Abstracts from 1st WAVES Conference

[Guest guest]

International Conference

on Revisiting

Indus-Sarasvati Age &

Ancient India

http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/ancient/indus/indus_sarasvati_age.htm=

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Abstracts of Papers Accepted for Presentation

 

 

October, 4 (Friday) -- 6 (Sunday), 1996

Atlanta (Georgia), U.S.A.

Keynote Address:

Language, Chronology and Cultural Continuity

in South Asian Archaeology

Jim G. Shaffer, Ph. D.

Department of Anthropology

Case Western Reserve University

Cleveland, Ohio 44106-7125, U.S.A.

 

 

South Asian archaeology remains significantly influenced by ideas and

interpretations proposed by the early prominent scholars (e.g.,

Marshall and Wheeler) that developed this area's archaeological record

into one of international importance. However, seldom is it recognized

these same ideas and interpretations significantly reflect eighteenth

and nineteenth century European perceptions of history, language and

ethnicity. At the same time these theoretical approaches continue to

influence our understanding of even the most recent archaeological

discoveries.

 

This paper will first discuss the historical background of South Asian

archaeology as well as it's theoretical limitations that continue to

dramatically influence recent interpretations. Finally, the focus

shifts to recent developments in the archeological and chronological

data and they argue for a basic restructuring, rather than just new

designations, of South Asian archaeology.

 

Keynote Address:

India Adds New Dimensions to the Indus Civilization

B. B. Lal,

M. A. (Sans.), D.Litt. (Institute of Archaeology, St. Petersburg,

Russia, honoris causa)

Vidya Varidhi (Nalanda Mahavihar), Mahamahopadhyaya Mithila

Vishvavidyalaya, honoris causa

President, World Archaeological Congress

Former Director General

Archaeological Survey of India

 

History has to put up with many paradoxes. One such paradox is that

the very river which gave its name to India, viz. the Indus, is no

longer within its bounds. As a sequel to the partition of the country

in 1947, not only did the Indus disappear from the map of present-day

India but also the well-known civilization named after the river --

the Indus Civilization. Only two very small sites were left on the

Indian side and even their Indus-character was debated.

 

Indian archaeologists, however, took up the challenge and by 1980 as

many as 700 sites, associated with various phases, viz. Early, Mature,

and Late, of the Indus Civilization were put on the map of the

country, and the search is still on. This aforesaid number far exceeds

that of such sites in Pakistan. It is now abundantly clear that this

civilization was not confined to the Indus valley, but exceeded far

beyond its limits -- to the upper Gan'ga-Yamuna doaab in the northeast

and to as far southeast as the upper reaches of the Godaavari in

Maharashtra. On account of this eastward extension, particularly

because of the presence of a large number of the sites in the

Ghaggar-Sarasvati valley, some scholars have already started calling

it as the Indus-Sarasvati Civilization.

 

It may be stressed that it not just the number or extent that matters.

What makes the Indian discoveries so important is that they have added

new dimensions to the basics of this great civilization. For example,

Lothal in Gujrat has brought to the light the earliest (ca. 2500 BC)

dockyard known to humanity. Kalibangan in Rajasthan has given the

evidence of the earliest (ca. 2800 BC) ploughed agricultural field

ever revealed through an excavation. The same site has also shown that

there occurred an earthquake around 2600 BC, which brought to an end

the Early Indus settlement at the site. This is perhaps the earliest

archaeologically recorded earthquake. Kalibangan has also thrown up

evidence of a new kind of ritual associated with a cult of 'fire

alters'. Dholavira in Kutch has shown that the city was divided into

three parts, viz., a Citadel, a Middle Town, and a Lower Town, instead

of the usual two. It has also brought to light stone pillars which are

almost as highly polished as the well-known Ashokan pillars 2000 years

later. The colossal copper figures recovered from Daimabad in

Maharashtra are indeed unparalleled in the entire gamut of

protohistoric art of the subcontinent.

 

The presentation, illustrated with slides, seeks to deal with these

and many more discoveries relating to this grand civilization of South

Asia. It will also analyze why this civilization cannot be regarded as

an import from Western Asia, as held by some scholars in the past. It

is now clear that it had an indigenous origin and development. The

lecture will further deal with factors leading to the degeneration of

this civilization, showing at the same time that it was not an Aryan

invasion, as held by some, that brought about its end.

 

Public Lecture:

Jnãna -- Hindu-India's Greatest Gift to the World

Klaus Klostermaier, Ph. D.

Professor of Hinduism

Department of Religion

University of Manitoba,

Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA R3T 5V5

 

The widespread discontent of Western intellectuals both with the

scientific and the religious establishments can be understood as

dissatisfaction with the Western Rational Tradition that has shaped

the modern world for the past three-hundred years.

 

In this paper, it is suggested that jnana as understood by the Hindu

tradition would provide the basis for a more adequate rationality and

a truer religiosity with major implications on all levels.

 

Public Lecture:

Science and Astronomy of Vedic Age

Subhash C. Kak, Ph. D.

Departement of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Louisiana State University

Baton Rouge. LA 70803-5901

 

The Indian system of knowledge was (and still is) based on

equivalencies between astronomical, the terrestrial, the physiological

and the psychological. In particular, the psychological world was

viewed in terms of inner landscape populated with its own luminaries

in the image of the sun, the moon, and the planets. The calendar was

based on a system attempting to reconcile the lunar and the solar

years by various intercalary devices; yoga was a method to harmonize

the lunar and the solar 'forces' in the inner landscape. The

astronomical knowledge was represented in terms of elaborately

designed brick altars. This recursive system of knowledge is valuable

in understanding Indian art, architecture, social organization, and

other categories.

 

A summary of the new findings in this field will be presented. This

will include the author's discovery of an astronomical code in the

organization of the Vedic books and the connections between myth and

astronomy in the Indian context.

 

Invited and Contributed Papers

 

The Relevance of the Ramayana to Mankind as it Enters the 21st Century

Vidya Sagar Anand, Ph. D

Chair, European Council of Hindu Organizations, 51 South Molton St.,

LONDON W1Y 1HF, ENGLAND

 

The Ramayana, the famous epic written by the sage Valmiki, points

troubled, tortured and spiritually disembodied Man, not just in the

West, but also in the East, in the direction of Redemption. Here in

the pages of the Ramayana are played out the great dramas that still

haunt us when man made history by organizing government,

administration, a taxation system and a body of laws, and the rule of

law itself. A community came into being with a new morality. Men were

compelled to be good by law. But laws in themselves cannot produce a

responsible society. The natures of men, their complex characters,

their economic and social circumstance, the level of their learning,

wisdom and ignorance, their vices and virtues, their ambitions, their

vanity and their altruism, are all portrayed with incomparable

thoroughness and honesty in the Ramayana: heroes and villains, the

weak and the strong, the courageous and the cowardly, the dilettante

and the scholar, the mercenary and the patriot, the caring and the

callous, and the conscientious and the frivolous.

 

This paper presents the Ramayana as a unique document which can unite

the world and bring peace to all mankind. References are made mostly

to the Valmiki version, but the Ram Charit Manas of Tulasi Das is also

brought in to shape a very modern spiritual vision for the next

century assisted by the thought of Swami Vivekananda.

 

The Vedic Sarasvati River: A Source of Indian Culture

Vedagya Arya, Ph. D.

(Former Head of Sanskrit Dept., St. Stephens College, Delhi), 40 Civil

Lines, Roorkee, UP-247 667, INDIA

 

The living continuity of Indian Culture was rooted on the banks of

Sarasvati River. This River was held in the highest veneration by the

Vedic people. It was a living reality flowing from the Himalayas to

the Arabian Sea. It was the river valley of the Sarasvati, where

florished the magnificient and high culture in ancient India. The

words 'Sarasvat' and 'Vedic' are synonimums. These people lived and

cultivated the land. But some British scholars and modern historians

of India are not prepared to admit that India had long-established a

fine culture and advanced civilization before the period of so-called

"Aryan Invasion". They try to establish that the Aryan people were

nomadic invaders and barbarians who destroyed the Indus valley

civilization around 2000 BC. The Sarasvati River has been described as

the most important and highly sacred river in at least 89 hymns of

Rigveda. The hymns of Goddess Sarasvati are different from that of

River Sarasvati. The sarasvati River represents the dynamic force of

life, fertility and irrigation.

The Harappan culture existed much prior to the Indus civilization. The

word 'Harappa' is derived from 'Hariyupiya' and it is mentioed in the

Rigveda. It was a city built by the Salvas who are described to be a

sub-clan of Bharatas in the Vedic age. About more than eight hundered

sites of the Harappan culture have been discovered by the Indian

Archaeologists and all of them are found well connected with Indian

culture. The Indus valley civilization has been a part of the Vedic

culture.

 

In this paper, the origin and the course of the Sarasvati will be

presented quoting from hymns of Vedas.

 

The Dilemma of the Aryan Oecumene: Sapta-Sindhu &

The Sarasvati in Ancient India

Shiva G. Bajpai, Ph. D.

Professor of History & Director of Asian Studies

California State University at North Ridge, North Ridge, CA 91330-8250

 

The problem of identification of the earliest region of the Aryan

oecumene or homeland, and its frontiers, in Bharat-India has been

virtually an intractable one despite the endeavors of the

international scholarship for over a century. The main reasons of this

intractability have to do with the global albeit Eurasian dimensions

of the Aryan question, and its corollary: the theory of Aryan invasion

of India on the one hand, and, on the other hand, the presumptive

non-aryan characterization of the "Harappan Culture" or the

Indus-Sarasvati civilization, first discovered by the archaeologists

in the 1920s. The resultant mythic reconstruction of historical

processes accorded an amazing role to the exploits of alien Aryan

people, thus accounting for the demise of the splendid urban Harappan

culture as well as the beginning of a new rural Vedic culture in

c.1500 BCE in northwestern India. Although recent archaeological

discoveries have chipped away the very foundations of such a

reconstruction of the historical processes by the establishment

indologists both in South Asia and abroad, they nevertheless cling to

their quixotic theories by drawing on puzzling features out of the

pandora's box of Eurasian Aryan archaeology, thereby preventing a

meaningful and correct reconstruction of India's proto-history.

 

The dilemma of the Aryan oecumene in India stems from the larger Aryan

phenomenon but centers on the identification of the Sapta-Sindhu

region, the Rigvedic homeland and in it the place of the Sarasvati

Plain, the epicenter of the Rigvedic culture. According to the Vedic

testimony confirmed by the cumulative archaeological evidence both the

Indus (Sindhu) and the Sarasvati were independent rivers that

separately flowed into the western ocean. Thus, the interpretation of

the term Sapta-Sindhu by most scholars as the Indus and its seven

tributaries is definitely wrong when it includes the Sarasvati as

there is no basis for treating it as the eastern affluent of the

Indus. Further, gratuitous statements as to the Sarasvati forming the

eastern frontier of the Sapta-Sindhu Region are misleading because

these avoid confronting the fact that the Sindhu of Sapta-Sindhu does

not stand for the Indus river, rather denotes "river" in a generic

sense. Thus a proper identification and correct interpretation of the

term Sapta-Sindhu ought to be "the Land of Seven Rivers", extending

from the Sindhu (Indus) in the west to the Ganga in the east with the

Sarasvati, the epicenter of the Rigvedic culture, in the middle. There

could be a difference of views as to the names of the other four

rivers of the Sapta-Sindhu region and probably such was the case in

ancient times as it certainly will be the case in modern scholarship.

 

My interpretation eliminates the rampant confusion in the extant

scholarship, accords the proper and accurate place to the Sarasvati in

the Sapta-Sindhu region, and defines the western and eastern frontiers

of the Aryan oecumene. Additionally, it is consistent with the

post-Vedic definitions of Aryavarta (The Aryan Country), the western

frontier of which was never extended beyond the Indus regions despite

the fact that the Rig Veda mentions the Valhika, the area of

northwestern Afghanistan. We have now defined clearly for the first

time the frontiers of the Vedic Aryan homeland with its epicenter in

the Sarasvati valley in India, which incidentally coincides with the

mainland of the Indus-Sarasvati culture as well.

 

Ancient Nepalese Astro-Science

Khila Nath Bastakoty

Mahendra Sanskrit University

G.P.O. Box 6660, Kathmandu, NEPAL

 

Astro-science in Nepal has been of great importance because of its

unique culture, tradition, and belief. Its use has traditionally been

recognized, and is enhanced in the recent days as the predictions of

the astrologers have been found, in most cases, relevant.

 

Kathmandu -- the capital of Nepal contains over 25 thousands of

scrolls in two libraries, dating back to some 1500 years. Nepal is

believed to have the greatest hidden treasure of palm-leaf

manuscripts. It is also exemplified by frequent visits of foreign

scholars in its research. Contributions of Sidda Purush and Kaptad

Baba have been the inspiration for working and finding more about the

creative epoch of Nepal's history. |

 

The paper will document the present the status of, and will critically

examine the implications of the ancient astro-science, in Nepalese

perspective, and its contribution to it beliefs. Literature review of

various documents, in particular the Santati Shastra, Karmakanda

Vidhi, Sumati Tantra, Yegnavalkya Smriti, Bhrigu Samhita, Durga

Saptashati, Kal-Chakra, Ratna Karandika, Yavan Jatakam, and Hara

Mekhala will be made in the paper with supports of recent research

findings. The paper will highlight the elements contained in the

Sumati Tantra, as it is one of the important books written in

Kathmandu valley, some 1400 years ago. The paper will also include

recommendations to expand the scope of astro-science in the modern

society.

 

"Long Ago and Far Away : Issues and Debates

Regarding the Nature of Ancient Indian Music"

Guy Beck, Ph. D.

Department of Religion, Loyola University, New Orleans, LA

 

Ancient Indian music has been studied by Western scholars for over two

hundred years, going back to Sir William Jones of the Asiatic Society.

Debates have centered around the character of Vedic scales, the

earliest ragas, which kind of instruments were used in the Vedic

yagnas, the use of elementary notation, gender roles in performance,

the dating of the earliest musical treatises, the music of the

so-called Gandharvas whether human or celestial, and the possibility

of borrowing from the ancient Greeks and other civilizations.

 

This paper will attempt to reconstruct parameters, based on the most

reliable evidence, for a description of what the original music may

have been like. Though many scholars agree that the present classical

music of India does not resemble the ancient music, the author's work

in the area of sacred sound in the Vedic literature, along with his

recent research into North Indian temple music and dhrupad, will shape

the discussion and hopefully shed some light on what are normally dark

corners of historical studies and ethnographic studies.

 

The Origin of the Aryans: Some Linguistic Considerations

Edwin F. Bryant, (Ph.D.)

Columbia University, New York

(560 Riverside Dr. #2Q, New York, NY 10027)

 

There has been considerable and increasing controversy, of late, about

the origins of the Indo-Aryan speakers. A significant body of

scholarship has developed, in India, which can be termed 'Indigenous

Aryan' school, which claims that the Indo-Aryans were autochthonous to

the subcontinent and not invaders or immigrants as is generally held.

This group, which consists predominantly of philologists, historians

and archaeologists, draws particular attention to the impossibility of

definitively identifying Aryan speakers with any intrusive element in

the archaeological record.

 

The external origin of the Aryans, however, was a theory predicated on

linguistic evidence. Irrespective of the status of the archaeological

debate surrounding the Aryan presence on the subcontinent, most

detractors of the Indigenous Aryan school ultimately refer to the

linguistic evidence as conclusive in this regard. The Indigenous Aryan

school has not critiqued the linguistic dimension of this problem with

the same gusto as it reconsidered the archaeological and philological

evidence.

 

This paper, which is a section of a dissertation examining the whole

'Aryan-Invasion' debate, examines the most compelling feature of the

linguistic evidence, namely, the evidence of a linguistic substractum

in Sanskrit texts. The bulk of the paper consists of an overview of

most of the research published in the area that I am aware of. As a

historian, I felt compelled to undertake this overview in order to

examine the linguistic evidence commonly used to support the theory of

Indo-Aryan migrations into the subcontinent. In the paper, however, I

conclude that the opinions of the principal linguists in this area

have differed quite considerably with regard to this linguistic

substratum, thereby problematizing the value of this method as a

significant determinant in this debate. I suggest, therefore, that the

evidence of a linguistic substratum cannot be used as definitive

evidence to support the theory of Aryan migration.

Women in Ancient Indian Civilization

Maya A. Chainani, Ph. D.

6185 Hidden Canyon Rd.,

Centreville, VA 22020

 

A critical study of Vedic literature reveals that women of all strata

of society were held in high esteem in the Vedic Age. They were

variously designated and addressed as mother, owner of the house, and

wife, etc.. The woman in her role as wife enjoyed the position as

owner of the house. She even wielded her authority over her

father-in-law and her mother-in-law, like a queen in the house. They

were entitled to wear the sacred thread and to study the Veda.

 

This paper, based upon citations from ancient Indian literature, will

highlight the rights of women, the duties of women, and the status of

women in the Brahmanas, smrtis, Ramayana, and the Mahabharata to show

that women had a very special place in ancient India, and that her

position has become lessened due to the onslaughts of history.

Vaishnava Thought-System (Vaishnavism) Since Antiquity

A. N. Chatterjee, Ph. D.

Reader in History, University of Delhi,

Delhi 110007, INDIA,

(E-4/21A, Model Town, Delhi 110009)

 

Vaishvanism represents an ancient Hindu religion. The word

'Vaishnavism' is derived from 'vaishnava' meaning worshipper of Vishnu

or His numerous manifestations. Early beginnings may be traced in the

Rig Veda where we see the reference of Vishnu. Thereafter, Vishnu

occupies a more prominent place. Some of the Upanishads have developed

this theme. In the Puranas, Vishnu has a leading place. The subsequent

development can also be traced in the Bhagvat Gita and Srimad Bhagavata.

 

This paper will trace how Vaishnavism blossomed under the Alvaras and

the Acharyas. The process under which it reached its climax during the

period of Sri Chaitanya, the founder of Gaudiya School will be

highlighted. The entire Vaishnava thought-system, when taken as a

whole, is complex, extensive and unlimited.

 

The paper also goes into some of the universally accepted and

fundamentally important Vaishnava ideas. These ideals and concepts

will be enumerated. In this regard, there shall also be elaboration of

the path of devotion or 'bhakti'; the doctrine of Incarnation,

Vaishnava ethical outlook.

The Sarasvati River: Textual and Physical Ecidence

Beatrice Reusch

Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies

University of California, Berkeley, CA

 

In the Rg-veda, the Sarasvati is a mighty river that runs from the

mountains all the way to the sea (RV 7.95.2). It is also a major

protogonist in the confrontations between aryas and non-aryas, always

on the side of aryas. It is praised in several hymns as a powerful

deity and a secure refuge for her devotees. From a list of rivers

given in RV 10.75.5-7, we can gather that the Sarasvati River was to

be found west of Yamuna and east of the Sindhu.

 

Yet nowadays nowhere in the Panjab such a powerful and lengthy river

is not to be found. Are we to conclude that the Sarasvati River is

merely a mythological entity with no geographical reality.

 

In this paper, I review some of the pertinent passages in the Rg-veda

and Mahabharata, after bringing in some modern archaeological and

geological findings. I can thus define three ages in Sarasvati's life

span: her young Rg-vedic age; her middle age characterized by her

disappearance spoken in Mahabharata; and her current traces in a

desert area. I rely on textual analysis to describe and contextualize

some of the features of Sarasvati's first and second ages. And I wrap

up the discussion with a tentative explanation for the river changes

that reconcile the textual and the achaeological/geological views.

Community and Power in Kautalya's Arthasastra

Joyotpaul Chaudhuri, Ph. D.

Political Science Department, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ

85257-2001

 

Kautilaya's Arthasastra, after its rediscovery over 50 years ago, has

become an integral part of the history of Indian ideas. Some early

western commentators did not regard it as impressive political theory,

but useful as a window on ancient India. Another line of thought was

anxious to show that Kautilya anticipated Machiavelli and is as

impressive as Aristotle. Yet another section of literature primarily

concentrates on Kautilya's balance of power model.

 

The current paper approaches the Arthasastra from the perspective of

political theory. This involves some understanding of the

epistemological and normative foundations of Kautilya's analysis. Then

Kautilya's major positions are seen through some key, cross cultural

and perennially important conceptual categories of how meaning is

given to "community" and "power". This approach avoids, in large part,

the rancours of colonialism and colonialism in scholarship and also

bypasses the purely temporarily and spatially historical details of

the Mauryan dynasty.

The Rita of the Vedas and its Presence

in 20th Century U.S. Social Sciences, Humanities and Sciences

Deborah A. Davis (Ph. D.)

Department of Family and Child Ecology, College of Human Ecology

Michigan State University, Lansing, MI

 

One of the fundamental principles in Vedas is that of Rta. It means

"the setting in motion" and is the principle of the Universe that

regulates the matrix patterns and processes of all manifest things.

 

This paper briefly discusses early 19th century Western European

Intellectual history and the 20th century U. S. Family Systems Theory,

as expressions of the rta. I am identifying Hegel's dialectic and

Family System's Theory's multi-paradigmatic framework with the Vedic

principle of rrta, and suggesting, furthermore that rta could

integrate social sciences, humanities, and sciences.

 

I also consider many more examples of rta's presence in our other

academic disciplines.

 

Scientific Significance of the Philosophy of Vedanta

Suhrit K. Dey, Ph. D.

Department of Mathematics, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL

61920, U. S. A.

 

Vedas are the book of knowledge, more than 4000 years old. Vedanta is

a philosophy which emerged from these books. Vedanta enunciates that

there exists an ultimate operator who makes all changes, being

detached from everything He changes. He is omnipotent, omnipresent and

omniscient. He is pure consciousness. In every object, visible or

invisible He exits in a very subtle form and causes it to change

although He remains unchanged. He is the Absolute Existence, Absolute

Knowledge, and Absolute Bliss. The aim of our life is to experience

His presence within us.

 

In this article, the scientific significance of this profound

philosophy has been explored through rigorous mathematical analysis.

 

The Vedic Heritage for Environmental Stewardship

Onkar Prasad Dwivedi, Ph. D.

Professor of Public Environmental Administration

Department of Political Studies, University of Guleph, Guelph, CANADA

 

The concern for nature conservation and protection is ingrained in all

world cultures and spiritual traditions. They, each in their own way,

offer a unique set of moral values and norms to guide humanity in its

relationship with nature. In each culture and spiritual tradition,

human being were given a stewardship role for conservation and

protection of the Creation. Nevertheless, people everywhere exploited

and manipulated natural forces in the name of development with an

intensity unsurpassed by any other species on earth. This

manipulation, guided by the current culture of materialism and

consumerism, has given rise to the view that we as human beings have

the right to use the natural environment solely for our design and

purpose without consideration for the consequences of our actions on

the eco-system or on our own future generations. For our selfish ends,

we the people have disregarded and to some extent misinterpreted our

spiritual heritage and values concerning nature.

 

This paper examines the concept of environmental stewardship and the

respect for Devi Vasundhara as depicted in the Prithivi-Sukta of

Atharva-Veda , as well as in other Vedic literature. In conclusion

there are suggestions for building of an ecological paradigm and

strategy based on the concept of vasudhaiv kutumbakam, and an ethic of

environmental stewardship which draws on the exhortations of our Vedic

seers.

 

Linguistics and the Aryan Invasion Debate

Koenraad Elst, (Ph.D.)

Catholic University, Leuven, BELGIUM, (Van Pulstraat 7, 2960 Brecht,

Belgium)

 

Many linguists believe that at some point in the past, the question of

the Original Homeland (or Urheimat) of the Indo-European (IE) language

family has been investigated and settled on the basis of linguistic

evidence, and this to the detriment of the original idea of India as

the Urheimat. Even scholars who have presented literary evidence in

favor of India as the Urheimat (e.g. Rargiter), have ended up

swallowing their own conclusions in deference to "the well-known

linguistic evidence".

 

But what is this linguist evidence ? In the 19th century, the Indian

Urheimat theory was gradually abandoned because a new linguistic

insight, known as linguistic paleontology (though political fashions,

especially nationalism and Eurocentric colonialism, may have

contributed). But many assumptions at the basis of linguistic

paleontology have been questioned and are not taken seriously any

more. Furthermore, the type of lexical exchange between IE and

Dravidian do not fit the "Aryan Barbarians conquered Dravidian

Harappa" scenario (the way Latin/Germanic or English/Hindi patterns of

lexical exchange testify to socio-cultural inequality), nor do they

necessitate any other invasion scenario. Wherever we look, we cannot

find the clinching "linguistic evidence" for a European Urheimat and

an Aryan invasion into India. An Indian Urheimat has not been firmly

proven either, but at any rate, linguistics has not disproven it, so

that other types of evidence (such as literary indications of

migrations from rather than into India) must now be given a fair and

serious hearing.

 

Political Aspects of the Aryan Invasion Debate

Koenraad Elst, (Ph.D.)

Catholic University, Leuven, BELGIUM, (Van Pulstraat 7, 2960 Brecht,

Belgium)

 

Indian Scholars often get excited about supposed imperialist motives

behind the Western scholars' acceptance of the Aryan Invasion Theory

(AIT). They point to the Christian missionary commitment of early

sanskritists (F. Max Mullar, M. Monier-Williams) and dravidologists

(bishop R. Caldwell, Rev. G. U. Pope). They quote Lord Curzon as

saying that history rewriting is "the furniture of Empire". Indeed,

the British could justify their conquest by claiming that India had

never been anything but booty for foreign invaders, and that the

Indians (or at least the upper-caste Hindus who led the freedom

movement) were as much foreigners as their fellow-Aryans from Britain.

As Winston Churchill said in 1935: "We have as much right to be in

India as anyone there, except perhaps for the Depressed Classes, who

are the native stock." For this political reason, patriotic Indians

tend to reject the AIT.

 

The political use of the AIT continues till today, especially in order to:

 

1. Mobilize lower-caste people, supposedly the 'subdued natives',

against the upper-caste people, supposedly the "Aryan invaders", as

argued ad nauseam by the Christian-supported Banglore fortnightly

Dalit Voice, even while low-caste leader Dr. Ambedkar had rejected the

AIT and the notion that caste status has an ethnic origin;

 

2. Mobilize Dravidian-speakers against speakers of IE languages,

especially in the course of the Dravidian separatist movement which

was at its strongest in the 1950s, and in the sabotage of the

implementation of the constitutional provision that Hindi replace

English as official by 1965;

 

3. Mobilize the tribals, who have given the AIT-based name

"aboriginals" (adivasi), against the non-tribals, who are to be

treated on a par with the European invaders of America;

 

4. Mobilize world opinion against "racist Aryans", i.e., the Hindus,

since they are the "Aryan invaders who imposed the caste system as a

kind of Apartheid to preserve their racial purity and dominance",

never mind the fact that the association of "Aryan" with "race" is a

European invention to Hindu tradition; now that "idolater" and

"heathen" have lost their force as swearwords, "racist" is a brilliant

new way of demonizing Hinduism.

