The problem of Rigvedic chronology :. prologue I had written my paper on the problem of chronology....

The problem of Rigvedic chronology :

prologue I had written my paper on the problem of chronology. I was provoked to change the theme after the new light that there or imported scholars, domesticated scholars, Calibrated scholars and street scholars. It is last to which I prefer to belong, because the street grants me the freedom to remain straight. In this paper I have to submit that the study of past is designed to control the present. This compulsion robs it of the scientific temper. Those who aim at maintaining their control over the mind of nations who depend on them for knowledge and information cannot be ever convinced, whatever may you do. Those who care for their recognition in the west are bound to be and remain their slaves. So long you address English-speaking- gentry fed on western doses, you cannot think independently. Dont answer, please state. Believe in yourselves to be believed by those who read you, irrespective of the East and the West.

Tactical approach to pedagogy has cost us dearly. In most of the areas covered by humanity, our knowledge is only skin-deep. I recall this because despite thousands of years of our own encounter with the text and, in recent centuries, desperate attempts by western scholars, there is no translation, commentary or exposition of the gveda that I find dependable. Our understanding of archaeological material has been no less confounding.

While we have witnessed tremendous growth in theoretical and applied sciences, we are moving away from civilization to savagery because of the irrationality encouraged to serve political agenda of those who will to dominate and personal greed of those jumping high to pick up loaves. The worst sufferer has been history, which shapes mens mind. We laud history as a science but we have reduced it to rumour mongering. I find a gap between private understanding and public posture of most of the scholars, who participate in these debates raising settled issues time and again and suppressing bulk of information from those who want to trust them. I may ask a few questions to fortify my point

Feigned Ignorance that the Sindhis among South Asians were pioneers in horse domestication, horse trade, and it were they who reached Central Asia, and named the area of their operation as Sintasta, that is the land of Sindhis. that some of the people there are still known as sindoi, or migrants from Sindh; that they had named Volga as Rasa ( jlk ) and one of its tributaries as Kubha, and Murghab as Sindesh (Sindhu); who among us does not know that the word saindhava ( lSa/ko ) meant rock-salt and horse. Salt was natural gift, but not the horse?

that another people who took to catching, taming, training and domesticating animals were Andhra (Andhaka Vrishni, in neighbouring Gujarat), appear to be responsibe for the name Andronovo, that is the new abode of the Andhras, reminiscent of the link between York and New York.

Social status of Sindhis and Andhras that In India both the Sindhis and Andhras were censored as non-Vedic and non-Aryan. They were in contact with the civilized mainstream, served it like all other animal-catchers and hunters fowlers, snake charmers, elephant hunters and trainers and those who caught bears, monkeys, and even lions and were bilingual.

The problem of the sense of direction that the horse-breeding area of Asia and Europe was identified to be tri-lingual, with Dravidian, Mundari and Aryan elements so intricately mixed that one could move from one to the other with perfect ease. It was explained as a hat-trick with a mixture of science and mischief, called magic. The out-reach was from South Asia to Central Asia, but it was reversed by the engineering skill and power generated to support colonial and racial biases. We have always appreciated the magic and true to our nature we kept clapping, shouting hurrah and ingesting the indigestible for two centuries. I have no reason to blame them, I feel berated as none of our scholars challenged it.

On the Vedic side, serious work is required to be done. Our knowledge is so superficial that even the tallest scholars are confused about the key words such as ava, ra, go, yajna, etc. Friends, I would like to clarify that the term ava and its other synonyms hari, haya, atya, etc. in the Rigveda denoted ass. Local breeds of horses were available, but they were not found suitable as pack animals or draught animal. Even the asva of avamedh skta, had a halter, yup ( ;wiozLdk mr ;s ;wiokgk% p"kkya ;s v'o;wik; r{kfr, 1.162.6), attached to its neck, to reduce its speed. Another device to the same effect was padba or the rope fastened to its feet ( fudze.ka fu"knua foorZua ;r~ p iM~ch'keoZr%A 1-162-14 ). They ran faster than me, while a pack animal or draft animal was required to move at human pace. All the three terms for donkey- ava (ass), khara (khur) and rsabha (*ross, horse, rush, race, rash) were introduced in European languages along with rath (rota, road, route) probably at the stage of ass-domestication. Only the wealthy ones could afford steppe horse, kakuhas [1] or the mountain ass despite the fact that there was a local breed of horse, as indicated by T. kudirai, Te. gurramu, M. shali. Skt. ghota or H. ghod and a, but this The semantic shift from ass to horse took some time. [1] [1] oP;Urs oka ddqgkl% tw.kkZ;kef/k fo"Vfi A ;}ka jFkks fofHk"irkr~ AA 1-46-3( iz oka fups#% ddqgks okk vuq fi'kax:i% lnukfu xE;k% A gjh vU;L; ihi;Urk oktSeZFuk jtkaL;f'ouk fo ?kks"kS% AA 1-181-5(fJ;s iw"kfUu"kqd`rso nsok uklR;k ogrqa lw;kZ;k% A oP;Urs oka ddqgk vIlqtkrk ;qxk tw.ksZo o#.kL; Hkwjs% AA 1-184- 3(ogfUr ;r~ ddqgkl% jFks oke~ AA 4-44-2( mnkuV~ddqgks fnoeq"Vk~prq;Zqtks nnr~ A Jolk ;k}a tua AA 8-6-48

I am somewhat confused when these points are ignored or distorted. I doubt my own fitness to be part of an assembly, so eclectic in its approach. We had to bear with censors, sarcasm and vituperative remarks for telling what we thought correct, cant we ask straight questions why bungling has remained the favourite game of enemies of history. I do not have proper understanding of archaeology. I go by what archaeologists say within the area of their expertise. I expect archaeologists either to contradict or accept the evidence produced by me that speak for themselves. Resurfacing settled issues amounts to wastage of energy that could be used more fruitfully. Serious and in depth work is required to be done both in the field of Vedic studies. Our knowledge is so superficial that even the tallest scholars are confused about the key words such as ava, ra, go, yajna, samudra, even the character of Vedic compositions.

Friends, I would like to repeat that the term ava and its other synonyms hari, haya, atya, etc. in the Rigveda denoted ass. Local breeds of horses were available, but they were not found suitable as pack animals or draught animal. Even the asva of avamedh skta, had a halter, yup ( ;wiozLdk mr ;s ;wiokgk% p"kkya ;s v'o;wik; r{kfr, 1.162.6), attached to its neck, to reduce its speed. Another device to the same effect was padba or the rope fastened to its feet ( fudze.ka fu"knua foorZua ;r~ p iM~ch'keoZr%A 1-162-14 ). They ran faster than me, while a pack animal or draft animal was required to move at human pace. All the three terms for donkey- ava (ass), khara (khur) and rsabha (*ross, horse, rush, race, rash) were introduced in European languages along with rath (rota, road, route) probably at the stage of ass-domestication. Only the wealthy ones could afford steppe horse, kakuhas [1] or the mountain ass despite the fact that there was a local breed of horse, as indicated by T. kudirai, Te. gurramu, M. shali. Skt. ghota or H. ghod and a, but this The semantic shift from ass to horse took some time. [1] [ 1] [ 1] oP;Urs oka ddqgkl% tw.kkZ;kef/k fo"Vfi A ;}ka jFkks fofHk"irkr~ AA 1-46-3(iz oka fups#% ddqgks okk vuq fi'kax:i% lnukfu xE;k% A gjh vU;L; ihi;Urk oktSeZFuk jtkaL;f'ouk fo ?kks"kS% AA 1-181-5(fJ;s iw"kfUu"kqd`rso nsok uklR;k ogrqa lw;kZ;k% A oP;Urs oka ddqgk vIlqtkrk ;qxk tw.ksZo o#.kL; Hkwjs% AA 1-184-3(ogfUr ;r~ ddqgkl% jFks oke~ AA 4-44-2( mnkuV~ddqgks fnoeq"Vk~prq;Zqtks nnr~ A Jolk ;k}a tua AA 8- 6-48

Likewise ra is not wool. Vr is invariably used for wool, and only once loma occurs with reference to soft wool of Gandhari sheep. ra refers to silk and silk alone as for gveda is concerned. Yajna is not sacrifice and definitely not blood sacrifice even though there could have been practice of blood sacrifice in other sects, as evident from a seal.

