[world-vedic] Why was the Superior Vedic Culture Destroyed?

[Guest guest]

Kailash Srivastava Wrote:

>I have read that 3000 years before the birth of Christ, there was one culture

in the world and that was Vedic or Aryan culture. How did then Greek and

Engyptian culture came into being? Are they too part of the vedic culture?

Please enlighten me.

 

His Divine Grace Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada gives the following answers

on how the vedic culture deteriorated.

Srimad Bhagavatam 1.18.33 P Maharaja Pariksit Cursed by a Brahmana Boy

The brahmanas are considered to be the head and brains of the social body, and

the ksatriyas are considered to be the arms of the social body. The arms are

required to protect the body from all harm, but the arms must act according to

the directions of the head and brain. That is a natural arrangement made by the

supreme order, for it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita that four social orders

or castes, namely the brahmanas, the ksatriyas, the vaisyas and the sudras, are

set up according to quality and work done by them. Naturally the son of a

brahmana has a good chance to become a brahmana by the direction of his

qualified father, as a son of a medical practitioner has a very good chance to

become a qualified medical practitioner. So the caste system is quite

scientific. The son must take advantage of the father's qualification and thus

become a brahmana or medical practitioner, and not otherwise. Without being

qualified, one cannot become a brahmana or medical practitioner, and that is

the verdict of all scriptures and social orders. Herein Srngi, a qualified son

of a great brahmana, attained the required brahminical power both by birth and

by training, but he was lacking in culture because he was an inexperienced boy.

By the influence of Kali, the son of a brahmana became puffed up with

brahminical power and thus wrongly compared Maharaja Pariksit to crows and

watchdogs. The King is certainly the watchdog of the state in the sense that he

keeps vigilant eyes over the border of the state for its protection and defense,

but to address him as a watchdog is the sign of a less-cultured boy. Thus the

downfall of the brahminical powers began as they gave importance to birthright

without culture. **The downfall of the brahmana caste began in the age of Kali.

And since brahmanas are the heads of the social order, all other orders of

society also began to deteriorate.** This beginning of brahminical

deterioration was highly deplored by the father of Srngi, as we will find.

 

SB 2.4.18 T The Process of Creation

kirata-hunandhra-pulinda-pulkasa

abhira-sumbha yavanah khasadayah

ye 'nye ca papa yad-apasrayasrayah

sudhyanti tasmai prabhavisnave namah

SYNONYMS

kirata--a province of old Bharata; huna--part of Germany and Russia; andhra--a

province of southern India; **pulinda--the Greeks**; pulkasah--another

province; abhira--part of old Sind; sumbhah--another province; yavanah--the

Turks; khasa-adayah--the Mongolian province; ye--even those; anye--others;

ca--also; papah--addicted to sinful acts; yat--whose; apasraya-asrayah--having

taken shelter of the devotees of the Lord; sudhyanti--at once purified;

tasmai--unto Him; prabhavisnave--unto the powerful Visnu; namah--my respectful

obeisances.

TRANSLATION

Kirata, Huna, Andhra, Pulinda, Pulkasa, Abhira, Sumbha, Yavana, members of the

Khasa races and even others addicted to sinful acts can be purified by taking

shelter of the devotees of the Lord, due to His being the supreme power. I beg

to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.

PURPORT

Kirata: A province of old Bharata-varsa mentioned in the Bhisma-parva of

Mahabharata. Generally the Kiratas are known as the aboriginal tribes of India,

and in modern days the Santal Parganas in Bihar and Chota Nagpur might comprise

the old province named Kirata.

Huna: The area of East Germany and part of Russia is known as the province of

the Hunas. Accordingly, sometimes a kind of hill tribe is known as the Hunas.

Andhra: A province in southern India mentioned in the Bhisma-parva of

Mahabharata. It is still extant under the same name.

Pulinda: It is mentioned in the Mahabharata (Adi-parva 174.38), viz., the

inhabitants of the province of the name Pulinda. This country was conquered by

Bhimasena and Sahadeva. The Greeks are known as Pulindas, and it is mentioned

in the Vana-parva of Mahabharata that the non-Vedic race of this part of the

world would rule over the world. This Pulinda province was also one of the

provinces of Bharata, and the inhabitants were classified amongst the ksatriya

kings. But later on, due to their giving up the brahminical culture, they were

mentioned as mlecchas (just as those who are not followers of the Islamic

culture are called kafirs and those who are not followers of the Christian

culture are called heathens).

Abhira: This name also appears in the Mahabharata, both in the Sabha-parva and

Bhisma-parva. It is mentioned that this province was situated on the River

Sarasvati in Sind. The modern Sind province formerly extended on the other side

of the Arabian Sea, and all the inhabitants of that province were known as the

Abhiras. They were under the domination of Maharaja Yudhisthira, and according

to the statements of Markandeya the mlecchas of this part of the world would

also rule over Bharata. Later on this proved to be true, as in the case of the

Pulindas. On behalf of the Pulindas, Alexander the Great conquered India, and

on behalf of the Abhiras, Muhammad Ghori conquered India. These Abhiras were

also formerly ksatriyas within the brahminical culture, but they gave up the

connection. The ksatriyas who were afraid of Parasurama and had hidden

themselves in the Caucasian hilly regions later on became known as the Abhiras,

and the place they inhabited was known as Abhiradesa.

Sumbhas or Kankas: The inhabitants of the Kanka province of old Bharata,

mentioned in the Mahabharata.

