Ancient India:
(About the Author, An
Introductory Outline:)
Dwijendra Narayan Jha graduated from Presidency College, Calcutta, in 1957 and
obtained M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in 1959 and 1964 respectively from Patna
University where he taught history up to 1975. He is currently professor of
history at the University of Delhi.
Professor Jha has lectured at universities and other centres of education in
India and abroad and was National Lecturer in History, University grants
Commission, during 1984-5. His works include revenue Systems in Post-Maurya
and Gupta Times (Calcutta, 1967),
Ancient India: An Introductory Outline (Delhi, 1977), Studies in Early Indian
Economic History, Economy and Society in Early India
and a number of articles published in Indian
and foreign journals. He has to credit several edited works including Feudal
Social Formation in Early India
and Society and Ideology in India: Essays in Honour of Professor R.S.Sharma.
Professor Jha was president of the Indian history section of the Indian Congress
in 1979 and its general Secretary from 1985 to 1988.
The Aryans and the Vedic Life.
The validity of the idea of the Aryan invasion
of the urban centers of the Harappan people leading to the final disappearance
of their culture has been enmeshed in controversy, though it has been put to
various uses by different groups of scholars and social and political
activists. The invasion theory was first clearly expounded by an eminent
British archaeologist who trained most of the first generation post independence
professional Indian archaeologist, and remained more or less unchallenged in his
lifetime. But during the last twenty-five years, especially after his/death, it
has come in for much criticism. Some archaeologist – Indians in particular have
criticized the theory with a vengeance as it were, tough in the Western academic
circles the theory continues to occupy an important place. Both the critics and
the defenders of the Aryan invasion (s) thesis have used all weapons in their
armory to support their view. But their efforts have often been informed by
political considerations.
Both in India and Europe, the Aryans have been
thought of as a race in the genetic sense and have been credited with many
cultural achievements. In India socio-economic reformers led by Dayanand
Saraswati, who founded the Arya Samaj in 1875, laid stress on Aryan culture as
the root of all Indian tradition and sought the sanction of the Vedas, the
earliest extant Aryan literature, for their ideas. Some scholars continue to
believe in pan-Aryanism and go so far as to claim that India was the cradle of
world culture. Blind racial prejudice has led them to believe and propagate
that every peak of Indian cultural achievement
must be Aryan; accordingly the authors of even the Harappan culture have been
taken to be the Aryans. This idea has always betrayed a strong upper caste
Hindu bias, because the Aryans did not include the shudras and untouchables.
The bias is glaringly evident in the activities of Hindu communal and revivalist
organization in recent years. But from the nineteenth century itself Dayanand’s
Arya Samaj came into being, there has been a sharp reaction to the upper caste
orientation of the theory of Aryan race. A contemporary of Dayanand and a
leader of the non-brahmana movements in Maharashtra during the Peshwar rule who
founded the Satya Shodahak Samaj in 1873, Jyotiba Phule exploited the theory in
a radical manner described in the brahmanical texts as Dasas and shudras, the
real inheritors of the land. The ideas of Phule gave ideological support to
non-brahmana movements in other parts of the country and played a progressive
role in this time, though in contemporary India these many have been used,
consciously or unconsciously, to justify frequent caste confrontations. In
European countries, as in India, the Aryan concept has played a significant role
since the nineteenth century much inspiration from it. The culmination of
racism took place under the German Nazi regime which gave a hideous racial
sanctioned the cruelest genocide in history. Although unfortunately, the
concept, central to the pre-World War II fascisms, is being revived by a large
number of racial hate groups mushrooming in different parts of the world even in
our own time, in academic circles the whole concept of race based on skeletal
measurements and colour (of the hair, skin and eyes) is now regarded in
invalid. In view of the research in the biological sciences, it is extremely
difficult to think of any ethnic group as having retained its purity of blood
for any length of time.
The existence of groups of people speaking
closely related languages, called Indo-European/Indo-Aryan, cannot however be
doubted. Sanskrit, Latin, Greek, Germanic (German, English, Swedish), Slav
(Russian, Polish) and Romance (Italian, Spanish, French, Rumanian) languages
being to the Aryan family. On the that the original Aryans had a common
homeland somewhere in the steppes stretching from southern Russia to Central
Asia. From this region the Aryan-speaking peoples may have migrated to
different parts of Europe and Asia. One of their branches migrated to
Iran where they lived fro a long time. From the
Iranian tableland they moved in the south-eastern direction towards India where
they encountered the city civilization of the Indus valley. The dispersal of the Aryans in
India was not a single event. It took place in
several stages, covering several centuries and involving many tribes. These
tribes were often considerably different from each other but, at the same time,
shared many cultural traits.
In a sense the Aryan subjugation of the earlier
inhabitants meant a reversal to a comparatively less advanced way of life. For
the Harappans were culturally for more advance than the Aryans who figure in the
Rig-Veda as destroyers for towns, not their builders. The chief Aryan god Indra
is described as the breaker of forts (urandara) and is said to have shattered
ninety forts for his protégé Divodasa. We are told that he ‘rends forts as age
consumes a garment’. The Rig-Veda speaks of several ruined cities and
associates them with earlier inhabitants of the area, presumably the Harappans.
The Aryans came to India as semi-nomadic people
with a mixed pastoral and agricultural economy, in which cattle-rearing played a
predominant role. Cattle formed their most valued possession and the chief form
of their wealth; a wealthy person was called gomat. Prayers were made for the
increase of cattle. The sacrificial priest was rewarded for his services with
cattle, and the cow was the chief medium of exchange. Cattle were often the
cause of inter-tribal wars. For, the word for battle came to be known as
gavishti, literally, ‘a search for cows’. Several other terms fro battle like
goshu, gavyat, gavyu and gaveshana were also derived from cattle. The social
impact of cattle-raising can be seen from the fact that those who lived with
their cows in the same cowshed came to indicate descent from a common ancestor
and hence an exogamous clan unit. The daughter was known as duhitri, milcher of
the cow. The cow is described in one or two places as not to be killed (aghnya),
but his may imply its economic importance. It was not yet held sacred; nor had
it become a politicized animal till then. Both oxen and cows were therefore
slaughtered for food. Beef was a delicacy offered to the guest, described as
goghna both for milk and meat. Not surprisingly a good quantity of charred
bones of cattle and other animals has been found at several archaeological
sties. Bhagwanpura and Dadheri in haryana where the post-Harappan cultural
horizons coincide with the early Vedic period are cased in pint. Since cattle
seem to have been tended by common hardsmen, it has been suggested that they
were collectively owned by members of the tribe.
The early Aryans, who were essentially pastoral,
did not develop any political structure which could measure up to a state in
either the ancient or the modern sense. The Land of the Seven Rivers, the
region of their initial expansion in the subcontinent, was held by small tribal
principalities; few of them are mentioned as the panchajanah in the Rig-Veda.
Kingship was the same as tribal chief ship, the term rajan being used for the
tribal chief. Primarily a military leader, the chief of the tribe fought for
cows and not territory. He ruled over his people (jana) and not over any
specified are of land. He was therefore called their protector (gopa janasya or
gopati janasya). The term gopati, basically indicating the protector of the
herds of cattle, came to acquire the extended meaning of the protector of the
people or tribe (jana). The world jana occurs twenty-seven times in the
Rig-Veda, but janapada is not mentioned at all and the term rajya occurs only
once. Yet the idea of territorial monarchy emerged towards the close of the
Rig-Veda period when the chief/king (rajan) came to be looked upon as un
upholder of the rasthra. Entitled to booty from successful cattle raids or
battles, the kind could also receive gifts in kind. But his position was not
beyond question. Very likely he owned his office to the choice of the people,
though kingship was perhaps confined to certain families. Available evidence
does not indicate the continuance of royal succession in one family for more
than three generations. This suggests that the principle of hereditary
succession from father to son was not yet established. The king’s authority was
substantially limited by tribal assemblies like the sadha and samiti, which
discharged judicial and political functions. The sabha was a council of the
elder members of the tribe; perhaps women also attended it. The samiti was a
general tribal assembly and less exclusive than the sabha. Another tribal
assembly, the vidatha, also may have restricted the power of the rajan, tough
its political role is not possible to determine precisely. His dependence on
the priest, who was quite influential, perhaps further acted as a constraint on
the chief.
It is likely that the early Aryans had some
consciousness of their distinctive physical appearance. They were generally
fair, the indigenous people dark in complexion. The colour of the skin may have
been an important mark of their identify. This provided the context for the use
of the term ‘varna’ (colour). Scholars of racist persuasion have blown this out
of proportion to explain the emergence of the varna (caste) system. But the
more important factor leading to the creation of social divisions was the
conquest of the Dasas and Dasyus who were assigned the status of slaves and
shudras. Tribal chiefs and priests who cornered a larger share of booty,
acquired great power and social inequalities. The gift of slaves to priest was
made frequently; most of them being female slaves could, however, be employed
only for domestic purposes and not for agricultural production or other
productive activities. But all members of even the priestly class were not
fortunate enough to receive lavish gifts. No wonder then that the berahmana
Vamdeva laments his grim poverty: ‘in the utmost protection; I beheld my wife in
degradation….’ Another indigent brahmana humbly implore Agni ‘to accept his
sacrifice of worm-eaten firewood, as he has no cow, nor even an axe’. We also
hear of a brahmana who prays for the return of his wife forcibly abducted by the
king.
In course of time the tribal society was divided
into three groups warriors (rajanya/kshatriya), priests (brahmana) and the
common people; the fourth division called the shudras appeared towards the end
of the Rig-Veda period, the tern being derived from the name of one of the
subjugated tribes. The fourfold social division into brahmana, kshatriya,
vaishya and shudra as given religious sanction. A late passge in the earliest
Veda tells us that the brhamana emanated from the mouth of the primeval man, the
kshariya his arms, the vaishya from this thighs and the shudra from his feet.
This may be a post factor rationalization of the occupations and of the position
that the various groups came to occupy in the social hierarchy. But
occupational differentiation did not always coincide with social divisions in
the Rig Vedic period. We come across a family consisting of a poet son, his
father a physician and mother a grinder of corn.
