Who Were the Aryans?

The Aryans were semi-nomadic Nordic Whites, perhaps located originally on

the steppes of southern Russia and Central Asia, who spoke the parent language of the various IndoEuropean languages.
Latin, Greek, Hittite, Sanskrit, French, German, Latvian, English, Spanish, Russian etc. are all IndoEuropean languages; Indo-European, or more properly Proto-Indo-European (PIE), is the lost ancestral
language from which those languages ultimately derive. The "Proto" indicates that the grammar and
vocabulary of this long extinct language, probably spoken up until 3000 BC, are a hypothetical
reconstruction by modern philologists. Just as Romance languages like Italian and Spanish derive from
Latin, so Latin derives from PIE.
Indo-European philology traditionally used "Aryan" both to denote a people, understood racially or
ethnically, and the language group itself ("Aryan speech"), irrespective of the race or ethnicity of the
people speaking its various branches. In the wake of National Socialist Germany's defeat, the term fell out
of general scholarly use in both senses, and "Indo-European" (IE) became the preferred designation of
the language group, "Indo-Europeans" of both the people who occupied the original Aryan homeland and
their descendants, who gradually spread out across Europe, much of the Indian sub-continent, and parts
of the Near East. Racial nationalists are not, of course, obliged to adopt the timid PC-lexicon of
contemporary scholarship, but we should be aware of imprecision of "Aryan" as a racial or ethnic
classification.
Arya, meaning "noble," appears in various Indo-European languages. Its plural form (Aryas="nobles")
was probably the name the Aryans used to describe themselves prior to their dispersal, and it may survive
in Eire (Ireland) and certainly survives in Iran (Airyanam vaejo="realm of the Aryans"). The discovery of
thousands of such cognate words in widely separated languages, along with similar grammatical
structures, led philologists to conclude, early in the nineteenth century, that most European languages
had evolved from a common proto-language spoken millennia ago by a distinct people who gradually left
their original homeland in a series of migrations, carrying their language with them.
Traditionally Greek, Latin and Sanskrit were considered the closest languages to PIE, and much of the
reconstructed Aryan proto-language is based on them. Modern Lithuanian, however, is the most archaic
living language, closer to the original Aryan speech than any other. There is even an IE language,
Tocharian, attested in Chinese Turkestan, which indicates that Aryans must have made an appearance in
the Far East, a long-standing piece of linguistic evidence which has been recently confirmed by the
discovery of the physical remains of a blond-haired people in China.
One Model of Indo-European ("Aryan") Migration

Perhaps the most famous proof for the prehistoric existence of PIE is the word for king: rex in Latin, raja
in Sanskrit, ri in Old Irish, along with a host of other cognates. All are obviously variants of a common
word for king. Since none of the peoples speaking these various languages were in physical contact with
one another during the historical period -- i.e. at a time for which written records exist -- comparative
philologists inferred that their respective languages must have evolved from a single proto-language,
which is the only way of explaining the presence of the same word for "king" among such widely
dispersed peoples. The Romans clearly didn't borrow rex from the Irish or the Indo-Aryans; each had
instead inherited their own word for "king" from a common ancestral language.
Philologists can also, moreover, safely conclude that the Aryans must have had kings prior to
emigrating from their original homeland in southern Russia. In fact a fairly detailed body of evidence about
prehistoric Aryan political organization, marriage practices, and religious beliefs can be reconstructed on
the basis of the survival of common vocabulary in the various extant Indo-European languages: They
worshiped a sky-god, they traced descent through the male line, they raised cattle, they drank meed, they
used horse-drawn chariots (which they probably invented) as weapons of war, etc. Even the red, white
and blue/green that appears in so many modern flags may have an Aryan pedigree. It is likely a survival
from the Aryan tripartite social division of their communities into priests (white), warriors (red), and
herders and cultivators (blue/green).
