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As per Dr Ambedkar, atleast 11 contradicting explanations are available on the origin of vedas which he detailed in his book "Riddles in Hinduism". These are his findings.

(1) as originating from the mystical sacrifice of Purusha - Rig veda purusha suktam

(2) as resting on Skambha - Atharva veda

(3) as cut or scraped off from him, as being his hair and his mouth - Atharva veda

(4) as springing from Indra - Atharva veda

(5) as produced from Time - Atharva veda

(6) as produced from Agni, Vayu and Surya,

(7) as springing from Prajapati, and the Waters - Satapatha brahmana

(8) as being the breath of Brahma - Manu smriti

(9) as being dug by the Gods out of mind-ocean - Manu smriti

(10) as being the hair of Prajapati's beard - Taitteriya brahmana

(11) as being the offspring of Vac - Brihadaranyaka upanishad.

Can anyone here clarify what is the Truth and why these contradictions are there regarding such a simple question?

TruthSeeker9
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    Vedas are eternal and have no origin. They are the words of Supreme Brahman. – The Destroyer Apr 20 '16 at 02:27
  • @The Destroyer - thats one of 11 options above. Why it is correct and remaining wrong? – TruthSeeker9 Apr 20 '16 at 02:29
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    Vedas speak of various things; evrythng that is required is given in Vedas; hence undrstanding the context in which a verse is said is very important. We cannot undrstand it by mere mental speculation or by mundane material education. Hence in ancient times only those capable of understanding its true meaning were allowed to learn Vedas; not others. – Vishal prabhu lawande Apr 20 '16 at 06:59
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    For example Vedas in some places state that 'Akash' is cause of universe; we may interprete Akash as elemental ether but then Acaryas explain that 'Akash' means supreme Brahman(vedanta 1.1.22). Also in Brahma sutras it is clearly proved by all authentic Acaryas that there is no contrdiction in Vedas. Hence above statements appeared like contradiction to the reader since he dint understand the context or he did not try to understand it from some superior person who is well versed in vedic knowledge. – Vishal prabhu lawande Apr 20 '16 at 07:00
  • Dr Ambedkar mentioned that this information was from Brahmin pundits of his time, pls read his book for details – TruthSeeker9 Apr 20 '16 at 07:04
  • Its not about what is there in vedas, its just about origin of vedas. – TruthSeeker9 Apr 20 '16 at 07:05
  • @TruthSeeker9 in my above comments im just trying to convey that
    1. there is no contradiction in vedas. 2. To understand Vedas we need to approach an authentic spiritual master who is well versed in vedas.

    may be 'Brahmin pandit' he heard from dint understand himself. the above 2 points ive mentioned here are accepted by all schools of vedanta philosophy. 'Its not about what is there in vedas, its just about origin of vedas'.... isnt above 11 points uve given about origin of vedas, from vedas itself?