Unequal distribution of the spoils of war was
certainly the basic reason for the emergence of the fourfold division of
society. But the phenomenon was also linked with the process of assimilation of
the aboriginal non-Aryan people by the various sections of Aryan society. In a
passage of the Rig-Veda, Vasishtha, who replace Vishvamitra as the chief priest
of Sudas and later came to be treated as the founder of a major brahmana gotra,
is said to have been ‘born of the mind of Urvashi’, born also of a jar which
received the combined samen of the tow gods; and discovered ‘clad’ in the
lightning’ in a pushkara (tank). Modern racists may painlessly swallow the
garbled version of his birth, which was evidently invented to gloss over his
non-Aryan origin so as to facilitate his adoption into the Aryan fold. The same
is true of Agastry, who is also said to have been born of a jar, involving no
biological process. Several seers like Kanva and Angiras are described in the
Rig-Veda as black, which points to their non-Aryan antecedents. Like the
non-Aryan priesthood, some conquered chief were also assimilated and given high
status. Such Dasa chiefs such as Balbhuta and Tarukha are said to have made
generous gifts to the periest; they thus earned unstinted praise and gained in
status in the Aryan social order. Even Sudas (literally ‘good-giver’) seems to
have had a Dasa origin. The Rig-Veda does not throw any light on the process of
assimilation of the pre-Aryan or non-Aryan commoners into the Aryan fold.
Perhaps most of the ordinary members of the aboriginal tribes were considered to
be outside the pale of the Aryan life and were reduced to the lowest position in
society. Social distance between the Aryans and the ‘dark skinned’,
full-lipped, snub-nosed’ non-Aryans increased over time. Not surprisingly they
may have felt the need to retain the purity of their blood, little realizing
that much non-Aryan blood was already following in their veins, just as some
non-Aryan gods had wormed their way into the Vedic pantheon. For example, Rudra,
whose arrows brought disease, evolved from a Harappan cult; so did Tvashtri (the
Vedic Vulcan). A synthesis of Aryan and non-Aryan speaking peoples was taking
place at different levels.
The Rig Vedic gods were predominantly male and
was natural in a patriarchal society. Their favour could be won through
sacrifice. A number of domestic and public sacrifices are mentioned in the
Rig-Veda. A passage from this text tells us that creation emanated from the
first cosmic sacrifice. Prajapati (later known as Brahma) is thought of as a
primeval man. He is said to have been sacrificed to himself by the gods who
were apparently his children; and it was from the body of the divine victim that
the universe was produced. This underscores the necessity of sacrifice of the
maintenance of the world order, but the real development of the sacrificial cult
took place in the second phase of Aryan expansion in India.
Among the gods the most popular was Indra, who
shared some of the characteristics of the Greek god Zeus. Always ready to smite
dragons and demons, he is credited with the sacking of many cities and is
therefore called Purandara (breaker of forts). A warlord leading the Aryan
tribes to victory against the demons, Indra is described as rowdy and amoral,
and as fond of feasting and drinking Soma, which was the name of the heady drink
as well as of the Vedic god of plants. The largest number of hymns – some two
hundred and fifty of them in the Rig-Veda is addressed to Indra. His servants
were the Gandharvas (heavenly musicians). Their female counterparts were the
beautiful, libidinous and seductive nymphs (assarasas). One of them, Urvashi,
admitted to her earthly lover Puruvas that ‘friendship is not to be found in
women’ and has been associated with some kind of hetaerism. Next in impotance
was Agni, literally fire, who dwelt in the domestic hearth and acted as
intermediary between gods and men; two hundred hymns of the Rigveda re devoted
to him. Varuna was third in importance to both Indra and Agni, though he was
the upholder or the cosmic order (rita). Surya (the sun), Savitri (the deity to
whom the famous gayatri mantra is addressed), and Pushan (guardian of roads,
herdsmen and straying cattle) were the principal solar deities. Vishnu, a minor
god, also had solar characteristics and was believed to have covered the earth in
three steps. Some of the gods may be traced back to the period when the Aryans
had not branched off from the Indo-European community. Amongst them Dyaus (the
heaves personified) was the father-god, but lost his position of prominence in
the Vedic pantheon. Few goddesses find mention in the Rigveda. Prominent among
them are Ila, Aditi and Ushas. The gods were generally not married. Their
wives are called gnas collectively, which is reminiscent of group marriage
prevalent among the Aryans at some stage.
Towards the end of the later Vedic period Vedic
people moved further east to Koshala in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Videha in
north Bihar. In course of this eastward movement they encountered copper using
groups who used a distinctive pottery called the Ochre Coloured Pottery, as well
as people associated by archaeologists with the use of Black-and-Red Ware. They
now seem to have forgotten their old home in the Panjab. Rerference to in the
later Vedic texts are rare; the few that exist describe it as an impure land
where the Vedic scarifies were not performed.
According to one view the main line of Aryan
thrust eastward was along the Himalayan foothills, north of the Ganga. But expansion in the areas south of this river cannot be precluded.
Initially the land was cleared by means of fire. In a favour passge of the
Shatapatha Brahmana we are told that Agni moved eastward, burning the earth
until he reached the river Sadanira, the modern Gandak. There he stopped. In
his wake came the chieftain Videha Mathava, who caused the fire god to cross
over the river. Thus the land of Videha was Aryanized; and it
took its name from its colonizer. The legend may be treated as a significant
account of the process of land clearance by burning leading to the founding of
new settlements by migrating warrior-peasants. Burning may have been
supplemented by the use of the iron axe for cutting the forests in some areas.
This metal is referred to in literature as shyama ayas (dark or black metal) and
has also been found at excavated sties like Atranjikhera and Jakhera in western
Uttar Pradesh and adjoining regions, whose dates fall in the time bracket of the
later Vedic period. The number of iron agricultural tools and implants is less
than that of the weapons. On this basis the importance of iron technology is
facilitating the clearance of land has altogether been denied by some scholars
who see no relationship between technological development and social change.
Settled life led to a further crystallization of
the fourfold division of society. Initially one of the sixteen classes of
priest, the brahmanas of society. Initially one of the sixteen classes of
priest, the brahmanas embered as the most important class and claimed social and
political privileges on account of the sixteen classes of priests, the brahmanas
emerged as the most important class and claimed social and political privileges
on account of the growing cult of sacrifice and ritual performed for their
client and patrons (mostly the rajanyas/kshatriyas). The kshatriyas constituted
the warriors class and came to be looked on as protectors; the king was chosen
from among them. The vaishays devoted themselves to trade, agriculture and
various crafts and were the tax-paying class. The shudras were supposed to
serve the three higher varnas and formed the bulk of the labouring masses. Most
likely the community exercised some sort of general control over them; in this
sense they may be compared with the helots of Sparta. Shudras were not owned by
members of the upper classes as slaves, the evidence for whose existence in the
greater part of the Vedic period is lacking. A text speaks of ten thousand
women slaves captured from various countries and given by Anga to his brahmana
priest; but there is no mention of men slaves. Obviously their number was far
too small to attract any notice.
With the emergence of the case system certain
social norms developed. Marriage between the members of the same gotra was not
permitted. This applied especially to brahmanas, who were by now divided into
exogamous gotra groups. Members of the higher varnas could marry shudra women.
But marriage between men of the lower orders and women of the upper varnas was
dicountenanced. This was due to the gradual strengthening of varna distinction,
which began to appear in social life. A special position was claimed for
brahmanas and kshatriyas, distinguishing them from vaishyas and shudras—a
tendency which became pronounced in later centuries. Although rules restricting
inter dining between the higher and the lower orders had n9ot yet evolved, the
first signs of the extreme form of social exclusion manifesting itself as
unsociability in the subsequent times began to appear in this period;
autochthonous people like the Chandalas and Paulakasas were objects of spite and
abhorrence.
The family became increasingly patriarchal; the
birth of a son was more welcome than that of a daughter who was often considered
a source of misery. Princes could take several wives, though polyandry was not
unknown. A reference to self-immolation by the widow at the death of her husband
is found, and the origin of the later practice of sati has sometimes been traced
to this period.
Indian
History At A Glance
India's extraordinary history is intimately tied to its geography. A meeting
ground between the East and the West, it has always been an invader's paradise,
while at the same time its natural isolation and magnetic religions allowed it
to adapt to and absorb many of the peoples who penetrated its mountain passes.
No matter how many Persians, Greeks, Chinese nomads, Arabs, Portuguese, British
and other raiders had their way with the land, local Hindu kingdoms invariably
survived their depravations, living out their own sagas of conquest and
collapse. All the while, these local dynasties built upon the roots of a culture
well established since the time of the first invaders, the Aryans. In short,
India has always been simply too big, too complicated, and too culturally subtle
to let any one empire dominate it for long.
True to
the haphazard ambiance of the country, the discovery of India's most ancient
civilization literally happened by accident. British engineers in the
mid-1800's, busy constructing a railway line between
Karachi and Punjab, found ancient, kiln-baked bricks along the path of the track.
This discovery was treated at the time as little more than a curiosity, but
archaeologists later revisited the site in the 1920's and determined that the
bricks were over 5000 years old. Soon afterward, two important cities were
discovered: Harappa on the
Ravi river, and Mohenjodaro on the Indus.
The
civilization that laid the bricks, one of the world's oldest, was known as the
Indus. They had a written language and were highly sophisticated. Dating back to
3000 BC, they originated in the south and moved north, building complex,
mathematically-planned cities. Some of these towns were almost three miles in
diameter and contained as many as 30,000 residents. These ancient municipalities
had granaries, citadels, and even household toilets. In Mohenjodaro, a mile-long
canal connected the city to the sea, and trading ships sailed as far as
Mesopotamia. At its height, the Indus civilization extended over half a million
square miles across the Indus river valley, and though it existed at the same time as the
ancient civilizations of
Egypt and Sumer, it far outlasted them.
The first
group to invade India were the Aryans, who came out of the north in about 1500
BC. The Aryans brought with them strong cultural traditions that, miraculously,
still remain in force today. They spoke and wrote in a language called Sanskrit,
which was later used in the first documentation of the Vedas. Though warriors
and conquerors, the Aryans lived alongside Indus, introducing them to the caste
system and establishing the basis of the Indian religions. The Aryans inhabited
the northern regions for about 700 years, and then moved further south and east
when they developed iron tools and weapons. They eventually settled the Ganges
valley and built large kingdoms throughout much of northern India.
The
second great invasion into India occurred around 500 BC, when the Persian kings
Cyrus and Darius, pushing their empire eastward, conquered the ever-prized
Indus Valley.
