Dear listeners, from the last 3 episodes of my podcast, you have been listening to Yagnavalkya’s debates in the King Janaka’s Symposium. You heard the debates of Ashwala, Aartbhaaga with Yagnavalkya in part 1, then followed by debates of Bhujyu, Usasta and Kahola with Yagnavalkya in part 2. Yagnavalkya was almost declared as a winner in the debates when he was challenged by Gargi Vaachaknavi in part 3, however after listening to his philosophies on Brahman, she decided that she must admit that Yagnavalkya was the greatest scholar in the symposium and no one can think of defeating him in knowledge on Brahman. Yagnavalkya was the undisputed winner at the symposium and left with the prize of thousand cows with ten gold coins.
Although Yagnavalkya’s debates in the symposium had ended with this victory and announcement of Gargi as he being the greatest knower of Brahman, her open challenge was not liked by many!
One such scholar was Vidagdha, son of Saakala. After the symposium was over, he confronted Yagnavalkya and and him -
“Yagnavalkya, so far you have been impressive with your knowledge and philosophies on Brahman. Can you answer my questions?”
Yagnavalkya smiled and nodded his headed. This challenge was sudden and he was not expecting anyone to debate him after Gargi’s open announcement. However, ego played a bigger role!
“How many gods are there?” Questioned Vidagdha.
Friends, before Yagnavalkya answers to the question asked, I would like to deviate a bit and tell you a story. This is on Nivid mantras. Once devas wanted to perform a complex yagna or sacrifice. But the yagna hid himself from them. Since there was no other way out devas decided to perform a simpler fire sacrifice. They started reciting Nivid Mantras during the sacrifice. As they were nearing the end of the sacrifice, they realised that they could remember the steps of the complex Yagna. Eventually, their sacrifice was successful.
Nivids are named after Devas or gods. They indicate Viswadevas, and present the number of Vedic gods in form of a riddle as it says the number of Devas or gods is 33 or 303 or 3003. Many modern indologists such as Dr.B.C.Sidharth of Birla Science Institute believe this to be an astronomical unit. As per him, each progression in this arithmetic sequence adds a step of refinement to estimate the length of a year. For instance the Lunar cycle provides a measure of month, however please note that a year is more than such 12 month units. In Medieval times, this was resolved by introduction of leap year. However in Ancient times, this issue was synchronised with lunar month counts to equinoxes. So intercalary or extra days where added after a fixed count of months. 33 intercalary days approximately were added in a year so that it would measure 365 days and 303 intercalary days would add to a year to measure 365.2421. In Rigveda, Sage Vishwamitra has given the number of Gods to be 3339 which is actually an addition of 33+303+3003. This number when considered as the number of intercalary days gives the average year length to be 365.2424.
Now let’s listen to Yagnavalkya’s response. He said boldly “As many as are indicated in Nivid Mantras of Viswadevas that is 303 and 3003.
Vidagdha said - “Very well! Then answer my next question…how many gods exactly are there Yagnavalkya?”
Yagnavalkya said “33 gods”.
“Oh, okay, then tell me how many gods exactly are there?” Again asked Vidagdha.
Yagnavalkya again replied - “6”
“Oh ho! Now you are changing the number again, so I am asking you again tell me how many gods are exactly there, Yagnavalkya?”
Now Yagnavalkya smiled and said “3”
Vidagdha again asked the same question and now Yaganvalkya replied “2”. Vidagdha continued to ask the same question again and now Yagnavalkya relied “1 and half”. Now visually irritated Vidagdha asked him the same question again as Yagnavalkya was changing the response each time.
This time Yagnavalkya replied - “1”.
Now Vidagdha changed the question track as he was quite frustrated with the response and so he asked - “ Which are those 303 and 3003 gods?”
Friends, here Vidagdha first asked the larger number of gods then funnelled to smaller number of gods and finally now asked their identity!
Yagnavalkya replied -
“There are only 33 gods and there are manifestation of them”
Vidagdha asked - “Then which are those 33 gods?”
Yagnavalkya replied - “ 8 Vasus, 11 Rudras and 12 Aadityas, these makes 31 and then Indra and Prajaapati. These all make up to 33 gods.”
