Rgveda-Darsana Vishnu Suktani (In 3 Volumes): Explaining all the Suktas of Lord Vishnu Occuring the Rgveda

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Vidyalankara, Sastra-Chudamani, Sangita-Kalaratna, Professor Saligrama Krishna Ramachandra Rao is a well-known scholar who combines traditional learning with modern research. Well-versed in Sanskrit, Pali, Ardhamagadhi and several modern Indian languages and acquainted with Tibetan and some European languages. He has written extensively on Vedanta, Buddhism. Jainism, Indian Culture. Art and Literature.

In his professional career, however, he was a Professor of Psychology. He has headed the Department of Clinical Psychology in the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bangalore, and the Department of Indian Culture in the Callison College Study Centre of the University of the Pacific (USA). At present, he is the Senior Associate of National Institute of Advanced Studies (Indian Institute of Science). Bangalore, and Guest Faculty, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

He has been Member of Karnataka State Lalitha Kala Academi and Sangita Nritya Academi he has served on the Agama Board (Govt. of Karnataka). He is President of Silpa-Kala Pratishtana. The Govt. of Karnataka has honoured him with the 1986 Rajyotsava Award, He is on the Advisory Committee of the T.T.D. He has received awards from Lalita-Kala Academi and Sangita Nritya Academi.

He has written more than sixty books in Kannada, a play in Sanskrit, and a Pali commentary on Buddhist classic. One of his books on Iconography in Kannada has won the State Sahitya Academi Award, as also another of his books on the Tirupati Temple.

Among his numerous English publications are three vol’s. of Encyclopaedia of Indian Medicine, (Popular Prakashan, Mumbai), Tibetan Tantrik Tradition and Tibetan Meditation (Arnold Heinemann, Delhi). Consciousness in Advaita, and a series of six books on Indian Temples (IBH Prakashana, Bangalore) and Origins of Indian Thought (Bangalore University); Kalpatharu Research Academy has published his Pratima-Kosha in six vol,s. Agama-Kosha in twelve vol’s, Art and Architecture of Indian Temples in three vol’s.

He is also a musicologist, a sculptor and painter, and has held some one-man shows. He presided over the Music conference of Gayana-Samaja in Bangalore for the year 1990.

The Kalpatharu Research Academy, Bangalore is an Institution running with the benign blessings of his Holiness Jagadguru Shankaracharya, Sri Sri Bharathi Theertha Mahaswamiji under the auspicious of Dakshinamnaya Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham. Established in 1981, Kalpatharu Research Academy has strided across the horizon of Indological Research and Publications with giant steps, and today stands as an Institution known for its unique quality of Research work.

Kalpatharu Research Academy is dedicated to the cause of preservation of the ancient heritage of India; it has encouraged Research in the fields of Agama, Veda, Tantra, Jyoutisha, Mantra Sastra, Vastu, Yoga, Silpa, Ayurveda etc.

Among its prestigious publications (numbering more than seventy till now), are Six Vol’s. of Pratima-Kosha, Twelve Vol’s of Agama-Kosha, Three Vol’s. of the Art and Architecture of Indian Temples, and several Koshas like Ganesha-Kosha, Lalita-Kosha and Navagraha Kosha, Oshadhi-Kosha, Salagrama-Kosha etc.

The Academy has plans of undertaking intensive Research in the field of Veda and Vedanga, and intends publishing “Bharatiya-Samskriti-Sarvasva-Kosha” an Encyclopaedic work in several volumes dealing with all aspects of Indian Tradition and Culture. It seeks to promote Education, Culture, Science, Art, and learning in all its branches. The approach will he broad- based and multi-disciplinary.

An extensive, comprehensive and specialist reference library has been built up to assist the Research Workers in the Indological disciplines. A valuable collection of Palm-Leaf manuscripts relating to Veda, Vedanta, Vedanga and allied subjects has already been made; the collection work is continuing.

Dakshinamnaya Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham has t running a Guru-Kula type of Institution on traditional lines to impart Vedic Education at several places. Some of these Institutions are over 100 years old. It is the intention of Kalpatharu Research Academy to take an active part in continuing this age-old tradition and act as the Research & Publication wing for these Institutions.

