Synthesis of Yoga in The Veda - preface

Preface

It is extremely significant that the earliest records, in which we find statements of the awakened thought of ancient humanity, speak of five greatest ideals for which humanity has constantly aspired for throughout its long historical pilgrimage, namely, God, Light, Freedom, Bliss and Immortality. But even more significant is the fact that these earliest records, namely the texts of the Vedas, present to us a systematic account of the methods that were developed in ancient times by which these five great ideals were sought to be realised, even though the language of these texts is symbolic and needs to be interpreted meticulously by the contemporary humanity. Fortunately, Sri Aurobindo has, in his book 'On the Veda’, carried out this great and difficult task and explained to us the symbolic meanings of numerous terms which have been used in the Vedic texts.

In effect, we have available to us a comprehensive statement of what may be called a synthesis of Yoga that the Vedic texts contain. It appears that the future of humanity, in its evolutionary process, will lie through the path of Yoga, and therefore it is very important for the contemporary humanity to study the great science of Yoga, its history and how a new synthesis of Yoga has been developed by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The significance of the synthesis of Yoga that is in the Veda will itself become more and more manifest in the light of the new synthesis of the Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

This book aims at presenting the secret of the Veda and the

synthesis of Yoga of the Veda, as we can derive it from Sri Aurobindo's own exposition of the Veda and the Vedic Yoga. For the full understanding of the synthesis of Yoga in the Veda, one will be required to study Sri Aurobindo's book 'On the Veda’, and one needs to read also Sri Aurobindo's ' Synthesis of Yoga’, in order to understand how the Vedic Yoga has been assimilated by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother in their new synthesis of Yoga. If this book leads the readers to study these two great books 'On the Veda’ and 'Synthesis of Yoga’, the labour of this book will have been rewarded.

Kireet Joshi