Asva Sukta
Metaphoric expression: Asva Agni
An entire sukta of Rig Veda is dedicated to Asva (1/163)
No interpreter of Vedas has ever been able to explain why there is an entire sukta (chapter) on the term horse (Asva). Many have taken it fallaciously related to asvamegha yajna (horse fire sacrifice). It is a fully absurd and baseless interpretation. After all, what can be expected when people are unaware of the real meaning of the coded expression of Vedas?
Previously, it was interpreted that the term ‘asva’ in Vedas stands for energy and swift movement. It means that the initial capacity in the form of the fire mass (agni asva) transforms into the final form, the created Universe. Just as a horse takes the chariot to its final destination guided by the charioteer, the initial fireball guided by the Creator God moves on the right path stage by stage to become the manifest Universe. The whole description is a wonderful figurative or symbolic one.
The first verse of Asva Sukta goes like this.
yad akrandaḥ prathamaṃ jaayamaana udyan samudraad uta vaa puriiṣaat | śyenasya pakṣaa hariṇasya baahuu upastutyam mahi jaataṃ te arvan ||
R. Ved 1/163.1
In this verse, the initial material capacity that appeared at the beginning of the Cosmos, ordained by the Creator God, is praised and prayed allegorically. Though there is mention of a horse with wings running like a deer in the woods, it is simply a metaphorical expression of the emergence of a huge fire mass from the primordial matter. It is not the coming into being of a horse from the sea as it gets interpreted literally. The word ‘prathamam’ in the above verse refers to the beginning of the Cosmos.
yamena dattaṃ trita enam aayunag indra eṇam prathamo adhy atiṣṭhat | gandharvo asya raśanaam agṛbhṇaat suuraad aśvaṃ vasavo nir ataṣṭa ||
R. Ved 1/163.2
The trinary nature form of particles, antiparticles and radiation gets actively intermixed, the whole process being controlled by the Creator God. In this process, the primordial matter in subtle form is in an active state. The eight vasus finding mentioned in the above verse are the fundamental particles comparable to plasma in Big Bang cosmology.
asi yamo asy aadityo arvann asi trito guhyena vratena |
R. Ved 1/163.3
asi somena samayaa vipṛkta aahus te triiṇi divi bandhanaani ||
The hymn mentions arvann, the mighty powerhouse accompanying the initial manifesting fire mass. It is constituted of dual powers. Aditi has already been identified as the aggregate of the three classes of fundamental particles. The term aaditya represents the power of the physical matter possessing inherent properties. The second power in arvann is the governing power of the Creator God that moulds every step of the creation of the Cosmos/Universe. As already indicated, the word soma is a Vedic symbol for radiation. We know from the scientific point of view that particles and antiparticles annihilate each other to produce radiation, and again, under suitable conditions, radiation disintegrates to form particle-antiparticle pairs. The verse conveys the idea that there exists a churning of particles, antiparticles and radiation at the time of the initial inception of the fireball, in which radiation holds the upper hand.
triiṇi ta aahur divi bandhanaani triiṇy apsu triiṇy antaḥ samudre |
R. Ved 1/163.4
uteva me varuṇaś chantsy arvan yatraa ta aahuḥ paramaṃ janitram ||
Apsu is the active state of primordial matter. The verse says that there are three (triiny} bindings in it and are in space. The three bindings are the all-time existence of the three classes of matter.
triiṇy antaḥ samudre means there are three bindings in the great expanse of evolving matter, and there are three forces. The three forces are electromagnetic, gravitational and, the strong force that binds the nucleus intact.
What does the next verse say, let us look at it.
imaa te vaajinn avamaarjanaaniimaa śaphaanaaṃ sanitur nidhaanaa |
R. Ved 1/163.5
atraa te bhadraa raśanaa apaśyam ṛtasya yaa abhirakṣanti gopaaḥ ||
This verse says the sun and earth arose like a horse’s hoofs from the initial power mass. The initial fireball (the power mass) has been allegorically called a horse in the hymn. This evolves stage by stage under the guiding force of the Creator God, and in the last stage, the sun, the earth and the moon were fashioned out. These entities have been referred to as the hoofs of a horse. The allegory involved here is that the three final evolved forms are the terminal points, just like the hoofs. The earth is considered the abode of the beneficiary living beings (sanitur nidhaanaa). The verse also hints that the initial primordial mass is well connected with the final state. There is mention of Daksha elsewherein Vedas, which again stands for the initial power mass.
aatmaanaṃ te manasaaraad ajaanaam avo divaa patayantam pataṃgam |
R. Ved 1/163.6
śiro apaśyam pathibhiḥ sugebhir areṇubhir jehamaanam patatri ||
The verse conveys that from the initial mighty fireball that arose at the beginning of the Cosmos is the head, and its body, spread in all directions unhindered. The essence is that the Cosmos/Universe expanded in all directions as nothing could resist its motion. That means the matter was expanding in all directions.
