Aksharadhool
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Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Orion -Revisited
Friday, October 25, 2024
Usha and Ushshakala (ऊषस् देवता आणि उषःकाल)
We all know that ' Usha' (उषस्) is the name given to Goddess of Dawn in Vedas. We in India, consider Usha as the mild morning sun, which lasts for a few minutes before transforming to the blazing hell, called in Sanskrit as 'Aditya' or many other names. However, was this name 'Usha' really given originally to the morning sun, that lasts for only a few minutes?
Similarly, 'Ushshakala' (उषःकाल) is thought by us as the dawn or pre-dawn period of first light. However again, is it really that pre-morning hour or something else?
With 'Usha' being a short period phenomenon, One feels surprised to find as many as 20 'Suktas' (Hymns) of Rigveda ( the oldest Veda), praising this Goddess. Almost all
Rigveda 'Mandalas' or books, which are considered as most archaic (nos. 3 to 7),
have 'Suktas' that praise 'Usha', some of which, are composed by sages with very unfamiliar names such as
Shunah-shepa, Goutamah, Atreya, Angirasah.
Rigveda calls the beauty of Goddess Usha as incomparable,
incredible, and describes her as a beautiful dancer, who changes her brilliant
glowing attire and jewelry each day. She is described to arrive in a different attire each day and Rigveda even assigns many different names for this Goddess. Her arrival on the
horizon from darkness of night is compared to leaving of a cowshed by a cow. As
she rises on horizon, Rigveda describes her rise as throwing away of her veil
of golden brilliant glow and baring a breast.
Rigveda calls Usha as a sister of the night. In some 'Suktas' she is called wife of the sun and in some, the mother. She is described as very
friendly with Asvins, the heavenly twins. She rides a golden chariot pulled by
horses, which take her up in the sky.
How long does the Goddess Usha shine in the sky? Any person in India would answer this, as for a few minutes. Maybe some people in Kashmir may opt, for a time duration longer than that. Yet, another archaic book , considered as part of Vedas, 'Taitariya Bramhana' comes up with answers that are quite puzzling. As per this book, 'Usha' or the dawn may last, till all the oblations are done and 'Suktas' recited. Or it may linger on and on. Or it may even be there forever or 'Shashwat'.
After reading what these books say, it's time to ask some questions.
I have made a list of few obvious questions. A few more can be easily added.
What was the need for another deity, when deity called as Aditya was already
there, for the entity we know as the Sun and famous 'Gayatri' hymn to praise him?
Why so much importance was given to a transitory phenomenon
of a short duration that took place each day?
Why it is said that this Goddess Usha comes up with changed appearance
each day?
How can you call her sister of the night, when both have a
large time interval between them in form of a solar day?
How can it linger on or stay forever?
Before we find answers to these questions, let us first do a
little travel. We shall move to an open grassland in southern Russia, where
horizon is visible on all sides, or precisely at 52 deg. N latitude and find out
sunrise, sunset timings for two days in December.
On 1st December the sun rises at 8.17AM and sets at 3.56PM.
Noon is at 12.07PM and sun rises only 14.4 degrees above horizon. Sunrise
position is 28.4 deg. east of due south.
Next on 22nd December the sun rises at 8.49AM and sets at
3.54PM. Noon is at 12.22PM and sun rises only 12.2 degrees above horizon.
Sunrise position is 29.6 deg. Southeast of due east.
With this data, I think we can attempt to find answers to our questions.
The sun at these latitudes and days is so mild and pleasant to look at, that the sages found nothing unusual in naming it as another deity.
At these latitudes, it is no longer a transitory phenomenon. Goddess Usha stays
there at least till noon if not later.
As seen above, the sunrise location, time, and height above
horizon at noon, on each progressive day, keeps changing, along with the brightness or dazzle of the sun.
With the sun being so mild, there is no differentiation between dawn and day. We can have therefore, only dawns and nights, eliminating the day altogether.
Since dawn just lingers on, a poet may as well call it as forever of 'Shashawat'.
Coming back to the concept of 'Ushshakal' now, at these latitudes, it is no longer just the time
of dawn or pre-dawn hour. We can say, it rather begins on some day after autumnal equinox, when sun has
become so mild that it couldn't be called 'Aditya' or 'Hiranyagarbha' any longer. 'Ushshakal' should end on some day before spring equinox, when the Sun is back again a
blazing hell.
The conclusion therefore, is straight forward and simple, the archaic hymns of Rigveda were obviously composed not in India, but at a place somewhere in the north, like a place at latitude, say around 52 deg. North. Later, when Rigveda came to India, entire concept of the dawn, as a separated entity, from the day, no longer remained appealing or relevant, to sages, and was soon forgotten.
Goddess 'Usha' no longer sparkles.
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Copyright for text and images
Chandrashekhar Athavale
References
1. Ancient Indo-Europeans
By Stanislav A Grigoriev
2. Arctic home of the Vedas
By. B.G. Tilak
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Invaders of the land of seven Rivers - Chapter 1
1. The land of Saptasindhavah (सप्तसिन्धवः)
Since the dawn of civilization, the mighty Himalayas have always protected
the people living in Indian sub-continent, not only from natural phenomena like
sandstorms originating on central Asia plains or blistering arctic cold winds
or great floodwaters sweeping the north Indian plains, that could have created existential problems
for the early settlers. The unscalable peaks and ranges of world’s tallest
mountain also prevented the barbaric wild Asian steppe hordes, attacking and
destroying the inhabitations, including cities and towns of subcontinent, the
way they did in China and east Europe.
