Tuesday 31 July 2012

THE SANSKRIT CONNECTION- THE RIVERS OF BABYLON

One of the rivers of Babylon is the 'Karun'. 'Karun' (करुन) is Sanskrit for 'compassionate' or 'plaintive'. Some believe that Karun might  have been the Biblical 'Pishon'. It is possible that Pishon is a distortion of 'poshin' (पोषिन्), Sanskrit for 'nurturing' or 'ishan' (इषन्) meaning 'pouring out'.

Another ancient name of the Karun is 'Pasi-tigris'. 'Pas' (पष्) in Sanskrit means to 'touch', and 'pash' (पाश) means to be 'bound to'. This could refer to the fact that the Pasi-Tigris or Karun flows close to the Tigris. 


Poshin, Pasi-Tigris and Karun are the names of the same river. At one point in history it was also known as 'Kuhrang'. Whether this has anything to do with the Sanskrit 'kurangi' (कुरङ्गी) which means 'deer or antelope like' is not known. The present day name 'Karun' is derived from 'Kuhrang'.

Just before the Karun merges with the Euphrates, it splits into two rivers to form a delta called Arvand. From the delta one vein called the Bhamshir flows directly into the sea. The name Bhamhasir may be derived from the Sanskrit 'Bhama' (भामा) which means 'passion' or 'lustre'. 'Sir' (सिरा) means 'nerve' or 'vein'.

The other vein, the Haffar, probably Saffar, from Sanskrit 'sabar' (सबर्) meaning 'nectre' or 'milk', merges directly with the Euphrates.

The other major river of Babylon is the Tigris. The Tigris has always been described as the 'swift river' as compared to the 'slow moving' 
Euphrates. The ancient Sumerians called the river Idigna, and in the Akkadian language that was spoken in Babylonia and Assyria, its name was Idiqlat. The prefix Idi in both these names is a truncated form of the Sanskrit 'nadi' (नदी).  In fact the Sumerian name Idigna appears to be the reverse of the Sanskrit nadi. The later name Tigris, meaning fast flowing or arrow like is also Indo-European and can be easily explained by Sanskrit. Its name may well be an extension of the Sanskrit 'Tivra' (तीव्र) means 'swift, fast or intense'. The more common interpretation of the name Tigris is 'tiger' which itself is derived from the Sanskrit 'vyagr' (व्याग्र).

The Persian name for Tigris was Arvand-Rud. 'Arvan' (अर्वन्) in Sanskrit also means 'fast' or 'swift'. Today, Arvand is the name of the Delta that the Tigris flows into.

The Rivers of Babylon
Map Courtesy: BibleStudy.org

The Euphrates and Karun flow into the Arvand Delta. In the Vedic context, Arvan (अर्वन्) is another name for Lord Indra. Apart from 'swift' or 'fast' Arva or Arvan also means 'Horse' or 'One who runs like Lord Indra'. In fact, the word 'Arab' is derived from Arva.

Notice the Sanskrit  names
'Sumer' (सुमेर), 'Umma' (उमा) meaning 'dawn' , 

'Ur' (उर) meaning 'nerve' or 'canal' 
and 'Uru' (उरु) meaning 'excellent'. 

THE SANSKRIT CONNECTION - RIVER EUPHRATES

Fausset's Bible dictionary states that in the word Euphrates, "Εu , Sanskrit su , denotes "good"; the second syllable denotes "abundant."

In other words, the name Euphrates is derived from the
 Sanskrit Su (सु), which denotes 'good'; the second syllable denotes 'abundant'. The Sanskrit word for abundant is 'Purna' (पूर्ण). Hence Euphrates is derived from the Sanskrit 'Su-Purna' (सुपूर्ण) meaning 'Good-Abundance'. Supurna in Sanskrit also means 'well-filled'. 

This meaning is also attested by the Hurrian texts. The first 
Hurrian kingdom emerged around 3000 BC throughout northern Syria, upper Mesopotamia and southeastern Anatolia. They called the Euphrates Puranti. The word Puranti is Sanskritic in nuance and 'purna' meaning abundant. Notwithstanding this, it is claimed that the Hurrian language family has very little or no connection to the Indo-European languages. Yet, all evidence speaks otherwise.

Early study of the Hurrian language was entirely based on the Mitanni letter, found in 1887 at Amarna in Egypt, written by the Hurrian king Tushratta to the pharaoh Amenhotep III. Many clues though were disregarded. For example, the name Tushratta is an Indo-European name, a variation of the Ramayanic name Dashrattha. According to the Grimm's Law of shift in sound, with time dh changes to d which changes to 't' represented by the chain: dʰ → d → t → θ (theta). Hence, the change from the name Dashratha to Tushratta.

No changes occur in Sanskrit because of its strict rules of pronunciation and its computer program like grammar. In the Ramayana, the name Dashrattha hasn't changed for millennia. That the Hurrian king was named after the Ramayanic king Dashrathha (meaning - 'the owner of ten chariots) makes it obvious of the Hurrian tribe origin somewhere in India. The largest and most influential Hurrian kingdom was Mitanni. The fact that the Mittani worshipped all Vedic gods, establishes the fact that they were all of a Vedic descent.

The Babylonians and Assyrians called the Euphrates 'Su-Purattu' which can also be traced to the Hurrian Puranti- the 'n' sound is dropped and the 'i' sound shifts to 'u'.

E Pococke had a different view, and states in his book 'India in Greece' that the name Euphrates is a distortion of 'Su-Bharata' which changed into 'Su-Purattu', hence the Babylonian and Assyrian name. The word 'su' (सु) as mentioned above means 'good' in Sanskrit, 'Bharat' (भरत्) is the name of ancient Indian king after which India was named 'Bharata' (भारत). Bharata is known to have extended his empire into Central Asia right up to the Mediterranean. Hence the name. This is a subject for debate.

