Indian Test Cricket and the MCG Test

 After many years I have go enough interest to blogging about Cricket and engaging the cricketing community again. 

The MCG test in 2024 is a pivotal moment in Indian Test Cricket. We have already seen an abrupt retirement for Ashwin and we may see one or both of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma also retire. Going into next year, we may see Ravi Jadeja or Jasprit Bhumrah as Captain(right after Sydney Test). 

However the MCG Test is foremost in our minds at the moment. India has significant batting and bowling worries. The problem has grown due to the rise of IPL and white ball riches that have doubtless tempted players notably attractive stroke makers. The likes of Pujara have been overshadowed and the leadership has not invested enough in the current crop of youngsters in this format. 

India has a surfeit of talent even for red ball cricket but we dont value it sufficiently to allow for the younger players to sufficiently prepare themselves. Over the years, Rohit and Kohli have become very good White Ball Cricketers, and this has been coupled with bad red ball form and a difficulty to readapt to the Red Ball game. 

Going into MCG, India will have questions around just a couple of spots, but the choices are not clear due to the inability to read the MCG pitch. Perhaps Pujara is to be most trusted on this front. The curator has created a 6 mm pitch, meant to facilitate a more ball friendly game notably for seamers. However it is very likely to play like the Perth Pitch. And be even more sporting for the right time of batsman. The first session the ball with swing due to the hot and moist conditions in Melbourne notably morning due. This will give way to more baking of the surface. The new Kookubarra ball swings and seams till about 35th over but then becomes very batting friendly there on. Most teams that have enough of a batting lineup by this point can add another 200 runs or more in the 45 overs before the second new ball is due. This means that a first innings of 100+ overs is on the cards. MCG being a big ground favors a lot of twos and three and a lot of running between the wickets. Scores of 350+ in those 100 overs are likely in the first innings. 

A good batting lineup with a centurion and a good tail will reach 400. Both teams thus are very capable of achieving this. If a team bats 4 to 5 sessions and achieves 400+, then such a team will be able to gain an important advantage in this crucial test. 

However the second innings in drop-ins in hot humid conditions is always more challenging. The ball now also spins as the grass wears out and cracks open. Humidity plays tricks sometimes -- it allows due to play a role. The pitch is likely to play like the Chennai pitch in many ways. Day Two it always also quickens in Melbourne and then slows down. Despite the prep for a more seam friendly wicket, this will be swing and spin game also. And like earlier Melbourne tracks it will allow for 30% of the overs to be bowled by spinners. In hot conditions, teams also have to worry about Over Rates. This also means spinners. As Australia and India will not want to be dinked points for slow over rate as both want to be in the WTC. 

The likely change is for Washington Sundar for Nitish Reddy. But not much more. If the Captain is injured he might make way for a second change with Nitish Reddy in or an additional fast bowler. Or batsman based on the condition. 

If Rohit plays, he should however consider batting at the top with a view to sending Yashasvi down the order. Too many times, the early loss of Yashasvi, this series has lead to a difficult situation as the batting that followed was gone soon with Rahul alone holding a vigil. It is better that Rohit stay and play out 15 overs in Rahuls company waiting for the loose balls. If India ends up at 50 or 60 for 2 at lunch it would be a job well done. For the older ball on a drying pitch is far less potent and the likes of Kohli, Gill and Pant are likely to cash in. Not to mention Yashasvi as well. Promoting Washy up the order can also be a positive. At No. 3 Washy will be able to play a carefully planned innings leaving a lot of deliveries and securing his wicket, having a sound technique. This will open the batting order further. Making 450 batting first is the most important goal that will win India the series. 

If India bowls first, the early 2 hours will be crucial. It will be necessary to aim for 4 wickets in the first session before lunch as that will reduce Australia to a smaller total preferably under 250. The pitch will quicken the second day, so India will have to plan for this and play a waiting game batting second. Either way a first innings lead is crucial to gain. Batting Second, India should again strive to take the innings late into the 3rd day. By this time, MCG's drop in pitch, baked by the sun, will become much harder and we can see signs of wear and tear. Batting 3rd and 4th later will be harder in this wicket and will need special skills. Unwatered, this pitch can dry out unless there is due, but again this may not help much beyond the first session. 

So Indias revamped batting order -- Rohit, Rahul, Washy, Jaiswal, Kohli, Gill, Pant, Jadeja, Akash, Bhumrah and Siraj.

Building the "Big Tent"

Recently, I realized the complications that we face in today's environment and how people need to understand why "Big Tents" are necessary.

My own opinions on various topics are quite different from that of Shri Kalavai Venkat. Yet, I was needlessly abused for taking a straightforward ideological position on the notion of "Let there be more opinions" and stepping out to support him.

