by Indira Dasi

Created on: January 17, 2007   Last Updated: January 26, 2007

The word "Hindu" is derived from the River Sindu, originating in the Himalayas, crossing the North of India, running through Pakistan, and flowing into the Arabian Sea. For the people who came to inhabit the land later, the name "Sindu" was difficult to pronounce. Therefore, the name was distorted into "Indus". Various scientists consider the name "Hindu" as a linguistic derivation of the name Indus. The soil alongside rivers is vertile; this caused the emergence of the first settlements on the banks of the River Indus.

Recently, in that region, excavations have taken place of two ancient cities. The first is called Mohenjo Daro, excavated between 1922-1945. In the 90's a multidisciplinary team has conducted an excavation and found Harappa. These sites are estimated upon 4,500-7,000 years (5,000-2,500 BC). Scientists do not know much about the cultures of India existing before the time of Vedic scriptures. In conclusion to the results of the excavations it is assumed that many different cultures and races existed peacefully together. We have no written documents from that early stage of history.

The ancient sites are known as the "Indus-Sarasvati Civilization". Subash Kak, an Indian historian, argues with western indologists about the antiquity of the Vedas. He rendered proof by pointing to the geological fact, that the Sarasvati River has been mentioned in the Vedas long before the river went underground, over 5,000 years ago.

Prose is difficult to reproduce, but poetry is easier to learn by heart. Originally, one Veda existed in poetry circulating in an oral tradition, all over the world. The knowledge of the Veda, therefore, is much older than the date of its first written record. 3,000 BC the Vedic poetry was assembled and documented in three books on palm leaf by a divine seer (Krsna Dvapayana Vedavyasa) in order to accommodate the forthcoming generations of Kali-yuga, who would be going to loose their senses and ability to memorize.

So for a very longtime, mundane India has been under the juristiction of Vedic civilization based on the Rg-veda and the worship of Indra. Rg-veda is the first of Three Vedas (Atharva-veda is of a later date). Rg-veda deals with ancient history and epics of King Indra, Lord of Svarga-loka, the heavenly planets.

The compiler composed Three Vedas (Rg, Yama, Sama) in successive stages of consciousness, such as tamasik (meant for the ignorant ones), rajasik (meant for the passionate ones) and satvik (meant for those in knowledge and

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