Another of the earliest references to the Euphrates come from the cuneiform texts found in the cities of Shuruppak and Nippur in southern Iraq and date to the mid-3rd millennium BCE. In these texts, written in Sumerian, the Euphrates is called Buranuna. 
The name is sometimes interpreted from its cuneiform text with the prefix "d" indicating that the river was a divinity. In which case it may safely be stated that the name Buranuna is a variation of the Vedic name Varuna - the god of sea. Varuna was well known in the Near east and the Middle east in deep antiquity, and later to the Hurrians, Hittites and the Mitanni. 

Tarhunz was the weather god of the Luwians, who lived in Anatolia and later became a part of the Hittites. The Hittites themselves called their weather god Tarhunna. Scholars have for the most part accepted that the name of these gods are Indo-European, but in their endeavor to dodge acceptance that Tarhunz or Tarhunna is none other than the Vedic weather God Varuna, many interesting etymologies have been put forth.

For example it is said that t he name of this Proto-Anatolian weather god can be reconstructed as *Tṛḫu-ent- ("conquering), a participle form of the Proto-Indo-European root *terh2, "to cross over, which is the same as Sanskrit 'tar' (तर) meaning 'to cross over'.


There is more. In the Mandaen scriptures of ancient Iraq, the Euphrates is considered the earthly manifestation of the heavenly flowing water, known as the Yardna. It is said that river Jordon also gets its name from the heavenly flowing water called Yardana. However, Yardana is nothing but the Sanskrit 'jharardana' ( झर + आराधन Jhara+aradhna) with the meaning 'river+worship'. Water only from the rivers that are considered manifestations of the heavenly Yardna is considered for use as baptismal water. Rivers Jordon and Euphrates are considered as the manifestations of Yardna. 

In Australia, the Nepean River is considered the holy counterpart of yardna. Nepean River is a later name - it was named after Evan Napean, a British politician and colonial administrator. One of its older known name is Yandhai. But its earliest name was perhaps Jhara or Yarra, J and  Y are considered replacements of one another under Grimm's Law of sound shift. Sure enough the Yandhai joins the river Grose at a place still called Yarramundi.  Not far from Yarramundi is the Yerranderie  State Conservation Area. 

It is not without reason that the words 'Yarra', a variation of the Sanskritic Jhara, keeps appearing, in many parts of the world.

Readings:
Hurrians - Wikipedia
Hurrian language - Wikipedia
Euphrates - Wikipedia
Euphrates | Fausset's Bible Dictionary | Bible Directory (bibleportal.com)

Monday 30 July 2012

CARNAC MEGALITHIC SITE, FRANCE & KARNAK TEMPLE, EGYPT - THE SANSKRIT CONNECTION

Research has been going on whether the standing stones of Carnac in France were burial plots or whether their use was astronomical in nature. No matter what the future (unbiased) science will reveal, one thing is established, the stones of Carnac are aligned to the sun and moon in a special way.

Sun Temples around the world have similar names - for example: the 'Konark' temple of India and the 'Karnak' Temple of Egypt. In Sanskrit 'Konark' is a combination word, 'kona' (कोण) meaning 'angle' and 'ark' (अर्क) meaning the 'sun'. 



The 'Konark' Sun Temple, Odisha, India.
'Kona' ( कोण ) is 'angle' and 'ark' (अर्क) means 'sun'
in Sanskrit. The Konark is a representation of the Chariot of Surya Deva driven by seven horses.

The Carnac complex in France is located at the unique latitude at which the solstice sun, both summer and winter, form a perfect Pythagorean triangle relative to the parallel of latitude.



The 'Carnac' Megalithic site.
France.

The etymology of the name 'Carnac' is unknown, but if we were to apply Sanskrit to decode the meaning,  of the word 'Carnac' - this is what we arrive at:

1. 'Kar-Ark' : 'kar' (कर) means 'sunbeam'. 'Ark' (अर्क) means 'sun'. Karark (कर-अर्क) means 'sunbeam from the sun' or 'ray of light from the sun'.

2. 'Kar-nak' : kar (कर) means 'sunbeam', 'nak' (नक्) means 'night. Karnak means 'Ray of Light at Night'. This could have been in reference to the Moon.

3. 'Kaar-ark': 'Kaar' (कार) means 'act of worship' or hymn of praise'. 'Ark' (अर्क) is 'sun'. 'Kaar-ark' could thereforebhave been a place of worship for the sun, that is, a Sun Temple.

4. Kar-naksh: Kar (कर) means 'Sunbeam'. Naksh (नक्ष्) means 'approach or come near'. In that sense Carnac would mean 'From where the sunbeam approaches'.


The Egyptians are not sure of the meaning of 'Karnak' in their language, however it is accepted that Karnak of Egypt is also a sun temple.
The 'Karnac' Sun Temple of Egypt

It is obvious that all three sites are temples, more specifically 'astronomy-related' sites dedicated to the worship or study of the Suin - and Sanskrit explains their etymology of the names Carnac (France) and Karnak (Egypt) vias the Sanskrit 'Konark'. 

Saturday 28 July 2012

NEVALI CORI, TURKEY - THE SANSKRIT CONNECTION

Large structures involving carved megalithic stones are a typical feature of Nevali Cori and Gobekli Tepe. Both these ancient sites are located in the Urfa zone in Turkey though technically it is part of Armenian culture. Although the city was inhabited since 9000 BC, it was named Edessa after the Mecedonian capital. However the Greek meaning of Edessa is unknown but can be explained by Indo-European, more specifically by the Sanskrit 'adhas' (एधस्) meaning  'prosperity'. The oldest recorded name of the city is Adma or Adna  recorded in Assyrian cuneiform in 7th century BC, and can be also be explained by 'adhas' for it appears to be a truncated interpretation of what might really have been 'adhas' engraved on the clay tablets. Urfa may be explained by the root word Uru (उरु)or 'excellent', which appears in Armenian and Mesopotamian city names.

