DECODING INDIAN GENES, MIGRATING AND MIGRATING.

Decode Hindu GENE.

Genetics of the Wandering Indian

We have 99 % same genes as any other Human,

And 96 % same as a Chimpanzee..

Howz that for Perspective ;o)

Genes - The Storehouse of all our Information; the Heritage of our Ancestors; the Inheritance of our Future generations.

Since I started writing this blog, my endeavor has been to explore our rich ancient heritage utilizing as many different Scientific disciplines as I could. In the current post, I'm gonna use Genetics to help us understand the Genetic make-up of the various populations inhabiting India today and try to understand our origins.

Even though I won't go deep into mythology this time, yet the inspiration of this topic has been a verse from the Kurma Puraan - In Bharatavarsha women and men display diverse colors, worship various gods and perform many different duties. The full length of their lives is said to be a hundred years, and live their lives according to virtue or vice...

Ancient literature mentions many different races inhabiting this planet and Archaeological sites such as Bhimbetka Rock Caves testify to the presence of Homo sapiens in India by at least 80,000 BCE - much before they were documented anywhere else in the world (besides Africa of course).

Bhimbetka Caves, Madhya Pradesh, India

But WHEN and HOW did Early Man reach India from Africa?

We learnt in a previous post (Evolution in Dashavtar) how modern Human-beings evolved from Primate ancestors. The currently accepted scientific belief is that this development took place in the African continent from where Homo-sapiens started spreading outwards.

This Out of Africa migration theory states that beginning around 100,000-70,000 years BP (Before Present), Modern Humans started spreading to different parts of the globe replacing the earlier local hominids like Nenderthal Man and Homo erectus.

The study of Genetic markers shows us that irrespective of Region/Religion/Color and Caste, Indians are the closest to Africans, more than ANY other population in the World! This genetic relatedness sugests that India was the FIRST stop for human beings coming out of Africa!!

For me the significance lies in this understanding that modern Humans coming out of Africa, spread to the rest of the World via India!!

Thus, it was from the sub-continent that waves of people migrated to other parts of Europe, Asia, Australia, and even the Americas. Indeed MODERN Human-being had reached India at least by 80,000 years BP; Europe by 40,000 years BP; and the Americas just about 14,500 years ago.

Out of Africa Migration

For those who have a background in Biology, I'm sharing a tidbit of technical information. Most Genetic studies involve tracing two types of DNA - the Y-chromosome or Y-DNA and the Mitochondrial or mtDNA. While, Y-DNA is passed solely from a father to his sons, the mtDNA is passed from a mother to all her offspring.

Y-DNA mtDNA

Since mother's DNA is passed to ALL her children, it can be traced backwards by studying the chromosomal make-up of one's mothers' mother and so on right into the past until all lines converge on one person. Using this technique, Geneticists have actually been able to trace the First Maternal Ancestor of Mankind to Africa and call her the Mitochondrial Eve.

The Mother of Mankind traced to Africa

Scholars like Thangaraj et al.; Macauley et al have conducted series of studies on the Mt DNA of indigenous people of Malaysia and Andaman islands and these corroborate the notion that our African ancestors took a coastal route along the Indian Ocean around 65,000 BP to populate these regions.

According to Forster and Matsumura's assessment of the genetic evidence, ENTIRE continents of Asia, Europe, and the Americas were colonized by descendants of this initial group which perhaps included as little as four-five hundred women!

Coastal Route Out of Africa

According to a study conducted by Macauley et al in 2005, the entire landmass of Europe and Middle East was settled from an early offshoot of this migration that moved in once the Ice melted and climate in these regions improved. Another interesting study with a comprehensive analysis can be read here: {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC379225/}.

British Geneticist, Stephen Oppenheimer believes India to be the origin of all the Eurasian Eves and he claims that the ENTIRE populations of Central Asia, Middle East and Europe present today, have actually descended from four mtDNA lines that originated in the Indian sub-continent 50,000-100,000 years ago!!

Of course there were other populations coming out of Africa as well but presumably, we were the ONLY ones to survive and propagate throughout the WORLD. Another research regarding Haplogroup W also comes to the same conclusion as is evident from the Image below:

Spread of Haplogroup W from Africa to India to the World

The reason for that is quite eloquently expressed by the famous sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke in one of his bestsellers - In four great waves, with 200,000 years between their crests, the Ice Ages swept by, leaving their mark on the ENTIRE globe. Outside the tropics, cold glaciers slew those who had prematurely left their ancestral home; and everywhere they winnowed out the creatures who could not adapt.

