Re: What were the gods of the Indus Valley Civilization?
hariḥ om̐
~~~~~~
svāgata
rakovsky writes,
a key term in prayer and theology is "Ishvara", the Lord. Wikipedia claims that this term is not in Rigveda as meaning God:
I have a different view on this matter... if one was unaware (wikipedia) that the veda-s used to be one, then a thought may arise that īśvara could be ‘missing’.
Yet let's look into this.
We are told in the viṣṇu purāṇa ( and again in the vāyu purāṇa) book 3, chapter 4 by none other than the sage parāśara-ji that it was his son kṛṣṇa dvaipāyana, known as veda-vyāsa, that divided up the veda. Not only that, he said veda-vyāsa is the 28th vyāsa ( compiler, some say ‘splitter’); hence this division occurred 27 times before, each occurring in the dvāpara age, and also done by parāśara-ji. The veda was one, with 4 portions in it. It was then separated into 4 ~books~.
Many times ( I hope) the reader has also bumped into the name trayīvidyā when talking of the veda i.e. the trayī , the triple veda. That of ṛg, sāma, and yajus. The recitation of hymns or ṛg (the rik’s as they sometimes called), performing sacrifices or yajña (yajur), and chanting of verses (sāma). All working together. The hymns in the ṛg veda feed the sāma, and yajus veda's.
So what is the implication here?
Finding īśvara is not too hard.
- īśvara = master, lord, Supreme Being. It comes from īśa which is powerful, supreme. I will save the reader from more grammar rules on how it becomes īśvara.
Yet where is an example of finding this in the veda-s? None other than the īśāvāsya upaniṣad, of only 18 śloka-s ( + śānti pāṭha introduction). It talks of the fullness of life and the fruition of life that one can enjoy this fullness. And where do we find this īśāvāsya upaniṣad? It forms part of the mantra-s ( some like to call verses or pādaḥ) or saṁhitā section of the yajur-veda; it is the 40th and final chapter.
Are there more examples? Yes, but again will spare the reader.
One last note:
We know īśvara = Supreme Being = Brahman = oṁ ( some like aum, others prefer ॐ).
To suggest īśa is not in the veda-s is to suggest there is no water in the ocean.
इतिशिवं
iti śivaṁ
यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
because you are identical with śiva
_
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