1/n Bhagwan Skanda is revered by Hindus for millennia, but did you know that he is the primary deity of the ancient Yezidi culture. Today Yezidis are known for being savagely victimized by ISIL, but they have a long history as remnants of an ancient culture with Hindu roots.
2/n In Yezidi religion, Melek Ta’us is regarded as the greatest among archangels and an emanation of God Himself. Melek/Malik is an ancient Semite god of Babel and Canaan. It resembles the old Tamil word Malaiklavon, another name for Murugan, an ancient name of Skanda.
3/n Yezidi consider Melek Ta’us (Skanda) as an avatar of the eternal God (Shiva). He is represented by a blue peacock. But the Yezidis lived in lands which had no blue peacocks, they are native only to the Indian subcontinent. This indicates an ancient connection with India.
4/n It is this same Melek that Christians refer to as the evil Pagan God “Moloch of the Valley of Hinom”. The Bible refers to Moloch’s valley as the place where evil devotees beat drums to drown out the ghastly cries of children offered as sacrifices to the bloodthirsty god.
5/n The Yezidi story of creation offers clues to the origins of Moloch. Remarkably, their creation stories refer to esoteric Hindu concepts such as the process of universal energy manifesting first in physical form as the Hiranyagarbha (golden cosmic Womb).
6/n The Yezidis call it the “White pearl” made of pure light
which explodes & fills the Universe with rays of light. This is when the Yezidis say the concept of both cyclical time (Hindu Yugas) & linear time come into physical existence.
7/n The divine light first forms seven angels called the Seven mysteries or Heft Surr (Sapta Sura?). Their leader is Melek (Moloch). Surprisingly the Mahabharata, contians the Kaumara legend (MBH 3.230 ) which introduces Skanda as the commander of the seven-fold troops of Maruts
8/n They represent the power & ferocity of the primal forms of energy & Skanda is their leader. Skanda is also nurtured by the Sapta Matrikas representing the Krittikas or Pleaides constellation. In the Mahabharata the Matrikas are associated with inauspiciousness if angered.
9/n But the Matrikas are also the ones who protect & nurture children below the age of 16. Their energy defends children from death & disease in the most vulnerable years. In essence, they represented fertility & healing as well as the destructive aspect of natural forces.
10/n
It is likely this association of children which was distorted by Semitic faiths to paint a ghastly picture of Pagans sacrificing children Moloch the bloodthirsty god. The Yezidi god is also called “shaytan” This is why Yezidis are called "devil worshippers".
10/n Yezidi oral tradition acknowledges that they originated from India thousands of years ago. Their holy homeland was called Perani which may be derived from word Palani. Palani hills is one of the most ancient sacred shrines of Skanda in Tamil Nadu.
11/n The serpent is the totem of Melek Ta'us in Yezidi. Skanda also holds the serpent to symbolize his complete mastery over the Kundalini Shakti Yezidis worship Melek Ta’us in the form of a rooster on a candlestick. Both rooster & peacock are well-known as symbols of Skanda.
12/n Yezidi have many Hindus rituals such as putting tilak marks on foreheads, worship facing the sun (Surya), fire ceremonies (Yagna), prayers with large oil lamps ((Aartis). They believe in Karma, reincarnation, Avatars, & the Wheel of time (Kaal Chakra).
13/n Skanda's peacock symbol is particularly dear to them & decorates their holy shrines. Tall standing brass oil lamps in peacock shape just like Mayura Deepams called Sanjaks play a central role in their foremost festival; the Yezidi New Year or the "Parade of the Sanjaks".
14/n The Yezidis history hints that they were a Vedic people who now live in the Nineveh Province of Iraqi Kurdistan. Their calendar is 6,764 years old and is the oldest in the Middle East. This number may well represent the time period when Yezidis migrated from India.
15/n One of the most intriguing clues to their real origins may lie with the Mitanni, a Vedic tribe which migrated to the West from India (1550 BCE). Several Mittani names & inscriptions are clearly derived from Sanskrit & refer to Vedic deities.
16/n A significant theme of Mittani art is peacocks and other birds showing similarities with peacocks. Mittani kings had names such as Tushrutha, Arthashumra, and Arthatama.Their deities were named Shuria (Surya), Maryatas (Marutas) & Simalia (Himalayas).
17/n In 2019, Archaeologists uncovered a 3,400 year old ancient Mittani palace in Kurdistan Region on the banks of the Tigris River where Yezidis lived centuries ago. The Mittani culture thrived in the heartland of Kurds, where the Yezidis have lived for centuries.
18/n The ravages of time & influences of Islam, Christianity, Sufism, etc. have all clouded the story of Yezidi origins in the mists of mystery. Today’s Yezidi religion is a but a shadow of its past, yet its Hindu roots still remain inescapably apparent.
