Then check this out
https://youtu.be/oYK6JU7Nx38?si=JWPNQEosKlVMWvK-
Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
Yes my post was about the first picture Kantara.
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
Sabarimala Gold 'Scam' Rocks Kerala: BJP Chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar EXCLUSIVE | Plain Speak
A sacred shrine like Sabarimala would end up with 4.5kgs of gold missing is shocking to start with and is unforgivable to say the least. But I think there is an overall systematic culture of corruption that has crept into the Kerala government.
Neither has the Devaswom Board chief resigned, nor did the Devaswom minister. Pinarayi Vijayan is a weak CM, he can't even make these ministers in his government resign.
This is not an issue of control of the government but about the accountability that a government takes. Under the constitution, the state government has the control of the Devaswom Boards, with that comes accountability.
A sacred shrine like Sabarimala would end up with 4.5kgs of gold missing is shocking to start with and is unforgivable to say the least. But I think there is an overall systematic culture of corruption that has crept into the Kerala government.
Neither has the Devaswom Board chief resigned, nor did the Devaswom minister. Pinarayi Vijayan is a weak CM, he can't even make these ministers in his government resign.
This is not an issue of control of the government but about the accountability that a government takes. Under the constitution, the state government has the control of the Devaswom Boards, with that comes accountability.
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
One pillar of the Indian state, the Media, commenting on the other pillar, the Judiciary
A snippet of an Ajeet Bharti interview
A snippet of an Ajeet Bharti interview
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
Happy Deepawali to all
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
Deepavali shubhaakankshalu to all the BRF members and their near and dear.
Crackers phodo our BIF ke bhoot bhagao !
Crackers phodo our BIF ke bhoot bhagao !
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa once remarked, if tears appear when you tell the name of God then no further work is required for Moksha. Your own nature will carry out the work of Sadhana (penance).
Though the above state is too high for the common man there are still some rare temporary occurrences of this state. One example is Feroz Khan who played Arjun in B R Chopra's Mahabharat serial. After his work in Mahabharat, Feroz changed his name to Arjun as he felt deeply affected by his role as Arjun. As per him his mother also calls him Arjun in their home. There is a YouTube video of him crying after the shooting of the last scene in Mahabharat. The soul stirring music in Mahabharat, the realistic and very dignified performance by actors all created a glimpse of the spiritual aura of ancient India. For a newcomer with a developed mind this sudden meeting with Hinduism with its teachings of universal love, its long glorious history etc will be overwhelming. It is like one suddenly entered the land of Devas and then realising one day that the stay is over and have to return to the gross world.
YouTube video of 3.39 minutes duration given below.
Though the above state is too high for the common man there are still some rare temporary occurrences of this state. One example is Feroz Khan who played Arjun in B R Chopra's Mahabharat serial. After his work in Mahabharat, Feroz changed his name to Arjun as he felt deeply affected by his role as Arjun. As per him his mother also calls him Arjun in their home. There is a YouTube video of him crying after the shooting of the last scene in Mahabharat. The soul stirring music in Mahabharat, the realistic and very dignified performance by actors all created a glimpse of the spiritual aura of ancient India. For a newcomer with a developed mind this sudden meeting with Hinduism with its teachings of universal love, its long glorious history etc will be overwhelming. It is like one suddenly entered the land of Devas and then realising one day that the stay is over and have to return to the gross world.
YouTube video of 3.39 minutes duration given below.
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
Pankaj Dhir, who played Karan in the epic, sadly passed away last week. May he attain moksha
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
Resplendent Ayodhya
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
Diwali Dazzle Worldwide
DD India
A very nice special from DD News on Deepavali celebrations across the world
NZ, Australia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Germany, The Netherlands, Paris, Madrid, and Toronto.
DD India
A very nice special from DD News on Deepavali celebrations across the world
NZ, Australia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Germany, The Netherlands, Paris, Madrid, and Toronto.
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
Diwali in Trafalgar Square London 2025 || ट्राफलगर स्क्वायर में दिवाली || Dancing in the Sq || DIL
I feel that PIOs of the UK are very confident. They are way more confident than the PIOs of the US. They have more experience with the British than we in the US have with the Americans. Moreover, UK PIOs are there by right of being oppressed for two centuries in India itself. Here we are as much usurpers as the Europeans who came here before us and exterminated the native Americans.
Oct 13, 2025 #london #diwali2025 #trafalgar
Trafalgar Square celebrated the Mayor of London’s annual Diwali on the Square on 12th October 2025, right in the heart of London.
Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is an important celebration for Hindu, Sikh, and Jain communities. It symbolises the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. Diwali on the Square brought people from all over the UK and abroad together for a joyful day of light, hope, and unity.
The day was packed with exciting activities that included
• a colourful opening dance sequence with 200 dazzling dancers
• a main stage showcasing music, dance, and performances from London’s Hindu, Sikh, and Jain communities
• family-friendly activities like sari and turban tying, yoga, meditation, puppet shows, and dance workshops
• comedy, cookery theatres, and henna
• a bustling market and food stalls offering tasty vegan and vegetarian treats.
It was a fantastic day out for everyone to enjoy – Wishing you a Happy Diwali 2025
I feel that PIOs of the UK are very confident. They are way more confident than the PIOs of the US. They have more experience with the British than we in the US have with the Americans. Moreover, UK PIOs are there by right of being oppressed for two centuries in India itself. Here we are as much usurpers as the Europeans who came here before us and exterminated the native Americans.
-
S_Madhukar
- BRFite
- Posts: 969
- Joined: 27 Mar 2019 18:15
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
Indeed! I recall in an interview it was his idea to not blink when delivering his lines when playing Karna. Also he got this role because he refused to shave his moustache when he was being offered Arjun/Brihannala!
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
Fireworks Fourth of July IshStyle..
https://x.com/marinebharat/status/1979914812852486546
// watch the video by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on occasion of Diwali
https://x.com/marinebharat/status/1979914812852486546
// watch the video by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on occasion of Diwali
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
Diwali and Holi are the biggest festivals in India but look totally disconnected from the Hindu roots. So disconnected that even seculars who don't want anything to do with Hinduism had the comfort to wish on these holidays.
What surprises me is that even the right wings in social media seems not bothered about it.
What surprises me is that even the right wings in social media seems not bothered about it.
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
https://x.com/MumukshuSavitri/status/19 ... 8035668407
@MumukshuSavitri
Sabeer, don’t venture into subjects that you know nothing about - you sound like a pompous fool.
Your claim that fireworks “arrived” in India with the Mughals is completely blown to pieces by evidence - fireworks were already blazing across the skies of India centuries before the Mughals. In 1442 CE, the Persian ambassador Abdur Razzak, was sent by Timurid ruler Shah Rukh, to visit the Vijayanagara Empire and recorded his travels in Matla-us-Sadain wa Majma-ul-Bahrain. He described the Mahanavami festival at Vijayanagara as a spectacle of pyrotechnic fireworks and regal illuminations. This is an irrefutable evidence that proves there were organized firework displays during festivals in India a century before the Mughals came to India.
Several decades later, Portuguese chronicler Domingo Paes (c. 1520 CE) witnessed the same grandeur at Hampi, writing of “many fiery rockets and different sorts of fires… castles that burn and fling out bombs and rockets.” That was 6 years before Babur. These firsthand accounts offer irrefutable proof that India’s mastery of fireworks and rocketry was already flourishing long before any Mughal atishbazi.
The Sanskrit scientific texts reinforce this with older evidence. The Śukranīti (written earlier than 4th c.) gives the exact proportions for gunpowder - 5 parts saltpetre, 1 part sulphur, 1 part charcoal. The ancient Rishi Vaiśampāyana referred to exploding smoke-balls used in war, which later commentators identify as gunpowder devices, while the Rājalakṣmīnārāyaṇa Śraya of the Atharvaṇa Rahasya uses the explosive blending of sulphur and charcoal as a metaphor for illumination through knowledge.
Linguistically, Sanskrit agnicūrṇa (“fire-powder”) and Tamil marundhu / Kannada maddu / Telugu mandu/ Malayalam marunnu are all ancient terms which show how the science of combustion with gunpowder was well known to Indians millennia ago. Plus with ancient expertise in saltpetre extraction, India clearly possessed both the materials and the know-how of explosive chemistry well before such knowledge reached the Islamic or Chinese worlds.
Dr. Gustav Oppert, in his study of the Nītisāra (3rd c.) noted that the Indian formula for gunpowder closely matches the one found in the Chinese Wujing Zongyao (1044 CE) which gives the first Chinese specific chemical formulas for gunpowder. This suggests that India’s formulation predates the Chinese recipe. Meanwhile, Chinese Taoist alchemists stumbled upon gunpowder accidentally while experimenting for the elixir of immortality - yet much of Taoist alchemy itself had absorbed Ayurvedic and Rasāyana Śāstra influences. The usage of mercury and cinnabar in Chinese alchemy (waidan) elixir recipes was directly derived from Indian metallurgical and rasāyana methods transmitted by Buddhist monks centuries earlier.
