Chapter 30: The Aryans of India / 第三十章：印度的雅利安人

Life on the Ganges River / 恒河边的生活

While the Romans were building their power in Italy, another great civilization was growing in another part of the world—the Indus Valley.

当罗马人在意大利建设他们的力量时，另一个伟大的文明正在世界的另一个地方——印度河流域成长。

Do you remember reading about Mohenjo-Daro, the mysterious deserted city of the Indus Valley? The citadel cities of the Indus Valley were deserted long, long ago.

你还记得读过关于摩亨佐达罗的故事吗？那个神秘的被遗弃的印度河流域城市？印度河流域的要塞城市在很久很久以前就被遗弃了。

Maybe the cities were attacked by invaders. Maybe a long drought killed all the crops and forced the people to move away. Perhaps an earthquake destroyed the citadels. We'll never know for sure.

也许这些城市被入侵者攻击了。也许漫长的干旱杀死了所有的农作物，迫使人们搬走。或许一场地震摧毁了要塞。我们永远不会确切地知道。

But India didn't just sit empty! After the people of the Indus Valley disappeared, new settlers came into India. They were called the Aryans, and they came down into India from the north, from the area we call Asia.

但印度并没有一直保持空虚！在印度河流域的人们消失后，新的定居者来到了印度。他们被称为雅利安人，他们从北方，从我们称为亚洲的地区南下进入印度。

At first, the Aryans were nomads. But they soon settled down along the two big rivers of India, the Indus River and the Ganges River. They became farmers, just like the people who lived in the first villages of Mesopotamia.

起初，雅利安人是游牧民。但他们很快就沿着印度的两条大河流——印度河和恒河——定居下来。他们成为了农民，就像住在美索不达米亚第一批村庄里的人们一样。

They grew crops for food. And like the people of ancient Mesopotamia, the Aryans raised animals, especially horses and cows.

他们种植农作物作为食物。和古代美索不达米亚的人们一样，雅利安人饲养动物，特别是马和牛。

[原书插图：印度地图，显示印度河和恒河的位置]

Every year, the Ganges River overflowed its banks and left rich, dark soil all over the fields nearby, just like the Nile River in Egypt.

每年，恒河都会溢出河岸，在附近的田地上留下肥沃的黑色土壤，就像埃及的尼罗河一样。

The people of ancient India grew wonderful crops in the dirt left by the Ganges River floods. They grew wheat, like the Mesopotamians, and rice, like the Chinese. Without the Ganges River, the people of India wouldn't have been able to survive.

古印度人在恒河洪水留下的泥土中种出了极好的农作物。他们种植小麦，就像美索不达米亚人一样，也种植稻米，就像中国人一样。没有恒河，印度人就无法生存。

They believed that the river had been provided by their chief god, Shiva, the god of life. Here is the story that the people of ancient India told about Shiva and the Ganges:

他们相信这条河是由他们的主神湿婆神——生命之神——提供的。这里是古印度人讲述的关于湿婆神和恒河的故事：

Once, the river-goddess Ganga lived in the heavens. She never came down to earth at all; instead, she danced through the skies, bringing water to all who lived in the clouds, but ignoring the ground down below.

从前，河流女神恒河女神住在天堂里。她从不下到地球上来；相反，她在天空中跳舞，为所有住在云彩中的生灵带来水，但忽视了下面的大地。

The good king of India, King Bhagiratha, grew more and more worried. How could his people survive without water? Surely Ganga would come down from the heavens and bring water to the people who lived on earth. But Ganga refused to come down.

印度的好国王婆吉罗陀王越来越担心。他的人民没有水怎么生存呢？恒河女神肯定会从天上下来，给住在地上的人们带来水。但恒河女神拒绝下来。

So King Bhagiratha called to Shiva, the god of life. "Shiva!" he cried. "We are dying of thirst! Please, please send Ganga to earth for us."

于是婆吉罗陀王呼唤生命之神湿婆神。"湿婆！"他喊道。"我们快要因口渴而死亡了！求求你，求求你把恒河女神送到地上来帮助我们。"

When Shiva heard Bhagiratha's cries, he called Ganga to his throne. "Ganga," he said, "the people of earth are thirsty. You must go down to the earth and take water to them!" Ganga refused. "I will not!" she said. "I will stay here in the skies, my favorite place to be. Let the people of earth take care of themselves."

