বেদ - Some select prayers from the Vedas
मूषो न शिश्ना व्यदन्ति माध्य स्तोतारं ते शतक्रतो ।
सकृत्सु नो मघवन्निन्द्र मृडयाधा पितेव नो भव ॥
মূষো ন শিশ্না ব্যদন্তি মাধ্য স্তোতারং তে শতক্রতো ।
সকৃৎসু নো মঘবন্নিন্দ্র মৃডয়াধা পিতেব নো ভব ।।
As rats eat weavers’ threads, wants eat inside me, thy singer, O God Almighty!
Show Thy mercy on us at one, O Gracious Lord! So, be like a Father to us. ( RV.X.33.3)

त्रातारमम् इन्द्रम अवितारमम् इन्द्रं हवे हवे सुहवं शूरमिन्द्रम् ।
ह्वयामि शक्रं पुरुहूतम् इन्द्रं स्वस्ति नो मघवा धात्विन्द्रः ॥
ত্রাতারমম্ ইন্দ্রম অবিতারমম্ ইন্দ্রং হবে হবে সুহবং শূরমিন্দ্রম্ ।
হ্বয়ামি শক্রং পুরুহূতম্ ইন্দ্রং স্বস্তি নো মঘবা ধাত্বিন্দ্রঃ ।।
God the Rescuer, God the Saviour,
mighty God, happily invoked at each invocation,
God, powerful, invoked of many, I invoke.
May god, the bounteous, confer on us blessing.
(R. VI 47-11)
तद् एवाग्निस् तद् आदित्यस् तद् वायुस् तद् उ चन्द्रमाः ।
तद् एव शुक्रं तद् ब्रह्म ता ऽ आपः स प्रजापतिः ॥
তদ্ এবাগ্নিস্ তদ্ আদিত্যস্ তদ্ বায়ুস্ তদ্ উ চন্দ্রমাঃ ।
তদ্ এব শুক্রং তদ্ ব্রহ্ম তা ऽ আপঃ স প্রজাপতিঃ ।
Agni is That, Aditya is That, Vayu is That, Chandrma is That
Light is That, Brahma is That, Apah are Those and Prajapati is He (YV 32.1)

शं नो मित्रः शं वरुणः शं नो भवत्वर्यमा ।
शं न इन्द्रो बृहस्पतिः शं नो विष्णुरुरुक्रमः ॥
শং নো মিত্রঃ শং বরুণঃ শং নো ভবত্বর্যমা ।
শং ন ইন্দ্রো ৰৃহস্পতিঃ শং নো বিষ্ণুরুরুক্রমঃ ।।
Be Mitra gracious unto us, and Varuṇa and Aryaman:
Indra, Bṛhaspati be kind, and Viṣṇu of the mighty stride. (RV 1.90.9)

प्र णो देवी सरस्वती वाजेभिः वाजिनीवती । धीनाम् अवित्री अवतु ॥
প্র ণো দেবী সরস্বতী বাজেভিঃ বাজিনীবতী ।
ধীনাম্ অবিত্রী অবতু ।।
May the divine Sarasvatī, rich in her wealth,
protect us well,
Furthering all our thoughts with brilliance (RV 6.61.4)

महो अर्णः सरस्वती प्र चेतयति केतुना ।
धियो विश्वा वि राजति ॥
মহো অর্ণঃ সরস্বতী প্র চেতয়তি কেতুনা ।
ধিয়ো বিশ্বা বি রাজতি ।।
Sarasvatī, the mighty ocean (of light)
Illumines with her light,
She brightens every intellect. (RV I.III.12)

यो नः पिता जनिता यो विधाता धामानि वेद भुवनानि विश्वा ।
यो देवानां नामधा ऽ एक ऽ एव तम्ँ संप्रश्नं भुवना यन्त्य् अन्या ॥
যো নঃ পিতা জনিতা যো বিধাতা ধামানি বেদ ভুবনানি বিশ্বা ।
যো দেবানাং নামধা ऽ এক ऽ এব তম্ঁ সংপ্রশ্নং ভুবনা যন্ত্য্ অন্যা ।।
Our Father, our Creator, our Disposer,
Who knows all positions, all things existing;
Who is the only one, bearing names of different Deities,
Him other beings seek with questionings.
(RV. X. 82-3; also Y17.27 & A 2.1.3)
***
The Vedas are the fountainhead of Hinduism and its ultimate sacred scriptures. These sacred books are the most ancient preserved literature of the world. It is difficult to say when exactly these works were composed. According to educated guess, these are more than seven to 8,000 years old.
The contents of these books are the records of the spiritual realisation of the sages of that period. Some of the mantras of the Vedas, including the Gaytri mantra are quite popular and are recited regularly by millions.
Everything of Hinduism, the grand old religion of the world, flows out of these sacred books, organised in four -- Rik, Sama, Yajur and Atharva. Composed and preserved in an oral tradition since ancient times, these contain in full the four aspects of religion - philosophy, mythology, rituals, and ethics. Most importantly, these contain the Upanishads, popularly known as Vedanta, which is the greatest philosophical system in the world.
The Vedas contain more than 20, 000 verses of varied lengths. The language used is very old and the mantras have profound meaning. This series of talks tries to give a simple overview of these sacred books.
#SwamiSamarpanananda #Veda #IndianSpiritualHeritage #AuthorSamarpan