Seven Ancient Kingdoms to the West of Sindhu

Bharata Varsha originally extended from the South China Sea in the East to the Mediterranean in the West.
This is clear from the Vedic scriptures.
This entire region was divided as east of Sindhu and west of Sindhu.
The area to the east of Sindhu remained as followers of the Vedic system.
This area became known as Aryavarta.
People to the west of Sindhu opted to move away from the Vedic system.
This area is Aryayana.
They replaced Indra with Varuna as their chief god.
Their religion became known as Asura Dharma.
Zarathustra, grandson of a Rishi called Rijrashwa was the founder of this religion.
They were rebels to such an extent that they even started writing from right to left adopting the Kharosthi script.
Now, we will see about the main kingdoms to the west of Sindhu.

Gandhara and Madra

Afghanistan and surrounding areas were called Gandhara.
Iran and surrounding areas were called Madra.

Two divisions of Gandhara

Lord Rama's brother Bharata had two sons: Takshaka and Pushkara.
Takshaka made Takshashila his capital
Takshaka's brother Pushkara made Pushkaravati his capital.
In this manner, Gandhara was divided into two parts.

Two divisions of Madra

Madra was also divided into North Madra and South Madra.

The five kingdoms- Parada, Pahlava, Kamboja, Shaka, Yavana

Sagara was a predecessor of Bhagiratha (who brought Ganga to earth).
Sagara's father was Bahu.
Bahu's father was defeated by Haihayas, Talajanghas.
Paradas, Kambojas, Shakas, and Yavanas were their allies in this battle.

These five groups were originally Aryans.
Sagara obtained Agneyastra and defeated all of them.
After that, Sagara expelled them from Vedic dharma and Kshatriya varna.
Shakas were told to keep their heads half-shaven.
Yavanas and Kambojas were told to keep their heads fully shaven.
Paradas were told to leave their hair untied.
Pahlavas were told to keep only the beard.

The Paradas

They converted to the Asura religion of Kalakeya.
They adopted the dress and language of Kalakeyas.
They became great archers.
Parada is the Asura language means archer.
They used to occupy the present-day Khorasan.

The Pahlavas

Pahlavas believed in muscle power.
The term pahalwan (wrestler) is connected to Pahlava.
They occupied South Madra.
They had their own script called Pahlavi.
The alphabets of the Avestan language (Zoroastrianism) were based on Pahlavi alphabets.

The Kambojas

The territory of the Kambojas is in present-day Afghanistan.
They are called Kambojas because of their completely materialistic life.
Kama-bhoga - enjoyment is their purpose of life.

The Shakas

The Shakas became known as Scythians later.
They had the belief that they were smart enough to do anything.
Those who took up academics among the Shakas were called the Magas.
The Magas had their own four Vedas: Vida, Visparada, Vidada, Angirasa.
They are just the four Vedas chanted in the reverse order.
Ga-Ma Ma-Ga when reversed is Ma-Ga (Ga-Ma of Saregama).

The Yavanas

The Yavanas are a mix of all the above four.
Their territory was around Palestine.
They are also called the Yehudis.
The name Yehudi has originated from युद्ध-धी, meaning those who always thought about waging war with the Aryans.

Knowledge Bank

What is the significance of the Shakti Pithas?

Shakti Pithas are a chain of places on the Indian subcontinent famous for their spiritual significance in Hinduism. Sati Devi went to attend a yaga performed by her father, Daksha. There, her husband Lord Shiva was insulted. She self-immolated by jumping into the fire. Shiva roamed around with her corpse in a mood to destroy the world. Lord Vishnu cut her corpse using his SudarshanaChakra. Parts of her body and ornaments fell in 51 holy places. They are the Shakti Pithas where devotees throng for blessings and MantraSiddhi.

The Unchanging Nature of Shri Rama

Shri Rama neither goes anywhere nor stays anywhere. He neither grieves for anyone nor desires anything. He neither abandons nor performs any action. He is the embodiment of unchanging bliss, without any transformation. It is only due to the qualities of Maya that these aspects seem to be associated with him. Shri Rama is the Supreme Being, the eternal Supreme Personality, ever-radiant, and filled with supreme bliss, devoid of any effort or action. Yet, due to the association with the qualities of Maya, ignorant people perceive him as happy or sad.