Compared to the Aryans, the Persian influence was marginal, perhaps because they
were only able to occupy the region for a relatively brief period of about 150
years. The Persians were in turn conquered by the Greeks under Alexander the
Great, who swept through the country as far as the
Beas River, where
he defeated king Porus and an army of 200 elephants in 326 BC. The tireless,
charismatic conqueror wanted to extend his empire even further eastward, but his
own troops (undoubtedly exhausted) refused to continue. Alexander returned home,
leaving behind garrisons to keep the trade routes open.
While the
Persians and Greeks subdued the Indus Valley and the northwest, Aryan-based
kingdoms continued developing in the East. In the 5th century BC, Siddhartha
Gautama founded the religion of Buddhism, a profoundly influential work of human
thought still espoused by much of the world. As the overextended Hellenistic
sphere declined, a king known as Chandragupta swept back through the country
from Magadha
(Bihar) and conquered his way well into Afghanistan. This was the beginning of
one India's greatest dynasties, the Maurya. Under the great king Ashoka (268-31
BC), the Mauryan empire conquered nearly the entire subcontinent, extending
itself as far south as Mysore. When Ashoka conquered Orissa, however, his army
shed so much blood that the repentant king gave up warfare forever and converted
to Buddhism. Proving to be as tireless a missionary as he had been as conqueror,
Asoka brought Buddhism to much of central Asia. His rule marked the height of
the Maurya empire, and it collapsed only 100 years after his death.
After the
demise of the Maurya dynasty, the regions it had conquered fragmented into a
mosaic of kingdoms and smaller dynasties. The Greeks returned briefly in 150 BC
and conquered the Punjab, and by this time Buddhism was becoming so influential that the
Greek king Menander forsook the Hellenistic pantheon and became a Buddhist
himself. The local kingdoms enjoyed relative autonomy for the next few hundred
years, occasionally fighting (and often losing to) invaders from the north and
China, who seemed to come and
go like the monsoons. Unlike the Greeks, the Romans never made it to India,
preferring to expand west instead.
In AD
319, Chandragupta II founded the Imperial Guptas dynasty, which conquered and
consolidated the entire north and extended as far south as the Vindya mountains.
When the Guptas diminished, a golden age of six thriving and separate kingdoms
ensued, and at this time some of the most incredible temples in
India were
constructed in Bhubaneshwar, Konarak, and Khahurajo. It was time of relative
stability, and cultural developments progressed on all fronts for hundreds of
years, until the dawn of the Muslim era.
Arab
traders had visited the western coast since 712, but it wasn't until 1001 that
the Muslim world began to make itself keenly felt. In that year, Arab armies
swept down the Khyber pass and hit like a storm. Led by Mahamud of Ghazi, they
raided just about every other year for 26 years straight. They returned home
each time, leaving behind them ruined cities, decimated armies, and probably a
very edgy native population. Then they more or less vanished behind the
mountains again for nearly 150 years, and India once again went on its way.
But the
Muslims knew India
was still there, waiting with all its riches. They returned in 1192 under
Mohammed of Ghori, and this time they meant to stay. Ghori's armies laid waste
to the Buddhist temples of Bihar, and by 1202 he had conquered the most powerful
Hindu kingdoms along the Ganges. When Ghori died in 1206, one of his generals, Qutb-ud-din, ruled
the far north from the Sultanate of Delhi, while the southern majority of
India was free from the invaders.
Turkish kings ruled the Muslim acquisition until 1397, when the Mongols invaded
under Timur Lang (Tamerlane) and ravaged the entire region. One historian wrote
that the lightning speed with which Tamerlane's armies struck Delhi was prompted
by their desire to escape the stench of rotting corpses they were leaving behind
them.
Islamic
India fragmented after Timur Lang left in Delhi, and it was every Muslim
strongman for himself. This would change in 1527, however, when the Mughal
(Persian for Mongol) monarch Babur came into power. Babur was a complicated,
enlightened ruler from Kabul who loved poetry, gardening, and books. He even wrote
cultural treatises on the Hindus he conquered, and took notes on local flora and
fauna. Afghan princes in
India asked for his help in 1526, and he conquered the Punjab and quickly
asserted his own claim over them by taking
Delhi. This was the foundation of the Mughal dynasty, whose six
emperors would comprise most influential of all the Muslim dynasties in
India.
Babur
died in 1530, leaving behind a harried and ineffective son, Humayun. Humayun's
own son, Akbar, however, would be the greatest Mughal ruler of all. Akbar was more warrior than scholar, and he extended the empire as
far south as the Krishna river. Akbar tolerated local religions and married a
Hindu princess, establishing a tradition of cultural acceptance that would
contribute greatly to the success of the Mughal rule. In 1605, Akbar was succeed
by his son Jahangir, who passed the expanding empire along to his own son Shah
Jahan in 1627.
Shah Jahan left
behind the colossal monuments of the Mughal empire, including the Taj Majal (his
favorite wife's tomb), the Pearl Mosque, the Royal Mosque, and the Red Fort.
Jahan's campaigns in the south and his flare for extravagant architecture
necessitated increased taxes and distressed his subjects, and under this
scenario his son Aurungzeb imprisoned him, seeking power for himself in 1658.
Unlike
his predecessors, Aurungzeb wished to eradicate indigenous traditions, and his
intolerance prompted fierce local resistance. Though he expanded the empire to
include nearly the entire subcontinent, he could never totally subdue the
Mahrattas of the Deccan, who resisted him until his death in 1707.
The
Portuguese had traded in Goa as early as
1510, and later founded three other colonies on the west coast in Diu, Bassein,
and Mangalore. In 1610, the British chased away a Portuguese naval squadron, and
the East India Company created its own outpost at
Surat. This small outpost marked the beginning of a remarkable
presence that would last over 300 years and eventually dominate the entire
subcontinent. Once in India,
the British began to compete with the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the French.
Through a combination of outright combat and deft alliances with local princes,
the East India Company gained control of all European trade in India by 1769.
How a
tiny island nation, thousands of miles away, came to administer a huge territory
of 300 million people is one of history's great spectacles. A seemingly
impossible task, it was done through a highly effective and organized system
called the Raj. Treaties and agreements were signed with native princes, and the
Company gradually increased its role in local affairs. The Raj helped build
infrastructure and trained natives for its own military, though in theory they
were for India's
own defense. In 1784, after financial scandals in the Company alarmed British
politicians, the Crown assumed half-control of the Company, beginning the
transfer of power to royal hands.
In 1858,
a rumor spread among Hindu soldiers that the British were greasing their bullets
with the fat of cows and pigs, the former sacred animals to Hindus and the
latter unclean animals to Muslims. A year-long rebellion against the British
ensued. Although the Indian Mutiny was unsuccessful, it prompted the British
government to seize total control of all British interests in India in 1858,
finally establishing a seamless imperialism. Claiming to be only interested in
trade, the Raj steadily expanded its influence until the princes ruled in name
only.
The Raj's
demise was partially a result of its remarkable success. It had gained control
of the country by viewing it as a source of profit. Infrastructure had been
developed, administration established, and an entire structure of governance
erected. India had become a profitable venture, and the British were loath to
allow the Indian population any power in a system that they viewed as their own
accomplishment. The Indians didn't appreciate this much, and as the 20th century
dawned there were increasing movements towards self-rule.
Definition of a Hindu
The word Hindu has geographical significance and
was used originally for those people who lived beyond the river Sindhu or the
region watered by the river Indus. Some historians say that it was first used by
the Persians who came to India through the north western passes of the Himalayas. The word Hindu is no where mentioned in Indian literature or scriptures
before the advent of Muslims to India,
according to the Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics. According to Pundit
Jawaharlal Nehru in the book Discovery of India on page 74-75, he writes
that the earliest reference to the word Hindu can be traced to a tantrik of the
8th Century CE, where it means a people and not a follower of a
particular religion. The use of the word Hindu in connection with a particular
religion is of late occurrence.
In short Hindu is a geographical definition used
for the people living beyond the river
Indus or those living in India
Definition of Hinduism
Hinduism is eternal with no beginning and no
end. Current thinking suggests that Hinduism was formed somewhere between
3200-2500 BCE. The date of approximately 3102 BCE comes from the Mahabharata
epic, Hinduism has been derived from the word Hindu. Hinduism was a name given
in English language in the Nineteenth Century by the English people to the
multiplicity of the beliefs and faith of the people of the Indus land. According to New Encyclopedia Britannica 20:581. The British
writers in 1830 gave the word Hinduism to be used as the common name for all the
beliefs of the people of India excluding
the Muslims and converted Christians.
The origin of Hinduism cannot be
ascribed to a single founder, a single time and a single place of foundation.
The Vedas (regarded as the earliest piece of written Hindu work) are the
spiritual laws binding upon all of creation and even upon God. Each Veda was
written by multiple enlightened beings (Hindus) over a period of time. The term
"Hinduism" is derived from of the word Sindhu, which literally means "dweller in
the Sindhu (Indus) Valley". Hinduism is more of a federation of loosely banded
conventional religions and cultures. It is non-organizational and does not seek
or encourage collectivism
The term Hinduism is misleading because though it suggests the unified
system of beliefs and ideas, it is certainly not the case. Hinduism is too broad
a phenomenon to be confined to usual definitions of religions. It does not owe
its origin, formation or finalization to any historical person or a prophet
since there are no uniformly accepted belief sacraments, rituals and practices
in Hinduism, there are no criteria for establishing rules in Hinduism. In short
a person who calls himself a Hindu becomes a true practicing Hindu irrespective
who he worships and what ever may be his beliefs and practice.
According to the Hindu scholars Hinduism is a
misnomer and it should be referred a Sanatana Dharma, meaning eternal religion
or Vedic Dharma meaning religion of the Veda. According to Swami Vivekananda the
followers of this religion is referred as Vedantist.
Pillars of Hinduism
Pillars of Faith in Hinduism are not defined. As
mentioned earlier that Hinduism does not have a set of unified or codified
beliefs. Neither does it have any fixed pillars or principles which are
obligatory for its followers to practice. A Hindu has a freedom to practice
whatever he pleases, there is no such thing as compulsory or prohibited for him
thus no act committed by a person can make him a non-Hindu. Neither omission of
any act can make him a non-Hindu. However there are certain beliefs which are
common to most of the Hindus. Even though it may not be agreed upon 100% by all
the Hindus, we shall discuss some of them while discussing the pillars of Islam.
Quotations of Oneness of
God:- From Bhagavat Gita Vol. 1&11.
