आर्यप्रतीक "स्वस्तिक" का प्रयोग क्योँ और वैज्ञानिकता क्या?

(1)"अर्थ और निहित विश्वबन्धुत्व एवं कल्याण":-

स्वस्तिक अत्यन्त प्राचीन काल से भारतीय संस्कृति में मंगल-प्रतीक माना जाता रहा है। इसीलिए किसी भी शुभकार्य को करने से पहले स्वस्तिक चिह्व अंकित करके उसका पूजन किया जाता है। स्वस्तिक शब्द सु+अस+क से बना है। 'सु' का अर्थ अच्छा, 'अस' का अर्थ 'सत्ता' या 'अस्तित्व' और 'क' का अर्थ 'कर्त्ता' या करने वाले से है। इस प्रकार 'स्वस्तिक' शब्द का अर्थ हुआ 'अच्छा' या 'मंगल' करने वाला। 'अमरकोश' में भी 'स्वस्तिक' का अर्थ आशीर्वाद, मंगल

या पुण्यकार्य करना लिखा है। अमरकोश के शब्द हैं - 'स्वस्तिक, सर्वतोऋद्ध' अर्थात् 'सभी दिशाओं में सबका कल्याण हो।' इस प्रकार 'स्वस्तिक' शब्द में

किसी व्यक्ति या जाति विशेष का नहीं, अपितु सम्पूर्ण विश्व के कल्याण या 'वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्' की भावना निहित 

 'स्वस्तिक' शब्द की निरुक्ति है - 'स्वस्तिक क्षेम कायति, इति स्वस्तिकः' अर्थात् 'कुशलक्षेम या कल्याण का प्रतीक ही स्वस्तिक है।

(2)वैज्ञानिकता और शोध:-

यदि आधुनिक दृ्ष्टिकोण से देखा जाए तो अब तो विज्ञान भी स्वस्तिक, इत्यादि माँगलिक चिन्हों की महता स्वीकार करने लगा है । आधुनिक विज्ञानने वातावरण तथा किसी भी जीवित वस्तु,पदार्थ इत्यादि के उर्जा को मापने के लिए विभिन्न उपकरणों का आविष्कार किया है ओर इस उर्जा मापने की इकाई

को नाम दिया है---"बोविस" । मृत मानव शरीर का बोविस शून्य माना गया है और मानव में औसत ऊर्जा क्षेत्र6,500 बोविस पाया गया है। स्वस्तिक में इस

उर्जा का स्तर 1,00,0000 बोविस है। यदि इसे उल्टा बना दिया जाएतो यह प्रतिकूल ऊर्जा को इसी अनुपात में बढ़ाता है। इसी स्वस्तिक को थोड़ा टेड़ा बना देने पर इसकी ऊर्जा मात्र 1,000 बोविस रह जाती है। इसके साथ ही विभिन्न धार्मिक स्थलों यथा मन्दिर,गुरूद्वारा इत्यादि का ऊर्जा स्तर काफी उंचा मापा गया है जिसके चलते वहां जाने वालों को शांति का अनुभव और अपनी समस्याओं,कष्टों से मुक्ति हेतु मन में नवीनआशा का संचारहोता है। यही नहीं हमारे घरों,मन्दिरों,पूजा पाठ इत्यादि में प्रयोग किए जाने वाले अन्य मांगलिक चिन्हों यथा ॐ इत्यादि में भी इसी तरहकी ऊर्जा समाई है। जिसका लाभ हमें जाने अनजाने में मिलता ही रहता हैं।

(3)मानक दर्शन:- 

इसके अनुसार स्वस्तिक दक्षिणोन्मुख दाहिने हाथ की दिशा (घडी की सूई चलने की दिशा) का संकेत तथा वामोन्मुख बाईं दिशा (उसके

विपरीत) के प्रतीक हैं ।दोनों दिशाओंके संकेत स्वरूप दो प्रकार के स्वस्तिक स्त्री एवं पुरूष के प्रतीक के रूप मे भी मान्य हैं । किन्तु जहाँ दाईं ओर मुडी भुजा वाला स्वस्तिक शुभ एवं सौभाग्यवर्द्धक हैं ,वहीं उल्टा (वामावर्त) स्वस्तिक को अमांगलिक,हानिकारक माना गया है ।

(4)प्राचीन काल में राजा महाराज द्वारा किलों का निर्माण स्वस्तिक के आकार में किया जाता रहा है ताकि किले की सुरक्षा अभेद्य बनी रहे। प्राचीन पारम्परिक तरीके से निर्मित किलों में शत्रु द्वारा एक द्वार पर ही सफलता अर्जित करने के पश्चात सेना द्वारा किले में प्रवेश कर उसके अधिकाँश भाग अथवा सम्पूर्ण किले पर अधिकार करने के बाद नर संहार होता रहाहै । परन्तु स्वस्तिक नुमा द्वारों केनिर्माण के कारण शत्रु सेना को एक द्वार पर यदि सफलता मिल भी जाती थी तो बाकी के तीनों द्वार सुरक्षित रहते थे। ऎसी मजबूत एवं दूरगामी व्यवस्थाओं के कारण शत्रु के लिए किले के सभी भागों को एक साथ जीतना संभव नहीं होताथा । यहाँ स्वस्तिक किला/दुर्ग निर्माण के परिपेक्ष्य में "सु वास्तु" था । स्वस्तिक का महत्व सभी धर्मों में बताया गया है। इसे विभिन्न देशों में अलग-अलग नामों से जाना जाता है। चार हजार साल पहले सिंधु घाटी की सभ्यताओंमें भी स्वस्तिक के निशान मिलते हैं। बौद्ध धर्म में स्वस्तिक का आकार गौतमबुद्ध के हृदय स्थल पर दिखाया गया है।मध्य एशिया के देशों में स्वस्तिक चिन्ह मांगलिक एवं सौभाग्य सूचक माना जाता रहा है। नेपाल में हेरंब , मिस्रमें एक्टोन तथा बर्मा में महा पियेन्ने के नाम से पूजित हैं। आस्ट्रेलिया तथा न्यूजीलैण्ड के मावरी आदिवासियों द्वारा आदिकाल से स्वस्तिक को मंगल प्रतीक के रूप में प्रयुक्त किया जाता रहा हैं।

(5)निष्कर्ष:- 

हिन्दू धर्म जितना विशाल और गहन है,उसकी मान्यताएं और प्रक्रियाएं भी उतनी ही विशद और विस्तृ्त हैं । आज हम देखते हैं कि जागरूकता की अधिकता के चलते बहुत से व्यक्ति विशेष रूप से पश्चिमी सभ्यता से अति प्रभावित लोग, अपने धर्म से संबंधित मान्यताओं,रीति- रिवाजों एवं कर्मकांडों पर शंका व्यक्त करने लगे हैं ।बहुत ही बातों को बिना जाने-समझे सिर्फ उन्हे ढकोसला एवं अनावश्यक समझने लगे हैं । जब कि यदि वे इन सब चीजों,प्रक्रियाओं के बारें में गहराई से मनन करें तो पाएंगें कि हिन्दू धर्म विश्व का एकमात्र ऎसा धर्म है जो कि अपने प्रत्येक कर्म,संस्कार और परम्परा में पूर्णत: वैज्ञानिकता समेटे हुए है।

यहीँ है अपनी संस्कृति.....

वन्दे मातरम्!

जय जय श्री राधे

Eight Common Questions on Hinduism

Friends!! you may be passed by a situation when your friends asked you questions about Hinduism, whom unfortunately you might not able to answer. These 8 questions are common question which are put on Hinduism. So spread this message and educate other about Hinduism. 

Are there many Gods in Hinduism?

The truth is, in Hindusim we only have one Supreme God. Supreme Godhead in Hinduism is characterized by His or Her ability to Create the world and life. There is only One Being who has this ability. This is the One God whom we all pray to. A quote from the Rig Veda goes like this: "They call Him Indra, Varuna, Mitra or the heavenly sunbird Garutmat. The seers call in many ways that which is One; they speak of Agni, Yama, Matarishvan."

However in Hinduism we believe that All-Mighty God can appear to His or Her devotee howsoever He or She pleases. Thus in Hinduism we have many varied forms of a Singular Godhead. This is also why Hindus understand that people of other religions are also praying to the same God as we are, albeit in another form. Thus you will hear Hindus claim that there is One Truth but many paths leading to it.

Are Hindus idol worshippers?

This is another commonly misunderstood tradition of Hinduism. Not understanding the philosophy and reasons for worship of images to represent God, many people think Hindus worship stone or the pictures that we use for worship as God Himself. Actually the Hindu representation of God through worship is not much more different than the use of images and symbols of worship that can be found in other religions. However, the use of images for worship in Hindu temples does have a deeper esoteric significance than simple symbolism or as a point of reference for our devotion. We idolize God and make images of Him or Her and use it for worship because this is very much a natural part human expression of appreciation. 

The deeper aspect of image worship in Hinduism is in its use in temples. When established properly in the sanctum of a temple, the image or murthi plays a special role as a conduit of Gods blessings to His or Her devotees. The ceremonies done by the priest in the temple turn the stone, wood or crystal image from a simple physical object to a doorway into God's abode in the Brahmaloka through which communication takes place between the physical and spiritual realms. People who do not understand this metaphysical science behind the role of the murthi in the temple will generally mistake the reverence we give to the image as a primitive or lowly form of worhsip.

Is there a Hindu bible? 

When we think of a bible, the picture that comes to mind is the Christian bible or the Islamic Koran. All these books are singular volumes which can easily be shown or referred to as the authoritative scripture of the religion. Does Hinduism have a bible like these other religions? The answer is yes and no. Yes because we do have an authoritative central Scripture in Hinduism. These are called the Vedas. No because it is not a singular volume. 

