My Discovery of INDIA
 |
| T. S. Eliot |
Indian
philosophers’ subtleties make most of the great
European
philosophers look like schoolboys.
-
T.
S. Eliot,
Firstly it's my great
love for the country. Secondly, I learned much about the Indian wisdom when I
was introduced to the works of Swami Vivekananda by my father from early
age. Frankly speaking, Vivekananda, Sri Aurovindo, Paramhansa Yogananda and Mahatma
Gandhi were my initial eye-openers and inspirations. Their works
embedded deeply in my heart inspired me to read more and explore more. I fondly
treasured those boyhood days, I was not even 10 years then, when a small booklet 'Call
to the Nation' by Swamiji I would read as and when I would have free
time. It wholly changed my perspective to look at the country and even the life
we live in this mundane world. The Bhagavat Gita and Upanishads were
other books I was quite drawn to read again and again and ponder over the
higher meanings of life.
Here let
me narrate how the seed of inspiration sown and how it germinated which now has
taken root to grow into a tall standing tree.
It was a winter day in 1988,
when I was traveling to Delhi I had picked up a book 'The Discovery of
India' by Pundit Jawaharlal
Nehru from a newsstand in Guwahati Railway station. I had heard a lot
about this work of Pundit Nehru. It contained the wealth of knowledge/
information as to the country and about the significance of her ancient
heritage. I read it very attentively throughout my journey of over 56
hours. What amazed me most was a few of the quotes in the book by the
world-famous western scholars and philosophers. Those quotes were in deep
appreciation of the Indian ancient wisdom, its language and culture. For months
together I felt much haunted by those words of western luminaries.
The second book that fascinated
me again was 'Autobiography of a Yogi' by Paramhansa Yogananda.
Here even I had come across such profound opinions by great thinkers like Ralph
Emersion and Schopenhauer who were close to my heart.
These quotes had left deep imprints – both in my inner mind and heart. I have
begun to realize that this country is far more than what we have known or made
to be known as.
But the turning point happened when I read a book entitled 'We are not
the first' by an UFO scientist Tomas Andrew where I
encountered incredible facts based on Modern science. I clearly saw that great
many discoveries of the modern times had already mentioned in the ancient
scriptures of India. I got the vivid references and precise theoretical
illustration of atomic structures and the time scales which are far inconceivable
to the scientists of even the early 19th century. My science background
immensely helped me to go deeper into the subject.
I strongly felt then, these western scientists would not have applauded and approved
of those ancient wisdom and knowledge had there not been any scientific
validity and significance. I gradually got to know that scientists like Schrödinger,
Neils Bohr, Julius Oppenheimer, David Bohm, Heisenberg, David Josephson, etc
had sufficiently got the ideas relative to Quantum Physics from Upanishads and
Vedas. It dawned upon me that the ancient treatises had greatly emboldened
those scientists to plunge deeper into the atom, moreover into the inner
core of the Quantum Mechanics. Here are the words of approval by Werner
Heisenberg – 'After the conversations about Indian philosophy, some
of the ideas of Quantum Physics that had seemed so crazy suddenly made much
more sense.' All these facts consequently strengthened my
conviction about the infallibility of ancient literary archives from my early
age.
I kept reading, peering through the pages. I was constantly on the lookout
where I might stumble upon the 'great words of great minds'. I rummaged
through the pages of probably over 100 more such books on the ancient philosophy.
The works on linguistic, astronomy, astrology, spiritualism, Ayurvedas, mostly
written by the western scholars also captivated me, intrigued me. Well, the
books like 'The Tao of Physics' by a famous American
physicist Fritzof Capra, 'Indian and the world Civilization'
by DP Singhal, 'Hinduism Invades America', by Wendell
Thomas , 'Mathematics for Million' by Thomas
Hogben, 'The Great Secret' by Maurice
Maeterlinck and so on and so forth added to firming up my
determination to do something unprecedented and substantial for the country. I
saw this great country being much neglected and also underestimated and undervalued
by her own children. With the time I grew more inquisitive and felt that I
should know my Mother before I develop kinship with others mothers.
 |
| Voltaire |
The thing that pricked my conscience incessantly was one question. Why in my
over 16 years of academic studies in several prestigious institutions I could
not find even the sporadic references to these amazing facts. Why have these
proud truths about the ancient knowledge of the country never been taught to
our Indian students while their minds are stuffed with rather controversial information
that only leaves behind negative impression about the country and her ancient
heritage? I startled to know that Pythagoras from Greece came
to India to learn Geometry and spiritualism, not from any of my textbooks,
nor even from mathematics books published from the home country, but from the
work of one of the greatest thinkers of all time Francois Voltaire.
 |
| Ralph Emerson |
Perhaps the majority of our literate folks have heard about Ralph Emerson. But barely a few know this world-renowned poet had written a solemn poem 'Brahma' inspired by our ancient wisdom. I sense many things amiss in the country. Yes, we in India swell our chest to quote TS Eliot but hardly we take our cue from his world famous poem 'The waste land' that ends in Sanskrit word 'Shanti, Shanti Shanti', and finally speaks of cardinal truths as expounded in Brihaddaranyaka Upanishad. One wonders why Indians never get to learn such higher facts about the country and her rich heritage from the prescribed academic books. It's bewildering, such profoundly lofty data are missing from the textbooks. So, it's no strange now our children grown to have less respect for our own heritage and values.
