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NAVARATRI IN JAPAN AND GREECE

 

 

Picture: Kolu at Raji Vijayakumar’s residence, United Kingdom

By London swaminathan

Nava Ratri, literally NINE NIGHTS, is the most popular festival among South Indian Hindu women. It is equally famous in Bengal where the last day of Nava Ratri is celebrated as Durga Puja. Dasara, literally ten day, is the biggest show in Karnataka.

Festivals similar to Navaratri were celebrated in different parts of the world including Japan, Rome and Greece. Indian temples are great centres of Arts. They were doing what Opera Houses are doing today in Sydney, London, Paris and New York. Even today South Indian Temples organise big music concerts and dance performances during Navaratri festival. Hindu women throng to temples during nine nights to see the illumination and decorations of temple idols.

 

In Tamil Nadu, Nava Ratri is a Toy and Doll Festival. They arrange toys in steps made up of wooden boxes or steps (look at the picture).

Doll Festival in Japan

Japanese celebrate a Doll Festival like Hindu Navaratri. It is celebrated every year on 3rd March as Girl’s Day. Navaratri is celebrated as Girl’s Day In India too. Young girls who are called Kanyas receive special box or bag full of Tilak/Kumkum, Turmeric powder, Mirror, Comb, jewels etc. with fresh coconut, betel leaves, fruits and flowers. Girls are treated as representative of Goddess. Girls come dressed in their new clothes.

In Japan they arrange dolls like Hindus arrange clay toys, dolls and other items. Japanese spread a red cloth on the steps and arrange the dolls. This festival is called Hina Matsuri (Girl’s Day). In India, the dolls represent mythological characters, shop owner (Chettiyar/shresti/Bania)with his saleable items, kings, national leaders, saints, musicians and ordinary men. In Japan they arrange the dolls of emperor, empress, servants and musicians.

 

Japanese have been celebrating this for over one thousand years. Indians have been celebrating it from time immemorial. Japanese started this as river festival of floating reed toys. Then they changed it to arranging dolls at home. It started after the spread of Buddhism. India might have influenced them in this matter. Japanese celebrate it for health and happiness of the girls. They also make special snacks like Hindus. They also invite friends to their houses and give them food.

In short we see amazing similarities in three things: 1) Arranging dolls on steps 2) Celebrating as girl’s/women’s day 3) Inviting girls home and giving them special food and gifts.

Hindus see God in everything, whether it is music or dance or drawing (Rangoli,Henna) or Food (Prasad. So Hindu Navaratri is more of a religious festival where as Japanese and Greek celebrations are more of secular things.

 

Nine Muses in Greece

Greeks have also chosen Goddesses for the arts and poetry like Hindus.

The Muses are the nine goddesses of the arts, history and astronomy in Greece. The muses were not highlighted in mythologies, but writers and poets invoke them like Hindus before writing a book or performing dance and music. They are the source of inspiration for them like Goddess of Knowledge Saraswati or Goddess of wisdom, Ganesh.

Muses were among the retinue of the god Apollo, the patron of music and the arts. They were said to reside on Mount Helicon near Thebes or on Mount Parnassus near Delphi (Like Kailash or Mount Meru of Hindu Mythology).

Their names and branches of arts they preside over are as follows:

 

Name                        Meaning                              Arts

Calliope         Beautiful voice                    Epic Poetry

Clio                 Fame                                      History

Erato              Lovely                                    Lyric Poetry

Euterpe         Joy                                          The Flute

Melpomene Singing                                  Tragic Drama

Polyhymnia Many Songs                         Mime

Terpsichore Joyful dance                                    Dance

Thalia             Good Cheer/Plenty            Comic Drama

Urania                       Celestial                     Astronomy

 

Though we don’t see many similarities between these Gods and Hindu Gods, each Hindu artiste worships different gods for different arts: e.g Sculptors-Viswakarma, Flutists –Krishna, Dance- Nataraja/Shiva and Poets-Saraswati.

Hindu Goddess is worshipped as Kumarika, Trimurthy, Kalyani, Rohini, Kali, Chandika, Sambavi, Durga and  Sambadra during nine nights in north india.

Hindu women in South India divide the nine nights in to three X three  (3X3) and allocate them to Lakshmi, Saraswati and Durga. In Bengal they worship Goddesses in different forms. South Indian temples decorate Goddesses in nine different ways during nine nights. If we go deeper we may see more similarities. But Romans and Greeks keep them in museums nowadays, where as Hindus keep them in temples and continue the tradition.

Hindu women make snacks with boiled pulses such as Channa dhal, Bengal gram, green gram or black gram, peas, peanuts etc and distribute them to the visitors.

Vijayanagara kings celebrated Navaratri on a grand scale. Coorg people celebrate Dasara with great enthusiasm.

For more of the same, contact swami_48@yahoo.com or Swaminathan.santanam@gmail.com

 

 

Please read other posts by London Swaminathan on

1)Bull Fighting from Indus Valley to Spain via Tamil Nadu

2)Sugarcane Mystery: From Ikshvaku Dynasty to Indus Valley

3)Vedic Bird Homa in India and Iran

4)Sahasralinga in Karnataka and Cambodia

5)Delphi Oracle and Tamil oracles (In Tamil)

6)Naga –Mayan similarities (3 parts in Tamil)

7)Serpent Queen in Indus Valley and Minoan

8)Tamil Words in Greek ( 3 parts in Tamil)

9)Madagascar-India link via Indonesia

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by Tamil and Vedas on August 4, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Culture, Religion
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Posted by Tamil and Vedas on August 4, 2012

https://tamilandvedas.com/2012/08/04/navaratri-in-japan-and-greece/

Sanskrit in the Bible- Part 2

 

(Please read the first part before you read this section: London Swaminathan)

List of Sanskrit words found in the Bible: Kinnor (Kinnara =musical ), Manna (annam=food),Madrake (mantra root=magical vegetable), Kapi (ape=monkey), Tuke (Siki=peacock),Tukum (suka=parrot), Amen (Om=Hindu prayer), Mass (Namaskaram=namaz=mass), Ibha (elephant), Nova (nava=new), Adam and Eve (Atma, Jeevatma), Abraham (Ibrahim= Abi Raman)

In the first part of the article, I have already dealt with some of the words from the above list. Now we look at few more words in detail:

17.Manna:The food that fell from the heaven according to the Bible is Manna. It is nothing but a corruption of the Sanskrit word Annam meaning food. Vedic priests recite a mantra AHAM ANNAM AHAM ANNAM………. If it is repeated quickly we hear manna. Actually it is the mirror image of the word ANNAM.

*The word Lebanon in the Bible meaning ‘white’ is a corrupted from of the Sanskrit word ‘Lavanam’/salt which is also white.

18.MANDRAKE ( Mantra+ Gora= a root with magical properties)

The Bible mentions a magic plant called ‘Mandrake’. Rachael’s barrenness was ended with the birth of Joseph after she had begged her sister ‘Give me, I pray thee, of thy son’s mandrakes’(Genesis 30). The scholars who identified this plant say that there is an alkaloid called mandragorine in it. This is made up of two Sanskrit words mandra gorai meaning magical root. Barren women in the Near East hung the roots up in their houses.. Even today Tamils in India hang the Gorai grass in their houses during Pongal or the Sankaranti festival. Both these plant species may be different but the custom of hanging plants like neem leaves or Korai grass for medical reasons has been there for long.

