RV and date of Buddha

[Namrata Bose]

Hello, I am a new member to the list.
I have been following the debate on the relationship between the date of
Buddha and RV, and being a Historian myself, I am inclined to agree with
Ganesan.

My argument is that we know that the teachings of Buddha were compiled
within 2 centuries of his death. Thus, we have this massive Tripitaka in
front of us on one hand, and the massive literature of the Vedas on the
other hand. To help us with the dates now, no matter what the date of Buddha
is, we can calculate at least the relative date of RV.

Why? Because we have the solid linguistic evidence and massive data
collected over 150 years. This data has enabled us to discover 3 subratrums
below Nahali one below the other (by Kuiper, who is 'one of the greatest
living Indologists according to Witzel:1995--Collected writings of Kuiper)
and has lead to many other path breaking discoveries. For example, we have
been able to draw up a massive tree of Indo European languages,
interrelating then in space, time and geneology via proto or extinct, or
hypothesized languages. We have been able to fix the date of RV at 1000
B.C.E. We have proven the migration of Aryans into the Indian Subcontinent.
We have found the missing links between Avesta and RV. We have also made
other definitive statements like 'Tocharian separated early from PIE in
contrast to IA' (Hock; 1999). And wherever Archaelological evidence (or lack
thereof) has failed to support our ingenious theories, we have actually
demonstrated the inadequacy of Archaeology itself in deciding such matters
(Romila Thapar and Shereen Ratnagar)

When we have made such a skillful use of missing links, extinct hypothesized
languages and probable conjectures to dismiss all other evidences, then why
cannot we decide this issue here even more boldly because we actually have
both the sets of texts here--the Pali Tripitaka and the RV (and other Vedic
texts). Since we do not have to rely on intelligent deductions now but just
have to apply these perfect, infallible principles, let us decided the date
of RV once for all by fixing the date of Buddha. Or since we have already
reached a scholarly consensus that RV was given its present form by 1000 BC,
let us then calculate and decide something on the date of Buddha using the
massive linguistic data of 150 years. Thereafter, the date of
Shankaracharya. Since the evidence of Philology is so massive and perfect,
we can even cross check if Mahatma Gandhi was actually born in 1869.

Namrata Bose

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com