37 Nats

WRITTEN BY LONDON SWAMINATHAN

Post No. 12,338

Date uploaded in London – –  28 July , 2023                  

Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com

Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.

this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.

tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com

https://www.pustaka.co.in/home/author/london-swaminathan

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There is a big hidden history of Buma/Myanmar that many people do not know. No one has done a proper research about the Pre Buddhist Burma. Like Sri Lankan Buddhists obliterated Hindu History of Lanka, Burmese Buddhists also did it. Now Si Lanka government is encouraging and sponsoring Ramayana tourism by showing all the hidden gems. Thank God Buddhists could not change the Sanskrit names and Rama names found throughout Burma/Myanmar.

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Five amazing things about South East Asia are

1.Names of kings with VARMAN suffix are in all the countries. Even inside the thick tropical forest of Borneo , fourth century CE Mula Varman Inscription with Yupa Pillar was discovered. Burmese also had Hindu kings with VARMAN suffix like Pallavas, in the Pre Buddhist period.

2.Hindu Gods are found in all the countries. Not only Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, but also Durga and Rama and Krishna.

3.Sanskrit inscriptions are found in all the countries. Even other language inscriptions contain Sanskrit words. In Burma even Mon and Tamil inscriptions have Sanskrit sentences.

4.The script of all languages in S E Asia has evolved from Brahmi, like Tamil. But it has gone to S E Asia via Pallava Grantha.

5.Influence of Ramayana, Mahabharata, Manu Smriti and Brahmins is seen in all the countries.

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Did the name MYANMAR  come from Bamar or Brahma?

Bamar’s etymology is not known. But Brahma is written as byamma and we know B=M change is universal; like Bombay becomes Mumbai, Byamma became Myanma.

But this is not the only proof. Let us look at Pre Buddhist Burma.

Hindus went into Burma in second century CE. That is also an amazing factor. At the same time Sri Maran (Pandyan) inscription is found in Vietnam (Champa); within 200 years Mulavarman inscription is found deep inside Borneo island of Indonesia. According to known history of Burma, Buddhism prevailed only from sixth century CE.

Pyu and Mon were old races that lived in the country. Pyu are completely absorbed into Burmese society, and we don’t find them separately. Mons are called Talaings. Great scholars like R C Majumdhar say they were from Telugu speaking Telengana of South India. Kanchi Paramacharaya (1894-1994) also lectured about Dhillon migration to North. Telengana, Dhillon, Talaing are all derived from Tri Linga Kshetra.

Authorities like R C Majumdar did not guess but shown reasons for his hypothesis. Architecture , script, Varman names are from South India. Another Hindu migration was known from Manipur area to Arkan area of Burma.

There was one dynasty called Vikrama Dynasty whose kings were Hindus. One of the earliest finds is gold plates with Pali inscriptions ( from Maungan near Hmawza) and the script is like Kadamba script of South India of fifth century CE.

Statues or idols of all Hindu Gods are discovered in all parts of Burma, particularly from ancient capitals of Burma.

Burmese city Sri Kshetra got its name from Puri of Orissa. Burmese city Pegu’s old name was Ussaa, derived from Odisah.

The old name for Mon Kingdom of Thaton is RAMANNAA DESA.

The script of the oldest inscription in Mon on a pillar found at Lava Puri (Lobburi in Thailand). It is similar to Pallava script. It shows Mon’s connection with Rama’s son name Lava.

The Burmese chroniclers declare that Taung was founded by one Hindu prince ABHIRAJA in the ninth century BCE. Such an ancient date is correct or not is debatable; but Burmese gave very old dates for Indian influence. The Date about Buddha’s birth and death is also very different from other countries. In Sri Lanka 483 BCE is the date of  Nirvana (death); but ib Burma it was 544 BCE. In Tibet it was 835 BCE and in China it was 1793or 1807 BCE.

Sri Lankan Dipa vamsa says that Asoka’s missionaries Sona and Uttara spread Buddhism in Burma; but no trace is found there. Burmese inscriptions and history show Buddhism was there from sixth century CE only. There is a big gap of 800 to 900 years.

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Burmese law books Dharma sastras (Dhammathat in Burmese) shows the influence of Manu Smiti

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Brahmins Role

Direct Hindu influence can be seen in another field also. The court astrologers and sooth sayers were Brahmins and they were called Ponna. They were mostly from Manipur of India.

A pagan inscription dated 1442 mentioned the gift of 295 books of which several have Sanskrit titles. Festival of Ploughing was performed by Ponna with Hindu rituals.

One inscription gives in great detail  the coronation ceremony of a king. It describes how Brahmins prepared holy water in Purna Kumbhas of gold and silver. It was an inscription from a later period; that means Brahmins were there from very ancient period till at least 15^th century

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Worship of Nats

Burmese believe in Nats called spirits of various kinds. It is similar to Brahmarakshas, apsaras , Pitrus of Hinduism . Sangam Tamil literature also has a long list of spirits. They were 1)nature spirits occupying trees, rivers , mountains; 2) spirits of dead ancestors and ghosts 3).Of the 37 Nats, Cakra (Indra) is one of them. Mara and Brahma ( Maan and Byamma) are also recognised among the 37 Nats.

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In the second part I will give details about Ramayana and Vikrama Dynasty

To be continued…………………..

 tags- Hindu , influence, Burma, Myanmar, Varman, Nats, Script, Pre Buddhist, History