Slokhas:
Those, whose mine and intellect are wholly
absorbed in God, who remain constantly identified with Hi, and having finally
become one with Him, their sins having been wiped out by wisdom, they reach a
state, from which there is no return (5:17)
O Arjuna, of this world there is no other cause
higher than Me. As yarn beads are stung on the thred, so all the worlds are
permeated by Me. (7:7)
Comment:--
There is nothing else besides Me, the origin of
the universe. As air is born of ether, resides in ether and merges in ether
without having any independent existence of its own, so is the universe born of
the Lord, remains established in Him and merges in Him i.e., the universe has no
independent existence of its own, besides the Lord.
The evil-doers, the deluded, the
lowest of men, deprived of discrimination (wisdom) by illusion (maya) having
succumbed to demoniacal nature, do not take refuge in Me.15 (7:15)
Comment:--
Those, who are evil-doers and deluded, do not
take refuge in Him. Evil-doers are those, who have attachment, for the acquired
worldly kaleidoscopic things, and who have desire to get unacquired ones.
Fulfillment of desires, leads to greed and obstacles to fulfillment of desires,
lead to anger. Thus, those who because of their desire, enjoy sensual pleasures
against the ordinance of scriptures, because of greed, commit sins, such as
falsehood, fraud, betrayal and dishonesty etc., and because of anger, have
feelings of envy, jealousy and enmity and commit violence, are all evil-doers.
Of these, the best is the man of
wisdom (jnani) steadfastly and exclusively devoted to Me; for most dear am I to
the wise, and who is most dear to Me. (7:17)
Comment:--
I am extremely dear to the wise, because he has
exclusive devotion for Me, without having any desire of this own. Therefore, he
is extremely dear to Me.
Though all creatures, being fragments of God,
are naturally dear to Him, and He brings up all of them, without any partiality,
yet, those who have an inclination for Him, become especially dear, to Him.
When a devotee, becomes free from desires,
axiomatic devotion (love) is aroused, in Him. This love, neither ends nor
lessens, but increases every moment, and I limitless, endless and knows no
satiety.
All these are noble, but the man of wisdom (jnanai)
is verily My own self: this is my view. For, such a devotee steadfast in Me and
established in Me alone who am supreme goal. (7:18)
Comment:--
A man of wisdom by being steadfast in mind, remains established in God, who is
supreme and above whom, there is none. Such a devotee remaining unaffected by
favorable or unfavourable circumstances, is always absorbed in Him. He has a
firm belief, that only God is his, and that affinity is enhanced in both
desirable and undesirable circumstances. Thus, he remains firmly established in
Him.
There is a vital point that atheism is more defective than a desire. Those who,
instead of worshiping God, worship other deities, if they are desire-ridden,
they follow the cycle of birth and death—‘gatagatam kama kama labhante’ (gita 9/21). But
those who worship only God, if any desire remains is them, then by God’s grace
and by the influence of their worship, they attain God. The reason is that if a
man is connected with God in anyway, he attains only God* because basically he
is a fragment of God.
The seekers of wealth and the afflicted devotees
take refuge in only God but these persons leaving God aside, take refuge in
other deities. Desires, deities, men and precepts—all these are various. If
in spite of having several desires, only God is to be worshipped, then He will
lead the devotee (worshipper) to salvation. But if desires are numerous and the
deities worshipped are also numerous, then who will lead such a person to
salvation?
Those, whose discrimination (jnana) has been
subverted by various desires, influenced by their own nature, worship other gods
and follows precepts relating to them. (7:20)
Comment:--
Their discrimination, has been led astray by
desire, of this world, as well as of the next one. It means, that instead of
applying their discrimination for God realization, they remain engaged in,
satisfying their desires. They have desire for worldly pleasure and prosperity,
and hereafter they want to enjoy, heavenly pleasure.
Endowed with faith, he worships that God, and
obtains his desired fruition, as arranged by Me. (7:22)
Comment:--
A devotee, whose faith has been made firm by Me,
worships the God and obtains his desired enjoyment. Actually, his desire is
satisfied by Me, but he feels that his desire has been satisfied, by the gods.
The fact is, that the god’s (deities) power is nothing, besides My power.
But, the fruit gained by these people of meager
intellect, is perishable. The worshippers of the gods reach the gods; whereas,
My devotees attain Me alone. (7:23)
Comment:--
The whole universe, is nothing besides, the
manifestation of God. But, we are unable to realize this fact, because, first we
accept the world as a separate entity from God, and secondly, we have desires.
If we accept the universe as Divine manifestation, our desires, will be rooted
out, or if we root out desires, the universe, will be performed, as a service to
God. If both are done together, we will be immensely and instantly benefited.
The defect in the worship of deities is that the
fruit of their worship is perishable because their rights are also limited.
Therefore those, who instead of God, worship other deities, they are men of
meager intellect.
Men who lack understanding think of Me, the
unmanifest as a perceptible ordinary human being, not knowing My supreme state
as immutable and unexcelled. 7:24
Comment:--
Men of poor understanding, think of Me having
been born, and dead, just like ordinary men. They think, I am also manifested,
in the mid-state only, like other beings. They do not know Me, as imperishable,
uniform, immaculate, all-pervading, untainted, beyond time, space and causation,
and as an incarnation of God. So, they instead of worshipping Me, worship the
gods.
They do not know My supreme state, immutable and
unsurpassed. So, they for satisfaction of their desires, are attracted towards,
the gods. Had they known Me, as unsurpassed, they would worshipped Me, only.
He, who contemplates on the omniscient, the
ancient, the ruler, the minutest of the minute, sustainer of all, of form
inconceivable, shining like the sun and beyond all darkness, (of ignorance).
(8:9)
Comment:--
The Lord is Omniscient, because He knows all the
beings, and their good and evil actions. He is most ancient, because He is the
origin of everything, sentient and insentient.
He, is the supporter and sustainer of infinite
universes. So He is called, the sustainer of all. He is, supremely above and
beyond, the darkness of ignorance. He is also the illuminator of ignorance.
All this universe is pervaded by Me in My
unmanifest form. Al beings abide in , but I do not abide in them. Nor does the
whole creation vest in Me; look at My divine Yoga (power). Being the creator
and sustainer of being, I do not in reality, dwell in them. (9:4-5)
O Dhananjaya (Arjuna), those actions, however,
do not bind Me, who remains like on unconcerned with, and unattached, to such
actions. (9:9)
Those who worship the gods, with self-internet,
go to gods, after death, those who worship the means come to the manes, those
who adore the evil-spirits, join the evil-spirits. But, those who worship Me,
attain Me, alone (9:25)
Comment:--
In the preceding verse, the Lord declared, that
He is the enjoyer of all sacrifices, and the Lord of he entire universe.
But, those who instead of, regarding Him as the enjoyer and the Lord, themselves
become enjoyers and the Lord, have a fall Now, in this verse, He explain, how
they fall.]
Persons possessing the mode of ignorance
(darkness), worship the spirits and ghosts, to fulfill their worldly desires.
They worship spirits at nigh, on the cremation ground with meat, wine and
inactions etc. the maximum benefit they can get is that those evil-spirits, can
fulfill their worldly desires. But after death, they go to the spirits i.e.
become evil-spirits.
Those, who think of Me and worship Me, with
exclusive devotion, attain Me, certainly.
Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to me, adore Me,
prostrate to Me, thus making yourself steadfast in Me, and entirely surrendering
to Me, you will, reach me. (9:34)
Comment:--
However, agreeable or disagreeable, an incident
may happen to a devotee and he may be aware of it through his senses, but to him
in reality, it is divine grade, only. If something very unfavourable happens,
the devotee should regard it as a special divine grace, as it is not according
to Lord’s own sweet will. If something favourable happens, with what proportion
of the devotee’s consent? In that proportion, the divine grace is lesser. But
in an unfavourable incident, the devotee should feel highly blissful, as it is
destined, purely by God. It means, that a devotee should bow to Him and His
will. He should remain satisfied and happy, in favourable and unfavourable
circumstances by regarding these as the Lord’s gift, because He is all merciful
and is a disinterested friend, of all beings. Nothing, can happen against, His
will.
He who knows Me as unborn and without a
beginning, as the Great Lord of the world, he, undeluded among men, is purged of
all sins. (10:3)
Comment:--
Though, a striver cannot know the Lord in His
entirety, yet he can know Him so much, that he can attain salvation. His
knowledge about Him is that he can assume that the Lord is unborn, without
beginning and he is the Lord of all the lords, of the different worlds. The
Lord, is beyond time. The time which is referred in the world by days and
months etc., is ordinary time, while the Lord is beyond time. This time rests
in the Lord. The Lord is, eternal time. Such firm assumption removes, all
doubts about His glories.
The Lord, is birthless, beginningless and is the
Lord of all the lords. It means that he is imperishable and the supreme
sovereign, of the world.
The great sages (prophets) don’t know the secret
of His origin but they do know that the Lord is unborn and without a beginning.
The self, being a fragment of God, is also unborn and without a beginning.
Therefore when he knows the Lord as unborn and without a beginning, he will know
the self also the same (unborn and without a beginning).
Intellect, wisdom, non-delusion, forgiveness,
truth, self-restraint (control over the mind and the senses), joy (pleasure),
and sorrow (pain), evolution and dissolution, fear and fearlessness,
non-violence, equanimity, contentment, austerity, charity, fame and disprepute –
these diverse feelings of creatures, emanate from Me along. (10:4-5)
Comment:--
It is discrimination, between the real and the unreal, the proper and the
improper, the imperishable and the perishable etc. this discrimination, has been
bestowed upon every human being, by God.
I am the cause of the whole creation; from Me
all things move. The wise knowing this and full of faith and devotion,
continually worship Me viz., they take refuge in Me along. (10:8)
Upon them, ever devout and worshipping Me always
with love, I confer that Yoga of wisdom (equanimity), by which they attain Me.
(10:10)
Comment:--
[A devotee of the Lord, has no desire to gain
wisdom or equanimity or anything else, besides the Lord. They ever remain
absorbed in Him. So, their whole responsibility devolves on the Lord, they
become mere instruments in His hands. So the Lord confers, the Yoga of wisdom,
on them].
The Lord, confers on them the Yoga of wisdom
viz., equanimity, by which they remain the same in favourable and unfavourable
circumstances, profit and loss, honour and dishonour, praise and blame, and they
think of equanimity as the Lord’s gift, not their own achievement.
