Saraswati-Sindhu Civilization and the Vedic Culture. -Deepali Patwadkar

Transcription

1 Saraswati-Sindhu Civilization and the Vedic Culture -

2 SS Civilization: 8000BCE BCE Expresses itself in 300 cities covering an area of 1.5 million square kilometers. The planned cities were organized into various sectors. They had 2 or 3 storied houses, built with bricks of uniform size. Cities had giant water reservoirs and underground drainage system. The entire empire used same script. They exported goods to Egypt and Mesopotamia by road and sea. Most of the cities were mysteriously abandoned by 1900 BCE, leaving behind remains of their well planned towns and seals in undecipherable script.

3 Vedic BCE The Vedic texts describe the culture and life style of the people during concurrent times. Vedas were composed from times unknown to the MB Era. One cannot associate a particular date as the start of the Vedic era. Few things are certain: no kings after MB are mentioned in the Rg Veda. Also, Ved Vyas, the author of MB, compiled the Vedas in a standard format. Thus the MB war (@3100 BCE), signifies the end of Vedic age. The MB, Brahmans and Upanishads were composed after the Vedas, thus they describe the post Vedic culture of Ancient India. [5]

4 The Puzzle SS people required the knowledge in the areas of geometry, mathematics, navigation, construction and engineering for building the magnificent cities. But instead of books with this information, all that they left behind are some seals. Vedic culture left behind volumes of information on geometry, mathematics, philosophy, navigation, and even aviation theories. But no proof that this knowledge was used. SS civilization and the Vedic culture share the same space and time. Were they the same people? Following slides are the pieces of this puzzle. Try and put them together!

5 1. River Saraswati Archeology has proved that Saraswati flowed parallel to Sindhu, from Himalaya to the Arabian sea. By 3500 BCE, Saraswati did not reach the sea, and by 1900 BCE she had completely dried. Her bed was as vast as 8 km. For comparison, Sindhu (with the waters of Sutlej) has 2 km wide river-bed. SS Civilization: Of the 2000 SS sites excavated, 80% are on the dry banks of River Saraswati. SS sites after 3500 BCE are seen upstream. After 1900BCE SS civilization vanished. Vedic Culture: Early hymns of Rg Ved praise Saraswati as naditame the best river. Rg Hymns (Book X), composed after 3500 BCE, do not praise but only mention Saraswati in the list of rivers. Texts after 1900 BCE such as the Puraans, glorify Ganga as the Goddess River.

6 2. Namste! SS Civilization: A Harappan figurine in the pose of namaskar. Vedic Culture: Greeting a person with namaskar, means: I recognize and salute the divine being in you. MB also describes that the elders were shown respect by bowing (namaskar). It is still the form of greeting elders and God.

7 3. AUM SS Civilization: An Indus seal (turned 90 degrees anti-clockwise) with the symbol of AUM. The symbol for AUM in every Indian script seems to be derived from this Harappan symbol.[12] Vedic culture: Vedas describe AUM as the first manifestation of the Brahma. It is prefixed to every hymn. Vedas also describe writing and the symbols.

8 4. Swastika SS Civilization: Many Swastika seals have been found in the SS sites. [12] Vedic Age: Like many other ancient cultures, Swastika was a symbol of the Vedic culture too. It points in the four directions, indicating the all-prevailing nature of Brahma.

9 5. Pashupati SS Civilization: Seal of Pashupati. Diety seated on a small dais, in a yogic posture. He wears a head-dress of a pair of horns. He is surrounded by animals. Sometimes shown with three faces. The horizontal lines on arms are considered as bangles. They could be bands of bhasma, and the two thicker horizontal lines rudraksha malas. Many Shiva-linga were also found in SS sites. [11] Vedic Age: Vedas praise Pashupati (Rudra). Worship of Shiva Linga is mentioned in Maha Narayana Upanisad of Yajur Veda. [6] By MB times, Lord Shiva had gained the status of Mahadev (greatest god). He is regarded as Yogi.

10 6. Aadi-Shakti SS Civilization: Many figurines of mother goddess were found in SS sites. It seems that animal sacrifice to goddess was common. Left: A proto-durga seal from Kalibangan. It depicts a tiger headed by a female, with a long braid, bangled arms and headdress of horns and leafy branches. Vedic culture: Vedas praise mother goddess in the form of Aditi or Pruthvi. In MB, Yudhishthir worshipped war goddess (Durga?) the day before the war, which happened to be Vijaya Dashmi.

