Moral Values as revealed in the Rgveda: its relevance in modern perspective

The Rgveda is the store-house of all knowledge. It is a textbook of morals. The hymns of the Rgveda may broadly be divided into three classes-religious, philosophical and secular. Among the secular hymns, there are some instances of didactic poetry in which moral ideas are presented in the form of verses. The IX. 112, X.34, X.71 and X.117 are the four hymns of the Rgveda where the moral values are mainly revealed. These hymns represent the storehouse of our ancient value systems, talk about the following key values as very important: (a) Satyam - Truth; (b) Tapa - Austerity; (c) Dama - Sense control; (d) Sama - Tranquillity of mind; (e) Dharma - Righteousness; (f) Dānam - Charity; (g) Dayā- Mercy; and (h) Nyāsa- Renunciation. There are verses to encourage and motivate us to a moral life. There is a lot to learn from our ancient Indian wisdom, which would be of immense help in the modern times where there is a steep fall in the value system. Therefore, an attempt will be made here to highlight the moral values as revealed in the above mentioned hymns of the Rgveda.