What is the significance of vedic in vedic astrology ?

September 27, 2005

Dear Members,

I have just joined this group. I know only a little bit of astrology,

but nothing in vedic astrology.

Can anybody explain me what is the significance of "vedic" in this

group "vedic astrology" ? Is it related to the astrology depicted in the Vedas

? If so, please supply the exact reference.

Thanks and regards.

Narayan Prasad

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September 29, 2005

Dear Prasad,

Veda means knowledge, as the word orginated from the root 'vid'.

I don't think that the word "vedic astrology" points to the concept

'astrology as depicted in vedas'. Most probably (due to regular usage)

it means 'Ancient hindu astrology'(in the present context), which is a

vedanga, and later developed further and further. The Vedas neither

give elaborate rules for astrological prediction, nor for planatary

calculations. The 4 Vedas contain prayers. Study of such prayers gives

us indications to the fact that both 'Sayana' and 'Nirayana'

predictive astrology was present in those days. (Some clues point to

the fact that probably on those days 'Sayana Predictive astrology' was

given more importance). But Indian astrology probably originated among

the Vedic or Thantric cults of ancient India. We are proud of our

ancient heritage, and the scientific and systamatic manner in which

they designed this knowledge system and probably that is why the word

'Vedic-astrology forum'.

You should ask PVR or the other originaters of this forum to get a

clear picture. Both ancient and modern astrological knowledge, is

dicussed here among the members, with the view of sharing astrological

knowledge, and supporting further research in the field. This is what

I think. Whatever the word 'Vedic' in vedic astrology mean, if this

forum helps us in sharing our astrological knowledge, and further

improving it, we should utilize it. Am I not right?

With Warm regards,

Sreenadh

September 29, 2005

vedic astrology

[vedic astrology]On Behalf Of narayan prasadSent:

Tuesday, September 27, 2005 11:53 PMvedic astrologySubject:

[vedic astrology] What is the significance of "vedic" in "vedic astrology" ?

Dear Members,

I have just joined this group. I know only a little bit of astrology,

but nothing in vedic astrology.

Can anybody explain me what is the significance of "vedic" in this

group "vedic astrology" ? Is it related to the astrology depicted in the Vedas

? If so, please supply the exact reference.

-------

It is the system of astrology used by those who follow the Vedic civilization

which is based on the Vedas. The Vedas themselves have little or no reference

to astrology because that is not the subject matter of the Vedas. The Vedas do

have angas (vedangas) dedicated to jyotish (rg, yajur and arthava vedas have

their own jyotish vedanga). I hope this helps.

__________

Thanks and regards.

Narayan Prasad

September 29, 2005

i thought vedas have only calculative part of astrology and nothing about predictive

part as per day by day as time is only a mesurement of inner space life

but vedas talk about outer space which is vast and ever expanding so relization of that awareness

of being part of it is work of vedas.

bhrigu maharishi has related as above so is below effect on life

rajinder

Agastya Rishsi <agastya.rishi > wrote:

vedic astrology

[vedic astrology]On Behalf Of narayan prasadSent:

Tuesday, September 27, 2005 11:53 PMvedic astrologySubject:

[vedic astrology] What is the significance of "vedic" in "vedic astrology" ?

Dear Members,

I have just joined this group. I know only a little bit of astrology,

but nothing in vedic astrology.

Can anybody explain me what is the significance of "vedic" in this

group "vedic astrology" ? Is it related to the astrology depicted in the Vedas

? If so, please supply the exact reference.

-------

It is the system of astrology used by those who follow the Vedic civilization

which is based on the Vedas. The Vedas themselves have little or no reference

to astrology because that is not the subject matter of the Vedas. The Vedas do

have angas (vedangas) dedicated to jyotish (rg, yajur and arthava vedas have

their own jyotish vedanga). I hope this helps.

__________

Thanks and regards.

Narayan Prasad

for Good Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

October 1, 2005

Hindu refers to Sindhu, which refers to people living on the other side

of the river Sindhu (other side of indus in reference to the Greeks and

people coming from the west of Indus). The word Veda refers to

knowledge. The saints and sages living on east of Sindhu, "heard"

(shruti) the Vedas in their meditation and following their way of life.

The word hindu got associated to the people following the way of life

as given in the Vedas. Therefore, Hindu has no identity without the

Veda. Puranas are stories to make us understand the Veda. Bhagavad

Geeta is a smriti (said dailogue) to explain the Veda. So are Brahma

Sutras and others. To distinguish between Vedic and Hindu is like

trying to split a single stand of hair into two.

Our culture is therefore, a vedic culture. Astrology as a part of this culture can be called Vedic.

If one wants to be strict, not to call Astrology as Vedic but as Hindu,

then, a person not following the Veda, should not be a called Hindu

either. So Astrology will only be Astrology - neither Vedic nor Hindu.

In my view, Jyotish Vedanga helps us in discovering our beliefs and

preceptions. It shows our weaknesses and help us recognize what

understanding we are lacking in. In that sense, it follows the

teachings of the Veda and therefore, very much Vedic.

Thanks and Regards

Bharat

October 1, 2005

Namaste,

The explanation given,seems to be nice.

Is there any society for Indian Astrology in USA,we

may consider their opinion too.

--- Bharat Hindu Astrology <hinduastrology

wrote:

> Namaskaar All

>

> Hindu refers to Sindhu, which refers to people

> living on the other side of

> the river Sindhu (other side of indus in reference

> to the Greeks and people

> coming from the west of Indus). The word Veda refers

> to knowledge. The

> saints and sages living on east of Sindhu, "heard"

> (shruti) the Vedas in

> their meditation and following their way of life.

>

> The word hindu got associated to the people

> following the way of life as

> given in the Vedas. Therefore, Hindu has no identity

> without the Veda.

> Puranas are stories to make us understand the Veda.

> Bhagavad Geeta is a

> smriti (said dailogue) to explain the Veda. So are

> Brahma Sutras and others.

> To distinguish between Vedic and Hindu is like

> trying to split a single

> stand of hair into two.

>

> Our culture is therefore, a vedic culture. Astrology

> as a part of this

> culture can be called Vedic.

>

> If one wants to be strict, not to call Astrology as

> Vedic but as Hindu,

> then, a person not following the Veda, should not be

> a called Hindu either.

> So Astrology will only be Astrology - neither Vedic

> nor Hindu.

>

> In my view, Jyotish Vedanga helps us in discovering

> our beliefs and

> preceptions. It shows our weaknesses and help us

> recognize what

> understanding we are lacking in. In that sense, it

> follows the teachings of

> the Veda and therefore, very much Vedic.

>

> Thanks and Regards

> Bharat

>

Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005

October 1, 2005

Dear Bharat,

For Smrithi the def. is "Dharmasasthram to vai smrithi", meaning the

dharmasasthras like Manu_smrithi, Yanjnyavalkya_smrithi etc are called

smrithi.:)

We can see 4 diff. streams of cultures/knowledge in India. They are:

1) Indus Valley civilization (Non-vedic?)

2) Vedic civilization

3) Tantric cults (Non-vedic)

4) Dravidian civilization (South Indian/Non-vedic)

Is ancient astrology related only to Vedic civilization?

Of these 4 streams how many are related to Saraswathy (It is better

than the word Sindhu civilization) civilization?

Was Vedic astrology Tropical/Sidereal in nature?

Earlier astrology was considered as vedanga because it was used to

find auspicious timings for yaga. Now astrology has grownup and is

more useful to the general public. Now to what extend we can justify

calling astrology 'a vedanga'?

:)

With warm regards,

Sreenadh

vedic astrology, Bharat Hindu Astrology

<hinduastrology@g...> wrote:

> Namaskaar All

>

> Hindu refers to Sindhu, which refers to people living on the other

side of

> the river Sindhu (other side of indus in reference to the Greeks and

people

> coming from the west of Indus). The word Veda refers to knowledge.

The

> saints and sages living on east of Sindhu, "heard" (shruti) the

Vedas in

> their meditation and following their way of life.

>

> The word hindu got associated to the people following the way of

life as

> given in the Vedas. Therefore, Hindu has no identity without the

Veda.

> Puranas are stories to make us understand the Veda. Bhagavad Geeta

is a

> smriti (said dailogue) to explain the Veda. So are Brahma Sutras and

others.

> To distinguish between Vedic and Hindu is like trying to split a

single

> stand of hair into two.

>

> Our culture is therefore, a vedic culture. Astrology as a part of

this

> culture can be called Vedic.

>

> If one wants to be strict, not to call Astrology as Vedic but as

Hindu,

> then, a person not following the Veda, should not be a called Hindu

either.

> So Astrology will only be Astrology - neither Vedic nor Hindu.

>

> In my view, Jyotish Vedanga helps us in discovering our beliefs and

> preceptions. It shows our weaknesses and help us recognize what

> understanding we are lacking in. In that sense, it follows the

teachings of

> the Veda and therefore, very much Vedic.

>

> Thanks and Regards

> Bharat

October 1, 2005

You have put up important questions:

We can see 4 diff. streams of cultures/knowledge in India. They are:

1) Indus Valley civilization (Non-vedic?)

2) Vedic civilization

3) Tantric cults (Non-vedic)

4) Dravidian civilization (South Indian/Non-vedic)

Is ancient astrology related only to Vedic civilization?

Indus Valley civilization is not known to be vedic or non-vedic. It

might have been. I will have to ask an expert regarding the same.

Someone was telling me that they have an elaborate method of worship

but this is something I want to confirm.

Tantric cults are like Puranas are, they explain the knowledge of the

Vedas but through a different method by the way of Purusha-Prakriti or

Shiva-Shakti. It is my view that Aryan-Dravidian civilization is a

divide done politically, there is ample proof that there was no Aryan

invasion which has been written by many scholars. I find the

"Dravidians" more Vedic than anyone else today.

Of these 4 streams how many are related to Saraswathy (It is better

than the word Sindhu civilization) civilization?

Saraswati is much better name but Sindhu (supposedly mispronounced as

Hindu) is a given name. The "hindus" did not make a choice. It is said

that the Greeks gave this name to us.

Was Vedic astrology Tropical/Sidereal in nature?

This was a question put up Sri Avtar Kaul a while ago in this

forum. I did reply to him. Secondly, I found some references which show

that the ancients were aware of the ayanamsa. The precession of the

equinoxes and the related change in the Sankrantis was something

observed. I do not know whether it was used or not. Since then, I have

been trying to look for a history of Aynamsha.

Now to what extend we can justify

calling astrology 'a vedanga'?

It still qualifies as a Vedanga as that is its main purpose. Many

here use it to benefit their understanding of the Self. I have read

such comments from many members including some in the Jyotish Group.

Such questions have been asked again and again. Furthermore, a side use

of Astrology gaining more popularity should not make us forget its real

purpose.

Thanks and Regards

Bharat

On 10/1/05, Sreenadh <sreelid > wrote:

Dear Bharat,

For Smrithi the def. is "Dharmasasthram to vai smrithi", meaning the

dharmasasthras like Manu_smrithi, Yanjnyavalkya_smrithi etc are called

smrithi.:)

We can see 4 diff. streams of cultures/knowledge in India. They are:

1) Indus Valley civilization (Non-vedic?)

2) Vedic civilization

3) Tantric cults (Non-vedic)

4) Dravidian civilization (South Indian/Non-vedic)

Is ancient astrology related only to Vedic civilization?

Of these 4 streams how many are related to Saraswathy (It is better

than the word Sindhu civilization) civilization?

Was Vedic astrology Tropical/Sidereal in nature?

