Re: Indo-European Studies
Gerold Firl (geroldf@sdd.hp.com)
7 Jul 1995 12:47:29 -0700
In article <3tj00p$d0t@elron2.elron.net> Ori Pomerantz <ori> writes:
> Another possibility is that the Vedas are invention of the pre-Aryan
>population, TRANSLATED to the ruling class's Sanskrit. That would also
>explain the lack of Aryan cultural influence.
The spirit of the vedas is entirely foreign to the native tradition of
india, as is the sanskrit language. The vedas give a perfect description of
cultural ebb and flow, as the aryan invaders were slowly absorbed by the
dravidian underclass. The caste system attempted to fossilize the
aryan/dravidian light/dark heirarchy using an early form of aparteid, but
within a few centuries, a millenium at most, a blending of the ways was
complete, which swung strongly back to the pre-aryan philosophy.
This is not to say that IE influence on subsequent indian culture was
negligible. It has had significant impact. While shiva is an almost
completely pre-IE deity, brahman and vishnu, the other legs of the hindu
trinity, show elements of the IE cosmology. The krishna-cult, as another
example of the man-god theme so popular in the west, is probably the best
example of a long-standing influence from the western invasions.
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