Our Wisdom of the Ages section attempts to demonstrate the continuous stream of the ancient Wisdom Tradition throughout human history. As we continue to build the section we will regularly bring to the fore selections highlighting individuals, systems of thought, schools, movements, etc.. We now highlight our section on Vedic India, complete with a selection of works and articles drawn from theosophical periodicals.
Any approach to the ancient history of India is fraught with difficulties. The ancient, pre-vedic culture kept little to no conventional historical records; they maintained their greatest and dearest traditions through astounding feats of memorization and recitation of their spiritual inheritance. The vedas themselves were recorded at far later dates than they were originally composed, leaving much controversy as to their dates.
But beyond these, and similar, academic squabblings the true character of ancient India reveals itself clearly to the sincere and devoted student. This character is not contained in the historical accounts of kings and conquests, nor in the biased views of those who accompanied the British in their occupation. The true character of ancient India is to be found in what it says about itself, throughout its own literature and historical accounts, its spirituality and culture.
The following addresses western treatments of Indian history:
“In the long and eventful story of India, foreign invasions occupy perhaps the most prominent place in Indian history today. The fierce battles, bringing in their wake marked political changes and effects, catch the mind’s eye to such an extent that hardly any attention is paid to the slow uprising of stately edifices of peace, of progress, of culture. So much is said about the doings of the conquering heroes that the tale of the splendid performance of the conquered are forgotten. When we read of the exploits of Alexander, or Nadirshah, of the achievements of Baber or Akbar, we generally neglect to enquire what kind of people were exploited or conquered.” — from the article “The Heritage of India”
To understand those people is to go beyond our normal historical model and to begin to study Indian culture itself.
A growing demand exists … to know more about Eastern, and especially Indian culture, but readers should be on their guard while selecting books, as a basis for their information and acquaintance. Some books are written by biased and interested parties who see nothing but evil, degradation, and superstition in India: these outpourings may be discarded. On the other hand there are idealists and visionaries who express their dreams of old India. Their statements may be taken with caution. Let the enquirer seek for the facts.
But in studying the long story of India, let us look for the achievements of the people in times of peace. What they did, how they lived, what were the ideals and ideas uppermost in their thoughts, why they acted and behaved in ways that seem peculiar to us, what were their religious and philosophic beliefs — these and such like themes will reveal the greatness and grandeur of a people who grappled with knowledge, and thus an understanding of spirituality, thousands of years ago.” — from the article “The Heritage of India”
With this advice kept in mind we can approach the culture of Vedic India and their works with the open and inquiring mind needed to truly begin to understand this most ancient of human cultures. It is a culture that differs from our own in nearly every respect, and so in order for us to understand it we must think outside of our own well-worn grooves of thought and try to see through the eyes of an ancient Vedic Indian. This attempt, as difficult as it may be, also proves itself to be of the highest worth.
So, we present to you our growing collection of works and articles on Vedic India: