Anything which occurs in Nature needs to be processed to suit Human needs, be it Fruits, Vegetables,Pulses,Water and even the things which we use in our daily lives.
Gold,Diamond and the like also need to be processed to before they are used.
A child is born out of the union of the parents and the child would definitely have their influences both biological and psychological.
Apart from this, according to Indian Philosophy, every action begets equivalent and opposite reaction in the individual, be it an action performed at the mental,physical and even at the Speech level.
All and any of these actions produce a set of feelings, emotions and anxiety with them.
The actions and the reactions in the mind, all being forms of energy can not be destroyed or denied.
These stick to the individual as dust settles on things over a period of time.
These determine one’s dispositions towards Life and direct one’s behavior while facing Life.
These tendencies are given the name ‘Samskaras’
These may be good or bad form an empirical point of view.
To clean the individual the Rites are prescribed by the Sastras.
The term Brahmacharya means, ‘going after Brahman’ ,The Reality.
This has two connotations in practice.
One is engaging oneself in the pursuit of Reality.
Lord Hanuman In Sitting Posture.
The other is the virtue of practicing celibacy.
Let us study the Etymology of the word.
The word brahmacharya stems from two Sanskrit roots:
Brahma (ब्रह्म, shortened from Brahman), means “the one self-existent Spirit, the Absolute Reality, Universal Self, Personal God, the sacred knowledge”.
charya (चर्य), which means “occupation with, engaging, proceeding , behaviour, conduct, to follow, going after”..This is often translated as activity, mode of behaviour, a “virtuous” way of life.
So the word Brahmacharya literally means a lifestyle adopted to seek and understand Brahman – the Ultimate Reality.
In historic literature of Hinduism, it means “devoting oneself to Brahman”.
In modern literature, it is commonly translated to mean celibacy for those unmarried, and fidelity to one’s partner when married.
In ancient and medieval era Indian texts, the term brahmacharya is a concept with more complex meaning. Brahmacharya embodies in its meaning an overall lifestyle that helps the pursuit of sacred knowledge and spiritual liberation.It is a means, not an end, and usually includes cleanliness, ahimsa, simple living, studies, meditation, voluntary restraints on certain diet, intoxicants and behaviors (including sexual behavior)’
So, one interpretation, which is basic, is that Brahmacharya means making efforts to Realize Brahman, The Reality.
Brahman can be realized, according to scriptures, with the help of a Preceptor, Guru..
Though the Smritis /Sruthi declare that Brahmacharya begins with Upanayana, at an early age with the Upanayana, which is recommended at ages between 5 , 7, and 9,people were aware that the quest for Brahman might arise in an individual at a later date, say at the age 25, 30, 40 or even 50.
In such cases by following of the enquiry into the nature of Brahman, one becomes a Brahmachari, a Student.
He could be a married man or woman.
Being married or unmarried , man or woman is no hindrance in pursuing the Reality Brahaman.
We have many Grahasthas, married people as great Rishis, Vasishta,Krupar,Kashyapa, Agastya, Gargi , Maitreyi.
Therefore these great souls, though married are students, Brahmacharis, as they pursued Brahama Gnana.
Hence a Married man is also a Brahmachari in this sense.
Brahmacharya indicates a Stage of life, that of study.
The four Asramas are
Brahmacharya,
Gruhastha,
Vanaprastha and Sanyasa.
These relate to the dispositions and the actions being contemplated upon by the individual, while Celibacy is a part of Sadhana marga which expedites spiritual journey.
Coming to Celibacy,
Celibacy is essential in preserving the Semen from falling to the ground or flowing down as this hinders the spiritual growth,
It is called Urthvarethas,
Meaning that the semen flows upwards through the Chakras in the body to reach the Sahasrara in the head,
This Celibacy is called Naishtika Brahmacharrya.(not allowing the semen to flow down)
Bhishma is a Naishtika Brahmachari.
