Thread by @DefiledGod

-- "Erotic Mantras" of Atharva Veda --

I came across a few mantras of the Atharva Veda which have been deemed to be “erotic” by “scholars”. There has also been discussion about them:+

hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/2876…

#Hinduism #Vedas #Atharvaveda

Scholarly” translation of “erotic mantras” (20.136.3-5) (see screenshot):

“yád devā́so lalāmaguṃ práviṣṭīmínam” – Playful lovers enter with wet penis (lalāmaguṃ)”

“mahānagnyàtr̥pnadvi” – The great naked woman was satisfied.+

🙄

#Hinduism #Vedas #Atharvaveda

Let's see if they actually talk about fat naked women.

yád devā́so lalāmaguṃ práviṣṭīmínam āviṣuḥ |

[Which senses, move (gavate) towards the Supreme Brahman who is the best of objects to be attained (lalāma), entering in various ways (ie, by many actions).]+

#Vedas

“lalāmaguṃ” – “lalāma” means eminent or best object of attainment and refers to Brahman. It does not mean penis. “práviṣṭīmínam āviṣuḥ” – They attain that experience of Brahman in various ways, ie, many desireless actions of karma yoga.

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sakulā́ dediśyate nā́rī satyásyākṣibhúvo yáthā

[The senses who are abiding with the mind (sakulā́), bestow the agreeable experience of Brahman (nā́rī) on the self, as though (it were) direct perception of reality (satyásyākṣibhúvo yáthā).]

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“nā́rī” or woman is a metaphor for anything agreeable and denotes experience of Brahman which is often personified as female (eg: bhakti devi in bhā́gavatam). Such experience is so vivid it is as though it were a real perception of Brahman, only attained at the time of death.+

mahānagnyàtr̥pnadvi mókradadásthānāsaran |

[The great self which is barren of blemishes of prakrti by nature (nagnyà), made content by the two (sama and dama) does not (ma) go to those abodes (objects of enjoyment) that are giving terrible or violent experiences]

#Hinduism

“ukra” should be read as “ugra” in my understanding. The self is “mahān” or great on account of doership. It is “nagna” or barren like desert – devoid of blemishes of prakrti by nature. It is not experiencing pain and pleasure.+

#SanatanaDharma #Hinduism #Vedas #Atharvaveda

This describes the Jñāna yogi, the meditator of the self who has attained this state after performing karma yoga described previously. But what of one who cannot meditate on the self? As below+

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śáktikānánā svacamáśakaṃ saktu pádyama

[The self associated with mind of water, with capability of action (śáktikānánā), incapable of eating (experiencing) itself, (is that) which is attached (via desireless action) to the Supreme Brahman who is the means (padyama) ]+

“Śáktikānánā” – kam = jalam or water signifying objects of enjoyment, anana = face denoting mind. Feminine case for self. “Śákti" - endowed with capability of action.

“saktu” – root is “sanj” which refers to being attached to something. +

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This states that those incapable of direct meditation on the self can continue with karma yoga which was also described previously. Karma yoga can directly lead to the attainment of the self, skipping need for Jñāna yoga as well.

Now, the next mantra. See below screenshot👇+

mahānagnyùlūkhalam atikrā́manty abravīt |

[he great self, barren of the blemishes of prakrti, crossing over the mortar (prakrti consisting of objects of enjoyment) said,]

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yáthā táva vanaspate níraghnanti táthaiveti ||6||

["Just as unto you, O insentient object or lump of wood (vanaspati), they (pain and pleasure) do not cause harm, in that manner (so am I).”]

#Hinduism #Vedas #SanatanaDharma #Sanatani #Atharvaveda

Mortar = object of enjoyment, pestle = senses & grinding = experiences. Bri. Up uses similar analogy (drum & drumsticks). Crossing over prakrti via self realization, one thinks that he is impervious to pain and pleasure just as a lump of wood feels nothing (eg: “jada” bharata).+

Concluding thoughts: The bad translations are based on the text of the Brhaddevata that declares these mantras as “Ahanasya” - “A-han” - interpreted as “beating a lover as sexual play”. But that need not so.+

#Hinduism #Vedas #Atharvaveda #SanatanaDharma

Firstly, “Ahanasya” – “han” can mean, pertaining to injury or harm. Thus, it refers to actions of the senses that harm the self. So, the mantras placate the senses and hence are “Ahanasya”+

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Secondly, even if “Ahanasya” is to be interpreted literally as “lewd” (which is unlikely), it should mean the applicability of these mantras is in case of a person engaging in such lewd activities (to control the senses). But I'm not convinced that is even the case+

#Vedas

There is also the Rg Vidhana that apparently says these mantras are to be chanted over a woman going after multiple men. Don’t have the Rg Vidhana in hand, but judging by these “translations”, we can safely consider their interpretation of the Rg Vidhana too as erroneous.//