I am seated in the hearts of all; I am the
source of memory, knowledge and the reasoning faculty. It is verily ‘I’ known
by all the Vedas; I am indeed, the author of the Vedanta and correct interpreter
and knower of the Vedas too. (15:15).
Comment:--
Having described His illuminating, nourishing
and digesting powers, in the preceding verse, the Lord discloses the secret,
that He is lodged in the hearts of all beings. Though He remains pervaded
everywhere, such as in the body, senses, mind and intellect etc., yet, He
specially resides, in the heart.
No
Room for Devil
God is Ekam Sat, Advityam – One Truth, without a Second. There is no
room for the existence of Devil or Satan. There is only one power and one
presence in the universe, God the Omnipotent. Hinduism teaches Advaita,
non-dualism. It says God alone is. This teaching is different from the
teaching of only one God. The concept of God alone is different from the
concept of the only God.
Now we would like place a
few references from Quran for the guidance of the brothers belong to Hindu
Religion, after presenting many references from their Holy Scriptures to
complete our responsibility of conveying the real Message of Oneness of God.
But those who believe (in the Oneness of God
(Allah) -- Islamic Monotheism) and do deeds of righteousness, We shall
admit them to the Gardens under which rivers floe (i.e in Paradise) to dwell
therein forever. Allah's Promise is the Truth; and whose words can be truer
those of Allah? (Of course, none).
Comments of Some The Familiar Hindu Scholars: About Oneness of God
Dayanand Saraswati
Born:1824
Died:1883
Achievements: Founded Arya Samaj and established gurukuls to impart vedic
education.
Dayanand Saraswati was one of the most radical socio-religious reformers in the
history of India. Swami Dayanand Saraswati was the founder of Arya Samaj and
propagated egalitarian approach of the Vedas at a time when widespread casteism
was prevalent in the society.
Swami Dayanand Saraswati's original name was Mool Shankar Tiwari.
He was born in 1824 in Tankara,
Gujarat in a rich family of Brahmins. As a child Dayanand was brought up
under the strictest Brahmin rule, and at the age of eight was invested with the
Sacred Thread (Upanayna). When he was fourteen his father took him to the temple
on Shivaratri. Dayanand had to fast and keep awake the whole night in obedience
to Lord Shiva. In the night, he saw a rat nibbling the offerings to the god and
running over Shiva's body. He tried to find out from elders why this "god
almighty" could not defend himself against the menace of a petty mice, for which
he was rebuked. This incident shattered Daya Nand Saraswati's faith in the idol
worship and thereafter he refused to participate in the religious rites for the
rest of his life.
At the age of nineteen Dayanand Saraswati ran away from home to escape from a
forced marriage. He was caught and imprisoned. He fled again in1845. For fifteen
years, he wandered all over the country in the search of a guru (Master). In
1860, he found his guru and mentor Swami Virjanand Saraswati at
Mathura. He was blind. Dayanand
Saraswati underwent rigorous training under Swami Virjanand Saraswati. Virjanand
Saraswati gave him the name Dayanand and as gurudakshina extracted promise from
Dayanand that he would devote his life for revival of Hinduism.
Dayanand Saraswati undertook a tour of the entire county, made fiery speeches
condemning the caste system, idolatry, and child marriages. He advocated the
ideal age for a girl to be between 16 and 24, and for men between 25 and 40.
Dayanand Saraswati was the first leader in the field of theology who welcomed
the advances of sciences and technology. To him, the Vedas as the source book
contain the seed of science, and to him, the Vedas advocate the philosophy of
dynamic realism. He pointed out the shortcomings of every one of them without
supporting or opposing any religion. He told the people "Idol Worship is not
mentioned in the Vedas. The rational mind cannot accept idol worship. God has no
shape or form. He bitterly criticized and wicked customs that have come down the
centuries. He explained greatness of the religion preached in the Vedas.
Dayanand Saraswati founded Arya Samaj in Mumbai in 1875 to promote social
service. Arya Samaj, postulates in principle equal justice for all men and all
nations, together with equality of the sexes. It repudiates a hereditary caste
system, and only recognizes professions or guilds, suitable to the complementary
aptitudes of men in society. He gave new interpretations to reform the stagnant
Hindu thought through his book "Satyaprakash" (The Light of Truth). He profusely
quoted the vedas and other religious texts to insist that salvation was not the
only motto of a Hindu or Arya, as was believed. To lead a fruitful worldly life,
working for a noble cause was important, and he preached that salvation was
possible through social service.
Due to his radical thought, Swami Dayanand had acquired enemies from all spheres
of life. On the occasion of Deepavali in 1883, he was a guest of the maharaja of
Jodhpur. The king was a womanizer and Dayanand advised the king to
lead a righteous life as a ruler, upsetting a mistress by the name of Nanhi Jan.
That night Swami Dayanand was poisoned during the festival meal. Swami Dayanand
Saraswati breathed his last chanting "Om".
RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY
BorMay 22,
1772
DiedSeptember 27, 1833
Achievements: Founded Atmiya Sabha and Brahma Samaj. Played a key role in
abolition and Sati. Fought for the rights of women.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy is known as the 'Maker of Modern India'. He was the founder
of the Brahmo Samaj, one of the first Indian socio-religious reform movements.
He played a major role in abolishing the role of Sati. Raja Rammohan Roy was a
great scholar and an independent thinker. He advocated the study of English,
Science, Western Medicine and Technology. He was given the title 'Raja' by the
Mughal Emperor.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was born on May 22, 1772 in village Radhanagar in the
District of Murshidabad in Bengal. His father Ramkanto Roy, was a Vaishnavite,
while his mother, Tarini, was from a Shakta background. Raja Ram Mohun Roy was
sent to Patna for higher studies. By the age of fifteen, Raja Rammohun Roy
had learnt Bangla, Persian, Arabic and Sanskrit.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was against idol worship and orthodox Hindu rituals. He stood
firmly against all sort of social bigotry, conservatism and superstitions. But
his father was an orthodox Hindu Brahmin. This led to differences between Raja
Ram Mohan Roy and his father. Following differences he left the house . He
wandered around Himalayas and went to
Tibet. He traveled widely before returning home.
After his return Raja Ram Mohan Roy's family married him in the hope that he
would change. But this did not have any effect on him. Raja Ram Mohan Roy went
to Varanasi and studied the Vedas, the Upanishads and Hindu philosophy deeply.
When his father died in 1803 he returned to Murshidabad. He then worked as a
moneylender in Calcutta, and from 1809 to 1814, he served in the Revenue
Department of the East India Company.
In 1814, Raja Ram Mohan Roy formed Atmiya Sabha. Atmiya Sabha tried to initiate
social and religious reforms in the society. Raja Ram Mohan Roy campaigned for
rights for women, including the right for widows to remarry, and the right for
women to hold property. He actively opposed Sati system and the practice of
polygamy.
He also supported education, particularly education of women. He believed that
English-language education was superior to the traditional Indian education
system, and he opposed the use of government funds to support schools teaching
Sanskrit. In 1822, he founded a school based on English education.
In 1828, Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the 'Brahma Samaj'. Through 'Brahma Samaj,
he wanted to expose the religious hypocrisies and check the growing influence of
Christianity on the Hindu society. Raja Ram Mohan Roy's efforts bore fruit when
in 1929, the Sati system was abolished.
In 1831 Ram Mohan Roy traveled to the United Kingdom as an ambassador of the
Mughal emperor to plead for his pension and allowances. Raja Ram Mohan Roy
passed away on September 27, 1833 at Stapleton near
Bristol due to meningitis.
Concept of
God in Bhagavad Gita
God speaks in the Srimad
Bhagavad Gita and says: "God is the God of all."
As men approach me, so I receive them. All paths
Arjuna lead to me" (Srimad Bhagavad Gita 4:11).
Sri Shyama Charan Lahiri (1828-1895), the founding Guru or my spiritual
tradition, says:
Believe that I believe in only one God who is the Beginning, Middle, and End of
everything. I throughout time and different cultures God has been given
different names and worshipped in different manners.
God is not the God of a particular people or the God of this or that religion:
God is the God of all!
In the first century Hermetic text "Eugnosto the Blessed," the author calls God
"The One Who Is." And the author says that the "The One Who Is" is ineffable; in
other words, God is beyond definition. This ancient text will go on to say: "The
One is blessed, imperishable, and is called the Father of all" (The Nag Hammadi
Scriptures, page 26
Swami Dayananda, Swami Vivekananda and Sri
Aurobindo contributed to this renewal, among others. In spite of the negative
portrayals of Hinduism in the media and textbooks, Hindu ideas are in resurgence
and have a global reach.
Hindu worship One GOD
Hindus worship God as One Reality, One
Consciousness. "The Truth is One; Sages name it variously..." Rig Veda
Behind the diversity of existence, there is
Unity; behind individual souls, there is the Self. All beings are unified in
that One Self. The ultimate Reality is called Brahman (to grow, to expand).
Guru Nanak described it as “Ek Omkar, Sat Naam”—One Reality, eternally
True.
The ancient teachers (the Rishis and Gurus)
taught that the One Reality and Consciousness is beyond number, gender and
definitions. They taught that this reality is seen in the cave of one’s heart,
and they described it as Sat, Chit, Ananda. Your own inner being, then,
is an authentic path to enlightenment.
Hindu thought, based upon inner experience,
avers that we can say little constructively about the reality unknowable to the
mind: we can say that it exists, that it is conscious, and that its nature is
delight
Sat:
The One Reality is beyond all time and space as a supreme transcendence. What it
manifests, whether the macrocosm or the microcosm, is necessarily within its own
being, much as an object floats in ethereal space. Sat is absolute, primal
existence. As a manifestation, we can say that the One Reality is self existent
without a cause. It just is.
Chit:
The One Reality is fully Conscious Power. It is not inert or dead matter. It
possesses all knowledge about the past, present and future. It is the source of
all knowledge. It is the eye of the eye and the ear of the ear. The One
Consciousness is not a passive reality. It is accompanied with Power. It is
Chit-Shakti.
Ananda:
The One Reality lacks nothing; it contains all and encompasses everything. As
it lacks nothing and possesses all, its nature is one of delight. The state of
bliss is an integral part of the One Reality.
To Attain This Status
What Man Should do?
God has sent His Scriptures at various places
in various languages which all go to mean that God Almighty is one. Mankind is
one and the religion is one. The essence of Scriptures is that there is one God
Almighty. One should worship Him alone, and worship none. This is the main
teaching of every scripture.
