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Rigveda – Mandala 1, Sukta – 59 to 61

7/18/2025

We shall discuss the hymns, Sukta wise & Mandala wise. Our focus is on the implicit meaning of the various hymns instead of literal translations of the hymns. These purported meanings are based primarily on the English translations by Swami Dharmanand Saraswati of the works done by Swami Dayanand Saraswati.

Highlights –
The hymn wise, purported explanations –
As the God upholds the entire world, the heads of the institutions, parents and teachers should properly protect and maintain people, children and pupils and do good. Learned and righteous persons should always be admired and all should renounce the evils. By associating with the learned, men can attain much knowledge.

Persons should acquire knowledge under learned persons and easily accomplish Dharma (righteousness) Artha (Wealth) Kama (fulfilment of noble desires) and Moksha (emancipation). Heads of the institutions should gladden all people by his knowledge, humility and other virtues. They should make the righteous people happy by freeing them from the bonds of sorrow by protecting justice and disintegrating the enemies. A foolish person has no value before a highly learned man, possessing perfect knowledge.

All human beings should be made scholars through good education and donation of knowledge through philanthropic scholars' daily efforts.

Mandala 1 – Sukta – 59

As the tree, branches and pillars cause delight by upholding the house, so God causes bliss to all by upholding or sustaining them.
Men should know and adore the lord who has revealed the Vedas-repositories of all sciences for giving that perfect knowledge to noble persons, who is the most exalted and the Support of all.
Men should know that as in the light of the Sun, all works are well-accomplished, in the same way, all acts are accomplished well when God is earnestly and sincerely worshipped. Those who thus adore the Lord in right earnest, never lose happiness and wealth. They never feel misery and poverty.
As the earth and the light of the sun make all happy by upholding them, as the parents or teachers always try to bring about the welfare of their children or pupils, as God is always engaged in doing good to His subjects, in the same way, the President of the Assembly should endeavor to do good to all is what the Vedas teach.
The members of the council of ministers or assemblies should adore God as the Lord of all, on account of His Omnipotence. The President of the Assembly should be resorted to on account of his extra-ordinary virtues. He should conquer his enemies in battles, please righteous persons, protect his subjects, serve the learned and keep company with them.
God alone should be adored by all persons whose great glory is manifested by this whole world.
God who is present like electricity in innumerable substances and is the cause of numberless acts and movements, upholds the entire world. He who knows the Science of God, is worshipped of respected by all.

Mandala 1 – Sukta – 60

As air upholds fire and electricity etc. and thus sustains the worlds, in the same manner, the officers of the State should keep the subjects in justice with knowledge and righteousness.
Those persons should be served as parents who are admired by learned, righteous and just men and by whose humility all are pleased.
Men should honor those persons who cause people to renounce all evil and tread upon the path of righteousness.
Men should never appoint an unrighteous and un-educated person in charge of the administration.
As, men reach the destination quickly by yoking speedy horses in the carriages, in the same way, by associating with the learned, men can attain much knowledge.

Mandala 1 – Sukta – 61

Men should appoint praise worthy officers of the State, should pay to them taxes etc. and respect them by inviting them and they also should show proper respect to their subjects.
Men should not accept another President of the Assembly having given up one who has been well-tested, highly learned, benevolent, righteous and aged or experienced. They should honor him well and always please him.
As learned people try their best to bring about the welfare of men, in the same manner, men should also endeavor to honor them.
As a Carpenter constructs a strong chariot or car for going to distant places and uses all necessary implements to accomplish his purpose, enjoys happiness by travelling comfortably, in the same manner, a man should, constantly attain joy sitting at the feet of a highly learned person acquiring knowledge under him and easily accomplishing Dharma (righteousness) Artha (Wealth) Kama (fulfilment of noble desires) and Moksha (emancipation).
As men accomplish their works by harnessing speedy horses in the chariots and going to distant places to achieve their objects, in the same manner, men should accomplish all their purposes by associating themselves with highly learned and brave persons.
As the sun dissipates the cloud with his splendor, makes it fall down on earth and causing rain gives happiness to all, in the same manner, the President of the Assembly, should gladden all people by his knowledge, humility and other virtues, by getting trained his army well in battles and by conquering his foes.
As the sun gets victory over the cloud destroying it with his rays and preserving food materials, water and sap etc. in the same manner, brave persons under the commander of an army should be victorious over their foes.
As before the power and majesty of the sun, the vastness of the earth etc. is insignificant, in the same manner, a foolish person has no value before a highly learned man, possessing perfect knowledge.
Men should accomplish all works having chosen a kind man as President of the Assembly who is most virtuous like the sun that surpasses the earth and other worlds in his glory, attributes and measurement.
As, with the help of lightning, the Sun rises and with the help of the Sun, lightning illuminates the world and disintegrates the clouds and makes them fall to the ground. Just as a herder of cows makes the cows happy by freeing them from bondage, similarly the members of the Assembly and the soldiers of the army should make the righteous people happy by freeing them from the bonds of sorrow by protecting justice and disintegrating the enemies.
The man, who becomes happy and glorious by serving the kingdom of the earth with the help of the Chairman of the Assembly etc. or by conquering the enemy, is capable of churning out all the enemies and provoking them.
Just as you divide different letters and syllables by piercing the palate etc. with the life-breath, similarly, you should be victorious by disintegrating the enemy's strength and dividing its body parts.
People should always respect the Chairmen of the Assemblies etc. by praising and encouraging them for their knowledge, humility, defeating enemies et cetera. Through these royal men like the Chairman of the Assembly, the education of weapons and scriptures and the skilful art of craft, the warriors in the army should be gathered and the people should be continuously protected by defeating the enemies.
Certainly, without God having created the world with the best qualities like knowledge etc., the people can’t obey the President of the Assembly etc. and just as the Sun cannot be capable of illuminating and sustaining all the worlds, hence by acquiring the best qualities like knowledge etc., the best is the work of praising God.
The one who gives a lot of happiness to humans, who knows horse knowledge etc. and is an incomparable effort-making learned person, should be appointed for protection and should also collect the knowledge of electricity.
All human beings should be made scholars through good education and donation of knowledge through philanthropic scholars' daily efforts. These scholars should serve them daily with delicious food prepared with hospitality in mind and speech. No righteousness is better than donating and receiving knowledge, hence one should always progress knowledge by loving each other.

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Rigveda – Mandala 1, Sukta – 56 to 58

7/11/2025

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We shall discuss the hymns, Sukta wise & Mandala wise. Our focus is on the implicit meaning of the various hymns instead of literal translations of the hymns. These purported meanings are based primarily on the English translations by Swami Dharmanand Saraswati of the works done by Swami Dayanand Saraswati.

Highlights –
All boys and girls should study sciences and enter into wedlock after knowing merits of one another & should have mutual love for domestic happiness. If they are highly learned, they should teach boys & girls, otherwise discharge other duties according to their merits & temperaments. Husband & wife should be source of happiness to all by their good character and conduct.

A humble righteous, mighty and industrious person should be selected for the position of head in the Assembly, Educational Institutes and Army. Men should constantly enjoy happiness by meditating up on the infinite power of God. The soul is ever pervaded by God who is eternal, Absolute Existence, Absolute Conscious, Perfect Bliss, Omnipotent, Self-refulgent, the Support, Creator of the world, Infinite, Omnipresent Supreme Being The soul is eternal, conscious, finite and not omniscient. The soul is the free doer of actions and enjoys soon the fruits of its good or bad actions in the form of happiness and misery. The soul in the body is the impeller of the body, its organs and inner senses, their upholder, controller, master, possessing desires, malice, volition, happiness. misery and consciousness. The knowers of the real nature of the soul get extreme happiness and joy.

The hymn wise, purported explanations –

Mandala 1 – Sukta – 56

A preacher should marry a learned lady like himself. As he preaches among men-and teaches the boys, his wife should preach among women and should teach girls. By so doing ignorance and fear cannot remain anywhere.
All boys and girls should study all sciences with the observance of Brahmacharya (continence) and after the attainment of full youth, they should enter into wedlock, having known and tested one another's merits, actions and temperaments and after the development of mutual love. If they are highly learned, they should teach boys and girls, otherwise, they should discharge the duties of the Kshatriyas, Vaishyas or Shudras to which ever Varna (class-not caste by birth) they belong according to their merits, actions and temperament.
That marriage is the best where the bride and the bridegroom are of suitable beauty and temperament, but the power and the age of the bridegroom should be equal to one and half of the bride.
When a husband loves his wife and the wife loves the husband, it is only then that domestic happiness follows
As the solar world by its light, attraction and other attributes, makes all worlds rotate in their axis and drawing the sap by its splendour in all directions causes rain and thus sustains all people, in the same manner, husband and wife should behave. (They should be source of happiness to all by their good character and conduct).
As learned persons manifest justice like the sun and protect the people by casting aside or crushing all enemies, so we should also do. In this hymn, there is the mention of the attributes of the sun, lightning and President of the Assembly etc. so it has connection with the previous hymn.