Presumably, WE were the only ones who survived this 'winnowing' and were left with the responsibility to POPULATE the World!

DNA and Diversity

With this ancient DNA comes the ubiquitous DIVERSITY of our people.. Our scriptures record a plural society since time immemorial proving that we have always been a pot-pourri of different colors, cultures and appearances. However, such a situation also makes it really difficult to understand our Genetic relatedness.

Hence, 6 major laboratories with the help of Government of India, formed the Indian Genome Variation Consortium in order to undertake this Himalayan endeavor. IGVC preliminary results have revealed, that though India is a conglomerate of diverse ethnic lineages, they can still be clustered into broader groups of genetic homogeneity.

Different Morphological Races of India

The races differ in appearance but NOT in genetic parameters. Our present diversity evolved as waves of initial settlers moved both towards North as well as South of the country, all the time Intermixing and Migrating to OTHER countries.

Over the eons, Dravidian lineages have mixed with Indo-Europeans, Austro-Asiatics have mingled with Dravidians, and bridge populations in central India are blends of Dravidian, Indo-European and Tibeto-Burman groups. In fact, the tribal populations of our nation represent some of the genetically oldest surviving populations in the world..

Indian Diversity from North-East-West-South

The tribal populations of India

There have been numerous OTHER studies conducted on the same lines as well and let me share with you some examples:

Macrohaplogroup M, a cluster of Proto-Asian maternal lineages, represents more than 60% of Indian MtDNA. Now, observe the similarities for this Haplogroup found in different populations of the country:

M2 - Most common in Bengal and Tamil Nadu (East and South)

M3 - Rajasthan and Karnataka (West and South-west)

M6 - Kashmir and Assam (North and East)

M18 - Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh (West and South-central)

M25 - Punjab and Kerala!! (North and South)

The study has shown some Hindu caste groups to be genetically closer to Muslims in the same geographical region THAN to their own caste cousins elsewhere in India showing that our current RELIGIOUS differences are merely superficial and people in a specific region are more or less the same.

Genetically we all are the Same!

(Image courtesy Imagesbazaar.com)

Similar findings have been observed in communities residing at diametrically opposite ends of the Nation-

R6 - Most common in Kashmir and Tamil Nadu (North and South)

R1a1 - Punjab and Bengal (North and East)

R2 - Bengal, U. P. and Andhra Pradesh (East, North-central and South-east)

U2a - Punjab and Karnataka (North and South-west)

U2b - Uttar Pradesh and Kerala (North-central and South)

U7 - Punjab and Gujarat (North and West)

The analysis presents startling findings like the similarities between Kashmiri and Tamil populations!! More details can be obtained from the following link {Genetics_and_archaeogenetics_of_South_Asia}.

Same same yet different :)

(Image courtesy Imagesbazaar.com)

The Genetic map, thus obtained, shows a remarkable amount of heterogeneity within different Indian groups while bringing out even more remarkable RELATEDNESS between groups till now considered to be at the opposite ends of the spectrum. The differences in our appearance are broadly a result of the ADAPTATION to local weather conditions over thousands of years.

Survival of the Fittest

Mankind first developed in Africa, therefore, the first modern humans had large number of pigment producing cells called Melanocytes and thus had darker skin.

People living in the tropics, directly under the Sun, produce increased quantities of Melanin in their bodies to shield them from the harmful UV rays. Thus, their darker color is a PROTECTIVE mechanism of the body to prevent the incidence of Skin Cancer due to prolonged exposure to Sunlight!!

Dark-skinned populations have greater protection against other health problems related to exposure to strong Solar Radiation, including the Degradation of Vitamins such as Riboflavins, Carotenoids, Folic Acid etc. Melanin in the Eyes is also protective and people with Gray, Blue and Green eyes are in fact at a HIGHER risk of developing sun-related Ocular problems.

Ultraviolet B radiation produces Vitamin D but can also destroy Folate that is essential for babies growing in the womb. Dark skin protects from folate destruction allowing normal reproduction and since the UV levels are high year round, there is still enough for the body to produce Vitamin D!

The Natural Selection Hypothesis suggests that lighter skin color evolved to optimize Vitamin D production in extreme northern and southern latitudes. Gradually, as we started moving out of Africa, some groups migrated and settled into cooler climates of Asia and Europe, and the selectivity for Melanin production decreased and mutations appeared, making the skin tone lighter. North or South of 46 degrees latitude, the dark-skin could not produce enough Vitamin D while light-skin could hence it thrived!

