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Ahalya myth - An example of how myths originate
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A simple search on the origin of this cruel myth shall put light on one of the many Hindu attempts to blaspheme God and Vedas, for the superiority of their gods and incarnate bands.
The mention is made first in Shatapatha Brahmana, Taittiriya Brahmana, Jaimineeya Brahmana, quoting the Subrahmanya formula. Let us look more into the actual sources rather than unreliable Ramayana or other epics or puranas.
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Ahalya - what does it mean?
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hala means a plough, and halya means an arable land or a ploughed land.
a-halya, hence means the "unfertile land" or "unploughable land".
Ahalya, the barren land, is said to be daughter of "Mitra", the bright solar rays (maitreyi).
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Indra - the lover of Ahalya
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Indra is said as "lover of Ahalya" in the Subrahmanya formula in Yajur Veda.
Yes, the Lord who brings rain, floods the plains and fights vRtRa, the drought, is poetically mentioned as the lover of unfertile land, for he is the husband of unfertile land by making it fertile through rains.
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Indra is Kaushika, Indra is Gautama
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Kaushika means related to kushika, the ploughshare. It is also the name of the agricultural Aryan tribe "Kaushikas".
The Subrahmanya formula, the first mention of Ahalya tells :
"Subrahmanyam! Subrahmanyam! Subrahmanyam!
Indra, thou Lord of bay steeds (hari) , the Power (mESa) of Medhatithi, the thought that is drawn by stallions (vRSaNashvasya mene), The Great coagulater (gaurava skandin)
Lover of Ahalya ( ahalyAyai jAra) O Kaushika! O Brahmana! (kaushika brAhmaNa)
who is Himself also called Gautama (Gautama bruvANa iti)
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Kaushika - what does it mean
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Kaushika is the derivation, vRddhi from Kushika, the "ploughshare" or "plough".
The formula metaphorically equates the ploughshare that makes a land ploughable, with Indra who is the actual cultivator. Thus, the Kaushika metaphor stands for the actual "ploughshare" Indra, whose rain really makes ahalya fertile.
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BrAhmaNa
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Brahmana means "Great", derived from brh - to grow, might, praise.
Indra, following the several metaphors with great attributes, is affirmed great here.
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Indra who himself is Gautama
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Gautama means related to gotama, rich in kine - the solar rays.
As Gautama, Indra protects her lover and makes her fertile, by allowing adequate sunshine. But He is also the Kaushika, the plougher, for He makes ahalya land fertile through rains.
Note that the words Kaushika and Gautama also stand for clans within Brahmins.
This is the subject in Shadvimsa Brahmana and Jaiminiya Brahmana, where myth is commented on the Subrahmanya Litany.
During Asura - Deva war, Indra is made to redeem Vedas from Kaushika Viswamitra, whereby Indra becomes Kaushika. Thus He is the Kaushika Brahmin. (Shadvimsa Brahmana)
Also, Indra takes his avatar as Gautama, whereby He calls Himself Gautama, in spite of being a Kaushika. (Jaiminiya Brahmana)
Shadvimsha Brahmana, on the other hand, puts another myth on Gautama bruvANa iti that Gautama was doing tapas amidst the quarrelling Deva-asuras and that Gautama allowed Indra to impersonate himself (Indra) as Gautama and spy the asuras, when Indra asks him permission, as Indra does not want to block his tapas.
The "ram testicles" of Indra in Ramayana has an interesting origin. It is derived from a misreading of Subrahmanya litany, "medhAtithEr meSha, vRSaNAshvasya mene" introducing a "meSha vRShaNa" in between, which is wrong, but is unfortunately the source for "Ram's testicles" for Indra.
Poor Indra!
Thus, in Vedas, there are no myths regarding Ahalya, for Ahalya is the unfertile land. This is also attested in the old oral tradition of Bhil Ramayana, of the native Bhil Tribes in India.
The Brahmanas try to create myths based on the confusion of "tribe name" of Indra, as they see the names Kaushika and Gautama as clan names, and think as confused, but never call Indra a rapist.
But Ramayana, that does not deserve forgiveness.....
Blasphemers.
