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

Re: Aryans vs Hindu ancients! [Re: priyadarshi] #16832 - 05/29/02 04:46 AM Edit Reply Quote

As Varna denoted in the RigVeda most probably 'culture', applied especially to the Five Tribes (PanchaJanya), the people within the own culture or Varna had their own professions. In the RigVedic period kings could be easily become brahmin, etc. If you choose, you get a position (circle). When you (ful)fill that position, you cover up and vitalize that position (colouring the circle). So in this way all the meanings as far as I know of Vr are summarized. Another indication that Vr-Varna has to do with culture or community is the cognate word Vrj-Vrjana-Varga. The word vrjana means a community, varga means a group. Note: Vr gets the infix 'nu' in a certain class of verbs for its conjugation. There are 10 conjugation classes, divided mainly in thematic and athematic ('a' infix). The 'n' infix belongs to two athematic classes: one with only "n", and one with 'nu'. About M. Witzel His article sounds very surrealistic to me. He was one of the most fierce advocators of the invasionists. Though he has a great linguistic knowledge, he was so pre-occupied by putting Aryan and Vedic beginnings outside India that he went into very harsh e-dialogues full of strange accusations towards especially Rajaram and the 'indigenous or OI-group". Hopefully M. Witzel can apply his vast linguistic knowledge within the new direction how and when the Arya moved out of India. India has many great historians, but very few top linguists or top historical linguists. Shri S.S. Mishra is one of them. A profound knowledge of Sanskrit, philology, linguistics and history is needed and the flexibility to exchange findings with explorers in other fields, like archeology, (palaeo-)biology, etc. Rewriting the History of India shouldn't be done en rancune and certainly not with emotions. It's a real and difficult professional discipline, which will take many years and hurdles, because the problem is complex. But the starting point and some directions are at least clearer now.