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The Truth About Aryas
By Rekha Rao.
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Arya never was a racial terms, until European invaders in India sought to legitimize their subjugation and looting by manufacture of a fraudulent theory. Indigenous people were told they were invaders of yore, to take away the ground from under their protest against the latest invaders.
But to India, Arya wasn't the skin colour that Europe interpreted it to be. Rama is the quintessential Arya and is described extensively, physically as well as in terms of conduct. He's definitely not light coloured, nor is Krishna. The beauty, Draupadie, is explicitly described as dark.
And it isn't racism in reverse either. A God, slways recognised as God, Shiva, is explicitly described as camphor-white. But that's just characterisation, not attributeas superior. When thinking of description of beauty, it's Rama that's most explicitly described as beautiful as such, every part that's visible publicly in decency specifically described. Krishna on the other hand gets very little of that, but enchanting, that's him. So white, beautiful and attractive are three qualities recognised as separate, characterised by each.
Dravid is not a term that means different from Arya, but is, instead, a further qualification, used for example by Shankaracharya for himself, in the sense of someone from the southern peninsula surrounded by oceans.
"Rigveda Mantra Samhita (edited by R.L Kashyap) is not only the oldest text of Hindus but also the oldest available religious or secular work in the world. The Riks (hymns) of Rig Veda Samhita formed the foundation of the early religious beliefs of the Hindus (10)."
Thereby the forceful insistence by West to claim that the language, and people that it beloned to, must have migrated from West.
"The treatise Amarakosha from the root word Amara "immortal" and Kosha "treasure, casket, pail, collection, dictionary", " is a thesaurus of Sanskrit written by the Jain or Buddhist scholar Amarasimha. Amarasimha was one of the Navaratnas ("nine gems") at the court of Chandragupta II, a Gupta king who reigned around AD 400. Some sources indicate that he belonged to the period of Vikramaditya of 7th century. Amarakosha is the oldest thesaurus in Sanskrit. (12)"
And that's the end of the fraudulent theory by West and left claiming hostility between Hindus versus Jains and Buddhists, proclaiming Sanskrit was the preferred language only of the former, while the latter strictly chose other languages.
"Bharata is the title of Agni and means the priest. Arya folk mean the performers / sponsors of sacrifice. ... "
Actually the literal meaning of each are quite different, and it's unclear how the author interprets thus.
Bhaarata and Bharata are both related to the verb 'bharana' and is to for with filling, supply, of essentials to life.
Arya is related to the same root that Aravinda, Aaratie etc., are, and is about Light; Arya is enlightened, and it's about inner qualities of spirit, mind and heart, as well as outer ones of conduct.
"Brahmavarta was the epicenter of Aryas according to Manusmriti and had the highest purity of Vedic knowledge. The regions of Kuru, Panchala made up the Brahmarishi Desha and was next in purity. Aryavarta was third in terms of purity of Vedic knowledge. ... "
Author gives a map essentially of Sindhu river system. But this is confusing modern theories with ancient knowledge of India's preserved treasure.
India knew of the ocean North, of it's vanishing, and subsequent rising of Himalayan ranges from the ocean that vanished. India knew a time that had Vindhya and Himalaya facing one another, which puts it a million years in past, but definitely before existence of a river replacing the ocean North, and hence the name Sindhu - literally meaning ocean - for that particular river, although it's nowhere near the biggest, even in India.
"Brahman in Sanskrit means the supreme being. Avarta means an inhabited, crowded place. According to Manusmriti also called Manu Dharma shastra, the traditional authoritative text of Hindu dharma shastra in India, the land between sacred rivers Sarasvati and Drishadvati was the sacred land called Brahmavarta. It was considered sacred because the river Sarasvati had acquired divine characters. She was the patroness of the sacred ceremonies which were celebrated on the margin of these two rivers by the pious sages and human settlement that resided there. Her blessings were invoked as essential for a proper and comfortable living. She was identified as Vak – the mantras of knowledge chanted by pious people illumined their minds. ... "
Author seems to confuse a great deal.
Chief confusion here is about the epithet Saraswati or Sarasvati, literally meaning 'flowing', and in thst sense, characterisation of a river, of intellect and of speech.
A major confusion is due to discovery, in recent century or so, of a major river flowing west with a tremendous flow underground detected via satellite, and named Sarasvati by the discoverers and others trying to account for the name of a river that's no longer visible.
But that's not necessarily the same as one mentioned in ancient literature of India. Moreover it's not the river identified with intellect or speech any more than any other separate entities identified by a word are confused, whether in India or elsewhere.
Avarta is circle or area or region, not necessarily crowded.
Brahma or Brahman is abstract, Divine, not personified.