Mandrake’s botanical name is Mandragora officianarum (Manthira koraik kizangu in Tamil). Ancient people believed that it has got several magical properties. They thought it could cure impotency. Modern research shows it has some chemicals like atropine, scopolamine, apoatropine and hyociamine. These chemicals can cause delirium and madness in large doses. It was used in small doses during operations in ancient times. They used it to get pain relief and sleep. We still don’t know whether it would cure impotency. In Homeopathy, a tincture is prepared from the plant parts. People believed it would grow under dead man’s gallows. The roots of mandrake look like humans.

 

19.The Word: The Bible says that The Word was in the beginning and God created the world from the word. The Vedas call this word as Sabda Brahman or the Nada Brahman (The God in Sound form). Aum or Om-the eternal sound is the highest mantra in the Vedas, which is used even by the Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs.

Other Similarities

20.Cross over the body: The Christians putting cross the body to avoid evil is nothing but ‘Achamanam’ done by the Brahmins every time they want to purify themselves. They do it at least thrice a day when they do Sandyavandhana i.e. they utter 12 (Dwathasa) names of Lord Vishnu and touches 12 places in the body. Some people compare it with the Saiva Siddhanta principle of Pasu, Pati,Pasam (Father,Son and Holy Spirit).

21. Unlucky No.13: The Christians think that number 13 unlucky. This is because that Judas, who betrayed Jesus was the thirteenth person at the Last Supper. But this belief about No13 has a different origin. The ‘Brahmanas’, the books that came immediately after Vedic Samahitas, call No13 a dirty number because the thirteenth month is called a dirty (mala) month. When the Vedic society used a lunar calendar unlike our modern solar calendar there was always a few days left as balance at the end of each year. When it accumulated in to a full month they treated as something dirty and avoided all good activities during that period. Amazing coincidence is that the South American Mayan civilization had also the same belief.

22. Confessions: Confessions are done in the presence of priests in churches, but Hindus do it in their daily prayers with the Mantra ‘Yanikani cha papani, Janmanthara Krithani cha………’ In the olden days people belonging to three castes did Sandyavandhana thrice every day in which the confession and the atonement are mentioned. Brahmins do it every day and confession and atonement are included in the mantras. In the Brahmin’s annual ceremony called Upakarma (Changing sacred thread ceremony), there is a long list of Sins one does in a year’s time. One does recite all these and ask for a pardon openly. Though no one says what a particular individual did during the year, it would definitely run in one’s mind while reciting the long list. It asks for pardon for the sins during this birth and past births.

23.Food is God: Before eating the food, the devoted Christians thank God for providing them food. The Hindus also do Parishesanam by circling the food with water and offering the food to the God. They respect the food itself as Anna Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth) and parise it before eating. And at the end they bless the person who gave them the food Anna Dhata Sukhi Bhava (Long live the person who provided the food).

24.Sneezing: When one sneezes, the people in the west say “Bless You”. This has been in vogue in India for more than 2000 years. They say ‘Dheergayuz’ meaning “Long Live” when one sneezes. This custom was mentioned in all the important Tamil (Tirukkural) and Sanskrit books.

25.Miracles: There are very many similarities between the miracles done by Jesus Christ, Krishna and Moses. The river Jamuna separated to give way to Krishna and Red Sea separated to give way to Moses and his followers. Jesus fed 5000 people with bread from the basket which contained only a few breads. In the same way Draupati fed a lot of people with Akshayapathram by the grace of Lord Krishna.

 

26.Adwaita in the Bible: Jesus’ probably learnt Adwaita-Non Dualism from Hindu saints in the Himalayas. Swami Vivekananda spoke about three stages in the preaching of the Christ. When he went to the masses, who could not conceive anything other than a personal God, he said, Pray to your Father in Heaven and he acted like a Messenger of God. To others who could grasp a higher idea, he said, I am the vine, ye are the branches, but to his disiples, to whom he revealed himself fully, he proclaimed the highest truth, I and my father are one. This is what considered as Maha Vakyas in our Upanishads : Aham Brahmasi, That twam asi etc.(I am God, You are That).

When he said,’ The Kingdom of Heaven is within you’ and ‘Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God’, Jesus meant only the non-dualist principle, which was made popular by the greatest philosopher Adi Sankara.

27.Ten Commandments: Moses’ Ten Commandments are in the Vedas and the Upanishads. ‘Matru Devo Bhava and Pitru Devo Bhava’ (Worship Father and Mother as Gods) and don’t covet others property, never indulge in adultery etc are found in all the moral literature of India. Moses used Indian spices in his worship.

Moses was asked to take off his shoes before he went near the holy spot. Hindus, but not the Christians, do it even today before entering any temple or Mutt or even houses.

The pope blesses the congregation in the same way as the saints do in India.

28.Space travel in the Bible : The Bible describes space travel in the chapter Ezekiel and it corresponds to the space travel described in the Mahabharata where Arjuna travels to heaven in the Chariot of Matali. There is also some coincidence with the Puspaka Vimana as described in the Ramayana. It won’t be out of context to mention the amazing descriptions of air travel by two ancient Indian poets Bhasan and Kalidas. It is definitely not the bird’s eye view seen from the top of some mountain. It is clearly the experience of a pilot or one who sat in the cockpit of a plane. These poets’ works were translated by the westerners even before the invention of airplane and one cannot stop wondering how they described a pilot’s experience so accurately.

 

Kinnor (Kinnara), biblical instrument

29.Moses and the Light : Moses saw God as light according to the Bible. Through out the 3000-year-old Sanskrit and Tamil literature God is seen as great light. Even before the westerners discovered that each star is a sun, Hindus were praising the God, ‘Your brightness is equal to 10 million (Surya koti sama prabha) suns’.

30.Yagnavalkya and the Bible: The great philosopher saint Yagnavalkya was questioned by many about the God. When he silenced all of them he put one question in the form of a poem about a tree which has an uncanny resemblance to the comparison of man and a tree in the book of job in the Bible.

31.Bhagavad Gita & The Bible: There are many resemblances between the Gita and the New Testament. As an instance of a resemblance between the two scriptures a quotation or two may be given. Krishna says (9-27) ‘whatever thou doest; whatever thou eatest; whatever thou sacrificest; whatever thou givest away; whatever mortification you mayest perform; do all as if to me.’ With this compare (I.Cor.x.31)’whether therefore ye eat or drink, Whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God.’ Krishna says again ‘Be not sorrowful; from all thy sins I will deliver thee’. While in Mathew ix.2. we read, Be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.’

Let me add jest one further quotation, in which the resemblance is striking: In describing Heaven Krishna says of it that it is a place ‘in which neither sun nor moon need shine, for all the lustre it posses is mine.’

The Heaven described in Revelation xxi.23 is a city which had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of god did lighten it.’ Quoting all these in his book Indian Philosophy, the learned author J.F.Kennedy says that the writers of the New Testament borrowed all these from Bhagavad Gita.

32.Mr.J.F.Kennedy adds one more analogy in the above said book that Kamsa who killed all the children is Indian Herod.( Herod was a Roman king who ordered the slaughter of all the children to make sure that Jesus’ is dead.)

Another comparison can be given here about floating Moses in the basket in the river Nile and the Karna in the river Ganges. Incidentally the word Nile itself is a Sanskrit word-Nila/Blue. Even today Nile is called Blue Nile!

