GLORIES OF INDIA on Indian Culture and Civilization By MAHAMAHOPADHYAYA Dr. PRASANNA KUMAR ACHARYA, I. S. (RTD.) B. A. (Honours), M. A. (Valeutta), Ph. D, (LEIDEN), D. Lit. (London), Ex-Prineipal Rishikul College, Hardwar ; lately Professor of Sanskrit. Head of four Oriental Deépartmeitisand twice Dean, Faculty: of Arte, University of Allahabad ; Author of the Seven Volumes of thé Manasara Series, A Summary ‘of Manasura, Elements of Hindu Culture and Sanskrit Civilization, Chaitanya Period and Brahman Community, and ove; 250 Articles and smaller Volumes Hindi Teachers’ Training Inscuezte LIBRARY Suhject.... Hk. Sadia. Is Book No ogall! Alimirah No hoo SAP Nowe oe Published by Jay shankar Brothe) Qid Bairana, Allahabad *SECON® REVISEP AND ENLARGED i TIdN FIRST “PRINT, MAY, 19532. Rs. 12-8, Guilt letter full oloth bound Rs. 15, & 7-1 (U.K.), $5 (USA) «The duty of a Cofservative is the courage to defend the past so far as it is living and likely to live. We are proud of our inheritance but not content with it. We want to add to it and make it still more glorious and more wide spread. ” PRINTED AT DIKSHIT PREds, ALLAHABAD» “OBTAINABLE. FROM ALL, BOOKSELLERS OR- FROM THE PUBLISHERS, ( 44, THORNHILL ROAD, ALLAHABED, INDIA.CONTENTS INTRODUCTION—Culture and Civilization @x- plained, outline of the subject- matter, Acknowledgment Cap. I—Family life of Sacraments and Sacrifices (Feast of the Deal and Gods) CuaP. II—Bcc-xomic life of material progress —division of labour: castes, food, ctothes and ornaments, dwelling house and furnitures, prdduction of raw materials: Agriculture and Mineralogy, Manufacture of goods: Industries, Distribution of wealth: Trade and Commerce, Currency and Origin of Writing... wee Cuar. 111—Political life of State Sovereignty and Individual Liberty, sources of power, machinery of government, royal revenues, courts of justice, cognizable offences and laws of punishment eee CHaP. 1V—Moral and Spiritual life based on, faith in God and belief in immor- tality of soul, systems of Philoso- phy and-forms of Religion - 00 CHAP. V—Basic Arts—Architecture, Sculpture and.Painting toe CuHar. VI—Practical Sciences.(Sastras) on Medicine and Surgery, Chemistry, Physics, Astrononty, Mathematics, Eugenics, Arts (Si}pa), Politic2! Economy, Moral and Civil Laws CAAP. VII—Original Creative Literatures—in Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit — INDBxX oa = Bibliography—Com plete with lista of critics and admirers sues Avpendices—-Politidal Freedont. vs. Cultural ‘reedom, Viows and Keviews, etc. Pare v-xxiv 5T 106 142 167 251 288PLATE PLATE PLATE PLATE Ri LATE ‘PLATE. PLATE PLATES. Page of Text I—Restored elevation of Sun temple at Konarak (Frontispiece) . 171 IIltop: Barabudur |... 171, 191, 219-282 Bottomn » Greco-Buddhist image of Buddha from Lahir Bahlol.. 209-210 Ill—Top: Devi_ Bhavani Temple, Bhatgaon, Nepal ea . 176 Bottom : Interior of Cave temple at Karle oo 2 169 1V—Top: Angkarvat temple (exterior corridor), Cambodia «190-191 Bottom: Shwe Dagon Pageda, Square temple, at Rangoon _... 188 V—Top: Temple of Svayambhunath, . Khatmandu, Nepal an 176 Bottom: Pitakat Taik, sacred Library, Pagan, Burma oc 189 VI—Top: Buddha’s encounter with the elephant, Nalagiri, AmaravVati ., 208, 215 Bottom : Sculptures from Isura munia, Anuradhapurem, Ceylon 217, 21s ViIl—Top : Stupa at, Amaravati 201, 218-215 Bottom : Jaina temple, Sonagarh, in Bundelkhand 169 PLAIEVIII—Front elevation of Swastika Bhawan btilt at Allahabad (1935- 1939) to demonstrate the direc- tiors of Manasara Vastu-sastra .., 271-274INP RODUCTION Titymologically the term culture is equivalent to cAltivation. The Sanskrit term, Sarashriti, is more significant and implies refinement. ‘he purpose of cultivation is also refinement of the natural condition of the ground. By the various processes of cultivation the impu rities: of the soil are removed, the stone pieces and meta'lic dust are separated, and the overgrowths and weeds are: uprooted. Then the pure soil is watered and manured in order to turnit into such a condition that when seeds are properly sown there will grow the desired crops, plants and flowers according to ts full capacity. The capacities both mental and physical of “human beings have been similarly developed. Asthe soilin all lacey doos not require all tlio various processes of cultiva- jot. for its preparation to grow ¢rops, similarly the ghildren of all families do not need the initial st ges of Tofinement which is inherent