the immortality by yajna

in other religions it is believed that god created everything out of nothing. but in hinduism, prajapati created everything out of himself,  he transformed himself to all. from his out and in breathing he created devtas and from downward breathing he created mortal beings. and above mortal beings he created death as their consumer.

now one half of prajapati was immortal and other half immortal. the mortal part hided in clay and water which devtas fashioned and formed a brick from clay and water. this brick is symbolism of body which is also formed of clay and water. since prajapati was half mortal and half immortal, so this body is also half mortal and half immortal. five body parts mouth, skin, flesh, bone and marrow are mortal, while mind, voice, vital eye, ear are immortal. actually it's not taking about the body but the control of body in brain.  brain only controls the physical body like bones, skin, flesh etc till body is alive. but the voice, light is energy which is immortal. hence it's perception is also immortal.

the main aim of people who do yajna is to be immortal. that's why it's said 'mrityorma amritamgamaya'. that means take us from death to immortality. having encompassed that mortal form of prajapati by those of his immortal forms devtas make the sacrificer immortal. prajapati in form if human being is none other than the fire altar. his five mortal parts are five layers of earth, and there are other five layers which are immortal. and then by yajna he become immortal.

by this verse, "the seat hiding, agni, indra, god brahman, brahaspati, and the wise all devtas may speed our sacrifice unto bliss", one part is agni's, one part indra's, and one part all other devta's. in this fire altar they thus they made him  complete.

and when he stands by altar worshiping it with this verse he thereby secures all that part of him ( prajapati ) which whether he knows it or not. 

as summary of shatpath brahmana 10.1.3

parallelism of yajna in body and world

as in my previous post i explained the symbolism of body as yagya kund ( sacrificial altar ) but that doesn't mean the rituals involved in outer yajna does not have any significance. chandogya upnishad declares that purusha in outer world is same as in body. soul as in body in same way is in universe. as devtas are born of prana in body in same way same devtas are born from the purusha the vaishvanara agni which pervades entire universe. thus, the outer word and body are parallel to each other.

in shatpath brahmana 10.1.2, this parallelism is beautifully described. with regard to the outer yajna it is said in 10.1.2.2  prajapati saw the bird like body which is vaishvanara agni and fashioned in three parts world, air and sky. in rig veda 1.164.46 this agni is symbolised as divine garutaman having beautiful wings. thus built fire altar is this world, great rite the air and great litany the sky. these are said to overtake each other as these were created together.

with regard to body as in inner yajna in meditation, fire altar is mind, chant of great rite is breath, and great litany is speech. and all these belong together.

after that the way of obtaining these together is described as jyotishtoma, a part of agnishtoma yajna. again this fire altar is described as a bird like we saw above while prajapati fashioned the bird shaped soul as this fire altar. in this jyotishtoma method, the bahishpavamana stotra is the head of the rite. other two pavamanas are in pankadasa and saptadasa ( stomas ) they are the two wings and the yagnayagniya stotra are the tail.

we have seen in upnishads saying whole world is word or sound that is om. thus the universe is described as sound here also in SB 10.1.2.8 where cattle or animals are described as seven saman verses out of thirty two hymns of pankadasha and saptadhasha, the other 25 hymns are twenty five fold  body. 

symbolism of body as sacrificial altar ( yagya kund )

we see rituals being performed in yajna. the offerings in fire and said that it would reach to devtas. this is symbolism for the yajna being performed in the body while doing meditation. 

the prajapati is said to be the creator and also the creation as it itself manifested itself as the creation. that's the reason prajapati is also named as shrishti ( brihadaranyaka 1.4 ). now while performing meditation, we actually go through phase of yajna. body is prajapati too as he is himself the creator and creation. the same body is considered the fire altar in this context.

now for here, shatpath brahmana 10.1.6 says, " For, indeed, they do not see it to be the Great Rite that lies there being praised, but it is Agni alone they see; for Agni is the self (body), and thus those two, the Rik and the Sâman, enter him in the form of the vital fluid; and thus they both enter (join) the Yagus.". that means people just see body and soul as energy by inner eye which is fire altar and fire doing meditation. they can't see the yajna going on inside them.

now the offerings are rik and saman mantras which we chant in our hearts, they flow inside the soul as the vital fluid. this is further said in language of SB 10.1.10, " And, indeed, this body is speech; and the breath which is in the body is its mate: with this mated body that (vital fluid) thus enters into the mated Agni."

