Cakravartin RAjA

[Narayan R.Joshi]

I have enough knowledge of Sanskrit to know the difference between Cakra
(wheel) and Catur(four).I was comparing two titles, one known in the
ancient India(Cakravartin RAjA) and the other used (shar kibrat arbaim) by
the ancient kings of the land between Tigris and Euphrates at the head of
the Persian Gulf.I would like to thank Mr.Bjarte Kaldhol for correcting my
confusion between kibrat and arbaim.We came to know through the subsequent
postings that the word 'Cakravartin' was in use around 500 BCE in India. So
all references of Cakravartin RAjA in the ancient Indian epics must either
be imaginary or they could be post 1200 BCE when Elephant rider Dravidians
from India first got acquainted with PIE speaking(or related dialect) horse
riding Aryans.In the concept of Cakravartin monarch, a horse was sent in
turn in all four (catur)directions followed by the army of the  dynasty
desiring to be declared Cakravartin. Other dynasties either challenge and
fight or accept the sovereignty of the challenger. If they accept the
sovereignty of Cakravartin, they had to send annual tribute and they were
allowed to keep their kingdoms with certain other conditions.So the office
of Cakravartin was a rotating office dependent on partly military might,
partly diplomacy and partly network of related dynasties. Since the horse
was sent in turn in all four directions, it was a kind of Caturvartin
concept also.I am not saying that the ancient kings of Mesopotamia got this
idea from India.My inquiry was about the learning by the ancient north and
south Indians from the ancient Near East civilizations with whom they had
commercial relations as far back as 4000 BCE.It appears from the present
knowledge of the history of India prior to coming of Aryans that India had
only faceless traders without kings and without any desire to learn from
their Near East neighbors about their technology(Near East had knowledge of
iron) or about their royal titles(king of four edges).Next I did not say
that there was empire in the Near East around 4000 BCE. I referred to the
empire of Naram-Sin(2291-2255BCE).Before him Sharru-kin(Sargon)(2371-2316
BCE) had empire. It might not be as large as the empires of the known
history like Persian Empire.Sargon launched several military campaigns
across Tigris towards Iran and along the Euphrates towards Syria making
many kings his vassals. This was his empire. Even before Sargon, Sumerian
city-states became vassals to the kings of Elam. Lugalannemundu overthrew
Elamite rule and reunited Sumerian city-states and extended his influence
beyond the limits of Sumer. This was another case of empire. Now these
ancient cultures of Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians, Chaldaens, Babylonians
had deities in their temples with priests attached to the temples. So there
were priests, kings, merchants,peasants and slaves. The pre-Sumrian culture
was Hurrian culture with temples of Goddess Kheba sitting on the lion. Its
peculiar delicate geometrically painted pottery has been found at Abu
Shahrein (the ancient Eridu). It was the great ancient prediluvian E.A.
sanctuary, the place of Yahu-park transplanted from the East.There exist
volumes of archaeological data indicating that the oldest culture at the
head of the Persian Gulf came from the regions east of it-either from Iran
or from India.So from the Near East the pointer is towards East.Thanks.