" ... ‘Brahmavarta’; that is the region which the cultured speak of by that name. “Devanirmitam” means ‘Created by the Gods’ ... "
Author misses an opportunity to realise that this region North of Vindhya was literally seen created by India as ocean North between India and Asia vanished, hence termed 'Created by the Gods’; its far more likely that adjacent to Himalayan ranges from Northwest to Bengal, than the region defined by Sindhu river and her tributaries.
"Sarasvati, the patroness of Vedic rituals and her other forms as Ila (the goddess of flow) and Bharati (the goddess of speech) were invoked by Hotri priest (Rig Vedic priest). The goddess Sarasvati was to be present during yajna rituals, accept the oblations while seated on grass. In Rig Veda 2.41.16, Sarasvati is called “the best mother, best of rivers, best of goddess, in thee Sarasvati, all generations have their stay. Be glad about Sunahotras’ sons O goddess, grant us progeny”."
Sri Aurobindo explains the reality of Ila, Mahi and Bharati - latter also identified as Saraswati or Sarasvati - and also of Agni, in terms of yogic realities.
"‘Brahmarshi Desha’ is the name of the entire group of districts inhabited by Brahma + rishis, the Brahmanical sages and pious people. Brahmavarta is the country ‘created by the Gods’; and since the Brahmarhis are a little lower in degree than the Gods, this part of the land being related to Brahmarshis, is slightly lower in grade than Brahmavarta. Manusmriti 2.19 quotes:
"“kurukshetraṃ ca matsyashca pancalah shurasenakaaḥ
"esha brahmarshiidesho vai brahmavartaad anantaraḥ”"
"(MS 2.19)"
Author identifies it as land East of the Sindhu river system, and includes Ganga river system therein; thus, again, is a West perspective of India giving primary importance to Sindhu, the river defining India to outsiders.
Far more likely is that the first was Himalayan foothills and contingent region, while next would be the region West of that but still North of Vindhya.
Author identifies Arya as people who worshipped chiefly Indra and Agni, but this again seems a West oriented perspective.
Gods and Goddesses were many, even of Vedic era, and yajna would be offerings to each, having invoked each; Indra is King of Gods, but not chief or sole worshipped. There are several others prominent along with him.
"The address of Varna is used for Arya. Varna means “worthy of being accepted”. Thus “Arya Varna” means one who is worthy of being accepted as an Arya."
Varna is, thereby, an adjective of Arya, not address. Arya is used as address in sense of honourable.
"In Rig Veda, the term Dasa appears as a synonym to Dasyu and not related to the fourth varna of people called as shudras."
Author gives a map showing lands well beyond Sindhu as foreign to Arya, but it shows several rivers as tributaries of Sindhu originating from Northwest of it.
"Rig Veda 8.24.27 mentions a prayer for Indra:
"“Who will set free us from the ruinous woe of Dasas on the seven streams (Sapta sindhu), O valient hero, bend dasa’s weapons down”."
Author misses an opportunity to realise that the Veda-s preceded India becoming attached to Asia, by accepting the wrong translation of Sindhu as water instead of the actual meaning, sea.
But if Sindhu is merely water, all waterbodies should have been thus addressed, and not only all oceans along with a unique single river which isn't the largest in India.
So it only makes sense if the nomenclature is due to this river coming to be in place of the ocean that had once separated India from Asia, and was seen to be in the same boundary.
The reason that other Himalayan rivers were not thus addressed is due to most having Eastward flow parallel to Himalayan ranges, and were clearly no ocean.coming to transform into a river. Tributaries of Sindhu probably came later.
"The non-Arya region coming under the control of Aryas is illustrated in the epic Mahabharata. Grandhara princess Gandhari was brought as a bride to Kuru (Arya) prince Dritharashtra."
"Today, Dravida is the collective name of people from the six southern states of present day of India (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra)."
Inclusion of Maharashtra there is incorrect.
This division is now recognised as based on primarily linguistic difference, and Marathi language is definitely of Sanskrit origin, unlike Southern languages which borrow heavily from Sanskrit, in different ways.
Geographical characterisation of Dravida as peninsular is no longer applicable, either; Even author here omits including Orissa, despite its being definitely South of Vindhya.
"• Aryas conquered regions to the west of the Indus river in the battle of Dasarajna."
"• The deities worshipped by Aryas are not found in any other historical accord from around the world (of the same or preceding time as the Vedas). Had the Aryas migrated from elsewhere, the description of deities from the previous land and religion would have had a place in the Vedas."
Author could have mentioned some facts thst are in the opposite direction. On East coast in South there are evidences of Roman trading posts, coins have been discovered, and a name 'Arikkmeedu' is clearly a deformation of Archimedes.