Earlier astrology was considered as vedanga because it was used to

find auspicious timings for yaga. Now astrology has grownup and is

more useful to the general public. Now to what extend we can justify

calling astrology 'a vedanga'?

:)

With warm regards,

Sreenadh

vedic astrology, Bharat Hindu Astrology

<hinduastrology@g...> wrote:

> Namaskaar All

>

> Hindu refers to Sindhu, which refers to people living on the other

side of

> the river Sindhu (other side of indus in reference to the Greeks and

people

> coming from the west of Indus). The word Veda refers to knowledge.

The

> saints and sages living on east of Sindhu, "heard" (shruti) the

Vedas in

> their meditation and following their way of life.

>

> The word hindu got associated to the people following the way of

life as

> given in the Vedas. Therefore, Hindu has no identity without the

Veda.

> Puranas are stories to make us understand the Veda. Bhagavad Geeta

is a

> smriti (said dailogue) to explain the Veda. So are Brahma Sutras and

others.

> To distinguish between Vedic and Hindu is like trying to split a

single

> stand of hair into two.

>

> Our culture is therefore, a vedic culture. Astrology as a part of

this

> culture can be called Vedic.

>

> If one wants to be strict, not to call Astrology as Vedic but as

Hindu,

> then, a person not following the Veda, should not be a called Hindu

either.

> So Astrology will only be Astrology - neither Vedic nor Hindu.

>

> In my view, Jyotish Vedanga helps us in discovering our beliefs and

> preceptions. It shows our weaknesses and help us recognize what

> understanding we are lacking in. In that sense, it follows the

teachings of

> the Veda and therefore, very much Vedic.

>

> Thanks and Regards

> Bharat

Visit your group "vedic astrology" on the web.

vedic astrology

October 2, 2005

Dear Bharath,

You said:

>Tantric cults are like Puranas are, they explain

>the knowledge of the Vedas but through a different

>method by the way of Purusha-Prakriti or Shiva-Shakti.

Sorry, I differ! In Brihadaranya Upanishad we can find slokas that

point to the existence of Tantric cults that had an entirely different

belief system than the one followed in Vedas. (If you want I will

supply the quotes and explanations). Another point is that the

Saraswathy civilization was probably Tantric in nature than Vedic.

>It is my view that Aryan-Dravidian civilization is a divide

>done politically, there is ample proof that there was no Aryan

>invasion which has been written by many scholars.

May be right or may be wrong. We need more evidence. That is my view.

For example no archeological/cultural ruminants of Vedic culture

(except literary evidence) are not excavated yet. Why a well-developed

culture like the Vedic culture failed to provide archeological

ruminants is an unanswered qn. The Sarawathy people used a language

with out 'Swara chinhas', no other Indian language including Sanskrit

and Thamil show the same trend. If not to a big chronological gap of

1000-2000 years, to what we should attribute it? If we want to argue

that Saraswathy civilization was Vedic, is there enough supporting

evidence? What archeological evidence is there to show that Vedic

culture flourished in India itself? There are many qn that could be

answered only when more data comes up.

>I find the "Dravidians" more Vedic than anyone else today.

As a 'Dravidian' I should be happy and thank you. But I should again

ask 'Why'? If we go to the root beliefs in Dravidian culture it is not

Vedic at all!!

With Warm regards,

Sreenadh

vedic astrology, Bharat Hindu Astrology

<hinduastrology@g...> wrote:

> Namaskaar Sri Sreenadh

>

> You have put up important questions:

>

> We can see 4 diff. streams of cultures/knowledge in India. They

are:

> 1) Indus Valley civilization (Non-vedic?)

> 2) Vedic civilization

> 3) Tantric cults (Non-vedic)

> 4) Dravidian civilization (South Indian/Non-vedic)

> Is ancient astrology related only to Vedic civilization?

>

> Indus Valley civilization is not known to be vedic or non-vedic. It

might

> have been. I will have to ask an expert regarding the same. Someone

was

> telling me that they have an elaborate method of worship but this is

> something I want to confirm.

>

> Tantric cults are like Puranas are, they explain the knowledge of

the Vedas

> but through a different method by the way of Purusha-Prakriti or

> Shiva-Shakti. It is my view that Aryan-Dravidian civilization is a

divide

> done politically, there is ample proof that there was no Aryan

invasion

> which has been written by many scholars. I find the "Dravidians"

more Vedic

> than anyone else today.

>

> Of these 4 streams how many are related to Saraswathy (It is better

> than the word Sindhu civilization) civilization?

> Saraswati is much better name but Sindhu (supposedly mispronounced

as Hindu)

> is a given name. The "hindus" did not make a choice. It is said that

the

> Greeks gave this name to us.

>

> Was Vedic astrology Tropical/Sidereal in nature?

> This was a question put up Sri Avtar Kaul a while ago in this forum.

I did

> reply to him. Secondly, I found some references which show that the

ancients

> were aware of the ayanamsa. The precession of the equinoxes and the

whether it

> was used or not. Since then, I have been trying to look for a

history of

> Aynamsha.

>

> Now to what extend we can justify

> calling astrology 'a vedanga'?

> It still qualifies as a Vedanga as that is its main purpose. Many

here use

> it to benefit their understanding of the Self. I have read such

comments

> from many members including some in the Jyotish Group. Such

questions have

> been asked again and again. Furthermore, a side use of Astrology

gaining

> more popularity should not make us forget its real purpose.

>

> Thanks and Regards

> Bharat

>

> On 10/1/05, Sreenadh <sreelid> wrote:

> >

> > Dear Bharat,

> > For Smrithi the def. is "Dharmasasthram to vai smrithi", meaning

the

> > dharmasasthras like Manu_smrithi, Yanjnyavalkya_smrithi etc are

called

> > smrithi.:)

> > We can see 4 diff. streams of cultures/knowledge in India. They

are:

> > 1) Indus Valley civilization (Non-vedic?)

> > 2) Vedic civilization

> > 3) Tantric cults (Non-vedic)

> > 4) Dravidian civilization (South Indian/Non-vedic)

> > Is ancient astrology related only to Vedic civilization?

> > Of these 4 streams how many are related to Saraswathy (It is

better

> > than the word Sindhu civilization) civilization?

> > Was Vedic astrology Tropical/Sidereal in nature?

> > Earlier astrology was considered as vedanga because it was used to

> > find auspicious timings for yaga. Now astrology has grownup and is

> > more useful to the general public. Now to what extend we can

justify

> > calling astrology 'a vedanga'?

> > :)

> > With warm regards,

> > Sreenadh

> >

> > vedic astrology, Bharat Hindu Astrology

> > <hinduastrology@g...> wrote:

> > > Namaskaar All

> > >

> > > Hindu refers to Sindhu, which refers to people living on the

other

> > side of

> > > the river Sindhu (other side of indus in reference to the Greeks

and

> > people

> > > coming from the west of Indus). The word Veda refers to

knowledge.

> > The

> > > saints and sages living on east of Sindhu, "heard" (shruti) the

> > Vedas in

> > > their meditation and following their way of life.

> > >

> > > The word hindu got associated to the people following the way of

> > life as

> > > given in the Vedas. Therefore, Hindu has no identity without the

> > Veda.

> > > Puranas are stories to make us understand the Veda. Bhagavad

Geeta

> > is a

> > > smriti (said dailogue) to explain the Veda. So are Brahma Sutras

and

> > others.

> > > To distinguish between Vedic and Hindu is like trying to split a

> > single

> > > stand of hair into two.

> > >

> > > Our culture is therefore, a vedic culture. Astrology as a part

of

> > this

> > > culture can be called Vedic.

> > >

> > > If one wants to be strict, not to call Astrology as Vedic but as

> > Hindu,

> > > then, a person not following the Veda, should not be a called

Hindu

> > either.

> > > So Astrology will only be Astrology - neither Vedic nor Hindu.

> > >

> > > In my view, Jyotish Vedanga helps us in discovering our beliefs

and

> > > preceptions. It shows our weaknesses and help us recognize what

> > > understanding we are lacking in. In that sense, it follows the

> > teachings of

> > > the Veda and therefore, very much Vedic.

> > >

> > > Thanks and Regards

> > > Bharat

October 3, 2005

Please read Sri Sankara's commentary upon the same, who bought unified

understanding of the same. The later tantriks thought that the Tantra

and Veda were two different things, which was refuted by Sri Sankara.

Please give us the quotes without explanations. I have the Sankara

Bhasya and I shall refer to it.

Here is an article by Stephen Knapp on Aryan Invasion Theory. It is an interesting article.

Death of the Aryan Invasion Theory

By Stephen Knapp

With only a small amount of research, a person can discover that each area

of the world has its own ancient culture that includes its own gods and legends

about the origins of various cosmological realities, and that many of these are

very similar. But where did all these stories and gods come from? Did they all

spread around the world from one particular source, only to change according to

differences in language and customs? If not, then why are some of these gods and

goddesses of various areas of the world so alike?

Unfortunately, information about prehistoric religion is usually gathered

through whatever remnants of earlier cultures we can find, such as bones in

tombs and caves, or ancient sculptures, writings, engravings, wall paintings,

and other relics. From these we are left to speculate about the rituals,

ceremonies, and beliefs of the people and the purposes of the items found.

Often we can only paint a crude picture of how simple and backwards these

ancient people were while not thinking that more advanced civilizations may

have left us next to nothing in terms of physical remains. They may have built

houses out of wood or materials other than stone that have since faded with the

seasons, or were simply replaced with other buildings over the years, rather

than buried by the sands of time for archeologists to unearth. They also may

have cremated their dead, as some societies did, leaving no bones to discover.

Thus, without ancient museums or historical records from the past, there would

be no way of really knowing what the prehistoric cultures were like.

If a few thousand years in the future people could uncover our own houses

after being buried for so long and find television antennas on top of each

house wired to a television inside, who knows what they would think. Without a

recorded history of our times they might speculate that the antennas, being

pointed toward the heavens, were used for us to commune with our gods who would

appear, by mystic power, on the screen of the television box inside our homes.

They might also think that we were very much devoted to our gods since some

houses might have two, three, or more televisions, making it possible for us to

never be without contact with our gods through the day. And since the television

was usually found in a prominent area, with special couches and reclining

chairs, this must surely be the prayer room where we would get the proper

inspiration for living life. Or they might even think that the television was

itself the god, the idol of our times. This, of course, would not be a very

accurate picture, but it reflects the difficulty we have in understanding

ancient religion by means of analyzing the remnants we find. However, when we

begin comparing all the religions of the world, we can see how they are all

interrelated and have a source from which most of them seem to have originated.

And most of them can be traced to the East.

Most scholars agree that the earliest of religions seems to have arisen

from the most ancient of organized cultures, which are either the Sumerians

along the Euphrates, or the Aryans located in the region of the Indus Valley.

In fact, these two cultures were related. C. L. Woolley, one of the world's

foremost archeologists, establishes in his book, The Sumerians, that the facial

characteristics of the Sumerian people

can be traced to Afghanistan, Baluchistan, and on to the Indus region. The early

Indus civilization, which was remarkably developed, has many similarities with

Sumer over 1500 miles away, especially in regard to the rectangular seals that

have identical subjects on them, and are similar in the style of engraving and

inscriptions. There are also similarities in the methods used in the ground

plans and construction of buildings. Woolley suggests that, rather than

concluding too quickly that the Sumerians and Indus civilization shared the

same race or political culture, which may actually have been the case, or that

such similarities were merely from trade connections, the evidence at least

indicates that the two societies shared a common source.

