(Hinduism A Perspective)

What is the origin of Hinduism? Who were the people who introduced this religion? Who are these Aryans and Dravidans? Is it one of these people who brought Hinduism to India?

Some people contend that there was a race called dravidians who were the aborigines of Indian Subcontinent (while some say they too migrated into India) and the aryans migrated towards India from central Asia pushing the dravidians to the South. There are very many variations of this story. But in many of these dravidians are supposed to be of black complexion, short, acquainted with urban culture, worship Lord shiva shakti (pashupati). The aryans in contrast (the real contrast things are put forward, why !!) white in complexion, well built, rural inhabitants and worship the nature. There were fights between dravidians and aryans in which aryans pushed down the dravidians living in the banks of river sindhu Southwards and settled in the Northern plains of India.

Problems with Aryan Dravidian race theory

There are lots of problems with the above said visualizations. The latest findings on the Indus valley civilization show that it is actually Saraswati valley civilization and the river saraswati which was the lifeline of the people living in those areas dried up, which would have caused them to move out of that area to the more fertile East and South. Also if the epics like rAmAyanam are the victory of aryans over dravidians, how will one justify a black rAmA to be an aryan and a brahmin rAvaNa to be a dravidian (dravidians by the theory put forward did not have castes and only aryans had it) ! So is KrishNa the hero of the other epic is black ! Further Lord shiva is depicted in the flame like color who was worshiped by dravidians. The vEdas which were supposed to be written by aryans by this theory hails the God as pashupati, which is the name of the God of dravidians !!

Truth of Aryan and Dravidian

Then what could have been the truth ? Both these words are found in the scriptures. Then who are they ? The word aarya is used as a respectable title than a word to indicate the race. If people call in English the kings and the royal family with respect as sir, could one say long time later in future that there was a race of "sirs" who ruled over the race called peasant race and other races ? And the word dravida is a term used to indicate the land, which is the southern part of the Indian subcontinent than any race. The word aryAvarta thus means the place where noble thoughts rose than the place of settlement of a race. (Obvious as here is where the pioneer university of nAlanda stood, this is the place where the Himalayan rivers flow throughout the year making peaceful places for the sages to stay - even today). So what appears is a complete misinterpretation of the Hindu scriptures. Whatever it is, this theory has been used in the past to divide and corrupt the minds of the people especially the Hindus and to make them feel faulty of the history of their religion while in reality they have to be proud of a real glorius ancient origin and history.

If the purANas which were compiled very many centuries ago when there was no controversies of Aryan or dravidian present, to be taken into account they describe that the Hindu discipline and the worship of Lord shiva, Lord viShNu and other devas were present throughout this globe in all the seven Continents (sapta dvIpAni).(1) If this is the case then there is no question of which people introduced this Hinduism onto others as all were practicing the same. While in the other parts of the world the roots have got lost in a later period in bharata varSham (India) it stood strong in the spirit of the people.

There is a good amount of debate that is going on this subject. Why not leave this to the historians to check out, on the basis of facts? The time that is eaten up by these kinds of debates could be well utilized to find out and bring to practice the wealth of goodness available through Hinduism. Who cares who were the original people who practiced it etc? The point looked for should be the usefulness of things than digging out whose it is.

Today Hinduism is a very matured and highly useful religion with very rich philosophies in this world. Whoever have contributed to this growth, all those great people let us praise, irrespective of whether they belonged to Arctic or Antarctic. What matters is the Truth. Let us repeat the vedic statement, "Let good things come from all the directions." May the Supreme Luminance illuminate all our hearts.

 

Let me not think, "Whose is this fellow ?" but rather think, "This person is our own." Oh kUDalasangamadEva, make me think that I am one son in Your "big house".
- basavaNNa

Ref:
1. Shivamaha puranam