Roughly 10,000 years old, Nevali Cori is the megalithic site from where the artefact of the 'Vedic Priest with a 'Shikha' (a tuft of hair growing from the crown) was excavated in 1993. Located at the foothills of the Taurus mountains, on the both the banks of the Kantara river, one of the tributaries of the Euphrates river,  the site is known for having some of the world's oldest known temples and monumental structures. Kantara is a unit of weight in the Turkish land Arabic languages and does not make sense as a name of a river. It is Sanskrit that explains the name of the river better. In Sanskrit kantara (कान्तार) means 'wilderness' or 'a path through a forest', its meaning here is more appropriate. These two facts are significant in the explanation of the name 'Nevali Cori'.


Vedic Priest with 'shikha' - a tuft of
hair growing from the back of the cranium.
 Sculpture excavated
at Nevali Cori- a site dated to
older than 8000 BC
In the absence of any meaning of the words Nevali and Kori in the Turkish or Armenian languages one may look elsewhere for clues. First one may look at the structure itself though it no longer exists in its original location. It was excavated between the years 1983 to 1991 from its original site, when the archaeologists raced against time to transport the artifacts out of harms way before the commencement of the building of the Ataturk dam. However, the entire area including many other archaeological sites, were inundated by the waters of the Euphrates, though not before the remnants of Nevali Cori were saved.

One of the striking features of Nevali Cori is that by design, it houses not circular, but rectangular structures. Unlike Goebekli Tepe where the T-shaped structures are arranged in circles, Nevali Cori is by foundation, rectangular in its pattern and is closest in design to another monolithic structure, the KalaSaya of Bolivia.

The main structure of Nevali Cori as mentioned above was preserved and is now on display at the Sanliurfa Museum in Turkey. The main enclosure was aligned in perfect precision in the Northeast to Southwest direction. Such was the precision that archaeologists marvel and therefore conclude that there must have been a specific purpose and reason for this precision.

The central structure consists of 12 pillars, ten of them arranged in a rectangle with two monolithic pillars placed in the centre. It is between the two pillars, in an outer area, that the large shaven head of a priest with an intriguing snake-shaped hair tuft grown at the back of his cranium, much like sported by the Vedic priests of India, was found. It is therefore concluded that the spot between the two pillars was the holiest, and perhaps aligned to the position of a particular heavenly body.

The shikha of the Vedic priests of India is a representation of the snake like 'kundalini' which lies coiled at the base chakra, and with meditation and asceticism rises to the highest chakra in the head, characterized by different levels of awakening and mystical experiences and finally spiritual liberation.



The shikha or the tuft of hair at the back of the cranium
on the priest's head at Nevali Kori is perhaps the 
representation of the Vedic kundalini

Researchers Andrew Collins and Hugh Newman who investigated Nevalı Cori have also come to the conclusion as have many others, that there was probably a Vedic connection to the purpose and function of this temple or observatory.

In his book 'The Celestial Key to the Vedas', author B. G. Siddarth states, "From at least around 2000 BC, this very region (Nevali Cori civilization) of Anatolia had a great amount of Vedic or Indo-Arian influence, whether it be Kikkuli's text of horseback riding with Sanskrit terms, or the Boghuz Koi inscriptions with the names of Vedic deities, or in the language and lore of many of the Indo-Aryan tribes who inhabited this and nearby areas. There are also a number of similarities between the Vedic and Sumerian traditions of about 3000 BC ....Egyptian and Sumerian priests also had tonsured heads, but without the typical Vedic sikha depicted in the Nevali Cori sculpture. So, the oldest known sculpture in the world may be that of a Vedic priest."

Given that one may look at the name Nevali Cori through the Sanskrit lens. It is possible that Nevali maybe be a distortion of the Sanskrit Nabha (नभ) meaning 'sky' or 'Nibhal' (निभाल ) meaning 'to see' or 'perceive', indicating that Nevali Cori was an observatory. The word Cori may derive from the Sanskrit 'korit' meaning 'created' or 'hewn from' or 'constructed'. The word Cori also appears in the name of another famous megalithic temple, the Kori Kancha of Peru, though it is said that at Nevali Cori, the Cori is pronounced as Chouri and in that case it may be a distortion of the Sanskrit 'Souri' or 'Sourik' (सौरिक) meaning 'paradise', 'heaven' or 'solar' or 'pertaining to the sun'.

Other close Sanskrit cognates of the word which may help in decoding the name of the site 'Nevali' include 'nevalla' (नेवल्ल) meaning 'pertaining to a specific number' or 'naval' (नवल) meaning 'new'. Cori may be a truncated form of 'kriti' (कृति) meaning 'creation'. In design Nevali Cori is rectangular, and not circular, and in that sense, it is the equivalent of 'na-valay', (ना - वलय) Sanskrit for 'not like a bracelet' in shape, though this may seem a bit of a stretch in terms of explain the meaning of Nevali-Cori.



Friday 27 July 2012

THE SANSKRIT-VEDIC ANALYSIS OF THE GOBEKLI TEPE SITE IN TURKEY

The name Portasar, the oldest known name of the site of Gobekli Tepe, loosely translates from Armenian as 'the Navel Mountain'. 
Right away we know that the site is a replication of the Vedic Mt. Meru - a cosmic mountain which holds together the foundation of the universe, the nabhi or the navel or the centre from where the lotus of life re-emerges after the end of each epoch. The confirmation comes from the Kurdish name of the site - Giri Mirazen. Giri is Sanskrit for mountain. Mira is a distortion of the name Meru. 

Meru repeatedly plays a role in the fight against the destructive natural calamities that threaten the complete annihilation of the world . In one instance, Meru becomes the pivot in the sagara manthana, or the churning of the oceans, to separate the poison which tends to cause the dissolution of the earth and its civilizations, from Amrita, or the life-giving elixir.

