धरोहरम्: Dharoharam- Glimpses of Indian Heritage

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Old and worn out gives way to the young and new. Old trees fall, new seeds sprout; old people die and young ones are born. This is an eternal law of nature. Think of the Egyptian civilization. When Greeks came, Pharos disappeared, when Roman came, Greeks disappeared, when Christianity came, Romans disappeared and when Islam came, Christianity disappeared. Today the past can be seen only in the ruins, monuments, museums and archaeological sites. Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Greek, Chinese, Incas, Mayan and many other civilizations met the same fate with the eternal flow of time. However, Indian civilization based on the foundation of the Vedas seems to be an exception to this general law of nature. Search for the truth constitutes the core of Indian ethos. Enquiry and experiments to understand the reality of our existence is the core principle. Blind faith has no place in Indian ethos. This deeply profound science of search for the truth, forms the corner stone of Indian civilizational values. Precisely for this reason rishis and sages (great scientists in modern sense) make the greatest appeal to Indian minds, not the military conquerors and great rulers. Since the search for answers to these puzzles of our existence can never stop, Indian civilization has existed in an unbroken form throughout the known history of mankind and shall continue to exist for ever as the human quest for the truth shall continue for eternity.

Hominid activity in the Indian subcontinent stretches back over 250,000 years, and it is, therefore, one of the oldest inhabited regions on the planet. Discovery of pre-historic Bhimbetka Caves in central India in 1957, indicate the existence of human civilization in India possibly 1,00,000 years back in time. In the more recent history, the Indus Valley Civilization was among the greatest of the ancient world, covering more territory than either Egypt or Mesopotamia, and producing a highly vibrant and progressive culture including well-planned cities with sophisticated architecture, water systems and roads. Varanasi is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. The ghats of Varanasi have witnessed the rise of Vedic Rishis, Gautam Buddha, Adi Shankaracharya, Saint Kabir, Acharya Tulsidas and Saint Guru Nanak. India is also the birth place of four great world religions - Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism and the immortal and sublime works of Valmiki, Veda Vyasa, Kalidas and Adi Shankaracharya. Innovations and contribution of ancient India have been far and wide. These include; the Vedas - the most ancient text known to humanity, and the Upanishads that enquire into the truth of our very existence and the cycles of the manifestation and dissolution of the universe; the Bhagvad Gita - a comprehensive manual and guide on human life and conduct; the Patanjali Yoga Sutra-a guide to self-discovery through yoga and meditation; the six schools of philosophy - Samkhya, Nyaya, Vaisesika, Yoga, Purva Mimamsa and Uttara Mimamsa; Sanskrit the most scientific language known to mankind and the mother of over 400 world languages; Surya Siddhant and Aryabhattiya - the greatest manuals till date on astronomy and mathematics including invention of numerical and zero; computation of time from atomic time (8/13500 of a second) to trillions of years; the works of Dhanvantari, Sushruta and Charaka on Ayurveda the most ancient science of holistic health and well-being; scientifically designed varied and rich gastronomical delights; great epics of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata; the Natyashastra by Bharat Muni an encyclopaedia on dances, ragas and other performing arts; the Arthashastra of Chanakya a detailed treatise on economics, politics, international relations and diplomacy; the Kamasutra of Vatsyayana a treatise on love, sex and fulfilment of desires; Agamas most intricate temple architecture; the most ancient university system (Takshshila, Sharda Peeth and Nalanda); and of course non-violence and environmental conservation. After travelling to over 100 countries, I can say with confidence that there is no civilization on this planet which is as rich and diverse as that of India. Contribution of ancient Indian sages touches the very fundamentals of every aspect of human life providing life a meaning and depth.

consequence, we are gradually becoming ignorant of our own civilizational values and legacy. This was clearly visible when I delivered talks in over 40 schools and educational institutions during 2017-2019 and subsequently during the interviews of civil service aspirants. The students were well-versed with Shakespeare, Milton, Yeats and Keats and knew very little about Veda Vyasa, Kalidas, Munshi Prem Chand and Ramdhari Singh Dinkar. They hardly knew about Janmashtami and Ram Navami but were well informed about Christmas, New Year and Halloween. They have heard about the Ramayana and the Mahabharata but knew very little about their contents. They don't even know that India was the largest economy for over 2700 years and is the birth place of mathematics, astronomy and metallurgy and that the most European languages have their origin in Sanskrit. Of course, our school curriculum needs considerable revision to overcome these knowledge gaps.

On the other hand, the west after getting fed up of materialistic life-style, is busy discovering Indian ethos-spiritual, astronomical, environmental and health sciences. There is renewed interest in studying and understanding a variety of ancient Indian texts like the Upanishads, the Bhagvad Gita, the Patanjali Yoga Sutra, the Mahabharata, the Surya Siddhant and the Aryabhattia. In the recent years, yoga, meditation, vegetarian food, Indian spices, animal rights, universal oneness, environmental conservation and Ayurvedic therapies have become very popular in the west. Sanskrit and yoga classes have been introduced in many schools in Europe and the United States. International Movement for Krishna Consciousness is becoming very popular. Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Yogananda, Sri Aurobindo, Dalai Lama, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Osho, Chinmayananda Sarswati, Swami Sivananda and B.K.S. Iyengar have large followings abroad.

I therefore decided, to write articles on some of the contributions that India has made to the human civilization so that our new generations could be aware of their roots. Many of my colleagues in the Indian Foreign Service were delighted to read these articles and they suggested to me to bring out a book covering some of these contributions of our glorious past. Nurturing our roots is imperative to restore national pride. Therefore, this book is an attempt to provide a glimpse of the rich civilizational legacy of India. I have neither gone into the depth nor do I claim to have covered all the important topics and contributions. This is basically a tour d'horizon. Nevertheless, I am hopeful that this short summary will help the younger generations to get a glimpse of the great legacy of our ancestors and their vision of a holistic and fulfilled life. Those who wish to study in depth, could access the ancient texts, many of which are now available on internet.