THE WORD
VEDIC VAK AND JOHANNINE LOGOS
Keywords:
Aum (Om), Brahman, Gospel of John, Greek Philosophy, Holy Spirit, Indian Philosophy, Jesus Christ, Logos, Prophets, Sabda, Vak, Vedas, Word, Word of GodAbstract
The presentations of the Word in Vedic literature and in Johannine writings have evidently their specific social, cultural, and religious milieus, and their differing perspectives and doctrinal backgrounds. Nevertheless, we find striking similarities between them. The similarities cannot be explained by postulating the dependence, either direct or indirect, of one on the other. Since it is not likely that either of these two traditions is dependent on the other in its view of the Word, the similarities between the two can best be understood as the result of common elements in the humans’ encounter with the divine. When humans belonging to different cultures and social conditions experience the same divine reality, it is only to be expected that there will be similarity in the expressions of that experience. The particular expressions of that experience are determined by the variables of human existence, thinking and articulation, and thus there will be differences too between them. In the Indian context, the Vedic concept of Vāk and the Biblical idea of the Word serve as a bridge between the Hindus and the Christians involved in religious dialogue. And the Vedic concept of Vāk may help the Christians to appreciate better certain aspects of God’s word.
This article was originally published in Augustine Thottakara, CMI, ed., Indian Interpretation of the Bible. Festschrift in Honour of Prof. Joseph Pathrapankal, Bangalore: Dharmaram Publications, 2000, 161-180. Reprinted with permission.
References
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Ralph T.H. Griffith, The Hymns of the Ŗgveda, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1973.
V. Madhusudan Reddy, The Vedic Epiphany, vol. 1, Hyderabad: Institute of Human Study, 1990.
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Tandra Patnaik, Śabda. A Study of Bhartŗhari’s Philosophy of Language, New Delhi: D.K. Printworld, 1994.
Georg Fohrer, History of Israelite Religion, trans. David E. Green, London: S.P.C.K., 1972.
A.D. Pusalker, “Cultural Interrelation between India and the Outside World before Asoka,” in Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, ed., The Cultural Heritage of India, vol. 1, Calcutta: The Radhakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, 1958.
