01-08-2004, 02:56 PM
I don't agree with sbajwa's thesis. I think he is buying into what britishers used as propoganda for their own reasons of creating a "martial race" army and subdue the hindus. Divide and rule was british policy, and it is a disservice to all the Sikhs who gave there lives for freedom of India to continue using the same language of britishers(and punjab by the way had maximum number of people who died or were hanged for the freedom struggle). By the way I am from punjab too, and all my ancestors have been from time immemorial(I can trace back a very very long time)
Anyway, coming back to the main point I think one big limitation was the thinking that India was the only thing that mattered in the world. Even vishwa vijay was defined only as conquering the lands in the boundary of bharatvarsha as anything outside was considered barbarian-world. So, we never tried to learn from anybody else. The insularness and sense of superiority was IMHO main reason for the downfall.
Anyway, coming back to the main point I think one big limitation was the thinking that India was the only thing that mattered in the world. Even vishwa vijay was defined only as conquering the lands in the boundary of bharatvarsha as anything outside was considered barbarian-world. So, we never tried to learn from anybody else. The insularness and sense of superiority was IMHO main reason for the downfall.