33. Dooms Day and the Pralaya/the great deluge: The Bible says all the souls have to wait till the Day of Judgement to get salvation. But Hindu Scriptures are one step ahead and that one need not wait till the great deluge to get a judgment but one will have to undergo all the fruits of one’s action in his/her next birth. But Bible and Hindu scriptures agree on one point that there will be a Day of Judgment when the whole universe is dissolved. The Hindus call this a Maha Pralaya/ the Great Floods at the end of one Brahma’s life.

34.Cross and the Trisula : There is even resemblance in the Hindu symbol of Trisula/trident of Lord Shiva and Cross-of the Christianity. Actually Cross was used by the Europeans even before Christ as a solar symbol. The Hindu symbol Swastika is found all over the world in all the ancient civilisations and scholars believe it was the solar symbol, later modified as Cross.

 

35.Catholic Church and the Buddhist Monastery: All the customs, from the uniform to the convent is copied from the Buddhists who were sent  to the West from the days of Asoka. This was noticed and reported by a lot of Western scholars.

‘The Original Jesus’ written by E R Gruber and G Kersten gives hundreds of examples with proof. Asoka sent preachers to different countries and Jesus also arranged for his disciples travel even before his death. The convent, the system of preachers, the uniform for the priests- all copied from the Buddhists and the Buddhists adopted all these from the Hindus. To give one example, Hindu saints wore saffron cloth and the Buddhists wore yellow cloth. Hindu saints went to different parts of the world including South East Asia where there are many statues of Agastya even today.

36.Dean and Dakshinamurthy: I can give one amazing example to prove that the church took even minute details from the Hindus. In Roman Catholic order, the Dean is the senior cardinal bishop. He is given a seat in the southern part of the church. The Hindu God who is considered the embodiment of wisdom, known as south facing god/Dakshinamurthy is seated in the southern part of any Hindu (Saivaite)temple. Dean is the corrupted form of the Sanskrit word ‘Dakshin/south.’

37.Marriage ceremony of Hindus and Christians: There is amazing coincidence in the wedding ceremony of the Hindus and Christians. Hindus call the wedding as Kanya dhanam/giving away of the girl/bride. The father leads the daughter to the stage to give the daughter away. In the same way the Christian father leads his daughter to the altar. The ring is also used by both the religions. When the ceremony is over the yellow rice is sprinkled on the bride and the bridegroom by the Hindu elders. In the fire ceremony during the wedding, the Hindus put fried/puffed rice in the fire. Even today the Christians sprinkle rice or puffed rice in front of the couple’s car. The phrase tying the knot is still in vogue in English, but actual custom is forgotten. Even today Hindus literally tie the knot around the bridge’s neck. In Tamil it is called Mundru Mudichu (three knots).

 

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SIMILARITIES WITH MUSLIMS

38.Words Sura and Quaran are Sanskrit words meaning Saranam. The Sabarimalai Ayyappa devotees and the Buddhist devotees utter SARANAM before the statues. This is what Moslems do facing the direction of Mecca. They also say Saranam loudly but in Arabic. The word Saranam got corrupted to Quran/saran. The word used by the Moslems for couplets Sura is probably a corruption of the Sanskrit word Sutra or stotra.

39.Kaba: The holy stone in Mecca mosque which is worshipped by millions every year during Haj festival has been in worship even before the birth of Islam. It is nothing but a remnant of shivalinga worship. But the stone is considered a meteorite that fell from the heaven.

The devotees go round the stone as Hindus go round the statues in the temple with their white shawls covering the left shoulder. This is how the Brahmins dress during Vedic ceremonies likes Yagnas. The only difference is the Muslims go round the stone in an anti clockwise direction, perhaps to show the difference with the Hindu custom.

Several Hindu saints have visited Mecca even before Islam was founded. Seraman Perumal ,a king cum Saivaite saint went to Mecca for worship. In the later days Sikh saints including Guru Nanak and Bhai Mardana have visited Mecca

 

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by Tamil and Vedas on August 1, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Culture, Sanskrit Literature
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Posted by Tamil and Vedas on August 1, 2012

https://tamilandvedas.com/2012/08/01/sanskrit-in-the-bible-part-2/

MOST HATED NUMBERS 666 and 13

 

By London Swaminathan

(contact swami_48@yahoo.com or Swaminathan.santanam@gmail.com)

Christians believe numbers 666 and 13 are unlucky numbers. Hindus consider No 13 as impure. There are some stories behind it. The Book of Revelation (13:16-18) in the Bible mention 666 as the number of the beast. When the US President Reagan moved to California his house number was 666. You can guess what he di immediately. He changed his house number to 668.

Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobiacs is the term for people who fear the number 666.Cna you pronounce the word? Don’t do it. 666 will catch you!

Mountain Bible College in Kentucky, USA was given a phone number with the prefix 666. They thought it may put off students joining the college due to the popular belief that it was the sign of the Devil. Immediately they applied for changing the number. When asked for an explanation,  the Vice President of the college said, “True Christains will not accept the mark of the Beast”.

A Hindi Movie with the title Bungalow No666 was made in the 1990s. Crtics accused the film makes of plagiarising an English film Fright Night (1985)

 

Quote from the Book of Revelation (Bible)

16.And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

17.And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18.Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

 

No 13—Dirty Number

Normal year has 12 months. But every third year one month is added in the lunar calendar. This is called Adhik Maas (extra month) or Mala Maas (Dirty month).

Indian calendar is based on lunar year, while the English calendar is based on solar year. This is the reason we have our festivals like Deepavali on different dates unlike Christmas. Hindu festivals based on solar movement such as Makar Shankaranti  falls on the same date. Lunar means moon and solar means sun.

A lunar year has 354.372 days while a solar year has 365.2422 days. To adjust the solar and lunar years, the lunar calendar adds one extra month every third year which is called Purushottam Mass or Adhik Mass. This month is allocated for worship of God. Hindus don’t celebrate anything auspicious during this period.

The recitation of Srimat Bhagavatham or Bhagavad Gita during this month produces more benefits. Devi Bhagavatham says that charitable and meritorious acts and fasting etc., carried out during this period produce good results. Agni Purana (Chapter 175) gives a long list of things to do and things to avoid. Marriages or Upanayanam are not performed during this month and pilgrimages postponed.

Christians hate this number because Judas, who betrayed Jesus was his thirteenth disciple at the Last Supper.

Mayan Civilization of Central and South America also had some bad views about 13th month.

Ancient Persians avoided staying home on 13th day of the Persian calendar (Sizdah Bedar) because this number means chaos according to their mythology.

In Norse mythology, the 13th God Loki was believed to have engineered the murder of Balder and arrived at his funeral as the thirteenth guest. So a group of thirteen people would never assemble at a place.

Even today Christians in the West avoid No13 for their houses or naming 13 for a floor in a multi storied building. When it couples with a Friday, the day of crucifixion, they are scared more.

Sportsmen and sportswomen believe certain numbers are lucky. No 10 is given to the most important or popular player.

No 7 and No 3 are considered as holy numbers by several cultures, particularly, the Hindus. Vedic literature and Indus Valley Civilization have No7 and No3 on seals and books than any other numbers.

