Sanskrit, the Vedas, and the caste system—pillars of what is now called Sanatana Dharma—were not native to India. They were imports. It is disheartening that the indigenous people of this land, who were once drawn into this framework and systematically discriminated against through caste labels—BC, OBC, MBC, SC, ST, Dalit, Harijan, Untouchable—now often turn against Muslims and Christians more fiercely than against those who originally subjugated them. In doing so, they attempt to elevate their status as the “chosen ones,” the only ones deemed capable of connecting with God.
What history says
The Aryans are thought to have originated in the steppes of Central Asia, near the Ural River—a boundary between Europe and Asia, running through present-day Russia and Kazakhstan. The word Aryan was used by people who migrated both into Iran and into India.
The Aryans were a nomadic people who spread across different regions. One branch moved into India, bringing with them the Vedic religion, the Sanskrit language, and a rigid caste system. The Vedic religion was based on the Vedas—a collection of hymns prescribing laws, customs, and moral codes of that time.
The Aryans’ arrival reshaped the subcontinent, giving rise to Vedic culture in the fertile plains of the Ganga and the now-lost Saraswati rivers. Their influence continues to echo through modern Indian culture and religion.
The burden of a word
The term Aryan itself carries a heavy legacy. In Nazi Germany, it was twisted into the ideology of the “master race.” Non-Aryans—Jews, Roma, Slavs—were persecuted and exterminated under this racial framework. Because of that dark history, scholars today prefer the term Indo-Iranian instead of Aryan.
PS – The scribe is a Tamil Hindu with no allegiance to ‘Sanatana Dharma’ whatsoever.