body is the sacrificial altar, and agni is the soul. as said in aitereya brahmana 2.6.3, "body is sacrificial altar, he is stone or rock. agni is womb of gods, born of offerings made through agni". agni is the soul as it is vaishvanara and jatavedas and he pervades and behold this entire universe as said in nirukta 7.19.

then the body is itself called the food which is offered in yajna as in rig veda 10.107.7, "'The Dakshinâ winneth food which is our own self (breath)." the food is called prana or life as it enhances the prana. that's why it gains significance as devta. for this food SB 10.1.11 says, "this food, when eaten, becomes of two kinds,--that part of it which is immortal (remains) above the navel: by the upward vital airs it moves upwards and enters the air; but that part of it which is mortal tends to move away: it passes beyond the navel, and, having become twofold, enters this (earth), as urine and faeces. Now that which enters this (earth) enters the fire-altar built here; and that which enters the air enters that fire which is placed on the built (altar)." it is this subtle part of food which we eat and the breath we take is offered to devtas during yajna while in meditation. so, it was always also suggested by scriptures to take satvik food which we can offer to them. 

agni rahasyam 3

SHATPATH BRAHMANA 10.3

1. Pragâpati created living beings. From the out- (and in-) breathings he created the gods, and from the downward breathings the mortal beings; and above the (mortal) beings he created Death as their consumer.

2. Now, one half of that Pragâpati was mortal, and the other half immortal: with that part of him which was mortal he was afraid of death; and, being afraid, he became twofold, clay and water, and entered this (earth).

3. Death spake unto the gods saying, 'What has become of him who has created us?'--'Being afraid of thee, he has entered this (earth),' they said. He spake, 'Let us search for him, let us gather him up for I shall not injure him.' The gods gathered him from out of this (earth): that part of him which was in the water, they gathered as water, and that which was in this (earth, they gathered) as clay. Having gathered together both clay and water, they made a brick, whence a brick consists of both clay and water.

4. And, indeed, these five forms (bodily parts) of him are mortal--the hair on the mouth, the skin, the flesh, the bone, and the marrow; and these are immortal--the mind, the voice, the vital air; the eye, and the ear.

5. Now, that Pragâpati is no other than the Fire-altar which is here built up, and what five mortal parts there were of him, they are these layers of earth; and those which were immortal they are these layers of bricks.

6. The gods spake, 'Let us make him immortal!' Having encompassed that mortal form by those immortal forms of his, they made it immortal--the layer of earth by means of two layers of bricks: in like manner the second, the third, and the fourth (layers of earth).

7. And having laid down the fifth layer (of bricks), he (the Adhvaryu) scatters earth on it; thereon he lays the Vikarnî and the Svayamâtrinnâ, scatters chips of gold, and places the fire: that is the seventh layer, and that (part) is immortal; and in this way, having encompassed that mortal form of his by those two immortal forms, they made it immortal,--the layer of earth by means of two layers of bricks. Thereby, then, Pragâpati became immortal; and in like manner does the Sacrificer become immortal by making that body (of the altar) immortal.

8. But the gods knew not whether they had made him complete, or not; whether they had made him too large, or left him defective. They saw this verse (Vâg. S. XVIII, 76), 'The seat-hiding Agni, Indra, god Brahman, Brihaspati, and the wise All-gods may speed our sacrifice unto bliss!'

9. Of this (verse) one part is Agni's, one part Indra's, and one part the All-gods’;--with that part thereof which is Agni's they made up that part of him (Pragâpati) which is Agni's, and with Indra's (part) that which is Indra's, and with the All-gods’ (part) that which is the All-gods’: in this very (fire-altar) they thus made him up wholly and completely.

10. And when he stands by (the altar, worshipping it) with this (verse), he thereby secures (makes good) all that part of him (Pragâpati) which, whether he knows it or not, he either does in excess or insufficiently in this (fire-altar),--whatever has not been secured for him. The 'seat-hiding' (verse) is an Anushtubh, for the Anushtubh is speech, and the seat-hider is speech: it is by speech that he secures for him what was not secured for him. 'Let him approach (the altar with this verse) when he has covered a layer with earth,' say some, 'for then that (layer) becomes whole and complete.'

agni rahasyam 2

SHATPATH BRAHMANA 10.1.2


1. Pragâpati was desirous of gaining these worlds. He saw this bird-like body, the Fire-altar: he fashioned it, and thereby gained this (terrestrial) world. He saw a second bird-like body, the (chant of the) Great Rite he fashioned it, and thereby gained the air. He saw a third bird-like body, the Great Litany  he fashioned it, and thereby gained the sky.

