We know that the ancient Vedic culture had spread or had influence throughout many parts of the world. Evidence can show this, if we know what to look for and do the right research. So this article will show a little of that evidence.
Starting with Greece, which is often considered the cradle of Western civilization, Greece was originally of the name Hellas, and the land of Hellas was so called from the magnificent range of heights situated in Baluchistan, styled by the name “Hella” mountains. So where did the name Greece come from? The word itself signifies the Indian origin of the ancient Greeks. The royal Indian city of Magadha was called Rajagruhi [now Rajgir] during the Mahabharata times, and people of Magadha were known as Gruhiks. After the defeat of Jarasandha by Sri Krishna, the Gruhikas moved through northwest India and into the area of Greece. These people named their new country as Gruhikadesh, which then changed to Graihakos and to Graikos to Graceus and finally to Greece. In the same way, the name of Macedonia came from the name Magadhanian, indicating an extension of Magadha in ancient India. (Shah, Niranjan, Greece–A Colony of Ancient India, India Tribune, July 30, 2005.)
In this way, much of the advancement that was experienced in Greece was because of the influence, especially in mathematics, literature, and other fields, from ancient India. As the French author Louis Revel writes in his book The Fragrance of India (Les Routes Ardentes De L’Inde): “If the Greek culture has influenced Western civilization, we must not forget that ancient Greeks themselves were also sons of Hindu (Indian) thoughts.”
Jawaharlal Nehru also wrote about the Vedic influence of the Upanishads on early Greece and Christianity: “Early Indian thought penetrated to Greece, through Iran, and influenced some thinkers and philosophers there. Much later, Plotinus came to the east to study Iranian and Indian philosophy and was especially influenced by the mystic element in the Upanishads. From Plotinus many of these ideas are said to have gone to St. Augustine, and through him influenced the Christianity of the day… The rediscovery by Europe, during the past century and a half, of Indian philosophy created a powerful impression on European philosophers and thinkers.” (Nehru, Jawaharlal, Discovery of India, The Signet Press, 1946, p.92.)
Poets in Greece tried their best to create literature similar to that of India. In fact, German scholar Barren Van Nooten, who translated the Rig Veda, wrote in the Introduction to Philosophy of Hinduism: An Introduction to Philosophy of Hinduism by T. C. Galav: “There are virtual copies of plots, characters, episodes, situations, and time duration from the Mahabharata in Homer and Virgil.”
Then we have another Greek ruler, Agathocles, who not only used the Vedic emblems of Krishna and Balarama on his coins, but took pride in calling himself a Hinduja, an Indian by birth. In India we also have the example of Heliodoros, a native of Taxila and a convert to Vaishnavism, who came to India as an ambassador of the Greek king Antialcidas, to the court of the Shunga ruler Bhagabhadra and erected his Heliodorus column at Vidisha, which announced his dedication to the worship of Vishnu.
This Heliodorus column provides undeniable archeological evidence that the Greeks were impressed with the Vedic culture as far back as 200 BCE. This Heliodorus column was erected by the Greek ambassador to India in 113 B.C. at Besnagar in central India. The inscription on the column, as published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, says:
This Garuda column of Vasudeva (Vishnu), the god of gods, was erected here by Heliodorus, a worshiper of Vishnu, the son of Dion, and an inhabitant of Taxila, who came as Greek ambassador from the Great King Antialkidas to King Kasiputra Bhagabhadra, the Savior, then reigning prosperously in the fourteenth year of his kingship. Three important precepts when practiced lead to heaven: self-restraint, charity, conscientiousness.
This shows that Heliodorus had become a worshiper of Vishnu and was well versed in the texts and ways pertaining to this spiritual path. It can only be guessed how many other Greeks became converted to Vaishnava Hinduism if such a notable ambassador did. This conclusively shows the Greek appreciation for India and its philosophy, and that it antedated Christianity by at least 200 years. This disproved claims of the Christians and British that the stories of Krishna in the Puranas were modern and merely taken as adaptations from the stories of Jesus, or that the Vedics were influenced by and adopted any of the philosophy of Christianity before this time.
Now going to Germany, we can see a Vedic connection starting with the very name of Germany. It is explained that the word German came from the name of sharma or sharman, which is an Indian name. Thus, Germany was a country connected with Vedic tradition from many years ago. It is also interesting that the German Sanskritist Max Muller described himself on the front page of his translation of the Rig Veda as, “By me, born in Sharman country, resident of Oxford, named Max Muller.” This would also lend credence that Germany was once known as Sharman-desh, or the place of the Sharmans, a brahminical class of people, connected with the Vedic culture. So you could say that Germany should have been called Sharmany.
