Tattva

(This is the second of a series of three articles. Please read the first article of the series here.)

A vivid example of the confusion caused by Homer can be seen when we look at his view on Kronos the Greek God of Time. Our word Chronology is rooted in the word Kronos. Homer presents the God Kronos as a disturbed and psychotic being who kills and eats his own children. The image is horrific, dark and blatantly asuric-demonic in nature. However when we apply the Vedic perspective to this image it becomes clear that Homer took ancient knowledge and repackaged it to suit his own ideas. Kronos is God as Time. In the Bhagavad-Gita Krsna as the Supreme Being states,” Time I am, the Devourer of worlds.” Homer took this concept and turned it into an actual human-like entity that brutally murders and eats his own children. However the original concept points to an actual and obvious law of nature. Recognizing Time as the all consuming and merciless destroyer, the Ancients were in awe of this power. This concept was well known throughout antiquity and still rings true today.

This thing all things devours;

Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;

Gnaws iron, bites steel;

Grinds hard stones to meal;

Slays king, ruins town,

And beats mountain down.

…Time…It is Time!

If we so desired we could easily portray such a force as evil merely based on the impact it has upon the world. However such a perspective would not be accurate nor just.

Another important point regarding Greek spirituality is to recognize the one recurring and common symbol that has always been associated with the Greek sense of the sacred. This symbol is the Vedic Swastika. In the alleged city of Troy over 500 Swastikas were discovered. Thus this symbol is found over and over again and it is generally found in the most sacred and religiously important sites.

Whether it is the grand Swastika mosaic (seen above) found in Dion, Macedonia, Greece the ancient pilgrimage place and sacred city built at the foot of Mt Olympus….

Or the Ceremonial Swastika Shield of King Phillip, the father of Alexander the Great. This was discovered in his tomb and it is encircled with Swastikas. Again because it is a sacred ceremonial shield it is covered in Swastikas to symbolize its connection to the Divine. This Swastika held the same place of honor in Ancient Greek culture as it does today amongst Hindus, Buddhists, American Indians and others.

Ceremonial Swastika Shield of King Phillip, the Father of Alexander the Great

Here, on this ancient Greek warrior helmet 325 BC, we see a Swastika. Found at Herculanum.

Ancient Greek Swastika Bowl discovered at the site of Troy

We find other striking similarities between India’s Vedic culture and ancient Greece in the symbols of the Serpent and the Swastika. The Greek Cross has the same shape and form (crux quadrata) and is the basis for the swastika which was also called ‘fylfot’ or ‘tetraskelion’. Over 530 Swastikas were discovered in the ancient city of Troy by Schliemann. Details of this were presented in an article by the Northvegr Foundation entitled ‘Dispersion of the Swastika’.

“Figure 69 represents one Swastika in which the main arms cross at nearly right angles. Both ends of one arm turn to the left and those of the other arm turn to the right in figure 8 style. One of the ends is curved, the others bent at different angles. Fig. 70

shows the parallel lines representing segments of a circle similar to figs. 60, 64, 65 and 69, except that it has four instead of three. It has one Swastika; the main arms (of double lines) cross at right angles, the ends all curving to the left with a slight ogee.
The U. S. National Museum was, during 1893, the fortunate recipient of a collection of objects from Madame Schliemann, which her husband, before his death, had signified should be given to the United States as a token of his remembrance of and regard for his adopted country. He never forgot that he was an American citizen, and, preparing for death, made his acknowledgments in the manner mentioned. The collection consisted of 178 objects, all from ancient Troy, and they made a fair representation of his general finds. This collection is in the Department of Prehistoric Anthropology. In this collection is a spindle-whorl, found at 13 ½ feet (4 meters) depth and belonging to the fourth city. It had three Swastikas upon its face, and is here shown as fig. 71.
The Fifth City.–Schliemann says:
The rude stone hammers found in enormous quantities in the fourth city are no longer found in this stratum, nor did the stone axes, which are so very abundant there, occur again here. Instead of the hundreds of axes I gathered in the fourth city, I collected in all only two here. The forms of the terra-cotta whorls, too, are in innumerable instances different here. These objects are of a much inferior fabric, and become elongated and pointed. Forms of whorls like Nos. 1801, 1802, and 1803 [see figs. 72, 73, and 74], which were never found before, are here plentiful.