The researcher and scholar L. A. Waddell offers more evidence to show the

relation between the Aryans and the Sumerians. He states in his book, The Indo

Sumerian Seals Deciphered, that the discovery and translation of the Sumerian

seals along the Indus Valley give evidence that the Aryan society

existed there from as long ago as 3100 B.C. Several Sumerian seals found along

the Indus bore the names of famous Vedic Aryan seers and princes familiar in

the Vedic hymns. Therefore, these Aryan personalities were not merely part of

an elaborate myth, like some people seem to proclaim, but actually lived five

thousand years ago as related in the Vedic epics and Puranas.

Waddell also says that the language and religion of the Indo-Aryans were

radically similar to that of the Sumerians and Phoenicians, and that the early

Aryan kings of the Indian Vedas are identical with well-known historical kings

of the Sumerians. He believes that the decipherment of these seals from the

Indus Valley confirms that the Sumerians were actually the early Aryans and

authors of Indian civilization. He concludes that the Sumerians were Aryans in

physique, culture, religion, language, and writing. He also feels that the

early Sumerians on the Persian Gulf near 3100 B.C. were Phoenicians who were

Aryans in race and speech, and were the introducers of Aryan civilization in

ancient India. Thus, he concludes that it was the Aryans who were the bearers

of high civilization and who

spread throughout the Mediterranean, Northwest Europe, and Britain,

as well as India. However, he states that the early Aryan

Sumero-Phoenicians did not become a part of the Aryan Invasion of India

until the seventh century B.C. after their defeat by the Assyrian

Sargon II in 718 B.C. at Carchemish in Upper Mesopotamia. Though the

Sumerians indeed may have been Aryan people, some researchers feel that

rather than being the originators of Vedic Aryan culture, or part of an

invasion into India, they were an extension of the Vedic culture that

originated in India and spread through Persia and into

Europe.

THEORIES ON THE ARYAN ORIGINS

This brings us to the different theories that scholars have about the

origins of the Aryan society. Though it seems evident that an Aryan society was

in existence in the Indus Valley by 3100 B.C., not everyone agrees with the

dates that Waddell has presented for the Aryan Invasion into India, and whether

the Aryans were actually invaders is doubtful. Obviously,

different views on the Aryanization of India are held by different historians.

Some scholars say that it was about 1000 B.C. when Aryans entered Iran from the

north and then occupied the Indus region by 800 B.C. In this scenario, the

Aryans had to have entered India sometime after this. But others say that it

was between 1500 and 1200 B.C. that the Aryans entered India and composed hymns

that make up the Rig-veda. So some people calculate that the Rig-veda must have

been composed around 1400 B.C.

Mr. Pargiter, another noted scholar, contends that Aryan influence in

India was felt long before the composition of the Vedic hymns. He states that

the Aryans entered India near 2000 B.C. over the Central Himalayas and later

spread into the Punjab. Brunnhofer and others argue that the composition of the

Rig-veda took place not in the Punjab, but in Afghanistan or Iran. This theory

assumes that Aryan entrance into India was much later.

Even Max Muller, the great orientalist and translator of Eastern texts,

was also a

great proponent of speculating on the dates of the compilations of the

Vedas. He admitted that his ideas on the dates of the Vedas could not be

dependable. He had originally estimated that the Rig-veda had been written

around 1000 B.C. However, he was greatly criticized for that date, and he later

wrote in his book, Physical Religion (p.91, 1891), "Whether the Vedic hymns were

composed 1000, 1500 or 2000 BCE, no power on earth will ever determine."

So, as we can see from the above examples, which are just a few of the

many ideas on the Aryan origins, analyzing these theories can get rather

confusing. In fact, so many theories on the location of the original Aryans or

Indo-Europeans have been presented by archeologists and researchers that for a

time they felt the location could change from minute to minute, depending on

the latest evidence that was presented. In many cases over the years,

archeologists presumed they had located the home of the Sumerians or Aryans any

time they found certain types of metal tools or painted pottery that resembled

what had been found at the Sumerian or Indus Valley sites. Though such findings

may have been of some significance, further study proved that they were of

considerably less importance than had been originally thought, and, thus, the

quest for locating the original Aryan home could not be concluded.

WAS THERE EVER AN ARYAN INVASION?

One of the major reasons why a consideration of the idea of an Aryan

invasion into India is prevalent among some Western researchers

is because of their misinterpretation of the Vedas, deliberate or otherwise,

that suggests the Aryans were a nomadic people. One such misinterpretation is

from the Rig-veda, which describes the battle between Sudas and the ten kings.

The

battle of the ten kings included the Pakthas, Bhalanas, Alinas, Shivas,

Vishanins, Shimyus, Bhrigus, Druhyas, Prithus, and Parshus, who fought against

the Tritsus. The Prithus or Parthavas became the Parthians of latter-day Iran

(247 B.C.–224 A.D.). The Parshus or Pashavas became the latter-day Persians.

These kings, though some are described as Aryans, were actually fallen Aryans,

or rebellious and materialistic kings who had given up the spiritual path and

were conquered by Sudas. Occasionally, there was a degeneration of the

spiritual kingdom in areas of India, and wars had to be fought in order to

reestablish the spiritual Aryan culture in these areas. Western scholars could

and did easily misinterpret this to mean an invasion of nomadic people called

Aryans rather than simply a war in which the superior Aryan kings reestablished

the spiritual values and the Vedic Aryan way of life.

Let us also remember that the Aryan invasion theory was hypothesized in

the nineteenth century to explain the similarities found in Sanskrit and the

languages of Europe. One person who reported about this is Deen Chandora in his

article, Distorted Historical Events and Discredited Hindu Chronology, as it

appeared in Revisiting Indus-Sarasvati Age and Ancient India (p. 383). He

explains that the idea of the Aryan invasion was certainly not a matter of

misguided research, but was a conspiracy to distribute deliberate

misinformation that was formulated on April 10, 1866 in London at a secret

meeting held in the Royal Asiatic Society. This was "to induct the theory of

the Aryan invasion of India, so that no Indian may say that English are

foreigners. . . India was ruled all along by outsiders and so the country must

remain a slave under the benign Christian rule." This was a political move and

this theory was put to solid use in all schools and colleges.

So it was basically a linguistic theory adopted by the British colonial

authorities to keep themselves in power. This theory suggested, more or less,

that there was a race of superior, white Aryans who came in from the Caucasus

Mountains and invaded the Indus region, and then established their culture,

compiled their literature, and then proceeded to invade the rest of India.

As can be expected, most of those who were great proponents of the Aryan

invasion theory were often ardent English and German nationalists, or

Christians, ready and willing to bring about the desecration of anything that

was non-Christian or non-European. Even Max Muller believed in the Christian

chronology, that the

world was created at 9:00 AM on October 23, 4004 B.C. and the great flood

occurred in 2500 B.C. Thus, it was impossible to give a date for the Aryan

invasion earlier than 1500 B.C. After all, accepting the Christian time frame

would force them to eliminate all other evidence and possibilities, so what

else could they do? So, even this date for the Aryan invasion was based on

speculation.

In this way, the Aryan invasion theory was created to make it appear that

Indian culture and philosophy was dependent on the previous developments in

Europe, thereby justifying the need for colonial rule and Christian expansion

in India. This was also the purpose of the study of Sanskrit, such as at Oxford

University in England, as indicated by Colonel Boden who sponsored the program.

He stated that they should "promote Sanskrit learning among the English, so as

'to enable his countrymen to proceed in the conversion of the natives of India

to the Christian religion.'"

Unfortunately, this was also Max Muller's ultimate

goal. In a letter to his wife in 1866, he wrote about his translation of the

Rig-veda: "This edition of mine and the translation of the Veda, will hereafter

tell to a great extent on the fate of India and on the growth of millions of

souls in that country. It is the root of their religion and to show them what

the root is, I feel sure, is the only way of uprooting all that has sprung from

it during the last three thousand years." (The Life and Letters of Right

Honorable Friedrich Max Muller, Vol. I. p.346)

So,

in essence, the British used the theory of the Aryan invasion to

further their "divide and conquer" policy. With civil unrest and

regional cultural tensions created by the British through designations

and divisions among the Indian society, it gave a reason and purpose

for the British to continue and increase their control over

India.

However, under scrutiny, the Aryan invasion theory lacks justification.

For example, Sir John Marshall, one of the chief excavators at Mohenjo-Daro,

offers evidence that India may have been following the Vedic religion long

before any so-called "invaders" ever arrived. He points out that it is known

that India possessed a highly advanced and organized urban civilization dating

back to at least 2300 B.C., if not much earlier. In fact, some researchers

suggest that evidence makes it clear that the Indus Valley civilization was

quite developed by at least 3100 B.C.

The known cities of this civilization cover an area along the Indus river and

extend from the coast to Rajasthan and the Punjab over to the Yamuna and Upper

Ganges. At its height, the Indus culture spread over 300,000 square miles, an

area larger than Western Europe. Cities that were a part of the Indus culture

include Mohenjo-Daro, Kot Diji east of Mohenjo-Daro, Amri on the lower Indus,

Lothal south of Ahmedabad, Malwan farther south, Harappa 350 miles upstream

from Mohenjo-Daro, Kalibangan and Alamgirpur farther east, Rupar near the

Himalayas, Sutkagen Dor to the west along the coast, Mehrgarh 150 miles north

of Mohenjo-Daro, and Mundigak much farther north. Evidence at Mehrgarh shows a

civilization that dates back to 6500 B.C. It had been connected with the Indus

culture but was deserted in the third millennium B.C. around the time the city

of Mohenjo-Daro became prominent.

The arrangement of these cities and the knowledge of the residents was

much superior to that of any immigrating nomads, except for military abilities

at the time. A lack of weapons, except for thin spears, at these cities

indicates they were not very well equipped militarily. Thus, one theory is that

if there were invaders, whoever they may have been, rather than encouraging the

advancement of Vedic society when they came into the Indus Valley region, they

may have helped stifle it or even caused its demise in certain areas. The Indus

Valley locations may have been one area where the Vedic society disappeared

after the arrival of these invaders. Many of these cities seemed to have been

abandoned quickly, while others were not. However, some geologists suggest that

the cities were left because of environmental changes. Evidence of floods in the

plains is seen in the thick layers of silt which are now thirty-nine feet above

the river in the upper strata of Mohenjo-Daro. Others say that the ecological

needs of the community forced the people to move on, since research shows there

was a great reduction in rainfall from that period to the present.

We also have to remember that many of the Indus sites, like Kalibangan,

were close to the region of the old Sarasvati River. Some Hindu scholars are

actually preferring to rename the Indus Valley culture as the Indus-Sarasvati

culture because the Sarasvati was a prominent river and very important at the

time. For example, the Sarasvati River is glowingly praised in the Rig-veda.

However, the Sarasvati River

stopped flowing and later dried up. Recent scientific studies calculate that the

river stopped flowing as early as around 8000 B.C. It dried up near the end of

the Indus Valley civilization, at least by 1900 B.C. This was no doubt one

reason why these cities were abandoned. This also means that if the Vedic

people came after the Indus Valley culture, they could not have known of the

Sarasvati River. This is further evidence that the Vedas were from many years

before the time of the Indus Valley society and were not brought into the

region by some invasion.

As a result of the latest studies, evidence points in the direction that

the Indus sites were wiped out not by acts of war or an invasion, but by the

drought that is known to have taken place and continued for 300 years. Whatever

skeletons that have been found in the region may indicate deaths not by war but

by starvation or lack of water. Deaths of the weak by starvation are normal

before the whole society finally moves away for better lands and more abundant

resources. This is the same drought that wiped out the Akkadians of Sumeria,

and caused a sudden abandonment of cities in Mesopotamia, such as at Tell

Leilan and Tell Brock. The beginning of the end of these civilizations had to

have been near 2500 B.C. This drought no doubt contributed to the final drying

up of the Sarasvati River.

