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Bharateeya Historiography
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Hindu Books > History > Bharateeya Historiography
Bharateeya Historiography
Sriram Sathe
Published by
Bharateeya Itihasa Sankalana Samiti,
14/3 RT, LIGH, Barkatpura, Hyderabad-500027.
Request to the Readers
This monograph is published with an object in mind. Shri Sriram
Sathe, Organiser, Bharateeya Itihasa Sankalana Yojana, south and
west India, gave lectures in a number of universities and
colleges regarding the assessment of chronology of ancient
Indian history and historiography. There was much appreciation
of his views. The experience prompted us to take up this
project. The Samiti asked Shri Sathe to prepare a monograph of
the subject of his lectures. We are thankful to him that he
gladly accepted our request and gave us the manuscript.
By publishing this monograph, we want to open a discussion among
a wider circle. There will be additions to, and differences of
opinion about this monograph. We want to compile the various
viewpoints regarding the historiography that this ancient
culture should follow and publish those views under the names of
the writers. The Samiti requests the readers to help this
project by sending their viewpoints to our address and oblige.
Section I
Background
The Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas are, according to
the tradition, the history books of ancient Indian history. The
tradition was unanimously in vogue till the end of the 18th
century, when Sir William Jones, a pioneer among the British
scholars, started to study ancient Indian history from the
Bhagavata Purana. Prior to that, it was ordained for the kings
and the administrators to devote some time everyday to study
this history. Even the rishis used to read it. Inference can be
drawn from this, that in those days, the science of
historiography must have advanced to such an extent that it had
created confidence among the scholars about its effectivity to
develop ordinary men into those with capital M. Personalities
like Shivaji were the products of the developed historiography.
History used to be studied along with the Vedic literature. It
had a place in the educational curriculum
,
What place do these history books have in the present Indian
social set up ? These books are not included in the history
curriculum since a hundred years or more, Even after
independence many scholars do not accept these as history books.
But there are some institutions and individuals who, out of
conviction about their utility, are voluntarily educating the
public through these books. And in spite of their disappearance
for more than a hundred years, from the educational field, these
books are commanding respect in the hearts of millions of
Indians
In the present curriculum, the ancient Indian history written on
the lines of Western historiography, starts from the destroyed
Harappan civilization of 2500 BC, It is undecided to whom that
civilization belonged. Then come the Aryan invasion over India
in 1500 BC, the Vedas in 1200 BC and the Nirvana of Buddha in
483 BC. This chronology and the Western historiography had,
then, impressed the scholars many of whom, in great enthusiasm
of the new faith, might have discarded the Indian
historiography. But now the times have changed. Historians are
required to write the history of still ancient millenniums.
Hence the Western historiography itself is undergoing a change.
They are taking resort, not only to mythologies but also to the
oral achieves like folk-tales, etc. Moreover, the recent
researches have proved the Aryan invasion as fake, the date of
the Vedas incorrect and the date of Buddha undecided
In such circumstances, and specially when Indians have become
independent and are to mold their own future, it is necessary to
pause and consider the course we should adopt for our
historiography. This monograph is a small effort in that
direction.
Author : Sriram Sathe
Dates of the Bharata War
Chronology in ancient history has always been a baffling
problem. it is more so in the case of ancient Indian history. It
is understandable. lndia's antiquity is remoter than that of
many other nations in the world. Historians have found it
difficult to decide which event is historical and which
mythical. Many Western scholars considered the Mahabharata War a
myth. But many Indian and other scholars, who have their own
valid reasons think otherwise. This is obvious from books like
Mahabharata War; Myth or Reality ; Differing Views, and Age of
Bharata War published recently,
Prior to the entry of Western scholars into the field of
indology, there was no confusion on the date of the Bharata War.
It was accepted as having taken place 36 years before the
beginning of Kaliyuga, which is in its 5092nd year in November
1990. But with the advent of Western scholars and the acceptance
of their theories, many scholars have started working on the
date of the War. In the book Search for the Year of Bharata War,
one peruses the views of 120 scholars, who have opened that the
date may be from the 60th century BC to 12th century BC The
source material used by these scholars is mostly literary as no
archaeological evidence is available. It is said that
astronomical references are very often useful to decide the
dates of such past events. But the scholars who have used these
references have also differed and their date varies from 60th
century BC to 12th century BC
.
Dates of the Buddha:
The historicity of Buddha is accepted by all. But there is no
unanimity of the date. In Sri Lanka, 483 BC is accepted as the
date of his nirvana while in Burma 544 BC is accepted. In Tibet
it is believed to be 835 BC, while in China, 11th century BC is
the accepted date. Buddha was an Indian and the Indian Puranic
tradition believes that the nirvana took place in 1793 or 1807
BC However, in the educational institutions, the chronology
prepared by the British scholars is taught and according to
them, the Ceylonese date i.e., 483 B. C is the date of nirvana.
But in 1956 AD, the 2500th anniversary of the Mahanirvana was
celebrated in India which means that the Burmese date was given
recognition. One date is taught in educational institutions and
functions are celebrated according to another date. It is said
that the Burmese initiated the idea and funded the publications
and a part of the celebrations. Is it not funny to note that
historical dates change according to the availability of funds ?
it is a pity that no body questioned why the functions were
celebrated on a different date. Differences of opinion exist
even on the date of Adi Shankara and strangely these differences
do not prick the Indians.
Study of the Puranas - Jones:
Western scholars who began their study of the Indian history in
the 18th and 19th centuries, found dates of events given therein
very confusing. The ancient Indian history is recorded in the
epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata and the Puranas and it
extends to thousands of years in the past. The Asiatic Society
established in 1784 AD in Bengal by Sir William Jones, a Judge
in the British East India Company, aimed at a proper study of
the history, the arts, sciences and literature of Asia. Jones
learnt from his Sanskrit teacher Radhakant that Bhagavata Purana
states a high antiquity for the Creation, the last of the seven
Manus (out of a total of fourteen), the Vaivaswata Manu has
started tens of thousands of years ago and the Mahabharata War,
an important event In Indian history, took place some 3000 years
before Christ. The Bhagavata Purana also gives the accounts of
various kings, their dynasties and kingdoms which flourished
during the Kaliyuga. This information enabled Jones to publish
in 1768 AD, a continuous lineage of the Magadha kings for 25
centuries from the Bharata War i.e., from 3101 BC to 452 BC That
was the beginning of the study of ancient Indian chronology by
Western scholars.
Section II
Britisher's Indian Chronology
Indian Historiography Misunderstood:
It is most essential and useful to understand the history of
fixation of ancient Indian chronology by the British scholars.
