Amazing Geographical Knowledge of the Vedic Hindus!!

By: Santanam Swaminathan on May 19, 2015 | 11004 Views | 2 Responses

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Written by London swaminathan

Research Article No.1873; Dated 18 May 2015.
Uploaded in London at 19-57

Vedic Hindus knowledge of geography is amazing. We know that the Vedas are books of hymns and
not a book on history and geography of India. And yet we find names of scores of rivers, mountains
and countries. It covers a vast area from Iran to the Vindhyas. They knew the seas on both sides of
the Indian subcontinent. They ventured into seas and rescued shipwrecked Bhujyu (mentioned in at
least ten places in the RV) and others. They relate the names of 30 plus rivers from EAST of India
showing that they were born and brought up on the banks of Ganges. Indra is allocated direction
EAST and Varuna the west indicating they marched from the Gangetic plains to the seas in the west
spreading the Vedic civilization. We have already archaeological proof of Vedic gods from Turkey
Syria area dated circa 1400 BCE.

Kings of Iran are mentioned in the eighth Mandala of the Rig Veda. Dasaratha (Amarna) letters of
Egypt is another archaeological proof to show that the Vedic kings sent their daughters up to Egypt.
So the Vedic Hindus knew the areas covering Iran, Turkey, Syria, Iraq in the Middle East and Egypt
in Africa. Indisputable archaeological proof is there to support this. The Vedas mention lot of names
of kingdoms in India, but the early translators of the Vedas, who believed that the Hindus came from
outside India translated the kingdoms names as tribes!!

Later Mahabharata mentioned 30 kingdoms! Just to suit their theory of migration into India they
translated those Vedic Kingdoms names as tribes! The Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas and the
Upanishads were all composed even before the Greeks started writing! No primitive civilization can
have vast literature like this. They have very clear cut ideas of geography which we knew from their
coinage of the word Sapta Sindhava (RV.8-24-27). Names of hundreds of kings are available in the
Vedic literature. And we know that they are not tribal leaders because there is a long list of kings who
did Aswamedha Yaga. The horse covered several kingdoms and all were taken by the emperor who
did the Yaga.

The great war War of the Ten KingsDasarajna Yuddha in the Rig Vedaclearly show that there
were at least ten kingdoms by the time. But foreign Scholars described them as tribes! The Great
War was described in detail in several hymns in the Rig Veda, but not mentioned in the epics which
show the lapse of time between the epics and the Vedas. We know that the Vedas were vast which
made Vyasa of Mahabharata to compile them and divide them into four Vedas.

Later epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata spoke about Swayamvaras attended by lot of kings
from different countries. Krishnas travel from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh to Dwaraka in Gujarat show
how advanced was the road transport in those days. Before Krishna, Bharata travelled all the way
from Iran-Afghanistan ( Kekaya) border to Ayodhya in Uttarpradesh quickly. The route is explained
clearly in the Ramayana. By around 3rd century BCE, Hindus were using the monsoon wind to travel
to Patna from Sri Lanka. It took only seven days. Ravana and his cousins used the Godavari river
region as their playground. He travelled all the way to Kailash from Sri Lanka by using the monsoon
wind (sea route up to Bengal).

Agastya took 18 groups with him and came to Tamil Nadu by 1000 BCE according to Sangam Tamil
Literature. The Purananuru (201) verse very clearly refers to 49 generations before first century CE.
If we look at the Vedic terms with this information in the background, then we can understand where
foreign Scholars went wrong!

The Satapatha Brahmana (SB 17-3-8) mentions the Eastern people (Pracyas) and the Bahlikas
(people of the Western regions). One must remember these are not geography books and yet
hundreds of geographical terms occur! The same book refers to Udichya Brahmanas (SB 11-4-1-1;
GB 1-36). Aitareya Brahmana (AB 8-14) refers to Madyamadis (Middle Zone) and Pracya (East),
South (Dakshna), the West (Pradichya) and the North (Udichya). Hindus always mention the
directions in the same clock wise direction. Until this day people go round the temples in the same
way!
They even mention the King Bhoja of the South and the northern most mystical Uttarakuru region.
Though South India was full of forests and unoccupied areas they still knew about the South.

Now let us look at the Vedic materials:

Nadi Stuti ( RV.10-75) gives the names of the rivers from East to West. (Westerners translated the
names according to their pre conceived notions. If the river names dont suit their theories they
translated differently! In several places they dont even know whether it is a river or something else!
Griffith who said the meaning is obscure, not clear in every page, translated according to his
whims and fancies. The main reason for this is all the foreign scholars were taught by third rate
Sanskrit Pundits in North India. True Vedic scholars refused to teach them the Vedas or Sanskrit.
Now thousands of mistakes are being discovered.)

Andhra: People mentioned with the Pundras, Sabaras, Pulindas and Mutibas (AB 7-18)
Alina: They ruled Kafiristan (The current name indicates that it was once ruled by Non-Muslims)
Anga: AV 5-22-14, GB 2-9 as Anga-Magadhas
(This is one of the 16 Big Empires in Buddhist literature)
Bahlika :It is a Western Kingdom mentioned in SB 1-7-3-8 and earlier AV (5-22-5), 5-7-9). The name
got corrupted to Bactria in later literature.
Bhalanas (RV 7-18-7) along with Pakthas (Pakhtoonistan), Alinas, Visanins, and Sivas are other
kingdoms that took part in the Ten King War (Dasarajna Yuddha) They all had their own kingdoms in
and around present Afghanistan. A person would not be called KING without a kingdom! They are
mentioned as TEN KINGS throughout the RV!

Bharata: The king who gave the name Bharata for India. They ruled the Sarasvati River Region. Like
the later Magadha Samrajya, they were the most powerful empire during the Rig Vedic Time.
Cedi : Their king Kasu (RV 8-5-37) ruled either Iran or Bugelgund region in India. Later Cedi
kingdom was near the Matsya kingdom.

Matsya : They ruled Rajasthan region. RV mentioned them (RV 7-18-6). Their king name Dhvasan
Dvaitavana is mentioned as a performer of Aswamedha in SB 13-4-5-9. Only powerful kings who
wanted to conquer the neighbouring kingdoms did Aswamedha. This shows that a lot of kingdoms
existed at the time of Brahmanas which are dated around 1000 BCE even by a conservative
estimate.

Pulindas : They are mentioned along with Andhras in South India in Brahmana literature (AB7-18)
Pundra:They ruled Northern Bengal (AB 7-18)

Purus, Anus, Druhyus, Turvasas and Yadus are the five groups mentioned in several hymns.
The holiest of the holy rivers Sarasvati is mentioned in 80 places in the Vedas.
My list is not a comprehensive list. It is only a sample. Though the foreign scholars translated
Raja/Ranja as Kings, they made their kingdoms tribes!

Since we have got archaeological proof from 1400 BCE with kings names in Sanskrit in inscriptions
(Bogazkoy and Amarna letters of Dasaratha in Egypt), we are sure that the tribes are not tribes, but
kingdoms or empires. Those who do Aswamedha proclaimed themselves as Maharaja (Emperor).

A proper study of all the mountains, rivers, towns (Hariyupa=Harappa), kings, kingdoms, trees,
animals and birds will throw more light on the Vedas and Vedic Hindus. Even during the Vedic days it
was the largest country in the world from Iran to Andhra in India!

Source : Cultural Index to Vedas by N N Bhattacharya and vedic Index by Keith with my comments