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A Glorious Hindu Legacy: Indic influence in Southeast Asia.

Laos

Lord Shiva in Laos

The cultural roots of the present-day Lao lie in Indian civilization, not Chinese. From the first century AD, Indian traders began introducing Hinduism and then Buddhism to Southeast Asia. 

From about the 7th century to about the 11th or 12th century, there was a strong influence of Hindu culture and religion in Laos. This is reflected in the Lao national version of the Ramayana and archaeological finds, Shiva Lingas and similar icons in different parts of the country. Laos used to part of Khmer Empire. The Wat Phou is one of the last influences of that period.

Predating the temples of Angkor (some time before the 9th century), this stunning hilltop site is a highlight in Laos. Wat Phu was built in homage to the Hindu God Shiva. Some archaeologists posit that the temple is also homage to the Mekong and a copy of a similar site along the Ganges in India. The compound is symmetrical, with a broad causeway as the central axis and expansive reflecting barays, or ponds, now gone dry, as flanks. The approach to the main temple site passes between two pavilions, crumbling but still grand, before ascending the steep central stair.

Wat Phu temple, near Champasak. 

Laos used to part of The Khmer Empire. Its Sanskrit name was Souvannaphoum Pathet (Suvarnabhumi Pradesha) meaning regions rich in gold.

(For more refer to chapter on Greater India: Suvarnabhumi and Sacred Angkor).

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Srestapura was ”founded around the middle of the 5^th century, as suggested by an inscription of a king named Davanika, found in the modern village of Vat Luang Kau. Two inscriptions discovered recently in the same area inform us that as early as in the end of the 6^th century AD, it was the capital city of King Mahendravarman, who later became the ruler of the Sambor Prei Kuk area …”

”Some inscriptions belonging to the 5^th and 6^th century do mention a sanctuary built on the hill, contemporary with the foundation of the city, but this building has gone and is replaced with the building we see today. This was built during the first part of the 9^th century, with some additions and reconstructions in the 12^th and 13^th centuries”. ”Carved blocks (elephant, crocodile, staircase framed with two snakes) dating from after the 13^th century"

”The remains of sandstone meditation cells (monolithic base, walls, and ceiling), maybe dating to the 7^th century, are also seen here”.  (Project de Recherches en Archeologie Lao – Research Project in Lao Archaeology) Present day Laos lies entirely on the left bank of the Mekong River (Ma Ganga), and this was the northern most point reached by the Khmer Empire and at a distance from their capital. 

Hindu Trinity: Lord Shiva in center, Lord Brahma on left and Lord Vishnu on the right.

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The temple of Wat Phu, near Champasak, can justifiably claim to be one of the most sacred sites in Southeast Asia. Dedicated to Lord Shiva near the Linga Paravata. Situated half way up the Lingaparvata, the “Mountain of the Linga”, the temple of Wat Phu is indubitably the most ancient and most holy of all the provincial foundation. An enormous rock crowns the summit; recalls a gigantic lingam, the manifestation of the creative powers of Shiva. 

”A small temple built in sandstone and bricks (11^th century) wedged below the cliff, would sanctity the water from the southern spring and would probably have contained a Linga. Behind this temple under the cliff, small bronze Khmer statues of Vishnu and a female divinity representations were found”  (Project de Recherches en Archeologie Lao – Research Project in Lao Archaeology).

At Wat Phu, the whole monument can be taken at a single glance. The majestic approach runs up to the first slopes, passing between two side buildings whose long halls enclose twin courtyards. A staircase, now dilapidated, climbs the mountain between two rows of red jasmine trees, up to a terrace edged with naga.  

Lord Vishnu on Garuda lintel

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Wat Phu has remained a sanctuary venerated by the Laotians. As the pilgrims pass, the faithful lay an offering of flowers and candles at the feet of a statue of Lord Vishnu riding on the shoulder of Garuda. 

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Minor temples sanctify the approaches of the mountain. 

No one knows in which of them the silver statue of Lord Vishnu was worshipped, only its head has been found in the waters of a little stream, near the Lingaparvata. 

Wat Phu (or Vat Phou) is an ancient religious site of pilgrimage and a ruin of majestic proportions. It is also a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Two red sandstone Khmer temples - a male and a female temple which mirror each other - guard a well beaten path through naga (snake) statues up to the Linga Parvata, the sacred mountain of the south.

From the cave at the top a natural spring gives water believed to purify the soul. The ruins date from the Late Angkorian period (12th-13th Century) and once a road connected Wat Phu with the great capital at Angkhor in Cambodia.

The ruins of Wat Phu form the backdrop for this Magha Puja festival. The entrance to Wat Phu passes a grand but now derelict house where the King of Laos, Savang Vatthana, used to stay during the Festival

For many, this is an intensely religious experience. Wat Phu is a popular site of pilgrimage for Lao Buddhists even though the remains here hark back to an age of Khmer Hinduism and the temple sculptures depict the triumvirate of the Hindu Pantheon - Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma. The sheer grandeur, serenity and fragility of the place is immense. It has been a holy site since the Chenla Dynasty ruled the area in the 5th Century AD.

Silver head of Lord Vishnu 8th century, now in mutilated condition. 

(For more refer to chapter on Greater India: Suvarnabhumi and Sacred Angkor).

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This exquisite piece is probably of 8^th century date. The sumptuous material, the fine workmanship, the nobility of the features and more than all else the infinite sweetness of its smile make this image, sadly mutilated though it is, one of the most extraordinary masterpieces of southeast Asia. It bears witness to the piety and splendor of the princes of Chenla from whom all the Khmer kings were to proclaim their descent. 

(source: The civilization of Angkor – by Mideline Giteau   p. 80 – 82 and infoclub.com).

Lord Krishna killing Kamsa.

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Wat Phou was initially associated with the city of Shrestapura, which lay on the bank of the Mekong directly east of mount Lingaparvata (now called Phu Kao). By the latter part of the 5th century the city was already the capital of a kingdom which texts and inscriptions connect with both Chenla and Champa, and the first structure on the mountain was constructed around this time. The mountain gained spiritual importance from the linga-shaped protruberance on its summit; the mountain itself was therefore considered the home of Shiva, and the river as representing the ocean or the Ganges River. The temple was naturally dedicated to Shiva, while the water from the spring which emerges directly behind the temple was considered sacred.

Wat Phou was a part of the Khmer empire, centred on Angkor to the southwest, at least as early as the reign of Yashovarman I in the early 10th century. Shrestapura was superseded by a new city in the Angkorian period, located directly south of the temple.

The temple of Wat Phu, one of the most important Hindu sanctuaries of the Khmer Empire. 

Wat Phu temple was built in homage to Lord Shiva. Behind is Lingaparvarta, resembling Shiva Linga. The site, called "Mountain of the lingam" owes its name to the rock overtopping it which is considered to be a lingam "which arose by itself" by the will of Lord Shiva.

(For more refer to chapter on Greater India: Suvarnabhumi and Sacred Angkor).

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The Laotion adoption of the Ramayana is called Phra Lak Phra Lam. The title comes from the Lao names for Lakshmana and Rama. Phra Lak Phra Lam also exists in Northeast Thailand where there is a large population of ethnic Lao. There are several versions of this story, each slightly different but also similar to the Ramakien in Thailand. Originally written on palm leaf manuscripts, the story of Phra Lak Phra Lam has also been adapted to Lao ballet where it is known by the same title. 

The story is considered by Laotians to be a Jataka tale and regarded as very sacred. It is also believed that Prince Rama is actually an incarnation of the Buddha contrary to other versions which traditionally regard Rama as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.  

Ramayana (Phra Lak Phra Lam) in Laos: The stamp of The Royal Ballet.

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Universal to the literature and poetry of Laos, as well as to its dance, music, and sculpture, are oral myths and legends based on the Phra Lak Phra Lam, the Lao version of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. This tale of Rama, a prince and the seventh incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, is known and loved throughout Southeast Asia. Other popular Lao literature includes the Jatakas, stories of previous incarnations of the Buddha. Both the Phra Lak Phra Lam and the Jataka tales contain moral metaphors enacted through rigorous battles in which good always triumphs over evil. Favorite stories tell how heroic princes defeat powerful demons. 

Lao innovations include the tiered roof style that curves near to the ground, and a bronze roof ornament with five spires that symbolizes the Hindu Mount Meru. 

The classical music and dance of Laos was inspired by the court dances of India, Cambodia, and Thailand. Its themes draw from Hindu mythology, the Buddhist Jataka tales, and local legends.

(source: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761551958_4/Laos.html and http://s.pravong.free.fr/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25 and http://www.indiacause.com/columns/OL_040128.htm).

(For more refer to chapter on Greater India: Suvarnabhumi and Sacred Angkor).

The Ramayana in Laos 

Few people know that in earliest times the land known today as Laos was called Muong Xieng Thong or Laem Thong. 

Its Sanskrit name was Souvannaphoum Pathet (Suvarnabhumi Pradesha) meaning regions rich in gold. Souvannaphoum Pathet was a large peninsula situated between the Indian Ocean and the China Sea. 

According to Maha sila Viravong (1905-1987) His History of Laos (‘Phongsawadan Lao’), tracing Lao history from its earliest time at Muang Lung and Muang Pa (before the year 843 BC) down to the end of the French occupation in the mid 20th century, is perhaps the best-known history of Laos written by a Laotian historian. He was the most reliable contemporary historian of Laos, this region included 2,500 years ago, parts of Burma, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The entire landmass comprised by Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and some parts of Malaysia had strong cultural ties with India and represents the Indian part of the larger area formerly known as Indo-China. The culture of Laos, Thailand and Cambodia is made up of the earliest forms of Hinduism and Buddhism. Consequently it shows the deep meditative and philosophic aspect of the teachings of the Buddha coupled with the aesthetic imagination and literary aspects of the Hindu mind. This entire region is dotted with temples dedicated to Buddha, decorated with figures of Hindu gods and goddesses, united and protected as if within the mother-like embrace of long rows of gilded paintings on the wall depicting the story of the Ramayana. 

Indian culture began to spread in Indo-China from the 1^st century AD onwards. During the next 500 years the Ramayana had gained enough popularity for its author Valmiki to be considered as incarnation of Lord Vishnu and the temples were dedicated to him describing his compassion and creativity. A stone image of Valmiki and a Sanskrit inscription have been found in a temple in Champa (modern day Vietnam) belonging to the period of King Prakashadharma (6530678 A D). The inscription read: 

Yasya sokar samutpananam Slokam Brahmabhipujati
Vishnuh pumsah puranasya manushasyatmarupinah 

All of Malaya, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos have their own versions of the Ramayana story, or the Chroniclers of Rama as versified by sage Valmiki. In Laos The Ramayana is present in five forms – Dance, Song, Painting and sculpture and Sacred texts to be recited on festive occasions and manuscripts, and enjoy popularity in that order. The Ramayana as dance-drama enjoys the pride of place, in the Royal Palace at Luang Prabang and the ‘Natyasala’ dance school at Vientiane. With the dance drama goes its appropriate music and song. The Ramayana in painting and sculpture is seen within the temples. In its richest forms it is found in the court-temples of Luang Prabang and Ramayana frescoes are preserved in Wat Oup Moung.  

To quote Maha sila “the Khmer race is of ancient Indian descent. This race has given birth to various ethnic groups known as the Khmer, Mon, Meng, Kha, Khamu and Malay. The Khmer came to settle down in Souvannaphoum pathest even before the advent of the Buddha, 2, 500 years ago. But the largest migration took place in the reign of Ashoka Raja who ruled Pataribud (Pataliputra) from the year 218 to 228 BE. According to Mahasila Emperor Ashoka’s war in Kalinga was responsible for thousands of “Indians from the southern part of India to live in Indo-China.” 

In Laos two versions of the Ramayana are known, the Luang Prabang version as found in the Royal Capital and the Vientiane version as found painted on the walls of the VAT PA KE temple.  

Phonetic changes in the name of Ramayana characters: 

The proper names of the classical Valmiki Ramayana have undergone great change owing to the phonetic peculiarities of the Lava language. Thus, 

Rama                               became Lam or Lamma
Sita                                 became Nang/ Sida
Laksmana                          became Lak
Hanuman                           became Hanumone or Hullaman
Sugriva                             became Sukrip
Ravana                              became Raphanasuane or Phommachak
Lanka                                became Langka. 

There are 29 murals on the walls of the central hall of the Vat Oup Muong, describing the ‘Pha Lak Pha Lam’ (Beloved Lakshmana, Beloved Rama) story. Oup Muong means ‘underground hall’ or ‘tunnel.’

(source: The Ramayana Tradition in Asia  - Edited by V Raghavan. The Ramayana in Laos - By Kamala Ratnam p. 257 - 281).

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Huei Thamo (Goddess Durga) temple

This temple dates from 889, and is dedicated to Rudani - Goddess Durga, consort of Lord Shiva in her terrible aspect.

Huei Thamo temple was - dedicated to Rudani - Durga, consort of Lord Shiva in her terrible aspect.

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The temple is oriented towards the south-east. The course of the Huei Thamo and its now dry small tributary stream seem to have formed part of an effective moat. The best preserved gopura is that on the southwest side, and this is the first building that you notice as you approach along the forest trail. 

Mukha linga and Indra on Airvata.

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One of the most interesting pieces from Huei Thamo and surprisingly still in situ is an unusual mukhalinga. This stone linga has four large faces a the tip, and is in the southwest gopura. Other artifacts include a lintel featuring Indra on a three headed Airavata, and naga antefixes.

(source:  A Guide to Khmer Temples in Thailand and Laos - By Michael Freeman   p. 198 - 199). (For more refer to chapter on Greater India: Suvarnabhumi and Sacred Angkor).

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Follow Up History
US Aggression in Laos?

During the administration of US President Richard Nixon, and under the counsel of his advisor for National Security Affairs Henry Kissinger, the United States drops more than two million tons of bombs on Laos during more than 500,000 bombing missions—exceeding what it had dropped on Germany and Japan during all of World War II—in an effort to defeat the left-leaning Pathet Lao and to destroy North Vietnamese supply lines. The ordnance includes some 90 million cluster bombs, 20-30 percent of which do not detonate.

A Senate report finds: “The United States has undertaken a large-scale air war over Laos to destroy the physical and social infrastructure of Pathet Lao held areas and to interdict North Vietnamese infiltration ... throughout all this there has been a policy of subterfuge and secrecy ... through such things as saturation bombing and the forced evacuation of population from enemy held or threatened areas—we have helped to create untold agony for hundreds of thousands of villagers.” 

And in 1970, Far Eastern Economic Review reports:

 “For the past two years the US has carried out one of the most sustained bombing campaigns in history against essentially civilian targets in northeastern Laos.... Operating from Thai bases and from aircraft carriers, American jets have destroyed the great majority of villages and towns in the northeast. Severe casualties have been inflicted upon the inhabitants ...

(source: History of US Interventions - cooperativeresearch.org).

Watch We are Warlike people - By George Carlin.

For U.S political and military intervention, refer to Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace – By Gore Vidal

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A Timeless Tale

Ramayana, the ancient Indian tale of devotion, separation, and reunion, is a story almost as old as civilization itself. It is an expression of the eternal battle between good and evil, ranging from short stories to lengthy epics. Combining elements of religion, romance, myth, magic, action, adventure, fantasy, and a fascination cast of characters including gods, goddesses, semi-divine humans, amazing monkeys, and powerful ogres, the story of Rama’s love for Sita and her abduction by Ravana, king of the ores, has withstood the rest of time and nationality. 

For over two thousand years, the story has captured the imagination of peoples from India to Iran, Tibet to Thailand, Cambodia to China, Japan to Java, Malaysia to Myanmar, and Sri Lanka to Siberia.  

In journeys beyond the geography of its setting and origin, it was even adapted by other religions in the process, local cultures have transformed Ramayana – more than any other story in the world – into a rich source of inspiration for the arts in a great variety of literary traditions, narrative expressions, artistic manifestations, and performance styles.  

The Epic of Ramayana. Murals from Thailand's Grand Palace. 

For over two thousand years, the story has captured the imagination of peoples from India to Iran, Tibet to Thailand, Cambodia to China, Japan to Java, Malaysia to Myanmar, and Sri Lanka to Siberia.

(For more refer to chapter on Greater India: Suvarnabhumi and Sacred Angkor).

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India beyond borders  As evidence of the extent that the epic traveled – along inland trade routes – variations of the story are found in areas towards the north, west, and central parts of Asia. Between the 13^th to 19^th centuries, the Persian and Mogul sultanates adapted Hindu culture into Islaamic art and literature, resulting in such works as the 16^th century Dastan-e-Ram O Sita and Razmnama from Persia (Iran), and 18^th century Pothi Ramayan in Urdu, the language of Pakistan. During the 19^th century, Ramavatara Charita was written in Kashmir, another predominantly Muslim area. The story, however, was not Islamised in any of these narratives. In distant Xinjing in northwest China, the 9^th century Khotances Ramakatha has a Buddist orientation. This probably was due to influences from Dunhuang, an important central Asian Buddhist center during the 7^th to 9^th centuries. Dunhuang also had a later impact on the 13^th century Tibetan Son-om Gar-a and 15^th century Zhang-zhung-pa Chowanga-drak-pai-pal.

(source: A Timeless Tale - By Garrett Kam - azibaza.com).

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Ideology and Race in India's Early History

Probably without realizing it, World History textbooks often take sides in an ideologically charged controversy over the role of race in India's early history. Their account of the so-called Aryan invasions may reflect nineteenth-century Eurocentric scholarship that privileged lighter skinned peoples over darker skinned ones.

I have taught World History at colleges in the United States for many years. When it came to the early history of India, I once taught that "Aryans" invaded India in 1500 B.C.E., conquered the "Dravidians" and then became predominant. This is what I had learned in elementary school, high school and college courses in India. This is still what is taught in most textbooks. About ten years ago, I became aware of challenges to the idea of the Aryan invasion and decided to look more critically at what World History textbooks were saying about this topic. My study was published in the History Teacher. More than half of the textbooks I examined stated that the ancient Harappan civilization was "burned, destroyed and left in rubble by invading Aryan-speaking tribes." 

These Aryans were "virile people, fond of war, drinking, chariot racing and gambling" and were also "tall, blue-eyed and fair-skinned." The defeated natives were "short, black, nose-less." The victorious Aryans had a "strong sense of racial superiority" and "strove to prevent mixture with their despised subjects". Accordingly they evolved the caste system with the lighter skinned Aryans at the top.

In fact, archaeologists have been aware for several decades that Aryan invasions had nothing to do with the demise of the Harappan civilization. In contrast, most of the textbooks relied on out-dated sources and presented erroneous material.

The Indians who favor the invasion theory are largely of a progressive or leftist political persuasion. They believe that the iniquities of the caste system are a result of the Aryan invasion. For such Indians, questioning the invasion theory would undermine the work of redressing the injustices of the caste system. It would be akin to Holocaust denial. On the other hand, many Indians who doubt the invasion theory view it as a matter of national pride that their civilization is rooted in the ancient past on Indian soil and is not a result of barbarian invaders a mere 3500 years ago. Each side believes that ideological commitment blinds the other side from seeing the true facts. Western supporters of the invasion theory are accused of intellectual inertia. They are also diagnosed as suffering from "the Liberal White Man's Burden" - the guilt that some Western scholars and journalists feel for the sins of their fathers in perpetrating racism and imperialism in modern times. This predisposes them to believe in the idea that their Aryan ancestors committed similar crimes 3500 years ago. 

It is argued that the desire of Western liberals to atone for these sins inclines them to support uncritically Indian leftist views on the Aryan invasion. As for Western scholars who question the Aryan invasion theory, they are accused of being sympathetic to the Indian right wing.

Let us go back now to how the commonly accepted date of 1500 B.C.E. for the Aryan Invasion of India was proposed. It is not based on any archaeological evidence, but instead was based on Friedrich Max Mueller's linguistic work in the nineteenth century explaining the similarity of the Indo-European languages. In his view, the speakers of the Indo-European languages are descended from Japheth, one of the sons of Noah, the speakers of Hebrew from Shem and Africans and Indian Dravidians from Ham, the least favored of Noah's sons (Ham and his line were accursed because of Ham's disrespect of Noah). Since the Flood can be dated from the genealogies of the Bible to be around 2500 B.C.E. and the Vedas were ancient scripture at the time of the Buddha (around 500 B.C.E.), the Aryans (said Max Mueller) likely invaded India and defeated the Dravidian descendants of Ham around 1500 B.C.E. Around the same time, the Israeli descendants of Shem were defeating another of Ham's descendants, the Canaanites. Max Mueller dated the composition of the earliest of the Vedas to around 1200 B.C.E., allowing the Aryans a few centuries to get settled in India.

(source: Ideology and Race in India's Early History - By Padma Manian - San Jose City College).  

Refer to chapter on Aryan Invasion Theory, First Indologists and European Imperialism

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The Wisdom of the Mahabharata
The Neglect of India's own intellectual and cultural heritage

"Instilling guilt about the "evils of Hindu society" is indeed a favorite weapon of the secularist elite."

                       -   Professor Ashish Nandy is a political psychologist, sociologist and director of Delhi's Center for the Study of Developing Societies.

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Most Indian intellectuals are familiar with Lord Acton's famous observation, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." How many of them know of Bheeshma's observation on power in the Mahabharata? 

Grand Patriarch Pitamah Bheeshma on bed of arrows. Angkorwat carvings.

(For more refer to chapter on Greater India: Suvarnabhumi and Sacred Angkor).

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According to the Great Epic, Yudhishtira approaches the Kuru patriarch as lies on his bed of arrows, waiting for the Sun to begin its northward journey, to die, and requests to be told about the dharma of a king. His intense pain removed, and clarity of thought restored, by Krishna's blessing, Bheeshma begins to answer Yudhishtira's many questions, and says in response to one that power "changes men. A man who was scrupulously honest, can be corrupted by power and become dishonest"

While historians have debated as to when The Mahabharata was written, it was beyond doubt centuries before Lord Acton's (1842-1902) perceptive observation in a letter to a friend. Yet, this writer cannot think of a single Indian intellectual who has quoted Bheeshma on power while he can recall several of them quoting Lord Acton. Few other instances, perhaps, illustrate more poignantly the alienation of a large section of Indian intellectuals from their own intellectual and cultural well springs and identification with those of the West. 

What merits criticism is an obsessive admiration for the West that leads to the neglect of India's own intellectual and cultural heritage, its great epics and monumental works of religion and philosophy. For one thing, it would mean the non-utilisation of the wisdom, insights, customs and practices that have evolved in the matrix of the country's history.

Bana and Krishna. Angkorwat.

(For more refer to chapter on Greater India: Suvarnabhumi and Sacred Angkor).

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In India's case, the need to draw from its own repositories of wisdom is all the greater given the profound treasures they contain. The Mahabharata is a striking example. While The Bhagavat Gita overwhelms with its breathtaking encapsulation of the metaphysics of The Upanishads and the grandeur of its metaphors, Bheeshma's answers to Yudhishtira's questions reflect a deep understanding both of the compulsions of realpolitik that would impress Chanakya as well as the high-minded morality that kings must practice.

Apart from Bheeshma's answers to Yudhishtira, there are pronouncements by Krishna (besides those in The Bhagavat Gita), Vidura and Sanjaya that are highly relevant to the management of the affairs of the State in today's world. What explains this is perhaps the fact that these feature not in a vacuum but in the midst of the unfolding of a profound epic that is a mirror to its contemporary society and has at its heart a gigantic conflict between the forces of Dharma and Adharma. Hence it not only tells what should be but what actually is in a highly imperfect world. Thus, in the Bheeshma Parva, it relates how, on the eve of the battle of Kurukshetra, the commanders of the Pandava and Kaurava armies meet and lay down the norms of honourable combat. One, however, encounters violations galore as the narrative unfolds the manner of Bheeshma, Abhimanyu, Drona and Karna's killing, and the nocturnal murder by Dhrishtadumnya and others by Ashwatthama, Kripa and Kritavarman being the most notable. 

Also, The Mahabharata has stunning insights into the future. Thus Rishi Markandeya says that the kings of the Kali Yuga, which descended on the earth on the tenth day of the battle of Kurukshetra and prevails even today, "will be short-lived, greedy and rapacious", and that "wealth alone will confer nobility, regardless of a man's birth or his character; power will define virtue". Also, "Arrogance and sin will pass for wisdom and righteousness, brashness and a loud voice for scholarship. Only the poor will have any honesty of virtue left, and the powerful will make life so miserable for them that they, too, will become corrupt." 

Rishi Markandeya said, "Terrible wars and demonic diseases will decimate the human race, and savage cold and scathing heat, scorching droughts and sweeping floods will terrorise the people...."  

"Man is the dispenser of his own destiny. The actions done in a former life are seen to produce fruits in this life. The soul is born again with its accumulated load of karma. By performing only virtuous actions it attains to the state of the celestials. By a combination of good and bad actions, it acquires the state of human beings. By indulgence in sensuality and similar vices, it is born among the lower animals. Therefore must we strive to do what is virtuous and forbear from doing what is unrighteous."

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Global warming?

"Terrible wars and demonic diseases will decimate the human race, and savage cold and scathing heat, scorching droughts and sweeping floods will terrorise the people...."

Did Rishi Markandeya foresee global warming, AIDS and Katrina, which savaged New Orleans in the US? 