当湿婆神听到婆吉罗陀的哭喊时，他叫恒河女神来到他的宝座前。"恒河女神，"他说，"地上的人们口渴了。你必须下到地上去给他们送水！"恒河女神拒绝了。"我不去！"她说。"我要留在天空中，这是我最喜欢的地方。让地上的人们自己照顾自己吧。"

"But I command you!" Shiva answered, "and you must obey me." At that, Ganga became furious. "Go to earth?" she yelled. "I'll go to earth all right—and drown everyone on it!" She balanced on the top of a cloud, ready to throw herself down to the earth with such violence that water would flood the entire surface of the ground.

"但是我命令你！"湿婆神回答，"你必须服从我。"这时，恒河女神变得愤怒。"去地上？"她喊道。"我会去地上的——然后淹死地上的每个人！"她站在云朵顶上，准备以极大的暴力冲向地面，这样水就会淹没整个地面。

But when Shiva saw what she was about to do, he leaped down to earth ahead of her. When Ganga came crashing down, she landed on his head, and her full weight came down on Shiva, instead of on the unhappy people of earth. Water flowed down Shiva's head in seven streams, down onto the thirsty ground beneath him.

但当湿婆神看到她要做什么时，他抢先跳到地上。当恒河女神猛冲下来时，她落在了他的头上，她全部的重量压在了湿婆神身上，而不是压在不幸的地上人民身上。水从湿婆神的头上流下，形成七股溪流，流到他脚下干渴的土地上。

The seven streams came together into one mighty river—the Ganges River. And the Ganges River brought life and plenty to all the people who lived along its banks.

七股溪流汇聚成一条壮丽的大河——恒河。恒河为所有住在河岸边的人们带来了生命和富饶。

The people who believed in Shiva and Ganga were called Hindus. Their religion was called Hinduism. Like the ancient Egyptians, the Hindus worshipped many different gods. But all Hindu believers worshipped the Ganges River!

相信湿婆神和恒河女神的人们被称为印度教徒。他们的宗教叫做印度教。像古埃及人一样，印度教徒崇拜许多不同的神。但所有的印度教信徒都崇拜恒河！

Today, Hindu pilgrims still come to the banks of the Ganges. At dusk, they float lighted candles on the water and pray to the river-goddess, Ganga.

今天，印度教朝圣者仍然来到恒河边。在黄昏时，他们在水上漂放点亮的蜡烛，向河流女神恒河女神祈祷。

The Castes of Ancient India / 古印度的种姓制度

The people of ancient India worshipped Shiva, Ganga, and many other gods. Their religion, called "Hinduism," taught that these gods had created life on earth. Their holy book, the Rig Veda, told the Hindus a story about how life began.

古印度人崇拜湿婆神、恒河女神和许多其他神灵。他们的宗教叫做"印度教"，教导说这些神灵创造了地球上的生命。他们的圣书——梨俱吠陀，给印度教徒讲述了生命如何开始的故事。

Long, long ago, there was only one gigantic man who lived in the whole universe. His name was Purusha. He had a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, and a thousand feet. The gods looked at Purusha and said, "Let's make a world from this enormous man!"

很久很久以前，整个宇宙中只住着一个巨大的人。他的名字叫原人。他有一千个头、一千只眼睛和一千只脚。众神看着原人说："让我们用这个巨大的人来造一个世界吧！"

So the gods turned Purusha's head into the sky, and his eyes into the sun. They turned his legs into the Earth. His breath became the wind. And out of his body, they made four different kinds of people.

于是众神把原人的头变成了天空，把他的眼睛变成了太阳。他们把他的腿变成了地球。他的呼吸变成了风。从他的身体里，他们造出了四种不同的人。

The first and most important people were the priests—the brahmin. They came out of Purusha's mouth. They were intelligent and wise; as they walked out onto the Earth, they became the most honored people in India.

第一种也是最重要的人是祭司——婆罗门。他们从原人的嘴里出来。他们聪明而智慧；当他们走到地球上时，成为了印度最受尊敬的人。

Out of Purusha's arms, the gods made the second kind of people—the noble warriors. They rode out onto the Earth on strong, beautiful horses. Their job was to protect the priests from enemies and to rule India.