Ahalya myth - An example of how myths originate
__________________________________________________________________
A simple search on the origin of this cruel myth shall put light on one of the many Hindu attempts to blaspheme God and Vedas, for the superiority of their gods and incarnate bands.
The mention is made first in Shatapatha Brahmana, Taittiriya Brahmana, Jaimineeya Brahmana, quoting the Subrahmanya formula. Let us look more into the actual sources rather than unreliable Ramayana or other epics or puranas.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ahalya - what does it mean?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
hala means a plough, and halya means an arable land or a ploughed land.
a-halya, hence means the "unfertile land" or "unploughable land".
Ahalya, the barren land, is said to be daughter of "Mitra", the bright solar rays (maitreyi).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indra - the lover of Ahalya
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indra is said as "lover of Ahalya" in the Subrahmanya formula in Yajur Veda.
Yes, the Lord who brings rain, floods the plains and fights vRtRa, the drought, is poetically mentioned as the lover of unfertile land, for he is the husband of unfertile land by making it fertile through rains.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indra is Kaushika, Indra is Gautama
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kaushika means related to kushika, the ploughshare. It is also the name of the agricultural Aryan tribe "Kaushikas".
The Subrahmanya formula, the first mention of Ahalya tells :
"Subrahmanyam! Subrahmanyam! Subrahmanyam!
Indra, thou Lord of bay steeds (hari) , the Power (mESa) of Medhatithi, the thought that is drawn by stallions (vRSaNashvasya mene), The Great coagulater (gaurava skandin)
Lover of Ahalya ( ahalyAyai jAra) O Kaushika! O Brahmana! (kaushika brAhmaNa)
who is Himself also called Gautama (Gautama bruvANa iti)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kaushika - what does it mean
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kaushika is the derivation, vRddhi from Kushika, the "ploughshare" or "plough".
The formula metaphorically equates the ploughshare that makes a land ploughable, with Indra who is the actual cultivator. Thus, the Kaushika metaphor stands for the actual "ploughshare" Indra, whose rain really makes ahalya fertile.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BrAhmaNa
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brahmana means "Great", derived from brh - to grow, might, praise.
Indra, following the several metaphors with great attributes, is affirmed great here.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indra who himself is Gautama
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gautama means related to gotama, rich in kine - the solar rays.
As Gautama, Indra protects her lover and makes her fertile, by allowing adequate sunshine. But He is also the Kaushika, the plougher, for He makes ahalya land fertile through rains.
Note that the words Kaushika and Gautama also stand for clans within Brahmins.
This is the subject in Shadvimsa Brahmana and Jaiminiya Brahmana, where myth is commented on the Subrahmanya Litany.
During Asura - Deva war, Indra is made to redeem Vedas from Kaushika Viswamitra, whereby Indra becomes Kaushika. Thus He is the Kaushika Brahmin. (Shadvimsa Brahmana)
Also, Indra takes his avatar as Gautama, whereby He calls Himself Gautama, in spite of being a Kaushika. (Jaiminiya Brahmana)
Shadvimsha Brahmana, on the other hand, puts another myth on Gautama bruvANa iti that Gautama was doing tapas amidst the quarrelling Deva-asuras and that Gautama allowed Indra to impersonate himself (Indra) as Gautama and spy the asuras, when Indra asks him permission, as Indra does not want to block his tapas.
The "ram testicles" of Indra in Ramayana has an interesting origin. It is derived from a misreading of Subrahmanya litany, "medhAtithEr meSha, vRSaNAshvasya mene" introducing a "meSha vRShaNa" in between, which is wrong, but is unfortunately the source for "Ram's testicles" for Indra.
Poor Indra!
Thus, in Vedas, there are no myths regarding Ahalya, for Ahalya is the unfertile land. This is also attested in the old oral tradition of Bhil Ramayana, of the native Bhil Tribes in India.
The Brahmanas try to create myths based on the confusion of "tribe name" of Indra, as they see the names Kaushika and Gautama as clan names, and think as confused, but never call Indra a rapist.
But Ramayana, that does not deserve forgiveness.....
Blasphemers.
To validate itself, in Uttara Ramayana, a new meaning for hala is said as "beauty" or "in well form". In the first glance itself, we can sense that this is erroneous.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, the impersonation myth in Brahmanas is twisted, whereby Indra impersonates against Gautama, and in Ramayana, Ahalya becomes Gautama's wife, and Gautama becomes distinct from Indra of Vedas!!!
Moreover, mesa vRSaNa is a deliberately cooked story, exploiting a misreading of Taittiriya Samhita, to create a non sense, and mistranslation of last lines "Gautama bruvANa iti" as "who calls himself as Gautama", based on the Brahmanical myth.
Thus, we find that different Brahmanas create unconnected stories to Vedas, depriving Vedas of their symbolism and spiritualism. The epics and puranas, in this respect, can be nothing more than fuel to agni.
Thank you ,you have given a very derivatives of different names. I think here, the names so interwoven ,they appear at different yuga/kaalamaanas.
ReplyDeleteMay be different persons could have existed with same name or may be the names show only positions not persons. It is like " INDRA PADAVI" Anyone who performs 100 aswamedha yaagas can be an INDRA for a certain period. Biologically I feel no person an exist for 1000s of years at a stretch.
The indra padavi is another myth.
ReplyDeleteSuch myths, when you dig deep into Veda, you will find the reason for it.
Or I shall post it here itself.
It is all history. The politics, the ritualist - spiritualist conflict, dasarajna war, Greek arrival, .... all had its impact in Puranas and even in Brahmanas.
I shall post such numerous instances.
Thank you. You are illuminating certain facts which are submerged in history. You are welcome, please post as and when you find time
ReplyDeleteYou may have neglected puranas, by just concentrating in Vedas. It doesn't mean that they are unreliable. If you take piece by piece, puranas may not portray the real picture. It is provisioned as a tool for those like me who can't understand Vedas. Whatever may be the meaning, it just helps to focus.
ReplyDeleteI am not neglecting Puranaas, but I feel somewhere there is a miss in portraying certain facts relating to depicting devine personality. That is where I differ
ReplyDeleteCould be, but what is the need for checking puranas if one is comfortable with Vedas. They should exist for others.
ReplyDeleteGet a focus of puranas or Vedas, not both. It's like finding fault with neighbours wife. There is no point. Focus more on what Veda says, you will move towards your goal faster.
ReplyDeleteI am not telling a strawman because I deserve the right to tell regarding Puranas. Afterall, I have spent more time on Puranas, not Vedas. (Because each time I study a Vedic passage, go through the Vedic characters, I will again refer back the Puranas and epics to see how "beautifully" they are misrepresented.)
ReplyDeleteHow many of you have read Bhavishya Purana? Do you know how other religions are mocked in our Puranas? Modern Hindus proudly say that they have been the most tolerant, quoting Vedic and Upanishadic passages, but forget the whole of Puranic and Manu's passages having high racist and anti religious comments. These people deliberately hide the facts inside them behind the bhakti and Krishna.
And when pseudo scholars and the people who have this as a business hide certain facts or neglect them, the people who are actually affected are the poor ignorant followers.
I am not a person who suddenly sprang into Vedas without knowing anything. I have wasted considerable time reading Puranas, researching on comparative Puranic mythology involving Maha shiva Purana (all samhitas), Bhagavata, Bhavishya, Vishnu... and also the Devi Bhagavata, Garga Bhagavata (Radha Krishna Bhagavata) and other upapuranas.
(Thanks to my grandfather's "home library", and the works of his grandfather, to my grandparents who taught me traditions, my grandmother's grandfather's (another "great" grandfather) press... so goes the list)
I also tried to translate Ramayana, but wasn't allowed, due to my hell of Board Exams...
It was after reading all these Puranas and epics that I found them hidden with sheer agendas to propagate their gods and incarnations.
And mix it with Jaina puranas, you have a great time to laugh!!! Yea, I am serious. The whole Puranas are competitive against each other, they borrow other's incarnations, they suppress other purana's gods, ......
The myth making was a great art of India!
As a Vedic Brahmin, I feel that I should be honest towards Holy Vedas, rather than wasting my time going after these stuffs.