That is why Quran Exhorts
as follows:
Say ye,"We believe in Allah and what has been
revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham and Ismail and Isaac and Jacob
and his children and what was given to all (other) prophets (Rishis) from their
Lord and we make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit. (Quran:
3:84)
Quotations About the
Last Apostle Muhammed (PBUH) in Various Hindu Scriptures
From time immemorial, the minds of conscious and inquisitive human beings
have been pondering to know the unknown and be
acquainted with the unacquainted. Many men, who devoted to acquire knowledge,
have even sacrificed their dearest lives for the pursuit of knowledge. The
adventure of understanding and unveiling the universal truth has not yet been
stopped. It is a matter of great joy that many scientific theories, discoveries
and information of the modern age are making the solutions to the problems
relating to the Creator (God), His creations and the moral and ethical values of
life, much easier. However, to avoid the complexity of this problem, one should
have an unbiased mind an neutral mentality. Otherwise, it would be very
difficult on one hand to reach the intended goal, and on the other hand there
would be every possibility that the decision made by a biased person may contain
error. To be able to correctly evaluate the thoughts and systems on moral and
ethical values of human life, one has to leave the religious biasness and envy
aside from the heart.
Many religions and religious leaders
have emerged on this war-, battle-, and quarrel-trodden Earth. The intentions of
these religious leaders or founders were to establish peace, harmony and
equality in the society. Many of them had so much love for their own tribes or
sects that the attempt of establishing universal peace, goodness and equity for
all mankind has been much overshadowed by the seeking of his own good.
Although, thousands of isms and
religions were born for the different ideologies of the religious leaders, there
is no denying the fact that there is some Supreme being or Creator of the
Universe. Many have accepted that Supreme Being as the Creator without even
knowing and have directed and encouraged their followers to follow their
foot-steps. Not only that, many of them have admitted spontaneously that the
goodness of this life and the life hereafter lies in following the path directed
by one great man, who would be the religious leader for all mankind. Now, it is
obvious to raise the question as to who that Supreme Being of the Universe
is and also who that accepted great man and religious leader is!
Now We Would Like To Quote A Few
References From The Holy Scripture Of Hindu Religion.
Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads are
the sacred religious books of the people of Vedic religion (i.e. Hindu
Religion). Let us see how these religious books have cited good examples by
describing the oneness of God and accepting the best guidance by the last
Prophet, the great human being MUHAMMAD' , who is the saviour of all mankind.
MUHAMMAD (PBUH) PROPHESIZED IN BHAVISHYA PURANA
According to
Bhavishya Purana in the Prati Sarag, Parv III, Khand 3, Aday 3, Shaloka 5 to 8.
§
“A malechha (belonging
to a foreign country and speaking foreign language) spiritual teacher will
appear with his companions. His name will be Mohammad. Raja (Bhoj) after giving
this Maha Dev Arab (of angelic disposition) a both in the ‘Panchgavya’ and the
Ganges water (i.e. purging him of all time) offered him the presents of his
sincere devotion and showing him all reverence said, “I make obeisance to thee,
‘Oye! The pride of mankind, the dweller in
Arabia, Ye have collected a great force to kill the Devil and you yourself have
been protected from the malechha opponents.”
The Prophecy
clearly states:
§
The name of the
Prophet as Muhammad
§
He will belong to
Arabia. The Sanskrit word ‘Marusthal’ means a
sandy track of land or a desert.
§
Special mention is made
of the companions of the Prophet i.e. the Sahabas. No other Prophet had as many
companions as Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
§
He is referred as the
pride of mankind (Parbatis nath). The Holy Qur’an reconfirms this in Surah Al-Qalam,
Chapter 68, Verse 4
§
“And thou (standest) on
an exalted standard of character” and in Surah Al-Ahzab Chapter 33, Verse 2
§
“Ye have indeed in the
messenger of Allah, a beautiful pattern (of conduct)”
§
He will kill the devil
i.e. abolish idol worship and all sorts of vices.
§
The Prophet will be
given the protection against his enemy.
§
Some people may argue
that Raja Bhoj mentioned in the prophecy lived in the 11th century CE
500 years after the advent of Prophet Muhammad and was the descendant in the 10th
generation of Raja Shalivahan. These people fail to realize that there was not
only one Raja of the name Bhoj. The Egyptian Monarchs were called as Pharaoh and
the Roman kings were known as Caesar’s, similarly the Indian Rajas were given
the tittle of Bhoj. There were several Raja Bhoj who came before the one in 11th
Century CE.
§ The Prophet did not physically
take a bath in Panchgavya and the water of
Ganges.
Since the water of Ganges is considered holy, taking bath in the
Ganges
is an idem meaning washing away or making immune from all sorts of sins. Here
the prophecy implies that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was sinless i.e. ‘Maasoom’.
MUHAMMAD (PBUH)
PROPHESIZED IN BHAVISHYA PURANA
According to Bhavishya Purana in the Pratisarag,
Parv III, Khand 3, Shloka 10 to 27 Maharishi Vyas has prophesized.
§ “The Malechha have spoiled the
well known land of the Arabs. Arya Dharma is not to be found in the country.
Before also there appeared a misguided friend whom I had killed; he has now
again appeared being sent by a powerful enemy. To show these enemies the right
path and to give them guidance the well-known Mohamad (Muhammad), who has been
given by me the epithet of Brahma, is busy in bringing the ‘Pishachas’ to the
right path. O Raja, you need not go to the land of the foolish Pishachas, you
will be purified through my kindness even where you are at night, he of the
angelic disposition, the shrewd man, in the guise of a Pischacha said to Raja
Bhoj, O Raja! Your Arya Dharma has been made to prevail over all religions, but
according to the commandment of Ishwar Parmatma, I shall enforce the strong need
of the meat eaters. My follower will be a man circumcised, without a tail (on
his head), keeping beard, creating a revolution announcing Adhan (call for
prayer) and will be eating all lawful things. He will eat all sorts of animals
except swine. They will not seek purification from the holy shrubs, but will be
purified through warfare. On account of their fighting the irreligious nations,
they will be known as ‘Musalmans’. I shall be the originator of the religion of
the meat-eating nation”
Sloakas from
Rig Veda
"Jonoh: Pita janita Shobidhata
Dhamaney Veda-Vubanani Biswa.
Jo Devanang Namadha ek ebotang
Samprashang Vubana jantrana."
Translation:
He who is our sustainer, father and Creator, He who is the God of the Universe,
exists everywhere. He is well aware of the whole creation in the universe. He is
one and second to none. The earth asks about him.
Sloakas from
Rig Veda:
"Nottaba
Aunnadiba Noparthiba
No jato no Janibbatey."
Translation:
O Brahma! (i.e. Creator, God in Hindu Religion) nobody has ever born like you on
earth or in Heavens. Surely will never be born.
Sloakas from
Uttarayan Veda:
"Ekameba Ditiyam Brahma:
Swa-angbina Nasti Pujjayatey."
Translation:
Brahma is one, who is second to none (i.e. Unique). There is no deity worthy of
worship accept Him.
Sloakas from
Vagabat Gita: 11:66:
"Sharba Dharma Paritejjaya Mamekang Sharan Braja:
Auhang twang Sharba-papoveya Makkhamiami Mashucha:"
Translation:
Leaving every kind of religious worshiping (i.e. idol worshiping etc.),
concentrate only in my remembrance and worship me alone. I will rescue you from
every kind of sin. Have faith and do not grief.
Sloakas from
Gita: 10:3:
"Jomam Janmanadincha Betti Lok Maheshshwaram.
Aushang Muddhra:sha Martteshu Sharba-papai Pramuchchatey."
Translation:
Who considers Me as Eternal, Free from Birth, and the only God of the Universe,
he will be free from all kinds of sin in the human society.
Sloakas from
Gita: 7:24:
"Aubbektang Bekti Mapannang Monnantey mam
Budhaya:
Paran Vabam Janantey Mamabeyam Nuttamama."
Translation:
Ignorant persons with a little knowledge consider me to be personified with
Human Beings, Fish and Kurmadi (i.e. worship them as if they are like Me!)
Sloakas from
Iyshapanishad:
"Shamarja Gandhakram Kaibrana: Masnabirang
Shuddham Papa-biddham
Kabirmanishi PariVung Shaywamvu Jarjatatthaya Toharthan
Veda Dhachchha Shwatiba Shamavya:."
Translation:
He is present everywhere and surrounded like a light, He is above holding a
body. He is free from all sins and He is perfect or Pure. He is the controller
of the mind, which can see everything. He is the best and Self-existent. He is
everlasting and immortal. Only He is adorable to everyone.
Sloakas from
Allaupanishad:
"Hotermindra Hotermindra Mahashurindraiy:
Alla Jeyshthang Paramang Purnang Brhman Aullam
Aadalla Bukmekkam Alla Buk Nikhatkam Aulley Aullam."
Translation:
The Supreme! The Most Exalted! The Most Powerful is HE. Alla is the best and the
Greatest (or Highest). He is the Supreme, Complete and One without any Fault
(Error etc.). He us Uncomparable. Alla is Comparable to Alla alone.
However, it is a matter of great pity that
although there are verses concerning Allah and the Oneness of Allah in some
parts of the Hindu religious books like Vedas, Gita, Puranas etc., later some
priests and ill-fated pundits have corrupted them with Dualism, Trinity,
Naturalism, Pluralism and the 'ism of everything is God' and thus, have tried to
plunge mankind into a great and grievous mistake.
In Brhma-Baibarta Puran it has been
written:
"Veda Shashtrartha Tattyagga Jatratatrassramey
Basan
Iee Haiba Lokatishthashcha Brahmabhuai Kollotey."
Translation:
He (any Brahmin), who knows the meaning and theory of the Vedas, becomes the
Brahma (god) wherever he may be.
From
Vedanta Darshan:
"Sharbang Khalwidang Brahma"
Translation:
Everything in this world is God.
Also, from Gita:
"Bashudev: Sharba-mati"
Translation:
It is the Basudeva (the earth), which is everything.
From
Vagabat Purana:
"Krishnamena Mobehi Twang Antmannama
Khilantmanam"
Translation:
Consider Krishna (a person) as the Soul of the Creator. It is he, who is the
Soul of the Universe.
