Development of Hinduism

Author(s): M M Ninan
Publisher: M M Ninan

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2. DATES OF VEDAS
gladdening tongue."
"Neither the ancients nor later men, nor any modern man, has attained to conceived) thy prowess, O, Madhavan." "As (Indra's) former worshippers were, (may we be) blameless, irreproachable, and unharmed."
"For, now, 0 energetic god, men are thy worshippers as the ancients born of old and the men of the middle and later ages have been thy friends. And 0, much-invoked think of the most recent of all.
"To Him (Indra) our ancient fathers, the seven Navagava sages desiring food, (resorted) with their hymns." "Glorified by our newest hymn, do thou bring to us wealth and food with progeny."
A closer study of the Rig Veda will show that the Rig Veda itself makes a distinction between old hymns and new hymns. Some of them are given below:
"Glorified by our newest hymn, do thou bring to us wealth and food and progeny."
"Agni thou hast announced (or do thou announcest) among the gods this our offering, our newest hymn."
"Through our new hymns, do thou, vigorous in action, destroyer of cities, sustain us with invigorating blessings".
" I bring to Agni, the son of strength, a new and energetic hymn, a production of, thought uttered by the voice (vachah)."
"I present to the mighty protector a mental production, a new utterance (now) springing up" "May the new prayer impel thee, the heroic well-accourted, the loud-thundering to succour us." "I seek like the ancients, to stimulate thee, the ancient, with a new hymn." "May the new hymns made to praise you, may these prayers gratify you." "Sing O, Sobhari, with a new hymn to these youthful, vigorous, and brilliant (gods)
"Indra, slayer of Vritra, thunderer, invoked of many, we (thy) numerous (worshippers) bring to thee, as thy hire, hymns which never before existed."
"I will address to this ancient (deity) my new praises which he desires: May he listen to us"
"Desiring horses, cattle, and wealth we invoke thee to approach us." Given this abundance of evidence to prove the human origin of the Vedas it is a riddle to find that the Brahmins should so strenuously propagate this extravagant view that the Vedas are not man made.....
It is in the Purva Mimansa- a book of Brahmanic philosophy-(Jaimini is the author of the Purva Mimamsa ) - that this doctrine of the Vedas being Apaurusheya is propounded. ... The bases on which his thesis rests are simple.
Firstly God has no body and no palate and therefore he could not utter the Vedas.
Secondly, Assuming God had a body, God could not perceive things which are beyond the reach of the senses while the Vedas contain things beyond the reach of human senses.
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