Kalavai Venkat and I have very different opinion notably on the Hindu-"Judeo-Christian" relationship - as religions and as peoples. Today, I am not a believer in the divide with "Abrahamic Faiths" vs "Dharmic Faiths". There are people with different faiths. And we must consider a greater idea of "Common Roots" as we look to build bridges into the "Big Tent". The notion of a "Big Tent" unity is called for.

I am going to continue to challenge those who seem to stereotype me as a "Type 4" as well as those who are not happy with the "Big Tent". They need to understand my positions. All IKs need to understand my positions. They are laid out in the "The H-Source of the Bible".

My positions are different from Kalavai Venkats on a range of issues. On the most recent furore over the AIT vs OIT debate, I am of the following view
(1) In certain cases Y-Chromosomes AND Comparative Theology point to the same evidence. Turks have much in common with South and Central Asia genetically.The Druze people of the Middle East AND the Levite Tribe of Israel shares common gene markers with South Asians. When we look at the R1a migration patterns and the "Migration Map" like the following , we notice the more traditional viewpoints on R1a, namely AIT. But I believe that the important idea that these people mix is the commonality between Religious groups in South Asia and Religious Groups in the Middle East like the Levites and the Druze represent the "Westward Migration of Amavasa" and the movement westward toward "Aratta" - namely Modern day Turkey.
(2) This does not represent a full OIT view. Everything and everybody did not originate in the Indian Subcontinent, but important cultural migration "OUt of India" did happen.

The great Archaeologist B. B. Lal shares this view.  To provide further evidence on this topic, please take a look at the Indus Seal below -

This seal was found in the Indus Valley and to understand this seal, you must first understand that it represents the Composite Bow (or AjaGava). Recently I attempted to make a post discussing this Seal in important Indologically discussion Groups and was ruthlessly silenced after that. The post is enclosed here. The Western Migration of Amavasa, brought about the great religious traditions that we now know as the "Abrahamic Faiths".

The Mitanni positioned themselves as Kings who ruled as representatives Raghuvamsa - the Solar Line of the Hindus. They portrayed this in three ways,
(A) the King Names of the Dynasty
(B) their relationship to the Haritasva. Sarga 55 of the Bala Kanda curiously carries this connection as well.
(C) Through the Legend of Keret which parallels its equivalent from the Bala Kanda Ramayana, namely the story of Bhageeratha.

If you read my book, "The H-Source of the Bible" and visit my facebook page you will understand that the process of helping ordinary Indians, South Asians as well as Judeo-Christians and Muslims understand the true commonality of Religions has begun.

I am going to continue to discuss these topics to help Hindus notably Intellectual Kshatriyas, understand why they must reach out to me. Before we can explain our heritage to others we must help each other understand our own positions. I invite Intellectual Kshatriyas to understand, where I also differ with Rajiv Malhotra.

(A) We cannot be "Porcupines" - we are bigger and have a legacy that we must be proud of. The Great Swami Vivekananda said, "Garv Se Kaho, Hum Hindu Hai". We must not forget our pluralistic heritage nor that of the religion we represent. And this means finding common ground with all the religions that are part of Secular India. They must respect us and we must respect them.

(B) We need to build a "Big Tent". This is very important also. Our pluralistic heritage cannot be ignored. We cannot have only one voice, namely Rajiv Malhotraji, represent Hinduism. All truth matters. We must speak the truth and respect multiple opinions. Both Kalavai Venkat and I, despite having diametrically opposite points of view, are important opinions in the Kurukshetra. Both struggle to be heard and have important opinions that will shape the overall dialog to a greater enlightened position.
We must be heard by all, notably our opponents.

(C) We do not need "Poison Pills". Only the disunited and the small need poison pills. We must operate at the size and stature we are meant to occupy.

The Way Forward - The way forward is to build bridges into American Academia where we can express our relationship to the "Western Cosmos" on the right terms.

Postmodernist thinkers like Wendy Doniger and Sheldon Pollock by their own admission do not understand all of our Paramarthika or all of our tradition, history and glory. There is therefore a need for a new set of Academics in US Academia who can represent both the Transcendentalists from the great Adi Sankara to Emerson and Thoreau and Eliott and Schrodinger. We must bring the tradition to the "New Alexandria". We must explain the Atenism of Akhenaten, and both "What is the Significance of Abraham" in the Abrahamic Tradition and its important Eastern Linkage to Westerners.

I invite Rajivji along with Shrikant Talageri and Dr. Koenraad Elst and others to join this new battle. We must battle with the spirit that people like the great B. B. Lal and Dayanand Saraswati showed us.  To open new dialogs, to open new frontiers and to engage the West in a new formal discussion on the Rightful Heritage of Hindus as free equals in a pluralistic world.

