| Arise Arjuna Hinduism And The Modern World |
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| Books By David Frawley |
| THE ARYAN-DRAVIDIAN DIVIDE | |
The Term Aryan A number of European scholars of the nineteenth century, such as Max Muller, did state that Aryan is not a racial term and there is no evidence that it ever was so used in the Vedas, but their views on this matter were ignored. We should clearly note that there is no place in Hindu literature wherein Aryan has ever been equated with a race or with a particular set of physical characteristics. The term Arya means "noble" a "spiritual", and has been so used by Buddhist, Jains and Zoroastrians as well as Hindus Religions that have called themselves Aryan have had members of many different races. Race was never a bar for anyone joining some form of the Arya Dharma or teaching of noble people.Aryan is a term similar in meaning to the Sanskrit word Sri, an epithet of respect. We could equate it with the English word Sir. We cannot imagine that a race of men named sir took over England in the Middle Ages and dominated the common people who were a different race, because most of the people in power in the country were called sir. Yet this is the kind of thinking that has been superimposed upon the history of India.
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