The explanation of Mt. Meru in the scriptures of India is extremely complex and has physical, transcendental and interdimensional aspects. There are mountains named after Meru and Sumeru around the world, but they only represent the concept, and are not the original site of the Meru mountain, for it is the name of the pulsation of the universe's sustenance.

Science alone, without the aid of cultural and civilizational context provided by tools such as the Vedic-Puranic texts of India, or without the decoding abilities of ancient most languages such as Sanskrit, may be unable to completely unveil the story behind the unexplained structures, artifacts, stone-slabs and carvings of the Gobekli Tepe site.

Until recently the focus by mainstream researchers studying this site which has been dated to roughly 11000 BCE has been on figuring out how, what was in their view a hunter-gatherer society, could have possessed a standard of knowledge so far above ours. 

But now it is obvious to everyone, that the quality of architecture, and the precisely arranged rocky megalithic T-shaped andromorphic and zoomorphic slabs, placed in several circular enclosures aligned with various constellations, tell an entirely and an amazingly different story from what has been presented so far to us by the main-stream scholars. What has emerged now is that even if the civilizational level during the Gobekli Tepe times was that of hunter-gatherers, the culture there was advanced and refined, or more likely, was exposed to a more advanced and refined culture and had access to a high level of knowledge. In a way, what is seen at Gobekli Tepe is in total contradiction with the theory that societies only evolve once they settle down. 

The stone slabs at the site known as Giri Mirazen, 
(more accurately Giri Meru!)  in Turkey
 popularly known as Gobekli Tepe represent
the position of star Constellations at the
time of cataclysmic earth events.

What Gobekli Tepe also tells us is how and when the humans made the transition from a society of hunter-gatherers to that of an agricultural society is irrelevant to the level of knowledge that societies might possess for reasons that are not understood.

This is where the knowledge hidden in the Sanskrit texts also becomes relevant for there are leads and clues everywhere in these texts indicating that these societies had access to advanced knowledge and information that we may not have today -or perhaps is hidden from most of us.

One such lead lies in what Carl Sagan, one of the greatest astrophysicists of the 20th century, had observed. He said, "The Hindu religion is the only one of the world’s great faiths dedicated to the idea that the Cosmos itself undergoes an immense, indeed an infinite, number of deaths and rebirths. It is the only religion in which the time scales correspond to those of modern scientific cosmology." In other words, civilizations on earth have been destroyed and restored many times. Each time there was a different cause of destruction, each time it was restored in a different manner.  Therefore, the evolution of civilization is neither linear nor continuous, its level determined by the amount of knowledge that survives and is retrieved by the left-over societies after each cataclysm.

As research progresses and information emerges it has begun to appear that Gobekli Tepe is a record in stone of the various cataclysmic events that have taken place on earth, events that brought mankind, and perhaps more advanced civilizations, close to an absolute end more than once. The repeated episodes of destruction on earth which are recorded in Hindu Puranas and other scriptures can throw much light on the purpose of the existence of megalithic structures such as Gobekli Tepe. Excavations have revealed many layers of construction at Gobekli Tepe, and it appears that each one represents one cycle of civilization and its destruction. In the Puranas too are descriptions of these destructions when the restoration then happened at Meru.

Alternative Scholars too have speculated that various layers of construction at Gobekli Tepe represent either one or more, cataclysmic events that mankind or a more advanced species has undergone. The survivors of these catastrophic events recorded their experience and memory of these events, in stone at this site at different times in history.

The Puranas of India tell these stories of antiquity in great details. According to the Dashaavatara, as mentioned above, life on earth has been destroyed many times and each time rebuilt from remaining knowledge. Hence, for example, the boar carving at Gobekli can be explained by the 'Varaha' (वराह) or 'boar' incarnation of Vishnu, who in his Avatara as the boar saved the world by carrying the earth out of the ocean when Hiranyaksha, the 'golden eyed asura' attempted to destroy the earth.


The Boar carving at Gobekli Tepe

The Boar or Varaha Avatara of Vedic
Lord Vishnu when he saves the world by
carrying it out of the Ocean

The Dashavatara is the story of the ten avataras, the ten primary incarnations of Vishnu, the Hindu god of preservation, who restores the cosmic order as well as life on earth, after it is destroyed ten different times. Each time one avatara revived civilization on earth. The word Dashavatara derives from daśa, meaning 'ten', and avatara roughly equivalent to 'incarnation'. 

So, at Gobekli Tepe, one may look for carving of other avataras. There have been ten, including Matsya (The Fish), Kurma (The Tortoise), Varaha (The Boar), Narasimha (The Man-Lion) Vamana (The Dwarf), Parasurama (The Angry Man), Lord Rama (The Perfect Man), Lord Krishna (The Divine Statesman), Balarama (Krishna's Elder Brother), and Kalki (The Mighty Warrior). As Gobekli Tepe is excavated chances are that representations of these avataras become visible.

In another of the slabs we see an engraving of a vulture with a round object in front of him. If this has a Vedic connection, this slab is a representation of Garuda, who according to Garuda Purana, was the king of the birds, a sworn enemy of the serpents as well as a devourer of serpents, sometimes seen carrying Vishnu and Laxmi on his back. There are many sinister representations of snakes at 
Gobekli Tepe, and its sister site at Karahan Tepe, perhaps indicating that one of the cataclysms was brought about by snake-like creatures.

At other times Garuda the bird is likened with the sun, a representation of the path that we see sun as it travels across the sky. The Britannica says, "In the Rigveda the sun is compared to a bird in its flight across the sky, and an eagle carries the ambrosial soma plant from heaven to earth."

In the Vedas, Garuda is referred to as the wings on which one was transported to the realm of the gods. Sometimes, the word garuda which stems from Sanskrit 'gri' or 'to speak', is interpreted as a reference to mantras that transported one to the realm of the self where our consciousness is seated. It is also likened to the sun bird that carries 'soma' or 'elixir of heaven' to the earth. The round object on the slab is a representation of the sun.