All Hindus revere the Vedas as the source of Hinduism. It is historically the world's oldest scripture, where scientific dating puts the writing of these Scriptures beyond 5000 years ago (well before the emergence of other scriptures in Hinduism or other religions). The teachings in the Vedas were revealed directly by God to meditating rishis. In Hinduism such God revealed Scriptures are called shruti. These teachings were then passed on orally from guru to sishya and eventually they were written down in ancient books. The revelation of the Vedas to the rishis is similar to God's revelation of Scriptures of the other religions to their prophets.

However unlike the Christian Bible or the Koran, the Vedas is not a singular book. Neither were the teachings in the Vedas revealed to one particular rishi. In fact the Vedas are a collection of books that were written by many (some say thousands) of rishis, most of whom remained anonymous. 


Why do we worship cows? 

The worship of cows in Hinduism is practical application of two fundamental beliefs of Hinduism. The first is the reverance of all life as God. 'seeing God in all beings and things.' regard all of life: humans, animals, plants and the elements as divine manifestations. The worship of the cow is an expression of this reverance of all life as divine. 

The second belief is the importance of ahimsa or the practice of non-violence as the cardinal virtue of spiritual living. 

The question though is why the cow and not another animal? Indeed the worship of the cow is symbolic. The reason the cow was chosen above other animals is mainly out of convenience and the ease with which we can express reverance to it.

The cow is a gentle and easily tamed animal. It is also an animal that is an important provider for the human race. I am of course referring to the milk the cow gives (not the meat!) and its role in the economic activity of rural farming and transportation. One cannot underestimate the role of the cow in life and economics not only of the past but also in present times. Indeed, when we ponder on the importance of the cow in human civilization it is easy to surmise that this animal holds a unique and important role compared to other animals. There is a saying in India that while a mother produces milk for her child only for the first few years of life, Gomatha (mother cow) can provide milk for humans all throughout their life. Thus the cow is easily the most suitable creature for the symbolic worship to revere all manifestations of life.

Must we be Vegetarian?

In Hinduism there is a cardinal virtue called ahimsa. Cardinal means, of the greatest importance or fundamental. Ahimsa means non-violence. The practice of not hurting other living things either through physical force, words and even thoughts is the highest practice of goodness in Hinduism. A person who is able to live a life while observing all the edicts of ahimsa can be considered a saint. Our Hindu gurus and leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi are and were exponents of ahimsa. By extension of observing ahimsa, vegetarianism came to be. Whereby, the ideal practice of ahimsa inflicts no harm to life even in feeding oneself. 


What is Karma?

Karma is a law of nature just like gravity postulated by Hinduism. Karma regulates the consequences to the actions that we do. According to the law of karma, all our actions reap consequences that are equal in nature to our original action, which returns to us at the most appropriate time in our life. To put it simply, the law of karma states that if one does good, good experience of equal measure is received; if one does bad, bad experience of equal measure is received. Sometimes teachers equate karma to Newton's Third Law of Motion, which states that, for every action there is and equal and opposite reaction. However, karma does not govern motion, instead it governs our deeds.

According to the belief of karma, one shapes ones own destiny through deeds. Thus the happiness or sorrow that we experience in life are the cause of our previous actions.

The goal of karma management is to maximize the creation of good karmas and minimize if not avoid altogether the creation of bad karmas. This is Sanatana Dharma.

Do we believe in reincarnation?

Yes, reincarnation is one of the core beliefs of Hinduism. Reincarnation is closely tied to the Law of Karma. In this life process of being born again, what continues life is our soul. Our soul is the part within us that is immortal. The soul is indestructible. It is not affected by the disease nor death of the body. The soul or atma is the most spiritual part of us. It is our primal identity that God created directly out of Himself. Whereas our body came through our parents our soul came out of God. Thus all souls are children of God. 

The atma goes through cycles of reincarnation on earth to grow spiritually. All our souls share the same goal of life. That is to return to God. My guru used to quip, "just like a how rain drops originated from the oceans, our soul was created by God directly from His Being. Just like how the rain drop eventually falls on earth and merges back into the mighty ocean as a river flows into the ocean, our soul is born on earth many times but will eventually make its way back to reunite with God." 

Sometimes non-hindus who do not understand the process of reincarnation claim that reincarnation is an endless process. That it continues to eternity and as souls we are stuck in it. This is wrong. Reincarnation ends in moksha and according to Hindu scripture and gurus all souls will achieve moksha.

Why do we wear the Tilak? 

The tilak is symbolic of our soul's eye otherwise know as the 'third eye.' The tilak marks the placement of the third eye on our forehead. It is a sensitive spot in the middle of our brow situated slightly above the eyebrows. If your ran your fingers along the middle line of your brow you will be able to sense this sensitive spot. This is the correct placement of the pottu or tilak dot. 

The act of putting the tilak is actually to remind us of our higher spiritual nature that is our soul. That we should endeavour to see and understand life from the higher, inclusive and loving perspective of our soul. It is to remind us to continue striving to perfect weakness in our nature so our personality more and more resembles the peaceful and benevolent nature of our soul. It is also to remind us of our ultimate goal of life, that is to break free from the cycle reincarnation on earth so we may live forever in the Heavens. 

Advanced Scientific Concepts in Hindu Literature

The revolutionary contents of the Vedas

For a quick glimpse at what unsung surprises may lie in the Vedas, let us consider these renditions from the Yajur-veda and Atharva-veda, for instance.

" O disciple, a student in the science of government, sail in oceans in steamers, fly in the air in airplanes, know God the creator through the Vedas, control thy breath through yoga, through astronomy know the functions of day and night, know all the Vedas, Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva, by means of their constituent parts."

" Through astronomy, geography, and geology, go thou to all the different countries of the world under the sun. Mayest thou attain through good preaching to statesmanship and artisanship, through medical science obtain knowledge of all medicinal plants, through hydrostatics learn the different uses of water, through electricity understand the working of ever lustrous lightening. Carry out my instructions willingly." (Yajur-veda 6.21). 

" O royal skilled engineer, construct sea-boats, propelled on water by our experts, and airplanes, moving and flying upward, after the clouds that reside in the mid-region, that fly as the boats move on the sea, that fly high over and below the watery clouds. Be thou, thereby, prosperous in this world created by the Omnipresent God, and flier in both air and lightning." (Yajur-veda 10.19). 

" The atomic energy fissions the ninety-nine elements, covering its path by the bombardments of neutrons without let or hindrance. Desirous of stalking the head, ie. The chief part of the swift power, hidden in the mass of molecular adjustments of the elements, this atomic energy approaches it in the very act of fissioning it by the above-noted bombardment. Herein, verily the scientists know the similar hidden striking force of the rays of the sun working in the orbit of the moon." (Atharva-veda 20.41.1-3).

ख्वाजा मुइउद्दीन चिश्ती, अजमेर और भारत इतिहास

यह एक अजीब तथ्य है कि भारत भू पर आने वाले अधिकांश पाकिस्तानी राजनैतिक व्यक्ति अजमेर शरीफ जाने की इच्छा जरूर रखते हैं, सातवीं शताब्दी के मुहम्मद बिन कासिम और उसके बाद महमूद गजनवी और फिर मुहम्मद गौरी तक मध्य एशिया के किसी भी आक्रमणकारी का भारत भू को कब्जाने का स्वप्न पूरा नही हुआ.

ख्वाजा मुइउद्दीन चिश्ती के खंड काल पर दृष्टि डालें और तथ्यों को देखें तो पता चलता है कि चिश्ती वह संत थे, जो मुहम्मद गौरी के साथ भारत आये थे, यह बिना किसी शंका के मान्य है कि भारत भू पर हुए अनेकों आक्रमण और अत्याचारों के बाद भी भारतीय धर्म और संस्कृति लोप नही किये जा सके, किंतु इस को नष्ट करने हेतु जिस सांस्कृतिक आक्रमण का सहारा आज लिया जा रहा है (जिसमे मीडिया, चर्च, राजनैतिक पार्टियां, लव जिहाद इत्यादि), चिश्ती इन आक्रमणो के प्रथम उपयोगकर्ता थे.

मुहम्मद गौरी जैसे एक दुर्दांत व्यक्ति के साथ संत माने जाने वाले व्यक्ति का होना कुछ शंकाओं को जन्म देता है. आखिर एक संत (यदि वह संत है ) एक दुर्दांत रक्त पिपासु के साथ लंबी यात्रा कर के लाहौर से अजमेर तक पहुंचे और रास्ते मे हुए कत्ल ए आम से उसका संतत्व उसे जरा भी ना कटोचे, यह कैसे संभव है. हिंदुत्व सदा से ही ऐसे व्यक्तियों को जो परोपकार हेतु जीते हैं, सम्मान देता आया है. इसी मानसिकता का लाभ उठा कर चिश्ती ने अजमेर मे अपना आश्रम खोला जहां प्रत्येक व्यक्ति को भोजन की व्यवस्था की गई.

अपनी संस्कृति मे पले बढे हिंदू सदा ही परोपकारी व्यक्ति को आस्था और श्रद्धा की दृष्टि से देखते आये हैं. इसी मानसिकता का लाभ सर्वप्रथम चिश्ती ने उठाया, ( इस मानसिकता का लाभ ईसाई मिशनरियां आज भी उठा रही हैं, और परोपकार की आड मे धर्म परिवर्तन का कार्य कर रही हैं), अपने प्रसिद्ध होने और लोगो की आस्था का उपयोग चिश्ती ने भारत मे मुस्लिमों के लिये बेस बनाने के लिये किया.

वह जानता था कि जब तक भारतीय अपनी संस्कृति से जुडे रहेंगे तब तक उन्हे पराजित करना असंभव है, अतः उसने सर्वप्रथम यह किया कि हिंदू और मुस्लिमों के बीच मे एक कडी के रूप मे जुड गया, यह तभी संभव था जब वह हिंदुओं के बीच मे मान्यता प्राप्त कर लेता, इसी हेतु उसने अपने को एक चमत्कारी सूफी संत के रूप मे प्रचारित करना आरंभ किया. ध्यान रहे, अजमेर तत्कालीन राजपूतों की राजधानी था, और राजपूत वह जाति थी जो कभी भी विधर्मियों को स्वीकार नही करती थी. इस प्रकार हिंदू समाज मे अपनी लोकप्रियता का लाभ उसने मुहम्मद गौरी को दिया.

पृथ्वीराज चौहान से तिरस्कृत हो कर उसने कहा कि मैने अजमेर की चाबी कहीं और सौंप दी है, और शायद यह एक संकेत था, जिसे पा कर मुहम्मद गौरी ने पुनः आक्रमण किया, और उस समय तक जयचंद गौरी के साथ मिल चुका था, यह भी पूरी तरह संभव है कि इस मिलाप के पीछे चिश्ती का ही हाथ हो, क्योंकि राजपूत एक ऐसी जाति थी जो किसी भी प्रकार से विधर्मियों के साथ गठ बंधन नही बनाती थी, इसके स्थान पर वह अकेले ही लड कर वीरगति को प्राप्त हो जाना ज्यादा पसंद करते थे. और अपनी विजय का श्रेय भी मुहम्मद गौरी ने चिश्ती को ही दिया, और अपने गुलाम कुतुबुद्दीन एबक को निर्देश दिया कि वहां मंदिरों को तोड कर ढाई दिन मे मस्जिद बनाई जाये, जिसने यह कार्य किया वह मस्जिद आज भी अढाई दिन का झोपडा नाम से प्रचलित है.

यदि चिश्ती संत ही थे, तो कैसे यह बर्दाश्त कर सके कि कोई किसी दूसरे के आस्था के स्थानों को तोड कर वहां अपनी मस्जिदों का निर्माण करे? इस संतत्व के पीछे किसी सुनियोजित योजना की शंका होती है. आज के युग मे देखे, तो इसी प्रकार की योजना ईसाई मिशनरी सभी स्थानों पर अपने धर्म के प्रचार के लिये कर रही हैं. यह चिश्ती की के उस प्रथम प्रयोग का ही अगला चरण प्रतीत होता है जिसकी ने नींव कई शताब्दी पहले चिश्ती ने रखी थी. और शायद यही कारण है कि प्रत्येक पाकिस्तानी वहां जाने को अत्यंत उत्सुक रहता है. शायद ऐसा कर के वह अपने पूर्वजों को भारत मे मुस्लिम संप्रदाय की नींव रखने के लिये धन्यवाद देता है...

A GLIMPSE OF PRE-ISLAMIC ARABIA

Arabia is an abbreviation. The original word even today
is Arbasthan. It originates in Arvasthan. As observed earlier
Sanskrit "V" changes into "B". Arva in Sanskrit means a horse.
Arvasthan signifies a land of horses, and as we all know Arabia
is famous for its horses.

In the 6th and 7th centuries A.D. a wave of effecting a
complete break with the past spread over West Asia. All links
with the past were broken, images smashed, scriptures des-
troyed, education discontinued and the entire West Asian
region took a plunge in abyssmal ignorance which lasted for
centuries thereafter and perhaps persists to a certain extent
even today because if in the whole world modern scientific and
educational developments find stubborn and entrenched resis-
tance anywhere it is in the West Asian countries. It is said
that the late Saudi Arabia ruler could not permit a radio
broadcasting station opened in his own capital because of
oposition from his Maulavis. He then resorted to a stratagem.
Once while he had his council of Maulavis in attendance he had
a radio set switched on to a program of Koranic recitation
broadcast from a small transmitting station set up earlier
without much ado. The Maulavis were delighted, so goes the
report, to hear the word of Allah coming to them as if from
nowhere. The king told them that what objections could they
have to a mechanism which broadcast the word of Allah. The
Maulavis agreed and the small radio broadcasting project was
at last ratified.

According to Encyclopaedia Britannica and Encyclø-
paedia Islamia the Arabs are ignorant of their own history of
the pre-Muslim era. By a strange euphemism they call it a
period of ignorance and darkness. Probably no other country
in the world has deliberately written off a 2,500 year period of
their own history by systematically stamping out and snapping
all links with the past. They have wiped the memories of pre-
Muslim era off their minds. So while they chose to remain
ignorant of their past ironically enough it is they who dub the
pre-Muslim era as a period of ignorance.

Fortunately we can still trace the history of that pre-
Islamic Arabia. It is a well known adage that there is no such
thing as foolproof destruction of all evidence. The pre-Islamic
history of Arabia is the story of Indian Kshatriyas over that
land, with the people following the Vedic way of life.

In our attempt to reconstruct the story of pre-Islamic
Arabia we begin with the name of the country itself. As
explained earlier the name is fully Sanskrit. Its central
pilgrim centre, Mecca is also a Sanskrit name. Makha in
Sanskrit signifies a sacrificial fire. Since Vedic fire worship
was prevalent all over West Asia in pre-Islamic days Makha
signifies the place which had an important shrine of fire
worship.

Coinciding with the annual pilgrimage of huge bazaar
used to spring up in Makha i.e. Mecca since times immemorial.
The annual pilgrimage of Muslims to Mecca is not at all an
innovation but a continuation of the ancient pilgrimage. This
fact is mentioned in encyclopedias.

VIKRAMADITYA

Evidence is now available that the whole of Arabia was
part of the great Indian King Vikramaditya's vast empire. The
extent of Vikramaditya's empire is one of the main reasons for
his world wide fame. Incidentally this also explains many
intriguing features about Arabia. It could be that
Vikramaditya himself had this peninsula named Arvasthan if
he was the first Indian monarch to capture it and bring it
under his sway.

The second intriguing aspect is the existence of a
Shivalinga or the Mahadeva emblem in the Kaaba shrine in
Mecca. Before going into further details about the ancient
Vedic rituals and names still clinging to Muslim worship at
Mecca we shall see what evidence we have about Arabia
having formed part of Vikramaditya's dominions.

ANTHOLOGY OF ANCIENT ARABIC POETRY: SAYAR-UL-OKUL

In Istanbul in Turkey, there is a famous library called
Makteb-e-Sultania which is reputed to have the largest
collection of ancient West Asian literature. In the Arabic
Section of that library is an anthology of ancient Arabic
poetry. That anthology was compiled from an earlier work in
A.D. 1742 under the orders of the Turkish ruler Sultan Salim.

The 'pages' of that volume are made of HAREER - a kind
of silk used for writing on. Each page has a decorative gilded
border. It may be recalled that gilding pages of sacred books is
an ancient custom associated with old Sanskrit scriptures
found in Java and other places. The anthology itself is known
as SAYAR-UL-OKUL. It is divided into three parts, the first
part contains biographic details and the poetic compositions of
pre-Islamic Arabian poets. The second part embodies accounts
and verses of poets of the period beginning just after Prophet
Mohammad up to the end of Banee- Ummayya dynasty. The
third part deals with later poets up to the end of Khalifa
Harun-al-Rashid's times. Incidentally "Banee" means "Vanee"
and Ummayya as in Krishnayya are Sanskrit names.

Abu Amir Abdul Asamai, a distinguished Arabian bard
who was the Poet Laureate of Harun-al-Rashid's court has
compiled and edited the anthology.

The first modern edition of Sayar-ul-Okul anthology was
printed and published in Berlin in A.D. 1864. A subsequent
edition was published in Beirut in A.D. 1932. This work is
regarded as the most important and authoritative anthology of
ancient Arabic poetry. It throws considerable light on the
social life, customs, manners and entertainment forms in
ancient Arabia. The book also contains an elaborate descrip-
tion of the ancient Mecca shrine, the town and the annual fair
known as OKAJ which used to be held there every year. This
should convince readers that the annual Haj of the Muslims to
the Kaaba is only a continuation of the old fair and not a new
practice.

But the OKAJ fair was far from a carnival. It
provided a forum for the elite and learned to discuss the
social, religious, political, literary and other aspects of the
Vedic culture then pervading Arabia. Sayar-ul-Okul asserts
that the conclusions reached at those discussions were widely

respected througout Arabia. Mecca, therefore, followed the
Varanasi tradition of providing a seat for important discussions
among the learned while the masses congregated there for
spiritual bliss. The principal shrines at both Varanasi in India
and at Mecca in Arvasthan were Shiva temples. Even to this
day the central object of veneration at both Mecca and
Varanasi continues to be the ancient Mahadeva emblems. It is
the Shankara stone which Muslim pilgrims reverently touch
and kiss in the Kaaba.

ENTRY OF NON-MUSLIMS FORBIDDEN

A few miles away from Mecca is a big signboard which
forbids entry to any non-Muslim in the area. This is a
reminder of the days when the Shrine was stormed and
captured solely for the newly established faith of Islam. The
object obviously was to prevent its recaptue.

As the pilgrim proceeds towards Mecca he is asked to
shave his head and beard and to don a special sacred attire.
This consists of two seamless sheets of white cloth. One is to
be worn round the waist and the other over the shoulders.
Both these rites are remnants of the old Vedic practice of
entering Hindu shrines, clean shaven and with holy seamless
spotless white sheets.

