The Vedas, ancient texts of Hinduism, contain numerous
passages on knowledge, wisdom, and enlightenment. Here are a few quotes from
the Vedas that emphasize the importance of knowledge:
A person who does not have knowledge cannot be considered
truly alive. - Rig Veda 1.25.7
Knowledge is that which liberates. - Atharva Veda 11.5.1
Knowledge is the greatest treasure; it cannot be stolen, nor
can it be consumed by fire. - Atharva Veda 10.1.20
Knowledge is the light which illuminates the darkness of
ignorance. - Yajur Veda 40.17
The one who has attained true knowledge sees the same
divinity in all beings. - Rig Veda 10.191.4
Lead me from unreal to real, from darkness to light, from
death to immortality. - Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Those who know, they see; they who see, they know. - Rigveda
Knowledge is the eye of desire and can become the pilot of
the soul. - Atharvaveda
Let noble thoughts come to us from every side. - Rigveda
He who knows the Vedas but does not know the Atman, knows
nothing. - Atharva Veda
The wise man who knows the truth about the Self knows all
things. - Katha Upanishad
Ignorance is the greatest sin. - Atharva Veda
He who sees all beings in the Self, and the Self in all
beings, hates none. - Isha Upanishad
By the light of knowledge, the soul alone becomes great and
magnified. - Atharva Veda
Knowledge is immortal, and its acquisition is one's duty. -
Rig Veda
When a person does not revere his old age, the gods ignore
him, and he who ignores the gods is ignored by them. - Atharvaveda
He who knows the Vedas but does not know the true Self is in
darkness. - Atharvaveda
Knowledge is the foundation of all forms of prosperity. -
Atharvaveda
The Self-existent made the senses turn outward. Thus, one
sees the outside world and not the inner Self. - Katha Upanishad
The wise sees knowledge and action as one; they see truly. -
Bhagavad Gita
He who does not rouse himself when it is time to rise, who,
though young and strong, is full of sloth, whose will and thoughts are weak,
that lazy and idle man will never find the way to knowledge. - Katha Upanishad
The wise man beholds all beings in the Self, and the Self in
all beings; for that reason, he does not hate anyone. - Isha Upanishad
Knowledge makes one immortal. - Atharvaveda
To acquire knowledge is the duty of every individual. -
Rigveda
He who knows Brahman becomes Brahman. - Mundaka Upanishad
The wise man speaks little, but what he says is filled with
knowledge. - Atharvaveda
That man who is free from desire, and is wise and
undistracted, and has subdued his senses, approaches the Supreme. - Katha
Upanishad
The knower of the Self overcomes grief. - Katha Upanishad
Let noble thoughts come to us from all sides. - Rigveda
Knowledge is the supreme goal of life. - Atharvaveda
As one acts and conducts himself, so does he become. -
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Knowledge is the foundation of happiness. - Atharvaveda
Knowledge illumines one's path. - Atharvaveda
Ignorance leads to bondage, while knowledge leads to
liberation. - Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
The ultimate knowledge is the realization of the Self. -
Atharvaveda
These quotes reflect the profound reverence for knowledge
found in the Vedas, viewing it as essential for spiritual growth, liberation,
and understanding of the universe.
....................................
Let the knower discriminate the knowledge and the Ignorance, the straight open levels and the crooked that shut in mortals. (Rig Veda 4.2.11)
Interpretation: He who would know the Truth should constantly discriminate between the real and the unreal, between oneness and division, between what leads to the Truth and what pushes away from it. When one so discriminates and follows only the way of Knowledge, the path is straight, wide, open and free. But if one were to choose the ways of ignorance, his path becomes crooked, devious, narrow and imprisoning.
To increase one’s consciousness is to grow in knowledge; to persist in unconsciousness and sink into it is to wallow in ignorance. One is the royal road to liberation; the other is the way to stay in captivity.
(Source: ‘Wisdom of Veda’ by Sri Aurobindo Kapali Shastry Institute of Vedic Culture)