The Garuda with a round object representing Surya or sun


Says Alex Putney in his write-up 'Resonance at Gobekli Tepe, Turkey', "The highly geometric forms of the megaliths and idealized animal pictograms adorning them correspond closely to geometric language forms of the worldwide Paleo-Sanskrit culture, associated in every region of our planet with monumental piezoelectric temples dedicated to the planet Jupiter. Identified as the Divine One, the giant planet Jupiter was signified all over the world during the Paleolithic Era by the square Indra glyph, reflected in the square or rectangular format of the top portions of the megaliths at Gobekli Tepe."

Dr. B. G. Sidharth, (Director General of the B.M. Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad and also the convener and co-chairman along with two Nobel Laureates professors D.D. Osheroff and C. Cohen Tanoudji of Frontier of Fundamental Physics International Symposium) states in one of his research papers, that at Gobekli Tepe and Nevali Cori, another archaeological site in Turkey, there is archaeological evidence of what is stated in the Vedas. He says, ".... there are several pillars and structures with all the astronomical motifs that could be found in the Rig Veda and indicative of a high degree of artistry. Most importantly, the latitude of this place is the same 37 degrees North alluded to earlier. Undoubtedly both these structures represented perhaps the oldest astronomical observation Centre in history". The design of the pillars and other structures is a reflection of the cosmos at the time the structures were built. It has been suggested that the builders of Gobekli Tepe were aware of precession. The structures correspond to the Orion-Taurus-Pleiades constellations which were visible before dawn on vernal equinoxes from the direction of the T-shape pillars at the centre of each enclosure. Gobekli Tepe and two other ancient sites Karahan Tepe and Nevali Cori are all located at around 37 degrees north.

At Gobekli Tepe, Dr Siddharth adds, ".. in enclosure D there are 12 obelisks or pillars, one for each month. These pillars show the figure of a fox or wolf (Vrika)". The Vrika is a symbol of the moon. The Sanskrit Vrika (वृक्) has the meanings both of 'fox' or 'wolf' and 'moon'. To elaborate this point Dr. Sidharth quotes the Rig Vedic Hymn 1.105.18. which goes as follows:


अरुणो मा सक्र्द वर्कः पथा यन्तं ददर्श हि |

उज्जिहीते निचाय्या तष्टेव पर्ष्ट्यामयी वित्तं मे अस्य रोदसी || 


aruNo mA sakradvRkah patha yantaM dadarsha hi
uj jihIte nicAyya taSTeva prSTyAmayI vittam me asya rodasi

This verse is commonly translated as : 'A ruddy wolf beheld me once, as I was faring on my path. He, like a carpenter whose back is aching crouched and slunk away. Mark this, my woe, ye Earth and Heaven'.

The word 'vRkah' is translated as 'wolf'. But, if one were to refer to a Sanskrit dictionary, we find that the word 'vRkah' has the meaning of wolf and moon both. Sidharth clarifies further. He quotes the scholar Yaska of Nirkuta fame. Yaska had defined the property of the word 'vRkah' saying that it indicates an object whose 'light increases and decreases'. That is a property of the object moon.


The wolf carving represents the moon according to the Vedas

Sidharth splits the next two words as 'masa krita' or 'creator of months' and the meaning of the verse changes to, "Moon, the creator of the months, passes through the houses (asterisms)".

He also says that the motifs on the pillars can be understood on the basis of the symbols of Rig Vedic Astronomy in which animals were assigned as symbols to star constellations.
Then there are some easily recognizable symbols found in the artefacts at Gobekli Tepe. One is the artifact of the coiled serpent. 


Coiled serpents.
Gobekli Tepe, Turkey


A stele depicting Lord Siva and
two coiled serpents, South India

At Nevali Cori, in Turkey  a sculpture of a human head, clean shaven with a Vedic shikha much like Hindu priests of antiquity and present day has lead to speculation that these sites were centres of Vedic learning.


Sculpture of clean shaven human head with
Vedic shikha or ponytail
excavated at Nevali Cori, Turkey,

It is therefore far more likely that 'Gobekli Tepe' was an observatory and a centre for 'tapah' representing an advanced culture of which some traces survive in that area or the close by civilizations. For this site to have been a structure made by an unheard of group of people, where the shepherds grazed their cattle and buried their dead. In fact ,it is in the modern era that Gobekli Tepe was being used for grazing cattle until excavations
began on the site.

A bit about the name Gobekli Tepe. Surprising the ancient most known Armenian name of Gobekli Tepe is hardly ever mentioned. Then again the name Gobekli Tepe is almost always only translated as 'Potbellied Hill' but there are other interpretations to this name in the Turkish language. The most often presented view is that since the word 'gobek' is 'belly' in Turkish and tepe means mound, hence the name Gobekli Tepe. But Gobekli Tepe was not a hilly mound when it was constructed. The claim that it was intentionally filled with mud after its construction does not make sense because the whole structure was not built at the same time. This view is held out by the fact that the ancient most layer of the construction is the most refined. As one goes to the newer layers, one notices a drop in quality and finesse indicating not only a passage of time but also forgotten knowledge. So if the structure was built at different times at what stage was it filled. Besides the rest of the area around the site is almost the same height as the structure was the surrounding area filled up too. It is obvious that Gobekli Tepe is a name given to this site fairly recently when the entire history was forgotten.

Lets assume for a minute that by some quirk of fate the remnants of its original name are retained in the word 'gobekli', one might then look at some other cognates of the word 'gobekli' in Turkish. We find that there are other interpretations of the word 'gobekli' that do greater justice to the name of this site.