Indian skin color varies from Dark to Fair and everything inbetween

The Genetic variations of Mc1r and SLC24A5 have been shown to be most common among pale-skinned populations. Similarly, tanning evolved so tht when UV - B radiation increases in early spring, the skin gradually darkens and keeps getting darker over the summer. During the winter, as UV radiation wanes, so does the tan allowing appropriate protection against folate destruction yet providing sufficient Vitamin D production.. S

Over thousands of years, these traits became incorporated in our Genes and successive generations are now born with the same color and features as acquired by their parents. Another example of such adaptation is the smaller extremities observed in the Mountain-dwelling races. This adaptation is summed up in Allen's Law of Genetics which states that the protruding parts of a warm-blooded animal's body (such as the tail, ears, and limbs), are SHORTER in animals of same species from colder regions.

In other words, people living in COOLER areas have smaller bodies and flatter features to conserve the precious body heat compared to those living in WARMER climates. The same is quite evident in the populations dwelling in our Himalayan states.

Mountain dwellers show Allen's rule of Genetics

This doesn't make one race SUPERIOR to the other in any way except for the ability to SURVIVE in a particular environment!! All our apparent differences are Nature's GIFTS to ensure survival in the respective climates we are born in and do NOT in any way make us different from each other from inside.

The Racial and Ethnic discrimination prevalent in the world is based on such superficial issues that our future generations will laugh at us one day. The hatred being promoted world over today is as detrimental to Humanity as the Nuclear arms race was in the previous decade and the sooner we realize that, the better it is for us.

We are the World

The takeaway from this entire discussion seems to me to be two-pronged -

ONE, of course, is that all the different so called 'races' are extensions of the SAME Species and reflect nature's way to mold us into different shapes just as a potter creates different works of art on his wheel.

SECOND and more pertinent for this blog is that We, INDIANS are Genetically, the OLDEST human inhabitants of this planet outside of Africa. All non-African populations have Descended from Us and not only culturally, even demographically India is the Cradle of Civilization for the Entire World!

Jai Ho India!

For those who still put faith in the old and outdated 'Aryan Invasion' theory and try to divide the country on racial basis, plzz know your roots before promoting political differences between the people of this nation. Even if the Aryans came from outside India, their arrival would just be a second HOMECOMING and not an INVASION by an alien race!

I conclude this post sharing the poem Bharat-tirtha written by the Nobel Laureate, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore which beautifully defines the Unity in Diversity of our ancient land:

Oh! Mother, Let me be blessed on the sacred shore of the Sea,

Where the World has gathered to pay reverence to Thee,

With outstretched hands we bow to Divinity,

With Supreme felicity Mother, We worship Thee..

No-one knows who invoked them all,

Who have gathered like currents of mighty rivers,

That dissolve themselves in the Divine Ocean,

Where Aryas-Dravids-Mongols-Pathans detach their Individuality.

Where our heart-strings play an endless tune of Omkar,

In search of the Supreme, we've penanced for ages,

And oblated our Ego, in the Holy fire,

Throwing away differences, We emerge into Universality.

Come Aryas, Non-Aryas; Hindus and Muslims,

Come Englishmen; Come Christians and Buddhists,

Purify your hearts, Hold hands of the Out-castes.

For the Coronation of our Mother, by this sacred shore of the Sea.

.

Aum Shanti: Shanti: Shanti:

 

 

FINDING MOUNTAIN MERU? IS IT NEAR NORTH POLE OR OUTSIDE EARTH REPRESENTED BY GRAVITY FORCE(NOT REAL STRUCTURE)

May Indra, whose hands Thunder wield,
Be in the East thy guard and shield;
May Yama's care the South befriend,
And Varun's arm the West defend;
And let Kuvera, the Lord of gold,
The North with firm protection hold!

The above prayer is for the Four Guardians of Mount Meru - the Holiest mountain in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain cosmologies and Indian equivalent of the Greek Mount Olympus. Meru is believed to be the abode of Gods and with Christmas in the air, I'm gonna try and find out its location as well as connection with the legend of Santa Claus.

Mount Meru/Olympus

The Kurma Puraan states that-

Jambudvipa lies in the middle of all Mortal Realms and in its center is the lofty Mt. Meru, bright as gold. Its height is 84,000 yojanas, and it extends 16,000 yojanas below the earth; its width at the top is 32,000 and at the base is 16,000 yojanas.

Most other ancient scriptures also describe Meru as a colossal mountain with staggering dimensions; situated bang in the middle of the planet; inversely coned; expanding upwards; stretching beyond the skies at one end; and penetrating deep into the bowels of Earth at the other.