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by Tamil and Vedas on July 29, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Tamil and Vedas on July 29, 2012

https://tamilandvedas.com/2012/07/29/most-hated-numbers-666-and-13/

ETRUSCAN- HINDU/ TAMIL LINK

 

By London Swaminathan

(I have already written in Tamil about the Roman- Tamil trade contacts that existed two thousand years ago. Scores of references are there in Sangam Tamil literature about the Yavanas, which is corroborated by Greek and Roman writers of the first few centuries of modern era. Thousands of Roman gold coins of first few centuries were discovered throughout South India. The book “Roman Karur” by eminent historian and archaeologist Dr R Nagasamy gives detailed accounts of this in English. Recently pots of gold coins of Roman origin have been discovered in Anantha Pathmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvanathapuram. When the inventory is released we may have more details about such contacts. The following article is completely different from it which deals with Etruscans, a mysterious culture of Northern Italy. Contact: swami_48@yahoo.com  or swaminathan.santanam@gmail.com

 

Who are Etruscans?

Etruscans were the people who occupied Etruria, Italy between 8th century BC and 2nd century BC. Etruria is the modern day Tuscany and part of Umbrian Italy. They ruled Rome from 616-509 BC. Roman civilization was greatly influenced by Etruscan culture. Etruscan language is not fully deciphered. Still the origin of Etruscans is debated.

In the eyes of Greek writers and their Roman successors Etruscans were different from them. They were blamed as pirates

Though lot of things about Etruscans remain mysterious we can’t miss the striking similarities between Hindus and the Etruscans. We see Tamil and Sanskrit words in Etruscan language. We will look at them in bullet points.

1.Origin of Etruscans: They were Tamils(Termilai) and descendents of Pulasthya Rishsi (Pelasginians/Philistines)

2.Birds for predicting future: Like Tamils, they also used birds for predicting future (also read my post in the blog “ Can Birds Predict Your Future?”)

3. Cremation and burial of ash in Urns: This is a Hindu custom followed from Vedic days.

4. Musical instrument Lyre/ Yaz, Kombu: Etruscans used musical instruments which looked like Indian (Horn, also known as Kombu Vadhyam in Tamil) lyre (also known as Yaaz in Tamil)

5. Swastika symbol: Swastika symbol, used by the Hindus till today, was found in their jewels. North Indian Hindus still print Swastika in their wedding invitations, Pujas, Havans and other auspicious ceremonies.

6. Language: We come across words of Sanskrit and Tamil origin

7. Many Gods: Etruscans were polytheistic

Now I will give you more details:

Origin from Pulastya Rishi and Tamils:

There were three theories about the origin of Etruscans. Greek historian Herodotus said that Etruscans came from Turkey. Modern DNA research has proved he was right. Western Turkey was called Lydia. This area was full of Sanskrit names in the olden days. Herodotus said that the ancestors of Etruscans were forced to leave Lydia after 18 years of hard times. They left Lydia under the leadership of Tyrrhenus, son of King of Lydia.

Virgil and others thought they were another branch of Pelasginians. They were the same people who attacked Egypt in 1200 BC. Egyptians called them Sea People. This word came from the Indian Rishi Pulastya. He was one of the seven seers mentioned by the Vedas. Pulastya was the forefather of Rakshasas, Kinnaras, Vanaras and Yakshas. Megasthanes called the people of Ceylon “ Palesgini”, according to Dr KK Pillay. Indian scriptures and Mahavamsa also called the Ceylonese people Yakkas (Yakshas) i.e descendents of Seer Pulastya. They were called Philistines in the Bible.

The original name of the Lycians was Tremilai or Termilai and it may be equated with Dramila/ Tamils/ Dravida according to KK PIllay (Ref. taken from Aryatarangini by A Kalyanaraman page 224).

In short, Sea People, Pelasginians,Termilai, Tremilai, Philistines of the Bible, Pulastyas, Yakshas are one and the same. We can easily trace them to a common source. Since they were interested in trade, they went to different countries.

 

Cremation and Burials

Like Hindus, Etruscans also followed the custom of burial and cremation. When they cremated the bodies, they kept the ash in urns. They believed in afterlife like Hindus. Their tombs looked exactly like tombs in Turkey, which proved Herodotus was right. They left jewels, furniture etc. in the tombs for the future life of the departed souls.

 

Birds Used for Prediction

Boulon is the word for bird. It is similar to PUl in Tamil.

Tamils believed that flights of birds or their sounds (calls) can predict good and bad things that is going to happen. Even today their traditional calendars (Panchang) publish those details every year. No two cultures in the world come so close as the Tamils and the Etruscans. Etruscans had such a calendar.

Etruscans believed that Gods speak to mortals through nature. They even interpreted thunder and lightning. This is in the Hindu Upanishads. The famous parable of Three “Da” sounds of Thunder is in the Upanishads. Another story about five elements trying to lift a blade of grass is also in the Upanishads.

Etruscans used livers of sacrificed animals to find their future. Mesopotamians had similar beliefs. Like Vastu Shastra allocate different corners for different Gods, they have different areas for different gods in the liver. A Bronze model of a sheep’s liver from Piacenza (150 BC) gives 52 names of divinities, mostly abbreviates. Many of them were repeated.

 

Many Gods

Etruscans believed that their religion were revealed to them by seers. This is what exactly Hindus say about the Vedas.

Etruscans were a deeply religious people like Hindus.

They had religious calendars like Hindu Panchang. Like Hindu scriptures they specified which sacrifices should be done for which Gods on what days.

Polytheism was practised by Etruscans like modern day Hindus. Manifestation of divine power in different forms was appreciated by the Etruscans.

They had three tiers of Gods: 1. Lesser deities of local origin, like the Gram Devtas of Indian villages 2.Ruling over them were higher deities and 3.Greek Gods were adopted by the Etruscans. Items 2 and 3 have got similarities with Indo-European Gods (Hindu Gods)

Dionysus, Seneca said that they believed in 40 different Gods. The same god was worshipped in different forms on different occasions to achieve different things or to appreciate different aspects of divinity. Lot of these deities entered Roman pantheon later.

Griffins also were found in tomb sculptures. These are creatures found in Indo European language speaking areas. Mitanni civilization had such griffins.

 

Language and Alphabet

Etruscans wrote from right to left like we have it in Indus seals and other Semitic inscriptions.

Etruscans got their alphabet from the Greeks and modified it to suit their sounds. Romans borrowed it from the Etruscans. Now we have three sounds for K in English: K, C, Q. This is because Etruscans’ language had fine distinctions. They used different sounds for different words like we see 4 Ka, 4Sa, 4Ta etc. in Sanskrit. Tamil also has such fine distinctions for L,R and N (three different L, 3N and 2Rs in Tamil).

 

Vocabulary

The longest Etruscan manuscript was from the linen cloth found wrapped around a mummy. It has 1200 words. This is called Liber Linteus of Zagreb. Another example of Etruscan writing is the Tile of Capua which has got 62 lines. Three gold foils, known as The Pyrgi Lamellae, have inscribed lines in Etruscan and Phoenician. These jewels were dedicated to Goddess Astarte. Etruscans called the same Goddess Uni. Votive offerings like these are offered to Hindu Goddesses (Example: Sankarankoil Gomathy Amman, Madurai Mari Amman).