11 7. Yadnya SS Civilization: Many fire altars constructed in the manner of Vedic people have been found in the SS sites like that of Lothal, Kalibangan and Rakhigarhi. [10] Vedic culture: yadnya was central to the Vedic religion. Raja-suya, and Ashwa-medha are some of the yadnyas described in MB.

12 8. Shankha SS Civilization: Shankha / conch is a very common find in the SS sites. [images and info from 11] Shankh as a trumpet. Shankha used as libation ladle. Shankha bangle found in the grave ornaments of a woman. Vedic culture: It is believed that the conch produces the sound AUM. It is one of the symbols of Vishnu. Conch was also used as trumpet for war call. MB even names the conches that were used by the Pandav and Krushn. The women of MB wore conch bangles.

13 9. Harappan animal motiffs SS Civilization: The animals most frequently depicted on the Harappa seals are: Bull (Shiva's vehicle: Nandi), Elephant (Indra's vehicle: Airavat), Tiger and Lion (Durga's vehicle), Buffalo (Yama's vehicle). Vedic culture: Vishnu is called ekashrunga (one horned one) in the Puraan. The so called unicorn seal, could be associated with Vishnu.

14 10. Sindoor SS Civilization: Female figurine from Nausharo BCE. Hair is painted black and parted in the middle of the head. There are traces of red pigment in the parting. Vedic culture: Mahabharat frequently uses the simile: "like the red sindoor in the parting of the hair

15 11. Occupations SS Civilization: Main occupations were agriculture and cattle rearing. Main crops grown were: wheat, barley, peas, mustard, cotton and rice. [13] Emphasis on wealth in cattle. Vedic culture: Main occupations were agriculture, cattle rearing. Wheat, barley, peas, and mustard were cultivated. During the MB times, cotton and rice were also grown. MB Goharan episode (Kings of Trigarta and Kuru, attacked Matsya kingdom to gain their cattle) demonstrates that the wealth was measured in terms of cattle. [Virat Parva] Duryodhan's visit to count the cattle and mark the new born calves (by some symbol, for identifying the ownership.) [Vana Parva]

16 12. Cloth SS Civilization: The discovery of a large number of spindles of various sizes indicate that threads both of cotton and wool were spun in those days. [13] Vedic culture: Rg Veda mentions clothes made of silk, wool and animal skins, but not cotton. The later MB mentions clothes made of cotton. Today: cotton and wool are commonly used through out India. For more than 5000 years, India had ruled the cotton market. Only after the industrial revolution, did the Europe step in this field. A 500 BCE, Greek description of Indian cotton: there are trees which yield wool, it exceeds in beauty & goodness that of sheep CE, European description of Indian cotton: being a fruit of the earth growing upon little shrubs or bushes

17 13. Clothing SS Civilization: From the statues it appears that men and women wore two separate pieces of clothes similar to dhoti and shawl (covering lower and upper parts of the body respectively). Vedic culture: Men and women wore unstitched clothes: antariya: similar to dhoti, and uttariya: a scarf / shawl, draped on the shoulders, or tied to the waist, or on the head for protection from sun. Today: Dothi is still the wear of the common man in India. Notice how the pallu goes below the right arm and covers the left shoulder. Bipin Chandra Pal and the priest of Harappa above drape the shawl in the same manner.

18 14. Hairstyles SS Civilization: The elaborate headdresses of the female figures display the hair styles of the richer women. Pig tails were very popular. Men wore beards, and maintained long hair. Hair were tied in a bun. Vedic Culture: In MB, Draupadi and Damayanti took up the profession as hair-dressers to queens, during difficult times. Implying hair-dressing was complicated enough to be a profession. Men wore long hair and beards. To disguise for the year in hiding, Arjun had untied his bun and worn a long plait. [Virat Parva]

19 15. Ornaments SS Civilization: Ornaments were made of gold, silver, copper, ivory, precious and semi-precious stones, bones, conch shell etc. Ornaments like: necklaces, fillets, armlets and finger-rings were common. Women also wore bangles, girdles, earrings and anklets. [13] Vedic culture: Ornaments made of gold, copper, ivory, precious and semi-precious stones, bones, conch shell are described. MB mentions silver ornaments too. MB mentions, Ashwathama wearing a jewel on his forehead, exactly like the priest of Harappa. Today: Till recently, men have worn: necklaces, armlets and finger-rings. Note bangles worn by the Rajasthani lady, from wrist to shoulder are exactly like the dancing girl of Harappa.