There is almost a consensus that the Rigvedic verses were composed in Sarasvati Valley, at a time when the river was vigorous and perennial. This is applicable only to the old portion which comprises Family Books and some portions of the Books considered to be modern. The modern portion belongs to expansive era of which Indus valley is just a part. There is a covert temptation in some scholars to rate Rigvedic culture as pre-urban and to cast it in pastoral frame antedating Mature Harappan by millennia to retain the pastoral image. I doubt they know the basics because the society depicted even in the old portion of the gveda is literate, urbanized and more cultivated than the mature Harappan stage.

Broadly speaking, we have two urban phases. The first phase is that of consolidation and sophistication. The second one is that of expansion and domination. Society in the former was industrious and creative than in the latter it was ease-loving and more prone to the vices of affluence. Sarasvati Valley Phase faded out with gradual desertion of the valley because of the problems posed by Sarasvati itself, such as:

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Erosion of one bank and resultant destruction of the settlements on that side. [1] [1] Rise of the river bed due to sludge and siltation. [2] [2] Frequent floods spreading over much wider areas. [3] [3] Creation of islands in the river-bed, [4] and the threat posed by pirates capturing the islands [5]. [4] [5] Ultimately the river was rendered unfit for navigation and ceased to be a trunk route. [1] [1] mr L;k u% ljLorh ?kksjk fgj.;orZfu% A o`=?uh of"V lq"Vqfre~ AA 6-61-7 [2] [2] This is implied by the colour of Sarasvati, supposed to be reddish. Colour in riparian contexts, such as Yellow River, presupposes high level of sludge content. [3] [3] ljLoR;fHk u% usf"k oL;ks ekiLQjh% i;lk ek u vk/kd~ A tq"k"o u% l[;k os ;k p ek Ror~ {ks=k.;j.kkfu xUe AA 6-61-14 [4] [4] vkiks u }hia n/kfr iz;kafl AA 1-169-3 [5] [5] fo }hikfu ikiru~ fr"Bn~ nqPNquk mHks ;qtUr jksnlh A iz /kUokfu,sjr kqHkz[kkn;ks ;nsr~ vFk LoHkkuo% AA 8-20-4

This phase was as heterogeneous linguistically, culturally and racially as the expansive urban phase called Harappan. Mercantile operation during this phase was Sarasvati-centric. The rivers to the west are mentioned as obstructions in their land route. The extraordinary distance covered by them is evident from the fact that they had to cross a number of rivers from Afghanistan to the tributaries of Indus, in the course of a single journey. [1] [1] [1] ek oks jlk vfurHkk dqHkk dzqeq% ek o% flU/kq% fujhjer~ A ek o% ifj"Bkr~ lj;q% iqjhf"k.kh vLes br~ lqEua vLrq o% AA 5-53-9

Even Vyasa ( > ) and Sataluj ( > ), the closest rivers to Sarasvati, figure only in the course of a home- ward journey of Vivmitra, from an unspecified remote destination in the west. [1] There are references to fabulous wealth of a patron on Sarasvati renowned for his charity [2] and numerous other verses in adulation of charity Prosperity of Sarasvati Valley is reflected in the advanced urban planning of Indus cities with plinth level raised to a height impressive even on modern counts. It was only reluctantly that they had to move to comparatively safe locations to carry on. [1] [2] [ 1] [ 1] vks "kq Lolkj% dkjos k`.kksr ;;kS oks nwjknulk jFksu] 3-33-9. [2] [2] fp= bnzktk jktdk bnU;ds ;ds ljLorheuq A itZU; bo rruf) o`"V~;k lglze;qrk nnr~ AA 8-21-18

The problem is that we find only few sizable excavated ancient centers on in the Sarasvati Valley. Many of them appear to have been eroded and washed away by the river in its notorious floods. Of all the rivers Sarasvati is the only one, blamed for erosion of its bank ( ok=Z?uh ) and changing its course ( fgj.;orZuh