The Sixth and Seventh Cities.–The sixth city is described in “Ilios,” page 587, and the seventh on pages 608 and 618. Both cities contained occasional whorls of clay, all thoroughly baked, without incised or pointed ornamentation, and shed no further light on the Swastika.

Fig. 75 represents the opposite hemispheres of a terra-cotta ball, found at a depth of 26 feet, divided by incised lines into fifteen zones, of which two are ornamented with points and the middle zone, the largest of all, with thirteen specimens of

and .

Zmigrodzki says that there were found by Schliemann, at Hissarlik, fifty-five specimens of the Swastika “pure and simple” (pp. 809,826). It will be perceived by examination that the Swastika “pure and simple” comprised Swastikas of several forms; those in which the four arms of the cross were at other angles besides right angles, those in which the ends bent at square and other angles to the right; then those to the left (Burnouf and Max Müller’s Suavastika); those in which the bends were, some to the right and some to the left, in the same design; where the points tapered off and turned outward with a flourish; where the arms bent at no angle, but were in spirals each upon itself, and turned, some to the right, some to the left. We shall see other related forms, as where the arms turn spirally upon each other instead of upon themselves. These will sometimes have three, five, and six, for more arms, instead of four (p. 768). The cross and the circle will also appear in connection with the Swastika; and other designs, and zigzags (lightning), burning altars, men, animals, and similar representations will be found associated with the Swastika, and are only related to it by the association of similar objects from the same locality.”

In this we have direct verification of the Vedic links to ancient Greece. As in the Vedic tradition, the Swastika was not a mere decoration but rather it was always intimately associated with the sacred. It was also always connected with the cross and the disc.

Prof. Dr. Francisco Diez de Velasco discusses the similarities between Indian and Greek religion is his thesis ‘Serpentine Power in Greece and India’.

“The essential role played by serpents in some mythical Greek episodes does not appear to be sufficiently clarified. In view of the impossibility to find decisive explanations in the Hellenic culture itself, we decided to use an instrument of historical-religious analysis, the comparative method, to find an extra-Hellenic example with a sufficient degree of relevancy to enlighten the religious “reality” that underlies these serpentine episodes. The country where the systematization of the symbolism of the serpent is accessible and with a suitable development for our purpose is India. In this multiform culture we will try to find an example that offers an explanatory linkage for the sparse information that survives in the Hellenic culture… Gorgo seems a candidate to symbolize among the Greeks the radical alterity named Kundalini in Tantric tradition, a terrific power mastered by a select group of special men, transformed into heroes. Thanks to the Indian parallel we can better understand the subtle role of Hermes, the god in the Greek pantheon who best symbolizes the ritual of ascension and change to a new reality that is the experimentation of serpentine power, the alterity and strength of which are reflected in the hypnotic and terrifying glance of Gorgo… Among the Greeks knowledge seems to be attested of subtle or mystical physiology having a number of elements comparable with Indian Tantrism. The symbols (serpent, light, ascension) and the experience (importance of sex, access to a greater personal development) are similar. In the Greek case the information is hidden in the mythical language (in the literary or iconographical transmission), re-elaborated and transmitted in most cases by authors who are unaware of the real dimension of the facts they are relating. Without the instruments of the comparative method the sole interest of the vicissitudes of diviners such as Teiresias, Melampous or Branchos, heroes like Perseus or gods like Hermes is to show the ravings of mythical creation; in the light of the Indian example, the Greek myth grows in meaning and could be explained, in part… we are dealing with similar models to characterize extraordinary religious experiences. But the result is different and exemplifies the cultural adaptation produced in the social mentality in each country that seems to illustrate the archaism of the practices and permits us to refute a recent loan. Heroes, kings or diviners in the Greek case or creatures liberated from the bonds of human nature in the Indian case are two ways to represent the man who had developed potentialities beyond the reach of common human beings.”

Another interesting aspect of the Indo-Greek nexus is underscored by the research of Manoj Bhatty. In his thesis entitled ‘Antikythera mechanism origin - India or Greece - Ancient Indian Astronomy’ he states, “There is a good chance that the mysterious Antikythera mechanism had its origin in India. Let me elaborate on what Antikythera mechanism really is. In layman’s terms Antikythera mechanism is the world’s oldest computer! Yes, Antikythera mechanism is an ancient device that is closest to being a mechanical computer (or analog computer if you may) than any other ancient artifacts that range back to around 150 BC. Fundamentally Antikythera mechanism was very useful for extremely intricate astrological calculations and predictions and it has been found to be incredibly accurate and fairly advance for its time… the fact that the instructions were written in Greek language because Greeks didn’t know how to use the device! Add to it the fact that it was being shipped to Greece and it becomes a very strong argument in the favor of the assertion that it Antikythera mechanism was manufactured elsewhere for Greeks but not by Greeks. Another extremely important point that I’d like to make is that the timing of the whole thing coincides with Hipparchus’s reforms… Hipparchus was trying to improve Greek’s astrological sciences to get them to make more accurate predictions; this whole era being Greeks reaching out to outside world (Greeks students coming to Takshashila, India for studies is well documented) and it’s very likely that Antikythera mechanism was being shipped to Greece as a part of an effort to import some more advanced technologies. This again, sits well with the aforementioned facts that that Antikythera mechanism was found shipwrecked on its way to Greece and the verbose “how to use it” instructions written in Greek. Antikythera mechanism is just one of many such devices invented by Indians: Antikythera mechanism is essentially many different devices rolled into one. More specifically, if you start with an Armillary sphere (gola-yantra) and make adjustments (some complex ones) to include many other ancient astrological devices while using a clock like mechanism, you would end up with something like Antikythera mechanism. So, it’s not a mysterious thing, it’s just a rather advanced piece of machinery that hints at the craftsmanship and astrological knowhow of the people using it. The astute reader might make a case that later Greeks have also been known to use Armillary spheres but the problem is that even Greek Armillary spheres were not accurate enough. Greek’s Armillary spheres used ecliptical coordinate system while Indian Armillary spheres used Equatorial coordinate system (more accurate, while also providing a way to switch to ecliptical system if needed). And various other devices (yantras) like Yasti-yantra, Ghatī-yantra have been in use in ancient India since well before Antikythera mechanism so it follows that Indians must have had been trying to improvise on the devices they already had and came up with the Antikythera mechanism.”

We also find Vedic symbols such as the 3 shaped ‘OM’ sign in Crete. In the thesis entitled ‘Aum Sign in Crete’ the researcher Sunil Shrivastava writes in this regard, “While reading William Durant history book on Crete and Greek Civilization, I found that Crete people were worshipping snake, a mysterious letter 3, and a Fertility Goddess. The mysterious letter 3 would resurface in the temples discovered in Crete. It is clear that across the Middle East and the ancient world, peopled worshipped snakes. This was nothing new for people whose verbal traditions were basically the same. The snake worship was often associated with the Phallic Worship, which is a symbol of the Male Principle or the Father Principle Worship. The Fertility Goddess was the symbol of the Female Worship Principle. The number “3″ worship reminded me of the sign AUM, and many years back, I found it in the archives of Crete Museum, which I carefully saved in my private collection… like Hindus, the Troy people would cremate and mourn the dead for 13 days and on the last day of the mourning, they would have a feast. Their women would wear something like an Indian Sari. Troy and Crete were the early civilizations that influenced Greek Civilization. Ancient Greek and Sanskrit are very close. There is a lot of parallelism and similarity between Greek and Hindu Religion, Languages, Philosophies, Science and Astronomy. Lately, as the field of researchers has opened up the club of history writers, which was initially dominated by colonial historians, there is “pressure” to revisit these facts. There were some honest historians among the colonial historians but for obvious reasons, they were not very popular and accepted by their main stream brothers. History and Academia demand physical and “hard” proofs, such as the discovery of archaeological sites with artifacts. “Soft” facts like similarity in Languages, Religion, Philosophies, and Science are difficult to admit and usually hard to prove. Grudgingly, these similarities are being labeled under an unknown Proto-Indo European Civilization. DNA study, and other observations of mine, suggests that an ancient migration from the North-Western Region of Indian Peninsula to Europe took place in 40,000 BC.”

