Tantra and Indo-Aryan Civilization (tantrics only)

[Marcion]

In Discourses on Tantra Volume 1 Part 3 Shrii Shrii Anandamurti (P.R. Sarkar) explains how Indian civilization developed after the coming of the Aryans into the then Tantric India. I will quote from the relevant chapter about one page at a time (in colour).

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Tantra and Indo-Aryan Civilization

The Aryans were not the original inhabitants of the present India. When the Aryans entered India through the Northwest Frontier Province, they contemptuously called the indigenous population whom they defeated in battle, "Ana'ryas" ["Non-Aryans"]. The appelation "Ana'ryas" did not apply to any group in particular, but rather to all the then inhabitants of India in general: the Mongolians, the Austrics and the Dravidians (a mixture of Austric and Negro). My discourse today will give a brief overview of the transformation that occurred in the civilizations of these peoples after the arrival of the Aryans, and of the effect that the Aryan migration had on the Aryans themselves. I will try to concentrate particularly upon the influence of Tantra on the Aryans.
The original home of the Aryans was in the northern part of Central Asia. By descent they were a fair, tall and healthy race. They were people of nomadic nature whose main means of subsistence was hunting. When, however, it became impossible for them to procure enough food by hunting, they started rearing cattle. But the merciless nature of Central Asia made their lives unbearable: snowstorms diminished the numbers of both the people and of their animals, and there was a chronic shortage of animal fodder. Just to survive, they had to spend almost all their time collecting food. Not only did this acute food shortage force them to make unending efforts as a group to collect food and rear cattle, it also led to perpetual inter-group skirmishes and even slaughter.
The constant fighting during this period, this ks'attriya-dominated era, led to the eventual emergence of a class of intellectuals who greatly assisted the ks'attriya-dominated society.

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Although Hindu nationalists try to deny the history of this large movement of Aryan people into India, research of the genetics of the present population proves them wrong. I think the Arya Samaj people (a Hindu reform group) will also not be too pleased with this analysis by Sarkar of the history of Indian civilization because Sarkar sees Tantra as the main influence on Indian civilization and not the Vedic religion which the Aryans brought with them.
Although in this discourse Sarkar does not mention it, elsewehere he mentioned that the migration of Aryans into India had already started before the advent of Lord Shiva, so before 7000 years ago and continued for many thousands of years after Shiva (the last group being the sun-worshipping Aryans who entered only about a thousand or so years ago).

 

[Marcion]

Please, kindly refrain from debate in this thread.

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The constant fighting during this period, this ks'attriya-dominated era, led to the eventual emergence of a class of intellectuals who greatly assisted the ks'attriya-dominated society. They provided the ks'attriya leaders with new inventions and discoveries, and satisfied their mental hunger by sharing their knowledge and wisdom. In the language of the day, these intellectuals were called rs'is. The group leaders bowed their heads in reverence before these mighty intellectuals and followed the precepts framed by them. The society used to call their ideology A'rs'a Dharma [Religion of the Sages].
There can be no doubt that these rs'is were wiser and more intelligent than the people of the time. But as script had not yet been invented, there was no means to keep a record of the wise discourses given by the rs'is. The rs'is' disciples had no choice but to learn the rs'is' discourses by heart as they were being spoken. Since the discourses were memorized upon being heard, they were called shruti [literally, "ear"].
The level of intelligence of the Aryan mass at that time was so low that it hardly merrits any mention. Actually, they were unable to understand these profound discourses, and as a consequence called them veda, meaning "knowledge". They believed that the innovative rs'is and intellectual munis were not men of ordinary stuff, but superior beings who heard the words of wisdom directly from the mouths of the gods. They also called them dras't'a [seers], as they "saw" with their own eyes the supernatural phenomena that they talked about, and uttered with their own mouths the benign incantations and mantras which produced those phenomena. Thus, every composer of the Vedic mantras was called a seer, and not a writer or composer. Generally, people believed that the composers of the Vedas were not men but veritable gods.
Even though the Vedas were considered as the creations of God and as such infallible, theism or spirituality was not fully awakened among the Aryans of the time. They only sang hymns and eulogies to appease the different natural forces.

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You have to remember that the first Veda was composed outside of India during the time the Aryans still lived in the area which is now Southern Russia.

 

[Marcion]

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In that age of undeveloped science they thought that smoke and the clouds in the sky were the same thing. That was why they burned ghee in sacrificial fires: they wanted to make smoke out of it to propitiate the different gods. They believed that the smoke would soar into the sky and turn into clouds; that rain would pour down from the clouds and nourish the earth causing an abundance of trees, plants and grass to sprout forth; and that their domestic animals, strengthened by the fresh grass, would multiply. That was why yajinas [sacrifices] were very common among the different groups and tribes. Those simple people believed that some gods would be propitiated by ghee, some by wine, and some by animal blood.
Human nature is such that one thinks that what is dear to oneself must be dear to everybody. So the ghee-, meat- and wine-loving Aryans thought that such food items would be liked by the gods also. Thus, after each inter-clan war, the chief of the conquering clan would offer that clan's favourite food to the gods, either in Ashvamedha Yajina [Horse Sacrifice] or in Gomedha Yajina [Cow Sacrifice] or in Ra'jasu'ya Yajina [sacrifice performed by a sovereign ruler], etc.
Each of the gods and godesses of the polytheistic Aryans had his or her individual nature, characteristics and va'hana [mount]. Although they were polytheists and nature-worshippers, they did not worship idols, not because they understood the philosophical defects of idol-worship, but because they lacked the refined artistic sense necessary to make the idols.
All their gods and godesses were laokik figures [creations of the people]. They arose out of the peoples' worldly needs. Hence the storm, the thunder, the lightning, the rain, the sun and the moon were all their gods. In that era of undeveloped science what they feared most was the darkness of night, so they not only regarded the night and the evening as their gods, they actually revered them as well.