2. This built Fire-altar, doubtless, is this (terrestrial) world, the Great Rite the air, and the Great Litany the sky: all these, the Fire-altar, the Great Rite, and the Great Litany, one ought therefore to undertake together, for these worlds were created together; and as to why the Fire-altar is built first, it is because of these worlds this (terrestrial) one was created first. Thus with regard to the deity.

3. Now with regard to the body. The Fire-altar is the mind, the (chant of the) Great Rite the breath, and the Great Litany speech: all these one ought therefore to undertake together, for mind, breath, and speech belong together; as to why the Fire-altar is built first, it is because the mind is prior to the breathings.

4. The Fire-altar, indeed, is the body (trunk), the Great Rite the breath, and the Great Litany speech: all these one ought therefore to undertake together, for body, breath, and speech belong together; and as to why the Fire-altar is built first, it is because of him who is produced the trunk is produced first.

5. The Fire-altar, indeed, is the head, the Great Rite the breath, and the Great Litany the body: one ought therefore to undertake all these together, for head, breath, and body belong together; and as to why the Fire-altar is built first, it is because of him who is born the head is born first; and hence, whenever all these are undertaken together the Great Litany, indeed, is accounted the highest (âtamâm)  for the Great Litany is the body (or self, âtman).

6. As to this they say, 'If all these are difficult to obtain together, what (means of) obtaining them is there?'--In the Gyotishtoma (form of the) Agnishtoma  let him perform offering with the Gyotishtoma Agnishtoma.

7. In this Gyotishtoma Agnishtoma the Bahishpavamâna (stotra) is (in) the Trivrit (stoma)--that is the head of the rite; the two other Pavamânas are (in) the Pañkadasa and Saptadasa (stomas)--they are the two wings; the Hotri's Âgya (stotra) is (in) the Pañkadasa, the Prishtha (stotra in) the Saptadasa, and the Yagñâyagñiya (stotra in) the Ekavimsa (stoma)--they are the tail.

8. Now these two, the Pañkadasa and Saptadasa, have thirty-two hymn-verses: twenty-five of these are the twenty-five-fold body ; and the seven which remain over are the Parimâd (sâmans), for these are the cattle (or animals), (for) cattle are sporting all around us (pari-mâd )--thus much, then, is theGreat Rite: thereby he obtains the Great Rite even in this (Agnishtoma).

9. And the Hotri recites seven metres--each subsequent one-versed (metre) increasing by four (syllables)--with the Virâg as an eighth: these (eight) consist of three eighties and forty-five syllables. Now by the eighties thereof the eighties (of the mahad uktham)  are obtained, for the Great Litany is counted (or recited) by eighties (of triplets); and of the forty-five (syllables which remain) twenty-five are this twenty-five-fold body ; and where the body is there, indeed, are (included) the head, and the wings and tail; and the twenty (syllables which remain) are the insertion --thus much, then, is the Great Litany: thereby he obtains the Great Litany even in this (Agnishtoma). All these (three) are indeed obtained in the Gyotishtoma Agnishtoma: let him, therefore, perform offering with theGyotishtoma Agnishtoma.

shatpath brahmana 8.1.2

1. And at the back (western part of the altar), with (Vâg. S. XIII, 56), 'This one behind, the all-embracer;'--the all-embracer, doubtless, is yonder sun, for as soon as 1 he rises, all this embracing space comes into existence. And because he speaks of him as (being) 'behind,' therefore one sees him only when he goes towards the back (west). The Sun, indeed, having become the eye, remained behind: it is that form he now bestows (on Agni).

2. 'His, the all-embracer's child, the Eye,'--from out of that (all-embracing) form, the Sun, he fashioned the eye;--'the rains, the offspring of the eye,'--from out of the eye he fashioned the rainy season;--'the Gagatî, the daughter of the rains,'--from out of the rainy season he fashioned the Gagatî metre;--'from the Gagatî the Riksama,'--from out of the Gagatî metre he fashioned the Riksama hymn-tune --'from the Riksama

the Sukra,'--from out of the Riksama-sâman he fashioned the Sukra-graha;--'from the Sukra the Saptadasa,'--from out of the Sukra cup he fashioned the seventeen-versed hymn-form;--'from the Saptadasa the Vairûpa,'--from out of the Saptadasa-stoma he fashioned the Vairûpa-prishtha.

