Vedik Africa

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Vedic Egypt
December 9, 1999 VNN5049

COMPILED BY VRIN PARKER

USA, Dec 9 (VNN) — (This and more info on the Ancient World's Vedic Heritage can
be found @ http://www.vedica.net/) Around four thousand years ago, the Hurrians (The
Hari) controlled an important empire called Mitanni. It is principally among the Mitanni
that Vedic Aryan names and words occur....In a famous treaty between the Hittite ruler
Suppiluliuma and the Mitanni king, Mattiwaza,(Mattiraja) about 1370 BC, the Vedic
gods Mithra, Varuna, Indra and the twin Nasatyas are mentioned. Thus in the Mitanni
kingdom Aryan gods were worshipped as well as Mesopotamian deities, which proves an
Aryan Vedic element." In a famous tablet, we have the seal of Prince Suttarna, son of
Kirta, King of Mittani in which two lions are defeated by a central single human- headed
lion-in bird costume;mid second millennium BC.

In particular treaty, between the Hittite King Shuppilulima and Mattiwaza (Mattiraja),
king of the Hurrian (Hari)kingdom of Mitanni circa 1350 BC, listed among the divine
witnesses "Mitra-ash, Uruwana, Indra, and the Nashatiyanu gods, the very Mithra,
Varuna, Indra, and the Nasatya gods of the Vedic pantheon"

Another treatise from the State Archives of the Hittite Empire was discovered in Boghaz-
keui in modern Turkey. It is a treatise on chariot racing and it uses Sanskrit words such as
"Aikavartana=One Turn, Teravartana=Three Turns, Panchavartana=Five Turns,
Sattavartana=Seven Turns."

Excavations in El-Amarna in Egypt have yeilded the fact that about the middle of the 2nd
millennium B.C., Kings and Princes with typical Vedic names were ruling in the region
of modern day Syria. Some of the names are Artamanya, Aryavirya, Yashodatta and
Suttarna.

From Mitannian proper names such as Shuwardatta one can also infer the presence of the
Vedic Sun God Surya in the Mitanni pantheon. Surya was also worshiped by the Vedic
Aryan Kings of Babylon, the Kassites, by the name of Suryash.

According to ancient records, 3400 years ago,Egyptian Emperor Menkheperura or

Thutmose the IV, married a daughter of King Artatma. Artatma was the King of the
Vedic Mittani Kingdom, situated in the Upper Euphrates river area. As mentioned before,
the Mittani are universally recognized as Sanskrit speakers and followers of Vedic
Dharma and Culture. This is evidenced in the various ancient tablets etc. that have been
found by archeologists.

We know from a letter addressed by Dushratta, king of Mitanni- Artatama's grandson,-

written to Akhnaton,that six times had Thotmose the Fourth made his request, but all in
vain. Mitanni was a small kingdom; nothing to be compared with the mighty Egyptian
Empire. Some suggest concerns about the Egyptian King's lack of Vedic culture was the
basis for King Artatama's repeated refusal to give his daughter in marriage to the most
powerful monarch of his times.Not until the seventh asking, did King Artatma agree to
the marriage proposal.The Ancient records state, "after the seventh asking,the king of
Mitanni gave his daughter to the king of Egypt."

The new Queen outwardly forsook her Vedic/Sanskrit name and adopted an Egyptian
one, more in keeping with her new position- Mutemuya, or "Mut in the sacred bark"-and
is styled upon the monuments as "hereditary princess, Great Lady, presiding over the
South and over the North." Of her personality and actual influence nothing is known. It
can only be surmised that she would, in her new home, feel herself drawn to Vedic dieties
such as the Sun-God Surya,which the Greeks were one day to call Heliopolis-to Ra-
Horakhti of the Two Horizons.The Egyptian's called the Sun-God Atem or Aton. Most
probably, she could relate to the fiery Disk of Aton,-much like her native Aryan gods
Mithra and Surya, rather than replace their worship with the exalted Amon, the tribal god
of Thebes. Her real, undeniable contribution to the further history of Egypt (and of
religious thought) lies however in the fact that she gave birth to King Amenhotep the
Third or Amenhotep the Magnificent.

