as the great indradyumna marharaj continued his festivals

Hare Krishna Centre - Leicester, UK - Vedic Russia And The Children Of Tara

Written by James Robinson CooperThursday, 27 August 2015 18:43 - Last Updated Tuesday, 12 October 2021 15:01

As the great Indradyumna Marharaj continued his festivals throughout Russia, he came acrossProfessor Medvedev, the chairman of the religious affairs committee. The irony of theProfessors name was not lost upon Marharaj, “Medvedev” is a common Russian name meaning“bear”, however, its linguistic source is to be found within the Sanskrit language of Vedic India.

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The Sanskrit root “Ma” means “limit” this becomes “Mad” and “Mada” meaning “to enjoy to thelimit” “to become intoxicated” and from this comes “Madhu” meaning “honey”. “Mad” and“Madhu” meaning “honey” become the Russian “Med” meaning “honey” as seen in the Russianname “Medved” so named because a bear is a “honey eater”. The “Ved” comes from theSanskrit “Veda” meaning “knowledge” we see this in the Russian “Vedma” meaning “witch” as ina sorceress who has “knowledge” and its also seen in the Russian word “Os-ved-omlennost”meaning “knowledge”. And so “Medved” is ultimately derived from Sanskrit meaning “one whohas knowledge ( ved ) of honey ( med )” which is a bear as it “knows ( ved ) how to find honey (med )”.

As Marharaj spoke with Professor Medvedev, the Russian confided "The problem amongst ourleaders may not be so much in having to accept your movement but in accepting that this Vedicculture may have been the original culture of Russia. In Russia practically all scientists acceptthat Vedic culture once flourished here, the centre being in the Volga river region. The debateamongst our scientists is whether the Aryans came from India or if they originated here. Thereis much evidence that the Vedic culture existed here, most notably the Russian Veda”.

Intrigued Marharaj asked the professor to explain more about this Russian Veda. "It is famousamongst our people" Professor Medvedev continued "It is as old as Russia and the stories areexactly like those found in the Vedic scriptures. The central figure of the Russian Veda is apersonality called Krishen, he is the upholder of spiritual truths and the killer of many demons.His killing of a witch and a snake are exactly like the history of child Krsna killing the Putana andAghasura demons in the Bhagavat Purana. The Russian Veda however is not for children, itsfull of spiritual truths. This Vedic culture was once prevelant throughout the world".

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“Tara” has a special place within Russian and Slavic folklore. Amongst the Slavic people she isgolden Tara, the keeper of wisdom and the sister of Tarkh, the protector of the lands. Before the18th century, much of the land of Russia was known as Tartary, in maps throughout Europe itwas known as “the great Tartary” and when its people was asked why it was called Tartary theyreplied “we are the children of Tara and Tarkh”. The 1771 edition of the Encyclopaedia Brittanica says the following “Tartary, a huge country inNorthern Asia, bordering Siberia in the north and west is called the great Tartary. These Tartarsliving south of Muscovy and Siberia are called “astrakhan” “charkasy” and ”dagestani”. Thoseliving in the northwest of the Caspian sea are called Kalmyk tartars and occupying the territorybetween Siberia and the Caspian sea, Uzbek and Tartar mongols, who inhabited the north ofPersia and India and finally Tibetan, living in the northwest of China ( 881 ).” “Tara” in Sanskrit means “crossing” we see it in “Avatara” meaning “one who crosses ( tara )downwards ( ava )” and we also have “green tara” the Buddhist deity who helps people “crossover” at the time of death. Tara is formed from the Sanskrit root “Tr” meaning “to cross over” itthen becomes “str” meaning “scattered” “spread” “strewn” “star” its also the source of the words“star” “astral” “transit" and of course it produces the word “tara” meaning “crossing”. In the Vedas she is seen as a form of Goddess Kali. We have the Tara Devi temple in HimachalPradesh India and also the Tarapith temple in the village of Tarapith, India. She is also seen asthe Goddess of the stars reflecting her name “she who crosses ( tara ) over”, she is the wife ofBrihaspati, the guru of the Gods and the lover of Candra, the moon God. In Montenegro the Slavic people named Tara after their most beautiful river and canyon and thisbecame known as “The pearl of Montenegro”. In Siberia the same culture named one of theirmost prominent mountains “Tara” and In County Meath, Ireland, we have the “hill of Tara” thehome of the Irish Druids, the children of Danu and the high seat of the kings of Ireland. Tara likeDanu is a mother Goddess, a global phenomenon who nurtures and protects as arepresentative of mother nature and in her form of “Tara” she connects the cultures of Vedic,Slavic and Druid.