Roman ships arriving for trade may very well have brought Jewish traders and African slaves, who might have subsequently merged with population in India accepting Hinduism. Looking at people, one finds traces in Tamil Nadu of all three, often in one family. Since India had neither slavery nor racial discrimination, further, the races were not kept separate as in Europe.
So one may see a tall fair Tamil speaking person with features that match Scandinavian or Nigerian equally, with skin fair and hair dark as is norm mostly through India with exceptions found everywhere, and eyes of various colours are common enough in every region, much more so than hair of every colour.
And all these are indigenous to India - any mixed race persons or families are quite well known without fame or discrimination as such.
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Table of Contents
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1.Introduction
2.The Confusion between Aryas and Aryans
3.Bharata and Bharatavarsha
4.Brahmavartha in Rig Veda and Manusmriti
5.Brahmarshi Desha
6.Aryas
7.Aryavarta
8.Dasyu
9.Anaryas of Mleccha Desha
10.Dasharajna Battle between Aryas and Dasyus
11.Details about the Tribes in Dasharajna
The following sub-chapters provide details about the tribes that took part in the battle of Dasharajna.
11.1The Arya Tribes
11.2The Anarya Tribes
12.A Theory Connecting Aryas to Indus Seals
12.1A Brief Description of Indus Seals
12.2Rig Vedic Tribes and Indus Valley Settlements
12.3Usage of Indus Seals to Establish Vedic Culture
13.Dravidas
14.Conclusion
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REVIEW
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1.Introduction
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"Over the years, there has been extensive research carried out by scholars on the topic of the origin and identity of the Aryans and Dravidians. The common theories are Aryan Invasion Theory (AIT) and Aryan Migration Theory (AMT).
"Aryan Invasion Theory proposed by Max Müller introduced the notion of two Aryan races, a western and an eastern one, who migrated from the Caucasus into Europe and India respectively. The idea of a destructive invasion was put forth by mid-20th century archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler. It was fueled by the discovery of the Indus Valley (Harappan) Civilization which seemed to have declined around the period of the Indo-Aryan migration (1. See Bibliography).
"Aryan Migration Theory is a linguistics-based approach that suggests that the introduction of Indo-Aryan languages into South Asia was through migrations of people from the Pontic Steppes via Central Asia and then to South Asia. This theory, that is more widely accepted than AIT was developed by studying the relationship between the various Indo-European languages, including the time frame of their development. This model was supplemented with archaeological data and anthropological arguments at a later stage (2).
"The validity of these popular theories is brought into question based on the details in the ancient literary sources, namely Rig Veda and Manusmriti. Both Rig Veda (~1500 BCE) and Manusmriti (~1250 BCE) very specifically mention the term Arya. The validity of AIT and AMT are also brought into question on the basis of recently obtained DNA evidence. The research by Prof. V Shinde et.al (3) states that that there was no Aryan invasion or migration, and that all the developments right from the hunting-gathering stage to modern times in South Asia were done by indigenous people."
" ... Details about their origin, geographical presence and social life patterns from Rig Veda and Manusmriti serve as a literary evidence to prove that Aryas were indigenous people, initially living in the region to the east of the Indus river. In fact, the battle of Dasharajna, documented in Rig Veda, indicates that Aryas took possession of the cattle wealth and land of the subsequently conquered regions to the west of the Indus river.
"In addition to the literary evidence, there is also archaeological evidence, from approximately similar time period and geography, in the form Indus Valley seals, artifacts, fire altars and burials. Many seals contain figures of deities, priests, episodes of Rig Veda in picture form. A key underlying hypothesis is that these seals were meant to convey specific information about religious practices of the Vedic yajnas. The ritual practices as depicted in Indus seals is about the socio- religious practices that were in vogue around 3500 years ago, in the Indus valley region, which was the hub of Vedic culture.
"The archaeological evidence matches the description of socio-religious practices in Rig Veda. Furthermore, the location and time period of ancient Indus civilization sites approximately correspond to the geographical description of Arya tribes. Both these strengthen the hypothesis that Aryans were indigenous people. Aryas did not migrate to South Asia from other parts of the world."
It would be a great mistake to ignore other, humongous, evidence such as Dashaavatara and Samudramanthana.
That India has always known evolution, and the rising of the Himalayan ranges from the ocean, as the ocean north between India and Asia vanished, can only be explained by either eyewitness account or spiritual knowledge via yogic sight.
