Thursday 29 January 2015

THE VEDIC KINGS OF ANCIENT MITTANI EMPIRE

The Mittanni, empire located in northern Mesopotamia flourished roughly from 1500-1300 BC. At its height the empire extended from Kirkuk (ancient Arrapha) and the Zagros Mountains in the east through Assyria to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 

Its heartland was the Khabur River region, where Wassukkani, its capital, was located. The name Wassuukkani has been traced to the Sanskrit 'Vasu-khani' (वसु खानि) that is 'a mine of wealth'.
The capitals’ archaeological sites have not yet been located. The foreign policy of Mitanni during its early years was based largely on competition with Egypt for control of Syria, but amicable relations were established with the Egyptian king Thutmose IV who reigned between 1425–17 BC. Mitanni's north-western border with the Hattian kingdom of the Hittites was fluid and constantly subject to aggression except when the two rivals concluded a peace treaty - one that invoked the Indo-Iranian pantheon of Mitra, Varuna, Indra and the Nasatyas (Aswin twins).


The Kingdom of Mittani. Notice the other Sanskrit names
such as Ugarit and Urkesh on the map.

Despite its greatness no Mittani texts regarding its own history have been found, so most of the information concerning the Mittani comes from Egyptian, Hittitie and Assyrian records.

Two important figures in the Mittani-Egyptian equation are the Mitanni king Tushratta and the New Kingdom Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten. The Sun King Akhenaten of Egypt who ruled between 1352-1336 BC was a son-in-law of Tushratta, the Mitanni king. The name Tushratta has been recorded in the Hittite cuneiform script. Some have suggested that the Sanskrit origin of Tushratta is Dasaratha, a few others that it is Tvesaratha (having splendid chariots), a name which is attested in the Rigveda.



In his research paper 'Akhenaten, Surya, and the Rigveda', Prof Subhash Kak (an Indian American computer scientist, previous Head of Computer Science Department, Oklahoma State University known for his Indological publications on history, the philosophy of science, ancient astronomy, and the history of mathematics) states that the Mitanni, who worshiped Vedic gods, were an Indic kingdom that had bonds of marriage across several generations with the Egyptian 18th dynasty to which Akhenaten belonged.

Subhash Kak traces the names of the Mittani kings to Sanskrit. He says, "The first Mitanni king was Sutarna I (good sun). He was followed by Baratarna I (or Paratarna great sun), Parasuksatra (ruler with axe),.... Saustatar (Sauksatra, son of Suksatra, the good ruler), Artadama (abiding in cosmic law)..Tushratta (Dasaratha), and finally Matiwazza (Mativaja, whose wealth is thought) during whose lifetime the Mitanni state appears to have become a 
vassal to Assyria". Subhash Kak traces the 'arna' syllable in the names of the kings to 'araNi' (अरणि) meaning 'sun'.

A cuneiform inscription.
Amarna letter from King Tushratta
to Akhenaten - an Egyptian Pharaoh of
the eighteenth dynasty of Egypt.
The name Akhenaten has been traced to
the Sanskrit 'Eknathan'. 

In his research 'About the  Mittani-Aryan Gods', Arna ud Fournet states, "A number of Indo-European sounding words have been identified in the cuneiform documents of the Mitanni kingdom (1500-1200 BC). In addition to nouns and adjectives with parallels in Sanskrit this Hurrian speaking kingdom had kings with Indo-Aryan names and two documents even list the main Gods of the Indian pantheon...."

Arna ud Fournet quotes Manfred Mayrhofer who was an Austrian Indo-Europeanist who specialized in Indo-Iranian languages. Mayrhofer served as professor emeritus at the University of Vienna. He is noted for his etymological dictionary of Sanskrit. Mayrhofer had written about some other adjectives that have been found in a document in Yurgan Tepe (ancient Gasur) which included "babru and pabru-nni (cf. Skrt babhrú- ‘brown’), parita (cognate of  Sanskrt palitá- ‘grey’) and pinkara (cf. Sanskrit  pingala or ‘red’)."

One of the most fascinating sections of the Mitanni Aryan documentation is the mention of five major Indo-Aryan deities - Mitra, Varuna, Indra and the Nasatya. Mayrhofer states, “If asked to cite them in their most common nominative forms, no Vedologist could possibly hesitate to put down the series: Mitrá, Varuna, Indra, Nasatya. .If further asked to name a Rigvedic verse in which thesenames appear side by side and in this order, he would have to quote Rig Veda 10.125.1bc :

"
Aham mitra varunobha bibharmyaham
aham indragnee aham asvinobha
"

In fact not only the Mittani Kings, but the Egyptian Pharaohs have also have been known to have a major Indic influence.



Suggested readings:


Sunday 18 January 2015

BOANERGES, SONS OF THUNDERBOLT OF THE BIBLE - THE SRI KRISHNA CONNECTION

The Gospel of Mark gives an account of when Jesus recruits His disciples. It states, "He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve He appointed: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means ‘Sons of Thunder’)…” (Mark 3: 14-17 NIV).

The common method of interpretation of 'Boanarges' is to compare the forceful actions and utterances of James and John with 'thunder'. There is no debate that Mark tells us to equate the transliterated Semitic word 'Boanarges' with 'Sons of Thunder '. Most scholars find the appellation 'Boanarges' peculiar and have been unable to decode the word.

In his book 'Boanerges', Rendel Harris explores Hebrew and Arabic as possible sources of the word 'Boanerges'. Thunder in Hebrew is re'em, so Harris deducts that re'em should explain the second part of the word 'boanerges'. 


Another possibility Harris says is that the second part of the word 'Boanarges may have a link to the Arabic 'ragasa' which means 'to roar aloud'. That has a link to the Sanskrit 'raga' (राग) which has the same meaning.

An attempt to trace the word 'boan' in any known language as the equivalent of 'son' does not give any satisfactory results. So that still leaves the question as to how Boanarges came to mean 'sons of thunder' unanswered.

Can we find 'sons of thunder' mentioned as 'Boanarges' or as its cognate in any other text? Can we find the concept of 'sons of the sky,' or ' sons of lightning,' as parallels to the Boanerges  in any scripture?


Here is a look at the Sanskrit word 'vajra' which is relevant in this context and means 'thunderbolt'. It is relevant because one of the most common occurrences of sound shift in languages derived from Sanskrit is the shift from the sound 'v' to 'b'. Hence 'vajra' (
वज्र) changes to 'bajra' in Sanskrit derived languages. In fact in India 'v' & 'b' are used inter-changeably especially where names are concerned.


'Vajra' is a versatile word and has many meanings such as 'invincible', 'mighty', 'hard' or 'diamond'. It is also the name of Lord Indra's weapon 'the thunderbolt' and Sri Krishna's weapon 'the discuss'. 

Vajra also appears as the first syllable in words such as 'vajrangi' 
(वज्राङ्गी) or 'thunderbolt-bodied; 'vajrabRht' (वज्रभृत्) which means 'wielding the thunderbolt', 'vajravega' (वज्रवेग) or 'swift like the thunderbolt'. A shift from the sound 'v' to 'b' in any of these names can generate a name such as 'Boanarges'.

'Vajra' is a versatile word and has many meanings such as 'invincible', 'mighty', 'hard' or 'diamond'. It is also the name of Lord Indra's weapon 'the thunderbolt' and Sri Krishna's weapon 'the discuss'. 'Vajrangi or 'thunderbolt-bodied', is a name that was not unknown in Central Asia. A Silk-route ancient city by the name Nishapur (निशापुर) which is located in present day Iran was established in 3rd century AD by the Sassian King Shapur, who was the son of King Ardashir. (In Sanskrit 'Ardasi' (अर्धासि) means a 'dagger'). Probably his name derived from a given name like 'the sworded one'. Shapur's father's name was Sassan who was married to a lady by the name 'Ram Behest' (राम विहस्त) meaning 'completely absorbed in the thought of Ram'. She was the daughter of the chief of a tribe named 'Bazrangi', an obvious distortion of the Sanskrit word 'Vajrangi' (वज्रङ्गी)! 

To answer 'Rendel Harris question as to whether we can find either 'sons of the sky,' or ' sons of lightning,' as parallels to the Boanerges, indeed we can. The names listed above are from Vedic stories.


