Hindu Achievements | By an Indian King of the 19th Century

Below is an excerpt from a book named A short history of Aryan Medical Science. The writer is HH Sir Bhagwat Singh Jee [M.D, D.C.L, LL.D, F.R.C.P.E], Thakore Saheb of Gondal (Gujarat). The book was published in 1896 AD.

From the credentials of the writer, it is clear that he was a product of the English education system, a medical doctor, knighted by the British Crown, who existed more than 120 years ago. Yet, the below article will make it clear that how the Indian mind was back then, and will give us a chance to ponder upon how much we have become indoctrinated.

The history of Aryan Medicine forms an inseparable chapter of the history of Aryan civilisation. The word 'Aryan' is here used in what the Hindoos believe to be the original and only proper sense (Arya - Noble). It has been customary of late years to give it a much wider meaning, so as to make it denote the supposed original people, from whom, according to the Western Ethnologists, Celts and Teutons, Italians and Greeks, Persians and Hindoos, are all descended. The similarities which modern science has discovered between such outlying members of a supposed original stock as the Celts and the Hindoos, have led certain scholars to believe that the ancestors of these nations were first living together in the Caucasus, but afterwards separated, the Hindoos migrating into India, where they settled with their families after conquering the aboriginal tribes. This theory is European in its conception, and is not accepted by the Indians in general, who call themselves autochthonous. The Indian Savants (Sages) adduce internal and external evidence to show that, far from being outsiders, it was possible for the early Hindoos to have sent colonies beyond the frontiers. It is no part of our present purpose to attempt to compose this controversy. It is enough to note at starting that throughout these pages the term ' Aryan ' is used to designate the 'Hindoos,' to whom alone it is applied both in common parlance and in their sacred books. 

The Hindoos call their country 'Aryavarta' or the abode of the Aryans. Manu, the ancient law-giver, applies the name to the tract of land between the Himalaya and the Vindhya ranges (the land below was called as the Dravida desha), from the eastern to the western sea ; and teaches that the Brahmans born within that tract are suitable teachers of the several usages of men. Latterly the whole country from the Himalayas to Cape Comorin, and from the Irawaddy and the Bay of Bengal to the Indus and the Western sea, came to be recognised as Aryavarta. It is a beautiful country with natural boundaries. It enjoys the six seasons of the year, and the position of its mountains and its seas gives it a variety of climate, inasmuch as it possesses the hottest, coolest, and the most temperate places of resort. The country was a cradle of learning for the whole world, and history bears witness to the fact that many a nation that now walks with its head erect would have been nowhere had it not borrowed considerably from the intellectual storehouse of the ancient Hindoos. This country was at the pinnacle of glory when other nations were either not in existence or were wallowing in crass ignorance. Most of the sciences, which the present century boasts of so much, were not unknown to the ancient Hindoos ; and one has but to look into their writings to see whether the truths propounded by them some thousands of years ago do not still endure in their natural freshness. 

The Hindoos were the first to cultivate Astronomical Science (Jyotisha). All modern astronomers admit the great antiquity of their observations. Cassini, Bailly, and Playfair have stated that observations taken by Hindoo Astronomers upwards of 3000 years before Christ are still extant, and prove a considerable degree of progress already made at that period. The ancient Hindoos fixed the Calendar, observed and predicted the eclipses, and were acquainted with the phases of the moon and the motions of the several planets. According to Mr.Colebrooke, they were more correct than Ptolemy in their notions regarding the precession of the equinoxes. 

In Mathematics (Ganita) the Hindoos had attained a high degree of proficiency. They invented the decimal system, the differential, integral and infinitesimal calculi. The world owes to them the invention of numerical symbols. They also discovered Geometry (Bhoomiti) and Trigonometry (Triconamiti), in both which sciences they made great advances. Most of the credit given to Pythagoras for the discovery of mathematical truths properly belongs to the ancient Hindoos. 

Their knowledge of Chemistry was not meagre. They were familiar with the preparation of sulphuric, nitric, and muriatic acids ; the oxides of copper, iron, lead, tin, and zinc ; as well as many chlorides, nitrates, sulphates, and carbonates. 

The sage Panini was the first to teach the formative principles of words, and his system of Grammar, called Ashtadhyayi — the first in the world — is the admiration of Western and Eastern scholars. Lexicography was known to the Aryans long before its acquaintance was made by any other nation in the world. In the Vedic Literature it is treated under the head of Nighantu. 

Music appears to have been cultivated to the highest pitch of perfection by the Aryans, who were the first to invent the Gamut. Their music is systematic and refined. 

India is the home of architectural beauty. Domes, cupolas, minarets, and many ingenious works of architecture which have stood the tempest of time, testify to this fact in silent eloquence ; and the ancient Greeks, who are praised for their skill in this particular art, owed not a little to the Hindoos. Dr W. W. Hunter supposes that Alexander the Great left artists in India to copy the Indian style of architecture, who imported it into their mother country. 

Dhanur-Veda is an old science which treats of the art of war, and mentions different kinds of weapons classified under four heads : 

(1) Mukta (missive), as the discus, etc. 

(2) Amukta (non-missive), as the sword, etc. 

(3) Muktamukta (both missive and non-missive), as the javelin, etc.

(4) Yantra-mukta (machine- projectile), as the arrow, etc. 

The army consisted of infantry, cavalry, car-fighters and warriors fighting on elephants. They were known by the name of Padati, Ashvarudha, Ratharudha, and Gajarudha respectively. The Hindoos have had from a primeval period a fighting class called the Kshatriyas. 

Hindoo Law is as old as their religion. Manu is the oldest of Hindoo writers on Law ; and his book of Institutes still forms the basis of the Hindoo social fabric. It is an important record of Hindoo society at least three thousand years old. Other writers on Law, like Yajnavalkya, Parashara, etc., are also held in great reverence, and are still quoted as high authorities in deciding subtle points of dispute. 

India out-distances all the countries in the world in the domain of Philosophy. There are six systems of Indian Philosophy, called Darshanas, or 'Mirrors of Knowledge.' These are Nyaya or logical, Sankhya or discriminative, Vaisheshika or atomic, Yoga or contemplative, Mimansa or ritual, and Vedanta or the end of knowledge. The aim and object of these schools is to solve the problem of Creation. The Hindoos have a passion for philosophy, and have given their best energies to the better understanding of the subject. They were the first nation to distinguish between matter and spirit. While the world at large has been busy confining its attention to dead matter and its properties, the Hindoo from the very dawn of history has devoted himself staunchly to the study of the spirit. Professor Max Midler justly observes that the Indian Aryan lives this life with a full consciousness of his being a temporary sojourner, who has no permanent interest whatever in the things of this world. Being given to spiritual pursuits rather than to earthly comforts, he is by nature better fitted to solve the problem of existence which puzzles many a thinker and metaphysician of our age. 

All these branches of learning take their origin from the book of religion called the Veda (Knowledge), from Sanskrit vid (Latin, videre), to know. This the Indians believe to be the Knowledge of the Universal Spirit, as distinguished from the knowledge of an individual mortal. The Aryans believe that the creation has a maker, who is eternal and is without a cause, and who, as He has evolved the Universe out of His inner consciousness, is a Knowing Being, and, being Knowing and Eternal, is all Happiness which knows no diminution. The Veda is supposed to be His revealed knowledge. Knowledge, they believe, is acquired and not created. If knowledge could be created, instruction, they argue, would, as a rule, become futile. From time immemorial it is being handed down from father to son, from preceptor to disciple. The Indians therefore trace all knowledge under the Sun from the Supreme High, who is the fountain-head of learning, Ishanas sarvavidyanam (Yajur Ved), i.e., Lord of all kinds of knowledge, the source from which all knowledge flows. So they will never accept a statement unless it is supported by the testimony of what has been revealed to them in their Scriptures, or by the testimony of bygone ages. Their line of investigation thus essentially differs from that followed by the modern investigators, who are solely guided by their intelligence in establishing a truth, which must remain under trial until Science in its progressive course has reached its goal. 

