"Chapter I. Prehistoric times"
"Chapter II. Ice Age"
"Chapter III. Arctic regions"
"Chapter IV. Night of the Gods"
"Chapter V. Vedic Dawns"
"Chapter VI. Long day and long night"
"Chapter VII. Months and seasons"
"Chapter VIII. The path of the cows"
Promotional video:
"Chapter IX. Vedic myths about captive waters"
"Chapter IX. Vedic myths about captive waters. 1. Legend of Indra and Vritra"
"Chapter IX. Vedic myths about captive waters. 2. Four victories of Indra in the fight against Vala"
"Chapter IX. Vedic myths about captive waters. 3. Cosmology in the Rig Veda"
"Chapter IX. Vedic myths about captive waters. 4. Cosmic circulation of atmospheric waters in myths"
"Chapter IX. Vedic myths about captive waters. 5. Fortieth day of autumn - the beginning of the struggle of Indra"
"Chapter X. Vedic myths about the morning deities. Ashwins"
"Chapter X. Vedic myths about the morning deities. About the Wheel of Surya"
"Chapter X. Vedic myths about the morning deities. Seven. Nine. Ten""
It was said above that the Rig Veda mentions ten golden-handed kings and ten who do not know sacrifices (VIII, 5, 38; VII, 83, 7). But it is impossible to only briefly mention these latter here. About King Sudas, the son of Divodasa Atithigva, it is said that he fought with ten such unrighteous kings, he was helped by Indra and Varuna (VII, 33, 3-5; VII, 83, 6-8). This battle is known in the literature as dasharajna. The chief priest of King Sudasa, Vasishtha, made sure that Indra supported him, and on this shaky basis some scholars have suggested that this is a battle between the Aryans and ten non-Aryan, sacrificial kings. But I think that the battle "dasharajna" should be explained more simply and naturally as one of the variants of the battles of Indra with the seven Danavas demons (X, 120, 6). In the Rigveda, Indra is called a seven-time murderer,which may refer either to the seven Danavas, or to the seven fortresses of Vritra (I, 174, 2) in the depths of the seven-ton ocean (VIII, 40, 5). If Indra is a sevenfold killer ("saptahan"), he can also be defined as a tenfold killer, guided by the principle of division explained above. The word "dashahan" is not found in the Rig Veda, but the battle with ten kings practically corresponds to this concept. We have already said above that among the enemies of Indra there were also such as Dashoni and Dashamaya, clearly associated with the form of their names with the number ten ("dasha"). The ten golden-like kings look like images of ten months of sunlight, the gods of these ten months, and the fact that they are spoken of as given to the sacrificers looks reasonable. One of Indra's admirers is called Dashadyu, that is, "shining tenfold."or to the seven fortresses of Vritra (I, 174, 2) in the depths of the seven-ton ocean (VIII, 40, 5). If Indra is a sevenfold killer ("saptahan"), he can also be defined as a tenfold killer, guided by the principle of division explained above. The word "dashahan" is not found in the Rig Veda, but the battle with ten kings practically corresponds to this concept. We have already said above that among the enemies of Indra there were also such as Dashoni and Dashamaya, clearly associated with the form of their names with the number ten ("dasha"). The ten golden-like kings look like images of ten months of sunlight, the gods of these ten months, and the fact that they are spoken of as given to the sacrificers looks reasonable. One of Indra's admirers is called Dashadyu, that is, "shining tenfold."or to the seven fortresses of Vritra (I, 174, 2) in the depths of the seven-ton ocean (VIII, 40, 5). If Indra is a sevenfold killer ("saptahan"), he can also be defined as a tenfold killer, guided by the principle of division explained above. The word "dashahan" is not found in the Rig Veda, but the battle with ten kings practically corresponds to this concept. We have already said above that among the enemies of Indra there were also such as Dashoni and Dashamaya, clearly associated with the form of their names with the number ten ("dasha"). The ten golden kings look like images of ten months of sunlight, the gods of these ten months, and the fact that they are spoken of as given to the sacrificers seems justified. One of Indra's admirers is called Dashadyu, that is, "shining tenfold."If Indra is a sevenfold killer ("saptahan"), he can also be defined as a tenfold killer, guided by the principle of division explained above. The word "dashahan" is not found in the Rig Veda, but the battle with ten kings practically corresponds to this concept. We have already said above that among the enemies of Indra there were also such as Dashoni and Dashamaya, clearly associated with the form of their names with the number ten ("dasha"). The ten golden-like kings look like images of ten months of sunlight, the gods of these ten months, and the fact that they are spoken of as given to the