One has only to read the letters, articles and books of the asiatic Society members (the first generations of indologists, who almost all were linked to this Society, which was not secret) to clearly understand the nature of the policy towards the Indian people.
Sir William Jones started the Society, with the objective to convert Indian peoples to Christianity. To reach this goal, they had to destroy or change manuscripts, which were zealously collected by the Society. The changes had to be done, in order to defend the Biblican origins of the universe in 4004 BC, according to their calculations.
In reply to:
Sir William Jones, 1784 (from Asiatic Researches Vol. 1. Published 1979, pages 234-235. First published 1788).
�As to the general extension of our pure faith in Hindustan there are at present many sad obstacles to it� We may assure ourselves, that� Hindus will never be converted by any mission from the church of Rome, or from any other church; and the only human mode, perhaps, of causing so great a revolution, will be to translate into Sanscrit� such chapters of the Prophets, particularly of ISAIAH, as are indisputably evangelical, together with one of the gospels, and a plain prefatory discourse, containing full evidence of the very distant ages, in which the predictions themselves, and the history of the Divine Person (Jesus) predicted, were severally made public; and then quietly to disperse the work among the well-educated natives.�
�The Life and Letters of Friedrich Max M�ller.� First published in 1902 (London and N.Y.). Reprint in 1976 (USA).
��I feel convinced, though I shall not live to see it, that this edition of mine and the translation of the Veda will hereafter tell to a great extent on the fate of India, and on the growth of millions of souls in that country. It is the root of their religion, and to show them what that root is, I feel sure, the only way of uprooting all that has sprung from it during the last 3,000 years.� (to his wife, Oxford, December 9, 1867)
�India has been conquered once, but India must be conquered again, and that second conquest should be a conquest by education. Much has been done for education of late, but if the funds were tripled and quadrupled, that would hardly be enough� A new national literature may spring up, impregnated with western ideas, yet retaining its native spirit and character� A new national literature will bring with it a new national life, and new moral vigour. As to religion, that will take care of itself. The missionaries have done far more than they themselves seem to be aware of.�
�The ancient religion of India is doomed, and if Christianity does not step in, whose fault will it be?� (to the duke of Argyll. Oxford, December 16, 1868)
Translation of Vishnu Puran by H.H. Wilson
(1786-1860). First published 1832. Printed in India by Nag Publishers, Delhi, in 1980, and reprinted in 1989.
In the preface of the Vishnu Puran, written by Mr. Wilson:
�The facility with which any tract may be thus attached to the nonexistent original, and the advantage that has been taken of its absence to compile a variety of unauthentic fragments, have given to the Brahmanda, Skanda, and Padma, according to Wilford, the character of being the Puranas of thieves or imposters. Original copies don�t exist, thus all of them are made up and unauthentic.�
�There is nothing in all this to justify the application of the name. Whether a genuine Garuda Purana exists is doubtful.� (p. lii)
�The documents (the manuscripts of the Puranas) to which Wilford trusted proved to be in great part fabrications, and where genuine, were mixed up with so much loose and unauthenticated matter, and so overwhelmed with extravagance of speculation, that his citations need to be carefully and skillfully sifted, before they can be serviceably employed� legends apparently invented for the occasion renders the publication worse than useless.� (p. lxx)
The KaliyugaRajavrttanta, a section of the Bhavishya Purana, was one of the parts which dealt with a detailed descriptions of emperors of India from 3136 BC till the Gupta period. Not only regnal years, but also months and days included. Indian scholars published on this matter, but their works either disappeared, or were discredited. The manuscripts of the KaliyugaRajavrttanta is nowhere available. How come?
I have read myself parts of the Bhavishya Purana as we have it today. It amazes me that there's a whole section of the Bible in it (exactly as Jones wanted it to be, to convert Hindus in their own sacred language), as well as comparative etymological wordplays, like mentioning the word "sikshati", etc., which is an English word, but has a very dubious place in that Purana.
They couldn't mutilate all the works, so the interpolations are scattered. Most of the mutilations are done to dynastical references, which would be a thread to their worldview, and to the role of the Brahmins, the Varna system, eating of meat, and creating depressed/oppressed 'proletarian' classes (typical 19th/20th century thinking), etc.
The only way to understand Indian and Indian culture properly is to avoid European standard definitions. They are their clumsy skeletton to try to understand another culture. But their start was totally wrong, it was not out of appreciation, but out of conversion. So there was a disbalance, there was not respect, not even a proper understanding. Another point is that the Euro-American indologists and others had to work with words, they weren't raised with: Brahman, Atman, Guru, Varna-Jati.
This disbalance exists up to now, not only in Euro-American minds and standard works, but also in India. How many non-Indian do understand what India is. (Some Indian don't understand their heritage themselves, because they have been totally under the negative atmosphere put by the Society, missionaries, legislative power of British, etc.)
It will take some time and effort for Indian people themselves to come with proper works which would reflect their living heritage, without the prejudices of prevalent standard works of foreign people. Then the works of previous Indian scholars, who didn't bent over to this negative Euro-American tendency of the last two centuries, will be discovered again and appreciated more.
Edited by Ishwa (09/20/02 02:59 AM) |
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