A Wisdom Archive on Aryavarta

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Aryavarta is yet another name which refers to India. This is probably the oldest one but not much in common use these days. In ancient texts, there is sufficient usage of the word "Aryavart". Aryavart refers to the Land of Aryas (the Aryans). Aryavarta, or alternatively Brahmarshi desa covered the river plains of northeastern India, in the modern state of Uttar Pradesh, so it is also debatable if this name could apply to all of India. Aryavarta was also a collection of city-states and ...

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Aryavarta
The “home of the Aryans,” comprising the part of India bounded by seas on the west and east, by the Himalaya Mountains on the north, and by the Vindhya Mountains on the south.

 
(See also: Aryavarta, Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul )

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Persian Heritage In Hindu Traditions
Many would be surprised to learn that no ancient Hindu temple was dedicated to Rama - neither in Ayodhya nor anywhere else.
 
There had been many old temples and shrines devoted to Vishnu and Shiva and a few to Brahma, Ganesh, Kartikeya, Hanuman, Kubera, Nagas, Kali and Durga as well as a huge number honouring numerous local tribal deities. Only 180 years ago Raja Ram Mohan Roy coined the word 'Hindu' to describe the huge variety of faiths and sects with similar but not identical philosophies, myths and rituals.
 

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That part of the great Aryan race which migrated from Central Asia, through the mountain passes into India, settled first in the districts near the river Sindhu, now called the Indus, on the other side of the river. The Persians pronounced the word Sindhu as Hindu, and named their Aryan brethren Hindus. Hindu is only a corrupt form of Sindhu.
 
Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda
 

Read more here: » Hindu: Origin And Significance Of The Term Hindu

Aryan is an English word derived from the Indo-Aryan Vedic Sanskrit and Iranian Avestan terms ari-, arya-, ārya-, and/or the extended form aryāna-. The Old Persian ariya- is a cognate as well. Beyond its use as the ethnic self-designation of the Proto-Indo-Iranians, the meaning "noble" has been attached to it in Sanskrit. During the 19th century, following Max Müller's 'Aryan invasion theory', the term gained an added meaning, being used in the West to refer to what are now called the 'Prot ... Including:

• Aryan - Etymology and History of the Term
• Aryan - Proto-Indo-European
• Aryan - Indo-Iranian
• Aryan - Indo-Aryan
• Aryan - Iranian
• Aryan - Racist connotations

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Arya (árya-) is a Sanskrit term used by Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and others. It means "master, noble, lord" or can refer to any Vaishya. In Avestan, the cognate word is an n-stem, airyan-. The honorific term -ji (which is used for example in Gandhiji), is derived from Arya (through the Pali aya or aja and Apabhramsa aje). The important Sanskrit lexicon Amarakosha (ca. 450 AD) defines Aryan as: "An Arya is one who hails from a noble family, of gentle behavior and demeanor, good-natured and of ... Including:

• Arya - Religious and spiritual uses
• Arya - Buddhism
• Arya - Arya in the Epics
• Arya - Ramayana
• Arya - Mahabharata

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Indo-Iranian arya- descends from PIE *ar-yo-, a yo-adjective to a root *ar "to assemble skillfully", present in Greek harma "chariot", Latin ars "art" etc. The adjective *aryo- was suggested as ascending to Proto-Indo-European as the self-designation of the speakers of Proto-Indo-European itsel ...

Read more here: » Aryan: Encyclopedia II - Aryan - Etymology and History of the Term

The term Arya is often used in Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Zoroastrian texts. In the spiritual context it can be applied to Rishis or to someone who has has mastered the four noble truths and entered upon the spiritual path. The religions of India are sometimes called collectively "Arya Dharma", a term that includes the religions that originated in India (e.g. Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma), Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism). The term Aryan can also be applied to an approach to religion or to religious systems that are similar to Hinduism or Buddhism (e.g. Taoism, Paganism, Zoroastrianism). Swami Dayananda f ...

Read more here: » Arya: Encyclopedia II - Arya - Religious and spiritual uses