19/n Only about 600,000 Yezidis survive today. Their population has been decimated by Islamic terrorism. If this lost branch of Skanda worshippers becomes extinct, one more invaluable facet of Hinduism’s over arching influence over the ancient world too will disappear.
20/n References:
Names of god & forms of address to God in Yezidism. Kh. Omarkhali
Assyrian Origin of the Izedis or Yezidis-the So-Called "Devil Worshippers", W. Francis Ainsworth historynewsnetwork.org/article/162022
Ancient palace of the Mittani Empire - Kurdistan24.net
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1/n In school we were all taught that the word “Juggernaut”was simply an English mispronunciation of Bhagwan Jagannath of Puri whose Rath Yatra is one of the most famous festivals of Hindus. But do you know the horrific origins of the English word “Juggernaut” ?
2/n For thousands of years Lord Jagannath, Balbhadra & Subhadra are placed on beautifully decorated chariots, and pulled through the streets of Puri by devotees, so that all devotees can get a Darshan of the sacred family. The English first saw this spectacle in the early 1800s.
3/n
When the British invaders first saw the Rath Yatra they could not believe their eyes at the grandeur. Reverend Claudius Buchanan, an Anglican missionary was the first British official to use the word “Juggernaut” in the West in the early 1800s.
1/n
Several historians have glorified Sher Shar Suri as a “secular” king who built many roads & was a stellar administrator. But the facts paint a horrifying story of a ruler who was a murderous tyrant utilizing slaughter & enslavement of Hindus as a way to gain power & wealth.
2/n Sher Shah’s real name was Farid Khan, the son of Jagirdar Hasan at Sasaram, Bihar. They were Pathans from Afghanistan & devout Muslims - well versed scholars in Arabic & Persian. From a young age Farid Khan was ambitious & began his career by robbing travelers on the highway.
3/n He was in charge of his fathers Jagir & would plunder the wealth of Hindu villages to capture women and children & sell them in the lucrative slave markets. His uniquely devious method consisted of encircling the village, killing adult males & branding women & children slaves
1/n For all those clamoring at the immense value of English & sneering down at Indians who are not fluent in it, perhaps a refresher on the type of hatred that the British had towards our native languages especially Sanskrit will be illuminating. In Macaulay's words:
2/n "To encourage the study of Sanskrit literature, admitted to be of small intrinsic value, only because that literature inculcated the most serious errors on the most important subjects, is a course hardly reconcilable with reason"
3/n It is hardly reconcilable with morality, or even with that very neutrality which ought, as we all agree, to be sacredly preserved. It is confirmed that a language (Sanskrit) is barren of useful knowledge. We are to teach it because it is fruitful of monstrous superstitions?
1/n One of the forgotten traditions of ancient India is the breeding & training of expert dogs for hunting & tracking. It has been a warrior tradition for thousands of years. One of the earliest mentions is in the Ramayana, where Bharata is presented with a group of hunting dogs
2/n Such royal hounds were bred by his grandfather & are described as huge dogs with fang like spears & the strength & courage of tigers. They come from the Kaikeya country (R 2:64:21). This pastime of hunting with a pack of expertly trained hounds was called Shvaganika.
3/n Shvaganika was a favorite pastime of Kshatriyas. In the Mahabharata, a hunting party of Kauravas & Pandavas is accompanied by a dog & its keeper. (Mbh 1,123,15) The practice is also mentioned by Panini (Panini 4:4:11 ) & Kalidasa also refers to it in his poetry.
1/n Are Hindus sacrificial lambs to keep bleating in weakness or will we ever see our true reflection & recognize our real strength? Swami Vivekananda in his speech “The Essence Of Religion” narrates a Vedantic tale that is pertinent now more than ever. If you get it, you get it.
2/n “There was once a baby lion left by its dying mother among some sheep. The sheep fed it and gave it shelter. The lion grew apace and said "Baaa" when the sheep said "Baaa". One day another lion came by. "What do you do here?" said the second lion in astonishment
3/n He had heard the sheep - lion bleating with the rest. "Baaa," said the other. "I am a little sheep, I am a little sheep, I am frightened." "Nonsense!" roared the first lion, "come with me; I will show you." And he took him to the side of a smooth stream
1/n Swami Vivekananda knew all too well the role of Hinduism compared to Semitic creeds. Excerpts of his quotes (1893) to the Chicago Daily Tribune & essays ‘The World needs Indian thought’ & ‘Dangers Ahead’ illuminate his enlightening views & warning to Hindus about their future
2/n “We who come from the East have sat here on the platform day after day and have been told in a patronizing way that we ought to accept Christianity because Christian nations are the most prosperous.”
3/n “We look at history and see that the prosperity of Christian Europe began with Spain. Spain’s prosperity began with the invasion of Mexico. Christianity wins its prosperity by cutting the throats of its fellowmen. At such a price Hindus will not have prosperity.