Out With The Old,
In With The New
Shrikant G. Talageri
Out with the Old (especially “bank clerks” who have killed the Rigveda) and in with the New (especially “ISRO scientists” who have brought the Rigveda back to life).
I have basically stopped writing on the subjects of history and politics. This is because I have written everything I could on these subjects, repeating and re-repeating everything countless times, and nothing new is left to be written about, and nothing new has arisen (or is likely to arise), not even vicious abuse of myself, that I would feel impelled to respond to. And I have realized how futile it is, and how ruinous for my health and peace of mind. Now (unless something new in the field of Rigvedic research impels me inwardly to write something on it. But honestly, I doubt it), the only subject I will write about is music, which is the most beautiful thing in existence (or about the Konkani language).
But – and this is really my last article on the subject. I will not respond even to responses to this article – I feel it necessary to point out why I have realized the absolute futility of everything, and make my piddling effort to alert Indians and Hindus (whether or not it makes any difference in the long run) to this internal danger.
It is because the usual anti-OIT gangs that I have always referred to in my writings have been joined by a new, and much more powerful (because a “Trojan Horse”), anti-OIT gang (consisting of the duo Jijith Nadumuri Ravi and Koenraad Elst) which is capable of striking at the very roots of the OIT:
1. My very existence as a historian and pioneer of the OIT and of OIT-based
research of the Rigveda has been completely cancelled out: read the tweet and
the article appended below (“Indian history, as we know it today, usually starts with
dynasties like the Mauryas, Nandas, and Guptas. The kings and
events mentioned in the Vedas, Ramayana, and Mahabharata are
often labeled as mythology. But this creates an odd situation—the grandfather
of a well-documented king is called a myth! Jijith wanted to fix this gap […] Many researchers
have studied Indian history, but no one has mapped it out this clearly […] His
work is changing the way people see India’s past, turning myths into history
and history into a story we can all understand.”).
2. All the most basic and fundamental aspects of the OIT have been viciously attacked (and all this has been done on the basis of completely concocted stories, entities and events, and zero data and evidence, in a manner never paralleled before):
2a) The concept of a proto-Indo-European civilization spread out all over most of North India (replaced by an internal AIT starting out from the Sarasvati river in the northwest of India and replacing the local languages and culture of the whole of northern India up to the borders of the Dravidian-speaking South),
2b) The concept of a unitary Bharata-Pūru Rigvedic tribe as the “People of the Book” in the Rigveda (replaced by the concept of two mutually opposed and concocted-out-of-thin-air tribes of “Bharata Pūrus” both of whom are, in different parts of the Rigveda, the “People of the Hymns Concerned”). In fact, in half of the Old Rigveda (and the “older” half) Divodāsa’s clan now becomes the enemies in the hymns!
2c) The chronology of the Rigveda, with its clear division into an “Old Rigveda” and a “New Rigveda” (replaced by a hodge-podge Rigvedic text where kings living in the time of the New Rigveda are older than or ancestral to kings living in the time of the Old Rigveda).
2d) The east-to-west movement of the Rigvedic Aryans starting with the ancestors of Sudās in Haryana, Sudās himself starting out from Haryana and proceeding to the Central Punjab (beyond the Paruṣṇī after earlier crossing the eastern Vipāś and Śutudrī) and Sudās’ descendants reaching Afghanistan, all in the course of the Old Rigveda (replaced by kings living in the period of the New Rigveda already being active on the far western Swat river even before the period of Sudās himself).
3. In addition, my OIT version is being misrepresented by having it propagated that in my OIT I have claimed that the Rigvedic Aryans originated in Kashi or Ayodhya, and that Manu ruled from Ayodhya or Kashi, and Divodāsa and Sudās ruled from Kashi (in spite of my clear and consistent reiterations of the fact that the Pūrus lived in the Sarasvati area and only the Ikṣvākus originally lived in the east in and to the east of the Avadh region up to Bihar).
4. And finally, while weakening the OIT by Trojan Horse methods, the duo has recently been actively promoting a Dravidian-Invasion-Theory (with origins in Elam in southwest Iran) and an Austric-Invasion-Theory (with origins in the Yunnan province of China). What next: a Burushaski-Invasion-Theory from the Caucasus mountains?
Here are the tweet and article referred to above:
No comment needed. Just buy them, &
especially: read them. Jijith Nadumuri Ravi: The ISRO Scientist Who’s Bringing
Rigveda, Ramayana & Mahabharata to Life. literarypioneers.com/litboost/jijit
via @Literary Pioneers
11 P.M. June 6 2025
Jijith Nadumuri Ravi: The ISRO Scientist Who’s Bringing Rigveda, Ramayana & Mahabharata to Life.
His Geo-Chronology
Series—which includes Rivers of Rigveda, Geography of Ramayana,
and Geography of Mahabharata (Vol 1 & 2)—connects the dots
between India’s ancient past and recorded history. Through years of research,
he has mapped out real locations, identified forgotten timelines, and brought
scientific clarity to stories many consider myths.
Why He
Wrote These Books
Indian history, as we
know it today, usually starts with dynasties like the Mauryas, Nandas,
and Guptas. The kings and events mentioned in the Vedas, Ramayana,
and Mahabharata are often labeled as mythology. But this creates an
odd situation—the grandfather of a well-documented king is called a myth!
Jijith wanted to fix this
gap. His books connect ancient kings with historical rulers and show how Indian
civilization grew over time instead of appearing out of nowhere.
A
Research Journey Like No Other
Writing these books was
no ordinary task. It took five years of deep research, and three times more
effort than a regular book. Here’s what went into it:
·
Studying 110,000 Sanskrit verses from ancient texts.
·
Using satellite maps, historical maps, and Google Maps to
find real places from the epics.
·
Creating hundreds of new maps that show the movement of
kings, armies, and civilizations.
This effort led to
over 100 new discoveries that help us understand India’s past in a
way no one has before.
What
These Books Reveal
Jijith’s books are not
just history—they are complete timelines of ancient India. They answer some big
questions, like:
·
What was the time gap between the Rigvedic kings, Sri Rama,
and the Pandavas?
·
Who were the common figures that lived during both the
Ramayana and Mahabharata periods?
·
How did the Vedic civilization grow and evolve into later
Indian kingdoms?
By matching mythology
with history, he shows a continuous timeline from the earliest Vedic period to
well-known historical dynasties like the Mauryas, Sungas, and Guptas.
Why His
Work Stands Out
Many researchers have
studied Indian history, but no one has mapped it out this clearly. Jijith’s
books are different because:
·
They are backed by real geography—not just theories.
·
They connect different time periods into a single,
easy-to-follow history.
·
They bring clarity to India’s ancient past like never
before.
What’s
Next?
Jijith is now working on
his next book—a deep dive into Sanatana Dharma. While researching ancient
texts, he found many important lessons about Dharma and the future of humanity.
His new book will use both ancient wisdom and modern science to show how
Sanatana Dharma can guide us into the age of space exploration.
A
Must-Read for Every History Lover
If you’ve ever been
curious about the real history behind India’s great epics, Jijith Nadumuri
Ravi’s books are a must-read. His work is changing the way people see India’s
past, turning myths into history and history into a story we can all
understand.
Don’t miss this chance to
explore India’s lost history—get your copies today!”
So this is it. Abusers (from every anti-OIT camp, including this one, or from Orthodox Hindu camps) are free to abuse me. No responses will be forthcoming from my side.
While I may be cancelled
out for the moment, my books and all my blogs cannot be cancelled out of
existence. They will live to see Justice done on this subject at some point of
time in future. Meanwhile, I will devote my time to reading books, listening to
music, and living my life to the enjoyable full as much as possible till my
last breath without getting into these murky depths.
APPENDIX added 12 June 2025:
I never thought the day would come when I would call Koenraad Elst a liar. But it has come today!
Someone just sent me a tweet put up by Koenraad Elst today, less than three hours ago:
“So much the better. Sometimes one is glad to have been wrong. At any rate, the only extant alternative to Shrikant Talageri's locating Manu in Ayodhya is Jijith Nadumuri Ravi, locating him in Haryana. I have no new arguments to add to their respective positions.”
4:08 PM. June 12, 2025.
Unbelievable, highly unprincipled and shameful! After all my articles on this point (see above even in this very article) Koenraad is still lying through his teeth claiming that I have located Manu in Ayodhya. I challenge him to stop lying or else to point out the exact quote from any book or article of mine where I have located Manu in Ayodhya. These are not differences of opinion or interpretation: these are blatant lies (where ridiculous claims are being concocted and repeatedly attributed to me) which anyone can verify as lies merely by checking up my writings!
Dear Shrikant,
ReplyDeleteIt is disappointing that after all the hard work you have put in in giving the OIT a solid base, you seem to want to give up now...rather than giving up which would only please crooks like Witzel, Hock and other AIT propagandists, why not write and attempt the correct Vedic history of India and rebut Jijiths version more effectively? You have the skill and talent to write such a history. Please give it a try at least.
But dont just give up like this. Our Hindu ancestors faced some many problems in resisting the foreign invaders of the past but they never gave up fighting for their Dharma and Bharat. If Jijith is writing wrong Vedic history, then why not write what you feel is the correct version of vedic history?
I have rebutted Jijith's version of Rigvedic history completely and repeatedly. There is no sense in repeating myself again and again. About his work on the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the same points of criticism will apply wherever he tries to bring in Rigveda, the Sarasvati and Haryana as the Original Homeland of the eastern people, and does not require separate attention. Where he deals with the Ramayana and Mahabharata data without reference to the above rigveda-related aspects, I have nothing to argue about.
