The Bhavishya Purana, or the chronicle of the future, is the earliest Sanskrit work that reveals some familiarity with West Asian myths. While offered as a prophecy of occasions that may occur throughout Kali Yuga, it appears to have been up to date over time — from 1000 AD to late 18th century, and printed round 1900. It ends with the arrival of British rule in Kolkata. Here, Queen Victoria is known as Viktavati.
The Bhavishya Purana imagines an India (Bharat-varsha) from the Himalayas to the sea, with the Indus or Sindhu-desha forming the most important barrier between Arya-desha, land of civilised folks, and Mleccha-desha, land of barbarians. In Bharat-varsha, the 4 varnas do their responsibility. Sanskrit is spoken by the twice-born elites and Prakrit by the Shudras, or service-providers. Dravida-desha is to the south of the Vindhyas; there varnas have a tendency to combine. In different native lore, Dravida-desha is the land with out Kshatriyas, which Rishi Agastya and Rishi Parashurama organise and domesticate utilizing the native Shudras.
Like all Puranas, this textual content speaks of creation adopted by the 4 yugas. The first yuga, Satya, was dominated by Ikshavaku kings. The second, Dvapara, was dominated by photo voltaic kings ending with Ram of Ayodhya. Treta yuga was dominated by lunar kings ending with the notorious Mahabharata warfare. But there’s a slight twist. Yayati’s youngsters are founders not simply of the Pandavas, Kauravas and Yadavas, but in addition of the Mlecchas, who’re primarily those that flip away from Vedic rites, and take refuge in Maru-desha (in all probability the Thar desert).
We are informed of Satanika, the twenty third technology descendent of the Pandavas. His nice grandson Kshemaka is killed by the Mlecchas. Kshemaka’s son Pradyota performs an ideal Mleccha yagna the place a whole lot of barbarians are slaughtered. Kshemaka’s son Vedavat died childless and that’s when Kali Yuga truly begins.
An Indian Adam and Eve
Mleccha-Kali prays to Vishnu for the revival of the Mlecchas, and so from the god’s clay are born Adama and Hayvavati. In Persian, Eve is known as Hawa. Adama’s identify is linked to the restraint (dama) of his senses and devotion to Vishnu. They reside ‘east of Pradana’ — a reputation that looks as if a mix of Paradise and Eden.
East of Eden is a typical Christian metaphor for transgressors, like Adam’s son Cain who kills his brother Abel. Adam goes to the Udumbara (fig) tree in search of his spouse, the place the serpent of Kaliyuga gives fruit on a plate made from leaves. Here, Hayavavati, like a ‘good’ Indian spouse, feeds the husband first, although consuming this fruit is forbidden. Since the guidelines are damaged, the two are solid out. Their youngsters are the Mlecchas.
Then comes the story of Nyuha (Noah), who is suggested by Vishnu to construct a ship (of tangible Biblical specs) in seven days to outlive a flood, which is able to mark the onset of Kaliyuga. Besides his family members, Nyuha rescues 80,000 munis (silent sages) and all dwelling creatures. The sages venerate Vishnu’s maya, in addition to quite a few Tantrik goddesses, earlier than the rains cease and the ship lands between two Himalayan peaks, Arac and Sisira.
Noah’s Ark, a Mughal miniature, by Miskin
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WikiCommons
Unable to talk correct Sanskrit, Nyuha communicates in reverse (right-to-left, like Semitic script) and renames his sons Sima, Sama and Bhava as Sima (Shem), Hama (Ham) and Yakuta (Japhteh). Saraswati curses them that their language will likely be low, however their numbers will likely be excessive, and they’re going to populate a lot of the Earth.
Of Jesus and Muhammad
Musa or Moses’ educating conjures up the Mlecchas. But he’s countered by Rishi Kashyapa who travels to Egypt and spreads the Vedic doctrine. He brings again a couple of Mlecchas who rework, underneath Rishi Kanva’s steerage, into Shudras and Vaishyas. Their descendents populate components of Haryana (Prithu-desha), Rajasthan (Rajaputra-puram) and Magadha. Significantly, in 800 AD, Multan was often known as Kashyapapura, and it was right here that Devala-smriti, a dharma-shastra, was written by native Brahmins to purify these mentioned to be contaminated by contact with Arabs.
In the Dark Age, the Vedic order was re-established first by Vikramaditya, then by Shalivahana and eventually by Bhoja, the king who dominated Malwa in 1000 AD. Vikramaditya encounters Jesus (Isamasiha) whereas Shalivahana and his poet, Kalidasa, encounter Muhammad (Mahamada).
The Nativity of Christ
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WikiCommons
All this reveals a jumbled public reminiscence in the 1800s of an ancient times when India had first contact with foreigners, between 300 BC and 500 AD. Their arrival marked the finish of the outdated Vedic Age that pressured Brahmins of Yamuna-Ganga doab to reimagine Hinduism by means of Puranic lore, and migrate to new lands in search of recent patrons.
Most fascinating is how the tales of the Bible had been retold. Information about them may have come to Brahmin storytellers by way of Christian sailors and even Persian and Arab merchants. We get a glimpse of this in the Mughal work depicting Biblical themes.
Devdutt Pattanaik is writer of fifty books on mythology, artwork and tradition.
Published – June 13, 2025 12:12 pm IST
