"Permeating the life and thought of millions": The Rig Veda and the Gita, mentioned in Sonia Gandhi's biography, form two of Hinduism's core texts

The Rig Veda and the Bhagavad Gita, mentioned in Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi's biography, are two of the oldest and most popular texts in the Hindu canon.

The Rig Veda and the Bhagavad Gita, mentioned  in Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi's biography, are two of the oldest and most popular texts in the Hindu canon. Both texts have been included in the UNESCO (the UN's cultural arm)'s Memory of the World Register.

"The Vedas are generally known as the scriptures of the Hindu community. However, being among the first literary documents in the history of humankind, they transcend far beyond their identity as scriptures. The Rigveda, the oldest among the four Vedas, is the fountain source of the so-called Aryan culture in all its manifestations that spread beyond the Indian subcontinent to large parts of South and South East Asia, as well as parts of Central Asia. This valuable treasure of the ancient world has been preserved in the form of manuscripts in India, and handed down over centuries from generation to generation," the UNESCO notes on its website. The Rig Veda is divided into 10 books (Mandalas) containing 1,028 hymns (Suktas) (or 1,017 plus 11 Valakhilya hymns) and approximately 10,552 to 10,600 mantras.

Sonia Gandhi's book, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love', begins with the following lines from the Rig Veda: Move together, speak together, let your minds be in concord.United be your purpose, harmonious be your hearts,Collected be your thoughts, so that you dwell in togetherness, in wholeness

These lines are from Rig Veda's 10th Mandala, the final book of the text and hymn or Sukta 191 (specifically verses 2 to 4), known as the Samjnana Sukta or Sangathan Sukta (the "Mantra of Unity"). Gandhi also mentioned the Bhagavad Gita in her book.

"I have never been religious in all my adult life, though I respect all faiths, but it was during this period that I felt the urge to go back to the Bhagavad Gita. I had read it when I was much younger. The ancient book and the great story of which it was a part were everywhere, permeating the life and thought of millions. I was aware of its profound effect on the heroes of the independence movement. I'd witnessed its representations in theatre, in festivals and other forms. I'd heard its couplets recited again and again to make a point or to enlighten," she wrote. "I knew of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Sanskrit Vidyapeeth. Careful not to disclose the reason for my request, I asked my office to enquire if I could take some classes at home. The name of Professor Vachaspati Upadhyaya—"Shastriji" as we called him, a gentle, unassuming, and erudite scholar who was also known to our family—came up.He kindly agreed to explain the deeper philosophical meaning of the Gita to me in his spare time," she continued.

Gandhi attended many sessions with Shastriji from December 1997 to  January 5, 1998. She concludes that, "I was on my own now with my churning thoughts. The readings were drawing to a close. Krishna had expounded the message of the Gita: Perform your dharma without regard for the fruit of your action. Arjuna, the Pandava prince, declares that his illusion is now disspelled; he is restored to himself, firm and free from all doubts, and ready to play his part in the battle.

"Something awoke in me: I was sure. I had the answer to my own doubts and questions. I had to step out and go where my duty called. And I did." According to the UNESCO, "The Bhagavadgītā, containing 700 verses in 18 chapters, is embedded within the Bhīṣmaparva (adhyāya 23-40) of the epic Mahābhārata. It takes the form of a dialogue between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna with armies lined up for the great war intended to free Arjuna of dejection (viṣāda). Bhagavadgītā is a central text in the continuous, cumulative ancient intellectual Indian tradition, synthesizing various thought movements such as, Vedic, Buddhist, Jain and Cārvāka. Due to its philosophical breadth and depth , the Bhagavadgītā has been read for centuries across the globe and translated into many languages."

The Rig Veda and the Bhagavad Gita thus form the foundational bedrock of Indian philosophical thought. They have shaped civilisational psychology, ethics, and collective consciousness across South Asia and beyond for millennia. (ANI)