From: Edgard Bikelis
Message: 64831
Date: 2009-08-19
On Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 2:57 PM, shivkhokra <shivkhokra@...> wrote:Koenrad,
--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Koenraad Elst" <koenraad.elst@...> wrote:
>
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Richard Wordingham" <richard.wordingham@> wrote:
> >
> > --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "shivkhokra" <shivkhokra@> wrote:
> >
> > > Unfortunately, for a class of historians who want to show that Mahabharata post dates the arrival of Greeks in India, yavan implies Greeks which is obviously as incorrect as saying yavan mughals were greeks!
> >
> > The relevant issue is the *original* meaning of the word in the Indian world. You seem to be saying that the match between Hebrew _yawan_ 'Greek' and Sanskrit _yavana_ is a coincidence.<
>
> As an old hand at discussions with Hindu revisionists, with whom I agree on some points but disagree on others, please let me explain the "relevant issue". It is that most of these Hindus have no sense of historicity. They look at the past the way a prescientific eye looks at the sky: no sense of depth,<....> e.g. back-projecting the Puranic notion of reincarnation and karma onto the Rg-Veda where it is absent.
>
(Please turn on Unicode UTF-8 in your browser to render brahmi characters correctly).
We will discuss one topic at a time.
It is perplexing when people make statements that rg-veda has no re-incarnation when it is present abundantly. Please look at the following verses and do let me know if you still hold this thought:
Rg Veda (10.14.8)
सं गच्छस्व पितृभिः सं यमेनेष्टापूर्तेन परमे व्योमन् ।
हित्वायावद्यं पुनरस्तमेहि सं गच्छस्व तन्वा सुवर्चाः ॥८॥
Meet Yama, meet the Fathers, meet the merit of free or ordered acts, in highest heaven.
Leave sin and evil, seek anew thy dwelling, and bright with glory wear another body.
dIrghatamas is too deeply obscure ; ) for me, but on this hymn I may say something. I read it in sanskrit not long ago. I understood that the pitRs have found a path guiding to where Yama and VaruNa are, "in highest heaven", where the deceased is to leave "sin and evil", and to meet the pitRs, that "rejoice ... with Yama", who himself enjoys his sacred food with VaruNa. Indeed he is going to "wear another body", but seems to not be here.
10.14.7 Go forth, go forth upon the ancient pathways
whereon our sires of old have gone before us.
Where shalt thou look on both the Kings
enjoying their sacred food, God Varuṇa and Yama.
10.14.10 Run and outspeed the two dogs, Saramā's offspring,
brindled, four-eyed, upon thy happy pathway.
Draw nigh then to the gracious-minded Fathers
where they rejoice in company with Yama.
Edgard.