Indian Heritage and culture

Languages used in Carnatic Music & Literature
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venkatakailasam
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Indian Heritage and culture

Post by venkatakailasam »

How Old is the Word ‘Hindu’?..

Here is an eye-opening article about the antiquity of the word “Hindu.” The communist historians of India and the Western Indologists claim that the word “Hindu” was invented by the Arabs in the 8th century and its origins lay in the Persian practice of replacing “S” with “H”. However, many inscriptions over a thousand years older than this period have used the word ”Hindu” or its derivatives. Also, the origin of the word most certainly lies in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat in India, not in Persia.

What I found particularly interesting was that Prophet Mohammed’s uncle Omar-bin-e-Hassham had composed a poem in praise of Lord Shiva, a copy of which can be found in the Makhtab-e-Sultania library in Istanbul, Turkey. This rang a bell in my mind. There are many websites which claim that Kaba was an ancient Shiva temple. I don’t know what to make of these claims, but the fact that Prophet Mohammed’s uncle had written an ode to Lord Shiva is certainly stunning.

Antiquity and Origin of the Term ‘Hindu’..

Read more at Sanskriti..

at this link...

https://www.facebook.com/SanskritiCultureOfIndia

venkatakailasam
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Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by venkatakailasam »

" "My belief in the Hindu scriptures does not require me to accept every word and every verse as divinely inspired... I decline to be bound by any interpretation, however learned it may be, if it is repugnant to reason or moral sense. ... Every word of the printed works passing muster as `Shastras' is not, in my opinion, a revelation ... The interpretation of accepted texts has undergone evolution and is capable of indefinite evolution, even as the human intellect and heart are .... Nothing in the shastras which is manifestly contrary to universal truths and morals can stand... Nothing in the shastras which is capable of being reasoned can stand if it is in conflict with reason."

Such evolutionary Hinduism is a part of Hindu tradition.

But no devout Muslim can accept this as true of the Koran or even the Hadith. For them their revealed texts are eternal and immutable; the commandments are not to be rationally scrutinized but simply accepted. Though there is a limited space for interpretation, there is no space for questioning or rejecting the doctrines even if they conflict with reason and morality. That was the essential difference between the way Gandhi practiced his religion and the orthodox Muslims practice theirs. "

http://www.faithfreedom.org/oped/HinduWoman40718.htm

venkatakailasam
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Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by venkatakailasam »

Happy Gandhi Jayanti)

excellent article by dr koenraad elst on Mahatma Gandhi, please share like' thanks)

'Mahatma Gandhi is often praised as the man who defeated British imperialism with non-violent agitation. It is still a delicate and unfashionable thing to discuss his mistakes and failures, a criticism hitherto mostly confined to Communist and Hindutva publications. But at this distance in time, we shouldn’t be inhibited by a taboo on criticizing official India’s patron saint.'

Problems with pacifism

The common denominator in all these costly mistakes was a lack of realism. Gandhi refused to see the realities of human nature; of Islamic doctrine with its ambition of domination; of the modern mentality with its resentment of autocratic impositions; of people’s daily needs making them willing to collaborate with the rulers in exchange for career and business opportunities; of the nationalism of the Hindus who would oppose the partition of their Motherland tooth and nail; of the nature of the Pakistani state as intrinsically anti-India and anti-Hindu.
See more at....

http://www.hinduhistory.info/learning-f ... -mistakes/

venkatakailasam
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Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by venkatakailasam »

Today, science and religion say that a single entity or force created the universe and is omnipresent, maintaining and governing the fundamental machinery of everything in this and other universes. In Hinduism, Brahman is the one supreme, universal Spirit that is the origin and support of the universe. The very first book of Hindus named Rig Veda proclaims, “Ekam Sat, Viprah Bahudha Vadanti,” which means “there is only one truth, only men describe it in different ways.” Recent scientific discoveries validate the concept of Brahman, the ultimate reality for the Hindus.

Physicists and cosmologists call this divine source the Unified Field. In a profound sense, Brahman (the Vedantic concept) and the Unified Field of physics appear to be synonymous. Vedanta is a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. Vedanta philosophy has two main concepts. The first is the human’s real nature is divine and the second concept is that the aim of human life is to realize this divinity.

In the Vedic language God and the realized individuals are described as “anor aniyan mahato mahiyan” (Katha Upanisad 1-2-20), meaning “God is smaller than the smallest and greater than the greatest.” This means that whether something is extremely large or infinitesimal, it is still made of the same divine source. God is present everywhere and in everyone.
Paradigm Shift....

Quantum physicists, neuroscientists, psychologists and mystics have evolved to the point where a significant paradigm shift is happening as predicted by Dr Amit Goswami, endowed with a Rishis insight: “While mainstream science remains materialist, a substantial number of scientists are supporting and developing a paradigm based on the primacy of consciousness…” Goswami is convinced that the universe, in order to exist, requires a conscious sentient being to be aware of it.

The universe is and can be viewed as symbiotically and totally unbroken, interconnected, highly networked, integrated, and harmonized. The entire universe is contained holographically in each of its parts, unifying matter, energy and consciousness by systems, subsystems and sub, sub, systems at macro and at micro levels through nonlocal, local, vacuum energy, strings and other entities yet to be understood or to be established.

The consciousness that comprises the universe can be tapped into by practicing the yogic art of laser focusing of the mind through Gayatri Mantra, leading to downloading of the contents of transcendent domains through tuned resonant circuits by kindling one’s mind there while tending towards Brahmatejas (the effulgence of Brahman),
The Gayatri Mantra (GM)

The Gayatri Mantra is a highly revered mantra in Hiduism, based on a Vedic Sanskrit verse from a hymn of the Rigveda (3-62-10):and is universal in its directive “Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat” meaning let our Buddhi/Mind Complex (BMC) be kindled

Om Bhur Bhuvah Svaha
Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi
Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat.

The meaning of GM is this: let the omnipresent, primordial force, Brahman, govern our BMC. Swami Vivekananda paraphrased the GM as follows: “We meditate on the glory of that Being who has produced this universe; may He enlighten our minds.”

The Gayatri Mantra (GM) is said to enable one to tune to this field and if tuned up as prescribed, will ultimately make anyone realize that he is none else than that primordial force:

“My dear boy, when a man dies, his voice is absorbed (sampad) into the mind, his mind into breath, breath into light, heat and light, and heat into the highest substance. This finest essence—the whole universe has it as its Self; that is the Real: that is the Self: That you are, Svetaketu!” ~ Chandogya Upanishad 6-8-7

Anyone can profit from kindling his BMC, gradually shedding his ego, greed etc. By chanting the Gayatri Mantra, one can tend to achieve Brahmatejas and for the mundane world, collectively a better place to live in.
Ashtanga Yoga

Read more at .....

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hindu-Hu ... ion=stream

GM paves the way and opens the door read more @

http://www.hinduhumanrights.info/quantu ... ciousness/

venkatakailasam
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Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by venkatakailasam »

Hindu Epics such as Mahabharata have often been described as myths. “On the same day that Krishna departed from the earth the powerful dark-bodied Kali Age descended. The oceans rose and submerged the whole of Dwaraka.“ According to Vishnu Purana - Dwaraka was submerged by the sea right after the death of Lord Krishna. This was regarded as a grandiose metaphor, part of a story filled with great myths. In the early eighties an important archaeological site was found in India, at Dwaraka, the site of the legendary city of Lord Krishna. Now, it is discovered that the whole coast of western India sank by nearly 40 feet around 1500 B.C. E. Why is that the rediscovery of Dwaraka has not attracted the same degree of attention in the West, as that of ancient Troy by Heinrich Schliemann?

The first clear historical record is dated 574 A.D. and occurs in the Palitana Plates of Samanta Simhaditya. This inscription refers to Dwaraka as the capital of the western coast of Saurashtra and still more important, states that Sri Krishna lived here. The establishment of one of the four of his pithas at Dwaraka by Sankaracharya attests to the great religious sanctity the place must have attained by the eighth century A.D.

Dr. S R Rao has written: "The discovery of the legendary city of Dwaraka which is said to have been founded by Sri Krishna, is an important landmark in the history of India. It has set to rest the doubts expressed by historians about the historicity of Mahabharata and the very existence of Dwaraka city. It has greatly narrowed the gap in Indian history by establishing the continuity of the Indian civilization from the Vedic Age to the present day."

Here is a report about the latest excavations done by Dr. S.R. Rao of the Marine Archaeology Unit of the National Institute of Oceanography of India. Following this report are a few articles and images.

Read more t...

http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Dwaraka.htm

Also read his book 'The Lost City of Dwarka'....( Available at http://www.vedamsbooks.in/no14243/lost- ... aka-sr-rao)

venkatakailasam
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Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by venkatakailasam »

A quote from Hanuman Chalisa...

"Juga sahastra jojan par bhaanu |
Leelyo taahi madhur phal jaanu ||18||"

juga means the sum of Four Yugas (1 complete Mahayuga) with unit in divine years.
Satiyuga= 4800 divine years
Tretayuga=3600 divine years
Dwaparyuga=2400 divine years
Kaliyuga=1200 divine years
Check wiki
Hindu units of time - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So 1juga= 12000
Now next is sahastra (सहस्त्र) is common sanskrit word meaning "1000"

Next is jojan also know as Yojan that equals to 8 miles
Yojana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
lets calculate distance of sun from earth

Juga X Sahastra X jojan (in miles) = 12000X1000X8= 960,00000 miles
Now 1 mile= 1.6km
So 960,00000 miles= 960,00000X1.6 km = 1536,00000km.

This stated to be the distance calculated by NASA...150000000...

It is really interesting to know how exactly our forefathers have calculated...

Pratyaksham Bala
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Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by Pratyaksham Bala »

The distance between the Earth and the Sun was calculated as early as in 280–240 BC by a Greek astronomer. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristarchu ... _Distances)

Hanuman Chalisa was written by Tulsidas (aka Goswami), about 500 years back. He has just presented a known fact in a cleverly drafted verse!

venkatakailasam
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Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by venkatakailasam »

A lucid article on " a d v a n c e d c o n c e p t s o f h i n d u i s m"

read at....http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Advanced_Concepts.htm

venkatakailasam
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Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by venkatakailasam »

Sthambeswar Mahadev, Gujarat

The holy temple of Stambheshwar Mahadev is situated at the distance of
around 40 miles from the city of Vadodara in the small town of Kavi
Kamboi, Gujrat. The specialty of this ancient temple is its location within
the bay of Cambay, a part of the Arabian Sea.
This sacred Siva Linga at the Stambheshwar temple which was established
by Bhagwan Kartik after killing Tarkasur (as mentioned in Kumarika
khand as mentioned in Skand Purana).
Lord Shiva at the Stambheshwar temple can only be viewed during the low
tide hours and gets disappeared inside the sea during high tide hours.
Depending upon the time of high and low tide., one can view the full Lord
Shiva Lingam during low tide and subsequently watch it submerging in
the sea as the tide slowly increases.

OM Nama : Shivaya !

For information and more pictures please see the attachment at ..
where you can view fantastic pictures.

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/h ... pIDan_1j0J

venkatakailasam
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Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by venkatakailasam »

Ancient Indian Contributions to Physics

Image

India's Ancient Achivements in Medical Science

Image

venkatakailasam
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Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by venkatakailasam »

Will Free Speech Guardians Defend Pedophile book ?

Over the Wendy Doniger Book withdrawal (NOT BAN) from Penguin we have seen worldwide protests from a veritable swarm of defenders of freedom of speech. As usual these self-righteous pompous airheads have been calling Hindus fascists, extremist Nazis, fundamentalists and anything else that their plethora of vilifying vocabulary can be employed in order to make themselves feel better.William Dalrymple, whose treatment of Indian history show disturbing parallels with how David Irving treats the Holocaust, has even blamed the upcoming Indian election as being the reason, drawing an analogy between India of now and the rise of the nazis during Germany of 1936.

Read here:

http://www.hinduhumanrights.info/will-f ... hile-book/

venkatakailasam
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Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by venkatakailasam »

Image

Nick H
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Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by Nick H »

Oh sorry, I came to this thread by mistake. I thought it was going to be about Indian heritage and culture.

venkatakailasam
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Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by venkatakailasam »

HINDUISAM:

Was there any religion in India earlier to the Mohamodan Invasion or the Discovery of India by vascodagama?

- Aurobindo says “Hinduism.....gave itself no name, because it set itself no sectarian limits; it claimed no universal adhesion, asserted no sole infallible dogma, set up no single narrow path or gate of salvation; it was less a creed or cult than a continuously enlarging tradition of the God ward endeavor of the human spirit. An immense many-sided and many staged provision for a spiritual self-building and self-finding, it had some right to speak of itself by the only name it knew, the eternal religion, Santana Dharma...."

Hinduism is not a religion in the sense other religions are known, it is the only religion which has no known founder. It is more of a way of life based on ancient teachings. This makes it a tolerant and peace loving religion.

Chamber’s Encyclopedia says” “India has been celebrated during many ages for its wealth.” The writer of the article “Hindustan” in the Encyclopedia Britannica remarks that India “was naturally reputed to be the seat of immense riches.”

John Milton (1608 - 1674) English poet most famous for his epic Paradise Lost, voiced the popular belief when he sang of the wealth of India:
“High on a throne of royal state which far
Outshone the wealth of Ormuz and of Ind (India)
Or where the gorgeous East with richest hand
Showers on her kings barbaric, pearl and gold.”

Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784) in his Lives of The English Poet, describes 1498, the year of Vasco da Gama’s voyage to India and Columbus’s arrival on the American mainland as
“a year hitherto disastrous to mankind.”
“The Europeans,” Johnson says resoundingly, “have scarcely visited any coast but gratify avarice and extend corruption: to arrogate dominion without right and practice cruelty without incentive.”

Arnold Toyanbe (1889-1975) British historian, has stated: "India is one great non-western society that has been, not merely attacked and hit, but overrun and conquered by Western arms, but ruled, after that, by Western administration. India's experience of the West has thus been more painful and more humiliating than China's..."

• Hindutva is about claiming a Hindu identity for India in the same way as many Americans assert that the US is essentially a Christian nation, despite its tolerance and accommodation of other belief systems".


• "The Supreme Court of India in its landmark judgment in 1995 held that the word Hindus, Hinduism, Hindutva etc refer to a culture of tolerance and universalism, they denote the Indian civilization.

" I say it again today, but I put it in another way. I say no longer that nationalism is a creed, a religion, a faith; I say that it is the SANATAN DHARMA WHICH FOR US IS NATIONALISM. This Hindu nation was born with the Sanatan Dharma; with it, it moves; and with it, it grows. When the Sanatan Dharma declines, then the nation declines, and if the Sanatan Dharma were capable of perishing, then along with the Sanatan Dharma, the nation would also perish. The Sanatan Dharma is indeed nationalism. This is the message that I have to speak to you. If India is held together, it is because of SANATANA DHARMA."
-- SRI AUROBINDO

After a study of some forty years and more of the great religions of the world, I find none so perfect, none so scientific, none so philosophic, and none so spiritual as the great religion known by the name of Hinduism. The more you know it, the more you will love it; the more you try to understand it, the more deeply you will value it. Make no mistake; without Hinduism, India has no future. Hinduism is the soil into which India's roots are struck, and torn of that she will inevitably wither, as a tree torn out from its place. Many are the religions and many are the races flourishing in India, but none of them stretches back into the far dawn of her past, nor are they necessary for her endurance as a nation. Everyone might pass away as they came and India would still remain. But let Hinduism vanish and what is she? A geographical expression of the past, a dim memory of a perished glory, her literature, her art, her monuments, all have Hindudom written across them. And if Hindus do not maintain Hinduism, who shall save it? If India's own children do not cling to her faith, who shall guard it? India alone can save India, and India and Hinduism are one.
--ANNIE BESANT

" We the Hindus should not support, directly or indirectly, any group, institution, religion, media, or political force, which preaches, practices or works against Hindu Dharma in this country"

--SWAMI DAYANANDA SARASWATI in his ‘Tirupati Declaration..



Excerpts from Mahaperiyava on The Vedic Relegion (Introductory) -
The Religion without a Name - 3

All religions barring our own were established by single individuals."Buddhism" means the religion founded by Gautama Buddha. Jainism was founded by the Jina called Mahavira. So has Christianity its origin in Jesus Christ. Our religion predating all these had spread all over the world. Since there was no other religion to speak about then it was not necessary to give it a name. When I recognised this fact I felt at once that there was no need to be ashamed of the fact that our religion had no name in the past. On the contrary, I felt proud about it.

If ours is primeval religion, the question arises as to who established it. All inquiries into this question have failed to yield an answer. Was it Vyasa, who composed the Brahmasutra, the founder of our religion? Or was it Krsna Paramatman who gave us the Bhagavad-Gita? But both Vyasa and Krsna state that the Vedas existed before them. If that be the case, are we to point to the rsis, the seers who gave us the Vedic mantras, as the founders of our religion? But they themselves declare: “We did not create the Vedas.” When we chant a mantra we touch our head with our hand mentioning the name of one seer or another. But the sages themselves say: "It is true that the mantras became manifest to the world through us. That is why we are mentioned as the 'mantra rsis'. But the mantras were not composed by us but revealed to us. When we sat meditating with our minds under control, the mantras were perceived by us in space. Indeed we saw them (hence the term mantra-drastas). We did not compose them. "[the seers are not "mantra-kartas". ]



This, in fact, is Indian Heritage....

venkatakailasam
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Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by venkatakailasam »

Image

In India the dominant faith of the Indian people never had a power centre that dictated unreasonable dogmas and needed to be propped up by the state. Their faith was based on insights of the Rishis and on reason, intuition and direct experience. It expressed itself freely in a multitude of ways. Their faith was about trust and reverence for the One Source of all life. It was about doing the right thing at the right time according to one’s conscience. It was about The Golden Rule: not to do to others what one does not want to be done to oneself. It was about having noble thoughts. It was about how to live life in an ideal way.
However, this open atmosphere changed when Islam and Christianity entered India. Indians, who good naturally considered the whole world as family, were despised, ridiculed and under Muslim rule killed in big numbers only because they were ‘Hindus’ (which is basically a geographical term). Indians did not realise that dogmatic religions were very different from their own, ancient Dharma. For the first time they were confronted with merciless killing in the name of God. Voltaire, who fought the stranglehold of the Church in Europe, had accurately observed, “Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities”.

Guru Nanak left a testimony how bad the situation was, when he cried out in despair: “Having lifted Islam to the head, You have engulfed Hindustan in dread…. Such cruelty they have inflicted, and yet Your mercy remains unmoved…” (Granth Sahib, Mahla 1.360 quoted from Eminent Historians by Arun Shourie).

During Muslim rule Hindus had to lie low for fear of their lives, and during British rule they were ridiculed and despised by missionaries, and cut off from their tradition with the help of ‘education’ policies. Naturally, this took a toll on their self-esteem. In fact, till today, this low self-esteem especially in the English educated class is evident to outsiders, though it may not be so to the persons concerned. Swami Vivekananda’s efforts to give Hindus back their spine did not impact this class of people. Nevertheless, it is a great achievement that Hindu Dharma survived for so many centuries, whereas the west succumbed completely to Christianity and over 50 countries to Islam in a short span of time.

Coming back to secularism. Though Hindu Dharma survived and never dictated terms to the state, ‘secular’ was added to the Constitution of India in 1976. There might have been a reason, as since Independence, several non-secular decisions had been taken. For example, Muslim and Christian representatives had pushed for special civil laws and other benefits and got them.

However, after adding ‘secular’, the situation did not improve. In fact the government seemed almost eager to benefit specifically the dogmatic religions (for which secularism was coined) and occasionally had to be restrained in its eagerness by the courts.

This is inexplicable. Why would ‘secular’ be added and then not acted upon? And the strangest thing: ‘secular’ got a new, specific Indian meaning. It means today: fostering those two big religions which have no respect for Hindus and whose dogmas condemn all of them to eternal hell.

It is a sad irony. Can you imagine the Jews honouring the Germans with preferential treatment instead of seeking compensation for the millions of Jews killed? Yet Islam and Christianity that have gravely harmed Indians over centuries get preferential treatment by the Indian state, and their own beneficial dharma that has no other home except the Indian subcontinent, is egged out. And to top it, this is called ‘secular’!

Obviously Indians have not learnt from the European experience. Hindus have not yet realized the intention of the dogmatic religions, though they say it openly: Finish off Hinduism from the face of the earth. Hindus still ‘respect’ them, though this respect is not and cannot be reciprocated as long as those religions claim that their God wants everyone to worship exclusively Him. Hindus don’t realize that an ideology that uses God as a front does not become sacred, but all the more dangerous.

Media and politicians do their best to muddy the water. They call parties that represent a religious group, ‘secular’, instead of ‘religious;’ which would be the correct term. When the state gives in to demands by the big religious bullies it is also (falsely of course) called ‘secular’. But WHY would the government do this? It clearly plays with fire. Does it want to give its citizens a firsthand experience of what the dark ages were like? In the interest of all Indians it would be wise for the state to simply ignore the powerful, dogmatic religions and focus on all its citizens equally. This means being ‘secular’.

However, western secular states are not role models either. There is a lot of depression, drug abuse, alcohol and people are generally not happy in spite of doing everything to ‘enjoy life’. Here, India has an advantage over the west. Her rishis have left a great heritage of valuable treatises not only dealing with how to live life in an ideal way, but also how to conduct economy, politics, management, etc. If those guidelines are considered, and if India becomes a state based on her ancient dharma, she has good chances to regain the lost glory as the wealthiest and most advanced country in the world whose citizen are open-minded and contented. If not, probably the west discovers this treasure trove and adopts it…..first.

by Maria Wirth
----------------------------
http://mariawirthblog.wordpress.com/201 ... t-secular/

venkatakailasam
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Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by venkatakailasam »

What Lord Macaulay said about India in 1835 -

Lord Macaulay said the following about India in 1835 in British Parliament.

"I have traveled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem, their native self-culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation."

PS: There is a debate on whether the correct year was 1833 or 1835, but what matters for Indians is the statement itself. I am also not able to give the name of a popular website as source for this. However the statement was available in multiple websites....

The Max Muller Syndrome: Deceiving Hindus (Part 2)

Max Muller, one of the earliest Indologists, had happily concurred in a letter to his wife: “It (The Rigveda) is the root of their religion and to show them what the root is, I feel sure, is the only way of uprooting all that has sprung from it during the last three thousand years.” Later he also wrote to the Duke of Argyle, the then acting Secretary of State for India: “The ancient religion of India is doomed. And if Christianity does not take its place, whose fault will it be?”

Read more at :

http://www.chakranews.com/the-max-mulle ... art-2/1408

Mr.Boulanger, the editor of Russian edition of The Sacred Books of the East Series, in the context of the commentary/translation of the Vedas by Max Muller, stated:
“What struck me in Max Muller’s translation was a lot of absurdities, obscene passages and a lot of what is not lucid…. As far as I can grab the teaching of the Vedas, it is so sublime that I would look upon it as a crime on my part, if the Russian public becomes acquainted with it through the medium of a confused and distorted translation, thus not deriving for its soul that benefit which this teaching should give to the people”

venkatakailasam
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Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by venkatakailasam »

Kindly read " WHAT CAN INDIA TEACH US?" by F. MAX MÜLLER, K.M....

A complete work ...e books

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20847/20 ... #LECTURE_I

These are lectures by this great scholar to ICS passed candidates who were being posted to India, by the British Govt.

Most of us, not aware of the rich heritage of Indian culture, will be wonderstruck. Of course, it runs to about 500 pages or so, but I assure you, one will not regret reading this GREAT BOOK...

There are many Sanskrit Scholars here...CML, Shri Govindan , Srikris , RSachi varshaji,P Bala,vkr........and many more...who can throw light in the context of the previous post

The Max Muller Syndrome: Deceiving Hindus (Part 2)...http://www.chakranews.com/the-max-mulle ... art-2/1408

venkatakailasam
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Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by venkatakailasam »


venkatakailasam
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Post by venkatakailasam »

Image

Thanks Anoopama Mukerjee Lohana for sharing this pic of Kedareshwar Shivling. And details...

"This cave sanctorium is a natural marvel!

water is said to seep into this temple from the four walls on an everyday basis.

the water is ice cold, though this region has no snow and is in the volcanic deccan plateau! the refrigerator-cold water makes it difficult to reach inside, unless you are in a wet suit.

The water continues to seep in during all the seasons in the year, except during rainy season

The four pillars, whose historical facts are unknown, are said to represent the four yugas - satya, tretha, dwapara and Kali. It is believed that when a yuga ends, one pillar breaks down.

Today, only one pillar remains...

The only time when there is no water around the sacred linga is, surprisingly, during the rainy season.

But one cannot reach the cave during that time since a huge, rapid stream covers the path!

Ahmednagar, Harishchandragardh, Maharashtra."

venkatakailasam
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Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by venkatakailasam »

Valmikis' stunningly accurate account
---------------------------------------------------
The story of Shri Rams' life was first narrated by Maharishi Valmiki in the Ramayana, which was written after Shri Ram was crowned as the king of Ayodhya. Maharishi Valmiki was a great astronomer as he has made sequential astronomical references on important dates related to the life of Shri Ram indicating the location of planets vis-a-vis zodiac constellations and the other stars (nakshatras).
Needless to add that similar position of planets and nakshatras is not repeated in thousands of years.
By entering the precise details of the planetary configuration of the important events in the life of Shri Ram as given in the Valmiki Ramayan in the software named "Planetarium" corresponding exact dates of these events according to the English calendar can be known.
Mr Pushkar Bhatnagar, of the Indian Revenue Service, had acquired this software from the US. It is used to predict the solar/lunar eclipses and distance and location of other planets from earth. He entered the relevant details about the planetary positions narrated by Maharishi Valmiki and obtained very interesting and convincing results, which almost determine the important dates starting from the birth of Shri Ram to the date of his coming back to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile. Maharishi Valmiki has recorded in Bal Kaand, sarga 19 and shloka eight and nine (1/18/8,9), that Shri Ram was born on ninth tithi of Chaitra month when the position of different planets vis-a-vis zodiac constellations and nakshatras (visible stars) were:
i) Sun in Aries;
ii) Saturn in Libra;
iii) Jupiter in Cancer;
iv) Venus in Pisces;
v) Mars in Capricorn;
vi) Lunar month of Chaitra;
vii) Ninth day after no moon;
viii) Lagna as Cancer (cancer was rising in the east);
ix) Moon on the Punarvasu (Gemini constellation & Pllux star);
x) Day time (around noon).
This data was fed into the software. The results indicated that this was exactly the location of planets/stars in the noon of January 10, 5114 BC. Thus, Shri Ram was born on January 10, 5114 BC (7121 years back). As per the Indian calendar, it was the ninth day of Shukla Paksha in Chaitra month and the time was around 12 to 1 noontime. This is exactly the time and date when Ram Navmi is celebrated all over India.
Shri Ram was born in Ayodhya. This fact can be ascertained from several books written by Indian and foreign authors before and after the birth of Christ - Valmiki Ramayan, Tulsi Ramayan, Kalidasas' Raghuvansam, Baudh and Jain literature, etc.
These books have narrated in great detail the location, rich architecture and beauty of Ayodhya which had many palaces and temples built all over the kingdom. Ayodhya was located on the banks of the Saryu river with Ganga and Panchal Pradesh on one side and Mithila on the other side.
Normally 7,000 years is a very long period during which earthquakes, storms, floods and foreign invasions change the course of rivers, destroy the towns/buildings and alter the territories. Therefore, the task of unearthing the facts is monumental.
The present Ayodhya has shrunk in size and the rivers have changed their course about 40 km north/south. Shri Ram went out of Ayodhya in his childhood (13th year as per Valmiki Ramayan) with Rishi Vishwamitra
who lived in Tapovan (Sidhhashram). From there he went to Mithila, King Janaks' kingdom. Here, he married Sita after breaking Shiv Dhanusha.
Researchers have gone along the route adopted by Shri Ram as narrated in the Valmiki Ramayan and found 23 places which have memorials that commemorate the events related to the life of Shri Ram.
These include :
Shringi Ashram,
Ramghat,
Tadka Van,
Sidhhashram,
Gautamashram,
Janakpur (now in Nepal),
Sita Kund, etc.
Memorials are built for great men and not for fictitious characters. Date of exile of Shri Ram: It is mentioned in Valmiki Ramayans' Ayodhya Kand (2/4/18) that Dashratha wanted to make Shri Ram the king because Sun, Mars and Rahu had surrounded his nakshatra and normally under such planetary configuration the king dies or becomes a victim of conspiracies.
Dashrathas' zodiac sign was Pisces and his nakshatra was Rewati.
This planetary configuration was prevailing on the January 5, 5089 BC, and it was on this day that Shri Ram left Ayodhya for 14 years of exile.
Thus, he was 25 years old at that time (5114-5089).
There are several shlokas in Valmiki Ramayan which indicate that Shri Ram was 25-years-old when he left Ayodhya for exile. Valmiki Ramayan refers to the solar eclipse at the time of war with Khardushan in later half of 13th year of Shri Rams' exile. It is also mentioned it was amavasya day and Mars was in the middle. When this data was entered, the software indicated that there was a solar eclipse on October 7, 5077 BC, (amavasya day) which could be seen from Panchvati.
The planetary configuration was also the same - Mars was in the middle, on one side were Venus and Mercury and on the other side were Sun and Saturn.
On the basis of planetary configurations described in various other chapters, the date on which Ravana was killed works out to be December 4, 5076 BC, and Shri Ram completed 14 years of exile on January 2, 5075 BC, and that day was also Navami of Shukla Paksha in Chaitra month.
Thus Shri Ram had come back to Ayodhya at the age of 39 (5114-5075).
A colleague, Dr Ram Avtar, researched on places visited by Shri Ram during his exile, and sequentially moved to the places stated as visited by Shri Ram in the Valmiki Ramayan, starting from Ayodhya he went right upto Rameshwaram.
He found 195 places which still have the memorials connected to the events narrated in the Ramayana relating to the life of Shri Ram and Sita These include Tamsa Tal (Mandah), Shringverpur (Singraur), Bhardwaj Ashram (situated near Allahabad), Atri Ashram, Markandaya Ashram (Markundi), Chitrakoot, Pamakuti (on banks of Godavari), Panchvati, Sita Sarovar, Ram Kund in Triambakeshwar near Nasik, Shabari Ashram, Kishkindha (village Annagorai), Dhanushkoti and Rameshwar temple. In Valmiki Ramayan it is mentioned that Shri Rams' army constructed a bridge over the sea between Rameshwaram and Lanka.
After crossing this bridge, Shri Rams' army had defeated Ravana. Recently, NASA put pictures on the Internet of a man-made bridge, the ruins of which are lying submerged in Palk Strait between Rameshwaram and Sri Lanka.
Recently the Sri Lankan Government had expressed the desire to develop Sita Vatika as a tourist spot. Sri Lankans believe this was Ashok Vatika where Ravana had kept Sita as a prisoner (in 5076 BC).
Indian history has recorded that Shri Ram belonged to the Suryavansh and he was the 64th ruler of this dynasty. The names and other relevant particulars of previous 63 kings are listed in Ayodhya ka Etihaas written about 80 years ago by Rai Bahadur Sita Ram. Professor Subhash Kak of Lousiana University, in his book, The Astronomical Code of the Rig Veda, has also listed 63 ancestors of Shri Ram who ruled over Ayodhya.
Sri Rams' ancestors have been traced out as: Shri Ram, King Dashratha, King Aja, King Raghu, King Dilip and so on. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Bengal to Gujarat, everywhere people believe in the reality of Shri Rams' existence, particularly in the tribal areas of Himachal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and the North-East.
Most of the festivals celebrated in these areas revolve around the events in the life of Shri Ram and Shri Krishna. The events and places related to the life of Shri Ram and Sita are true cultural and social heritage of every Indian irrespective of caste and creed. Therefore, it is common heritage.
After all, Shri Ram belonged to the period when Prophet Mohammed or Jesus Christ were not born and Muslim or Christian faiths were unknown to the world.
The words Hindu (resident of Hindustan) and Indian (resident of India) were synonymous. India was also known as Bharat (land of knowledge) and Aryavarta (where Aryans live) and Hindustan (land of "Hindus" - derived from word Indus). During Ram Rajya, the evils of caste system based on birth were non-existent. In fact, Maharishi Valmiki is stated to be of Shudra class (scheduled caste), still Sita lived with him as his adopted daughter after she was banished from Ayodhya.
Luv and Kush grew in his ashram as his disciples. We need to be proud of the fact that Valmiki was perhaps the first great astronomer and that his study of planetary configurations has stood the test of times. Even the latest computer softwares have corroborated his astronomical calculations, which proves that he did not commit any error.
Shabri is stated to be belonging to the Bheel tribe. Shri Rams' army, which succeeded in defeating Ravana, was formed by various tribals from Central and South India.The facts, events and all other details relating to the life of Shri Ram are the common heritage of all the Indians including scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, Muslims, Christians, etc.
Prophet Mohammad was born 1,400 years ago. Jesus Christ was born 2,000 years back.
Gautam Buddha was born 2,600 years back, whereas Ram was born 7,000 years back. Hence, discovering the details relating to Shri Rams' life would be lot more difficult as destruction caused by floods, earthquakes and invasions etc., would be far greater. But, should that stop our quest for learning more about our cultural heritage?
As Indians, let us all take pride in the fact that the Indian civilisation is the most ancient civilisation today. It is certainly more than 10,000 years old. Therefore, let us reject the story of Aryan invasion in India in 1,500 BC as motivated implantation.
In fact Max Mueller, who was the creator of this theory had himself rejected it.
Let us admit that during the British Rule, we were educated in the schools based on Macaulay school of thinking which believed that everything Indian was inferior and that entire "Indian literature was not worth even one book rack in England." If there were similarities in certain features of Indian people and people from Central Europe, then automatic inference drawn was that the Aryans coming from Europe invaded India and settled here.
No one dared of thinking in any other way.
Therefore, there is urgency for the historians and all other intellectuals to stop reducing Indian history to myth. There is need to gather, dig out, search, unearth and analyse all the evidences, which would throw more light on ancient Indian civilisation and culture.
There is need for the print and the electronic media to take note of these facts and create atmosphere which would motivate our young and educated youth to carry out research and unearth true facts about the ancient Indian civilisation and wisdom and would also encourage them to put across the results of their research before the people fearlessly and with a sense of pride!


http://harishshetty.blogspot.in/2013/04 ... count.html

venkatakailasam
Posts: 4170
Joined: 07 Feb 2010, 19:16

Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by venkatakailasam »

NO WONDER WHY ALBERT EINSTEIN SAID:

"We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made – Albert Einstein."
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“Can it be true?” King Vikramaditya asked in anguish, looking around the well-lit and crowded court.

No one replied. All were shocked by the royal astrologer’s prediction.

“Yes, my lord, this is so, however bitter it may be for you,” replied the royal astrologer, breaking the silence. His voice was full of grief. Yet it was authoritative. “This position of the planets predicts the death of the prince at the age of 18.”

While the King controlled his emotions, the Queen, sitting beside him, could not contain herself. “No! No!” she wailed. “My lord, you should see to it that this prediction proves false.”

Though the King had full faith in his astrologer, Mihira, he took everyprecaution to save his son. But, on the predicted day, a boar killed the prince. When the news reached the King, he immediately summoned Mihira to his court.

“I am defeated, you have won, you have won,” he told Mihira.

The astrologer was as sad as the king. He said, “My Lord, I have not won. It is the science of astronomy and astrology that has won.”

“Whatever it may be, my respected astrologer,” said the King, “It has convinced me that your science is nothing but truth. And for your mastery of the subject, I now confer upon you the Magadha kingdom’s greatest award, the emblem of the varaha (boar).”

From that time Mihira came to be known as Varahamihira.

Varahamihira was born in 499 A.D. into a family of Brahmins settled at Kapittha, a village near Ujjain. His father, Adityadasa, was a worshipper of the sun god and it was he who taught Mihira astrology. On a visit to Kusumapura (Patna) young Mihira met the great astronomer and mathematician, Aryabhata. The meeting inspired him so much that he decided to take up astrology and astronomy as a lifetime pursuit.

At that time, Ujjain was the center of learning, where many schools of arts, science and culture were blooming in the prosperity of the Gupta reign. Mihira, therefore, shifted to this city, where scholars from distant lands were gathering. In due course, his astrological skills came to the notice of Vikramaditya Chandragupta II, who made him one of the Nine Gems of his court. Mihira traveled widely, even as far as Greece. He died in 587.

Varahamihira was learned in the Vedas, but was not a blind believer in the supernatural. He was a scientist. Like Aryabhata before him, he declaredthat the earth was spherical. In the history of science he was the first to claim that some “force” might be keeping bodies stuck to the round earth. THE FORCE IS NOW CALLED "GRAVITY"

Varahamihira made some significant observations in the field of ecology, hydrology and geology. His claim that plants and termites serve as indicators of underground water is now receiving attention in the scientific world. He was also a prolific writer. His mastery of Sanskrit grammer andpoetic metre enabled him to express himself in a unique style.

His encyclopedic knowledge and his lively presentation of subjects, as dry as astronomy, made him a celebrated figure. His treatise such as Panchasiddhantika (Five Principles), Brihatsamhita (Master Collection), Brahjjataka (Astrological work), have put him on as high a pedestal in astrology as Kautilya’s in political philosophy, Manu’s in law, Panini’s in grammar.

About his own treatises Varahamihira says: “The science of astrology is a vast ocean and is not easy for everyone to cross it. My treatises provide a safe boat.” That was no boast. Even now they are acknowledged as masterpieces...

Shared

thanjavooran
Posts: 2972
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 04:44

Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by thanjavooran »

Excellent. Enjoyed every bit. Thanx for sharing.
Thanjavooran
30 06 2015

Pratyaksham Bala
Posts: 4164
Joined: 21 May 2010, 16:57

Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by Pratyaksham Bala »

.
A number of similar interesting stories (Susruta, Charaka, Kanada, Patanjali, Aryabhatta, Brahmagupta, Nagarjuna, Bhaskara, etc.) are available at 'Scientists of India', a book published by the Childrens Book Trust --

Please check:-
https://books.google.co.in/books?id=26i ... ta&f=false

Rsachi
Posts: 5039
Joined: 31 Aug 2009, 13:54

Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by Rsachi »

Sirs,
The book referred to, about great Indian scientists, was at home in 1997-8, when I was put in charge of designing and setting up a conference room and atria in GE. I combined that book's information and some other pieces of data and created a panel on eight great Indian science and mathematical works... It was very much appreciated.

The story shared by Sri VKLSM is very fine.
Just a few weeks ago, I heard another story.

Charaka, the legendary man of medicine, wanted to test if people had understood his methods and principles of medicine. He went around testing the vaidyas (in a peculiar way). Finally one person gave the right answer. The question was, "what is the correct way to eat"? The answer was
mitabhuk = eat moderately
hitabhuk = eat what suits your body
Rtubhuk = eat only what is in season
KRtubhuk = eat only what you have rightfully earned
kshutabhuk = eat only when hungry

I was very impressed!

VK RAMAN
Posts: 5009
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:29

Re: Indian Heritage and culture

Post by VK RAMAN »

The answer is very appropriate and is still valid in today's fast-food culture.

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