3. 'The Rishi Gamadagni,'--the Rishi Gamadagni, doubtless, is the eye: inasmuch as thereby the world of the living (gagat) sees and thinks, therefore the Rishi Gamadagni is the eye.--'By thee, taken by Pragâpati,'--that is, 'by thee, created by Pragâpati,'--'I take the eye for my descendants,' therewith he introduced the eye from behind. Separately he lays down (these ten bricks): what separate desires there are in the eye those he thereby lays into it. Only once he settles them: he thereby makes this eye one; but were he to settle them each separately, he assuredly would cut the eye asunder. This is a threefold brick: the meaning of this has been explained.

4 and on the left (upper, north) side, with (Vâg. S. XIII, 57), 'This, on the upper side, heaven,'--in the upper sphere, doubtless, are the regions (quarters); and as to why he speaks of them as being 'on the upper (left) side,' the regions, indeed, are above everything here. And as to why he says, 'heaven (or, the light),' the regions, indeed, are the heavenly world (or world of light). The regions, having become the ear, remained above: it is that form he now bestows (on Agni).

5. 'Its, heaven's, child, the Ear,'--from out of that form, the regions, he fashioned the ear;--'the autumn, the daughter of the ear,'--from out of the ear he fashioned the autumn season;--'Anushtubh, the daughter of the autumn,'--from out of the autumn season he fashioned the Anushtubh metre;--'from the Anushtubh the Aida,'--from out of the Anushtubh metre he fashioned the Aida-sâman 1;--'from the Aida the Manthin,'--from out of the Aida-sâman he fashioned the Manthin cup;--'from the Manthin the Ekavimsa,'--from out of the Manthi-graha he fashioned the twenty-one-versed hymn-form;--'from the Ekavimsa the Vairâga,'--from out of the Ekavimsa-stoma he fashioned the Vairâga-prishtha.

6. 'The Rishi Visvâmitra,'--the Rishi Visvâmitra ('all-friend'), doubtless, is the ear: because therewith one hears in every direction, and because there is a friend (mitra) to it on every side, therefore the ear is the Rishi Visvâmitra.--'By thee, taken by Pragâpati,'--that is, 'by thee, erected by Pragâpati;'--'I take the ear for my descendants,' --therewith he introduced the ear from the left (or upper) side. Separately he lays down (these bricks): what separate desires there are in the ear, those he .

7. Then in the centre, with (Vâg. S. XIII, 58), 'This one, above, the mind,'--above, doubtless, is the moon; and as to why he speaks of him as (being) 'above,' the moon is indeed above; and as to why he says, 'the mind,' the mind (mati), doubtless, is speech, for by means of speech everything thinks (man) here 1. The moon, having become speech, remained above: it is that form he now bestows (on. Agni).

8. 'Its, the mind's, daughter, Speech,'--from out of that form, the moon, he fashioned speech;--'Winter, the son of Speech,'--from out of speech he fashioned the winter season;--'Paṅkti, the daughter of Winter,'--from out of the winter season he fashioned the Paṅkti metre;--'from the Paṅkti the Nidhanavat,'--from out of the Paṅkti metre he fashioned the Nidhanavat-sâman 2;--'from the Nidhanavat the Âgrayana,'--from out of the Nidhanavat-sâman he fashioned the Âgrayana cup;--'from the Âgrayana the Trinava and Trayastrimsa,'--from out of the Âgrayana-graha he fashioned the thrice-nine-versed and the three-and-thirty-versed hymn-forms;- 'from the Trinava and Trayastrimsa theSâkvara and Raivata,'--from out of the Trinava and Trayastrimsa-stomas he fashioned theSâkvara and Raivata-prishthas1.

9. 'The Rishi Visvakarman,'--the Rishi Visvakarman ('the all-worker'), doubtless, is Speech, for by speech everything here is done: hence the Rishi Visvakarman is speech:--'By thee, taken by Pragâpati,'--that is, 'by thee, created by Pragâpati;'--'I take speech for my descendants,'--therewith he introduced speech from above. Separately he lays down (these bricks): what separate desires there are in speech, those he now lays into it. Only once he settles them: he thereby makes speech one; but were he to settle them each separately, he assuredly would cut speech asunder. This is a threefold brick: the meaning of this has been explained.