sacrificers looks reasonable. One of Indra's devotees is called Dashadyu, that is, "shining tenfold."If Indra is a sevenfold killer ("saptahan"), he can also be defined as a tenfold killer, guided by the principle of division explained above. The word "dashahan" is not found in the Rig Veda, but the battle with ten kings practically corresponds to this concept. We have already said above that among the enemies of Indra there were also such as Dashoni and Dashamaya, clearly associated with the form of their names with the number ten ("dasha"). The ten golden-like kings look like images of ten months of sunlight, the gods of these ten months, and the fact that they are spoken of as given to the sacrificers looks reasonable. One of Indra's admirers is called Dashadyu, that is, "shining tenfold."but the battle with the ten kings is practically related to this concept. We have already said above that among the enemies of Indra there were also such as Dashoni and Dashamaya, clearly associated with the form of their names with the number ten ("dasha"). The ten golden-like kings look like images of ten months of sunlight, the gods of these ten months, and the fact that they are spoken of as given to the sacrificers looks reasonable. One of Indra's admirers is called Dashadyu, that is, "shining tenfold."but the battle with the ten kings is practically related to this concept. We have already said above that among the enemies of Indra there were also such as Dashoni and Dashamaya, clearly associated with the form of their names with the number ten ("dasha"). The ten golden kings look like images of ten months of sunlight, the gods of these ten months, and the fact that they are spoken of as given to the sacrificers seems justified. One of Indra's admirers is called Dashadyu, that is, "shining tenfold."looks reasonable. One of Indra's admirers is called Dashadyu, that is, "shining tenfold."looks reasonable. One of Indra's admirers is called Dashadyu, that is, "shining tenfold."
Combining all these facts, we come to the conclusion that the seven demons - Danavs, who were the forces of darkness, could be perceived as tenfold, and Indra, who helped Sudas in the fight against ten unrighteous kings, correlates with the old story about the annual struggle of light with darkness, how it seemed to the inhabitants of those places where, after ten summer months, two months of a long night came, that is, those places where the Dashagvas lived.
But this is not the end of the manifestations of interest in this remarkable battle. If we remember that the word "king" in the Rig Veda did not refer to the class (estate) of warriors and that in one place it defines Angiras (I, 139, 7), then such words and expressions as "ten golden kings" will become obvious synonyms, "Ten donors", "ten Angirasas" or "ten Dashagvas who offered sacrifices for ten months." Brihaspati was the head of the Angirasas and as such may well have had a nickname that applies to all of them. And we see that he is once called seven-mouthed and seven-headed, and in another hymn - ten-mouthed and ten-headed (IV, 50, 4), also in the Atharva Veda in the hymn (IV, 6, 1). This Brihaspati is associated in the text with the history of Sarama and with the “Pani people”, and it is said about him that he helped Indra in finding cows and even performed this feat himself (I, 83, 4; X, 108, 6-11). Brihaspati is said to have lost his wife, who was returned to him by the gods. This is a clear story about the return of the dawn to a person who is here introduced by Brihaspati, that is, the main donor.
In the Taittiriya Aranyaka (I, 12, 3-4), Indra is described as the lover of Ahalya, and this myth was explained as referring to the dawn and the sun - as, for example, such an orthodox scholar as Kumarila understood this. In later literature, Akhalya is described as the wife of Rishi Gotama (whose name means “having many cows”), but it is still not difficult to perceive the story of Ahalya (whose name Max Müller associates with the word “ahan” - “day”) as the original story of the dawn, or else as the version of the legend of Brahmajaya set forth in the hymn (X, 109).
These facts are very significant and make you ponder over some of the Ramayana data. Let's say right away that a deep penetration into the historical basis of this great Indian epic is not included in the tasks of this book of ours - the Vedic myths are analyzed here, and if we mention this epic, it is only with the intention of pointing out those moments of similarity with it that cannot be overlooked. for they are amazing. The entire main plot of the Ramayana is presented in such detail that in general it bears the stamp of its historical origin. But even under these conditions, we must explain why the ten-headed monster is opposed to Rama, and also why Rama's father is named Dasha-ratha, that is, "the owner of ten chariots."