DeleteNeedless to say, if something really new and important comes up to which I feel I need to respond, I will be doing so. But not to the same old rubbish to which I have responded countless times.
Also, his next book on "Sanatana Dharma". I have already written an article on this phrase also. Sanatana dharma is a modern term not found anywhere in any ancient or medieval text to refer tour religion or culture. This man actually objects to (and has many times called for abandoning) even the word Hindu! I really don't want to get into these murky depths, as I wrote above.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHi Talageriji,
DeleteActually the term "Sanathana Dharma" is indeed found in old Hindu texts. Medhatithi, a 10th century commentator on Manusmriti, mentiond the term Sanathana Dharma and describes it.
Of course the word Sanatana Dharma is found in old )very much post-Vedic) texts. But it does not refer to a religion but to a religious principle. In my article "Hindu Dharma or Sanatana Dharma", I wrote:
Delete"Perhaps (though I am open to correction, if anyone can produce older citations) the first use of the combined phrase containing both the words (Sanātana and Dharma) is in the Manu Smriti, 4.138 and 9.64. And these are not referring to any self-identity, but to what they describe as an "eternal law" (of morality or ethical social behavior):
Manu Smriti, 4.138:
satyam brūyāt priyam brūyān na brūyāt satyam apriyam.
priyam ca na-anṛtam brūyād eṣa dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ.
"Let him say what is true; let him say what is agreeable; but let him not utter a disagreeable truth, nor utter an agreeable falsehood: that is the eternal law".
Manu Smriti, 9.64:
na-anyasmin vidhavā nārī niyoktavyā dvijātibhiḥ.
anyasmin hi niyuñjānā dharmaṁ hanyu sanātanam.
"A widow must not be appointed, by a twice-born man, to cohabit (perform niyoga) with any man; he who does so will be violating the eternal law".
It will be noticed that not only does the phrase not denote identity in any way in either of the two contexts, but it looks as if it is just a phrase used to emphasize that any social or moral act recommended or forbidden is claimed to be recommended or forbidden as per an "eternal" code. The caste-specific references in the second reference, additionally, make clear the narrow social relevance of such "eternal" laws.
Even for the meaning "eternal" the Manu Smriti much more often uses other words, most commonly śāśvata. And the word sanātana occurs by itself in reference to other things sought to be described as eternal: brahmā/brahman (1.7; 6.79); the Vedas (1.23; 3.284; 12.94,99); the Vedic sacrifice (1.22); and some general other laws pertaining to kingly duties (9.325), or the caste status of children born out of inter-varṇa unions (10.7).
The same practice is followed in later texts (starting with the Epic and Puranic texts), where either some God or Goddess, to indicate his/her ancientness and importance, or some social or ethical rule or law, to indicate its sanctity, is called sanātana (eternal)."
The text by Medhatithi you refer to is a commentary on the manu Smriti. If you claim it defines Sanatana Dharma in terms which we could describe Hindu Dharma, please let me know the exact reference (verse numbers, etc.)
Why not bring out the actual ancient Indian history from Vedas, Puranas, Ramayan and Mahabharat in a more organized form.
ReplyDeleteSeparating what is fact and what is basically myth? Please think about it.
Over the decades I've been accused of all kinds of viewpoints by Eminent Historians, fellow Orientalists and assorted trolls, but "anti-OIT" is truly a new one; it will surprise all of the above, and myself too. My position regarding the Homeland has not changed at all. Within the Indian Homeland, there could be variations, and there still can. I thought Manu Vaivasvata and his successors were historically located in Eastern UP, as they are in the Puranas, but thirty years later, my advancing insight in the archaeological data has made me more sympathetic to Jijith's recent thesis that the Saraswati area is more indicated as his land of origin. But whether in UP or Haryana, whether on the Sarayu or the Saraswati, that is all very much in India. Likewise, on the age of Trasadasyu my opinion isn't very firm, not having investigated the matter on my own, but either way it doesn't entail and Aryan Invasion. So yes, Jijith's startling thesis have seriously rocket the boat and made many lovers of Vedic and Epic literature run for cover; but it is in no way a threat to the Out-of-India hypothesis.
ReplyDeleteSir I am not sure if you wish to read this:
ReplyDeletehttps://adnaera.com/2025/04/01/varas-and-dragonslayers-rethinking-the-indo-iranian-expansion/
But it is the latest with regards to the AMT vs OIT debate. The Steppe hypothesis is now on shaky grounds. The Iranian homeland theory seems to be gaining much more favor. Its harder to outright reject since it can explain most of the taking points of the OIT while filling the missing gaps of archeology and genetics in support of the Iranian homeland which OIT scores poorly on.
Then you have not read my articles and don't know the talking points of the OIT. In any case I am not interested in replying to or disproving anyone else's claims. It is now long past the time when people should try to disprove my claims if they can.
Delete