10. This, then, is that same food which both the vital airs and Pragâpati created: just so great indeed is the whole sacrifice, and the sacrifice is the food of the gods.

11He lays them down by ten and ten,--of ten syllables consists the Virâg (metre), and the Virâg is all food: he thus bestows on him (Agni) the whole food. He puts them down on every side: on every side he thus bestows the whole food on him. And verily these same Virâg (verses) sustain those vital airs, and inasmuch as they sustain (bhri) the vital airs (prâna) they are called Prânabhritah.

agni rahasyam : shatpath brahmana

SHATPATH BRAHMANA - Tenth kanda, first adhyaaya, first brahmana. 

1. In the first place that Agni (the Fire-altar), the year, is built  thereafter the Great Litany (mahad uktham) is recited. When Pragâpati became relaxed, the vital fluid flowed upwards.


2. Now, that Pragâpati who became relaxed is the year; and those joints of his which became relaxed are the days and nights.

3. And that Pragâpati who became relaxed is this very Fire-altar which here is built; and those joints of his, the days and nights, which became relaxed are no other than the bricks;--thus, when he lays down these (in the layers of the altar), he thereby restores to him those joints of his, the days and nights, which had become relaxed: and thus it is even in this (building of the altar) that this Yagus is built up and secured (for Pragâpati).

4. And that vital fluid (essence) of his which flowed upwards (became) the Great Litany: it is in quest of that vital fluid that (the priests) go by means of the Rik and Sâman. And when the Yagus marches in front in this (quest)  it is in order to fetch something that that (Veda) goes--even as (one might say), 'That one thing there is mine, I will fetch it,' so does that Yagus go in front (or forward). That (vital fluid) they obtain in the course of a year.

5. The Adhvaryu takes (draws) it by means of the Graha (Soma-cup); and inasmuch as he thereby takes (grab) it, it is (called) Graha  The Udgâtri puts the vital fluid into it by means of the (sâman of the) Great Rite (mahâvrata ); but, indeed, the (sâman of the) Great Rite is (equivalent to) all these (other) sâmans (hymn-tunes): it is thus by means of all the hymn-tunes that he puts the vital fluid therein. The Hotri puts the vital fluid therein by means of the Great Litany; but, indeed, the Great Litany is the same as all these rik (hymn-verses)  it is thus by means of all the hymn-verses that he puts the vital fluid into it (the Soma-cup).


6. When those (Udgâtris) chant (the stotra), and when he (the Hotri) recites (the sastra) afterwards, then he (the Adhvaryu) offers that (vital fluid, in the form of Soma) unto him (Agni-Pragâpati) at the Vashat-call; and thus this vital fluid enters him. For, indeed, they do not see it to be the Great Rite that lies there being praised, nor the Great Litany, but it is Agni alone they see; for Agni is the self (body), and thus those two, the Rik and the Sâman, enter him in the form of the vital fluid; and thus they both enter (join) the Yagus.

7. Now, that Agni (fire-altar) consists of pairs--the first layer and the second, and the third and fourth; and of the fifth layer the fire which is placed on the built (altar) is the mate. And, indeed, this body consists of pairs.

8. The thumbs (and great toes, 'aṅgushtha,' m.) are males, and the fingers and toes ('aṅguli,' f.) females; the ears ('karna' m.) are males, and the eyebrows ('bhrû,' f.) females; the lips ('oshtha,' m.) are males, and the nostrils ('nâsikâ,' f.) females; the teeth ('danta,' m.) are males, and the tongue ('gihvâ,' f.) is a female: indeed the whole (body) consists of pairs, and with this body, consisting of pairs, that (vital fluid) enters this Agni (the fire-altar), consisting of pairs 

9 this, then, is the entering therein;--even thus, indeed, he (Agni) consists of pairs  but in this way also he consists of pairs:--the fire-altar here built up is no other than this speech, for with speech it is built up; and the fire which is placed on the built (altar) is the breath; and the breath ('prâna,' m.) is the male, the mate, of speech ('vâk,' f.). And, indeed, this body is speech; and the breath which is in the body is its mate: with this mated body that (vital fluid) thus enters into the mated Agni.