Astarte is identified with Goddess Inanna, Ishtar, Aphrodite and goddess of Egypt. This clearly shows that the same Goddess was worshipped in different areas of the world (Asia, Africa, Europe) with different names. Hindus can understand them better than any other community in the world, because they travel from Kashmir to Kanyakumari to worship the same gods and goddesses with different names in over 108,000 temples ( Please read my post: How many temples are in India?).

Though 13000 Etruscan inscriptions were discovered, scholars have identified only a few hundred words. The language remains mostly un deciphered. The inscriptions were short like Indus seals. More over Etruscans did not leave us any literature.

Muni (tomb)= it may be muni (ghost or saint or manithan)

Ais/eis= God (Sanskrit: Eswaran,Aiswarya)

Favi= grave or temple (Avi in Tamil is spirit of the dead)

Clan=son= kula in Sanskrit

Locumno=king=Ilango in Tamil

F sound came into Europe from Etruscan; this is in Sanskrit.

 

Latin words in Etruscan

Latin and Sanskrit come from the same roots. Latin words found in Etruscan are nepos/nephew/neft.

Cousin and wine (vinum) are other words..

Latin also borrowed words from Etruscan: elementum, literae, stylus, cera.

All these words are about writing and letters .Elementum,( e)literate are similar to EZUTHU (write, writing) in Tamil.

Because of the sound changes, lot of Greek words were written with varied spellings in Etruscan:

Thraiambos(Gk)=Triumpus (Lat)=Triumphus(Etruscan). This is from Sanskrit Triambakan/Shiva who burnt three cities of demons with his three eyes. In fact we have a three headed demon in the Etruscan statues.

Fun Loving People

The Etruscans were a fun loving race. They had dance and music, banquets and parties. We see beautiful scenes in the 2800 old paintings on the walls of their tombs. They had gender equality. Men and Women enjoyed the same rights which we see in ancient Vedic culture. The musical instruments displayed in the frescoes were similar to Tamil’s Horn (Thaarai, Thambattai, Kombu Vadhyangal) and Lyre (Yaaz).

Archaeologists have discovered over 3000 mirrors from Etruscan centres. Over 1000 bronze mirrors have inscriptions. The ladies must have spent lot of time in doing make up.

Mirrors have beautiful engravings on them. Western scholars interpret everything with Greek mythology. But when I looked at the pictures of hundreds of mirrors I can find matching anecdotes from Hindu mythology.

 

Gambling

Etruscans played dice like the Pandavas of Hindu Epic Mahabharata. On the dice they wrote the words for numerals instead of dots.

Hair Style

Ancient Tamil women had plaited their hair into five parts called Aimpal Kunthal (five division hair). We such five prt plaits in some statues.

Writing on Epitaphs

Etruscans wrote on tombstones (epitaphs).

Tamils also wrote on stones where they cremated or buried heroes. They were called Hero Stones (Nadu Kal).

 

Sanskrit and Etruscan

Etruscan is an inflected language like Sanskrit.

Example:

Case                                                   singular                    plural

Nominative                                      clan (son)                  clenar (Sons)

And Accusative                               clens                           clenarasi

Genetive (of)                                   clensi                          clenarasi

Dative (to)                                        clensi                          cliniiaras

Locative (in)                                     clenthi

 

Common nouns have gender difference, but personal names have gender ending. It is like Sanskrit sounds:

Feminine names: Uni (Latin Juno),Menrva (Lat.Minerva), Clutsmsta (Gk.Klytem nestra), Ati, Seianti, Lasa

In Sanskrit we have Latha, Uma, Geetha, Rukmini, Shanthi, Vaijayanthi (either” “a” or “ i “ending)

Masculine names:Hercle (Gk.Hercules), Menle (Gk.Menelaos), Achle (Gk. Achilles), Zimite (Gk. Diomedes), Aule (Gk.Aulus), Taitle (Gk.Daidalos), Sime

(In Sanskrit we have “a” ending. Examples: Rama,Krishna,Siva,Harichandra)

Names of Gods end in “s” like Sanskrit “ji” –respectful suffix (Mataji, Pitaji)

Pesonal pronouns have more similarity with Tamil, Telugu etc.

First person “I” = mi (similar to Telugu)

Third person: an (avan in Tamil)

This=ita, eta ( In Tamil Ithu, athu)

 

More Sanskrit and Tamil words in Etruscan

Tin= Dina =day, Oesan=Ushas=morning, Masan=masa=month, arim=ari=monkey,leu=lion=Yali=mirror image of the word yali=lia; neri=water=nara, nereids are water nymphs in Greek, Narayana=water god, capra=copra=urn, husiur=sisu=child, ati=mother=aththi in Tamil, apa=father=appa in Tamil, papa= granfather, teta=grandma=but in Tamil its grandpa, mech=people=makkal in Tamil.

At a cursory glance of 100 words I found out the above words.

Numerals

Numerals have some similarities with Sanskrit:

1=thu=

2=zal=zwei in German=twa in Sanskrit=Duo=Di= dwa= Two

3=ci=??

4=sa=(Satur in Sanskrit)

5=mach=??

6=huth=(Shasti in Sanskrit: H=S is a well known linguistics equation)

7=semph (sapta in Sanskrit)

8=cezp=??

9=nurph (Nav in Sanskrit)

10=sar=???

Not all the numbers are close to Sanskrit. Scholars are not sure about Etruscan words for100, 1000 etc. But the structure is similar to Sanskrit.

In Sanskrit we say 5+20= for 25, 7+30= for 37 unlike English and Tamil (In English it is 20+5= twenty five, in Tamil also it is 20+5=Irupaththu Ainthu)

Etruscan numbers are done like Sanskrit. Eg.16= 6+10 huth zar; 17=7+10 ciem zathrum.

Rasenna

Greeks called the Etruscans TYRRHENIANS (closest Sanskrit word I could think of is Taitriya Upanishad). Greeks also gave this name to the surrounding sea. Romans and Greeks derided them as pirates.

Romans knew Etruscans as Etruri or Tusci (Tuscany is the area they lived).

Etruscans called themselves Rasna or Rasenna (Sanskrit Rasana= Taste)

 

CONCLUSION

Though there are some similarities between Hindus and Etruscans and similarity between Etruscan and Indian languages, we need more evidence to support any new theory. Since majority of the inscriptions are not deciphered, one has to wait for more information. Besides, the difference in pronunciation must be taken into account to find out the source. Even the Greek and Roman names were distorted in Etruscan. They lived only next door. A scholar well versed in several languages only can come to right conclusions. As of now, Etruscans stand out as a separate community and stand alone without any affinity to any known culture.

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by Tamil and Vedas on July 28, 2012  •  Permalink
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London is changing!

By London Swaminathan

London is changing. London’s skyline is changing fast. If you had been to London 15 years ago and talk to your friends or grand children about London today, you must know it is not the same old London you had seen. I have been living in London for over 25 years.  I did not see any significant change in the first 15 years. Everything was same for the tourists: Big Ben, Parliament Building, the old Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Madame Tussuads (wax museum), Thames River cruise etc. But in the past ten years new shopping malls have come up. New attractions like London Eye, Cable car across Thames river (they have given a misleading name for this cable car as Emirates Airline!), Shard-Western Europe’s tallest building have been added.

 

London is looking new with preparations for the Olympics. The exciting opening ceremony is on Friday 27th July 2012. This is the third time Olympics is held in London. I went round London this morning to look at the new attractions. Before comparing the three Olympics in London, let us look at the new attractions:

London Eye:

Location: On the banks of River Thames, near Big Ben.

Nearest underground: Westminster

Height: 443 feet

Opening: Year 1999

What is it: You can board any one of the 32 capsules and go up the Giant Wheel. You can have a bird’s eye view of London. Since it is moving very slowly, no one will feel sick.

Each capsule can hold 25 people.

Tickets: You can buy it at the entrance.

See the impressive picture.

Cable Car (Emirates Airline)

Location: Linking North Greenwich and Victoria Docks

Nearest Underground: North Greenwich or Victoria Docks (Docklands).These two stations are on either side.

What is it: It is a five minute ride across the river Thames in capsules of cable car. It is not very exciting. But the price is not high compared to London Eye or Madame Tussauds.

Dimensions: Height 300 feet above the river, Total length both ways one kilometre, carries 2500 passengers every hour.

Opened in June 2012

Shard-Tallest Tower in West Europe

Location: London Bridge

Nearest Underground: London Bridge

Height: 1016 feet (95 floors),covered with glass.

What is it: Tall building with space for residences and office. A restaurant for general public will be opened in February 2013.

Ticket price will be equal to Empire State Building in the USA.

Opened: in July 2012

The tallest building of Europe is in Russia.

 

3 OLYMPICS IN LONDON

1908 Olympics in London: 2000 athletes from 22 countries, 22 sports (110 events)

1948 Olympics in London: 4000 athletes from 59 countries, 20 sports (150 events)

2012 Olympics in London: 10,250 athletes from 205 countries, 26 sports (300+ events)

Another 4500 athletes will take part in Paralympics.

It has grown from 2000 athletes to 10,250 athletes! USA alone sends 2500 TV staff to cover the Olympics on TV!

 

Six medals for India?

Sports analysts predict India may win up to six medals including two gold medals. Let us wait and see. Archery, Rifle Shooting, Wrestling, Boxing and few other games are our strong areas.

For more information, contact: swami_48@yahoo.com or swaminathan.santanam@gmail.com

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by Tamil and Vedas on July 25, 2012  •  Permalink
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Tiruvalluvar Statue in London

Statue of Great Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar, author of Tirukkural, was opened on 13th May, 1996.

Myself and my professor Dr Stuart Blackburn prepared the brochure and invitation and made other arrangements for the opening ceremony. Dr LM Singhvi, High Commissioner of India is standing (wears grey colour suit) on the left. Myself, S SWAMINATHAN, standing on the far right . My professor Dr Stuart Blackburn, an American, but very fluent in Tamil, is at the centre wearing light colour blazer.This was a red letter day for the Tamils living abroad, particularly in the UK.

Image

 

 

One more photo from Wikipedia taken by David Hawgood

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by Tamil and Vedas on July 18, 2012  •  Permalink
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280 SANSKRIT WORDS FOR WATER!

By S Swaminathan

The Sanskrit language is the oldest, most systematic language that has survived the longest period through history. It is called Deva Bhasa-Language of the Gods. It is full of wonders, puzzles, riddles and miracles. It has got an ocean of treasures for anyone interested in any subject under the sun. No one has listed all the books in this language, because it is impossible to do so. This was the richest language in the ancient world. Even before Homer started writing his Iliad and Odyssey in 800 BC, Sanskrit had copious literature in the form of Vedic Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads.

 

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad written at the time of Homer, lists more than 60 generations of teachers! It means Hindus had proper schools for thousands of years even before others thought of writing books! No wonder still Mahabharata is the largest epic in the world with 100,000 couplets.

 

It has scored several firsts. First grammar book in the world: Ashtadyaye of Panini, First sex manual in the world: Kamasutra of Vatsyayana, First philosophical work: Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, First Story Collection in the world: Somadeva’s Katha Sarit Sagara, First religious book in the world Rig Veda and First Dance manual in the world Bharata’s Natya Sastra and First Dictionary of Synonyms Amarkosa. We can go on adding medical, aeroplane manuals etc. No Gilgamesh can even come nearer to Sanskrit literature. When other parts of the world dealt only with religion we started writing secular books.

 

Sanskrit has the power of expressing all types of thoughts in their appropriate terminology- from mythology to literature, science to philosophy, poetry to prosody, astronomy to anatomy, as well as genetics, mathematics and cosmology.

 

An amazing wealth of words and synonyms gives a great versatility to expression of power. With 65 words for earth, 70 words for water,15 words for gold,122 words for the verb “to go”, imagine its vastness!!

The seventy words for water multiply into 280 words with prefixes for specific descriptions of rainfall (dharma, karakam, thousaram, haimam) etc.

The Sanskrit speakers belong to India. Their civilization originated on the banks of Ganga, Sindhu, Saraswati (which disappeared 3000 years ago) and Yamuna. All these rivers were mentioned in Rig Veda, the oldest book in the world. They were so obsessed with water, they used it in all their ceremonies from birth to death. They used it to donate money or lands.They used it to give boons or curses. They used it in their weddings (Kanya Dhanam). This shows very clearly that they did not come from arid deserts or snowy regions. Without water a Hindu can’t do any ceremony.

 

Look at the  synonyms of water given below:

Amrutam ,Ambhaha, Arnaha,Apaha, Bhuvanam,Vanam,Kabandham, Kapandham,Udakam,Paathaha,Pushkaram,Savaram,Toyam, Dakam, Kambalam,Syandanam,Sadanam,Ira,Ambu,Kam,Jadaha,Somam,Vyoma,Naram,Kaharam,Saraha,Neeram,Udam,Saram,Rutam,Vaaha,Vaari,Salilam, Kamalam,Payaha,Keelaalam,Salam,Uurjam,Ghrutam,Vaajam,Sarilam, Jadam,Sambhaha,Andham,Kusham,Karburam,Ksheeram,Taamaram,Hriveram,

Sanchalam,Sambaram,Shambaram,Sambalam,Ghanarasaha,Jalapeetham,Jalam,Chandrorasam,Gokolanam,Sarvatomukham,Meghapushpam,Abhrapushpam,

Peeppalam,Kaandam,Krupeetam, Jeevanam, Komalam, Ghanisaasam, Krupperam, Repaalam, Akkam (colloquial in Brahmin families, might have given the word Aqua)

 

I have explained in another article that the word Neer/ water is not of Tamil origin ,because it is found in Greek as Nereids (water nymphs=Narayana of Hindu literature).

Compiled by S Swaminathan from various sources. For more Sanskrit Wonders read my blogs or contact swami_48@yahoo.com or Swaminathan.santanam@gmail.com

 

 

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by Tamil and Vedas on July 17, 2012  •  Permalink
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Sanskrit in Bible

Picture shows Kinnara (celestial musician) in Bangkok, Thailand

By S Swaminathan

Annam (Manna=food) ,Kinnara (Kinnor=musical instrument/celestial musician), Mandrake( Mantra Korai), Om (Amen), Mass (namaz=namaskaram),Adam and Eve (Atma and Jeevatma), Tukum (Sukam=parrot),Kapi (ape=monkey), Ibha (elephant), Abraham (Ibrahim=Abi Raman) , Nava (Nova=new) are some of the Sanskrit words in The Bible, the holy book of Christians.

There are lot of striking similarities between Hindu and Christian scriptures. They cannot be discounted as coincidences because such similarities are too many. There is good evidence to show that they are borrowed from other sources.

