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Sramanic Foundations of Ancient Egypt
Ram Chandra Jain Advocate, Ganganagar
LTUMAN society, through its long of the efforts is indicated by the word
I experiences, developed an "N" both in Prakrta and Sanskrta. understanding that in the motly of these The word Samana or Sramana, thus, ever-changing events, there is some- means Right Atmic Efforts. The way thing permanent without which the founded on right Atmic effort is called changes would be unmeaningful. There Sramanalogy. The basic foundations is grief, suffering and woe which none of the science of Sramanalogy are the cherishes; then why bring grief, five well-known tenets of Non-violence suffering and woe to a fellow human (Ahimsa) Truth, Non-stealing, Continabeing, nay, to my being on earth en-nce and Non-attachment, (Aparigraha). joying life. The discovery of the iden- A group of expert mariners, led by tity of something permanent in the plu- great engineers and accompained by rality of living being became the foun- spiritual leaders, under the supreme dation stone of the human society, this leadership of Menes, reached the shore permanentsubstance came to be called
of Egypt in the middle of the fourth Atma or soul. The discovery of soul millenium B. C. He was the first pharawas the result of the dialectical histori- oh the supreme leader of the peoples, cal efforts of mankind. Human efforts who founded the great city of Memphis conditioned the nature of society. The and excavated a lake on the north and efforts of the individual member of the west sides of the city'. He peacefully society reduced the woe and suffering
developed the new country as the interof his fellow beings to the minimum. The pretation of the Slate Palette of Narmer ideal individual efforts began to be indicates, Menes and his people redirected to the end which would membered their original home as Punt. cause the least suffering to the other
The root of the word is Pwn, the T living beings. The second discovery being the usual feminine ending for a of the efficacy of effort became the foreign country? The Pwn may be driving force of the Soul or Atma. This identified with Pani of Bharata. Punt, is what we call Sama in Prakrta and thus means "the country of the Panis". Srama in Sanskrta. Sama in Prakrta' and The Panis of the Ahi sub-race were a Sanskrta? means Efforts. The rightness great seafaring adventurers of Bharata.
* Read hefore the Egyptology Section of XXVIth. International Congress of Orientalists at New Delhi on 5.1.1964.
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