Mandala 1 – Sukta – 57

As the water becomes clean and steady going from higher place to the tank below, in the same way, wealth becomes in exhaustible and secure (steady) in the hands of a humble righteous mighty and industrious person, who having acquired the royal prosperity, gives it for the welfare of all, for the development of knowledge and for the growth of physical and spiritual power. We should enthrone only such a liberal hero for the Presidentship or the Assembly, Educational Institutes and Army.
As the lions and other wild beasts in the mountain and waters in the cloud become safe and secure, so the subjects become firmly established in happiness and bliss by resorting to the President of the Assembly etc.
Men should appoint a very admirable virtuous person who sets aside all injustices the morning dispels all darkness, in charge of the battles as the Commander of the Army. They should appoint a person who adorns all with education, wisdom, army, humility and the observance of justice and who gladdens all by providing wealth and food etc. as President of the Assembly.
Those persons only become worthy of reverence who do not accept any one else except God as Averrable and who do not accept anything that is not in accordance with the teachings of the Vedas-revealed by God.
Men should constantly enjoy happiness by meditating up on the infinite power of God, thereby fulfilling their own noble desires and acquiring the kingdom of the earth.
Men should appoint as commander of the Army and President of the Assembly etc. a mighty and learned person who is the destroyer of his enemies and is engaged in preserving the people.

Mandala 1 – Sukta – 58

O men, you should know that the soul is ever pervaded by God who is eternal, Absolute Existence, Absolute Conscious pervaded-ness and Perfect Bliss, Omnipotent, Self-refulgent, the Support and Creator of the world, Infinite, Omnipresent Supreme Being The soul is eternal, conscious, finite and not omniscient.
Men should know that the soul is the free doer of actions and enjoys soon the fruits of its good or bad actions in the form of happiness and misery under the Superintendence of God. It is upheld by Perfect God and based upon the sky and other substances for its nourishment. It illumines the intellect and mind etc.
The souls are those which move on earth with the Pranas (vital breaths), which play so to speak with bodies like the chariots and which desire good articles and happiness.
God tells all men. What I have taught through the Vedas, is the real nature of your soul. You should know it well.
Men should know that the soul in the body is the impeller of the body, its organs and inner senses, their upholder, controller, master, possessing desires, malice, volition, happiness. misery and consciousness.
As men enjoy happiness by acquiring knowledge, wealth and friends, in the same manner, the knowers of the real nature of the soul get extreme happiness and joy.
Those men who know God after acquiring the knowledge of their own soul, attain emancipation.
O knowers of the soul and God, make all people happy by casting away the misery of all through the sermons on the real nature of the soul and God.

Men should accept that learned man to be the President of the Assembly etc. who being endowed with Dharma (righteousness) and humility governs well and protects all people.

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Rigveda – Mandala 1, Sukta – 54 & 55

7/4/2025

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We shall discuss the hymns, Sukta wise & Mandala wise. Our focus is on the implicit meaning of the various hymns instead of literal translations of the hymns. These purported meanings are based primarily on the English translations by Swami Dharmanand Saraswati of the works done by Swami Dayanand Saraswati.

Highlights –
Unrighteousness causes suffering. Those, who take shelter of supreme being or head of state with universal virtues, tread on righteous path. Head of state like God should punish the wicked and protect righteous persons. Head of State should have good knowledge, humility, justice and strong army consisting of brave persons. Head of state and its ministers should be benevolent and provide good governance.

A man most exalted on account of his virtues should be made the President of the Assembly or the Council of Ministers etc. And he being righteous himself should be terrifier of the wicked and giver of happiness to the righteous. Those persons are benevolent to all who earn industriously and enjoy wealth. Heads should acquire knowledge, intelligence, humility and righteousness; and should be fierce to the wicked but full of forgiveness and mild to the righteous. The duty of the teacher and the preacher to remove or set aside all superstition and to make all people happy by giving the light of knowledge and justice and to establish the observance of true conduct.

