THE METRICAL MODEL

The ancient sages were fond of such numerological correspondences. Things that share the same numbers were often viewed as related. The Pythagoreans went so far as to claim that all things could be understood in terms of pure number (arithmus) alone.

One of the principal applications of this notion was in the Pythagorean theory of harmonics in which measures of space (represented by string lengths) and measures of sound (represented by harmonic tones) were represented simultaneously by the same pure number ratios. Although modern scholars tend to presume that the Pythagoreans invented the theory of harmonics for aesthetic purposes—so that pleasing musical scales could be developed—the fact is that the ancient theory was given cosmic significance. The Greek philosophers often used harmonic ratios to explain their theories of creation, which often involved the music of the spheres.

It is now known that the Greek and Vedic traditions were related closely: not only was the ancient Greek language related to Vedic Sanskrit but also the pre-Christian myths, gods, and religious practices of the ancient Greek tradition were related to those described in the Vedic texts. The same holds true with respect to Greek philosophy: both Greek and Vedic philosophers held that there is an intimate relation between space and speech or space and sound. The Greeks formulated this relation in terms of their harmonic theory, while the Vedic philosophers formulated it in terms of their metrical theory.

The theory of Vedic metrics involves creating measured forms of speech in which the expressions are restricted to a certain number of syllables. To this end, the Vedic seers prescribed the use of particular sonic meters involving a specific number of syllables. Although most modern scholars presume that they did so for aesthetic purposes—to give the expressions of speech a pleasing cadence—the Vedic meters, like the Greek ratios, were given cosmic significance and were often used by the Vedic seers to describe their theories of creation.

The Sanskrit term for a syllable is akshara, yet this same term also means “imperishable.” The Vedic Upanishads tell us “space is woven warp and woof by the akshara”—that is, all forms of observable space are woven by the imperishable modes of divine speech (aksharas) inherent within the Veda or Logos. These modes of speech are organized fundamentally on the basis of the metaphysical layers, the imperishable foundations of the universe. Although various forms of metrical speech have been used for thousands of years by poets all around the world, the fact is that the Rig Veda, which is the oldest and most authoritative of the Vedic texts, represents the most ancient example of metrical speech that has ever been found. According to tradition, the Rig Veda encodes within itself a profound hidden science pertaining to the relation between the Veda (Logos) and the Vishva (Cosmos).

This hidden science is nongrammatical: It is expressed in terms of number and sequence, as opposed to grammatical rules. The Rig Veda itself tells us that it encodes hidden grades of measured speech, which are na ingayanti, not analyzable on the basis of grammar. These hidden grades of speech are metrical and involve measured forms of speech that are characterized by a particular number of letters, syllables, words, and so forth, arranged in a particular sequence. Thus we can see that numbers were very important: They were used as potent symbols to relate otherwise disparate concepts and ideas through numerological correspondence. Of particular importance were those assigned to the seven principal Vedic meters listed in the tenth mandala of the Rig Veda.

These were assigned the numbers 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44, and 48, which represent the number of syllables or aksharas allowed for each meter. The first and smallest of the Vedic meters was called the gayatri, and the last and largest of the Vedic meters was called the jagati. Whereas the gayatri was associated closely with the celestial sun god, the jagati was associated with the vast galactic word in which dwell the suns or stars.

For example, we can see that the solar wisdom pertaining to the circle of the sun involves a total of 12 + 12 = 24 layers, which were symbolized by the twenty-four imperishable syllables of the gayatri. Similarly, it has been shown that the galactic wisdom pertaining to the circle of the galaxy involves a total of 24 + 24 = 48 layers, which were symbolized by the forty-eight imperishable syllables of the jagati.

In this way, the Vedic seers used the seven meters to formulate their solar and galactic wisdoms, as well as all the other wisdoms in between. Yet it would be a mistake to imagine that this is the only possible interpretation of the Vedic meters. The seers were fond of creating complex forms of measured speech that encode multiple complementary meanings. They strove to create not uniquely defined formulas, which have a single meaning, but rather variously defined formulas, which have the potential to encode many things at once. Through this means, the sonic, geometric, and numerical formulas served to reflect the nature of pure subjectivity—the innate potential of consciousness to conceive simultaneously the same subject from multiple complementary points of view.