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Anandamurti is talking about the early religion of the spiritually still quite primitive Aryans before they entered into India and for a period after they had entered. It makes me personally wonder how much of their religious practices resembled those of the Europeans living more to the west at that time. Although, if we are speaking of the period 15.000 years upto let's say 6000 years ago, the present day Europeans were perhaps in part still living in the same area as the Aryans which Sarkar is speaking of. (?)
Were our Germanic or Greek or Celtic ancestors also burning ghee and making animal sacrifices to try to satisfy the gods? I think sacrificing horses also happened in Europe especially when an important tribe leader was buried.

Sarkar knows very much about spiritual philosophy but when he talks about history he always sounds like a scholar who takes a rational never a religious (irrational or mythical) point of view.

 

[Marcion]

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Each of the gods and godesses of the polytheistic Aryans had his or her individual nature, characteristics and va'hana [mount]. Although they were polytheists and nature-worshippers, they did not worship idols, not because they understood the philosophical defects of idol-worship, but because they lacked the refined artistic sense necessary to make the idols.
All their gods and godesses were laokik figures [creations of the people]. They arose out of the peoples' worldly needs. Hence the storm, the thunder, the lightning, the rain, the sun and the moon were all their gods. In that era of undeveloped science what they feared most was the darkness of night, so they not only regarded the night and the evening as their gods, they actually revered them as well. In their fear, they would try to escape from the darkness by making fire with flint. They would never dare to displease the night and the evening, so whenever they made a fire they would first make obeisance to the evening with the fire before doing anything else. At night's end, when the eastern horizon glowed red, the Aryans would sing the song of the dawn of unison. Arun'a, the mythological charioteer of the sun's seven-horsed chariot (the seven horses corresponding to the seven distinct colours of the sun's rays), was also their god, as, indeed, was the sun itself.
Some of the rs'is understood, however, in a vague way if not in a clear way, the truth that there was a Supreme Entity above these gods, a Supreme Controller - the fundamental power of all their powers. This God of gods was the rs'is' Brahma.
The kings or chieftains staged sacrifices with great pomp and ostentation to appease the gods. The common people used these occasions for boisterous revelry. Since they lived in cold countries, of course, wine and meat were not particularly harmful to them*. They would often entertain their guests with meat-cakes and wine. The children were given honey instead of wine. In the Aryan language of that time, wine was often called "honey".
The oldest portion of the Vedas, that is, the Rgveda, was composed outside India. The remaining portions, that is, the Yajurveda and Atharvaveda, were partly Indian and partly non-Indian. Sa'maveda is not a separate Veda by itself but is the compilation of the lyrical and musical portions of the different Vedas. So only the Rgveda can be regarded as an ancient relic of the non-Indian Aryan civilization. The Yajurveda was composed in Iran, Afghanistan, northwest India and certain parts of what is modern Russia, so it cannot be called entirely non-Indian, particularly since the then Afghanistan (Ga'ndha'r) and certain parts of Russia were regarded as part of India at that time.

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*According to Sarkar, the food stuffs that will in a hot climate have a crudifying effect on the mind (or body) will have a less crudifying effect in cold circumstances (colder climates outside of summertime).

 

[Marcion]

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The Yajurveda was composed in Iran, Afghanistan, northwest India and certain parts of what is modern Russia, so it cannot be called entirely non-Indian, particularly since the then Afghanistan (Ga'ndha'r) and certain parts of Russia were regarded as part of India at that time.
The original Rgvedic civilization belonged, in spirit and language, to the non-Indian Aryans. But the Yajurveda was composed by a particular branch of the Vedic Aryans who, when the Aryans later began to spread out in search of food (especially wheat), migrated to India via Iran (A'ryan'ya Vraja) and Afghanistan. When we say "Indo-Aryan civilization", we basically mean the civilization of these people.
These nomadic Aryans, on coming in contact with the different groups of people of Iran, Afghanistan and northwest India, took up farming and developed the techniques of strategic warfare. The impact of this new thought bred in them, to some extent, a refined intelligence.
In the beginning, during the Rgvedic era, the cattle-rearing Aryans were only acquainted with barley and a few other crops. After they came to the present Iran they learned to cultivate wheat and, to some extent, rice. The more they progressed on their march, the more they came to realize the importance of growing different crops. Still, their staple was generally barley.
They learned wheat cultivation from the Asuras, the primitive natives of Iran. Though they became acquainted with paddy, or briihi (briihi -> riihi -> risi -> "rice", as in modern English), they did not cultivate it extensively. They learned the use of boiled rice in India.
The Yajurvedic era saw the all-round development of these people, and the resultant development of the Brahmava'da of the Yajurveda - the doctrine of monotheism. During this era not only was there a noticeable intellectual development among the general mass of the Aryans; among the munis [intellectuals or seers] and the rs'is, philosophy and spirituality also attained a brilliant height of expression. The Brahmava'da of the Yajurveda was a lot deeper and clearer than that of the Rgveda.

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So it seems that (the less primitive) monotheism came to this migrated branch of the Aryans only after they had moved to Iran, Afghanistan and northwest India over 7000 years ago, slightly earlier than monotheism came to the Jewish people and Europe thousands of years later. The Jewish people may have learnt of monotheism via Iran?

 

[Marcion]

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The Yajurvedic era saw the all-round development of these people, and the resultant development of the Brahmava'da of the Yajurveda - the doctrine of monotheism. During this era not only was there a noticeable intellectual development among the general mass of the Aryans; among the munis [intellectuals or seers] and the rs'is, philosophy and spirituality also attained a brilliant height of expression. The Brahmava'da of the Yajurveda was a lot deeper and clearer than that of the Rgveda.
The Atharvaveda was initially composed in India. During the composition of this Veda the Aryans came in close contact with the non-Aryans, resulting in the exchange of thought between the two. The Tantra of the non-Aryans had a marked influence on the Atharvaveda.
Being non-Aryan, the Atharvaveda cannot be regarded as a representation of Aryan civilization. In the subtle philosophy of the Atharvaveda, particularly of the Nrsim'ha Ta'pan'iiya Shruti, there is far greater influence of the non-Aryan Tantra than the Aryan Veda.
The migrating Aryans first settled in the hilly valleys of northern India. Although there was not much intermixture of blood between the Aryans and the inhabitants of this area, the Aryans were greatly influenced by non-Aryan culture. The Aryans settled down in this area, which was known as Kash (or Khash) after defeating its ancient non-Aryan inhabitants. Using the original name, Kash, they renamed the area "Kashmeru" or "Kashmiira" [Kashmir]. Although the Aryans of Kashmiira did not give up their Vedic study, in the spiritual field they did cultivate the indigenous Indian Tantra.
As the southern part of Kashmiira was littered with pebbles resembling the jambu fruit [Eugenia jambolana Lam], the Aryans named it "Jambu Dviipa" (modern Jammu). Subsequently, Jambu Dviipa came to mean the whole of India. Possibly in the sandy beds of the many rivers that transect Jambu Dviipa they discovered gold for the first time, and so gold came to be known as ja'mbunada. When still later they settled throughout the entire land of India, they realized that it was ideal not only for habitation, but also for self-development. Thus they named it "Bha'ratavars'a".

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So the Vedas cannot be considered as coming from one single Aryan culture. During the time that the Atharvaveda was made, the Tantric spiritual culture of the local population in India had so much influenced the Aryans that it cannot be considered as a part of Aryan Vedic culture.

 

[Marcion]

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As the southern part of Kashmiira was littered with pebbles resembling the jambu fruit [Eugenia jambolana Lam], the Aryans named it "Jambu Dviipa" (modern Jammu). Subsequently, Jambu Dviipa came to mean the whole of India. Possibly in the sandy beds of the many rivers that transect Jambu Dviipa they discovered gold for the first time, and so gold came to be known as ja'mbunada. When still later they settled throughout the entire land of India, they realized that it was ideal not only for habitation, but also for self-development. Thus they named it "Bha'ratavars'a". Bhara means "that which feeds"; ta means "that which gives", or "that which helps in the process of expansion"; and vars'a means "a vast stretch of land". Thus, bha'ratavars'a means "a vast expanse of land which helps in the all-round development of its inhabitants".
The Aryans did not have their own script and thus were first introduced to the [written] alphabet after coming in contact with the Dravidians. The Dravidians of the Harappa and Mahenjodaro civilizations of India were already using a script, the Saendhavii script; after the Aryan migration into India, that script became transformed into the Bra'hmii and Kharos't'hi scripts.
The inconvenience that the non-Indian Aryans had faced for want of a script no doubt disappeared after the Indianized Aryans learned it, but owing to their old superstitions, most of the Aryans were reluctant to put the Vedas in black and white. They refused to believe that the reason that the Vedas were not written at the time of their composition was simply the lack of script. They adhered to their illogical reasoning even after the scripts came into being: they thought that the rs'is had not written out the Vedas, one, because it was improper, and two, because the Vedas were named shruti. However, much later, in Kashmiira,* the Vedas were written down in the Sa'rada' script in use there at the time. There was really no alternative to writing them down, because there was almost nobody left who knew all the Vedas by heart, and the number of people who knew even parts of them was very small. When the Kashmiira scholars finally did write down the Vedas, it was discovered that many parts of them were missing for good.

* Author's note: It is wrong to write "Ka'shmiira", for the word ka'shmiira means "pertaining to Kashmiira", or "saffron". The Aryans saw saffron for the first time in Kashmiira.
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Unfortunately many parts of the Vedas were lost because of the superstition of the Aryans that they should be heard but never should be written down.

