indra ji, people considered Varun as supreme. And that includes the Brugus. In Rigveda, Varun ji has been called an Asura. He was the protector of Rta i.e. cosmic order and moral law.
11:56
We get "riti" from Rta only. He was a silent judge and kept an eye on every small mistake and gave the result accordingly. So a very protokarma model, if you look at Greek mythology, Varun ji is also linked to Ouranos or Uranus. Whose symbol was the Ouraboros, a snake eating its own tail. By the way, this visualization might have led to the discovery of the structure of the benzene ring. Many scholars in fact also believe that Ahura Mazda of Zoroastrianism is none other
12:27
than Varun Dev. On the contrary, the Angiras sages promoted new gods i.e. Younger Gods whose leader was Indra. This philosophical difference is clearly visible to us even in the writings of the Vedas. For example, three out of four Vedas, Rigveda, Yajurveda and Samaveda were composed by Angiras sages. Whereas the main contribution in Atharvaveda is of Bhrigu sages. At one time, the Atharvaveda was also called Bhargava Angiras or Atharva Angiras and was not given the status of a Veda.
12:56
Where Indra is an active storm god. Is a dragon slayer. Purandar means four destroyers. Whereas Varun ji is calm and pacifist. Asura literally means one who does not consume the Sura. Which might have been an intoxicating drink as well. So, your Asuras are the conservative old school pacifistic gods. While Davtas are a little more adventurous, courageous and have that young blood energy. Due to this religious difference, respected figures of both the sects have been considered devils.
13:28
Now let's fast forward to the Puranas. Indra's character in the Puranas is actually a quiet bizzare. Hey Indra, do you remember your appraisal report is next week? Sir I
13:43
What have you made of yourself Indra? Indra disguised himself as Ahalya's husband, sage Gautama, to trick her. When sage Vishwamitra was doing penance, Indra sent Menaka Apsara. True tragic story: The same sages who worshipped Indra the most in the Vedas are shown cursing Indra in the Puranas. In Mahabharata, Indra's ego is such that it tries to drown Mathura. Sorry Devendra, your worship on earth has been stopped this year. No, who gave them such bad thoughts?
14:16
Yes, Krishna is the son of Nanda Gopa. On his advice, they stopped worshipping you and started worshipping the cow and Govardhan mountain. Krishna But Shri Krishna ji saves everyone from the wrath of Indra by lifting Govardhan mountain with his little finger. Even beyond the Puranas, there is not much respect for Indra. In Buddhism, Indra was described as trapped in the clutches of the world. Indra has been given a title in Jainism. Of a celestial being who serves the Jain Tirthankaras. And
14:44
in Shaktism, Indra's wife Indrani has been called the maid of Mata Tripura Sundari. Who is specifically there to fix her hair braids.
15:15
In the Puranas, instead of Indra, the Trinity i.e. Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma had increased. Now, according to experts, each of these deities could have been a result of different assimilations of different cultures. For example, Lord Shiva could have been possibly based on a Dravidian or Harappan deity like Pashupati who fused with the Vedic god Rudra. Lord Vishnu was called Upendra, meaning Indra's younger brother, who helps Indra in different missions. Yadu tribe who were Aryans
15:43
but not Vedic Aryans, there used to be a local deity in his clan called Vasudev. And this Vasudeva figure might have assimilated with the Rigvedic Vishnu to form the character of Krishna. This assimilative nature is nothing uncommon in Hinduism. Even think how the deity Jagannath ji himself is assimilation of the Puranic Krishna with the tribal god called Kitung and Neelamadhava. So what it seems like is that as more and more people entered the pantheon of Hinduism. Even the God
16:11
started becoming assimilated and started replacing the old gods like Indra. But it should be noticed that the challenge to Indra's position had started much before the Puranas. In the early mandalas of the Rigveda, such as six, three and seven, Indra is considered supreme. Here Indra was worshipped for war, cattle fights, material prosperity and military conquests. But in later mandalas, for example in the fifth mandal by Rishi Atri. We see Indra start taking a protective role. He
16:41
Unites Lost Calves with Their Mothers. And ah then especially in Mandala One and 10 the book cover Mandalas. Where we see a philosophy begins to develop that focuses on deeper questions like unity, consciousness, the mystery of creation, and so on. Let's take the Nasadiya Sukhta for example from the 10th Mandal. Here the question is being raised about the very beginning of creation. Who knows how creation began? Was there a creator or not? Who knows?
17:24
see how different this agnosticism is from Indra's confident voice. Then just a few hymns earlier we hear the Devi Sukta where a female voice of a sage Rishika Vak Ambhrini seems to have almost an Advaita Vedantic realization as she declares that I am the Queen who pervades heaven and earth. I breathe like air. And it has a very different vibe from Indra's male-dominated power in Conquer and Destroy.
18:23
And finally comes the Sangadvam Sukta which gives the message of unity: Walk together Say together Your minds are together in harmony
18:43
I think through out the making of this video. I can understand why Indra has been mocked so much in the Puranas. Indra in Many Ways is the odd one out. A warrior hero who kills dragons. Drinking Soma, he sings his own praises. He Seems Like a God Straight Out of a Greek or Norse Mythology. This energy could never survive in India or it would be better to say that India transformed it deliberately. Whereas in other Indo-European cultures, heroes kill snakes. Snakes were adopted in India.
19:10
For example, Kalia Nag was dancing under Krishna's feet. Sheshnag becomes the bed of Vishnu. During the churning of the ocean, Vasuki snake becomes a rope. There is something in the soil of India that no culture ever dies here. It gets transformed. Our ancestors decided that we will not discriminate against anyone like Indra. We will not consider anyone who is not like us as inferior. Will believe in peace and goodwill. And it was a very beautiful choice. But when you
19:38
value acceptance more than ambition, then desire becomes a bad word. The energy of a culture that could have exploded gets used up in maintaining order. The Rig Veda is a portal to an era where desire was a good word. Where there was a raw energy. That was a lot more primal. There wasn't much over-philosophizing. Just a pure belief that yes we can be the greatest. We deserve to win. If India has to lead the world in the 21st century, we have to reconnect with that voice. Not
20:07
Indra's discrimination, not Indra's toxic ego, but Indra's pure will which does not believe at all that everything is illusion. Instead he says that you can challenge the universe and win. You can build a civilization that is the most beautiful. It is the grandest and the greatest. Desire can be a good thing that wanting to be great can be a noble thing. This self-confidence, this courage to ask questions and the passion to respect one's desires is the
20:37
real contribution of Indraji and particularly the Rigveda. This power is still within you today. Indra is still alive today. You just need to recognize them. Thank you everyone for watching yet another video from India and Pixels. I am excited to share that we are hosting a Rigveda Hackathon. Where we are inviting coders and technology enthusiasts. Have to create something that makes Rigveda a little more interactive, a little more fun and a little easier for people to
21:01
access. We have been getting some excellent submissions and we look forward to more. Which is why we are extending the deadline to 31 October 2025. Prices up to 50 thousand. R waiting in order. I will be back in the next video. Until then keep thinking, keep exploring. B bye.
21:22
India and pixels got your mind taken. Subscribe for more Join the mission Stay dream
Here to help you learn
Sign in to keep a private conversation with your course tutor.
Ask me anything about the material…
Sign in to chat