He is the only Naishtika Brahmachari, apart from Hanuman.
This is the reason, why Devavrataha, was called Bhishma, one who does the Impossible.
In the case of the Grahasthas, so long as their object of physical interaction is to produce progeny without Lust, they are also rated high in the scheme of things.
King Janaka is one such.
Therefore a married one can also be called a Brahmachari, provided he/ she is after the enquiry into the Nature of Brahman.
I had written on Aztecs , Mexico and in Central America.
I mentioned that the term Aztec ,
‘AZTEC OF MEXICO is derived from “worshipper of Ashtabhuja or Ashtak ( 8 armed ) ” , the eight armed God- found in Mexican temples.’
Hindu Trinity – Brahma- Vishnu- Shiva and the Mexican Trinity are Ho- Huitzilopochtli- Tlaloc …
The idols were represented with serpents round their heads, as for Lord Shiva.-basically raised Kundalini.
The Swastika sign of this area , seen on a “huaco” pot had with four dots inside, a Vedic sign .
The ancient American’s dresses (male and female) were simple and similar to those of Hindu dresses.
Aztec Kingdom.
Ayar Inoa King used to wear a turban, earring and a trishul type trident in his hand…
A festival called Sita-Ram (Situa – Raimi) was celebrated in Mexico during Nav-Ratri or Dussehra period which has been described on page 5867 in the book ‘Hamsworth History of the World’. ( read my post0
Both in Central and South America, there are found Sati cremation, priesthood, gurukul system, yajna, birth, marriage and death ceremonies to some extent similar to the Hindus. When Pizarro killed Peruvian King Atahualpa his 4 wives committed Sati—or self sacrifice..
Caste system among Aztecs, AS in Hinduism,
“From child-birth to cremation and Sati the Astecs observed almost all Hindu rituals including the Gurukula system of education followed in India. The Incas of Peru with Ayar Brahman ancestry observed the sacred thread ceremony, the ear-piercing ceremony all other Hindu rituals and rigidly observed the caste systems of India. It is not without reason that the Spanish author Lopez says in his book Le Races Aryans de Peru : “”Every page of peruvian poetry bears the imprint of Ramayana and Mahabharata.’..
People in Aztec society had clearly defined roles. These roles, along with social class, determined how Aztec men and women lived. Aztec society was organized into groups called calpullis (kahl-POOH-yees). A calpulli was a community of families that shared land, schools, and a temple. Each calpulli elected a leader who took orders from the king.
The Upper Class
Kings and Nobles
The king was the most important person in Aztec society. He lived in a great palace that had gardens, a zoo, and an aviary full of beautiful birds. Some 3,000 servants attended to his every need. Of these servants, 300 did nothing but tend to the animals in the zoo, and 300 more tended to the birds in the aviary! Other servants fed and entertained the emperor.
The king was in charge of law, trade and tribute, and warfare. These were huge responsibilities, and the king couldn’t have managed them without people to help. These people, including tax collectors and judges, were Aztec nobles. Noble positions were passed down from fathers to their sons. As a result, young nobles went to special schools to learn the responsibilities they would face as government officials, military leaders, or priests.
Priests and Warriors
Just below the king and his nobles were priests and warriors. Priests in particular had a great influence over Aztecs’ lives. They had many duties in society, including:
keeping calendars and deciding when to plant crops or perform ceremonies,
passing down Aztec history and stories to keep their tradition alive,
performing various religious ceremonies, including human sacrifice.
Aztec warriors also had many duties. They fought fiercely to capture victims for religious sacrifices. Partly because they played this role in religious life, warriors had many privileges and were highly respected. Warriors were also respected for the wealth they brought to the empire. They fought to conquer new lands and people, bringing more tribute and trade goods to enrich the Aztec civilization.
The Middle Class
Not really members of the upper class, merchants and artisans fell just below priests and warriors in Aztec society. Merchants gathered goods from all over Mesoamerica and sold them in the main market. By controlling trade in the empire, they became very rich. Many used their wealth to build large, impressive houses and to send their sons to special schools.
Like merchants, most artisans were also rich and important. They made goods like beautiful feather headdresseMachu pichuMachs and gold jewelry that they could sell at high prices. Many of the richest artisans lived in Tenochtitlan. Other artisans, who lived outside the capital and made items for everyday use, lived more like the lower class. Artisans from other tribes often sent crafts to the Aztecs as tribute.
The Lower Class
Farmers and slaves were in the lower class of Aztec society. However, some people could improve their lives and positions by becoming warriors in the army or studying at special schools.
Most of the empire’s people were farmers who grew maize, beans, and a few other crops. Farmers did not own their land, and they were very poor. They had to pay so much in tribute that they often found it tough to survive. Farmers lived outside Tenochtitlán in huts made of sticks and mud and wore rough capes.
No one in the Aztec Empire suffered as much as slaves did. Most of the slaves had been captured in battle or couldn’t pay their debts. Slaves had little to look forward to. Most were sold as laborers to nobles or merchants. Slaves who disobeyed orders were sacrificed to the gods.
Hinduism Aztecs
Brahmins Priests
Kshatriya Kings/Warriors/Nobles( In Hindusim all the three are included in Kshatriya)
Vaisya Merchants, Artisans,Farmers( Vaisya includes these sub groups)
Sudra Slaves( Sudras were not treated as Slaves in Hinduism)
Iran was apart of Hindu Empire during the Vedic Period.
This continued to be so till Vikramaditya’s period.
The Faravahar, believed to be a depiction of a fravashi
The customs and cultural behaviour of the Zoroastrians indicate the Vedic roots of Zoroastrianism.
A treaty signed by the Hittites and Mitannis dating to the fourteenth century BC calls upon Indara/Indra, Mitras(il)/Mitra, Nasatianna/Nasatya and Uruvanass(il)/Varuna, all known to Rig-Veda and Avesta.
I had posted articles about the Vedic /Tamil origin of these people.
Though there are similarities the roles of the Devas seem to have been reversed.
(haoma (soma), daha(dasa), hepta (sapta), hindu (sindhu), and Ahura (Asura) in Avesta)
Indra and the devas are demonic in Avesta,and Ahura/asura is considered the highest deity.
“At the time of composition of the Vedas, Varuna was losing his importance to Indra. In Avesta, Ahura Mazda is the main divinity and some people think that he is thesame as Varuna. Varuna sat with his spies who flew all around the world and bought back reports on the conduct of mortals. He abhorred sin and loathed evil deeds prompted by anger, drink and gambling.”
Probably a sect left on this issue and had a role in this difference.
Rig Veda is dated around 5000 BC while Avesta is dated around 1000 BC.
The Chief God worshiped in the Vedas is Agni,Fire.
Zoroastrians are Fire worshipers.
Another important connection is Upanayana ceremony which is the primary duty of a Hindu.
Zoroastrians have a similar Ceremony ‘Navjote’
‘The Navjote[pronunciation?] (Persian: سدرهپوشی, Sedreh pushi) ceremony is the ritual through which an individual is inducted into theZoroastrian religion and begins to wear the Sedreh and Kushti. The term navjote is used primarily by the Zoroastrians of India (theParsis), while sedreh pushi is used primarily by the Zoroastrians of Iran. Zoroastrians from Pakistan consisting of both Parsis andIranis use both terms…
Although there is no upper limit to the age of the individual for which the ceremony takes place, in common practice it occurs before a girl or boy reaches maturity. Under no circumstances is it permitted to be done for a child less than seven years of age since the child at that age range cannot comprehend the significance of the event.