 

[Marcion]

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There was really no alternative to writing them down, because there was almost nobody left who knew all the Vedas by heart, and the number of people who knew even parts of them was very small. When the Kashmiira scholars finally did write down the Vedas, it was discovered that many parts of them were missing for good.
It was not difficult for the healthy, martial almost invincible Aryans to conquer northern India. The victorious Aryans treated the vanquished non-Aryans as slaves, trampling them underfoot to the bottom of their trivarn'a [three-caste] society - their society of Bra'hman'as, Ks'attriyas and Vaeshyas. There the non-Aryans became the fourth class, or Shu'dra Varn'a, while society became a ca'turvarn'a [four-caste] society. In the beginning the Aryans tried their utmost to avoid blood relationships with the Shu'dras - overwhelming proof of this is found in the Vedas and later books - but eventually it became impossible for them to avoid intermixture.
Although in northern India the Aryans enjoyed predominance in the political sphere, the non-Aryans' influence in the social sphere gradually increased, and persists even today. It was not possible for the Aryans to extend their political power into southern India. There they did exert some social influence, but even less than in the north.
The courage, strength and physical beauty of the Aryans was conspicuous in the north, south and east of India, so in these areas, the non-Aryans were very eager to establish social relationships with the Aryans, and often proudly called themselves A'rya-Vipras [Vipra = Bra'hman'a, or Brahman], A'rya-Ks'attriyas or A'rya-Vaeshyas. Although the Aryans' predominance was mainly political, and the non-Aryans maintained social and cultural predominance, the Aryan influence over the language spread everywhere. Moreover, the influential leaders of society everywhere began to introduce themselves as Aryans. The anti-Aryan sentiment gradually weakened, causing a widespread inferiority complex to take root among the non-Aryan population. This inferiority complex proved extremely detrimental to the interests of the non-Aryans.

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It makes me sad to read this, it sounds pretty much like what happened in the Americas, South-Africa and Australia much later in time.

 

[Marcion]

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This inferiority complex proved extremely detrimental to the interests of the non-Aryans.
The Aryan leader Agastya was the first to go to southern India to popularize the ideals of the Aryans. He explained the greatness of the Aryans to the people there allegorically. According to this mythological tale, Vindhya Hill on the northern frontier of the Deccan bent its head in reverence ever since. The great epic Ra'ma'yan'a depicts the Aryan invasion of southern India. Needless to say, the monkeys of Kis'kindhya' and the ra'ks'asas [demons] of Lanka, as described in the Ra'ma'yan'a, were in fact neither monkeys nor demons, but the people of different sub-castes of the Dravidian society itself. The proof that the non-Aryans, particularly the Dravidians, were a highly developed community in regard to knowledge, learning, intellect, city and town building, cultivation of science, and social order and discipline, is traceable in every line of the Ra'ma'yan'a. It was extremely difficult for the Aryans to hold their own in an intellectual duel with the Dravidians. At every step they found themselve outwitted, and said, "Queer are the ways of the demons."
As a result of co-existing with the non-Aryans for a long time, the Aryans learned many things from them. In fact there is hardly anything of Aryanism left in them today. Of course, the non-Aryans also took on certain Aryan traits, among them their fair complexion, their proficiency in various activities, and their ostentatious lifestyle. From the non-Aryans the Aryans acquired a well-knit social system, a subtle insight, spiritual philosophy and Tantra sa'dhana'. In the beginning the Aryans tried hard to preserve the purity of their blood - Shu'dras used to be kept scrupulously at arm's length - but such endeavours and precautions eventually proved a failure.
More or less everywhere in India there was intermixing between the Aryans and the non-Aryans - the Dravidians, the Austrics, and the Mongolians - which resulted in a new mixed race in India today. Their very colours pay testimony to the intermixture of Aryan and non-Aryan blood running in their veins.

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How many people in India will realise the racist origins of this allegorical aspect of the Ra'ma'yan'a? And how many will realise that Tantra sa'dhan'a was derived from their non-Aryan ancestors?

 

[Marcion]

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More or less everywhere in India there was intermixing between the Aryans and the non-Aryans - the Dravidians, the Austrics, and the Mongolians - which resulted in a new mixed race in India today. Their very colours pay testimony to the intermixture of Aryan and non-Aryan blood running in their veins.
The victorious Aryans, coming from cold countries, were a skilled and competent race. Their competence, their sense of superiority over the non-Aryans, and their unity born out of hatred for the non-Aryans, helped them in their victory over India. Though the non-Aryans were defeated by the Aryans in northern India, though the non-Aryans of southern and eastern India were under the spell of an inferiority complex, none of them surrendered to the Aryans without a fight. As they were constantly engaged in warfare with the Aryans, they became much more proficient in battle. Thus Aryan victory in southern and eastern India eventually became impossible. In the accounts of major battles fought between the Aryans and the non-Aryans, as depicted in the Sanskrit books written in the subsequent period,* the non-Aryans display no less competence than the Aryans.
Aryan life was full of noisy revelry and pomp, whereas the non-Aryan life was simple and unostentatious, although it was the non-Aryans who had access to more materials of enjoyment. But when the non-Aryans came into contact with the Aryans, they became tempted to enjoy pomp and splendour. Such a lifestyle proved more harmful to the comparatively inactive non-Aryans, inhabitants of a tropical country, than to the active and hardy Aryans.

* Author's note: In these books the non-Aryans were sometimes called ra'ks'asas [demons], sometimes pisha'cas [ghouls], and sometimes asuras [monsters].

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I'm not sure how to picture this 'pomp and splendour' of over 7000 years ago. Am I to think also of swilling away lots of alcoholic drinks (wine?) at special feasts which also negatively affected the native people of the Americas and Australia?

 

[Marcion]

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But when the non-Aryans came into contact with the Aryans, they became tempted to enjoy pomp and splendour. Such a lifestyle proved more harmful to the comparatively inactive non-Aryans, inhabitants of a tropical country, than to the active and hardy Aryans.
The Aryans outside India had no well-structured social system nor any clearly defined marital discipline. "Might is right" was the order of society. Nevertheless there was a predisposition in them to mould a society. The non-Aryans had happy families. They were characterized by a well-knit social structure and strong conjugal relationships. Even those nature-worshipping ethnic groups forming part of the Austric population of non-Aryan society, though comparatively backward, had very strong family relationships. So when the Aryans came in contact with these non-Aryans, they found new light for the formation of a society.
With the exception of a few munis and rs'is, the militant (ks'attriya-predominant) Aryans used to view the world with an extroversial outlook. After major battles they would kill the men of the conquered community, employ their children as servants, and either marry the women or employ them as maid-servants. For that reason there was a large number of male and female slaves in their society.
War-loving races are generally careful to honour the rules and laws of war, and frame new laws to suit the convenience of warring armies. Thus, the Aryans displayed a commendable sense of discipline during war. Being a war-loving race, it was but natural for them to do so. The non-Aryans, however, were backward in this regard. During their battles with the Aryans they did not respect the rules and laws of war (such as not to strike at the defenceless, not to employ more than one fighter against another, not to kill a retreating or surrendering soldier or a soldier begging for mercy). Not only was this highly irritating tothe Aryans; the lack of a disciplined mentality was actually one of the main reasons for the non-Aryans' defeat.

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Sarkar is discussing the distant past in India, but I cannot help projecting these characterisations onto the present world outside (and inside) India. Those cultural differences are still apparent, although speaking in racial terms has become a heavy taboo, at least in this part of the world.

 

[Marcion]

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Usually the non-Aryans were content with little. What was developed in them was their introspective nature, which not only made them devotees of God, but infused in them a surging love for spiritual philosophy. The religious practices of the Aryans, however, entailed performing certain sacrifices in order to attain certain materialistic gains. That is, their religious observances were mainly ritualistic. On the whole, the non-Aryans were followers of Tantra, or subjective sa'dhana'. Of course the non-Aryans, depending on their different degrees of intellectual development, ranged all the way from animists to Brahma sa'dhakas [intuitional practitioners whose goal is the Absolute]; but in general, inividual sa'dhana' ranked very high. The religion of the Vedic Aryans was, as a rule, one of prayer. It did not include even the subtlest hint of any intuitional meditation. And here lies the difference between Brahmava'da of the Vedas and the Upanishads on the one hand, and that of Tantra on the other.
As previously mentioned, by "non-Aryans" no particular ethnic group was meant. When the Aryans first migrated to India, the non-Aryans were, on the whole, divided into three populations. Of these, the Negro-Austric Dravidians were the most developed intellectually and spiritually. Their Tantra sa'dhana' bore a predominance of jina'na and bhakti. The next groups deserving mention are those of the Mongolian population. In their Tantra sa'dhana', karma and bhakti were predominant. The groups which constituted the Austric population were almost equal to the Aryans intellectually, but in the practical and spiritual spheres they gradually lagged behind due to comparative lack of dynamism of their society. This Austric society was content to practise the extroversial aspects of Tantra (witchcraft, invultuation, magic, magical incantation for evil purposes, hypnotism, etc.).
Tantra flourished in Bengal due to the pervasive intermixture of Dravidian and Mongolian blood.
Vaunge praka's[h]ita' vidya' Maethilye prabaliikrta'
Kva'cit kva'cit Maha'ra's't're Gurjjare pralayam'gata'.
[Tantra was practised in Bengal, but was more widely practised in Mithila. It was not popular in Maharastra, and was totally non-existent in Gujrat.]

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Again Anandamurti makes a distinction between religion (with its ritualism and prayers) on the one side and intuitive practices (Tantric sa'dhana') on the other. This is a distinction that is often also made from the perspective of certain religious people themselves.
I had to look up the meaning of 'invultuation':
the use of or the act of making images of people, animals, etc. for witchcraft

 

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Tantra flourished in Bengal due to the pervasive intermixture of Dravidian and Mongolian blood.
Vaunge praka's[h]ita' vidya' Maethilye prabaliikrta'
Kva'cit kva'cit Maha'ra's't're Gurjjare pralayam'gata'.
[Tantra was practised in Bengal, but was more widely practised in Mithila. It was not popular in Maharastra, and was totally non-existent in Gujrat.]
Bengal was the home of both the Mongolian and the Dravidian populations, the Dravidians being the more widespread in the southwestern areas and the Mongolians in the northeastern areas. Some groups of Austrics lived in the western parts. In the southeastern parts of Bengal, the Mongolians held an overwhelming majority over the Dravidians. The Chakmas, Tripuris, Bodos, Kochas, Kiratas, and Chuaras of the Mongolian population; The Kaevarttas, Bagdis, Dules, Shavaras, Kurmis, Mahatas, and Kherias of the Dravidian population; and the Santhaliis, Baoriis, Mala Pahariis, Malas or Malos, etc., of the predominantly Austric population, were the original Bengalis.
The present Bengali society and civilization are the outcome of the mutual exchange of thought among these peoples. The greatest contribution of this civilization has been the well-structured and well-disciplined Tantra sa'dhana'. Tantra wields the greatest influence over the customs and usages of modern Bengal and eastern India. As a matter of fact, Tantra has had a more pervasive influence throughout all of India than have the Vedas, yet nowhere has this Tantric or non-Aryan influence been greater than in the eastern part of India. The iron bangles of the women, the vermillion mark in the parting of their hair, the various marriage customs and rites, etc., are all different social practices borrowed from the non-Aryans. The customs of addressing all women as "mother" (masiima', pisiima', ka'kiima' [aunts], didima' [grandmother], etc. bears the mark of Tantric influence, because in Tantra the social dominance of women was widely accepted.

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Bengal is also the place where major (very long) rivers merge together before ending in the Bay of Bengal. I hope I will one day get the chance to visit Bengal again.

 

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The customs of addressing all women as "mother" (masiima', pisiima', ka'kiima' [aunts], didima' [grandmother], etc. bears the mark of Tantric influence, because in Tantra the social dominance of women was widely accepted. Even the little non-Tantric or patrilineal influence that exists in the upper castes of Bengali society is not borrowed from the Aryans of northern India, but is a result of the close and intimate trans-oceanic relations that Bengal had in those days with regions outside India.
In the life of Bengal, Tantra has surrendered to Veda only with respect to language. In fact there was no alternative but to acknowledge this defeat: The Bengalis of those days were followers of Tantra who spoke many different languages. When they decided to formulate a new language of their own, they were bound to accept the language of the foreign Aryans due to its highly expressive power. The Dravidian and Mongolian languages [although also a form of Sanskrit] were not so expressive as the Sanskrit language of the Vedas.
Although the Aryan conquerors were unable to influence the social life of Bengal to any appreciable degree, due to their influence the Tantric matrilineal social system of Bengal (the Tantric matrilineal order prevails even today in the Dravid-Keralite and Mongolo-Khashian societies) partially accepted the patrilineal order as well. As a result Bengal, though not governed by the Mita'ks'ara', or patrilineal, system of northern India, built up a new social order according due respect to both father and mother. Subsequently, in recognition of this new social system, Bengal officially rescinded the Mita'ks'ara'* system [insofar as it officially existed], and in its place established the Da'yabha'ga* system.


*Editors' note: Mita'ks'ara' entails the heirs' rights of inheritance, not subject to the father's discretion. Da'yabha'ga entails the heirs' right of inheritance subject to the father's discretion (the father enjoys the right to disinherit any of the heirs).

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What I find hard to understand is how the Dravidian and Mongolian languages could also have been a form of Sanskrit. If so, how did they acquire this membership of that language group in the distant past? Apparently the Vedic language was a form of Sanskrit that was adjusted to Sanskrit proper by adjusting it to the science of sound roots from Tantra. But this would mean that the Aryans of central Asia spoke languages from the same Indo-European language group as all (?) of the peoples of India even before 7000 years ago did. The Chinese are also foremost a mongoloid group of people but their languages are not of the same language group as the Indian languages. Maybe Tibetans who are also of the mongoloid race then also speak a language related to Sanskrit rather than to Chinese.

 

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The second result of the Aryan influence was the Bengali language. The language that the Bengalis of the Vedic era used to speak had no connection with the Vedic language. Neither could the Vedic Aryans understand it. The Aryans used to say, "That is a country of birds. We don't understand what those birds chirp and twitter." Be that as it may, due to the Vedic influence, particularly due to the influence of the eastern Vedic dialect, Ma'gadhii Pra'krta, there emerged a Sanskrit-based Aryan language in Bengal. Later on the Tantrics of this area composed Tantric literature using Sanskrit* and the new Sanskrit-based Bengali.
In spite of their accepting the Aryan language, the Tantrics never gave up their own style of pronunciation. Even today the Ma'gadhii group of languages, particularly the Eastern Demi-Ma'gadhii group (Bengali, Oirya, Assamese and Maethili), has a style of pronunciation that is completely its own. In spite of later distortions in the mode of pronunciation in northern India, due to the non-cultivation of the Sanskrit language and the heavy use of Arabic- and Persian-influenced Urdu, eastern and southern India did not give up their ancient modes of pronunciation. In ancient times the people speaking Shaorasenii and Ma'lavii dialect used to make fun of the people speaking the Ma'gadhii dialect, which was heavily influenced by Tantra. Thus the people of the western part of the Ma'gadhii-speaking area, that is, the Magadhii- and Bhojpuri-speaking people, tried to pronounce in the Shaorasenii style. Though there is, as a result, some influence of Shaorasenii and Hindi on the pronunciation of the Magadhii and Bhojpuri dialects, the intonation of the sam'vrta* a has remained unchanged. The Tantric pronunciation of ina, n'a, s'a, hya and ks'a are also prevalent in eastern India today.

* Editor's note: A mixture of the Vedic Sanskrit and theBengalis' original laokik, or dialectical, Sanskrit (the "bird language")
[Page 156: * Editor's note: One of the three styles of pronunciation of Sanskrit - sam'vrta, vivrtta and tiryak.]

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All this detailed talk of types of language, dialect and pronunciation I think happens here also because in Tantra, the way in which sounds and words are proncounced in spiritual practices is very important because specific sounds have special effects within the different layers of the mind (Sanskrit was especially adjusted soundwise for spiritual reasons).
So it does matter e.g. whether you pronounce ohmn or you change it to the pronunciation of 'Amen'.

 

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Though there is, as a result, some influence of Shaorasenii and Hindi on the pronunciation of the Magadhii and Bhojpuri dialects, the intonation of the sam'vrta* a has remained unchanged. The Tantric pronunciation of ina, n'a, s'a, hya and ks'a are also prevalent in eastern India today.
The Aryans had a developed language but no script. It was indeed the Tantrics, and not the Vedics, who invented script and acoustic science. So far as the correctness of pronunciation is concerned, the Tantric mode is to be accepted, not the Vedic. Remember that each of the fifty letters of the Sanskrit aks'arama'la' [alphabet] constitutes one acoustic root of Tantra. It was for the purpose of spiritual practice that the Tantrics had discovered these roots. Here the Aryans deserve no credit at all.
The Tantric influence exists in all the Indian languages;** it is also prominent in observances and ceremonies. The non-Aryan and Tantric influence is prominent not only in social functions, but in religious ceremonies as well, due to the influence of the Tantric gods and godesses. In eastern India, particularly in Bengal, popular gods and goddesses such as Shiitala' (the goddess of smallpox), Manasa' (the goddess of snakes), Niila T'ha'kura and Bat'uka Bhaerava [a Buddhist Tantric deity] are all Tantric gods and goddesses but are nevertheless worshipped in Hindu temples as Hindu gods and goddesses. (Bat'uka -> Bar'ua -> Bar'uya -> Bar'o - in the rural areas of Bengal, Bor'o Shiva or Bur'o Shiva.****)

* Editor's note: One of three styles of pronunciation of Sanskrit - sam'vrta, vivrtta and tiryak.
** Author's note: The people of eastern India make common use of the Tantric mystic syllable phat'. For example, Se phat' kare bale phelle ..., "he said all of a sudden...."; or Lokt'ar bar'a phat'phat'a'ni, "That person is very verbose."
*** Editor's note: "Old Shiva".

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The slight slighting of the Aryan contribution to Indian civilization reminds me somewhat of how some people in modern times speak about the contribution of the Abrahamic religions.

 

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Even the Satyana'ra'yana of eastern India is a non-Aryan deity. Of course in this worship we also find some influence by the Muslims who came from the Arab world. Betels, plantains, areca nuts and coconuts [as used to worship Satyana'ra'yana] are the main paraphernelia of non-Aryan worship, because they are Dravidian in origin. Perhaps the Vedic Aryans had never heard of these things, and perhaps there were no words for them in the Vedic language or in old Sanskrit. Words like na'gavallarii [a kind of creeping plant], kadalii [plaintain] and na'rikela [coconut] are modern Sanskrit, but these things are widely used in the worship of Satyana'ra'yan'a and in other popular worship. Only the shirn'ii [food offered to a god] of the Muslims in the worship of Satyana'rayan'a is imported.
Sugar cane, coconut, limes, grapefruit, powdered rice, etc., used in Chat' Puja' [Sun Worhip] are important food items in Dravidian festivities. Another noteworthy fact is that in the Chat' and a number of other popular pu'ja's, the Vedics of Brahmans have no place at all, or if they do participate, have a secondary role. The women play a most significant role in these pu'ja's. The speciality of non-Aryan ceremonies is that the women's role is predominant. Yet another remarkable factor is that although the Vedic sun-god is a male god, the non-Aryan sun-god is female, a goddess. Thus in eastern India worshippers address the sun-god as "Chat' Ma'yii" instead of "Chat' Pita". The non-Aryan worship of Dalapati or Gan'apati (group leader or people's leader) prevalent in the non-Aryan Austric society, is also prevalent in the Aryan society in the name of Gan'apati Pu'ja' or Gan'esha Pu'ja' [actually this worship meant the worship of the group or society of the Austric people]. The head of an elephant, a big and mighty animal, placed on the shoulders of the deity's body, was only symbolic of the superiority of the group leader of the society concerned. It is noteworthy that such worship was also prevalent in the non-Aryan Mayan civilization of America.

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In other talks Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji explains how this stone age group leader deity with the head of an elephant became associated with Lord Shiva as his so-called son Ganesha. Eventhough Shiva lived a very long time ago (over 7000 years), the Gan'apati deity worship is much older in origin so it has nothing to do with the real family of Lord Shiva. Giving deities the head of a great animal such as a lion's head or the head of crocodile happened outside of India as well. The worship of Shiva in the form of a penis (lingam) is another example of a stone age type of (fertility) worship that got associated with Lord Shiva.
Shiva became a kind of central deity that could be used to indirectly swell the status of other deities by mere association.