Vidagdha asked again -
“Which are the Vasus?”
Yagnavalkya replied -
“Fire, the earth, air, the sky, the sun, heaven, the moon, and the stars, these are the 8 vasus. These transform into bodies and organs of all beings which server as support for their work and these gods help every being to live and they themselves live too. Since they help others to live i.e. Vas, therefore they are called Vasus.”
Vidagdha will not let it go so easily, so he continued his questions -
“Which are Rudras then?”
Yagnavalkya calmly replied -“10 organs of human body and 11th one is the mind. When they depart the person dies and makes everyone weep i.e rud, so they are called Rudras!”
Vidagdha again asked -
“Which are Aadityas?”
Yagnavalkya replied -“12 months of a year are Aadityas. As the earth goes through revolution around the sun, they carry a person with it along with his work. Because they go taking i.e. Aadaa, all this with them, therefore they are called Aadityas.”
Then Vidagdha asked again -
“Which is Indra and which is Prajaapati?”
Yagnavalkya replied -
“Indra is cloud itself and Prajaapati is sacrifice”
Vidagdha continued -
“Which is the cloud?”
Yagnavalkya replied -
“Thunder, i.e. vigour or strength, which can kill others… that is Indra’s function”
We know that Indra in Vedic context and Zeus in Greek mythology are associated with thunder, often they are visualised carrying a thunder. Indra’s thunder is called “Vajra”. So you see here, how Indra is associated to thunder because of his strength and vigour.
Vidagdha again asked -
“Which is the sacrifice?”
Yagnavalkya replied -
“Animals, because a sacrifice has no form of its own and depends on its means. The animals are its means, therefore they are called sacrifice!”
Vidagdha asked him -
“Yagnavalkya, in your earlier response you said there are 6 gods? Right? You have been changing your response frequently! So tell me which are those 6 gods?”
Yagnavalkya smiled and said -
“Vidagdha I made no mistake when you asked me about the number of gods, the 6 gods which I mentioned are Fire, the Earth, Air, the Sky, the Sun, and the Heaven! These are same Vasus except the moon and stars which makes it 6 gods. In fact, my previous response of 33 gods are actually included in these 6. They are wider manifestations of these 6 gods!”
Then Vidagdha jumped on with another question trying to clarify the contradictions in Yagnavalkya’s response -
“But you also said there are 3 gods Yagnavalkya? Explain me that now?”
Yagnavalkya calmly pointed to the sky and replied -
“These 3 gods are the 3 worlds alone, From the previous 6 gods, the Earth and fire together make 1 god, The Sky and Air makes another and the heaven and Sun makes the 3rd god. So there are 3 gods! In these 3 gods all gods are comprised and infused!”
Vidagdha again asked him -
“You also told there are 2 gods? Explain?”
Yagnavalkya said -
“Matter and the Vital Force as these comprise of all gods that have been enumerated earlier.”
Vidagdha took a long breath and asked-
Then what about the one and half gods? You told us that too! Explain?
Yagnavalkya explained -
This is the Air that blows! Some scholars say that since air blows as one substance then how it can be one and half? I would debate it as it is one and half because through its presence and all this attains surpassing glory!
Vidagdha again asked -
“Yagnavalkya then you also said there is only one god! Explain us that?”
Yagnavalkya replied -
“That one god is the Vital Force or Hiranyagarbha. The Golden Cosmic Egg. It is the manifestation of Brahman, it is also called Tyat or That. It is remoteness, it is the vastness, it is the void! Thus the gods are one and many. Infinite gods are included in the limited number as mentioned in Nivid Mantras. These are again included in successive smaller numbers from 33 to one - Vital Force or Hiranyagarbha! As it is that one Vital Force or Hiranyagarbha that can expand into all those numbers up to the infinite. Thus the Vital Force alone is one and infinite as also possess intermediate numbers. That this one god, the vital force which has different names, forms, functions, activities and powers. These different attributes are due to the individual differences of qualification of each manifestation.
Vidagdha asked him again, now kind of mocking him -
“Do you know who resides in the earth, whose instrument of vision is fire, whose light is the Manas or the thought and who is the ultimate resort of entire body and organs? Only true scholars will know this!”