Ajagava - the Composite Bow, Indus Valley to Ras Shamra - A puranic connection

The enclosed seal in the jpeg figure was found in the Indus Valley. It has been variously interpreted but the most likely idea that is being conveyed here is the AjaGava or the Composite Bow. The Goat and the Ox on two sides represent, the composites which when added to the yews and produce the kind of toughness and elasticity that is required to make the bow develop great tensile strength and was among the great technologies that made the great chariot wars of the Har Megiddo, Kadesh and the Mahabharata possible. (a mold of the seal is enclosed). The Composite bow shown in the seal was an important tool when coupled with the Chariot often with two warriors and trained horses. The Standard of Ur dated to 2500 BC and embedded with Lapis Lazuli depicts the full technological toolkit and the 34 ribbed horse described in the Rig Veda by the great sage Dirghatamas, more likely depicted an Arabian variety. Its cousin from the land of Balikha was very much sought after even during the times of the great Itihasas.  

There are four great bows discussed in Puranic sources, the Ajagava or Pinaka which was held by Lord Shiva, the Sarangha held by Lord Ranghanatha or Narayana, the Gandeeva held by the warrior Arjuna and Vijaya that was held by Durga and later by Karna. The exact disposition of these bows per Puranic sources slightly varies between the Puranas, with the Pinaka being broken by Lord Rama, while the Gandeeva is granted by Varuna the Lord of the Sea. These bows are all made typically by Vish wa Karma, the Divine Architect. Many claim that the "Pasupati" seal depicted in the Indus Valley is a Shaivite icon. 

The Madra/Bahlika area however receives much mention in the Puranas. While Ila ruled from Bahlika, and it is said that a brother of Kuru also ruled from there. The Puranic link tracks in the mid 1600 BC to the 1200 BC to the Middle 

East when the Mitanni with their "Hari"yan substrate dominated the Middle East and the Maryannu warriors transmitted the training of horses into the Hittite lands of Asia Minor from where another Bahlkh would emerge. While the Mitanni dominated over Ugarith, Hurro-IE Puranic sources came to dominate the area. The Legend of Keret and the Legend of Aqhat are commonly mentioned along with the more carefully read Baal Cycle. Baal it must be mentioned is linked to Lord Shiva, while is father El was linked to Brahma. The "castle for Baal" stories and his depiction holding a Thunderbolt relate to the Rudra of the Rig Veda. His consort Anat, represents the equivalent of the Goddess Durga and she is also featured prominently in thee Legend of Aqhat. 

The equivalent of Vish wa Karma, Kothar wa Khasis, makes a composite bow and is invited to spend time with Danel, the father of Aqhat. To thank Danel for his hospitality, he grants the bow to Aqhat, but Anat seeks the bow. To this Aqhat replies, 

In the Ginsberg translation, responding to Anat's request for the bow he received from Kothar wa Khasis, the Divine Craftsman, Aqhat responds,

“I vow yew tree of Lebanon,

I vow sinews of wild oxen,

I vow horns from mountain goats,

I vow from a cane forest reeds,

Give these to Kothar wa Khasis

He'll make a bow for thee”

The story ends intriguingly with the death of Aqhat and while the final part of Aqhat is said to be lost, the Bow falls to the sea. As to whether it is Anat or the God of the Sea who regains it is left open to the interpreters of Indo-Eurasian Archaeology to conjecture. 

The Mitanni link to the land of the Bahlikha and their naming of the "Hariya" is also explored in detail in the Legend of Keret which must be read in the context of the Valmiki Ramayana. The Baal Cycle must be read in the context of Shiva Puranas and understood from that basis. I have developed detailed parallels as a researcher. The important BB Lal hypothesis explored in Appendix I of his book, "The Rig Vedic People",where he quotes the Baudhayana Srautasutra,

"Ayu migrated eastwards. His (Progeny) are the Kuru Panchalas and Kasi-Videhas. Amavasu migrated westward. His progeny are the Gandhari, Parasu and Aratta. This is the Amavasva migration". The details of these migrations are as follows Aila Pururavas and Urvasi had two sons Ayu and Amavasva, ..., the latter moving westwards went over to Gandhara, Parsu and Aratta. This bifurcation was in an area that took place between the Kuru region on the east and Gandhara on the West. In other words, the scene of partition lay somewhere in the Panjab". He then show a map in Fig ApxI.2, depicting a migration westward to Aratta (the Ararat Area). Ila it must be noted here ruled from Bahlikha and the Madra/Bahlikha region produced the key link that Roman Ghirshmann found when he tied the chariot training and horns in Eastern Iran to Egyptians through the Mitanni/maryannu.

