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Understanding Modi’s Sanskrit Epithets-I
Author: Dr. Jayakumar Srinivasan
Press Release: indiafacts.org/understanding-modis-sanskrit-epithets-i/
Have you noticed that Modi’s speeches are sprinkled with many phrases that are not in Hindi, like “Ahimsa Paramo DharmaH”? Most of these are in “Samskritam”, or “Sanskrit” in Anglicized form. What do these quotes mean?
During my years working in the USA, I could not but notice the pride children had in their country, and the amount of knowledge they had about their country’s past. Later, I had the opportunity to study the curriculum taught in the schools. The connection became very apparent.
Every child was taught about the sacrifices made by its “founding fathers” beginning with Christopher Columbus’ voyages and Discovery of the New World. Likewise the sacrifices and leadership of the presidents such as Thomas Jefferson’s writing of the Declaration of Independence, George Washington as the Commander of the Armed forces during the Revolutionary War and as the first President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln’s leadership in the abolishment of slavery are the primary lessons in schools. The enshrinement of Liberty as a fundamental value of America and the founding of one of the greatest nations in the world is etched in the minds of children.
The US Currency Bill
The founders were proud Christians and the country was made possible by the blessings of (Christian) God. USA is a secular country built on Christian Principles[1]. Hence the motto “In God we Trust” in every Dollar currency note, referring to their devotion to their Christian God.
The curriculum in High Schools includes a section on world religions with a healthy dose of Christianity. The end result – every child grows up a patriotic citizen with a healthy sense of self-identity and rootedness.
It was the seventies, when I schooled in India. By the time I was ready to go to college, I had come to learn that the British taught us how to speak, the Greek taught us reason and philosophy, and from Arabia and Islam came mathematics and architecture.
I was not taught that the country had a hoary past going back several thousand years, I had not heard the word Upanishad and its metaphysics that scientists haven’t been able to refute. Not much was said about the great sacrifices made by icons like Subhash Chandra Bose and Veer Savarkar. There was little or no mention of Kittur Chinnamma, Veerapandiya Kattabomman and Subrahmanya Bharati. Countless monuments such as the famous UN Heritage site Brihadeeshwara temple in Thanjavur remain unexplored or even unknown. I had no idea that our Urukku steel became popular in Europe as Wootz Steel used in the Damascus sword, or metallurgical wonders like smelting of Zinc or copper prevalent in India. I wasn’t taught that the Indian share of the World economy plummeted from 24% in 1750 to 1.7% in 1900 as a result of systematic plunder by the British. Instead, I was made to believe that it was the British, who taught us language and civilization, and made the country of “India” for people, who were otherwise backward and disorganized.
Net result: I learned the British view of a concocted India, rather than an organic view of India’s traditions. Today, while there are encouraging signs of hunger in the minds of young Indians, the situation has not changed significantly. Hence, it is reasonable to assume that many Indians may find Modi’s “Sanskrit” quotes to sound like “Greek and Latin”. The purpose of this article is to unfold the meaning of those quotes. In order to achieve this end, some background education is necessary.
Sanskrit:
The word “Sanskrit” is the Anglicized form of the word “samskrtam” (संस्कृतम्). The etymological definition of the word is “samyak kriyate सम्यक् क्रियते” or “(that which is) well done”’. This is further interpreted as “a language which developed organically with the ability to express the subtlest of concepts (of the Dharma worldview) very well”. This language is also called “devabhaaShaa देवभाषा” or “the language of the Gods”.
A 1650 copy of the “Peacock and Snake” problem of Bhaskara II’s Lilavati written circa 1200. (Picture Credit: Mathematical Association of America)
The itihaasaas Ramayana and Mahabharata, the Vedas, which includes the Upanishads, the puraanaas like Bhaagavatam and Maarkandeya, the elaborate commentaries on the Upanishads, commentaries on those commentaries, Arthashastra, treatises on sciences like Ayurveda, Yoga, Mathematics, and Jyotisham (astronomy), to name a few, are all written in Sanskrit. In short, anything of significance to India’s past is in the language of Sanskrit. Forget Sanskrit and be a flotsam in India.
Upanishad:
The Upanishads (उपनिषद्) contain the conclusive tenets of the Vedas, the primary source text of the Hindus. Since they generally occur at the end of the Vedas, the Upanishads are also referred to as Vedanta.
The Vedas talk about human aspirations and categorizes them into Artha – the pursuit of security, Kama – pursuit of pleasures, Dharma – aligning our pursuits to common sense ethics and religious principles with a deep sense of self-responsibility, and finally Moksha, or Liberation. The Upanishads primarily deal with the subject matter of Moksha. Different traditions define Moksha differently. Reaching a specific God at a specific location at the end of one’s life is one view of Moksha. A view that is simultaneously most intellectually challenging and seemingly cognizable is that of Advaita, which claims that “You are what you are seeking”, or, “The essential nature of the individual, the nature of Ishwara (the Omniscient), and the nature of the Universe are identical”.
The meaning of the word “Upanishad” is derived as follows:
Upa (उप) – Near, in proximity (for example, the eyeglasses are called upanetram, upa – near, netram – eyes, i.e. that which is near the eyes). Here “Near” refers to “that which is nearest to me”, which is the “Self” itself, referred to the first person singular “I”.
Ni (नि) – in the sense of certainty (nischayaatmakaH, निश्चयात्मकः)
Sad (सद्) – the removal or destruction (of ignorance)
A Palm-Leaf-like rendition of the Isha Upanishad.
Therefore, Upanishad means “well ascertained removal of (the ignorance) of the Self. I.e. The knowledge of Self. Because the pursuit of the Knowledge of the Self is in the realm of enquiry and devoid of beliefs, this subject has challenged and enamored the greatest thinkers of the world.
PuraaNaas:
PuraaNaas (पुराणः) are accounts that portray the glories of Ishwara[2] (ईश्वरः) and of men of high learning, valor, and righteousness. For example, the account of Harishchandra is dealt with in one of the PuraaNas, wherein he is portrayed as one who will never speak a lie, regardless of circumstances.
In Harishchandra PuraaNa, Harishchandra nonchalantly refuses to cremate his penniless wife’s son without a payment.
His truthfulness forces him to undergo hardship such as having to leave his wife and child. As children, we used to be in awe listening to our grandmother narrate these stories day after day. Such stories in the PuraaNaas set up challenging ideals and values for the individual. The PuraaNaas are eighteen in number, the most famous of which is the Bhaagavata PuraaNa, which portrays the glories of Sri Krishna.
Itihaasa:
Ramayana and Mahabhaarata are the two itihaasaas (इतिहासः) of the Sanaatana Dharma. This worditihaasa is often translated as “mythology”, i.e. a study of myths. And “Mythology” is a glorious word for “fiction”. But, if you look at the etymology, it means: “Iti ha aasa इति ह आस” thus indeed it was, implying the presentation of historical events, not as a historian would, but a poet would. The itihaasaas have been passed on from one generation to another for an unknown number of millennia. It is considered sacred. Indians, therefore, believe that Rama and his brothers existed, as also Krishna, Arjuna and his brothers and the extended family. Ramayana is a poem, the first and the longest poem written by any human being – at only 24,000 verses! Hence, Valmiki is called aadikavi, आदिकविः, or “first poet”, and Ramayana called “mahaakaavyam”, or “first/grand poem”. Ask any Hindu, if Ramayana is a “myth” and they will be shocked, yet they have been conditioned to use the word “mythology”, an erroneous translation of the word itihaasa. Ramayana is a part and parcel of the history of India.
Shri Rama supervising the construction of bridge (Rama Setu) to Sri Lanka, in Ramayana.
With this background, in the succeeding parts of this narrative, I will explain some seminal phrases that Narendra Modi often quotes, which reveal the vision of India’s sages. Some of these are:
- Ahimsa paramo dharmaH (अहिंसा परमो धर्मः)
- Sarve bhavantu sukhinaH (सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः)
- Satyameva Jayate (सत्यमेव जयते)
- Tena Tyaktena BhunjeethaaH (तेन त्यक्तेन भुन्जीथाः)
- Janani janmabhoomishcha svargaadapi gareeyasee (जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी)
- Vasudaiva Kutumbakam (वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्)
- Ekam Sat Viprah Bahudha Vadanti (एकं सत् विप्राः बहुधा वदन्ति)
- Yatra naryastu pujyante, ramante tatra devataaH (यत्र नर्यस्तु पूज्यन्ते, रमन्ते तत्र देवताः)
References:
- While this topic has been debated, what is stated is the mainstream narrative.
- Note that I am not using the word “God”. Being a word in English, the word “God” refers to an entity in Christianity that isn’t the same referred to by Ishwara in Sanaatana Dharma.
Author: Dr. Jayakumar Srinivasan
Press Release: https://www.esamskriti.com/e/History/Indian-History/Was-India-Always-A-Poor-Country-1.aspx
To read article in Tamil in PDF.
Today, many people consider India to be a developing country, or a polite way of saying that Indians are “poor”. There is truth in this observation. Despite the dazzle and comforts of city life, air travel, multi-storied malls and Smart Phones, the majority of Indians lead a rough life. People attribute India’s continued poverty to many causes such as government corruption and ineptitude, poor infrastructure, social inequality, communal conflicts, and lack of innovative spirit.
In the same breath, we also say that India is one of the oldest civilizations, i.e. that it has one of the longest histories of any country, or rather people lived here for many thousands of years continuously. On top of that, we are told that the British made Indians civilized and prosperous.
In this article, the question we are asking is “Was the geography that we now call India alwayseconomically backward?” Specifically, we are focusing on the economy aspect of overall prosperity.
How does one measure economic prosperity? For example, today, we say that the USA is a very prosperous country. What does this mean?
