Brahman

BRAHMAN: THE DISCOVERY OF THE GOD OF ABRAHAM: M. M. NINAN
areas,[Michael Witzel, 1999, "Substrate Languages in Old Indo-Aryan (Ṛgvedic, Middle and
Late Vedic)." Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies 5, online Retrieved November 11, 2008.]
the first being a post-Harappan stronghold of Indus populations.
Iranian Avesta
The religious practices depicted in the Rig Veda and those depicted in the Avesta have in common
the deity Mitra. The Indo-Aryan deva 'god' cognates with the Iranian daēva 'demon'. Similarly, the
Indo-Aryan asura 'name of a particular group of gods' (later on, 'demon') cognates with the Iranian
ahura 'lord, god,' a reflection of religious rivalry between Indo-Aryans and Iranians.[Thomas
Burrow, as cited in J. P. Mallory. In Search of the Indo-Europeans: Language, Archaeology,
and Myth. (New York, NY: Thames and Hudson, 1989.)] Mention occurs in the Avesta of
Airyanəm Vaējah, one of the "16 the lands of the Aryans" as well as Zarathustra himself.
Other Hindu texts
Some Indologists have noted that textual evidence in the early literary traditions fails to
unambiguously show a connection with an Indo-Aryan migration. Texts like the Puranas and
Mahabharata belong to a later period than the Rigveda, making their evidence less than sufficient to
be used for or against the Indo-Aryan migration theory.
Later Vedic texts show a shift of location from the Panjab to the East: according to the Yajur Veda,
Yajnavalkya (one of the Vedic Seers) lived in the eastern region of Mithila. Aitareya Brahmana
33.6.1. records that Vishvamitra's sons migrated to the north, and in Shatapatha Brahmana
1:2:4:10 the Asuras were driven to the north. In still later texts, Manu was said to be a king from
Dravida. In the legend of the flood he was stranded with his ship in Northwestern India or the
Himalayas.
The Vedic lands (e.g. Aryavarta, Brahmavarta), sit in Northern India or at the Sarasvati and
Drsadvati River, according to Hindu texts. The Mahabharata Udyoga Parva (108) describes the
East as the homeland of the Vedic culture. The legends of Ikshvaku, Sumati and other Hindu
legends may have their origin in South-East Asia.
Puranas
Geography of the Rigveda, with river names; the extent of the Swat and Cemetery H cultures are
indicated.
The evidence from the Puranas has been disputed because the text appears comparably late,
dated from c. 400 to c. 1000 C.E.; whereas the Rig Veda dates from before 1200 B.C.. Thus
approximately 1600 to 2200 years separate the Reg Veda and the Puranas, though scholars argue
that some contents of the Puranas may date to an earlier period. The Puranas record that Yayati
left Prayag (confluence of Ganga & Yamuna) and conquered the region of Saptha Sindhu. His five
sons Yadu, Druhyu, Puru, Anu and Turvashu became the main tribes of the Rigveda.
The Puranas also record that Mandhatr was driven out the Druhyus of the land of the seven rivers
and that their next king Ghandara settled in a north-western region which became known as
Gandhara. The sons of the later Druhyu king Pracetas migrated to the region north of Afghanistan.
Several Puranas recorded that migration.
Vedic and Puranic genealogies
The Vedic and Puranic genealogies indicate a greater antiquity of the Vedic culture. The Puranas
86