Amenhotep the Third, married one of the most remarkable feminine characters of
Antiquity, Tiy, daughter of Yuaa and of Tuau, or Tuaa. Although Yuaa was a priest of the
age-old Egyptian fertility-god, Min, he was a foreigner "from North Syria" or, to be more
precise, from the Vedic Mitanni Kingdom.During this time in Egyptian history, the ruling
aristocracy of Egypt,including the king, were of mixed Egyptian and Mittani ancestry. Sir
Flinders Petrie holds Yuaa to have been one of those numerous allied or vassal princes
that were then brought up at the Egyptian Court.

Scholars are not sure whether Queen Tiy's mother, Tuau or Tuaa, who, according to most
scholars, was of royal descent, was a full- blooded Egyptian or partly or wholly
Mitannian inspite of her Egyptian name. In a letter sent by Dushratta, king of Mitanni, to
Akhnaton, Tiy is called my sister, which would indicate that she herself was, through one
of her parents at least, if not through both, was of royal Mitannian blood.

Not enough has been written about the probable Vedic influence of the many Mitannians
who lived at the Egyptian Court. In particular, not enough is publicly known about the
influence of the Vedic Mittani in Amenhotep the Third's "house of women"-upon the
education of the young prince who was to ascend the throne as Amenhotep the Fourth.
He has become immortal under the name of Akhnaton, the well known father of King
Tutankamen.
What has been virtually ignored are the deep Vedic roots of Akhnaton. On his Father's
side, his Grandmother was Mittani, and his Father was half Mittani. On his mother's side,
his Grandfather was Mittani, his Grandmother at least half Mittani and his own Mother
was half or maybe a full blooded Mittani. Since there is no doubt as to the Vedic/Aryan
identity of the Mittani, we can be confidant of the fact that Akhnaton was strongly
influenced by Vedic Culture. This explains the many similarities between his religion of
the Sun and Vedic Spirituality.

His devotion to One Supreme Godhead has also been recognized to have impacted Moses
and the religion of Judaism and Christianity. What is not very well known, is the Vedic
Basis and nature of Akhnaton's philosophy and religion.This is another very important
link between Vedic Culture, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Akhnaton was born in the beautiful Charuk palace, in Thebes, in or shortly after1395
B.C.,-(some scholars place his birth a few years later.)At the young age of 12, Akhnaton
was crowned King of Egypt. Records show that in the beginning, he merely reigned,
while his Mitanni Mother, Queen Tiy, governed.The King of the Mitanni, King
Dashratha (Dushratta),writing to congratulate him on his accession, addresses himself to
Queen Tiy, not to Akhnaton directly. Even in later letters of this period, Dashratha writes
to Akhnaton advising him to"refer to his mother" about important matters.

The evidence proving the Vedic influence-via the Mitanni- on Akhnaton is beyond
questioning. In fact, not only were a majority of his relatives Mitanni, his wife was also a
Mitanni princess, the daughter of King Dashratta, the famous Nefertiti. It is a well known
fact that she, along with Akhnaton, were acting in the role of High Priest and Preistess in
the religion of Aton. It has erroneously been stated that Aton's worship was"invented" by
pharaoh Amenhotep IV/ Akhenaten. However, beginning with Akhenaten's father,
Amenhotep III, Aten enjoyed a higher level of worship.

At the age of eighteen years, he came into complete power of the Kingdom. It was at this
time that he proclaimed his faith in One God- The Sun, which he designated by the name
of Aton, ie. The Disk or Fiery Orb. He publicly proclaimed his faith in Aton, as the God
of Gods. Some have claimed that as a Sun worshipper, Akhnaton was more of an Animist
Nature worshiper rather than a devotee of a Supreme Godhead. However Akhnaton's own
words confirm that this is not the case. Akhnaton spoke of the Sun disk as being the Eye
of Aton and a representative of Aton's Power. In the Bhagavad Gita, the Sun is described
as one of the unlimited eyes of God's Universal Form. In the Brahma-Samhita the Sun is
also described as the Eye of God.Akhnaton's reverance of the Sun is properly understood
in this context.

