Notes on Antiquity and Spread of Vedic culture (These notes are just hints about the antiquity and spread of Vedic civilization and as such are to be properly evaluated. They come from different sources.) The present-day Sri Lanka is named in the Ramayana as Trikotagiri. It was part of the Indian subcontinental landmass during Ramayana times. Fauna described in the Ramayana includes pachyderms with four tusks. They are especially mentioned among animals found in Ravana's capital Lanka. According to modern paleontology they became extinct about a million years ago. The underwater remains of the ancient Dvaraka were discovered. Seals and weights of Indus Valley civilization were found in Oman, Arabia. Biblical story of Noah comes from the Sumerian epos of Gilgamesh which in turn closely resembles the story of king Satyavrata, later Vaivasvata Manu, being saved from the flood by Matsya-avatara. Sundaravarman was a Tamil king who settled Singapore. He had 3 sons: one went to Malaysia, one to Cambodia and one to Thailand. The last son was named Premavarman; even today Prema is a common Thai name. Thai script is the old Tamil script. (The South-east Asian countries like Siam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Laos whose culture is entirely Vedic are left out from this compilation.) In Cambodia there is famous Angkor Vat (literally "sprout of banyan tree") and its surrounding area is still called Aranya Pradesh. Ruins of this prosperous city spread over an area of 100 kilometers. There are sculptures of Brahma- Visnu-Siva, scenes from the Churning of the Milk Ocean, etc. In the ruins have been found numerous deities and inscriptions with the names and exploits of Indian kings like Suryavarma and Jayavarma who ruled over the region. Sites of archaeological and historical interest from Malaysia to Korea have been illustrated in the book "Glimpses of Malayan History" by Brahmachari Kailasam. In Mongolia days of the week retain their Sanskrit roots as Adiya (Sunday), Somiya, Angarakh, Budhiya, Sookar and Sanchir (Saturday). The traditional medical system prevalent throughout Mongolia even today is the Ayurveda. The Indian system of astrology is practiced there. Ancient Sanskrit treatises on astrology, medicine, prosody and grammar, rarely found in India are still treasured and taught in Mongolia. Mongolians also store and worship Ganges water. They study ancient Indian scriptures connected with King Bhoj, Lord Krsna and the Hitopadesa. Their history starts with Manu. The Indian eagle is the guardian deity of the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator. The Japanese monarchy - also about 2600 years old like that of Iran - claims descent from the Sun as do the Indian ksatriyas. Shinto (could be a corrupt form of "Sindhu"?) is a Vedic way of life which still flourishes in Japanese life side by side with later introduced Buddhism. The ancestor worship as well as cremation are parts of Shinto tradition. In the most important Shinto shrine, Isa (in Nagoya), there are preserved three articles given by goddess Amaterasu to the first Japanese emperor Jimmu (cca 400 BC). The Japanese wrestling style sumo with the wrestlers wearing only a loincloth and the self-defense style called Jujutsu (similar to "yuyutsavah" in BG 1.1) are probably of Indian origin. In the English translation of the Mahabharata by M.N. Dutt (Santi Parva, pp. 535-6, 538-40, 542, 548-9 and 566-8) appears a description of two expeditions conducted by ancient Indians to the Arctic region. Dr. Abinash Chandra Dass in his book "Rigvedic India" discusses the Vedic references to Arctic geography. All over Russia are found Vedic cultural centers (viharas). Their latest use was that of Buddhist missionaries. In Finland there is a lake called Hel (Hell?) around which are situated villages called Atala, Sutala, Vitala (maybe more). In Kenya is a holy mountain (a volcano) called Meru. The Massai tribe from that region is from the anthropological point of view very different from local tribes. Its members have much more fair skin and their features look very Caucasian. They keep large herds of cattle which are the center of their lifestyle and a symbol of wealth. They are feared as vigorous fighters. In Swahili the word for a lion is simba (cf. Sanskrit "simha"). In Mexico deities Ganesa and Surya have been discovered. During rebuilding the destroyed areas in London after the WWII a deity of Mitra (sun) was found buried under the foundation of an old building. It was said that the Romans introduced sun worship in Britain. This