Distribute Copies of the Vedas to All MPs, Rajya Sabha Chair Tells Education Minister

Distribute Copies of the Vedas to All MPs, Rajya Sabha Chair Tells Education Minister

Subject :History

Section :Ancient India

• Maharishi Sandipani Rashtriya Ved Vidya Pratishthan was given recognition by the Board of Education under the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister.
• Objective: Veda Vidya and Sanskrit education should reach every section of the society without any discrimination.
• The government will soon establish five regional centres of Maharshi Sandipani Rashtriya Ved Vidya Pratishthan at the four Dhams — Badrinath, Dwarka, Jagannath and Rameswaram – and in Guwahati, to promote “Ved Vidya”.
• Currently, there are 123 schools affiliated to the board across the country with 4600 students and 632 teachers.
• Soon after the establishment of the board last year, the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) asked its approved institutions to consider Veda Bhushan and Veda Vibhushan certifications awarded to candidates by MSRVVP equivalent to Class 10 and 12 certificates issued by the central and state boards of education.
• The government has also established model Vedic schools called Rashtriya Adarsh Veda Vidyalaya in six states, including Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, Assam, Karnataka and Uttarakhand, the report said. These schools admit students on the merit of their proficiency in the Veda Bhusan and Veda Vibhushan in various grades.
• Apart from the four Vedas – Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharva — students can opt for science, English, mathematics, social science, computer science, and agriculture.

Vedas

The Vedas are known as ‘Shruti’ meaning ‘through hearing’, as they were handed down through generations orally with the help of elaborate mnemonic techniques.

There are four Vedas:

• The Rigveda
• The Yajurveda
• The Samaveda
• The Atharvaveda

Each Veda has four subdivisions-

• The Samhitas (mantras and benedictions)
• The Aranyakas (text on rituals, ceremonies, sacrifices, and symbolic sacrifices)
• The Brahmanas (commentaries on rituals, ceremonies, and sacrifices)
• The Upanishads (texts discussing meditation, philosophy, and spiritual knowledge).
• Some scholars add a fifth category – the Upasanas (worship).