 |
| Erwin Schrödinger |
Well, to me nothing would be more intriguing than to know that Erwin
Schrödinger (the Nobel laureate, the father Quantum Mechanics), David
Josephson and Robert Julius Oppenheimer (father of
Atomic Bomb), Jack Sarfatti --- who held the Indian literature
in the highest esteemed, had studied Upanishads, besides the Bhagavad
Gita deeply and had drawn lots of ideas pertaining to Modern
physics and other research works. Schrödinger had even supported his
theory in his revolutionary work on Quantum Mechanics by the phrases of
Upanishads. He boldly pointed out in his famous work 'My view of the
World' – ' In all world there is no kind of framework within which we can find
CONCIOUSNESS in the plural; this is simply something we construct because of
the temporal plurality of individuals, but it is a false construction.... The
only solution to this conflict in so far as any is available to us at all lies
in the ancient wisdom of the UPANISHADS.' Thanks to the works of Ravindranath
Tagore whose Vedantic wisdom spellbound even Albert Einstein,
while Vivekananda's speeches bewitched Nicholas Tesla,
Romain Rolland, Ella Wilcox, J. D. Salinger and the like.
 |
| Julius Oppenheimer with Albert Einstein |
Of course I started casually collecting such quotes about 22 years ago. But
making a book occurred to me while reading the world famous books – 'The Tao
of Physics' and 'Uncommon Wisdom' by Frijtof Capra for
the second time in 1995. Yes, it really put me in the most pensive mood and got
me lost in the depth of thoughts for years together when I had come upon Oppenheimer's
bombshell-like quote -- 'What we shall find in Modern Physics is an
exemplification, an encouragement and a refinement of old Hindu wisdom.'
This statement so deeply touched me wherein I clearly saw great messages by the
'father of Atomic Bomb' --- not only for the modern scientists but for
the whole mankind. I deeply felt that this must be spread among every citizen
of India who is less aware of the higher truths about the ancient treasure
troves. At least to make the citizens aware, who otherwise tend to dismiss the
ancient literature as a load of myths and superstition or irrelevant to the
modern time, as often depicted --- as being scientific, universal and secular
to the core. Paul Deussen has rightly eulogized 'Whatever
maybe the discoveries of the scientific mind, none can dispute the eternal
truths propounded by the Upanishads'.
The years 1996-98 saw me frantically preoccupied. I exhaustively worked for
this compilation. I would regularly visit a number of libraries of Shillong
like State Central library, RK Mission library, St. Anthony Library, NEHU
library and the like. Because, I didn't have enough money to buy books. I
can't miss to mention here, apart from our own bookstall where I got to read
many kinds of books, how I would frequent the junk yard – a popular a second
hand market just near our shop in Shillong. This was my preferred
rendezvous. I had come across a rare collection of books here. I had chanced
upon to read rare books of great intellectuals -- like the translated
works of, Voltaire, Gottfried Herder, Sir William Jones, Friedrich
Hegel, Max Muller, Henry David Thoreau from a few shops in this shabby
market at Bara Bazar, Shillong.
Life is not always a bed of roses. The dreams one cherishes often meet with stumbling
block of adversaries. No matter however I tried I could not save enough money
to publish the book for many years though the compilation was ready in 1998
itself. Family responsibilities had begun to weigh heavily on me. However, I
never had lost my heart. I would do lots of Xerox of those compiled quotes and
share with anyone whom I believe would appreciate. Some would get
awestruck and also shed a few tears, some would remain indifferent, while some
would just become critical. I would feel something wrong in them as because
they find uncomfortable when their own heritage, their great Motherland, being
appreciated by none other than the western thinkers whom they so far held them
in highest esteem as men who brought significant changes to the world.
At last my weary and dreary wait of over 11 years brought a sunny light of
hope. Yes, with a little improvement in my economy I could see my treasured
dream fulfilled. At last I published the book entitled “Great Minds on
INDIA” in glossy format in 2009. I was delighted, the book was instantly
gloried, – so appreciated that the Governor of Meghalaya heartily consented to
release it in the most fitting manner.
I have reasons to feel blessed. The work immediately caught the attention of
the scholars from across the world which I hardly expected. A shower of
compliments began to pour in. To my immense delight I received phone-calls even
from great many eminent scholars, writers throughout the world. I was too
thrilled when Prof. A. V. Murali, an eminent NASA scientist, called up
me to express his gratitude for the work. He remarked – "This
compilation is simply outstanding! I never knew that such a compilation exists
and we all should be thankful to the researcher! These great quotes should be
embossed on plaques and displayed on the walls of our Parliament, State
Assembly Halls, and at all our educational institutions. Most importantly, the
material should be made a compulsory reading for all the school students
(elaborating more on 'who is who' and the monumental contributions of these
intellectual giants)."
--
Prof. A. V. Murali, Ph. D
Former NASA scientist, Houston, Texas
Lastly my sincere prayer -- may this ancient wisdom of the country evoke awe
and reverence among the intellectuals. Let no children of the country speak ill
of the mother whose womb gave birth to those mystic rishis whose works
mesmerized even the great minds like Voltaire, Hegel, Goethe, Einstein.
Writer
may be contacted at: sgewali@gmail.com