The symbol of Aton, as presented by Akhnaton, was an image of the Sun Disc with many
sunrays extending out, ending in hands, in a kind of triangle shape. Some scholars have
also pointed out that the shape of the Pyramids represents the Sun's beams shining down
to Earth, in a triangle shape, with the top being the Source and spreading out ever wider
as it reaches the Earth.
The similarity between Akhnaton's Aton and Surya is indeed striking. The Sanskrit
description of the Divine source of light corresponds perfectly with the picture of Aton
given in the Egyptian King's hymns.

"As the Vivifier and Quickener, He raises His long arms of gold in the morning, rouses
all beings from their slumber, infuses energy into them, and buries them in sleep in the
evening."(From a Vedic prayer to Sun God.) This description also fits perfectly with the
carvings of Aton as the Solar disc extending its golden arms to the Earth. Archeologists
have confirmed that all these images and engravings were covered in gold at one time.

Also according to Akhnaton, Aton as the Supreme Godhead, was imbued with both the
male and female principles. He says to Aton,"Father and Mother of all that You have
made." This paralels with the Vedic terms for the Sun,Savita(male) and Savitri(female)or
the Sun and the Sun's energy.

Akhnaton's Hymn to Aton also shows a remarkable scientific understanding of the Sun's
role in the functioning of life on the planet as a whole. Some see his religion as " a
philosophic and scientific revolt against religion," rather than a new religion. One
scholar, H.R.Hall sees Akhnaton as "History's first scientific mind," due to his scientific
understanding of the Sun and its relation with the organic world. However, those versed
in Vedic Spirituality know that true religion is based on scientific principles of reality. As
a follower of Vedic Dharma, Akhnaton was aware of this and many other scientific and
spiritual facts.

Accompanying Akhnaton's name in every inscription of his reign, apart from the early
ones, is the term "Ankh-em-Maat" or "Living in Truth." In a tomb of one of his followers
an inscription was found, "The King has put the truth into me, and to lie is an
abomination." (From the tomb of a courtier named Ay.) As we know Satya, or Truth, is
also one of the main points in Vedic culture. To this very day the motto of India/Bharat is
"Satyam Eva Jayate."

I see it as a powerful affirmation of the truth, that the most spectacular and famous find in
Egyptian history was the discovery of the tomb of Akhnaton's son, Tutankhamon. The
Universe has a wonderful way of bringing Truth and Justice to light. After Akhnaton's
death, the priests of Amon, did their best to obliterate the memory of Akhnaton and his
religion of Aton. All his monuments and inscriptions were torn down and the stones were
all reused. However this very act of desecration is the very thing that has preserved
Akhnaton's story for thousands of years.

When all of his inscriptions and carvings were reused, they were hidden away from not
only the eyes of the Egyptian people, but also from the erosive effects of the
environment. The newly carved inscriptions and carvings of his enemies soon withered
away under the effects of the sun, wind and rain.

Another important point to remember, is that modern scholars, though able to understand
Egyptian hieroglyphics, they are only guessing at the pronunciation. They have no way to
ascertain the vowel sounds as spoken by the ancient Egyptians. Thus we come across
such a variety of spellings of terms like Ra or Re, Ikhnaton, Akhnaton, Akhnaten, Aten,
Aton, Yiten etc. The fact is, it was only through the discovery of the Rosetta stone,that
scholars were able to finally understand the hieroglyphics. They were able to compare
them with the other two known languages on the stone. IF ONLY THE SCHOLARLY
WORLD COULD UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT THAT THE VEDIC RECORD IS
THE ROSSETA STONE TO ALL THE MYSTERIES OF HISTORY, SCIENCE AND
CULTURE, HUMANITIES IGNORANCE OF ITS OWN PAST WOULD BE LIFTED.