In Vendidad 18.54, individuals above the age of 15 (once considered the age at which one attained adulthood) who are not yet been invested are said to be likely to fall into evil ways. In the 9th-12th century texts of Zoroastrian tradition, the same group are said to bekushad davarashni, literally “running about improperly clothed”. So for instance Menog-i Khrad 2.35 and the Book of Arda Viraf(25.6.10). The latter considers such a thing to be a service to demons (the daevas). Other texts of tradition that define adulthood as the boundary include the Sad-dar 10.1 and Shayast na-Shayast 10.13. ,.
The ceremony is traditionally the first time a Zoroastrian wears the sedreh undershirt and kushti belt, which they then continue to wear for the rest of their life. The sacred clothing signifies parental responsibility as well as responsibility for the one who is undergoing this ceremony. When the child wears the sacred clothes, it means the parents are now obligated to morally and religiously educate the child. If the child commits a wrongful act, it is their responsibility, as they may also take some pride in themselves when their child commits a righteous act. The sacred thread and shirt also teach the child responsibility, as they are to be untied before certain practices, such as prayer, bathing, and before meals, and re-tied shortly after the task is completed.
The shirt has a construction extremely specific to this culture.
Upanayana of Hinduism.
Upanayana is an important Samskara, duty of a Hindu.
The three Varnas, Brahmana, Kshatriya and Vaisya must have this performed.
Read my posts on Samskaras.
The wearing of the sacred thread opens the inner eye.
Zoroastrianism was founded by the Prophet Zoroaster (or Zarathustra) in ancient Iran. The precise date of the founding of Zoroastrianism is uncertain. An approximate date of 1500–1200 BCE has been established through archaeological evidence and linguistic comparisons with the Hindu text Rig Veda. However there is no way of knowing exactly when Zoroaster lived, as he lived in what, to his people, were prehistoric times.Depending on different approaches, it is thought that he lived some time between 1700 BCEto 500 BCE .Zoroaster was born in either Northeast Iran or Southwest Afghanistan. He was born into a Bronze Age culture with a polytheistic religion, which included animal sacrifice and the ritual use of intoxicants. This religion was quite similar to the early forms of Hinduism in India. The name Zoroaster is a Greek rendering of the nameZarathustra. He is known as Zartosht and Zardosht in Persian and Zaratosht in Gujarati. Zoroaster’s birth and early life are little documented. What is known is recorded in theGathas—the core of the Avesta, which contains hymns thought to be composed by Zoroaster himself. Born into the Spitama clan, he worked as a priest. He had a wife, three sons, and three daughters. Zoroaster rejected the religion of the Bronze Age Iranians, with their many gods and oppressive class structure, in which the Karvis and Karapans(princes and priests) controlled the ordinary people. He also opposed animal sacrifices and the use of the hallucinogenic Haoma plant (possibly a species of ephedra) in rituals, but held the rooster as a “symbol of light”and associated the cock with “good against evil” because of his heraldic actions..
* Cock is associted with Sunbrahmanya.
According to Zoroastrian belief, when Zoroaster was 30 years old, he went into the Daiti river to draw water for a Haoma ceremony; when he emerged, he received a vision ofVohu Manah. After this, Vohu Manah took him to the other six Amesha Spentas, where he received the completion of his vision.[51] This vision radically transformed his view of the world, and he tried to teach this view to others. Zoroaster believed in one creator God, teaching that only one God was worthy of worship. Furthermore, some of the deities of the old religion, the Daevas (Devas in Sanskrit), appeared to delight in war and strife. Zoroaster said that these were evil spirits and were workers of Angra Mainyu, God’s adversary.