shows that ancient Vedic culture had traveled to England at least via Greece and Rome. It could be also brought by Vedic Indians themselves. In the whole Europe and Asia are to be found forms of a female deity carved in a black stone. They are supposed to originally represent the goddess Astarte (Cybele?) and in Christian context they became known as "Black Madonnas". Originally they are, however, the murtis of Durga. There are many stories and legends associated with them and in many places there are many pilgrims coming to worship them to get the blessings like wealth, health etc. (e.g. Czenstochowa in Poland, Mariatal in Austria, Czech Republic, Spain etc.) Nagas and Serpents (at David Icke E-Magazine "Reptilian Agenda") http://www.reptilianagenda.com/research/r073101a.shtml http://members.aol.com/Journyhom/index.html#da Rabbit-Moon connection There are such Sanskrit names of the moon as "sasa-bindu", meaning "the hare-spotted one", or "sasa-bhrt", meaning "the hare bearer", or sasi, "hare-like" or "rabbit-like". These names do indicate that "the mark of a rabbit" is a common notion in the Upanishads, the Mahabharata and the Puranas. The idea is that sometimes one can see spots, (bindu), on the moon, which vaguely resemble a rabbit. ---- A clue to the answer is found within the paintings and fables of artists and storytellers of the Far East. These artists often painted the moon with rabbits racing across its face. The Chinese, in particular, have represented the moon as a rabbit pounding rice in a mortar. The rabbit's association with the moon is partly explained by two stories. In one Buddha places him there as payment for a favor in which Rabbit voluntarily gave himself as food for one of Buddha's hungry friends. In another, a rabbit, with nothing else to offer a hungry, weary Indra, jumps into a fire, cooking himself for the deity (a timeless example of humankind's self-serving fables). Out of gratitude, Indra placed the rabbit in the moon. If we consider the phases of the moon in its waxing (masculine) and waning (feminine), and accept the notion that the moon at full intensity is the Destroyer of Darkness or, as Hillard says, "sign of new life and the messenger of immortality"; we can appreciate the honored position to which the rabbit has ascended. A number of explanations account for this hare/moon symbiosis. One is that the hare is nocturnal and feeds by night; another is that the hare's gestation period is one month long. And, it was believed that a rabbit could change its sex - like the moon. Other stories in Sanskrit and Hindu connect the rabbit to the spots on the moon (related to the story above); to stories of hares dwelling upon the shores of the moon; and as mortal enemy of the lion (sun). The shadows on the surface of the full moon can serve as a sort of cultural ink-blot test. In the US, we talk about "the man in the moon". But when the Maya looked at the same shades of dark and light, they saw a pattern that resembled a leaping rabbit. The Moon Goddess was often portrayed holding her special pet, a large rabbit, in her arms. Sometimes, when I stare at the full moon, I can still see the Moon Goddess' rabbit running across the sky. http://www.halfmoon.org (based on The Easter Hare by Katharine Hillard, The Atlantic Monthly, May, 1890) Islam, Arabia: In Sayr-ul-Okul, an anthology of ancient Arabic poetry compiled and edited by Abu Amir Abdul Asamai, a distinguished bard and the Poet Laureate of Harun-al- Rashid's court, on page 257 is a verse composed by Labi bin-e Akhtab bin-e Turfa who lived around 1800 BC. He pays a devout bardic tribute to the Vedas and mentions each of them by name. The original of this anthology is preserved in an Arabic section of the famous library Makhtab-e-Sultania in Istanbul, Turkey. It was compiled from earlier work in 1742 under the order of Sultan Salim. The "pages" of that volume are made of hareer, a kind of silk used for writing on. Each page has a decorative gilded border (gilding pages of sacred books is an ancient custom associated with old Sanskrit scriptures found in Java and other places). This book is divided into three parts. The first part contains biographic details and the poetic compositions of pre-islamic Arabian poets. The second part consists of accounts and verses of poets of the period beginning just after Prophet Mohammed upto the end of Banee-Ummaya dynasty. The third part deals with later poets upto the end of Khalifa Harun-al-Rashid's times. The first modern compilation of Sayar-ul-Okul anthology was printed and