Pradyaus

In my  previous post  I had highlighted how significant the Ashvattha or pipal tree is in the Vedic tradition and rituals, and since this tree is native to India, the Vedic tradition too is deeply rooted within India by the time Vedic literature developed. In this post, I further elaborate few more important Vedic ritual elements based on flora and fauna which binds Vedic tradition to the Indian subcontinent. First, let us look into the Yupastambha. The Yupastambha or simply Yupa is the ritualistic pillar or post used in Vedic rituals. It forms a significant part of Vedic sacrifices since the animals used for offerings in the rituals are tied to it.  Nambuthiri Brahmins of Kerala planting the Yupastambha as part of Vedic ritual performance. Source - Shrautam by Rajan Chungath The Aitareya Brahmana (2.1) of Rig Veda, an important Vedic ritual text, mentions the significance of the Yupastambhas and how the Yupastambhas are to be made with woods of specific trees, viz Khadir...

  Introduction Much has been written about the Aryan invasion of India by nomadic pastoral Indo-European speaking Aryans who moved into India after the era of Harappan civilization, starting around 1500 BCE according to various authors. Although recent evidence from numerous studies in different fields do not support any sort of large scale influx of foreign population into India during this period, many authors still cling on to this theory. Even worse, there are people who stick to the old racial theory about Aryan invasion, where the Indo-European Aryans are said to be fair complexioned, light haired and eyed ‘white’ invaders from eastern Europe and the Steppes who subjugated the native dark complexioned aboriginal non-Aryan population of India and enslaved or massacred them after destroying their civilization and made them flee to south. The aborigines are said to be the Dasas or alternatively the Dasyus in Vedic literature as per the proponents of this view. This view is still...