‘What is India?’ An eye-opener
‘Even
the loftiest philosophy of the Europeans appears like
a feeble
spark before the Vedanta.’
---August W. Schlegel, Great
German philosopher
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By Prof N P Joshi
I am penning a few lines to
express my sense of gratefulness after having gone through a recently published
book entitled ‘What is India?’, compiled by Salil Gewali. To be
frank, I experienced a short of divine sensation and instant enlightenment from
the quotes in the book, probably the compilation is uniquely one of its kind in
the country. People slowly have begun to realize the importance of Vedantic
philosophies and rich cultural and spiritual heritage of the ancient India.
This compilation will make the writer known throughout the length and breadth
of the country.
India is doubtlessly repository of
unfathomable knowledge which is left to be explored and then diffused, as the
compiler asserts in his article -- ‘Explore the majestic Indian
philosophies’. We were misguided
and misinformed by those who ruled over us for a considerable period of time.
They had no love for us, our culture and our language which is profoundly rich.
Though Sanskrit being the father of all languages which the world acclaimed
linguistics and philologists have
conceded long back, we in India are made to believe it as near-dead language,
how disgraceful !
Look at what Frederick Schlegal,
the renowned German philologist and founder of German Romanticism, has to say about Sanskrit language. ‘There
is no language in the world, even Greek, which has the clarity and the
philosophical precision of Sanskrit.’ It is not an orientalist blowing his
own trumpet but the western greatest scholars exploding in appreciation. Truth
has at last emanated from the core of the occidental world, but are we ready to
shift our attention from the works of Socrates to the Veda Vyasa’s now? I feel, it is very essential.
It is no use disguising
the truth as it can be camouflaged for some time but can never be done forever.
It finds its own means of revelation in due course time. Of course, Salil’s
work is towards that line. Efforts put in by the compiler, I am sure, not only
open the eyes of the discerning readers but their mind, as well as the soul
inside. The forward in the book by the former Minister for Education Manas
Choudhuri is significantly meaningful.
The co-publisher of the book Shri Bimal Bajaj too is to be congratulated. I am
confident their efforts in the publication of this rare compilation can hold
our head high in the comity nations.
Here I further want to reiterate, Gewali’s painstaking efforts will gladden the
heart of every Indian and make us proud to know what India stands for despite
her murkier past for despotically voyeuristic invaders and rulers. The
realization that India’s glorious past laden with perfect knowledge in every
field should now prompt us to explore more, though it is fathomless as Emerson
and David Henry Thoreau convincingly proclaim.
World civilizations pales
into insignificance in comparison to ours --------- it is no other but the
Greek themselves, considered to be the torchbearer of western civilization, had
conceded this fact. India was so advanced even in the field of science and
Mathematics that Pythagoras chose to undergo a treacherous journey to come to
India to learn Geometry and Spiritualism.
Albert Einstein exclaims in gratitude --- ‘ We owe a lot to
Indians who taught us how to count without which no worthwhile scientific
discovery could have been made.’ Voltaire, one of the greatest
philosophers says ----‘Astronomy, Astrology and Spiritualism have come from the
bank of the Ganga’. Is it not astounding that the motion of the stars
calculated by the Hindus before some 4500 years vary not even a single minute
from the modern tables of Cassine and Meyer used in the 19th
century? These are a few of the many more laudable remarks expressed by third
parties overseas who are held in the highest esteem. The depth of ancient
knowledge and wisdom is so unfathomable that what have so far been unearthed
and known are only the tip of the iceberg, as I believe. I pray may this book become an eye-opener for
people just lost in western culture and education.
The book may be visited at: