Some Glimpses of Ancient Indian Thought and Practices
[Since times immemorial India has always
occupied a place of honour and glory in the comity of nations. The rich culture
of this great country has been illumined by the great Vedas and the Puranas,
the Gita, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata and rich thoughts that these and
thousands of other Indian books of yore are studded with. Some selected snippets,
episodes and gems of thought representing the ethos and philosophy of this
great land are being given here as food for thought.]
I
In a fight between the demons and the gods
once, the demons were having an upper hand. In desperation and anxiety, the
gods went to Lord Vishnu to find out as to how they could vanquish the demons.
The Lord advised them to get a mighty sword (a thunderbolt, Vajarpatt) prepared from the bones
of some great sage. Accordingly, the gods approached the sage Dadhichi, a great
saint. Dadhichi took no time in laying down his life so that his bones could be
made into an invincible weapon (amoghastra). This victory of the good over evil is the rarest of the rare
examples of great renunciation and sacrifice that this culture teaches. Who can
forget the supreme sacrifice of the young sons of Sri Guru Gobind Singh? They
chose to be bricked alive for the sake of their faith and the canons of justice
and true liberty. Our philosophy and thought teach us to renounce, to
sacrifice, to give away in charity in the real spirit of detachment. ‘Idam Naa
mam’ (This does not belong to me) is the real spirit behind the yajnas we are called upon to
perform frequently in our homes. Should corruption, greed and lust for easy
money have any place in a country rich with such noble and lofty traditions?
II
The elder ones of this country, as per
tradition coming down from thousands of years to this day, consider it a divine
and blessed duty to feed the birds flying in the sky, the animals moving about
on this earth and the insects living in small holes inside the earth. This
noble tradition is an ocular proof of the fact that the people of this country
believe in the unity of life, anywhere and everywhere. ‘Vasudhev
Kutumbukam’, the entire Universe is one family, is the basic thought that
works here and in the various such ceremonies like the tradition of ‘langar’ in the holy temples and
Gurudwaras and the message of the holy Gurus contained in the directive : ‘Eat
only after you have shared your meal with others. (Wand
chhako).’ This idea of distribution applies not to food only; it extends
well up to the entire resources and funds that are available to man. Do we
still need to be taught to love the entire mankind as our kith and kin and
respect the sanctity of life through total non-violence?
III
Once, the story goes, king Janaka of Maithil
(present Bihar) called a meeting of the scholars to discuss some ticklish issue
based on high philosophic thought. A well-known sage named Ashtavakara (so
called because of his deformed body) was also invited to this meeting. As
Ashtavakara entered the portals of the palace hall and walked up the passage,
some scholars already present there burst into a derisive laughter. How could
such a deformed and misshapen person discuss high philosophy, they felt. Ashtavakara
thundered back to the King.” O King! I feel ashamed of being invited to this
assembly of skinners (a person who deals in animal skins; charamkar). It is only a skinner
who measures intelligence or status of a person from his skin or physical looks
or the colour and shape of his skin or body.” This put the entire assembly to
shame and brought them to their knees to beg pardon of this great saint. Colour
of the skin or shape of the body has never been a measure of intelligence or status
in this country. Lord Rama’s eating of the tasted berries from a Bheel woman (a
Shudrá
woman
who used to sprinkle water on the earth with the help of a leather bag) is a sufficient
proof of the fact that there was never any discrimination on the basis of
caste, creed or profession of a person in ancient India.
One is here also reminded of what the
enlightened sage, Swami Vivekananda said to a lady in America who laughed at his
‘simple’ dress : “Madam, in your country, it is the tailor who makes a man; in
my country it is the intrinsic worth and character of a person that make him or
her great.” Isn’t it unwise to support, tacitly or otherwise, any talk of such
discrimination on such frivolous bases today?
IV
The history of this great land is full of
examples where no auspicious function was considered to be held properly
without the participation of women. So much so, that if no woman could somehow
make it to the function, a statue of the woman was created to mark her
auspicious presence*. This only proves that a woman in this great land was never
looked upon as an object of lust or sex ; she was always considered a devi
(goddess) , a Kanjak (a young, unmarried girl child fit to be worshipped), the
mother of mankind, the ardhangini, the inseparable but equal wheel of the rathá (chariot) of life. *At
the occasion of the Setubandh (Rameshwaram bridge) Puja, a statue of Lord Rama’s ardhangini,
Sita,
was specially made for the auspicious occasion.
This fitly explains
Chhatrapati Shivaji’s bowing his head before a woman and respectfully restoring
her dignity as a mother when some misguided soldiers of his victorious army
presented her to Shivaji as a gift. This too explains that the great wars in
both the sacred epics, the Ramayana & the Mahabharata, were fought for
defending and upholding the honour of this matrishakti, the powerful motherhood.
Does this not put those to shame who think of resorting to female foeticide or
denying the female sex their rightful place in the affairs of the world?
[The author, Dr. D.V. Jindal is senior lecturer,
PES (I), retired from SCD Govt. College Ludhiana. Having been a member of
various academic bodies at various levels, he is presently a member of the
External Faculty, Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages, Hyderabad.
A Ph.D. in Phonetics from Panjab University, Chandigarh, he is an author of
several books on Language and Literature.]
Glossary:
desperation (noun) : a state of having no
hope In desperation, she called her father and asked for his help.
anxiety (noun) : a state of feeling nervous Lack of sleep
can cause anxiety.
vanquish (verb) : to defeat completely The demons were vanquished by the gods.
invincible (adj) : too strong to be
defeated The cricket team of Australia seemed invincible.
renunciation (noun) : the act of giving up Gandhiji
appealed to the people for the renunciation of violence. Dadhichi’s sacrifice was a noble example of renunciation.
canons (noun) : principles The canons of great men are
unshaken. He stuck to the canons of justice and morality till his last breath.
lofty (adj) : very high and impressive She was always
praised for her lofty principles.
ocular (adj) : connected with the eyes The accident
injured his ocular muscles. He was satisfied only after he had an ocular proof.
sanctity (noun) : the state of being holy The sage lived a
life of sanctity. Sanctity of religious places should be maintained at all costs.
ticklish (adj) : difficult to deal with, a touchy subject My
throat is irritated by a dry ticklish cough. I found it difficult to solve that ticklish problem.
derisive (adj) : unkind and showing that something is
ridiculous She gave a short, derisive laugh at his dress sense.
intrinsic (adj) : a part of the real
nature of something Some small shops are intrinsic to the town’s character.
Intrinsic worth is more important
than professed qualifications.
tacitly (adv) : suggested indirectly The plan received a tacit disapproval. The boss tacitly supported the move to
get his man elected.
frivolous (adj) : silly or absurd Do
not waste your time in frivolous pastimes.
LANGUAGE EXERCISES
A. Comprehension Questions
(i) Answer the following questions:
1. What caused desperation to the gods?
Ans. The god and demons were at war. In this war the demons
had the upper hand. The gods realized that they were losing the battle. This
caused desperation to them.
2. Who did the gods go to in desperation?
Ans. The god went to Lord Vishnu to seek his advice and help
when they were in a desperation.
3. What did the Lord advise them?
Ans. Lord Vishnu advised the gods to make a mighty sword from
the bones of holy saint. This would be their invulnerable weapon and they would
be able to defeat the demons.
4.. What was the sacrifice of saint Dadhichi?
Ans. Saint Dadhichi offered the bones of his body to the gods
so that they might make a powerful weapon with them. This was his great
sacrifice.
1. What is the real spirit
behind the yajnas performed in our homes?
Ans. We perform the yajans in our homes in the spirit of charity,
renunciation, sacrifice and detachment. We want to rise above attraction of the
world.
2. What does the tradition
of feeding birds and animals prove?
Ans. The tradition of feeding birds and animals proves that
the people of India believe in the unity of life and regard the entire universe
as one family.
3. Why did some scholars
laugh at Ashtavakara?
Ans. Ashtavakara was
handicapped person. He had a deformed body and looked very ugly. So some
scholar laughed at him.
4. How did Ashtavakara react?
Ans. Ashtavakara became very angry. He said that they were
skinners because they measured the value of everything by its skin or colour
and not by intrinsic to be present at a meeting of such people.
5. What did Vivekananda say
to the lady who laughed at his simple dress?
Ans. Vivekananda said that in the country of the lady, man was
made by tailor. But in India, a man’s greatness was judged by his intrinsic
worth and character.
