Ishwa helper Reged: 03/03/02 Posts: 553

Re: The Gita in Tihar Jail [Re: Vishal_Agarwal] #16550 - 05/22/02 05:26 AM Edit Reply Quote

It would be very interesting to explore the many chronological layers of the Giit� and other epic works: 1. N�r�yana 2. Vishnu-N�r�yana 3. Krshna-Vaishnava Phase 1 N�r�yana was actually the original God invoked. The Bh�gavatas were N�r�yana worshippers. N�r�yana was equal to Purusha in the Vedas. The person who was involved in this was the ancient V�sudeva, who must have been well-versed in the older P�nchar�tra and Bh�gavata systems (not Vaishnava, but N�r�yana). This cult was rising in the end of the Mantra period and the beginning of the Samhit� and Br�hmana period. That's when the Panchar�tras are mentioned in the Shatapatha Br�hmana. This V�sudeva might be Vy�sadeva himself. A hint in that direction is that Vy�sa is a V�sishtha, whose archmother is Urvashii, the daughter of N�r�yana! (Mother veneration, which we can also see in the name of Pururavas Aida/Aila, names after his mother Il�, and never after his father, though his dynasty is.) (This is also the period in which Rudra and Shiva are merging: Rudra is an ancient Vedic name of God, Shiva is a royal Anava hero, whose son Shivi Aushiinara became an emperor and whose dynasty spread the Shiva cult in their hilly Panjab territories. Maybe the Vr�tyas are responsible for the spread of this cult, bringing it from the northwestern deeply in the Gangetic and to the south.) Phase 2 The N�r�yana cult is merging into the rising Vaishnava cult after the Mah�bh�rata period (after the Bh�ratam of 24.000 verses). Vishnu is from the Buddhistic period on gradually replacing Indra. Vishnu takes over the traits of Indra. In the meantime (I don't know when exactly in this phase), Vishnu takes over the N�r�yana traits, and the Bh�gavatas become gradually Vaishnavas (and also Shaiva). V�sudeva merges probably in this phase with H�riita Krshna, the Yogic hero, son of Devakii and pupil of Ghora Aangirasa (Sankarshana as a fertility aspect is being absorbed in Rudra-Shiva. The Tantric aspects of Shaivas rises.) Phase 3 The Vaishnavas concentrate now on especialy the pastoral aspect of Krishna (fusion with H�riita-V�sudeva and V�sudeva Krshna, the prince). The older works are re-cast according to this new Krshna-Vaishnava dosctrine/cult. The Sankarshana cult is also absorbed by the Vaishnavas (Some Shaiva cult becomes more and more Tantric and some even morbide). The Giit� changed its shape, but not the deep philosphy. It remained its high quality through the ages. It's remained the key to the thought of the Vedic essence.