One does not know. It is unwise to read too much into past events and observations in the light of later developments, particularly since in an epic like The Mahabharata one does know where facts end and fiction takes over. One thing, however, is certain. It is a great treasure chest of wisdom and insights and the country will be the loser if it continues to ignore it.

(source: The Mahabharata: A Modern Rendering - Ramesh Menon Vol II, Rupa, 2004, pp 595-96 and The Wisdom of the Mahabharat - By Hiranmay Karlekar Edit page July 6 2006).

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Biblicists target Hindus

Harry Sinclair Lewis (1885 - 1951) was an American novelist and playwright. In 1930 he became the first American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. His works are known for their insightful and critical views of American society and capitalist values. 

He has observed that:

"When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the Flag, carrying a Cross." 

Watch An Invasion through Conversion - videoyahoo.com.  Refer to Proving that Bible is Repulsive video - godisimaginary.com. Watch the movie - Indoctrination in Jesus Camp.

Refer to Bush-sponsored Evangelisation of India -I  - By V Sundaram
Refer to Bush-sponsored Evangelisation of India -II – By V Sundaram
Refer to Bush-sponsored Evangelisation of India -III – By V Sundaram

Watch video - Christian Missionary Misdeeds in India

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Unknown to most Indians, the raging controversy over the California school textbooks being challenged by Hindu American parents is rooted in the staunch commitment of certain academics to the Biblical version of Creation. 

Herr Michael Witzel, whose professional reputation is linked to the Aryan Invasion Theory, which derives from a Biblical perspective, denies the decisive scientific evidence to the contrary. 

His devotee, Mr Steve Farmer, is equally convinced that "Genesis 1:28 contains god's words".

Mr James Heitzman, the 'expert' secretly hired by the State Board of Education (SBE), has famously claimed that the non-decay of Francis Xavier's body is a true miracle. Mr Stanley Wolpert, another expert, insists the Aryan Invasion happened even though there is no proof for it. 

It will be surprising if Harvard University, which made president Larry Summers step down for his controversial opinions, retains Herr Witzel on its rolls for long. Not only is he a Creationist; he reportedly teaches his doctoral students the Sanskrit alphabet! Does Harvard teach the English alphabet to doctoral candidates in English? A decade ago, Herr Witzel's Sanskrit Department was mired in a lawsuit, and it seems matters have hardly improved since. Professional worries could explain why his friends have launched a mis-information blitzkrieg about the Hindu American Foundation lawsuit against SBE, when hearings have not even begun.

Prof Witzel's claim that his letter of December 7, 2005 to the California Department of Education (CDE), which checkmated the reasonable corrections sought by Hindu parents in the schoolbooks, was signed by "world specialists on ancient India - reflecting mainstream academic opinion," does not stand scrutiny. Far from being "world specialists," many signatories are not academics at all; many are linguists (the dubious discipline on which the Aryan Invasion rests) or Sanskrit professors, rather than historians or archaeologists with expertise on India. Many are Marxists; others have controversial theories about South Asia. 

To begin with, Prof Witzel himself teaches Sanskrit and is no expert on ancient Indian History or Hindu dharma. He clearly lacks the credentials to determine how Hindu children should be taught their religion and history in a manner that does not demoralise them. Mr Steve Farmer's theories regarding Harappan scripts have been discredited by academics, including JM Kenoyer and Asko Parpola, who signed Witzel's appeal. The famous Marxist ideologue, Ms Romila Thapar, is an 'expert' on ancient India with poor knowledge of Indian classical languages, including Sanskrit.

Mr S Palaniappan holds a PhD in Engineering and works for a company in Houston! Prof Homi Bhabha teaches English and American Literature and Language. Prof Madhav Deshpande and Ms Patricia Donegan teach Linguistics; Dr Garrett Fagan teaches Roman History and Ms Joanna Kirkpatrick has done work on Anthropology, folk art and gender studies. Then, Prof Hideaki Nakatani teaches Philosophy in Tokyo; Ms Sudha Shenoy Business and Law in Australia; Mr Lars Martin Fosse was a commercial translator; and Prof Wim van Binsbergen teaches African History at Leiden. Prof. Rajesh Kochhar did his Ph D in Astrophysics and worked for 25 years (1974-1999) at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore; Mr Dominik Wujastyk taught in the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology at the School of Oriental and African Studies; Dr JM Kenoyer teaches Anthropology and Prof Maurizio Tosi teaches Archaeology in Italy.  

The Churning of the Milky Ocean.

This has the effect of officially promoting a Judeo-Christian conception of Divinity to the exclusion of other perspectives, with the result that the Hindu faith is projected in a negative manner as compared to other religions. 

Refer to Proving that Bible is Repulsive video - godisimaginary.com.

Refer to The first Hindu temple in Communist China

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This worldwide signature campaign is not about sixth-grade textbooks. It is an issue of Hindu dignity and civil rights everywhere in the world; hence the decision of the California Parents for the Equalisation of Educational Materials (CAPEEM) to file a Federal lawsuit is remarkably bold and correct. Victory here will drastically curtail the Hindu-baiting industry in the West, with a trickle-down effect in India. This is the first time a Hindu community has filed a lawsuit against a state agency (California State Board of Education and California Department of Education) for violation of its civil rights, and against discrimination, defamation and mistreatment of their religion and people.