Incidence of terms related to cattle and equine breeds in the gveda is not supportive of pastoral economy. We have almost all the modes of transport right from the oldest verses that were available to the world prior to steam engine pack bullock, [1] pack horse [2], pack ass, pack camel besides cart (, ), chariot (), ass/mule-driven carriage i.e. Shakat ( > ) and Shakati ( ), [3] camel driven cart i.e. ur ( ) [4], single animal driven wagon, sthuri ( ). [5] Besides the animals there were load bearing transporters ( : ) in service [6]. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [1] [1] eukstqoks o`"k.kks ohri`"Bk,g Lojktks vf'ouk ogUrq AA 1-181-2 [2] [2] vLekda Rok lqrk mi ohri`"Bk vfHk iz;% A kra ogUrq gj;% AA 8-6-42 [3] [3] mrks vj.;kfu% lk;a kdVhfjo ltZfr AA 10-146-3 [4] [4] m"Vkjso QoZjs"kq J;sFks] 10-106-2 [5] [5] ufg LFkwfj _rqFkk ;krefLr uksr Joks fofons l~xes"kqA xO;Ur bUnza l[;k; foizk v ok;Urks o`"k.ka okt;Ur%AA 10-131-3 [6] [6] Agni itself is load bearer of the oblations offered in yajnas to reach the gods. But even in normal life physical work appears to have been va kqa nqgfUr gfLruks Hkfj=SeZ/o% iqufUr /kkj;k ifo=S% AA 3-36-7

Our archaeologists could read solid wheel on Sumerian seals, but could not see the six-spoke-wheel ( ) representing six seasons of the year on Harappan seals. Even Prof. Lal took a long time weighing the pros and cons, before coming out with a wealth of material to show the cultural continuity from Harappan times till date despite the fact that Jarrige and Shaffer had advocated the same from even earlier stages and this author had supplied literary and linguistic evidence in his writings from 1973 onwards. But the fun of it is that none including Prof. Lal could notice the spoke wheel sign on the seals, whereas I feel convinced that the plate from Mehragarh Phase IV has a stylized spoke wheel in the centre.

The basic difference between surviving Sarasvati Valley urban and urbanized centers and those of expansive phase lies in the fact that the former evolved to urbanism and reached their peak accessible within their technical constraints, whereas, the latter were born fully urbanized. They capitalize the skills and devices inherited by them from the Srasvatas and make full use of it. They remained stagnant for some time, struggled to survive against odds and finally lost their gusto. Most of the developments viewed by us as inventions were not inventions but protracted modifications of a crude device and have a history of thousands of years.

For example the invention of wheel was much less an invention than a gradual modification. It started with the problem of carriage of pebbles to the area of their hunting and gathering. The rounded boulders and pebbles were easy to be moved. They made some experiments to minimize the exertion. We find four or more major linguistic groups with their own sub-groups involved in invention of wheel. They later merged into the main cultural stream. What were the exact words in their dialects for pebble at that stage or which of the variants were adopted by other speech groups with a different phonology cannot be determined at this stage.

We may also remind that most of the terms derived from these sources have been incorporated in northern languages and some of them passed on to European languages as well. The terms initially used for pebble carried the load of wheel as well and luckily it can be identified in Indian languages. karkar( )/carkar( ),sarkar, kankar ( ), cankar, Shankar( ) or sharkar ( ), generating cakkar( ), cakar (), cakra ( ), cakala( ),Skt. Shakal ( ), cakiya ( ), chak ( ). Some of the cognates may be traces in European languages- car, carrier, carriage, chariot, circle, shirk etc. We may remind that this group was also composite formed by many independent groups which had become subgroups of an interactive social milieu.

bat () /va ( ) vat ( ) > vart (), vartul ( ), vartan () - to roll, route, vrit ( ) to turn, route, vritt ( ) circle, vritti ( ) tendency, profession, vartan () vartmn () - revolving. Vedic vatra ( ) - pebble, mahbatr ( ) boulder, batt ( ) pestle, bantn ( ) to batter, to divide, H. batan ( ) - twist, batt () /bt ( ), b ( )/ batik ( ) pill, ( / etc.) bt ( ) - 1.weight, 2. route, batoh ( ) traveler, baamr, baratan ( ) 1. to distribute, 2. to deal, 3. to use, bart v , bartv () 1. treatment, 2. behavior, bateshvar ( ) the lord of pebbles i.e. iva E. vertex/vortex, bark (1. outer covering; 2. Small ship) bat, batter, battle, break, brittle. [1] [1] [1] By the way as I reached batik ( ) pill, in this string of words, it flashed all of a sudden that another word used for it is li ( ) and it may have some semantic connection with E. little. If it appears a ridiculous outreach, it may entertain those who are in a position to offer a more acceptable semantic explanation. [1]

roa ( ) /rodh ( ). Terms roa (), ro ( ) are still used with semantic extension for mechanically crushed pieces of stone which can neither roll nor roar. lodh ( ) the rolling stone or pistle> lodhan () to pluck, ludhakan (), ladh (), ladhiy (), lotan to roll on sides > , lot (), lotpot ( ), *rah>reh () -pushcart, reh ( ) castor. The speech community which either lacked cerebrals or had a preference for dentals was indebted for its rada ( ) - to move with a dash > ), and ratha( ) - to this group. Hindi roti (),>E., route, rod, road, rotary, rut, rotation, roll.

Gada/gadha (/), gart () cart, gdi ( )> gaddika ( ) >gudmud ( ), with transposition of consonants dagar/ dagari ( ), dagarana () ( ) dagga, () digna, ( ), dhanga (). An alternative form of daga in the speech community which lacked sonant and aspirate sounds was tak (), which generated takra (), tarku ( ) takalii ( ) and probably take ( ) - refrain, etc. >E. cart, cartage.

*pagha > paha (), phana ( ), pahd (), pahala ( ), pahal () pahuchan ( ) pahunch ( ) phun ( ) pahiy ( ) pahal () paheli ( ). There were speech communities joining the cultural stream which change p into b ( - ), and one which changes b into v ( - ) bagg ( ), baggh ( ), bahang ()- slingshot, bahuran () to return, vhan ( ) vahan (), vahni () that which carries, fire, equine animal, E. Vehicle,

There should have been many experiments to save the labour of bending down push the lump to role ahead. They caused a groove and connected it to a stick but the labour of pushing increased many times. Even this failed experiment resulted into invention of mace later transferred to timber medium as / . It took some time to dawn that another lump with similar groove fixed to the other end could give much relief from strain and double the benefit. This again survived in a wooden toy for children, lol (), i.e. that which rolls ( - mobile). We guess that the hole was named differently by these speech communities kha ( ), bila ( ) kila () chha ( ), khed (), ched (), khdra (), chida ( ) chl ( ), dur (), dhur ( ), sn () shn ( ) and so was the rod fixed to it billi , kl/ killa/ killi ( ), dhur (), khur (), khul ,

Not only initial problems of wheel had been solved, but most of the Copper Age tools had also been invented in Stone Age itself. After metal became common and cutting, scraping and carving wood more convenient, the medium shifted from stone to timber and from rollers to solid wheel. Spoke wheel called for further advances in tool-making, among them invention of saw. Some of the wheeled items such as pully ( ), grinding wheel ( ), potters wheel ( ) appear to have been invented before the invention of spoke-wheel.

In the gveda, credit for forging chariot is given to the Bhrigus. Bhrigus were hostile to Indra/Vishnu and sacrifice ( ). A poet boasts that he has forged his verse with excellence comparable to that of the Bhrigus while making a wheel/chariot ] 10-39-14 . The problem is to find a chronological table for these developments. literature and language have exemplary vision but lack firm feet, while archaeology is firmly footed cannot see ahead of its feet. Archaeology could carry on its shoulders language and literature the two could cross many hurdles that block our understanding the past.

Those who have been suggesting a few centuries for South Asian urbanization are either not forthright or too shortsighted. There has been nauseating discussion on astrological dating of the gveda by Tilak, Bhler, and Jacobi etc. It is not the Veda, but the tradition of firm matrimony that had come down to later periods. It simply indicates that inseparable matrimonial bond was established as for back as the position of the polar star. Krishna in Gita introduces himself among other things with margra among months, spring among the seasons and Uan among the poets. It just shows the strength of tradition not that Gita was composed as far back when spring coincided with the said month or when Uan lived. There determinations only indicate that astronomical observations had started millennia back and peasants took guidance from the position of stars which helped them in determining the right time for tilling the land and sowing the crop.

The problem of Rigvedic chronology :. prologue I had written my paper on the problem of chronology....

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