The main shrine in Mecca which houses the Shiva emb-
lem is known as the Kaaba. It is clothed in a black shroud.
This custom could also originate from the days when it was
thought necessary to discourage its recapture. According to
encyclopaedias Britannica and Islamia the Kaaba had 360
images. Traditional accounts mention that one of the deities
among the 360 destroyed, when the shrine was stormed, was
that of Saturn, another was of the moon and yet another was
one called Allah. In India the practice of Navagraha puja that
is worship of the nine planets is still in vogue. Two of these
nine are the Saturn and the moon. Besides, the moon is always
associated with Lord Shankara. A Crescent is always painted
across the forehead of the Shiva emblem. Since the presiding
deity at the Kaaba shrine was Lord Shiva i.e. Shankara, the
crescent was also painted on it. It is that crescent which is
now adopted as a religious symbol of Islam. Another Hindu
tradition is that wherever there is a Shiva shrine the sacred
stream of Ganga that is the Ganges must also co-exist. True
to that tradition a sacred fount exists near the Kasba. Its
water is held sacred because it was regarded as but another
Ganga since pre-Islamic times. Muslim pilgrims visiting the
Kaaba shrine go around it seven times. In no other mosque
does this perambulation prevail. Hindus invariably perambu-
late around their shrines. This is yet another proof that the
Kaaba shrine is a pre-Islamic Shiva temple where the Hindu
practice of perambulation is still meticulously observed.

Allah is a Sanskrit word. In Sanskrit Allah, Akka and
Amba are synonyms. They signify a goddess or mother. The
term Allah appears in Sanskrit chants while invoking goddess
Durga i.e. Bhavani. The Islamic word Allah for God is
therefore not an innovation but the ancient Sanskrit appella-
tion retained and continued to be used by Islam.

The seven perambulations too are significant. At Hindu
wedding ceremonies the bride and bridegroom go round the
sacred fire seven times. the practice of seven perambultions
around the Kaaba shrine in Mecca is, therefore, a Hindu Vedic
custom. It is also a proof that Mecca was Makha or the shrine
of the sacred fire around which worshippers made seven
perambulations.

SAYAR-UL-OKUL tells us that a pan-Arabic poetic
symposium used to be held in Mecca at the annual Okaj fair in
pre-Islamic times. All leading poets used to participate in it.
Poems considered best were awarded prizes. The best poems
engraved on gold plate were hung inside the temple. Others
etched on camel or goat skin were hung outside. Thus for
thousands of years the Kaaba was the treasure house of the
best Arabian poetic thought. This tradition was of im-
memorial antiquity. But most of the poems got lost and
destroyed during the storming of the Kaaba by prophet Moham-
med's forces.

SAYAR-UL-OKUL is a poem by UMAR-BINE-HASSNAM
(Poetic Title: ABBUL-HIQAM meaning Father of Knowledge).
He was an uncle of prophet Mohammed. He refused to get
converted to Islam. He died a martyr at the hands of Muslim
fanatics who wanted to wipe out non-Muslims. This poem was
adjudged as the best in the annual fair at Kaaba.

QAFA VINAK ZIQRA MIN ULUMIN TAV
ASERU KALUBAN AYATTUL HAWA VA TAZAKKARU

A man who has spent all his life in sin and immorality and has
wasted away his life in passion and fury,

VA TAZAKEROHA AUDAN ELALVADAE LILVARA
VALUK YANK ZATULLA HE YOM TAB ASERU

If he repents in the end and wants to return to morality, is
there a way for his redemption?

VA AHLOLAHA AZAHU ARMIMAN MAHADEV O
MANAZEL ILAMUDDINE MINJUM VA SAYATTARU

Even if only once he sincerely worships Mahadeva, he can
attain the highest position in the path of righteousness.

VA SAHABI KEYAM FEEM QAMIL HINDE YOMAN
VA YAQULOON LATAHAZAN FAINNAK TAVAJ3ARU

Oh Lord! Take away all my life and in return pray grant me
even a single day's stay in Hind (India) as a man becomes
spiritually free on reaching that holy land.

MAYASSAYARE AKHALAQAN HASNAN KULLAHUM
NAJUMUN AZAAT SUMM GABUL HINDU

By dint of a pilgrimage of Hind a man attains the merit of
noble deeds and gets the privilege of pious touch with ideal
Hindu teachers.

Bhaskaracharya's Law of Gravity न्यूटन य। मह्रिषी भाष्कराचार्य

जिस समय न्यूटन के पुर्वज जंगली लोग थे ,उस समय मह्रिषी भाष्कराचार्य ने प्रथ्वी की गुरुत्वाकर्षण शक्ति पर एक पूरा ग्रन्थ रच डाला था. किन्तु आज हमें कितना बड़ा झूंठ पढना पढता है कि गुरुत्वाकर्षण शक्ति कि खोंज न्यूटन ने की ,ये हमारे लिए शर्म की बात है.