The ten-headed monster cannot be unambiguously perceived as a historical character, and it looks like the author of the epic skillfully introduced some data from Vedic myths into its main plot. We saw above that among the enemies of Indra there are such as Da-shoni or Dashamaya, in the battle called Dasha-rajna, ten unrighteous kings, carriers of demonic essence, who fought against Sudas, take part. These ten non-sacrificial kings may well be perceived as one king with ten heads, that is, as a ten-headed monster, and this is quite consistent with such a reception in mythoepic literature as the description of Bri-haspati, the chief among the ten Angiras, having ten heads and ten mouths … And the fact that in the Ramayana the brother of the ten-headed demon fell asleep for six months every year, also indicates the connection of the plot with the theme of the Arctic.
Professor A. Rice in his "Gibbert Lectures" quotes Plutarch's words that the inhabitants of Paphlagonia * considered their gods to have been in seclusion all winter, and they were freed only by summer. He explains this legend as an indication of the temporary suppression of the forces of light by the forces of darkness during the long Arctic night. While agreeing with this point of view, we can think that the ten-headed enemy of Rama, the demon Ravana, also suppressed the gods until Rama freed them from him.
* Paphlagonia is a region of Asia Minor that independently developed until the 6th century BC.
In the Ramayana there is also a character that requires clarification - Hanuman, a monkey deified in Hinduism. In the Rig Veda there is a mention of a male monkey ("Vrishakapi"), in the image of which the sun appears on the day of the autumn equinox, when, according to the Arctic theory discussed in this book, it approaches the moment of leaving the horizon on the long night of the lower world. R. Pishel was the first to draw attention to the fact that this Vrishakapi is a possible “ancestor” of Hanuman in the Puranas, and the fact that Hanuman was born at sunset to a certain extent supports this view.
Moreover, Narayana Ayangar in his "Sketches of Indo-Aryan Mythology" indicates that the heroine of the "Ramayana" Sita, the wife of Rama, can be raised to the word "Sita" in the Rig Veda, where it means a furrow in the earth *, and people who worship her ask her to give them wealth (harvest) (IV, 57, 6–7). In the Ramayana, Sita was born of the earth and ended her days being absorbed by it. In this light, the given explanation looks very plausible. It is very likely that this mythical moment of the "Ramayana" goes back to the story of a lost brahmana wife who was returned to him by the name of Brahmajaya, in whose image the dawn is reflected, returning to man, to the first sacrificial priest Brhaspati (which happened after the battle of Indra with Vritra for the resurrection of the light).
* In the Ramayana, King Janaka, performing a sacred plowing ceremony, found Sita in a furrow. In Hinduism, she is revered as the daughter of the earth. Her life ended with the fact that, at her plea, the earth swallowed her up.
A more extensive study of these problems requires further delving into the essence of these sources. Thus, Max Muller pointed out that many names in the Iliad can be traced back to the Vedas (if not by their direct sound, then by their semantic content).
So, Elena is similar to Sarama in the Vedas, the name of Paris comes from the ethnonym "Pani", etc. But in this way it will still not be possible to trace all the names in the Iliad to the Vedas.
What attracts attention is the fact that in both Greek and Indian mythology a trace of the most ancient heritage is preserved - the legend of the return of his wife-dawn to the abandoned husband. Nor should we be surprised that striking coincidences are encountered in the Ramayana and Iliad - some common elements of ancient myths appear in both poems, albeit in a different local color. The claim that the Ramayana was borrowed from the Iliad makes no sense. The bottom line, apparently, is different, namely, that both Valmiki and Homer reproduced an ancient plot that has been preserved in the mythology of both peoples having a common origin. A. Weber pointed out that in the Buddhist "Dasharatha Jataka" Sita appears as a sister, not a wife of Rama, and this scholar believes that this version of the plot is the most ancient, since sibling marriages were as original as Adam himself. According to Telang, Buddhists have reinterpreted the Brahman epic, which is most likely. But still, since a number of features of the Vedic myths about the dawn are partially intertwined with the main historical theme of the epic, we can assume that the indicated Buddhist version was generated by an attempt, dating back to the pre-Buddhist time, to liken Rama to the god Surya, who is also described in the Rig Veda as a brother, and as the beloved of the dawn (VII, 75, 5; VI, 55, 4-5; X, 3, 3).55, 4-5; X, 3, 3).55, 4-5; X, 3, 3).
I have already indicated that this plot is too extensive, and therefore it is impossible to fully analyze it here. My goal was to show that there are, as I see it, some convergence between the Ramayana and Vedic myths. But this plot is so interesting that it is difficult to cover it deeply here, and I have to abandon the temptation to dive deeper into its investigation.