European historians like Johann Beckmann and M. Langlès have even acknowledged that the Arabs most likely obtained gunpowder from India, not vice versa.
The bottom line is that Hindus had both fireworks and gunpowder centuries before the Mughals even existed.
We had mastered the art of turning light, knowledge, and chemistry into joy through fireworks at our important Hindu festivals like Mahanavami and Deepavali. This was perfectly in sync with the tradition of Ulka Dāna as specified in the ancient Skanda Purāṇa. Ulka-dāna meant offering or holding blazing firebrands and fireworks to light the way for our Pitris (ancestors) to return to the heavenly realm during the time of Pitṛpakṣa, Mahalaya, and Dīpāvalī.
Next time you watch a Diwali firework pierce the night sky, remember - that blaze is way older than the Mughals, their empire or Islam, and far brighter than the darkness of your ignorance.
So cut the nauseating fake historical Gyaan already - this ain't Hotmail - outdated, overhyped, and permanently out of service.
@MumukshuSavitri
Sabeer, don’t venture into subjects that you know nothing about - you sound like a pompous fool.
Your claim that fireworks “arrived” in India with the Mughals is completely blown to pieces by evidence - fireworks were already blazing across the skies of India centuries before the Mughals. In 1442 CE, the Persian ambassador Abdur Razzak, was sent by Timurid ruler Shah Rukh, to visit the Vijayanagara Empire and recorded his travels in Matla-us-Sadain wa Majma-ul-Bahrain. He described the Mahanavami festival at Vijayanagara as a spectacle of pyrotechnic fireworks and regal illuminations. This is an irrefutable evidence that proves there were organized firework displays during festivals in India a century before the Mughals came to India.
Several decades later, Portuguese chronicler Domingo Paes (c. 1520 CE) witnessed the same grandeur at Hampi, writing of “many fiery rockets and different sorts of fires… castles that burn and fling out bombs and rockets.” That was 6 years before Babur. These firsthand accounts offer irrefutable proof that India’s mastery of fireworks and rocketry was already flourishing long before any Mughal atishbazi.
The Sanskrit scientific texts reinforce this with older evidence. The Śukranīti (written earlier than 4th c.) gives the exact proportions for gunpowder - 5 parts saltpetre, 1 part sulphur, 1 part charcoal. The ancient Rishi Vaiśampāyana referred to exploding smoke-balls used in war, which later commentators identify as gunpowder devices, while the Rājalakṣmīnārāyaṇa Śraya of the Atharvaṇa Rahasya uses the explosive blending of sulphur and charcoal as a metaphor for illumination through knowledge.
Linguistically, Sanskrit agnicūrṇa (“fire-powder”) and Tamil marundhu / Kannada maddu / Telugu mandu/ Malayalam marunnu are all ancient terms which show how the science of combustion with gunpowder was well known to Indians millennia ago. Plus with ancient expertise in saltpetre extraction, India clearly possessed both the materials and the know-how of explosive chemistry well before such knowledge reached the Islamic or Chinese worlds.
Dr. Gustav Oppert, in his study of the Nītisāra (3rd c.) noted that the Indian formula for gunpowder closely matches the one found in the Chinese Wujing Zongyao (1044 CE) which gives the first Chinese specific chemical formulas for gunpowder. This suggests that India’s formulation predates the Chinese recipe. Meanwhile, Chinese Taoist alchemists stumbled upon gunpowder accidentally while experimenting for the elixir of immortality - yet much of Taoist alchemy itself had absorbed Ayurvedic and Rasāyana Śāstra influences. The usage of mercury and cinnabar in Chinese alchemy (waidan) elixir recipes was directly derived from Indian metallurgical and rasāyana methods transmitted by Buddhist monks centuries earlier.
European historians like Johann Beckmann and M. Langlès have even acknowledged that the Arabs most likely obtained gunpowder from India, not vice versa.
The bottom line is that Hindus had both fireworks and gunpowder centuries before the Mughals even existed.
We had mastered the art of turning light, knowledge, and chemistry into joy through fireworks at our important Hindu festivals like Mahanavami and Deepavali. This was perfectly in sync with the tradition of Ulka Dāna as specified in the ancient Skanda Purāṇa. Ulka-dāna meant offering or holding blazing firebrands and fireworks to light the way for our Pitris (ancestors) to return to the heavenly realm during the time of Pitṛpakṣa, Mahalaya, and Dīpāvalī.
Next time you watch a Diwali firework pierce the night sky, remember - that blaze is way older than the Mughals, their empire or Islam, and far brighter than the darkness of your ignorance.
So cut the nauseating fake historical Gyaan already - this ain't Hotmail - outdated, overhyped, and permanently out of service.
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
President Droupadi Murmu offers prayers at Kerala’s Sabarimala Temple
Kerala: President Droupadi Murmu offered prayers at the famous Sabarimala Temple during her visit to the state. The President’s temple visit marks a moment of spiritual significance and respect for Kerala’s revered pilgrimage site dedicated to Lord Ayyappa. Devotees and officials welcomed her with traditional rituals and warm hospitality.
Kerala: President Droupadi Murmu offered prayers at the famous Sabarimala Temple during her visit to the state. The President’s temple visit marks a moment of spiritual significance and respect for Kerala’s revered pilgrimage site dedicated to Lord Ayyappa. Devotees and officials welcomed her with traditional rituals and warm hospitality.
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
https://x.com/ShefVaidya/status/1981233458321195089
@ShefVaidya
Think my home state of Goa is just about beaches and beer? Think again. Beyond the beach lies a Goa that carved its story on stone long before there was even a word for history.
Down by the serene banks of the Kushavati River, near Rivona in South Goa, lies Ponsaimol. On an ancient laterite riverbed, archaeologists found Goa’s oldest storytellers, geoglyphs, etched into rock perhaps 20,000 years ago, maybe even older.
Most prehistoric carvings in India cling to cave walls or boulders, hidden from the sun. But here in Goa, our ancestors chose open skies and flowing water as their canvas.
See carefully and you will notice humped bulls, graceful deer, labyrinths, giant footprints, and mystical human figures etched on the stone. The Ponsaimol geoglyphs whisper of a time when humans lived by the river, hunting, fishing, and foraging, watching the stars wheel above them.
These engravings link Goa to the larger Konkan geoglyph tradition, creating a silent map of memory that tells us people have lived, dreamed, and created here for tens of thousands of years.
So, the next time you head to Goa, skip the shack and sunscreen for a morning exploring the geoglyphs of Drive Ponsaimol. Stand on the river bed, and look beneath your feet. You’re standing on the earliest pages of Goa’s story.
Follow me for more such stories about Goa, that very few people outside Goa know.
@ShefVaidya
Think my home state of Goa is just about beaches and beer? Think again. Beyond the beach lies a Goa that carved its story on stone long before there was even a word for history.
Down by the serene banks of the Kushavati River, near Rivona in South Goa, lies Ponsaimol. On an ancient laterite riverbed, archaeologists found Goa’s oldest storytellers, geoglyphs, etched into rock perhaps 20,000 years ago, maybe even older.
Most prehistoric carvings in India cling to cave walls or boulders, hidden from the sun. But here in Goa, our ancestors chose open skies and flowing water as their canvas.
See carefully and you will notice humped bulls, graceful deer, labyrinths, giant footprints, and mystical human figures etched on the stone. The Ponsaimol geoglyphs whisper of a time when humans lived by the river, hunting, fishing, and foraging, watching the stars wheel above them.
These engravings link Goa to the larger Konkan geoglyph tradition, creating a silent map of memory that tells us people have lived, dreamed, and created here for tens of thousands of years.
So, the next time you head to Goa, skip the shack and sunscreen for a morning exploring the geoglyphs of Drive Ponsaimol. Stand on the river bed, and look beneath your feet. You’re standing on the earliest pages of Goa’s story.
Follow me for more such stories about Goa, that very few people outside Goa know.
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
(Sorry for reposting the image, but read on.)
This image is exactly what we used to draw as children of the famous padmavyooham AKA chakravyooham described in mahaabhaaratam in which abhimayu is murdered.
Last edited by Vayutuvan on 25 Oct 2025 02:10, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
^^^ @uddu et-al - Thank you all so much for sharing these fascinating images! The visuals were deeply appreciated and it provided a wonderful glimpse into genius of the ancient texts. It's amazing to see how such complex formations like the Chakravyuha and Padmavyuha were visualized .
FWIW For future reference, and just for clarity some additional comments:
- The archaeological facts about the carving itself are same as Archaeological Survey of India, (& Wikipedia citing multiple sources).
- The location ( Ponsaimol/Usgalimal, on the banks of the Kushavati River etc) are correct. It is a petroglyph of a unicursal labyrinth. It is officially the oldest known labyrinth.
- Dating estimates are generally in the Mesolithic to Neolithic period (e.g., 8,000 BCE to 1,500 BCE), with some pinning the labyrinth specifically at around 4,500 years old) Nit-Pick: The exact date is impossible to confirm using carbon dating as there are no carbonaceous artifacts on the exposed rock. The dating is an estimate based on comparative archaeology and IMO not 'Pre-historic').
-Chakravyuha/Padmavyuha Connection - No doubt about visual Similarity! The formation and the subsequent battle are detailed in the Drona Parva of the Mahabharata. The vyuha is described as a multi-tiered defensive formation resembling a blooming lotus (Padma) or disc (Chakra), with seven concentric rings that rotate to trap the enemy.
FWIW For future reference, and just for clarity some additional comments:
- The archaeological facts about the carving itself are same as Archaeological Survey of India, (& Wikipedia citing multiple sources).
- The location ( Ponsaimol/Usgalimal, on the banks of the Kushavati River etc) are correct. It is a petroglyph of a unicursal labyrinth. It is officially the oldest known labyrinth.
- Dating estimates are generally in the Mesolithic to Neolithic period (e.g., 8,000 BCE to 1,500 BCE), with some pinning the labyrinth specifically at around 4,500 years old) Nit-Pick: The exact date is impossible to confirm using carbon dating as there are no carbonaceous artifacts on the exposed rock. The dating is an estimate based on comparative archaeology and IMO not 'Pre-historic').
-Chakravyuha/Padmavyuha Connection - No doubt about visual Similarity! The formation and the subsequent battle are detailed in the Drona Parva of the Mahabharata. The vyuha is described as a multi-tiered defensive formation resembling a blooming lotus (Padma) or disc (Chakra), with seven concentric rings that rotate to trap the enemy.
(Rough Translation/sense - Chakravyuha, its characteristic (impenetrability), and its grim purpose (certain death for the one who tries to enter. And geometric shape is described....where Dronacharya creates the formation and where the tragic story of Abhimanyu unfolds.अहं हि सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि व्यूहं दुर्भेद्यं सुरैरपि।
चक्रव्यूह इति ख्यातो येन मृत्युर्विनिश्चितः॥
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
I had posted a short description of Graham Hancock's book, Fingerprints of the Gods. The main theme of the book is the destruction of the ancient advanced civilizations about 12,000 years ago and the description of that catastrophic event in the many ancient writings and societies all over the world. Link to my post given below.
viewtopic.php?p=2639148#p2639148
In his website Graham presents Bibhu Dev Misra's article on the same subject.
https://x.com/Graham__Hancock/status/17 ... DQYbQ&s=19
https://grahamhancock.com/dmisrab16/
Some excerpts given below without quote function. My comments in braces.
Indra Killed Vritra in 9703 BCE: The Rigvedic description of the Comet Impact that ended the last Ice Age
Around 12,900 years ago (10,900 BCE), temperatures suddenly plummeted to glacial-like conditions for a period of nearly 1200 years. It was as if some giant freezer switch had been flipped. The glaciers began to advance to their Ice Age positions. This period of sudden cooling is called the Younger Dryas (YD) period..
In 2007, a team of international scientists led by Richard B. Firestone found compelling evidence that that the earth was bombarded by multiple fragments of a giant disintegrating comet nearly 12,900 years ago, (c.10,900 BCE) which destabilized the Laurentide Ice Sheet and triggered the Younger Dryas cooling. The shock waves and biomass burning generated by this catastrophic impact even led to the extinction of 35 genera of North American Pleistocene megafauna, and ended the prehistoric Clovis culture.
The Younger Dryas period, which extended for roughly 1200 years from c.10, 900 to 9,700 BCE, ended as abruptly as it had started, for reasons not clearly understood. Geologists from the Niels Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen, studied the Greenland ice-core data in 2008 and concluded that the Ice Age ended exactly in 9703 BCE. Ice Core researcher Jorgen Peder Steffensen wrote that, “Then, finally 11,703 years before 2000 AD, the climate flipped back into a warmer mode where it has remained ever since.
In spite of the fact that the end of the last Ice Age has been narrowed down to a specific year i.e. 9703 BCE, scientists don’t know what caused this sudden reversal in temperatures. However, the legends and sacred texts left behind by our ancestors provide some tantalizing clues.
The Rigvedic legend of Indra killing the dragon Vritra, which has been repeated in many hymns of the Rig Veda, appears to be describing a blistering volley of impacts from a comet swarm as being the causative agent for the end of the Ice Age. The echoes of the same story can be found in the Mesopotamian legend of Marduk slaying the water dragon Tiamat, the Cherokee folktale of the God of Thunder killing the monstrous water serpent Uktena, and the Greek legend of Zeus killing the serpent-headed monster called Typhon.
...
The foremost achievement of Indra, for which he had been extolled in many hymns, was the smiting of the dragon Vritra (“the enveloper”), and releasing the waters of the Seven Rivers that had been “imprisoned” by Vritra.
..
It is obvious that the hymns describe an event of monumental importance that occurred in the Himalayas in the distant past, for there are unambiguous references to the “Seven Rivers”, which are the seven tributaries of the Indus River that are collectively called Sapta-Sindhu. For instance,
“He, men, is Indra, Who slew the Dragon, freed the Seven Rivers, and drove the kine forth from the cave of Vala” (RV 2.12.2-3).
..
One of the earliest observations along these lines came from geologist B. P. Radhakrishna, who wrote in the book Vedic Sarasvati: Evolutionary History of a Lost River of Northwestern India (1999) that,
..As and when the climate became warmer, the glaciers began to break up and the frozen water held by them surged forth in great floods, inundating the alluvial plains in front of the mountains. This was a great event and no wonder, the early inhabitants of the plains burst into song praising Lord Indra for breaking up the glaciers and releasing water which flowed out in seven mighty channels (Sapta Sindhu). The analogy of a slowly moving serpent (Ahi) for describing the Himalayan glacier is most appropriate.
..
The name Marduk was pronounced as Marutuk,7 which sounds uncannily similar to Marutvat, an epithet of Indra, which means “the leader of the Maruts” (the Maruts are a group of sky-gods who accompany Indra).
..
Marduk’s thunderbolt and the “vajra” in the hands of Indra look exactly similar; both resemble double tridents.
..
The Rigvedic hymns inform us that Indra had hurled “the bolt with thousand spikes and hundred edges” to shatter the body of Vritra and release the imprisoned waters. This seems to imply that a shower of large, sharp projectiles – most likely stony meteors or cometary debris – had impacted the Himalayan ice-caps and triggered the collapse of the ice dams, and the subsequent meltdown.
..
Even though the Rigvedic hymns generally describe Indra as a powerful god riding a chariot pulled by a pair of horses, one of the hymns praising his feat of slaying Vritra describes him as a “horse’s tail”:
“A horse’s tail wast thou when he (Vritra), O Indra, smote on thy bolt; thou, God without a second” (RV 1.32.12).
This conjures up the imagery of a comet since the curvy, white dust tail of a comet bears a resemblance to the tail or mane of a horse. The Roman philosopher Pliny mentioned a class of comets called “hippeus” or “horse comets”12, having plumes much like horses’ manes in rapid motion.
..
{My comments: See the picture of the comet below and description below the picture given in the article.}
Figure 5: Comet McNaught, the Great Comet of 2007, over the Pacific Ocean as viewed from the ESO Paranal Observatory. The white dust tail of a comet can be imagined as the tail or mane of a horse in motion. Credit: ESO/Sebastian Deiries, (CC BY 4.0)
..
The Maruts as a Comet Swarm
The idea of Indra being a “horse comet” is aligned with the hypothesis of Prof. R.N. Iyengar of the Indian Institute of Science, who had argued with substantial evidence in the paper titled, “Comets and Meteoritic Showers in the Rig Veda and their Significance”14 that the group of Rigvedic deities called Maruts, who were the followers of Indra (Indra is called Marutvat i.e. “Chief of the Maruts”), were actually “meteoritic storms”.
..
There are 33 hymns dedicated to the Maruts in the Rig Veda. They are described as a group made up of 27 to 60 fierce sons of Rudra (Shiva). Most of the hymns describe them as brilliant celestial objects who move in swarms and appear like shining stars. Their roaring sound induces fear in the minds of men, and they hurl stones that disturb the oceans, shatter mountains and human dwellings, and kill animals. Once, they created an impact crater filled with water. They also eat up the forests with their bright red flames.
Prof. Iyengar believes that such hymns can only refer to a “swarm of meteors” that periodically enter into the earth’s atmosphere and cause widespread havoc. Let us review some of these descriptions from the Rig Veda, as documented by Prof. Iyengar:
..
They move the mountains and disturb the oceans (RV I.19.5, 6, 7).
..
All creatures on earth, along with their dwellings, shake in fear that they might get hit by the weapons of Maruts. The tearing weapons of Maruts hit animals like well-aimed darts. Maruts are visible at a distance, shining like stars (RV I.166). They come in thousands like waves on water (RV I.168.4). They came down to earth together, effortless, with burning looks and shook the mountains (RV I.168.5). Far be from us, your impetuous shaft. Far from us be the stone you hurl (RV I.172.2).
..
I would like to take the argument forward and propose that the Maruts were likely to have been a “swarm of comets”. This is because the Maruts were said to be a “fixed number of deities”, numbering between 27 and 60. If the Maruts were meteoroids (which are typically small grains of dust or fist-sized pebbles) they would have burnt up and dissipated on atmospheric entry or upon striking the earth’s surface. But a swarm of comets can come close to the earth, strike the surface with stony debris, and move away, thereby retaining the number of members in the swarm.
..
We now reach a rather incredible conclusion: Indra had killed Vritra in exactly 9703 BCE! It is quite amazing to realize that, it is, in fact, possible to assign a specific date to this famous Rigvedic legend, which has its counterparts in the traditions of many other cultures.
..
The Taurid Resonant Swarm
Prof. R.N. Iyengar, whose insightful paper on comet showers in the Rig Veda I had referred to earlier, had associated the Maruts with the Taurid meteor stream. He provided specific evidence from the Vedic texts to support his argument. He wrote that the Vedic text called Taittiriya Brahmana (which is a branch of the Krishna Yajurveda) “associates a season with Maruts, namely the hemanta rtu (i.e. autumn) the dewy season, which is the two-month period ending with the winter solstice”. As we know, this is the time of the year when the Earth passes through the Northern Taurid meteor stream.
..
He further pointed out that another Vedic-era text called the Taittiriya Aranyaka (which is also a branch of the Krishna Yajurveda) mentions two different groups of related sky deities – rudra-gana and marut-gana. Prof. Iyengar wrote,
..
As Prof. Iyengar pointed out, in the Vedic astronomical texts, the sky deities called Rudra-Gana, who appeared in the summer season, were described as “white-robed”. That’s because the Beta Taurids, which is active from June 5 – July 18, is a daytime shower, and the meteors, if at all they are visible, appear as white streaks of light. On the other hand, the Vedic texts describe the marut-gana, who appear in autumn, as being “red with anger”. This is because the Northern Taurid meteors, which blaze through the skies between October 20 to December 10, have a yellow, orange or reddish hue.
..
The research carried out by Clube, Napier, Asher, and their colleagues indicate that the giant progenitor comet of the Taurids still remains hidden in the center of the Taurid stream, moving within a tightly packed swarm consisting of several minor comets formed by the fragmentation of the progenitor (all of which are probably in a dormant state), and dozens of full-size asteroids up to 1 km wide. This dense cluster of comets and asteroids within the Taurid meteor stream is called the “Taurid Resonant Swarm”.
..
viewtopic.php?p=2639148#p2639148
In his website Graham presents Bibhu Dev Misra's article on the same subject.
https://x.com/Graham__Hancock/status/17 ... DQYbQ&s=19
Link below.Bibhu Dev Misra's latest article on my website (linked below) explores comet impact mythology within Rigvedic legends, examining the similarities with this type of mythology found all over the ancient world.
https://grahamhancock.com/dmisrab16/
Some excerpts given below without quote function. My comments in braces.
Indra Killed Vritra in 9703 BCE: The Rigvedic description of the Comet Impact that ended the last Ice Age
Around 12,900 years ago (10,900 BCE), temperatures suddenly plummeted to glacial-like conditions for a period of nearly 1200 years. It was as if some giant freezer switch had been flipped. The glaciers began to advance to their Ice Age positions. This period of sudden cooling is called the Younger Dryas (YD) period..
In 2007, a team of international scientists led by Richard B. Firestone found compelling evidence that that the earth was bombarded by multiple fragments of a giant disintegrating comet nearly 12,900 years ago, (c.10,900 BCE) which destabilized the Laurentide Ice Sheet and triggered the Younger Dryas cooling. The shock waves and biomass burning generated by this catastrophic impact even led to the extinction of 35 genera of North American Pleistocene megafauna, and ended the prehistoric Clovis culture.
The Younger Dryas period, which extended for roughly 1200 years from c.10, 900 to 9,700 BCE, ended as abruptly as it had started, for reasons not clearly understood. Geologists from the Niels Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen, studied the Greenland ice-core data in 2008 and concluded that the Ice Age ended exactly in 9703 BCE. Ice Core researcher Jorgen Peder Steffensen wrote that, “Then, finally 11,703 years before 2000 AD, the climate flipped back into a warmer mode where it has remained ever since.
In spite of the fact that the end of the last Ice Age has been narrowed down to a specific year i.e. 9703 BCE, scientists don’t know what caused this sudden reversal in temperatures. However, the legends and sacred texts left behind by our ancestors provide some tantalizing clues.
The Rigvedic legend of Indra killing the dragon Vritra, which has been repeated in many hymns of the Rig Veda, appears to be describing a blistering volley of impacts from a comet swarm as being the causative agent for the end of the Ice Age. The echoes of the same story can be found in the Mesopotamian legend of Marduk slaying the water dragon Tiamat, the Cherokee folktale of the God of Thunder killing the monstrous water serpent Uktena, and the Greek legend of Zeus killing the serpent-headed monster called Typhon.
...
The foremost achievement of Indra, for which he had been extolled in many hymns, was the smiting of the dragon Vritra (“the enveloper”), and releasing the waters of the Seven Rivers that had been “imprisoned” by Vritra.
..
It is obvious that the hymns describe an event of monumental importance that occurred in the Himalayas in the distant past, for there are unambiguous references to the “Seven Rivers”, which are the seven tributaries of the Indus River that are collectively called Sapta-Sindhu. For instance,
“He, men, is Indra, Who slew the Dragon, freed the Seven Rivers, and drove the kine forth from the cave of Vala” (RV 2.12.2-3).
..
One of the earliest observations along these lines came from geologist B. P. Radhakrishna, who wrote in the book Vedic Sarasvati: Evolutionary History of a Lost River of Northwestern India (1999) that,
..As and when the climate became warmer, the glaciers began to break up and the frozen water held by them surged forth in great floods, inundating the alluvial plains in front of the mountains. This was a great event and no wonder, the early inhabitants of the plains burst into song praising Lord Indra for breaking up the glaciers and releasing water which flowed out in seven mighty channels (Sapta Sindhu). The analogy of a slowly moving serpent (Ahi) for describing the Himalayan glacier is most appropriate.
..
The name Marduk was pronounced as Marutuk,7 which sounds uncannily similar to Marutvat, an epithet of Indra, which means “the leader of the Maruts” (the Maruts are a group of sky-gods who accompany Indra).
..
Marduk’s thunderbolt and the “vajra” in the hands of Indra look exactly similar; both resemble double tridents.
..
The Rigvedic hymns inform us that Indra had hurled “the bolt with thousand spikes and hundred edges” to shatter the body of Vritra and release the imprisoned waters. This seems to imply that a shower of large, sharp projectiles – most likely stony meteors or cometary debris – had impacted the Himalayan ice-caps and triggered the collapse of the ice dams, and the subsequent meltdown.
..
Even though the Rigvedic hymns generally describe Indra as a powerful god riding a chariot pulled by a pair of horses, one of the hymns praising his feat of slaying Vritra describes him as a “horse’s tail”:
“A horse’s tail wast thou when he (Vritra), O Indra, smote on thy bolt; thou, God without a second” (RV 1.32.12).
This conjures up the imagery of a comet since the curvy, white dust tail of a comet bears a resemblance to the tail or mane of a horse. The Roman philosopher Pliny mentioned a class of comets called “hippeus” or “horse comets”12, having plumes much like horses’ manes in rapid motion.
..
{My comments: See the picture of the comet below and description below the picture given in the article.}
Figure 5: Comet McNaught, the Great Comet of 2007, over the Pacific Ocean as viewed from the ESO Paranal Observatory. The white dust tail of a comet can be imagined as the tail or mane of a horse in motion. Credit: ESO/Sebastian Deiries, (CC BY 4.0)
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The Maruts as a Comet Swarm
The idea of Indra being a “horse comet” is aligned with the hypothesis of Prof. R.N. Iyengar of the Indian Institute of Science, who had argued with substantial evidence in the paper titled, “Comets and Meteoritic Showers in the Rig Veda and their Significance”14 that the group of Rigvedic deities called Maruts, who were the followers of Indra (Indra is called Marutvat i.e. “Chief of the Maruts”), were actually “meteoritic storms”.
..
There are 33 hymns dedicated to the Maruts in the Rig Veda. They are described as a group made up of 27 to 60 fierce sons of Rudra (Shiva). Most of the hymns describe them as brilliant celestial objects who move in swarms and appear like shining stars. Their roaring sound induces fear in the minds of men, and they hurl stones that disturb the oceans, shatter mountains and human dwellings, and kill animals. Once, they created an impact crater filled with water. They also eat up the forests with their bright red flames.
Prof. Iyengar believes that such hymns can only refer to a “swarm of meteors” that periodically enter into the earth’s atmosphere and cause widespread havoc. Let us review some of these descriptions from the Rig Veda, as documented by Prof. Iyengar:
..
They move the mountains and disturb the oceans (RV I.19.5, 6, 7).
..
All creatures on earth, along with their dwellings, shake in fear that they might get hit by the weapons of Maruts. The tearing weapons of Maruts hit animals like well-aimed darts. Maruts are visible at a distance, shining like stars (RV I.166). They come in thousands like waves on water (RV I.168.4). They came down to earth together, effortless, with burning looks and shook the mountains (RV I.168.5). Far be from us, your impetuous shaft. Far from us be the stone you hurl (RV I.172.2).
..
I would like to take the argument forward and propose that the Maruts were likely to have been a “swarm of comets”. This is because the Maruts were said to be a “fixed number of deities”, numbering between 27 and 60. If the Maruts were meteoroids (which are typically small grains of dust or fist-sized pebbles) they would have burnt up and dissipated on atmospheric entry or upon striking the earth’s surface. But a swarm of comets can come close to the earth, strike the surface with stony debris, and move away, thereby retaining the number of members in the swarm.
..
We now reach a rather incredible conclusion: Indra had killed Vritra in exactly 9703 BCE! It is quite amazing to realize that, it is, in fact, possible to assign a specific date to this famous Rigvedic legend, which has its counterparts in the traditions of many other cultures.
..
The Taurid Resonant Swarm
Prof. R.N. Iyengar, whose insightful paper on comet showers in the Rig Veda I had referred to earlier, had associated the Maruts with the Taurid meteor stream. He provided specific evidence from the Vedic texts to support his argument. He wrote that the Vedic text called Taittiriya Brahmana (which is a branch of the Krishna Yajurveda) “associates a season with Maruts, namely the hemanta rtu (i.e. autumn) the dewy season, which is the two-month period ending with the winter solstice”. As we know, this is the time of the year when the Earth passes through the Northern Taurid meteor stream.
..
He further pointed out that another Vedic-era text called the Taittiriya Aranyaka (which is also a branch of the Krishna Yajurveda) mentions two different groups of related sky deities – rudra-gana and marut-gana. Prof. Iyengar wrote,
..
As Prof. Iyengar pointed out, in the Vedic astronomical texts, the sky deities called Rudra-Gana, who appeared in the summer season, were described as “white-robed”. That’s because the Beta Taurids, which is active from June 5 – July 18, is a daytime shower, and the meteors, if at all they are visible, appear as white streaks of light. On the other hand, the Vedic texts describe the marut-gana, who appear in autumn, as being “red with anger”. This is because the Northern Taurid meteors, which blaze through the skies between October 20 to December 10, have a yellow, orange or reddish hue.
..
The research carried out by Clube, Napier, Asher, and their colleagues indicate that the giant progenitor comet of the Taurids still remains hidden in the center of the Taurid stream, moving within a tightly packed swarm consisting of several minor comets formed by the fragmentation of the progenitor (all of which are probably in a dormant state), and dozens of full-size asteroids up to 1 km wide. This dense cluster of comets and asteroids within the Taurid meteor stream is called the “Taurid Resonant Swarm”.
..
Last edited by Hriday on 25 Oct 2025 16:37, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
One significance of the above post by me about the Vedic description of comet strikes is that many are suggesting that the same comet and its fragments which ended ice age will have a high probability of hitting Earth in 2030. Graham Hancock's book Fingerprints of the Gods presents a collection of such reports including the comments by astronomers Victor Klube, Bill Napier.
The other is by Craig Stone in X.
I will post their findings in Miscellaneous thread later if I am in the mood.
For now few links given below for a quick reference.
https://x.com/Graham__Hancock/status/14 ... y3rfQ&s=19
https://x.com/nobulart/status/179980229 ... 42q8Q&s=19
https://nobulart.com/comets-and-dragons/
The other is by Craig Stone in X.
I will post their findings in Miscellaneous thread later if I am in the mood.
For now few links given below for a quick reference.
https://x.com/Graham__Hancock/status/14 ... y3rfQ&s=19
By Craig Stone,In Magicians of the Gods (2015) & America Before (2019) I wrote about the giant comet progenitor of the Taurid meteor stream, fragments from which sparked a global cataclysm 12,800 years ago.
Now "Taurid Smoking Gun" recognised:
sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
&
discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/s…
https://x.com/nobulart/status/179980229 ... 42q8Q&s=19
https://x.com/nobulart/status/179807372 ... J5sXQ&s=19In 2030 we will experience one of these gravitational lulls at precisely the time that Encke (and the Taurids) will be making one of its closest passes to Earth since the Tunguska event. Chart shows Encke-Earth distance (blue) and Sun-SSB distance (red, scaled).
Craig Stone had a detailed writing on this topic on website. Link below.This comet and its companions have been convincingly cast as the the actors in the Younger Dryas impact/airburst event.
researchsquare.com/article/rs-288…
https://nobulart.com/comets-and-dragons/
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
Thanks Hriday. I have some more on this topic...
Anecdotes from RigVeda
Rudra is Shiva. Solar deity (Surya) is Vishnu, Brahma is mentioned, Indra is a Vedic Deva (cosmic allegory) who killed the great serpent Vritra. Indra is also known as Vritrahan “slayer of Vritra”. Vritra’s mother, Danu (is the mother of the Danava race of Asuras), was then attacked and defeated by Indra with his thunderbolt Vajra. Danu is a cosmic allegory for river Devi Danube.
In the Rig Veda, Vritra kept the waters of the world captive until he was killed by Indra, who destroyed all the 99 fortresses of Vritra before liberating the imprisoned rivers. After Indra was born, and he had drunk a large volume of Soma at Tvashtri’s house to empower him, before facing Vritra. Tvashtri fashioned the thunderbolt (Vajrayudha) for Indra, and Vishnu, when asked to do so by Indra, made space for the battle by taking the three great strides for which Vishnu became famous. Tvaṣṭṛ is mentioned 65 times in the Ṛgveda and is the "former of the bodies of men and animals', and invoked when desiring offspring, called garbha-pati or the lord of the womb. Hymn 18 of Mandala IV provides the most elaborate account of the Vedic version.
The verses describe the events and circumstances leading up to the battle between Indra and Vritra, the battle itself, and the outcome of the battle. Tuisto relates to Vedic Tvasthar, the Vedic father-creator Sky Deva, who is also a name for the father of Manu (RV X.17.1-2). This makes the Rig Vedic people also descendants of Manu, the son of Tvashtar. In the Rig Veda, Tvashtar appears as the father of Indra, who fashions his thunderbolt (vajra) for him (RV X.48.3). Yet Indra is sometimes at odds with Tvashtar because is compelled to surpass him (RV III.48.3-4). Tvashtar’s son is Vishvarupa (Vritra), whom Indra kills, cutting off his three heads (RV X.8.8-9), (TS II.4.12, II.5.1).
Indra slays the serpent Vritra, who lurks at the foot of the mountain withholding the waters and prevents release of the seven rivers to flow into the sea. In several instances, Vritra is called Danava, the son of the Devi Danu who is connected to the sea (RV I.32.9; II.11.10; III.30.8; V.30.4; V.32). In the Brahmanas Vishvarupa/Vritra is the son of Danu and Danayu, the names of his mother and father (SB I.6.3.1, 8, 9). Vritra is Vishvarupa, the son of the Deva Tvashtar and the Devi Danu. Danava also means a serpent (RV V.32.1-2), which is not only a symbol of wisdom but of power and both Vedic and ancient European lore have their good and bad serpents.
In this story both Indra and Vritra are brothers – both sons of Tvashtar. Tvashtar fashions the thunderbolt for Indra to slay Vritra (RV I.88.5). Indra and Vritra represent the forces of expansion and contraction or the dualities inherent in each one of us. They are both inherent in Tvashtar and represent the two sides of the Creator or of creation as knowledge and ignorance. As Vritra is also the son of Tvashtar and Danu, Indra must ultimately be a son of Danu as well.