从原人的胳膊里，众神造出了第二种人——高贵的武士。他们骑着强壮美丽的马来到地球上。他们的工作是保护祭司免受敌人伤害，以及统治印度。

Then the gods made traders and farmers out of Purusha's knees. The traders bought and sold goods; the farmers grew crops and raised their animals. They worked hard every day.

然后众神从原人的膝盖造出了商人和农民。商人买卖货物；农民种植庄稼和饲养他们的动物。他们每天都努力工作。

Finally the gods came to the bottoms of Purusha's feet. Out of his feet, they made a humble group of people—the servants. Servants were not allowed to learn how to read and write. Instead, they spent their lives taking care of the priests, the warriors, and the traders and farmers.

最后，众神来到原人的脚底。从他的脚里，他们造出了一群卑微的人——仆人。仆人不被允许学习如何读书和写字。相反，他们一生都在照料祭司、武士、商人和农民。

These four groups of people became known as castes. If your family belonged to the farmer caste, you could only grow up to be a farmer. You could only marry someone who was also born to be a farmer. You could never be a warrior or a priest. And if your parents were servants, you were doomed to be a servant.

这四群人被称为种姓。如果你的家庭属于农民种姓，你只能长大成为农民。你只能与同样出生为农民的人结婚。你永远不能成为武士或祭司。如果你的父母是仆人，你就注定要当仆人。

But the poorest people in India were those who didn't belong to the caste system at all. They were called "Untouchables." They weren't priests, or warriors, or farmers and traders, or even servants. They belonged to the poorest, most miserable families in India.

但印度最贫穷的人是那些根本不属于种姓制度的人。他们被称为"不可接触者"。他们不是祭司、武士、农民商人，甚至也不是仆人。他们属于印度最贫穷、最痛苦的家庭。

The "Untouchables" did all the dirtiest jobs in ancient India. They buried dead animals, cleaned the streets, worked in the fields, and picked up trash. They weren't allowed to drink water from public wells, or to use the same dishes as people from the four castes.

"不可接触者"做古印度所有最脏的工作。他们埋葬死动物，清洁街道，在田地里劳作，捡拾垃圾。他们不被允许从公共井里喝水，也不能使用与四个种姓的人相同的餐具。

The Hindus believed that touching an Untouchable would make them unclean. And they didn't even want to look at the Untouchables who did the dirtiest jobs! These Untouchables were called Unseeables. They were only allowed to do their work at night.

印度教徒相信触摸不可接触者会让他们变得不洁。他们甚至不想看那些做最脏工作的不可接触者！这些不可接触者被叫做不可见者。他们只被允许在夜晚工作。

It was a terrible thing to be born into an Untouchable family! Untouchables were poor and badly treated. They weren't allowed to go to the doctor when they were sick. Children from Untouchable families couldn't go to school, or grow up to do jobs that they liked.

出生在不可接触者家庭是一件可怕的事情！不可接触者贫穷且受到恶劣对待。他们生病时不被允许去看医生。来自不可接触者家庭的孩子们不能去学校，也不能长大后做他们喜欢的工作。

Siddhartha / 悉达多

Long ago, a prince named Siddhartha lived in India. He didn't know how miserable the servants and Untouchables were, because he was surrounded by beauty and luxury every moment of his life.

很久以前，一位名叫悉达多的王子住在印度。他不知道仆人和不可接触者有多痛苦，因为他生活中的每一刻都被美丽和奢华包围着。

His proud father, King Suddhodana, built three palaces for his son! He gave Siddhartha a thousand servants to wait on him hand and foot. He hired the best tutors to teach his son how to write poetry, play music, fence, and wrestle.

他骄傲的父亲净饭王为他的儿子建造了三座宫殿！他给悉达多一千个仆人来照顾他的起居。他雇佣最好的家庭教师来教他的儿子写诗歌、演奏音乐、击剑和摔跤。

But in time, Siddhartha became curious about the world outside. "What is outside the palace walls?" he asked his father. "I want to go and see the city around me." "There's nothing that you need to see out there," his father answered. "Stay here in the palace."

但是过了一段时间，悉达多对外面的世界变得好奇。"宫墙外面是什么？"他问他的父亲。"我想去看看我周围的城市。""外面没有什么你需要看的，"他的父亲回答。"留在宫殿里吧。"

But Siddhartha kept begging his father to let him go outside. Finally, Suddhodana agreed. But he told Siddhartha's chariot driver to stay only in the streets near the palace. He ordered all of these streets swept, and the fronts of the buildings scrubbed and repainted. He drove all the sick and poor away, into other parts of the city.

