The ancients bards who wrote Puranas are to be blamed for the enigmatic concept of Indian gods, writes Dr Asha Goswami, as she refers to the ethological studies
The ethological study of Krishna era from the epic Mahabharata reveals that the Aryan settlers in India were confronted with the aborigines of our country whom they called Asuras or Rakshasa implying demons. The ancient scriptures very often refer to the conflicts which took place between both of them. Those days the region of Uttarakuru used to be known as the home land of the Devas implying Gods. Some identify this region as some land situated in northern Asia. Some trace it as upper hilly region near Tibet and occupants of that region as the Devas. These inhabitants were humans, but due to their superior qualities and special skills /acts were treated as Devas.
It appears that they were in reality the ancient Indian Aryans who were conferred with the citizenship of the upper regions of Tibet due to their extraordinary qualities such as valour, stature as well as beauty and were also conferred with the title of Devas, the shining ones.
Both Mahabharata and Ramayana refer to such persons living in India as aryavarta, who due to their practice of certain tapas were granted the citizenship of Deva Loka that is, Uttarakuru. So, the Devas of Krishna era signify the inhabitants of Uttarakuru land those days.
Different categories of Devas are also referred to as Sidhhas, Saadhyas, Vidhyadharas, Yakshas, Bhutas and the Gandharvas. Amongst these, there were different groups headed by different leaders. For instance, the Bhutas were headed by Mahadeva Shiva as their leader and had their homeland near present day Bhutan. It is also learnt that the Pandavas were descendants of Devas known as Dharma, Vayu, Indra and Ashwin. While, The Kauravas belonged to the Aryan clan.
This explains the mystery of Kaurava’s hatred for the Pandavas. Despite being in the know of this ethnological strata of Krishna era, when the later bards of the Puranas had to compile their works, they did not pay attention to differentiate the Devas who were in fact the aborigines of Uttarakuru (region above Tibet) from the Devas signifying the divine powers who were invoked and prayed since the ancient period of the Vedas. Consequently, they mixed the narratives of the so called Devas in their Puranas with the characteristics, features of the ancient vedic gods of India. This resulted in the confused versions and enigmatic concept of Indian gods.
Let us take the example of ancient Indian vedic, Rudra or Shiva, who was only symbolic divine representation of benign and terrific aspect of the sun. They mixed up Rudra with the Deva with the same name. This Deva was the aborigine of Uttarakuru. He belonged to the Bhuta clan of Devas and was also called by the same title/name of Rudra-Shiva. The characteristics of both were inter-mixed into one personae and it yielded a completely enigmatic concept of the ancient god Shiva, who was earlier, only symbolised as supreme divine power.
Now, Shiva is a god endowed with traits of another personae who as Mahadeva rules over all the other gods; whose appearance is also completely different. Like an aborigine of hills, He is of fair complexion; has braided hair; holds bow; thunderbolt and shafts; is fond of music and dance and archery; makes the river Ganges flow; confers blessings on all the seekers ; cures and heals the sick with his choicest medicines (the trait which belongs to the ancient vedic Rudra-Shiva god).
As Trayambak, who in ancient times represented Sun, Moon, and Fire, is now held as the supreme god whose third eye assigns him with the powers of omnipresence. His pashupati title brings him closer to the Uttarakura aborigine deva, presents him as a caretaker of the cattle. His consort Uma-Parvati and carrier ox, both relate him with the aborigine of hilly regions in the vicinity of the Himalayas. His personae trait as an ascetic with braided hair; serpents as adornments; being in unclad form, points to his connect with the hilly aborigine of similar name. All this is in fact a parable symbol employed in the text to signify the ideology that ‘god manifests as an ascetic for seeking devotees’ love and devotion’. Thus, being in stark crude form, he symbolises the same stark primordial state of the god as creator.
Before we proceed to traverse the basic concept of Asuras, who were none other than the opposites of Devas, let us review the ethnological strata of ancient period in India.Those days, the main clans living around in India constituted of Devas, Aryas, and Asuras. Each of these three clans were also divided into subtribes and they were constantly fighting each other off. The Asuras were the ancients among these tribes, also elder amongst all. Next to them were the Devas who were younger to the Asuras, and less sophisticated, materialistic and scientific. Also, the Devas were overpowered by the Asuras in more than one way. Then, the last were the Aryans who were least advanced as compared to the above cited two elder clans.
The Asuras had one sub division in the form of Rakshasas. The Mahabharata gives clue to the fact that the Devas were intelligent and more cultured and vegetarian and were extremely weak as compared to the Asuras. They were often under the attack by the Asuras or the Rakshas. Here, it may be stated that in ancient times, the aborigines of Uttarakuru were called the Devas; and the denizens of farther upper regions of Uttarakuru were known as the Asuras or the Rakshas, hence narratives relating the character traits of such Devas must not be mixed with the accounts of the ancient indian Devas mentioned in the vedas.
Finally, it be ascertained that the Devas and Asuras during Krishna Era, signified only two classes of tribes who had occupied certain parts of upper regions above Tibet in the Himalayas. The Asuras used to live in the upper farther regions, which were known as Asur Loka.
The writer is a noted Indologist and authority on Krishnaite Studies
