harappan civilization is vedic civilization

7/29/2019 Harappan Civilization is Vedic Civilization

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Harappan Civilization IS Vedic Civilization

Majority of sites belonging

to Indus Valleycivilization, which can be better known as Indus-Sarasvaticivilization, are

concentrated along the course of the now dry Sarasvati River, situated east of the River Indus. Ever

since discovery of Harappa, near Lahore, it has become a common practice to refer both the

civilizations and its inhabitant as Harappan.

The term Harappan civilization refers to the vast complex of settlements unearthed by

archaeologists in the year 1921 continuing to the present. After unearthing of Harappa, Mohenjo-

Daro was discovered, jointly, by Dayaram Sahni, Rakhal Das Bannerji, and SirJohn Marshall, then

Director General of Archaeological Survey of India.

These sites are only two of the more than 2000 settlementsnumbers keep growing with new finds

found on both sides of the border. They cover a vast area in excess of 1.5 million square kilometres.

They were built over a very large span of time, but for our purposes here, we look at the period from

3100 B.C. to 1900 B.C.

No matter what we call it, it is imperative to recognize that these settlements areclustered around the

Sarasvati River which went dry somewhere between 2200 1900 B.C. Ever since the Harappan

civilization came to light, the question beforethe scholars has been: What is the relationship between

Harappan archaeology and the Vedic literature? It is important to know thatHarappan
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archaeology represents the material remains of the culture and civilization described in the Vedic

literature.

No matter what we call it, it is imperative to recognize that these settlements are clustered around

the Sarasvati River which went dry somewhere between 2200 1900 B.C. Ever since the Harappancivilization came to light, the question before the scholars has been: What is the relationship

between Harappan archaeology and the Vedic literature? It is important to know thatHarappan

archaeology represents the material remains of the culture and civilization described in the Vedic

literature.

Just as correlating the Rig-Vedic descriptions with the natural history sheds light on the Vedic

chronology, similarly by comparing Harappan archaeology allows us to work out the chronology of

the later Vedic or the postRig-Veda literature. Harappan civilization was sustained by the later

Sarasvati period, when the Sarasvati had lost the Yamuna to the Ganga. This alone is sufficient to

show that the Harappan civilization had to be later than theRig-Veda. We will now see that

Harappan iconographyreflect the later Vedic or the Vedantic period. The same is true with Harappan

inscriptions.

This establishes a firm chronological relationship between the Vedic and Harappan civilizations, thus

establishing that the two were not separate civilizations, but only different phases of the same

civilization. The Harappan civilization is the later Sarasvati civilization, when the Sarasvati had

lost the Yamuna as tributary and was now the Sutlej flowing as an independent river. Natural

history, correlated with the Vedic literature leaves us no other choice. Otherwise, we are left with a

host of contradictions that no amount of ingenuity can resolve.[i]Harappan archaeology represents the final, closing phase of the Vedic civilization that began with

the Sarasvati was flowing from the mountains to the sea. It ended when the Sarasvati dried up

completely, somewhere between in the 2200 1900 B.C. The Harappan period was the Vedic

twilight.

Harappan archaeology represents the final, closing phase of the Vedic civilization that began with

the Sarasvati was flowing from the mountains to the sea. It ended when the Sarasvati dried up

completely, somewhere between in the 2200 1900 B.C. The Harappan period was the Vedic

twilight.Vedic symbolism in Harappan archaeology

Once we recognize this basic fact that the Harappans were Vedic and overlapped to a substantial

degree with the later part of the Vedic Age, we can begin to examine the symbolism contained in

Harappan seals and other artifacts. This being a vast subject author seeks to limit just for a few
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examples. The connections go very deep and author is deeply indebted to his late colleague Dr.

Natwar Jha for his several insights.

We begin with a fairly straightforward interpretation, the sacred svastisymbol, known in the West

asSwastika. (Swastika stands for svasti-ka, meaning maker of welfare.) They appear singly as well

as in combination with other signs. The picture shows a string of five svastisigns. Deciphered, it may

be read aspanca-svasti adma, orpanca-svasti vidma. The former means nourished bypanca

svasti, and the latter means knower ofpanca svasti. This is related to the sacredpanca-svasti

mantra found in theYajurveda (25.18 19), in which the word svasti (welfare) appears five times. It

is a famous prayer. The ancient Taittiriya Aranyaka has it right in the opening passage. It may be

paraphrased as:

We invoke him who may bring us welfare.

May the respected Indra guard our welfare,

May the omniscient Pushan guard our welfare,

May the Universal Creator guard our welfare,

May the Great Protector bring us welfare.

These invocations appear also in theRig-Veda. The Harappan swastika string is obviously related to

this Vedic prayer. Such connections are not limited to the Rig-Veda and the Yajur-Veda; they span

the whole gamut of the Vedic literature, including theBrahmanas, Upanishads and others.
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Another important Vedic symbol appearing on Harappan artifacts is the OM sign, known also

aspranavakshara.The plate shows the seal known as Onkara Mudra or the Om seal. Author has

displayed also line drawings of the seal in two positions original and rotated by 90 degrees. The

one on the right i.e. rotated by 90 degrees is practically the Devanagari om. Scripts like

Kannada and Telugu have retained the original orientation of the Harappan om, while elongating it

a little. All of them derive from the Harappan Om and have deep connect ions with Vedic thoughts.

