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Book: Hindu Dharma, Written by Swami Chandrashekarendra
Saraswati |
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In the dim past what we call Hinduism today was prevalent all over the
world. Archaeological studies reveal the existence of relics of our
Vedic
religion in many countries. For instance, excavations have brought up
the
text of a treaty between Rameses II and the Hittites dating back to the
14th century B. C. In this, the Vedic gods Mitra and Varuna are
mentioned
as witnesses to the pact. There is a connection between the name of
Ramesses and that of our Rama.
About 75 per cent of the names of places in Madagascar have a Sanskritic
origin.
In the Western Hemisphere too there is evidence of Hinduism having
once flourished there. In Mexico a festival is celebrated at the same
time
as our Navaratri; it is called "Rama-Sita". Wherever the earth is dug up
images of Ganapati are discovered here. The Aztecs had inhabited Mexico
before the Spaniards conquered that land. "Aztecs” must be a distorted
form of "Astikas". In Peru, during the time of the holy equinox
[vernal?]
worship was conducted in the sun temple. The people of this land were
called Incas: "Ina" is one of the Sanskrit names of the sun god. Don't
we
call Rama Inakula-tilaka?
There is book containing photographs of the aborigines of Australia
dancing in the nude (The Native Tribes of Central Australia, by Spencer
Killan, pages 128 & 129). A close look at the pictures captioned "Siva
Dance", shows that the dancers have a third eye drawn on the forehead.
In a virgin forest in Borneo which, it is said, had not been penetrated
by
any human being until recently, explorers have found a sacrificial post
with an inscription in a script akin to our Granthas characters.
Historians
know it as the inscription of Mulavarman of Kotei. Mention is made in it
of a sacrifice, the king who performed it, the place where the yupas was
installed. That the king gave away kalpavrksass as a gift to Brahmins is
also
stated in this inscription. All such details were discovered by
Europeans,
the very people who ridicule our religion.
Now something occurs to me in this context, something that you may find
amusing. You know that the Sagaras went on digging the earth down to
the nether world in search of their sacrificial horse. An ocean came
into
being in this way and it was called sagara after the king Sagara.
The Sagaras, at last found the horse near the hermitage of Kapila
Maharsi. Thinking that he must be the man who had stolen the animal
and hidden it in the nether world they laid violent hands on him.
Whereupon the sage reduced them to ashes with a mere glance of his
eye. Such is the story according to the Ramayana. America, which is at
the antipodes, may be taken to Patala or the nether world. Kapilaranya
(the forest in which Kapila had his hermitage), we may further take it,
was
situated there. It is likely that Kapilaranya changed to California in
the
same manner as Madurai is something altered to "Marudai". Also
noteworthy is the fact that there is a Horse Island near California as
well
as an Ash Island.
Another idea occurs to me about Sagara and sagara. Geologists believe
that ages ago the Sahara desert was an ocean. It seems to me that Sahara
is derived from sagara.
Some historians try to explain the evidence pointing to the worldwide
prevalence of our religion in the past to the exchange of cultural and
religious ideas between India and other countries established through
travels. I myself believe that there was one common religion or dharma
throughout and that the signs and symbols that we find of this today are
the creation of the original inhabitants of the lands concerned.
The view put forward by some students of history about the discovery of
the remnants of our religion in other countries- these relating to what
is
considered the historical period of the past two or three thousand
yearsis
that Indians went to these lands, destroyed the old native civilizations
there and imposed Hindu culture in their place. Alternatively, they
claim,
Indians thrust their culture into the native ways of life in such a way
that
it became totally absorbed in them.
The fact, however, is that evidence is to be found in many countries of
their Vedic connection dating back to 4, 000 years or more. That is,
with
the dawn of civilization itself, aspects of the Vedic dharama existed in
these lands. It was only subsequently that the inhabitants of these
regions came to have a religion of their own.
Greece had an ancient religion and had big temples where various deities
were worshipped. The Hellenic religion had Vedic elements in it. The
same was the case with the Semitic religions of the pre- Christian era
in
the region associated with Jesus. The aborigines of Mexico had a
religion
of their own. They shared the Vedic view of the divine in the forces of
nature and worshipped them as deities. There was a good deal of ritual
in
all such religions.