Both the Vedic Aryans and the Proto-European Aryans are sons of Tvashtar, who was sometimes not the supreme Deva but a demiurge that they must go beyond. The Danavas in the Puranas (VaP II.7) are the sons of the Rishi Kashyapa, who assumes the role of Tvashtar as the main father creator. Kashyapa is a great rishi connected to the Himalayas. He is the eighth or central Aditya (Sun Deva) that does not leave Mount Meru (Taittiriya Aranyaka I.7.20), the mountain used in Samudra Manthan. Kashyapa is associated with Kashmir (Kashyapa Mira / lake) and other Himalayan regions (the Vedic lands of Sharyanavat and Arjika, RV IX.113.1-2), which connects the Danavas to the northwest. The Caspian Sea and Kashmir is named after Kashyapa.
The Proto-Europeans, therefore, are the sons of Tvashtar/ Kashyapa and Danu, through their son Manu. They are both Manavas and Danavas, as also Aryans. In the Puranas (VaP II.7), as in the Vedas the term Danavas refer to a broad group of peoples, many inimical, but others friendly, as well as various mythical demons. Irish epics contains details of the struggle between the Children of Domnu, representing evil, and the Children of Danu, representing good. Like Brahma and Shiva they are opposite poles–not necessarily creator and destroyer.
The conflict is between the ‘waters of heaven’ and the ‘world’. The same thing could be said of the Vedic wars of opposites - the Devas and Danavas or the Purana wars of Devas vs Asuras. The Rig Veda contains many instances where Danu has a positive meaning indicating abundance or even standing for divine in general. Danucitra, meaning the richness of light, occurs a few times (RV I.174.7; V.59.8 ). Mitra and Varuna are said to be Sripra-danu or easy to give and their many gifts, danuni, are praised (RV VIII.25.5-6). The Ashvins are called lords of Danuna, Danunaspati (RV VIII.8.16). Soma is also called Danuda and Danupinva, giving Danu or overflowing with Danu (RV IX.97.23), connecting Danu with water or with rivers.
Danu, like Asura, was earlier a positive word and meant divine. There was not only a bad Danu but a good or Sudanu. In the Rig Veda the references to the Sudanavas are much more than those to Danava as an inimical term. Maya is the power of the Danavas (RV II.11.10). Maya Danava created the palace of illusions where Duryodhana fell in a pool of water, kick starting the Mahabharata war. The Danavas, particularly Ahi-Vritra, are portrayed as serpents (RV V.32.8 ), the serpent who dwells at the foot of the mountain holding back the heavenly waters, whom Indra must slay. Maya itself is the serpent power. The Maruts are the good serpents, shining bright like serpents (RV I.171.2 ). The Maruts help Indra in slaying Vritra and are his main friends.
Indra is called Marutvan, or possessed of the Maruts. Their leader is Vishnu (RV V.87), who is called Evaya-Marut. With Rudra (Shiva) and Shakti as parents, they reflect the Devas of Hinduism. As Shiva’s sons they are connected with Murugan and Ganesha. Sudanavas or good Danus are the Maruts, who in their travels guided and led many peoples including the Celts and other European followers of Danu. As the sons of Rudra, we note Cernunos among the Celts, who like Rudra is the lord of the animals and is portrayed in a yoga posture, as on the Gundestrop Cauldron. Maruts spreading Vedic culture, could have called their children, the children of Danu, in a positive sense. Sudanavas were the Maruts, Druids and other Rishi classes, while the peoples they ruled over, particularly the unruly Kshatriyas could become Danavas in the negative sense when they refused to accept spiritual guidance. Names of rivers like the Danubel, Don, Dneiper, Dneister, Donets of Europe are connected with Danu.
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
The Priests of Yagna
Today with the disappearance of Vedic ritual practice, purohit has become a generic term for “priest”. There are two basic types of yagya – srauta performed by pandits and grihya ceremony performed by the householder, along with his wife. Srauta ceremonies are more detailed, richer and more complicated, and their goals extend far beyond the well-being of a household. Srauta yagya includes the participation of four pandits. They are known as hotr, adhvaryu, udgatr and brahmin, each of which performs a strictly defined part of the ceremony: one prepares a place for the rite according to the instructions of the Vedic science about space – Vastu Shastra, the second sings mantras, the third performs the ritual, and the fourth oversees the correctness of the above and corrects tiny errors with special mantras. The performance of the yagya itself consists of four main parts, which are present in each ceremony. In the first part a fireplace is created (depicted, built and richly decorated), which is also a mandala that at this stage does not contain life or pran-shakti.
In the second part this character is filled with life energy, hence this level is called prana pratistha. The third part is called upacar, and that is the part during which the evoked energy intensifies and increases. The fourth part is called parayan or prasthan – the energy release, in which yagya culminates. The derivation of the word Yajus is ‘yajur yajanaat’ – yajus is for the sake of yajna – the ritual of sacrifice. The Havis is the offering of the oblation. The attitude in offering is shradha devotion. The Rigveda, containing hymns to be recited by the hotṛ; The Yajurveda, containing formulas to be recited by the adhvaryu or officiating priest; The Samaveda, containing formulas to be sung by the udgatṛ. Rig Veda manuscripts have been selected for inscription in UNESCO’s “Memory of the World” Register 2007.
Rigveda 2.1.2
तवाग्ने होत्रं तव पोत्रमृत्वियं तव नेष्ट्रं त्वमग्निदृतायतः । तव प्रशास्त्रं त्वमध्वरीयसि ब्रह्मा चासि गृहपतिश्च नो दमे ॥२॥
Thine is the Herald’s task and Cleanser’s duly timed; Leader art thou, and Kindler for the pious man. Thou art Director, thou the ministering Priest: thou art the Brahman, Lord and Master in our home.
In the above hymn enumerates the priests as the hotṛ, potṛ, neṣṭṛ, agnīdh, prashāstṛ (meaning the maitrāvaruna) and adhvaryu.
The executive priest (adhvaryu) accompanies his ritual activities, addressing the implements he handles and the offering he pours and reminding other priests to do their invocations. The adhvaryu was in charge of the physical details of the sacrifice (in particular the adhvara, a term for the Soma yajna). The adhvaryu had to measure the ground, to build the altar, to prepare the sacrificial vessels, to fetch wood and water, to light the fire, to bring the animal and immolate it, among other duties. Each action was accompanied by supplicative or benedictive formulas (yajus), drawn from the Yajurveda. The Rigveda is replete with hymns to various deities.
The Yajurveda contains mostly the methods and directions for the conduct of yagnas. The Brahmin who looks after the conduct of the yagna is the “adhvaryu”. The Adhvaryu is the specialist in Yajur Veda and at his behest the other priests chant the appropriate mantras. He is the one who can bring forth the body of the Yajna – Yajna Shareera. The Hotr invokes the Devas using Vedic hymns. He recited invocations and litanies. These could consist of single verses (ṛca), strophes (triples called tṛca or pairs called pragatha), or entire hymns (sukta), drawn from the Vedas. As each phase of the ritual required an invocation, the hotṛ had a leading or presiding role.
The “hota”(hotr) chants the rks, the hymns from the Rgveda in praise of the deity, invoking the devata to accept the oblation. He has a high place in every Yagna, it is a bloodless sacrifice. Ghee is sacrificed into Agni (fire). The udgatṛ was a chanter of hymns set to melodies (saman) drawn from the samaveda. This was a specialized role in the major soma sacrifices: a characteristic function of the udgatṛ was to sing hymns in praise of the invigorating properties of soma pavamana, the fermented juice of the soma plant. The udgatr intones the mantras of the Samaveda to please the deities. The Udgatr (one who raises his voice and sings) chants the Saman hymns
The Brahman is the master of ceremonies. He is well versed in Rig, Yajus and Sama Vedas. His responsibility is to make sure all the mantras (chanting) and tantras (method of performing the ritual) are properly followed. The brahman was the reciter of hymns from the atharvaveda who was largely silent and observes the procedures and uses Atharvaveda mantras to heal when the slightest mistake of intonation has been made. He knows it all.
