highly spiritual ancestors, immersing us in the world of ancient humanity and the so-called lost civilizations that existed before the beginning of the historical era.
The Vedas are based on a yogic approach to being. They were said to be received in a state of samadhi (internal identity between the contemplative and the contemplated) directly from the cosmic mind. This makes them divinely inspired, most authoritative writings that are beyond the ordinary perception of the world with the help of the mind and feelings. The central position in the Vedas is the assertion that the macrocosm resides in our consciousness, which, in turn, has no time and space limits. We are the whole universe, which is the revelation of our own deepest Self.
The Vedic mantra, which forms the basis of the Vedic texts, is a special hidden vibration or knowledge contained in sound, which is an integral part of the universal space. It contains the key to understanding cosmic law, or dharma, the fundamental true principles on which the world order is based. These dharmas are not just physical laws, but also ethical and spiritual principles, the best known of which is the law of karma. Through the Vedic mantras, we can understand our personal dharma, the social dharma, and ultimately all the dharmas of the universe.
Perhaps Vedic knowledge is an absolute science, since it can lift the veil of mystery over all natural phenomena, unifying the outer and inner levels and explaining the correspondence between the processes of cosmogenesis and the development of each individual existence. The Vedic mantras show how external natural forces, from the elements to the stars, work within us, taking physical and psychological form. Thanks to this divinely inspired knowledge drawn from the Vedas, one can return oneself to the ocean of cosmic consciousness, realizing that our being is love, light and bliss.
VEDIC PARABLE
One of the greatest Vedic sages was Atharva, after whom the Atharva Veda, one of the four main Vedic texts, was named. In the older Rig Veda, to which this story goes back, he is already mentioned as a legendary figure. Atharva had a son named Dadhyak, who will be the central figure of our story.
For his ascetic merits, Dadhyak received the highest knowledge of immortality, "knowledge of honey" (madhu vidya), since it gives transcendental bliss. Dadhyak received this knowledge as a special favor of Indra - the greatest of the Vedic gods, who, like his Greek counterpart Zeus, is the lord of the sky, owning an irresistible luminous lightning, bringing it down on the heads of his enemies. Naturally, this precious knowledge could not be divulged to just anyone, and Indra forbade Dadhyak to preach it even to other gods. Indra imposed a special penance on Dadhyak, warning that if he decides to spread knowledge around the world, he will immediately appear and cut off his head.
Naturally, all the gods wanted to receive this knowledge, which could be used to satisfy their immense desires. Among all the gods, the most curious and active were the Ashvins - twin boys, or centaurs, who were also doctors or healers of the gods. The Ashvins already had all the magical knowledge, except for this secret teaching, without which all their healing abilities would have been incomplete. Therefore, their desire to get it was irrepressible, and in order to do this, they would have to use all their skills and cunning. The Ashwins came to the wise Dadhyak and began to beg him to share the secret knowledge. Dadhyak predictably answered them: "I cannot, otherwise the god Indra, before whom even you bow, will cut off my head." But the Ashvins, not even receding from their fear of Indra, replied: “It is not a problem. We can get knowledge, and you can save your head. First, we, with the help of magical knowledge, will attach a horse's head to you. Then you can, nothing without fear, to convey knowledge to us through the horse's mouth. When Indra comes, he will cut off your horse's head, and we will give you your real one."
It all happened. The Ashvins—themselves with horse heads—placed the head of a horse at Dadhyak. He told them secret knowledge. Immediately Indra appeared and cut off Dadhyak's temporary horse's head, and the Ashvins gave him a real, human head.
This story has many hidden meanings. In Vedic astrology, the horse's head has become the constellation Ashwini, which marks the beginning of the zodiac in the sign of Aries. The horse's head is also the Sun exalted in Aries, the sign projected onto the head. Ashwin's twins symbolize the duality of time with its ever-changing days and nights and the state of balance in which we can break out of time. The horse's head is the key to understanding the secret meaning of Vedic astrology, the knowledge taught by the Ashvins.