Aryans, or more specifically Indo-Aryans, make their first notable appearance in history around 20001500 BC as invaders of Northern India. The Sanskrit Rig Veda, a collection of religious texts still revered
by modern Hindus, records (often enigmatically) their gradual subjugation of the dark-skinned inhabitants,
the Dasyus: e.g. "Indra [=Norse Thor, Celtic Taranis] has torn open the fortresses of the Dasyus, which in
their wombs hid the black people. He created land and water for Manu [=Aryan man]"; "lower than all
besides, hast thou, O Indra, cast down the Dasyus, abject tribes of Dasas"; "after slaying the Dasyus, let
Indra with his white friends win land, let him win the sun and water"; "Indra subdued the Dasyu color and
drove it into hiding." With all-outstripping chariot-wheel, O Indra,
Thou, far-famed, hast overthrown the twice ten kings ...
Thou goest from fight to fight, intrepidly
Destroying castle after castle here with strength. (RV 1.53)
The Aryans were remarkably expansionist, and almost everywhere they went they conquered and
subjugated the indigenous peoples, imposing their languages and (to varying degrees) their religious
beliefs on the natives, and receiving in turn contributions from the peoples whom they conquered. Aryan
invasions -- or more accurately, a long sequence of different invasions by speakers of Indo-European
languages -- swept across Old Europe beginning as early as the fourth millennium BC, and over time the
conquerors and the conquered melded into specific peoples with distinctive languages. Most of the
contemporary inhabitants of Europe, along with their respective early national cultures, are the result of
interaction between successive waves of Aryan invaders and culture of the particular White people that
they conquered and with whom they later intermarried, and as a result almost all modern European
languages are members of the Western branch of the IE family tree.
The birth of a European culture, however, predates the arrival of the Indo-Europeans: The cave art of
Lascaux, which some have identified as the first flowering of Western man's creative genius, was the
work of Old Europeans, as were Stonehenge in the North and the Minoan Palace culture of Crete in the
South. A pan-European religious symbolism had already evolved, much of which was later incorporated
into IE mythologies, including various regional adaptations of the ubiquitous Old European reverence for
the Mother Goddess. Many of the principal figures in Greek mythology predate the arrival of Aryans, and
during the course of ancient history Old European religious beliefs and practices continually reasserted
themselves. [Image: Minoan snake goddess, from the Palace of Minos, circa 1600 BC]
Europe is European because the conquerors and the conquered were members the same White race,
different branches on the same family tree; India is a morass of poverty because the bulk of the
conquered, with whom the Indo-Aryans eventually intermarried, were non-White Veddoids. The lesson is
obvious. Even today high-caste Hindus can still be identified by their Caucasian features and light skin,
and the poorest and most backward parts of India are generally the darkest.
As an aside, recent genetic studies have indicated that the Basques of Aquitaine and the Pyrenees are
probably the purest form of Old Europeans as they existed prior to the arrival of Indo-European invaders.
They evidently emerged from the invasions of Europe unconquered, and they remained sufficiently
isolated to retain their own unique, non-IE language.

HINDUISM It is not easy to define Hinduism, for it is more than a religion in the Western sense, as our
Ancient History Guide sees it. Also known to practitioners as Sanatana Dharma, which means everlasting
or eternal religion/truth/rule, Hinduism can best be defined as a way of life based on the teachings of
ancient sages and scriptures like the Vedas and the Upanishads. The word dharma connotes "that which
supports the universe" and effectively means any path of spiritual discipline which leads to God.
Hindu Dharma, as one scholar analogizes, can be compared to a fruit tree, with its roots representing the
Vedas and the Upanishads, the thick trunk symbolizing the spiritual experiences of numerous sages and
saints, its branches representing various theological traditions, and the fruit itself, in different shapes and
sizes, symbolizing various sects and subsects. However, the concept of Hinduism defies a definite
definition because of its uniqueness.
Hinduism does not have any one founder, and any one core doctrine to which controversies can be
referred to for resolution. There is also no point in time when it could be said to have begun. It does not
require its adherents to accept any one idea, and thus is cultural, not creedal, with a history
contemporaneous with the peoples with which it is associated. It is also marked by an attitude which
seems to accommodate religious and cultural perspectives other than one's own, and so is characterized
by a rich variety of ideas and practices resulting in what appears as a multiplicity of religions under one
term 'Hinduism'.
Hinduism is perhaps the only religious tradition that is so diverse in its theoretical premises and practical
expressions that it is like a compilation of religions. According to philosopher Jeaneane Fowler, Hinduism
can never be neatly slotted into any particular belief system monism, theism, monotheism, polytheism,
pantheism, panentheism for all these systems are reflected in its many facets.
According to historians, the origin of Hinduism dates back to 5000 or more years. The word "Hindu" is
derived from the name of river Indus, which flows through northern India. In ancient times the river was
called the 'Sindhu', but the Persians who migrated to India called the river 'Hindu', the land 'Hindustan'
and its inhabitants 'Hindus'. Thus the religion followed by the Hindus came to be known as 'Hinduism'.
It is generally believed that the basic tenets of Hinduism was brought to India by the Aryans who settled
along the banks of the Indus river about 2000 BC. According to one scholar, the evolution of Hinduism
may be divided into three periods: the ancient (6500 BCE-1000 AD), the medieval (1000-1800 AD), and
the modern (1800 AD to present). Hinduism is commonly thought to be the oldest religion in the history of
human civilization.
Hinduism lacks any unified system of beliefs and ideas. It is a phenomenon and represents a broad
spectrum of beliefs and practices which on one hand are akin to paganism, pantheism and the like, and
on the other very profound, abstract, metaphysical speculations.
Since religion and culture are nearly interchangeable terms in Hinduism, emotive expressions like 'bhakti'
(devotion) or 'dharma' (what is right) and 'yoga' (discipline) are used to depict essential aspects of the
religion. Hinduism believes in idol worship, casteism, reincarnation, 'karma', 'dharma' and 'moksha'. Some
moral ideals in Hinduism include non-violence, truthfulness, friendship, compassion, fortitude, self-control,
purity and generosity.
Two types of sacred writings constitute the Hindu scriptures: heard (sruti) and memorized (smriti).
Sruti literature refers to the habit of ancient Hindu saints who led a solitary life in the woods, where they
developed a consciousness that enabled them to 'hear' or cognize the truths of the universe. Sruti
literature are of two parts: the Vedas and Upanishads.
There are four Vedas: The Rig Veda -"Royal Knowledge" The Sama Veda - "Knowledge of Chants" The
Yajur Veda - "Knowledge of Sacrificial Rituals" The Atharva Veda - "Knowledge of Incarnations"
There are 108 extant Upanishads, of which 10 are most important:
Isa, Kena, Katha, Prashna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Taitiriya, Aitareya, Chandogya, Brihadaranyaka.
Smriti Literature refers to 'memorized' or 'remembered' poetry and epics. They are more popular with
Hindus, because they are easy to understand, explains universal truths through symbolism and
mythology, and contain some of the most beautiful and exciting stories in the history of religion world
literature. The three most important of Smriti literature are:

The Bhagavad Gita - The most well known of the Hindu scriptures, called the "Song of the Adorable
One", written about the 2nd century BC and forms the sixth part of Mahabharata. It contains some of the
most brilliant theological lessons about the nature of God and of life ever written.
The Mahabharata - The world's longest epic poem written about 9th century BC, and deals with the
power struggle between the Pandava and the Kaurava families, with an intertwining of numerous
episodes that make up life.
The Ramayana - The most popular of Hindu epics, composed by Valmiki around 4th or 2nd centuries BC
with later additions up to about 300 CE. It depicts the story of the royal couple of Ayodha - Ram and Sita
and a host of other characters and their exploits.
Dasharatha, King of Aydohya, has three wives and four sons. Rama is the eldest. His mother is
Kaushalya. Bharata is the son of his second and favorite wife, Queen Kaikeyi. The other two are twins,
Lakshman and Shatrughna. Rama and Bharata are blue, perhaps indicating they were dark skinned or
originally south Indian deities.
A sage takes the boys out to train them in archery. Rama has hit an apple hanging from a string.
In a neighboring city the ruler's daughter is named Sita. When it was time for Sita to choose her
bridegroom, at a ceremony called a swayamvara, the princes were asked to string a giant bow. No one
else can even lift the bow, but as Rama bends it, he not only strings it but breaks it in two. Sita indicates
she has chosen Rama as her husband by putting a garland around his neck. The disappointed suitors
watch.
