12-30-2004, 07:01 PM
Been reading a book - excerpts so far from the book
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From the book ARAVINDA DARSHANAM (Telugu)
by K.Taara Nath
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We must really be thankful to the Westwern Indologists and Sanskrit scholars, for their dedicated efforts in exposing Indian cultural and religious achievements to the West. Inthe process they took the aid of advances in other fileds, and all in a manner, that will be understood and admired by their people. It need not be expected to be other-wise.
That, therefore, need not prevent us from examining, if it is for earning fame and wealth, or pure intellectual exercise and thrill, or if any other motivations.
So the motivations as given by these scholars are collected and quoted.
---- Max Muellar, edited Sacred Books Of The East, regarded as admirer of Sanskrit
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1. <b>" The ancient reigion of India is doomed and if Christianity does not step in, whose fault will it be?</b>
2. "<b>A large number of Vedic hymns are childish in the extreme, low, commonplace---</b>
3. "A writer like Dr. Spiegal ( who had suggested that , Genesis--creation--- mentioned in the Bible might have been taken from Iranians.) should know that he can expect no mercy; nay, he should himself wish for no mercy, but invite the heaviest artillery against the floating battery which he has launched in the troubled waters of Biblical criticism.
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Lt. Col. Boden who served in the Indian army in bombay, in 1807 wrote a will, that after his death his wealth be used for creating a chair in Oxford University. Accordingly, Pof. Horace Heman Wilson ( WHO HAD TRANSLATED Rigveda in 1832) became the first occupant. He wrote book "The Reigious and Philosophical systems of the Hindus" to be elegible for the 200 pound reward, for the best and most effective condemnation of Hindu religion and religious practices, instituted by John Muir.So to be able to do it , and effectively , first, he had to understand it, before condemning.
After Wilson, Sir Monier Williams became the Boden Professor, and was instrumental in publishing the first Sankrit English dictionary. The aim of this publication is clearly mentioned in the first printed edition.
"--- I must draw attention to the fact that I am only the second occupant of the Boden Chair, and that its founder, Colonel Boden, stated most explicitly in his will dated August 15th, 1811, that the special object of his munificent bequest was to <b>promote the translation of Scriptures into Sanskrit; so as to enable his countrymen to proceed in the conversion of the natives of India to the Christian religion."</b>
Monier Wiliams continues, " When the walls of the mighty fortress of Brahminism are encircled, undermined, and finally stormed by the soldiers of the Cross, the victory of Christianity must be be signal and complete."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The credit of deciding the Indian Chronology by the study of anguage , goes to Max Mueller. His was the first attempt, and done in the spirit of an experiment--in a peremptory manner-(in his own words it was nothing more than an experiment).
<b>The speculative experiment is ike this. They are sure of Alexander's brush with India (which, again was held as the period of Maurya Chandraguptha, whereas it was the period of Guptha Chandraguptha, a difference of nearly thousand years). And from it the time of the Buddha, which was 500 B.C. All the Vedic literature; Vedas (Sukthas), Braahmanaas, Aranyakas, Upanishads; were prior to Buddha- it is conceded. The experimental, irresponsible speculation, allowed Max Mueller to alow 200 years each, for each stage and fix 600 to 12oo B.C. as the age of the Vedas. Why, 200 years? </b>
Bible gives 4004B.C. as the age of the earth, (its creation by God). " History seems to teach the whole human race, required gradual education before, it could be admitted to the truths of Christanity.------Buddhism and all other ancient reigions of the world, may have but served to prepare the way of Christ, by helping by their own errors to strngthen and deepen the ineradicable yearning of the human heart after the truth of God."
Winternitz critic of Max Mueller suggests 1000 years for each stage, instead of 200 years, in the same casual way, Even he thinks, the Vedic hymns do not rise to the exalted flights and deep fervour of, say, the reigious poetry of the Hebrews. (Jews)
Rudolph Roth, the author of Sanskrit-German Dictionary declares, that, with the help of science of comparative anguages, he can give the meaning of vedas, even better than the Niruktha of Yaska. The American Indologist, William Whitney concurs. Prof. Goldstucker, severely criticises the Roth dictionary, and is, in turn, abused by Weber. Goldstucker, gets offended by this. He enumerates the obvious deficiencies of many Western Indologists. "It will, of course, be my duty to show at the earliest opportunity, that Dr. Bothlingk is incapable of understanding of even easy rules of Panini ( the author of Ashtaadyayi- the sutras of Vyakarana, one of the six Vedangas required to be studied for proper understanding of the Vedas), much less of Katyaayana (author of vaarthika-a commentary on Ashtaadyaayi), and still less capable of understanding of classical texts. The errors in his dictionary are so numerous ---they exercise a miscievous influence on the study of Sanskrit Philology."
"When I see that, that the most distinguished and the most learned Hindu scholars and divines- the most valuable and sometimes the only source of all our knowledge about Ancient India are scorned in theory, mutilated in print, and as a consequence set aside in the interpretration of Vedic texts---- when a CLIQUE of Sanskritists of this descriptioin vapours about giving us the sense of the Vedas, as it existed at the commencement of Hindu antiquity--- when I consider that this method of studying Sanskrit philology is pursued by those whose words apparently derive weight and influence from the professional position they hold----then I hold that it would be want of courage and a deriliction of duty, if I did not make a stand against these Saturnalia of Sanskrit philology."