This has the effect of officially promoting a Judeo-Christian conception of Divinity to the exclusion of other perspectives, with the result that the Hindu faith is projected in a negative manner as compared to other religions. This deprives Hindu students of an educational experience at par with that of their peers, and thus violates their rights under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution.

(source: Biblicists target Hindus - By Sandhya Jain  Edit page – May 2 06). For more refer to the chapter on Aryan Invasion Theory. 

Watch Sex Crimes and the Vatican video. Also refer to The Rapture of America - By Mark Biskeborn - intervention magazine.com and American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century - By Kevin Phillips.  Refer to Extremism in America

Refer to chapter on Aryan Invasion Theory and The uncertain future of Hindus - By Gautam Sen - india-forum.com).  Refer to Death throes of Aryan Invasion theory?

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Run, Hindu, Run, say the Jihadi Outfits

When right to life is questioned...  

It's time for Hindus to change, if they want to survive in Jammu & Kashmir, their mindset of depending too much on state for security, says R K Ohri  

Run, Hindu, Run" was the chilling message conveyed by jihadi outfits when they killed 35 Hindus, including women and children, in Jammu & Kashmir on May 1. These gruesome killings have been carried out for the umpteenth time as part of the diabolical programme of ethnic cleansing launched at the behest of the Pakistani Army's ISI.  

After successfully driving out nearly four Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley, the Islamist forces are focussed on ethnic cleansing of Hindus from Jammu region. The inability of the Central and State governments to protect the lives of Hindus and Sikhs from jihadi terrorists conveys the grim message that the "Right to Life", as enshrined in the Constitution and guaranteed for all Indian citizens, stands extinguished for Hindus and Sikhs in Jammu & Kashmir.  

Unfortunately, neither the highly vocal English media nor any human rights jholawalas, including the National Human Rights Commission, have shown any concern for Hindu victims of repetitive carnages. Surprisingly, in the midst of coldblooded killings of Hindus of Doda and Udhampur, most TV channels, even print media, remained casual, even dismissive. They stayed fatally attracted to Vadodara riots and persistently glossed over the collapse of governance in Jammu & Kashmir due to sheer pusillanimity of the Central government. For all intent and purposes, the mainstream media's single-point agenda was to pour vitriolic ridicule on the Narendra Modi Government. 

Now that the state has abandoned Hindus and Sikhs of Jammu & Kashmir, what should they do? Should they die unhonoured, unwept and unsung, while running away from their hearths and homes, or is there any honourable solution?

There are two alternatives, including the exercise of legal option to fight back the purveyors of terror, available to Hindus and Sikhs. These should be taken up for implementation by the BJP, and the VHP - the groups that claim to work for the welfare of Hindus. It is time to recall Sections 96 and 97 of Indian Penal Code, which invest every citizen with the right of self-defence. For making use of this provision, the only requirement is to get arms licences for all residents of vulnerable villages of Hindus and Sikhs, thereafter financially empower them to buy weapons and provide effective training to fight back the terror.   

Time has come to read the message of Bhagavad Gita to the beleaguered Hindus.

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Time has come to read the message of Bhagavad Gita to the beleaguered Hindus and apprise them of the legal provision of self-defence under Indian Penal Code. They should be told that if they have to die, they must die with dignity. These are testing times for Hindu organisations. Instead of wasting money and time on yatras and sammelans, they must rise to the occasion to save valuable lives by reorganising and funding the hapless Hindus of the State for buying guns. 

To further reinforce their resolve, the Hindu villages should be regrouped as closely knit enclaves - as was done decades ago in Mizoram during the peak of insurgency. It is time Hindus got rid of the mai-baap mindset of seeking protection of the effete Government. The second solution, too, is perfectly legal. The BJP, the VHP and other Hindu organisations should draw attention of the Supreme Court by seeking a writ of "mandamus" saying that the "Right to Life" of Hindus has been extinguished in Jammu & Kashmir. The Government ought to be forced to restore this right with the help of the apex court.  

Both these solutions are unexceptionable and must be implemented to protect the life and dignity of Hindus in Jammu & Kashmir.

(source: When right to life is questioned... Opinion May 12 06 dailypioneer.com). Refer to Hindu Genocide in East Pakistan - By Shrinandan Vyas and What if a 'Lebanon' comes up on our border? - By T V R Shenoy - rediff.com.

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Terror attack to undermine Hindu Civilization: Swami

"No blood has been shed for religion in India except by its invaders. Intolerance came with Islam and Christianity; the Moslems proposed to buy Paradise with the blood of “infidels” and the Portuguese, when they captured Goa, introduced the Inquisition into India.”  

                                - Will Durant (1885-1981) American historian, would like the West to learn from India, tolerance and gentleness and love for all living things. 

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The UPA government is now a confirmed failure on all major dimensions of government policy--economy, national security and foreign affairs. This failure is partly due to ineptitude but more often to due deliberate disregard of public interest on the part of the Congress and Left parties. Everyday terrorists are coming from abroad and setting off explosions at will and with impunity. 

The latest being the attack on Mumbai suburban rail stations killing hundreds and harming thousands of hapless commuters.    

Lord Vishnu, 13th century, India.

yada yada hi dharmasya
glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya
tadatmanam srjamy aham

"Whenever there is decay of righteousness O! Bharatha
And a rise of unrighteousness
then I manifest Myself!"

