Ramayana
The second great Indian epic, Valmiki's Ramayana, is considered to contain the essence of Vedanta. Vaishnavas of the school of Ramanuja-acharya believe it to be
(i) an interpretation of the dvaya-mantra which teaches about both what is to be
attained and what leads one to it, the means and the end, the choosing of the means and self-dedication to the Divine and
(ii) an explanation of the Gayatri-mantra, which is believed to be the essence of the Veda.
Acharyas of that school as well as a commentator of the Ramayana, Govindaraja, have endeavoured to show this in their writings. For the Vaishnavas it is a long Scripture on the doctrine and practice of surrender to the Supreme Person (dirghasaranagati-
grantha).
Without going into all that, I will refer only to what this epic
says about the Veda in two places.
In the Ayodhya-kāṇḍa in the course of rebutting a materialistic position which also denied scriptural authority,
Rama is described as having said the following: "The universe is established in Truth. The highest Dharma is Truth. Truth is the lord of the Universe.10 All have their roots in Truth. There is no position or abode higher than Truth. The Vedas have their foundation in Truth (or, they have their glory due to it).
'Vedaḥ satya-pratiṣṭhanaḥ'. Therefore, one should be devoted to Truth."11
This implies the Veda teaches truth and hence its authority.
In the Yuddha-kāṇḍa occurs (four-faced) Brahma's laudation of Rama in the course of which we find, among others, these utterances: "You are Nārāyaṇa, the immutable Brahman, the eternal Truth, the ultimate Dharma, the Supreme Person, the Creator. You are of the nature of (or the very self of) the thousand-branched
[Sama] Veda, the teacher in various ways of the Dharma of diverse types and the best among the best. 'Sahasra sṛṅgo Vedātma śata-jihvo mahārśabhaḥ’ The Vedas
are your breath. There is nothing that can be without you. It may be concluded
that, according to the Ramayana, the source of the Veda is the immortal divine Person and it teaches the saving truth.
The second great Indian epic, Valmiki's Ramayana, is considered to contain the essence of Vedanta. Vaishnavas of the school of Ramanuja-acharya believe it to be
(i) an interpretation of the dvaya-mantra which teaches about both what is to be
attained and what leads one to it, the means and the end, the choosing of the means and self-dedication to the Divine and
(ii) an explanation of the Gayatri-mantra, which is believed to be the essence of the Veda.
Acharyas of that school as well as a commentator of the Ramayana, Govindaraja, have endeavoured to show this in their writings. For the Vaishnavas it is a long Scripture on the doctrine and practice of surrender to the Supreme Person (dirghasaranagati-
grantha).
Without going into all that, I will refer only to what this epic
says about the Veda in two places.
In the Ayodhya-kāṇḍa in the course of rebutting a materialistic position which also denied scriptural authority,
Rama is described as having said the following: "The universe is established in Truth. The highest Dharma is Truth. Truth is the lord of the Universe.10 All have their roots in Truth. There is no position or abode higher than Truth. The Vedas have their foundation in Truth (or, they have their glory due to it).
'Vedaḥ satya-pratiṣṭhanaḥ'. Therefore, one should be devoted to Truth."11
This implies the Veda teaches truth and hence its authority.
In the Yuddha-kāṇḍa occurs (four-faced) Brahma's laudation of Rama in the course of which we find, among others, these utterances: "You are Nārāyaṇa, the immutable Brahman, the eternal Truth, the ultimate Dharma, the Supreme Person, the Creator. You are of the nature of (or the very self of) the thousand-branched
[Sama] Veda, the teacher in various ways of the Dharma of diverse types and the best among the best. 'Sahasra sṛṅgo Vedātma śata-jihvo mahārśabhaḥ’ The Vedas
are your breath. There is nothing that can be without you. It may be concluded
that, according to the Ramayana, the source of the Veda is the immortal divine Person and it teaches the saving truth.