King Dasharatha, Rama's father, decides it is time to give his throne to his eldest son Rama and retire
to the forest to seek moksha. Everyone seems pleased. This plan fulfills the rules of dharma because an
eldest son should rule and, if a son can take over one's responsibilities, one's last years may be spent in
a search for moksha. In addition, everyone loves Rama. However Rama's step-mother, the king's second
wife, is not pleased. She wants her son, Bharata, to rule. Because of an oath Dasharatha had made to
her years before, she gets the king to agree to banish Rama for fourteen years and to crown Bharata,
even though the king, on bended knee, begs her not to demand such things. Broken-hearted, the
devastated king cannot face Rama with the news and Kaikeyi must tell him.
Rama, always obedient, is as content to go into banishment in the forest as to be crowned king. Sita
convinces Rama that she belongs at his side and his brother Lakshman also begs to accompany them.
Rama, Sita and Lakshman set out for the forest.
Bharata, whose mother's evil plot has won him the throne, is very upset when he finds out what has
happened. Not for a moment does he consider breaking the rules of dharma and becoming king in
Rama's place. He goes to Rama's forest retreat and begs Rama to return and rule, but Rama refuses.
"We must obey father," Rama says. Bharata then takes Rama's sandals saying, "I will put these on the
throne, and every day I shall place the fruits of my work at the feet on my Lord." Embracing Rama, he
takes the sandals and returns to Aydohya.
Years pass and Rama, Sita and Lakshman are very happy in the forest. Rama and Lakshman destroy
the rakshasas (evil creatures) who disturb the sages in their meditations. One day a rakshasa princess
tries to seduce Rama, and Lakshmana wounds her and drives her away. She returns to her brother
Ravana, the ten-headed ruler of Lanka (Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon), and tells her brother (who has a
weakness for beautiful women) about lovely Sita.
Ravana devises a plan to abduct Sita. He sends a magical golden deer which Sita desires. Rama and
Lakshman go off to hunt the deer, first drawing a protective circle around Sita and warning her she will be
safe as long as she does not step outside the circle. As they go off, Ravana (who can change his shape)
appears as a holy man begging alms. The moment Sita steps outside the circle to give him food, Ravana
grabs her and carries her off the his kingdom in Lanka.
Rama is broken-hearted when he returns to the empty hut and cannot find Sita. A band of monkeys offer
to help him find Sita. Ravana has carried Sita to his palace in Lanka, but he cannot force her to be his
wife so he puts her in a grove and alternately sweet-talks her and threatens her in an attempt to get her to

agree to marry him. Sita will not even look at him but thinks only of her beloved Rama. Hanuman, the
general of the monkey band can fly since his father is the wind, and Hanuman flies to Lanka and, finding
Sita in the grove, comforts her and tells her Rama will soon come and save her.
Ravana's men capture Hanuman, and Ravana orders them to wrap Hanuman's tail in cloth and to set it
on fire. With his tail burning, Hanuman hops from house-top to house-top, setting Lanka afire. He then
flies back to Rama to tell him where Sita is.
Rama, Lakshman and the monkey army build a causeway from the tip of India to Lanka and cross over
to Lanka. A might battle ensues. Rama kills several of Ravana's brothers and then Rama confronts tenheaded Ravana. (Ravana is known for his wisdom as well as for his weakness for women which may
explain why he is pictured as very brainy.) Rama finally kills Ravana.
Rama frees Sita. After Sita proves here purity, they return to Ayodhya and Rama becomes king. His rule,
Ram-rajya, is an ideal time when everyone does his or her dharma and "fathers never have to light the
funeral pyres for their sons."
Vedas - Upanishads Puranas The oldest literature of Indian thought is the Veda, a collection of
religious and philisophical poems and hymns composed over several generations beginning as early as
3000 BC. The Veda was composed in Sanskrit, the intellectual language of both ancient and classical
Indian civilizations. Four collections were made, so it is said that there are four Vedas. The four as a
group came to be viewed as sacred in Hinduism.