The Temple of the Oracle of Delphi was at the heart of ancient Greek Religion and Spirituality. As discussed earlier, the Shiva Linga or Omphalus was at the center of its Holy of Holies. Not only this, a Vedic phrase was inscribed at the Temple. An inscription stating ‘Gnothi Seauton’ meaning ‘Know Thyself’, reminded the visiting pilgrims of their goal of ‘Self Realization’. This goal represents the essence of the Vedic path. In the Sanskrit language this phrase is ‘Jnanoti Sotam’.

At the time of the migrations of the Indian Vedic people they moved into the Middle East and into the Mediterranean regions. In ancient Mesopatamia the Vedic God of the Waters, Varuna was known as Ea or Ayus and Indra, the God of storms and the King of heaven was known as Enlil. Both Balarama and Krishna were referred to as Baal as in Balarama and Bal Gopal. Lord Ramachandra or Rama is none other than Ra, the alleged Sun God of Egypt. In fact the disc emblem signified much more than the sun. Since the very sun itself was a symbol of the Supreme Being and was considered a manifestation of the Sudarshan Chakra of Vishnu, the solar emblem became the primary symbol for God. In the Yantra forms of both Rama and Krishna-Vaasudeva they are represented by disc. The Vedic Sun Yantra itself is connected to Rama and is presented as a disc encircling the name of Rama. This same disc was also represented by the Swastika, the Cross and the Ankh for they all symbolized the Supreme Godhead. The Sudarshana Chakra of Vishnu is the same emblem as well. Along with the disc we always find the eagle, the serpent and the lion. The image of the winged disc, usually accompanied by a serpent, symbolized the Supreme God across the world. Civilizations from India, the Mesopotamian region, Egypt, Judea, Ethiopia and the Americas all used the winged disc to symbolize God. So rather than ‘Sun Worshippers’ the Sun Disk, like Sacred Fire, was used as a tool for communion between the worshipper and the Divine. The Divine Goddess, the pleasure potency of the Divine, was referred to as Shakti and Shekinah. She was always associated with the Red Lotus, Rose or Flower and this was her symbol. Both God and Goddess were worshipped as the Divine Couple. They were as inseparable as Fire and Heat, Water and Wetness and the Sun and Sun-Light. Vishnu, himself, was worshipped by the ancient Babylonians and Sumerians as Marduk. Marduk was always associated with Mushushu. Mushushu was his carrier and was an amalgamated creature consisting of the Eagle Garuda, the Serpent Ananta Shesha and Hari the Lion.

The Vedic Fire God, Agnidev is considered to be the ‘Mouth of God’ and during Vedic Fire Yajna oblations, offerings are made to the Divinities and poured into the fire. We find the name ‘Agnidev’ in the Latin as ‘Agnus Dei’. ‘Agnus Dei’ symbolizes the same principle in both the Vedic and Christian traditions. Our English words ‘Ignite’, ‘Ignition’ and ‘Initiate’ are all rooted in ‘Agni’, the Sanskrit word for ‘Fire’.

Some may naturally question the conclusion that identifies the Gods of Greece with those of India. Yet we find that history itself confirms this view. The ancient Greek writer Arrianus’ short book ‘Indica’ clearly refers to various Greek Gods in relation to India. ‘Indica’ is one of the oldest surviving foreign descriptions of India. Flavius Arrianus was a biographer of Alexander the Great and he relied upon other Greek sources, like the writings of Niarchus, which are now lost.