In Buddhist lore the name  'Vajraputra' appears fleetingly. Vajraputra was a lion hunter who after he attained enlightenment was befriended by a little lion who was grateful to him for giving up the life of killing lions, thus sparing its parents and brothers. The lion, with its earth-shaking roar, symbolizes the invincible might of Buddhism. Though in this case the name 'Vajraputra' (वज्रपुत्र) is translated as 'man of lions', its true meaning from Sanskrit still remains 'son of the invincible' or 'son of thunderbolt'. The thunderbolt occupies an important place in Buddhist symbolism. It also gives it’s name to one the three great phases of the development of Buddhism in India- the Vajrayana.


'Vajraputra' of the Buddhist Tradition
Many have linked the lore of Sri Krishna with that of Jesus Christ - what with the likenesses in their stories. To begin with the two names are pretty close cognates, second Krishna was born to a cowherd, Christ to a shepherd, Krishna spent his early life in Mathura, Christ is believed to have spent his childhood in the city of Maturea in Egypt and so on as put forth by Godfrey Higgins in his book 'Anacalypsis'.

According to the Mahabharata and the Puranas, one of the great-grandson's of Sri Krishna was 'Vajranabh' (वज्रनाभ्). Vajranabh succeeded his father King Aniruddha to the throne of Mathur. Vajranabh was the great grandson of Shri Krishna and the grandson of Pradyumna. Vajranabh is the equivalent of 'born of Vajra' or 'born of the thunderbolt'. 'Boanarges' may then well be a distortion of 'Vajranabh'.


Sri Krishna's great grandson Vajranabh is said to have
 built the original Dwarkadish Temple.
'Vajranabh' translates as 'born of thunderbolt' and
hence may reveal the meaning of 'Boanerges'.

As an aside, Pradyumna is believed to have laid the foundation of a city by the name of Vajrapur - which is identified as the Por Bajin of Siberia. For more on Por Bajin and the Sri Krishna connection to Por Bajin click here and here.


Suggested Reading:

Monday 12 January 2015

ANCIENT LEBANON - THE LINK TO SRI RAMA, BALARAMA AND SRI KRISHNA

The area now known as Lebanon first appeared in recorded history around 4000 BC. Its earliest known inhabitants were the Cannanites whom the Greeks referred to as the 'Phoenicians'. It is erroneously believed that the Greeks called them Phoenicians because of the purple dye they sold. Porphyry is Greek for purple. However, a slightly more detailed investigation of the various names that the inhabitants of the ancient coastal cities of Lebanon carried will reveal a common thread to all these names with a more plausible explanation.

The Phoenicians were consummate traders and skillful seafarers. In India, there is a description of such a class of people in the Rig Veda. They were known as Pani'. The Pani was the trading class and were also known as 'Vanij', Pani; pani (पणि), vani' (वणि). The sound 'Cani' in the word Canna-nite is a variation of both 'pani' and 'vani'. The word Cani  appears as 'ki-na-ah-na' in the Amarna letters dated to 14th century BC. For more on this subject click here.

The most ancient name of Lebanon is recorded in ancient Egyptian annals as 'Rmnn' where the sound 'R' stands for thr Cannanite 'L'. Hence the ancient most name was pronounced as Laman or a cognate of Laman, perhaps Lavan. Lavan is Sanskrit word with the meaning of 'salt' and its of great significance in the context.

Like the Rig Vedic Pani, the Phoenicians were traders, and built their cities on the wealth generated from trade of a variety of items. Whether it was the purple dye from the mollusks, or the glass from the sand, maritime commerce, and of course fish from the sea, they all had a major role in the development and prosperity of the Phoenician cities. 

Some of the major Phoenician cities carry names that have the meaning of 'salt' in Sanskrit. One such city was Sidon. In Sanskrit 'siddha' or 'siddham' or 'Sinduja' all have the meaning of 'sea salt', And it is from this word that the city of Sidon most likely gets its name - the city of salt! Sea salt is also known as 'lavana' (लवण). Hence the name Lebanon.

On the coast of the ancient port town Anfeh, also called Amfeh and later Ampi, was located one the oldest salt production sites in the world. The ancient salt heritage that survives until this day. In Sanskrit Amlam-Lavan (अम्लम्-लवण) is the word for sea-salt. Lavan is salt. It is from here that the Egyptians recorded the name Rmnn, the Sanskrit L changing to 'R'. 

