Vedic heritage of Vishvakarma continues

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HinduThought, Srinivasan Kalyanaraman

<kalyan97@g...> wrote:

Vedic heritage of vis'vakarma continues through Sarasvati

civilization

to hindu civilization

 

This complements the note on Archaeological evidence of vedic

settlements. Who built the structures found in hundreds of

settlements

of Sarasvati civilization?

 

Inheritors of Vis'vakarma vedic heritage. Vis'vakarma of th vra_tya

tradition are the creators of the Sarasvati civilization and the

precursors of hindu culture, ethos and a whole spectrum of unique

traditions, including the veneration of pitr.-s and the adoration of

s'ankha as the source for the ana_hata na_da: Om. Hence, omkares'var

as a jyotirlinga sthana at the confluence of Kaveri and Narmada; yes,

Kaveri. If this Kaveri went south or the southern Kaveri travelled

north to the Vindhyas is a matter for further researches through a

study of hindu (pre-common-era) languages.

 

Vis'vakarma of Vedic heritage is an architect, a sculptor.

 

Evidence will be presented to trace the continuum in hindusthan:

vedic

heritage of vis'vakarma: architecture, s'ankha industry including the

creation of bronze artifacts using cire perdue (lost wax) technique,

creation of rock-cut reservoir. The heritage is exemplified in the

architecture of pus.karin.i (sacred bath tanks), of continuing

s'ankha

industry for over 8,500 years and creation of rock-cut caves,

vis'vakarma caitya â€" a stunning continuity of culture from vedic

times

to today's hindu civilization.

 

Two nidhi-s of Kubera are s'an:kha and kunda.

 

One of the nava-nidhi-s (nine treasures) of Kubera is s'ankha-nidhi,

or conch-shell-resource.

 

It will be established that conch shell resource constituted a major

resource for the artisans of Sarasvati Civilization. In the

historical, a_gama traditions of Bha_rata, s'an:kha and cakra adorn

two hands of Vis.n.u or Na_ra_yan.a mu_rti-s made by vis'vakarma-s.

Vis.n.u holds the valampuri conch or right-spiralled conch which is

an

object of veneration among the Hindu-s.

 

"valampuri por-itta ma_ ta_n:ku tat.akk kai" (mullaippa_t.t.u: 2)

-"the long arms with finger prints of valampuri [conch with clockwise

turns] and embracing tirumakaL (or lakshmi)"

http://www.hindunet.org/saraswati/chank/visnu.JPG

 

The terracotta plaque is at the Brooklyn Museum, U.S.A. On stylistic

grounds it can be ascribed to the fifth century and and also be

presumed to have originally belonged to the brick temple of

Bhitargaon, Kanpur District, Uttar Pradesh. The plaque has been

described by Dr. Army Poster (Figures in Clays from Ancient India,

No.

52, Brooklyn, 1973) and by Dr. Pratapaditya Pal (The Ideal Image: The

Gupta Sculptural Tradition and Its Influence, Fig. 28, p.81, the

Asiatic Society, Inc. 1978).

 

The plaque shows Vishnu, four-armed, seated on Garuda, in flying

attitude. The panel having been damaged, the two right arms of Vishnu

and the right wing of his vehicle, Garuda, are broken away. In the

upper left hand Vishnu holds his Sarnga bow and AC in the lower left

the Panchajanya conch (the presence of bow and conch in Vishnu

figures

is a rare combination and significance as we shall presently see in

the course of our discussion). On the left wing of Garuda which is

depicted as outstretched is perched a small figure, probably Vishnu's

attendant, who also imitating his master is shown in the act of

discharging arrows. The whole situation shows a tense warlike

situation. In the Great Epic, Krishna's conch shell was known as

Paanchajanya, Arjuna's Devdutta, Bhima's Paundra, Yudhisthira's

Anantavijaya, Nakula's Sughosa and Sahadeva's was known as

Manipushpaka.

 

Dr. Pal describes the plaque as follows: "Apparently, the god is here

engaged in battle accompanied by one or more attendants or

personified

attributes. There is however, no way to determine who the adversary

is."

 

The panel, in my opinion, represents the story of Vishnu's fight with

the Rakshasas led by Malyavan, Mali and Sumali as narrated in the

Uttarkanda of the Ramayana (Cantoes VI-VIII). [A Terracotta Panel

from

Bhitargaon Showing a Ramayana Scene By P. BANERJEE

http://ignca.nic.in/pb0020.htm]

 

The two pictorial motifs on inscribed objects of Sarasvati

Civilization -- of the conch shell and the spoked wheel -- represent

the wealth created by the early artisans of the civilization of

Bha_rata.

