I am new to this forum and new to Hinduism. I have been practicing Buddhism for the past 10+ years. For the past 6 months I have been on a new spiritual journey fueled by a yearning to connect with God leaving me wanting in non-theistic Buddhism. That led me to Sikhi which has then led me to Hinduism. I have sincere appreciation for the teachings of Buddhism and also of Guru Nanak, now having discovered Sanatana Dharma though I am left believing that Buddhism and Sikhi are part of it. I have been watching documentaries and lectures, as well as reading what I can online regarding Hinduism. A long time ago I read the Bhagavad Gita and a college friend of mine was Hindu, but I always felt overwhelmed when I tried to learn about this diverse way of life. Where should I go from here to learn more? I was thinking of starting with the Upanishads, unless there is someplace better to start. Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read and respond.

Gland to have found this site.

-I.

Thank you!
Raj

20,000 people for 20 years is 145 million man days. At current cost of labour of, say, Rs. 500/day this is 70 billion rupees. Seems very high. What were the revenue streams of the king?

What was the population of the area at that time? A workforce of 20,000 per day on a single project would require a population ten times this size to service it.

"descends again into manifestation through the inner divine planetary thirst for active life …"

This is very accurate and authoritative but lacks a reference. I'm of the opinion that it derives from material predating the Hindu/Vedic tradition. Much of the fundamental cosmological doctrine preserved in the Vedas was inherited from far older times and traditions, and has since been overlaid by a mess of religious and pseudo-philosophical verbiage that obscures its meaning. This quote appears to have survived relatively intact, hence my interest.

With thanks for any replies, especially from the Wiki Owner
52midnight

So here are a few very very old human cities for you, but only the first one is still inhabited.

** Jericho **

search wikipedia for : Jericho (I can't post links yet)

The oldest structures found in Jericho date from 9000BCE. if you want continuous (or close to it) inhabitation by humans, then this is the one. If you do not care about that then you get different answers.

** Nabta Playa **

search wikipedia for : Nabta Playa

The structures of Nabta Playa, are also very old, with human habitation beginning around 10,000BCE. Back this the area was wet (now it is very very dry) and there was a lake. The builders made very deep wells (without metal tools or any knowledge of aquifers or geology) which had water in them year round. It is about 800 Kms south of modern-day Cairo.

** Göbekli Tepe **

search wikipedia for : G%C3%B6bekli_Tepe

Located on top of a mountain ridge in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey, Göbekli Tepe was founded at around 10,000BCE and (again) was a stone city made before written language occurred and before copper tools were around. IN this case it has more than bricks and megalithic buildings. There are large stone pillars set into stone sockets in the ground. Imagine doing THAT with no metal, no domesticated animals, etc.

On the basic of my knowledge of the scriptures I am very sure, that Berossos used an indian source for his work about the history of Babylonia, which is now only available in fragments. I will proof this statement: "Berossos says, that he uses records, which are 480.000 years old and contain 2.150.000 years" (Paul Schnabel: Berossos und die Babylonisch-Hellenistische Literatur, Leipzig Berlin 1923, Reprint Milton Keynes UK 2010, page 175 f., my own translation). In Caius Plinius Secundus Natural History 7, 57 (193) are mentioned 490.000 years and the 2.150.000 years are mentioned at the beginning (in the german version p. 6) of the armenian version of the Chronicon of Eusebius of Cesarea. In Verbrugghe & Vickersham: Berossos and Manetho, p. 43 this number is reduced to 150.000 without any reason as also by Paul Schnabel the 490.000 years of Plinius are reduced to 480.000 years without giving any reason. But nevertheless this number is important. Berossos tells also (Verbrugghe & Vickersham fragment F3, p. 47), that before the great flood, which according to fragment F5 took place 33.091 years "before the medes … took Babylonia" (p. 52) which means round about 33.500 BCE, ten kings ruled for 432.000 years. These ten kings are also mentioned in Aitareya Brahmana 8.4. 21 – 23, where the Earth also prophesy the coming flood. This is one of the reasons why I'm equating this flood with that flood of the Puranas. This flood took place at the end of the Tretayuga and Manu Vaivasvata and his brother Yama were Survivers of it.

Let us now just count: this flood occured according to Berossos about 33.500 BCE, and before that date 10 kings ruled for together 432.000 years. That means the ruling of this 10 kings started about 465.000 years BCE. But Berossos tells us, that he uses records which are 490.000 (or according to Paul Schnabel 480.000) years old. That means, this records were recorded 25.000 or (according to Paul Schnabel) 15.000 years before that era of the 10 kings. If that era was, even though it lasted for ony 432.000 years, equal to the Tretayuga of the vedic scriptures, the records, Berossos used, would have been recorded at the end of the former Kritayuga (also called Satyayuga). This is the 1. reason, why I think, Berossos has used the Surya Siddhanta as his source, because in Surya Siddhanta 1, 2 f. and 1, 57 it is stated, that this was the time, it was written. The 2. reason for this interpretation is very easy: If you add the 432.000 years (of the length of the Tretayuga, as I think) of Berossos to the 1.728.000 years of the length of the Kritayuga according to the vedic scriptures, you got 2.160.000 years. This is also the number, Paul Schnabel uses (but he calculated wrongly into the future!), and that's probably the reason, why he reduced the 490.000 years, mentioned by Plinius, to 480.000 years and added the difference of 10.000 years to the 2.150.000 years, mentioned by Eusebius of Cesarea. However this may be, I'm absolutely sure,

1. that Berossos used the (original! it is modified several times) Surya Siddhanta as his source,
2. that the 2.150.000 years, mentioned by Plinius Secundus, in reality meant 2.160.000 years,
3. that the great flood, mentioned by Berossos, is the same flood, mentioned in the vedic literature,
4. that therefore the vedic yuga system is really old (it comes from Kritayuga!), but counts in a way, which is no more correct because of changes, mentioned in the vedic scriptures.