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The Russian Veda mentioned by Professor Medvedev was part of a culture which went beyondRussia, a culture which was prominent amongst the Slavic people who were the largest ethnicand linguistic groups of people throughout Europe. Their civilisation is described asIndo/European and was spread throughout Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Serbia, Czechoslavakia,Bulgaria, Belarusia, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Macedonia. The origins of thesepeople go back thousands of years to the time of their Gods Tarkh and Tara and they areintimately related to the ancient culture of Vedic India. Svetovid, pictured above, is one of many Gods worshipped in Slavic culture, in the Baltic stateshe is seen as the supreme God of war. His two main characteristics are he has four heads andhe is depicted as a shiny, white, luminous being. His robes are white, his hair is white, his divinehorses are white and he holds aloft a white shiny sword. In Sanskrit "Sveta" means "white" "bright" in the Vedas we find the Svetasvatara upanisadswhich means the "white mule upanisads" or "that which is carried across ( tara ) by a white (sveta ) horse ( asva )" and we also have "Svetadvipa" meaning "the island ( dvipa ) of the white( sveta ) milky ocean". Its easy to connect the Sanskrit "sveta" with the "svet" of "Svetovid"whose distinguishing features are "white" "bright" "light". Sveta meaning "white" eventuallycorrupted to become the word "white" as it went from "sveta" to "svit" to "hvit" to "hwit" andeventually the word "white". In Europe "sveta" meaning "white" bright" took on the meaning of"saintly" hence throughout the Slavic regions we find place names such as "Sveti Peter"meaning "Saint Peter". The second part which forms "Svetovid" is "vid" a Sanskrit word meaning "to know" "toperceive". Its the root of the vast storehouse of knowledge known as "Veda" and its difficult toimagine "vid" having a source other than the Vedas themselves and the Sanskrit language theyare written in. Throughout Europe "vid" meaning "to know" "to perceive" takes on the meaningof "seeing" and so we have "sveta" and "vid" meaning "light" and "seeing". Svetovid was alsoknown as "Belvid" and "Belbog" the "bel" is the Sanskrit "Bhalu" meaning the "Sun" and the"bog" is the Sanskrit "bhaga" meaning "God" the "God of the Sun". A picture is now emerging which connects this supreme God of war to the Sun and when weconsider that in Serbia the summer solstice is known as "vidovan" the day of Svetovid we cansee that Svetovid with his luminous appearance and his four heads represents the "all seeingeye of the Sun". This is further emphasised when we look at the importance of the divine whitehorse which accompanied Svetovid, in the temples of Svetovid there would be a white horsewhich took part in acts of divination. In the Vedas Surya, the God of the Sun traverses theuniverse on a chariot drawn by horses and this concept as well as the Sanskrit language can beseen in the Slavic God of war known as Svetovid.