 

That the AIT has been and still is being used for political purposes,

is a plain fact. However, contrary to what Indian/Hindu nationalists

often allege, this does not imply that the AIT was deliberately

concocted for the said purposes. Nor does it have any implication for

the question whether the AIT is right or wrong; after all, someone may

be right in spite of his wrong motives. If they themselves want to

receive a fair hearing even after expressing their patriotic reasons

for opposing the AIT, they themselves ought to address the AIT on its

own merits, rather than to keep on wailing over the motives of those

who have thought up the AIT and of those who now wield it as a weapon

against India.

Adhyatmic (Spiritual-Psychological) View of the Vedas

David Frawley

American Institute of Vedic Studies, P.O. Box 8357, Santa Fe, NM 8357

 

Modern Western scholars have seen the Vedas only as a kind of

primitive nature worship. Most traditional Indian scholarship,

particularly of the Sayana line, regards the Vedic Samhitas as a kind

of ritual worship or Karma-kanda. However the idea that there is a

spiritual or psychological, adhyatmic, meaning in the Vedic mantras is

also very old, being mentioned in the Brahmanas and Upanishads, and in

traditional Vedic exegis like the Nighantu and Nirukta. Medieval

commentators like Madhvacharya also took it up. Important modern Hindu

teachers like Swami Dayanand Saraswati of Arya Samaj and Sri Aurobindo

have championed it in modern times and used it as the basis of their

Yogas.

 

In this presentation, we will explore the adhyatmic interpretation of

Vedic mantras and deities and see how the mantras apply on many inner

levels. Relevance of Vedic mantras to Yoga and Vedanta will be

examined, along with their relationship with Vedangas and Upvedas,

like Ayurveda. The contention is that all the later developments of

Hindu thought and culture can be found, at least in their essential

form, in the original mantras of the Rig Veda itself. The Vedic

Samhitas contain both jnana (spiritual knowledge) and karma (ritual),

depending upon how they are viewed. Spiritual knowledge is not limited

to the Upanishads only but is the very essence of the Veda which is

crucial for any real understanding of ancient India or the spiritual

legacy of humanity.

Elective Affinities: The Influence of "Ramayan" on Mizo Religion & Culyure

Sujit K. Ghosh, Ph. D.

2 Sonali Complex, Ambicapatty, Silchar, Assam 788004, INDIA

 

The Mizos (previously known as Lushais), are believed to have migrated

from the Chin-hill area of Burma. The story of Ramayan is not an

influence on their religion and culture after their migration to

India. The Mizo story of Rama -- this major folktale is called 'Khena

Leh Manate Unau Thawnthu' -- does not seem to have Valmiki origin.

However, its impact is not marginal, Rama and Lakshman (Rama and

Khena) are accorded divine status, and before planting rice, their

blessings are invoked, for good crop.

 

Recent Discoveries Relating to Ancient India & the Vedic Aryans

Harry H. Hicks , SPMJ Director,

Foundation for Cultural Preservation,P. O. Box 111, Menlo Park, CA 94026

and Robert N. Anderson, Ph. D.

Emeritus Professor, San Jose State University

 

A number of scientific discoveries indicate a need to correct some

misconceptions that have been held for over 100 years concerning the

time and events relating to the Vedic-Aryans and the extent of their

early cosmic and mathematical knowledge. Some of these discoveries are:

 

(i) Scientific tests on an ancient Vedic Aryan head that was cast

nearly 6,000 years ago;

(ii) Research and related astronomical and scientific calculations;

(iii) Ongoing archaeological work, the use of recent technologies such

as satellite photography;

(iv) Research relating to the Sulba-Sutras; and

(v) Discoveries such as astronomical code in Rigveda.

 

In fact, these scientific discoveries strongly support ancient Indian

traditions and belief about their antiquity, and drastically change

the prevalent perception of ancient Indian science.

 

The paper presents details of some of the findings of the authors and

suggests that this new knowledge determines a more accurate time frame

and indicates an earlier flux, merging and some reflux of proto

Indo-Europeans, Kurganians, Indo-Aryans, and Vedic-Aryans concomitant

with their movements and migrations. Hopefully this will clarify, and

help to sort out some of the cross cultural contracts, descendent

sub-cultures and other inter-relationships, and the confusion arising

from racial miscegenation and the many evolved names and destinations.

 

Indo-Iranian Civilization

Dr. Pallan R. Ichaporia

253 Adams Dr., Wonelsdorf, PA 19567

 

The Ancient Proto-Iranian culture is very similar to Proto Indo-Aryan

culture and this should be because both are derived from the same

common Indo-Iranian stock. The undivided Indo-Iranians have passed a

considerable time in their central Asia common home, growing up with

common religious thoughts and customs, that need to be reconstructed

by comparing the Veda and Avesta.

 

The Indo-Iranians worshipped many gods and abstract deities. This

lasted till their migration to South moving separately from each

other, one group occupied the Iranian plateau (later on called

Iranians) while other continuing towards the Indus plains (later on

known as Indo-Aryans). It is possible that they turned their backs

upon each other and developed their distinctive civilizations.

 

This paper will examine this split and separation and how different

religious thoughts came into vogue, together with similarities so

profound in the post-Zarathushtra development in Zoroastrian Iran with

reference to so many common words found in the Avesta and the Vedas.

 

In the field of religion, prophet Zarathustra of Iran was more

successful in his reformation, but the similarities in the Later

Avestan religion and Vedas are so prominent to prove the same previous

identity vis-a-vis the civilization of the Gathas which in a way,

became the reformed civilization of Iran

The Space-time and Quantum Physics

with respect to the Ancient Hindu Wisdom of Maya

Ashok Jain, Ph. D.

Professor of Physics, Pennsylvania State Uni., Lahmen, PA & Certified

hypno-therapist and meditation instructor

RR4 Box 293 B, Dallas, PA 18612

 

The Indian Rishis called this universe as an illusion or maya. It was

their real experience, not just a philosophical statement. The fact is

that what we know about this world through our senses is not the

reality or the truth. The new physics of the atom, space-time,

quantum, non-locality, universe supports this ancient Hindu wisdom of

maya.

In this paper we first formulate these ideas of new physics in a

simple language. Then these are employed to explain the experience of

yoga, meditation, samadhi, and other Hindu topics such as

reincarnation, karma, and enlightenment.

 

Indus-Sarasvati Age's Place in Indian History

Dharma Jit Jigyasu, Vedic Scholar

43-49 Smart Street, Flushing, NY 11355

 

It has been established that Indus-Sarasvati culture covered not only

Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan but also Gujrat, Rajasthan, Haryana and

western Uttar Pradesh. This culture extended from Jammu in the north

to Narmada in the south and from Makran sea-shore in the west to

Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.

 

Indian history, what is generally read anywhere in the modern world,

began to be written during the period of British colonialism. There

are many highly colored, twisted presentations and wrong perceptions.

In this paper I shall focus on two basic perceptions that have been

very wrongly presented in the modern history. One is about the period

of the Vedas, and the other is the meaning of the word 'arya'.

Tough Steel of the Ancient India

Narayan R. Joshi, Ph.D.

Department of Civil Engineering, Prairie View A & M University,

Prairie View, TX 77446

 

The role of iron and steel in the development of human civilization

from 500 BC till this day in indisputable. The applications of low

carbon steels are numerous. Those of ultra-high carbon steels,

however, are less common. The Ultra-high carbon steels have

interesting history because of their use in making the famous swords

in middle ages. Although the swords were hammered in many towns of

Asia, steel bars were imported from India. High carbon content makes

steel brittle. The ancient Indian steel had high carbon content but it

was not brittle. On the contrary, it was tough. For that reason Indian

swords never broke in wars while European swords used to bend and

break. The secret of this special steel resided in the proper

thermo-mechanical heat treatment.

 

This paper will present the technical details of this ancient art

using the modern discipline of Material Science.

 

The Evolution of Sanskrit Language and Literature

and its Impact on Modern Languages

Rasik Vihari Joshi, Ph. D.

Professor of Sanskrit, El Colegio de Mexico, MEXICO

 

There is an enormous range of Sanskrit literature in Indian history.

The paper is devoted to give a brief critical analysis of Vedic and

Classical Sanskrit Literature, with reference to the study of early

Western indologists and the spreading of Sanskrit culture in South

East Asia. It also speaks of the impact of Sanskrit on North Indian

Languages as well as South Indian.

 

It has been noted that there is a continuity of Sanskrit writing in

prose and poetry and there are hundreds and thousands of scholars who

fluently speak Sanskrit in India today as a proof of the strength of

Ancient Indian culture.

Women in Ancient India

H.H. Brahmavadini Krishan Kanta, M.A., B.T.

Parivrajika, Brahmarishi Mission, 1246 North Mantine St., Kent, OH 44240

 

Vedas, Upanishads and the epics give numerous examples showing the

great position of women in ancient India. They were respected for

being great philosophers, politicians, psychologists, teachers,

administrators, law makers and successful house holders, etc. Many

hymns were composed by them. Vaak Abharni composed 'Devi-Sukta',

Shraddha Kamayani the 'shraddha sukta', Yami Vaivasvati mandal tenth

in the Hymn 154, etc.

