India's God Krishna Was the King of Jerusalem!By Gene D. MatlockWhat a strange world in which we live! The Catholic Church has always known that Christianity did not begin with Jesus Christ, but yet it tries to make us think it did.St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) wrote: "This, in our day, is the Christian religion, not as having been unknown in former times, but as having recently received that name."Eusebius of Caesarea (circa 283-371 AD) said: "The religion of Jesus Christ is neither new nor strange."InAnacalypsis,The 17th century British orientalist and iconoclast, Godfrey Higgins, insisted that Christianity was already firmly in place in both the West and the East, many centuries before Jesus Christ was born. He said, The Crestians or Christians of the West probably descended directly from the Buddhists, rather than from the Brahmins. (Vol. 2, pp 438, 439.)The existence of the Christians both in Europe and India, (existed) long anterior to the Christian era... (Vol 2, p. 202.) I think the most blind and credulous of devotees must allow that we have the existence of the Cristna of the Brahmins in Thrace, many hundred years before the Christian era-the birth of Jesus Christ. (Book X, p. 593.)"Melito (a Christian bishop of Sardis) in the year 170, claims the patronage of the emperor, for the now so-called Christian religion, which he calls "our philosophy," on account of its high antiquity, has having been imported from countries lying beyond the limits of the Roman empire, in the region of his ancestor Augustus, who found the importation ominous of good fortune to his government." This is an absolute demonstration that Christianity did not originate in Judea, which was a Roman province, but really was an exotic oriental fable, imported from India, and that Paul was doing as he claimed, viz: preaching a God manifest in the flesh who had been "believed in the world" centuries before his time, and a doctrine which had already been preached "unto every creature under heaven." (Bible Myths and Their Parallels in Other Religions;T. W. Doane, p. 409.)Religious historians have for hundreds of years struggled to find out how and why the stories about Jesus and Krishna, who were born 2,000 years apart, are so nearly identical. Both Christ and Krishna descended from Noah. The future births of both messiahs were predicted ahead of time. Christ was descended from Abraham Krishna was the father of Abraham (Brahma). Christ was at once a Koresh, a Hebrew, and a Yehudi. Krishna was at once a Kurus, an Abhira, and a Yadava. Christ was an incarnation of Yah-Veh. Krishna was at once an incarnation of Vishnu and Shiva. Christ's first name, Jesus, was Yeshua. A title of Krishna, meaning "love; devotion," was Yesu. Even today, many Hindu parents name their sons, Yesu Krishna. Both men were born of virgins and in a stable. Krishna's mother was named Devaki. Jesus mother was called Mary. Krishna did not have an earthly father as such, but a protector, named Vasudeva. Jesus did not have an earthly father as such, but a mortal protector named Joseph. An evil king tried to kill Christ and Krishna when they were both infants. To protect the infant Jesus, Joseph and Mary took him to Maturai, Egypt. To protect the infant Krishna, his parents, Vasudeva and Devaki, took him to Mathura, India. It was predicted that both men would die to atone for the sins of their people. As you have probably noticed, they took refuge in places having almost identical names. Both men preached to their people. Christ was crucified and then resurrected. Krishna was killed by a hunter's arrow and impaled on a tree. Later, he returned to life. Christ was crucified in Jerusalem. Some Hindu scholars think that Krishna died in Jerusalem, having gone there when his coastal city of Dwarka sank under the sea. Others say he went to Iraq. Christ appeared after his "death." Krishna appeared after his "death." Both of them have a major holiday dedicated to them on December 25th. Christ had a female admirer named Mary Magdalene. Krishna had a female admirer named Marya Maghadalena.Fanatically sectarian Christians and Hindus alike militantly reject the idea that the stories of these two deities are related. The Christians accuse the Hindus of blurring their identities on purpose. Some even claim that the Devil himself is the culprit.The Hindus reciprocate accordingly. Unfortunately, neither side can prove or disprove anything. In this article, I will attempt to clear up this mystery once and for all.The Hindu Equivalent of our Old Testament Story of Abraham.The story begins with our Abraham or Brahma as the Hindus called him. His father was Lord Krishna; his brother was Mahesh a.k.a Maheshvara who would be our Moses (Heb:Moshe).The Hindu triad consists of the Gods Brahma, the equivalent of our God, and Gods Shiva and Vishnu. Actually Shiva and Vishnu are one and the same deities. Together, they are Brahma (God). Today, in India, there are only two temples dedicated to God Brahma because the Hindus say mankind is not yet ready to worship such a lofty concept.Hindu Proof That Jesus Is the Son of God!The Bible tells us that Jesus was both Shiva and Vishnu, for Jesus' biblical names areIsa/Isha(Shiva),Yeshua(Skt. Yishvara, pronounced in Sanskrit as Yeshwara), Kristos, and Yesu, another name of Krishna . Even in India, Lord Krishna was and still is calledYesu Krishna and Kristna.These names prove to us that Jesus was both Shiva and Vishnu, thus making Jesus the begotten son of the Unbegotten-Brahma.

Picture of Christ.The preceding information shows us that the Hindus are as Christian as the Christians are. Morever, the Hindus can prove that Jesus was the son of God, but we have to accept this as a matter of faith only. Even so, there is no lack of Christian sects wanting the Hindus to "convert" to their way of thinking although we must credit the Hindus with the honor of proving to us that Jesus is the son of God. But the Hindus don't need to convert to the spiritual knowledge they bequeathed to us. They were "converted" thousands of years before our Jesus was born. I say, leave them be.Since Krishna was not born of man, he was not actually the earthly father of Brahma and Mahesh. Therefore, he himself was the protector (Tara) of Brahma. In Sanskrit, Tara means "savior; protector." It is a term generally used with the gods Rudra, Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. Even our Old Testament says that the father (protector) of Abraham wasTerah(Genesis11:26.) The Bible tells us that Abraham and Sarah were half-siblings. (Genesis12:19-20.). The Hindu holy books also tell us that a blood relationship existed between them. The Puranas relate Sarasvati to Brahma and Vishnu. Most frequently, she is associated with Brahma. Her connection with him dates earlier than to any other God. She is portrayed mostly as his wife and occasionally as his daughter. When Vishnu's popularity in India increased, myths relating Saraswati to him appeared. (Ref:Sarasvati and the Gods; www.vishvarupa.com.) Therefore, Brahma or Vishnu would also have been the Tara (Terah) of Sarasvati because of her divine origins.

Brahm (Abraham)

Sarasvati (Sarah)Abraham or Brahma's home was the land of Haran (Genesis 1:4.) Haran was the coastal principality governed by Krishna. It was even named after him because Hara (Sun God) is another name of Krishna. Brahma/Abraham was 75 years old when he left Haran.Just as Christ was crucified on a cross and then returned to life, Krishna, also known as Haran, was crucified on a tree and then returned to life. This fact appears to cause some confusion in The Bible. (ReadGenesis11:26-31).There is also another "Haran" in India-today's state of Haryana. It is the region where Abraham decided to stop making idols and worship only one God. Brahmavarta, a region in Northeastern Haryana, is said to be the place where mankind was first created. (Varta=Dwelling.) Brahmavarta was the site of the Kuruksetra War between the Kurus and Pandavas, in which Lord Krishna distinguished himself. An ancient and holy river, now dried up, the Sarasvati, once flowed through Brahmavarta. The Hakra (the biblical Haggar) was a tributary of the Sarasvati. The relationships of these three geographical entities make sense. If Brahma provided the channel or bed for the Sarasvati river, Brahmavarta could easily have been the symbolical father or brother of Sarasvati. Hakra (Haggar), being a tributary of Sarasvati, depended on Sarasvati . So what were Abraham, Sarah, and Haggar? People, things, or places?

Map of India, showing Haryana

Map showing BrahmavartaI have stated that the Bible mentions Haran and Haryana. The Hindu holy books also say that Brahma/Abrahan lived in Ur of the Chaldees. Ur was a Sumerian name for "town; city." Chaldee (pronounced Kaldee) derives from the Sanskrit Kaul, a Brahman caste, and Deva (demi-god). The North Indian Kauldevas worshiped idols representing their ancestors. According to the Hindus, Brahma married Sarasvati in Chaldea, the part that is now Afghanistan.Northern Afghanistan was called Uttara Kuru and was a great center of learning. An Indian woman went there to study and received the title of Vak i.e. Saraisvati (Lady Sarah). It is believed that Brahm, her teacher, was so impressed by her beauty, education, and powerful intellect, that he married her. (The Hindu History, by Ashkoy Kumar Mazumdar; p. 48,in passim.) Lord Krishna, the divine father (Terah/Tra) of Brahma/Abraham, was the king of Haran, with the seaport of Dwarka as its capital.In about 1900 BC, hundreds of thousands of native Indians emptied Northern and Central India and fled to the Middle East after Krishna's Dwarka sank under the water.

Krishna gathered his family together and fled either to the Middle East or to what is now Iraq. Only some gigantic natural disasters, such as earthquakes and floods could have caused such an exodus. It was at this time that the Saraisvati and the Indus changed their proper beds. The Saraisvati dried up.

