Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Parts I & II — Page 116
116 BAr a h i n-e-a h madiyya exclusive preserve of their ancestors; that God has granted them absolute monopoly over it; that God has squeezed the vast river of His guidance into their small country; and that He loves only their nation, their language, and their Prophets, who, as a matter of fact, number no more than three or four. ☆ This [limited view] contradicts the fact that sending Prophets and revelation is an eter- nal practice of God, necessitated by the law of nature. If we were ☆ It is impossible to tell who were the actual recipients of the books that the h indus today revere as the Vedas and which they call Rig , Yajur , Sh a m, and Atharvan — also known as Rich , Yajash , S a man and Atharvana. It is not clear to whom these were revealed. Some be- lieve that they were revealed to Agn i [god of fire], W a y u [lord of the winds] or to the Sun, which is plainly absurd. o thers claim that the four Vedas issued forth from the four faces of Brahma. And still others are of the opinion that they are the words of different r ish i s. These claims are so conflicting that it is hard to tell whether these persons ever existed or are merely fictitious characters. In the light of the Vedas themselves, however, the third opinion seems to be true, be- cause, even now, different mantras bear the names of different r ish i s. As for the Atharvan Veda , most learned pundits agree that it is either a fake Veda or a Brahmin Pustak [a book written by a Brahmin] that was added to the Vedas much later. This view seems to be correct, for the Rigveda— which is the source of all the Vedas and considered most authentic among them—speaks only of the Rig, Yajur and Sh a m Vedas and makes no mention of Atharvan Veda. It could not have been left out if it was indeed a Veda. Likewise, the 26th Adhy a y of Yajurveda only speaks of three Vedas, as does the Samaveda. Man u J i , in the 7th Adhy a y of the 42nd shlok of his Pustak, also acknowledges only three Vedas. The Yog Washishth, which is revered as a holy book in h induism and is a collection of the teachings imparted to r a ja r a m c handra by his revered teacher, has given the final verdict regarding the four Vedas. It says that the authenticity of all the Vedas, and not just that of the Atharvan Veda , is in question, and that none of them has escaped change and interpolation. —Author Footnote Number 8