!Re: Sri Aurobindo

[Vishal Agarwal]

Dear Drs. Reimann and Dr. Fosse,

To the post beclow, I might add here that a more extensive exposition of
Swami Dayanada's theory of Trivishtapa being the origin of Homo Sapiens is
found in his series of 15 lectures called 'Poona Pravacana.' These were
delivered by the Swami during his trip to Poona. The lectures were extempore
and were translated and published in Marathi subsequently. Hindi
translations of these lectures are available easily. Eg.

1. Poona Pravacana Ed. by Pt. Rajvira Sastri; Arsha Sahitya Pracar Trust;
Khari Baoli; Delhi-110006

Later Arya Samajist scholars have systematized this idea considerably in
works like
1. Vedavidyanidarsana
2. The Story of Creation
(Both by Pt. Bhagvad Datta)

I also strongly recommend
3. Mahabharata ki Samalocana by Pt. Damodara Satavalekar
wherein the author has done a commendable task of identifying Trivistapa
with Tibet on the basis of data in the Mahabharata.

I summary then, Swami Dayanand rejected the AIT theory as he considered
Aryavarta uninhabited before humans from Tibet inhabited it.

Really speaking, Swami Dayanand has not contradicted himself. This is
because, according to him Humans were created 1.9 billion years ago (see
Chapter 7 of Satyartha Prakasa and also the relevant portions of
Rgvedadibhasyabhumika). Therefore, if he felt that humans moved into India
even, say a billion years ago, he had correctly used the words "from times
immemorial).

Nevertheless, Swami Dayanand did contradict himself sometimes. For instance,
In Satyartha Prakasa Chap 11, he declares at the beginning that till the
Mahabharata War (reckoned to have been waged in the 32nd Cent. B.C.E.), the
Vaidik Dharma reigned supreme all over the world. Yet, a few pages later he
writes that the Native Americans were barbarians for aeons till the
Europeans civilized them. This contradiction is acknwowledged even by the
late great Pt. Yudhisthhir Mimamsaka (vide a footnote in his annotated
edition of the Satyartha Prakasa).

Regarding Tilak, he was challanged to a debate by Syamji Krishna Varma and
other Indian Pundits. But, Tilak shied away by stating that his theory was
based solely on the English translations of the Rgveda by Wilson, Griffith
et al. The text of this letter has been reproduced in numerous Arya Samaj
publications in Vernacular languages. (Hindi, Marathi).

Savarkar accepted the notions probably  because of the conjectures advanced
in the article:

http://members.xoom.com/KoenraadElst/articles/zydenbos.html

Nevertheless, I look forward to reading Mr. Fosse's article and would be
obliged if he sends me the reference when the same is published.

Regards

Vishal


----Original Message Follows----
From: Luis Gonzalez-Reimann <reimann at UCLINK4.BERKELEY.EDU>
Subject: Re: !Re: Sri Aurobindo
Date: Sat, 12 Jun 1999 20:48:26 -0700

Lars Martin,

Your sources are correct.  I checked The Light of Truth," although the page
numbers in the edition I have here with me are not the same.  It is
Dayananda
who seems to contradict himself.

See the long quote below, which I copied with a scanner.

Luis


Dayananda Saraswati on the origin of the Aryas
(From The Light of Truth)
Most of the book is written in a question and answer format.  According to a
footnote by the translator (p. 2, n. 3), the “O” stands for “Imaginary
Objector,” and the “A” for “Author.”

[p. 264]

O.- Where was man first created.
A.- In Trivishtap otherwise called Tibet.

O.-Were all men of one class or divided into different classes at the time
of
Creation?
A.-They all belonged to one class, viz., that of man, but later on they were
divided into two main classes,  -the good and the wicked. The good were
called
..Aryas and the wicked Dasyus. Says the Rig Veda, " Do ye know (there are)
two
classes of men -Aryas and Dasyus." The good and learned were also called
Devas,
while the ignorant and wicked, such as dacoits, were called Asura.  The
Aryas
were again divided into four Classes, viz., Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and
Shudra.  Those who belonged to the first three Classes being well-educated
and
bearing good character, were called Dwijas -the twice-born ; whilst  the
fourth
Class was so named because of being composed of ignorant and illiterate
persons.
They were also called Anaryas -not good. This division into Aryas and
Shudras is
supported by the Atharva Veda wherein it is said "Some are Aryas, others
Shudras."

