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Author's Note: Please visit - The 'Real' Ramayana/ Ram-Rajya - to read the other parts of this series, so as to be able to fully understand or grasp the contents of this one.
The many ancient Arya clans (the Deva/Sura, the Asura, the Daitya, the Danava, the Rakshasa, the Gandharva, the Suparna, the Nag, etc) and how they all came about. How the female Gandharva became "Apsara"? What does the "Narasimha-avatar"/the 'lion-man' signify? Who were the Kirat, the Kinnara and the Kimpurusha + their evolution. What was the legendary "Somras" all about? Notes on: "atithi devo bhava"; Vidyàdharī; 'Gaud-Desh' and 'Suvarna-bhumi'. *Discussing* the "Devi Mahatmyam" or the "Sri Sri CaṇḍīPāṭha".
Siya-Ram and Lakshman worked with the "Vanara" (Hanuman, Angad, Sugreeva and his 'army of forest-dwellers' - the Van-nar Sena); the "Riksha" (whose leader was Jambavan); the "Kinnara" ("people with lion-like nature" or"people from the mountain"); the "Vyadh" or the "Nishad" - the hunter community (whose leader was Guhaka or Guha); the "Devas", the "Gandharvas", the "tritiya prakriti" (hermaphrodite), etc. Together they achieved various tasks - for the greater good, i.e. for Loka Kalyana or Loka-sangraha. However, the current version of the Ram-Sabari story is infused with much embellishment (besides having been clearly contemporised), 'coz there was no concept of "caste" or "class" in Treta and Siya-Ram + Lakshman were living in the forest amongst various groups of Vanaras. Extending courtesies to a guest is part of the ancient culture of this land - "atithi devo bhava", meaning: a guest is a noble entity and hence, must be treated with honour and respect. However, a guest should not behave in a condescending manner towards the host either; that's un-Arya-like.
[Devo is derived from "dev" meaning noble, and this in turn has been derived from daaivic, meaning:
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one who possesses noble traits or qualities. However, the Sanskrit verse (atithi devo bhava) has been somewhat incorrectly translated as: "guest is god"; we do not have any concept of "god".]
For the Gandharvas and Apsaras, do read: Part-XVIII. [There is a well-known medicinal herb known as: "Asvagandha". Here, "asva" = horse. But "asva" may also mean the Ashvaka or the people known for their horsemanship, i.e. people who were expert cavalry-men(aśva-yuddha-Kuśalah). Gandha = fragrance, odour or smell (though this may have mistakenly taken as 'a reference to the odour of the root'). This herb may have been abundant in the Ashvakalands (ancient Kamboja + the lands belonging to the ancient Gandharvas, besides the Himalayan foothills of course). Therefore, apart from being adept at the performing arts and having mastery over an assortment of musical instruments, the Gandharvas probably were expert horsemen as well. One of the avatars - an extension of the more famous 'Dasavatara' - is the Hayagreeva (a figure with a human body and a horse's head). The Hayagriva is believed to have 'rescued the Vedas from rasatal'.[Rasatal = utter decay, destruction, waste. Veda comes from the root "vid": to know; Veda means: knowledge. This word has in turn given rise to "Vidya", which also means: knowledge.]
I interpret this as: the Gandharvas and/or the Ashvakas having fought off certain negative entities (Mlechchas or Yavanas), either vanquishing them or chasing them away. Thereafter, the Gandharvas and/or the Ashvakas may have gradually regenerated the noble way of life that had been altered due to negative/toxic influence, besides wresting back the ancient texts (vast repositories of knowledge and wisdom) that may have been carried away by those negative entities. Therefore: the ancient Gandharva and the Ashvaka were the Soma-drinking guardians of our heritage.
