History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c91.246.2

v7.c91.246.2

In this work also he sticks to the meaning of ṛta as truth and on p 84 translates 'ṛtam' as 'Truth-consciousness', when in his first work he translated 'ṛta-cit' as Truth-consciousness'. Instead of comparing the several hundred passages where the word ṛta occurs in the Ṛgveda he sticks to his own rendering which is unacceptable to most scholars and makes a very perfunctory attempt at finding the correct meaning. One should like to have some clear examples of the distinction between Light and Consciousness in modern times and also in the Veda. So far as the present writer knows, in the language of ancient symbolism Consciousness is identified with Light. In the recently published book he deals with less than 1/18th of the total hymns (1017 or 1028) of the Ṛgveda. Readers are asked to subscribe to his views although he condescends to translate in the first work less than 1/20th of the total number of verses in the Ṛgveda and hardly ever enters into a discussion about the meaning of words like ṛta. Śrī Aurobindo (Foreword p. III.) concedes that Sāyaṇa does not reject the spiritual authority of the Veda and that Sāyaṇa does not deny that there is a higher truth contained in the ṛks He further says (IX) that we must take seriously the hint of Yāska (Śrī Aurobindo does not quote the Nirukta, but probably he has in mind Nir. I. 20 'sākṣātkṛtadharmāṇa ṛṣayo babhūvuḥ').