I hope, you can follow my argumentation, which I kept very short, to make it more understandable. I'm absolutely sure, that this is the truth (and there are other arguments for that too), that's the reason, I posted it here. I'm of course not interested, to ridicule myself. On the other hand I think, that this will be very important for indian people, provided they are interested in the truth and not in defending their sectarian believes.

(please excuse the style of writing - young people nowadays are already in the On your mark, Get set, Ready … to run away .mode - And nobody can catch their attention - unless they are challenged ) I was zapped by Sri.Murali Manohar Joshi ji, a politician that I thought was the usual muffy kind. But then he came out with something that I remember as " you see people can walk or run - that is progress - but the one leg is always on the ground - that is culture and tradition" - And this to me is the crux of wisdom - perhaps right out of the veda. If I were planning to take a rocket trip to no where and don't plan to return - I can care two hoots for the stuff on this site.

My Free spreadsheet templates Brand Bharath Education Ambassador to 65 countries - Heh! Heh! But sob! sob! Bharat is too educated and there are so few downloads. It ranks 4th or 5th after USA,

HappyLinked© Monier-Williams Sanskrit Dictionary 1899

This is world's first goodbye to electronic glue and huge PDFs- Accessing Sir Monier Williams 1899 Sanskrit Dictionary

ZEE FILE MANAGEMENT WITH CALC

This is know and manage what is on your computer - document it and then pass it on to posterity' This is also world's first tech solution to know, analyze and document what is on your computer without the OS breathing down your neck and you putting it off…"I'll do it tomorrow or can I find labour/sucker to do this for me" - heh! heh!

The landlords of this site think I have low karma - and should not post the links for you - forget about good karma and high karma for a while. If you had common sense you'd google it - else a vaidika tough luck to you chums! heh! heh! and heh!

best wishes and regards

kedarnath jonnalagadda

Bengaluru: An eighty one hours Shakthiveda Bhaishajya Maha Yagam would be performed at Bommandahalli, Anekal taluk in the premises of Sarveswara Dhama from January 23- 27, 2013 on the lines of Srouta Vedic tradition.

In a press release Matha Dr. Sripriya, the Managing Trustee of Shakthiveda Wellness Mission, a spiritual research organization based in JP Nagar, Bengaluru which is organizing the secular spiritual ritual said that Shakthiveda Bhaishajya Maha Yaagam is aimed at achieving world peace, environmental cleansing at elemental level and neutralising unhealthy energies which create geopathic stress. It also ensures removal of obstacles in health, wealth and longevity.

Shakthiveda Bhaishajya Maha Yaagam includes a myriad of herbs, Vedic chanting by ritwiks and personalized homas on each day during this galactic event. Nine types of oil will be used and animal products such as ghee are excluded. The maha yaaga kunda is in elliptical shape with a central length of 27 feet and central breadth of 18 feet. Over 3 lakh people from various parts of India are expected to witness the sacrificial fire ceremony during the four days.

Parama Poojya Rishidev Sri Narendranji, the founder-mentor of Shakthiveda Wellness Mission and the Mukhyaachaarya of the Shakthiveda Bhaishajya Maha Yaagam, said that 81 focal issues of societal importance such as culmination of atrocities on women/girls, alcoholism, suicidal mania, corruption, accidents etc. are earmarked for each hour of the Yaaga and will be dealt with appropriate oblation of the herbs and chanting of mantras.. He also declared that exclusive rituals will be conducted to combat alcoholism, abortion, cheating, theft, begging, war, cancer etc. that are being faced by the society today. Special rituals will also be done based on geographical focus on areas like Kerala, Karnataka, all other states in India and most of the countries of the world spread over the five continents. The organizing Committee informed that the exquisite nature of the Yaaga is that 216 medicinal plants are used which eventually create change in the atmosphere. Scientists from various organisations and also scientists from abroad are likely to visit in order to study this phenomenon.

According to the organizing committee, the Yaagam is practised under their dictum ‘THINK SPIRITUALLY AND ACT SCIENTIFICALLY. The rituals commence on 23rd January 2013 at 06.03 pm at the Sarveswara Dhama, Bommanda Halli Village in Anekal Taluk, and the yaagam will conclude on the 27th evening at 03.00 pm. The Yajamaana of the Mahayaaga is Parama Poojya Rishidev Sri Narendranji. This is the first Maha Yaaga of its kind in the whole world using as many medicinal plants, the organising committee claimed.

Similar Maha Yaagam was initially conducted by Shakthiveda Wellness Mission earlier during May 9th to 11th 2012 at Puthiyakavu Temple grounds, Thripunithura wherein only 108 medicinal plants were used.