Mount Meru jutting out of Earth's surface

The ancient Hindu astronomical text known as the Suryasiddhant, locates Meru at the 'Navel of the Earth' and describes it as 'Passing through middle of the earth-globe, and protruding on either side'. Further ahead, it mentions a Meru in the middle of Earth, a Sumeru at the North Pole and a Kumeru at the South pole (which may lead us to believe that this structure stretches from pole-to-pole)!

Tibetan Buddhism regards Meru as the Center of the Universe and believes it to be beyond the physical plane, in a realm of perfection and transcendence. Symbolic representations of Meru are frequently found in Tibetan and Bhutanese mandalas designed to aid in meditation.

Meru from a Buddhist Thanka with Brahma seated on top

Another ancient Sanskrit text, the Narpatijayacharya mentions Sumeru as being present in the middle of the Earth, but not seen there.

Interestingly, on my not-so-distant trip to AFRICA, I happened to come across a Mount Meru in Tanzania, which roughly corresponds to the geographic Center of the Earth. The Mountain is even worshipped by the local tribes as an abode of Gods!!

In the neighbouring country Kenya, we also find a town with the same name. Relation of these places in East Africa to the Meru from our Hindu texts is not clear, however it may very well be a remnant of the common legends of Humanity from early times when entire globe was a single continent Jambudveep (Details in a subsequent post).

Ancient scriptures describe Meru as the Central Pivot of the Universe, sort of like an Axis mundi, and claim that the ENTIRE COSMOS revolves around it, with the Sun, Moon and Stars paying obeisance while circum-ambulating the Holy Mountain.

Mount Meru as per the Jain Agams

So what exactly is Meru then?

Many scholars, presuming Meru to be a mountain, argue for the mountains of Kashmir or Pamirs as its location. But no mountain on the face of Earth can grow to such monstrous proportions as well as fit the vivid descriptions of the scriptures.

Is Meru really a mountain or a reference to one of the legendary Pillars of Heaven? Is it located at the Pole or at the Center of the Earth?? For that matter, is it even a physical structure or just a POETIC allegory for something else???

I had my mind twisted around this question for a long time and had to comb through a lot of material to get some sense out of the descriptions.. After a thoroughly challenging (though invigorating) analysis of various scriptural sources, I am now inclined to believe, that Meru does NOT refer to a mountain at all but instead is an allegory for the Earth's Axis of Rotation!!

Meru as Earth's Axis

Just as described in the 'Legend of Meru', Earth's Axis extends THROUGH both ends of the Globe (Sumeru-Meru-Kumeru); is NOT visible to the naked eye (beyond the Physical plain), protrudes at the POLAR regions (covers North Pole and South Pole), and from the perspective of a man standing at the Pole, the entire cosmos quite literally revolves around it as well!!

Thinking logically, either of the TWO poles could then be the right location.. However, Vārāh Mihir, the most famous Indian astronomer from ancient times, identified North Pole as the location of Meru in his celebrated work Panch-siddhāntikā.

I will give you more references clinching the Northern location, but for now, if we accept the Polar location and combine it with the description as the 'Abode of Gods', it would imply, that - North Pole is also the location of HEAVEN!!

God's City at the North Pole

Surprised??? Don't be.. at least half a dozen World Mythologies locate their sacred lands at the North Pole!

• Japanese and Chinese Mythologies describe the Palaces of their Gods directly below the Pole Star and at the same time in the middle of the Earth (just like Meru). They talk of Meru as SHUMISEN and believe it connects the three realms of Heaven, Earth and Hell.
• Norse myths place their 'Land of Immortality' at the North Pole and their legends talk about a World Tree called YGGDRASIL that connects Heaven, Earth and Hell just like Meru.
• Greeks believed in a fabled perfect land which they called HYPERBOREA (above the North-wind), where the sun shines twenty-four hours a day, indicating a location within the Arctic Circle.
• Lettish tales describe many dawns in their Heaven, a phenomenon observed only at the Poles.
• Celtic Mythology talks of a Heaven with more than 6 months of continuous winter again suggesting a polar location.

Closer home, the Zoroastrian Avesta revered by the Persians (Parsis), mentions the Aryanam Vaijah the ancient land of Aryans as the Best-of-all-places and situated up in the North, above the other six world zones. At the beginning of the current age, the god Ahura Mazda warned of an impending fierce winter (Ice Age?!?) and advised its denizens to migrate to other locations.

Is it just me or is someone else thinking of the North Pole as well ;o)

The Denizens of Meru

The belief in the divinity of Meru was so much ingrained in the ancient minds that it was given architectural form as well. Today, this is evident in the construction of all Hindu, Buddhist and Jain temples that mirror the towering spikes of Meru.

