Veda knowledge series
€125.00
A collection of 6 classes on all the theoretical concepts that underpin the practice of Veda chanting. These classes were taught through webinars during the COVID lockdown between April & June 2020. The recordings of these webinars are available for viewing along with the option to download the presentation slides for each class.
Through this course, you can access 6 Webinars (1 hour each) along with the option to download the presentation slides for each for your reference. We recommend going through not more than one webinar a week. We also highly recommend going through the classes in the same order for effective learning. The following topics are covered:
1. Nomenclature of the Vedas
- Briefly compare the 4 classifications – Ṛg, Yajur, Sāma & Atharva
- How many mantras exist? Some fun facts with numbers!
- Divisions – Saṃhitās, Brāhmaṇas, Āraṇyakas and Upaniṣads
- Important commentaries on the Vedas
2. Principle Veda Concepts - part 1
This session will help the student of Veda recitation understand the following principle concepts of the Vedas:
- Mantras – what are the different types of mantras in the Vedas and their differences?
- Sūktam – etymology of Sūktam & listing of important hymns and basis to their composition.
- Chandas – prosody in the Vedas
- Ṛṣi – The Seers, an overview. How does one become a Seer?
3. Principle Veda Concepts - part 2
This session will help the student of Veda recitation understand the following principle concepts of the Vedas:
- Yagña – The sacred fire ritual of the Vedas and its symbolic meaning
- Devata – The cosmic forces or gods & deities of the Vedas
4. Yoga in Veda
We will examine some of the key concepts of Yoga that appear in the Vedas:
- Śraddha – self-confidence
- Smṛti – memory
- Samādhi – total absorption
- Viveka – discernment
- Dhyāna – meditation
- Īśvara – All knowledge & power
- Physical & mental health
5. Vedic phonetics - a textual introduction
In this session, we will go over a high level introduction to the fascinating texts that define the oral tradition of Vedas with illustrative examples of treatment of syllables and their influence of pronunciation.
- Introduction to Śīkṣa & Prātiśākhyā texts
- How many texts are there? A little look inside these texts.
- Some illustrative Sūtras that define the pronunciation of syllables
- The Veda Studies system of learning!
6. The Semantics of Rig Veda
In this session, we will introduce a high level word assignment method to Veda mantras, in the way I have studied with my teachers Dr.R.L.Kashyap and his research team (lineage of Srī Aurobindo’s work)
- Symbolism in the Vedas
- General principles for word meaning assignments
- A study of mantras with the word “gau” (literally meaning cow)
