For this our best source can be the great commentator of all the Vedas, namely, Sayana. In his commentaries on Yajur Veda and Rig Veda he is dealing extensively with this question, namely, what is Veda? what is the meaning? what qualifies a text to be identified as Veda and so on.
We come to know many things in life. We see many objects. We see many things are happening. And the things do not change in nature. And the happenings do sometimes repeat and thereby we come to know what causes what. And nowadays Science is there which determines by experiments. Basic to all these understanding are two ways of knowing or epistemology. The two ways are perception and inference. Based on these and much more sophisticated by technology and instrumentation is scientific method. What can be known by these methods cannot be termed as Veda. What can be known by perception and inference is not Veda.
We want to attain something and we want to avoid something in the regular course of our living. And we use perception and inference to attain what we want and avoid what we do not want. By experience and memory of others' experiences our regular course of living goes on. But when we come to a stage, when we resort to means that are beyond perception and inference to attain our goal and avoid the impediments, what texts are going to guide us in that stage and need, those texts are termed as Vedas. This is as per the explanation of Sayana in his introduction to the Taittiriya Samhita commentary.
This is what he says : 'Ishta prApti anishta parihArayO: alaaukikam upAyam yO grantO vEdayati sa vEda:| alaukika padEna pratyakshAnumAnE vyAvartyEtE |'
And he quotes a famous sloka of his times which says : 'pratyakshENa anumityAvA yastu upAyO na budhyatE | Enam vidanti vEdEna tasmAt vEdasya vEdatA || '
The meaning of the sloka is : 'Either by perception or by inference, which means is not known, that means is known by the Vedas. That explains why it is called Veda'
So Vedas are the ways of knowing that which is beyond the world and the means of attaining the real purpose of life and avoid that which prevents attaining that. Vedas do not ask you to know the things of the world through them and that which can be known by perception, inference and scientific method. It never asks you to confuse between the world and the beyond.
Again to refresh our understanding, 'what is beyond the world'? That which is beyond perception and inference is denoted by the phrase 'beyond the world'. It expects you to be fully scientific with regard to the world in which we live and it never gives any counter claim regarding the area or issues in which science has authority. It fully honours the jurisdiction of science in the world. When the human being comes to a stage of introspection when all the world and the regular epistemology do not satisfy the human being's inquiry, then alone and in that transcendental enquiry alone Vedas come as the guide to the struggling soul.
Whether this understanding is prevalent among us people I do not know. But this is the clarity which the great Master Sayana is giving in his introduction to the Vedic commentaries. Understanding this basic principle will go a long way to solve many of our own doubts in our religious life. And again it is Sayana who like great masters before him, categorically explains that in Vedic mantras, even though it seems various deities are sung, really it is the one Supreme Reality or Parameswara is sung through various forms :
''yadyapi indrAdaya: tatra tatra hUyantE tathApi paramEswarasya Eva indrAdirUpENa avastAnAt avirOdha:'
Meaning ; 'even though in many places deities like Indra are prayed to by mantras, in all those places it is ParamEswaraa alone in the forms of Indra and the like is prayed to and so there is no contradiction.'
So never confuse your life in the world and your spiritual quest.
Srirangam Mohanarangan
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