O Adhvaryu, do you give me the sacrificial place, Deva Aditya is the divine Adhvaryu, may he grant you the sacrificial place. Be it so,
To the Brahman, O Brahman, do you give me the sacrificial place. Deva Chandrama is the divine Brahman; may he give you the sacrificial place. Be it so,
To the Hotr, O Hotr, Do you give me the sacrificial place. Deva Agni is the divine Hotr, may he give you the sacrificial place. Be it so,
To the Udgat, O Udgatr, do you give me the sacrificial place. Deva Parjanya is the divine Udgatr; may he give you the sacrificial place. Be it so,
To the Sadasya, O Sadasya, do you give me the sacrificial place. Deva Akasa is the divine Sadasya; may he give you the sacrificial place. Be it so
To the Hotrakas, O Hotrakas, do you give me the sacrificial place. Devies waters are the divine Hotrasarhsins; may they give you the sacrificial place. Be it so,
To the Camasadhvaryus, O Camasadhvaryus, do you give me the sacrificial place. Devas Rasmis are the divine Camasadhvaryus; may they give you the sacrificial place. Be it so.
Today with the disappearance of Vedic ritual practice, purohit has become a generic term for “priest”. There are two basic types of yagya – srauta performed by pandits and grihya ceremony performed by the householder, along with his wife. Srauta ceremonies are more detailed, richer and more complicated, and their goals extend far beyond the well-being of a household. Srauta yagya includes the participation of four pandits. They are known as hotr, adhvaryu, udgatr and brahmin, each of which performs a strictly defined part of the ceremony: one prepares a place for the rite according to the instructions of the Vedic science about space – Vastu Shastra, the second sings mantras, the third performs the ritual, and the fourth oversees the correctness of the above and corrects tiny errors with special mantras. The performance of the yagya itself consists of four main parts, which are present in each ceremony. In the first part a fireplace is created (depicted, built and richly decorated), which is also a mandala that at this stage does not contain life or pran-shakti.
In the second part this character is filled with life energy, hence this level is called prana pratistha. The third part is called upacar, and that is the part during which the evoked energy intensifies and increases. The fourth part is called parayan or prasthan – the energy release, in which yagya culminates. The derivation of the word Yajus is ‘yajur yajanaat’ – yajus is for the sake of yajna – the ritual of sacrifice. The Havis is the offering of the oblation. The attitude in offering is shradha devotion. The Rigveda, containing hymns to be recited by the hotṛ; The Yajurveda, containing formulas to be recited by the adhvaryu or officiating priest; The Samaveda, containing formulas to be sung by the udgatṛ. Rig Veda manuscripts have been selected for inscription in UNESCO’s “Memory of the World” Register 2007.
Rigveda 2.1.2
तवाग्ने होत्रं तव पोत्रमृत्वियं तव नेष्ट्रं त्वमग्निदृतायतः । तव प्रशास्त्रं त्वमध्वरीयसि ब्रह्मा चासि गृहपतिश्च नो दमे ॥२॥
Thine is the Herald’s task and Cleanser’s duly timed; Leader art thou, and Kindler for the pious man. Thou art Director, thou the ministering Priest: thou art the Brahman, Lord and Master in our home.
In the above hymn enumerates the priests as the hotṛ, potṛ, neṣṭṛ, agnīdh, prashāstṛ (meaning the maitrāvaruna) and adhvaryu.
The executive priest (adhvaryu) accompanies his ritual activities, addressing the implements he handles and the offering he pours and reminding other priests to do their invocations. The adhvaryu was in charge of the physical details of the sacrifice (in particular the adhvara, a term for the Soma yajna). The adhvaryu had to measure the ground, to build the altar, to prepare the sacrificial vessels, to fetch wood and water, to light the fire, to bring the animal and immolate it, among other duties. Each action was accompanied by supplicative or benedictive formulas (yajus), drawn from the Yajurveda. The Rigveda is replete with hymns to various deities.
The Yajurveda contains mostly the methods and directions for the conduct of yagnas. The Brahmin who looks after the conduct of the yagna is the “adhvaryu”. The Adhvaryu is the specialist in Yajur Veda and at his behest the other priests chant the appropriate mantras. He is the one who can bring forth the body of the Yajna – Yajna Shareera. The Hotr invokes the Devas using Vedic hymns. He recited invocations and litanies. These could consist of single verses (ṛca), strophes (triples called tṛca or pairs called pragatha), or entire hymns (sukta), drawn from the Vedas. As each phase of the ritual required an invocation, the hotṛ had a leading or presiding role.
The “hota”(hotr) chants the rks, the hymns from the Rgveda in praise of the deity, invoking the devata to accept the oblation. He has a high place in every Yagna, it is a bloodless sacrifice. Ghee is sacrificed into Agni (fire). The udgatṛ was a chanter of hymns set to melodies (saman) drawn from the samaveda. This was a specialized role in the major soma sacrifices: a characteristic function of the udgatṛ was to sing hymns in praise of the invigorating properties of soma pavamana, the fermented juice of the soma plant. The udgatr intones the mantras of the Samaveda to please the deities. The Udgatr (one who raises his voice and sings) chants the Saman hymns
The Brahman is the master of ceremonies. He is well versed in Rig, Yajus and Sama Vedas. His responsibility is to make sure all the mantras (chanting) and tantras (method of performing the ritual) are properly followed. The brahman was the reciter of hymns from the atharvaveda who was largely silent and observes the procedures and uses Atharvaveda mantras to heal when the slightest mistake of intonation has been made. He knows it all.
O Adhvaryu, do you give me the sacrificial place, Deva Aditya is the divine Adhvaryu, may he grant you the sacrificial place. Be it so,
To the Brahman, O Brahman, do you give me the sacrificial place. Deva Chandrama is the divine Brahman; may he give you the sacrificial place. Be it so,
To the Hotr, O Hotr, Do you give me the sacrificial place. Deva Agni is the divine Hotr, may he give you the sacrificial place. Be it so,
To the Udgat, O Udgatr, do you give me the sacrificial place. Deva Parjanya is the divine Udgatr; may he give you the sacrificial place. Be it so,
To the Sadasya, O Sadasya, do you give me the sacrificial place. Deva Akasa is the divine Sadasya; may he give you the sacrificial place. Be it so
To the Hotrakas, O Hotrakas, do you give me the sacrificial place. Devies waters are the divine Hotrasarhsins; may they give you the sacrificial place. Be it so,
To the Camasadhvaryus, O Camasadhvaryus, do you give me the sacrificial place. Devas Rasmis are the divine Camasadhvaryus; may they give you the sacrificial place. Be it so.
Re: Tradition, Culture, Religion & Law in Indian Society
The Seven Svaras
Sruti in Sanskrit means “that which is heard” and refers to the body of most authoritative, ancient religious texts comprising the central canon of Hinduism. It includes the four Vedas including its four types of embedded texts – the Samhitas, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas and the Upanishads. Srutis have been variously described as a revelation through anubhava (direct experience), or of primordial origins realized by ancient Rishis. In Hindu tradition, they have been referred to as apauruṣeya (authorless).
The Vedas are called Srutis for the reason that they are always received through the faculty of “hearing” (Sruyate iti srutih). In chanting the Veda, swara or accent is of great importance. In the olden days, the Upanisads were being chanted with svara-notation. There are three “swaras” – Udatta (Acute), Anudatta (Grave) and Svarita (Circumflex). If the “svara” changes, the meaning of the word itself changes totally. This is the reason why only few chosen Brahmins, mainly Namboodiris, could transmit Vedas orally. The three accent pitch or levels can also be stated as: svarita (sounded, circumflex normal), udatta (high, raised) and anudatta (low, not raised). The svara concept is found in Chapter 28 of the ancient Natya Shastra, it calls the unit of tonal measurement or audible unit as Śruti, with verse 28.21 introducing the musical scale as follows:
Natya Shastra, 28.21
तत्र स्वराः षड्जश्च ऋषभश्चैव गान्धारो मध्यमस्तथा ।
पञ्चमो धैवतश्चैव सप्तमोऽथ निषादवान् ॥ २१॥
These seven svara are shared by both major raga systems of Indian classical music. The musical octave evolved from the elaborate and elongated chants of Sama Veda, based on these basic svaras. Siksha is the subject that deals with phonetics and pronunciation. Naradiya Siksha elaborately discusses the nature of svaras, both Vedic chants and the octave.
The solfege (sargam) is learnt in abbreviated form of svara: sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni, sa. Of these, the first that is “sa”, and the fifth that is “pa”, are considered anchors that are unalterable.
Chanting of the Rig, Yajur and Atharvaa veda is done using 3 notes only.
Udātta — the raised note indicated in the text by a vertical stroke over the letter. (a̍)
Anudātta — the lowered note indicated by a line under the letter. (a̱)
Svarita — the neutral drone which is not indicated in the text (a)
Nigādha — a deviant note which is based on the udātta and is like a double udātta with the second being slight raised above the first. In the kṛṣṇa yajur veda it is usually marked by double perpendicular stokes above the letter (a̎).
The udātta changes into a nigādha in the following situations:
When a mantra ends in a long udātta
When a mantra ends in a anusvara which carries the udātta
When the udātta is followed by a samyuktākṣara (combined letter such as kṣ, stha, tv,śr, etc).
