There is a mantra in the Shvetaashvatara Upanishad : "That which, in the beginning of creation, creates Brahmaa (Hiranyagarbha) and that which produces the Vedas for him, that Lord who illuminates my intellect, I, the seeker, take his refuge" (Shvetaashvatara Upanishad 6.18).
The Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad also says : "The Rig Veda and other Vedas, like the breath of a person, spontaneously arise from the great existence-form cause brahman" (Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad 2 4.10).
Here is what these shrutis mean. The root of all knowledge in creation is Ishvara. In other words, Ishvara is omniscient. Therefore, if we investigate our own knowledge - this "I" knowledge, where is it dawning from, then we will find Ishvara alone in the root of the "I". No matter what we do to worship Ishvara, we will always have to return to the root of "I" for attaining Ishvara. The knowledge of the waking and dream states is under the refuge of this dawned "I". This dawned "I" resolves (leena) in deep sleep. The refuge of this resolution is that praanya, that Ishvara alone. In that, the seed of the "I" - ignorance, desire and action - when these are negated, it is that Ishvara, praajnya, Tureeya alone which is called brahman by the shruti.
The nature of brahman is existence-consciousness-bliss. When we join the adjunct of action with it, then the reality appears in the form of the all-powerful great-doer, awareness appears in the form of the omniscient, and bliss appears in the form of the great enjoyer. We are the ones who join the adjuncts, we apply the mark on the forehead, and he comes down in the photo. This very great doer, knower and enjoyer is widely known as Ishvara.
Opposed to this, the soul in this body is also adjuncted. Due to the minor adjunct of action, the existence-consciousness-bliss brahman alone appears and is widely known as the minor doer, knower and enjoyer soul in this body.
Substratum-ness, stimulating-ness (prerakataa), omniscience - these are the adjuncted accidents (upadrava) of awareness. Superimposition-ness, restrained-ness and limited knowledge - these are also the adjuncted accidents of awareness. The only difference between Ishvara and the soul are these accidents alone, not in the absolute sense.
Does this Ishvara live in our body or not? He does. The cause is incorporated in the effect. Where in the soul we find the body-mind-senses which are the effect adjuncts, there, their cause Prakriti, which is the adjunct of Ishvara, will always be present. But, in reality, the effect is imagined in the cause. That is why, the soul is imagined in Ishvara alone. We do know the soul, but we never know its Ishvara-ness. That is why, even thought Ishvara is living now, here, in this very body, he is unknown to us.
There is so much knowledge, science, administration, so many intellects that come out of this world, what is their source? Just like Ishvara is the all-seed cause (sarva beejaatmaka kaarana), in the same way, he is also the all-seed cause of all knowledge. All scriptures are the shadow of his knowledge alone. It is the reflection (aabhaasa) in our inner organ of his knowledge alone, due to which all souls are having limited intellect, and Ishvara is having omniscience.
This point in the Vedanta philosophy is known as "shaastra yonitvaat" (Brahma Sootra 1.1.3). By combining this with the sootra "janmaadasya yataha", we conclude that behind the divided reality and divided knowledge of the world, there is one cause of all which is an undivided reality brahman which is undivided knowledge-nature.
Just like world causality, the indicator of brahman, is the means to attain the non-duality in the existence aspect of brahman, similarly, omniscience or being the womb of scripture, this indicator of brahman is the means to attain the non-duality in the awareness aspect of brahman. The substratum of the name-form-shaped scene world is the with-seed brahman, in other words, Ishvara. And he is non-dual, therefore the name-form shapes are illusory. He who knows these illusory name-form-shapes and their differences, he is the thought-flow oriented soul. He is also non-dual, because all those flows of knowledge are illuminated by this very soul. Now there cannot be two non-dual entities therefore, that which is the substratum of the world, also is its witness. In the midst, the illusory scene cannot be the real differentiator between the soul and Ishvara.
The self is brahman. This fact is pointed out by the great statements. But, since the world has come out of that brahman, lives in that brahman, and dissolves into that brahman, and also by being illumined by it, there is no other entity in the immediate non-distinct-from-awareness brahman element.
This is the process for investigation into Ishvara. We need to search for the seed, the root of this very body, of our intellect. The root of both is brahman. But the seed of each is different. It is like the material cause or substratum of all seeds are the five elements, but the impressions in each seed are different. Similarly, the seed of the body is action and the desire to enjoy. The seed of the intellect is praajnya or thought-flow-less knowledge. But the material cause of both, the substratum of both is brahman.