 (source: The Bhagavad Gita  4.7).

Refer to Kali Yuga - The Cosmology of Decay and World Conquering Creeds in chapter Glimpses XVI.

Refer to Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing of Kashmiri Hindu Pandits - And the World Remained Silent - Movie http://www.jaia-bharati.org/films/and-the-world.mpg. 

Watch History of Ayodhya - videogoogle.com.  Refer to Was There an Islamic "Genocide" of Hindus? - By Koenraad Elst. Refer to Reality check India

Refer to Cruel genocide by Muslims in India - slideshow.

Refer to video Statistics on Islamic Terrorism - By B Raman and 11/7 in Mumbai: Another Wake-Up Call: International Terrorism Monitor – By B Raman. 

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All these attacks are aimed at undermining the Hindu civilization and are foreign inspired. 

This dastardly audacity of terrorists is due to the soft approach of UPA to all terrorists, from LTTE, Maoists, Naxalites and to Islamic organisations and is aided and abetted by UPA's deliberate policy of negotiating with unrepentent terrorists and killers or showing mercy to them.  

In a government dominated by the widow of Rajiv Gandhi, who was killed by the LTTE, the Supreme Court judgment ordering capital punishment to four LTTE conspirators has been held in abeyance for the last seven years because Ms. Sonia Gandhi wants them pardoned even though the convicts have not asked for mercy.  

In the economic front, the recent collapse of the stock market and the huge price rise is directly the result of corrupt activities of those in high positions in government. The stock market crash is due to insider trading in portfolio investment stocks by those inside the government itself. They have earned a huge windfall by ruining the life savings of the middle class retail purchasers.  Food and vegetable prices have risen because of the forward trading at high prices and for which the poor are being made to pay today because of the government's refusal to be a party to the purchase of food graiins from abroad. One industrial house venturing into food grain forward trading is expected to net Rs 3000 crores on the misery of the people resulting from inflation. 

The biggest humiliation is seen in foreign affairs since the Prime Minister of a billion people is seen as a cipher who is all the time playing second fiddle to a semi-literate foreign lady. Not since Shah Alam has the throne of Delhi seen such debasement. 

There is no hope of any improvement unless the UPA is thrown out of government. I therefore warn the Prime Minister that if as a first step he does not bomb the terrorist training camps in Pakistani held territory or in Bangladesh, and he does carry out the Supreme Court judgment to hang the four LTTE terrorists by August 15th, I shall organise the toppling of the UPA government in the larger national interests.

(source: Terror attack to undermine Hindu civilization: Swami). Refer to Why my website was banned in India - By Rusty Shackleford - worldnetdaily.com).

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Islamic Terrorism in India
Mumbai bomb blast - 7/11/06 - after Varanasi, Godhra, Akshardham, Ayodhya, Delhi and Srinagar blasts
Massacre of innocent civilians in Mumbai, India.

Allah's Apostle said "I have been made victorious with terror (cast in the hearts of the enemy). - Bukhari 4:52:220  

(source: Fighting for the Cause of Allah (Jihad) - usc.edu).   

Refer to chapter on Islamic Onslaught and Islamic Terrorism - Is it a New Threat? - By M A Khan - Islam-Watch.org  July 24 2006). Refer to Was There an Islamic "Genocide" of Hindus? - By Koenraad Elst). Refer to Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing of Kashmiri Hindu Pandits - And the World Remained Silent - Movie http://www.jaia-bharati.org/films/and-the-world.mpg and Refer to video Statistics on Islamic Terrorism - By B Raman and 11/7 in Mumbai: Another Wake-Up Call: International Terrorism Monitor – By B Raman. Refer to Will Islam convert itself? – By Francois Gautier - indowave.com.  

Refer to Kashmiri Pundits : Are they facing a Dodo future? and Kashmiri pandits alienated again - ibnlive.com.

Watch Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against The West

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Jihad is war against the Infidels

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), German philosopher and writer. He was one of the greatest philosophers of the 19th century. He was the first Western philosopher to have access to translations of philosophical material from India, both Vedic and Buddhist, by which he was profoundly affected. Counted among his disciples are such thinkers as Nietzsche and Wittgenstein, as well as Sigmund Freud, who takes a large part of his psychological theory from the writings of Schopenhauer.

He comments on the atrocities inflicted on the Hindus:

"...on the fanaticism and endless persecutions, the religious wars, that sanguinary frenzy of which the ancient had no conception! Think of the crusades, a butchery lasting two hundred years and inexcusable, its war cry 'It is lasting two hundred years and inexcusable, its war cry  'It is the will of God,'  Think of the orgies of blood, the inquisitions, the heretical tribunals, the bloody and terrible conquests...in three continents, or....in America, whose inhabitants were for the most part, not looked upon as human!  And above all, don't lets forget India, the cradle of the human race, or at least of that part of it to which we belong, where first.. were most cruelly infuriated against the adherents of the original faith of mankind. The destruction or disfigurement of the ancient temples and idols, a lamentable, mischievous and barbarous act still bear witness to the monotheistic fury...carried on from Mahmud, the Gahaznevid of cursed memory, down to Aurengzeb, the fratricide, whom the Portuguese...have zealously im