The photo and the line drawings display only the most ornate OM signs found; the same shape

appears on scores of Harappan artifacts.

This bow-shaped Harappan Om carries profound Vedic symbolism. It is described at many places

in the Vedic literature. TheMundaka Upanishad(2.2.4) describes it as: Pranava (Om) is the bow,

the soul is the arrow, and Brahma is the target. With full concentration, aim at the target and strike,

to become one with Brahma, just as the arrow becomes one with the target. This is almost a visual

description of OM as found on a Harappan seal.

The om, which is adorned byashvattha leaves and branches, highlights the sacredness attributed to

theashvattha, a Vedic idea.TheKatha Upanishad(2.3.1) describes ashvattha (pipul) tree as

embodying the essence of sacredness: This is the eternal ashvattha tree, with the root at the top

(urdhvamoolo), but branches downwards. It is he that is called the Shining One and Immortal. All

the worlds are established in Him, none transcends Him. The same idea is echoed in theBhagavad-

Gita (15.1): He who knows thatashvattha tree with its root above and branches down, whose leaves

are the Vedas said to be imperishable. And he who knows it knows the Vedas.

In all this there is the symbolism of the ashvattha as the seat of sacred knowledge (or Veda), and the

abode of the Gods. This idea goes back to the Rig-Veda itself (X.97.5): Your abode is

the ashvatthatree; your dwelling is made of its leaves.

We next take up two famous seals the seal of seven goddesses and the Pashupati (or the seated

yogi): the Pashupati is probably the most famous of all the Harappan seals and has probably inspired
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more discussion than any other. Before we proceed any further, we note that the Pashupati is seated

in an advanced yogic posture (asana) known as mula-bandhasana. This shows that the Harappans

had knowledge of Yogic practices clear evidence that they followed Vedic practices.[ii]

The seal contains a meditating horned deity along with five animals. The five animals are

elephant, musk deer, buffalo, tiger and rhinoceros. These five animals are often identified with the

five senses, and the five associated elements fire, water, space, wind and earth. These elements

that go to make up the material universe are known in the Vedic literature aspanca maha-bhutas or

the Five Great Elements. The reading on the seal is ishadyatah marah. Mara is the force that causes

the destruction of the universe. The message of the seal is: Ishvara controlsMara. The seated yogi

(in mula-bandhasana) is Ishvara. Ishvara is Pashupati.

Hindu cosmology holds that both creation and destruction of the universe take place because of the

action of the Five Great Elements. So Mara, the destructive force, is also composed of the Five Great

Elements. With this background, the deciphered message ishadyatah marah allows us to interpretthe symbolism of the famous Pashupati seal. Itexpresses the profound idea that, in every cosmic

cycle, both the creation and the destruction of the universe is through the medium of thepanca

maha-bhutas (Five Great Elements) under the control of Ishvara.

Hindu cosmology holds that both creation and destruction of the universe take place because of the

action of the Five Great Elements. So Mara, the destructive force, is also composed of the Five Great

Elements. With this background, the deciphered message ishadyatah marah allows us to interpret

the symbolism of the famous Pashupati seal. Itexpresses the profound idea that, in every cosmic

cycle, both the creation and the destruction of the universe is through the medium of the pancamaha-bhutas (Five Great Elements) under the control of Ishvara.

We next consider the seal of seven goddesses, sometimes mistaken for the seven rishis or

the saptarshi.The figures are clearly female. It represents a theme found in theShvetashvatara

Upanishad. It shows supreme Mother Goddess in the fork of the sacred ashvattha tree (again!). At

the bottom of the tree, on one side, (to the right) shows a door with seven goddesses, who have just

been created, emerging. One goat (aja) having a human head is inclined towards the Supreme

Mother in supplication but has his legs bound by apasha (bond). This representspashabaddha

jivaor one with suppressed knowledge. There is another goat (aja) looking bold and free, not

supplicating before the Mother. It representspashamukta jiva or a free soul.

InShvetashvatara 4.5, we have (in translation):Adyaprakriti(Supreme Mother) with the help of

three colorsred, white and blackcreates the universe and the Seven Mother Goddesses. The

theme is the seed ofSankhya Darshana or rational philosophy. The seven goddesses similar to her

are: Kali, Karali, Manojava, Sulohita, Sudhumravarna, Sphulingini and Vishvaruchi (Mundaka

Upanishad2.4). This is a brief commentary on the reading.[iii]
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What is given here is a miniscule sample of the deep Vedic symbolism that pervades Harappan

archaeology. In summary, the Vedic and Harappan civilizations were one. Harappan artifacts are

material representations of ideas and thoughts found in the Vedic literature. All this data has been

around for eighty years. We are astonished that even such obvious Vedic symbols like the

five svastisigns and the Om should have been missed by scholars. The Harappans were Vedic

Harappans.

[i]The most glaring of these is that if the Vedic people (Aryans) arrived in India in 1500 B.C. and

composed theRig-Veda in 1200 B.C., then they went on to compose the massive Rig-Vedafull of

praise for the river Sarasvati that had dried up 500 years before they arrived! There are others in

similar vein.

[ii]The celebrated Yogasutraby Patanjaliis a Vedantic work. The Harappans were part of the same

cultural milieu.

[iii]Other explanations are possible, but the Vedantic symbolism is clear though deep. For more

see The Deciphered Indus Scriptby Jha and Rajaram, pp 164 5.
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harappan civilization is vedic civilization

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