He writes, “The looks of the people of India and Aethiopia are not entirely dissimilar. The Indians who live towards the south are more like the Aethiopians, they are black in their faces, and their hair is black; but they are not so flat nosed or so curly-headed as the Aethiopians. The more northern Indians would especially resemble the Egyptians in their bodies. Megasthenes says that there are in all 118 Indian nations. I myself agree with him that there are many Indian nations; but I am not able to conjecture how he learned the exact number and recorded it, for he only visited a mere fraction of India, nor do many of the races have any intercourse with each other. He says that in ancient times the Indians were nomads, like that section of the Scythians who are not agriculturists, but wandering about on wagons, live at one time in one part of Scythia and at another time in another part, neither inhabiting cities nor consecrating temples to the gods. So the Indians had no cities or temples built for the gods. They clothed themselves in the skins of the wild beasts which they killed, and ate the inner bark of certain trees, which are called tala in the Indian language, and, as upon the tops of palm-trees, there grow upon them things like clews of wool. They also fed upon the flesh of the wild beasts which they caught, eating it raw, until Dionysus came into their country. But when Dionysus came and conquered them, he founded cities and made laws for them, and gave the Indians wine as he had given it to the Greeks. He also gave them seeds and taught them how to sow them in the earth; so that either Triptolemus did not come to this part when he was sent by Demeter to sow corn through the whole earth, or this Dionysus came to India before Triptolemus and gave to the inhabitants the seeds of cultivated crops. Dionysus first taught them to yoke oxen to the plough, and made most of them become husbandmen instead of being nomads, and armed them with martial weapons. He also taught them to worship the gods, and especially himself with the beating of drums and the clashing of cymbals. He taught the Indians the Satyr-dance which among the Greeks is called the cordax, and to let their hair grow long in honour of the god. He also showed them how to wear the turban, and taught them how to anoint themselves with unguents. Wherefore even to the time of Alexander the Indians still advanced into battle with the sound of cymbals and drums… The Heracles, who according to the current report came to India, is said, among the Indians themselves, to have sprung from the earth. This Heracles is especially worshipped by the Sourasenians, an Indian nation, in whose lands are two great cities, Methora and Cleisobora, and through it flows the navigable river Jobares. Megasthenes says, as the Indians themselves assert, that this Heracles wore a similar dress to that of the Theban Heracles.”

The two cities of ‘Methora’ and ‘Cleisobora’ mentioned by Megasthenes are Mathura and Krishnapura. The ‘river Jobares’ is the Jamuna River and Hercules is Krishna as ‘Hari Kula Ish’ the ‘Lord of the Family of Hari.’

The scholar and researcher David Sherman has discovered many aspects of Vedic Vaishnavism at the heart of Western Religion. His vast explorations of the ancient religious traditions of the world reveal a common devotional revelation. This revelation appears to have been global in its scope.

“The Bridal Mysticism of this Rhoda-Kouros worship was at the core of the great Heliopolitan Civilization of Earliest Dynastic Egypt. According to legend, the Egyptian Capital of Heliopolis was founded by an actual son (Actis) or ‘ray’ of Rhoda and Helios Kouros. Tracing all of the interdisciplinary connections to Rhoda and Kouros worship led me back to the Biblical Bridal Mysticism Tradition in the Song of Songs, where the Divine Lovers Doda are clearly related to Rhoda and Rhodos, on their sacred Lotus Isle of Rhodes, in Greece. Thus the Bible calls the Rhodanim/Dodanim. Of course Rhoda and Rhodos Kouros are the East’s Radha Krishna! Their Hierophant and Master of Mysteries is Bal-Yahu-Dionysos, who in the East is Bala-Vasudeva (compare Vasudeva and Hebrew Toba-Yahu). Baladeva in his multi form as Dionysos Polieus is the ‘Descending Savior’ of all worlds (Messiah/Nyasa), the Deva Nyasas of God (Eli/Hari) who anoints/initiates, and who is himself anointed. Investigating these astounding connections further, I found interdisciplinary evidence of the entire salvific tradition of Radha, Krishna and Baladeva-Vishnu in the Mediterranean thousands of years before the Christian era. This tradition was clearly related to Pure Land Buddhism, and thus confirmed it as the earliest and most authentic form of Buddhism.”

Vrndavan Parker is currently working full time for the Dharmic cause. He is a founding member of WAVES, the owner and founder of Vedic Empire Productions, a founding member and former Vice-President of the Vedic Friends Association, and a former executive board member of Community Television of Lane County, Oregon.

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