Brahma Sutras
Sutra 1
‘Athatho Brahma Jijnaasa’
THEREAFTER, THE INQUIRY INTO THE BRAHMAN
In the Rig Veda, the first word of the opening verse is ‘Agni’. It says…
‘Agni Meeley Purohitam Yajnyasya Deva Mritvijam Hotoaram Ratna dhatamam’
The Vedas glorify the worship of Agni, fire. Agni is verily Narayana. The first sound of the Vedas is Agni. Swami told me, “You have come taking the first word as your form.” The Vedas emerged from God. The Vedas emanated from the inhalations and exhalations of the Divine breath. They were heard by the sages who lived lives of righteousness, never slipping from the path of truth.
Fire is produced by striking two flints or by rubbing two sticks together. Where is this fire? It was latent in wood. Fire appears through the action of rubbing the sticks.
The fire latent in the wood emerges by rubbing two sticks together; this is then used in yagna. The first sound of the Vedas is Agni, heard directly from God. Swami says that the Vedas emanated from the inhalation and exhalation of God. How does one qualify to hear the very breath of God? Swami answers this question in Sutra Vahini.
…they can be heard only by venerable sages who have attained knowledge about the Infinite Brahman and who have lived lives of righteousness.
The Vedas can only be known by the one who possesses the above qualifications. What are the Vedas? What is their role in the life of man? It is to regulate human life through the light of wisdom. The Vedas can free us from grief; relieve us from the cycle of birth and death and bring to mind long forgotten wisdom.