It is like this. There are two states in the inert creation - creation and dissolution. In the microcosmic life there are two states - waking and deep sleep. Similarly, the intellect of some is awake whereas of some, it is asleep. The material cause of both awake and asleep in the microcosmic life is the knower, praajnya. Even in the macrocosmic life, the material cause of the intellect is the knower, Ishvara. Both praanjya and Ishvara are one.
While performing discrimination, two techniques are adopted : desire and desire-filled intellect, and its place of dissolution. The seed is neither reality, nor conscious, nor bliss. Due to ignorance, there is an I-oriented disconnection in our existence, our knowledge and our happiness. By taking refuge of this disconnection there is sustenance of the microcosmic intellect, microcosmic desire and microcosmic shape. This disconnected "I" is the first effect of ignorance. This alone is reverse perception (viparyaya) and this alone is veiling (aavarana). To be freed from this alone do we pursue contemplation of Vedanta.
Praajnya is the place of dissolution of desire and intellect. Ishvara is the place of dissolution of all shapes. But, that which has the seed of the intellect, alone contains the seed of shapes, since in deep sleep, intellect and shapes both become one, and only the witness remains. Similarly, even in the macrocosm, there is one state where form-shapes and intellect, both resolve into one awareness. Afterwards, from that alone, from that all-knowing Ishvara, just like there is disappearance of shapes, similarly, it happens to the intellect. Even this connecting intelligence disappears - "this form is named so-and-so". This is a shruti.
That intellect which divides names and forms, it ascends onto sound and only then does it divide name and form. It is the result of this intellect alone which brings forth all scriptures of the world, beyond the world and of the absolute, as well as their root, such as the Rig Veda etc. That is why the philosophy of Vedanta denotes brahman as the womb of all scripture.
The awareness which is adjuncted by the seed of the world and of scripture is called Ishvara. When this Veda manifested, which intellect did it come from? Ishvara, who is the macrocosmic intellect (Hiranyagarbha), in that it was lying resolved. During the tine of creation, from that alone where many universes were born, at the same time Veda was also born. Just like Ishvara sprouted the seeds of resolved shapes, similarly, he also sprouted the resolved sounds that would illuminate meaning. In other worlds, the sequential illumining of meaning was done by Ishvara during creation. The sounds that reveal meaning are called "shabda".
The root of sound is the all-knowing Ishvara. And this which manifested the waking and dreaming states and knows the the deep sleep state is the soul self, since they are both aware, they both are one. While sleeping, just like word and shape, their connecting intelligence and their sequence (aanupoorvee) - all attain the seed state and become known to the witness in deep sleep. After the waking state comes, they go back to their original states. Similarly, in the state of dissolution (pralaya), all shapes, sounds and their sequence resolves into a seed state and they become known to the witness Ishvara. When creation comes, they go back to their original state. Both these situations are one and the same. That is why, the all-knowing awareness which is in them is also one. He alone is the self awareness and also the Ishvara awareness.
The revealer of truth and illusion, and of duty and non-duty, those particular sounds, their sequence is called Veda. This Veda can be seen in a particular state of the mind and vital force. When the mind is taken from Vaikhari into Madhyamaa, from Madhyamaa into Pashyantee, from Pashyantee into Paraa, in other words, by identifying with the Paraa-vaaka, the Veda mantras are revealed. They are seen as well as heard. The Veda mantras do not just describe India, they also describe the entire universe. It is not a description of just one time period, it describes all past, present and future states. It does not describe Ishvara per one sect, it describes the universal Ishvara. The Veda says that every name is the supreme Ishvara, every form is the supreme Ishvara, every shape is the supreme Ishvara, and every intellect is the supreme Ishvara, because all have their basis in the substratum brahman. The substratum of all is one, and nothing is ascribed. Such an undivided supreme brahman, supreme self is described in the Vedas. Such a timeless, obtained from a non-disconnected tradition, "asmarya maanaa kartrika", that ever sequential knowledge, this is called Veda. Only after that knowledge does the distinction of time arise, not prior. That is why knowledge is not created by a doer, it is the illuminator of the doer. Knowledge cannot ever be destroyed, since it has been attained in such a way that traditions are born from it and resolve into it. Such a storehouse of knowledge is called Veda.
If we understand the meaning of the word "Veda" properly, we will know our self. The conclusion of the Vedas is the knowledge of the identity of the self and brahman, and even this knowledge arises from the Vedas. The Vedas exist in two forms : word-storehouse and meaning-storehouse. In the form of word-storehouse, the Veda is imagined knowledge. In the form of meaning-storehouse, the Veda is non-imagined (akalpita) knowledge. Attaining non-imagined knowledge through imagined knowledge is the aim of the Vedas.