Hindu Temples at Cambodia reflecting the Towers of Meru

Sumeru and its surroundings are home not just of deities, but also other beings of popular mythology who rarely intrude on the human world.

• Above Meru is Brahmalok or the 'Abode of Brahma' and on its various levels are present various other demi-gods.
• The Highest Physical Heaven, Trāyastriṃśa or the 'Abode of 33 Devas', lies on its peak and is the dwelling place of Indra, the Lord of Demi-gods.
• The Chaturmahārājikāyika or the 'Four-Guardians-of-Directions' (mentioned in the prayer in the beginning), live on its slopes.
• Below them, is the dwelling space of other magical species such as the Apsaras, Gandharvs, Nagas, Yakshas, Siddhas, Vidyadhars and the Kumbhandas.
• Below all these, in and around the ocean, at the base of Meru, dwell the Asuras.

Since Tavatimsa Heaven is physically connected to the world through Sumeru, the demi-gods are unable to avoid getting entangled in worldly affairs. They frequently find themselves in quarrels with the Asuras, who were expelled by the present Indra and hence, keep plotting for ways to recover their lost kingdom.

This conflict is very similar to that observed in Greek Mythology between the Titans and the Olympians.

Indra and other divinities on top of Meru

However, for me, it was difficult to envision the Arctic frigidness of North Pole supporting the 'Heaven' of our ancients..

The Arctic region today, comprises of kilometers thick sheets of Ice spread for miles together, with hardly any land or vegetation on it.. But, what if the North Pole, at some time in its history, did support land as well as vegetation???

My research, turned up evidence that North Pole INDEED boasted of a continent right until the Miocene Period which however, got submerged during the subsequent Ice-Ages (!!). According to latest geological evidence, the last Glacial period closed about 10,000 years ago and the geographical distribution of land then, was radically DIFFERENT from what it is at present..

Pre-glacial coastline of the West coast of USA

This land supported a temperate climate, extremely conducive for the sustenance of various species of plants and animals and of course Humans and semi-divine beings. In fact, in the early geological ages, the high mountains of Alps were low, the Himalayas had not yet heaved, and an equable climate had prevailed over the ENTIRE globe!

The onset of Ice-Age destroyed this genial climate and rendered polar regions unsuitable for habitation of tropical plants and animals.

Temperate climate of North Pole before the Ice-Age

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The same conclusion was arrived at by the late Indian Historian and Freedom-fighter, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

In his phenomenal work titled, 'The Arctic Home of the Vedas', written in late 1800s, Lokmanya Tilak gives an extremely detailed as well as convincing account based on the literary evidence of various Shlokas from Rig Veda and the Zoroastrian Avesta that point to an Arctic Home of the ancient Aryans!!!

Lokmanya Tilak's Masterpiece

The book places the original home of Aryans at the North Pole, from which they had to emigrate due to the Ice deluge 10,000 years ago!!

Around 8000 BCE, the age of migration from the original home began when the survivors roamed over the northern parts of Europe and Asia in search of lands suitable for new settlements. If we accept this scenario, we can easily understand the legends of Noah and Manu, the progenitors of mankind in this current age. {For more on Manu, the First Man, check out the post - Creation by Brahma}.

Ancient Map of the North Pole

In my quest for knowing everything possible about Mount Meru and the North Pole, I stumbled upon yet ANOTHER startling find..

Gerardus Mercator, a Belgian Geographer and Cartographer, had prepared a 'Map of the Arctic' in 1569 which actually shows a continent at the North Pole with a mountain in its center!!

Mercator's Map of the North Pole

Compare the map with this interesting detail from Vishnu Puraan -

"The Akash Ganga, flowing from the feet of Vishnu, falls around the city of Brahma, on top of Meru. O twice-born ones, she then subdivides into FOUR rivers, dividing the land into FOUR continents.."

Is it another one of those incredible co-incidences that keep cropping up in my research or was the Map of Mercator actually based on the descriptions of Meru???

Mercator couldn't have had direct access to the descriptions as the Puranas weren't even translated from Sanskrit till that time. Probably the Legend of Meru was prevalent in some of the Pagan religions of Europe before the Church became more rigid in its approach.

Mercator, in a letter to a friend, mentions a gentleman responsible for passing him the information for this map, but stops short of naming him. I'm sharing the magnified version for all to appreciate the similarities again..