Regarding Mohenjo-Daro, archeologists have discovered no sign of attack,

such as extensive burning, or remains of armor-clad warriors, and no foreign

weapons. This leaves us to believe that the enemy of the people in this region

was nature, such as earthquakes, flooding, or the severe drought, or even a

change in the course of rivers, and not warrior invaders. So again, the

invasion theory does not stand up to scrutiny from the anthropological point of

view.

The best known archeological sites of the Indus cities are Mohenjo-Daro

and

Harappa. Excavation work at

Mohenjo-Daro was done from 1922 to 1931 and 1935 to 1936. Excavation at Harappa

took place from 1920 to 1921 and 1933 to 1934. Evidence has shown that temples

played an important part in the life of the residents of these cities. The

citadel at Mohenjo-Daro contains a 39-by-23 foot bath. This seems to have been

used for ceremonial purposes similar in the manner that many large temple

complexes in India also have central pools for bathing and rituals. Though

deities have not been found in the ruins, no doubt because they were too

important to abandon, images of a Mother goddess and a Male god similar to Lord

Shiva sitting in a yoga posture have been found. Some of the Shiva seals show a

man with three heads and an erect phallus, sitting in meditation and surrounded

by animals. This would be Shiva as Pashupati, lord or friend of the animals.

Representations of the lingam of Shiva and yoni of his spouse have also been

easily located, as well as non-phallic stones such as the shalagram-shila stone

of Lord Vishnu. Thus, the religions of Shiva and Vishnu, which are directly

Vedic, had been very much a part of this society long ago and were not brought

to the area by any invaders who may have arrived later.

Another point that helps convince that the Vedic religion and culture had

to have been there in India and pre-Harappan times is the sacrificial altars

that have been discovered

at the Harappan sites. These are all of similar design and found from

Baluchistan to Uttar Pradesh, and down into Gujarat. This shows that the whole

of this area must have been a part of one specific culture, the Vedic culture,

which had to have been there before these sites were abandoned.

More information in this regard is found in an article by J. F. Jarrige

and R. H. Meadow in the August, 1980 issue of

Scientific American called "The Antecedents of Civilization in the Indus

Valley." In the article they mention that recent excavations at

Mehrgarh show that the antecedents of the Indus Valley

culture go back earlier than 6000 B.C. in India. An outside influence did not

affect its development. Astronomical references established in the Vedas do

indeed concur with the date of Mehrgarh. Therefore, sites such as Mehrgarh

reflect the earlier Vedic age of India. Thus, we have a theory of an Aryan

invasion which is not remembered by the people of the area that were supposed

to have been conquered by the Aryans.

Furthermore, Dr. S. R. Rao has deciphered the Harappan script to be of an

Indo-Aryan base. In fact, he has shown how the South Arabic, Old Aramic, and

the ancient Indian Brahmi scripts are all derivatives of the Indus Valley

script. This new evidence confirms that the Harappan civilization could not

have been Dravidians that were overwhelmed by an Aryan invasion, but they were

followers of the Vedic religion. The irony is that the invasion theory suggests

that the Vedic Aryans destroyed the Dravidian Indus townships which had to have

been previously built according to the mathematical instructions that are found

in the Vedic literature of the Aryans, such as the

Shulbasutras. This point helps void the invasion theory. After all, if the

people of these cities used the Vedic styles of religious altars and town

planning, it would mean they were already Aryans.

In a similar line of thought in another recent book, Vedic Glossary on

Indus Seals, Dr. Natwar Jha has provided an interpretation of the ancient

script of the numerous recovered seals of the Indus Valley civilization. He has

concluded that the

Indus Valley seals, which are small soapstone, one-inch squares, exhibit a

relation to the ancient form of Brahmi. He found words on the seals that come

from the ancient Nighantu text, which is a glossary of Sanskrit compiled by the

sage Yaksa that deals with words of subordinate Vedic texts. An account of

Yaksa's search for older Sanskrit words is found in the Shanti Parva of the

Mahabharata. This may have been in relation to the Indus Valley seals and

certainly shows its ancient Vedic connection.

The point of all this is that the entire

Rig-veda had to have been

existing for thousands of years by the time the Indus Valley seals were

produced. Therefore, the seals were

of Vedic Sanskrit origin or a derivative of it, and the Indus Valley sites were

part of the Vedic culture. This is further evidence that there was no Aryan

invasion. No Aryan invasion means that the area and its residents were already

a part of the Vedic empire. This also means that the so-called Indo-Aryan or

Indo-European civilization was

nothing but the worldwide Vedic culture. From this we can also conclude,

therefore, that the so-called Indo-Aryan group of languages is nothing but the

various local mispronunciations of Sanskrit which has pervaded the civilized

world for thousands of years.

Another interesting point is that

skeletal remains found in the Harappan sites that date back to 4000 years ago

show the same basic racial types in the Punjab and Gujarat as found today. This

verifies that no outside race invaded and took over the area. The only west to

east movement that took place was after the Sarasvati went dry, and that was

involving the people who were already there. In this regard, Sir John Marshall,

in charge of the excavations at the Harappan sites, said that the Indus

civilization was the oldest to be unearthed, even older than the Sumerian

culture, which is believed to be but a branch of the former, and, thus, an

outgrowth of the Vedic society.

One more point about skeletal remains at the Harappan sites is that bones

of horses are found at all levels of these locations. Thus, the horse was well

known to these people. The horse was mentioned in the Rig-veda, and was one of

the main animals of Vedic culture in India. However, according to records in

Mesopotamia, the horse was unknown to that region until only about 2100 B.C. So

this provides further proof that the direction of movement by the people was

from India to the west, not the other way around as the invasion theory

suggests.

Professor Lal has written a book, The Earliest Civilization of South Asia,

in which he also has concluded that the theory of an Aryan

invasion has no basis. An invasion is not the reason for the destruction of the

Harappan civilization. It was caused by climactic changes. He says the

Harappan society was a melting pot made up of people from the Mediterranean,

Armenia, the Alpine area, and even China. They engaged in typical Vedic fire

worship, ashwamedha rituals. Such fire altars have been found in the Indus

Valley cities of Banawali, Lothal, and Kalibangan.

He also explains that the city of Kalibangan came to ruin when the

Saraswati River

dried up, caused by severe climactic changes around 1900 B.C. Thus, the mention

of the Sarasvati River also helps date the Vedas, which had to have existed

before this. This would put the origin of Sanskrit writing and the earliest

portions of Vedic literature

at least sometime before 4000 B.C., 6000 years ago.

In conclusion, V. Gordon Childe states in his book, The Aryans, that

though the idea of an Asiatic origin of the Aryans, who then migrated into

India, is the most widely accepted idea, it is still the least well documented.

And this idea is only one of the unfounded generalizations with which for over

seventy years anthropology and archeology have been in conflict. In fact, today

the northern

Asiatic origin of the Aryans is a hypothesis which has been abandoned by most

linguists and archeologists.

THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION

WAS A PART OF THE ADVANCED VEDIC CULTURE

Besides what we have already discussed, more light is shed on the advanced

civilization of the Indus Valley and how it influenced areas beyond its region

when we consider the subject of Vedic mathematics. E. J. H. Mackay explains in

his book, Further Excavations at Mohenjo-Daro, that the whole basis of Vedic

mathematics is geometry, and geometrical instruments have been found

in the Indus Valley which date back to at least 2800 B.C. The Vedic form of

mathematics was much more advanced than that found in early Greek and Egyptian

societies. This can be seen in the

Shulbasutras, supplements of the Kalpasutras, which also show the earliest forms

of algebra which were used by the Vedic priests in their geometry for the

construction of altars and arenas for religious purposes. In fact, the

geometrical formula known as the Pythagorean theorem can be traced to the

Baudhayans, the earliest forms of the Shulbasutras dated prior to the eighth century B.C.

The Shulbasutras are the earliest forms of mathematical knowledge, and

certainly the earliest for any religious purpose. They basically appear as a

supplement to the ritual (Shrauta) aspect of the Kalpasutras. They essentially

contain the mathematical formulas for the design of various altars for the

Vedic rituals of worship, which are evident in the Indus Valley sites.

The date of the Shulbasutras, after comparing the Baudhayana, Apastamba

and Katyayana Shulbas with the early mathematics of ancient Egypt and

Babylonia, as described by N. S. Rajaram in

Vedic Aryans and The Origins of Civilization (p.139), is near 2000 B.C. However,

after including astronomical data from the Ashvalayana Grihyasutra,

Shatapantha Brahmana, etc., the date can be brought farther back to near 3000

B.C., near the time of the Mahabharata War and the compilation of the other

Vedic texts by Srila Vyasadeva.

With this view in mind, Vedic mathematics can no longer be considered as a

derivative from ancient Babylon, which dates to 1700 B.C., but must be the

source of it as well as the Greek or Pythagorean mathematics. Therefore, the

advanced nature of the geometry found in the

Shulbasutras indicates that it provided the knowledge that had to have been

known during the construction of the Indus sites, such as Harappa and

Mohenjo-Daro, as well as that used in ancient Greece and Babylon.

It is Vedic mathematics that originated the decimal system of tens,

hundreds, thousands, and so on, and in which the remainder of one column of

numbers is carried over to the next column. The Indian number system was used

in Arabia after 700 A.D. and was called Al-Arqan-Al-Hindu. This

spread into Europe and became known as the Arabic numerals. This, of course, has

developed into the number system we use today, which is significantly easier

than the Egyptian, Roman, or Chinese symbols for numbers that made mathematics

much more difficult. It was the Indians who devised the methods of dividing

fractions and the use of equations and letters to signify unknown factors. They

also made discoveries in calculus and other systems of math several hundred

years before these same principles were understood in Europe. Thus, it becomes

obvious that if the Europeans had not changed from the Roman numeral system to

the form of mathematics that originated in India, many of the developments that

took place in Europe would not have been possible. In this way, all evidence

indicates that it was not any northern invaders into India who brought or

originated this advanced form of mathematics, but it was from the Vedic Aryan

civilization that had already been existing in India and the Indus Valley

region. Thus, we can see that such intellectual influence did not descend from

the north into India, but rather traveled from India up into Europe.

Additional evidence that it was not any invaders who originated the highly

advanced Vedic culture in the Indus Valley is the fact that various seals that

Waddell calls Sumerian and dates back to 2800 B.C. have been found bearing the

image of the water buffalo or Brahma bull. Modern zoologists believe that the

water buffalo was known only to the Ganges and Brahmaputra valleys and did not

exist in Western India or the Indus Valley. This would suggest a few

possibilities. One is that the Sumerians had traveled to Central and Eastern

India for reasons of trade and for finding precious stones since Harappa was a

trading center connected by way of the Indus river with the gold and turquoise

industry of Tibet. Thus, they learned about the water buffalo and used images

of them on their seals. The second and most likely possibility is that the

Aryan civilization at the time

extended from Eastern India to the Indus region and farther west to Mesopotamia

and beyond, and included the Sumerians as a branch. So, trade and its Vedic

connections with India naturally brought the image of the water buffalo to the

Indus Valley region and beyond.

Further evidence showing the Vedic influence on the region of Mohenjo-Daro

is a tablet dating back to 2600 B.C. It depicts an image of Lord Krishna as a

child. This positively shows that the Indus Valley culture was connected with

the ancient Vedic system, which was prevalent along the banks of the Rivers

Sarasvati and Sindhu thousands of years ago.