Some Vedic hymns and poems address philosophic themes, such as the henotheism that is key to
much Hindu theology. Henotheism is the idea that one God takes many different forms, and that although
individuals may worship several different gods and goddesses, they really revere but one Supreme Being.
There are four Vedas:
The Rig-Veda Its traditional date goes back to 3000 BC, something which the German scholar Max
Mueller accepted. As a body of writing, the Rig-Veda (the wisdom of verses) is nothing short of
remarkable. It contains 1028 hymns (10,589 verses which are divided into ten mandalas or booksections) dedicated to thirty-three different gods. The most often addressed gods were nature gods like
Indra (rain god; king of heavens), Agni (fire god), Rudra (storm god; the 'howler'), Soma (the draught of
immortality, an alcoholic brew).
The Sama-Veda The Sama-Veda or the wisdom of chants is basically a collection of samans or chants,
derived from the eighth and ninth books of the Rig-Veda. These were meant for the priests who officiated
at the rituals of the soma ceremonies. There are painstaking instructions in Sama-Veda about how
particular hymns must be sung; to put great emphasis upon sounds of the words of the mantras and the
effect they could have on the environment and the person who pronounced them.
The Yajur-Veda The Yajur-Veda or the wisdom of sacrifices lays down various sacred invocations (yajurs)
which were chanted by a particular sect of priests called adhvaryu. They performed the sacrificial rites.
The Veda also outlines various chants which should be sung to pray and pay respects to the various
instruments which are involved in the sacrifice.
The Atharva-Veda The Atharva-Veda (the wisdom of the Atharvans) is called so because the families of
the atharvan sect of the Brahmins have traditionally been credited with the composition of the Vedas. It is
a compilation of hymns but lacks the awesome grandeur which makes the Rig-Veda such a breathtaking
spiritual experience.
The term Upanishad means sitting down near; this implies the students sitting down near their Guru to
learn the big secret. In the splendid isolation of their forest abodes, the philosophers who composed the
Upanishads contemplated upon the various mysteries of life and its creation whether common, or
metaphysical. The answers were however not open to all, but only for select students. The reason for this
was simple: not everyone can handle knowledge.
The composition of the Upanishads marks a significant and stride forward in the direction of knowing
the mystery of earth's creation and one comes tantalizingly close to the answers. Through episodes,

commentaries, stories, traditions and dialogue, the Upanishads unfold the fascinating tale of creation, life,
the essence of life and of that beyond to the seeker of truth.
There is no exact date for the composition of the Upanishads. They continued to be composed over a
long period, the core being over 7th -5th centuries BC. The Upanishads were originally called Vedanta,
which literally means the conclusion to the Vedas.
In the Upanishads, views about Brahman (the Absolute, or God) and atman (one's true self) were
proposed. There are 18 principal Upanishads viz:
Brhad-aranyaka Upanishad The Brhad-aranyaka Upanishad is widely accepted to be the most
important of all Upanishads. It has three khandas or parts. The madhu khanda contemplates on the
relationship between the individual and the Universal self. The muni khanda or yajnavalkya is a debate
which goes on to give the philosophical backing to the earlier teaching. The khila khanda tackles various
rituals of worship and meditation.
Chandogya Upanishad This Upanishad is a part of the Sama-Veda (see The Vedas). The name comes
from the singer of the songs (samans) who is called Chandoga. The initial chapters of the Upanishad,
discuss the ritual of sacrifice. The others debate the origin and profundity of the concept of Om, among
other things.
Aitareya Upanishad This one forms part of the Rig-Veda. The purpose is to make the reader understand
the deeper meaning of sacrifice and to take him away from the outer trappings of the actual act.
Taittriya Upanishad A part of the Yajur-Veda, this Upanishad is divided into three sections or vallis. The
siksa valli deals with the phonetics of the chants, while the others, brahmananda valli and bhrgu valli deal
with self-realization.
Isa Upanishad Also called the Isavasya Upanishad, this book deals with the union of God, the world,
being and becoming. The stress is on the Absolute in relation with the world (paramesvara). The gist of
the teachings is that a person's worldly and otherworldly goals need not necessarily be opposed to each
other.