North Pole according to Mercator

For me, the most interesting part is the CENTRAL mountain which may very well represent our own Meru and the FOUR rivers running outwards from it which fit the description from Vishnu Puraan. I find the similarity quite intriguing and would like to believe that Early Europeans were more accepting of other religions' beliefs than those from the 'Witch-hunting' eras.

The Christmas Conundrum

With Christmas fast approaching, another CRAZZZZY thought has come to my INSAAANE mind!

Could it be, that Mount Meru, with its mystical significance, North Pole location, and Inexhaustible riches, was also the ORIGINAL inspiration for the legend of SANTA CLAUS!!??!!

Since around early 1800s, the tradition of Santa Claus has been prevalent in the Western World and North Pole is considered to be his fabled home where he dwells with his magical Elves. Santa is typically depicted as a pot-bellied, bearded, jovial benefactor accompanied by polar animals like Rudolph the reindeer.

Santa with his Polar companions

However, both the location and the description, bring to my mind, the legend of KUBER, the Hindu Lord-of-Riches and the Guardian-of-the-North-Pole!!

Just like Santa, Kuber is traditionally shown as a fair-complexioned, bearded, pot-bellied man with abundant wealth that he shares only with the deserving.. Like Santa again, he is accompanied by magical beings called Yakshas and is considered the Lord of mythical animals and semi-divine beings!

The reference to anthropomorphic forms could easily cover the POLAR fauna as animals like reindeer, Polar bears, Seals etc. are not found in other parts of the world and may actually seem mythical to a person seeing them for the first time!!

Kuber, the Lord of North Pole

In the Vishnudharmottara Purana, Kuber is described as Dhanadhipati or the Lord-of-Wealth and Dhanada or the Giver-of-Wealth. Buddhist and Jain mythologies also know him as Vaishravan and Panchanubhuti.

Ramayan states that Lord Brahma, pleased with Kuber's penance, conferred upon him the riches of the world; inclusion into the Deva Pantheon; and the famous flying chariot known as Pushpak Viman. Kuber then ruled in the golden isle of Lanka (which BTW is the cut top of Mount Meru!) till his step-brother Ravan defeated him and overtook all his riches..

The mention of the flying chariot Pushpak Viman is again interesting as Santa also travels on a flying sleigh!

Santa's sleigh or Pushpak Viman??

Whatever the relationship between these ancient legends, I believe the similarities deserve MORE than a passing thought. The mysteries of Meru are not easy to unfold, yet, I have tried my best to clear some cobwebs from this topic, and I hope I was able to present to my readers something new and thought-provoking..

For now, let us enjoy the CHRISTMAS revelry and stuff ourselves silly with puddings and cakes, awaiting the beginning of a New Year.. May the Heavenly Glow of Meru and the Northern Lights, keep us all warm in the coming winters :o)

Merry Christmas and a Prosperous 2012 from Santa/Kuber

I wish you all a very Happy upcoming New Year and conclude this post with a Christmas poem remembering the magical city at the North Pole which somehow seems quite fitting here-

Follow the North, as far as it will go,

To a city built on the Earth’s pole,

A chilly city with frost that bites,

It glitters in snow, day and night.

Gingerbread houses, peppermint trees,

Cotton candy clouds and symphonies,

Rat-a-tat-tat with lollipop sticks,

Rooty-toot-toot horns and puckered lips.

Into a garden of Love and Peace,

Where Time began and will never cease,

God’s heavenly kingdom of endless Joy,

Better than even the City of Troy.

This night is blessed for children of Peace,

For Love, Family, Angels and Trees,

For Hope for Nations; For You and for Me,

For North is further, than our eyes can see!

OLD AND NEW BHARAT

India vs. Bharat

BHARAT

The Land of a Million Contradictions,

The Land of a Billion representatives of Humanity,

The Land of the Oldest Existing Civilization on the Planet!

What is it about this land that fills one with a sense of Enigma??? The very name conjures up vivid images of contrasting Geographies and colorful Traditions..

The Sub-continent where some of the Greatest religions of the World originated,

The Nation which created History by attaining Freedom through Non-Violent means,

The Economy which is the 4th largest in the world in terms of Purchasing Power Parity,

The Land supporting a Multi-lingual, Multi-ethnic, Multi-cultural and yet Functional Democracy!

Home to over a billion people, India is where people live with variety, thrive on diversity and are too familiar with largeness of it all to let it boggle them..

Incredible India!

As the Sun God Surya enters Northern Hemisphere (Uttarayan) today, it Inspires us all to move away from darkness and towards light. In different parts of the country, we are celebrating Lohri/Makar Sankrant/Pongal and Bihu -One festival, many names- Just like our nation..