Veda is imagined beginningless and self is non-imagined beginningless. Veda is "asmarya maanaa kartrika", and the self is "akartrika jnyaana svaroopa". Veda illumines even the non-human-ness (apaurusheya) in other words, it is not the composition of a human and it is not a particular thought flow whereas the self illumines even the non-human-ness. The Veda is attained through an unbroken tradition, and the self is incorporated in every cognition. Therefore, the Veda is the indicator (tatastha lakshana) of the knowledge-form self.
The question is, did Ishvara compose the Vedas? If not Ishvara, then who did? If it was Ishvara then did he compose it in the Sanskrit language? This and many other questions arise in the minds of doubting non-Vedic curious people. First, let us examine the various opinions on this topic.
1. Materialists (Chaaravaakaas) abusively say that the Vedas were composed by crafty people. In reality, the Vedas assert the self, rebirth, heaven, doer, witness, Ishvara, brahman, ritual, priest and so on. These statements run counter to the materialists. Therefore, it is natural that they abuse the Vedas.
2. Buddhists and Jains accept that Vedas were composed by humans. But in their opinion, there are four flaws in humans: delusion, laziness, deceit and incapacity of the intellect. Therefore, it is not correct to accept the Vedas as a complete means. Only the statements of those great saints who have a pure mind without desire should be accepted as real means.
3. Nyaaya and Vaisheshikas believe that the Vedas were composed not by humans, but by Ishvara. For them, Ishvara is the intelligent cause of the world, not the material cause. They take atoms to be the material cause. That is why, when Ishvara creates the world out of atoms, then he also creates the Vedas. The Veda means the constitution of the world created by Ishvara. Now, since Ishvara is omniscient, his creation, the Veda, is also free from the flaws of delusion, laziness, deceit and intellectual incapacity.
4. Formless Ishvara school followers have to face a problem. How did Ishvara create these scriptures? For some, they will be seen to be written in the sky, and for some they will seem to be written on paper. Aarya Samaaja followers said that the Vedas did not appear in the sky but appeared in the hearts of sages, where the knowledge of language and meaning existed. For instance, the Gaayatri mantra appeared in the heart of sage Vishvaamitra.
5. Form-oriented Ishvara followers say that Naaraayana remembers the Vedas. He narrates the Vedas to Brahmaa at the beginning of creation. This is how the teacher-student tradition starts and continues.
6. Lord Shree Shankaraachaarya says that besides the omniscient Ishvara, there cannot be any other doer of the Vedas, since the multitude of sages and philosophers invigorate the Vedas after accepting them first, and then say their statements. Like he illumines the world, Ishvara also illumines the Vedas. Just like the world dawns and sets in Ishvara, the Vedas also dawn and set in Ishvara. The root of the world and of the Vedas both is Ishvara alone.
7. Patanjali, who is a Yoga philosopher, accepts Ishvara as free from the five afflictions (kleshas), joy-sorrow and desire, as well as non-disconnected from time immemorial and permanently, as well as the teacher of all beings. But he accepts the residence of the Vedas in the intellect of Ishvara. Therefore, through discrimination, when the speech of a soul gains the qualification of being one with the Paraa speech, then the intellect of the witness identifies with the intellect of the omniscient Ishvara, and the Vedas present in the intellect of the omniscient one is revealed to the him.
8. Saankhya philosophy accepts the same viewpoint as the Yoga philosophy. The Taantrikas also accept the same viewpoint.
9. The Poorva Mimaamsaa followers believe that the Veda stays timelessly in the form of statements. In their opinion, the creation is timeless, it is neither created, nor will it be destroyed. In that timeless creation, even the Vedas are timeless, and their alphabets, words, statements etc. are all eternal. That is why the question of who created the Vedas does not arise. They do not accept Ishvara. Creation is beginningless-endless and so are the Vedas.
Vedanta accepts the creation and dissolution of the world even if it is in the category of ascribing (adhyaaropa). Therefore, it also accepts the resolving of the Vedas in Ishvara and also their arising. This point is proven by the Vedas also.
Both Poorva Mimaamsaa and Vedanta agree that Ishvara did not create the Vedas. Poorva Mimaamsa does so since it does not believe in Ishvara. And in Vedanta, the Vedas which resolved into Ishvara again arise from Ishvara, therefore they are not created by Ishvara.
The shruti of the Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad (2.4.10) says that the Veda is the breath of the supreme Ishvara. Breath is the indication of a living entity. That is why, so long as the Vedic science is alive, Ishvara is also alive. Ishvara is the breather and the Veda is the breath. If we deride the breath alone, then where will we find Ishvara? Ishvara is indestructible, and his breath also is imperishable.
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