Did you know that the famous Hindu astronomer, Bhaskaracharya in his Surya Siddhanta wrote:

"Objects fall on the earth due to a force of attraction by the earth. Therefore, the earth, planets, constellations, moon and sun are held in orbit due to this attraction."

It was not until 1687, 1200 years later did Issac Newton "rediscover" the Law of Gravity.

In Surya Siddhanta, dated 400-500 AD, the ancient Hindu astronomer Bhaskaracharya states,

"Objects fall on the earth due to a force of attraction by the earth. Therefore, the earth, planets, constellations, moon, and sun are held in orbit due to this force."

"Aakrishti sakthischa mahee thayaa yathkhastham guru swa abhimukham swa sakthyaa . aakrushyathe thath pathathi iti bhaathi same samanthaath kwa pathathi ayam khe" is the verse which describes that the earth attracts the solid objects in the sky by its own force towards itself. Bhaskaracharya further discusses the forces between the celestial bodies using a question: Where can the celestial bodies fall since they attract each other?

भास्कराचार्य सिद्धान्त की बात कहते हैं कि वस्तुओं की शक्ति बड़ी विचित्र है।
मरुच्लो भूरचला स्वभावतो यतो
विचित्रावतवस्तु शक्त्य:।।
- सिद्धांतशिरोमणि गोलाध्याय - भुवनकोश
आगे कहते हैं-

आकृष्टिशक्तिश्च मही तया यत् खस्थं
गुरुस्वाभिमुखं स्वशक्तत्या।
आकृष्यते तत्पततीव भाति
समेसमन्तात् क्व पतत्वियं खे।।
- सिद्धांतशिरोमणि गोलाध्याय - भुवनकोश

अर्थात् पृथ्वी में आकर्षण शक्ति है। पृथ्वी अपनी आकर्षण शक्ति से भारी पदार्थों को अपनी ओर खींचती है और आकर्षण के कारण वह जमीन पर गिरते हैं। पर जब आकाश में समान ताकत चारों ओर से लगे, तो कोई कैसे गिरे? अर्थात् आकाश में ग्रह निरावलम्ब रहते हैं क्योंकि विविध ग्रहों की गुरुत्व शक्तियाँ संतुलन बनाए रखती हैं।

ऐसे ही अगर यह कहा जाय की विज्ञान के सारे आधारभूत अविष्कार भारत भूमि पर हमारे विशेषज्ञ ऋषि मुनियों द्वारा हुए तो इसमें कोई अतिशयोक्ति नहीं होगी ! सबके प्रमाण उपलब्ध हैं ! आवश्यकता स्वभाषा में विज्ञान की शिक्षा दिए जाने की है !

Approximately 1200 years later (1687 AD), Sir Isaac Newton rediscovered this phenomenon and called it the Law of Gravity.

(Do not confuse with Bhaskara of 12 century)

Invention of Decimal System

Did you know that Hindus gave us the method of expressing numbers by means of a decimal system?

The so called Arabic numerals are actually Hindu numerals and even many Arab mathematicians admit that. During the 700's, the Arabs learned Hindu arithmetic from scientific writings of the Hindus and the Greeks. Then, in the 800's, a Persian mathematician wrote a book that was translated into Latin about 300 years later. This translation brought the Hindu-Arabic numerals into Europe.

In India a decimal system was already in place during the Harappan period, as indicated by an analysis of Harappan weights and measures. Weights corresponding to ratios of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 have been identified, as have scales with decimal divisions. A particularly notable characteristic of Harappan weights and measures is their remarkable accuracy. A bronze rod marked in units of 0.367 inches points to the degree of precision demanded in those times. Such scales were particularly important in ensuring proper implementation of town planning rules that required roads of fixed widths to run at right angles to each other, for drains to be constructed of precise measurements, and for homes to be constructed according to specified guidelines. The existence of a gradated system of accurately marked weights points to the development of trade and commerce in Harappan society.

Hindu mathematicians used a system based on 10. The Hindus had symbols for each number from one to nine. They had a name for each power of 10, and used these names when writing numerals. For example, Hindus wrote "1 sata, 3 dasan, 5" to represent the number we write as 135. They wrote "1 sata, 5" for the number we write as 105. Hindus found a way of eliminating place names. They invented the symbol shunya (meaning empty), which we call zero. With this symbol, they could write "105" instead of "1 sata, 5."

The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 1053 (i.e 10 to the power of 53) with specific names (Tallakshana) as early as 5000 B.C. during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera: 1012 (10 to the power of 12).

"It is India that gave us the ingenuous method of expressing all numbers by the means of ten symbols, each symbol receiving a value of position, as well as an absolute value; a profound and important idea which appears so simple to us now that we ignore its true merit, but its very simplicity, the great ease which it has lent to all computations, puts our arithmetic in the first rank of useful inventions, and we shall appreciate the grandeur of this achievement when we remember that it escaped the genius of Archimedes and Apollonius, two of the greatest minds produced by antiquity."
— French mathematician Pierre Simon Laplace (1749 - 1827)