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Indo Aztec Dharma
INDO- AZTEC DHARMA
By- Dr. Lata Dani
Mexico's Poet Laureate and Nobel Prize Winner Octavio Paz was the ambassador to India. In his book, The Light of India, he has noted down the similarities in the cultures of India and Mexico. Indians, who visit Mexico, notice the striking similarity between the two societies. These similarities formed the subject of my first book Indo Aztec Cultural Affinity. As one reads about the Aztec Culture, one becomes increasingly aware of the resemblance between that culture and the Culture of India i.e. Bharat. Social and cultural similarities between the two cultures are remarkable. Even more pronounced are the similarities between their respective religions, or, more precisely between the two Dharmas.
The ancient Mexican cultures, the Aztec and the Maya, the world's most celebrated ancient pre-Christian cultures, have till date continued to fascinate scholars all over the world. The study of the Aztec culture started with Fray Bernardino de Shahagun, a Franciscan friar and a scholar from Spain. In modern times the real study of the Aztec culture started with William Prescott's History of the Conquest of Mexico published in 1934. Earlier Bancroft's History of Mexico gave an account of Aztec history and people. Prescott's study was carried forward by Wissler Clarke, George C Vaillant and Victor Von Hogan. Prescott has hinted at the similarities between the Aztecs and the Hindus. He has noted the religious and mythological similarities between the two. As the Aztecs continued to attract scholars, more and more studies came forward. Archaeological excavations have thrown new light on the Aztec Empire and the Aztec people. Scholars now agree that the Aztecs had an Indian or more precisely Vedic connection with India and they (and all Pagan cultures for that matter) had their origin in the Vedic Indian Culture. Thus the role of India as the donor culture is generally accepted.
The cause of Shahagun's troubles was Book IX, "The History of the conquest," told in Nahuatl by old men who had lived through it and embodying their version of events and their reactions. Shahagun was ordered to correct this chapter. The final copy was thus written in three columns, the original Nahuatl version, the corrected version in Nahuatl and the Spanish translation of the corrected version. The original version still exists but in Nahuatl only. Thus, what has reached us is the corrected version and its Spanish interpretation translated in English. Obviously, as it always happens, much is lost in translations and interpretations. The motive to malign the Aztec religion and to justify the Spanish brutalities was obviously there
For reasons cited above we have to rely on whatever is available to us in the form of tertiary sources. Hence as one reads about the Aztec culture, the achievements of the Aztecs, their beautiful cities and their golden temples, one gets an increasing feeling that the conquistadors might have overplayed the Human Sacrifices factor in order to justify the massacres they themselves committed in the conquest of Mexico. The only written accounts of these sacrifices are by either Hernan Cortez or by his historian, Berna Diaz del Castillo. The Aztecs had already become notorious for the human sacrifices. This notoriety also aroused a lot of curiosity about the Aztec culture and the Aztec Dharma.
My book Indo Aztec dharma is an attempt to make an in depth study of the Aztec Religion or their Dharma i.e. their way of life. Dharma is a course of life evolved through the experience of centuries of human existence on the earth. Dharma includes man's attitude to life, to the universe and to nature, which ultimately shapes a particular way of life and a code of conduct. This Dharma is an outcome of the process of evolution of human life and is not a set of principles preached by any particular prophet. It therefore allows a great degree of flexibility and adaptability to changing times. Dharma comprises a prescribed code of conduct for each and every individual in the different roles which he plays in the course of his life e.g. Putra Dharma (The duties of the son), Grihastha Dharma (the duties of the Gentleman), Samanya Dharma (General code of conduct), Raja Dharma (The duties of the ruler) etc.
The purpose of this book is to trace the similarities between the Indian and the Aztec Dharma. It gives an account Indo Aztec Connection: Roots and Links, the evidences that establish the Indo- Mexican links and support the hypothesis that the Aztecs had an Indian origin dating back to the Pre Vedic period. It also explores the possible routes of Aztec migration from India to the American continent and the traces of Indian Culture in that land. The book relates the history of the Aztec Civilization and deals with the nature and the construction of the Aztec society bringing home to the readers the similarities between the two societies. There are also striking mythological similarities between the Aztec culture and Hindu culture
In order to understand the Aztec Dharma we must take a detailed account of the numerous Aztec deities representing different aspects of life and nature and the religious rites that go with the worship of each deity. The book gives a detailed account of the Aztec Deities and Worship and their similarity with the Hindu Gods and Goddesses. It is also equally necessary to take an extensive tour in the realm of Aztec mythology and find out the myths associated with each deity. As there is an apparent similarity between the Aztec and the Indian Dharma, it is worthwhile to study whether there are any similarities in the Indian deities, mythology and forms of worship. The same is the approach in case of religious festivals. There are similarities between the customs, traditions and festivals observed by the Aztecs and the Indians. The sum total of all the beliefs, man's attitude towards life, nature and the Universe go together to shape a nation's religious philosophy or its Dharma. The resemblance between the Aztec and the Indian Dharma is discussed in the sixth chapter of the book: Religious Philosophy.
A study of this magnitude can never be complete. As is mentioned in the Conclusion so many questions remain unanswered and need further probing. The Indian almanac-Panchanga and the Aztec calendar, which seem so similar also need further in depth study. It will be worthwhile to study whether the Amerindian concept of Time and time measurement have the same Vedic origin. Is it the ancient Vedic Dharma in the American garb? Will DNA study throw light on the Indian ancestry of the Aztecs and the Amerindian races? Mexican literature, mythology, religion, deities, forms of worship, religious beliefs, customs and traditions present the internal evidences to prove the Indo Mexican link. A study of Aztec Mythology points to the Indo Aztec links especially Quetzalcoatl. However, some questions continue to torment us. The identity of Quetzalcoatl remains an enigma. It is possible that Quetzalcoatl the arch preceptor of the Aztecs was the Indian sage Astik who built the civilization at Tula for the Naga people who were estranged from their original homeland- India. Astika gave political asylum to the Nagas in Patala and it is generally believed that Patala was the American continent. Their protector and guide, Astika guarded the Nagas against the wrath of Janmejaya the king from the Pandava dynasty, who had vowed to destroy the entire race of the Nagas. The last survivor of the Naga clan Taxaca escaped and hid himself under the seat of Indra, (Tlaloc being the Mexican counterpart of Indra). Significantly Mexico has a place bearing the name Texcoco.
Who was this Quetzalcoatl? Where exactly was his original home in the East? Where did he go after he was compelled to leave Tula? What is the meaning of his promised return? Did he have any connection with one of the heroes of the Mahabharata, or the sage Astika? All these questions demand intensive research.
Similarly, the story of the chili pepper man who later became the son-in-law of the king of Tula and a hero after he returned from the battle is similar to the story of Arjuna the Pandava prince’s visit to Patala and his marriage to the Naga princess Ulupi. We need to probe the identity of this chili pepper man and needs further probing.
The Mayan chronological calendar goes back to a date that correlates to August 3114.The ancient Olmecs (the predecessors of the Toltecs and the Aztecs) also had a calendar which started in 3113 BC. This date takes us to the Mahabharata war at Kurukshetra.
There is also a remarkable similarity between the attitude to divinity and life held by the Aztecs and the Indians. As regards the religious philosophy, for both the Aztecs and the Indians, the cosmic order depended on a reciprocal relationship between humans and the gods, maintained through elaborate ceremonies. Since humans needed favourable treatment from the gods in order to survive, rituals solicited, for example, the help of agricultural deities in order to secure good harvests. For both the Aztecs and the Indians, the cosmic order depended on a reciprocal relationship between humans and the gods, maintained through elaborate ceremonies. Since humans needed favourable treatment from the gods in order to survive, rituals solicited, for example, the help of agricultural deities in order to secure good harvests. Thus both practiced Idolatry and were similar in their conceptualization of nature in the form of gods and goddesses whom they worshipped with utmost reverence.
The Aztec concept of creation is similar to that of the Indians. Both believed in the cycle of creation. Both believed that it took four attempts at creating the earth and mankind before the gods finally got everything right with the fifth attempt. Moreover, Hymn 121 of Book 10 in the Rig-Veda is similar to the description of creation as found in the Popol Vuh. In fact there are many similarities between the Vedic creation legend and that described in the Popol Vuh. These have been described in the book How the Universe Was Created and Our Purpose In It by Stephen Knapp.
The Aztecs and the Indians had a similar attitude to life and death. Both held that man owes his existence to the Supreme Being and were willing to surrender it to its source. They had similar concept of Heaven and Hell and had similar belief in Reincarnation of the soul. Aztec religion and mythology sanctified human sacrifice. The myth of the creation of man tells us that the creator Quetzalcoatl poured his own blood over them. Consequently, according to the Aztecs mankind must pay back this primal sacrifice. The justification was that they were only returning to god what belonged to god in the first place. There are references to young men willingly offering themselves for the sacrificial altar. In the Aztec society, human sacrifice had social and religious sanction and this ritual was carried out amid great ceremony. The Bharatiya Sanskriti Kosh (Encyclopedia of Indian Culture) also tells us that in India human sacrifices were prevalent since the Vedic period. Later, the section of society, which insisted on following the cruel practice, was expelled from the land. This section must have gone and settled in America. Apparently, in India too, human sacrifices were offered to retrieve hidden treasures, to ensure the longevity of a residential building, or a fortress. Such practices are prevalent even now in the remote countryside. Scholars feel that it is unfair to dismiss Aztecs as cannibals and to justify the cruelties they were made to suffer at the hands of Cortez who took upon himself the task of saving the Aztec souls from going to hell by either converting them to Christianity or just killing them.
Absolute faith in God and insistence on idol worship is the hallmark of both the Aztec and the Indian Dharma. Indo Aztec attitude to divinity also found reflection in their rituals, religious practices ceremonies and festivals. All festivals were necessarily religious in nature. This attitude also served as the basis for their calendar beautifully synchronized with the time cycle and the agricultural operations, for agriculture formed the basis of life. Many Aztec festivals bear similarity with Indian festivals as, for example, Baisakhi, Ugadi, Dashahara and Charakpuja. Ritualistic forms of worship are common to both these cultures. Rituals accompanied by fire worship, tying of the Tilmantli are very similar to the Indian marriage rituals.
Both the Aztec and the Indian Dharma made provision for fourfold stratification of the society or the Chaturvarnya Vyawastha as it is called in India. Both had a wider and an all-comprehensive vision of life, which enabled them to have the all-pervasive concept of the Four Yugas. They were able to look beyond mundane human existence bound in the parentheses of life and death as the beginning and end of life. No, life did not end in death. Death was perceived as the break between lives. Life was seen as a cycle, reaching its fullest expression in the four Yugas-a wider cycle of existence. The belief in this wider cycle of life formed the bedrock of their faith and it also formed the basis of their attitude to life and death as it also shaped the nature of the different religious ceremonies associated with birth and death.
Likewise the similarities between the deities worshipped by the Aztecs and the gods of the Indian pantheon,their methods of worship and consequent customs and traditions need to be probed further.Perhaps one day both the internal and external evidences will concur and it will be possible to establish the Indo Aztec connection beyond doubt.
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About the Author
Dr. Lata Dani-Retired professor of English. Ex Vice President International center for Cultural studies. author of books in English: Indo Aztec cultural Affinity,Indo Aztec Dharma and Maya Hindu Hermanos,besides several research articles and short stories.
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