10. This also is the entering therein;--there is indeed no fear of him (Agni) being without offspring to whosoever thus knows these two, the body and Agni, to be a pair; but, indeed, this body is food, as is said by the Rishi (Rig-veda X, 107, 7), 'The Dakshinâ winneth food which is our own self (breath).'

11. Now, this food, when eaten, becomes of two kinds,--that part of it which is immortal (remains) above the navel: by the upward vital airs it moves upwards and enters the air; but that part of it which is mortal tends to move away: it passes beyond the navel, and, having become twofold, enters this (earth), as urine and faeces. Now that which enters this (earth) enters the fire-altar  built here; and that which enters the air enters that fire which is placed on the built (altar). This also is the entering therein.

the agni in vedas

"from what root agni is derived? he is the foremost leader, he makes everything to which it inclines, a part of himself. it is derived from three verbs, says sakapuni, 'from going, from shining or burning and from leading.' he indeed takes the letter a from root i ( to go ), the letter g from root anj ( to shine ), or dah ( to burn ) with root ni ( to lead ) as last member." ( nirukta 7.14)

this was meaning of agni as said in nirukta. now people may doubt there are so many devtas, and agni is also one of them. but all of devtas are actually same. this is clear from rig veda 1.164.46

"they call agni indra, mitra and varuna; ( they ) also ( say ) that he is the divine garutman of beautiful wings. the sages speak of him who is one in various ways; they call him agni, yama, matarisvan."

the devta of this mantra is surya. that also is agni, and as mantra itself says they are various names of devtas because of its different actions, while they are one in essence. agni is  garutman ( so called ) because  he is praised or whose soul is great. another significant feature in this mantra is agni is imaged as bird with beautiful wings. this is connected to image of two svans ( one of aatma and another jeev ) on tree ( human body ) as described in another vedic context. he is also called matarisvan, ( the mother in which it grows ) which may be representing the expanding universe as of course agni pervades whole universe. all these features clearly shows that the agni in vedas can never be just a terrestrial fire in fire altar. but much more than that. it's the soul of universe. and all other devtas are also different names of agni. further agni is called jatvedas, which is described in nirukta 7.19 as follows. 

"from what root is jatavedas derived?
he knows all created beings, or he is known to all created beings or else he pervades every created being or he has all created beings as his property or wealth or he has all created beings as his knowledge i.e discernment."

agni is also called vaishvanara which is defined in nirukta 7.21 as "he leads all men or all men leads him". rig veda 1.98.1 is for vaishvanara agni as,
"may we be in the goodwill of vaishvanara for he indeed is the king, the refuge of all worlds. born from this world, he beholds this entire universe. vaisvanara stretches with sun." 

"i will proclaim the greatness of bull. supplicating men attend upon him who is slayer of vrtra. the vaishvanara agni killed demon, shook the waters and shattered sambara." ( rig veda 1.59.6)

vaishvanara agni is here described as slayer of vritra while this function is of indra. this further confirms the statement in rv 1.164.46 that all devtas are basically same. 

the psychological foundation of vedas.

besides the words that in their plain and ordinary sense give at once a wealth of psychological significance to their context, the Veda is full of others to which it is possible to give either an external and material or an internal and psychological value according to our conception of the general purport of Veda. For instance such words as raye, rayi, r adhas, ratna, may mean either merely material prosperity and riches or internal felicity and plenitude applying itself equally to the subjective and the objective world; dhana, vaja, pos.a may mean either objective wealth, plenty and increase or all possessions internal or external, their plenitude and their growth in the life of the individual. Raye is used in the Upanishads, in a quotation from the Rig Veda, to mean spiritual felicity; why should it be incapable of bearing that sense in the original text?

We find in the Gita the word yajna, sacrifice, used in a symbolic sense for all action, whether internal or external, that is consecrated to the gods or to the Supreme.Was such symbolic use of the word born of a later philosophical intellectuality, or was it inherent in the Vedic idea of sacrifice?