Now none of these religions, including that of Greece, survives. The
Greek
civilization had once attained to the heights of glory. Now Christianity
flourishes in Greece. Buddhism has spread in Central Asia and in East
Asia
up to Japan. According to anthropologists, religions in their original
form
exist only in areas like the forests of Africa. But even these ancient
faiths
contain Vedic elements.
Religious and philosophical truths are often explained through parables,
stories, so that ignorant people can understand them easily. Since
metaphysical concepts are difficult to grasp, either they have to be
told in
the form of a story or they have to be given the form of a ritual that
is
they must find expression as religious acts. For the common people the
performance of a rite is a means of finding the truth present in it in
the
form of a symbol. I do not, however, agree with the view that all
rituals
are nothing but symbolic in their significance and that there is no need
to
perform them so long as their inner meaning is understood.
Ritual as ritual has its own place and efficacy. Similarly, I would not
say
that stories from the Puranas are nothing but illustrations or
explanations
of certain truths or doctrines. As stories they are of a high order and
I
believe that they really happened. But, at the same time, they
demonstrate the meaning of certain truths. As for rites, their
performance brings up benefits. But in due course, as we learn to
appreciate their inner meaning we shall become purified in mind. This is
the stage when we shall no more yearn for any benefits from their
performance and will be rewarded with supreme well-being (that is,
liberation).
It is likely, though, that, with the passage of time, some stories or
rites
will become far removed from their inner meaning. Or, it may be, the
inner meaning will be altogether forgotten. So it must be that, when new
religions took shape abroad, after the lapse of thousands of
yearsreligions
not connected with the Vedic faith that is the root-the original
Vedic concepts become transformed or distorted.
You must be familiar with the story of Adam and Eve which belongs to
the Hebrew tradition. It occurs in the Genesis of the Old Testament and
speaks of the tree of knowledge and God's commandment that its fruit
shall not be eaten. Adam at first did not eat it but Eve did. After that
Adam too ate the forbidden fruit.
Here an Upanisadic concept has taken the form of a biblical story. But
because of the change in the time and place the original idea has become
distorted-or even obliterated.
The Upanisadic story speaks of two birds perched on the branch of a
pippala tree. One eats the fruit of tree while the order merely watches
its
companion without eating. The pippala tree stands for the body. The
first
bird represents a being that regards himself as the jivatman or
individual
self and the fruit it eats signifies sensual pleasure. In the same body
(symbolized by the tree) the second bird is to be understood as the
Paramatman. He is the support of all beings but he does not know
sensual pleasure. Since he does not eat the fruit he naturally does not
have the same experience as the jivatman (the first). The Upanisad
speaks with poetic beauty of the two birds. He who eats the fruit is the
individual self, jiva, and he who does not eat is the Supreme Reality,
the
one who knows himself to be the Atman.
It is this jiva that has come to be called Eve in the Hebrew religious
tradition. "Ji" changes to "i" according to a rule of grammar and "ja"
to
"ya". We have the example of "Yamuna" becoming "Jamuna" or of
"Yogindra" being changed to "Joginder ". In the biblical story "jiva" is
"Eve" and "Atma" (or "Atman") is "Adam". "Pippala" has in the same way
changed to "apple". The Tree of Knowledge is our "bodhi-vrksa". "Bodha"
means "knowledge". It is well known that the Budhha attained
enlightenment under the bodhi tree. But the pipal (pippala) was known
as the bodhi tree even before his time.
The Upanisadic ideas transplanted into a distant land underwent a
change after the lapse of centuries. Thus we see in the biblical story
that
the Atman (Adam) that can never be subject to sensual pleasure also eats
the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. While our bodhi tree stands for
enlightenment, the enlightenment that banishes all sensual pleasure, the
biblical tree affords worldly pleasure. These differences
notwithstanding
there is sufficient evidence here that, once upon a time, Vedic religion
was prevalent in the land of the Hebrews.