Yavanas: Yavana was the name of one of the sons of Maharaja Yayati who was given

the part of the world known as Turkey to rule. Therefore the Turks are Yavanas

due to being descendants of Maharaja Yavana. The Yavanas were therefore

ksatriyas, and later on, by giving up the brahminical culture, they became

mleccha-yavanas. Descriptions of the Yavanas are in the Mahabharata (Adi-parva

85.34). Another prince called Turvasu was also known as Yavana, and his country

was conquered by Sahadeva, one of the Pandavas. The western Yavana joined with

Duryodhana in the Battle of Kuruksetra under the pressure of Karna. It is also

foretold that these Yavanas also would conquer India, and it proved to be true.

Khasa: The inhabitants of the Khasadesa are mentioned in the Mahabharata

(Drona-parva). Those who have a stunted growth of hair on the upper lip are

generally called Khasas. As such, the Khasa are the Mongolians, the Chinese and

others who are so designated.

The above-mentioned historical names are different nations of the world. Even

those who are constantly engaged in sinful acts are all corrigible to the

standard of perfect human beings if they take shelter of the devotees of the

Lord. Jesus Christ and Muhammad, two powerful devotees of the Lord, have done

tremendous service on behalf of the Lord on the surface of the globe. And from

the version of Srila Sukadeva Gosvami it appears that instead of running a

godless civilization in the present context of the world situation, if the

leadership of world affairs is entrusted to the devotees of the Lord, for which

a worldwide organization under the name and style of the International Society

for Krishna Consciousness has already been started, then by the grace of the

Almighty Lord there can be a thorough change of heart in human beings all over

the world because the devotees of the Lord are able authorities to effect such

a change by purifying the dust-worn minds of the people in general. The

politicians of the world may remain in their respective positions because the

pure devotees of the Lord are not interested in political leadership or

diplomatic implications. The devotees are interested only in seeing that the

people in general are not misguided by political propaganda and in seeing that

the valuable life of a human being is not spoiled in following a type of

civilization which is ultimately doomed. If the politicians, therefore, would

be guided by the good counsel of the devotees, then certainly there would be a

great change in the world situation by the purifying propaganda of the

devotees, as shown by Lord Caitanya. As Sukadeva Gosvami began his prayer by

discussing the word yat-kirtanam, so also Lord Caitanya recommended that simply

by glorifying the Lord's holy name, a tremendous change of heart can take place

by which the complete misunderstanding between the human nations created by

politicians can at once be extinguished. And after the extinction of the fire

of misunderstanding, other profits will follow. The destination is to go back

home, back to Godhead, as we have several times discussed in these pages.

According to the cult of devotion, generally known as the Vaisnava cult, there

is no bar against anyone's advancing in the matter of God realization. A

Vaisnava is powerful enough to turn into a Vaisnava even the Kirata, etc., as

above mentioned. In the Bhagavad-gita (9.32) it is said by the Lord that there

is no bar to becoming a devotee of the Lord (even for those who are lowborn, or

women, sudras or vaisyas), and by becoming a devotee everyone is eligible to

return home, back to Godhead. The only qualification is that one take shelter

of a pure devotee of the Lord who has thorough knowledge in the transcendental

science of Krsna (Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam). Anyone from any part of

the world who becomes well conversant in the science of Krsna becomes a pure

devotee and a spiritual master for the general mass of people and may reclaim

them by purification of heart. Though a person be even the most sinful man, he

can at once be purified by systematic contact with a pure Vaisnava. A Vaisnava,

therefore, can accept a bona fide disciple from any part of the world without

any consideration of caste and creed and promote him by regulative principles

to the status of a pure Vaisnava who is transcendental to brahminical culture.

The system of caste, or varnasrama-dharma, is no longer regular even amongst

the so-called followers of the system. Nor is it now possible to reestablish

the institutional function in the present context of social, political and

economic revolution. Without any reference to the particular custom of a

country, one can be accepted to the Vaisnava cult spiritually, and there is no

hindrance in the transcendental process. So by the order of Lord Sri Caitanya

Mahaprabhu, the cult of Srimad-Bhagavatam or the Bhagavad-gita can be preached

all over the world, reclaiming all persons willing to accept the transcendental

cult. Such cultural propaganda by the devotees will certainly be accepted by all

persons who are reasonable and inquisitive, without any particular bias for the

custom of the country. The Vaisnava never accepts another Vaisnava on the basis

of birthright, just as he never thinks of the Deity of the Lord in a temple as

an idol. And to remove all doubts in this connection, Srila Sukadeva Gosvami

has invoked the blessings of the Lord, who is all-powerful (prabhavisnave

namah). As the all-powerful Lord accepts the humble service of His devotee in

devotional activities of the arcana His form as the worshipable Deity in the

temple, similarly the body of a pure Vaisnava changes transcendentally at once

when he gives himself up to the service of the Lord and is trained by a

qualified Vaisnava. The injunction of Vaisnava regulation in this connection

runs as follows: arcye visnau sila-dhir gurusu nara-matir vaisnave jati-buddhih

sri-visnor namni sabda-samanya-buddhih, etc. "One should not consider the Deity

of the Lord as worshiped in the temple to be an idol, nor should one consider

the authorized spiritual master an ordinary man. Nor should one consider a pure

Vaisnava to belong to a particular caste, etc." (Padma Purana)

The conclusion is that the Lord, being all-powerful, can, under any and every

circumstance, accept anyone from any part of the world, either personally or

through His bona fide manifestation as the spiritual master. Lord Caitanya

accepted many devotees from communities other than the varnasramites, and He

Himself declared, to teach us, that He does not belong to any caste or social

order of life, but that He is the eternal servant of the servant of the Lord

who maintains the damsels of Vrndavana (Lord Krsna). That is the way of

self-realization.