20 16. Vehicles SS Civilization: A solid wheeled toy cart and a flat bottomed boat from Harappa. Vedic Age: The Rg Veda describes both solid and spoked wheeled chariots. MB describes war chariots, and carts drawn by bullocks and horses. MB also describes the boat in which the Pandav crossed the Ganga river after leaving Varnavat. Today: Modern day boats used in Sindhu, in Pakistan (above). Similar bullock carts are still in use throughout India and Pakistan.

21 17. Housing SS Civilization: often two or more storied, though they varied in size, were all based on much the same plan - a square courtyard, around which were a number of rooms. The entrances were usually in side alleys. Design of bathrooms shows that, like today s Indian, the Harappan took his bath standing, by pouring pitchers of water over his head. Vedic culture: The Vastu shastra recommends that the central part of the house, (Brahma sthan) should be an empty space, specifically a court yard. Today: Until the beginning of 20th century the Indian houses were designed with a square court yard in the center and rooms around.

22 18. Cremation SS Civilization: Very few graves were found in the Indus Valley. Implying that the dead bodies were cremated or given river burial. Most of the graves contain "post-cremation urns. That is urns containing the remains of cremated dead bodies. By modern Hindu practice, these remains are collected in a urn, and later disposed in river. Other burials are extended, with feet pointing to the South. [14] By Hindu tradition, South is the direction of Yama, the God of Death. One should never sleep with feet pointing to the South. Vedic culture: Texts such as Chhandogya Upanishad criticize Asura practice of burying objects along with the corpse in the grave. All the dead of the MB were given a funeral. [Stree Parva] Among ancient civilizations (Egypt, China, Mesopotamia) dead were buried. Only Pagans (early inhabitants of Europe) practiced cremation. Today: Hindus still practice cremation.

23 19. Great hall SS Civilization: The so-called "granary" of Harappa: a brick structure built on brick foundation of about 135 x 135 feet. Two rows of six rooms are arranged along a central passageway that is about 21 feet wide and partly paved with baked bricks. Each room measures 45 x 18 feet. Most scholars agree that these structures should only be seen as evidence for large public buildings. Rulers and state officials probably met in such large public buildings. A more appropriate name for this structure would be the "great hall" since it was clearly a large and spacious building with wooden columns and many rooms. Vedic Age: In MB, Maya Sabha of Indraprastha, one of Hastinapur, Sudharma Sabha of Dwaraka are described as huge halls meant for public meetings, gathering to watch games and to perform yadnya.

24 20. Great bath SS Civilization: The great bath approx 39 x 28 x 8 feet. Constructed of brick this tank is made watertight with bitumen. Two staircases lead down into the tank. At the foot of the stairs is a small ledge. One could move on this ledge without stepping into the pool itself. Series of rooms are located along the eastern edge of the building. Most scholars agree that this tank was used to to purify the bathers for religious functions. Vedic culture: During Balaram's pilgrimage, it is mentioned that he took bath at every holy temple. Even where Saraswati had dried. Implying some sort of tank attached to the holy place. Till today most Hindu temples are either built on the banks of a river / have a tank (kunda) attached to it. Visitors bathe before entering the temple.

25 21. Script SS Civilization: Written script was invented. This script was used throughout the SS area. Undecipherable till today. Vedic Age: Veda's describe writing in numerous places. Rg Veda mentions that the cows ears were marked with the symbol of 8. Atharvashirsha speaks about the aakar (shape), roop (look) and naad (sound) of letters as: ga-akaro purva roopam, aakaro madhyam roopam, anusvaraah shanti roopam, bindu ruttamam, naadas sandhanam Sage Vyas mentions in MB that it took him 3 years to write MB. It also describes that the name of the warrior was written on the arrows.

26 22. Games SS Civilization: Dice seems to be a common pass time of the SS people. Dice made of ivory and bone have been found. Vedic Culture: Dice is a common pass time since Vedic ages. Rg Veda advices: do not gamble with dice. [X:34] In MB, the dice match between Yudhishthir and Shakuni led to the great war. [Adi Parva] SS Civilization: A game played by children of the SS Civ., represented by terra cotta discs found in graduated sizes. A game called pittu or lagori is played throughout Pakistan and India even today, with stacks of pottery discs and a ball made of cloth or rubber. [11] SS Civilization: A chess board from Harappa. It is a known fact that Chess was invented in India. [3]

27 23. Stories SS Civilization: The story of Thirsty Crow and the Clever Fox is seen painted on earthen ware found in Lothal. BCE). These are obviously stories from Panchatantra. Vedic Culture: Panchatantra: The Sanskrit Collection of stories, was written in 300 BCE by Vishnu Sharma, based on older oral traditions. Obviously the SS tradition.