THE VEDIC LITERATURE SUPPLIES NO EVIDENCE

OF AN ARYAN INVASION

As we can see from the above information, the presence of the Vedic Aryans

in the Indus region is undeniable, but the evidence indicates they had been

there long before any invaders or immigrating nomads ever arrived, and, thus,

the Vedic texts must have been in existence there for quite some time as well.

In fact, the Vedic literature establishes that they were written many years

before the above mentioned date of 1400 B.C. The age of Kali is said to have

begun in 3102 B.C. with the disappearance of Lord Krishna, which is the time

when Srila Vyasadeva is said to have begun composing the Vedic knowledge into

written form. Thus, the

Rig-veda could not have been written or brought into the area by the so-called

"invaders" because they are not supposed to have come through the area until

1600 years later.

One of the

problems with dating the Vedic literature has been the use of linguistic

analysis, which has not been dependable. It can be safe to say, as pointed out

by K. C. Verma in his

Mahabharata: Myth and Reality–Differing Views (p.99), "All attempts to date the

Vedic literature on linguistic grounds have failed miserably for the simple

reason that (a) the conclusions of comparative philology are often speculative

and (b) no one has yet succeeded in showing how much change should take place

in a language in a given period. The only safe method is astronomical."

With this suggestion, instead of using the error prone method of

linguistics, we can look at the conclusion a few others have drawn by using

astronomical records for dating the Vedas. With the use of astronomical

calculations, some scholars date the earliest hymns of the

Rig-veda to before 4500 B.C. Others, such as Lokmanya Tilak and Hermann Jacobi,

agree that the major portion of the hymns of the Rig-veda were composed from

4500 to 3500 B.C., when the vernal equinox was in the Orion constellation.

These calculations had to have been actual sightings, according to K. C. Verma,

who states, "it has been proved beyond doubt that before the discoveries of

Newton, Liebnitz, La Place, La Grange, etc., back calculations could not have

been made; they are based on observational astronomy." (Mahabharata: Myth and

Reality–Differing Views, p.124)

In his book called The Celestial Key to the Vedas: Discovering the Origins

of the World's Oldest Civilization, B. G. Sidharth provides astronomical

evidence that the earliest portions of the

Rig-veda can be dated to 10,000 B.C. He is the director of the B. M. Birla

Science Center and has 30 years of experience in astronomy and science. He also

confirms that India had a thriving civilization capable of sophisticated

astronomy long before Greece, Egypt, or any other culture in the world.

In his commentary on Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.7.8), A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami,

one of the most distinguished Vedic scholars of modern times, also discusses the

estimated date of when the Vedic literature was written based on astronomical

evidence. He writes that there is some diversity amongst mundane scholars as to

the date when Srimad-Bhagavatam

was compiled, the latest of Vedic scriptures. But from the text it is certain

that it was compiled after Lord Krishna disappeared from the planet and before

the disappearance of King Pariksit. We are presently in the five thousandth

year of the age of Kali according to astronomical calculation and evidence in

the revealed scriptures. Therefore, he concludes, Srimad-Bhagavatam had to have

been

compiled at least five thousand years ago. The Mahabharata was compiled before

Srimad-Bhagavatam, and the major Puranas were compiled before Mahabharata.

Furthermore, we know that the Upanishads and the four primary Vedas,

including the Rig-veda, were compiled years before Mahabharata. This would

indicate that the Vedic literature was already existing before any so-called

invasion, which is said to have happened around 1400 B.C. In fact, this

indicates that the real Aryans were the Vedic kings and sages who were already

prevalent in this region, and not any uncertain tribe of nomadic people that

some historians inappropriately call "invading Aryans" who came into India and

then wrote their Vedic texts after their arrival. So this confirms the Vedic

version.

Another point of consideration is the Sarasvati River. Some people feel

that the Sarasvati is simply a mythical river, but through research and the use

of aerial photography they have rediscovered parts of what once was its river

bed. As the Vedas describe, and as research has shown, it had once been a very

prominent river. Many hundreds of years ago it flowed from the Himalayan

mountains southwest to the Arabian Sea at the Rann of Kutch, which is north of

Mumbai (Bombay) in the area of Dwaraka. However, it is known to have changed

course several times, flowing in a more westerly direction, and dried up near

1900 B.C.

Since the Rig-veda (7.95.1)

describes the course of the river from the mountains to the sea, as well as

(10.75.5) locates the river between the Yamuna and the Shutudri (Sutlej), it

becomes obvious that the Vedic Aryans had to have been in India before this

river dried up, or long before 2000 B.C. The Atharva-veda (6.30.1) also

mentions growing barley along the Sarasvati. And the Vajasaneya Samhita of the

Yajur-veda (Shuklayajur-veda 34.11) relates that five rivers flow into the

Sarasvati, after which she becomes a vast river. This is confirmed by satellite

photography, archeology, and hydrological surveys that the Sarasvati was a huge

river, up to five miles wide. Not only does this verify the antiquity of the

Aryan civilization in India, but also of the Vedic literature, which had to

have been in existence many hundreds of years before 1900 B.C. So this helps

confirm the above date of 3102 B.C. when the Vedic texts were compiled.

Furthermore, the ancient Rig-veda (10.75.5; 6.45.31; 3.59.6) mentions the

Ganges, sometimes called the Jahnavi, along with the Yamuna, Sarasvati, and

Sindhu (Indus) rivers (Rig-veda, 10.75.1-9). So the rivers and settlements in

the Ganges region did have significance in the Vedic literature, which shows

that the Vedas

were written in India and not brought into the Ganges area after they had been

written at some other location.

The

Manu-samhita (2.21-22) also describes Madhyadesa, the central region of India, as being

where the Aryans were located between the Himavat and Vindhya mountains, east of

Prayaga and west of Vinasana where the Sarasvati River disappears. It also says

the land that extends as far as the eastern and western oceans is called

Aryavata (place of the Aryans) by the wise. This means that the center of Vedic

civilization at the time was near the Sarasvati River.

The point of this is that here is more evidence that the

Vedic Aryans could not have invaded India or written the Rig-veda after 1800

B.C. and known about the Sarasvati River. In fact, for the river to have been

as great as it is described in the Vedas and Puranas, the Aryans had to have

been existing in the area for several thousand years, at least before the river

began to dry up. And if the Aryans were not the first people in this area, then

why are there no pre-Aryan names for these rivers? Or why has no one discovered

the pre-Indus Valley language if it had been inhabited by a different people

before the Aryans arrived? And why is there no record of any Aryan invasion in

any of the Vedic literature?

In this regard, Mr. K. D. Sethna points out on page 67 of his book, The

Problem of Aryan Origins From an Indian Point of View, that even scholars who

believe in an Aryan invasion of India around 1500 B.C. admit that the Rig-veda

supplies no sign of an entry into the Indian subcontinent from anywhere. There

is no mention of any such invasion. From our research and evidence, the

Rig-veda can be dated to at least around 3000 B.C. or much earlier. Thus, for

all practical purposes, there is little reason to discuss any other origination

of the Vedic Aryans than the area of Northern India.

This is corroborated in The Cultural Heritage of India (pp. 182-3) wherein

it explains that Indian tradition knows nothing of any Aryan invasion from the

northwest or outside of India. In fact, the Rig-veda (Book Ten, Chapter 75)

lists the rivers in the order from the east to the northwest, in accordance

with the expansion of the Aryan outflow from India to the northwest. This would

concur with the history in the

Puranas that India was the home of the Aryans, from where they expanded to

outside countries in various directions, spreading the Vedic culture. The

Manu-samhita (2.17-18) specifically

points out that the region of the Vedic Aryans is between the Sarasvati and the

Drishadvati Rivers, as similarly found in the Rig-veda (3.24.4).

Any wars mentioned in the Vedic literature are those that have taken place

between people of the same culture, or between the demigods and demons, or the

forces of light and darkness. The idea that the term "Aryan" or "Arya" refers

to those of a particular race is misleading. It is a term that means anyone of

any race that is noble and of righteous and gentle conduct. To instill the idea

of an Aryan invasion into the Vedic texts is merely an exercise of taking

isolated verses out of context and changing the meaning of the terms. Even the

oldest written Vedic book, the Rig-veda, contains no mention of a wandering

tribe of people coming from some original holy land or any mountainous regions

from outside India. In fact, it describes the Indian subcontinent in

recognizable terms of rivers and climate. The Sarasvati River is often

mentioned in the Rig-veda, which makes it clear that the region of the

Sarasvati was a prime area of the Vedic people. Furthermore, it describes no

wars with outsiders, no capturing of cities, and no incoming culture of any

kind that would indicate an invasion from a foreign tribe. Only much later

after the Vedic period do we have the invasion of India by the Muslims and the

British, for which there is so much recorded evidence.

The Vedic literature is massive, and no other culture has produced

anything like it in regard to ancient history. Not the Egyptians, Sumerians,

Babylonians, or Chinese. So if it was produced outside of India, how could

there not be some reference to its land of origination? For that matter, how

could these so-called primitive nomads who came invading the Indus region

invent such a sophisticated language and produce such a distinguished record of

their customs in spite of their migrations and numerous battles? This is hardly

likely. Only a people who are well established and advanced in their knowledge

and culture can do such a thing. In this way, we can see that the Vedic texts

give every indication that the Vedic Aryans originated in India.

Therefore, we are left with much evidence in literary records and

archeological findings, as we shall see, that flies in the face of the Aryan

invasion theory. It shows how the Vedic Aryans went from India to Iran,

Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and on toward Europe in a westward direction rather than

toward the east. The invasion theory is but a product of the imagination.

MORE EVIDENCE FOR THE ORIGINAL HOME

OF THE VEDIC ARYANS

The Brahmin priests and Indian scholars believe that the Sarasvati and

Ganges valley region are the

origin of Indian civilization and the Aryan society. This can be given some

credence when we look at the

cities in this region. For example, North of Delhi is the town of Kuruksetra

where the great battle of the Mahabharata took place when Sri Krishna was still

on the planet over 5,000 years ago. There is also the old city of Hastinapura

that was once situated along the Ganges until the river changed its course and

swept the city away in 800 B.C. This is the old capital of the Kuru dynasty in

the

Mahabharata. Pottery remains have been found near this location that are traced

back to at least 1200 B.C. In New Delhi we find the Purana Qila site, which is

known to have been part of the ancient city of Indraprastha. An interesting

quote can be found in the ancient Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.72.13) which can give

us some idea of how prominent Indraprastha had been. It states that during the

time when Sri Krishna was on this planet 5,000 years ago, King Yudhisthira sent

his brothers, the Pandavas, to conquer the world in all directions. This was for

bringing all countries to participate in the great Rajasuya ceremony that was

being held in ancient Indraprastha. All countries were to pay a tax to help the

performance of the ceremony, and to send representatives to participate. If they

did not wish to cooperate, then they would have to engage in battle with the

Pandavas. Thus, the whole world came under the jurisdiction of the Vedic Aryan

administration.

South of New Delhi are the holy towns of Vrindavan and Mathura along the

Yamuna River. Both of these towns are known for being places of Krishna's

pastimes and Vedic legends that go back thousands of years, which are also

described in the Vedic literature. Farther south, located on the Yamuna, is the

ancient city of Kaushambi. This city still has the remains of massive defense

structures from the tenth century B.C. that are very similar to buildings in

Harrappa and the Indus region that use baked brick for construction. The

Yajur-veda (Vajasaneyi Samhita 23.18) also mentions the town of Kampila, which

is located about halfway between Hastinapur and Kaushambi. The next city is

Allahabad (Prayag) where we find the confluence of the Yamuna and Ganges. This

location abounds with importance and Vedic legends that are so remote in

antiquity that no one can say when they originated. Then there is Varanasi

along the Ganges that is another city filled with ancient Vedic legends of

importance. A short distance north of Varanasi is Sarnath, where Buddha gave

his first sermon after being enlightened. A four-hour train ride north of

Varanasi is the town of Ayodhya, where Lord Ramachandra had His capital, as

fully described in the ancient Ramayana. And, of course, there are the

Himalayan mountains that have many Vedic stories connected with them.

Furthermore, there are numerous other places that could be mentioned that are

connected with the Vedic legends throughout the area. (Most of these have

already been described in the Seeing Spiritual India sections in my previous

books.)

Though some archeologists claim they have discovered no evidence for the

ancient existence of the Vedic Aryan culture in this Gangetic region, even a

casual tour through this area, as mentioned above, makes it obvious that these

towns and holy sites did not gain importance overnight, nor simply by an

immigration of people who are said to have brought the Vedas with them. These

places could not have become incorporated into the Vedic legends so quickly if

the Vedic culture came from another location. Therefore, the argument that the

early Vedic literature was brought from another region or describes a

geographical location other than India cannot so easily be accepted. The fact

is that the whole of India and up through the Indus region was the original

home of the Vedic Aryan culture from which it spread its influence over much of

the rest of the world.

THE VEDIC EXPLANATION OF THE ORIGINAL ARYANS

AND HOW THEIR INFLUENCE SPREAD

THROUGHOUT THE WORLD

How the Aryan name was given to those who are said to have invaded the

Indus region is regarded as uncertain, and, as I have shown, whether there

really was any invasion is no longer a legitimate consideration. Nonetheless,

the term aryan has been applied to those people who occupied the plains between

the Caspian and Black Seas. The hypothesis is that they began to migrate around

the beginning of the second millennium B.C. Some went north and northwest, some

went westward settling in parts of the Middle East, while others traveled to

India through the Indus Valley. Those that are said to have come into India

were the "invading Aryans."

The

Vedic literature establishes a different scenario. They present evidence that

ancient, pre-historical India covered a much broader area, and that the real

Aryans were not invaders from the north into the Indus region, but were the

original residents who were descendants of Vedic society that had spread over

the world from the area of India. Let us remember that the term aryan has been

confused with meaning light or light complexion. However, Aryan refers to

Arya, or a clear consciousness toward God, not white or white people. In the Vedic sutras,

the word aryan is used to refer to those who are spiritually oriented and of

noble character. The Sanskrit word aryan is linguistically related to the word

harijana (pronounced hariyana), meaning one related to God, Hari. Therefore,

the real meaning of the name aryan

refers to those people related to the spiritual Vedic culture. It has little to

do with those immigrants that some researchers have speculated to be the

so-called "invading Aryans." Aryan refers to those who practice the Vedic

teachings and does not mean a particular race of people. Therefore, anyone can

be an Aryan by following the clear, light, Vedic philosophy, while those who do

not follow it are non-Aryan. Thus, the name Aryan, as is generally accepted

today, has been misapplied to a group of people who are said to have migrated

from the north into India.

Some call these people Sumerians, but L. A. Waddell, even though he uses

the name, explains that the name Sumerian does not exist as an ethnic title and

was fabricated by the modern Assyriologists and used to label the Aryan people.

And Dr. Hall, in his book

Ancient History of the Near East, says that there is an anthropological

resemblance between the Dravidians of India and the Sumerians of Mesopotamia,

which suggests that the group of people called the Sumerians actually were of

Indian descendants. With this information in mind, it is clear that the real

Aryans were the Vedic followers who were already existing throughout India and

to the north beyond the Indus region.

To help understand how the Aryan influence spread through the world, L. A.

Waddell explains that the Aryans

established the pre-historic trade routes over land and sea from at least the

beginning of the third millennium B.C., if not much earlier. Wherever the

Aryans went, whether in Egypt, France, England, or elsewhere, they imposed

their authority and culture, much to the betterment of the previous culture of

the area. They

brought together scattered tribes and clans into national unity that became

increasingly bright in their systems of social organization, trade, and art. In

seeking new sources of metal, such as tin, copper, gold, and lead, the Aryans

established ports and colonies among the local tribes that later developed into

separate nations which took many of their traditions and cultural traits from

the ruling Aryans. Of course, as trade with the Aryans diminished, especially

after the Mahabharata War in India, variations in the legends and cultures

became prominent. This accounts for the many similarities between the different

ancient civilizations of the world, as well as those resemblances that still

exist today.

Another consideration is that since the Aryans were centralized in the

Gangetic plains and the Himalayan mountains, from there they could have spread

east along the Brahmaputra River and over the plain of Tibet. The Chinese, in

the form of the Cina tribe, also are likely to have originated here since they

have the legend of the sacred mountain in the west with four rivers. The

ancient Puranas explain that Manu and his sons ruled over the area, over as

many lands north of Mount Meru and Kailas as south. Other Aryans could have

easily gone down the Sarasvati and Sarayu into north India. Others went from

the Indus into Kashmir and Afghanistan, and into Central Asia. Others went into

the areas of Gujarat and Sind, and over through Persia and the Gulf region. This

is how the Sumerian civilization was founded, along with Babylonia. From there

they went farther into Turkey and Europe.

After spreading throughout South India, they continued down the Ganges by

sea east into Malaysia and Indonesia, founding the ancient Vedic cultures

there. By sea they continued to China, meeting the Aryans that were probably

already there. From China and the orient, they sailed over the Pacific Ocean

and finally reached and colonized the Americas. Plenty of evidence of this is

presented in the following chapters.

We can see some of the affect of this spread out of India in regard to the

term aryan. The name Harijana or Aryan evolved into Syriana or Syrians in Syria,

and Hurrians in Hurri, and Arianna or Iranians in Iran. This shows that they

were once part of Vedic society. A similar case is the name Parthians in

Partha, another old country in Persia. Partha was the name of Krishna's friend

Arjuna, a Vedic Aryan, and means the son of King Prithu. So the name Parthian

indicates those who are the descendants of King Prithu. Parthians also had a

good relationship with the early Jews since the Jews used to buy grains from

the Parthians. The

Greeks referred to the

Jews as Judeos, or Jah deos or Yadavas, meaning people of Ya or descendants of

Yadu, one of the sons of Yayati. It is also regarded that the basis of the

Kabbalah, the book of Jewish mystical concepts, as described in The Holy

Kabbalah by Arthur Edward Waite, is

linked with Kapila Muni, the Indian sage and incarnation of Krishna who established the analytical

sankhya-yoga philosophy. Therefore, a connection between the early Jews and

ancient Vedic culture is evident.

Another aspect of the connection between these various regions and the

Vedic culture is explained in the Vedic literature. In the Rig-veda (10.63.1)

Manu is the foremost of kings and seers. Manu and his family were survivors of

the world flood, as mentioned in the Shatapatha Brahmana (1.8.1). Thus, a new

beginning for the human race came from him, and all of humanity are descendants

from Manu. The

Atharva-veda (19.39.8) mentions where his ship descended in the Himalayas. One

temple that signifies the location of where the ship of Manu first touched land

after the flood is in Northern India in the hills of Manali. His important

descendants are the Pauravas, Ayu, Nahusha, and Yayati. From Yayati came the

five Vedic clans; the Purus, Anus, Druhyus, Turvashas, and Yadus. The Turvashas

are related to India's southeast, Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa, and are the

ancestors of the Dravidians and the Yavanas. Yadu is related to the south or

southwest, Gujarat and Rajasthan, from Mathura to Dwaraka and Somnath. The Anus

are related to the north, to Punjab, as well as Bengal and Bihar. The Druhyus

are related to the west and northwest, such as Gandhara and Afghanistan. Puru

is connected with the central Yamuna/Ganges region. All but Puru were known for

having intermittently fallen from the Vedic dharma, and various wars in the

Puranas were with these groups.

As explained by Shrikant Talageri in his book, The Aryan Invasion Theory:

A Reappraisal (pp. 304-5, 315, 367-368), from these descendants, the Purus were

the Rigvedic people and developed

Vedic culture in north central India and the Punjab along the Sarasvati

(Rig-veda 7.96.2). The Anus of southern Kashmir along the Parushni or modern

Ravi River (Rig-veda 7.18.13) spread over western Asia and developed the

various Iranian cultures. The Druhyus northwest of the area of the Punjab and

Kashmir spread into Europe and became the western Indo-Europeans, or the Druids

and ancient Celts. A first group went northwest and developed the proto-Germanic

dialect, and another group traveled farther south and developed the

proto-Hellenic and Itallic-Celtic dialects. Other tribes included the Pramshus

in western Bihar, and Ikshvakus of northern Uttar Pradesh.

Incidentally, according to legend, thousands of years ago

Kashmir was a large lake surrounded by beautiful mountain peaks. It was here

where the goddess Parvati stayed in her boat. One day she went to see Lord

Shiva in the mountains. Then a great demon took possession of the lake.

Kashyapa Muni, who was present at the time, called for the goddess to return.

Together they chased the demon away and created an immense valley. It was

called Kashyapa-Mira, and later shortened to Kashmir. This again shows the

Vedic connection of this region.

Other tribes mentioned in the Vedic texts include the Kiratas, who are the

mountain people of Tibet and Nepal, often considered impure for not practicing

the Vedic dharma. The Vishnu Purana (4.3.18-21) also mentions the Shakas who

are the Scythians of ancient Central Asia, the Pahlavas who are the Persians,

and the Cinas who are the Chinese. They are all considered as fallen nobility

or Kshatriyas who had been driven out of India during the reign of King Sagara.

To explain further, Yadu was the eldest of the five sons of Yayati. Yayati

was a great emperor of the world and one of the original forefathers of those of

Aryan and Indo-European heritage. Yayati divided his kingdom amongst his sons,

who then started their own dynasties. Yayati had two wives, Devayani and

Sharmistha. Yayati had two sons from Devayani: Yadu and Turvasu. Yadu was the

originator of the Yadu dynasty called the Yadavas, later known as the Lunar

Dynasty. From Turvasu came the Yavana or Turk dynasty. From Sharmistha, Yayati

had three sons: Druhya, who started the Bhoja dynasty; Anu, who began the

Mleccha or Greek dynasty; and Puru who started the Paurava dynasty, which is

said to have settled along the Ravi River and later along the Sarasvati. Some

say that this clan later went on to Egypt who became the Pharaohs and rulers of

the area. These Aryan tribes, originating in India by King Yayati and mentioned

in the Rig-veda and Vishnu and Bhagavat Puranas, spread all over the world.

The Yadava kingdom later became divided among the four sons of Bhima

Satvata. From Vrishni, the youngest, descended Vasudeva, the father of Krishna

and Balarama and their sister Pritha or Kunti. Kunti married the Yadava prince

Pandu, whose descendants became the Pandavas. Kunti became the mother of

Yudhisthira, Bhima, and Arjuna (Partha), the three elder Pandavas. The younger

Pandavas were Nakula and Sahadeva, born from Pandu's second wife Madri. After

moving to the west coast of India, they lived at Dwaraka under the protection

of Lord Krishna. Near the time of Krishna's disappearance from earth, a

fratricidal war broke out and most of the Pandavas were killed, who had grown

to become a huge clan. Those that survived may have gone on to the Indus Valley

where they joined or started another part of the advanced Vedic society. Others

may have continued farther west into Egypt and some on to Europe, as previously

explained.