  All this is important prelude of course to the "The H-Source of the Bible", which is as important as everything else. Today, Biblical Minimalists do not believe that Abraham and other Patriarchs came from true Historical Origins. We believe that Abraham was derived from the legend around the creation of Bharat Varsha, more specifically Yayati. That there is a scriptural link needs to be openly explained and looked at with a new pair of eyes,  the idea explored through my book. 

The point in connecting these dots is clearly to open this RISA-L group to the idea of how such research does not receive publicity in Indology and Academia. 

Puranic Abraham - Understanding Ashrubindumati and Keturah

For many Judeo-Christian Academics who are looking at the Old Testament, the last 50 years or so have been a revelation. Much research and Debate has centered around Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their origins and the understanding of the texts in Genesis.

Two or three major schools emerged during this period - the traditionalist school lead by Albright, Frank Moore Cross and their followers who have maintained progressively reduced the level of Historicity - and the Biblical Minimalist School who see the Old Testament as lacking any historical basis or providing any reliable evidence to that.
This Biblical Minimalist school was developed in the 70s and has as its leaders John Van Seters and
Thomas Thompson. Thomas Thompson's Doctoral Dissertation was rejected it is said famously by
Pope Benedict(then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger).
The net result is that the Archaeological Footprint is viewed as the primary provider of reliable information today.

For this reason, I believe that the Puranic School gains significant amounts of traction. The Puranic Abraham theory is among the important theories that will provide the necessary support for a Biblical Origin more likely from the Vaishnavite roots of the Mitanni. (There is a chance that Kurusha was Vaishnavite given the stories around him but given the Persian inscriptions of Darius who was quite Zoarashtrian this is a trickier truth).

However turning our attention first to Ashrubindumati. Rati and Manmada(Cupid) were very much in love. Manmada was sent to lure the meditating Lord Shiva away from his Tapasya. Distracted the angry Lord Shiva opened his third eye and that reduced Manmada to ashes. Later relenting, He allowed Manmada to return to life(or at least in spirit). This caused the overjoyed Rati to shed a tear which fell on a lotus. From that tear was born Ashrubindumati and the name means teardrop. When she grew up, she was as beautiful as Rati.

Lets turn to Yayati and we have two different stories. One is that he is cursed with rapid aging by Shukracharya for having had relations with both Sarmishta and Devayani. The other story is that he had grown in power (like his father Nahusha) and this scared Indra. Per the Padma Purana, Yayati watches a drama and is struck by Cupid and the beauty of Rati who is the main heroine. This leads to him becoming lustful(and age rapidly). So when he sees Ashrubindumati he is immediately attracted. When she tells him (through her friend Vinata) that his rapid aging he turns to his sons to grant him their youth. Yadu refuses and is cursed and exiled(like Ishmael). Only Puru(the son of Sarmishta) who is like Isaac, agrees to the sacrifice and this give Yayati his youth. He then marries Ashrubindumati.

The story of Abraham closely follows the plot of Yayati, as we discuss in the book. Several parts of the story are readapted to suit a more rural setting dealing with more mortal men who are a diaspora migrating from Ur. But Keturah only gets a single line. And the name is actually confusing to the reader if you don't understand the context. Keturah is a verb of a word that means something like that which is caused by fuming incense or that which causes incense to fume. Many people never got this sudden reference. John Van Seters used an explanation that this was because Midian and Zimran and the other 4 sons came from areas which were part of the incense trade, but this really does not cut it. But in actuality it is a clue left to posterity to understand the whole parallel!!!

Keturah is a link in fact back to Isaac. Why Isaac?  Well Isaac is the one who suffers for enabling Keturah to marry Abraham (if the translation has been literal, but it is not). Isaac, per the Old Testament goes blind. And there are two stated reasons - one is that he is blinded by the incense burning by Esau's Hittite Wives who worshiped Idols. But there is an even more telling reason that I found that caused my jaw to drop. Let me quote it from the following link - "Our Sages give several reasons why it so happened. One reason is that when Isaac lay bound on the altar, the angels in heaven shed tears, and drops fell into Isaac's eyes". The idea here is that the Sages were point back at the Rati shedding a tear and linking that with the Isaac sacrifice!! 

This is why I think that the readaptation was done in such a way so that the story leaves in place enough to reconstruct a link back to the original!!! Well, maybe but in any case, it makes a very good case for the Puranic Abraham theory. I want to reach out to OT scholars to understand this and read my book and support the "Puranic school" theory that results from "The H-Source of the Bible".

Jacob's Ladder and Plakshavatarana

Perhaps modern readers interested in Rock Music have heard of the Stairway to Heaven the iconic hit by the Band Led Zepellin. The song is unfortunately said to be related to Satanic Worship.

The Stairway Reference is found of course in the Bible as well and is  often related to Jacob's Ladder. For readers of my book, "The H-Source of the Bible", the relationship between Jacob or Israel and King Bharata might have come as a surprise. The name Israel literally implies "He who wrestles with God". King Bharata even when he was very small is said to have subdued wild animals and was therefore named Sarvadamana by Sage Kanva.

Jacob similarly is said to have wrestled with a mysterious being, or angelic form. In addition to this, there is also the peculiar story of Jacob's ladder. Jacob while fleeing from Canaan out of fear for Esau, journeys to a place near Haran and lays down at a spot.

Biblical Reference

Wikipedia quotes Genesis as follows, "Jacob left Beersheba, and went toward Haran. He came to the place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the Lord stood above it [or "beside him"] and said, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants; and your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south;and by you and your descendants shall all the families of the earth bless themselves. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done that of which I have spoken to you." Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place; and I did not know it." And he was afraid, and said, "This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."

Mahabharata Reference

This reference to a stairway to Heaven is also found in the Vanaparva of the Mahabharata, and is called Plakshavatarana. Here is a translation, "Hear what a Pisacha woman (she-goblin), who was decked with pestles for her ornaments, said (to a Brahmana woman), as I was reciting here the table of genealogy. (She said), "Having eaten curd in Yugandhara, and lived in Achutasthala, and also bathed in Bhutilaya, thou shouldst live with thy sons. Having passed a single night here, if thou wilt spend the second, the events of the night will be different from those that have happened to thee in the day-time, O most righteous of Bharata's race! Today we shall spend the night at this very spot. O scion of Bharata's race! this is the threshold of the field of the Kurus. O king! At this very spot, the monarch Yayati, son of Nahusha, performed sacrificial rites, and made gifts of an abundance of gems. And Indra was pleased with those sacred rites. This is an excellent holy bathing-place on the river Yamuna, known as Plakshavatarana (descent of the banian tree). Men of cultured minds call it the entrance to the region of heaven. O respected sir! here, after having performed sacrificial rites of the Saraswata king, and making use of the sacrificial stake for their pestle, the highest order of saints performed the holy plunge prescribed at the end of a sacred ceremony. O monarch! King Bharata here performed sacrificial rites. To celebrate the horse-sacrifice, he here set free the horse who was the intended victim. That monarch had won the sovereignty of the earth by righteousness. The horse? he let go more than once were of a colour checkered with black. O tiger among men! it was here that Marutta sheltered by Samvartta, leader of saints, succeeded in performing excellent sacrifices. O sovereign of kings! Having taken his bath at this spot, one can behold all the worlds, and is purified from his evil deeds. Do thou, therefore, bathe at this spot.'"

Astavakra and Joseph

The story above is followed by a story of Astavakra a few verses later, and we see that interpretation of Dreams of the King (in this case Janaka) also in the story of Joseph who is also an expert interpreter of Dreams and rises to power from interpreting the Pharaoh's dreams. 

Helping Intellectual Kshatriyas understand "The H-Source of the Bible"

In several recent exchanges with Shri Rajiv Malhotra, it became clear to me that The H-Source to the Bible(or what he calls Bible from Purana) was seen as possibly going against the more isolationist position taken by Shri Malhotra notably in books like Being Different and Indra's Net. This also extends to positions on Yoga which are again at loggerheads with other Hindu leadership including Sadhguru, Sri Sri RaviShankar and the general position of International Yoga Day, on the beneficial effects of Yoga to all Human Beings.

Before I go forward though, I want to be sure that I do not want to dissuade Rajivji from his Seva toward the Dharma, and want to encourage his continued and tireless efforts. I do thank him for his life's work.

Purva Paksa

To parse Rajivji's note, " The same digestion is also going on with Puranas. There are people spreading jesus purana, bible purana, etc.". "The flier with example of gayatri mantra is an example of the same syndrome as whats going on about digesting Hindu pujas into jesus/mary pujas, etc.So its not about vedas versus Purana."

This note needs substantial explanation and even if Intellectual Kshatriya's finally don't agree with me, I hope that they walk away with greater understanding of the discussion. 

The thesis that there is a substantial co-opting of Hinduism by Christians starting from the times of Fr. Roberto De Nobili. Nobili arrived in South India and dressed and behaved as South Indians do in order to spread Christianity in India. It is fair to say that he was successful, but success is a matter of gradation. There were several others who arrived in the pre-colonial era, between 1600 and 1770 to Indian shores. Many first came to Goa and then went East or North or South. Another priest was the Jesuit Fr. Thomas Stephens. 

A third person associated with this phase, I would be remiss if I don't mention is VeeramaMunivar or Fr. Constanzo Beschi. There may be more as well.

Three books that emerged from this phase of Evangelism are Ezourvedam and Krista Purana and Thembavani. 

Krista Purana was written in Konkani-Marathi and describes the whole history of Mankind from Creation to Jesus (see Wikipedia) in Puranic Verse form. The Ezourvedam once attributed to de Nobili but later represented as anonymously authored was more controversial and represented as a Veda but actually was a Gospel of Jesus. De Nobili himself also referred to the Bible as Vedam and this also was seen as inappropriate, given that there was no sacred station given to Veda. The famous thinker Voltaire though respected EzourVedam because as a thinker he respected the Vedas.
Voltaire is said to have remarked, "The Veda was the most precious gift for which the West had ever been indebted to the East." (see Wikipedia) . It should be said here de Nobili was a very sincere human being and a true priest. When people go to a different culture they do sometimes modify their own religion to be palatable to the indigenous peoples. We do see that also in Srila Prabhupada our own great Bhakti Vedantist. De Nobili referred to Mass as Pujai to make it more palatable to Hindus.

The Thembavani is different in some sense as it is about the life of St. Joseph and its Tamil is respected by all great poets in Tamil Nadu and is often compared with great works, even at times with the Kamba Ramayanam. 

The final piece two pieces of this equation are the book "Jesus in the Ancient Vedas" which was published in the late 1890s, which makes a case of how the idea of the Eucharist originates in Vedic texts like the Purusha Sukta and the Shatapatha Brahmana. More recently, the Kaivalya Upanishad has been used in relationship to the teachings in the Bible. Among the Christians who have taken 
this forward in Modern Times is Sadhu Chellappa and Joseph Padinjarekara. 

The position Rajivji takes is that these efforts aim to use Hindu Vedic texts and concepts and absorb and digest them into Christianity. They are wholly aimed at conversion and offered as bait to Hindus. There is no official acceptance of Vedas as holding any Sacred Value from inside the Vatican or any of the official Churches of Christianity. They are mainly for consumption in the "De Nobili" evangelism in India. 

Given the history of how Evangelism evolved in India, it was felt that anything that discusses the two religions as having commonality should be Red Flagged and viewed with Great Suspicion.

Uttara Paksha

(My Reply to the position)

There are important distinctions between how the early Evangelists pursued their goals of Conversion notably in the Indian Context and how they aimed to grow their flock by distance and cultural bridging techniques and what "The H-Source of the Bible" promulgates is that there is no Evangelistic intent in the argument and the Goal of the maker of the argument is diametrically opposite or orthogonal to the idea. In addition, HH Wilson produced the idea at a time when Christianity was aggressively pursued for India, and the East India Company actively abandoned the idea. In addition, as we shall note next they chose alter the Puranic Timeline to build distance from this theory. So, let us first understand some of this.

Post-Colonialism we saw a more aggressive inculturation experiment which was part of the East India Company's efforts but by then, there was less respect for Hinduism per se notably amongst the elite who ruled India. This aggressive effort to convert Hindus eventually backfired with the Sepoy Rebellion or what we should rightfully call "The First War of Indian Independence". After realizing that Religion could easily destabilize the Empire, the Crown following its take over decided to take a
policy of expedient appeasement and avoided any official mandate of conversion. Yet, in some circles the quest continued. This is best explained in the fight over the Boden Chair at Oxford in 1860. 

The Boden Chair was fought by Max Muller and Monier Williams. The Chair had been established by a Colonel Boden on Sanskrit to help convert Hindus to Christianity. HH Wilson, who had translated the Vishnu Purana and was a surgeon by trade, managed to win in 1832 by a close margin, and became the first chair, but in 1860, the fight was much fiercer. Max Muller had by then become famous through his efforts at translations of various texts and his now infamous book, "A History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature So Far as it Illustrates the Primitive Religion of the Brahmans"

HH. Wilson's books were also read in the US by Henry David Thoreau and he was extremely impressed by both Purana and Upanishad. The fight over the Boden Chair got more political as the decades wore on and the East India Company got stronger and gained more wealth from the Indian
Subcontinent. A key player in redefining Sanskrit works Purana, Veda, Upanishad, Sutra etc in ways
that most suited the Company was Max Muller.  Muller's efforts at reorienting the timeline of the Hindu Puranas some of them well into periods after the birth of Christ would prove most harmful in helping Hindus understand exactly what HH Wilson had started studying, - namely how Puranas were linked to the Old Testament. It is this timeline that has to be fundamentally challenged, and the best proof against it comes from the Old Testament itself (and the Related Ras Shamra texts) and from the Works of Homer. Muller would lose to Monier Williams. Monier Williams would continue
to emphasize the move away from Puranas and turn towards Advaita Vedanta. The Wilson efforts at Puranic linkage were suppressed and then lost forever. 