Map showing the path of the Sarasvati before it dried up.The drying up of the Saraisvati... led to a major relocation of the population centered around the Sindhu and the Sarasvati valleys... caused a migration westward from India. It is soon after this time that the Indic element begins to appear all over West Asia, Egypt, and Greece. (Indic Ideas in the Graeco-Roman World, by Subhash Kak, taken fromIndiaStaronline literary magazine; p. 14.)And Joshua said unto all the people, Your fathers dwelt... in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor, and they served other gods.Many people don't understand what is meant by Joshua's remark about "the other side of the flood."And Joshua said unto all the people, Your fathers dwelt... in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor, and they served other gods.And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan...(Joshua 24:2-3.)Many people don't understand what is meant by Joshua's remark about "the other side of the flood." They think he was referring to the Noachide flood. He was referring to the time when God Krishna's Dwarka and Haran province, in today's Gujarat, sank under water in about 1900 BC. Abraham, Sarah, and their followers escaped southward, to the coastal ports of Kalyan and Sopara (Sophir or Sauvira), in Maharashthra. From there, they sailed northward to the Middle East. Sarah (Sarsvati) embarked from the port of Kalyan. At one time, Kalyan was located closer to the coast, but is now located more than 50 miles inland. Sarasvati is the patron saint of Kalyan. The patron saint of Sophir or Sauvira was Parasu Rama (possibly a name of our biblical Abraham/Brahma).And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan... (Joshua24:2-3.)Indian Author Paramesh Choudhury, author ofThe India We Have Lost, claims that Krishna and his family probably fled to Iraq. But I'm certain that they went to Jerusalem. The word Jerusalem is derived from Sanskrit:Yadu-Ishalayam, meaning "The Holy Rock of the Yadu Tribe." Lord Krishna was a Yadu. The Moslems still revere this huge rock under the Dome of the Rock on Jerusalem Temple Mount.Temple [top] Mount and Dome of the Rock. [bottom] Abraham's tomb.Until now, I have been wondering why Krishna's name did not appear in Jerusalem after his arrival there. Yet, the name of the king of Jerusalem,Melchizedek, the mentor of Abraham, did. I once thought thatMelchizedekwas the name of a certain person. I made this mistake by thinking that a prince and a son of a Kassite king,Melik-Sadaksina, was a supernaturally endowed prince, magician and spiritual giant. I thought he had accompanied Krishna, Abraham, and Sarah to the Middle East. Later on, I came to realize that the Sanskrit wordSadhakaapplies to anyone who is an adept, a magician, one possessed of supernatural powers gained by worshipping a deity or by uttering magical chants.I have additionally shown in this article that the New Testament words for Jesus all refer to Lord Krishna and his holy names. The early Christians were convinced that Melchizedek was just a prior incarnation of Jesus Christ, The remains of the Nag Hammadi manuscript entitledMelchizedekseem to confirm this.Melchizedek, king of Jerusalem and mentor of his son Abraham, was none other than ancient India's God Krishna. The early Christians thought that Jesus was a reincarnation of Krishna, for who else had the name Yesu Kristna, Isa, Krishna, etc.?St. Paul states in the New Testament book of Hebrews:Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made a high priest forever after the order of Melchisedec. (6:20.) For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him...(7:1); For he was yet in the loins of his father when Melchisedec met him. (7:;10);...what further need was there that another priest should arise after the order of Melchisedec...(7:11); Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec (7:17);.

Melchisedek (Krishna)In closing this article, I want to mention the dissatisfaction I have always had with fanatical religious sectarians who yell that only they are right and that everybody else is wrong. They often insult, deprecate, mock, and reject those with whom they disagree, hoping to shut the formers' mouths. In many cases, these religious squabbles over suspected "differences" cause widespread bloodshed and misery in the world. I am a Roman Catholic and proud of it. But it grieves me when I hear priests, nuns and laity preach that anyone who isn't a Catholic is hell-bound.The word "Catholic" itself derives from the SanskritKetu-Loka, meaning "Universal Leader." But how can a religion be "universal" if it is exclusive, locking out nations like India who not only gave Catholics their own bible, but even the Christ they worship? I have shown how nearly parallel our bible and the Hindu holy books concur in almost every way-linguistically, culturally, spiritually, etc. Even the incestuous relationship between Brahma and Sarasvati squares with that of Abraham and Sarah. India more than qualifies to be the real holy land of all mankind. The main differences between Christians and Hindus arise from the fact that the Hindu form of Christianity stayed behind in India, and that the western Christianity we know was exported abroad. Naturally, geographical separation has caused some variations in the two similar teachings, as well as culturally. Additionally, we have to keep in mind that for many hundreds of years, these stories were passed down orally, from father to son. Changes, embellishments, and varying opinions crept through the woodwork.It is a strange anomaly that our Christian sects want to convert the Hindus to the same religious teachings the latter gave to the world and still practice!I have amply demonstrated that all of us, no matter what our respective religions and nationalities, are grandchildren of India, Will this knowledge help keep us from tearing ourselves and the world apart?Addendum:If, until now, you are still unconvinced that Melchizedek was Lord Krishna, and that Jesus was an incarnation of Krishna (Melchizedek) as Paul himself explained, I have no other recourse but to give you solid proof directly from the mouths of the Hindus themselves! This should put an end to the question. It is a verifiable fact that one of the names of Krishna was Sadhaka. Being a king, Krishna would have been addressed asMalika(King)Sadhaka). If you are still doubtful, go to the web and type inKrishna Sadhaka. You'll instantly get all the proof you'll; ever need. Note: This article is a chapter from Gene's upcoming book, now in preparation:Searching for God -- Now a Valid Science!It will be released in autumn, 2007.Krishna and Christ; Who Came First? Which of Them is the Copycat Myth?The similarities between Krishna and Christ have captured the attention of scholars for years. The initial reaction by scholars like Weber and Hopkins was to suggest that the Krishna legends copied earlier Christian stories; and for good reason, becausethe Krishna legends most similar to Christ were developed after Christ. Raychaudhuri in his bookMaterials for the Study of the Early History of the Vaishnava Sectstates on page 3, I have then tried to show that thisBhaktireligion is not a plagiarism from Christianty, but owes its origin toVasudeva. Raychaudhuri successfully does this in his book, but in the process, inadvertently destroys any hope an anti-Christian copycat theorist might have at proving Christianity to be a plagiarism fromVaishnavism. He quotes Weber on page 86, saying, Weber adds that in the train of the birth-day festival we must suppose that other legendary matters came to India which are found in the accounts of theHarivamsa, of theJaimini Bharata, and in some interpolated passages of theMahabharata, in thePuranas, especially in theBhagavata Puranaand its offshoots which describe and embellish the birth and childhood of Krishna with notices which remind us irresistibly of Christian legends. Take, for example, the statement of theVishnu Puranathat Nanda, the foster-father of Krishna, at the time of the latters birth, went with his pregnant wife Yasoda to Mathura to pay taxes (paralleled in Luke 2:4-5) or the pictorial representation of the birth of Krishna in the cowstall or shepherds hut, that corresponds to the manger, and of the shepherds, shepherdesses, the ox and the ass that stand round the woman as she sleeps peacefully on her couch without fear of danger. Then the stories of the persecutions of Kamsa, of the massacre of the innocents (babies), of the passage across the river (Christophoros), of the wonderful deeds of the child, of the healing-virtue of the water in which he was washed, etc., etc. Whether the accounts given in theJaimini Bharataof the raising to life by Krishna of the dead son of Duhsala, of the cure of Kubja, of her pouring a vessel of ointment over him, of the power of his look to take away sin, and other subjects of the kind came to India in the same connection with the birth-day festival may remain an open question.Dating the Krishna Related Writings To solve the question, it is necessary to date the legends. In order to do this it is necessary to realize the historical situation in India. The religion of theBhagavadas, a devotional creed toVasudeva, probably emerged before the 400s BC (Raychaudhuri, 13, 18) In the 330s BC, Greek influence spread as Alexander swept across Persia. The middle half of the 200s BC was the reign of Asoka, in which Buddhism became the state religion. The Buddhist antagonism towards the Brahman priesthood and the caste system caused religious tension between Buddhists and Hindus. This tension continued for centuries. Differing sects such as the Jains, Saivists, and Buddhists challenged the old Vedic Hinduism. Finally, towards the beginning of the Gupta dynasty in the 300s AD, a new form of Hinduism triumphed and theVaishnavafaith became standardized from a plethora of various religious groups. It is generally agreed by most scholars that the Hindu texts dealing with Krishnas legend did not reach their final form until halfway through the Gupta dynasty sometime around 350 500 AD. Most of them were not even written until this time. We will investigate the works that contain the Krishna legend as follows: Vishnu Purana: This work contains the geneology of the Gupta kings, and therefore could not have been finalized before 320 AD. Hazra is positive the date of this purana is between 275 325 AD, while Winternitz agrees it is not later than the 400s. (Jaiswal, 17) Others agree it was probably written between 300 400 AD. (sdmart.com) Raychaudhuri agrees that it was probably written between 320 355 AD, and goes further by saying that the puranas that relate the Krishna story cannot be placed much before the Gupta kings, since the geneology of those kings is included. (Raychaudhuri, 91, 42) Bhagavata Purana: Hazra points out that theVishnu Puranais a source for theBhagavata Puranaand believes its date to be between 500 550 AD, despite many who believe the date should be even later. It embellishes theVishnu Puranaand is the most complete biography of Krishna. Another generally accepted date for it is 800 1000 AD. (sdmart.org) It includes myths about all ten of Vishnus avatars. Harivamsa: The work was revised and changed numerous times and adopted its current form sometime around 400 AD. (Jaiswal, 16) It was added to the Mahabharata between 300-400 AD. It tells the story of Krishna as a youth. (sdmart.com)The Bhagavad Gita: The Only pre-Christian Writing about Krishna Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita: TheMahabharatawas an evolving work that probably started sometime in the 200s BC and ended in the 400s AD. The work was constantly being added to, and it was corrupted so badly that we cannot be sure words were not interpolated hundreds of years later. TheBhagavad Gitais part of theMahabharataand is thought by many to be written sometime around 200 - 300 BC. The familiarity with the Greeks as famous fighters places the Mahabharata after Alexander, and its alarm at the Buddhistedukasreplacing Hindu temples makes a date around the time of Asoka likely. The Romans are mentioned only in passing in a list of possible peoples, thus placing the epic probably before the time of Romes greatness. (Raychaudhuri, 41, 42, 32) Nevertheless, many still consider a post-Christian date for theMahabharataand theBhagavad Gitapossible in the range of 200 BC 200 AD. (Banerjee, 45) Pisani puts forward a strong argument that theMahabharatawas written between 100 - 300 AD, because it mentions Sakas (Scythians) who invaded around then, Parthians (Pahlavas) who had gained their independence from the Greeks, Huns (Hunas), and Romans (Romakas) who they had not established contact with before the time of Augustus. However, Moti Chandra states that the Hunas were really the Hiungnu, not the Huns, and that India could have heard legends about all these groups previous to contact. Furthermore, he points out that theMahabharatamentions Antiochus, who ruled the Seleucids Empire in the 100s BC. Moti Chandra dates it in the 100s BC. The growing consensus for theBhagavad Gitaseems to be it was written in the 100s BC, although some scholars place it earlier than that. In any case, theMahabharatawas badly corrupted after its initial writing. (Jaiswal, 12,13) The pre-Christian date of theBhagavad Gitais only a small victory for christmythers. Although theBhagavad Gitacontains general metaphorical similarities to Christs discourses (especially as it relates to Johns gospel), there are no strong parallels with Christian legend that would indicate two legends evolved from the same story. Stronger parallels occur in the much later works mentioned above. In fact, all of the parallels mentioned below by the christmyth theorists come from post-Bhagavad Gitaand post-Christian sources, with the exception of Krishna calling himself the light and the beginning, middle, and the end, a claim Krishna put forward in theBhagavad Gita.The Origins of Krishna WorshipThe Hindu holy books have been mixed up, changed, interpolated, abridged, and some even lost. (Banerjee, 22) The date of final redaction of theMahabharata,Ramayana, and the otherPuranasextends from 500 AD 1600 AD, according to Banerjee. (Banerjee, 56)Vaishnavaand the worship of Krishna did not really solidify into a standardized religion until the 300s AD. However, the legend pre-dated the religion, and many ancient people did not care if they polluted the legend with additions and changes. To them they were not holy books yet only novels for amusement and spiritual anecdotes that could freely be embellished. Later they became revered as holy books. At the earliest days of theMahabharata, Krishna-Vasudeva was a superhero man-god who was, at best, loosely connected with Vishnu. This was before Vishnu became the God of gods. Krishna worship was antagonistic to the Brahman priesthood and to their chief Vedic god Indra. The Brahmans later stole or agreed to borrow the myth and corrupted it to suit their own purposes. In the face of the Buddhist and Jain competition which was undermining their power, and possibly with interference from theBhagavatasect, the conservative religious leaders associated with Vedic Brahmanism took the myth originally created by theBhagavatasand retold it to suit their own agenda. Around five hundred years later, Vishnu became the God of gods and Rama and Krishna became his most beloved incarnations. (Gonda, 154-167) Banerjee says, It (theMahabharata) has gone through various recensions, many of which are the result of Brahmanical accretions. (Banerjee, 44) The best way to fight a competing sect was to steal their mythology and rewrite it. There is no telling how many different conflicting stories of Krishna were competing between 400 BC and 400 AD.The Case for Christian Influence Upon Krishna LegendsChristian influence in India during the time of Krishnas evolution is well known. 2% of Indias population today are Christians who trace their roots to the 1st century AD when the apostle Thomas allegedly evangelized in India. Lorinser believed Christian communities and an Indian New Testament to exist in India in the 200s AD. (Raychaudhuri, 92) The Brahman priests could have absorbed Christian legend and re-wrote it the same way they did to theBhagavatas. Even if Christianity never penetrated India so early, Christian legends could have been absorbed other ways. The Hindus have a long history of absorbing foreign mythology. Krishna was killed by an arrow in the foot because his foot was the only vulnerable spot on his body. This sounds like the much older Achilles myth of Homers Iliad. One of Krishnas 180,000 children was Pradyumna, who was swallowed by a large fish in the ocean and was later removed when a fishermans wife cut open the fish. This sounds faintly like the story of Jonah at the time of Assyrian Nineveh (700-400 BC), which pre-dates all the Krishna legends. The story of Matsya, the first incarnation of Vishnu, is too much like the Gilgamesh and Noah flood legends to ignore. Gilgamesh and Genesis date at least 1400 years or so before Vishnu was even considered a great god, let alone the 500+ years after that when theBhagavata Puranafinalized the ten avatars of Vishnu. (Gupta, 32-35) Some Indians honored Herakles (Hercules?) as a god in the 300s BC. Despite his quest to prove Krishna worship is relatively free from outside tales, Raychaudhuri tells us that the rank growth of legend has obscured the historical Krishna, Buddha, and Asoka. (Raychaudhuri, 23-24) In the true Hindu spirit of inclusive religion, the Indians absorbed ancient myths bouncing around the ancient world and synthesized them into their own religion.Similarities Between Christ and KrishnaWe now move to specific similarities as defined by the christmyth theorists.Keep in mind, theBhagavad Gitais the only scripture related to Krishna worship that likely predates Jesus Christs life on earth. Krishna was born of the virgin Devaki (Divine One)This is just plain false. Krishna was the eighth child of Devaki and her husband, the first six being killed by Kamsa because Devaki and her husband were making babies together in jail at the time of her pregnancies. The seventh child was magically transported to somebody elses womb, and it was also an incarnation of Vishnu. (Gupta, 28) The name Divine One is not similar to Christianity, since Mary was never called Divine One in the New Testament. The story is not mentioned in theBhagavad Gitaand therefore is probably post-Christian in origin. Krishnas father was a carpenter.This fact is not mentioned in theBhagavad Gita. Krishnas birth was attended by angels, wise men and shepherds, and he was presented with gold, frankincense, and myrrh.Again, we must assume a post-Christian time of origin for this myth since it is nowhere mentioned in theBhagavad Gita. Krishna was persecuted by a tyrant who ordered the slaughter of thousands of infants.It is not uncommon for kings to kill off all potential competitors. History is filled with such atrocities. Furthermore, a similar legend can be found in the story of Moses which happened about 1000 1200 years before the legend of Krishna started to take form. The tyrant pharaoh killed all Hebrew male children. (Exodus 1:22) During his escape from Kamsa, baby Krishna touches the water of the flooded Yamuna River and parts the waters, much like Moses parted the Red Sea. (Exodus 14:16-22) Vasudeva then carried baby Krishna across the river in a basket, reminiscent of the way Moses mother put him into a basket before placing the basket in the Nile River. (Exodus 2:3)(Gupta, 28) In any case, Kamsas motivation for killing Krishna was not at all like pharaohs and Herods attempts to kill Moses and Jesus. A sage had predicted Kamsas death at the hands of Devakis son. It was for this reason that he imprisoned Devaki and her husband, killed their first six children, and continued to murder other children after Krishnas escape. The Krishna story has the tyrant Kamsa being Krishnas uncle, and the slaughter is ongoing. (Gupta, 28-29) The story itself is very likely post-Christian given the late standardization of all texts that tell the story of Krishna and the fact that it is nowhere mentioned in theBhagavad Gita, but even if it could be proven that the story was written earlier, there is much reason to believe it was borrowed from Exodus or simply evolved independently. Krishna was of royal descent.A lot of legendary heroes are from royal descent. This similarity is too general. Actually, many believe that the historical Krishna might have been a kshatriya warlord/prince. The kshatriyas are the warrior caste in Hindu society. Krishna was baptized in the River Ganges.Again, this is post-Christian in origin because it is not mentioned in theBhagavad Gita. Krishna worked miracles and wonders.The similarity is too general. A lot of heroes did this. Krishna raised the dead and healed lepers, the deaf, and the blind.TheJaimini Bharatamentions the raising to life of the dead son of Duhsala, but theJaimini Bharatadates well into the Christian era, so the direction of the borrowing could very well go the other way. Krishna used parables to teach the people about charity and love. Again, this is too general. Krishna was transfigured in front of his disciples.The gods often take various forms that could be called transfiguration. This is too general. Scholars reject the notion that Krishna was a vegetation deity who periodically died and rose with the seasons. (Gonda, 158) In some traditions, Krishna died on a tree or was crucified between two thieves.The real story is that Krishna was killed in a hunting accident - by an arrow in the foot, and that he was, coincidentally, resting under a tree when it happened. (Gupta, 32) TheBhagavad Gitadoes not mention the death of Krishna, his rising, or ascension. Krishna rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. Krishna did not ascend into heaven in bodily form the way Acts 1 records the ascension of Jesus. As to the resurrection of Krishna, the full story goes like this: After his death, Krishnas bones were dug up and given to a woodworker who made an idol of Krishna. The idol was half completed before the woodworker abandoned it, but Brahma gave it a soul anyway. Its name is Jagannatha and is always in the company of his brother and sister/concubine. (Gupta, 38) Notice the dissimilarity to the Jesus story. Unlike Krishna, whose bones are found, Jesus body is never found. (Luke 24:2-3) Unlike Krishna whos body becomes the inspiration for an idol, Jesus and his followers hated idolatry. (1 John 5:21, 1 Corinthians 10:14) Unlike Jagannatha who is not really the same person or soul as Krishna, Jesus was the same person in bodily form after his resurrection. The myth is completely dissimilar, and again, it is not found in theBhagavad Gita. Krishna is called the Shepherd God and Lord of lords and was considered the Redeemer, Firstborn, Sin Bearer, Liberator, Universal Word, as well as Beginning, Middle and the End. These titles are no different from what any religion would claim for their God. Krishna was not a shepherd, he was a cowherd. Furthermore, Jesus was neither a shepherd nor a cowherd. Jesus Christ is sometimes called Good Shepherd because of the messianic prophecies such as Zechariah 13:7 which pre-date theBhagavad Gita. Krishna was not the firstborn, as already discussed above, he had six siblings before him. It is a generally accepted fact that John purposefully chose the term Word or Logos because the pagans were familiar with it, as it was used by them to describe Gods message. The matter here is not one of copycats, but an issue of speaking to someone in a language they could understand. The phraseology might be similar, but language used to describe God is expected to be similar anyway. Krishna is the second person of the trinity.First of all, Vishnu is the second person of the Hindu trinity, and Krishna was only one of ten avatars of Vishnu. Secondly, the Hindu trinity (or trimurti as it is more properly called) evolved after the New Testament was written. The Hindu trimurti is modalistic in that each member works independently of the other and towards different and conflicting goals. Brahma is creator, Vishnu is sustainer, and Shiva is destroyer. Jesus consistently told everyone his Father was greater than he, but Hindus, especiallyVaishnavists, regard Vishnu as greater and more loveable than the other two. Other Hindus, calledSaivists, worship Shiva as the God of gods. Shivas iconography typically includes the penis. Unfortunately for Brahma - the first member of the Hindu trinity - not much devotion is paid to him. Beyond these three is a Supreme Being called by various names such as Satchhidananda, Vasudeva, Universal Soul, Atman = Brahma, etc, etc, and this Supreme Being bears more resemblance to the Christian notion of the Father than do any of the other three. The Hindu trimurti is definitely three people with personalities and conflicting interests, while the Christian trinity is comprised of threepersonae,which should not be translated individual persons but should rather be translated as masks, manifestations, or hypostasis of God. They work together, not separately on different tasks.The trimurti solidified after the time of Christ, and with it, Vishnus place as the second member of the Hindu trimurti. In the Rig Veda, Vishnu is called the doorkeeper of the gods, which means he was devoted to some higher god. (Gonda, 93) He is ordered around by Indra. (Raychaudhuri, 8) Hindus consider the Vedas scripture, but theMahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, the Puranas, and other epics and codes are regarded as holy books with less authority. (Banerjee, 20) Hence, the worship of Vishnu as the God of gods seems contrary to their own scriptures. In the Vedas, Indra, Agni, and Soma are far greater than Brahma and Shiva. Although Jesus does have a similarity with Vishnu in that they both are the primary source of Gods incarnation(s), the concept of avatar was still evolving well into the Christian era. TheRamayanawas written in the 200s BC when Indra was still the chief god, but Rama was not identified with Vishnu until a later chapter was added to theRamayanaaround 150 200 AD. (Jaiswal, 8,9) The trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva is generally considered to be a very late arrival to theMahabharatabecause it is a product of syncretism. (Jaiswal, 21) Krishna and Vishnu were long in fusing because theBhagavad Gitaemphasizes Krishnas identity with Vasudeva-Narayana more than that with Vishnu. (Gonda, 158-159) The trimurti is post-Vedic and associated with thePuranas. (Banerjee, 67) TheBhagavad Gitais the only source for the Krishna legend that could possibly be dated before the time of Christ. In it, Krishna says, I am Vishnu, but also says in the same place, I am Indra, I am the god of destruction (Shiva?) and I am the moon, I am the mind, I am the light. (Bhagavad Gita10:21) He also frequently calls himself the creator (Brahman?) It is obvious that Krishna can be associated with all three of the trimurti members, along with other gods and everything in general. After all, God is everything in pantheism.Vaishnavismand the notion that Krishna was an avatar of Vishnu in particular does not appear until after the Christian era. Altogether, the Hindu trinity is nothing like the Christian trinity, and the Hindu trinity was still evolving centuries after Christ. Krishna is to return to do battle with the Prince of Evil, who will desolate the earth.Again, the statement confuses Krishna with Vishnu. The tenth and final avatar of Vishnu is Kalki, who rides on a white horse and wields a blazing sword. He will kill his enemies and then establish a golden age from the ruins of the earth. (Gupta, 39) The obvious comparison is to Revelation 19:11-16, but similar ideas come from the prophetic books of the Old Testament which obviously predate the Hindu legends. See Zechariah 9:9-10, Daniel 7:13. Furthermore, Kalki is one of the last avatars to be ascribed to Vishnu. (Raychaudhuri, 105) He is found in theHarivamsa, which dates to about 400 AD, and also in theVayu Puranawhich dates from 200 500 AD. (Jaiswal, 129, 16, 17) Kalki first appears inMahabharata3,190,94 where he is called Kalkin-Visnuyasas. The fact that he rides on a horse is probably due to the fact that Vishnu is often associated with horses. (Gonda, 147-149) In any case, the legend of Kalki cannot be proven to have existed before Christ.Christ and Krishna: The DifferencesKrishna is not that similar to Christ outside of a few borrowed stories. In fact, the totality of Krishna's story is quite different from that of Christ. The following exploits of Krishna are taken from Shakti Guptas Book,Vishnu and His Incarnations, p. 28-38. Krishna is known for pranks such as petty theft and vandalism. He encouraged women to leave their husbands and children for him. Unlike Jesus who never married or had kids, Krishna displayed his voracious sexual appetite by having 16,000 wives and 180,000 sons - not to mention the daughters. As a child, Krishna sucked a womans breast so hard that he killed her. She had tried to poison him. Krishna stole worship away from the chief Vedic deity Indra, who was Vishnus superior in Vedic times. He thus displayed a thirst for power and a competition with other gods. He cursed his wives to be abducted by bandits because they lusted for his grandson. He fought his trinity partner Shiva in combat. Krishnas poor behavior is justified by the notion that everything, both good and evil, is God, and Krishna is God. Indeed, this is consistent with pantheism. Krishna stole the bride of a man who had three eyes and four arms. When the man fought Krishna for his bride, Krishna forgave the man 100 times before killing him. The man went to heaven because he was always thinking about God (Krishna) - even though in hatred.Such is Krishna's story, a mixture of pantheistic metaphysical speculation with outrageous stories that amuse our base instincts, founded in the name of a legendary warrior-cowboy unknown to verifiable history.The earliest source for Krishna comes from theBhagavad Gita.Its teachings are not much similiar to Christianity. The language of theBhagavad Gitais in some ways similiar to John's Gospel, but there are no borrowed myths between them and they differ widely on belief. Krishna teaches reincarnation, but John indicates that Jesus rejected the notion of karma and reincarnation, saying that people are not punished in their next life for sins in a previous life (Bhagavad Gita2:12-13, 4:5 vs. John 9:1-3). Krishna acknowledges that faith and love are more important than works and wisdom, but he says that a soul must be reincarnated a few more times to reach perfection even after the soul has faith unlike Jesus who taught salvation occurred at the point of faith. (Bhagavad Gita6:37-47 vs. Luke 23:39-43) Krishna identifies himself with other gods and tolerates the worship of other gods as one of many legitimate methods of worship, although not the best method. This differs widely from John's teachings on idolatry and indeed from all the Bible, which is pervasively intolerant towards the worship of other gods besides our covenant God. (Bhagavad Gita9:23-25, 10:21 vs. 1 John 5:21) Unlike theBhagavad Gita, the Christian scriptures never assert that all gods come from a single Godhead. For Krishna, time is circular and the end of the age is unclear. For Jesus, history has a purpose with a definite end. (Bhagavad Gita9:7-8 vs. Matthew 24:3-35) Jesus recognizes a transcendent God greater than his own personal avatar and recognizes an authority higher than himself. Krishna seems to make no distinction between his own personal avatar and the transcendent Godhead. (John 14:28-31)Although theBhagavad Gitais similiar to John's Gospel in terms of metaphors and discourse, it is only a similiarity of style, not of belief. The other Gospels and the rest of the Bible are neither similiar in style nor belief to theBhagavad Gita.Was Lord Ram Really Born?

lagoSmart ChannelsGeeta Mandir

We Indians are the products of one of the oldest civilisations. We need to be really proud of our ancient history and cultural heritage. However, during the British Rule, we developed an inferiority complex, which adversely affected our quest to unearth facts relating to our glorious past. But our young and educated men and women, born and brought up in independentIndia, are capable of unearthing the true facts and are confident enough to evaluate these objectively.Shri Ram being most basic to Indian "ethos", it is necessary to know who is Shri Ram? Was he really born? If yes, when and where? As is believed by crores of people did he really put his feet on theIndian territoryfrom North to South, reducing the sufferings of mankind and ensuring victory of good over evil? Let us take a look at historical facts:

The story of Shri Ram's life was first narrated by Maharishi Valmiki in the Ramayana, which was written after Shri Ram was crowned as the king of Ayodhya. Maharishi Valmiki was a great astronomer as he has made sequential astronomical references on important dates related to the life of Shri Ram indicating the location of planets vis-a-vis zodiac constellations and the other stars (nakshatras). Needless to add that similar position of planets and nakshatras is not repeated in thousands of years. By entering the precise details of the planetary configuration of the important events in the life of Shri Ram as given in the Valmiki Ramayan in the software named "Planetarium" corresponding exact dates of these events according to the English calendar can be known.Mr Pushkar Bhatnagar of the Indian Revenue Service had acquired this software from theUS. It is used to predict the solar/lunar eclipses and distance and location of other planets from earth. He entered the relevant details about the planetary positions narrated by Maharishi Valmiki and obtained very interesting and convincing results, which almost determine the important dates starting from the birth of Shri Ram to the date of his coming back to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile.

Maharishi Valmiki has recorded in Bal Kaand sarga 19 and shloka eight and nine (1/18/8,9) that Shri Ram was born on ninth tithi of Chaitra month when the position of different planets vis-a-vis zodiac constellations and nakshatras (visible stars) were: i) Sun in Aries; ii) Saturn in Libra; iii) Jupiter in Cancer; iv) Venus in Pisces; v) Mars in Capricorn; vi) Lunar month of Chaitra; vii) Ninth day after no moon; viii) Lagna as Cancer (cancer was rising in the east); ix) Moon on the Punarvasu (Gemini constellation & Pllux star); x) Day time (around noon).This data was fed into the software. The results indicated that this was exactly the location of planets/stars in the noon of January 10, 5114 BC. Thus Shri Ram was born on January 10, 5114 BC (7121 years back). As per the Indian calendar it was the ninth day of Shukla Paksha in Chaitra month and the time was around 12 to 1 noontime. This is exactly the time and date when Ram Navmi is celebrated all overIndia.

Shri Ram was born in Ayodhya. This fact can be ascertained from several books written by Indian and foreign authors before and after the birth of Christ - Valmiki Ramayan, Tulsi Ramayan, Kalidasa's Raghuvansam, Baudh and Jain literature, etc. These books have narrated in great detail the location, rich architecture and beauty of Ayodhya which had many palaces and temples built all over the kingdom. Ayodhya was located on the banks of the Saryu river withGangaand Panchal Pradesh on one side and Mithila on the other side. Normally 7,000 years is a very long period during which earthquakes, storms, floods and foreign invasions change the course of rivers, destroy the towns/buildings and alter the territories. Therefore, the task of unearthing the facts is monumental. The present Ayodhya has shrunk in size and the rivers have changed their course about 40 km north/south.Shri Ram went out of Ayodhya in his childhood (13th year as per Valmiki Ramayan) with Rishi Vishwamitra who lived in Tapovan (Sidhhashram). From there he went to Mithila, King Janaka's kingdom. Here he married Sita after breaking Shiv Dhanusha. Researchers have gone along the route adopted by Shri Ram as narrated in the Valmiki Ramayan and found 23 places which have memorials that commemorate the events related to the life of Shri Ram. These include Shringi Ashram, Ramghat, Tadka Van, Sidhhashram, Gautamashram, Janakpur (now inNepal), Sita Kund, etc. Memorials are built for great men and not for fictitious characters.

Date of exile of Shri Ram: It is mentioned in Valmiki Ramayan's Ayodhya Kand (2/4/18) that Dashratha wanted to make Shri Ram the king because Sun, Mars and Rahu had surrounded his nakshatra and normally under such planetary configuration the king dies or becomes a victim of conspiracies. Dashratha's zodiac sign was Pisces and his nakshatra was Rewati. This planetary configuration was prevailing on the January 5, 5089 BC, and it was on this day that Shri Ram left Ayodhya for 14 years of exile. Thus, he was 25 years old at that time (5114-5089). There are several shlokas in Valmiki Ramayan which indicate that Shri Ram was 25-years-old when he left Ayodhya for exile.Valmiki Ramayan refers to the solar eclipse at the time of war with Khardushan in later half of 13th year of Shri Ram's exile. It is also mentioned it was amavasya day and Mars was in the middle. When this data was entered, the software indicated that there was a solar eclipse on October 7, 5077 BC, (amavasya day) which could be seen from Panchvati. The planetary configuration was also the same - Mars was in the middle, on one side were Venus and Mercury and on the other side were Sun and Saturn. On the basis of planetary configurations described in various other chapters, the date on which Ravana was killed works out to be December 4, 5076 BC, and Shri Ram completed 14 years of exile on January 2, 5075 BC, and that day was also Navami of Shukla Paksha in Chaitra month. Thus Shri Ram had come back to Ayodhya at the age of 39 (5114-5075).

A colleague, Dr Ram Avtar, researched on places visited by Shri Ram during his exile, and sequentially moved to the places stated as visited by Shri Ram in the Valmiki Ramayan, starting from Ayodhya he went right upto Rameshwaram. He found 195 places which still have the memorials connected to the events narrated in the Ramayana relating to the life of Shri Ram and Sita. These include Tamsa Tal (Mandah), Shringverpur (Singraur), Bhardwaj Ashram (situated near Allahabad), Atri Ashram, Markandaya Ashram (Markundi), Chitrakoot, Pamakuti (on banks of Godavari), Panchvati, Sita Sarovar, Ram Kund in Triambakeshwar near Nasik, Shabari Ashram, Kishkindha (village Annagorai), Dhanushkoti and Rameshwar temple.

In Valmiki Ramayan it is mentioned that Shri Ram's army constructed a bridge over the sea between Rameshwaram and Lanka. After crossing this bridge, Shri Ram's army had defeated Ravana. Recently, NASA put pictures on the Internet of a man-made bridge, the ruins of which are lying submerged in Palk Strait between Rameshwaram andSri Lanka. Recently the Sri Lankan Government had expressed the desire to develop Sita Vatika as a tourist spot. Sri Lankans believe this was Ashok Vatika where Ravana had kept Sita as a prisoner (in 5076 BC).Indian history has recorded that Shri Ram belonged to the Suryavansh and he was the 64th ruler of this dynasty. The names and other relevant particulars of previous 63 kings are listed in Ayodhya Ka Itihas written about 80 years ago by Rai Bahadur Sita Ram. Professor Subhash Kak ofLousianaUniversity, in his book, The Astronomical Code of the Rig Veda, has also listed 63 ancestors of Shri Ram who ruled over Ayodhya. Sri Ram's ancestors have been traced out as: Shri Ram, King Dashratha, King Aja, King Raghu, King Dilip and so on. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Bengal toGujarat, everywhere people believe in the reality of Shri Ram's existence, particularly in the tribal areas of Himachal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and the North-East. Most of the festivals celebrated in these areas revolve around the events in the life of Shri Ram and Shri Krishna.

The events and places related to the life of Shri Ram and Sita are true cultural and social heritage of every Indian irrespective of caste and creed. Therefore, it is common heritage. After all, Shri Ram belonged to the period when Prophet Mohammed or Jesus Christ were not born and Muslim or Christian faiths were unknown to the world. The words Hindu (resident of Hindustan) and Indian (resident ofIndia) were synonymous.Indiawas also known as Bharat (land of knowledge) and Aryavarta (where Aryans live) and Hindustan (land of "Hindus" - derived from wordIndus).During Ram Rajya, the evils of caste system based on birth were non-existent. In fact, Maharishi Valmiki is stated to be of shudra class (scheduled caste), still Sita lived with him as his adopted daughter after she was banished from Ayodhya. Luv andKushgrew in his ashram as his disciples. We need to be proud of the fact that Valmiki was perhaps the first great astronomer and that his study of planetary configurations has stood the test of times. Even the latest computer softwares have corroborated his astronomical calculations, which proves that he did not commit any error.

Shabari is stated to be belonging to the Bheel tribe. Shri Ram's army, which succeeded in defeating Ravana, was formed by various tribals from Central andSouth India. The facts, events and all other details relating to the life of Shri Ram are the common heritage of all the Indians including scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, Muslims, Christians, etc.Prophet Mohammad was born 1,400 years ago. Jesus Christ was born 2,000 years back. Gautam Buddha was born 2,600 years back, whereas Ram was born 7,000 years back. Hence, discovering the details relating to Shri Ram's life would be lot more difficult as destruction caused by floods, earthquakes and invasions etc., would be far greater. But, should that stop our quest for learning more about our cultural heritage?

As Indians, let us all take pride in the fact that the Indian civilisation is the most ancient civilisation today. It is certainly more than 10,000 years old. Therefore, let us reject the story of Aryan invasion inIndiain 1,500 BC as motivated implantation. In fact Max Mueller, who was the creator of this theory had himself rejected it. Let us admit that during the British Rule, we were educated in the schools based on Macaulay school of thinking which believed that everything Indian was inferior and that entire "Indian literature was not worth even one book rack in England". If there were similarities in certain features of Indian people and people from Central Europe, then automatic inference drawn was that the Aryans coming from Europe invadedIndiaand settled here. No one dared of thinking in any other way. Therefore, there is urgency for the historians and all other intellectuals to stop reducing Indian history to myth. There is need to gather, dig out, search, unearth and analyse all the evidences, which would throw more light on ancient Indian civilisation and culture.

There is need for the print and the electronic media to take note of these facts and create atmosphere which would motivate our young and educated youth to carry out research and unearth true facts about the ancient Indian civilisation and wisdom and would also encourage them to put across the results of their research before the people fearlessly and with a sense of pride!

by Saroj Bala, The Pioneer

The author Saroj Bala is in IRS, Commisioner of Income Tax posted atDelhi.

There is no need of great austerities or penances to worship Lord Ramacandra, for He accepts even a small service offered by His devotee. Thus He is satisfied and as soon as He is satisfied, the devotee is successful. Indeed, Lord Sri Ramacandra brought all the devotees of Ayodhya back home, back to Godhead. (Spoken by Hanuman in Srimad bhagvatam)

Hindu History

History with its flickering lamp,Stumbles along the trail of the past;Trying to reconstruct its scenes, to revive its echoes,And re-kindle with pale gleams the passion of former days.

Nowhere is this observation more true than in the case ofHindu History. In tracing the roots of this ancient religion, wefindourselves floundering in the mists of time asthere arefew archeological evidencesremaining thatcan corroborate the legends described inour ancientPuraans.

Ancient Map of India

The many facets ofIndian history mirror the Geographical, Racial, Linguistic and Cultural complexities of the vast Indian sub-continent and as such are not very easy to decipher. However, it is abundantly clear that the chain of events extends way back into the pre-historic times..

That the Early Man, was present and thriving in the Indian heartland, is evident from the Cave-paintings ofBhimbetkain Madhya Pradesh. These paintings date from 40,000 BCE (earlier known as BC) and show the antiquity of humanexistence in this part of the world.

Pre-historic paintings from Bhimbetka Caves

Alarge amount of information is available through literary evidence of the HinduVedas,PersianAvesta, regional literature andassorted accountsof travelers from both East and Westthrowingample light ondifferent aspects of earlyHindu civilization.

Through the analysis of these literary masterpieces and corroborating them with the evidence unearthed in recent excavationsfrom Rajasthan andGujarat in India and the North-western region ofPakistan have pushed back origins of ancient Indian civilization by at least three milleniamore!

Earliest sites of Civilization in the Indian sub-continent

While the proto-cities excavated inMehrgarhhave been dated to around 6500 BCE, discoveries in theGulf of Cambay,off the coast of Gujarat (where the fabled city ofDwarkawas located),have revealed dates corresponding to 7500 BCE which is older than ANY other civilization in the World!

The 'Discovery' ofSaraswati, the most glorified river in the Vedas, has given a huge boost to the effortsof finding a common ground between Hindu Historyand Mythology. The oft mentioned and much extolled river of ancient Hindu texts, wasironically not to be seen at all in modern India, and this had placed a great burden on scholars who endeavored toanalyze the sacredtexts from a historical view-point.

The Original course of Saraswati

However, recent research carried out byinternational archaeologistshas shed a great deal of light on the origin, course and final disappearance of the mighty river referred to as the 'Mother of all rivers' in the Rigveda and can even help date the scriptures to a large extent!

In the article titled {The Riddle of India's Ancient Past},the Frenchproto-historianMichel Daninobelieves there are strong links between the Veda and the Harappan culture.

'We find statues and seals depicting yogis and yogic postures, we find a Shiva-like deity, worship of a mother-goddess, fire altars, all of which are suggestive of Vedic culture. Harappan symbols include theTrishul, theSwastika, the Conch shell, thePeepaltree, all of which are central to later Indian culture. The Rig-Veda itself is full of references to fortified cities and towns, to oceans, sailing, trade and industry, all of which are found in the Harappan civilization.'

Ruins of Mohenjodaro

Vedic altars found in thesesites re-affirm that the culture followed inthese sitesextending fromPakistan-Iran border in the Westto Uttar Pradesh in the East; and Kashmir in the North to Godavari in the Southwas a part of Vedic culture.

Similarly, thoughts are echoed byDavid Frawley,the director of the American Institute of Vedic Studies, in the article {The Myth of Aryan Invasion},

'The term'Destroyers of cities'was used to disregard the Vedic as a primitive non-urban culture that destroys cities and urban civilization. However, there are also many verses in the 'Rig Veda' that speak of the Aryans as having having cities of their own and being protected by cities upto a hundred in number.

Destruction of cities also happens in modern wars; this does not make those who do this nomads. The idea of Vedic culture as destroying but not building the cities is based upon ignoring what the Vedas actually say about their own cities.'

With the new insights available, even the nomenclature of the Indus Valley Civilization is no more apt asa majority of sites in later excavationsfit perfectly along the banks of thenewly discovered course of Saraswati. Some scholars have therefore started referringto itas theIndus-Saraswati Civilization.

Indus Valley Seals

About this continuity of Indian civilzation,Jean Michel Varenne, a French Orientalist wrote in his book,{Yoga and the Hindu Tradition},

'The only remaining testimony to the prestigious civilization of ancient Egypt lay buried in archaeological remains; which meant that inhabitants of the Nile Valley had to wait for Champollion to decipher their hieroglyphics before they could know anything of the beliefs of their ancestors!!

Yet during all this time, Hindu families continued, and still continue today, to venerate the sameVishnu, who is celebrated in the hymns of theRig Veda!'

Scholarly endeavors like Indian historian and freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak's phenomenal work,TheArctic Home in the Vedas; Frenchhistorian Michel Danino's outstandingresearch,TheLost River: On the trail of Saraswatiand American Indologist David Frawley's,The Eternal Tradition-Sanatan Dharmathrow new light on ancient Hinduhistory.

Other scholars have tried tointerpret the Astrological references in ancient literatureand have come up with pretty conclusive dates.Verse 3.1.15 of theTaitreya Brahmandescribes Jupiter crossing the Pushya constellation thereby suggesting a date close to 4650 BCE.

Similarly, the Aitreya Brahman gives the date of 6000 BCE while the Rig Veda has references which throw uptime-frames close to 10,000 BCE! One of the Medieval Islamic scholars,Al-biruni, lists many ancient Indian Astronomers who were well versed with the knowledge of both Space-science as well as Mathematics:

Brahmagupta(The first man to use Zero),Aryabhata(The first man to calculate the value of Pie),Bhaskar acharya(The first man to write numbers in decimal system) andVarahamihira(The first astronomer to collate Hindu, Greek and Roman astronomy).

Other visitors likeHiun-Tsang,Fa-HienandMegasthenesalso left extensive accounts of life and its various nuances in ancient India.

Indian Empires were biggest in the world at one point of time

The actual dates oforigin of the Indian civilization may yet be shrouded in the mists of time, but help has come from a totally unexpectedbranch of Science-Genetics.

According tothe research findings such asMtDNA Haplogroup Study in Indian Peninsulaand theIndian Genome Variation project, Indian sub-continent saw the first wave of migration of humanity out of Africa, directly into India about 50,000 years ago! It was from here that waves of people migrated to other parts of Asia as well as the continents of Europe and America!

The results also indicatethat therehas never been anAryan InvasionNOR Migration INTOIndia. Our present genetic diversity evolved as waves of initial settlers in the central regions moved towards both north as well as south of the country, all the time intermixing and migrating to other countries.

I have coveredthesetopics from our History indetail through posts like-

{Finding River Saraswati},{Genetics of the Wandering Indian},{Rama - The Historical Perspective},{Krishna - The Historical Enigma},{Quest for Dwarka} and{India and Bharat},

The new picture that emerges from this mounting data of evidence is of a continuous stream of Civilizational History: Beginning in thePre-glacialperiods around 40,000 BCE when Humans settled in India; Developing into a well-established culture before theonset of the lastIce Agearound 20,000 BCE; Continuingthe legacyof the bygoneYugainto post-glacial epoch around 10,000 BCE; Flowing onwardsto develop into theIndus-Saraswatiand Persian civilizations around 8,000 BCE; Experiencing theGolden AgeofRamayanaround7,000 BCE; Witnessing the possibly Nuclear War ofMahabharataround 5,000 BCE; Making the transitionfromDvapartoKaliyugaround 3,100 BCE; Finally witnessing the transition of power fromSaraswatitoGangeticbasin with the latter becoming the new seat of Hindu thought and learning.

The above dates are approximations based on the current dating of scriptures and archeological finds and may yet be revised if new evidence comes to light. It is time we as Human-beings realize and accept our ancientHistory so thatwecanbe ready toEmbrace our Destiny; Let us togetherBegin at the Beginning.

AUM-In the beginning was the Word.

In Hindu belief, creation started with the Divine Syllable - Om. Knowledge was one of the first creationsto take place. It is supposed to haveradiated from the Mind of Lord Vishnutothat of Lord Brahma and ultimately emanate from his mouthin theform ofVedas.

The tree of knowledge that we call Hinduism is so dense that an uninitiated reader may get lost in its complexities and detail. Hindu texts abound with highly intellectual philosophies with conceptions of impressive range and depth. In one of the most beautiful examples of Vedic thought process, I'm presenting a verse from theMandukya Upanishad:

OmThe Supreme Brahman is Infinite,Infiniteis the Brahman of a Soul,The Infinite comes from Infinite,Andonreducing Infinite from the Infinite,The Infinite still stands Alone!How beautiful the imagery and how profund is the purport of this simple verse!Yet, the Path of Wisdom is a narrow one and theRishisof yore sought to simplify the language as well as the essence of the ancientwords to make it palatable for the common man. Let us try and understand the basic classification of the ancient Hindu Texts and examine them one by one:

Hinduism has never been based on just one set of principles, rather it has thrived and survived the millenia because of its acceptance of varying and sometimes even contradictory schools of thought! The most intellectual of these, theVedantaemphasizes theSupreme Brahmanas a non-personal metaphysical concept free from any mythological moorings.

Another school of thought is theYogawhich seeks the union of God (Parmatma) and Soul (Atma) by means of meditation and various physical as well as mental disciplines. In the following passages, I would try to give the gist of what each of these religious texts convey.

~*~*~ Vedas ~*~*~TheVedas(rootVidmeaning Knowledge)are calledAmnayaorApaurushyaimplying that they are non-human in origin and have been recieved through revelation from God. They are the foundation stones of Hinduism and were revealed to theMantra-DrashtasorRishisthrough Divine sources as they progressed on the path of Spirituality.

Vedas, the oldest texts in the World

Unlike other world religions, Vedas do not owe authority toONE single messenger of God. Rather, they are the authority themselves for they are the knowledge of the Lord. For ages, the Vedas were passed on from one generation to another by word of mouth.

They were never written down as the ancient Indians relied more on their intellect and memory than the written word. Hence, the Vedas are also known asShruti- 'That which is Heard'while everything else isSmriti.Shruti is considered to be of divine origin, and hence, is preserved as a whole instead of some verses.

In the beginning, the four Vedas were one and consisted of a Hundred thousand verses. But to cope with man's diminishing abilities of comprehension as time progressed,Rishi Ved-Vyasdivided them into four parts and entrusted four of his brightest disciples with the task of attaining mastery over the four Vedas.

Thus, Rishi Pail mastered theRigveda,Vaishampayan masteredYajurveda,Jaimini took charge ofSamavedaand Sumantu perfected himself in theAtharvaveda.Each of these learned seers divided their text further as time progressed so that more and more people could attain benefit from their teachings. Accordingly, today we have a total of 1180 divisions comprising of21 sections of Rigveda, 109 of Yajurveda, 1000 of Samveda and 50 of the Atharva-veda.

Each different section in the Vedas has a concluding portion somewhat like the Summary which are collectively known as theUpanishads. These texts are widely considered the zenith of Indian thought process and belong to the highest class of philosophical entreaties in the world.

Besides, there areAranyaksthat connect Vedas to the Upanishads and the commentaries on Vedas are known asBrahmanas. Further, to simplify the study of Vedas, ancient rishis developedVedangswhich are in the form ofShiksha, Kalpa, Vyakran, Nirukta, Chhanda,andJyotish.

Rest of the texts fall in the category of Smriti and include all the knowledge that has been derived and inculcated 'after' Shruti had already been received by the great Rishis. If ever there is a conflict between the two, it is advised that Shruti will always overrule Smriti.

~*~*~ Upavedas ~*~*~

The Upavedas are considered ancilliary texts that talk about the application of knowledge derived from the Vedas. Thus, they cover subjects ranging from music to medicine and consist of:

Ayurveda- The Knowledge of Medicine and Healthy LifeDhanurveda- The Knowledge of Archery and WarfareGandharveda- The Knowledge of all Arts,Sthapatyaveda- The Knowledge of Engineering and Architecture,Arthashastra- The Knowledge of Governance, Economics and Polity.

All these are discussed not just in a technical fashion but as a means to attain salvation through the rigorous following of each individual form. This is in sync with the Hindu belief that you need not only pray (Bhakti yoga) or do good deeds (Karma yoga) to attain Moksha, but you can also attain Salvation through the attainment of Knowledge (Gyaan yoga).

~*~*~ Dharma Shastras ~*~*~

Dharmashastrasare the ancient law-codes dealing with the Varnashram Dharma. These law books lay down the foundations of HinduSanskarwhich are theguiding principles for the behavior of individuals as well as communities within themselves as well as while interactingwith each other.

Dharma-shastras lay down the Samskar

There are 18 main Dharma Shastras, most important ones belongin to Manu, Yajnavalkya, Sankhaand Parashar Munis. The laws of Manu are intended for theSatyuga, those of Yajnavalkya forTretayuga, Sankha and Likhit forDvaparand those of Parashar forKaliyuga.

Each law book is based on the particular time and clime hence understandably differs in its approach. It is expressly stated that the Laws should change with the evolution of Society in order to ensure the continued progress of the human race.

~*~*~ Darshan Shastras ~*~*~These are the different Schools of Philosophy based on the Vedas. While the Itihasa, Puraans and Agams are meant for the masses, these textsare more preferred bythe Intellectuals in the Society. The six different schools of thought are:

Yoga,Nyaya,Samkhya,Vaisheshika,Purv Mimamsa,andVedanta or Uttar Mimamsa

Some of these philosophies like the Vaisheshika are extremely scientific with the entire creation being considered to be built up of atoms (!!) whileothers like Vedanta are more focused on Mysticism.

~*~*~ Itihaas ~*~*~Itihaas means History (Iti-This;Has-Happened)and this category includes four religious texts:Ramayan,Mahabharat,Yogavashishthaand theHarivanshwith the former two being the most commonly referred ones.

It is difficult for the common man to understand the complex philosophies of theUpanishadsandBrahma Sutras, hence the rishis have explainedthe Universal truths by means of historical examples,so that the common man can get inspiration to follow their path and strive to attain liberation.Manuscipt of the Adi Kavya, Ramayan

These epics are immensely human stories that acknowledge the weaknesses and failures of its heroes as often as it promotes their strengths and victories. The good guys are sometimes evenforced to cheat and break rules to win turning these histories into very modern stories of realpolitik and theclash of idealswith theharsh realities of Life.

For example, in theMahabharat, evenDuryodhana is a complex, ultimately sympathetic figure, while a character like Karna is quite simply heart-breaking in his inability to achieve the greatness of which he knows hes capable.A manuscript rendition of the Mahabharat

The most revered book of Hinduism, theBhagvad Geetais an accompaniment to the Mahabharat epic and is considerd the Refinedsummary of Entire Hindu thought. Ina simile, it is compared to the milk obtained from the Upanishadic cows and hence a complete reference guide for Hindu thought and beliefs.

Bhagvad Geeta is an accompaniment of the Mahabharat

~*~*~ Puraans ~*~*~The Puraans were composed by sages to popularize the religion of the Vedas by generating devotion in the minds of all and one by means of examples from the lives of different Emperors, Kings, Sages and Saints from the millenia long Hindu history.

There are 18 main Puraans, six each devoted to Lords Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and an equal number of subsidiary orUpa-Puraans. These are:

Shiva Puraan, Vishnu Puraan, Brahma Puraan, Bhagvat Puraan, Naradeya Puraan, Matsya Puraan, Kurma Puraan, Varah Puraan, Vaman Puraan, Kalki Puraan, Garud Puraan, Padma Puraan, Brahmand Puraan, Brahma Vaivarta Puraan, Markandeya Puraan, Agni Puraan, Vayu Puraan, Skand Puraan, Ling Puraanand finally theBhavishya Puraan.

The most popular of these is theShrimad Bhagavat Puraanthat teaches devotion towards Shri Krishna and Shri Hari Vishnu.

~*~*~ Agams ~*~*~The Agams are practical manuals of divine worship comprised of :

Mantrasor thegroup of words capable of creating Spiritual transformation;Yantrasor the Geometricalrepresentations ofGod's various forms; andTantrasor the religious practicescentered on harnessing Shakti or the Divine Energy

These are again divided into three sections viz.Vaishnav,ShaivaandShaktaAgamseach centered on theworship of God as Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and Goddess Shakti respectively.

All the above mentionedscriptures constitute the major body of Sacred Sanskrit literature. WhileShrutiis considered the root;Smriti, ItihasasandPuraansform the trunk;AgamsandDarshansare the branches and the secular literature ofSubhashitas, Kavyas, NataksandAlankarsform thefragrant flowers of Indian literature.

The ultimate purpose of each and everyone of these is to remind man of the necessity to follow Dharma, help the fellow-being, live a moral life and ultimately attain salvation and reach the Supreme abode of AlmightyGod. If we fail to utilize this human form to achieveNirvana,we have to againBegin at the Beginning.

.Aum Shanti: Shanti: Shanti:

Kalchakra

As each grain of Time is destroyed,The next comes along and brings with it either Creation or Destruction.This is the Dance of Shiva.

The eternal cycle of Life and Death; Birth and Re-birth; Formation and Dissolution is called theKaal-chakraor the'Wheel of Time'.

Puraanicgenealogies take us back into the mists of time when Human-beings were first trying to settle down on Earth and make it their Home. TheAge ofKali(Kaliyug)is astrologically believed to have commenced on 20th February3102 BCE and consequently, we are currently in the 5114th year of this Era.

The Kaliyuga Zodiac

How did the ancients really perceive their world? Were they also as bewildered by thesemind-bogglingnumbers aswe are today? Or did theyaccept it nonchalantly and went back to their daily chores with a shrug.

The Indian calendar is ingeniously based onBOTHtheSun andMoon; it uses a solar year but divides it into 12 lunar months!In thiscalendar, seasons follow theSun; months follow theMoon; and days follow both.To help the lunar months coincide with the solar year, the practice of inserting an extra month, called theAdhik Maas, arose which is inserted every 30 monthssince 60 months = 62 months.

Lunar days in the Indian calendar are calledTithis. They are calculated using the difference of the longitudinal angle between the position of the sun and moon. Because of this, thetithimay or may not have changed by the time the day has changedand thisis whysometimes atithiisomitted, and at others, two consecutive days sharethe same.

Tithis or Days in a Lunar Calendar

Astrologically, one of the oldest Calendars followed in Hinduism,is theSaptarishicalendar which begins from 6676 BCE (earlier referred to as BC).This version was in use in northern India from at least the 4thcentury BCE, as witnessed by the statements of Greek and Roman writers.

AnotherIndian calendar isknown asthe Vikram Era, or theVikram Samvat, which began in 57 BCE.This calendar derives its name from the original kingVikramadityaofUjjainand the date is supposed to mark the victory of the kingover theShakas, who had invaded Ujjain. Another calenad which is the Official Indian calendar now is known as the Saka Calendar and starts in 78 CE.

Measurement of Time in Hinduism

The authenticity and veracity of these dates will be dealtwith subsequently, but for now let us try to understand the basic units of measurement used in ancient India. These units are based on the method of calculationknown asKaal-ganana.

According to the principles of Indian time measurement, the smallest unit of measurement of Time is the involuntary time taken to drop one's eyelid or theBlink of an Eye. It is remarkable that the ancients chose such a mode of measurement because this time is Constant for all living individuals hence does not depend on any Variables! This unit is known as a'Nimish' Three Units (03)of Nimish combine toform a'Kshan' Five Units (05)of Kshan combine toform a'Kashtha' Thirty Units (30)of Kashtha combine to form a'Kaal' Thirty Units (30) of Kaal combine to form a'Muhurat' Thirty Units (30) of Muhurat then combine to form a 24 hour period known as the'Divas-ratri'This 24 hour period is alsodivided into an overlapping division called the'Praher'or'Paher'.Each 12 hour period has 4 Prahers each, thereby dividingone rotation of Earth into 8 equal parts.

FifteenUnits (15) of Divas-Ratri form a fortnight or a'Paksh'. The bright waxing Moon fortnight is called theShukla Pakshand the dark waning Moon fortnight is known as theKrishna Paksh.

Kalchakra Mandala

In one of the higher planets calledPitralok,one fortnight of humans corresponds to one day and a similar time period counts as their night. Therefore, the Bright fortnight forms the Day of thePitrasand the Dark one forms the Night.

Two Units (2) of Pakshs combine to form a month or a'Masa' Six Units (6) of Maas jointly are referred to as an'Ayan'

The six months when Sun is in the Northern Hemisphere are called theUttarayanand the corresponding six in the lower hemisphere form theDakshinayan.This bright northern jurney of Sun forms One day of theDevasand the six human month Southern journey forms their Night.Thus, for the demigods,One human year is equivalent to One Day-Night period.

Calculation of Yugas

Lord Brahma's day and night are each known as aKalpaand Brahmalives for a Hundred such Years. One day in the life of Brahma thuscomes to be close to4.32 Billion humanyears!

Like our 12 hour division, each day of Brahma is divided into fourteen (14) divisions known as theManvantars. Each Manvantar is ruled over by a leader of mankind known as theManu. Each Manvantar is further divided into 71Mahayugasjust as each hour of our day is divided into 60 minutes. Each Mahayuga is further sub-divided into 4Yugaseach which are -Satyuga,Tretayuga,DvaparyugaandKaliyuga.

In thecontinuum calledMahayuga,each successive Yuga is lesser in duration than its predecessor by 25%. Also, at the beginning and end of each Yuga, there exists aSandhyawhich forms 10% of the duration of that Yuga. These are the durations of the respective Yugas:

Kritayug Yuga4000

Sandhya400

Sandhyansh400

4800

Tretayug Yuga3000

Sandhya300

Sandhyansh300

3600

Dwaparyug Yuga2000

Sandhya200

Sandhyansh200

2400

Kaliyug Yuga1000

Sandhya100

Sandhyansh100

1200

Total12000

InDeva Years, they correspond to thedurations of 4800, 3600, 2400 and 1200 respectivelyand since One Deva Year is equal to 360 human years,these figures become 1728000,1296000, 864000 and432000respectively.

Once a Chaturyuga cycle gets over, there is a deluge which drowns the entireEarth after which life begins anew with the nextChaturyuga/Mahayuga cycle.

Whenthese cycles of time have repeated themselves for a100 years of Brahma, it is time for the creator-god to leave his mortal body as well.At the end of this Time, there is dissolution of the entire Creation and all living as well as non-living matter is absorbed unto itself to once againBegin at the Beginning..Aum Shanti: Shanti: Shanti:

Antiquity and Continuity of Indian History(From Swayambhuva Manu to Gupta Dynasty)

IndexPreface1. Introduction2. Background3. The Myth Of The Aryan Invasion4. RgVedic Era5. Swayambhuva Manu6. Vedic Homeland7. Dasharadnya War8. Vedics World-wide9. The Saraswati-Sindhu Culture10. Mahabharata Era11. Ramayanic Era12. Chandragupta, the Sandrocottus13. Ashoka Priyadarshi14. Gautam Buddha15. Mahaveer Jain16. Aadi Shankara17. Chronology18. Summary19. Bibliography

The Vedic culture has been pervading the Indian subcontinent for a few thousand years back from today. The antiquity and continuity of this culture has been faithfully recorded in the oldest and grandest annals of mankind: the Rg Veda. Evidence has come forth entirely contradicting the present held "aryan invasion" of India.Archaeological excavations and other findings confirm the inception of the Indus Valley civilization as Vedic. The Mahabharata and Ramayanic civilizations flourished in the ancient past. The history of India entered the medieval ages almost 5000 years ago, and even before the advent of Christ, the quintessence of philosophy thought and civilizational aspects of India had already been accomplished. Evidence testifies that The Buddha and Aadi Shankara lived in 1800 B.C. and 500 B.C respectively. The "golden age" in India was ushered in with the rise of the Gupta dynasty. It was Chandragupta of the Guptas who reigned over the Indian empire around 325 B.C., a time when Macedonian Alexander had invaded India.In this article, it is attempted to derive the datelines of ancient Indian (alias Vedic) events and heroes, starting from Swayambhuva Manu to the kings of the Gupta dynasty. An outline of the antiquity and continuity of Vedic history is estimated, substantiating the events with a variety of evidence, including literary and archaeological.1. Introduction.The study of history forms an important part in providing an understanding and in giving a clearer perspective of the present mental setup and cultural state of a nation of peoples. The antiquity of a culture's history and the achievements of its peoples provide the nation with an identity and a sense of self-esteem. The study of history tells us the story of how a particular society behaved and reacted in the wake of varying and trying circumstances. And history without chronology is like a person without a backbone. Without this backbone, the person feels helpless and hopeless. This construction and arrangement of historical facts and figures is therefore necessary to effectively hold together and guide forward a particular society.The chronological establishment of Indian history has been a matter of academic contention for the past two centuries. The most difficult part of this study, until now, was to construct an agreeable framework of chronology. It is to the credit of Sir William Jones that a systematic study and examination of this problem was first initiated in the late 18th century. Western scholars have done commendable and untiring work in the field of oriental studies. The researches well-recorded by them are of utmost importance even today.However, within decades, the political situation in India changed and this sincere study of history then became, in a way, a weapon to subjugate and win the people of India. The effects of European religio-political thought also creeped into this investigation. Inspite of the honest and genuine commencement of its study, it is quite unfortunate that the western indologists misinterpreted the historical data available, intentionally or by accident, and put forth theories based merely on speculation and pre-conceived beliefs. The result was that the antiquity of many events were highly underestimated and its continuity and greatness undermined. Nevertheless, it is quite futile to harp over the numerous shortcomings of early historical research, the mistakes of an era bygone.Modern researches, methods and evidence that have become newly available however have provided numerous definite and conclusive statements that have compelled historians, archaeologists and academicians to ponder judiciously over the antiquity, continuity and spread of Indian history and culture. In this article, an attempt is made to present briefly a chronology of events based on newly available archaeological data. Compelling observations from a variety of sources and opinions of different scholars have been used in the course of the attempted construction. The listing and review of evidences presented here are by no means exhaustive and the problem of this historical compilation is definitely more complicated that it might appear. However, the dating of someimportant events and personalities is presented here and it is hoped that the readership gets a clearer and beneficial perspective on the matter.2. BackgroundThe currently established chronology of India initiates with the invasion of the so-called aryan race in 1500 B.C., which ruthlessly and forcefully subdued the original inhabitants of the land, imposing upon them a alien language and culture. The invading hordes settled down on the banks of river Sindhu (Indus), and within few centuries (1200 B.C.), complied the Vedas. Subsequently, the Brahmanas, Samhitas, Puranas and numerous other scriptures were composed. Where does the Ramayana and Mahabharata fit in? Some say that the Ramayana follows Mahabharata and some opine otherwise. In all this anarchy of Indian histography, the probable date of Mahabharata ranges between 1000 B.C.to 300 B.C.The identification of Sandrocottus (325 B.C.) of the Greeks with Chandragupta Maurya by Sir Jones was considered to be the "sheet anchor" and based on this assumption, a chronology of Indian history was constructed. The date when Gautam Buddha prospered was calculated from this sheet-anchor to be around 500 B.C., and the dateline of Aadi Shankara was put in 800 A.D. The Gupta Dynasty, whose reign ushered a Golden Age in India, were placed in the 4th century A.D.Examination of the Rg Veda, Puraan and other texts provide dates of events that took Indian history, at times, back to thousands of years. However, since these dates contradicted the prevalent views of European historians, the Sanskrit texts were academically attacked in an attempt to disprove the authenticity of the contents. For example, the European Indologist Max Muller, tried the interpret the astronomical evidences to prove that the observations recorded in the Hindu scriptures are imaginary, "pious frauds" created by the cunning Brahmanas. Numerous references which were anachronous to the particular time-frames were considered as unauthentic and unreliable. No attempt was made to re-check and re-evaluate the presumptions and a basis on which the present chronological structure was built.It is now seen that the history of India and its sub-continent can be continuously traced back to thousands of years, as will be presented in the paragraphs to follow. This article examines the evidence leading to the dating to many events that occurred at different times: right from the Rg Vedaic age to the pre-christian golden-age of the Hindus, a period when the Gupta dynasty ruled over India. One of the main erred events,( which apparently is the genesis of Indian history, that is, the invasion of the aryans from outside) is described briefly in the following section.3. The Myth of the Aryan InvasionThe theory of the aryan invasion of India has been a matter of debate, and at times, incisive arguments have been presented for and against it. According to this theory, the light-skinned aryan people wandered into India in the 2nd millennium B.C. from Central Asia. The barbaric aryan race then destroyed an already existing and advanced Harappan civilization, conquered it and laid the foundations of a foreign imposition of language and culture on India. This supposedly marked the beginning of the development of a Vedic culture, or what is called Hinduism today.The hypothesis of an aryan invasion is apparently based on the conflicts between light-skinned aryans and dark race of dasyus described in Vedic literature. This aspect is said to have been strengthened by the skeletal findings in the excavated sites in the Indus Valley. When the Rg Veda (2:20:10.) refers to "Indra, the slayer of Vritra, destroying the Krishna Yoni Dasyus", it is held as a proof that the "invading arryans" exterminating the "dar aboriginals". However, other references in the Rg Veda (10:1:11., 8:85:3., 2:3:9.) suggest that the Indians were a mixed race and also, no stigma was attached to any non-white complexion. Therefore to imagine the invading aryans to be a white race is suspicious. According to Saayana, the word dasyu derives from the word "das", i.e., "one who harms". The Rg Veda (6:22:10.) prays to Indra to give glory by which the dasyus can become arya's, that is, changing the dasyus to ideal and cultured human beings.Many a scholar and historian have acknowledged the discrepancies, raised objections and rejected the theory of aryan invasion since its inception in the early 19th century. According to historian Wheeler (in his "Civilization of Indus Valley and Beyond"), "..the [Aryan Invasion] cannot be proved and may be quite incorrect".Also, Murrow in his book "The Sanskrit Language" comments," For the Indo-Aryan invasion of India no direct evidence is available... In the text of the Rg Veda itself, although historical allusions are not uncommon, there is no reference anywhere to the fact of the migration, nor any definite indication that it was still remembered." Indian Vedic scholars like Dayanand Saraswati, B.G. Tilak and Sri Arvind had already rejected the aryan invasion theory based mostly on literary analysis. In spite of having no evidence to support this doctrine, it is amusing to know how academics held on to