In a previous post, (Genetics of the Wandering Indian), I talked about the morphological distinctness of Indians hiding Genetically identical constitutions. The same plurality has been preserved in the variety of names that we posess and I am suddenly inclined to explore the history behind them..

Naming a Nation

Our country has two official names - India and Bharat. The Persians and Arabs used yet another name for the country - Hindustan/Al Hind and since Persian has played a big part in the development of our National language Hindi, the term Hindustan is also used in common parlance today.

Both Hindustan and India however, are derived from the name of the river Indus which marked the Western boundary of India for travelers. Indus again is derived from the Sanskrit name Sindhu and both the terms have been in use since at least 5th century BC. However, these are the names given to us by travelers and traders.. What did the indigenous people of ancient India refer to their country as??

India/Bharat/Hindustan/Al Hind

I was fascinated by this question and tried to look into all the scriptural data I could lay my paws on. NOT surprisingly, I found plurality here as well :o)

The Indus-Saraswati people extended in the West from Afghanistan-Pakistan border right upto Yamuna in the East and Gujarat in the South. This region, especially the land between Saraswati and Ganga rivers was known as Aryavarta or the Land-of-the-Noble.

The Mesopotamians with whom ancient Indians ahd extensive trade relations, referred to this region as Meluha. The same name has been popularized by one of my favorite authors Amish Tripathi in his best-seller - 'The Immortals of Meluha'. But again, this was an apellation for a particular region of the country and not the entire Indian sub-continent..

Aryavarta/Meluha/Northern India

Delving further into the research, I quite literaly stumbled onto an ancient ruler, Emperor Agnidhra, the son of the FIRST MAN - Swayambhu Manu who is believed to have ruled over the ENTIRE globe, then known as the Jambu-dweep.{For more details, click on this link - Jambudweep - The Global Island}

While retiring, Agnidhra divided his kingdom (aka the entire planet) into 9 Continents or Divisions handing them over to his 9 sons to rule. Thus, the peninsular stretch spreading from Himalayas to the Ocean, came under the supervision of his eldest son Nabhi, thereby giving us the oldest appellation of our land - the NABHI-VARSHA.

As most of you would know, the term Nabhi refers to the 'Navel' in Sanskrit and thus Nabhi-varsha could easily be translated as the 'Central Region'. Interestingly, the Japanese name for India was Tenjiku. Tian, the root word, means "Heaven", while, jiku, means: "The center of", translating it to "The Heavenly Center of the World".

Nabhi Varsha/Tenjiku/Navel of the World

So I managed to find the oldest name of our sub-continent as per the scriptures. But then, I wondered, where and how did the name BHARAT come from??

India and BhArat

According to at least half a dozen different scriptures, our country is called BhArat as a mark of respect to the legendary Emperor, Chakravarti Raja Bharat.

This fact has been attested by the Vishnu Puran (2,1,31), Vayu Puran (33,52), Ling Puran (1,47,23), Brahmand Puran (14,5,62), Agni Puran ( 107,11-12), Skanda Puran (37,57) and Markandeya Puran (50,41)!! For example, Vishnu Puraan states-

उत्तरं यत्समुद्रस्य हिमाद्रेश्चैव दक्षिणम् ।
वर्षं तद् भारतं नाम भारती यत्र संततिः ।।

The country lying North of the Ocean and South of the snowy mountains is called Bhārat; There dwell the descendants of Bharat.

BhArat Varsha extending from Himalayas to the Ocean

Now, there are again TWO very interesting stories about this ONE name and I'm gonna share both of them with you today..

The Legends of Bharat

The FIRST legend begins with Emperor Nabhi, the grandson of Manu, whom we encountered above.

Emperor Nabhi, First ruler of the Indian sub-continent

According to Hindu as well as Jain scriptures, Nabhi-dev was married to Meru-devi, the daughter of Indra, and their eldest son was the Saint-King Rishabh Dev.

Now, RISHABH Dev was the first Tirthankar according to the Jain tradition and I should mention here that Srimad Bhāgavatam also counts Him as 8th of the 24 Incarnations of Lord Vishnu. According to the Bhagavatam, He was born to show the people of this world the path of salvation. It was He who laid down the foundations of Civilization and advised people to follow the path of spiritual bliss, instead of indulging in a life of worldly pleasures and enjoyment.

Adinath Rishabdev

Now, Rishabh Dev had many sons, and the eldest two from his two wives were Bharat and Bahubali. The two sons were competing for the illusive title of Chakravarti (Emperor-of-Entire-World) but Bharat was the natural winner and as per the scriptures, it is THIS Bharat after whom our country is named.

