Concept of Time in the Vedas – Part 1

We saw in Mahabharata – Sanjaya telling Dhritarashtra that everything is controlled and conducted by time.
If you remove time from the canvas, then the whole picture disappears.
It is the sequence, the forward movement of time, that creates and controls the whole world experience.

We also discussed in this context how the experience can be completely different if you watch a movie backwards or play a song backwards.
The whole meaning will be lost, the whole experience will be different.

Now Veda elaborates some aspects of Kaala — time.
This is knowledge that everyone should listen to and understand.
Then you will not be so much obsessed with the world experience.
The world is as it is only because it is being presented to us in that way.

Presentation matters a lot.
You go to a high-end restaurant, order something — it is given to you in a certain way, in the proper plate or vessel, appealing colour, decorated with spicy leaves.
Icing of cake — see, it is a decoration, it is a proper presentation.
The moment you see it, you feel like eating it.
Presentation matters a lot.

The same food if lying on the floor in a filthy place — same ingredients, same recipe — will you pick it up and eat?
No.
That is the importance of presentation.

We experience the world as we experience it now because Kaala — time — presents it to us in a certain sequence.
Think about this. Alter the sequence and see what happens.

First hunger, then eat food, and then hunger is gone.
What if hunger comes after you eat food?
Have you thought about this?
Just a change in the order.

You will find some description of time in Taittiriya Aranyaka, First Prapathaka, Second Anuvaka:

स्मृतिः प्रत्यक्षमैतिह्यम् । अनुमानश्चतुष्टयम् ।
एतैरादित्यमण्डलम् । सर्वैरेव विधास्यते

Aditya is the timekeeper of the world.
We know about him through four means of authority:

One – Smriti
Two – Pratyaksham
Three – Aitihyam
Four – Anumanam

Smriti here means the Smriti Granthas which are based on Shruti or Veda.
स्मृतिरनुमेयश्रुतिमूलम् मन्वादिशास्त्रम् – Smritis such as Manusmriti.

Pratyaksham – the Veda Vakyas themselves.
Aitihyas – Itihasas and Puranas, which are narrations of real incidents of the past — they are not fiction. They are real incidents that have taken place.
Anumana – Shishtachara – what is accepted and observed by the noble people.

These are the authorities to ascertain whether something is true or false.
This mantra says that by all these four means, the concept of time or Kaala as the controller of the world experience is established.

One point to be noted here.
The western Indologists tell us that Vedas were written first – which itself is total stupidity.
Nobody wrote Vedas.
Vedas were always there. Will be always there.

Now, the mantra that we have referred to is part of the Vedic corpus.
Here, this mantra refers to Veda, Smriti, Itihasas and Puranas.
So the whole argument that Smritis came later, Puranas came later, in Puranas the Vedic gods were replaced by other gods — everything falls.

It has to be — because if Veda is complete knowledge, then it has to talk about everything.
Otherwise, how can it be complete knowledge?

Vyasa writes Veda in Dwaparayuga.
Every time in the cycle of creation – sustenance – destruction, Dwapara Yuga comes, one Vyasa writes Puranas.

Does it mean that Veda doesn’t know about this?
Even if it is future, in terms of time, Veda should know about this.
Veda should speak about this.
Then alone Veda can be called Veda — complete knowledge.
If Veda doesn’t know about future, then how can it be Veda?

So, here the Aditya Mandala or the concept of time stands by all the four forms of authority.
All of them have tested the concept of time as the controller of world experience and accepted it.

सूर्यो मरीचिमादत्ते । सर्वस्माद्भुवनादधि
तस्याः पाकविशेषेण । स्मृतं कालविशेषणम्

Surya Deva initially assumed rays.
He produced sun rays.
He sent out sun rays to bless the world.
If he had not produced and sent out his rays, then we would not see him.
It is because of his rays that we see him.
It is because we see him that we recognize sunrise and sunset.
It is because we see him that there is day.
And it is because we do not see him that there is night.

The concept of time is there because Surya Deva has mercifully produced rays and sends them down to see them.
It is because the concept of time is there that we see a seed germinating, becoming a plant, the plant growing up, leaves and flowers appearing on that plant, and bearing fruits.

This sequence is there only because Sun God is mercifully sending down his rays, so that we are able to time, recognize time.
In a dark cellar, after a few days, you will lose track of time.
So, it is because of the sun rays that we have the concept of time.

There are 9 more mantras in this Anuvaka. We will continue with them later.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi