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छन्दोदर्शनम्
full of this realisation.
"A Vipra or a Brahmin becomes a seer on account of his ability to be a poet, a poet who sees mantras (Rg. VIII-79-1). "He who is able to hear best the mantras with his inner ear is a seer or a Rshi" (Rg.).
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त्रयोदशी ऋक् ।
अयं प्रजानन् अज॑न्यः सन् अम॑र्त्यो
ऽयं विश्वथा राज॑तेऽन्तर्य एकः ॥ अयं स्वराट् सम्राड़ विराड् विभुः प्रभुरयं सत्योऽयममृतौ विश्ववेदाः ॥ १३ ॥
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Thus he who has attained the inner status of a seer or Rshi is the real soul who can see the mantras, who is eternal, and who has the knowledge of everything.
This Chhandodarśana' deserves to be called a collection of the new Vedic mantras. There are references in Veda itself to the fact of seeing new mantras. For instance, see Rg Veda VII-22-9 regarding Vasishtha: "May the gods Indra and Brahma of old, and those created by the Brahmins who 'saw' anew fresh mantras, be friendly and good to us and may you, oh Indra and Brahma always protect us." Thus the Vedas themselves have internal evidence that by seeing' new mantras new seers come into being. Similarly there is the phenomena of new mantras being seen by Madhuchchhandas: "Agni worshipped or praised by the ancient Ṛshis is also praised by new Rshis (Rg. I-1-2). The seer (Daivarāta) makes a declaration here that this 'Chhandodarśana' (this bunch of mantras) has been possible for him on account of the grace of the goddess of speech who is replete with metrical mantras. The seer Vāgāmbhṛṇi has made a similar declaration. That declaration seems to be supported and proved to be true, by this declaration of Daivarata. In the Rg Veda X-125-5, the seer declares, "I have the power to invest with greatness whichever god I wish to-Brahma for instance. I invest the seer also with great intelligence." Similarly in Ṛg Veda X-71-4, it is stated, "To the seer whom she Vak) likes, she offers hereself like a welldressed bride to her lover." There is evidence to this effect in the Upanishads also. "The Atma is available only to him whom the Atma chooses. This Atma reveals himself to one whom he chooses" (Katha I-2-23). Thus it is proved both by fact and by evidence that this kind of seeing' new mantras and the coming into being of new seers (as in the case of Daivarăta ) is possible through tapas, that is by austerity, by concentration, and purification of the tools of perception.