According to Ayurveda, or Vedic medicine, the horse is the symbol of prana, the life energy that originates in the sun and is the source of all healing powers. The Ashwins, as great healers of the gods, became famous thanks to their ability to rejuvenate, it was even in their power to resurrect the dead. Since they are twins, this symbolizes the ability to balance energies and recreate wholeness. The Ashvins were the first teachers of Ayurveda.
According to yoga, the horse head is a symbol of the soul that sacrifices, identifying itself with the body in order to achieve unity with the highest Self. The head of the horse is the soul that overcomes the limitations of time and space and gains the ability to travel throughout the universe at willlike the Sun, a being of light. In a more isolated sense, cutting off the head means opening the crown chakra through which honey bliss, or soma, flows. Madhu Vidya, or the knowledge of honey, is the attainment of the ultimate bliss of the atman. This is the important teaching of Vedanta, beginning with the most ancient Upanishads.
In order to find our true nature, we must first sacrifice the false nature - the ego and all its attachments. To speak the truth, one must sacrifice one's opinions and prejudices. To gain a head, one must first lose it. Ashvins symbolize this transformation from duality to unity. Higher levels of knowledge are paradoxical. The usual means of comprehension of reality are overcome at these levels, and all forms of particular knowledge are united into a luminiferous Consciousness.
SUN AND PRANA
Behind all sources of light in the universe is the transcendent light of consciousness, which is the quintessence of light, or the inner Sun - the original form, or face of the Lord. This spiritual Sun resides in the heart and brain as a luminous power directly at the center of our being, our own true inner self. Returning to it is the ultimate goal of any life.
Vedic mantras are said to have originated from the breath of the Absolute (Brahman), or universal prana. The power of these mantras resides in the rays of the sun and, through these rays, opens access to the world of stars. By performing the Vedic sadhana, one can gain energetic access to the worlds of the Sun and the Moon, or to the worlds of nakshatras - the stars against which the visible rotation of the Sun takes place, and, in the end, to the worlds beyond creation, over which time has no power - the absolute realm endless light.
The Vedas tell us that the inner Sun is prana and that the rhythms of the inner Sun, or our life force, are coordinated and measured by the movement of the outer Sun. This unity of the Sun, the lord of time, with prana, the life force, reflects the identity of the outer universe, or macrocosm, with the inner universe, or microcosm. This correspondence between time (kala) measured by the stars and life (prana) measured by breath is an important starting point of both Vedic astrology and Ayurvedic medicine and the basis of their relationship. In this, Vedic astrology and Ayurveda are mutually reflected as external and internal symbols of light and life. These factors also have an important place in yoga, especially in swara yoga, which teaches to determine planetary influences based solely on breathing.
AYURVEDA AND VEDIC ASTROLOGY
Ayurveda has been called the "mother of all medicine" as it encompasses all forms of treatment including diet, herbs, gymnastics, surgery, psychology and yoga. She does not reject anything that promotes health, well-being and happiness. Ayurveda studies the qualities and effects not only of foods, medicines and behaviour, but also of climate, weather and stars (astrology).
Ayurveda provides diagnostics and treatment in the integral system mind-body. First, she determines the type of constitution in accordance with the three doshas, ​​or biological humors of vata (air), pitta (fire) and kapha (water), as well as how the environment affects our constitution. This includes all factors, from genetics to environment and emotions experienced. She then suggests various therapeutic measures that would allow us to achieve optimal levels of health and immunity. The range of these therapeutic measures is extremely wide: from the simplest diets to complex herbal mixtures and special cleansing procedures. Ayurveda seeks not only to treat and prevent disease, it also promotes rejuvenation and longevity. Behind the usual healing measures, there are special methods to achieve a higher level of immunity and awareness - this is the spiritual Ayurveda, which is part of the practice of yoga.
As broad as Ayurveda, Vedic astrology encompasses all aspects of astrological activity, including reading birth charts (natal astrology), mundane astrology (the effects of astrological factors on society), choosing the right time according