Thus, the ism of 'Everything is God' has been
proclaimed by many mantras (verses) of the religious books by declaring
everything on earth as the incarnation of God. There are some verses in Vedas,
which describes the Sun, Air, Rudra, Dawn, Indra, Rice, Fire etc. as Brahma or
God. In fact, the rishis (some Hindu religious prophets) used to worship natural
objects and power by looking at their strength and considering them as the
manifestation of God. This is how they have accepted and admitted Pluralism or
'Many God-head' instead of Monotheism or Oneness of God, and thus have pushed
their people towards a grievous mistake and anarchy.
However, many of the great Munis and
rishis, who have written Vedas and Puranas have not stopped by merely
proclaiming the glory of One God (Allah), and His Oneness and Sovreignty, they
have also presented clear-cut indication of the coming of a Great Prophet, whose
name would be MUHAMMAD and who will be the best guide of Mankind ever. For
example-
Look at the following Sanskrit
Sloakas from
Sama Veda:
" 'Ma' dau bartita Deva, 'Da'-Karante Prakirtiat,
Brishanang Vakhwaet, Soda Veda Shastray Chasmrita"
Meaning: The devota whose name starts with a
'Ma' and ends with a 'Da' and who re-estabishes the tradition of eating beef,
According to the Vedas he is the man who is highly adorable.
(Translated by Mr. Abul Hossain Vattacharya, who was also a
returning Muslim, and was a Brahmin by Cast from the Hindu religious
denomination)
From Atharva Vedas:
Meshudghaey ||1||:
"Idangjana Upasruta Norashan Sastya-bishwatey
Shashting Sahasra Nabatingcha Kauram Aarush"
Translation:
O Mankind! Listen attentively, "The Praised One" will rise from among the
people; We have discovered him among the sixty thousand enemies.
Also, from the Atharva-Vedic Upanishad ||9||:
"Aushwa illaley Mitravaruna-Raja Tashmat-Tani
Divyani
Punastang Dudhya Habaiyami Milang Kabar Illallang
Alla-rahsul Mahamad Rakang Baraswa
Alla Allam Illallotey Illalla"
Approximate Meaning:
At an appropriate time, a Great man named MAHAMMAD will appear, whose abode will
be in the desert (Arabia). He will be accompanied by his companions.
From Alla-Upanishad:
"Alla Mahamadkang Baraswa ... ... ... ... ...
... ..."
Translation:
Accept Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah as an example to be followed.
Again in Uttarayan Vedas:
" La Ilha Harti Papam
Illa Ilaha Param Padam
Janma Baikuntha Par Aup-inuti
Janpi Namo Muhammadam "
Approximate Meaning:There
is no shelter but "La Ilaha ... ... ... ..." to get rid of sin. The shelter of
Ilah (Allah) is the actual shelter. If one is born on earth, there is no
alternative to getting salvation from sin but to take shelter in Ilah (Allah).
And for this, it is essential to follow the path shown by Muhammad.
Now, the translation of some verses
from Chapter 12 of the Kalki-Purana
are cited below.
" 'Jagatguru' will be born of 'Bishnuvagat' in
the woumb of 'Sumati'.He will be born '2 hours after sunrise' on Monday, the
12th of 'Baishakh'. His father will die before his birth and his mother some
time later after his birth. 'Jagatguru' will marry the princess of the 'Salmal'
island. His uncle and three brothers will be present in his marriage ceremony.
'Pars-Ram' will teach him in a cave. When he will come to 'Sambala' from 'Salmal'
island, to preach his teachings, his relatives will oppose him. He will be bound
to migrate to the 'Northern Hills' to avoid the on-going torture and
persecution. But after some time, he will return to 'Sambala' with 'sword in
hand' and will 'conquer the whole land'. 'Jagatguru' will visit earth and the
seven heavens riding on a 'horse'
".
Kalki-Purana is one of the principal
sacred books of the Hindu Religion. In terms of seeking blessings, its place is
after the Kuntap Sukt.The above verses of the Kalki-Purana clearly reflects the
rise of Prophet Muhammad and some important incidents of his life. It will be
clearer once the true meanings of the highlighted words are unveiled.
Jagatguru: 'Jagatguru' means teacher of the
world. The world prophet Hajrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the saviour of
the humanity irrespective of nation, country or creed. The verse "I have sent
you as the blessings of the World" of the holy Qur'an signifies the same meaning
as 'Jagatguru'.
Bishnuvagat: In the language of Puranas, 'Bishnu'
means the 'Creator' and 'Vagat' means the 'Servant'. Therefore, Bishnuvagat
means the Servant of the Creator, and the arabic of this is "Abdullah". It is
well known that the name of the World Prophet's father is "Abdullah".
Sumati: 'Su' means 'Peace' or
'Self-Satisfaction', the arabic of which is 'Aman'. 'Mati' means 'Soul' or
'Heart'. Therefore, the meaning of 'Sumati' stands 'Satisfied Heart', and the
arabic of which is "Amina". Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) mother's name
is Amina.
12th Baishakh, Monday: According to the Bikrami
Calender of India, the month Baishakh is known as the month of Spring. The arabic of
'Spring' is 'Rabi'. We know that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born
on Monday, the 12th of Rabi-ul-Awual, the third month of the Arabic calendar.
2 Hours after Sunrise: If it is 2 hours after
sunrise in India, the corresponding time in Arabia would be 2 hours and 40
minutes earlier (The latitude of Arabia is 80 Degrees West and that of India is
40 Degrees west: Therefore the time difference would be (80-40)x4=160 minutes).
It is known that Mohammed (peace be upon him) was born at the early dawn, well
before the sunrise in Mecca of Arabia ('Hijaj' was the then name of Arabia).
Muhammad (pbuh)
prophesized in Bhavishya Purana
§
In
the 20th Book of Atharvaveda, Hymn 127. Some Suktas (Chapters) are
known as Kuntap Sukt. Kuntap means the consumer of misery and troubles. Thus
meaning the message of peace and safety and if translated in Arabic means Islam.
§
Kuntap also means hidden glands in the abdomen. These mantras are called
so probably because their true meaning was hidden and was to be revealed in
future. Its hidden meaning is also connected with the navel or the middle point
of this earth.
Mecca is
called the ‘Ummul Qur’an’ the mother of the towns or the naval of the earth in
many revealed books it was the first house of divine worship where God Almighty
gave spiritual nourishment to the world. The Holy Qur’an says in Surah Ale-Imran,
Chapter 3, Verse 95.
§
“The first house (of worship) appointed for men was that at Bakka (Mecca)
full of blessings and of guidance and for all kinds of beings”.
§
Another name for
Mecca is ‘Becca’. Thus Kuntap stands for
Mecca or Becca.
§
Several people
have translated these Kuntap Suktas like M. Blomfield, Prof. Ralph Griffith,
Pandith Rajaram, Pandit Khem Karan, etc.
§
The main points mentioned in the Kuntap Suktas that is Atharvaved, Book
XX, Hymn 127, Verses 1-13 are:
Mantra
1:
§
He is narashansah or the praised one (Muhammad).
§
He is Kaurama the prince of peace or the emigrant, who is safe, even
amongst a host of 60,090 enemies. Mantra 2:
§
He is a camel-riding Rishi, whose chariot touches the heaven. Mantra 3:
§
He is Mamah Rishi who is given a hundred gold coins, ten chaklets
(necklaces), three hundred good steeds and ten thousand cows.Mantra 4:
§
Vachyesv rebh, ’Oh! ye who glorifies’
Mantra 5:
§
The praying ones with their prayers hurry
on like powerful bulls. Mantra 6:
§
You who praises hold fast the wisdom which earns cows and good things.
Disseminate this among the divine. Mantra 7:
§
He is the king of the worlds, the best of men and guide for the entire ankind.Mantra 8-9:
§
He has procured a secure dwelling
for the people, gives protection to every body and has spread peace in the
world. Mantra 10:
§
People thrive happily end prosper under his rule
and from the depth of degradation they rise to the height of glory. Mantra 11:
§
He is asked to wake up and warn the world. Mantra 12:
§
He is extremely bountiful and very
generous. Mantra 13:
§
(His followers)
have been saved from the hostility and robbery of the enemy and May the Master
not be harmed. Mantra 14:
§
We Glorify and
praise the great hero with a song of praise and a prayer. Please accept this
praise so that evil may not befall us.
§
The Sanskrit word
‘Narashansah’ means ‘the praised one’ which is the literal translation of the
Arabic word Muhammad (pbuh).
§
The Sanskrit word
‘Kaurama’ means ‘one who spreads and promotes peace’ the holy Prophet was the
‘Prince of Peace’ and he preached equality of human kind and universal
brotherhood. ‘Kaurama’ also means an emigrant. The Prophet migrated from
Mecca to Medina and was thus also an Emigrant.
He will be protected from 60,090 enemies which was the population of Mecca.
§
The Prophet would
ride a camel, this clearly indicates that, it cannot be an Indian Rishi since it
is forbidden for a Brahman to ride a camel, sacred Books of the east, Volume 25,
Laws of Manu page 472 according to Manu Smriti, Chapter 11, Verse 202.
§
“A Brahman is
prohibited from riding a camel or an ass and to bath naked. He should purify
himself by suppressing his breath”.
§ This Mantra gave the
Rishis name as Mamah. No rishi in India
or any other Prophet had this name ‘Mamah’ is derived from ‘Mah’ which means to
esteem highly, on a revere, to exalt, etc. Some Sanskrit books give the Prophets
name as ‘Mahamad’, but this word according to Sanskrit grammar can also be used
in the bad sense. It is incorrect to apply grammar to an Arabic word. Actually
Mamah has the some meaning and somewhat similar pronunciation as the word
Muhammad (pbuh).
§
He is given 100 gold
coins, which refers to the believers and the earlier companions of the Prophet
during his turbulent Meccan life. Later on due to persecution they migrated from
Mecca to Abyssinia later when Prophet
migrated to Madina all of them joined him in Madinah.
§
The 10 chaplets or
necklaces were the 10 best companions of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) known as ‘Ashra
– Mubbashshira’ (10 bestowed with good news). These were fore told in this world
of their salvation in the hereafter i.e. they were given the good news of
entering paradise by Prophets own lips and after naming each one he said (in
Paradise). They were Abu Baker, Umer,
Uthman, Ali, Talha, Zubair, Abdur Rahman Ibni Auf, Sad Bin Abi Waqqar, Sad Bin
Zaid and Abu Ubeidah (May God be well-pleased with them).