The problem of ten incarnations is also related to the question of ten golden kings or ten gods mentioned in the Atharva Veda, or ten incarnations of Veretraghna in the Avesta. In "Bahram-yasht" they are as follows: wind, bull, horse, camel, boar, child, raven, ram, male (animal) and man. Four of them - horse, boar, child and man - make one think about their correspondence to Kalki, boar, dwarf Vamana and Rama, which are found in the Puranas. This suggests that the concept of ten avatars (incarnations) has a clear Indo-Iranian origin, and it is extremely interesting to trace the path of its development on Indian soil. Such Vishnu avatars as Matsya (fish), Kurma (turtle), Varaha (boar), Narasimha (lion-man), Vamana (dwarf) and Rama can be more or less successfully identified in some images of the Rig Veda. But a thorough study of this issue requires such a deep study that here I can only offer the reader some guesses that have come to my mind and ask him to accept them in this way. If the Arctic theory finds its full confirmation in science, the myths not only of the Vedas, but also of the Puranas will appear in a new light, and then it will become necessary to double-check, and in many cases completely change their accepted explanations. But this I cannot fit into this book, which is devoted to bringing evidence to support this theory.and in many cases, completely change their accepted explanations. But this I cannot fit into this book, which is devoted to bringing evidence to support this theory.and in many cases, completely change their accepted explanations. But this I cannot fit into this book, which is devoted to bringing evidence to support this theory.
We have cited and discussed here most of the Vedic legends that can throw light on the main goal of our research. There are many more points in the Vedas that can be more accurately explained by means of the Arctic theory than now. For example, we can now understand why Mithra and Varuna were perceived as two mutually corresponding gods - according to our theory, they were supposed to represent light and darkness, lasting six months in the homeland of the Aryans, and Varuna could be perfectly described as “embracing (embracing) night”(VIII, 41, 3).
But we cannot go into all this here. I only intended to convince readers that many episodes in Vedic myths cannot be explained according to the theory of the daily struggle of light with darkness, or the victory of spring over winter, or the struggle of the god of thunderstorms with clouds, because, following these paths, we will not be able understand why Vritra is killed once a year, why water and light are described as being released at the very moment of Vritra's murder, or why the battle between Indra and Shambara, as indicated in the Rig Veda, began on the fortieth day of autumn ("charade"). We will also not be able to understand why this battle took place in a remote area, why Dirghatamas is described as having aged at the onset of the tenth yuga, why Martanda was thrown back as the dead son of Aditi, why Trita, that is, the Third, fell into the pit, or, again, why Vishnu's third step was considered invisible.
We can now see that not only these, but also other episodes of Vedic myths can be satisfactorily explained, and their essence directly directs us to rely on the Arctic theory. Indeed, in the legends about Indra and Vritra, about Saptavadhri, about Aditi with her seven healthy sons and one premature child, about the wheel of Surya or about Dirghatamas, - everywhere we find expressive lines talking about the period of sunshine lasting from seven to ten months, which could be observed in those places where these legends were born. And if we do not approach all this with a preconceived notion that everything mentioned is just an accidental coincidence, then we will see, it seems to me, the natural nature of our appeal to a theory that explains so many of those facts, as well as events.which until now have either been ignored or denied and have been misunderstood, although there is an easy, natural and reasonable road to their explanation.
I do not mean to say that the Arctic theory is completely at odds with the necessary provisions of the theories of dawn, thunderstorms and spring. I only seek to show that the Arctic theory can explain many legendary or traditional ideas and facts that have until now been hopelessly considered inexplicable, and that it gives us a weapon more effective and powerful than what is available to the theories of dawn, thunderstorms and spring. More precisely, there are grounds for recommending that researchers turn to the Arctic theory when considering mythological plots, taking into account and even using the indications of other, older theories.
In addition to this, as already indicated in previous chapters, let us say that the new theory is based on direct and independent indications of the facts contained in the Rig Veda, which inform about the duration and nature of the dawn, days and nights, months and years in the homeland of the ancient ancestors of the Vedic rishis. In addition, the Avestan and Roman traditions fully support our conclusion.
We also saw that this theory clearly coincides with the latest results of geological and archaeological research. Should we continue to abandon the assertion that this theory alone explains many facts, legends and episodes, following the path of their true and reasonable perception, and broadly illuminates the ancient history of the Aryan race - to refuse only because at first glance it can seem ridiculous? If we do this, we will not be justified by the advocates of the rules of inference and scientific research. And I was guided by these rules, realizing both the possibility of success and the manifestation of the shortcomings of this theory, which I tried to expound on these pages.