In Hymns 2.1.31 and 2.1.32, the Vishnu Puraan states-

Rishabh was born to Merudevi, Bharat was born to Rishabh,

Bharatvarsha was named from Bharat, and Sumati arose from Bharat. [2.1.31]

This country is known as Bharatavarsha,

Since the time the father entrusted the Kingdom to the son,

And himself went to the forest for ascetic practices. [2.1.32]

Talking of Ascetic Practises, it has been observed, that a lot of Indus-Saraswati Civilization seals and figurines depict Yogic postures on them, which BTW highlights the continuity of Yogic practice in India since at least 5000 years ago.

Yogic postures in Indus-Saraswati figurines

Three-faced Pashupatinath seal

There are certain seals that depict the Yogic position called Kayotsarga, traditionally described in connection with the penance of Rishabh-dev. It may very well be that the seals record the histories of Jain Tirthankars as much as the Hindu Gods as ultimately both belong to the same Spiritual Tradition!!

The Second Legend of Bharat

The SECOND legend of Bharat, brings us into more familiar territory, probably due to the wider reach and popularity of the Epic containing it, the Mahabharat.

The story begins with Rishi Vishwamitra, one of the Seven Great Seers of Hindu Mythology. The rishis's penance worried Indra sufficiently enough to make him send Menaka, the most beautiful Apsara in heaven, to distract the sage.

The result of their dalliance was Shakuntala who got married to King Dushyant of the ruling Lunar Dynasty. Their story is the stuff of a typical Bollywood movie and has been immortalized in Sanskrit in Kalidasa's poetic rendition and in art by one of the most celebrated Indian artists Raja Ravi Varma.

Shakuntala by Raja Ravi Varma

Dushyant and Shakuntala's son was called Sarvadaman, the subduer-of-all by the caretakers in the ashram where he grew up. Even as a kid, he would play with lions and other ferocious animals of the jungle!

By the time he grew up, he could subjugate lions and tigers with his bare hands, a feat which is remarkable and is mentioned MORE than once in various scriptures. Nevertheless, this subduing child of Shakuntala was later renamed Bharat as he was 'cherished by all' in his father's kingdom.

Shakuntala introduces Bharat to Dushyant

Interestingly, there's again an Indus-Saraswati Seal that matches the description of Bharat subduing two tigers with his bare hands! The scene may or may not refer to Shakuntala's son, but its iconography is certainly suggestive..

Indus Valley Seal probably depicting Bharat

I firmly believe that these seals when deciphered, would be an extremely valuable and AUTHENTIC source of our ancient History!!

Bharat grew up to be a great warrior and a Chakravarti Raja who conquered and united the entire continent of India again, spreading right from the Ocean to the Himalayas, thus giving the country his name.

Chakravarti Raja Bharat

Image courtesy Grant Morrison's 18 Days

{Art by Mukesh Singh}

This appellation for the country was well noted in the ancient world as well. From the perspective of the Malaysians, Indians were the most common visitors from the West, therefore the word Barat was absorbed into Malay language meaning "West".

For the Middle Eastern traders, particularly Arabs and Turks, spices were the most common materials coming from the East. Therefore, some scholars believe, the term Bharat was borrowed first into Arabic as Baharāt (meaning - spices); and then into the Turkish as Baharat with the same meaning.

It is fortunate that the two BHARATs of our History who gave their name to the Nation were called the same, otherwise one of them could have quite easily been forgotten like the Emperor Nabhi!! We should therefore understand BhArat to mean not just the 'Land-of-Bharat' but the 'Land-of-BharatS' instead ;o)

BhAratvarsha, the Land of Bharats

I have heard from various people the view that we Indians have always been fighting with each other and it was the British who actually turned us into a NATION! To the supporters of this belief, I would urge to read their scriptures and understand their own heritage.

There is no Future for any nation, if we do not remember our Past. I hope I was able to share with you some interesting facts about our Origin as a Country and I guess should conclude here with one of the most optimistic poems ever by Gurudev Rabindranath Thakur-

Where the Mind is without Fear,
And the Head is held High,

Where Knowledge is Free,
Where the World has not been broken into fragments
by narrow domestic walls;

Where words come out from the depth of Truth,

Where tireless striving stretches its arms
towards Perfection;

Where the clear stream of Reason has not lost its Way
into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by Thee,
into ever-widening Thought and Action,
Into that Heaven of freedom,
My Father,
Let my Country awake.

Vande Mataram!

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Aum Shanti: Shanti: Shanti:
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