§
The third gift
was 300 good steeds. These horses belonged to the Arab breed. The Sanskrit word
‘Arvah’ means swift Arab horse, The 300 steeds refers to the 300 companions of
the Holy Prophet who fought at the battle of Badar and came back victorious even
though the enemies were thrice the number.
§ The Sankrit word ‘Go’ is
derived from ‘Gaw’ which means ‘to go to war’. A cow is also called ‘Go’ and is
a symbol of war as well as peace, the 10,000 cows refers to the 10,000
companious of who accompanied the Prophet (Pubh) when he entered Mecca during
Fateh Mecca which was a unique victory in the history of mankind in which there
was no blood shed. The 10,000 companions were pious and compassionate like a cow
and were at the same time strong and fierce and are described in the Holy Qur’an
in Surah Fatah, Chapter 48, Verse 29,
§
“Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are strong against unbelievers,
(but) compassionate amongst each other”.
§
This
mantra calls the Prophet as ‘Rebh’ which means one who praises which when
translated into Arabic is Ahmed which is another name for the Holy Prophet (pbuh).
Muhammad (Pbuh)
prophesized in Samveda
Book
II, Hymn 6, Verse 8
§
“Ahmed acquired from his Lord the knowledge of eternal law I received
light from him just as from the sun”. The Prophecy confirms.
§
The name of the Prophet
as Ahmed since Ahmed is an Arabic name; many translators misunderstood it to be
Ahmat and translated the mantra as I alone have acquired the real wisdom of my
father.
§
In this last
Mantra, the Rishi of the Veda makes it compulsory for the followers of the Veda
to praise the Holy Prophet (pbuh) land follow him so that they will be saved
from the evil of this world.
Now finally we would like to present a few
Quranic References for the beneficial aspects of the human being in general and
Msulims who are involved in Shirk in particular.
And (remember) when Allah said: "O 'Isa
(Jesus)' I will take you and raise you to myself and clear you [of the forged
statement that 'Isa (Jesus) is Allah's son] of those who disbelieve, and I will
make those who follow you (Monotheists, who worship none but Allah) superior to
those who disbelieve in some of His Messengers, e.g. Muhammad (PBUH) 'Isa
(Jesus, Musa (Moses) PBUH, etc., or in His Holy Books, e.g. the Taurat (Torah),
the Injeel (Gospel), the Quran) till the Day of Resurrection. Then you will
return to Me and I will judge between you in the matters in which you used to
dispute.
Sun, Moon and Galaxy are not God as per Hindu Scriptures
Creation:
Few References are Given Below from Different Hindu Scriptures:
He
Who has created this multiform universe, and is the cause of its sustenance as
well as dissolution the Lord of the universe in whom the whole world exists, is
sustained and then resolved into elementary condition, is the Supreme Spirit.
Know Him, O man, to be your God and believe in no other as the Creator of the
universe." Rig Veda, X, 126, 8.
"He who has created this multiform universe, and is the cause of its sustenance
as well as dissolution, the Lord of the universe in whom the whole world exists,
is sustained and then resolved into elementary condition, is the Supreme Spirit.
Know Him, O man, to be your God and believe in no other as the Creator of the
Universe." RIG VEDA 10: 126, 8.
"In the beginning the whole was enveloped in utter darkness. Nothing was
discernible. It was like a dark night, Matter was in its very elementary form.
It was like ether. The whole universe, completely overspread by darkness, was
insignificantly small compared with the Infinite God who thereafter, by His
omnipotence, evolved this cosmic world - the, effect - out of the elementary
matter - the cause.* RIG VEDA 10: 129, 3.
Sloka
Sooryaa chandra-masau
dhaataa
yathaa poorvam akal-payat
Divam cha prithiveem
chaanta-rik-sham atho swah.
Translation
Just as God created the sun, the earth, the moon, electricity, the
atmosphere in the previous cycles, so has He done in the present and so will He
do in the future." Rig Veda 10:190
"O
men, that All-pervading Being alone is the Lord of the imperishable matter, the
material cause of the world; and of the soul and is yet distinct from both. He
is the Creator of the universe, the past, the present and the future." Yajur
Veda 21:2
This accounted for the law, order and design of our creation by an intelligent
Being, living and All-powerful.
"By One Supreme Ruler is this universe pervaded, even every world in the whole
circle of nature, He is the true God. Know Him, O man! and covet not unjustly
the wealth of any creature existing. Renounce all that is unjust and enjoy pure
delight - true spiritual happiness - by the practice of justice and
righteousness which is another name for true religion. Yajur Veda 40:1
"In the beginning the whole was enveloped in utter darkness. Nothing was
discernible. It was like a dark night, Matter was in its very elementary form.
It was like ether. The whole universe, completely overspread by darkness, was
insignificantly small compared with the Infinite God who thereafter, by His
Omnipotence, evolved this cosmic world, the effect, out of the elementary
matter, the cause." Rig Veda 10: 129,3.
God
revealed in His revelation, and described the creation of the Universe
from the eternal subtle matter. He Himself, only, being subtler can pervade it
and use it for his creation.
"Love and worship that Supreme Spirit, O men, Who is the support, of all the
luminous bodies (such as the sun) the one Incomparable Lord of the present as
well as of the future worlds, Who existed even before the world came into being,
and has created all things that exist in space between the earth and the heaven
(the sun)." Rig Veda 10: 121,1
Dyau
antariksh dhar-nee nit nem par tikaaye
Too ram rahaa sabhee me, tujhme sabhee samaaye
And, as before, the Maker made again
The sun, the moon, and bodies dark and bright,
The sky above, the place unknown to pain -
The home of bliss – the Realm of Holy Light.
In this cycle of creation, God
created the sun, moon, earth and sky, and all the natural elements like air,
fire, and water, and all life-forms. These He crated exactly as He did in past
creations, and as He would do in future ones, too.
(Rig Veda X,
190)
Sloka
Hiranya-garbhah sama-var-tataa-gre
bhootasya jaatah patir eka aaseet.
Sa daa dhaaara prithiveem dyaam ute-maam
kasmai devaaya havishaa vidhema
Translation:
God is the Sustainer of luminous
bodies and the Source of Light, and He has been present even before the creation
of this universe. He is known to be the Sole Master of all beings. He sustains
this earth and heaven.
Unto that Blissful Divinity do we offer our worship with love and devotion.
[Luminous bodies: sun, moon, stars, etc.]
ena dyaur-ugraa prithivee cha
dridhaa
yena swah stabhitam yena naakah.
Yo antarikshe rajaso vimaanah
kasmai devaaya havishaa vidhema.
Translation:
He steadied the thunderous heaven
and the solid earth, and confers happiness free from all sorrow. He created the
planets with bird-like movement, and caused them to revolve in space. Unto that
Blissful Divinity do we offer our worship
with love and devotion.
[Steadied: According to the
theory of creation, after the “big bang” explosion, here was total chaos, until
the planets were steadied into patterned rotation.
“He Who has created this multiform universe, and
is the cause of its sustenance as well as dissolution, the Lord of the universe,
is sustained and then resolved into elementary condition, is the Supreme Spirit.
Know Him, O man, to be your God and believe in no other as the Creator of the
universe.”
This accounted for the law, order and design of
our creation by an intelligent Being, living and All-powerful. God revealed in
His revelation, and described the creation of the Universe from the eternal
subtle matter. He Himself, only, being subtler can pervade it and use it for his
creation.
This is an indication of not only the present
creation, but of future ones to come. Also ours is not the only solar system or
galaxy; the number is endless.
A few quotations are given below from the
Revised Standard Version of the Bible: From the "What is the Origin of Man?" by:
Dr Maurice Bucaille
Concept
of Re-Birth in Hinduism:
Arjuna, you grieve for those
who should not be grieved at, yet speak as if a man of wisdom. The wise grieve,
neither for the living, nor for the dead. Geeta: (2: 11)
Comment:
It is out of ignorance, that you grieve for the
bodies because, these will all perish. You should not lament for them. Such
grief is a mistake. It is also a great mistake to grieve for those who are dead
because they suffer torture, if their people, grieve for them.
O Bharata, this soul residing in the bodies of
all, can never be slain. Therefore, you should not grieve, for any being. Geeta:
(2:30).
Dharma is unique with no other Dharm is
parallel with it. It has been taught to different prophets of different nations
in different languages, which however become apparent to be various Dharma. As
according to factual reality there are no dharms but there is only one dharm
right from the beginning. It can be classified as two main parts... one ethics
and the other traditions. The traditions varies from one another, with which
however the religion does not effect. But the faith and the ethics are the back
bone of the dharm without which the dharm becomes adharm. Ethics are meant
aminly for the reciprocal benefits of the co-human beings while the faith is
concerned with one's own beliefs for the purification of one's own soul, on
which alone the point of salvation (Moksha) rests. This faith is the kernal of
all religions which are apparently different.
In this regard Dr. S. Radha Krishnan writes in
his book-Glimpses of the world religions....
"The reader who surveys this field of religion
can hardly fail to discen unity in apparent diversity and a general trend of
evolution." (p.p. 7)
Further he writes in his introduction...
"Different religions are nothing bit milk in
vessels of different shapes and forms, and one reality is comprised in each of
them. All creeds have a common source as their origin. The real coincidences
between all the religions spring from the same soil - the human heart, that they
all look to the same ideas. Differentiation may appear in the external forms of
the various creeds, theories and doctrines, but there is no real difference
between them for each is not contradictory but supplementary to the other....
(P.P. 16).
"...Truth is one', sages call it by different
names." (P.P. 20 Last Line)
Even if the Veda was the word of God today,
you have to Follow the Quran.
Even if the Vedas and the other scriptures were
the revelations from God, they were only meant for people of that time and were
to be followed only for that particular period of time. Today all human beings
through out the world including India should only follow the last and final
Revelation of God, i.e. the Qur’an. Moreover since all the previous revelations
were not meant to be followed for eternity, Almighty God did not preserve them
in their original form. There is not a single religious scripture of any of the
major religions, which claims to be the word of God and has maintained its pure
original text and is free from alteration, adulteration and interpolation. Since
the Glorious Qur’an is to be followed for eternity, Allah (SWT) has taken upon
Himself to maintain its original purity and guard it from corruption. Allah says
in Glorious Qur’an.
Surah Hijr, Chapter 15, Verse 9
“We have without doubt, sent down the Message;
and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).” [Al-Qur’an 15:9]