-======================================
From the book ARAVINDA DARSHANAM (Telugu)
by K.Taara Nath
---------------------------------------------------------------
We must really be thankful to the Westwern Indologists and Sanskrit scholars, for their dedicated efforts in exposing Indian cultural and religious achievements to the West. Inthe process they took the aid of advances in other fileds, and all in a manner, that will be understood and admired by their people. It need not be expected to be other-wise.
That, therefore, need not prevent us from examining, if it is for earning fame and wealth, or pure intellectual exercise and thrill, or if any other motivations.
So the motivations as given by these scholars are collected and quoted.
---- Max Muellar, edited Sacred Books Of The East, regarded as admirer of Sanskrit
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. <b>" The ancient reigion of India is doomed and if Christianity does not step in, whose fault will it be?</b>
2. "<b>A large number of Vedic hymns are childish in the extreme, low, commonplace---</b>
3. "A writer like Dr. Spiegal ( who had suggested that , Genesis--creation--- mentioned in the Bible might have been taken from Iranians.) should know that he can expect no mercy; nay, he should himself wish for no mercy, but invite the heaviest artillery against the floating battery which he has launched in the troubled waters of Biblical criticism.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Lt. Col. Boden who served in the Indian army in bombay, in 1807 wrote a will, that after his death his wealth be used for creating a chair in Oxford University. Accordingly, Pof. Horace Heman Wilson ( WHO HAD TRANSLATED Rigveda in 1832) became the first occupant. He wrote book "The Reigious and Philosophical systems of the Hindus" to be elegible for the 200 pound reward, for the best and most effective condemnation of Hindu religion and religious practices, instituted by John Muir.So to be able to do it , and effectively , first, he had to understand it, before condemning.
After Wilson, Sir Monier Williams became the Boden Professor, and was instrumental in publishing the first Sankrit English dictionary. The aim of this publication is clearly mentioned in the first printed edition.
"--- I must draw attention to the fact that I am only the second occupant of the Boden Chair, and that its founder, Colonel Boden, stated most explicitly in his will dated August 15th, 1811, that the special object of his munificent bequest was to <b>promote the translation of Scriptures into Sanskrit; so as to enable his countrymen to proceed in the conversion of the natives of India to the Christian religion."</b>
Monier Wiliams continues, " When the walls of the mighty fortress of Brahminism are encircled, undermined, and finally stormed by the soldiers of the Cross, the victory of Christianity must be be signal and complete."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The credit of deciding the Indian Chronology by the study of anguage , goes to Max Mueller. His was the first attempt, and done in the spirit of an experiment--in a peremptory manner-(in his own words it was nothing more than an experiment).
<b>The speculative experiment is ike this. They are sure of Alexander's brush with India (which, again was held as the period of Maurya Chandraguptha, whereas it was the period of Guptha Chandraguptha, a difference of nearly thousand years). And from it the time of the Buddha, which was 500 B.C. All the Vedic literature; Vedas (Sukthas), Braahmanaas, Aranyakas, Upanishads; were prior to Buddha- it is conceded. The experimental, irresponsible speculation, allowed Max Mueller to alow 200 years each, for each stage and fix 600 to 12oo B.C. as the age of the Vedas. Why, 200 years? </b>
Bible gives 4004B.C. as the age of the earth, (its creation by God). " History seems to teach the whole human race, required gradual education before, it could be admitted to the truths of Christanity.------Buddhism and all other ancient reigions of the world, may have but served to prepare the way of Christ, by helping by their own errors to strngthen and deepen the ineradicable yearning of the human heart after the truth of God."
Winternitz critic of Max Mueller suggests 1000 years for each stage, instead of 200 years, in the same casual way, Even he thinks, the Vedic hymns do not rise to the exalted flights and deep fervour of, say, the reigious poetry of the Hebrews. (Jews)
Rudolph Roth, the author of Sanskrit-German Dictionary declares, that, with the help of science of comparative anguages, he can give the meaning of vedas, even better than the Niruktha of Yaska. The American Indologist, William Whitney concurs. Prof. Goldstucker, severely criticises the Roth dictionary, and is, in turn, abused by Weber. Goldstucker, gets offended by this. He enumerates the obvious deficiencies of many Western Indologists. "It will, of course, be my duty to show at the earliest opportunity, that Dr. Bothlingk is incapable of understanding of even easy rules of Panini ( the author of Ashtaadyayi- the sutras of Vyakarana, one of the six Vedangas required to be studied for proper understanding of the Vedas), much less of Katyaayana (author of vaarthika-a commentary on Ashtaadyaayi), and still less capable of understanding of classical texts. The errors in his dictionary are so numerous ---they exercise a miscievous influence on the study of Sanskrit Philology."
"When I see that, that the most distinguished and the most learned Hindu scholars and divines- the most valuable and sometimes the only source of all our knowledge about Ancient India are scorned in theory, mutilated in print, and as a consequence set aside in the interpretration of Vedic texts---- when a CLIQUE of Sanskritists of this descriptioin vapours about giving us the sense of the Vedas, as it existed at the commencement of Hindu antiquity--- when I consider that this method of studying Sanskrit philology is pursued by those whose words apparently derive weight and influence from the professional position they hold----then I hold that it would be want of courage and a deriliction of duty, if I did not make a stand against these Saturnalia of Sanskrit philology."