 

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The head of an elephant, a big and mighty animal, placed on the shoulders of the deity's body, was only symbolic of the superiority of the group leader of the society concerned. It is noteworthy that such worship was also prevalent in the non-Aryan Mayan civilization of America.
As said before, the Aryans became acquainted with paddy at a much later period. Previously they had had no idea how to get rice out of paddy, and only learned when they came in contact with the non-Aryans. It was the non-Aryans who taught them to eat boiled rice. It is noteworthy that powdered rice or its paste was widely used in the popular worship of the gods and goddesses of south and east India. It would appear that rice seemed to be rather a queer thing to the Aryans, because in the Vedas it is called tan'd'ula. Evidently the Aryans saw grains of rice jumping from the mortar while the paddy was being threshed and husked in the traditional hand-driven or foot-driven husking devices, and thus named it tan'd'ula. Tan'd'ula means "one whose characteristics is to jump". The word ca'l or ca'ul [husked but uncooked rice] is derived from the Bengali root ca'la' - which means "sifting" in order to separate the rice from the chaff.
Spiritual practice was common in the Tantric society. There is no spiritual vigour whatsoever in the lives of those who support pompous, so-called religious, ceremonies, as there is in the lives of introspective spiritual practitioners. After the Aryans came into India, two types of practice used to take place side by side: on the one side the sacrificial fires of the rs'is, characterized by the smell of burning ghee and the sonorous refrains of those paying homage to the manes while offering oblations into the fire; and on the other hand, the non-Aryans' Tantra sa'dhana', the practice of self-control and attainment of divine power. Spiritual depth and power of sa'dhana' brought fearlessness into the spiritual lives of the non-Aryans, as befitting staunch Tantrics.

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Quite a glorification of the introspective Tantra contrasting it against the ritualistic exoteric Vedic religion.

 

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The non-Ayans regarded the Aryans' sacrificial ceremonies as a time-killing childish pastime and would sabotage them whenever convenient. The Aryan munis and rs'is asked the Aryan kings for protection against these saboteurs - or, in the language of the Aryans, these ra'ks'asas, pashus and pisha'cas. Innumerable stories to this effect can be found in different Sanskrit books, even today. Although the words ra'ks'asa [demon], pashu [beast] and pisha'ca [ghoul] were used in a general way to describe the non-Aryans, actually the Dravidians were normally called ra'ks'asas (the short-statured among them "monkeys"), the Mongolians, asuras [monsters], and those Tantrics who did shava sa'dhana' [sa'dhan'a upon dead bodies] in cemeteries and cremation grounds, pisha'cas. The Aryans also declared that these gangs of ra'ks'asas and pisha'cas were cannibals. They drew horrible sketches of the dark-complexioned Dravidians and high-cheekboned and flat-nosed Mongolians, with grotesque forms and features, to prove them contemptible and vile. Actually they were a lot more civilized and educated than the Aryans.
Apart from this there were many Aryans who married the daughters of these ra'ks'asas and asuras, entranced by their beauty and qualities (those who had a mixture of Mongolian and Dravidian blood had particularly beautiful features). Bhiima married Hid'imba', a non-Aryan girl; Arjuna married Citra'ungada', also a non-Aryan girl. Ra'van'a, the leader of the ra'ks'asas, had a father from an Aryan Brahman family - Mahars'i Vishvashrava', the descendant of Pulasta Rs'i - and a non-Aryan mother - Nikas'a', or Kaekasii. In other words, though the Aryans had been proud of their colour and features, that pride faded away within a short time. At that time and also later, even though a few Aryan-proud individuals attempted to defame these ra'ks'asas and asuras, the general mass did not pay much attention to them.

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What an amazing history India has had.

 

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At that time and also later, even though a few Aryan-proud individuals attempted to defame these ra'ks'asas and asuras, the general mass did not pay much attention to them.
On the one hand the Aryan-proud pandits of Bengal engaged in scurrilous and abusive attacks on the Monogolians and the original Bengalis -
Sarva ma'm'sarata'h mu'r'ha'h
Mleccha'h gobrahma gha'taka'h,
Kuvacaka'hpae mu'r'ha' ete ku't'ayonayoh,
Tes'am' paesha'cikii bha's'a' loka'ca'ro na vidyate.
- Padma Pura'na'
[They are all excessive meat eaters. They are fools. Killers of cows and Brahmans, they speak foul and meaningless words. These are foolish people born out of bad women. Their language is gibberish. They don't follow decent customs.] - but on the other hand we observe the emergence of a new civilization in Bengal, out of the Austrico-Mongolo-Dravidian combination, at about 1000 B.C.
This civilization, though similar to other civilizations in India, had its own customs and rites, language and mode of pronunciation, manners and behaviour, religious and social systems, rights of inheritance and disinheritance under the Da'yabha'ga code of law, and dress and food habits. Proud of its own speciality and uniqueness, it never agreed to be a part of the A'rya'varrta [northern India dominated by the Aryan culture]. In order to keep itself free from Aryan subjugation, Bengal rebelled again and again.The northern Indian orthodox Aryans, full of Aryan chauvinism (actually they too were Tantrics, but outwardly displayed an enamel coating of Aryanism), were reluctant to accept the highly Tantric areas such as Aunga [Monghyr and its adjacent areas], Vaunga [Bengal]),* Kaliunga [Orissa], Mithila and Magadha [Bihar] as part of their A'ryavarrta. For them Ka'shii [Benares] served as the eastern border of the A'ryavarrta.

* Editor's note: The va sound was later changed to ba under the influence of Muslim pronunciation, so the letter was changed as well. In modern Bengali there is no difference in pronunciation between ba and va, but the difference in spelling persists.

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The Tantra that was adopted by Buddhism also originated in this eastern part of India, before the Muslims came, there were large Buddhist learning centres in that part of India.
I wonder what happened to the Aryan chauvinism, is it somehow still a part of orthodox Hinduism?