Ethnic Connotations Falsified

[Guest guest]

Dear Anthanarik,

 

Several years ago I also researched this subject of ethnic and racial

connotations of the terms 'varna' and 'arya', respectively. My humble findings

were as follows.

 

When I was in Mathura District I met a cross-cultural Sanskritist from the

University of New York and the Vrndavana Institute of Higher Education. I'm an

Anthropologist. I have been studying Vedic literatures over twenty years.

I requested this scholar to inform me of the confusion about the term 'varna'

found in India, among Hindustan emigrants, and in Western scientific

literature. He wrote me the following letter. (The underlinings are his; the

italics are mine.)

"Varna can mean: covering, kind, sort, nature, colour, caste. It can also mean a

sound (i.e. as distinct or different from another sound).

"There is no evidence that varna necessarily means skin colour which

distinguished the castes (although it can mean colour among other things).

"19th Century Indologists focused on this meaning of colour to fit in with

their theories of invading fair-skinned Aryans suppressing the dark-skinned

native dasyas who became the sudras. But this is just one interpretation.

"Varna can mean simply division (no reference to skin colour). It can mean

covering (as also in the modes of nature). Also, the modes of nature have

colours associated with them (sattva - white, rajas - red, tamas - black). So

colour can be interpreted as the colours of the modes of nature, gunas, mixing

together to form castes. In Nepal, different castes would wear different

colours to indicate their caste. Of course this is in the more modern period.

But, again, this was nothing to do with skin colour. So there are many possible

ways to translate the word in the context of varnasrama.

"Unfortunately, I do not have access to Turner's Etymological Dictionary of

Indo-European words. That would tell us if it was an ancient Indo-European word

and what it's meanings were in other Indo-European cognate languages.

"However, I suspect it is not Indo-European because it contains the

retroflex 'n' [rn] and so is an Indian (Vedic) word.

"Hope that this helps you. In short, varna does not have to be associated

with skin colour at all."

Later, we discussed this matter again and I inquired about the word 'arya' which

is supposed to be a racial term in the Western world. He told me that "in the

scientific field this idea has been exposed already many years ago". He

explained further, that in particular scientific circles the racial connotation

is still maintained. The translation of the word arya as 'Germanic', 'Teutonic'

or fair-skinned-blond-blue-eyed race originated in the colonial context of

bureaucratic dominance by the British in the nineteenth century. He pressed to

me,

"To return to this subject in the present scientific world is not done, since it

has sufficiently been established that there has been no invasions of foreign

tribes or white races in India who were supposed to have imposed the Vedas or

Vedic civilization and the varnasrama system on the indigenous population. Just

forget about it! The so-called Aryan invasion theory has been a myth".

I hope this will help you to recover from your mental disease of Western

scientific superiority and shameful propaganda of racial distinction. You

should instead be happy to dispose of one authoritative document which

conclusively transcends irrelevant bodily designations of 'race' and

'ethnicity' which have recently been invented in a world full of low-class

turmoil about insignificant distinctions - and embrace the Srimad Bhagavatam

with the explications of its bonafide interpretors (Vaisnavas).

 

To those who are conversant with the Vedic science of the human mind bound by

the illusory energy of maya it is known that "Wealth, power, fame and

distinction are subtle means of extended sex gratification". The soul's

impermanent (illusory) designations of racial, ethnic or seminal caste

distinctions which you stubbornly cling to represent the lusty egoism of the

ignorant individual, including the 'big shots' of Indology. This egoism will

become fatal as it will finish them on the material platform, sooner or later.

 

 

As a reminder I enclose my former information regarding the falsification of the

British Aryan Invasion Theory as a text in the attachment. If you are a sincere,

a sensitive or at least an experienced person, you will surrender to the inner

meaning of this message without delay and retire from this dispute because you

and all your Indologists are ignorant of the real facts of the Sanskrit

language and the underlying truths of Vedic civilization.

 

Sri Guru-Vaisnava dasanudasi,

Indira dasi

 

-

Anthanarik

vediculture

Sunday, September 03, 2000 5:25 PM

[world-vedic] Arya denoted Caste/Ethnic Significations

 

Someone posted that the word Arya is not Indo-European which of course is incorrect.

The social structure that was later to become rigid and subspecialized

int the caste system already existed in main outline during the Vedic perio,

comprising the classes of brahmana, ksatriya, (or rajanya), vaisya, and sudra.

The first three were deemed arya, whereas the sudras sere an ary non=Aryan,

reerring to the darker skined indigenous elements of the population (the

Sanskrit term for cste, varna, means color). Arya as a term for the

Indo-European in group goes back to Indo-Iranian (Arayanam>Iran) and

Proto-Indo-European, for it reoccurs in Celtic in the Indo-European Far West

(Old Irish aire 'free, noble') and occurs as a comon noun in Hittite (ara

'social equal, peer'). Vedic society proper was thus tripartite, jcomposed of

formulators, word manipulators, idea men, intellectuals (brahman originally

meant roughly 'effective verbal construct, formula, prayer'), power types,

warriors, royal entourage (ksatram 'rule, dominion, raj 'king'), an villagers,

economic classes, tht is , herders, cultivators, artisan (vis- tribal village,

vesa household=Greek oi-kos). (Puhvel, Jan, Comparative Mythology, p. 45).

For THOSE who do read the Vedas and the Laws of Manu, Arya at the very least

denotes a group, an ethnic group. BTW, for those in US, the entire Vedas are not

readily available. I when to the U. and copied them in full. For those that

study Indo-European religions see the many connections and realize that Greek,

Roman, Hittite, Germanic, and Hindu all are derived from a common proto-IE

source.

 

 

Anthanarik

Van: Goosen I.H.M. <indira

Aan: <vediculture >

Onderwerp: Fwd: [world-vedic] Falsification Aryan invasion theory

Datum: zaterdag 22 juli 2000 12:49

 

vediculture , "32503518nl1" <indira@s...> wrote:

Dear Anthanarik,

In response to your remark and quotation concerning the suggestion of

an

'Aryan race' in ancient India I am pleased to submit the following.

The Sanskrit word 'arya' means 'anyone who leads a spiritual life',

it also

means 'noble soul'. May be you are black or yellow, and I might be

red and

purple - if we follow the Vedic principles of religious life, or Krsna

consciousness for that matter, we are 'arya' instantly. The proof of

its

transcendental meaning is the international convertion of sincere

souls to

brahminical life by the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti, one of the four main

Vaisnava-sampradayas coming from Brahma. All these souls from

different

nationalities have become 'arya' on the very day of their initiation

(diksa). The word 'arya' points to actual spiritual conduct and not

to any

physical designation. The spirit soul is beyond the body and mind, as

you

will know. Therefore, the word 'arya' has nothing to do with race at

all.

Actually, the Vedic synonym of 'race' is 'species'. Mankind is one

species,

monkeys are another, etc. Nevertheless, the pure hearted souls whose

seminal

ancestors followed the path of bhakti and brahminical purification

rites

(samskaras) since thousands of generations maintain and/or develop a

bright

complexion. The long-term cultivation of spiritual purity of body,

mind and

soul appears to reflect in one's external features, as well. Still,

this

'brightness' has nothing to do with race or species, again. After

all, I

have seen people change colors instantly. Haven't you?

On the other hand, this racial myth in India - and especially in the

Dravidian South developed under the influence of the British - is

based on

the Western scientific concoction of the Aryan Invasion Theory

written by

Sir Mortimer Wheeler between 1946-54 shortly after World War II. The

Aryan

Invasion Theory was based on the excavations in Harappa and Mohenjo

Daro

since 1922 from which the Western scientists found that 'tribal

hordes from

the North-West (Kaukasus) invaded the Indian Subcontinent and forced

the

indigenous population to adopt the Vedic culture between 1200-800

BC'. We

all know that Hitler in Nazi Germany abused the Vedic theory of

varnasrama-dharma-tattva from the Bhagavad-gita earlier in favor of

his own

perverted race theory. In that way Sir Mortimer Wheeler provided the

Germans

with the heritage of Sanskrit poetry and ancient knowledge. In other

words,

the so-called Aryan race claimed to be the origin and bearer of the

ancient

Vedic civilization just after the defeat of the Germans in WW II.

In spite of the brand-new asset the Western scientific world never

discovered the true values of the Vedas. 'How could such tribal

savages

dispose of any elevated knowledge and pure spiritual teachings? '

Paradoxically, the Western world, therefore, considered the

Vedas 'primitive

poetry' and ignored their elevated status for a longtime due to their

misconceived origin. Could the scientists comprehend the truths in

these

literatures themselves? In fact, the Vedic literature is accessible

only to

the reader proportionately to his level of consciousness. In other

words,

only pure souls are able to understand its imports to their fullest

extent,

whereas the modern scientists are situated at the opposite end of the

scale.

After all, this complete incident is no longer a hot item anymore. The

Invasion Theory has recently been falsified by a team of scholars who

never

found a trace of invasion, destruction or suppression by foreign

tribes in

the area of the Indus-Sarasvati Valleys. One interesting proof of its

falsification is the fact that the Vedas give mention of the

Sarasvati River

which went underground longtime before the so-called invaders could

have

written or induced the Vedas in that region.

These Scriptures, especially the Puranas, contain self-evident

knowledge.

They describe the transcendental history of mankind since Creation by

Lord

Brahma down to the end of Kali-yuga which lies in the distant future.

Who

could invent such highly complicated narrations, such extremely

spiritual

theories in such a learned tongue like the Sankrit verse? Were they

ordinary

human beings, or was it God Himself and His many Incarnations? The

value of

the Vedic Scriptures is their exceptional transcendental position.

Nothing

in the entire world can compare with their supernatural qualities,

names,

forms and pastimes. They are supremely divine and unparallelled! They

are

the literary Incarnation of the Supreme Lord Himself, the Blue God of

Love,

Sri Krishna.

 

Vaisnava dasanudasi abhilasa,

Indira dasi

 

 

-

Anthanarik <anthanaric@h...>

<vediculture >

Sunday, July 09, 2000 7:37 PM

[world-vedic] Re: Aryan invasion theory

 

 

>

> <<The Vedas do not know of

> > any such race as the Aryan race."

>

>

> Sounds like you never read the COMPLETE Rig Veda.

> They called themselves Arya or Aryas, not Aryan though.

>

> Indra, causing the barley to be sown in the fields, milking the

> clouds for the sake of Manu, destroying the offspring of the dasyus

> with thy lightning bolt, you have bestowed brilliant light upon the

> Arya.

>

> When you attacked the offspring of the dasyus, you slew them with

> your thunderbolt, the thunder god then gave the bounty to his white-

> complexioned friends, then restored the light and set free the life

> bestowing rain.

>

>

> Anthanarik

--- End forwarded message ---

 

 

 

 

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