 

[The semantics of the nave of the six-spoked wheel depicted on

inscribed objects will be explained as 'kunda' (meaning: nave of

wheel); substantive rebus: kundau, 'turner']. Hence, kunda and

mukunda

constitute two other nidhi-s of Kubera.

http://www.hindunet.org/saraswati/chank/salsakwa.htm

 

s'ankha is a continuing industry for the last 8,500 years, ever since

the discovery of a wide bangle made of s'ankha dated to 6500 BCE,

discovered by Jarrige at Mehergarh. Jarrige, C., J.-F. Jarrige, R. H.

Meadow and G. Quivron, Eds. 1995 Mehrgarh Field Reports 1975 to

1985 -

>From the Neolithic to the Indus Civilization. Karachi, Dept. of

Culture and Tourism, Govt. of Sindh and the French Foreign Ministry.

A

s'ankha seal was also discovered at Bet Dwaraka depicting a ligatured

complex animal with a bull's body and faces of a one-horned heifer, a

bull and an antelope. The maritime tradition of working with s'ankha

dates back to 6500 BCE (that is, 8,500 years Before Present). See

http://www.hindunet.org/saraswati/maritime/wpe5.gif

 

Burial ornaments made of shell and stone disc beads, and turbinella

pyrum (sacred conch, s'an:kha) bangle, Tomb MR3T.21, Mehrgarh, Period

1A, ca. 6500 BCE. The nearest source for this shell is Makran coast

near Karachi, 500 km. South. [After Fig. 2.10 in Kenoyer, 1998].

Parvati, wore conch shell bangles â€" s'an:khaka -- created by Sage

Agastya Muni and Divine architect Vis'vakarma. S'an:kha is a Kubera's

treasure â€" one of the nine or nava-nidhi-s. This dated evidence for

the early s'ankha industry is attested in the burial of a woman at

Mehergarh, 500 kms. north of Makran Coast not far from Karachi. The

turbinella pyrum zoological species is provenanced only this part of

the sea-coast â€" Makran coast, Gulf of Kutch, Gulf of Khambat and

Gulf

of Mannar (near Tiruchendur, Ki_r..akkarai) and nowhere else in the

world. At Tiruchendur, today, there is an office of the West Bengal

Development Handicrafts Corporation to acquire s'ankha; the annual

turnover is a whopping Rs. 50 crores. If a diver is lucky to find a

sacred valampuri (right-twisting) s'ankha, he becomes a rich guy,

because it is sold for Rs. 25,000.

 

Vis'vakarma is mentioned in an entire R.gveda su_kta RV 10.82 (r.s.i:

vis'vakarma_ bhauvana; devata_: vis'vakarma_; chanda: tris.t.up) and

also in S'vet. Up. IV. 17. Vis'vakarma is the architect of the

divinities; he built a city, Indraprastha,for Kr.s.n.a serving the P

â

ndava's (see Bhagavata Purana, 10.58: 24).

 

10.082.01 The maker of the senses, resolute in mind, engendered the

water, (and then) these two (heaven and earth) floating (on the

waters); when those ancient boundaries were fixed, then the heaven

and

earth were expanded. [The maker of the senses: lit., the father of

the eye; manasa_ dhi_rah = reflecting that there was no one equal to

himself; a_po va_ idam agre; a_pa eva sasarja_dau: Taittiri_ya

Sam.hita_ 7.1.5.1; Manu 1.8].

10.082.02 Vis'vakarman, of comprehensive mind and manifold greatness,

is all-pervading, the creator, the arranger and the supreme

supervisor; him in whom the desires of their (senses) are satisfied

with food, they call (him) supreme beyond the seven r.s.is. [The

devata_: is Prama_tma_ or A_ditya, the sun; cf. Nirukta 10.26. The

second line of the r.ca: him in whom they delight their forms (or

places) with water, him, those who are skille din mantras call the

A_ditya single, superior to the seven r.s.is; or, the wise make the

seven r.s.is one with Vis'vakarman; Nirukta notes that at the

universal sacrifice Vis'vakarman Bhauvana offered up all beings and

then himself].

10.082.03 He who is our preserver, our parent, the creator (of all),

who knows our abodes (and knows) all beings, who is the name-giver of

the gods-- he is one; other beings come to him to inquire. [i.e., to

ask, 'who is the supreme lord?' or, they ask, what their offices are,

and he appoints them their several functions].

10.082.04 Those ancient R.s.is who adorned (with light) these beings

in the animate and inanimate world, offer to him wealth (of

sacrifice)

as praisers with abundant (laudation).