The Vedic sacrifice consists of three features,—omitting for the moment the god and the mantra,—the persons who offer, the offering and the fruits of the offering. If the yajna is the action consecrated to the gods, I could not but take the yajamana, the giver of the sacrifice, as the doer of the action. Yajna is works, internal or external, the yajamana must be the soul or the personality as the doer. But there were also the officiating priests, hota, ritvij, purohita, brahma, adhvaryu etc. What was their part in the symbolism? For if we once suppose a symbolic sense for the sacrifice, we must suppose also a symbolic value for each feature of the ceremony. I found that the gods were continually spoken of as priests of the offering and in many passages it was undisguisedly a non-human power or energy which presided over the sacrifice. I perceived also that throughout Veda the elements of our personality are themselves continually personified. I had only to apply this rule inversely and to suppose that the person
of the priest in the external figure represented in the internal activities figured a non-human power or energy or an element of our personality. It remained to fix the psychological sense of the different priestly offices. Here I found that the Veda itself presented a clue by its philological indications and insistences, such as the use of the word purohita in its separated form with the sense of the representative “put in front” and a frequent reference to the god Agni who symbolises the divine Will or Force in humanity that takes up the action in all consecration of works.

The offerings were more difficult to understand. what could possibly be indicated by the “ghritam”, the clarified butter in the sacrifice? What for instance could be made of clarified butter dropping from heaven or dripping from the horses of Indra or dripping from the mind? Obviously, this was grotesque nonsense, if the sense of ghr.ta as clarified butter was anything more than a symbol used with great looseness, so that often the external sense was wholly or partly put aside in the mind of the thinker. It was possible of course to vary conveniently the sense of thewords, to take ghr.ta sometimes as butter and sometimes as water and manas sometimes as the mind, sometimes as food or a cake. But I found that ghr.ta was constantly used in connection with the thought or the mind, that heaven in Veda was a symbol of themind, that Indra represented the illuminatedmentality and his two horses double energies of that mentality and even that the Veda sometimes speaks plainly of offering the intellect (mansa) as purified ghr.ta to the gods, The word ghr.ta counts also among its philological significances the sense of a rich or warm brightness.

The fruits of the offering were in appearance purelymaterial —cows, horses, gold, offspring, men, physical strength, victory in battle. The word go means both cow and light and in a number of passages evidently meant light even while putting forward the image of the cow. I found that passages occurred in which all the surrounding context was psychological and only the image of the cow interfered with its obtrusive
material suggestion. Indra is invoked as the maker of perfect forms to drink the wine of Soma; drinking he becomes full of ecstasy and a “giver of cows”; then we can attain to his most intimate or his most ultimate right thinkings, then we question him and his clear discernment brings us our highest good. It is obvious that in such a passage these cows cannot be material herds nor would the giving of physical Light carry any sense in  the context. 

The cow and horse, go and a´sva, are constantly associated. Usha, the Dawn, is described as gomatı asvavatı; Dawn gives to the sacrificer horses and cows. As applied to the physical dawn gomatı means accompanied by or bringing the rays of light and is an image of the dawn of illumination in the human mind. Therefore asvavatı also cannot refermerely to the physical steed; it must have a psychological significance as well. A study of the Vedic horse led me to the conclusion that go and a´sva represent the two companion ideas of Light and Energy, Consciousness and Force, which to the Vedic and Vedantic mind were the double or twin aspect of all the activities of existence. It was apparent, therefore, that the two chief fruits of the Vedic sacrifice, wealth of cows and wealth of horses, were symbolic of richness of mental illumination and abundance of vital energy. It followed that the other fruits continually associated with these two chief results of the Vedic karma must also be capable of a psychological significance.

The gods I found to be described as children of Light, sons of Aditi, of Infinity; and without exception they are described as increasing man, bringing him light, pouring on him the fullness of the waters, the abundance of the heavens, increasing the truth in him, building up the divine worlds, leading him against all attacks to the great goal, the integral felicity, the perfect bliss. Their separate functions emerged by means of their activities, their epithets, the psychological sense of the legends connected with them, the indications of the Upanishads and Puranas, the occasional side-lights from Greek myth. On the other hand the demons who opposed them, are all powers of division and limitation, Coverers, Tearers, Devourers, Confiners, Dualisers, Obstructers, as their names indicate, powers that work against the free and unified integrality of the being. These Vritras, Panis, Atris, Rakshasas, Sambara, Vala, Namuchi, are not Dravidian kings and gods, as the modern mind with its exaggerated historic sense would like them to be; they represent a more antique idea better suited to the religious and ethical preoccupations of our forefathers. They represent the struggle between the powers of the higher Good and the lower desire, and this conception of the Rig Veda and the same opposition of good and evil otherwise expressed, with less psychological subtlety, with more ethical directness in the scriptures of the Zoroastrians, our ancient neighbours and kindred, proceeded probably from a common
original discipline of the Aryan culture.

from - the secret of vedas by aurobindo ghosh.

my view about god in background of sankhya darshan

denial of god:

sankhya darshan is one of the most complicated philosophies as in the way it accepts vedas as  evidence ( pramaan ) but deny existence of god ( ishwara ). some of the arguments which sankhya gives regarding this can be summarized as follows: ( from wiki )

• If the existence of karma is assumed, the proposition of God as a moral governor of the universe is unnecessary. For, if God enforces the consequences of actions then he can do so without karma. If however, he is assumed to be within the law of karma, then karma itself would be the giver of consequences and there would be no need of a God.
• Even if karma is denied, God still cannot be the enforcer of consequences. Because the motives of an enforcer God would be either egoistic or altruistic. Now, God's motives cannot be assumed to be altruistic because an altruistic God would not create a world so full of suffering. If his motives are assumed to be egoistic, then God must be thought to have desire, as agency or authority cannot be established in the absence of desire. However, assuming that God has desire would contradict God's eternal freedom which necessitates no compulsion in actions. Moreover, desire, according to Samkhya, is an attribute of prakriti and cannot be thought to grow in God. The testimony of the Vedas, according to Samkhya, also confirms this notion.
• Despite arguments to the contrary, if God is still assumed to contain unfulfilled desires, this would cause him to suffer pain and other similar human experiences. Such a worldly God would be no better than Samkhya's notion of higher self.
• Furthermore, there is no proof of the existence of God. He is not the object of perception, there exists no general proposition that can prove him by inference and the testimony of the Vedas speak of prakriti as the origin of the world, not God.

origin of universe:

now what sankhya actually says about universe? there is purush and prakriti, both of which has no cause hence are eternal. purush is consciousness, eternal, pure, independent, unknowable. prakriti is first cause of universe composed of three characteristics ( satva, raj, tam ). but purush is completely free from any characteristics or gunas. prakriti is considered as dead, means can't work on it's own but depends on purusha the pure consciousness that make it work but do not accept them in itself. by disequillibrium in three characteristics the intellect or mahatatva is born out of which ego sense , ahankara is born. ahankara further by influence of three characteristics is of three types, vaikaarik ( satva influence ), taijas ( raja influence ) , taamasik ( tama influence ). from vaikaarik ahankara devtas are born, from taijas, mind, 5 sense organs and 5 organs of action are born, and from taamsik , 5 elements ( prithvi, agni, jal, vaayu, aakasha ) are born.
so, as a whole, what sankhya really has to say is the whole universe is nothing but in intellect ( mahatatva ) that means a perception of mind. though it do not say it clearly, but as far as i assume, it can have only meaning that universe is illusion and just like measurement problem in quantum mechanics. universe cannot be described until we measure it, and that measurement has to be done in mahatatva , the intellect. so, the process of origin of universe is not in line of time. it happens all time, everywhere. and from that mahatatva, self recognition, ahankara is born. body or person identifies something as itself and thus work.

is prakriti not god?

prakriti is considered as creator of universe in sankhya darshan. as whole universe is manifestation of those three characteristics. then question arise isn't prakriti god? no, because prakriti do not take decisions, like free will. prakriti is dead and dependent. it's more like rule. like the basic force in universe is considered as gravitational force and all other forces come into play by virtue of it, in same way the three gunas create the whole universe. by the rule world is operated. 

purpose of creation?

there cannot be a specific purpose of creation. as prakriti do not create universe for itself. but purush does ahankara in that universe and enjoys it. if it is said that it created it for worship, then worship whom? there is nothing but purush  portraying itself in multiple form because of prakriti. then who will worship whom? if it is said it created for salvation that's also not possible. because salvation is just opposite of creation. if we look at it scientifically, i mostly believe in multiverse theory. there are many universe working in parallel. somewhere big bang just occurred, somewhere universe ended. just like birth and death of  stars in one universe. but one universe is just one possibility out of many possibilities for some event which our mind measures and perceive and think to be real. in such a state where life can have endless possibilities, one cannot say he has one purpose and he fulfill it. on atomic level we see one electron exists both as matter and wave. that means it can be at many places at same time. so, how can the thing happening at basic level of universe disappear at bigger level. of course it is there. it's just we aren't able to recognize it.