Our ambition is to develop as a National Centre for higher learning in Veda, Vedanga and Shastras and facilitate the propagation of unique Sanskrit and Vedic Texts in the National and International arena.

This Publication is the Sixty-ninth of its achievement in this field.

The Kalpatharu Research Academy, Bangalore, feels happy and proud that the prestigious series of volumes on Rgveda-Darsana is promptly seeing the light of the day in quick succession. This year we have brought out another volume in the series, the Fifth one, entitled Vishnu-Suktani (Part One). It presents the hymns ascribed to Vishnu in the Rgvedic Corpus. This volume includes also in the form of an appendix, a rare and important text, Rigvidhana, which is of invaluable help in understanding the Vedic hymns. We do hope that the scholarly world will recognize the contributions that the Kalpatharu Research Academy is making towards enriching our indological literature.

As in the case of our previous publications, Vidyalankara, Sastra Chudamani, Prof. S.K. Ramachandra Rao has spared no pains in making this volume extremely useful to the students of the Vedas. A Volume like this has rarely appeared; it is a monument of erudition and insight. He has thrown fresh light on the Vishnu imagery in Rgveda. The Academy is grateful to him for this service to the cause of Vedic learning through the Academy.

The Academy also places on record the munificent blessings of the Jagadguru of Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham, His holiness Sri Sri Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji, and the gracious interest in the project by the Chairman of the Academy, Shri V.R. Gowrishankar who is the administrator of Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham. The Academy is also grateful to the officers of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India. as well as of the Ministry of Education Govt. of Kamataka, Bangalore for interest in and support of its Research Programs.

M/s. Omkar Offset Printers have as usual done an excellent job in the production of this volume. The Academy is grateful to them.

It continues with the portion of Rgvedic corpus dealing with the hymns to Vishnu (Vishnu-Suktani, Part two). The project envisages the presentation of the traditional interpretation of Rgveda. This will be followed by volumes dealing with Surya (Saura-Suktani).

It resolves to rise to higher heights in course of time. We are grateful to Professor S.K. Ramachandra Rao, who has taken great pains to prepare this volume on Vishnu-Suktani which has come out in three parts. The present part completes the volume, which we are sure marks in important milestone in Vedic research. It is a work of profound scholarship and traditional insight.

Among the Suktas of Rgveda, the ones that are most extensively used and that are philosophically most significant are those that have Vishnu and Indra as Devatas. Of the forty-five suktas that are included here, there are sUktas which are ascribed Indra and Vishnu together (Indra Vishnu). The relatedness of lndra and Vishnu is an important issue in Vedic exegesis; its symbolism is very significant. The traditional interpretation focusses attention on this. The present volume seeks to present this point of view.

I am grateful to Daivajna K.N. Somayaji, Director of the Kalpatharu Research Academy for having provided this opportunity to me and also to the Chief Patron of the Academy, Sri Sri Sri Bharathi Tirtha Swamiji of Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham, and to the Chairman of the Academy Sri V.R. Gowrishankar for their interest and support.

I am beholden to Sri Venkatesh Babu and Sri Nagendra of the Omkar Offset Printers for their courtesy and co-operation, while this volume was being produced.

This is the second part of Vishu-Suktani, which constitutes the fifth, sixth and seventh volumes of Rgveda-Darsana. Out of the forty-five mantras devoted to Vishnu in the Rgvedic corpus, eighteen were covered in volume Five, and another twelve in the present volume, volume Six. The remaining mantras will be taken up in the subsequent volume. We have thought it important to present authentic and ancient texts relating to Vedic study like Saunaka’s Rgvidhana and Anukramanis. These are included in the volumes on Rgveda-Darsana in the form of Appendices.

The present volume completes the Rgvedic hymns addressed to Vishnu. The Vishnu Suktas, forty-five in number, are an important contribution to the crystallization of the Vishnu ideology, wide spread and persisting in the country. I have attempted in these three parts to present the traditional interpretation of the great Sukta, highlighting the adhyatma aspect.