Aryan Invasion/migration Theories & Debates -2

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I happened to see one very funny message by Steve Farmer on their racist mail list (yes I subscibed to it to have some fun)

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Indo-Eurasia...ch/message/6952

Dear List,

Just once, I'd like to take up the claim, made endlessly on the
Web -- along with other debunked Indus Valley fantasies, including
those involving "perfectly proportioned" Indus weights and bricks,
astronomically aligned cities or graves, and "Indus writing" --
that "yoga" can be traced back to the Harappans.

Naga Ganesan brought it up again today on the List:

> On yoga origins, whether IE (Nick Allen's publications) or
> proto-Indian such as Yan Y. Dhyansky (The Indus Valley Origin of a
> Yoga Practice. Artibus Asiae, Vol. 48, No. 1/2, 89-108. 1987)....

I'd like to repeat that the only claimed evidence of "yoga" in the
Indus Valley comes in the fact that a few seals carry pictures of a
god or god imitator sitting cross-legged. The most famous example is
found in Marshall's egregiously misnamed "proto-Siva" seal:

http://www.harappa.com/script/gif/parpola10.gif

In fact, cross-legged postures like this were common in many ancient
civilizations. In Egypt, cross-legged poses were common signs of Egyptian
scribes, who are invariably shown with papyrus scrolls in their laps
and "meditative" looking faces. Here is a famous example (out
of dozens) from the mid third millennium BCE (the "Scribe of
Saqqara", in the tomb of Ptahhotep):

http://www.puc-rio.br/louvre/images/iae01.jpg (now in the Louvre)

So, if crossed legs mean "yoga," maybe "yoga" traces its origins to
Egypt?

Note the papyrus scroll in the scribe's lap: you can't mistake a *truly*
literate culture in antiquity, since images of writing, writing
instruments, etc., turn up all over the place (quite unlike the Indus
Valley, where all this evidence is absent).

If you don't think that the Scribe of Saqqara's pose looks twisted
enough to be called "yoga", check out the poses of the two figures at
the top of this drawing of a wall painting from the same tomb:

http://www.safarmer.com/Indo-Eurasian/PtahHotep.jpg

Cross-legged poses were also common in Mesoamerica, dating from
long before we hear of "yoga" in India. Cf., e.g., this figure from the
Olmec found in what looks to be a full-lotus position:

http://tinyurl.com/3cwc8f

So maybe "yoga" was independently invented in Egypt AND Mesoamerica,
and then passed on later to India?

Here's another Olmec figure in a "yoga" position -- it is a very common
Mesoamerica pose:

http://www.as.ua.edu/ant/Faculty/knight/im...nta/ALTAR4A.jpg

And another, in a statue of known religious significance:

http://tinyurl.com/38klak

I could show dozens and dozens of similar examples -- as opposed to
the handful of atypical crossed-leg poses in India. (There is a typical
worshipping position in Indus iconography, but it doesn't look at all
like this.)

Basta, please, with "yoga" in the Indus Valley. It is another of the
bottomless supply of Indus fantasies, based on no evidence. Unfortunately,
that hasn't kept it from being repeated endlessly since the 1920s.

Steve
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

What nonsense!! Indus valley seals show not just a CROSS-LEGGED POSTURE as he says, but advanced Yoga Asanas, in complete accordance to as described (later) in Sri gheraNya saMhitA and sri goraksha saMhita / hathyoga pradipika.

Advanced Asanas such as Siddha Asana, Goduhasana, Padmasan etc can be seen.

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Cross-legged poses were also common in Mesoamerica, dating from
long before we hear of "yoga" in India. Cf., e.g., this figure from the
Olmec found in what looks to be a full-lotus position:

http://tinyurl.com/3cwc8f

So maybe "yoga" was independently invented in Egypt AND Mesoamerica,
and then passed on later to India?

Here's another Olmec figure in a "yoga" position -- it is a very common
Mesoamerica pose:

http://www.as.ua.edu/ant/Faculty/knight/im...nta/ALTAR4A.jpg
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Neither the first one looks like padmasana, nor the last one a Yoga posture.

Well, another guy chimed in:

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->However, the posture of the seated figure in the proto-Siva seal is
worthy of further consideration. A clearer exemplar of this seal
appears here: http://www.harappa.com/indus/33.html
<http://www.harappa.com/indus/33.html>

In particular, I would note the description of the posture:

"The heels are pressed together under the groin and the feet project
beyond the edge of the throne. The feet of the throne are carved
with the hoof of a bovine as is seen on the bull and unicorn seals."

As far as I know, this posture is fairly unusual in comparative
iconographic studies. It is also rarely used in modern hatha-yoga.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

This is called goduhanasana in Hathayoga because this resembles the posture of a man milching a cow!! This is one of the very important yoga asanas. In Jain traditions, Bhagwan Mahaveer Swami is said to have attained Siddhi in this Asana. (and Bhagwan Buddha in Padmasana!)

This is even more clear in this pose:
http://www.harappa.com/indus/89.html

Save us from Indologists!!!