tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3156801984614349008.post8854784796053645076..comments2023-04-16T00:40:33.266-07:00Comments on Blogging The Arthashastra: A Kings Education: Importance of Vedic KnowledgeSunny Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02687722552329432572noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3156801984614349008.post-13018015500794821722015-06-02T05:06:20.660-07:002015-06-02T05:06:20.660-07:00Agree w/Anonymous commenter above. Unlike Semitic ...Agree w/Anonymous commenter above. Unlike Semitic religions, Indic traditions privilege custom over textual authority. This means customs, rights, privileges on aspects of gender, caste, sexuality, and so on were historically far more fluid than we have been taught.Sunny Singhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02687722552329432572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3156801984614349008.post-51917707522935451432015-05-29T14:28:31.549-07:002015-05-29T14:28:31.549-07:00"Actually, as a woman (Kshatriya or otherwise..."Actually, as a woman (Kshatriya or otherwise), you wouldn't have had a yagyopaveet ceremony anyway."<br /> <br />If I recall correctly, one of the purANAs does say that women were allowed to wear the sacred thread in an earlier kalpa.<br /> <br />I'll try to find the reference.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3156801984614349008.post-79176373032360586952013-11-13T10:46:40.810-08:002013-11-13T10:46:40.810-08:00Thanks for the comment. I agree that more of us sh...Thanks for the comment. I agree that more of us should be learning Sanskrit to be able to read our texts for ourselves. However not all of our ancient texts are 'holy' or indeed Vedic. The Arthashastra is not of the Vedic era, for example. <br />Most cities in India have Sanskrit classes (as do many universities). Overseas, a number of universities offer classes. I would recommend you look up one nearest to you. <br />Best wishesSunny Singhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02687722552329432572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3156801984614349008.post-43166469506423017622013-11-13T07:51:19.329-08:002013-11-13T07:51:19.329-08:00Noble try...
I would say that we can try to explor...Noble try...<br />I would say that we can try to explore our Vedic resources, historical facts and so on, but it would be so hard to understand the holy fact about them. I was just looking at Sanskrit Grammar and I was astonished by the basic grammar lessons. I can not imagine that how great our Sanskrit and Sanskriti are?<br /><br />I just wrote above paragraph because I been seeing misconceptions of our Vedic and holy scriptures by so called intellectuals of this era. We may be scholars of this age but we (specially me) still need that strengthened base for Sanskrit language to thoroughly understand our Vedic resources. I would like to learn Sanskrit and thought that You and other participants may help me to get started with my Sanskrit Learning.<br /><br />I have Sanskrit Course downloaded from www.chitrapurmath.net. And I have it on https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B3GMebw7he6IeUtsODVZZHEzV3c&usp=sharing<br />.<br />Can anyone please help me that how to get started with this?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01339105338407000887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3156801984614349008.post-7088555104370263602012-01-24T17:34:41.284-08:002012-01-24T17:34:41.284-08:00Thanks and yes there is a fair amount of legend mi...Thanks and yes there is a fair amount of legend mixed with history and also a lot of confusion about Chandragupta's origins. Regardless of that, the fluidity and movement in society of the period appears quite certain.<br />Thanks again for commentingSunny Singhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02687722552329432572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3156801984614349008.post-8775519493390223512012-01-24T16:40:03.601-08:002012-01-24T16:40:03.601-08:00Hi Sunny,
If you find any instance of first meeti...Hi Sunny,<br /><br />If you find any instance of first meeting of chankya with a kid called chandragupt maurya, you would get an idea about your whole analysis, why he decided to make this kid as king one day ...<br /><br />oh, by the way chandragupt was SHUDRA, hence i completely agree with you that caste (as we call today) has not really to do with color but with knowledge in our ancient society ...Sapin Aminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03365373702555858445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3156801984614349008.post-50737683608849183152011-07-05T15:56:36.917-07:002011-07-05T15:56:36.917-07:00Thanks for the comment. And glad you enjoy the blo...Thanks for the comment. And glad you enjoy the blog. Its not really a research project but more of a reading plus my reaction to the text which is why I include the questions, more as reminders of things we ought to consider. <br /><br />Will disagree on some of your views, esp re shudras as it seems you are mixing various social categories including melechchha. But thats for a very long discussion on another day. :-) <br /><br />Yes, thats one story about Nasik :-D <br />Thanks again and do come back.Sunny Singhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02687722552329432572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3156801984614349008.post-36827341423495456002011-07-05T13:46:27.435-07:002011-07-05T13:46:27.435-07:00Actually, as a woman (Kshatriya or otherwise), you...Actually, as a woman (Kshatriya or otherwise), you wouldn't have had a yagyopaveet ceremony anyway. According to treatises, the 16 "Samskaras" in a Hindu's life, right from conception to death, (including namkarna and yagyopaveet) were meant for men alone. In the case of women, varna rules applied differently - for example, a higher varna man could marry a woman from a lower varna but not vice-versa. <br /><br />Also, varna and caste (or "jati") are not interchangeable as we use them today thanks to the Westerners. Varna was initially used as a classification on the basis of skin colour (fair Aryans and dark natives) and yes, this classification was quite fluid. The strict rules came much later in the CE period. <br /><br />And as for the Shudras, they were believed to be on the fringes of the society (though severe oppression was not very common in this period yet) despite their varied occupations. Even people who refused to adhere to rigid customs imposed by Brahmins were branded as Shudras, as were those high-class children who were illegitimate. <br /><br />Oooh, and that "nasika" bit! Isn't there a legend that the city of Nasik was named so because that's were Surpanakha's nose was chopped off?<br /><br />By the way, very interesting posts. I love this blog! Earlier this year, I thought of doing a short research on Arthashastra relating Chanakya's realpolitik with modern day politics. Then, my lazying-around-like-a-crocodile factor kicked in and the plan was unceremoniously dumped with a yawn. Now, I think I may get to it. <br /><br />-NavDrenchedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03098715119908240170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3156801984614349008.post-19894213605705643532011-01-04T10:58:11.082-08:002011-01-04T10:58:11.082-08:00Thank you. As you will note from the above comment...Thank you. As you will note from the above comments, those questions are rhetorical. <br /><br />And yes, I do. <br />Best,Sunny Singhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02687722552329432572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3156801984614349008.post-22571439568964356252011-01-04T10:48:51.855-08:002011-01-04T10:48:51.855-08:00Does this also mean that a Shudra who found a guru...<i>Does this also mean that a Shudra who found a guru, studied the Vedas, became a warrior and acquired the practise of sacrifice and charity could be a Kshatriya. The story of Eklavya really resonates here with me: wouldn't he be the perfect warrior and thus the perfect Kshatriya in the Mahabharata?</i><br /><br />Yes! That is indeed the case of none other than Chanakya's pupil himself, Chandragupta Maurya, and many centuries thence, Shivaji. You probably know also about the litterateur Sudraka?<br /><br />MarichiAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3156801984614349008.post-56475972369309792332010-07-01T02:11:17.577-07:002010-07-01T02:11:17.577-07:00Many thanks Rishabh. And the moment I saw your mes...Many thanks Rishabh. And the moment I saw your message, it made sense. I had managed to leave it out of the list of senses. <br /><br />Do come by again, I am trying to post regularly but life keeps intervening.Sunny Singhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02687722552329432572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3156801984614349008.post-13233096687155585932010-07-01T01:23:09.818-07:002010-07-01T01:23:09.818-07:00nasika=nosenasika=noseAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08377870926126758916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3156801984614349008.post-26872365284725361702010-04-17T03:27:41.652-07:002010-04-17T03:27:41.652-07:00Thanks Christian. I agree but have been posting qu...Thanks Christian. I agree but have been posting questions rhetorically alongside my reading. From all other texts I have read so far (barring Manusmriti - which is in any case a fairly subjective and non-authoritative text), there was a lot more social mobility and fluidity than we imagine. Best, SSSunny Singhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02687722552329432572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3156801984614349008.post-71588914249794614752010-04-01T13:25:42.670-07:002010-04-01T13:25:42.670-07:00It also appears that these varna classifications w...It also appears that these varna classifications were far more fluid than we have been brought up to believe in Chanakya's era. Does this mean that social conditions determine how strict or liberal the social categorization would be in Indian history? <br /><br />- Yes I think so.<br /><br />Also, it throws open an interesting case in point for modernity (and me personally) in India: As a Kshatriya-born woman, who chooses to work as a writer, do I count as a Shudra? Especially since I don't remember ever undergoing a "yagyopaveet" (second-birth) ceremony!<br /><br />-The education of today is different, judging from you writing looks like you are a Kshatrya.<br />-Also a twice-born person can be the one that understood that he is limitless.<br /><br />Does this also mean that a Shudra who found a guru, studied the Vedas, became a warrior and acquired the practise of sacrifice and charity could be a Kshatriya. The story of Eklavya really resonates here with me: wouldn't he be the perfect warrior and thus the perfect Kshatriya in the Mahabharata? <br /><br />- Sure. You are classified according to your behavior, so anyone can be anywhere...<br />- But remember all are the same at the eyes of a sage.Christian Tothhttp://www.satsanga.comnoreply@blogger.com