Either way, it's centered in India. Ramayana bears witness to still evolving species in joint ventures with humans, conversing and working together on projects such as building a bridge across the sea and provision of medicine. "
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2. The Confusion between Aryas and Aryans
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"People who followed Vedic precepts were called Aryas in all ancient scriptures starting from Rig Veda. Even the post Vedic literature has used the same term Arya for the followers of Vedic religion who were refined in their language and culture. They were not addressed as Aryan. In the theatrical usage as found in Natyashastra, (a post Vedic literature on the topic of theatrics) and also in the present-day Indian literature, it is an adjective used in the respectful mode of address the equivalent of Sir and is not related to any race. Likewise, Arye was a revered and an honored lady.
"The term Aryan gained establishment with the advent of colonial rule in India where several indigenous terms got changed according to their interpretation or pronunciation.
"An article by Shrikant Talageri states: “There is no oral or written tradition, and never was any, anywhere in any part of India about any people called Aryans who came into India as invaders or immigrants and brought the Vedic Sanskrit language and Vedic religion and culture into India. The concept of these Aryans was invented in the 18th-19th centuries by European scholars” (4).
"Several studies have been conducted that include DNA analysis and carbon dating of physical evidence found from the period in which Aryans were thought to have existed. These recent studies conclude that Aryans were indigenous to a region in current day India.
"(The findings of the study, which took over three years to complete, authored by a team of Indian archaeologists and DNA experts from Harvard Medical School was published on Thursday in the scientific journal ‘Cell’ under the title: ‘An Ancient Harappan Genome Lacks Ancestry from Pastoralists and Iranian Farmers’. The paper concludes that Indians came from a genetic pool predominantly belonging to an indigenous ancient civilization). (3)"
" ... The term Aryans is from the root word Arya which has been anglicized as Aryan by the colonial rulers of South Asia. The Oxford dictionary quotes that the word Aryan is borrowed from the Sanskrit word Arya (5).
"The term Arya is also used in ancient Persian language text (for example in the Behistun inscription from the 5th century BCE). The Iranian people used the term Arya as an ethnic label for themselves in the Avesta scriptures, and the word forms the etymological source of the country name Iran (6)
"The Nazis used the word "Aryan" to describe people in a racial sense, to be of the purest origin. According to Nazi racial theory, the term "Aryan" described the Germanic people. However, a satisfactory definition of "Aryan" remained problematic during Nazi Germany (7).
"During the 19th century, it was proposed that "Aryan" was also the self-designation of the Proto-Indo-Europeans, a hypothesis that has since been abandoned (8)."
" ... Rigveda is the earliest and a fundamental literary source of ancient India. The enduring controversy on the origin of Aryans is further questioned by the reference to a group of people called Aryas in Rig Veda (RV), which provides a detailed account of their socio religious practices during the Vedic period. The Vedic text in its original form is therefore studied to find an answer to the controversial topic of the identity Aryans and Dravidians.
"According to Rig Veda, Aryas inhabited the land of Ayravarta, a region in the northern part of current day India. Although the term Arya is used extensively in Vedas as the elite class, the term Dravidian is not in reference. Instead we find the usage of the term Dasyus and Anaryas (non-Aryas). The non-Aryas are also referred to as Mlecchas (country beyond India) in the ancient texts Shatapatha Brahmana, Manusmriti (MS) and Amarakosha."
Dravid is not a term that means different from Arya, but is, instead, a further qualification, used for example by Shankaracharya for himself, in the sense of someone from the southern peninsula surrounded by oceans.
" ... Aryas were the followers of Vedic religion dharma – the righteous code of conduct and Anaryas were the non-followers of Vedic religion (9, 33)."
This following or non-following was characterised chiefly by their civilised versus uncivilised conduct in life, unlike the description author gives of followers conducting rituals. For example Ravana and his family did not fault in conducting yajña but rather in their uncivilised conduct in abduction of a woman against her will.
"Rigveda Mantra Samhita (edited by R.L Kashyap) is not only the oldest text of Hindus but also the oldest available religious or secular work in the world. The Riks (hymns) of Rig Veda Samhita formed the foundation of the early religious beliefs of the Hindus (10)."
Thereby the forceful insistence by West to claim that the language, and people that it beloned to, must have migrated from West.
"The treatise Amarakosha from the root word Amara "immortal" and Kosha "treasure, casket, pail, collection, dictionary", " is a thesaurus of Sanskrit written by the Jain or Buddhist scholar Amarasimha. Amarasimha was one of the Navaratnas ("nine gems") at the court of Chandragupta II, a Gupta king who reigned around AD 400. Some sources indicate that he belonged to the period of Vikramaditya of 7th century. Amarakosha is the oldest thesaurus in Sanskrit. (12)"
And that's the end of the fraudulent theory by West and left claiming hostility between Hindus versus Jains and Buddhists, proclaiming Sanskrit was the preferred language only of the former, while the latter strictly chose other languages.