28 24. Sites Over 2000 Sarasvati - Sindhu sites have been excavated in the past decades. 80% are on the banks of river Sarasvati. More than 35 SS sites are mentioned in MB and Vedic texts. Some of these painted gray ware (PGW) sites are: Hastinapur, Indraprastha, Kurukshetra, Dwaraka, Ekchakra, etc. Archeological discoveries at Dwaraka show that: Dwaraka was built on reclaimed land. It displays well organized six sectors, wide roads, residential and commercial zones, meeting halls and an excellent sea port. This is exactly how the MB describes Dwaraka. [7] Excavations at Kurukshetra, the MB battlefield, have yielded numerous iron arrow and spearheads, dated 2800 BCE. [8] Some scholars have also suggested that Mohenjo-daro was the capital of Sindh during the MB times which was then ruled by Jayadrath.

29 25. The flow of events? 3500 BCE The Vedic Age: The Vedic age preceded the mature SS civilization phase. Rice and cotton not yet cultivated, not mentioned in Ved BCE SS Age: Rice and cotton cultivated. Found in SS sites. Mentioned in contemporary texts such as Sutras and Brahmanas. [5] Knowledge required by the SS people, for town planning, ship building, metallurgy, geometry is reflected in the Sulbha Sutras (dated 2000 BCE). [5] 1900 BCE River Saraswati dries up: People of the SS area start migrating. Carrying valuables like clothes, vehicles, domesticated animals, images of God etc. Thus these things are not found in excavations.

30 25. Flow After 1900 BCE to the West of SS civilization: The Kassites come to power between 1800 BCE BCE, in Assyria. These kings have Indic names and worship Vedic gods like Surya and Mitra BCE: The Mittanis come to rule Assyria. Mittani kings have names like: Su-ksatra (good ruler), Parasu-ksatra (ruler with axe / parashu). The name of the Mittani capital was Wassukkani (vasu-khani, mine of wealth). They too worship the Vedic Gods like Indra, Mitra and Varun. [1] This implies that the SS people moved out of India towards west.

31 25. Flow After 1900 BCE in India: There was a shift of population from the Saraswati region to the Ganga region. This shift is recorded in the Hindu texts and same is reflected in the archeological records [10]. Texts later than Vedas, (Puraans) praise Ganga as the Goddess and not Saraswati. The legend of Saraswati disappearing in the earth lives on for thousands of years. People who migrate from Saraswati region, start calling themselves Saraswats. Weights and measures defined by Kautilya in Arthashastra (300 BCE) are same as those found in Lothal. Such continuity of the SS civilization is seen in arts, crafts, architecture, writing style, and religious ideas in India till today [10].

32 To close These Vedic elements put Aryan Invasion Theory in a precarious position. Due to political interests in keeping majority divided, academic lethargy, disinterest of the common man towards any national cause, and a crowd of so called intellectuals meddling in the field of history, the AIT remains in the syllabus of schools. All these Hindu elements, come as a surprise to a layman. Why are they hidden from public knowledge? National Geographic / Discovery channels show at least two documentaries on the pyramids of Egypt every month. Why aren't there similar documentaries on the SS sites? Why hasn't the ASI created a documentary to educate the Indians of their heritage? If there is any such documentary, why is it not aired, with as much advertise and glamour? This education is a must as: Not condemning knowledge known to be wrong is more sinful than not having right knowledge. - Ishavasya Upanishad

33 References 1. The Mahabharata and Sindhu-Sarasvati Tradition Subhash Kak 2. Hindu as a cultural identity Dr S Kalyanraman 3. The Saraswati Flows on: Continuity of Indian Culture - B. B. Lal 4. Death of Aryan Invasion Theory - David Frawley 5. A new date for the Rg Veda - Dr. Nicholas Kazanas 6. Scientific Verification of Vedic Knowledge - David Osborn 7. The legend of Dwaraka - By T.R. Gopaalakrushnan 8. Krishna Archeology - Nanditha Krishna 9. The Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilization and its Bearing on the Aryan Question - Michel Danino 10. In Search of the Cradle of Civilization, - G Feuerstein, Subhash Kak, and David Frawley > Ancient Indus tour > siva-worship-harappa 13. Harappan Civilization: An Analysis in Modern Context - Deep Raj Gupta

34 14. Harappa Culture of the Indus Valley StudyWorld 15. Harappan Civilization: An Analysis in Modern Context - Deep Raj Gupta