Sama-gana employed only three notes called Udatta, Anudatta and Svarita. The lyre (Vana-Veena) accompanying the singing had only three strings, one for each note.
The three notes were differentiated depending on whether it was produced from above or below the palate (taalu). Udatta refers to sound produced from above the palate; and is acutely accented (uchchaih). Anudatta was gravely accented (nichaih); produced from below the palate. Svarita is a combination of udatta and anudatta, with udatta in the first-half. It is called a circumflexed accent. The tone is the Udātta [raised] the other two being the Svarita [drone] and the Anudātta [low].
From udata the notes of nishada (निषाद) and gandara (गान्धार) were created; from anudata the notes of rishaba (ऋषभ) and dhaivata (धैवत) were created; from svarita the notes of shadja (षड्ज), madhyama (मध्यम) and panchama (पञ्चम) were created.
Initially in Sama Veda era the seven notes were named as pratima, dvitiya, tritaya, chaturta, mandra, atisvara and krushta (to shout). The notes are in descending order. Sama veda chants normally used 5 notes, with rare ones using either 6 or 7 notes. Singing of Sama Veda chants had assigned singer roles and these were prastotha (or prastothri), udgata (chief), pratihartha (or pratiharthri) and subramanya.
Various shakhas (e.g. jaimini namboodri shakha) sang the Sama Veda chants and introduced their own signature styles, handed from guru to sishya parampara. Hand and finger movements accompanied the singing. The gathra veena was used. Between lines a stobha was inserted very similar to alap in current singing of classical music.
The 7 swara stanas or note positions: 1. shadjam, 2. rishabham, 3. gandharam, 4. madhyamam, 5. panchamam, 6. daivatam, 7. nishadam
The seven swara notes of the musical scale in Indian classical music are shadja (षड्ज), rishabha (ऋषभ), gandhara (गान्धार), madhyama (मध्यम), panchama (पञ्चम), dhaivata (धैवत) and nishada (निषाद). These seven swaras are shortened to Sa, Ri (Carnatic) or Re (Hindustani), Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, and Ni. Collectively these notes are known as the sargam (the word is an acronym of the consonants of the first four swaras).
Sa-----Sadja------------------------------------------The cry of the peacock
Ri-----Rishaba----------------------------------------The blowing of the bull
Ga----Gandhara--------------------------------------The bleating of the goat
Ma----Madhyama ("middle note")------------------The cry of the kraunja bird (crane/stork)
Pa-----Panchama ("fifth note")---------------------The cry of the kokila bird (cuckoo)
Da-----Dhaivata--------------------------------------The neighing of the horse
Ni-----Nishada----------------------------------------The trumpeting of the elephant
Svara or swara is a Sanskrit word that connotes a note in the successive steps of the octave. More comprehensively, it is the ancient Indian concept about the complete dimension of musical pitch. The swara differs from the shruti concept in Indian music. A shruti is the smallest gradation of pitch that a human ear can detect and a singer or instrument can produce.
The ancient Sanskrit text Natya Shastra identifies and discusses twenty two shruti and seven swara.
Sruti in Sanskrit means “that which is heard” and refers to the body of most authoritative, ancient religious texts comprising the central canon of Hinduism. It includes the four Vedas including its four types of embedded texts – the Samhitas, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas and the Upanishads. Srutis have been variously described as a revelation through anubhava (direct experience), or of primordial origins realized by ancient Rishis. In Hindu tradition, they have been referred to as apauruṣeya (authorless).
The Vedas are called Srutis for the reason that they are always received through the faculty of “hearing” (Sruyate iti srutih). In chanting the Veda, swara or accent is of great importance. In the olden days, the Upanisads were being chanted with svara-notation. There are three “swaras” – Udatta (Acute), Anudatta (Grave) and Svarita (Circumflex). If the “svara” changes, the meaning of the word itself changes totally. This is the reason why only few chosen Brahmins, mainly Namboodiris, could transmit Vedas orally. The three accent pitch or levels can also be stated as: svarita (sounded, circumflex normal), udatta (high, raised) and anudatta (low, not raised). The svara concept is found in Chapter 28 of the ancient Natya Shastra, it calls the unit of tonal measurement or audible unit as Śruti, with verse 28.21 introducing the musical scale as follows:
Natya Shastra, 28.21
तत्र स्वराः षड्जश्च ऋषभश्चैव गान्धारो मध्यमस्तथा ।
पञ्चमो धैवतश्चैव सप्तमोऽथ निषादवान् ॥ २१॥
These seven svara are shared by both major raga systems of Indian classical music. The musical octave evolved from the elaborate and elongated chants of Sama Veda, based on these basic svaras. Siksha is the subject that deals with phonetics and pronunciation. Naradiya Siksha elaborately discusses the nature of svaras, both Vedic chants and the octave.
The solfege (sargam) is learnt in abbreviated form of svara: sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni, sa. Of these, the first that is “sa”, and the fifth that is “pa”, are considered anchors that are unalterable.
Chanting of the Rig, Yajur and Atharvaa veda is done using 3 notes only.
Udātta — the raised note indicated in the text by a vertical stroke over the letter. (a̍)
Anudātta — the lowered note indicated by a line under the letter. (a̱)
Svarita — the neutral drone which is not indicated in the text (a)
Nigādha — a deviant note which is based on the udātta and is like a double udātta with the second being slight raised above the first. In the kṛṣṇa yajur veda it is usually marked by double perpendicular stokes above the letter (a̎).
The udātta changes into a nigādha in the following situations:
When a mantra ends in a long udātta
When a mantra ends in a anusvara which carries the udātta
When the udātta is followed by a samyuktākṣara (combined letter such as kṣ, stha, tv,śr, etc).
Sama-gana employed only three notes called Udatta, Anudatta and Svarita. The lyre (Vana-Veena) accompanying the singing had only three strings, one for each note.
The three notes were differentiated depending on whether it was produced from above or below the palate (taalu). Udatta refers to sound produced from above the palate; and is acutely accented (uchchaih). Anudatta was gravely accented (nichaih); produced from below the palate. Svarita is a combination of udatta and anudatta, with udatta in the first-half. It is called a circumflexed accent. The tone is the Udātta [raised] the other two being the Svarita [drone] and the Anudātta [low].
From udata the notes of nishada (निषाद) and gandara (गान्धार) were created; from anudata the notes of rishaba (ऋषभ) and dhaivata (धैवत) were created; from svarita the notes of shadja (षड्ज), madhyama (मध्यम) and panchama (पञ्चम) were created.
Initially in Sama Veda era the seven notes were named as pratima, dvitiya, tritaya, chaturta, mandra, atisvara and krushta (to shout). The notes are in descending order. Sama veda chants normally used 5 notes, with rare ones using either 6 or 7 notes. Singing of Sama Veda chants had assigned singer roles and these were prastotha (or prastothri), udgata (chief), pratihartha (or pratiharthri) and subramanya.
Various shakhas (e.g. jaimini namboodri shakha) sang the Sama Veda chants and introduced their own signature styles, handed from guru to sishya parampara. Hand and finger movements accompanied the singing. The gathra veena was used. Between lines a stobha was inserted very similar to alap in current singing of classical music.
The 7 swara stanas or note positions: 1. shadjam, 2. rishabham, 3. gandharam, 4. madhyamam, 5. panchamam, 6. daivatam, 7. nishadam
The seven swara notes of the musical scale in Indian classical music are shadja (षड्ज), rishabha (ऋषभ), gandhara (गान्धार), madhyama (मध्यम), panchama (पञ्चम), dhaivata (धैवत) and nishada (निषाद). These seven swaras are shortened to Sa, Ri (Carnatic) or Re (Hindustani), Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, and Ni. Collectively these notes are known as the sargam (the word is an acronym of the consonants of the first four swaras).
Sa-----Sadja------------------------------------------The cry of the peacock
Ri-----Rishaba----------------------------------------The blowing of the bull
Ga----Gandhara--------------------------------------The bleating of the goat
Ma----Madhyama ("middle note")------------------The cry of the kraunja bird (crane/stork)
Pa-----Panchama ("fifth note")---------------------The cry of the kokila bird (cuckoo)
Da-----Dhaivata--------------------------------------The neighing of the horse
Ni-----Nishada----------------------------------------The trumpeting of the elephant
Svara or swara is a Sanskrit word that connotes a note in the successive steps of the octave. More comprehensively, it is the ancient Indian concept about the complete dimension of musical pitch. The swara differs from the shruti concept in Indian music. A shruti is the smallest gradation of pitch that a human ear can detect and a singer or instrument can produce.
The ancient Sanskrit text Natya Shastra identifies and discusses twenty two shruti and seven swara.