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3. Bharata and Bharatavarsha
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"Bharata is the title of Agni and means the priest. Arya folk mean the performers / sponsors of sacrifice. ... "
Actually the literal meaning of each are quite different, and it's unclear how the author interprets thus.
Bhaarata and Bharata are both related to the verb 'bharana' and is to for with filling, supply, of essentials to life.
Arya is related to the same root that Aravinda, Aaratie etc., are, and is about Light; Arya is enlightened, and it's about inner qualities of spirit, mind and heart, as well as outer ones of conduct.
" ... The followers of yajna, according to Vedas were the Aryas, who predominantly lived in Bharatavarsha, the land of sages and not the ones who migrated from some other land. ... "
"The people who tried to migrate to this land or tried to attack were called Mlecchas, the foreigners, (Manusmriti - 2.23). ... Bharati means the personification of Mantras / Knowledge, goddess of knowledge revered as Sarasvati."
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4. Brahmavartha in Rig Veda and Manusmriti
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"Brahmavarta was the epicenter of Aryas according to Manusmriti and had the highest purity of Vedic knowledge. The regions of Kuru, Panchala made up the Brahmarishi Desha and was next in purity. Aryavarta was third in terms of purity of Vedic knowledge. ... "
Author gives a map essentially of Sindhu river system. But this is confusing modern theories with ancient knowledge of India's preserved treasure.
India knew of the ocean North, of it's vanishing, and subsequent rising of Himalayan ranges from the ocean that vanished. India knew a time that had Vindhya and Himalaya facing one another, which puts it a million years in past, but definitely before existence of a river replacing the ocean North, and hence the name Sindhu - literally meaning ocean - for that particular river, although it's nowhere near the biggest, even in India.
"Brahman in Sanskrit means the supreme being. Avarta means an inhabited, crowded place. According to Manusmriti also called Manu Dharma shastra, the traditional authoritative text of Hindu dharma shastra in India, the land between sacred rivers Sarasvati and Drishadvati was the sacred land called Brahmavarta. It was considered sacred because the river Sarasvati had acquired divine characters. She was the patroness of the sacred ceremonies which were celebrated on the margin of these two rivers by the pious sages and human settlement that resided there. Her blessings were invoked as essential for a proper and comfortable living. She was identified as Vak – the mantras of knowledge chanted by pious people illumined their minds. ... "
Author seems to confuse a great deal.
Chief confusion here is about the epithet Saraswati or Sarasvati, literally meaning 'flowing', and in thst sense, characterisation of a river, of intellect and of speech.
A major confusion is due to discovery, in recent century or so, of a major river flowing west with a tremendous flow underground detected via satellite, and named Sarasvati by the discoverers and others trying to account for the name of a river that's no longer visible.
But that's not necessarily the same as one mentioned in ancient literature of India. Moreover it's not the river identified with intellect or speech any more than any other separate entities identified by a word are confused, whether in India or elsewhere.
Avarta is circle or area or region, not necessarily crowded.
Brahma or Brahman is abstract, Divine, not personified.
" ... ‘Brahmavarta’; that is the region which the cultured speak of by that name. “Devanirmitam” means ‘Created by the Gods’ ... "
Author misses an opportunity to realise that this region North of Vindhya was literally seen created by India as ocean North between India and Asia vanished, hence termed 'Created by the Gods’; its far more likely that adjacent to Himalayan ranges from Northwest to Bengal, than the region defined by Sindhu river and her tributaries.
"Sarasvati, the patroness of Vedic rituals and her other forms as Ila (the goddess of flow) and Bharati (the goddess of speech) were invoked by Hotri priest (Rig Vedic priest). The goddess Sarasvati was to be present during yajna rituals, accept the oblations while seated on grass. In Rig Veda 2.41.16, Sarasvati is called “the best mother, best of rivers, best of goddess, in thee Sarasvati, all generations have their stay. Be glad about Sunahotras’ sons O goddess, grant us progeny”."
Sri Aurobindo explains the reality of Ila, Mahi and Bharati - latter also identified as Saraswati or Sarasvati - and also of Agni, in terms of yogic realities.
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5. Brahmarshi Desha
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"‘Brahmarshi Desha’ is the name of the entire group of districts inhabited by Brahma + rishis, the Brahmanical sages and pious people. Brahmavarta is the country ‘created by the Gods’; and since the Brahmarhis are a little lower in degree than the Gods, this part of the land being related to Brahmarshis, is slightly lower in grade than Brahmavarta. Manusmriti 2.19 quotes:
"“kurukshetraṃ ca matsyashca pancalah shurasenakaaḥ
"esha brahmarshiidesho vai brahmavartaad anantaraḥ”"
"(MS 2.19)"
Author identifies it as land East of the Sindhu river system, and includes Ganga river system therein; thus, again, is a West perspective of India giving primary importance to Sindhu, the river defining India to outsiders.
Far more likely is that the first was Himalayan foothills and contingent region, while next would be the region West of that but still North of Vindhya.
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6. Aryas
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Author identifies Arya as people who worshipped chiefly Indra and Agni, but this again seems a West oriented perspective.
Gods and Goddesses were many, even of Vedic era, and yajna would be offerings to each, having invoked each; Indra is King of Gods, but not chief or sole worshipped. There are several others prominent along with him.
"The address of Varna is used for Arya. Varna means “worthy of being accepted”. Thus “Arya Varna” means one who is worthy of being accepted as an Arya."
Varna is, thereby, an adjective of Arya, not address. Arya is used as address in sense of honourable.
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7. Aryavarta
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"According to Amarakosha & Manusmriti-2.22, the region extending between eastern to western ocean, bounded by Himalaya and Vindhya on northern and southern sides was called Aryavarta.
"Manusmriti 2.21-23 states:
“Aasamudratu vai poorvada samudrascha paschimat. Tyorevantaram giryo (Himavad vindhyoh) aryavarta vidurbudha”"
Author seems to exclude Bengal, especially in the map she gives, and it's unclear why.
"The four boundaries of the country are mentioned here: The Eastern Ocean on the east, the Western Ocean on the west, the Himalaya on the north and the Vindhya on the south."
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8. Dasyu
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"There are around eighty-five stanzas referring to Dasyu in Rig Veda. Several refer to Daasa as well, which is a synonym. Some of the mantras evaluate what Dasyus mean. Very clearly, Dasyu refers to criminals and they are accorded the same treatment in Vedas as they deserve in any civilized society."
" ... Even in Kaushitaki Brahman, such people are referred as Asur. Thus, Asur and Dasyu, both refer to criminals and not to any caste or race."
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9. Anaryas of Mleccha Desha
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"In Rig Veda, the term Dasa appears as a synonym to Dasyu and not related to the fourth varna of people called as shudras."
Author gives a map showing lands well beyond Sindhu as foreign to Arya, but it shows several rivers as tributaries of Sindhu originating from Northwest of it.
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10. Dasharajna Battle between Aryas and Dasyus
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"Rig Veda 8.24.27 mentions a prayer for Indra:
"“Who will set free us from the ruinous woe of Dasas on the seven streams (Sapta sindhu), O valient hero, bend dasa’s weapons down”."
Author misses an opportunity to realise that the Veda-s preceded India becoming attached to Asia, by accepting the wrong translation of Sindhu as water instead of the actual meaning, sea.
But if Sindhu is merely water, all waterbodies should have been thus addressed, and not only all oceans along with a unique single river which isn't the largest in India.
So it only makes sense if the nomenclature is due to this river coming to be in place of the ocean that had once separated India from Asia, and was seen to be in the same boundary.
The reason that other Himalayan rivers were not thus addressed is due to most having Eastward flow parallel to Himalayan ranges, and were clearly no ocean.coming to transform into a river. Tributaries of Sindhu probably came later.
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June 01, 2022 - June 01, 2022.
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11.Details about the Tribes in Dasharajna
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The following sub-chapters provide details about the tribes that took part in the battle of Dasharajna.
11.1 The Arya Tribes
"Tristus
" ... After the victory, Sudas ruled the land of Sapta Sindhu. His victory established the ascendency of Bharata clan on both eastern and western sides of river Sindhu, thus paving way for the super tribe Kuru. ... "
"Sudas was well known for having two sage advisors, Vasista and Vishvamitra. According to the legends cited by Sayana, Sage Vishvamitra took the wealth obtained by means of his office and came to the confluence of rivers Vipas and Sutudri (Rivers Bias and Sutlej). Many followed him. Visvamitra prayed to the river goddess to calm down in order facilitate fording of the river."
"Purus
"Purus were one of the major confederations who are described in the Rig Veda, 7 96.2. They were located on the banks of river Sarasvati. They were also a part of the Bharata clan and were with the priestly family of Vasista. Purus were the ancestors of Kauravas and Pandavas (17).
"Bhrugus
"Bhrugus were the priestly family descendants from sage Bhrugu, one of the saptarishis and the earliest cherishers of Agni.
"Matsya
"Matsya (RV 7.18.6) was one of the sixteen janapadas during Vedic era who were to the south of river Drishadvati. They were allies of Bhrugus and Druhyus.
