Secret of the Veda: Guidance from Sri Aurobindo

The Rig Veda is the wellspring of the spiritual development that characterized ancient India. It has not only been the source for the later developments, such as the Upanishads, the Tantra and the Gita, but is has been the focus of an ancient culture of spiritual discipline, and various religious rituals and sacrifices. When Western scholars and seekers turned their gaze to the writings of ancient India, they also focused much attention on the Rig Veda.

Throughout its existence, the Rig Veda has been openly acknowledged as being the "revealed Truth", the "secret words" and the hidden secret. Nonetheless, whenever anyone tried to analyze the significance of the hymns, the stories and legends contained therein, and the sense of the verses, more often than not they were unable to find the "essence" claimed to lie therein. This had led to much confusion over the years and many conflicting commentaries and analyses.

Sri Aurobindo began his study of the Rig Veda with a classical Greek and Latin background, an extensive knowledge of the philosophies and spiritual traditions of both Europe and India, and the revealed experience that came as the fruit of his practice of yoga. He came to the Rig Veda with the perspective of the seeker for practical insight to yoga, rather than as the scholar trying to find a philosophical doctrine.

The result was that Sri Aurobindo was able to find the "Rosetta Stone" by which the Rig Veda could finally be understood. This key is based on the understanding that the Veda was communicating a PSYCHOLOGICAL TRUTH of inner experience, and that it was itself a powerful tool, the "words of power", needed to unlock the deeper spiritual experience within the consciousness. The result was that rather than a confused bundle of philosophy mixed with parables and legends, he was able to reveal a spiritual and psychological teaching that made sense in every verse and canto, and rang true to the results of the practice of yoga.

In this groundbreaking book, Sri Aurobindo has revealed the Secret of the Veda and illustrated his method with numerous translations of the ancient hymns. Secret of the Veda has been acclaimed by scholars and yogins as the ultimate key to revealing the hidden sense and secret inner meanings of the original spiritual revelation of the Veda.

Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950), one of the foremost Indian philosophers of the 20th century, was also a political activist, a mystic, a spiritual leader and a poet. Between 1927 and 1950, Sri Aurobindo remained in seclusion while perfecting a new kind of spiritual practice he called Integral Yoga.