When the Ras Shamra texts were first found, there was at least some realization that there is some amount of "Hurro" linkage in them, but they were never rightly passed on to Indological Studies from the Middle East Dept. The Weapons of Ba'al , for instance, discussed in my book, made by Kothar Wa Khasis (the equivalent of Vishwakarma) are called "Ayyamarri and YaagRishi"! 

The idea that the story of Noah originated in Hindu texts is boldly hinted at in the 2014 movie Noah, where Shem's wife(unnamed in the Bible) is named Ila and played by Emma Watson. This idea is continuously and deliberately ignored by the academics in the West. As important is level of effort made to build distance between the Ras Shamra texts and the overtly present concepts and words from Hindu Purana there. Why are modern Academics who we believe to be mostly anti-Hindu avoiding this linkage?

In my book, I explain how the tales of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who represent a certain "Mortal Trinity" in the Old Testament and the Bible, are closely derived from parallels in the Puranas notably the Matsya Purana. Shaivo-Vaishnavite Puranas were overtly carried by the Mitanni Kings. They were readapted by the Aryan Priesthood in the Middle East to be part of local lore and legend. One part of this effort became the basis of the Old Testament as well. The texts were lost forever till they were rediscovered in Ras Shamra in the language Ugarith. 

In my effort to reach out to anyone and everyone who would here this truth, i tried reaching various Christian Academics including Prof Francis Clooney, and even Sadhu Chellappa. Not one Christian seemed to want to provide the thesis the support I thought they should provide. Prof. Clooney was worried also by the idea of "indebtedness" which I felt was not pertinent as the Hurrians and the early Canaanites were in fact at a faultline and were quite polytheist and Hindu. 

What is important is to note the obscuring of pre-Biblical peoples and who they prayed to El and Ba'al and Anat, and who they represent. Ba'al is the Equivalent of the Lord Shiva.
 Even as late as the 7th and 6th Century BC, we find a strong
Ba'alistic Presence in Canaan and Israel. The king Manasseh of the Tribe Manasseh was seen as a known Polytheist and his northern neighbor, Baal of Tyre was a close ally of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, the son of Sennacherib and his Semitic Wife Nachhiya(Nachhiya's sister's name was Abirami). In my book, I theorize that the name Manasseh relates in some ways to the Goddess.

The prophet Hosea, was against the use of the name Ba'ali as a name for God. 
"It will come about in that day," declares the Lord, "That you will call Me Ishi^{[n 7]} And will no longer call Me Baali." 

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To me it is very clear that there is a key relationship between the Old Testament and Purana that needs significant exploration. Intellectual Kshatriyas should not run away from this idea, rather they should treat it with a careful caution and explore it with an open mind.

Indra's Net is a broad and tremendous Agency. The fear that the entire Indra's Net might be separated and absorbed in parts, Yoga as Indra Devi's Net, something else as Cognitive Science, etc. needs to be very carefully looked at. Intellectual Kshatriyas need to understand that if a truth would serve an interest, it would be coopted. The Purano-Biblical Relationship as yet, has no intrinsic value to Evangelism.

It is a fact though. It is an important knowledge that Swami Vivekananda, the Great Hindu Visionary saw, when he opened his first Historic speech on September 11th 1893 as follows,

"Sisters and Brothers of America,

It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions; and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects."

Intellectual Kshatriyas, please also read my Speaking Tree Blog. You are the true heirs to a spiritual Legacy some of which we understand, and some of which is dynamic and come about even as we explore our own Tapasya and gain from our own legitimate interest in "redeeming our pledge". The true heirs of the Legacy of Yayati, Puru and Bharata need to capture that great heritage of Hindu Purana, of Veda and Upanishad.

No citadel is too high or too closed for the All-Knowing Creator. If you claim your legacy and relationship to the Divine, nothing will stand in your quest for righteous claims. The body can be eaten, but the Soul cannot. So too, the true Religious Heritage will not die with one Body, it will outlive, this Creation itself as it rests Solely on THAT. THAT which cannot be destroyed. THAT which will forever and ever EXIST, even when All Matter ceases to.

The H-Source Thesis in the context of Digestion and Indebtedness

I am going to take a brief digress to explain how Worshiping Hindus who are worried about what has happened so far should view this.

"Digestion" is a metaphor using by Shri Rajiv Malhotra, whose tireless efforts have brought both the various modern day concerns over the treatment of Hinduism in "Hindu Studies" Academia and in the way that Western Studies seems to be absorbing "Hindu" concepts without acknowledgement of any serious kind. This is a tricky issue in the context of "the H-Source". But as a one-liner, "Digestion does not really apply". To understand why needs a more detailed argument.

The Hurro-Mitanni were quite Hindu and probably among the foremost Hindus of the time. We do not know all the detail here, but in my view they were Hindu. The Ras Shamra texts were readaptations of Hinduism into Canaan and they must be viewed as such. I was very concerned when people suggested that this might be interpreted as "indebtedness". No. They were Hindus alright and as polytheists and they practiced their religion which has much in common with the religion of the East. The Hurro-Canaanite religion had an Indo-Aryan Priestly class that had very Aryan names some of whom probably did speak a version of Sanskrit early on. They were truly heir to the rich legacy of Hinduism. Why they chose to readapt the stories to suit native custom and convention during the time of Ras Shamra is best understood from reading Keret and the various interpretations on the politics around Keret as Pederson and others have explained. Atthani Puruleni wanted the locals to relate personally to the deities and to have a relationship with their own identity and the Gods.

There are of course two alternate but far less probable possibilities - one, that the legends from Ras Shamra and Homer and the Bible moved and became part of Eastern Theology which became Hinduism(this is the least likely), the other that there was some common derivative scripture that was carried by the Aryans who showed up in both India and Canaan. What makes this less likely is the cross-cultural references that we note as well- there is Yavana in the Matsya Purana, and Haritha. And there is Harita-Kirata linked in the Ramayana(and Keret!) as we previously saw. And then there are the references to Sara and the Brahma-Narayana-Hara Trinity in the OT. And also Bharatarna and Shuttarna, Tushrata. The breadth of the commonality implies that if they both originated in a third source, by now a third source with Sanskrit names of this order outside Euprates-Jordan and the Indus-Gangetic locations would also have been found. The Kirata-Hariya reference along with the story as we interpret it makes it very clear that that we are dealing with the same thing and when we extend it into the OT-Matsya Purana link, it becomes very clear as to the direction of flow, and that
both sides knew each other!!(at the time when they were updated).

My hope and prayer is that some day a "Moola Ramayana" is found that further explains all this. But it is difficult to explain a case when both the Ramayana and the Vedas originated outside India and both were brought into the sub-continent.

Turning now to Digestion, I feel that the readaptation of both Ras Shamra texts and the OT (at the time of the Polytheistic Bible) should not be viewed as Digestion, as they are the works of a people who had once a link but then lost it and as a result the connection to the root actually disappeared after the death of the Mitanni. It goes without saying that the relationship is strong and there is a case to be made that it should be understood and included in all serious "Religious Studies" of an academic nature. For worshipers, too, it has much value, I do believe, but worship is a personal question and I am going to make a value judgement nad say that it is outside the scope of this blog.
Digestion was not the intention of Atthani Puruleni and sure those who wrote the Bible. As time went on, another concept(I argue along with Dr. Subhash Kak), namely Monotheism, supplanted what was then a polytheistic geography and became the law. The Madai (or the Midianites) who probably also had substantive Indo-Aryan links held on their beliefs and today we see the Yazidis. But at the time, it came to include some form of Atenism and this evolved in the cauldron of what was once a polytheistic Bible to become a form of Judaism that was then rewritten to become the Torah post the Babylonian Exile. There is no deliberate Digestion in what shaped any of it, and the fact that even today there is a path back to the H-Source for a discerning eye, makes it very clear that we need to avoid discussing Digestion in this context. It just so happened, but God makes some things available and clear.
Digestion is feared as it is seen as an evangelical tactic or strategy aimed at gaining an upper hand in inter-faith interaction and for claiming greater fellowship. But this all happened 3000 years ago and for this reason it is better to recognize the deep-rooted connections rather than pursue isolationist policies unless people lack the ability to get along (as religions sometimes can collide). It is better though that a more enlightened perspective be developed in academia rather than in common media
as the debates in Media sometimes get ugly and go nowhere. But it is better to work together and recognize a truth even if it can prove to be inconvenient to some.(or many).

Now that we hope, we can work towards a kinship among the communities and a better sense of understanding. We share a common religious culture that unites us. We have had distinctive evolution but we are not so irreconcilably different. My hope is that conceptually, Abrahamic Religion is best viewed as a offshoot of a common Root Vedo-Puranic Faith, that even is very the
core of today's Hinduism. This Vedo-Puranic faith is best viewed as Early Hinduism.

 To be sure, we have to note that Egyptian and Mesopotamian faiths have substantive roles in the shaping of Abrahamic Religions, but there needs to be comprehended the notion that as scripture goes the closeness to Vedo-Purana needs to be underlined more today.