in them. Thus onltrre primarily aims at the refinement of natural intelligence and capacities to its fullest growing power. It is revealed in the individual and social responsibilities ani obligations spontaneously. It leads to such actions of individual and group uplifts as are associated. with the sphere ahd field of domestic, social, political, art atic, scientific, literary and religious work. As a distingdished writer (Editor, Britain To- day, no. S4) puts it ‘we’ may think of culture in terms of literature or art, or social philosophy; or science, oz morality, or religious scrupulosity. We may think of it as a way of living, or a standard of behaviour, or the ideal-implicét jn the conduct required in the relationship hetween citizen and citizen, anan, and mea, State and state. But from whatever viewpoint we may consider it, it must always include (what Saal Arneld deseribed as) “disinterested endeavour ‘learn and -propagate the best that is known and Rouen in the world, ard thus io establish a current of fresh and true ideas”, » dust’ as the. worli is divided into nstions and races, soit ig divided into types of quiture, each having its: distinctive character, its esprit, its talent, its: tone, as recognizable in a nation ag in an individual. We muy speak'of Roman culture in their conception of law,vi INTRODUCTION Grecian vulture in their conception of fregdom of thought, ‘Hindu gulture if their religious cduception of love an¢ ‘charjty’ Againewe speak of Bengalis Tamil or Gujarati culture, or of Irish or Scottish culture, emphasizing certain special ferture of each, and in each case we think of something distinctive ani individual, or we may speak more broadly of British culture, and more broadly still of Earapean cultiire, and Western and Eastern culture, and finally of ‘modern culture, which is co-extensive with civilization’. Civilization is equivalent to Sansktit Sabhyata which means the sociableness or tho fitness to live in-a society (sabha) rather than individually without the privilege of and obligation to other members of a society, big orsmall. The tetm ‘civilization’ comes from the verb ‘to civilize’ which is derived from the adjective ‘civil’ that is histori- cally connected with the ‘city’ wherein more various people than ina homogene dus village have to live in ‘peace ‘and prosperity. The term ‘civil’ as opposed to military, ecclesiastical or political, implies the associa- tien ef peop’e of a non-derominational character having the réfinement of city-bred people. The inhabitants of a city are generally more refined, better educated and. better organized than the people living in country side insmall groups and hamlets. This original distincjion came to acquire a broader scope later on. The more o@v@nced people who were endowed with *a better {nteflectual culture, regarded themselves civilized in order to distinguish them from those who'to not enjoy theso facilities. Thus civilization stands for a high degree of intellectual culture, elevated moral notions, and a desire for material comforts. Jt includes material progress, commercial, and industrial developments, social liberty and political advance. Thus it aims at maknig,man happjersnopler, and bettgt off than he is.* It is charac- terised by ths succes$ inthe conquest of other people as “well as nature, the ainnihilation of time ani space, the expoitation, ef new regions on earth and such other progress. It results in the elevation of a man or people by sorganized effort. Thus the ancient Greeks .and Romans used to regard all others as_ uncivilized. + Sinti- larly the Aryan conquerors of India. segregated ‘the original inhabitants as aborigines. On th® same basis the modern Europeans ,and Americans consider the Asians -and ‘the peoples of other countries.and islandsINTRODUCTION vii leSs civilized, 1 not altogether uncivilized.. On that ground alone they consider themselves justified in colo- mfzation for the ostensive purpose of civilizing others. cencealing-the cleverly organized exploitation. ‘Thus in ordinary use the terms ‘culture’ and ‘civili- zation’ have lost their distinction, In fact in general vocabulary they are found used almost 4s synonyms. But for an accurate and precise estimate of the culture and of the civilization of a race or nationit is necessary to retognize their fundamental distinction. Ag has been explained above culture would refer to the conditidns of the mental progress while civilization should result in physical deed and material progress. The. former would be associated with innate conscience and the latter with action. It is common knowledge that an individual may think and feel a problem quite fationally and may act in an irrational manner. This discrepancy is due to various reascns. The most obvious one is. that thinkers and workers belong to two different grou;s, Legislators and executive officers have different func tions todo. The field of work, however, would revairr common for both. Therefore in judging the cultural ‘condition and the state of civilization of a people thd affairs concerning their family, their society, their trade and commerce, tbeir politics, theirreligion, their arts and sciences, and their literature have to be examifed. Ins}is Discorery of India Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru has recognized this distinction when he says that ‘culture develops into a rich civilization flowering out in philosophy, literature, drama, art, sciencé and mathematics’. Tnu sculturais synonymous with *mcral progress, and civilization corresponds to material progress. Civilization is out-, ward active form and resultant of the inward concep- tior of cultuze, Culture or moral conception is expressed’ jn civilization or material ptogress. The éentition of culture and the state ot civilizAtion in an ifdividual as well as in a group are not, however, stationary. They’ change from age to age and from place to plaee, dnd frustrate. an attempt at generalization. But . the historian’ have classified the condition of culbure ang the state of civilization, the hufmanity asa whole has undergone in-the well defined pariods of its progress without, however, any precise specification of time and place, into primitive, medieval,and ideal states,viii INTRODUOTION In th6 primitive state the individuals and their instinctive groupings like animal, herds are correctly defined as ‘grossly selfish, absolutely callous and abnor- mally otuel’.. Selfishness consists in ‘Yegarding one’s own self ani ignoring others altogether. When one is grossly selfish he is unable to think of even his own parents er children. By instinctive impulse, however, tie mother animal remains attached to the child during pregnancy and a short time after birth. But the mutual natural obligation and acquaintance disappear as soon ag the ehild is capable of standing on its own legs. There- after the muther and child may even kill each other for some selfish inotive. Thus the gross selfishess which was Griginally an inactive state of the mind results into a positive action. The callousness is astate of the mind in which one developsa sort of unfeolingness like the hardened, skin losing the powor of sonsation. Thus it results in any sort of cruelty. Cruelty lies ina disposi- tion of the mind which renlets one insaprdle of imagin- ing or recalling the pain of sufferings inflicted upon others. This disposition also results in a positive action in inflicting pains upon others and in deriving a sort of Pleasure thereby. ‘These characteristics, primarily ipdicating the mental conditions of the primitive man, léd_to the actual activities by which the primitive society is recognized. It was pastoral in character but organized ,agriculture and industry were unknown. Baie and fishing by which the livelihood was earned »wére the chief occupations. here were no laws regula- ting theinstinctive union of man thd woman. Supre- macy of cutoms prevailed in all matters. Patriarchal nofion predominated Personal proporty and rights were absent, might being the only right which was under stood and llowed both by the strong and the weak, ‘Thus the individuals submitted to the family heads ; they submitted to the tribal head and the’ latter to the head of tHe race. This verges to the modern political organization cverced into the party system of govetn- ment whereby the ‘individual members are prevented to think dr act freely. Sense of morality and religion was absent. A feeling of obligation to immediate forefathers which even the neolithic men expressed in the sepulchres builtin memory of deceased parent, was uuknown‘ to the primitives. “Th*ey oppear, however, better off thanINTRODUCTION ix the palaeolithic men in manual skill and use of metals amd fire. Ip the medieval society on the other hand religion became the supreme concern of life. Tt is not traceable hgw this reaction came about. But the man became intensely religious in every sphere of life. Marriages were performed for ‘facilitating tha performance of religious rites. Children were begoften to continue the ancestral worship. Food was first sacrifichd to gods and then eaten fof preservation of fife. All resources were applied in erecting colossalchurchos and temples. Crusades were led, ahd wars to prop igate a particular religion be- came sacred duties of kings and »owerful rulers [nthe name of religion all sorts of cruelties were practised: Men and animals were slinghtered to propitiate lojties. Children were sacrificed. he chastity of women ‘was sold: to the- imaginary deities and the immoral priests. The church became all powerful. Monasteries and convents were established to coerce men, women and widows to live unnatural life. The priesthood became , too domineering. Their directions had to be followed by «he vagricllturists and the traders as well as by the rulers, and kings as they became God’s earthly representatives.° The economic and political serfdom took the place of the primitive slavery. The clais and caste systems were developed.. The constitution of chivalry was, however, introduced tq protect the weak and to respect women. But agriculture, commerce, an| industry were not given sufficient scope to develop. Politics proper were neglected. Kings were the solé owner. of the land; feudal chief& held charge in réturn for services. Thus there was no good government und order in the society. Those who retained the primitive sulfishuess took advantaz> of this disorder’and built up strong states to exploit. others. A reference has to be made tothe modern society in’ passing by way of understanding an ideal sociéty. Whilé inregard to the primitive and the medieval conditions there is acommoh feature noticeable all over the warld, there is no suchgeneral uniformity in the outldok and activities of the modern societies. It is only ina vague, manner assiimed that in modern advanced societies there,igno room for the pNmiitive lack spf consideration for indivtduals ahd the medieval lack of discipline... Thusx INTRODUCTION the present aim is to combine the sovereignty ot the state wjth the-liberty of the individuals. A mere polivy hag béen get? up to ensure for the individuals, races, nations, and states four freedoms, viz. freedom of thought, freedom of speech, freedom from fear and -want of food and clothes, and freedom of_ religien. Obviously these are contradictory ideals. Unless it is assumed that. there is a uniformity in human culture and human civilization these elements of freedom cannot fit well together. If all peoples of. the-world do not think in the same way no freedom of thought can be ensured for all. The christian missionary, thefascism, the socialism, the communism, the totalitarianism, etc., will impose its own ideals upon others, It will suppress others by force if they speak against it. It will starve othets: by economic blockade. It cannot allow human sacrifice, for instance, in the name of religion. In the name of personal freedom if you do not care for the chastity and sacredness of union between sexés thers would be no difference between man and beast. If in the name of free trade ani commerce you rob, exploit and starve others you are as selfish, as ;callous, and as cruel as the primitives. If you.allow ‘free practice of various religious customs your own faith or fanaticism cannot prosper. And if all peoples living side by side are allowed to have their own freedom thought and action there can be no society, The ‘ee animals of the jungles have never prospered. ‘I'he survival of the fittest isan incorveniént truth. Thus the modernism results in materialism in place of siritualism of the. medieval and fatalism of the primitive age. ‘bhe scientific discoveries and the inductive and experimental method, devoid of a sound faith in the continuance of the present life, have been rendering this modern, materialism intractable. © For, the maitia for progress means the. destruction of the weak and survival of the fittest at the cost of others ‘Lhe anachronism in the modern outlook is obvious, , There is a sharp and reasonable difference of opinian, refarding the ideal condition of culture and civilization. There is no conschsus of the idealhas well’as the means by:, which an. agreed ideal may-be aimed at. The parliamentary form'-of government has proved a failure in cbmbining the sovergtgnty of the state with the liberty of the individuals, This svstem can never @naure fér all’