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HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA : M. M. NINAN Indra and Agni Vedism is a polytheistic religion brought to India around 1500 B.C.E. by the Aryans. It was the faith of nomadic warrior tribes whose gods were heroes of war and this reflected in their Scriptures. Thus, Vedic Religion was essentially a worship of the forces of nature. The famous triad gods are Indra, Agni and Varuna. Indra, the god of thunder was the king of gods. Agni, the fire god was the giver of energy and life. Surya or Varuna was the sun god. There are thirtythree gods mentioned in the Vedas. Today they are relegated to the level of secondary gods. There was no concept of Brahman. This concept of the ultimate God is nowhere found in the Vedas. 2
HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA : M. M. NINAN It would require extreme allegory to impose the later concepts of Para Brahman into Vedic treatments as Swami Aurobindo has done. (1). One will have to manipulate and wrench out the secret meaning and the mystic wisdom couched in allegory and parables if at all they exist. “But all cannot enter into its secret meaning.” At any rate it totally lacked the concepts of karma and reincarnation, which dominate Hinduism, as we know of today. (2)(3) Early Aryan Migration Vedism came from Persia and is a branch parallel to Zoroastrianism and Mithraism. Vedas are written in a language similar to Old Iranian, the language of Zoroastrianism's scriptures, the Avesta. (4) For lack of writing skills, these were not written down till the 2 nd C BC. “The Rig Veda, the oldest of the four Vedas, was composed about 1500 B.C., and codified about 600 B.C. It is unknown when it was finally committed to writing, but this probably but this probably was at some point after 300 B.C.” (5) (6) (7) The Vedic language is often erroneously referred to as Sanskrit. Vedas are written in Vedic language, which is very close to the Iranian languages and is almost identical with the Avestan language in which the scriptures of Zoroastrianism are written. Sanskrit on the other hand has close affinity with the Dravidian languages and was developed during the early second century AD. All the three religious branches, Vedic, Zoroastrian and Mithraism grew separately after branching out. Vedism emphasizes, nature worship and rituals involved in offering of sacrifices, magic and witchcraft. Buddhism and Jainism developed in India around fifth century BC and are atheistic religions. They were essentially materialistic religion of action. The basic teachings of karma and reincarnations or transmigration of souls, brought into India probably by the Greeks, form the background of these religions. Under Emperor Asoka (ca. 273–232 B.C), the third Mauryan emperor, Buddhism spread far and wide; not only in India but also into neighboring countries. 3
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Kolla Varsham (Malayalam Era) HISTO
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1321 Friar Odoric of Pordenone HIST
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"Third Wave of Migration". HISTORY
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Bible Studies Six Enigmas in the Bi
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Indian Christianity

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