Kena Upanishad The name of this Upanishad comes from the first word kena, or by whom. It has two
sections of prose and two of poetry. The verses deal with the supreme spirit or the absolute principle
(brahmaana) and the prose talks of ishvara (god). The moral of the story is that the knowledge of ishvara
reveals the way to self-realization.
Katha Upanishad Also called the Kathakopanishad, this Upanishad uses a story (katha) involving a
young Brahmin boy called Nachiketa to reveal the truths of this world and the other beyond the veil.
Prashna Upanishad Prashna literally means question, and this book is part of the Athrava-Veda. It
addresses questions pertaining to the ultimate cause, the power of Om, relation of the supreme to the
constituents of the world.
Mundaka Upanishad This book also belongs to the Atharva-Veda. The name is derived from 'mund' or to
shave, meaning that anyone who understands the Upanishads is s(h)aved from ignorance. This book
inscribes the importance of knowing the supreme brahmaana, only by which knowledge can one attain
self-realization.
Mandukya Upanishad The Mandukya is an exquisite treatise which expounds on the principle of Om and
its metaphysical significance in various states of being, waking, dream and the dreamless sleep. The
subtlest and most profound of the Upanishads, it is said that this alone will lead one to the path of
enlightenment.
Svetasvatara Upanishad The name of this Upanishad is after its teacher. It comments on the unity of the
souls and the world in one all-encompassing reality. The concept of there being one god is also talked
about here. It is dedicated to Rudra, the storm god.
Kausitaki Brahmana Upanishad The Upanishad has come down to us in bits here and pieces there.
The core of the text is dedicated to illustrating the fact that the path to release is through knowledge.
Maitri Upanishad This is a comparatively later Upanishad as it has references to the Trinity of Hindu
Gods (Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma) which is a later development, and plus references to the world being
illusory in character reflects Buddhist influence.

Subala Upanishad Belonging to the Yajur-Veda, this Upanishad puts down a dialogue between the sage
Subala and Brahma the creator of the Hindu Trinity of Gods. It discusses the universe and the absolute.
Jabala Upanishad Belonging to the Athrava-Veda this Upanishad addresses some questions pertaining
to renunciation.
Paingala Upanishad The Paingala is again a dialog, this between Yajnavalkya, the sage mentioned the
Brhad-aranyaka's muni khanda and Paingala, a student of his. It discusses meditation and its effects.
Kaivalya Upanishad This Upanishad delves into the state of kaivalya or being alone.
Vajrasucika Upanishad Belonging to the Sama-Veda the Vajrasucika reflects on the nature of the
supreme being.
The core of the teachings of the Upanishads is summed up in three words: tat tvam as you are that
The Puranas contain the essence of the Vedas. They were written to impress the teachings of the Vedas
onto the masses and to generate devotion to God in them. They have five characteristics: history,
cosmology (with symbolical illustrations of philosophical principles), secondary creation, genealogy of
kings, and Manvantaras (the period of Manu's rule consisting of 71 celestial yugas).
The Puranas were meant, not for the scholars, but for ordinary people who could not understand high
philosophy and could not study the Vedas. There is an emphasis on the worship of Brahma (the creator),
Vishnu (the preserver), Shiva (the destroyer), Surya (the Sun God), Ganesha (the elephant headed god
known to be the remover of obstructions ), and Shakti (the goddess). All the Puranas belong to the class
of Suhrit-Sammitas, or the Friendly Treatises, while the Vedas are called Prabhu-Sammitas or
Commanding Treatises with great authority. There are 18 Puranas : Brahma Purana, Padma Purana,
Vishnu Purana, Vayu Purana or Siva Purana, Bhagavata Purana, Narada Purana, Markandeya Purana,
Agni Purana, Bhavishya Purana, Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Linga Purana, Varaha Purana, Skanda
Purana, Vamana Purana, Kurma Purana, Matsya Purana, Garuda Purana and Brahmanda Purana.
Of these, six are Sattvic Puranas glorifying Vishnu; six are Rajasic, glorifying Brahma; six are Tamasic,
glorifying Siva. Vyasa, the son of Rishi Parasara, is said to be the author of them all.