O.--How did they happen to come here (to India) then ?
A.-When the relations between the Arahs and Dasyus, or between Devas and
Asuras,
(i.e., between the good and learned, and the ignorant and wicked) developed
into
a constant state of
[start p. 265]
warfare, and serious troubles arose, the Aryas regarding this country as the
best on the whole earth emigrated here and colonized it.  For this reason
it is
called Aryavarta - the abode of Aryas.

O.-What are the boundaries of Aryavarta ?
A.- (Manu II, 22, 17).   "It is bounded on the North by the Himalayas, on
the
South by the Vindhyachal mountains, on the East and West by the sea. It has
also, on its West the Sarasvati river (the Sindh or Attock) and on the East
the
Dhrishvati river also called the Brahmaputra which rises from the mountains
east
of Nepal, and passing down to the east of Assam and the west of Burma, falls
into the Bay of Bengal in the Southern Sea (Indian Ocean).  All the
countries
included between the Himalaya on the north and the Vindhyachal mountains on
the
south as far as Rameshwar are called Aryavarta, because they were colonized
and
inhabited by Devas (the learned) and Aryas -the good or  noble."

O.-What was the name of this country before that, and who were its
aboriginal
inhabitants ?
A.-It had no name, nor was it inhabited by any other people before the Aryas
(settled in it) who sometime after Creation came straight down here from
Tibet
and colonized this country.

O.-Some people say that they came from Iran (Persia) and hence they were
called
Aryas.  Before the Aryas came to this country it was inhabited by savages
whom
the Aryas called Asuras and Rakshasas as (demons), while they called
themselves
Devatas (gods).  The wars between the two were called by the name Devasura
Sangram as in the historical romances.  Is this true?
A.-It is absolutely wrong.  The Veda declares what we have Already repeated,
i.e., (Rig Veda 1.51.8) "The virtuous, learned, unselfish, and pious  men
are
called Aryas, while the men of opposite character such as dacoits, wicked,
unrighteous and
[start p. 266]
ignorant persons are called Dasyus."  Besides, (Atharva Veda XIX, 62) "The
Dwijas (the twice-born) -Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas- are called Aryas,
while the Shudras are called Anaryas, or Non-Aryas."  In the face of these
Vedic
authorities how can sensible people believe in the imaginary tales of the
foreigners.
In the Devasura wars, Prince Arjuna and King Dashratha and others of
Aryavarta
used to go to the assistance of the Aryas in order to crush the Asuras.
This
shows that the people living outside Aryavarta were called Dasyus and
Malechhas;
because whenever those people attacked Aryas living on the Himalayas, the
kings
and rulers of Aryavarta went to help the Aryas of the north, etc.  But the
war
which Ram Chandra waged in the south against Ravan -the king of Ceylon- is
called not by the name of Devasura war but by that of Rama-Ravana war or
the war
between the Aryas and Rakshasas.  In no Sanskrit book -historical or
otherwise-
it is recorded that the Aryas emigrated here from Iran, fought with and
conquered the aborigines, drove them out, and became the rulers of the
country.  How can then these statements of the foreigners be true?  Besides,
Manu also corroborates our position.  He says, (Manu, X, 45, II, 23) "The
countries other than Aryavaria are called Dasyu and Malechha countries."
The
people living in the north-east, north, north-west and west of Aryavarta
were
called Dasyus, Asuras and Malechhas, while those living in the south,
south-east
and south-west were called Rakshasas.  You can still see that the
description of
Rakshasas given therein tallies with the ugly appearance of the negroes of
to-day.  The people living in the antipodes of Aryavarta were called Nagas,
and
their country Patala because of being situated under the feet (of those
living
in Aryavarta).  Their kings belonged to the Naga dynasty taking their name
from
that of the founder who was called Naga.  His daughter Ulopi was married to
Prince Arjuna.  From the time of Ikshvaku to that of Kauravas and Pandavas,
the
Aryas were the sovereign rulers of the whole earth, and the Vedas were
preached
and taught more or less even in countries other than Aryavarta.


Light on Truth: or An English Translation of the Satyarth Prakash. Trans.
Chiranjiva Bharadwaja. Delhi: Sarvadeshik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, 1975.  The
introduction to this (the second) edition is dated in 1882.



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