Vedic influence in Egypt
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There
are many similarities between ancient Egyptian religion and Vedic culture. The
name “Egypt” is a modification of the word “Ajap”;
which, in Sanskrit refers to the clan of King Aja. Rama’s grandfather was
called Aja. Both the Vedic and the ancient Egyptian cultures believe that a
king is an incarnation or a descendant of
God. The Egyptian name for God is “Ra”
which might have originated from the name “Ram”. All their Pharaohs are called
Ramesis.
We will examine some the philosophies of Egyptian religion
and determine the similarities they share with Vedic philosophy.
Account of Creation:
One of the creation myths of Egyptian religion describes
that in the beginning, there was nothing except the cosmic waters. From the
cosmic water, a lotus grew on which was
found the creator, Thoth. This sounds very similar to the description of Lord
Brahma’s birth. Brahma appeared on a lotus which grew from Lord Vishnu’s navel.
Vishnu himself was reclining on His snake bed in the middle of the cosmic
waters. Tat is a name of Lord Vishnu in Sanskrit, which means the multiplier because He multiples our good deeds in order to
help us. It can be easily seen that the
names "Tat" and "Thoth" sound very similar.
The name Thoth is the Greek pronunciation; it is not very
clear how the Egyptian pronounced this name. Thoth is often written as Dhwty in
the Egyptian language and interpreted as Djehuti by archaeologists. We can only
assume that the pronunciation of the Greeks is closer to the original
pronunciation due to the interaction between the two cultures. Dhatru is a name of Lord Brahma in Sanskrit.
The name Dhwty and the Greek pronunciation Thoth could have originated from Dhatru.
Another Egyptian creation theory speaks about a cosmic egg,
which sounds more like “Hiranya Garbha” or the cosmic egg mentioned in the
Vedas.
The Egyptians trace the origin of all things to a first
cause. They also see the presence of the first cause in all things which gave
rise to the myriad of Gods in their Pantheon. They saw the same first cause in
all of their Gods (Antaryami Brahman). The first cause of the Egyptians
resembles the “Brahman” form of the Lord mentioned in the Vedas. According to
the Antaryami Brahmanam of the Vedas, The Lord who is the Supreme Cause is
present as the inner-controller in all things and all beings.
Worship of Goddess
Maya:
The belief of the Egyptian in their Goddess Maat also known
as Mayet is similar to the Vedic Goddess Maya. The role of Egyptian Mayet was
to prevent the creation from continuously returning to chaos. The Vedic Maya is
the feminine form of Lord Vishnu's energy which brings out the evolution of
this Universe. Thus Mayet and Maya both influenced creation.
Egyptian Temples and
the Sphinx:
 |
|
Male sphinx
or Purushamriga on the south side entrance of the Shri Shiva Nataraja temple in
Chidambaram
|
Male sphinx
or Purushamriga on the south side entrance of the Shri Shiva Nataraja temple in
Chidambaram
Like the temples in India, the Egyptian temples were built
with a veil drawn across the inner sanctum. Even the Egyptian Sphinx was a concept
borrowed from the Vedic culture. I read Raja Dikshitar’s articles on the Indian
Sphinx today and I realized that the Sphinx too
is a Vedic concept. They are called Purusamrigha in Sanskrit which means man-animal. Indian Sphinxes can be found
in Siva temples, especially in South India; this makes sense because the
Egyptians are believed to be connected to the South Indians. The Indian
sphinxes are placed in front of temple entryway or on top of the entrance
tower. They are believed to remove the negative vibration present in a devotee
before the devotee enters the sanctum. Sphinxes are mentioned in the Yajur
Veda. There is a story in the Mahabharata that narrates a race between Bhīma
and a sphinx.
The great sphinx is
believed to be older than the great pyramids. It was probably built facing an
ancient temple which does not exist now. Water erosion marks found on the
sphinx confirm that they are older than the pyramids and built during a time
when Egypt enjoyed heavy rainfall.
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