Breaking the Chains
Page 6
The language of the Harappan civilisation remains unknown. Most scholars believe it to have been related to Dravidian, which is spoken in southern parts of the Indian Peninsula. Meluhha appears to have been the name by which Mesopotamia knew the Harappan civilisation, and Harappan seals found in Ur and other Mesopotamian locations attest to trade between Mesopotamia and Harappa. The political and social structures of Harappan civilisation remain unknown. Nothing concrete is known about the religion of the civilisation, and, apart from a few buildings found at Mohenjo-daro, there is no significant evidence of public places of worship. What is known about Harappan religion, leads some scholars to conclude that a Great God (possibly Shiva) and a Great Mother (possibly Shiva’s wife Durga-Paravti) were worshipped. Why Harappan civilisation came to an end is not fully understood. However, severe and repeated flooding is thought to have played a significant role. The city of Mohenjo-daro met its end in the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. Raiders sacked the city, left the dead lying where they fell, and then passed on - possibly the Aryan onslaught reflected in the Rig-Veda.
Shiva is the supreme deity of Shaivism. His name means ‘Auspicious One’ in Sanskrit. He may have evolved from Rudra, the divine archer of the Vedas. Shaivism acknowledges three fundamentals: the Lord Shiva (pati), the individual soul (pashu), and the bonds that hold the soul to earthly existence (pasha). To gain freedom and the nature of Shiva (shivatva) the Faithful tread the paths of external acts of worship (carya), acts of intimate service to Shiva (Kriya), meditation (yoga), and knowledge (jnana). When Shiva is shown in human form it is as the cosmic dancer, a beggar, a naked ascetic, an androgyne, or yogin. In sculpture and painting he is depicted as white or ash in colour. His throat is blue: the result of holding poison in his mouth during the churning of the milk ocean. His hair is matted. Around his neck hangs a garland of skulls and a serpent. In his hands he holds a deerskin, a trident, a club with a skull at the end, or a hand drum. Shiva is three-eyed, and some traditions relate how he used his third eye to burn the god of desire to ashes. Other traditions allude to Shiva’s love for marijuana.
Although Shiva is sometimes represented in human form, he is generally worshipped in the form of a phallus (linga) in Shaivite temples and private family shrines throughout India. The symbol for the female sexual organ (yoni) often forms the base of the erect phallus - a reminder that the male and female principles are inseparable and represent the totality of all existence. Phallic like pillars with rounded tops have been found in Harappan sites, which suggests that the cult of the phallus existed in antiquity. Shaivism employs model phalli made from river clay, sandalwood paste, wood, metal, and precious gems. Strict rules determine the length and other dimension of the phalli. Some models have faces of Shiva carved on their sides and top, and there is a south India type that shows Shiva emerging out of a fiery phallus. Some phalli (svayambhuva lingas) are said to have self-originated themselves at the beginning of time. They are among the most important, and are worshipped in a variety of locations throughout India. Worshippers of Shiva offer flowers, fruit, leaves, tender grass, sun-dried rice, and water in their ritual. Shown in animal form, Shiva is the bull Nandi.
Shiva is associated with Yoga. Most forms of Kung Fu supposedly developed from Yoga. Consequently, it appears advisable to outline the basic principles of Yoga before moving on to discuss the religion of the Mother Goddess. Even though its prehistory is obscure, it is assumed that Yoga dates back to at least the 2nd century BC. Buddhism might be older than Yoga. However, the reverse could just as easily be true. The earliest known textbook on Yoga, the Yoga-sutras by Patanjali, comprises four volumes. As the first three volumes appear to have been written in the 2nd century BC and the fourth volume in the 5th century AD, scholars are inclined to the view that more than one writer was involved in the production of the work. The four volumes are: Psychic Power, Practice of Yoga, Self-collectedness, and Liberation. Patanjali teaches that the process of Yoga involves eight stages: restraint, observance, posture, breath control, withdrawal, concentration, meditation, and trance (yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi). Several stages of trance (samadhi) are supposedly discernible. It is claimed that during the ultimate stage mentation moves beyond fluctuation and into freedom (kaivalya). Patanjali asserts that God (Ishvara: supreme lord) was the teacher of the fathers of mankind, and that he is a distinct self (purusa) untouched by actions and their effects.