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"Makosh" is the Slavic mother of destiny, she holds the horn of plenty and provides for thosewho are righteous. Her name is composed of "ma" whose source is the Sanskrit "matr" meaning"mother" and "kosh" is the Sanskrit "kosa" meaning "treasury" "accumulated wealth" and"provisions". Her daughters are "Dolya" and "Nedolya" known respectively as "fate" and "doom"."Dolya" is said to haunt you if you make the wrong choice, her name is from the Sanskrit "dola"meaning "oscillating" and "swinging" and "doloya" which means "doubtful" "uncertain"."Nedolya" is simply the Sanskrit prefix "na" meaning "none" as in "no dolya" "no fate" "nofortune". "Ognebog" "Stribog" "Dazbog" "Belbog" all have the suffix "bog" meaning "God" its source is theSanskrit "Bhaga" and "Bhagavan" meaning "God". Dazbog is a Slavic solar deity whose nameis formed from two Sanskrit words "dadati" meaning "to give" "gift" and also "bhaga" meaning"God". The same name is seen in the country of Iraq where we find its capital "Bhagdad"meaning "the gift ( dadati ) of God ( bhaga )" which is simply "Dazbog" in reverse. Ognebog isthe Slavic God of fire whose linguistic and cultural source reflects the Vedic God of fire "Agni".Stribog is known as the "God of the wind" he is in charge of winds and hurricanes and appearsas the mystical bird "stratim". His name may be related to the Sanskrit "str" which means"scattered" "strewn" "spread" its a Sanskrit root which gives us the words "star" and "astral".The Sanskrit "bhaga" which becomes the Slavic "bog" and the Iranian "Bhagdad" could also bepart of the African "Kilimambogo" and the "Mbagathi" river which seems to mean "the mind ( dhi) of God ( bhaga )". The Slavic "Yndra" is the thunder God, a hero who battles to protect Svarga loka ( heaven ) anda personality who controls the rain. In the Vedas we have Indra the God of thunder, the God ofrain and the King of heaven. It is futile to debate if "Yndra" the God of rain is related to "Indra"the God of rain, they obviously are. The Slavic Goddess of death is known as "Morana" in theVedas we have "Mara" the Goddess of death and we have "marana" meaning "death" showinghow the two cultures are one. Described as a divine force of nature "Maya" is a Slavic Goddesswho bears the gifts of mother earth. In the Vedas "Maya" is the regulatrix of this world, theuniversal mother upon which everything rests, both "Mayas" are synonymous conceptsemenating from a shared culture. Svarog is considered to be the supreme God whom all others pay their homage. He is seen asthe God of the Sun, the God of fire, the guardian of the sacrificial fire, the hearth of the homeand also the divine blacksmith. In Sanskrit Svar means "sky" "heaven" "Sun" "light" "lustre" weget "Svargaloka" meaning "the heavenly ( svarga ) realm ( loka )". This seems to be related to"Svarog" whose name is connected to the "Sun" and "heaven" and its possible his name wasoriginally "Svabog" meaning "the God ( bhaga ) of heaven ( svarga )" or "the God ( bhaga ) ofthe Sun ( svar )" just as we see in the names "Dazbog" "Stribog" "Belbog" and "Ognebog" infact we dont seem to see any other Slavic God whose name ends with "rog" so this may be acorruption of his original name "Svabog". “Jiva” in Sanskrit means “life” “soul” this seems to be related to the Slavic God of life and soulsknown as “Jiva”. “Svar” means “light” “sky” “heaven” this is related to “Svantovich” the God oflight and we also have “Mater Sva” the mother of the Sun and the mother of heaven, all of whichare cognate with this Sanskrit “svar”. “Simha” is Sanskrit for “lion” and this seems to be relatedto the half lion/half bird known as “Simargi”. “Devana” is the Slavic Goddess of the forest, inSanskrit “devana” can mean “the God ( deva ) of the forest ( vana )”. “Jurata” is a mermaid whofalls for a human, in a fit of jealousy Perun kills them and during storms their piteous wails aresaid to be heard. In Sanskrit we have “jarata” meaning “love affair” and this is most likelyrelated. “Domovoy” is the spirit of the house and this is related to the Sanskrit “dama” meaning“house” a word we see in “kingdom” “dominion” and “domestic”. We also have "Baba Yoga""Pater diy" " "Samodivas" "Bog Rojana" "Vanapagan" and many more which are obviouslycognate with the Sanskrit language.

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The swastika goes back in time at least 12,000 years according to archeology, its a Sanskritword “suasti” meaning “it is ( asti ) good ( su )”. Its origin seems to have been the sudarsanadisc of Lord Visnu, a spinning disc he used as a weapon. Sudarsana means “good ( su ) vision (darsana )” just as “suasti” means “it is ( asti ) good ( su )”. The Slavic culture has a similar symbol known as the “kolovrat” which like the suastika is aspinning wheel. Its name is formed from two words “kolo” meaning “wheel” and “vrat” whichmeans “spinning”. The “vrat” which means “spinning” is related to the Sanskrit “vrt” whichmeans “turning” “moving” as seen in the Sanskrit “vartate” meaning “to turn around”. “Vrt” is alsoseen in the English words “divert” “revert” “convert” “subvert” “pervert” as well as words such as“vortex” “vertigo” and “universe”. The meaning of “kolovrat” seems to be related to “cycles” just as the Vedic suastika representsthe universal cycles known as “yugas”. The kolovrat also represents the Sun which determinesthe cycles of day and night as well as the ever turning seasons. During burials the kolovrat orsuastika would be engraved upon wooden idols above the graves as a symbol of the everturning cycles of birth, death and rebirth. These symbols are an intimate part of Slavic culture, embroidered upon their clothes as seenabove. The youth of Vedic India should be similarly motivated to proudly display these culturalicons as the fabric of their every day life, after all why would one ignore ones greatest wealth.Veda is a treasure house of symbols, Sanskrit symbols, Vedic symbols, Devic symbols, anendless stream and one which should be infinitely expressed just as the Slavic people areproud of expressing their symbols such as kolovrat.

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Ukraine is a region which is on the Russian border, was once part of Russia and is part of theancient slavik history. In the region of mezine, archeologists dug a manmade ornament of a birdfashioned from the ivory tusk of a wooly mammoth. Carved upon this ornament was a swastika,which, at a date of between 12,000 and 15,000 years, makes it the oldest swastika ever found. The site where this was found was near the river "Desna" a Slavik name meaning "right hand"indeed throughout the Slavic languages we find "desni" meaning "right". The source of "Desna"meaning "right hand" is the Sanskrit "Daksina" meaning "right hand" we find this same name inthe Dalmatian island of "Daksa". A second archeological site in Mezine, known as Mezine 2, lies upon the fourth longest river inEurope known as the Dnieper. Its name is formed from two Sanskrit words "Danu" the ancientVedic Goddess and "Apara" meaning "not having a shore" "boundless". Originally "Danu apara"it became "Danapra" then "Dnipro" and finally its ancient history is obscured in its present name"Dnieper". "Daksa" which gives us "dakshina" which is the source of the river "Desna" was a greatprajapati whose offerings and fire sacrifices were done with such priestly ingenuity his veryname became synonymous with "right hand," even today we see his influence in the word"dexterity" meaning "one so skilled with his hands". As a prajapati, a projenitor of mankind, hehad many daughters, some of whom became great personalities. One such personality was hisdaughter "Devi Danu" of whom the Dnieper is so named. So these two Russian/Ukraine riverswhich flow close in the same region are not only Sanskrit names, they are, according to theVedas, father and daughter.