6. What was the status of
women in the ancient India?
Ans. Women were held in high esteem in ancient India. They
were worshipped like goddesses. No function or ceremony was considered
auspicious without participation of a woman. Woman was enjoyed a high status in
ancient India.
7.
Why did Shivaji bow his head before the woman who was brought to
him as a gift?
Ans. Shivaji knew that this woman was being humiliated by his
soldiers. He had great respect for every woman. He hated the idea of accepting a woman as a
gift. So to restore her honour and dignity, he bowed to her.
8. Why, according to you,
were the wars fought in the Mahabharata and Ramayana sacred?
Ans. The wars, mentioned in the Ramayana and Mahabaharata,
were fought because Sita and Draupadi were insulted and humiliated. The wars
were fought to restore their honour and dignity and to give all women a status
of respect and equality with men. So those were scarted wars.
13. What does Lord Rama’s meeting with a
Bheel woman and eating the tasted berries show?
Ans. Lord Rama, who was the son of a king, met a Bheel woman.
He ate the tasted berries offered to him by that woman. This shows that in
those days, people of all castes or creeds mixed freely with each other. There
was no discrimination on the basis of caste or creed or profession.
(i)
Answer the following in
about 50 words each:
1. Why, according to the
author, should those people be ashamed of themselves who believe in female
foeticide?
Ans. Those people who believe in female foeticide are enemies
of the human race. They are sinners, Killers and murderers of the mother of
mankind. There is no rhyme or reason in their wicked thoughts. So they should
be ashamed of female foeticide.
2. How does the author
support the idea of the victory of the good over the evil?
Ans. The demons were doers of evil. They harmed others with
their wicked deeds. The author describes the story of the war between demons
and gods and the sacrifice made by a great sage called Dadhichi for the sake of
good on the earth. The gods were victorious and the demons were defeated. Thus,
through this story, the author supports the idea of the victory of the good over
the evil.
3. What is the basic
difference between the position of women in society in the ancient times and
now?
Ans. In ancient times, women were given great respect in
society. There was no auspicious function to which they were not invited. Woman
was regarded as the mother of mankind and worshipped like a goddess. In modern
Indian society, some women hold high positions while others work as salves in
their homes. The incidents of dowry-killings and female foeticides show that
women are not getting their due regard in the modern society.
4. What does the practice of
‘langar’
stand
for? Explain.
Ans. At a langar, meals are shared among hundreds of men and
women. They dine together in the simplest possible way. They eat and drink the
same articles of food. This gives them the great idea of equality, love,
brotherhood and fellow-feeling. This also teaches them that they should eat
only have shared their meals with others.
5. Give an example to prove
that in ancient India, there was no discrimination on the basis of caste.
Ans. Lord Rama, who was the son of a king, took tasted berries
from a Bheel woman and ate them. This woman belonged to a low caste. He had no
hesitation to bring himself down to the level of this woman. This incident
proves that in ancient India, there was no discrimination on the basis of
caste.
B. Vocabulary Exercises
(i) Pick out the odd word which is not a synonym of the word given
in italics in each set and put a circle around it.
demon: devil, angel, fiend, imp
sage :
intellectual, mystic, spirit, guru
victory :
defeat, conquest, triumph, win
faith : confidence, trust, belief, perception
auspicious : holy, important, promising, impure
sacred : blessed, secular, holy, revered
(ii) Add prefixes to the given words to form their antonyms:
easy available respect justice
wise
auspicious proper separable
equal guide honour sufficient
Ans. uneasy unavailable disrespect injustice
unwise inauspicious proper
separable
equal guide honour sufficient
(iii) Look at the following sentences:
1.
This idea of distribution applies not to food only; it extends well
up to the entire resources and funds that are available to man.
2.
“Madam, in your country, it is the tailor who makes a man; in my
country it is the intrinsic worth and character of a person that make him or
her great.”
3. This only proves that a
woman in this great land was never looked upon as an object of lust or sex; she
was always considered a devi.
Do you notice the semicolon (;) in these
sentences? When two independent clauses are linked without any conjunction
between them; a semicolon is inserted. We use a comma after the first independent
clause when we link two independent clauses with one of the following
coordinating conjunctions : and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet. For example:
I am going home, and I intend to stay there. (comma) I am going home; I intend
to stay there. (semi coloum)
Each of the following sentences needs either
a comma or a semicolon. Choose the correct punctuation mark:
1. Satish has given up smoking about five
times,
but he cannot break the habit.
