--- In [email protected], "sparaig" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > MMY came to this country BECAUSE India wasn't Vedic any more...
For our edification, could you provide us with historical references for the Vedic times you speak of? You know the ones, the period referred to in a recent TMO Web page as, "...Vedic times, when life was lived in abundance, peace and bliss." As I remember the little literature I've read from supposedly "Vedic times," it's a record of war, petty grievances between the gods and demigods and pretty much constant pleading from the lowly humans down on planet Earth for these gods and demigods to take it easy on them. So I seem to have missed the historical records you are familiar with indicating that such times were indeed a period of "abundance, peace and bliss." The Wikipedia article on the Vedic period contains such gems as, "The main duty of the king was to protect the tribe." From WHAT? It goes on to say, "He was aided by two functionaries, the purohita (chaplain) and the senani (army chief; sena: army). The former not only gave advice to the ruler but also practiced spells and charms for success in war. Soldiers on foot (patti) and on chariots (rathins), armed with bow and arrow were common. The king employed spasa (spies) and dutas (messengers)." What I'm trying to understand (and hoping you can help me with) is WHY these kings/rajas needed an advisor who had prowess with spells and charms to help bring him success in *war*. Was war an integral part of this period of "abundance, peace, and bliss?" If it wasn't, what did these enlightened rules need foot soldiers, spies and messengers FOR? The Wiki article goes on to say, "Kshatriyas administered the state, maintained society and the economy of a tribe. They also functioned to maintain law and order. They presided over an assembled court of intellectuals and warriors." So if the Vedic period was all "abundance, peace and bliss," why were the kshatriyas needed to *maintain* law and order, and what were the "courts" for -- surely there were no crimes in such a period of Heaven On Earth. Thanks in advance for your research on this subject and the references you're going to post to help me understand this seeming dichotomy. Clearly, you know something I do not and have access to historical documents that I do not that prove to you that the "Vedic period" really WAS a period of "abundance, peace and bliss." I'd just like to see those docu- ments and reassure myself that they don't start with the two words, "Maharishi says..."