published in Berlin in 1864 and subsequent edition was published in Beirut in 1932. This work is regarded as most important and authoritative anthology of ancient Arabic poetry. It throws considerable light on the social life, customs, manners and entertainment in ancient Arabia. It also contains an elaborate description of the ancient Mecca shrine, the town and the annual fair known as "Okaj". From this is understood that the annual Haj (pilgrimage) of the Muslims to the Kaba is only a continuation of the old fair. The word "Mecca" probably comes from the Sanskrit "makha" ("sacrificial fire"). Vedic fire-worship was prevalent all over West Asia (fire temples e.g. in Baku and Baghdad) in pre-islamic days and Makha signifies the place of important fire temple. As the pilgrims proceed toward Mecca they are supposed to shave their head and beard and to don a special sacred attire consisting of two seamless white sheets. One is worn around the waist and the other over the shoulders. Muslim pilgrims go around Kaba seven times. (This number is significant - during Vedic wedding ceremony the bride and bridegroom go around the sacred fire seven times. Therefore the practice of seven perambulations around the Kaba seems to be a Vedic custom. It could be also proof that Mecca was Makha or the shrine of sacred fire around which worshipers made seven perambulations.) In no other mosque does this perambulation prevail but it is a common Vedic custom. According to encyclopedias Islamia and Britannica the Kaba, central shrine in Mecca, was surrounded by a huge shrine housing 360 deities built by the king Vikramaditya. One of them was known as "Allah" ("goddess" or "mother") and other were Saturn and moon. The Navagraha puja, worship of the nine planets (two of them are Saturn and moon), is still performed in India. Besides, the moon is always associated with Lord Siva; a crescent is always painted across the forehead of Siva emblem. Since the presiding deity at the Kaba shrine was Lord Siva (in the Kaba exists a sivalinga emblem known as Sungay Aswad, "black stone", which Muslims reverently touch and kiss), the crescent was also painted on it. It is that crescent which is now adopted as a symbol of Islam. Vedic tradition is that wherever there is a Siva shrine the sacred stream of Ganges must also be present. Such a sacred fount exists near the Kaba. Its water is considered sacred because it was regarded as another Ganges since pre-islamic times. The Sanskrit name of Arabia was Arvasthan, the land of horses. The naming of different countries as "sthan" (Afghanisthan, Baluchisthan, Kurdisthan etc.) is another clue regarding the spread of Vedic civilization. Islam is guided by the lunar calendar. The Muslim month Safar signifies an extra month identical with Adhik, an extra month of the Vedic calendar. The month known as Rabi is a corrupt form of Ravi (sun). A festival Gyarahavi Sharif which falls into this month means "pious eleventh day". In the Vedic tradition the Ekadasi, or eleventh day, is always considered pious. Most Muslim festivals fall on the 11th day of the lunar fortnights in keeping with the ancient Vedic importance of Ekadasi. Some Muslim festivals depend on citing of the moon. This is derived from the Vedic custom of taking meal on Caturti, the fourth day of the lunar fortnights after moonrise. The Vedic custom of celebrating the vernal equinox amounts to reunion with God which is reflected in the festival Miladul Nabi in the same month of Rabi. The fourteenth day (Ghayal Caturdasi) is reserved for the worship of those killed by weapons. Similar observance known as Baraha Vafat is practiced by the Muslims. Vafat could be a corrupt term of Sanskrit Phiphaut (death). Vedic descriptions about the moon, stellar constellations and the creation of the universe have been incorporated in Koran (1.2.113,114,115,158,189; 1.9.37 and 1.10.4-7). Recital of the Namaz five times a day could owe its origin to the Vedic panca-maha-yajna. Muslims are enjoined cleanliness of five parts of the body before commencing prayers. This reminds one of the Vedic injunction "sarira sudhyartham pancanga nyasah." Four months of the year are regarded as very sacred in Islamic tradition. The believers are enjoined to abstain from evil deeds during this period. This could correspond to the Vedic practice of Caturmasya with specific austerities and vows. Shabibarat could be the corrupt form of Siva-vrata. Since the Kaba had been an important Siva temple the Sivaratri festival probably used to be celebrated there with great pomp.