This connection may also be why there have been a number of scholars who were fascinated by and studied Sanskrit. These included people like August Wilhelm Schlegal, Immanual Kant, Jacobi, Arthur Schopenhaur, Paul Dressen, Richard Wagner, Frederich Nietzsche, and others.
In Ireland, we can see a lot of the Vedic influence, starting simply with its name. In Historic India, published by Time-Life Books, we read on page 39 that, “In Celtic the word (Arya or Aryan) was transformed into ‘Erin’ which in English became Ireland.” So there is a direct connection between what became Ireland and its heritage from the Vedic Aryan culture.
In Reverend Faber’s book Origin of Pagan Idols, he feels the same way when he says: “The religion of the celts, as professed in Gaul [France] and Britain is palpably the same as that of the Hindoos and Egyptians.” (Faber, Origin of Pagan Idols, B. IV, Ch. V, p. 380.)
The Celts were also one of the first civilizations north of the Alps recorded in history. By the third century BCE they existed from Ireland to central Turkey, through Italy, to southern Spain and north to Belgium.
The patriarch of their good gods was Nuada, born of Goddess Danu. Danu was also called Anu or Ana, and was like the universal mother. All the other gods are like her children. Goddess Danu is said to have ruled over Ireland some 4000 years ago. Patricia Monaghan writes in her book, The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology, that there was an Irish divine race that represented the God of the Celts, named Tuatha De Danann, the people of Goddess Danu.
We also find Danu prominently in the Vedic tradition. It was the clan of Danavas that came from Danu. The Vedic Danu was one of the thirteen daughters of Prajapati Daksha, and was married to Kashyapa Muni. In the Irish tradition the father of Danu is called Dagda, very similar to Daksha. Being the daughter of Daksha also means that she was the sister of Sati, the wife of Lord Shiva. The Celtic Nuada was also called Argetlam, or “He of the Silver Hand.” He was their war god, or like the Gaelic Zeus, or Jupiter. Nuada’s consorts were war-like goddesses called “Hateful,” “Venomous,” “Furry,” “Great Queen,” and others. This was similar to Shiva and the different forms of Devi, such as Amba, Bhavani, Kali, Parvati, etc. Other Celtic gods included Teutates, Taranis, and Esus.
Kashyapa had two wives from whom come lineages that were noted in the Vedic culture. From Danu came the lineage of the Danavas. Another lineage was from his wife Diti, who gave birth to the Daityas. Germany was previously called Daityastan, from which came the name Deutchland. Stan is Sanskrit meaning land, so Daityastan merely means the land of the Daityas, the sons of Diti. So we can see the closeness of this with the Vedic tradition.
Similar to the Celts, the Scandinavians also recall coming from an area to the southeast from many years earlier. The Sanskrit chants of the Vedas also are connected with the Eddas of Scandinavia. In fact, as Christianity took over the area, the word Veda became mispronounced as Edda. That is the only explanation as to why elephants are mentioned in the Eddas and traditions of Scandinavia, although they do not exist there.
A small comparison can be made when we read in the Eddas about the process of creation, wherein it says: “There was in times of old, not sand, not sea, not waves, Earth existed not. Not heaven above, it was a chaotic chasm, and grass nowhere. The Supreme ineffable spirit willed, and a formless chaotic matter was formed.” However, this is also very similar to statements about the universal creation in the Brahmanda Purana and others from the Vedic tradition.
These are just short snippets of evidence. Anyone who would like more information about this topic can find it in the books of Stephen Knapp, namely his latest, “Mysteries of the Ancient Vedic Empire,” and his previous book “Proof of Vedic Culture’s Global Existence,” or visit his website at: www.stephen-knapp.com.
Today is Odana-sasthi, the date on which Lord Jagannatha is given a winter shawl. One year, when Lord Chaitanya and His associates celebrated this festival in Puri, Pundarika Vidyanidhi, who is Vrsabhanu Maharaja, Srimati Radharani’s father, in krsna-lila, received some special mercy. His experience is instructive for us all.
Moksada Ekadasi 
By Ananda Vrindavana Devi Dasi
A classe on Sri Visnu-sahasranama, highlighting the qualities and pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
