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.