Their notions of history writing were different from those of
the Indians. Chronology is a must for historiography according
to them. They could not understand why the Indian
historiographers did not mention the dates of even important
events in ancient Indian history, in spite of their definite
knowledge about them. Some of them wrongly attributed this to
the lack of historical sense in Indian Seers (ancient scholars)
and missed the right path to understand the Indian
historiography. Once on a wrong path, they became a prey to
their self-posed conjectures and prepared a chronology based on
those baseless ones. India, the area of which was many times
that of their motherland England, was by that time captured and
ruled by them. The success created in them a superiority
complex. It not only prohibited them from understanding Indian
historiography but also forced the chronology thus prepared by
them to be taught in the Indian educational institutions. Today,
even after more than forty years of independence, the same
chronology is being taught in our country. But the modern
scientific researches have proved that chronology to be
incorrect and an atmosphere for its reassessment prevails among
the Indian scholars now. Let us try to understand the history of
fixation of this chronology.
Sandrokottas-Chandragupta Maurya Identity:
Sir William Jones could not believe in the antiquity of the
Bharata War because of his Christian faith which told him that
Creation took place at 9-00 a. m, on 23rd October 4004 BC
Similar were the impressions of other Britishers. They did not
believe in the veracity of Indian history books. Their bias
prohibited the Christians from accepting the antiquity of the
Indian nation. Arthur A. McDonnell wrote, "Early India wrote no
history because it never made any. The ancient Indians never
went through a struggle for life like the Greeks, the Persians
and the Romans. Secondly, the Brahmanas early embraced the
doctrine that all action and existence are a positive evil and
could therefore have felt but little inclination to chronicle
historical events." All these Britishers looked from their own
glasses. Their nation came into being after struggle for life
and when they first got the rule of a single political power.
Later, they propagated that India is a nation in making since
the advent of the Britishers and their establishing a single
political rule in this country.
Jones was not satisfied with the Indian sources. He tried to
search the Greek and Roman accounts. These accounts supplied
some information about India of the time of the Macedonian king
Alexander. It mentioned seven names of three successive Indian
kings. Attributing one name each for the three kings the names
are Xandrammes, Sandrokottas and Sandrocyptus. Xandrammes of the
previous dynasty was murdered by Sandrokottas whose son was
Sandrocyptus. Jones picked up one of these three names, namely,
Sandrokottas and found that it had a sort of phonetic similarity
with the name Chandragupta of the Puranic accounts. According to
the Greek accounts, Palibothra was the capital of Sandrokottas.
Jones took Palibothra as a Greek pronunciation of Pataliputra,
the Indian city and capital of Chandragupta. He, then, declared
on 28-2-1793 that Sandrokottas of the Greek accounts is
Chandragupta Maurya of the Puranas. Jones died on 27-4-1794,
just a year after this declaration and possibly before his
death, could not know that Puranas have another Chandragupta of
the Gupta dynasty.
Later scholars took this identity of Sandrokottas with
Chandragupta Maurya as proved and carried on further research.
James Princep, an employee of the East India Company, deciphered
the Brahmi script and was able to read the inscriptions of
Piyadassana. Turnour, another employee of the Company in Ceylon,
found in the Ceylonese chronicles that Piyadassana was used as a
surname of Asoka, the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya. The
inscription bearing the name of Asoka was not found till the
time of Turnour. In 1838, Princep found five names of the Yona
kings in Asoka's inscriptions and identified them as the five
Greek kings near Greece belonging to third century BC who were
contemporary to Asoka.
Sheet Anchor:
In the Greek accounts, Sandrokottas of Palibothra is described
as a contemporary of Alexander of Macedonia who invaded India
during 327 BC to 323 BC This decides the approximate date of
Chandragupta Maurya. Princep's research decides the approximate
date of Asoka, the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya as in 3rd
century BC Both these dates were adjusted with the reign periods
of the three successive Magadha kings, Chandragupta, Bindusara
and Asoka of the Maurya dynasty given in the Puranas. Thus, the
date c. 320 BC was fixed as the date of coronation of
Chandragupta Maurya. Max Mueller, in 1859 AD, finalized this
identity of Sandrokottas with Chandragupta Maurya and declared
c. 320 BC, the date of coronation of Chandragupta Maurya as the
Sheet Anchor of Indian history. M. Troyer did not agree with
this conclusion and noted this fact in the introduction to his
translation of Rajatarangani of Kalhana. He even communicated
his views to Prof. Max Mueller in a letter but did not receive a
reply from him.
Smith's Chronology:
Historian V. A. Smith took the chronological identity asserted
by the predecessors in this historical hierarchy as the basis
for further calculation of the exact dates of the different
dynasties that ruled over Magadha after and before the Mauryas.
He took the aid of numismatics in addition to epigraphy. He
could not however get over, as if by compunction, to follow the
Puranas in the enumeration of the kings and their dynasties. But
he reduced their reign periods. The total reduction done by
these British scholars, from Jones to Smith, comes to 1300 years
according to some Indian chronologists. Smith's chronology has
come to stay and is being taught till today in India. The
Ceylonese date of the Buddha, which is nearest to the present
times, has been accepted as a part of Smith's chronology though
there are many other valid dates in different countries as
already seen. Not only the date of the Buddha, but also the
dates in ancient Indian history regarding the writers,
scientists and treatises are decided on the basis of this Sheet
Anchor which is accepted as final decision.
Aryan Race Theory:
In 1850s, the theory of Aryan invasion in India was built up by
English administrators, scholars and missionaries like Lathani,
Dr. Chevers and Reverend John Wilson. The theory has dominated
the research in ancient Indian chronology. This theory had its
origin in the findings of one Italian trader, Philippo Sasetti,
He came to India at the end of the 16th century and found a sort
of similarity between some English and Sanskrit words, like
father-Pitru, mother-Matru, etc. Sir William Jones 200 years
later, in 1788 AD, made a statement that Sanskrit, Latin and
Greek must have been the offspring of some unknown common
language which might have ceased to exist. The language and the
speakers of this unknown extinct common language were called
Aryan and many conjectures were made about their original
habitat. It was said that they might have lived somewhere in
Central Eurasia i.e., from Germany to South Russia. They were
described as having fair features and white skin. They were also
portrayed as having conquering capacities.
Max Mueller dated the first Aryan invasion, of India in 1500 BC,
which was just a conjecture. According to him, the Buddhist
religion was a reaction to the Brahmanical one i.e., Vedic. The
Western scholars had arrived at 483 BC , as the date of Buddha
nirvana. Hence the Vedic literature consisting of Samhita,
Brahmana, Aranyaka and Upanishads and the epics must have been
compiled just before the fifth century BC, the date of the
Buddha. According to him, the language of these four types of
literature is different and for the development of the language
at each stage must have taken about 200 years. Thus, he decided
that the first type, the Samhita literature (like Rigveda) must
have been compiled in 1200 BC.
Max Muellers's Christian Faith:
The critics of Max Mueller like BC Goldstucker, said that the
hypothesis of Max Mueller about the 200 years required for the
change of the Vedic language at each stage is based on his faith
in the Biblical date of Creation in 4004 BC Dr. Haugh gave the
period for the change in Vedic language as 500 years and Dr.
Winternitz accepted it as 1000 years. H. H. Wilson, W. D.
Whitney and Barthelemeo St. Hillare severely criticized the
conjectures of Max Mueller and his date 1500 BC for Aryan
invasion. But in spite of this, a majority of the scholars in
the West have acted on the dogma that Max Mueller has proved the
date 1500 BC for the Aryan invasion on India. Not only the date
but the direction of the flow of civilization is accepted from
the north-west of India to its southern and eastern limits.
Conjectures after the Harappa Excavations:
Whatever might be the merits and demerits of this Aryan invasion
theory, it was accepted by a large number of scholars by the end
of the 19th century. Next came the excavations at Mohenjodaro
and Harappa (1922 AD). The well developed urban civilization was
dated as belonging to some period between 3000 BC to 2500 BC.
Because of the proximity of the Indus river, it was named Indus
or Sindhu civilization. The date of this civilization went prior
to that of Aryan invasion date i.e., 1500 BC and hence it was
regarded to be different from the Aryan civilization. Thus, the
presently taught chronology of ancient Indian history began from
Indus civilization 2500 BC Then came the Aryan invasion in 1500
BC, the Vedas in 1200 BC, the Nirvana of the Buddha in 433 BC
and the coronation of Chandragupta Maurya in c. 320 BC These are
the main props on which the present ancient Indian chronology
stands.
Section III
Researches Reject the Chronology
Harappan, the only Scientific Date:
Of the props i.e., the dates described in the previous section,
only the Harappan date i.e., the date of the destruction of the
so-called Indus civilization has been arrived at after
scientific tests. For the other dates, no scientific proof is
available. On the other hand, the recent research has
substantially proved the incorrectness of these dates. Further,
it has challenged the very veracity of the meaningless and
unscientific theories like the existence of the Aryan race,
their invasion on India and their civilization being distinct
from that of the Indus people or that of the Dravidians. Let us
analyze the results of the modern scientific research.
Yajnyashalas in Harappan Sites:
Yajnyashalas have been discovered in Harappan sites from
Baluchistan in the west up to Uttar Pradesh in the east and
Gujrat in the south. This has helped Dr. Ahmed Hasan Dani, a
Pakistani archaeologist, to state that the whole of this area
must have been under one culture in which Yajnyashalas had a
place. Yajnyashala is a special characteristic feature of Vedic
culture. So, Vedas and Vedic culture must have been there in
that vast portion of India in pre-Harappan times. Therefore, the
theory that Aryan and Harappan cultures are separate fails to
prove itself. Even the theory that the original home of the
Aryans was in Central Eurasia also fails and the Aryan invasion
and its date carry no meaning.
Dried Sarasvati Bed from Satellite Imagery:
Another scientific research has also proved the same thing. The
American satellite Landsat has sent certain photographs of
India. The analysis of these, by the scientists of the Ahmedabad
Space Research Center revealed the dried bed of a big river from
the Shivalik mountains near Simla up to the Ran of Kuchh.
Earlier, the rivers Yamuna and Sutlej were flowing into that
river. The scientists found the width of that river at some
places to be six kilometers. In the Vedas, there are references
to such a big river. It was called the Naditama i.e., the
biggest river. Sarasvati must be the name of that river,
according to Ahmedabad scientists.
Prior to these findings of the scientists of the Ahmedabad Space
Research Center, many other scholars had also come to the same
conclusion. Sri N. N. Godbole, an officer of the Rajasthan
Government, had chemically analyzed the waters of the wells in
this tract and found them to be the same ; while the waters of
the wells just a few furlongs away from the tract gave a
different chemical composition. Research scholars have also
found a thick bed of alluvial soil under the sand bed of
Rajasthan proving that some big river was flowing there for a
number of years and the alluvial soil got accumulated because of
it. The photographs of the American satellite have positively
confirmed the conclusion of the earlier scholars. The position
of the dried bed of the river is now accepted by a greater
number of scholars.
Why the Same Date for 260 Harappan Sites ? Sarasvati Culture:
Nearly 260 sites are now considered as belonging to the Indus or
Harappan civilization. There are other sites termed pre-Harappan
and late-'Harappan and all the three total to 1000. The Harappan
sites have the same date of destruction, Scholars were at a loss
to understand why all these sites spread over a vast area were
destroyed at the same time. Excavations have revealed that these
sites were destroyed by natural calamities. What the calamities
were nobody knows. The Indus river, after which these sites were
named still flows ; perhaps pointing out that it has nothing to
do with the destruction of these sites. Of the 260 sites, only
about 20 are to the west of the Indus and the rest are on the
eastern side. Any culture named after a river will thrive on
both the banks of the river. in the beginning, when only
Mohenjodaro and Harappa were known, the scholars might have
named the civilization after the river Indus because of its
proximity to these sites. But now scholars are doubting about
the nomenclature. When we look at the dried bed of the river
Sarasvati as pictured by the Landsat imagery, the sites which
were supposed to be part of Indus civilization, would be on
either of the banks of the river Sarasvati. Hence Indus
civilization has to be renamed as Sarasvati civilization. Dr. B.
B. Lal, Dr. S. P. Gupta and Dr. Shashi Asthana in their article
'Indus Sites', say, "The Indus civilization was the culmination
of a long process of cultural configuration that was going on
through several millennia in the geographical tract between the
hills of Baluchistan and the Ghaggar basin. The culmination or
the change from the early Harappan to Harappan seems to have
taken place in the Sarasvati basin. The distribution map of
Harappan sites shows quite clearly the concentration of Indus
sites with early Harappan material overlaid with mature Harappan
in the basin of Sarasvati and its tributaries". It is for this
reason, that Dr. S. P. Gupta suggests that instead of persisting
with the older title, Indus civilization, we might as well call
it Sarasvati civilization.
Ghosh and Hussain of the Central Arid Zone Research Institute,
Jodhpur have discovered a number of beds of Sarasvati river in
which one is of ocean going Sarasvati. Other beds they have
dated 1800 BC and the ocean going Sarasvati bed is thousands of
years earlier than those, according to them.
The Sarasvati civilization had flourished for thousands of years
over a vast area and abundant waters of the river, were helping
the civilization in every way. But the drying up of the river,
which was a natural calamity, forced the sites to be vacated.
Date of the Vedas Prior to the Date of Harappa:
The drying up of the Sarasvati river must have taken place some
centuries earlier to the scientifically decided date of the
destruction of Harrappan culture i.e., 2500 BC. This date can be
termed as the terminal point of the prosperous Sarasvati
culture. The Vedas contain one sukta having so many verses about
the river Sarasvati. Thus, the date of the Vedas i.e., the
so-called Aryan culture goes earlier to the date of the
Harrappan culture and not, after it, as some Western scholars
supposed without any basis. The chronology based on this
supposition is proved to be incorrect. The two modern
discoveries, one that of the yajnyashalas in Harappan sites and
the other of the dried track of river Sarasvati have falsified
the date and theory of Aryan invasion and the separateness of
the Aryan and, the Harappan cultures.
Aryan Race, a Biased Theory:
The Aryan race theory has very much disturbed the chronology of,
and approach to the ancient Indian history. As already seen, its
origin is in the similarity in words of different languages. It
is reasonable to infer that there must have been one group of
men in one place speaking the original language and the words
must have spread elsewhere along with these men. But the search
carried out only in Central Eurasia for this original place
smells something else. The word Arya, appears in the Vedic
literature, the most ancient in the world. Vedas are universally
accepted as belonging to the so-called lndo-Aryans of Sarasvati
area. Scholars like Max Mueller and Jones did have this
knowledge. It is difficult to understand why the original home
of the Aryans, in spite of this knowledge, was not searched in
the land of Sarasvati. Moreover, the search was done in a place
where there are very few rivers. It is a- generally accepted
that in the beginning, man had his habitations on the banks of
rivers. Why then the search in a riverless place ? Is it because
the land of Sarasvati belonged to Hindus who were a defeated
nation then, from previous eight centuries ? Or is it because
many of the European nations were then, a conquering people
since the previous two or three centuries and the conquerors ego
prompted them to search for the original home of the Aryans
somewhere near to their countries?
Nancy Stephen Opines Concoction:
Nancy Stephen in her recently published book 'The Ideas of Race
in Science' has charged these race scientists with deliberate
concoction. The book reviewer Dr. S. K. Mahajan of BARC Bombay
writes, "Beginning with the 15th century, the white Europeans
came in contact with more and more people around the globe, most
of whom looked physically different, thanks so their superior
military technology, the Europeans soon found themselves
exterminating, enslaving or subjugating many of these people.
All this was profitable, though morally difficult to justify. A
morally defensible rationale for slavery and colonialism would
have been highly useful. Such were the imperatives that led to
the genesis, around the year 1800, of what Nancy calls 'the race
science', in her book. The basic hypothesis of this science was
something as follows".
"Based on their biological constitutions, human beings can be
classified in to a small number of well defined racial types.
These racial types are fixed and can be arranged in a hierarchy
in which the European whites are at the top and the African
blacks at the bottom, with others coming in between. The
physical, moral and mental worth of any individual is determined
by the hierarchical status of the racial type to which he
belongs".
"The primary goal of the race scientists was to generate
empirical data as well as a theoretical framework in support of
the above hypothesis. This they did with remarkable zeal,
diligence and persistence for well over a century in the face of
formidable practical as well as theoretical set-backs. Their
purpose was to show that the white man was endowed with superior
mental and moral attributes which were necessary for humanity's
progress but were missing in non-whites and then the European
domination could be rationalized as the "White man's burden". In
spite of the great labors of the race scientists, their work has
mostly been forgotten. The emergence of molecular biology of the
gene has proved differently".
Crave for Civilized Ancestry:
European nations were created during the past two millennia.
Prior to achieving nationhood, they were fighting wild tribes.
After their successes in conquering different countries all over
the world since the sixteenth century AD, a crave developed in
them to prove their ancient and civilized ancestry. In the 19th
century AD, they picked the word Arya from the ancient Hindu
literature where alone it means respectable, civilized,
superior, elder, etc. Seeta calls her husband Arya or Aryaputra
and similarly does Mandodary, the wife of Dashanana Ravana. In
Rigveda, the word Arya occurs 33 times and 16 times in
Atharvaveda. Nowhere it is used to mean a race. In the
Siamese(Indonesia) dictionary, which goes prior to the birth of
the Aryan race theory, the meaning of the word Arya is given as
'civilized'. Europeans wanted themselves to be honored by others
by this name of ancient fame and they invented the theory of the
Aryan race.
The Europeans declared themselves belonging to that Aryan race.
As the word Arya was taken from ancient Hindu literature, the
Hindus were also required to be included in that Aryan race of
their conjecture. Hindus were the residents of India. Hence a
theory was coined about the original home of the Aryans in
Eurasia between Europe and the other to have invaded India. One
branch of the Aryans was stated to have gone to Europe and the
other to have invaded India. As the Vedas belong not to the
Europeans but to Hindus only, Max Mueller inferred that those
must have been compiled by the Hindus, the so-called
Indo-Aryans, after they reached India. He had already dated
Vedas in 1200 BC. Now he dated the Aryan Invasion in 1500 BC,
three hundred years earlier to that of the Vedas.
Childish Corollaries Thrusted:
The crave for calling themselves Aryans forced the Europeans to
propagate childish corollaries. They were white skinned and
possessed particular facial features. These they thrusted on the
Aryans. It had all started from similar words found in Latin,
Greek and Sanskrit. Max Mueller had pointed out that similar
words need not mean that those who use them should possess
similar features, bones or blood or similar color to their skin.
The Aryan race enthusiasts termed the north Indians (white
according to them) as Aryans and the south Indians (black
according to them) as non-Aryans or Dravidians. Rama and Krishna
are revered personalities all over India. Though they belong to
north India they are black. The civilized nature and good
qualities according to Indians, have no connection with the
color of the skin, facial features or the structure of the body.
For example Ashtavakra was a revered rishi, a civilized person
though he had many natural bends in his body. From the qualities
attached to the Aryans, the race theory seems to be only a
conjecture of persons suffering from superiority complex.
Ancient Indian chronology need not depend on it or its invasion
of India.
Many foreign invaders and travelers have written their memoirs
about India from the fourth century BC onwards. The memoirs are
available even today. None of them has any where referred to
this Aryan invasion and their establishment of the Aryan culture
in India. This is only a recently hatched theory having no
basis.
Date of the Buddha Undecided:
Max Mueller had fixed the date of the Vedas on the basis of the
Ceylonese date of Buddha Nirvana which is nearest to the present
times. Many Indian scholars are accepting those dates. But when
there are so many dates of the Buddha current in different
countries and there is no unanimous decision about it, the
Indians need not take the dates given by Max Mueller as decided
Ones.
Disbelief in Sheet Anchor on Increase:
The last prop in the Britisher's, Indian chronology, we have to
consider, is the sheet anchor date. While moving in various
universities, the author has experienced that many Indian
scholars have accepted these Britisher's dates as a final
decision. But there are also a large number of Indian scholars
who do not believe in that date and their number is increasing
every year. As already seen, only the Ceylon's date of Buddha
nirvana has fitted in the Britisher's Indian chronology which is
based on the sheet anchor date. As the knowledge of the
different dates to Buddha current in different countries is
spreading, the number of Indians doubting the sheet anchor date
is also increasing.
The sheet anchor is being challenged since its inception till
today. M. Troyer had opposed it in the beginning. In a seminar
held in 1981 AD in Madras, scholars had challenged the identity.
No Concrete Proofs:
The Western scholars and their followers in India have been all
along insisting on concrete evidence for ancient Indian
chronology but they themselves have not been able as yet, to
furnish any such evidence for the sheet anchor. All the evidence
supplied so far is conjectural. No numismatic or inscriptional
proof is available for the date. Same was the condition at the
time of V. A. Smith. He had written, "Unfortunately, no
monuments have been discovered which can be referred with
certainty to tile period of Chandragupta Maurya and the
archaeologist is unable to bring any tangible evidence afforded
by excavations."
Unanswered Doubts:
According to the Greek accounts, Xandrammes was deposed by
Sandrokottas and Sandrocyptus was the son of Sandrokottas. In
the case of Chandragupta Maurya, he had opposed Dhanananda of
the Nanda dynasty and the name of his son was Bindusara. Both
these names, Dhanananda and Bindusara, have no phonetic
similarity with the names Xandrammes and Sandrocyptus of the
Greek accounts.
In the Greek accounts, we find the statements of the Greek and
Roman writers belonging to the period from 4th century BC to 2nd
century AD None of them have mentioned the names of Kautilya or
Asoka. Kautilya's work on polity is an important document of
lndia's mastery on this subject. It was with his assistance that
Chandragupta had come to the throne. Asoka's empire was bigger
than that of Chandragupta and he had sent missionaries to the
so-called Yavana countries. But both of them are not mentioned.
Colebrook has pointed out that the Greek writers did not say
anything about the Buddhist Bhikkus though that was the
flourishing religion of that time with the royal patronage of
Asoka. Roychaudhari also wonders why the Greek accounts are
silent on Buddhism.
Hindu Books > History > Bharateeya Historiography
The empire of Chandragupta was known as Magadha empire. It had a
long history even at the time of Chandragupta Maurya. In Indian
literature, this powerful empire is amply described by this name
but it is absent in the Greek accounts. It is difficult to
understand as to why Megasthanese did not use this name and
instead used the word Prassi which has no equivalent or
counterpart in Indian accounts. To decide as to whether
Pataliputra was the capital of the Mauryas, Puranas is the only
source. Puranas inform us that all the eight dynasties that
ruled Magadha after the Mahabharata War had Girivraja as their
capital. Mauryas are listed as one of the eight dynasties. The
name Pataliputra is not even hinted at, anywhere in the Puranas.
Pandit Bhagavaddatta seems to have studied the fragments of
Megasthenes in more detail than those who decided the identity.
On the basis of Megasthenes's statements, he has arrived at the
following conclusions. "Yamuna was flowing through Palibotha
i.e., Paribhadra, the capital of the Prassi kingdom. Palibothra
was 200 miles from Prayaga on way to Mathura. The kshatriyas
there were known as Prabhadrakas or Paribhadrakas. Their king
was Chandraketu. The capital Paribhadra was near to Sindhu-Pulinda
which is in Madhya Desha and is today termed as Kali-Sindha. The
Karusha Sarovara was between Sindhu-Pulinda and Prayaga." He
further states, "Pataliputra cannot be written as Palibothra in
Greek because 'P', in Patali is written in Greek as English 'P',
only ; then why 'P', in Putra is changed to 'B', in Greek? There
is no instance where Sanskrit 'P', is changed to Greek 'B'."
Putra cannot be Bothra.
All such criticisms and questions which were advanced against
the identification and the sheet anchor from its inception
onwards remained unanswered. Max Mueller had not answered
Troyer. The Britishers might have continued the same approach
till India became independent. But why are the questions not
answered after lndia's independence ? Is it due to sheer inertia
as Dr. R. C. Mujumdar had termed it ?
Acceptance of Antiquity by Later Britishers:
Though in the beginning of their Oriental studies, some
Britishers did not believe in the antiquity of the Indian
history and the veracity of Indian historical literature, we
find a change in their later attitude. Max Mueller himself, in
the year 1890 AD, accepted the antiquity of Indian history by
declaring that it is difficult to decide the antiquity of
Rigveda. H. H. Wilson had observed that a very great portion of
the Puranas is genuine. V. A. Smith admitted the most systematic
record of the Indian historical tradition is that preserved in
the dynastic lists of the Puranas. Some recent scientific
researches, as we have seen already, have also proved the
antiquity. Here are some more examples.
Antiquity with Prosperity:
Ramapithacus, a fossil of man's jaw bone, found in Sarasvati
river area is dated lakhs of years before present (BP). Dr. V.
S. Wakankar was very famous for his researches in rock
paintings. An American scholar working under him dated the rock
paintings in Madhya Pradesh as belonging to 35000 years BP. Dr.
E. A. V. Prasad of Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupathi
studied and wrote a book, 'Underground water in Varahamihir's
Brihatsamhita'. On the basis of this knowledge, he was able to
spot thirty places in the drought effected Saurashtra (Gujrat)
in June 1988, where the modern water diviners had failed and
where, after drilling, they found water at the depth he had
predicted. The date of Varahamihira is in fifth century AD In
his treatise, Brihatsamhita, he has written that he had secured
the ancient books written by Manu, Baladeva and Saraswata Muni
to write his treatise. There are many more examples like this.
Continuous Hindu Social Life:
When it is said that Bharat has great antiquity, it means that
it has maintained its special characteristics as a society, a
culture or a nation since that ancient past till today. In case
of civilizations which are said to be dead, their land is still
there and the same blood is flowing in the veins of those who
are residing there but they have lost their specialty or special
characteristics as a culture or a nation which differentiated
them from other nations. The culture, the nationality of Bharat
is still alive from the past thousands of years. Bharat can be
said to have mastered the science or art of maintaining its
special characteristic as a nation. The same can be said about
other sciences also. Let us see what Bharat had achieved in the
science of historiography.
Dates Noted but Not Stated:
According to the European notion of historiography, dates are a
must. Similar is the impression of many of the Indians
influenced by the abilities of the Britishers. We shall try to
understand the notion of the Indian historiographers.
Let us consider the dates of the Buddha as he is unanimously
accepted as a historical figure. The first convention of the
Buddhists took place in the year of his nirvana. In that
convention, his teachings were compiled and recorded but not his
date. It is not that they did not know the date but they did not
feel the necessity of putting it down in writing. The second
Buddhists convention took place in the reign of Asoka the Great.
Then also the date was not put in writing. It is said to be just
200 years after the nirvana. The all powerful monarch could
easily have secured the date if he had desired, may be that he
had the knowledge of it. Not that he had not written down only
the Buddha's date, nowhere in his inscriptions he has given the
date of his coronation also. Perhaps he did not feel of giving
those dates.
Similar is the case of Vyasa who wrote the epic Mahabharata . He
was present when the war took Place. He had full knowledge of
the date. What can be the reason for not stating the date ? The
epic contains about one lakh Stanzas. He has given so many
minute details regarding the astronomical positions of the
different events in the War. It cannot be that he did not note
down the date of the War because of inertia or carelessness. It
will be a grave charge. Similar is the position regarding the
date of the Buddha. What can be the reason for not stating the
dates?
Ample Historic Literature:
The epics Ramayana and Mahabharata and the Puranas are the
history books of Hindus depicting their ancient history.
Genealogical lists of kings of different dynasties and kingdoms
are mentioned there in. In case of some kingdoms, the reign
periods of different dynasties and their kings in succession are
given. The interval between some two events is also stated
therein to check the calculations. Using all this material, it
is easy to calculate the chronology or the dates of different
events if the date of any one event during all these long years
is fixed in some way. V. A. Smith used the sheet anchor date, c.
320 BC and using the Puranic genealogy had prepared the
chronology. Some Indian Scholars used the beginning year of
Kaliyuga as the basic year and prepared it.
In spite of such details, there are found different versions in
the different Puranas regarding the succession of the kings and
their reign periods. In some places, a single king is stated to
have ruled for thousands of years. In view of this, an attempt
was made some centuries ago in the form of 'Kaliyug, Raja
Vrittanta', to study critically the accounts of the dynasties of
the Kali Era given in the Puranas, to detect and amend the
errors due to ignorant scribes, misreading and
misinterpretations and to evolve an authoritative and valued
account of the dynasties and the kings, based on maximum
agreement among the varying texts of the various Puranas. In
this Sanskrit treatise, a connected and consistent account of
the Indian chronology from the beginning of Kaliyuga down to the
eighth century AD has been given in detail.
Rajatarangini is the
history of Kashmir written by Kalhana in 1178 AD. He used
the records of twelve ancient chronicles and the inscriptions of
grants of the old kings. From this, he sifted the evidence
available at his disposal with great care, caution and patience
and arrived at the correct historical material. According to the
historian V. A. Smith, Rajatarangini comes nearest to the
European notion of a regular history. Many other genealogies
like that of Nepal, the Trigarta, etc. are also useful for
ancient Indian chronology. Apart from the genealogies of the
kings, lists of successive heads of different sects along with
the working period of each of them (like the Shankara Peethas)
in succession are also available and useful.
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Hindu Books > History > Bharateeya Historiography
History not Only Popular but Also Revered:
In the massive Indian historical literature, very few books came
nearer to the European notion of regular history. But this
literature, which is available in all Indian languages and even
in dialects, is accepted as their history by all Indians since
last thousands of years. It is quite popular and is recited on
and often. It is so much revered that some Indians worship it.
And this is going on since a very long time, longer than the
life-span of the European nations. Indian notions of
historiography are far different than those of the Europeans. As
in the case of every other discipline, regarding historiography
also, Indian seers invariably adopted an integrated life-view.
Aimed to Culture Individual Mind:
Indian historical literature was composed with a definite
object. Ancient Hindu seers wanted the history books to impress
the minds of individuals in such a way that they would develop a
balanced approach towards life and achieve the four Purusharthas
Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha during their life time. (The
report of the past in the form of stories is called 'Itihas'
history). It is an advice (to the individual) to achieve the
Purusharthas, Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.)
Their studies and long experience had convinced that the
behavior of individuals of such a balanced mental frame in a
society creates peace, prosperity, happiness and longevity in
it. Seers had a conviction that events and anecdotes of history
and the morals derived from them were more effective in molding
the minds of the individuals than were the continuous dates of
events and the names of the authors. That is why one finds a
number of side stories introduced in the main story of the
Mahabharata. It Is not a defect but a useful characteristic of
the epic. That is the Indian way of history writing. It was done
with a definite purpose.
Aim Fulfilled:
It is generally agreed by many modern scholars that the
presently available recensions of the epics and the Puranas were
compiled around the beginning of the Christian Era.
Traditionally the date goes to the beginning of the Kali Era.
Accepting the views of the modern scholars, though two thousand
years have passed since their completion and though there has
been a vast change in the circumstances, those recensions are
still found to be very useful and effective in cultivating the
minds of the Hindus. Mahatma Gandhi wanted Ramarajya after
independence. Many isms had cropped up by that time and the
countries following them were quite prosperous also. Yet he
favored Ramarajya of Rama's time. Such an everlasting influence
do the Indian history books possess.
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Hindu Books > History > Bharateeya Historiography
Studies and Organized Efforts:
Ancient Hindu seers had seriously, deeply and selflessly studied
individual human psychology, the social psychology and the
relation between man and nature. On the basis of this, they had
decided the psychological approach an individual should have
towards the rest. Long-standing, peaceful, prosperous and happy
human society was their aim.
For this, they took great pains and worked selflessly in an
organized way. These Hindu seers were scholars well versed in
their subjects, every ounce of whose energy was spent for the
well being of mankind and who were honored both by the rulers
and the ruled. It is difficult to get individuals respected by
both the rulers and the ruled. But, India, in ancient times, had
them in plenty. Such seers had the practice of conferring
together from time to time. The Naimisharanya conference of such
scholars is said to have continued for twelve years. Smritis,
history books and such other literature useful for the society
was prepared by organized effort. It used to be an all India
effort. The original books were not only written in different
scripts but were also translated in many languages of India and
the neighboring countries. And these are revered everywhere.
Generations of Devoted Reciters:
The Hindu Seers were not satisfied with mere compiling of
history books. That alone would not fulfill their aim. They
wanted the written matter to reach every individual, literate or
illiterate and produce the desired effect on him. Reciters or
Sutas were intended for the task. India is a vast country,
having a large population and speaking a number of languages.
The number of reciters required also must be in that proportion.
Moreover, these reciters would have to narrate the history time
and time again according to the convenience of the villager and
also the forest dwellers and this is to continue for thousands
of years. Hence generations after generations of reciters were
trained to narrate history skillfully and effectively in various
languages of this vast country. These sutas considered it their
sacred duty and life-time mission to be wandering minstrels all
their life, whatever be the odds they were required to face.
They had conviction that whatever is written in these books is
the history of this nation. it is most useful to the society and
hence, they deemed it their duty to devote their lives to
deliver it to the masses. The compilers had not only compiled
the history but due to the quality of the compilation had
created a conviction about its utility in a number of
life-devoting reciters. Such a great importance they had
attached to the science of historiography.
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Hindu Books > History > Bharateeya Historiography
Beginning Unknown:
Such are the Indian notions of history writing. These must have
evolved due to the longevity of this nation. The compilers were
to write the history of a nation, the beginning of which goes to
the remotest past. Nobody knows the date. The life of this
nation is longer than that of the writing material, whether
paper, palmyra leaves, metals or stone. It is said that the
barbarian invaders have destroyed our libraries and the source
material. No doubt they have destroyed a lot. The huge library
at Nalanda University was burning for days together. But in case
of this nation, this loss can be said to be only a drop in the
ocean. Nature and natural calamities have destroyed major
portion of the source material. One thousand sites of Harappan
civilization known so far, were destroyed by natural calamities.
What a huge source material must have been destroyed then ? And
it is but natural for a nation having such a longevity.
We do not know whether Valmiki who is said to have written the
Ramayana and Vyasa who is said to have compiled the Mahabharata
and the Puranas, themselves knew about the beginning of the life
of this nation. One need not wonder hence, if they take the
birth of this nation with that of the Creation it self. In
ancient Indian literature, the compilation by Vyasa is numbered
28th, believe it-or not. None of the previous compilations is
available at present. Many doubt whether they should believe in
those 27 compilations. But what about the Tamil Sangam
literature ? Three Sangams i.e., associations of literature, are
said to have continued for long number of years. Of the three
Sangams the literature of only the last Sangam, that too very
few books, is available now. All the rest was washed away by the
sea, a natural calamity.
Longevity Decided Historiography:
It is possible in case of short lived nations to prepare a
continuous chronology of their history but not so in case of
India whose source material is being destroyed by nature because
of its longevity. Indians have evolved their special type of
historiography suitable not only to describe their past but also
to help the nation to continue its life for long in future. It
was a carefully studied decision. It saved the Indian nation for
the last thousands of years from the man-made attacks as well as
natural calamities. It also saved their nation from the bad
effects of ample prosperity which some countries are found
experiencing at present. The availability of continuous
chronology of short lived nations may be useful to other nations
for information, but not much for guidance to plan their future.
Indian historiography is definitely useful for this. They can
understand the secrets of longevity of the Hindus. The Indian
notion of historiography is much superior to the European one.
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Hindu Books > History > Bharateeya Historiography
Section V
Fresh Responsibility
Understanding the Change:
The world circumstances have very much changed now. During the
past two or three centuries, the world has experienced such a
rapid change as was never witnessed over thousands of years in
the past. The inventions relating to communications have made
the world smaller. Within a few hours one can get any piece of
information from any quarter of the world. The scientific
developments have whetted the desire for extensive and exact
knowledge and also inspired confidence in acquiring it. In such
circumstances it is essential that the Indian history books are
made up-to-date. The utility of Indian history is now not
limited to the Indians only. The world wants to know it and
learn from it. A long interval has passed since books on Indian
history were compiled according to the Bharateeya
historiography. Fresh effort is most urgent. The changed
circumstances should also be taken note of. In this new
recension, in addition to the original qualities of Indian
historiography, some complementary details, like the chronology
for some thousands of years, may be added to facilitate the
foreigners to understand it.
Westerner's Urge to Know the Secrets of Longevity:
Especially after industrialization, when so many isms have
cropped up, each dogmatically putting forth its theory as the
best, and when most of them have failed we see many Western
scholars, like Theodar Shey, who want to know the secrets of the
longevity of Hindu society and the number of such scholars is
ever increasing. India of today, is well behind many other
countries as far as industrialization, development of scientific
knowledge and material prosperity are concerned. But the Indian,
in comparison with other nationals is found enjoying mental
peace and tranquillity, faith in his heritage and tradition and
confidence of getting help from his society. Western scholars
want to know the reasons for this difference.
Integral Comprehensive Approach:
It is essential to understand the meaning of the word 'Itihasa'.
Today the subject of history that is being taught in the Indian
educational institutions consists of only political events. If
the English word 'history' has that limited meaning that cannot
be the translation of Bharateeya word Itihasa. Itihasa includes
narration of past events concerning all the facets of human
life-material, moral and spiritual. On the basis of this
approach towards animate and inanimate world, Itihasa has tried
to ingrain moral values in every individual of the Hindu society
as one constituent of the whole nature. The European approach
has ever been material. Though Europeans and others, in recent
years, are found increasing the scope of the meaning of the word
history, and it is encompassing many other subjects than
political history, it has remained limited to the material world
only. Many such scholars are found nowadays to discover the
history of the common man as against that of the kings. It may
be called a reaction to the kingship which is now observed as
outdated. But herein, man is taken as a material being. Indian
approach, as the word Itihasa means, has all the time remained
integrated, taking man as a spiritual as well as material
constituent of nature. It is more broad and real than taking man
as only a material being.
That is the approach in which Vyasa had compiled Indian history.
About his epic Mahabharata, it is said that the author has
tackled all subjects in the world. "Vyasotchishtam jagatsarvar".
Hence the present compilation should include the matter
regarding all subjects concerning human life. Apart from these
subjects, history should cover all parts of India, moreover, it
will be appreciated by the foreign scholars, if a continuous
chronology could be decided at least for the last 5000 years i.
e., from the date of Harappan culture or in other words from the
beginning of the Kali Era which is commonly accepted throughout
India.
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Hindu Books > History > Bharateeya Historiography
Long Discontinuity:
Great efforts will be required to compile the above mentioned
comprehensive history, There is one difficulty also. Vyasa's
compilation of ancient Indian history is known to be the last
one. It was compiled, according to the tradition, just after the
Mahabharata War. Very less information is available from the
date of the Bharata War till the time of Buddha. Some scholars
attribute this to natural calamities like earth-quakes,
sand-storms, heat and cold waves, etc.. Whatever be the reasons
that information is meager. After the Buddha, from the sixth
century BC India has faced constant invasions from foreigners.
Many of them were barbarous by nature and have destroyed the
historical source material. These invasions have continued for
thousands of years. it is definitely creditable to India that it
defended itself against such powerful invaders who had destroyed
empires like the Roman and the Persian. But Indians were not
able to devote time for constructive social activities like
historiography, possible in peaceful circumstances. This
discontinuance is a difficulty which the new compilers will have
to face and will have to increase the enormity of their efforts.
Slow Indian Pace:
In spite of the necessity of such enormous efforts, Indian
scholars do not seem to have applied themselves to the task to
that extent even after independence. Yajnyashalas were
discovered in the excavations even before our independence. More
than forty years have passed since then. But the corollaries of
the archaeological discoveries in the excavations have not found
their way into our textbooks. Even today, the curriculum teaches
the Aryan race theory, their invasion over India and the
separateness of the Harappan culture from the so-called Aryan
culture. What is the reason for this slow speed in
historiography ?
Speed of Britishers:
As against this, the progress of the Britishers in the study of
Indian history was very fast. It may be that the hypothesis
assumed by them to fix the chronology of ancient Indian history
may not be correct. After all, they were foreigners. Their
approach was not rooted in the culture of India. But the
energies they applied to this work are praise worthy. They came
for trade in the beginning of the seventeenth century. They
decided to capture the political power of this land in the
second quarter of the eighteenth century. By the first quarter
of the nineteenth century they were masters of the whole of
India. And by the end of the nineteenth century they had
established the Aryan race theory and entire chronology of
Indian history. What is the reason for the difference in this
speed ?
In comparison with the Britishers, the only reason for slow
Indian speed seems to be a lack of national consciousness, pleat
and Organization. Before they reached India, the Britishers were
a nation of organized patriots and disciplined and devoted
individuals. Continuous were their efforts for such an
organization from eleventh century onwards. They were able to
pool the efforts of individuals who were applying their full
capacities and energies to the cause. We know of James Princep
who lived only for 39 years. He had devoted some hours everyday
for seven years and in the end was successful in deciphering the
Brahmi script. Many others like Jones, Pargiter, etc. were
similarly active in the field. They had their family and service
responsibilities. Inspite of this they were devoting so many
man-hours everyday. They used to put down in writing their
findings and researches on the basis of which they used to
discuss in meetings in an organized way. These discussions and
writings put in black and white were preserved. These writings
are available today in the issues of the journals of Royal
Asiatic Society, etc.. All this is worth not only appreciating
but following also, Thanks to them for such an organized
execution and preservation.
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Hindu Books > History > Bharateeya Historiography
Vyasa's Organized Work :
Vyasa and his team of devoted scholars also had worked in an
organized manner. They had compiled history books after
collecting maximum possible data then available in various parts
of India. All the data was sorted out into some divisions and
each division was allotted to a group of able scholars. This
organization worked in a systematic way securing cooperation
from various disciplines and arriving at concurrent decisions
after sufficient discussions. They were required to put in
strenuous efforts spread over a number of years. The books thus
compiled got recognition and respect from all over India.
Data Collection:
Collection of historical data is the first necessity for
compilation. The necessary source material can be found in many
countries apart from India i.e., Bharat of 1947 creation. It is
now firmly established that in the first millennium BC, India
had close contacts with countries from Greece, in the west up to
China in the east. Many scholars are attributing Indian impact
even on the ancient Maya and Inca civilizations of America. Data
should be collected from all these countries. Maximum
information, of course, will be available in India, Pakistan,
Bangla Desh, Nepal, Tibet, Burma, Sri Lanka and the south-east
Asian countries. All this should be sorted out subjectwise,
districtwise and countrywise or according to the Brihaspati
Cycles of Kali Era. Subjectwise information will facilitate
writing a comprehensive history of all subjects. Disrictwise
information will be useful for presenting an all India picture
of history and the cyclewise information can be used to set up a
continuous chronology acceptable to all, at least for some
thousands of years. Whatever data is available should all be
collected.
Data Collectors:
Data collection, though a must for history writing, is a time
consuming and very tedious work. It will be properly done by
those who are interested in that, who take it as their duty
towards the nation and who are convinced that this work will be
useful for humanity. Those who work only for remuneration will
not be able to collect ample and correct data in a stipulated
time. It may not be trustworthy also. A large number of such
devoted persons will be required as the data for all the
subjects and all the districts is to be collected. A proper plan
should be drawn and the work should be organized on all India
level. It will be a centrally planned scheme working under a big
organization. The nature of the work will select the proper
individuals just like a plant collects the useful matter for its
growth from the soil and nature. Progress will be possible only
when such persons are selected. The data collectors will have to
work without a bias in their minds about the date of an event or
its version. Their work is to collect all the available
material. By collection of sufficient data the question about
the date or version of an event will also be solved. For
example, there are two dates for the birth of Adi Shankara, one
in the sixth century BC and the other in the eighth century AD.
With the progress in work, when sufficient information about
many subjects or events of those two centuries becomes
available, then, on the basis of contemporaneity of the events,
the collected information will facilitate the decision of the
date of Adi Shankara.
Seers will Bloom:
Thus, conviction of the utility of this work for his nation and
humanity, sense of duty towards it and doing unbiased collection
are the primary qualities of an individual who is to work in
this history project. Many other qualities are also needed, just
like knowledge of different scripts, mobility, knowledge of
languages, finance, etc. But all these are secondary. Even the
literary abilities come afterwards. Of course those are
essential for final compilation but for such able persons also,
the necessity of primary qualities stands. The primary qualities
are those of heart and due to these, the organization will be a
live organization. The life in the organization will collect the
necessary individuals of varying capacities required for its
growth. In course of time, when it is opportune, it will be able
to project individuals like our seers of the past having
intellectual acumen, proper judgment, literary qualities and
sense of working as a part of the organization. It is they who
will write properly the history books according to the Hindu
historiography suitable to the present day world.
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Hindu Books > History > Bharateeya Historiography
List Of Publications
Bharateeya Itihas Sankalan Samithi, Hyderabad.
Price
1. Bharateeya Itihas Mala,
(Rajneitic Khand) Bhag I Hindi Rs. 15- 00
Translated into Telugu, English,
Marathi, Gujarathi, Assamese,
Kannada and Tamil. Rs. 20-00 each.
2. Bharateeya Historiography Rs. 5-00
Translated into Hindi, Telugu,
Kannada, Tamil, Marathi.
3. Aryan Invasion-A Myth Rs. 75-00
4. The Dates of The Buddha, Deluxe Rs. 75-00
English. Ordinary Rs. 30-00
5. History of Hyderabad District
English Vol. I Rs. 50-00
6. Hindi Jagaran Abhishap Ya Vardan, Rs. 80-00
Translated into Telugu, Marathi, Kannada, Gujarathi.
7. Sarasvati Shodh, Hindi. Rs. 5-00
8. Vedic Astronomy, English Rs. 50-00
9. Bharateey Yudha Astronomical Rs. 12-00
References, English
10. Yug Yuqeen Kashi, Hindi Rs. 100-00
11. Date of Mahabharata War English Rs. 5-00
-The Problem.
12. Bharateeya Kalganana ki Roop Rekha,
Hindi Rs. 15 - 00
Under Print
1. Aryans Who Were They (English).
2. Hindu Renaissance-Curse or Boon (English).
First Edition, 1988
Second Edition, 1991
Copies : 1200
Books are available at
1. Apte Smarak Bhavan Mahal, Nagpur-440 002.
2. Sahitya Niketan 3-4-852, Barakatpura, Hyderabad-500 027.
3. 528-C, Shanivarpet Pune-411 030.
4. Suruchi Sahitya Zandewala, Deshbandhu Gupta Marg, New
Delhi-110 055.
5. Bharateeya Ithas Sankalan Samithi 14/3 RT, L I G H
Barakatpura, Hyderabad-500 027.
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