Apsaras, as we know, were the female Gandharvas. Saras = lake or water-body, besides being a reference to the lake-bird - the Saras Crane. [This lake-bird (Sanskrit: Sarasa) is much-venerated in our culture and is associated with Maharshi Valmiki as well. However, these birds were hunted during the colonial period.] The Saras Crane perform territorial and courtship displays that include loud trumpeting, leaps and dance-like movements. The female Gandharvas, as we know, were adept at the performing arts, and these may have included leaps and energetic dance-like movements (much like the Ballet and the Flamenco) - to the accompaniment of music. Hence, over time, the female Gandharvas may have first come to be associated with the Saras Crane, and then gradually began to be referred as the "Ap-Saras" which later gave way to "Apsara" (possibly: 'saras-like'). BTW, Flamenco may have been derived from Flamingo and the Saras and the Flamingo (of another era or yug) may have been related. It is worth noting that the Flamingo is a mix of bright and lighter shades of pink, while the Flamenco dancers wear red. [So, which land do you think gave birth to the Ballet and the Flamenco? Also: where do you think have the ancestors of the current proponents of these dance-forms originated? :) This does give us a glimpse of that majestic Banyan tree also known as ancient India, right? Besides: we also get to know the extent of the Gandharva-lands as well.] Over time, some of the Apsaras may have come to be known as "fairies" - on account of their great beauty and gliding movements, though it is unlikely that any of them ever possessed wings; that is clearly an exaggeration. In Sanskrit, "fairy" is known as Vidyàdharī, vidya means "knowledge" and comes from the root "vid" which means, "to know". Dhari = holder, possessor, manifestation. Therefore, the vidyàdharī-s (either all Apsaras or at least some of them) may have been regarded as possessors of great knowledge, be it in the fine arts, performing arts, medicinal herbs, flowers, perfumes, and the like. Urvashi, Menuka, Rambha, Tillottama, et al are legendary Apsaras.]
As for the Deva/Sura, do read on.
Once the population (of the various humans that sprang from the evolved humans - known as the Sapta-Rishi - that arrived on earth (in ancient Kashmir) from "elsewhere") increased in number, there was a need for distinct identity, territories, settlements, etc. Please note: all these various groups of humans followed a noble way of life, and hence, they were all Arya (i.e. noble-natured and civilized people), though there may have been some differences in appearance, cuisine, attire, lifestyle/customs and language. After a while, groups of people may have broken away from the original entity (the Deva/Sura clan) and called themselves Asura. With the passage of time, sub-clans such as the Daitya, the Danava, the Rakshasa and the Pisacha came about - within the Asura clan. These Asura sub-clans were largely homogeneous, though some differences in culture, attire, expertise, etc cannot be ruled out.
[The Daityas, the Rakshasas and the Danavas have been incorrectly depicted as gigantic beings. Yes, Daitya means gigantic-sized; but many words and phrases have multiple meanings, and it is important that we try and figure out the right meaning... instead of mixing things up. The latter only results in distortion and confusion, of which we seem to have no dearth of.]
With time, however, certain sub-clans of the Deva/Sura clan - such as the Nag and the Gandharva - too broke away from the parent clan and formed a distinct identity: with a separate totem, ruler/head, attire, customs, etc. [Of course this process may not have been without some amount of friction, but the Devas and the Gandharvas largely maintained cordial relations, and various Gandharvas and Apsaras were part of the assembly or court of the Deva king - the Devraj Indra.]
Later, the Nag-clan (a serpent-worshipping clan or a clan with a serpent-totem) split into the Suparna(a falcon-worshiping clan or a clan with a falcon-totem), the China (a fire-breathing serpent-worshipping clan), the Hara-Huna (possibly forefathers of groups that indulged in loot and plunder + slept astride horses), the Nipa/Nepa/Neepa (a peacock-worshipping clan or a clan with a peacock-totem; a sub-clan of this group may have displayed a rooster-totem); besides giving rise to various other smaller Nag-clans - that were headed by rulers that (probably) assumed the hereditary titles of: Vasuki, Takshak, etc. [These smaller Nag clans continued to worship the serpent in various forms. From several sources we can gather that there were "eight Great Nag Kings" - so, there may have been 8 major Nag groups/clans, after the original Nag-clan split (i.e. excluding the Suparna, the Hara-Huna, the Nipa/Nepa/Neepaand perhaps even some groups of the China). Later, these 8 groups/clans may have undergone further splits, with a few groups migrating and settling down in other lands. I say this 'coz: there are Nag-clans in Kerala too (as part of other groups/class/caste, and the serpent is extensively worshiped in the south of the Vindhyas.]
Some groups of the Nags (that split from the original Nag-clan and became a separate entity) and the Suparnas turned into sworn enemies, and I leave it to you to decipher which groups of neo-Nags these were. :)
[Garuda was the leader/hereditary title of the leader of the Suparnas. However, there is every sign that this group too gave rise to sub-clans - that worshipped the vulture (or perhaps the Bald Eagle) and displayed a vulture-totem or maybe a bald eagle-totem. Jatayu and his brother, Sampati, were prominent members/leaders of this sub-clan. Note: 'Vishnu flying on the back of Garuda' is not literal. Do read: Part-XVIII. However: the Kirat, the Kinnara, the Kimpurusha and the Suparna were allies.]
Guess from our discussions so far we can get a reasonable idea re the 2nd set of humansthat walked on this planet, what say you? [With time, however, there have been further splits, migrations, mergers, older clans evolving into/taking on a new/fresh identity + a lot of intermixing of blood, language and culture... thereby giving rise to whole new sets of humans, clans, languages, cuisine, culture, and the like.] Now, the 1st set of humans, the adivasi or the Vanara (the various groups of 'forest-dwelling humans') - the ones that evolved on earth from various animal-like ancestors - too had their own set of groups/clans, and each of these were distinct: the "Vanara" and the "Riksha" (and between them they may have included the Saora or Sora people, the Gadabas, some Oraon/Kurukh, the Korku, some groups of the Gond people, etc), the "Yaksha", the "Kinnara", the "Kimpurusha", the "Kirat", the "Vyadh" or the "Nishad" (maybe: the Santhal, Ho, Kharia, Valmiki, and other Munda and Kol people and possibly some Gond people as well), the "Savara", and so on.
The Kirat was a clan with a lion-totem (Maa Parvati and a few of her comrades clearly hailed from this clan); the Kinnara was a clan with a tiger-totem (Vaishnavi, now revered as Mata Vaishno Devi, hailed from this clan); while the Kimpurushamay have been a sub-clan of the Kinnara. (I say this because: Shiv, the one who was Parvati's consort, is shown wearing a tiger-skin or is seated on a tiger-skin).
Let's begin with the Kirat.
Kirat-or Kirati: means "people with lion-like nature". It is derived from two words: Kira = Lion and Ti = people, and it also means: "people from the mountain". These were very sturdy, yellow/radiant-skinned, courageous people that were tremendous warriors - though slight in appearance or build. [However, the humans of the earlier eras would have differed from the modern humans in all respects: height, strength, caliber, intelligence, and so on. So, though slight in build, they would have been much taller than the modern humans of the Himalayan foothills.] The Kirat displayed a lion-totem. "Warrior" is not restricted to the battlefield only, but indicates people/clans that protected others from negative entities - thereby upholding the Kshatriya-dharma and the Arya-dharma.
Groups of ancientTibetans, Gorkhas, Nepali, Bhutanese and Bhutia, Ladhaki + some groups of the early inhabitors of ancient Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Chattisgarh, Odisha, Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand + some groups of Andhra, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, etc., were the Kirat-or Kirati. [With time, as the population increased, the descendents of these people took on the name/surname/title of "Singh", which means: lion. And thisname/surname/title + its many variants - indicate the modern Kirat or Kirati. Some of the modern Kirat may have drifted into other "ism" and hence assumed different names and identity, but a little scrutiny of their heritage should make their Kirat-descent quite clear; though a few may have been dubbed as "tribal"...which is indeed unfortunate. It is possible that groups of these people migrated/traveled further eastward; I say this 'coz, we find Singapur, and 'Singa' is a variant of Singha or 'Singh', meaning: lion; 'pur' is derived from pura, meaning: place, land or territory. Also: certain groups like the Hakka and the Mon people too are very likely the modern descendents of the ancient Kirat. However, it is possible that some groups of the Kirat people migrated southward and settled in Singhbhum or Singhbhumi (meaning: Land of lions; Singh means lion and Bhum or Bhumi indicates land. Intermarriages with other local groups/people/adivasis may have, with the passage of time, totally altered their appearance.]
Incidentally: Parvati is also known as Gauri. Gauri comes from Gaur, meaning: golden or radiant. The lands mentioned above were the lands of the yellow/golden/radiant-skinned people - 'Gaud-Desh' (Golden/Radiant land) and/or 'Suvarna-bhumi' (Suvarna = radiant, bhumi = land.) And though due to the passage of time, newer names and influences have crept in, but even today (or at least until recently), Bengali people informally refer to their land as 'Sonar Bangla' (Golden Bengal) - the national anthem of BD being Robi Thakur's poem-song: 'amar sonar Bangla...'
Ancient Bengal (Vanga) was very much associated with gold (shona). The soil of Bengal is golden-coloured (Gangetic alluvial); there is golden harvest/shonar phoshol(rice), golden fruits (mangoes), golden minerals (gold and clay) and yellow/golden/radiant-skinned people. This region was referred to in ancient Sanskrit texts as: 'Gaud-Desh' (Golden/Radiant land). There existed a very rich trading town called 'Sonargaon' (Golden village), connected to North India by the Grand Trunk road (possibly a link to Uttarapatha). [We will of course discuss 'Suvarna-bhumi' in greater detail - in our later posts.]
Bengalis consider themselves as "maayer desher lok", meaning: people from the land of Parvati. Parvati is reverentially referred to as "Maa" (mother), though Durga Pujo now-a-days is fast turning into what is known as: "khajnar cheye bajna beshi" (more sound and fury than substance), thanks to the proliferation of 'So-and-So presents Sharodiya Durgotsob/Durga Pujo'. However, Bengalis treat Parvati and her children: two daughters - Lakshmi and Sarasvati, and a son: Kartik... as family members; hence Durga Pujo is pretty much as if Maa is visiting her parental home along with her children. BTW, Parvati is not just considered as mother, she is also their daughter.
[However, we must not confuse this Lakshmi and Sarasvati with the symbols of certain noble traits or qualities, also referred to as Lakshmi and Sarasvati. [Do read: Part-XI.] Though, Parvati's daughter - Sarasvati - may have been the one after whom a once-mighty river was named, while Kartik rose to be a great warrior and a true defender of the noble aspects of our ancient heritage. He was the Dev Senapati or the leader of the Deva army. And this clearly proves that there existed very close ties between the Devas and the Kirat + the Kimpurusha. Maybe: they formed a confederate - so as to maximize their resources. However, Shri Ganesh was not a physical "son" of Shiv-Parvati as is widely believed. [Do read: Part-XI - to know what Shri Ganesh represents.] Hence: the many stories involving Kartik and Ganesh were essentially to inculcate good values and/or to indicate some natural phenomena, and so, are not meant to be taken literally.]
[Just as the river Ganga emerges from a mountain snout that is shaped like the mouth of a cow, the once-mighty-river Sindhu is believed to have originally emerged from a snout that resembled a tiger's mouth. As for the river Sarasvati, it contains the word - "saras" - which also indicates the Saras Crane. Therefore, this once-mighty-river may have emerged from a mountain rock/snout that resembled the beak of a Saras Crane.]
The people of the hills and the people of the plains are essentially one people; despite a few changes or differences due to the passage of time + multiple influences creeping in, besides the difference in the terrains + the climatic conditions. However, one only needs to examine the festivals, languages, cuisine, attire, etc. to instantly figure out the similarities - even though much water has flown under the bridge.
"Maa" is also a reference to one's motherland (matri-bhoomi) and signifies India as well as the land of Bengal. Hence it is: "Maa-go, bhabhna keno, aamra tomar shanto chhele shanto jeno, tobu shotru ele astro haathe dhorte jani, tomar bhoy nei maa aamra protibad korte jani." [It is an ode to the beloved "mother"/the motherland: that although we are your peace-loving children, yet we know how to fight, and fight well... in case enemies/negative entities arrive. So, why worry?]
Ancient Bengal was a much larger area, but was sadly cut into pieces by Curzon + the preceptors of Curzon. It was these lands (the golden lands) and especially the people of undivided Bengal-Bihar-Orissa that gave the maximum heat to our friendly colonizers, prompting their urgent flight to the cooler climes of Dilli and cheek-turning-ahimsa. [Ahimsa is NOT about turning the other cheek. Such a strange concoction ensured that our friendly colonizers left on theirterms. One only needs to study the life and times of Shri Ram, Shri Krishna, Vikramaditya, et al - to understand the true essence of "ahimsa" or non-violence (something that is an integral part of our ancient heritage/Sanaatan Dharma and Arya Dharma). Ahimsa is all about: "paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam" - protect the worthy/noble-natured, destroy the wicked. Ahimsa is about respecting the vanquished, and making them one's own - by treating them fairly and by providing them with a just administration. Frankly, come to think of it, all those friendly-and-exalted 'scholars' that never tire of telling us how Asoka "embraced" (a peculiar version of) 'ahimsa' or non-violence, should also throw some light upon how no marauder was able to snatch even a millimetre of the land belonging to the peculiar-version-of-ahimsa-loving-samraatthen? Bolo, bolo. Tell, tell. :)]
Our friendly colonizers very clearly understood from where the real challenge to their friendly colonization came from, and so their means + energies were totally focused towards creating a distorted image of the Bengali (of undivided Bengal); besides playing the higher board game of 'divide and rule'.
Lord Curzon (Viceroy to India from 1899-1905) said, "Bengal united is a power; Bengal divided will pull in several different ways." And then proceeded to divideBengal... ostensibly for administrative reasons. [Meaning: so as to be able to provide betteradministration.]
How much better that administration had been, we have not a clue, but a large number of people were efficiently extinguished in the garb of famine, flood, crime and criminals (read: freedom-fighters), and so on and so forth. [And since a studied reluctance to revisit those times stillpersist, we can take it that we are indeed very very far away from Robi Thakur's vision of an independent and glorious India: "... where the mind is without fear and the head is held high..." :)
[The Bangla version "Chitto Jetha Bhoyshunyo..." is far more soul-stirring though.]
Bengali people (rather, the people of undivided Bengal and possibly of Bihar and Orissa) were projected as coward-pliant-thin-short-and-dark-skinned-people. However, even one reading of the history of this region + the all round contribution of the people of this region - is enough to dismantle this propaganda (minus the last 35 years of course.) Also: none has so-far been able to explain just why and how then 23 of the 32 cells of the deadliest prison of all, the Kala Paani - the Cellular Jail or the colonial prison situated in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, were packed with these coward-pliant-thin-short-and-dark-skinned-people. :)
Though for some yet-to-be-deciphered-reason our glittering screens have been energetically dispensing the same stuff in the name of 'comedy, 'fun' and 'entertainment', besides mocking other Indians: the Gujarati, the Sindhi, the Madrasi (i.e. the South Indians), the Parsi, the Sardar, the Nepali, the Gorkha, the UP-ite, the Bihari, and the people from the North-Eastern parts of India. Indeed, it is very difficult to generate good-clean-comedy; mocking others is far easier, no? And since we are also advised to 'leave behind our brains @ home' so as to be able to 'enjoy' all the awesome 'fun' and 'comedy' on offer, our brains may soon be found inside pea-pods. :) But where is all this so-called 'comedy' and 'fun' leading?
Guess, all of us should watch Ray's masterpiece movie, "Shatranj ke Khiladi", and try to fathom the layer upon layer of complexity and depth, including the bit about cake and cherries, plus the aged Munshiji's remarks about the game of chess, besides several other nuances of course. 'Coz watching "Shatranj ke Khiladi" once... is not enough.