 

This paper will present, from Rig-Veda, the contributions of the women

of the Vedic age.

 

The Scientific Aspects of Vedic Dharma

Kamlesh Kapur, M. A.

Educationist, Board of Education, State of New York, Flushing, NY 11354

 

This paper overviews Vedic Dharma and vast literature related to it.

Vedic Dharma gives a total view of the individual in this vast cosmic

reality -- its relation to the natural phenomena, root world, living

organism, cosmic world and the intelligence/energy permeating through

all these. It further analyzes the individual, his goal, his evolution

through life and his self fulfillment. Since his consciousness is

superior to all else in the material world, his responsibility towards

the continuation, preservation and progress is also greater. His

actions assume a new significance. Vedic Dharma analyzes the

fundamentals of actions, the modes of action, the motivators of

actions which ultimately end up shaping and reshaping social dialectics.

 

In the various fields of western sciences -- Physics, Chemistry,

Biology, Psychology, Bio-chemistry, and now Quantum Physics -- some of

these subjects are dealt with rather exhaustively. The most wonderful

(awesome it might be added) part of the Vedic Dharma is, that all of

this is described exhaustively and in an integrated way. It was done

by the sages and the thinkers millenniums ago when people of the

colder climates were still dealing with problems of survival. Vedic

Dharma has been and still is the citadel of vast knowledge guiding the

confused bewildered humanity torn by their inner enemies (five doshas

-- lust, anger, greed, ego, and attachment) and oppressed by

hypocritical systems of violence and power struggle.

 

With the help of appropriate and direct references to the excerpts

from Vedic literature, these scientific facts are analyzed, important

beliefs are linked with modern thinking and the basics of Vedic Dharma

are explained in language, terminology and logic of modern sciences.

The purpose of this unique approach is that people who are the product

of western educational system should acquire proper understanding of

Vedic Dharma, enabling them to continue it, preserve it, and hopefully

improve their own life styles !

 

Ancient India and the Concept of Ashram

Gobardhan Bahadur Karki

Chairman, Brahmacharya Ashram, Kathmandu, NEPAL

 

The Indian subcontinent which is recognized as Bharat-Varsha, has

immeasurable attachment with Vedic scriptures and science. To liberate

an individual from the cycle of birth and death and to promote peace

and prosperity for the human being, the Vedic scholars devised the

ashram system.

 

The rishis assumed 100 years expectancy of life, as is characterized

in jeeved sharadah shatam. For the assumed period, they arranged four

ashrams, each of twenty-five years --

 

(i) Brahmacharya ashram, up to the age of twenty-five.

(ii) Grihastha ashram, the twenty five years of a house holder.

(iii) Vanaprastha ashram, up to the age of seventy five, used for the

practice of social service.

(iv) Sanyaas ashram, after the age of seventy five up to death. This

is the period of complete renunciation from the world and dedication

to Self or God realization.

 

The ashram system helped society in many ways. A youth developed grew

under well defined discipline and developed necessary confidence,

understood and took the responsibilities of raising a family at

appropriate time, its members were ready to sacrifice personal

interests for the benefit of the society in its aspirant. On the whole

a code of conduct emerged which lead towards the importance of modes

in human life and highlighted its significance.

 

Ashram system enabled Vedic people to realize the latent force hidden

in the practice of detachment. It was a method to give skill to live

and enjoy the bliss.

 

Rig Vedic Semantics: Study of all the Verses with the Word Gau

R. L. Kashyap, Ph. D.

Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University,

Lafayette, IN 47907-1285

 

Gau is a key word in the Rig Veda Samhita occurring in about 900

verses out of 10,600 in the whole text. We have studied all these

verses in great detail as well as those having its synonyms like

dhenu, usra, etc., and arrived at a comprehensive meaning of the word

based only on Rig Veda. We uncovered the meanings of the recurring

metaphorical phrases in RV like loss of gau, recovery of the gau,

smashing the hill using gau and the potent Word, the unslayable gau,

aditi, the infinite, as a gau, raising of the sun, release of the

Waters by Indra by Killing vrtra, etc. Figuring out the meaning of all

these important words like gau, adri, etc., is like solving a

multi-dimensional puzzle using the many hints provided by the Rig Veda

itself.

 

In this paper we will focus primarily on understanding the symbolic

meaning of the verses in the Veda having the word gau or its synonyms.

We realize that there are verses which allow more than one meaning of

gau, but there is a large subset which allows for only one meaning for

gau namely a ray of spiritual light, or a quantum of spiritual

knowledge. After this, we will take up the word adri (hill), and then

apah (water). The conclusion is reached that the Rig Veda not only

celebrates the release of the hidden spiritual knowledge and the

associated dynamical energies, the waters through these various

metaphors, but also describes in its ten thousand verses the methods

of utilizing this knowledge and the energies in our daily life.

 

Glimpses of Vedic Civilization:

Avanindra Kumar, Ph. D.

Professor of Sanskrit, University of Delhi, Delhi - 110007, INDIA

 

There is an enormous divergence of opinion among historians,

anthropologists, archaeologists, geomorphologists, geologists,

literateurs, linguists and the like in regard to the origin and

evolution of a civilization in any part of the world let alone India.

The crux of the problem is whether or not India is, in verity, the

cradle of the most primeval civilization in the world. There is no

gainsaying the fact that Western scholars have, by and large, given a

biased view of the early beginnings of Indian civilization. If one

wants to trace the origin of Indian civilization than the Vedas are

the best and only authentic documentary evidence. It has been

established beyond doubt that Vedic civilization flourished in the

land of seven rivers - Sapta-Sindhu. A majority of Vedic hymns were

composed on the banks of Sarasvati, the Drihadvati, the Apaya, the

Sindhu and other rivers of Punjab.

 

In this paper a candid attempt has been made to remove the cobweb of

confusion, ambiguity and distortion that has shrouded the true spirit

of the history of Indian civilization. For quite some time the views

and interpretations of Western scholars have been in focus. However,

profound studies have been made by Indian scholars as well as by some

Western scholars, which go to show that Indian civilization is the

oldest civilization in the world. Several issues have been handled in

this paper based on Rig Vedic writings.

 

Antiquity of the Vedic River Sarasvati

V. Prabhu Kumari, M. A., M. Phil. (Ph.D.)

Department of History, The Ethiraj College for Women

Ethiraj Salai, Egmore, Chennai (Madras) - 600 105, INDIA

 

The purpose of this paper is to reassess the existing views on Indian

antiquity. Due to the ancient Indian literary compliance with the

archeological and latest scientific discoveries such as Landsat

Imagery Reports, equivalent importance is laid in corroborating the

authenticity of the Vedas and the then existing river Sarasvati.

Besides examining the historicity, origin and the expanse of the

Sarasvati and its civilization, this article highlights how Sarasvati

acts as a main source in reconstructing the chronological history of

the earlier eras. Issues that are discussed in paper are:

 

1. Hypothesis gleaned from the hymns of the Vedas assays the

historicity of the river Sarasvati;

2. The indications and the identifications inferred from the puranas,

and epics acquiescing with the scientific investigations elicits the

Origin, Date, Diversified Streams and the Desertification of the river

Sarasvati.

3. Archeological investigations, modern geomorphological discoveries

along with the now existing historical race, i.e., Sarasvatas

enumerates the Espanse of the Sarasvata Sites and the Sindhu (Indus)

Sarasvati Civilization.

4 Chronological catalogue of the astronomically observed historical

epochs with a reference to the rishies who flourished near the

Sarasvati banks establishes, the association between the Vedic

Sarasvati and the Chronology of Ancient India.

5. Ultimately, emphasis is laid on the Limitations.

 

Illuminating the limitations of modern western medicine and psychology

in understanding Ancient Indian Thought

Kevin Lee, D. O.

Osteopathic Physician and Ayurvedic Practitioner, Lansing, MI

 

The presentation will bring out the lack of insight of the modern

medicinal system and physical discipline to go to those deeper aspects

which are fond in Ayurvedic medicinal system, and the ancient Hindu

spiritual traditions that led to the establishment of the martial arts

traditions.

 

India-Hindu History: Examining the Time-Line in a Broad setting

Madan Mathrani

(17714 Arvida Dr., Granada Hills, CA 91344)

 

There is a general talk that the ancient Hindus had poor sense of

history and that they have left no historical records and written

history. This is however not true. The Hindu itihas (history) is found

in Ramayan, Mahabharata and other Puranas. For constructing a right

modern account of ancient Hindu history there is need to intelligently

and diligently use these accounts. The willful misrepresentation of

Hindu history by Christian missionaries and the British who conquered

India and wrote Indian History , introduced 'Aryan Race' and 'Aryan

Invasion' theory with clear designs to malign Hindus and reduce their

self esteem to convert them to Christianity and secure British

colonial rule. Macauley, Max Mueller, Monier Williams were some of the

Europeans "scholars" involved in this. Their personal letters that

recently surfaced from the British Archives, clearly expose their

bias. Though the modern scholars have denounced the imperialists and

their designs, they have not succeeded in removing the harm the

imperialists and religious chauvinists have done to oppressed nations,

such as India.

 

In this paper, we present an account of Indian-Hindu history time-line

based on Hindu books of history. This has a very wide canvas, starting

with creation of the earth, accounts of the eras, manvantras, etc., as

is presented in these books. We present evidence from Vedas, Purans,

Ramayan, and Mahabharata and work of some of the modern scholars in

establishing the age of crucial matters -- Vedas, Rama, Krishna, and

others -- without whose history the Hindu history is of limited value,

and largely irrelevant.

 

Kapila and the Samkhya Philosophy

Bijoy Misra, Ph. D.

Department of Astronomy, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02138

 

Apart from the Vedas, the Samkhya theory of cosmology has had the most

profound influence on Indian culture and civilization. The date of

Samkhya development is around the date of Gautama Buddha and possibly

both Samkhya and Buddhistic cosmologies were developed as rational

inquiries as opposed to mystical speculations of the Vedic literature.

Very little is known about the life and works of Kapila, who is

recognized as the originator of the Samkhya line of thought. On closer

examination, the material appears to be the product of a school of

inquires rather than that of a single individual.

 

Kapila has been considered as a "teacher" in Hindu scriptures and

possibly he headed an organized place of learning during the time. The

identification of space (AkAs'a) as the first element in nature and

the subsequent evolution of air, fire, water and earth presents the

theory as a systematic development rather than the ad hoc assumption

in Aristotelian cosmology.

 

The paper compares the Samkhya view with the Aristotelian view and

provides indications on the completeness of the ancient cosmological

models.

 

The Concept of Cosmology in Vedas

Vidya Niwas Misra, Ph. D.

M-3 Badshah Bagh,

Varanasi, U.P. 221002, INDIA

 

The concept of cosmology is very basic for philosophy and science. It

has been dealt in Vedas and other ancient literature of India.

Surprisingly, it has come for a very comprehensive study there.

 

The paper presents this very fundamental concept the way it has been

presented in Hindu scriptures. This highlights the scientic search of

the ancient Vedic people, that parallels the modern searches in

science. Here is man's search in a perspective for deeper further

analysis.

 

Ancient History of Bharat and Hindu Identity

Jagat K. Motwani, Ph. D.

Bharatiya Cultural & Business Research Center

2 Langhans Court, Dix Hills, NY 11746

 

This paper is a product of a library-based research. Its main

hypothesis is that much of the ancient history of Bharat is false and

illbased. It has adversely affected Indian identity in general and

Hindu identity in particular.

 

The paper addresses itself to the following issues:

 

(a). The importance of ancient history and its impact on the cultural

identity of its people;

(b). Wrong history is being taught in schools and colleges, For

example -- Aryans from outside invaded India; Bharat is not the

original home of Aryans; Invading Aryans brought to Bharat Sanskrit,

horse and iron (John Osborne, 1988, p.59); Invading Aryans had their

own literature. Their early books are called Vedas (John Gunther,

1939, p. 373); Invading Aryans very early developed an exceedingly

complicated form of worship which became Hinduism (Gunther, 1939) --

meaning thereby that Hinduism/Sanatana Dharma didn't exist prior to

the alleged Aryan invasion; Prior to Aryan invasion of Bharat in 1500

BC, the natives of Bharat were barbarous; Chronology of the important

Hindu epics and Vedas has been advanced to period after 1500 BC to fit

into the so called Aryan invasion theory; Indus civilization is

considered different from Vedic civilization; Different scholars have

suggested different original homes of Aryans, as Asia Minor, Greece,

Arctic region, etc..

 

My primary approach is to expose contradictions, implicit and

explicit, within the one and the same author/book. I shall present

some interpretations that show ignorance and clear bias. Distortions

and misinterpretations are scientifically exposed with the support of

documented evidences.

 

Hindu Dharma and Human Rights

S. S. Rama Rao Pappu, Ph. D.

Department of Philosophy, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056

 

Human rights are an important matter for any human society . They are

a part of dharma in Hindu line of thoughts. We seem to have moved away

from a dharmic society to a Right-bases society. A document 'Hindu

Declaration of Human Rights' has recently been drafted by G.C. Pande

and Arvind Sharma. I propose to discuss things in this document. My

presentation is divided in three parts.

 

In Part I, In order to put this document in perspective, I shall discuss

 

(a) the nature of human rights,

(b) the reasons why Hinduism is criticized for not recognizing human

rights;

© the status of human rights in Hinduism before India accepted the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948.

 

In Part II, I shall discuss the 'Hindu Declaration of Human Rights'.

In Part III, I shall discuss the justification for the above document.

Specifically I shall discuss here:

 

(a) The need for a Hindu Declaration of Human Rights when we have

accepted the Universal Declaration of the Human Rights;

(b) Why the Hindu Declaration is grounded in the Hindu tradition not

in some abstract conceptions of human rights, and therefore is more

"realistic" and acceptable to the Hindu society;

© Why this document avoids the pitfalls of the Universal declaration

of human rights.

Also, there is need to draft, at a future time, a secondary

declaration of non-human rights, i.e., the rights of animals,

environment, etc., that were included in the Hindu dharmic tradition

but seem to have been forgotten in contemporary India.

 

"On Our Vedic Origin" - Women Speaking for Themselves

Reshami Ramdhoni,

Senior Lecturer, Mahatma Gandhi Institute, Moka, MAURITIUS

 

The Rg Vedic conception of womanhood will comprise symbolical figures

: Saraswati, Laxmi, Usha, Shakti, Apsarars etc. to whom may also be

given modern interpretation. Reference will be made to Upanishadic

rituals recommended for ensuring the birth of scholarly daughters to

women scholars in the Vedas, matrimonial regimes, divorce, incest,

pregnancy, niyoga, widowhood and other socio-religious customs. The

position of women in Saraswati Age can be illustrated with the help of

examples : information can thus be derived concerning their duties,

morals, manners, status in family and social contexts, also

interesting facts about their looks, fashion trends, habits, marriage,

education and legal status.

 

Attempts will be made to situate the Indo-Mauritian woman par rapport

to her Vedic counterpart - as a transformed woman who has been largely

fed upon the Vedic models but who is often confused as she is emerging

from the traditional structures and negotiating the transition between

tradition and modernity in very real terms. The picture of a rare

specimen will be presented, a beautiful mixture of the Indian, the

French and the African who has luckily conserved precious ethnic

traits to make an impact on the life and style of the society to which

she belongs, One can round up with the contribution of these insular

women hailing from the Indo-Gangetic plains who still consider

themselves Aryan in essence and who have been drawing upon the

bewildering complexity of their mixed heritage to make history in the

Indian Ocean.

 

Consciousness in Ancient Indian Thought: A New Dimension for Modern

Thought

Robert Ranger, M. A., C. C. H. of Transformational Hypnotherapy, Lansing, MI

 

The presentation will dwell on the concepts of consciousness and

experience as formulated in ancient traditions and practiced by

masters of Indian spiritualism. The concepts of various states of

consciousness will illustrated to help in modern clinical applications.

 

Astronomy: Observations and Speculations in Ancient India

P. Venugopala Rao, Ph. D.

Department of Physics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322

 

We come across a variety of speculations on the origin of our universe

and the ontology of our world when we survey the philosophical

traditions we follow. While it is possible to extract from this

variety a set of core ideas that could be attributed to the results of

the observation of the concrete phenomena, it is not unreasonable to

conclude that open mindedness rather than unquestionable faith remains

the underlying attitude in all these exercises of model building. In

particular, observation of the motions of stars and planets were

cleverly incorporated into the models of the universe we encounter in

Ancient Hindu mythology and philosophical systems.

 

Astrology: An Eye of the Society

Dharma Raj Regmi

President, National Astro-Science Committee, Prabhu Nivas, Dilli

Bazar, Kathmandu, NEPAL

 

Astrology presents evidence of advanced scientific achievements and

its use for the welfare of man. We have found a lots of evidences,

proofs, as well as records on ancient astrology of India. This

developed from the works and observations of sages, who existed in all

different eras and times. The ideas are presented in terms of heavenly

bodies and forces as living entities. There is need to properly

understand the notions and descriptions. Goddess Saraswati is

considered the source of this knowledge. The Mercury, son of the Moon,

is called the prognosticatorer. He is the store of nedic knowledge.

During treta-yuga, the supreme power holder, king Ravana, was an

expert in the science of astrology. His father-in-law, Maya Daanava,

instructed by Surya Dev, was a great authority on astro-science.

 

The great names of the ancient India, who could read and predict past,

present and future are Bhrigu, Vashishta, Parasara, Garga, and Shiva etc.

In this paper, after outlining the place and tradition of

astro-science, we propose to discuss the division of time given in

terms of 18 yugas and 14 Manus, explaining the following:

 

(a) Ananta Yuga 51,960,000

(b) Avarta Yuga 4,086,000

(b) Tamangha Yuga 3,250,000

 

We would explain the position of Astro-science, as a shastra in the

scheme of Vedas, Up-Vedas, and Shastras.

Ancient Hindu Theory of 'Creation': A Modern Scientific Comparison

Bhu Dev Sharma, Ph. D.

Professor and Chairman, Department of Mathematics

Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA 70125, U.S.A.

 

Man's earliest search must have started by trying to comprehend the

nature of his universe. It came for intensive study. Several sutras of

the Vedas, sections and portions of Upanishads, Smirities, Purans and

other Hindu literature address to shristi, the emergence of universe.

 

In this presentation, first a review of the current scientific

theories of creation of the earth will be outlined. Then material from

various ancient Vedic sources, starting from Rig-Veda will be

presented. Some modern scientific missing links will be pointed out

and it will be argued, with deeper analysis, that the present

scientific findings, on creation of the universe, support and seem to

be leading to the Hindu understanding of shrishti.

 

Women in Vedic Rituals

Ramanath Sharma, Ph. D. Professor of Sanskrit

University of Hawaii, 2540 Maile Way, Spalding 459, Honolulu, HI 96822

 

This paper attempts to study the status of women as it is reflected in

the rituals using Vedic hymns. It is very difficult to establish

whether rituals which use Vedic hymns were rituals practiced by the

Vedic society. Most likely, Vedic hymns were used in rituals

subsequently. The social structure to which rituals relate to, via

Vedic hymns, are post Vedic. Most rituals relate to a society which

was fully classified on the basis of the four-tier varna system. The

Vedic society was more like a society which perhaps was classified on

the basis of 'varna' and 'ashrama'. What was the role and status of

women in the society which so classified itself ? What happened to

this role and status subsequently when the social classification

changed to a caste based system. The Puranic period added a new

dimension to rituals, and thus to the status of women. The 'mantras'

were still predominantly Vedic, in so far as the basics of rituals

were concerned.

 

This paper will try to examine the role and status of women via

rituals through two basic periods: Vedic, pre-Upanishadic, and

post-Upanishadic, It will be shown that role and status of women were

much more different in the pre-Upanishadic period than subsequently.

Ritual respects to women grew steadily through, but social status and

role of women gradually became subservient to men. This was mostly due

to attitudes of the Puranic society towards women.

 

Aryavarta--- The Original Homeland of Aryans

Ram Swarup Sharma, Ph.D.

Reader, Dept. of Hindi, Deshbandhu College (Delhi University),

Kalkaji, New Delhi, INDIA

 

For the last two centuries, the Western scholars have been busy in

establishing a theory that Aryans were the invaders of Pre-Historic

ages from Central Asia to Indian soil. A good number of unthoughtful

Indian historians have also fallen in line with them. The net result

is that the theory finds place in the curriculum of Indian educational

system at all levels and this misinformation is being passed along

through generation after generation among Indian masses. Efforts have

also been made to substantiate the hypothesis through archeological

and linguistic material. It is high time to analyze the whole doctrine

on an objective platform and prove that ARYAVARTA-- India is the

original homeland of the Aryan race. The present paper is an effort in

this direction through linguistic methods. Following are the prime

features of the paper :

 

(1) With the full respect to the school of Historical Linguistics it

is submitted that the operative part of the 'Comparative Method and

Reconstruction' (including Phonetic Laws of Grimme and Wherner) is not

based on the sound footings, because in these theories Sanskrit, Greek

and Roman have been treated as contemporary languages, which is far

from being true.

(2) The whole dogma of a Pre-Historic language (Hittite) is uncalled

for. It is deliberate attempt to establish that Vedic Sanskrit is not

the oldest language on earth.

(3) The idea that North Indian languages and European languages are

constituents of the same family i.e. Indo-European languages and South

Indian languages belong to separate family (Dravidian languages) is

totally misconceived according to syntactic structures and semantic

shades of these languages. Structural Analysis of Indian languages and

their socio-cultural frames prove beyond doubt that India is One

linguistic area all along.

 

With examples from a number of ancient languages, it may be proved

that whole of the Indian people belong to Aryans and that the

so-called Arya-Dravid conflict tale is a creation of vested interests

to cause unnecessary tension between North and South India. It is

about time to reject this age old fiction.

 

The Lord Buddha, His Great Thoughts: A Connection with Ancient India

Thought

K. N. Shrestha

Chair, World Confederation of Buddhists Nepal, Kathmandu, NEPAL

 

After describing the miraculous life of the Buddha, this paper will

present his most salient contributions to humanity in general. These

include the following: (1) Buddha was the first man to proclaim the

sovereignty of man, (2) Buddha was the first person to conduct

research into the human psyche and its functions, (3) Buddha is the

first thinker to declare that man needs the freedom of thinking, the

freedom of conscience, the freedom from ignorance, and the freedom

from casteism, (4) He declared that man attains the status of Brahmin

not by birth, nor does he become a low status by birth, but becomes

either of these through his accomplishments or shallowness.

 

This paper then presents the basic teachings of the Buddha in a

nutshell, including the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path,

etc. This is followed by a discussion of the contributions of the

great Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna, the great emperor Ashoka, and

finally the Tibetan founder of the Gelugpa lineage, Tschonkhapa. The

conclusions reached are strong in their advocacy of Buddhism as the

only philosophy that can uplift the world and its fallen condition and

at the same time prevent wars and hypocrisy.

 

Legal Status of Women in Ancient India

Sudha Rani Shrivastava, M.A., LL.B., Advocate

208/2 Garha Phatak, Jabalpur, MP - 482 002, INDIA

 

The Hindus believe their Law to be of divine origin. This belief is

different from what Austin calls 'The Laws of God'. They instead

believe it to be a positive Law that has emanated from Deity. The idea

of sovereign, in the sense of modern Juridical sense, seems to be

unknown to them. There were kings but their functions were defined by

the divine Law. The historic fact, often unnoticed, according to which

women were treated in many respects almost with divine respect in

ancient India was a unique feature. Perhaps no other country or

civilization equated women with power of wealth (Lakshmi), power of

learning (Sarasvati), and with the power to punish (Durga). This

concept brought them at least equal if not superior to men.

 

Over a long period of history starting from the ancient, many

countries were born and perished, but India not only survived, but

flourished on the map of universe. The divine Law was based on Shruti

(literally means 'that heard'). The sutras of shruti fall into three

classes -- Shrut, Gribai, and Dharam. Of these dharam-sutras alone are

to be considered as the Hindu Law called Smiriti, that is, what is

remembered. The ancient sources are Vedas and Upanishads that are

elaborated Purnas. The ancient law-givers are Manu, Gautam, Vasishtha,

etc. The age of Shruti and Smriti may be called the age of myth.

 

The period of 'Ancient India' started from Manu, who unequivocally

placed women at a high pedestal when he said -- yatra naaryaastu

poojayante, ramante tatra devataa (Divinity resides there where women

are treated with respect.). This position declined to striyo

nirindriyaa aadaayaadee (women are destitute of strength and of a

share), and this decline advanced due to Muslim culture. Thus there

exist a vast gap in the legal status of women and the women of the

Manu age.

 

Upanishads: The Pinnacle of the Religion of Man

Shyam Narayan Shukla, Ph. D., Project Manager

Lawarance Livermore National Lab, Fremont, CA, USA

 

Religions created the concept of heaven and hell. Heaven is projected

as the reward for their followers who abided by their dictates.

According to these religions, the ultimate goal of human being is to

acquire a place in the heaven, after this life. Hindu religion is not

an exception to this frame of thinking either. However, there is a

difference. The Hindu sages did not stop there. They continued, like

scientists, their search further. They experimented beyond things

relative in nature -- freedom from the effect of space and time. And,

in their ultimate analysis, they realized that once they caught hold

of 'THAT', which is not relative but is full and absolute, they could

eternally live in that experience. The main theme of the Upanishads is

to impart knowledge of that state in which all shackles are destroyed,

i.e., jnaan.

 

In this presentation, the teachings and message of Upanishads, which

are latent in the Samhitas, would be brought out. Their nature, as

confidential personalized instructions, that were taught only to those

who were fit to receive them, will be elaborated. How they later found

their formulation in the Bhagwadgita, and in the aphorisms of

Brahmasutra, will be pointed. The four mahavakyas, major thought

provoking sentences from four Vedas, will be highlighted. In

conclusion, it shall be argued that Upanishadic philosophy forms the

pinnacle of human religion unparalleled in the world history.

 

Immigration of Aryans to India: A Fact or Fiction

Mahatam Singh, M. A.

President Mata Gauri Foundation, Surinam

 

There are different sources -- astronomical, linguistic, literary and

tradition -- which have to be kept in mind while addressing to the

question on 'immigration of Aryans' to India. Evolution of prominent

civilizations of the world have been noticed on the bank of some

famous river. Nile, Dajlafarat, Whang, and Sindhu have given birth to

great civilizations. But to the Vedic Aryans, holiest river was

Sarasvati. In Rig Veda, Ganga is mentioned seldom, while Sarasvati is

lauded on several occasions and it has been praised as the mother, the

goddess, and as the holy river. Supporting the foreign origin of Vedic

Aryans, evidence of horse is also brought forward. This argument has

lost ground as a full skeletons of horse has been found in the

Harappan excavation and also in the Neolithic sites in the interior of

India, going back to 6500 BC, and evidence of both wild and

domesticated variety have been found.

 

The paper argues that the Harappan civilization of the Indus valley

really came at the end of the Vedic age and was part of it.

 

Mathematical & Scientific Contributions of Hindus From the Ancient

Rajendra Singh, Ph. D.

D. Houser Banks Professor

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering,

Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-0915

 

The contributions of Hindus in the field of philosophy and

spirituality are rather well known. However, few people (including

many Hindus) recognize that the modern science and technology also

rests on the foundation laid by Hindus, way back. The numbers 1, 2, 3,

were invented by Hindus in India (refer the book, 'How Did We Find Out

About Numbers' by Issac Asimov) and the place-value system of

representing any number using 10 (das - the decimal system) symbols 1,

2, ... , 9, and 0 were developed by Hindus. Since the Europeans

learned about the number system from Arab traders, the numerals are

wrongly called Arab or Arab-Hindu nemerals.

 

In this paper, we will mention the work and contributions of ancient

Hindu mathematicians and scientists. Some key work of Hindus in the

modern times will also be presented.

 

The Caste Consciousness in Ancient India and the Distortions of Hindu

History

Jerome Teelucksingh

University of The West Indies, St. Augustine,

(522 Riverside Dr., Lange Park, Chaguanas)

TRINIDAD (West Indies)

 

This paper examines the existence of social ranking in Ancient India

which eventually led to the development of a society divided according

to the varnasrama social system. This system involved the four

divisions of social and occupational castes. Evidence of caste

restrictions in Ancient religious literature such as the Mahabharata

also added to the caste consciousness which was practiced in Ancient

India.

 

Fallacies such as the Aryan-Dravidian clash in 1500 BC, the origin of

the Aryans and the use of warped models of Hindu chronology and its

negative impact on the study of ancient caste relations are also analyzed.

 

The possible existence of an earlier simple ranking in society before

the varnasrama social system is also considered. Other possible

factors leading to the entrenchment and justification of caste

groupings are also included.

 

New evidence by revisionist historians and scholars is also

incorporated to confirm their correction of Ancient Hindu history and

show its positive impact on revolutionizing the existing knowledge of

the caste system.

 

Anomalous Textual Artifacts in Archeo-Astronomy

Richard Thompson, Ph. D.

P.O. Box 1920,

Alachua, FL 32616

 

It is well understood that ancient artifacts can survive within

written texts, as well as within the strata of the earth. Also, an old

manuscript or diagram may be datable to a recent historical period,

but it may contain material that is much older.

 

One type of textual artifact consists of knowledge that seems too

advanced for the historical period of the text. In cases where

comparable knowledge was acquired only in modern times through

extensive scientific efforts, it can be argued that the knowledge may

be a remnant from an earlier, advanced civilization that is lost to

historical memory.

In this paper, I discuss two examples of anomalous textual artifacts.

They are:

 

(i) Accurate values of the diameters of the planets, Mercury, Venus,

Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, as found in the Indian astronomical text,

Surya-Siddhanta. This information can be found in a manuscript dating

to A.D. 1431, long before modern knowledge of planetary distances and

diameters was acquired using telescopic observation.

(ii) The geocentric ring system described in the cosmological section

of the Bhagavata Purana correlates closely with the distance of the

Sun from the Earth and with the geocentric distances of Mercury,

Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The traditional date of the Bhagvata

Purana is about 3,000 B.C., and some scholars date it to the 10th

century A.D. Either way, this is long before the development of modern

astronomy.

 

The patterns of correlation found in (i) and (ii) can be shown to be

statistically significant. I discuss these correlations in relation to

the controversial claim that there existed an ancient civilization

with advanced astronomical knowledge.

 

The Status of Women in the Rigveda

Shashi Tiwari, Ph. D.

Department of Sanskrit,

Maitaiye Colleage (University of Delhi), Chanakya Puri, New Delhi -

110020, INDIA

 

The condition and status of women in Indian society changed

substantially from the early period to the beginning of the present

century. Vedic literature depicts an ideal society, where women

enjoyed an honorable and high status. Like every patriarchal society

here also the father is the commanding authority, but in the household

affairs the mother is considered to be supreme. Though limited in

numbers, Vedic goddesses were as powerful as the gods. In the Rigveda,

there is no reference to an instance where the birth of a girl was

considered inauspicious. That the girl received education is evident

from the composition of hymns by the female seers. The daughter of the

Rigvedic times was bold, strong and free. The maiden seems to have

been free to make her choice of husband as appears in the verse (RV.

X-27-12), and was supported in her choice by her parents. Probably a

maiden having no brother had her legal right to inherit the paternal

property. The wife was a partner in the performance of sacrifices. She

was the empress in her home. In the Rigveda we get few references to

polygamy because monogamy was the rule. On the basis of some verses it

can be said that the custom of widow remarriage existed. Other social

evils relating to women, such as burning of widows, purdah system and

child marriage were not found in the Rigvedic society. Hence, this

Rigvedic picture of womanhood is the real heritage of India.

 

Vedic Language

Rayalu Vishwanadha

114 South Oxford Ave, #103, Los Angeles, CA 90004

 

According to tradition, Veda is one book with four main divisions:

Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva. Again each of these has four

subdivisions: Samhita, Brahmana, Aranyaka, and Upanishat. Also, the

book appeared on the intellectual horizon at one time. This view was

held, without exception, by all the earlier commentators such as

Uvvata, Mahidhara, Vishnu Suri, Bhatta Bhaskara, and Sayana, to name a

few of the long list.

 

The Western scholars expressed a different view, stating the Samhita

portions belong to an earlier age and Brahmanas to a later one.

Rig-Veda was the earliest and the others followed much later. They

pointed out, Sanskrit language of Samhita is different from that of

Brahmana both in style and use of words, thus indicating different

periods of origin.

It is, therefore important to identify the Vedic language for critical

analysis of the above two divergent views.

 

This paper gives some thought on the subject, based on Vedic

statements only, and the conclusions drawn are:

 

1. Vedic language is different and older than any other known language;

2. It is the only language suitable to express the underlying thought,

common in all volumes of the book;

3. No single volume is complete and it is the Vedic language that

binds all the volumes together into a cohesive, complete, self

contained book;

4. All volumes are of the same language and could not have been of

different authors at different times.

 

Status of Women in Ancient India

Savita Varma, Ph. D.

Department of Pre-School & Elementary Education, NCERT, Sri Aurobindo

Marg, New Delhi - 110016, INDIA

 

In this paper, in evaluating the women's status in ancient India, two

points have been taken into consideration:

 

(i) Not to apply the modern norms, concepts and values to judge women

of the past, though willy-nilly the modern values do come in as the

reference point for any objective evaluation. Instead a holistic

approach is considered more appropriate.

 

(ii) India is too large a country to lend itself for any one

interpretation or one evaluatory statement on the status of women. It

is not possible to make one definite comment on India which has about

60 socio-cultural regions. At times, it seems that variety and

diversity are more predominant than the common features. In such a

situation, both 'yes' and 'no' are correct in answer to a general

question -- Was the status of women in ancient India high ?

 

If we dwelt upon point (ii), we were led into a whole range of

interpretations, often contradictory into each other, for example:

Woman as Goddess - an object of worship, and woman as an animal to be

tamed through force and violence, woman as mother to be respected,

loved and honored (Mother India - a popular concept throughout the

country) and woman as wife whose duty in only to serve and sacrifice,

woman as a scholar and a great warrior/crusader, and woman as an

illiterate fool to be ignored.

Further, we examine women's position also from angles:

 

(i) Fair and equal treatment, and

(ii) Empowerment of women.

 

For this, it should be remembered that the concept of a welfare

state/society is relatively modern. Ancient states/societies performed

largely law and order and defense functions. When we talk about

ancient societies, we talk about the way women were treated by

individuals, not be the state/society.

 

In Indian philosophy and in conceptual terms, Indian women occupied a

high position. All good values like woman as a symbol of divine

affection and love, as a symbol of power (Shakti), faithfulness,

devotion and sacrifice. In reality, whether she was treated that way

is any body's guess -- or difficult to believe.

Ramayan: A Great Ancient Indian Ideal

Lallan Prasad Vyas, International Chairman

International Ramayan Conference

C-13 Press Enclave Saket, New Delhi - 110017, INDIA

 

Ramayan is truly the heart and soul of the age old culture of India.

Besides it has been acknowledged as an important world classics, and

has been translated into many languages of the world. The total human

idealism supported by great philosophy and culture of India translated

into practice is the personality of Ram.

 

In this presentation, the great ideals of Ramyan, that have guided

persons, the societies, and the governments to right conduct will be

expounded. How this great work has influenced great men of our times

will be elaborated. Its journey through the world will also be briefly

outlined.

 

Freeing the modern mind to see Ancient light of India

Joseph A. Warren, Ph. D., J. S., The Center for Inner Awareness

Professor of Humanities & History, Lansing Community College

1012 N. Washington, Lansing, MI 48906-4839

 

The ancient Indian spiritual and philosophical traditions have not

been properly understood by their western exponents. This has created

a barrier for the modern mind in properly understanding.

 

The talk will articulate the conceptual nature of modern thought

process and will illuminate the limitations of modern thought in

comprehending real message. The emphasis will on freeing modern mind

to see the Truth in a new dimension.

 

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