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The Danube is very much a part of Slavic folklore, its name comes from the Vedic GoddessDevi Danu. Danu is the wife of Kashyapa Muni, the Great Vedic sage of whom the country ofKashmir was named. From Danu we get the Danavas and from Kashyapas other wife, Diti, weget the Daityas. It is said that the ancient name for Germany was once Daityastan, it may havegone from Daityastan to Deutchland to the present name of Germany. The river Don which flows through Russia also gets its name from Devi Danu. The Dnieperwhich is very much a part of Slavic folklore was previously called the Dnipro and before that theDanapra and before that the Danu Apara. Danu is the Vedic Goddess and Apara meansboundless, distant, ect. The river Dniester is also very much a part of Slavik history, its name isjust like the Danube, the river Don and the Dnieper, its named after the Vedic Goddess Danu,being a combination of Danu and the river Ister. As well as the rivers named after the Goddess Danu we have numerous other rivers which flowthrough Russia and all seem to bear Vedic/Sanskrit names. The river Moksha, Kuma, Kama,Samara, Avacha, Dvina, Narada, Pichora, Siva, Surya, Vishera, Varonya, Angara, Pasha,Suna, Shuya, Syamozero, Sura, Pushma, Vaja, Valgu, Ira, Sesupe, Usa, Karak, Krasnaya,Angrapa, Kala, Padma, Sagora, Oka, Sarah, Sukhana, Ravan, Indola, Indomanka, Sindosa,Varna, Striga, Svaika, Hvarzenta, Arza, Pana and the river OM, the majority of these namesreflecting the ancient Vedic/Sanskrit culture. And finally we have the Russian language itself which is intimately related to the Sanskritlanguage as the following tables present.

“ In the sphere of vocabulary, there is such a large number of words which are common to thesetwo languages ( Sanskrit and Russian ) that it has not been possible to mention all of them inthis chapter. Only a list of basic words common to both these two languages has been given.Moreover, as explained in the succeeding paragraphs of this chapter many of the grammaticalrules are common to both these languages and the number of words common to these twolanguages formed after the application of such common grammar rules could be furthermultiplied. This is not so when we compare Sanskrit with any other language belonging to theIndo-European group, leaving aside Iranian and Persian.“(p.14) India & Russia – Linguistic &Cultural Affinity. Dr. Weer Rajendra Rishi (1917 – 2002) was a well known Indian linguist. Hewas fluent in Russian and worked in the Indian Embassy in Moscow between 1950—1952.

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" The Vedic literature opens to us a chamber in the education of human race to which we canfind no parallel anywhere else. Whoever cares for the historical growth of our language andthought, whoever cares for the first intelligent development of religion and mythology, whoevercares for the first foundation of Science, Astronomy, Metronomy, Grammar and Etymology,whoever cares for the first intimation of the first philosophical thoughts, for the first attempt atregulating family life, village life and state life as founded on religion, ceremonials, traditions andcontact must in future pay full attention to the study of Vedic literature." - Max Muller - Indiawhat it can teach us.

" Indian art had accompanied Indian religion across straits and frontiers into Sri Lanka, Java,Cambodia, Siam, Burma, Tibet, Khotan, Turkestan, Mongolia, China, Korea and Japan. In Asiaall roads lead from India.” Will Durant (1885-1981) American historian

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“ I take issue with the old school of thought that the cultural and civic life we Westerners enjoyoriginated in the works of Greek and Roman philosophers. Instead the mind and soul thatinspired our words sprang from neither Greece nor Rome, but from an Indo/European homelandlocated much further north. In truth according to my studies the history of we Westerners doesnot begin with the Greeks, we were invented along with the Greeks by Vedic poet seers throughtheir mother tongue, Sanskrit, which evolved into Greek and Latin, which are simple phoneticvariants of it.“. Franco Rendich - Comparative etymology Sanskrit, Latin and Greek If anyone wishes to make a comment please scroll down to the bottom and click "submitcomment".

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as the great indradyumna marharaj continued his festivals

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