[ ::: ♥Keep_Mailing♥ ::: ]™ RIG VEDA

                                    RIG VEDA

HMV had once published a pamphlet giving the history of gramophone
record. Gramophone was invented by Thomas Alva Edison in the 19th
century. Edison, who had invented many other gadgets like electric
light and the motion picture camera, had become a legend even in his
own time.

When he invented the gramophone record, which could record human voice
for posterity, he wanted to record the voice of an eminent scholar on
his first piece. For that he chose Prof. Max Muller of England,
another great personality of the 19th century. He wrote to Max Muller
saying, "I want to meet you and record your voice. When should I
come?" Max Muller who had great respect for Edison asked him to come
on a suitable time when most of the scholars of the Europe would be
gathering in England.

Accordingly Edison took a ship and went to England. He was introduced
to the audience. All cheered Edison's presence. Later at the request
of Edison, Max Muller came on the stage and spoke in front of the
instrument. Then Edison went back to his laboratory and by afternoon
came back with a disc. He played the gramophone disc from his
instrument. The audience was thrilled to hear the voice of Max Muller
from the instrument. They were glad that voices of great persons like
Max Muller could be stored for the benefit of posterity.

After several rounds of applause and congratulations to Thomas Edison,
Max Muller came to the stage and addressed the scholars and asked
them, "You heard my original voice in the morning. Then you heard the
same voice coming out from this instrument in the afternoon. Do you
understand what I said in the morning or what you heard in the
afternoon?"

The audience fell silent because they could not understand the
language in which Max Muller had spoken. It was 'Greek and Latin' to
them as they say. But had it been Greek or Latin, they would have
definitely understood because they were from various parts of Europe.
It was in a language which the European scholars had never heard.

Max Muller then explained what he had spoken. He said that the
language he spoke was Sanskrit and it was the first sloka of Rig Veda,
which says "Agni Meele Purohitam". This was the first recorded public
version on the gramophone plate.

अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवं रत्वीजम |
होतारं रत्नधातमम || Rig Veda 1.001.01

aghnimīḷe purohitaṃ yajñasya devaṃ ṛtvījam |
hotāraṃ ratnadhātamam || Rig Veda 1.001.01

Why did Max Muller choose this? Addressing the audience he said,
"Vedas are the oldest text of the human race. And "Agni Meele
Purohitam" is the first verse of Rig Veda. In the most primordial
time, when the people did not know how even to cover their bodies and
lived by hunting and housed in caves, Indians had attained high
civilization and they gave the world universal philosophies in the
form of the Vedas"

When "Agni Meele Purohitam" was replayed the entire audience stood up
in silence as a mark of respect for the ancient Hindu sages.

The verse means

"Oh Agni, You who gleam in the darkness, to you we come day by day,
with devotion and bearing homage. So be of easy access to us, Agni, as
a father to his son, abide with us for our well being. "