Yet, in spite of this guardian angel, protecting our borders, wild hordes
of invaders and intruders, cruel and murderous tribesmen, monarchs, brave
warriors with monarchy aspirations and people who themselves were pushed out
from their country, found routes that circumambulated the vast mountain ranges and enter the
sub-continent over last two millennia. These intruders and their barbaric
armies, created a profound impact on the culture of the sub-continent that had
evolved over last five or more millennia, starting from Sindhu-Sarswati
Civilization, the Vedic era, Buddhist ideas and finally the Sanatan Dharma.
Some of the early intruders adopted to native religions, but some imposed their
own religious doctrines, creating a great divisive force that continues to
torment the sub-continent, even today.
It so happens that the most profound impact of the intruders took place in
a geographical area of the subcontinent, where Sindhu-Sarswati civilization
once flourished five or more millennia ago. This land could be rightly called
as the heart or core of the sub-continent culture. This region, in the
northwest corner of the sub-continent, is none other than the land of seven
rivers or Saptasindhavah (सप्तसिन्धवः) of the Vedas.
In the oldest Veda or Rigveda, the sage Angirasa, while offering oblation
to Sun God ‘Savita” describes him as,
अ॒ष्टौ व्य॑ख्यत्क॒कुभः॑
पृथि॒व्यास्त्री धन्व॒ योज॑ना स॒प्त सिन्धू॑न् । हि॒र॒ण्या॒क्षः स॑वि॒ता दे॒व
आगा॒द्दध॒द्रत्ना॑ दा॒शुषे॒ वार्या॑णि ॥ (1.35.8)
“He has lighted up the eight points of the horizon, the three regions
of living beings, the seven rivers; may the golden-eyes Savitā come hither,
bestowing upon the offerer of the oblation desirable riches.”
The next question that naturally arises is the names of
rivers that constitute this land of seven rivers. Luckily Rigveda helps us even here. The
Nadistuti sukta (नदिस्तुति सूक्त),
or "the hymn in praise of rivers", gives us names of these seven
rivers for the reconstruction of the geography of this area.
The first and foremost river that this Sukta (10.75.1)
mentions is obviously Sindhu or The Indus, the mightiest of them all. Other
rivers that are mentioned (10.75.5) in east to west direction are Sarasvati,
Shutudri (Sutlej), Parushni (Iravati, Ravi), Asikni (Chenab) and finally
Vitasta (Jhelum). This defines the land of seven rivers as the region that
begins with Sarswati in the east, but does not end with Indus in the west.
The next verse (10.75.6) describes the tributaries like Kubha
(Kabul River), Gomati (Gomal) and Krumu
(Kurram),that merge with Sindhu in the plains. Using this information, we can create a map of
the landmass, which Rigveda describes as ‘Saptasindhav’. We must also include
here the plains, west of Indus River that stretch to the mountains and also the
Basin of no longer visible Sarswati
River, now found only through archaeological and satellite data. However, we
shall not indulge in that endeavor as it is unrelated to our subject matter. Figure
1.1 shows the exact locations of these rivers except River Sarswati.
From the image, we can imagine the vastness of this landmass.
Considering present political situation, it consists of entire country of
Pakistan, some parts of Afghanistan and Indian Punjab. Before we proceed
further, it is important to clarify an issue, in which a few people,
particularly from our western neighbor tend to believe. After discovery of Indus culture (Now called
Sindhu-Sarswati civilization) by Mr. Banerji of Archaeological survey of India,
European historians started endorsing an imaginary idea of Aryan invasion, on
land of seven Rivers and destruction of so called native or ‘Anarya’ culture
that existed there before. However, the archeological and other data from
extensive excavations in Saraswati basin by Archaeological Survey of India,
Deccan College Pune and others have conclusively proved that no evidence have
been found anywhere that can support this theory and the Aryan invasion theory
stands rejected.
We can say with confidence therefore that history of land of seven
Rivers, during Sindhu- Sarswati civilization does not include any major
military campaigns by outsiders and it got extinguished due to several other
reasons, which are out of our scope. Next we come to Vedic period (1500-to-1200
BCE) and Mahabharata (840 BCE) period, where major wars were only fought by
indigenous armies and no external army or power was involved. This however does not mean there were no wars
fought between ‘Saptasindhav’ kingdoms and ‘Tochari’ people, their northwest
neighbours. These probably were just local conflicts as no large scale invasion
record has been found anywhere.
From Mahabharata period we shall move ahead by two three centuries
or so and we come to a period around middle of sixth century BCE. Buddhism was
spreading fast in north and northwest India.
With the monks travelling everywhere in the region, information about
India, its riches, was spreading very fast.
It was no wonder therefore that foreign powers, kings and monarchs, ever
eager to expand their kingdoms and monarchies, must have gathered this
information and plans were afoot to invade this golden land.
With this background, we can label the arrival of the first
invader army to land of seven Rivers as beginning of an evil period that intermittently
continued until 1760 CE, only to be replaced by an even more cunning adversary,
the British and later bifurcation of this most fertile and beautiful land
itself.
(To be continued)
27th April 2024