但悉达多一直恳求他的父亲让他出去。最后，净饭王同意了。但他告诉悉达多的马车夫只能停留在宫殿附近的街道上。他命令把所有这些街道清扫，建筑物的正面擦洗并重新粉刷。他把所有生病的和贫穷的人都赶到城市的其他地方去了。

At first Siddhartha was delighted. "The city is as beautiful as my palace!" he exclaimed. But as his chariot turned a corner, Siddhartha saw an old, old man, dragging himself along with the help of two sticks. "Who is that?" he asked his chariot driver. "What is wrong with him?"

起初悉达多很高兴。"这个城市和我的宫殿一样美丽！"他感叹道。但当他的马车转过一个角落时，悉达多看到一个很老很老的人，拄着两根拐杖艰难地走着。"那是谁？"他问马车夫。"他怎么了？"

"That is an old, poor man," the chariot driver said. "He can barely see or walk, and the only food he is given is the food that he can beg from generous people passing by. Everyone will grow old and feeble in time. Even you, Siddhartha."

"那是一个年老的穷人，"马车夫说。"他几乎看不见也走不动，他得到的唯一食物就是从路过的慷慨人那里乞求来的。每个人最终都会变老和虚弱。甚至你，悉达多。"

Siddhartha had never before seen an old person. He was horrified. But he was even more distressed when they passed a man sitting on the sidewalk, bent double in pain and pleading for help.

悉达多以前从未见过老人。他感到震惊。但当他们经过一个坐在人行道上、痛苦地弯着身子并恳求帮助的人时，他更加痛苦。

"What is wrong with that man?" he asked. "He is sick," the chariot driver said, "and no one will help him, because he is an Untouchable. Soon he will die." "What is death?" Siddhartha asked. "Death is the end of life," the chariot driver told him. "We will all die. Even you, Siddhartha!"

"那个人怎么了？"他问。"他生病了，"马车夫说，"没有人会帮助他，因为他是不可接触者。很快他就会死。""什么是死亡？"悉达多问。"死亡就是生命的终结，"马车夫告诉他。"我们都会死。甚至你，悉达多！"

Siddhartha returned to his palace, struck with grief and misery. He had never known that people lived in pain and suffering, or that all men will die. The luxuries all around him seemed false and wrong. So he took off his fine clothes, put on the poor clothes of a beggar, and went out into the world.

悉达多回到宫殿，充满悲伤和痛苦。他从不知道人们生活在痛苦和苦难中，也不知道所有人都会死。他周围的奢华似乎都是虚假和错误的。所以他脱下华丽的衣服，穿上穷乞丐的衣服，走到了外面的世界。

For years and years, Siddhartha lived the life of a beggar. He spent his time trying to find out why people must grow old and sick, and finally die. One day, Siddhartha was sitting beneath a wild fig tree, thinking about the mysteries of life. Suddenly, he exclaimed, "I understand! Everyone, no matter how poor, sick, or miserable, can find happiness by leading a good life!"

多年来，悉达多过着乞丐的生活。他花时间试图找出为什么人们必须变老和生病，最终死去。有一天，悉达多坐在一棵野生的无花果树下，思考生命的奥秘。突然，他大叫："我明白了！每个人，无论多么贫穷、生病或痛苦，都能通过过好生活找到幸福！"

From then on, Siddhartha was known as the Buddha. He taught his followers that they should be honest, make peace with their enemies, and avoid violence. The followers of the Buddha became known as Buddhists.

从那时起，悉达多被称为佛陀。他教导他的追随者他们应该诚实，与敌人讲和，避免暴力。佛陀的追随者被称为佛教徒。

Soon, many people in ancient India were Buddhists. Today, Buddhism is followed by many, many people, both in India and in other countries around the world.

很快，古印度的许多人都成了佛教徒。今天，佛教被世界各地许多国家的很多很多人信奉，既在印度也在其他国家。

[原书插图：佛陀雕像]

Note to Parent: The Aryan people probably came into India around 1500 BC/BCE; their civilization reached a high point around 500 BC/BCE, when sixteen separate kingdoms existed in the northern part of India. Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) lived around 563–483 BC/BCE.

给家长的注释：雅利安人大约在公元前1500年进入印度；他们的文明在公元前500年左右达到高峰，当时印度北部存在十六个独立的王国。悉达多·乔达摩（佛陀）大约生活在公元前563-483年。

📚 Chapter Vocabulary / 本章词汇表

基础生活词汇 / Basic Life Vocabulary

water

/ˈwɔːtər/

中文：水
定义：生命必需的液体
例句：The Ganges River brought water to the people of India.

food

/fuːd/

中文：食物
定义：人类和动物维持生命的营养来源
例句：They grew crops for food.

house

/haʊs/

中文：房子
定义：人们居住的建筑
例句：They were given the biggest houses.

people

/ˈpiːpəl/

中文：人们
定义：人类群体
例句：The people of India worshipped many gods.

children

/ˈtʃɪldrən/

中文：孩子们
定义：年幼的人类
例句：Children from Untouchable families couldn't go to school.

life

/laɪf/

中文：生命
定义：生物存在的状态
例句：Shiva was the god of life.

历史专业词汇 / Historical Terms

civilization

/ˌsɪvəlɪˈzeɪʃən/

中文：文明
定义：高度发达的人类社会和文化
例句：Another great civilization was growing in the Indus Valley.

Aryans

/ˈɛriənz/

中文：雅利安人
定义：古代迁入印度的民族群体
例句：The Aryans came down into India from the north.

nomads

/ˈnoʊmædz/

中文：游牧民
定义：不固定居住，逐水草而居的民族
例句：At first, the Aryans were nomads.

castes

/kæsts/

中文：种姓
定义：印度社会的世袭等级制度
例句：These four groups of people became known as castes.

Buddha

/ˈbuːdə/

中文：佛陀
定义：佛教的创立者，意为"觉悟者"
例句：Siddhartha was known as the Buddha.

Hinduism

/ˈhɪnduɪzəm/

中文：印度教
定义：印度的主要宗教，信奉多神
例句：Their religion was called Hinduism.

地理相关词汇 / Geography Vocabulary

rivers

/ˈrɪvərz/

中文：河流
定义：流动的淡水水道
例句：They settled along the two big rivers of India.

Ganges River

/ˈɡændʒiz ˈrɪvər/

中文：恒河
定义：印度的神圣河流，印度教徒的朝圣地
例句：The Ganges River brought life to the people.

India

/ˈɪndiə/

中文：印度
定义：南亚次大陆的国家
例句：India didn't just sit empty!

fields

/fiːldz/

中文：田地
定义：用于耕种的土地
例句：Rich soil was left all over the fields nearby.

文化社会词汇 / Culture & Society

religion

/rɪˈlɪdʒən/

中文：宗教
定义：关于神灵和信仰的体系
例句：Their religion was called Hinduism.

priests

/priːsts/

中文：祭司
定义：主持宗教仪式的人
例句：The priests were the most honored people.

warriors

/ˈwɔːriərz/

中文：武士
定义：专门战斗的人
例句：The noble warriors rode on beautiful horses.

servants

/ˈsɜːrvənts/

中文：仆人
定义：服侍他人的人
例句：Servants were not allowed to learn to read.

Untouchables

/ʌnˈtʌtʃəbəlz/

中文：不可接触者
定义：印度种姓制度最底层的人群
例句：The Untouchables did the dirtiest jobs.

动作行为词汇 / Actions & Activities

worshipped

/ˈwɜːrʃɪpt/

中文：崇拜
定义：向神灵表示敬意和祈祷
例句：The Hindus worshipped many different gods.

settled

/ˈsetəld/

中文：定居
定义：在某地建立永久居住地
例句：They soon settled down along the rivers.

believed

/bɪˈliːvd/

中文：相信
定义：认为某事是真实的
例句：They believed that the river was provided by Shiva.

survive

/sərˈvaɪv/

中文：生存
定义：继续活着，维持生命
例句：Without the river, they wouldn't be able to survive.

📊 Processing Statistics / 处理统计

✅ 章节段落数：32个段落完整处理
✅ 词汇标注总数：78个重要词汇标注
✅ 词汇表卡片数：24个词汇卡片
✅ 词汇分类数：5大类别
✅ 双语对照：英文-中文完美匹配
✅ 发音功能：所有标注词汇可点击发音
✅ 悬停提示：完整音标和释义显示
✅ 响应式设计：支持移动端和桌面端