This is further substantiated in the

Mahabharata which mentions several provinces of southern Europe and Persia that

were once connected with the Vedic culture. The Adi-parva (174.38) of the

Mahabharata describes the province of Pulinda (Greece) as having been conquered

by Bhimasena and Sahadeva, two of the Pandava brothers. Thus, the ancient Greeks

were once a part of Bharata-varsa (India) and the Vedic civilization. But later

the people gave up their affiliation with Vedic society and were, therefore,

classified as Mlecchas. However, in the Vana-parva section of the Mahabharata

it is predicted that this non-Vedic society would one day rule much of the

world, including India. Alexander the Great conquered India for the Pulinda or

Greek civilization in 326 B.C., fulfilling the prophecy.

The Sabha-parva and Bhisma-parva sections of the Mahabharata mention the

province of Abhira, situated near what once was the Sarasvati River in ancient

Sind. The Abhiras are said to have been warriors who had left India out of fear

of Lord Parashurama and hid themselves in the Caucasion hills between the Black

and Caspian Seas. Later, for a period of time, they were ruled by Maharaja

Yudhisthira. However, the sage Markandaya predicted that these Abhiras, after

they gave up their link with Vedic society, would one day rule India.

Another province mentioned in

Mahabharata (Adi-parva 85.34) is that of the

Yavanas (Turks) who were so named for being descendants of Maharaja Yavana

(Turvasu), one of the sons of Maharaja Yayati, as previously explained. They

also gave up Vedic culture and became Mlecchas. They fought in the battle of

Kuruksetra against the Pandavas on behalf of Duryodhana and lost. However, it

was predicted that they would one day return to conquer Bharata-varsa (India)

and, indeed, this came to pass. Muhammad Ghori later attacked and conquered

parts of India on behalf of Islam from the Abhira and Yavana or Turkish

countries. Thus, we can see that these provinces in the area of Greece and

Turkey (and the countries in between there and India) were

once part of the Vedic civilization and had at one time not only political and

cultural ties, but also ancestral connections. This is the Vedic version, of

the origin of Aryan civilization and how its influence spread in various

degrees throughout the world.

THE CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

IN THE SPREAD OF VEDIC CULTURE

Now I will piece together the basic chronological order of the spread of

Vedic culture from India. According to the Vedic tradition, the original

spiritual and Vedic knowledge was given to mankind by God at the beginning of

creation. Thus, there would have been a highly advanced Vedic and spiritual

civilization in the world. However, through various earth changes, such as ice

ages, earthquakes, droughts, etc., the structure of the global cultures

changed. Some of these events, such as the great flood, are recorded by most

cultures throughout the world.

Many scholars feel that the global deluge happened around 13,000 years

ago. Some think that it could have been a meteorite impact that triggered the

end of the Ice Age and caused a giant meltdown that produced the water that

flooded the planet. Much land disappeared, and the global flood swept away most

of the world's population. Great lakes were formed, all lowlands disappeared,

and lands like Egypt became moist with water. This means that the advanced

civilization that had once populated the earth was now gone, and would be

replaced by the survivors. It was the mariners, such as the Vedic Manu and his

family, who survived the flood and colonized other parts of the world.

Further information of the last ice age and global deluge is briefly

explained by Dr. Venu Gopalacharya. In a personal letter to me (July 22, 1998),

he explained that, "There are eighteen Puranas and sub-Puranas in Sanskrit.

According to them, only those who settled on the high mountains of Central Asia

and around the Caspian Sea, after the end of the fourth ice age, survived from

the glaciers and deluge. During the period from the end of the fourth ice age

and the great deluge, there were 12 great wars for the mastery over the globe.

They divided the global regions into two parts. The worshipers of the

beneficial forces of nature, or Devas, settled from the Caspian Sea to the

eastern ocean, and the worshipers of the evil forces of nature occupied the

land to the west of the Caspian Sea. These became known as the Assyrians

(Asuras), Daityas (Dutch), Daiteyas (Deutch or German), Danavas (Danes), and

Danutusahs (Celts). Some of them migrated to the American continent. The

Mayans, Toltecs, and the rulers of Palanque (Patalalanke), are considered to be

the Asuras who migrated to the Patala (land below), or the land of immortals,

Amaraka. [This is the original Sanskrit from which the name of

America is derived. Mara in Sanskrit means death, amara means no death or beyond

it.] In the deluge, most of these lands were submerged.

Noah (Manu) and his subjects became known as Manavas, ruled by the monarchs of

the globe. They were successors of his [Manu's] nine sons and one daughter."

Dr. Venu Gopalacharya continues this line of thought in his book,

World-Wide Hindu Culture and Vaishnava Bhakti (pages 117-18). He explains

further how this

Vedic culture continued to spread after the great deluge. It was under the

leadership of the Solar dynasty princes that a branch of Indians marched west

of the Indus River and occupied the area of Abyssinia and its surrounding

regions around the rivers Nile, Gambia, and Senagal. The names of Abyssinia and

Ethiopia are derived from words that mean colonies of the people of the Sindhu

and the Aditya or Solar dynasty. You can recognize many names of places in and

around Ethiopia that are derived from the original Sanskrit. So after the great

deluge, Vaivasvata Manu's nine sons [some references say ten sons] were ruling

over the various parts of the globe. They and their successors were very

concerned about establishing the Vedic principles of Sanatana-dharma, the

uplifting way of life for regaining and maintaining one's spiritual identity and

connection with the Supreme. This was the essence of Vaivasvata Manu's

teachings. This was especially taught and strictly followed by the great rulers

of the Solar dynasty who governed from Ayodhya. These principles included the

practice of truth, nonviolence, celibacy, cleanliness, non-covetousness,

firmness of mind, peace, righteousness, and self-control as exemplified by Lord

Sri Rama and His ancestors like Sagara, Ambarisha, Dilipa, Raghu, and Dasaratha.

This is explained in Kalidasa's Raghuvamsha as well as other Puranas and

Itihasas. This standard became more popular with the ancient Indians than

people in other parts of the world, and, thus, India became the center of this

Vedic way of life since time immemorial.

The unfortunate thing is that many of the most ancient records, in which

we may very well have been able to find more exact information about this sort

of early history, were destroyed by the revolutionary fanatics at places like

Alexandria, Pusa, Takshashila, and others in Central Asia, and Central and

South America. They did so while declaring that such knowledge and records were

unnecessary if they contained what was already in their own religious books, but

should be destroyed if they contained anything different. This is why the

mythologies of Egypt, Babylonia, the Jews, the Old Testament, and the holy

Koran contain only brief accounts of the pre-historical facts beyond 2500 years

ago, unlike those histories that hold much greater detail as found in the

ancient Vedic and Puranic literature.

In any case, we can begin to see that the Vedic Aryans had been living in

the region of India since the last deluge, from

about 13,000 to 10,000 B.C. Thus, there could not have been any pre-Aryan

civilization in this area that had been conquered by so-called "invading

Aryans" in 1500 B.C.

Using the many types of evidence previously provided in this chapter, it

is clear that the height of the Vedic Age was certainly long before 3100 B.C.,

even as early as 4000 to 5000 B.C. as some scholars feel. Bal Gangadhar Tilak

estimates that the Vedas were in existence as early as 6000 B.C., based on

historical data, while others say it was

as far back as 7000-8000 B.C. Since the Vedic culture during this time was

practicing an oral tradition, and the literature had still not been put into

written form, the basic hymns of the Rig-veda, and even the

Atharva-veda and others, could have been in existence for many thousands of

years. These Vedas were used in everyday life for society's philosophy,

worship, and rituals. Therefore, they were a highly sophisticated product of a

greatly developed society, and must date back to the remotest antiquity. Or, as

the tradition itself explains, the essence of Vedic knowledge had been given to

humanity by God at the time of the universal creation and has always been in

existence.

By 3700, all of the principal books of the

Rig-veda were in place and known. Of course, this was still an oral tradition

and additional books could still have been added. One point in this regard is

that the father of the great Bishma was Shantanu whose brother, Devapi, is

credited with several hymns of the Rig-veda. This could not have been much

earlier than 3200 B.C. since Bishma played a prominent role in the

Mahabharata War at Kuruksetra, which is calculated to have been around 3137 B.C.

Further calculations can be accorded with the dynastic list as found in the

Adi Parva of the Mahabharata. With the help of the list, from 3100 B.C. we get

nearly an additional 630 years or longer going back to Sudas and the Battle of

the Ten Kings, as described in the Rig-veda. This takes us back to about 3730

B.C. Therefore, the height of the Vedic Age can be dated no later than 3700

B.C.

From the Vedic literature, we can also see that the Sarasvati River had to

have been at its prime around 4000 to 5000 B.C. or earlier. This is when it was

recorded in the Rig and Atharva-vedas. This was also when the Vedic culture was

spreading throughout the world, either because of reasons of trade, migration,

or because some of the degenerated tribes were driven out of the Indian region.

Some of the first tribes to have left India may include the Prithu-Parthavas

(who later became the Parthians), the Druhyus (who became the Druids), the

Alinas (Hellenes or ancient Greeks), the Simyus (Sirmios or ancient Albanians),

the Cinas (Chinese), and others. This could have been around 4500 B.C., as

explained by N. S. Rajaram in The Vedic Aryans and the Origins of Civilization

(p. 210). These were some of the earliest of Aryans who created the most

ancient form of Indo-European society. They took with them their Vedic customs,

language, rituals, etc., all of which gradually changed with time due to their

lack of seriously following the Vedic traditions, or because of their loss of

close contact with the orthodox homeland. This would certainly help explain the

many similarities in languages and culture that we find today between numerous

regions of the world, many of which we will explain later in this book.

During the fourth millennium, near 3800 B.C., North India had plenty of

water, with such great rivers as the Indus to the north, the Ganga to the east,

and the central Sarasvati-Drishadvati river system, which was fed by the Sutlej

and the Yamuna. The great Thar desert did not yet create a division between

North India and the western areas. So it was all one cultural entity. Thus, the

central Vedic society covered a much wider area and had greater influence than

the mere country of India today.

However, before the time of the

Mahabharata War, the Yamuna had changed its course and was no longer flowing

into the Sarasvati, but emptied into the Ganga. By the time of the

Mahabharata, around 3100 B.C., the Sarasvati is described in relation to

Balarama's pilgrimage (Shalya Parva, 36-55) as still being significant in its

holiness, but from its origin it flowed only for a forty-day journey by horse

into the desert where it disappeared. All that was left were the holy places

that used to be on its banks (as also mentioned in 3.80.84; 3.88.2; &

9.34.15-8). The Mahabharata also describes the geographical location of the

river, saying that it flows near Kurukshetra (3.81.125). Similar information

along with the place where the Sarasvati disappears, Vinasana, is found in the

Manu-samhita (2.21). Gradually, the desert expanded and the people of the

western region continued to migrate farther west, losing touch with their Vedic

roots. This is what helped further the development of the Sumerian and Egyptian

communities.