10.082.05 What was that embryo which was beyond the heaven, beyond

this earth, beyond the gods, beyond the asuras, which the waters

first

retained, in which all the gods contemplated each other?

10.082.06 The waters verily first retained the embryo in which all

the

gods were aggregated, single deposited on the navel of the unborn

(creator), in which all beings abide. [The embryo is Vis'vakarman.

arpitam an.d.am = mundane egg; or, bi_jam].

10.082.07 You know not him who has generated these (beings); (his

life) is another, different from yours; wrapped in fog, and foolish

speech (do they) wander (who are) gluttonous and engaged in devotion.

[sa_yan.a: "The assertion that we know Vis'vakarman in the same way

as

men say, 'I am devadatta, I am yajn~adatta', is false, for the

essence

(tattva) of Vis'vakarman Parames'vara is not endowed with conscious

individual existence, but he is a different entity from you who are

sentient beings, who have individual consciousness, and so forth".

Wrapped in foolish speech: jalpya_: i.e., saying I am god, I am man

etc.; ukthas'a_sah = singing hymns with a view to gaining felicity in

a future state: you are merely anxious for enjoyment in this world

and

in the next, therefore you know nothing of Vis'vakarman; or, you who

are engaged in enjoyment of this world or the next, being subject to

false knowledge or ignorance, have no knowledge of the Truth].

 

Sources:

http://www.hindunet.org/saraswati/bhairava1.doc

http://www.hindunet.org/saraswati/maritime/maritime01.htm

http://www.hindunet.org/saraswati/meluhhadilmunmagan1.pdf

http://www.hindunet.org/saraswati/wheel1.pdf

http://www.svabhinava.org/Dialogues/

SarasvatiUnicorn/IndusSarasvatiUnicorn.htm

See Temple of Vis'vakarma hewn out of Ellora mountains, wood

engraving

at

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/0600_0699/e

llora/vishvakarma/vishvakarma.html

The caitya hall dedicated to Vis'vakarma Caitya hall, Vishvakarma

Cave

Nr. 10, Ellura may be seen at

http://www.india-picture.com/elura/pages/caitya10.htm Elura. Click on

Caitya10.jpg

 

These are the exponents of the same vis'vakarma heritage which

created

a rock-cut reservoir at Dholavira of stunning dimensions: 239 ft.

long, 39 ft. wide and 24 ft. deep.

 

The purus.asu_kta described vis'vakarma:

 

Adbhyassambhu_ta: pr.thivyai rasa_cca | vis'vakarma.assamavartatadhi

|

tasya tvas.t.a_ vidadhadru_pameti | tatpurus.asya

vishvama_ja_namagre

 

(adbhya:) From the waters and from the (rasa_t) elemental essence of

(pr.thivyai) earth (sambhu_ta:) was the bramha_n.d.a, the Universe,

born. (vis'vakarman.a:) As vis'vakarma, the divine architect, did

purus.a, who is (adhi) more than that Universe, appear

(samavartata).

(tvas.t.a_) As tvas.t.a_, the divine smith he (vidadhat) establishes

(tasya roopam) his form, that includes all the worlds (eti) and

manifests it everywhere. (agre) In the beginning was (tat purus.asya)

that purus.a's (vis'vam) all, his vis'va roopa, (a_janam) formed.

 

The ability to work with stones to create ring-stones and polished

pillars of stone evidenced at Dholavira and Mohenjodaro and

s'ivalinga

of stone found at Harappa (with terracotta models in Kalibangan),

point to the use of metal tools to hew into stone. This vis'vakarma

(artisan guild) metallurgical tradition which started circa 4th

millennium BCE, during the mature phases of Sarasvati

Civilization,

continues in Bharat. The cire perdue (lost wax) technique for casting

pancaloha (kol; rebus: kol 'tiger') images continues in Swamimalai,

where there is a temple for Subrahman.ya celeberated as one of the

six

ar-upat.ai vi_t.u (six army camps of the commander-in-chief). Lord

Subrahman.ya in this temple is called Eraka Subrahman.ya in this

temple. Eraka! Moltencast Copper. Bronze statues (made using cire

perdue technique). Mohenjodaro. The molten-cast copper images are

shown wearing bangles from wrist to shoulder similar to the shell

bangles worn today by a Kutchi woman in the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat.

 

Source: Kalyanaraman, S., 2003, Sarasvati: encyclopaedic set of 7

books, Bangalore, Babasaheb Apte Smarak Samiti

http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/exchange-

glance/Y01Y2082414Y0848505/002-5207429-3881666

http://www.sulekha.com/expressions/articlecomments.asp?cid=307017

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