Evolution of Religions
Man created the idea of God.
He who has a मन: (Manah) is मनुष्य: (Manushyah = Man)
मन: (Manah) in Sanskrit means Mind. नमः (Namah) is the reverse of Manah and it indicates veneration.
Let us trace the man from the start of creation. Hindu texts point to creation in large numbers and not through a single father & mother.
With the assumption that Man was created or at least came into being somehow, let us sew a story around man.
Having landed on Earth, he was initially a nomad and wandered upon Earth.
He grew lot of hair to protect himself from heat and cold.
He found many animals around him; some lovable and others not.
He lived in great fear from predators; just like any other animal.
Unfortunately, he was not blessed with natural protection faculties that we find in other animals like fir all over body, thick skin, tail as a balancer while escaping, horns or tusks for defense, protective shoes etc. Therefore, what developed in him more than any part was his intellect.
Unfortunately, he was not blessed with natural protection faculties that we find in other animals like fir all over body, thick skin, tail as a balancer while escaping, horns or tusks for defense, protective shoes etc. Therefore, what developed in him more than any part was his intellect.
Thanks to intellectual development, he started finding means to protect himself from the predators and also the forces of nature viz cold heat fire rains and flood etc
He cut out stones, spears, and then discovered fire too, which he used for his defence.
Though he lived on fruits initially, after he killed his enemies/predators and then, happened to taste cooked meat (cooked probably out of forest fire) he became non-vegetarian.
However some travelled and settled near river banks and lived on grains of rice, wheat and barley.
This group were vegetarians and satwic in nature. Basically agrarian, they invented techniques in tilling and farming. They met other similar gotras and decided to fix rules for inter gotra marriage - viz. people from the same gotra shouldn't marry and the like. This was to ensure that better peace prevailed thru inclusion.
Later on, they observed that one man couldn't conduct everything own his own, and therefore delegation of responsibilities was required. Thus they decided and divided themselves into broadly four colours or varnas. One Varna took care of education and preservation of extant knowledge and improvement on the same. Another took care of safety from predators and execution and implementation of rules, another took care of economics and commerce while another took care of production. This became the Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vysya and Shudra varnaas, classified based on temperament of one's aptitude and nature of occupation.
None needed God or perhaps ever had the concept of it.
Each progressed in their own varnas.
Science developed to great heights.
Governance to exemplary heights with knowledge of even warfare of probably Air Force & Atomic warfare
Commerce involved even through naval means apart from surface.
Produce was exemplary and none starved and had aplenty.
With saturation at every field, the scientists and the teachers needed a way out to preserve the great knowledge. Thus they developed a language called Sanskrit that had great potential to encapsulate different streams of knowledge in short words. They further developed the idea of sutras wherein The interpreter of the sutras could easily gather and elaborate upon the deeper meanings. Thus the Vedas were formed. As it was derived from accumulated wisdom of thousands of years, they weren't written by any one and therefore called apaurusheya.
At the zenith of luxury, when desires were reasonably fulfilled, in that golden era, the scientists started thinking inwards as well, and then the question of why we are born, what is the reason of our existence, what am I, who am I and so on were asked. This resulted in the Upanishads and the discovery of God. To explain science along with philosophy, puranas were introduced with many gods with different qualities relevant to the story that was discussed.
Every cycle has a zenith/crest and then the trough. The terrible war of Kurukshetra might have ruined the entire progress and growth. The slow-down started and interpretations started failing for want of proper teachers. Enforcement became tough by men or even Kings. Thus the idea of fear was introduced. And so the Gods turned fiery.
The wonderful One God now turned to be a commander and the ten commandments of old testament came into being. Like the small baby who is shown and told the stories about the crow, the cat or even the devil, Fear of hell was introduced so that people's emotions could be adapted for the population good.
Along with the commandments, Christianity spoke more of love and cordiality, but rules were flouted (because, wherever there is an obstruction, there can be found a diversion). These commandments were an attempt to external enforcement.
Islam emphasized more on and secretly adopted psychology and took to the technique that was more of a kind of 'hypnotizing the reader' and attempted to enforce stricter rules to hold back the ones straying away.
Sadly though, what resulted is that we have now the many fans associations of gods fighting with each other; or rather, in fact have a set of warring groups not on the path of progress at all, but on total destruction through terrorist mindset.
The need of the hour is that Someone should disassemble the human brain again to completely unlearn and relearn from the basic rules of the original Vedas. Otherwise we would continue to be in a fools paradise never to climb the walls of the enclosed well that we now live in, (koopa mandooka - that the Upanishads spoke of) to see the beautiful universe outside.
Jai Vijaya Dashami.
0 - x - 0 - x - 0 - x - 0