Friends, in the above question, what Vidagdha wanted to know about the god who as the earth for this body, fire for his eye, weighs all matter through the mind or thinks through the mind, identifies himself with the earth, and is possessed of a body and organs. The elements of the body such as skin, flesh, blood is derived from the mother, which represents the field. The elements such as bone, marrow and sperm derived from the father which represents the seed. He also claimed that only true scholars will know this and challenged Yagnavalkya!
Yagnavalkya said -
“Yes, I know whom are you talking about? It is the very being who is identified with the body! But there is something more about it Vidagdha, won’t you ask me about it?”
Yagnavalkya mocked him back and asked him that his question was not complete! Furious Vidagdha immediately asked him -
“Then tell me what is the cause of this?”
Yagnavalkya replied -
“It’s Nectar or Chyle! The watery essence of the food that is eaten by a woman to produce blood in her body. When she is pregnant and she passes on his blood through her placenta or umbilical chord to her foetus. The foetus receives the blood, nutrition, oxygen and other life support from it. This blood from the mother helps to produce the skin, flesh, and blood of the foetus, which are the support of its bone and marrow!”
Friends… just a step back from the story, don’t you think Upanishads are very rich texts, which are way-way advanced from it’s time!
How did our ancient Indian rishis and sages, who composed these Upanishads knew about the embryology way earlier than the science of embryology itself was established in the 18th century. First thoughts on embryonic development came from Aristotle and then the early works on embryology came from various researchers and scholars such as Aldrovandi, Leonardo Va Vinci, Marcello Malpighi and many others. Awesome isn’t it?
Vidagdha continued his questions, again mocking Yagnavalkya -
“Yagnavalkya, do you know a true scholar must know who has lust or sexual desires as his body, who sees everything thing through intellect, who weighs all matters through thought, who is the ultimate resort of the entire body and organs?”
Yagnavalkya replied back mockingly -
“Yes I know whom are you asking about who is the ultimate resort of the entire body and organs. The one who is lustful and intelligent, filled with wealth of emotions! Go on Vidagdha you need to ask me something more as your question is really incomplete!”
Irritated Vidagdha asked him immediately -
“What is the cause of this?”
Yagnavalkya smiled and confidently replied -
“It is a women! She is the only one cause for whom the man’s desires are inflamed! She is the one who is full of intellect, she is the only one who is filled with ocean of emotions.
Vidagdha didn’t stop and continued to ask his questions to Yagnavalkya -
“Do you know about the one whose abode is the colours, who sees through the eye, whose thoughts are like light and weighs all matters with it and the ultimate resort of the entire body and organs?”
Yagnavalkya told -
“O Vidagdha your question needs to be completed as I know who is that, who is ultimate resort of the entire body and organs, it the very being which is also present in the sun! So come on and ask me the complete question!”
Vidagdha, again irritated by this, quickly asked him -
“What is the cause of this?”
Vagnavalkya smiled and replied -
“It is the ‘Eye’, dear Vidagdha as eye is the only truth for the human body. What we see is the truth! We see colours using the eye. The mighty Sun has Sun rays which is composed of these colours. As per scriptures, for the sun among the gods is the product of the eye in one’s body. So ‘Eye’ is the ‘Truth’!”
Vidagdha was now feeling the pressure and was desperate to ask something to Yagnavalkya which he may fumble and may not be able to answer! He changed his questions and asked -
“A true scholar would only know that being, whose presence is in the space or Antariksha, whose can see using the ear, who thinks on all matters and weighs them accordingly and the ultimate resort is the entire body and organs.”
Yagnavalkya on hearing this replied -
“Your question is still incomplete! I know the being who is identified with the ear and with the time of hearing!”
Vidagdha asked -
“Then tell me what is the cause of this ?”
Yagnavalkya immediately replied -
“Its the four quarters of Brahman, Vidagdha! As per the scriptures, it is from the quarters that this particular being within the body is produced.”
Vidagdha seemingly frustrated and continued to ask his mindless questions and started testing Yagnavalkya’s patience!
He asked again -