The ancient history of Lebanon provides enough clues that its ancient sites bear resemblance to the sacred sites of India. One such example is the temple of Balbek. Baalbek was known as Heliopolis or the city of the Sun during the period of Roman rule and is the site of what is today known as Temple of Jupiter. The Romans built upon the more ancient 'Temple of Baal'. Baal was regarded as a Cannanite God but has many links with the Vedic gods of India, gods that the Pani or Phoenicians were familiar with.

The Temple of Baal is a monumental temple - its base is a massive platform made of stones. The trilithon (a trilithon is a structure consisting of two large vertical stones (posts) supporting a third stone set horizontally across the top (lintel) - terms commonly used in the context of megalithic monuments) standing on the platform is made of three of the four largest stones ever hewn anywhere in the world - a feat that the Romans could not have accomplished. 

Says Indian spiritual guru and the founder of Isha foundation, "If you study in a school in Lebanon, you will read about how Indian workers, Indian sculptors, Indian yogis came and built a Phoenician temple 4300 years ago which is called as balbek which is a phenomenal temple. Some of the foundation stones are over 300 tons by weight. There is no granite in Lebanon. They transported the granite all the way from Egypt accross the canal and up the mountains and put it there with Indian elephants, Indian workers and sculptors."

He adds," There is enough proof of this. One proof is visual,  which is the lotus hanging in the ceiling. The Indian sculptor always puts alotus in his work. Where would a Lebanese work have seen a lotus." More importantly, there is no significance of the lotus in the Lebanese tradition. The Vedic literature place the lotus as the highest and most sacred creation of nature. Its the highest offering you can make to god.

The intricate carvings on the ceiling of the temple are of Hindu origin. So is the gate. But the carvings have been tampered with at a later time, likely by the Romans who gave it the name Temple of Jupiter.


The circle at the centre with the petals is
a representation of the lotus.


The same lotus motif appears elsewhere on the walls of the Balbek temple and is more clearly visible in the picture below.

 A six-pointed star at Balbek, Lebanon
is the 'shatakona' of the Vedas.
The 'shatakona' has a lotus at the centre.


The Shatkona , a Hindu symbol, represents the union of
 the male and feminine form. It represents
Purusha (the supreme being) or Shiva,
and Prakriti (causal matter) or Shakti.

The fine intricate design on the gate of the balbek too have Hindu origins. In many places this art has been tampered with but does not have the same intricacy of design.

The entrance to the Temple of Balbek.
This entrance is remarkably close to the Hindu Temple gates

An earlier picture of the entrance to Balbek Temple

Svastika and Simha (lion) carvings at the Balbek Temple

About Baal, in an article published on the Graham Hancock website author Bibhu Dev Mishra states, "The statements of the Greek writers, as well as a large number of the symbolic correlations, indicate that Hercules was Balarama, the elder brother of Krishna. As per the ancient sources, Hercules-Balarama, on his arrival in Egypt, had stopped a flood on the Nile, deposed of a tyrant king called Busiris, and established his own son Ramesses (also known as Aegyptus) on the throne of Egypt...At a subsequent period, the Phoenicians, who had emerged as a significant maritime culture in the Mediterranean around 1500 BC, worshipped a god called Melqart who was regarded as a powerful king, as the protector of the Phoenician colonies, and as a god of harvest. Melqart was also known as Belus, Baal Melqart, and the Tyrian Heracles which indicates that all of these epithets described the same person."  Quoted from bibhudeva.blogspot.in. For more on this click here.


 Figurine of the God Baal. The right arm is risen
upwards as if brandishing a weapon which
is lost. So is the left hand.

Godfrey Higgins wrote in his book 'Anacalypsis an Attempt to Draw Aside the Veil of the Saitic Isis' (Vol. I), "When all other circumstances are considered, it will not have surprised the reader to find the Hebrew God Baal the Bullheaded, among the Hindoo Gods. He is called Bala-Rama. He is the elder brother of Cristna (Krishna)..". Higgins further adds that Max Mueller was of the view that Baal is a modification of the god Sri Rama. Max Mueller stated that Baal was the connecting link between the persona of Sri
 Rama and Krishna - in other words when the lore of Sri Rama and Krishna went westwards there was a transformation in how people perceived these gods. In Baal, was a mix of the qualities of Rama and Krishna.


Stone sculpture, Lord Bala-Rama, Odisha, India.
He holds a club in his right hand
and a plough in his left.

Another sculpture of God Balarama.
India

Suggested Reading:
1. Anacalypsis: Godfrey Higgins


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