Let me give the another example to strengthen the view that however
much a custom or a concept changes with the passage of time and with
its acceptance by people of another land, it will still retain elements
pointing to its original source. Our TiruppavaiT and TiruvembavaiT are
not
as ancient as the Vedas. Scholars ascribe them to an age not later than
1,
500 years ago. However it be, the authors of these Tamil hymns, AndalT
and ManikkavacakarT, belong to an age much later than that of the Vedas
and epics. After their time Hindu empires arose across the seas. Even
the
Cola kings extended their sway beyond the shores of the country. More
worthy of note than our naval expeditions was the great expansion in our
sea trade and the increase with it of our foreign contacts. As a result,
people abroad were drawn to the Hindu religion and culture. Among the
regions that developed such contacts, South-East Asia was the most
important. Islands like Bali in the Indonesian archipelago became wholly
Hindu. People in Siam (Thailand), Indochina and the Philippines came
under the influence of Hindu culture. Srivijaya was one of the great
empires of South-East Asia.
[Here the Paramaguru briefly touches upon the stages representing the
emergence of various religions]. In primeval times the Vedic religion
was
prevalent everywhere: this was the first stage. In the second stage new
religions emerged in various parts of the world. In the third stage
these
decayed and their place was taken by Buddhism, Christianity or Islam. In
the subsequent stage the Hindu civilization became a living force
outside
the shores of India also, particularly in South-East Asia. This was the
period during which great temples reminding us of those of Tamil Nadu
arose with the spread of our religion and culture: Angkor-vat in
Cambodia; Borobudur in Java, Indonesia; Prambanan, also in Java. Now it
was that our Tiruppavai and Tiruvembavai made their passage to
Thailand.
Even today a big festival is held in Thailand in December- January,
corresponding to the Tamil Margazhi, the same month during which we
read the Tiruppavai and Tiruvembavai with devotion. As part of the
celebrations a dolotsava (swing festival) is held. A remarkable feature
of
this is that, in the ceremony meant for Visnu, a man with the make-up of
Siva is seated on the swing. This seems to be in keeping with the fact
that
the Tiruppavai and Tiruvembavai contribute to the unification of
Vaisnavism and Saivism.
If you ask the people of Thailand about the Pavai poems, they will not
be
able to speak about them. It might seem then that there is no basis for
connecting the festival with the Pavai works merely because it is held
in
the month corresponding to the Tamil Murgazhi. But the point to note is
that the people of that country themselves call it "Triyampavai-
Trippavai".
Those who read the Bible today are likely to be ignorant about the
Upanisads, but they are sure to know the story that can be traced back
to
them, that of Adam and Eve. The Thais now must be likewise ignorant
about the Pavis but, all the same, they hold in the month of Dhanus
every
year a celebration called "Triyampavai - Trippavai. " As part of it they
also
have a swing festival in which figures a man dressed as Siva. Here the
distortion in the observance of a rite have occurred during historical
times- one of the distortions is that of Siva being substituted for
Visnu.
Also during this period the Thais have forgotten the Pavis but,
significantly enough, they still conduct a festival named after them.
Keeping these before you, take mind back to three thousand years ago
and imagine how a religion or a culture would have changed after its
passage to foreign lands.
It is in this context that you must consider the Vedic tradition. For
all the
changes and distortions that it has undergone in other countries during
the past millennia its presence there is still proclaimed through
elements
to be found in the religions that supplanted it.
How are we to understand the presence of Hindu ideas or concepts in the
religious beliefs of people said to belong to prehistoric times? It does
not
seem right to claim that in the distant past our religion or culture was
propagated in other countries through an armed invasion or through
trade, that is at a time when civilization itself has not taken shape
there.
That is why I feel that there is no question of anything having been
taken
from this land and introduced into another country. The fact according
to
me, is that in the beginning the Vedic religion was prevalent all over
the
world. Later, over the countries, it must have gone through a process of
change and taken different forms. These forms came to be called the
original religions of these various lands which in the subsequent
periodduring
historical times- came under Buddhism, Christianity or Islam as the
case may be. |
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