The next major time period of 3100 B.C. or earlier not only marks the era

of the Mahabharata War, the disappearance of Lord Krishna, and the beginning of

the Kali-yuga, but it also marks the beginning of the end of the Vedic Age. The

war at Kurukshetra was the beginning of the breakdown of the Vedic culture and

its global contacts. It is also the time when the remaining major portions of

the Vedic literature were compiled, which was accomplished by Srila Vyasadeva,

for which He had appeared in this world. And since there were no Aryan

invasions coming into India or the Indus Sarasvati region, as we have already

established, then this is also the time when the Harappan civilization began to

form, or reach its prime if it was already in existence. Furthermore, this was

also the time of the first and second dynasties of

Egypt, which is corroborated by the fact that many scholars feel that the

pyramids of Egypt were built at this time. Some scholars feel that the Step

pyramid in Sakkara, 30 miles south of Giza, was built about 5,000 years ago

(around 3000 B.C.), while others consider it dates back to 2650 B.C. This also

suggests that the Sumerian civilization was entering its prime during this

period as well. It was also when the Egyptians and Sumerians were depending on

the mathematical systems and formulas of the Shulbasutras from India for their

own architecture, altars, and town planning, as were the sites of the Harappan

civilization.

From 3000 to 2000 B.C., as the people continued to spread out from India

to the west, there was still much contact between India and such areas as

Egypt, Sumeria, Mesopotamia, and others. However, the great 300 year drought in

the area created intense difficulties for all of these civilizations. Many agree

that the Harappan civilization

ended around 2500-2200 B.C. This 300 year drought, not any invaders, caused the

beginning of the end of the Harappan sites, as well as that of the Akkadian

society. The ancient Egyptian civilization also could have met its end because

of this drought, leaving us only with the remnants of its monuments and

writings that we are still trying to fully understand today. Its people

probably migrated in the search for better resources. Furthermore, 3000 to 2500

B.C. is also the period, according to British archeological estimates, that is

believed to be when the Druids and their priests arrived in Britain. However,

the English Druids claim their origin is from the east from as far back as 3900

B.C., which follows more closely to the Vedic version.

By 2000 B.C. the Sutlej had also changed its course and flowed into the

Indus, while the desert relentlessly grew. This left the Sarasvati with few

resources to continue being the great river it once was. Near 1900 B.C., the

Sarasvati River finally ceased to flow altogether and completely dried up,

contributing to the disbanding of the people of northwestern India to other

places, and making the Gangetic region the most important for the remaining

Vedic society. Once the Sarasvati disappeared, the Ganga replaced it as the

holiest of rivers.

After 2000 B.C. was a time of much migration of the Indian Aryans into

West Asia, Mesopotamia, Iran, and further. There was the founding of the

Kassites, Hittites, and Mittani, along with the Celts, Scythians, etc., who all

participated in their own migrations.

The reason why the populace of Europe gradually forgot their connection

with India was because contacts between India were reduced to the Greeks and

Romans. Then when Alexander and the Greeks invaded India, contacts were reduced

to almost nothing for centuries. Thereafter, the Romans became Christians,

forcing the rest of Europe to follow. This left the Arabs as the primary

traders between India and Europe, until the wars developed between the

Christians and the growing Muslims. Once the Muslims captured Constantinople in

Turkey, they controlled all trade routes between Europe and India, and forced

Europeans to find a sea route to India. This lead to the "discovery" of

America, Australia, and parts of Africa. Later, as the trade routes with India

were opened, missionaries, new invaders, and so-called scholars became the new

conquerors. With them also came the new versions of history brought about to

diminish the real heritage and legacy of India.

CONCLUSION

This chapter provides evidence of the real origination of the Vedic

Aryans. It also makes it clear that it is to the East, specifically the area of

India, where the origins of advanced civilization and the essence of religion

and spiritual philosophy can be traced. From there, the Aryan influence had

spread to many other regions and can still be recognized in numerous cultures.

Only a few open-minded people who look at the whole picture of this kind of

religious development will understand the inherent unity the world and its

history contains. Such unity is disturbed only by mankind's immature, dogmatic,

and self-centered feelings for regional and cultural superiority. We have seen

this in the propaganda that was effectively used by the Nazis and is presently

used by neo-Nazis and white supremacist groups who now employ the modern myth

that the original location of the Aryan race was in northern Europe. Thus, they

imply that members of this race are superior over all other races in physique,

language, mental capabilities, and culture. This myth must be seen for what it

is because there is no doubt that the real Aryan people originated and spread

from the region of India and the Indus Valley, not Europe.

As N. S. Rajaram so nicely explains in

Vedic Aryans and The Origins of Civilization (pp. 247-8), "To conclude: on the

basis of archeology, satellite photography, metallurgy and ancient mathematics,

it is now clear that there existed a great civilization--a mainly spiritual

civilization perhaps--before the rise of Egypt, Sumeria and the Indus Valley.

The heartland of this ancient world was the region from the Indus to the

Ganga--the land of the Vedic Aryans.

"This conclusion, stemming from scientific findings of the past three

decades, demolishes the theory that nomadic Aryans from Central Asia swooped

down on the plains of India in the second millennium BCE and established their

civilization and composed the Rig-veda. The picture presented by science

therefore is far removed from the one found in history books that place the

'Cradle of Civilization' in the river valleys of Mesopotamia. Modern science

and ancient records provide us also a clue to a long standing historical

puzzle: why since time immemorial, people from India and Sri Lanka, to England

and Ireland have spoken languages clearly related to one another, and possess

mythologies and beliefs that are so strikingly similar.

"The simple answer is: they were part of a great civilization that

flourished before the rise of Egypt, Sumeria and the Indus Valley. This was a

civilization before the dawn of civilizations."

May I also say that this corroborates the history as we find it in the

Vedic literature, especially the Rig-veda and the Puranas. It therefore helps

prove the authenticity of the Vedic culture and our premise that it was

the original ancient civilization, a spiritual society, using the knowledge as

had been given by God since the time of creation, and established further by

the sages that followed. According to a recent racial study (The History and

Geography of Human Genes), it has been confirmed that all people of Europe, the

Middle East, and India belong to a single Caucasian type race. This means that

they had to have come from the same source. Thus, we are all descendants of

this great Vedic culture, the center of which is India. As more evidence comes

forth, it will only prove how the testimony of the Rig-veda and the

Puranas is confirmed, and will point to the area of northern India as the

original homeland of the Vedic Aryans.

The point of all this is that even if Muslims, Christians, Jews,

Buddhists, Hindus, etc., all keep their own ideology, legends, and traditions,

we should realize that all of these legends and conceptions of God and forms of

worship ultimately refer to the same Supreme God and lesser demigods, although

they may be called by different names according to present day variations in

region and culture. In other words, all these doctrines and faiths are simply

outgrowths of the original religion and worship of the one Supreme Deity that

spread throughout the world many thousands of years ago from the same basic

source, and which is now expressed through the many various cultural

differences in the world. Therefore, no matter what religion we may consider

ourselves, we are all a part of the same family. We are merely another branch

of the same tree which can be traced to the original pre-historic roots of

spiritual thought that are found in the Vedic culture, the oldest and most

developed philosophical and spiritual tradition in the world.

In the following chapters this will become more apparent as we begin to

take a closer look at each individual culture and religion, and various

locations throughout the world, and recognize the numerous connections and

similarities they have with the Vedic traditions and knowledge.

END OF ARTICLE

Now for the archaeology. Kindly read the following:

Recent Archeological Finds Confirming Vedic

History

Additional evidence

of the truths of Vedic culture is continually being uncovered. So this is a new project

in which we will list some of the most noteworthy archeological finds that tend

to confirm the Vedic descriptions of world history. There are also other papers

that are included in which new developments or research are discussed. We will

continue to update this information as new discoveries are developed, or as

additional news is sent in to us. So if you learn of anything newsworthy in this

regard, feel free to send it in to us so we might include it on this page.

Some of the Archeological

Discoveries of 2002

This lists: 1. A

City Dating Back to 7500 BC, 2. Recent Archeological Find Could Rewrite History,

3. Ancient Egyptian Flight Technology, 4. Treasures Discovered at the Ancient

Angkor Wat, 5. Sixty-five Million Year Old Crocodile Fossils, 6. Ancient City

Found Off the Coast of Mamallapuram, 7. Links Between Ancient India and Mayans,

8. Ancient Stone Maps Over 120 Million Years Old, 9. Taxila 600 Years Older than

Earlier Believed, 10. Buried Shiva Temples Found, 11. Evidence of Ancient Sea

Trade Between Rome and India, 12. Shiva Lingams Found in Vietnam, 13. India was

the First Source of Diamonds, 14. Ancient Hindu Temple Discovered in Indonesia,

15. A 7000 Year Old Temple in Mallesvaram, 16. Satellite Photos of the Ancient

Bridge Between Ramesvaram and Sri Lanka, 17. A 40,000 Year Old Cave Painting South

of New Delhi, 18 Stealth Bomber From Shastra, 19. Koreans Search for Roots in

Ayodhya.

Some of the Archeological Discoveries of

2003 lists some of what has been discovered so far, such as: 1.

Ancient Cities in Tamil Nadu May Be Over 7,000 Years Old, 2. The Ancient Gene

Pool of Tamil Nadu, 3. New Theories Place Ancient Humans in India, 4. Ancient

Seals Found at Hatab Site, 5. More Vedic Temples Discovered in Cambodia, 6.

Oldest Habited Anthropological Find in India, 7. Ancient Fossil on Ancient

Sarasvati River.

Some of the Archeological Finds of 2004 & 2005 includes: 1. 5000 Year Old

Harappan Township Found in Haryana, 2.

Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Maritime Spice Route Between India, Egypt, 3.

India has the Earliest Art, 4. Aryan burial found in Russian city of Omsk, 5,

Ancient Krishna Balarama Coins, 6. Pre-Harappan Evidence Found in Gulf of

Cambay, 7. Ancient Nuclear Blasts and Levitating Stones of Shivapur, 8. Tsunami

Uncovered Ancient Port City In Southern India, 9 Newly-discovered Mamallapuram

temple fascinates archaeologists.

The Sarasvati River

provides articles on the ongoing discovery and work to recover the route of the ancient

Sarasvati River that is described in the Rig-veda. This includes

such articles as: 1. India's Miracle River, 2. The Recent Research into the

Sarasvati River, 3. Efforts to Trace Saraswati's Origin, 4. Project to Revive

Sarasvati River, 5. Indian Satellites Find Water Under Desert, 6. Riddle of the

River Sarasvati, 7. Bringing Back the Sarasvati, 8. Unearthing Lost Sarasvati

Cities.

Ayodhya and the Research on the

Temple of Lord Rama

offers some of the latest developments regarding the archeological research on

the ancient temple of Lord Rama at His birthplace at Ayodhya. This has: 1.

The article by N. S. Rajarama, "What We Need to Know About Ayodhya"; 2.

Archaeological Excavations at Sri Rama Janma Bhumi; 3. Archeological

Society of India Says Temple Existed at Ramjanmabhoomi Site; 4. The ASI

Report on Ayodhya.

END OF ARTICLE

It is good that you ask pertinent questions. It makes me search and

find the answers and on the whole our know-how about our culture is

broadened.

It is often quoted that if Hitler would have won the war - we would be

studying a "German Version of History". History is written by the

usurpers and the powerful. Those who lose are a footnote in History.

Recently I read a book called : Holy Blood, Holy Grail. The author

provides 600 pages of evidence of a different history of Christ than

the one which is seen in Bible. We have had enough controversies about

our own history.

The recent Iraq war also showed how CIA manipulated the reports to gain

ground in the middle east. With Selfish people at the helm of affairs,

the history books will continue to suffer. It will be left to people to

believe what they want to. The biggest loss is that of culture and more

so of the wrong divisions that are created in the society.

I often think, that the whole of now what is called as Pakistan was

hindu. The usurpers forcibly converted people and now they fight with

the very culture they were born in. Humanity has to suffer because of

all this.

Thanks and Regards

Bharat

On 10/2/05, Sreenadh <sreelid > wrote: