The Vedas are a vast collection of mantras or verses that have been organized in a systematic way to cover a wide range of topics and branches of knowledge. I will discuss this more in detail in a later post on my blog. The language used was an ancient form of Sanskrit, sometimes referred to as Chandas, which in some ways is different from and predates the classical Sanskrit used in the Puranas and Itihasas such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. This ancient language was based on sound and vibration, which made understanding it a much more intuitive process than just ‘translating’ the word’s meaning. This is also why most of the translations of the Vedas don’t make much sense, as the commentators were often at loss what to make of the mantras.

The Vedas, however, contain mantras that are very powerful and very effective in achieving a wide range of results: from healing various illnesses and injuries, to bringing balance to nature, invoking rains, and balancing negative influences from planets or other sources. There are meditation mantras, healing mantras, mantras for success, mantras for wealth, mantras for good health, and more. There are even powerful mantras to suppress opponents, or even strike down enemies, and it was for this reason that Mantra Shastra was a Gupta Vidya, or a Secret Science. The knowledge was only given to those considered worthy and pure of heart. Without the proper initiation and guidance, one was not able to learn the secrets and proper use of these techniques, even if one would have access to one of the rare scriptures on the topic. Most of this knowledge was handed down only orally though.

The Rishis were called ‘mantra drashta’, which means ‘the ones who perceived the mantras’. They did not ‘create’ the mantras. With their refined consciousness and entering into deep meditation, they were able to perceive these vibrations, the sounds connected to them, and their specific effects. These findings were then passed on and later recorded. Modern science, and especially Quantum Physics, has started confirming some of the findings of these ancient Seers, being able to monitor the effects of specific vibrations on various materials. After all, this whole world is made up of molecules and atoms, which are in turn nothing but energy vibrating in a certain way.