Why I support the movement againt the movie PK

We live in a democracy, where everyone is entitled to the freedom of expression. So am I. This is a post celebrating this freedom.

This post is also an attempt at expressing my opinions which, I am sure, would not be easy to digest. And that is why it is necessary.

There are many reasons for the recent conflict surrounding the movie. But one strong reason for majority of people on both sides of the argument is one - they are Hindu.

This religion teaches us tolerance. We are sporty enough to joke about our idiosyncracies, apparent ambiquities which exist in our practices.

And we have been doing this all the time. We are aware of the loot which goes on in the name of religion; the fake godmen that exist etc. But mark one thing - this is prevalent everywhere. Not that this justifies it, but it only means that these are the characteristics  of the times that we live in.

One thing however, remains forever true - the wrong doers should be brought to book, whoever they are - irrespective of whether they belong to a religion which has been accorded minority or majority status. But the popular approach to handling this problem is a bit partial in its nature.

Repeatedly, only the fallacies of the majority religion in India are highlighted in the daily media, even when we have reported cases of such issues going on in other religions as well. But the amplification is only reserved for the Hindu religion. And its adherents are either not concerned or have no power to defend their opinions on their issues in our secular Land.

An unequal manipulation power balance, based on religious division exists in this secular State. An imbalance of any kind of power is a dangerous thing, irrespective of whichever side it leans on. If the majority have it, we have a state like Pakistan where minorities are persecuted. If it is on the side of the minorty, we have India in its present state.

This is what the supporters of the boycott/ban think like. I hope you are able to understand their minds now. Now lets try to see why the other side exists among the Hindus.

We Hindus derive sadistic pleasure when someone tells us of the umpteen 'evil' things our religion has. This attitude is begotten from the years of slavery we were living in when we forsook the life of tapas/penance, and became servile to the hope of surviving by pleasing our "masters". Survival became the keyword, even if was at the cost of self respect. We gave up our way of living because our masters would not approve. We moulded ourselves based on the education our masters felt was suitable for us. We felt it would help us go about survival. What did we know that it would make us eternal slaves to their ways of thinking and perpetual enemies of our glorious ancient ways!

Now i am not saying our religion did not degrade. Time rusts out everything and what is needed is a revival. But alas! we are not doing anything in that direction, not even trying to stop the bashing which goes on. We either dont care or constantly quote the greatness of our religion and its in-destructability.

But our tolerance to this bashing damages our culture in ways which all of us are not aware yet. It does not probably affect the faith of the adherents who understand their religion and responsibilities. But it surely affects the outlook of the younger generations, and this aspect is concerning. Adherents of each religion have the personal right to defend their kids from going astray. These kids will consider that what media shows is the whole reality - they are the frogs of the well.

The broadminded adherents of Christianity, and Atheism want us to think like them and are very aggressive about their viewpoints - i do not blame them. But I blame us Hindus for being docile and giving an advantage to anyone who can present a "seemingly better" argument to us. We are not able to argue back, or even defend what we believe in. Why is this so?

This is because we have long given up the spirit of enquiry which our Sages had; the same spirit of enquiry which revealed to them the eternal, secular wisdom of the Vedas. Our scriptures are not the commandments given to some person by God, but contain eternal axioms which are imbibed in each later religion of the World. The Sun has always risen from one direction and that is how true ideas are - they never change and they cannot be contradicted. These ideas are the basis of Hinduism - there is no other reason why this religion and its associated civilization could have survived so long.

My opposition is for one thing - the widespread bashing of religion has to stop - not because we are hypocrites who cannot accept the dark realities of our religion but because

1. Every religion has its dark side, and it is the duty of the adherents alone to fight them.

2. No other religious adherent has the right to poke his/her nose in the matter of other faiths, let alone influence those people to his/her way of thinking.

3. India is a secular country, where religion is a personal concern and the conflicts should be solved by those affected by it; the media should not act as an interpretor.

People say PK is a movie with a message. My question is, is it some new message? We Indians are amused to see the same things from various angles, but will be the last to actionise. Do we not know of the evils of our religion, and do such movies even help actionise us? No they are basically to be seen, discussed, fought over and forgotten.