We use a number called GDP (“Gross Domestic Product”) that is calculated for every country. Higher the GDP number, more prosperous a country is. GDP is supposed to measure economic activity of a country. GDP is defined as the value of all goods and services produced by a country in one year. The more a country produces, which then gets consumed locally or exported globally, the higher the GDP. For example, today, the world buys expensive items like Hewlett Packard laptops, Apple iPhones, and Boeing aircraft from the USA. People in the USA also consume large quantities of goods and services, much more than anywhere else in the world. Hence, it is no surprise that the GDP of USA is the highest in the world today.
To illustrate how we are going to use GDP, I performed a simple analysis of GDP data for the year 2017 published by the International Monetary Fund (1):
| 2017 GDP comparison in Trillion US Dollars | |
| GDP of USA | $19.4 |
| GDP of Entire World | $ 80 |
| America’s Share of World Economy | 19.4/80 = ~25% |
| GDP of India | $ 2.6 |
| India’s Share of World Economy | 2.6/80 = 3.2% |
This means that when the world citizen spends Rs. 100, Rs. 25 of that revenue goes to the USA. Now you can imagine why USA is economically prosperous, even without visiting it!
Now we should be able to understand statements such as this in the news “PM Narendra Modi today called for targeting double-digit GDP growth … and said India’s share in world trade has to more than double to 3.4 per cent.” (2)
Now, how are we to understand the economy of countries in the past? Indians must thank an economist Angus Maddison (3). He was a Professor of Economics in The Netherlands. He extensively research to compare the economies of many countries and how they evolved over time. He went backward in time – not a year, not a decade, not a century, but two thousand years!
Prof. Maddison collected a lot of data over many years. The best way to understand what he found is by looking at the chart below (4).
Looking at this chart, we can make the following observations:
1. India was the most prosperous country for the first 1,500 years of the Current Era
2. India’s share of the global GDP started plummeting from a high of 25% since late 1700 all the way to under 5% at Independence.
3. After the British entered India and established their regime, the economy of Western Europe increases dramatically from around 1800.
4. After Europeans establish settlements in America and began slavery, a non-existent American economy skyrockets starting in 1800s.
5. The trend for India has been reversing since the 1970’s.
So, if I were to ask the question “How economically prosperous was India 300 years ago”, we should be able to see that “India was as relatively prosperous then as USA is today!”
S. Gurumurthy’s talk at IIT Bombay in 2010 (5) provides a very good introduction to this topic.
Pay closer attention to the economic trends of India and Western Europe. Less than a century after the British entered India and establish themselves firmly, European economy begins skyrocketing for almost 150 years. Raj Vedam (6) says that this is not a coincidence. He attributes this to transference of wealth from India.
Let us see what the plundering British themselves had to say. Robert Clive (1725-74) was the Commander-in-Chief of British India. He created ownership of the lands of what is today India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, and established a process of funneling wealth out of India to Britain. He said that India was “a country of inexhaustible riches and one which cannot fail to make its masters the richest corporation in the world” (7). At that time, the state of “Bengal” alone, which was the richest “state” in India, was richer than the entire Britain!
When an American philosopher Will Durant visited India in 1930, 175 years after Robert Clive’s planned campaign to destroy India began, Durant was so horrified at the destruction wrought by the British (8) that, instead of pursuing his goal of writing his book “The Story of Civilization”, he took up writing to inspire Indians to fight for Independence. In what he terms as “The Rape of a Continent”, he says “But I saw such things in India as made me feel that study and writing were frivolous things in the presence of a people-one-fifth of the human race – suffering poverty and oppression bitterer than any to be found elsewhere on the earth…” Raj Vedam highlights actions by the British that choked India (6).
●The cost of British conquests (including first and second world wars), developments in Britain, and administration of India, were all charged to Indians.
●Indians were forced to sell cheap and buy exorbitantly.
●Indians were taxed twice as high as in England and thrice as in Scotland.
●Millions of dollars’ worth of bribes from rulers who were dependent on favours and guns.
Hence, it is accurate to say that the British rule decimated Indian economy and ruined India. Yet, today, our children are taught that it is “the caste oppression” that made India poor!
In conclusion, India was one of the most economically prosperous countries in the world for a good bit of the known past. The British rule is probably the most significant factor that contributed to India’s poverty.
Let us remind ourselves that “Colonization” is never beneficial for the colonized people. If we study history properly, we will likely find that every colonized country was culturally and economically prosperous, and each such country is in various states of struggle or ruin today.
References
1. “World Economic Outlook Database“, International Monetary Fund, 17 April 2018.
2. “PM Narendra Modi seeks double-digit GDP growth, raising India’s share in world trade”, The Economic Times, June 22, 2018.
3. Maddison A, “Contours of the World Economy 1-2030 AD”, Oxford University Press, 2007.
4. Hunter, Tracy M., Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
5. S. Gurumurthy, speech at IIT Bombay Hindustan Times Avenue 2010 (Full),
6. Raj Vedam, “Indian civilization: The Untold Story”, Talk at Srijan Foundation, New Delhi, February 2018.
7. J. Albert Rorabacher, “Property, Land, Revenue, and Policy: The East India Company, C.1757–1825”, Routledge, 2017.
8. Will Durant, “The Case for India”, Simon and Schuster, New York, 1930.Also read
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