1.The Bible begins with a story from the Upanishads. It is the story of two birds eating the fruits, but instead of two birds the Bible says Adam and Eve.

The very name betrays its Hindu origin of the story.  In the Upanishads the two birds are the symbolic representation of Athma (athma=Adam) and the Jeevatma (Jeev-Eve). Any Student of linguistics can easily recognise the transformation of Athma into Adam and Jeeva into Eve. This Parallel has been pointed out by Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathy, Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam 60 years ago (I have already written it in my post “Three Apples That Changed the World”)

2)The Bible says Eve was created from Adam’s left rib. This is once again the Hindu story of Uma/ Parvathy forming the left part of Shiva. Nowadays we call our wife as the other half. It is very interesting to note that this expression has come from the Vedas. Kalidas and other Sanskrit poets also use this expression freely. Hindus still worship as Ardha Nareeswara (Half Woman +Eswara).

3.The expressions found in the Bible such as ‘Honey and Milk’ are used by the Sanskrit and Tamil poets hundreds of times in their 2000 years old Sangam literature and Sanskrit literature.

The Upanishadic phrases ‘the blind leading the blind’,‘  He or She lived as many days as the number of sands on the river/sea bank’ etc, are found in the Bible. The Saiva Siddhanta principle of Pasu, Pati, Pasam (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and the Adwaita principle are also found in the Bible. Jesus Teaches ‘DWAITA’ first. Then he teaches Adwaita by saying I and Lord are one. Swami Vivekananda has also pointed out this in his talks.

4.Kinnar: Kinnaras are celestial musicians according to Sanskrit literature. The Bible mentions Kinnor 47 times to mention a stringed musical instrument. Even today the Malayalees in south India use this word for musical instruments which is a pure Sanskrit word. It is similar to Greek lyre. Sometimes called David’s Harp, the Kinnor is not a true harp. The word David’s harp sounds like Dravidian Harp. Sangam Tamil literature is of full of praise for the Yaz (lyre or harp). Dravida meant South India in those days.

 

5.Ramayana in the Bible: Lord Rama’s name is mentioned in the Bible a number of times and the most important of these is the core story of Ramayana found in Genesis. Only a few lines are given to this story. (Genesis 18- The Story of Abraham and Sarah).

A Tamil leaflet detailing the facts in a lengthy article was published in Sankara Krupa, a magazine brought out by Sringeri Shnkaracharya Mutt.

Ram, Ramah, Ramiah, Rameses, Abraham, Abiram, Ahiram, Amram, Adoram, Adoniram, Hiram, Horam, Huram, Hadoram, Jehoram, Joram, Malchiram- are used in at least 21 places.

Beside this there are many towns with the name of Ram in Madagascar Island and in and around Middle East. (Please see my article Madagascar-India link via Indonesia).

Abraham and Ibrahim are one and the same name. Abba in Hebrew means father. Even today we name our sons Rama-Iyah or Rama-Appa (father). But in Hebrew language the suffix Appa-father- will come only as a prefix. That is how they get the names Abba+ram=Abraham. (PLEASE SEE NO 10 FOR OTHER INTERPRETATION OF ‘ABRAHAM’)

Cuneiform inscriptions giving the names of Tushrata/Dasaratha and Pratardhana were found in Syria and they are dated as 1500 BC. No part of Bible was written before this date. The oldest part of the Bible was written in 900 BC according to Hutchinson Encyclopedia.

Egyptian Kings with Ram’s name

Egyptian Kings also bear the name of Rama and we find at least 17 kings with Rameses as their names. It can be interpreted as Rama Seshan (Vishnu) or Ramesan (Shiva). All those kings have snakes on their heads like Lord Shiva. Rama’s story was so popular that even Buddhists used Dasaratha Jataka as one of their stories. To reciprocate their good gestures, Hindus gave avatar status to the Buddha. THUS BUDDHA WAS ONE OF THE TEN AVATARS OF VISHNU ACCORDING TO GITA GOWINDA OF JAYADEVA.

6.Teak wood, ivory and birds are mentioned in the Bible with Sanskrit and Tamil words. The names of all the articles brought back by Solomon’s fleet are pure Sanskrit words. The names are Sen-habim or teeth of elephant, Kophim or apes and Tukum or parrots. The equivalent Sanskrit words are Ibha (elephant), Kapi (Ape/monkey) and Sukam (parrot) with the mere addition of Hebrew plural termination.

7.The oral tradition in Kashmir says that the Biblical king Solomon visited Kashmir. Jesus Christ was said to have spent his last days in Kashmir after resurrection. Some scholars have even pointed out that Jesus spent 20 years in the Himalayas. The Bible did not say where he was between age 13 and 33. The present Bible was redacted in 3rd century AD in Constantinople and lot of different versions were burnt at that time. Like Hindu Puranas they had various versions of the Bible. To avoid confusion they were burnt by the king Constantine.

There is a grave in Kashmir, which is considered Jesus’ grave. The epitaph on the grave says, “The messenger of peace rests here”. Several scholars have pointed out the similarity between the parables of the Upanishads and Christ.

8.Vibhuthi (Holy Ash) which is used by the Saivaite Hindus everyday was used by the Christ. Ash Wednesday is the celebration of the holy ash. Ash is mentioned in the Old Testament as well.

9.Jesus fasted for 40 days in the desert at the beginning of his ministry.

Even today 40 day fasting period leading up to Easter was followed by orthodox Christians. This 40 day period is called a Mandalam in Hindu scriptures. Even today millions of Hindus visiting Sabarimalai in Kerala and Murugan temples in Tamilnadu (Skantha Shasti) follow this custom.

10.       Following words are used by Hindus, Christians and Moslems which have nearly the same meaning:

Hindus     : Namaskar-            Om-     Brahma

Christians : Mass-       Amen- A braham

Moslems   : Namaz-    Amin-  I brahim

All the first three words mean “worship”. All the important Veda Mantras like Gayathri pray for many instead of a single man. This shows that group prayer evolved in India, which is followed by others.

The Christian interjection Amen and The Hindu interjection Om mean the same thing viz. ‘It is so’ or ‘So be it’ or Yea’ or Verily’ or ‘Truly’. The only difference between the two is whereas the Christian Amen is pronounced at the end of the prayer, the Hindu Om is usually pronounced at the beginning of a prayer.

11.We come across Image worship in the Old Testament which is very common among Hindus. Only Moses put an end to this practice.

12. ‘NAVA’ IN SANSKRIT MEANS ‘NEW’

The story of the Great Floods (deluge) is found in all the ancient cultures and the very word ‘NOVA’ is itself a Sanskrit name meaning ‘New’. The flood story is the first of the 10 avatars of Vishnu. According to Hindu mythology a NEW (nova) Manu comes to power after every deluge.

13.The word rutham (Rig veda) meaning Truth, Right, Order and law gave the Biblical name RUTH and the English words Right, Rhythm and Truth. Moses, Abel and several other Biblical names can be traced to their Sanskrit roots:

Yadu-Yada, Jew-Juda. (YADAVAS=YUDA= JEWS). Yayathi-jayathi (Jewish Rabbi’s name).

14.Swami Vivekananda in his conversations with the disciples told them about his strange dream about the Chirst. One day when Swamiji’s ship was nearing the Crete Island he dreamt of a saint who came in the guise of a Buddhist monk. He called himself Thera Buddha and told Swamiji that there was no Chirst but people called himself the Christ. Swamiji did not pursue this matter for obvious reasons. (For more details see Vivekanandar Sambashanikal (Tamil) published by Ramakrishna Mutt, Madras.)