atraa te ruupam uttamam apaśyaṃ jigiiṣamaaṇam iṣa aa pade goḥ |
R. Ved 1/163.7
yadaa te marto anu bhogam aanaḻ aad id grasiṣṭha oṣadhiir ajiigaḥ ||
The verse conveys that the initial monstrous form in which the primordial matter appeared at the beginning of the manifestation of the Cosmos turned into a beautiful form of earth hospitable to all living things and animals. It further conveys allegorically that the initial asva power (the initial mighty power mass) swallowed up all the bad forms of energy and matter to turn them into plants useful for living things.
anu tvaa ratho anu maryo arvann anu gaavo ‘nu bhagaḥ kaniinaam |
R. Ved 1/163.8
anu vraataasas tava sakhyam iiyur anu devaa mamire viiryaṃ the ||
This verse says that everything manifest and visible in the Universe are all the products of the initial asva power (initial fireball). All the physical aspects (celestial objects or devas) are fashioned out of the initial active primordial mass.
The next verse highlights the importance of the asva agni (the mighty divine power) that arose at the beginning, which turned into the finished form of the Cosmos/Universe.
hiraṇyaśṛṅge ‘yo asya paada manojavaa avara indra aasiit |
R. Ved 1/163.9
devaa id asya haviradyam aayan yo arvantam prathamo adhyatiṣṭhat ||
Here, the original asva agni is named Hirnyagarbhh, representing the mighty physical power mass and the intellectual power of the Creator God. The Purusha (Creator God) manifests the Cosmos/Universe with his command. He is considered superior to himself in the form of Indra, who fashioned out the vajra to be flung at the mass of matter, causing impediments on his planned path of action. The feet of the horse were made of bronze (aya) is a clear indication that we are not talking about the animal horse as has been misinterpreted by many. The verse also mentions that all physical forces of nature derive their energy from the initial fire mass, with no other source other than it.
iiīrmaantaasaḥ silikamadhyamaasaḥ saṃ śuuraṇaaso divyaaso atyaaḥ |
R. Ved 1/163.10
haṃsaa iva śreṇiśo yatante yad aakṣiṣur divyam ajmam aśvaaḥ ||
The verse conveys in an indirect way that the present state of the Cosmos (existence) is in continuity with the initial manifest fire mass, and the present will be in continuity with the final phase of dissolution. From the manifestation of the initial fire mass (Big Bang), the energy and matter are ever in expansion in all directions from the initial horse fire (agni ava), like an array of geese moving all around from the centre. It is like ripples in water starting from a point and diverging outward.
ava śariiram patayiṣṇv arvan tava cittaṃ vaata iva dhrajiimaan |
R. Ved 1/163.11
tava śṛṅgaaṇi viṣṭhitaa purutraaraṇyeṣu jarbhuraaṇaa caranti ||
This verse praises the fast motion of the asva agni-derived energy and matter. It says allegorically that your body flies and your mind moves fast like air. You spread fast and wide and penetrate all that is sustained.
upa praagaach chasanaṃ vaajy arvaa devadriicaa manasaa diidhyaanaḥ |
R. Ved 1/163.12
ajaḥ puro niiyate naabhir asyaanu paśhcaat kavayo yanti rebhaaḥ ||
The inherent meaning is that the fundamental particles manifesting from the immanifest state united to form the first combinations that are essentially reversible. In this process, there is no net change in the individuality of the particles though they exist in combination. Though bonds hold them together, their individual properties do not change. The same process continues further when more and more complex compounds are formed. This continuing leads to the Cosmos coming into being.
Apparently, in the formed material Cosmos visible to us, the fundamental primordial particles are still preserved in the complex constituents formed. The evolving molecules and complex compounds are like a branching tree. The verse in its structure of a substance is like a family tree. Thus, the verse contains a great scientific truth.
upa praagaat paramaṃ yat sadhastham arvaam̐ acchaa pitaram maataraṃ cha |
R. Ved 1/163.13
adyaa devaañ juṣṭatamo hi gamyaa athaa śaaste daaśuṣe vaaryaaṇi ||
This verse talks about the initial mighty power horse (manifesting primordial matter) returning to its original abode, referred to as returning to father and mother. The mother is nothing else but the material cause referred to as Aditi. The mighty power mass, the horse, returns to his father and mother residing in paramam sadhastam. The paramam sadhastam, as per the Ultimate Revealed Wisdom of Nijanand Order is the Avyakrit.Al the verses and their inherent meaning suggest that the horse referred to is not an animal but a fast-moving, manifest primordial matter. Only the uninitiated and lacking knowledge of the coded language of the Vedas would interpret it erroneously as an animal contributing to no coherent meaning.
In conclusion, the various suktas of Rigved are pregnant with sound scientific facts about cosmology and the origin of the Cosmos. It is pretty much the same that modern Cosmology and the Big Bang theory are bringing out.