"Turvasas
"Turvasas (RV 7.18.5) were the followers of a priestly class of Angirasa and were friendly with Bhrugus and Druhyus. The tribes Turvasas and Anus were in the region of the rivers Asikin (Chenab) and Parushni (Ravi) (See Figure 5).
"Druhyus
"Druhyus were another major tribe who lived in the North West region, by the rivers Vitasta and Asikni. (Jhelum and Chenab respectively).
"Yadus
"Yadus (RV 8.10.5) were the descendants of the heroic Yadava tribe. ... Yadus were from the banks of river Yamuna."
One major misinterpretation here by the author is to identify the sage as ancestor instead of guru whose ashram the particular clan was taught at. Kings, and kshatriyas in general, did not take to spiritual life exclusively instead of a worldly one; Vishvamitra was an exception, and wasn't called Brahmarshi but only Rajarshi, until he conquered his faults of ego and temper, easier for a Brahmin and not easy for a king. Another exception was Janaka, but he was attained spiritual without leaving worldly life, far more difficult.
So Bhrugu were a clan that were disciples of the sage by that name, not necessarily descendants.
"Anus
"Anus were one of the five major tribes in the Battle of ten kings (RV 7.18.13). However, Rigveda 1.108.8 and 8.10.5 mentions that Anus were with Druhyus. One of the Anu kings, King Anga, is mentioned as a Chakravartin."
11.2 The Anarya Tribes
"Kamboja was a tribe in the Gandhara region. Shivas was a region in present-day Iran. The Pakthas, Bhalanas, Vishanins, Alinas, and Sivas were the five frontier tribes. The names of these tribes are found in the historical accord of Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, Albania, and many more countries. These tribes migrated further away after the defeat at hands of Sudas. Shrikant Talgeri has detailed the Anarya tribes in book called “The Rig Veda – A Historical Analysis” (23)."
"Pakthas
"Rig Veda 7.18.7 mentions that Pakthas are a non-Arya tribe living in the region which includes south-eastern province Loya Paktia in Afghanistan and northern parts of Pakistan.
"Avesta, the primary collection of the religious texts of Zoroastrianism from post Rig Vedic period also mention the Pakhat or Paktwees name. It indicates their being on the Indus riverbank around 520 B.C (24, 25).
"Heinrich Zimmer indicates that the Greek Historian Herodotus (484-425 BCE) mentioned a people called Pactyan living on the southeastern frontier of modern-day Afghanistan, as early as the 1st millennium BCE. The Pakthas lived in the hills from which the river Kruma originates. (Zimmer locates them in present-day eastern Afghanistan, identifying them with the modern Pakthun (26).
"Bhalanas
"According to Rig Veda 7.18.7, Bhalanas were one of the tribes that fought against Sudas in the Dasarajna battle of ten kings. Some scholars have argued that the Bhalanas lived in Eastern Afghanistan Kabulistan, and that the Bolan pass derives its name from the Bhalanas. (19, 27)
"Alinas
"According to Rig Veda 7.18.7, Alinas were one of the semi-nomadic tribes defeated by Sudas at the Dasarajna war. It has been suggested that they lived to the north-east of Nurestan (one of the eastern provinces of Afghanistan). Much later, in the 7th century CE, this land was mentioned by the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang. (19)
"Sivas
"They were believed to inhabit the region near river Chenab. (RV, 7.18.6) (28).
"Visanins
"Although Rig Veda mentions the Visanins (RV 7.18.7), there is not much information about them other than the fact that they were Dasyus.
"Simyus
"Simyus (RV 7.18.5) were another group of foes of Aryas and called Dasyus in Rig Veda. (ancient Albanians). King Sudas of Arya fought with Simyus, who got drowned in the floods of river Parushni."
It's unclear how or where author connects the tribe to Albania.
"Pruthu Parsavo
"Rig Veda 7.83.1 conveys the meaning that the king of Aryas won over the land of Paras / Parsus and acquired the land and thus Aryas settled there. Parsavo could be a description of the land of Paras (based on root word similarity).
"Parsavo (RV 7.83.1) could be connected with ancient Persians, the ethnic group of ancient Iran. Old Persia was called Pars, which is derived from the name of people in the region. The Paras tribe gave its name to this region where they lived, which was called Pars/Fars.
"Persis, Parsa, was the ancient country in the southwestern part of Iran that roughly corresponds to the modern region of Fars. Its name was derived from the Iranian tribe of the Parsua (Parsuash; Parsumash), who settled there in the 7th century BC (29,30,31,32)."
"The non-Arya region coming under the control of Aryas is illustrated in the epic Mahabharata. Grandhara princess Gandhari was brought as a bride to Kuru (Arya) prince Dritharashtra."