For example, the Turkish words 'gok', 'gokada' and 'gezegen' mean 'sky', 'galaxy' and 'observe' respectively. 'Goc' is ‘migration’ or ‘roaming’. It seems here therefore that the sound 'go' in Turkish has to do with the 'sky', the 'universe' and 'movement'. Just as it is so in Sanskrit. Sanskrit is almost always used as a decoding tool by epigraphists and scientists involved in deciphering ancient languages.

 'Go' (गो), for example, has many meanings in Sanskrit including 'sun', 'stars', 'ray of the sun', 'moon', 'earth' and 'thunderbolt'. 'Go' (गो) of course also means 'cow', 'cattle', 'ox' or 'cowherd' and the ‘sun sign Taurus'. ‘Go’ is also related to Goddess Saraswati who is linked to the Cygnus constellation. 'Go' (गो) also means 'migration' or 'transit' or 'to roam'. And all these explain the carvings of the bull (Taurus), and the swan (vehicle of Vedic Goddess Saraswati). All the carvings on the slabs , can be explained as the zoomorphic representations of various nakshatras, or 'lunar mansions' of astronomy or by the Vedic-Puranic characters of India's ancient scriptures.

The word 'tepe' is almost certainly a distortion of 'tapa' (तप), which has the meaning 'sun', 'temperature' or 'heat' in Sanskrit. In the Vedic context 'tapa' signifies 'religious austerity, asceticism and penance and research.' It also means 'meditate' or 'study with devotion'. The word 'tepe' also has the meaning of 'mound' in Sanskrit which appears in its more familiar form as 'stuup' (स्तूप्). With time the word 'stuup' got associated with the stupas - the blunt, mound shaped Buddhist shrines. In Turkish the word for 'temple' is 'tapinak' - certainly derived from the
Sanskrit 'tapa'. But we must drop the interpretation from the angle of religion.

As per its Sanskrit and Turkish meanings, 'Gobekli Tepe' seems most certainly to be an astronomical observatory, or as some have argued, a site at which past events have been carved in stone. Says researcher Gene Matlock, "The ancient Indians and the Nahuatl speaking tribes in the Americas shared the same word for 'Hill or Mountain' - the Sanskrit 'Tapa' (तप्) and the Nahuatl, Tepetl or Tepec". In the Vedic context since all study, penance, austerity and meditations were done on mountains, the word 'tapa' is linked to mediation and mountains both.

And now a note about the Armenian name of this site which is more ancient than its Turkish name. The Armenians know this site as Portasar, however there is no appropriate translation of the name in the Armenian language. Given that one may look at the word from the Sanskritic lens. We find that the Sanskrit translation of this combination word is appropriate in its meaning. A cognate of porta is partas (परतस्) means 'beyond', 'far away', 'distant', 'high above', 'highest degree' and 'farther' etc. Sara' (सर) means 'a lake or a site, and is often a suffix in the names of towns or cities located near a lake or a waterbody. Sanskrit best explains not only this name too, but also reveals the function of this site, it was an observatory. It therefore also explains where the term Gobekli Tepe may have come from. It is a misinterpretation of what it name might once have been after the arrival of the Turks in this area. Perhaps Gozlemevi! Turkish for observatory.

Intriguingly, the other Sanskrit cognate of Porta is 'purta' (पूर्त) and means both 'concealed', or 'magnificent' and 'perfected'! Which is what Portasar was. There can be other interpretations too. The greatest sage of astrology in the Vedic literature is Rishi Parashara. He is the author of the most ancient treatise of Vedic astronomy and astrology, the 'Brihat Hora Shastra'. He most certainly wore the shikha that we see sported by the Nevali Cori head artifact. Was the head found at Nevali Cori a representation of Rishi Parashara. Is Portasar a distortion of the name Parashara. We will never know.

Suggested Links:
1. For a detailed discussion on the Etymology of the word 'Tepe', Click Here.
2. Was Gobekli Tepe an Observatory? Here's why! Gobekli Tepe Constellations
3. Why Study Sanskrit? Click Here
4. Gobekli Tepe and Nevali Cori - Astronomy
5.  Ancient Places in Asia: Nevali Cori

6. About Dr. B. G. Sidharth
7. Gobekli Tepe and its potential connection to the Vedic culture





Thursday 26 July 2012

THE SANSKRIT CONNECTION - CALLANISH MEGALITHIC SITE, SCOTLAND

On the Western Isles of Scotland lies the Callanish (pronounced Kalanish) megalithic site. The 13 standing stones are arranged in a circle, with long rows of different lengths that extend in the north, south, east and west directions.

The stones are astronomically aligned and mark the beginning of spring and fall, and also the movement of the moon.

Callanish Observatory.
In Sanskrit 'Kala' means time and
'Nisham' means 'observation'.

In Sanskrit, Callanish or 'Kalanish' means 'Time-Observation'. 'Kala' (काल) means 'time, era, epoch, tense- (as in past, present or future). 'Nisham' (निशम्) means to 'observe, perceive or listen'.

Is Callanish a distortion of the Sanskrit 'Kalanisham' (कालनिशम्) ? That Sanskrit name of the site certainly describes the function of the site as an 'astronomical observatory'.

Callanish Stone Site goes by two other ancient names, 'An Turasachan' and 'Clachan Chanalis'. Here is what the Sanskrit link to these names is:

1. 'An Turasachan': 'An Turasachan' might be a distortion of the Sanskrit 'Antara'- (अन्तर) which means 'time interval', and, 'Shan' (शाण) which means 'stone'. 'An Turasachan' then translates to 'Antara-Shan' or even 'Antara-Pashan', which either way means 'Inteval-Period-Stone'. Which is an apt description of an observatory which tracks the movement of the planets with strategically placed stones'.

2. 'Clachan Chanalis': 'Clachan' is a cognate of 'Kala' (काल) and 'Shan' (शाण) put together. 'Kalashan' is Sanskrit for 'Time-Stone', which is an appropriate name for an observatory. Chanalis is a probably a distorton of Callanish, which has been decoded above as 'Kala-Nisham' (that is Time-Observatory).

