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

Re: Aryans vs Hindu ancients! [Re: VJR] #12889 - 03/03/02 08:57 AM Edit Reply Quote

About Varna: For me it is strange why the only meaning for Varna is from vr=to colour. The more logical root meaning would be from vr=to choose (vrnoti). This last meaning we find in the word 'vara=choice" in 'svayam-vara'. An even older meaning is from vr=to cover, which we might have in "Varuna'. This last meaning may cover both other root meanings? The modern Hindi word knows of a verb 'varnan karna=to name, mention'. What is the root of this word in Sanskrit? The word 'caste' is from Portuguese 'casta'. The Indian word at that time was 'Jati' and not "Varna'. I have the impression, which might be a research subject, that the words Varna and even Jati were originally meant 'clan'. In the RigVeda we have the Arya Varna (mainly Puru: "Indian") and the Dasa Varna (mainly Anu: "Irani", calling themselves Daha, like in the inscription of Darius), which were both Arya people, but becoming somewhat hostile towards each other. Nowhere you cab find references that the Arya and Dasa Indoligists do not accept any caste structure in the RigVedic age. I hope to find out whether the word 'zai' in the clannames of the Pathan (presumably the Paktha of RigVeda) is related to Jati. In that case my suspicion would be fair. In the ArthaShastra we come accross occupations like the guilds of western Europe, but nowhere do we find a 'caste-like' rigidness of much later days. There too many occupations to put them into a Chaturvarnyam structure. Even the BhagavadGita which was certainly in vogue in the third century BC (Heliodorus, the Graeco-Bactrian, mentions Vasudeva and became a Bhagavata) has this shloka: BhagavadGita, chapter 4, verse 13: Chaaturvarnyam mayaa shristam gunakarmavibhaaghashah, tasya kartaaraam api maam vidhyakartaaram avyayam. The system of four Varnas are created by me based on guna=qualities and karma=acts, etc. Which means that there is no mention of the later caste-like situation!