Zoroaster’s ideas did not take off quickly, and, at first, he only had one convert: his cousin Maidhyoimanha.The local religious authorities opposed his ideas. They felt their own faiths, power, and particularly their rituals, were threatened because Zoroaster taught against over-ritualising religious ceremonies. Many ordinary people did not like Zoroaster’s downgrading of the Daevas to evil spirits. After 12 years, Zoroaster left his home to find somewhere more open to new ideas. He found such a place in the country of King Vishtaspa (in Bactria). The King and his queen, Hutosa, heard Zoroaster debating with the religious leaders of his land, and decided to accept Zoroaster’s ideas and make them the official religion of their kingdom. Zoroaster died in his late 70s. Very little is known of the time between Zoroaster and the Achaemenian period, except that, during this period, Zoroastrianism spread to Western Iran. By the time of the founding of the Achaemenid Empire, Zoroastrianism was already a well-established religion.
Humata, Hukhta, Huvarshta (Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds) are the basic tenets of the religion.
Faravahar (or Ferohar), one of the primary symbols of Zoroastrianism, believed to be the depiction of aFravashi (guardian spirit)
In Zoroastrianism, Ahura Mazda is the beginning and the end, the creator of everything that can and cannot be seen, the Eternal, the Pure and the only Truth. In the Gathas, the most sacred texts of Zoroastrianism thought to have been composed by Zoroaster himself, the prophet acknowledged devotion to no other divinity besides Ahura Mazda.
Daena (din in modern Persian) is the eternal Law, whose order was revealed to humanity through the Mathra-Spenta (“Holy Words”).Daena has been used to mean religion, faith, law, and even as a translation for the Hindu and Buddhist term Dharma. The latter is often interpreted as “duty” but can also mean social order, right conduct, or virtue. The metaphor of the “path” of Daena is represented in Zoroastrianism by the muslin undershirt Sudra, the “Good/Holy Path”, and the 72-thread Kushti girdle, the “Pathfinder”.
Daena should not be confused with the fundamental principle asha (Vedic rta), the equitable law of the universe, which governed the life of the ancient Indo-Iranians. For these, asha was the course of everything observable—the motion of the planets and astral bodies; the progression of the seasons; and the pattern of daily nomadic herdsman life, governed by regular metronomic events such as sunrise and sunset. All physical creation (geti) was thus determined to run according to a master plan—inherent to Ahura Mazda—and violations of the order (druj) were violations against creation, and thus violations against Ahura Mazda. This concept of asha versus the druj should not be confused with the good-versus-evil battle evident in western religions, for although both forms of opposition express moral conflict, the asha versus druj concept is more systemic and less personal, representing, for instance, chaos (that opposes order); or “uncreation”, evident as natural decay (that opposes creation); or more simply “the lie” (that opposes truth and righteousness). Moreover, in his role as the one uncreated creator of all, Ahura Mazda is not the creator of druj, which is “nothing”, anti-creation, and thus (likewise) uncreated. Thus, in Zoroaster’s revelation, Ahura Mazda was perceived to be the creator of only the good (Yasna 31.4), the “supreme benevolent providence” (Yasna 43.11), that will ultimately triumph (Yasna 48.1).
A Parsi Wedding, 1905
In this schema of asha versus druj, mortal beings (both humans and animals) play a critical role, for they too are created. Here, in their lives, they are active participants in the conflict, and it is their duty to defend order, which would decay without counteraction. Throughout the Gathas, Zoroaster emphasizes deeds and actions, and accordingly asceticism is frowned upon in Zoroastrianism. In later Zoroastrianism, this was explained as fleeing from the experiences of life, which was the very purpose that the urvan (most commonly translated as the “soul”) was sent into the mortal world to collect. The avoidance of any aspect of life, which includes the avoidance of the pleasures of life, is a shirking of the responsibility and duty to oneself, one’s urvan, and one’s family and social obligations.
Central to Zoroastrianism is the emphasis on moral choice, to choose the responsibility and duty for which one is in the mortal world, or to give up this duty and so facilitate the work of druj. Similarly, predestination is rejected in Zoroastrian teaching. Humans bear responsibility for all situations they are in, and in the way they act toward one another. Reward, punishment, happiness, and grief all depend on how individuals live their lives.
by A. L. Basham. See Also:
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