Aryans - Im a little confused. (beliefs, worship, religion, islam)

[Don Penguinoini]

Look, im confused, its never made straight. Was hinduism or sanatan dharma a religion brought by aryans (who were european right?) Or was hinduism already in India? Please tell me!

[Sunstone]

Originally Posted by penguino

Look, im confused, its never made straight. Was hinduism or sanatan dharma a religion brought by aryans (who were european right?) Or was hinduism already in India? Please tell me!

Some aspects of Hinduism were introduced by an Indo-European people known in India as the Aryans. Other aspects of Hinduism were present when the Aryans arrived in India. So Hinduism is a mix of influences. For instance, it seems Shiva was already present in India when the Aryans arrived.

[Don Penguinoini]

Thanks Sunstone, now i know.

[Atman]

Well, there's some debate as to whether or not these nomadic people came to India, the theory that has gained the most acceptance at the moment, is that several groups of nomadic people from Iran, Afghanistan or Russia had traveled to India, and mixed their ideas and beliefs with the local indigenous population of India. Personally, I'm rather unsure of this myself, but I think it has enough evidence backing it up, that it can be taught in schools.

[Don Penguinoini]

I'd prefer to believe that they adapted to India.

[Pariah]

Originally Posted by penguino

I'd prefer to believe that they adapted to India.

That's actually the most probable. You don't see very much Indian culture in the pre-Islamic Middle East.

The Indo-Europeans (informally known as Aryans) arrived out of Africa into the infertile desert of Central Asia and divide into two groups, one of which went East to India, while the other went West to Persia and as far as Germany (which is how Hitler usurped the term into White supremacy, while the Aryans were much more likely to look like him, rather than blond-hair blue-eyed).

To say that Aryans were Iranian and what not is false. There existed no such label then. It was strictly Indo-European.

The Vedic Gods of Indra, Agni, Varuna (and many others) are not worshiped today having been replaced by Vishnu and Shiva. Vishnu is mentioned in the Vedas, but relegated to a spot below Indra in the heirarchy. Shiva existed as well, and as Sunstone pointed out, existed in some form in the Indus Valley civilization.

There is no way to know what the popular religion was like during the arrival of the Indo-Europeans. It may have been the case that Vishnu and Shiva were popular deities before the arrival of Aryans and eventually (as today) surpassed the "foreign" deities of Indra and Agni, though Agni does play a large role in Hindu belief today.

[Don Penguinoini]

I think the elemntal gods might have been brought bu the aryans.

[Pariah]

Originally Posted by penguino

I think the elemntal gods might have been brought bu the aryans.

Yes - that is the most probable conclusion with what evidence is available to us right now.

[zenzero]

Friend Don Penguinoini ,

Aryans - Im a little confused.
Look, im confused, its never made straight. Was hinduism or sanatan dharma a religion brought by aryans (who were european right?) Or was hinduism already in India? Please tell me!

When the Don does not know, obviously no one knows either?
That is SUCHNESS - It is the way it is!
What is known is that we are all beings and of human kind and there was a culture in the region [known as India, now] which was there way of life and since life itself is without begining or end so are its ways and so it was labeled as SANATANA DHARMA.
It was those Vedic times that researchers of the mind or meditators who wrote down whatever the understood through meditation about different aspects of life and various ways / paths of realising the same truth BUT they never put their personal names as its discoverer or never patented it because what they got was from existence iotself and giving back to existence itself. Like other beings e.g. a tree - it takes water, sunlight and gives back flowers, fruits, leaves, bark, wood etc.never keeps anything for itself and in this process it grows. Similarly humans beings keep taking and giving and in the process Grows.
Hinduism was coined only since Alexader inmvaded India mis pronoucing Sindhu as hindu in greek.
Sanatana Dharma covers various ways which were later taken up seperately by the Jains and Buddha besides the Sikhs etc. Sanatana encompasses all beings and their way of life.
Whatever be its roots it cannot be chained with just some words like Hindism or a religion etc.
Have a good day.
Love & rgds