The hymn wise, purported explanations –

Mandala 1 – Sukta – 54

Men should know that God's Power is Infinite and when He is adored sincerely and earnestly, He can make them turn away from the path of unrighteousness which causes suffering and can make them happy. As God is infinite, no one can grasp His end, therefore who is such an unfortunate person who should worship anyone else having given up His worship?
Men should approach and take shelter in that President of the Assembly etc. who on account of supremacy in his universal virtues keeps all in the path of righteousness governing all with justice and law.
Men should have a State or Kingdom which obeys the commands of the Lord and is therefore dear to Him and which is governed by the President of the Assembly (responsible to the Assembly) and not autocratic, so that there may not be misery, injustice, laziness, ignorance and discord among the people and fear from enemies.
As God punishes and causes suffering to the wicked according to their sins, in the same manner, the President of the Assembly or King should train his army by giving proper training in arms and weapons and by restraining the wicked, should protect and preserve righteous subjects.
As God governs over the whole world by His Eternal knowledge and with justice and as the sun cuts into pieces the cloud, in the same manner, the President of the Assembly (King) should govern righteously and should slay his enemies.
Men should not appoint or elect as king a person who cannot protect or preserve the State.
None can administer a State, conquer enemies and get happiness without good knowledge, humility, justice and strong army consisting of brave persons. Therefore, the President of the Council of Ministers must do all this.
The Officers of the State should not oppose or go against the legitimate interests of the subjects and the subjects should not revolt against the officers of the State. But they should mutually love and do good to one another and thus should multiply happiness the State. Without doing this, the law and order in the State cannot be firm and secure.
The President of the Assembly or the Commander of the Army should maintain an army of well-trained and well-fed brave soldiers and should protect the subjects through them, giving them all happiness. These brave people should also always satisfy the President of the Assembly or the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, so that all their noble desires may be fulfilled.
As the air upholds the water that the Sun draws out and takes to the firmament, when together this assumes the form of a mountain and covers the light of the sun, the lightening falls it down on earth. From that, rivers and streams of various forms flow down, sometimes cutting the pieces of the land, mountain and trees etc. Then that water goes to the sea or the firmament and rains again and again, so should the king and other officers of the State. (They should be of benevolent nature like the sun, air, clouds and rivers etc.)

The President of the Council of the Ministers etc. should protect and preserve all people, make them all learned and well-trained and thus multiply wealth and vast and good government.

Mandala 1 – Sukta – 55

As the solar is the greatest among the worlds, as the bull is mighty among the herd of cows, in the same manner, a man most exalted on account of his virtues should be made the President of the Assembly or the Council of Ministers etc. And he being righteous himself should be terrifier of the wicked and giver of happiness to the righteous.
As the ocean keeps in itself many jewels and many rivers by its greatness or vastness, in the same manner, the President of the Assembly or the Council of ministers should accept various articles and armies, defeat the wicked and protect the noble persons and thus extend his glory.
Those persons are benevolent to all who earn industriously and enjoy wealth, associated with the President of the Assembly having acquired knowledge, intelligence, humility righteousness and brave army, are fierce to the wicked but full of forgiveness and mild to the righteous.
A highly learned scholar should make all people full of knowledge free and safe by giving them instructions in various sciences, so that they may ever enjoy happiness being free from all doubts.
As the sun gives delight to all with his rays, demolishing the cloud and making it rain down, in the same way, it is the duty of the teacher and the preacher to remove or set aside all superstition and to make all people happy by giving the light of knowledge and justice.
Men should know that that person is doer of good to all who like the sun being the illuminator of knowledge, righteousness and politics, makes all full of good knowledge.
As good charioteers train horses and keep them under their control, in the same manner, the teachers and preachers by their knowledge and sermons keep all established or firm in the observance of true conduct. None can make men righteous without their assistance.
As cultured learned men possess in-exhaustible knowledge, strength wealth and good actions, in the same manner, other people also should try to do.

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Rigveda – Mandala 1, Sukta – 59 to 61

Rigveda – Mandala 1, Sukta – 56 to 58

Rigveda – Mandala 1, Sukta – 54 & 55

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