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June 01, 2022 - June 02, 2022.
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12.A Theory Connecting Aryas to Indus Seals
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12.1. A Brief Description of Indus Seals
"Recent research by the author has established a correlation between Vedic knowledge and the figures and symbols in Indus Seals. ... "
"Many seals contain figures of deities, priests, episodes of Rig Veda in picture form. They were meant to convey specific information about religious practices of the Vedic yajnas. ... "
12.2. Rig Vedic Tribes and Indus Valley Settlements
"Of the many sites of Indus valley civilization, Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, Kalibangan, Lothal, Chanhu-daro and Banwali, Dholavira are regarded as major sites. A comparative study of the Figures 4 and 5 reveals the correlation between major sites of Indus Valley civilization and the tribes of the Vedic period.
"• Bhalanas lived in the sites of MohenjoDaro, Amri and Kot Diji, to the west of river Indus.
"• Pakthas and Alinas lived in the Harappa site, by the river Ravi.
"• Bharatas, Purus, Turvasas and Druhyas lived in the sites of Kalibangan, Rakhigarhi and Banavali (present northern Rajasthan).
"• Avanti and Yadus lived in the site of Dholavira, Lothal and Surkotada (present day Gujarat). Yadus relocated from the region near River Yamuna (Figure 5) that they had inhabited originally.
12.3. Usage of Indus Seals to Establish Vedic Culture
" ... A possible explanation for the difference in the number of seals found geographically could be as follows:
"• Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro sites were conquered and occupied by the Aryas after the Dasarajna battle
"• Anaryas migrated away from this region, which was subsequently occupied by Aryas.
"• It can be speculated that there were far fewer schools and master priests in the newly occupied regions to impart this knowledge to upcoming priests.
"• As a result, upcoming priests in the newly occupied region (as an extension of Aryavarta) had to rely on reference material for a flawless performance of Vedic rituals."
"• Indus seals played the role of this reference material, as they contained Vedic rituals in coded, symbolic form.
"In contrast, the original Arya regions likely had far more schools and master priests who oversaw the performance of Vedic rituals. As a result, the upcoming priests in this region did not rely as heavily on the coded, symbolic representation in seals."
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June 02, 2022 - June 02, 2022.
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13. Dravidas
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"Today, Dravida is the collective name of people from the six southern states of present day of India (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra)."
Inclusion of Maharashtra there is incorrect.
This division is now recognised as based on primarily linguistic difference, and Marathi language is definitely of Sanskrit origin, unlike Southern languages which borrow heavily from Sanskrit, in different ways.
Geographical characterisation of Dravida as peninsular is no longer applicable, either; Even author here omits including Orissa, despite its being definitely South of Vindhya.
"Neither Rig Veda nor Manusrmiti mention the term Dravida. The word Dravida might be a later addition of post-Vedic period when people of Gangetic plain merged with the inhabitants of the southern regions.
"Therefore, Rig Veda and Manusmriti do not support a commonly mentioned theory that Dravidas were the original inhabitants of the land of Bharata, who subsequently migrated to the south due to Arya empowerment."
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June 02, 2022 - June 02, 2022.
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14. Conclusion
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"• Aryas conquered regions to the west of the Indus river in the battle of Dasarajna."
"• The deities worshipped by Aryas are not found in any other historical accord from around the world (of the same or preceding time as the Vedas). Had the Aryas migrated from elsewhere, the description of deities from the previous land and religion would have had a place in the Vedas."
Author could have mentioned some facts that are in the opposite direction. On East coast in South there are evidences of Roman trading posts, coins have been discovered, and a name 'Arikkmeedu' is clearly a deformation of Archimedes.
Roman ships arriving for trade may very well have brought Jewish traders and African slaves, who might have subsequently merged with population in India accepting Hinduism. Looking at people, one finds traces in Tamil Nadu of all three, often in one family. Since India had neither slavery nor racial discrimination, further, the races were not kept separate as in Europe.
So one may see a tall fair Tamil speaking person with features that match Scandinavian or Nigerian equally, with skin fair and hair dark as is norm mostly through India with exceptions found everywhere, and eyes of various colours are common enough in every region, much more so than hair of every colour.
And all these are indigenous to India - any mixed race persons or families are quite well known without fame or discrimination as such.
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June 02, 2022 - June 02, 2022.
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The Truth About Aryas
by Rekha Rao
(Author)
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April 23, 2022 -
June 01, 2022 - June 02, 2022.
Purchased February 19, 2022.
Kindle Edition
Format: Kindle Edition
Language : English
ASIN : B0835T78SJ
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The Truth About Aryas
Rekha Rao
Year of Publication: 2019
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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4684792515
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