2. Our dog seems to have a built-in alarm
clock; he wakes us up at exactly the same time every morning.
3. The passengers on the plane were alarmed, but the pilot
and the crew kept their calm.
4. I realized at once that something was
wrong; I was
not, however, the only person who was concerned.
5. I had to complete the assignment by Sunday, otherwise, I
would have failed the course.
6. Ram decided to be a doctor, but he
changed his mind after he heard of the fees of the medical college.
7. I finished reading Freedom At
Midnight, and then I went to bed.
8. The air was beautifully clear; it was a
lovely day.
C. Grammar Exercises
(i) Fill in the blanks using the modals might, should or must:
1.
Your friend said you didn’t need to buy her anything for her birthday,
but (insistence) you must at least get her some flowers.
2. Anju said she was really busy this week,
but I think she might
show up at the party if she doesn’t have to work overtime.
3. My husband said he would come over right
after work, so he might be here by 6:00.
4. Don’t move her. She might be
having some internal injuries because of the accident.
5. You must be joking!
6. Your trip to Europe must have
been absolutely fascinating!
7. You should,
not worry so much. Your father will be all right.
8. The doctor says that you should, use gloves to avoid skin irritations.
9. Your shopping at The Mall might, cost you a fortune.
(ii) Choose the correct preposition:
1. He swore by,
God that he was innocent. (by/in)
2. It was a fight between,
the gods and the demons. (in/between)
3. They live under,
the same roof. (below/under)
4. They will do it with,
pleasure. (with/in)
5. Divide the food between, the two boys. (between/among)
6. There is no truth in, what she just said. (in/about)
7. She stood leaning against, the wall. (on/against)
8. She pushed the letter under, the door. (under/below)
9. The boys ran across, the road. (across/through)
10. Climb up, the
tree to get the mangoes. (on/up)
(iii) Fill in the blanks with the suitable articles:
Once upon a time there was an old woman who lived in a little
house. She had in her
garden a bed of
beautiful striped tulips. One night she was awakened by the sounds of sweet singing of birds and the sound of
some babies laughing. She looked out of the window.
The sounds seemed to come from the tulip bed,
but she could see nothing. The next morning
she walked among her flowers, but there were no signs of any one having been
there the night before. On the Following
night she was again awakened by the same sounds. She rose and stole softly
through her garden. The moon was shining brightly on the tulip bed, and the flowers
were swaying to and fro. The old woman
looked closely and saw, standing by each tulip, a little Fairy mother who was crooning and rocking the
flower like A cradle, while in each tulip cup lay a Little Fairy baby laughing and playing. The good old woman stole quietly back to her house, and
from that time on she never picked the tulip, nor
did she allow her neighbours to touch the flowers.
D. Pronunciation Practice
Check up the pronunciation of the following
words in the dictionary and say them aloud:
Sauce clerk debris
Yak swan chew
butcher ballet demon
monk yacht example
canal balcony thoroughly
Don’t you think you should learn some
phonetic symbols to be able to read the correct pronunciation of words from the
dictionary?
E. Creative Writing and Extended Reading
1. Consult your teacher and read the original
books that contain the incidents referred to in the lesson.
2. Write a paragraph on any one of the
following:
i. Importance of Charity in Life.
ii. Status of Women in Ancient India.
iii. The Idea of the World Being a Big
Family.
3. India is said to be a country of rich
values and noble thoughts. How? Discuss.
4. Ask the Humanities Forum of your school to
organize a Declamation Contest on the following subjects:
i. Status of Women in India – Past and
Present
ii. The More You Give, the More You Get
iii. Virtue is its Own Reward
iv. The Pleasure of Sharing Food and
Resources with Others
v. A Man is Great not by Caste or Birth, but
by his Intrinsic Worth
vi. Woman – The Mother of Mankind
5. Relate, in your own words, any 2 stories
from your study of the ancient Indian scriptures that convey the ideas of sacrifice,
renunciation and charity.
Just a little fun: There was a young lady of
Crete, Who was so exceedingly neat,
When she got out of bed She stood on her head, To make sure of not soiling
her feet
.
