The creation of the first man in Indian myths is also very similar to the biblical account – and therefore, as you may recall, to the Hawaiian account.

He created you from one soul. Then He made from it its mate. Quran 39.6

In the Rig Veda, the other great Indian text, we also find this idea that woman was created from a rib of man. It is because she was taken from a rib that Vrishakapi's wife is called PaRSu. Vrishakapi is the lecherous monkey friend of Indra – « Be you monkeys, despised and rejected » as the Quran says, Sura Al Baqarah (2.65).

In the Ramayana, the creation of the first man immediately follows that of the world, which was made from water. Brahma, the Supreme God, the Self-Existent, also creates the world through speech — BaRa Mah— with his sons, of course, but we will return to the sons of God later. Next comes a short genealogy, going from Brahma to Manu, the first man who « gave life to mortals » who begot Ikshvaku, the first king of Ayodhya, the original city — to which I will return in a few moments. What? Yes, you heard right, in Indian tradition, the first man is MaNu. Yes, Manu, the first man is me, Maui. The Son of Man.

But let us return to our study of primordial Indian myths. The other similarity with the biblical account is the story of the Flood. The Mahabharata tells how a small fish warned Manu of the impending Flood to thank him for saving it. This same little fish tells him that he must build an ark to take refuge in and load it with animals – as in the story of Noah, or that of Venus among the Sherente. As I have already told you, the story of Noah and the Flood occupies a central place in the myths of humanity, and we will return to it often.

The story of Manu does not end there. The little fish then turns into a sea monster and helps Manu moor the ark on a high mountain. Then, upon leaving the boat, Manu makes an offering of butter and melted milk. Just as Noah established the practice of sacrifice when he left the ark, Genesis 8:18 says:

So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives. 19 All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds—everything that moves on land—came out of the ark, one kind after another.

Once humans came into being, they had to keep themselves busy — and what better pastime than inventing enemies? This brings us to the other great « Indo-Iranian » tradition, the Avesta, which also has an intimate awareness of of the Paleolithic « Longue Durée  » — since the Bundahisn, the account of the creation of the world, mentions a duration of 12,000 years (P50).

But what is most striking in the Avesta is the staging of an absolute war between the forces of evil and the forces of good. On one side are the races of other countries, devoid of goodness and glory, whose origins are impure, as the Denkard (Denkard V 6) specifies. Opposing this anti-humanity are the KaYaNiaNs – yes, Ka Na again. The KaYaNiaNs are the race of kings and heroes (P12) who fight against demons and are the only ones with the true religion. It was from this race that the first king, Kay Kobad, ancestor of the first royal dynasty, emerged. It is also from this race that the future king of the world, Kay Khushrow, will descend at the end of time, as recounted in the Denkard (III 282). Exactly like the Messiah King, descendant of David, in the Jewish tradition.

However, do not think that the Jews are held in high esteem in the Avesta – far from it. In the third book of the Denkard, Iran must be protected against attacks by Christians and Manicheans, the worst of whom are the Jews, who are far removed from the Original Root. The Denkard also mentions that Zohak the deceiver, allied with the demons of Ahriman, created immoral and corrupt laws to bring about tyranny and apostasy, in order to corrupt men, exhaust the world, and spread death. This famous Zohak is, of course, Jewish, since the scriptures referred to are the Jewish Scriptures, deposited in the fortress of Jerusalem (III 247).

And here again, my children, this animosity towards the Jews surprised me greatly, as I had been when reading « Contes Kabyles » (Kabyle Tales). Well, I can understand that an ethnic group considers itself the only people worthy of the name — even our SheRenTe Indians of Brazil feel that they belong to the race of true men, which transcends linguistic differences. But still, what could the Jews have done to the Iranians or the Berbers thousands of years ago to deserve such acrimony? Patience, my children. Patience. You’ll get your answer — all in good time. But it is beyond reason, so I must prepare you for it.

5) The Ramayana, a variant on Exodus and Joshua

Now, let's return to our little comparative study of the Ramayana. In addition to the little story about Queen Kauyaki, which reminds us of the story of Esther, Indo-Iranian literature contains many « biblical » motifs — or more precisely, motifs that we Westerners call « biblical ». In particular, the idea of a creation that gradually emerges from the waters, as well as the Flood. There is also mention of a primordial bull, as in Contes Kabyles (Kabyle Tales). And surprisingly, we find the same animosity towards Jews and their Scriptures as a source of corruption of the original religion that we see in « Contes Kabyles » (Kabyle Tales). This animosity seems to predate, in both cases, the anti-Judaism of the Christian and Islamic traditions.

Now that you have that in mind, let's return to our (re)reading of the Ramayana and let me tell you another story, one that is also rich in « biblical » motifs. This story is about Ikshvaku and his sacred city of Ayodhya — you know, Ikshvaku, the first king begotten by Manu, who « gave life to mortals ». His story is told in Canto 5 of the 1st Book of the Ramayana:

Ikshváku's sons from days of old Were ever brave and mighty-souled. The land their arms had made their own Was bounded by the sea alone. Their holy works have won them praise, Through countless years, from Manu's days. Their ancient sire was Sagar, he Whose high command dug out the sea:61 With sixty thousand sons to throng Around him as he marched along.

In this passage, every word counts. What do we learn? That « since time immemorial » - that is, since Paleolithic times - « the sons of Ikshváku were always brave and powerful. » Just as in the Book of Joshua, the Children of Israel will be recognized and feared by all peoples for their valor when they conquer Canaan, as the prostitute Rahab tells the explorers sent by Joshua (2:9) before the conquest

I know that the LORD has given you this land and that the fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who dwell in the land are melting in fear of you.

Later in the Ramayana, in the fourth book, in Canto XVIII, Rama tells us that:

This land, each hill and woody chase, Belongs to old Ikshváku's race: With bird and beast and man, the whole Is ours to cherish and control […] Now we and other kings of might,by his ensample taught aright, The lands of every region tread That justice may increase and spread .

We find the same desire to appropriate the land and exclude its original inhabitants as in the conquest of Canaan recounted in the Bible — all under the guise of « spreading justice ».

But let's return to our Song 5 of the Ramayana – after the verse on the courage and valour of the sons of Ikshvaku – or the Children of Israel – we read that:

The land their arms had made their own bounded by Sea.

Which country bounded by the sea is referred to here? In my latest videos, I explained the importance of the Middle East in the expansion of Homo sapiens out of Africa. Well, it is the Middle East, from the Sea to the Euphrates, bordered by the mountains of Anatolia and the Zagros in the north, with the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean in the south. A quadrilateral bordered by the sea on three sides and the Persian Gulf. A huge peninsula.