15.Like Sermon on the Mount and the Buddhist Dhammapada, the Hindu scriptures also teach men to return good for evil. This is what said to have uttered by Vidura, the wise man of Mahabharata in the Vidura Neethi.

Thiruvalluvar, the great Tamil saint in his Thirukkural says:

‘The best way to punish those who harm you is to make them feel ashamed by doing them good and thinking no more of it’ (couplet 314).

16.Washing the feet: When Dharma alias Yudhistra performed the Rajasuya Yagna he allocated the tasks to different people. Krishna chose the work of washing the feet of the worthy Brahmins. One but cannot recall to mind an identical incident in the Life of Jesus, who when he ate the Passover meal with his 12 disciples went round washing their feet. This custom of washing the feet existed in Ancient India even today when great men like Sankaracharyas visit any one, it is done.

(in the next part we will see manna (annam) that fell from the heaven, Mandrake (Mantra Korai, a root with magical properties like Ginseng).

To be Continued………..  

 

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by Tamil and Vedas on July 14, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Tamil and Vedas on July 14, 2012

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Secrets of Vishnu Sahasranama

By S Swaminathan

Vishnu Sahasranama is the most popular sahasranama (sahasranama means 1000 names of the Lord) in India. South Indians don’t know much about Sri Ramcharithamanas  or Hanuman Chalisa of Tulsidas. North Indians don’t know much about the great Thevaram (saivaite) and Divya Prabhandham (Vaishnavaite) hymns of Tamil saints. But like Bhagavad Gita, Vishnu Sahasramnamam became popular due to the great works of Swami Chinmayananda, Acharya Vinobha Bhave,  Anandamayi and other religious leaders.

Adi Sankara was a passionate commentator. He wrote commentaries on many Hindu scriptures. When he was in Kashmir, he asked his disciple to bring one book from the book shelf to start some new work. He brought Vishnu Sahasranama. But Sankara was not happy. He sent another disciple to get a book. He also brought the same Sahasranama. When he was thinking about it, Goddess Saraswati appeared before him and asked him to go ahead with the commentary (Source for this anecdote: Anna’s commentary on Sahasranama in Tamil by Ramakrishna Mutt).

Second Anecdote

Kuthanur in Tamilnadu is famous for its ancient Saraswati temple. This is one of the rare temples for Goddess Saraswati. A boy by name Purushothaman went to Kuthanur for Vedic studies. But he was the dullest boy in the class. His father Sarangapani Dikshithar of Kumbakonam was a great scholar. This hurt him more. Being the son of a big pundit he wanted to learn at least the basics. One day a Vaishnavite saint noticed that he was very sad advised him to recite Vishnu sahasranama. Suddenly he got a big boost in his studies and went to the temple for more prayers. There Goddess Saraswati appeared as a woman and asked him to stick out his tongue to give her betel leave and supari. When he was hesitant to accept the spit from a woman’s mouth, a poet came that way and realised she was goddess Saraswati herself. He accepted her Prasad and became a great Tamil poet by name Ottakkuthan. He gave the town the name Kuthanur. Though Purushothaman did not become that famous he also studied well and became a scholar. That is why we remember him after one thousand years today.

Three Commentaries

Adi Sankara, Parasara Bhatta and Sri Madhwa wrote commentaries on it. When Bhisma was lying on the bed of arrows after the great war, Krishna asked Yudhistra to get Sahasranama from the mouth of Bhisma. It Is in the Anusasana Parva of Mahabharata. Scholars of ancient India used to recite Upanishad, Gita ,Rudram, Purushasuktam and Vishnu Sahsranama every day.

This stotra is like a cure for all sorts of problems. Anyone under the evil influence of 27 stars, 9 Grahas or 12 zodiac signs will get rid of the evil influence once one reads it.

The stotra was originally done by Sanakathi Rishis. Bhisma got it from them. It has got ancient names of gods. Some of the names like Vrsakapi, Suparna etc are from ancient Vedas. One who reads it will find lots of similarities with Bhagavad Gita. Names of all Hindu Gods are there in it. Some names have links with Indus Gods (Please read my article Vishnu seal in Indus Valley civilization).

Ayurveda books prescribed it as a medicine for diseases. Astrology books have prescribed it for Graha peetas. Dharma Sastra scriptures have prescribed it to get rid of nightmares and inauspicious signs or bad omens.

It is believed particular slokas are effective for solving particular problems. Astrologers and priests are experts in this field

(Contact for more details: swami_48@yahoo.com or Swaminathan.santanam@gmail.com ).

 

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by Tamil and Vedas on July 13, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Culture, Religion
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Posted by Tamil and Vedas on July 13, 2012

https://tamilandvedas.com/2012/07/13/secrets-of-vishnu-sahasranama/

New York Ideas

The picture shows the dry cleaning rates in New York, The Big Apple, as of 3rd July 2012. Indian are lucky. You can get it done for a cheaper price!!

We went to New York last week (July First Week 2012). Some of the things I saw there gave me some new ideas. Why don’t we follow it in India and other parts of the world?

This will hold a juice bottle or a coffee cup and Chips or any solid food in the cone like area. They make paper cones and put Chips or Onion rings or Rolls in it and put it inside the metal holder. You can see extra space to hold tissue paper as well. I dont see such thing anywhere in London or India. This metal holder can be used again and again.

We went to United Nations building in New York. You can get a photograph of your self or your family and  it is attached to actual stamps which can be used inside the country. They do it in London. If we do it India in big tourist centres like Madurai, Agra, Mathura, Jodhpur, Kashmir we can make lot of money for the P and T Department.

This is my family. We four became stars just by giving fifteen dollars. We can use the stamps in New York for posting letters. But I bought it for my album.

Just  before entering in to Wall Street, the financial capital of the world, they have installed a huge bull to mark the bullish trends in stock market. Hundreds of tourists throng this place every minute to get photographs with the Metal Bull. I thought if we install a BIG COW, we can spread the message of Go Rakshan (Cow Protection) which was an ideal supported by Mahatma Gandhi and the RSS.

We went to Ellis Island on our way back from the statue of Liberty. They have a huge museum for immigration. They display lot of things to show how the immigrants suffered in the early days. The immigration which started in 1530, continue until today. The idea I liked there was an audio listening for every kind of music that the immigrants brought into the country. Young and old throng to the place to listen to Jazz, violin etc. Look at the picture. They put their ear close to the wall and press the button to get the audio recording. Why dont we in India start a Carnatic Music and Hindustani Music exhibition and install famous and old audio recordings. When you give old stuff in new forms people love it.

Americans show off their patriotic feeling in all forms. Every big and famous building has a big national flag. Why dont we in India fly our National flags in big tourist attractions without affecting the beauty of the place. I know the government buildings fly the national flags. I mean other big and famous land marks like Meenakshi Temple, Taj Mahal, Mysore Palace etc. It can be put on the walls, not at the top.Look at the picture below:

I will write about other ideas later.

 

 

 

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by Tamil and Vedas on July 7, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Culture, Hobbies
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Posted by Tamil and Vedas on July 7, 2012

https://tamilandvedas.com/2012/07/07/new-york-ideas/

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