The word 'kala' also occurs in names of other ancient stone-observatories of the world - for example - 'Kalasasaya' in Bolivia. The word 'Chan' also occurs in names of ancient observatories of the world such as 'Chankillo' in Peru.

Wednesday 25 July 2012

THE SANSKRIT CONNECTION - TIWANAKU (TIAHUANAKU) RUINS AND LAKE TITICACA, BOLIVIA

The area around Lake Titicaca is the hub of some of the most magnificent megalithic ruins of Bolivia. Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world and lies at a height of 12507 ft above sea level.

Its shores are lined with ancient fossils, a study of which has indicated that Titicaca once extended into the sea which has since receded. Lake Titicaca is a salt-water lake and the area adjoining it is lined with fossilized sea-shells.

One may look at the indigenous name and determine what it reveals. 
Scholar Gene Matlock has interpreted ‘Tivanaku’ as 'divya-naku'. 'Divya' (दिव्य) is Sanskrit for 'heavenly' or 'divine' - and therefore ‘Divyanaku’ translates as 'heavenly mountain'. A close cognate of Titicaca in Sanskrit is 'Titicsha' (तितिक्ष) which means 'high above'. Could then ‘Titicaca’ be a distorted form of its ancient name 'Titicsha'?

The water body Titicaca once extended to where the megalithic ancient ruins of Tivanaku are located in the Bolivian Andes mountain range at a height of 13000 feet above sea level.


About seventy km from lake Titicac lies the archaeological site of Tiwanaku. It is said that the name  Tiwanaku is related to the Ayamara term 'taypiqala', meaning 'stone in the center', alluding to the belief that it lay at the center of the world.


Here is a look at what ‘Tivanaku’ means in Sanskrit. In Sanskrit, Tivar (तीवर) means 'Ocean', and, 'Naku' (नाकु) means 'mountain'. One translation of the word ‘Tivanaku from Sanskrit would be ‘ocean mountain', or the 'mountain that arises out of the ocean'. 

Tivanaku may also be a distortion of 'Divya-Naka' (not 'naku') then the Sanskrit to English translation is 'heavenly heaven' - for 'naka' (नाक) means heaven - which also aptly describes Tivanaku.


Mt. Ilimani on Lake Titicaca.
Mt. Ilimani is also known as Mt. Illemana in the ancient
Aymara language. It means 'that which rises from the sun'.
According to ancient Vedic texts Ila-vrata was the highest
and most central part of the nine divisions of the world.
Is it possible that Ili-mani was named after Ila-vrata.
Ila-mani means the 'Jewel of Ila' in Sanskrit.


Today archaeologists date Tivanaku to 200 A.D. but this was not always so. Polish engineer and investigator Prof. Arthur Posnansky dated Tivanaku to 15,000 B.C. Posnansky had dedicated 50 years of his life to the study of Titicaca and Tivanaku and made this observation in his research paper published in 1945 . He also identified that the Tivanaku megaliths were the structures of an ancient sea port. However, the mainline archaeologist disagree and say that the Tivanaku megaliths are the remains of a temple complex.

Pre-historic water levels have been identified by the lines made by calcareous deposits on rock cliffs near this sea port or temple complex (called Puma Punku). But strangely these lines are tilted, not level as they once must have been. Posnansky had inferred that a violent geologic activity or some similar force must have uplifted the land sometime in the ancient past thus lifting the megaliths of the sea-port at Tiwanaku to 13000 ft. above the sea level and cutting off Lake Titicaca from the sea to lodge it at a height of 12,500 ft above sea level. 

THE SANSKRIT CONNECTION - SAMAIPATA ROCK CARVINGS, BOLIVIA

The megalithic structures of the ancient world are explained away as, tombs of dead kings or ritual centers for human sacrifice, by the main stream historians. The megalithic sites are dated by them to be only about 1500, or at the earliest - 2000 years old! The new day historians, archaeologists, astronomers and engineers however question these absurd explanations.

Not surprisingly, main stream historians say that the ruins of Samaipata in Bolivia, are an ancient ritual center. Not so, say the new lot of researchers. Swiss theorist Erich von Däniken had concluded long back that the two parallel grooves carved in the rock, atop Samaipata, was used for Vimana or UFO operation in ancient times. 



The Parallel Channels at Samaipata, Bolivia
Photo Courtesy: http://www.ancient-wisdom.co.uk/boliviasamaipata.htm


Now lets look at what Samaipata means in Sanskrit. Both 'Sama' and 'Pata' have many meanings. 'Sama' (सम) means 'together', 'parallel' or 'equal' in Sanskrit. This explains the two equal, parallel grooves atop Samaipata. In Sanskrit 'Pata' (पत) means both 'to descend' and 'to fly'! Sama-Pata (सम-पत:) What better description of a descending or flying 'vimanas'.

Incidentally, the word 'Samapatati' (समापतति) is commonly used in Sanskrit and means 'to come together', 'fly together towards', or 'to descend'. When the Spanish first invaded this region in the 16th century, they were told by the Incas who were residing there at that time that Samaipata was the place the Gods ascended into heaven.

This ancient rock carving at Samaipata depicts a
'Vimana' or 'UFO'. The carving is from no later
than 300 AD if not earlier.

Photo Courtesy:http://pelasgos.e-e-e.gr/files/oct-2012.html

Suggested Links

Tuesday 24 July 2012

THE SANSKRIT CONNECTION - AKAPANA PYRAMID, BOLIVIA

Tiahuanaco, like many 'sacred ruins’ of the world is located on a major grid point. Prominent among the ruins of Tiahuanacu in the Andes in Bolivia is the Pyramid of Akapana, along with the Sungate, the Sunken temple and Kalasasaya temple (which was discussed in an older post).

The Akapana Pyramid is aligned to the cardinal directions, and, it faces the East. Lets now look at 'Akapana' - the name of the Pyramid amongst the Tiahuanaco ruins. Close to the Akapana Pyramid is the Kalasasaya Temple which houses the idol of God Viracocha. In local mythology God Viracocha is described as the one who wields a 'Lightening Rod' in his hand.


Viracocha as the wielder of
the 'Arka'. Arka is Sanskrit for 'thunderbolt'
If one were to link the name 'Akapana' with the Mayan or Incan Gods then we may first look at a slightly distorted form of Akapana. In Sanskrit, 'arka' (अर्क) means 'sun' and Arka (आर्क) means 'sun beam', or that 'which pertains to the sun'. In Sanskrit, 'pana' (पाण) means 'hand'. Arkapana means "The One who holds the Thunderbolt". That is the exact description of Viracocha.

So it may be argued that Akapana Pyramid, or Arkapana Pyramid - is the Pyramid of God Viracocha.

However, a more scientific explanation may be suggested if we were to credit the ancient races with the view that alternative theory archaeologists uphold - that they were far more intelligent and knowledgeable than we are ready to accept. 


Constructed atop the Akapana pyramid was a huge water tank from which water slowly seeped into a complex system of stone channels from where it flowed into a ditch surrounding the entire structure. This is intriguing. The system still works and what has been found is that the water flowing in the channels is warm even though the base of Akapana is at a height of more than 12000 feet above sea level. Scientists say that the warm water channeled from Akapana made farming possible at this height. What keeps the water warm is a mystery that has not yet been solved. For more on this click here.



The Pyramid of 'Akapana' at Tiwanaku.
'Arka' also means the 'sun' in Sanskrit, and
'pana' means 'canal'. 
Picture courtesy: Tiwy.com

'Pana' when spelled as (पाण) means 'hand' but when spelled as (पान) it has other meanings in Sanskrit as well. 'Pana' (पान) means 'a drink' or 'a drinking vessel', it also means a 'canal'.

The likeliest name of this pyramid from the Sanskrit point of view is 'Arkapana'. 'Arka' relates to sun and warmth, 'pana' to a 'drinking vessel' or 'canal'. It is therefore not out of line to argue that the name 'Akapana' may be linked to the complex water system structures in the region which keep the water much warmer than the air temperature. The name 'Arkapana' also pays homage to the Sun God and to the wielder of the thunderbolt - Incan God 'Viracocha'.

It is also possible that the structures at this site were used for different purposes, as a religious site or a water facility, at different points in history. And it is conceivable that variations of the meanings of the name 'Akapana' were in use at different times corresponding to its function in a particular era.

Sunday 22 July 2012

THE PARACAS TRIDENT OF THE ANDES, PERU -THE SANSKRIT CONNECTION

The Paracas Trident of Peru, is a geo-glyph in the Andes Mountains and is regarded in the native folklore as the 'Lightening Rod' of God Viracocha, a pre-Incan god of Mayan Civilization.

The etymology of Paracas:
The name Paracas has a Sanskritic nuance. So lets first take a look at the name 'Paracas'. A direct translation of its Sanskrit cognate 'prakash' (प्रकाश्) is 'light', 'lustre', or 'brightness'. Thousands of years back the Trident etched on the mountain shone brightly due to the peculiarity of the mineral composition of the mountain. In ancient times, the shining trident would have been visible from high up in the skies, therefore it sometimes is regarded as a guiding beacon for ancient UFOs or 'vimanas'. The name Viracocha appears in the Ramayana as Virochana, and is evidently the same entity.

Another, and even closer, cognate of 'Paracas' is the Sanskrit 'parakash' (पराकाश) which means 'distant view', also appropriate for the 'Paracas Trident' is visible from the high skies even to this day, when the lustre of the shining mineral has eroded considerably.


Paracas Trident, Peru
associated with the Incan God Viracocha
is the 'the pylon of the palm tree'
described in the Ramayana.
Vira-cocha appears as Virochana in The Ramayana.


The evidence in Valmiki Ramayana:
In the Vedic and Hindu tradition, the Trident has a prominent place. Lord Shiva wields the Trident (Trishul). Goddess Durga also holds the Trishul, as one of her many weapons. The Trident in Hinduism represents Creation, Maintenance and Destruction. It also represents Time - Past, Present and Future. In the ancient annals of Peru, the Trident of Paracas is associated with God Viracocha. His name itself is a distortion of the name Virochana, a Vedic god who's lore appears along with Indra.

However, the biggest clue and proof lies in the Valmiki Ramayana itself. In the Kishkindakanda section, it is stated that after the Goddess-Queen Sita is abducted, Sugreeva, the vanara chief, readies four vanara search parties to scour for Sita around the world. The party that heads east from India crosses many oceans, travels through Java and Sumatra, Shalmalidweepa (Australia) and many oceans ahead from there before they see land. 

Once the mighty 'Soft Water Ocean', which has been identified by many scholars as the Pacific, has been crossed, the vanaras are told by Sugreeva that they would then reach the Udaya Mountains where they will see the Jaat-Shila-Rupa peak (which translates as Golden Rock Peak), etched on which is a 'golden pylon resembling a palm tree with three branches with a golden podium'.

The Ramayana describes the pylon and states, "That pylon of palm tree is constructed as the easterly compass by celestial gods beyond which lies the Udaya Adri. " (Verse 4-52). The Udaya Adri mountains are the Andes lining the coast of South America. In the Andes range of Peru can be spotted the 'Shining or Golden Trident' mentioned in the Ramayana. Today, it is known as the 'Paracas Trident'. It maintains its shine to this day and is visible from the skies.



'Udaya Adri' (Sunrise Mountain)
 on which is inscribed 'The Shining Trident'
 is described in Chapter 40 Verse 52 of the
Kishkinda Kanda of the Valmiki Ramayana.


Suggested Links:
1. God Viracocha - The Sanskrit Connection
2. New Zealand and the Paracas Trident of Peru

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