25 The Veda in the Light of Sri Aurobindo I THE Veda or at least the Samhita of the Rigveda appears to be the earliest literary composition of humanity. There might have been earlier or contemporaneous compositions but they seem to have been lost in the tides and ebbs of time and we do not know what thoughts and aspirations they might have expressed. Considering, however, that there was, in the earlier stages, a remarkable tradition of mysteries, Orphic and Eleusinian in Greece, of occult lore and magic in Egypt and Chaldea, of Magi in Persia, and of the Rishis in India, there might have been in them something common but what could have b

5 Vedic world—Knowledge THE Supreme Reality is, according to the Veda, "That One" spoken of variously by the wise. This Reality came to be described in the Upanishads as Sat-Chit-Ananda (Sachchidananda), the pure conscious and blissful Existent. In the Veda we find that it is described often as Sat. It is also described as blissful. It is again described as conscious, and as Force of concentrated consciousness, Tapas. The Veda also speaks of It as tridhatu, the threefold Substance. In an intriguing description of the totality of Reality and its manifestation,the Veda speaks of it as one having four horns and three feet (catvari sringa trayo asya pad

31 Yoga and Knowledge KNOWLEDGE may be regarded as the most fundamental aim of Yoga. Even Hathayoga, which utilises the body as its instrument and aims at its perfection, lays down that the enjoyment of knowledge of our liberated being which brings us into unity or union with the Supreme, is its consummation. A complete mastery of the body and the life and a free and effective use of them established upon a purification of their workings serves as a basis for the more important matter of the psychical and spiritual effects to which that base can be turned. At this stage, Hathayoga takes its stand on the connection between the body and the m

1 The Four Vedas THE term Veda is derived from the Sanskrit root vid, to know. Its Latin cognate video to see, has also the same connotation. The Rishis , who composed the contents of the Veda, were the seers of hymns, which when studied rightly, are found to embody knowledge of eternal value. Veda is, therefore, the Book of Knowledge. Veda is a collective term, indicating the four Vedas, viz.: Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda. The Vedas are called Samhitas because they are collections or anthologies of hymns and mantras. The great sage Vyasa has been regarded as the compiler of these collections. Among the Vedas, the Rigveda Samhita occupies a

26 Yogic Science and Vedic Yoga I THERE is a larger perspective in the context of which the theme of Yoga stands out as a subject of great contemporary relevance. That larger perspective is that of the acute crisis through which humankind is passing today. This crisis has arisen, it seems, from the fact that/ while on the one hand, it does not seem unlikely that we may succeed in creating a system of life, practically covering the whole globe, which can provide to human beings means and materials to satisfy hedonistic, selfish and egoistic wants on such a scale that, for quite a long indefinite period, humankind might remain chained to circles of

IX ANNEXURE V LIST OF CHAIRPERSONS 1.PROFESSOR D. P. CHATTOPADHYAYA, Chairman, Centre for Studies in Civilization 2.SHRI D.K. MANAVALAN, Former, Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment 3.PROFESSOR RC. PRADHAN, Member-Secretary, ICPR 4.SHRI K.S. SHARMA, Additional Secretary, Department of Education, Ministry of HRD 5.DR. HARIGAUTAM, Chairman, University Grants Commission 6.PROFESSOR R.M. KALRA, Honorary Adviser, National Seminar on Value-Oriented Education, and Visiting Professor, USA & Canada 7.SHRI M.M. LUTHER, Author and Expert in Managment and Values 8.P

IV LITERATURE AND VALUE-ORIENTED EDUCATION SOME TALKING POINTS INDRA NATH CHOUDHURY 1.The industrialized society and the present day crisis in Values. 2.Values are relative and subjective and individuals should be left to themselves to determine their own value-system. 3.Educational institutions should confine themselve only to those studies where objective knowledge is discernible or determinable. 4.Self-centered liberalism leading to anti-judgment phobia. 5.Democracy cannot survive without an extra-political normative moral order and also by going beyond the material utility of life. 6.Val

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Joan of Arc Introduction Joan of Arc! Her story is so incredible that it looks like a fairy tale. And maybe this is what they think it must be, those who only vaguely know about her. But she is real. She did exist. She did become at seventeen—seventeen!—the commander of the royal army of France, at a time in the Middle Ages when women were strictly confined to domestic chores. Indeed, difficult to believe. How could it happen? And, further, how could this totally inexperienced girl conduct herself creditably as the head of the army, to the extent of being accepted as their leader by tough, battle-tested veterans? In less than one year, despite avoidab

Acknowledgements This monograph is part of a series on Value-oriented Education centered on three values: Illumination, Heroism and Harmony. The research, preparation and publication of the monographs that form part of this series are the result of the cooperation of the following members of the research team of the Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Educational Research, Auroville: Abha, Alain, Anne, Ashatit, Auralee, Bhavana, Christine, Claude, Deepti, Don, Frederick, Ganga, Jay Singh, Jean-Yves, Jossi, Jyoti Madhok, Kireet Joshi, Krishna, Lala, Lola, Mala, Martin, Mirajyoti, Namrita, Olivier, Pala, Pierre, Serge, Shailaja, Shankaran, Sharanam, Soham, Suzie, V