     – Vishal prabhu lawande Apr 20 '16 at 07:18
  • Let us continue this discussion in chat. – Vishal prabhu lawande Apr 20 '16 at 07:20
  • I think you dont know the difference between vedas, brahmanas, manu, upanishads etc., pls read the question once again. – TruthSeeker9 Apr 20 '16 at 07:21
  • All orthodox Vedantists (a more proper term than Hindu), which all modern followers of the Vedanta are, assert that the Vedas are the eternal words of God. 'Brahmin pundits' are not a valid reference either in Western Academia or among Eastern pundits. – Swami Vishwananda Apr 20 '16 at 10:53
  • Vedas are Shrutis, as heard and cognized by the seers when in deep meditation – Amit Saxena Apr 20 '16 at 12:01
  • Shruti, eternal words of God.. Can you please elaborate? 1) Vedas existed on their own without any involvement or connection to Brahman? 2) Are they created by Brahman?.. If so again the definition of Vedantist Brahman is nirguna, nirakara, pure consciousness.. It's another contradiction to say that nirguna created vedas... – TruthSeeker9 Apr 20 '16 at 15:09
  • Even if we consider that Vedas are from Brahman, It also looks very weird that instead of telling the mankind how to achieve salvation, Brahman is asking them to worship Indra, Agni, Varuna... – TruthSeeker9 Apr 20 '16 at 15:30
  • @TruthSeeker9 will a person full of desires listen to the other person who says "give up desires, go to Himalayas and meditate on Brahman"? No. He will term the other person as rude. So, Brahman gives freedom to Jiva and a JIva based on his experiences realize them. A person with full of sorrows understand that these desires and attachments are responsible for sufferings. He then realizes on his own the root reason. – The Destroyer Apr 20 '16 at 15:38
  • @TruthSeeker9 Similarly, A person with desires seeks Devas for fulfilling their materialistic pleasures. But again these Devas are aspects of Supreme Brahman. Then you may think why Brahman is doing this? Is he playing with us? Definitely not. We have to question, if everything was born from Unmanifested Brahman (Nirguna Brahman), why did he manifest? If he hadn't manifest we would not have any sufferings or enjoyments (obviously no one would question why do we have happy moments)? There's no answer for this question because we need to remove MAYA or Ignorance that stops us from knowing this. – The Destroyer Apr 20 '16 at 15:40
  • @TruthSeeker9 These kind of questions are called "ATHI PRASHNA" or transcendental question. We should realize our own self or atma. Then we can know know? That's what sages do in Himalayas? They meditate to know ultimate question of this Universe. They try hard to MAYA (illusions) or ignorance which is responsible for dualities such as heat, cold: evil, virtue etc. When they come out of Maya, they can get answer to their question. – The Destroyer Apr 20 '16 at 15:44
  • @TruthSeeker9 Yeah, there's a story in Brahmavaivarta Purana, Vishnu goes to Indra as small Brahmin boy and says ants on floor were previous Indras who were born as ants for their Karma. Then Indra knows that whatever he is, he is bind to Karma. So, logical person seeks Moksha, where we get no birth. Unlike other religions, Good and bad are both Supreme Brahman. Bad or evil realizes or teaches us.something. Everyone including Rakshasa are born from Supreme Brahman. – The Destroyer Apr 20 '16 at 15:48
  • Thanks Destroyer, It seems to me that Vedas and Vedanta are entirely different philosophies., you are trying to combine them some how.. If one reads Vedic hymns and then examine upanishads closely it is apparant that these two are written by people with different mindsets. Attributing these contradictions to Brahman only adds to the confusion. Anyway, we are drifting here from topic., I will be glad if anyone can answer why these contradictions are there (11 listed above) in relation to origin of vedas. – TruthSeeker9 Apr 20 '16 at 15:50
  • @The Destroyer - That story (of Vishnu n Indra) is clearly an attempt to bring down Indra from top of the charts and to raise Vishnu to top.. If one reads description of Indra in Vedas, it becomes very clear. Please give some value to Truth. – TruthSeeker9 Apr 20 '16 at 15:52
  • You believe firmly that Vedas are written by Men. But Actually we should recite Vedic hymns in Sanskrit. These vibrations cause changes in SUBTLE BODY. That's the reason vedic chants are always preferred to recounted orally rather that documenting.These are the words of BRAHMAN. Well, see this answer to know what different schools say about teachings of Vedas. I suggest you to read user @Behappy answers. They are actually good. – The Destroyer Apr 20 '16 at 15:58
  • @TruthSeeker9 Vedas in Sanskrit are allegorical and metaphorical. Some believe these Gods as true beings like Humans. Some believe them as personification of mantras. So, i say Vedas must be learned from knowledgeable sage and that too only in Sanskrit. These English translation don't impart true knowledge of Vedas. – The Destroyer Apr 20 '16 at 16:02
  • Let us continue this discussion in chat. – The Destroyer Apr 20 '16 at 16:24
  • This question cannot be duplicate of anything. –  Sep 05 '17 at 03:48
  • @TheDestroyer Please reopen this question. –  Sep 05 '17 at 03:53
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    @Ajay The confusion is because the title and body are different. The main question(in bold) is "what is the Truth and why these contradictions are there regarding such a simple question?" The truth is already explained in that question. That's why it is a duplicate. No need to reopen the question. – Sarvabhouma Sep 05 '17 at 07:23

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