We have this huge industry that prides itself in generating big numbers, and breaking record after record... but what impression (of India) does one gather from whatever is dished out? What is the take-away for the people - both within and outside our shores - despite all our boastful talk re our glorious ancient heritage? Are we (including young children) able to gather any aspect of our culture and heritage - except for a whole lot of cacophony, loud colours, regressive dialogues and gestures; awful lyrics masquerading as 'songs'; crude jokes and toilet humour; robotic movements passing off as 'dance-numbers', and the like? We never tire of talking about the great heroines of this land... yet we have "women-centric" movies. :) Where do you think a once-great-nation has been reduced to? It is now viewed as peopled by brain-dead zombies that are further segregated into: single-screen and multiplex audience, item number aficionados, connoisseurs of regressive dialogues and gestures, patrons of crude jokes and toilet humour, and so on and so forth !! But then, we cannot even do justice to a re-make... what to say about original ideas, despite India being such a storied land. :) [If you have the time, please do read: Link.]
We sagely speak about "two Indias". Now, tell me, is there any language that is monolithic? So, how can we expect a nation - that has been the cradle of culture, heritage, knowledge, wisdom and civilizations... to be monolithic? But then, we are too busy building artificial "narrow domestic walls". :) This attitude has destroyed us in the past, it will not help us going forward either.
As for the small-screen, the less said the better. All we have are perfectly coiffed and made-up dolls - glittering sarees, elbow-length churiyan, big bindis, high-heel stilettos, wedge or beaded sandals and all... preparing tea at the crack of dawn. Perhaps: to wake up the roosters (with bed tea) for their morning cock-a-doodle-doo. :)
There is no substance, yet there are a lot of advertisements. What they advertise nobody knows, though ad-breaks never seem to end. The product is something, but the ad conveys something else. It is just an overdose of everything, and an assault on the senses.
And while a foreign astronaut - married to an Assamese - became the first person to have performed the Bihu in space (and that too in zero gravity in the ISS - the International Space Station); and unfailingly took a token of love from Assam - the Gamosa - along with him; or proudly talked about the mighty river Brahmaputrabeing visible from space and not the Chinese marvel; we have not a clue about what we have been up to all this while. Besides cracking silly and crude jokes in the name of 'humour' and 'fun', that is. :)
Churchill's disdain for Indians is well-documented (and he has also accepted that the fictitious invasion theories helped them keep up their superiority and thus maintain their hold over us), yet we love to play the ostrich. Churchill and his fellow friendly colonizers made food shortages and supply-side famines a routine affair in colonized Bengal. Millions perished. In fact, relief rice sent by the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose-led Indian National Army was sent back by the Brits, under the flimsy excuse that they did not recognize the Arzi Hukumat.
[But then, homegrown entities outdid all our friendly aliens, by completely ruining Bengal: decimating institutions of research and learning; locking-up industries, while threatening to stop all forms of automation; choking all rationality + voices of reason; propagating the nadir of mediocrity in all aspects of life; disdaining our true leaders and greats; and by systematically and relentlessly injecting the sickle-cell anemia. These entities even called Netaji a 'quisling', placed/paraded his photo on a donkey, blackened the face with boot-polish and garlanded it with slippers !! And for all their 'efforts' they sure deserve a platinum medal, one for each year of their glorious deeds, no? :)]
Let's return to the Kinnara.
The Kinnara may have either been a breakaway faction of the Kirat or a sub-group of the Kirat that displayed a tiger-totem. Some groups of humans in ancientHimachal Pradesh, Nepal and surrounding areas + the ancient Dogra may have been Kinnara. Plus: we may also consider the so-called tribes that perform the Bhuta Kola and theAati Kalenja, apart from the Royal/Regal Tiger dance (Kannada: the Hulivesha, Hulivēṣa| Tulu: the Pilivesha, Pilivēṣa) as well as the Puli Kali, a similar dance-form in neighbouring Kerala. ("Puli" = Leopard/Tiger and "Kali" = Play - in the Malayalam language.)
[Although the foothills of the Himalayas and the southern parts of the country are far apart, yet we cannot rule out migration of groups of people - to the south of the Vindhyas; this may have happened gradually and over a period of time. Of course, due to the passage of time newer aspects have crept in; plus the ones that moved southward may have intermarried with other local groups/clans/adivasi and this would have brought about certain changes in their appearance + culture. However, despite this, some aspects of their ancient heritage may still be available, and possibly can be salvaged.]
Vaishnavi, now revered as MataVaishno Devi, was undoubtedly a Kinnara, as can be seen by her symbolic vaahan- the tiger. [However: this tiger bit may have actually been a snow leopard; changing times and mistranslations may have turned it into a tiger instead.] She may have riden a tiger per se; though it also implies that she chose to ride the proverbial tiger... despite being fully cognizant of the tremendous odds. Hence, she is also known as Mata Sherawali. The Kinnara of the Himalayan foothillstoo would have been very sturdy, yellow/radiant-skinned, courageous people and tremendous warriors - quite like the Kirat. Frankly, there may not have been much difference with respect to physical features/characteristics between the Kirat and the Kinnara (of the Himalayan foothills), though there may have been a few cultural/life-style differences. [However, the Kinnara that traveled/migrated elsewhere, may have acquired different physical features and characteristics over time (including a change in their complexion) - due to the intermixing of blood.] There is a good chance that the human Vishnu too was a Kinnara, and may have been Vaishnavi's brother. Or possibly even her father or spouse; that would make "Vishnu" a hereditary name or title for an influential warrior among the Kinnara. So: #1. While one "Vishnu" may have been Vaishnavi's spouse, another "Vishnu" (maybe the son of Vishnu Sr. + Vaishnavi) may have been the spouse of Lakshmi - one of Shiv-Parvati's daughters. #2. In case Vishnu and Vaishnavi were siblings, then this Vishnu probably was married to Lakshmi. That is: if Vaishnavi was Vishnu Sr's daughter, then her brother, Vishnu Jr., was the spouse of Lakshmi.
Now, let's discuss the Kimpurusha.
The Kimpurusha have been described as "lion-headed beings". The "lion-head" may be an exaggeration or a mistranslation - for their heavily bearded head. However: this beard bit may not have been a reference to their natural facial hair per se, but is very likely an allusion to the fur of some animal (maybe a kind of lion, a now-extinct snow-lion perhaps or even a now-extinct snow leopard) that was used to protect oneself from the extreme cold weather (in a manner akin to the Eskimos; so, hopefully you can now figure out what/who the much-talked-about Yeti or the 'elusive Snow-man' really was). That (some kind of) lions and tigers did exist in those mountainous terrains (in the earlier yugs) is beyond doubt, else the people of these parts would not have been able to use them as totems. [Or it may have been different kinds of snow-leopards instead; changing times, changing phonetics and later mistranslations may have turned it into lions and tigers.] The climatic conditions in that era would have been nothing like what we find today, thanks to global warming, etc. + the terrain would have been vastly different as well. However, it is possible that gradually these ancient people (the Kimpurusha), after several generations that is, may have found a way to beat the extreme cold weather, via a combination of physical exercises, breathing exercises, meditation, various herbs; a special drink - made from natural ingredients and fortified by the rays of the moon (and possibly even the rays of the sun) - the Somras, [som = moon; could be: the "sun" too, ras = juice]; smearing ash, (maybe) chewing on small quantities of pearl or some other mineral, and the like.
The ancient Gandharva as well as the ancient Yaksha too may have been aware of the ingredients required to make the legendary "Somras" - due to their extensive knowledge of plants and herbs. Maybe: some variant of the "Asvagandha" may have been an important ingredient for this drink, since this herb is still known to enhance immunity and physical endurance, apart from its anti-inflammatory effects, besides being a traditional treatment for general debility, nervous exhaustion, malnutrition, insomnia, loss of muscle strength, "brain fog", etc.
Even the shatavariand the licorice too may have gone into making the "Somras". All these herbs are known to give the body and mind an energy boost or ojas (vigour), and hence, are referred to as 'soma-producing herbs' - in Ayurved. Therefore, "som" or "soma" may have been a reference to both the "moon" and (maybe) the "sun", apart from the various "vigour-enhancing herbs" - that were required to prepare this miracle drink. The mineral-rich waters of the Ganga(or maybe one of its many versions) and/or the Sarasvati - too may have been used for getting the right effect or consistency. And all of this culminated into a "roaring", fiery drink.
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