The Building of the Indian Nation

                   

Part  III of my Book 

Our ancestors, brought with them great thought of development and were worshipers of Panch Tatawa. Aryans studied the Panch tatwa, of our great land minutely and extensively, as their religion was to worship the nature and its gifts. The Panch tatwa i.e. the Jal (Water), Vayu (Air), Dharatee (Land), Agni (Fire) and Akash (Atmosphere) of this nation was properly analysed, explored and exploited and made a way of life, culture and worship. Agriculture, trade and cottage industries, which were the main industry of the early men, all developed and prospered, by full exploitation of the Panch Tatwas of our great nation. Agriculture, the mainstay of economic stability, was considered respectable. All the methods of agriculture were well understood and defined, the plough was drawn by six to twelve bulls and canals were dug for irrigation.

Then came the system of social law, the society and the fusion of numerous tribes and races. The Vis was then divided into Gotra system (each representing and named after the patriarchal father the holy sage or Brahmin) and also the Varna system was later evolved. It is in this light that we still find in the Hindu society, belonging to different castes Varnas as Bahamans, Vaisya having the same Gotra.  The division of labour was found to be essential for the growth of this great nation hence the Varna system was formulated. 

Family (Kula) served the basis of social and political organisation, starting with family; the hierarchy in the ascending order was Grama (village), clan (Vis), Jana (people) and Rastra (country). A number of of clans constituted the people (Jana). The Rastra (country) contained a number of Janas (people), several of which are mentioned in the Rg-Veda and later Vedic literature. Rastra were generally ruled by Rajan (Kings), through non-monarchical organisation also existed as Ganapati or Jyestha as the head of Ganas. Some tribes had a sort of obligacy, with several members of the royal family ruling jointly. The most powerful of the non-monarchical to mention were the Licchavis ruling from their Capital at Vaishali currently in the state of Bihar. Protection of the life and property of the people, maintenance of peace, law and order, administration and defence of the Rastra was the moral duty of the King. He was a military commander and a religious head, which would establish and uphold, established order and moral rules (Dhartavrata). As checks of king’s arbitrary exercise of power two popular people’s assemblies, Sabha and Samitri, were present which expressed the will of the people on important matters.  Sabha was, from the outset, a limited body with judicial functions. The Samiti was the Vedic tribal of folk assembly par excellence, which at least occasionally exercised the right of electing the King.

 The administration of justice and punishment to the guilty were the principle duties of the King, and Purohita and later the Sabha and Samhitas assisted as the court of justice. The crimes were well defined and were recorded. Loans and usury were well understood, and wergild (monetary compensation to the relatives of the person killed) was inforce. Hence it is evident that the system and philosophy of Democracy was prevalent in India from ancient times. No where in our history or Granths has there been any reference of any dictator or military ruler ruling Bharat i.e. India. 

Since the beginning of the Indian civil society, its affairs were regulated not by laws of state but by customary rules known as Dharma. Dharma is what holds together, or a code of Duties for harmonious functioning of various divisions of Society. Dharma Shastra or Shmritis laid down rules for every caste and vocation, for every relation in society king and subject. Religion played an important part in the lives of the Indians from the earliest times, as in case of many other ancient nations of the world.

Vedic people believed in the sanctity of the creative force, and venerated the father and mother aspect of the divinity and their emblems. The Veda and the Brahmanas constituted the first bulk of literary out put of the Vedic Aryans. But even in the early period the seers entertained doubts about the utility and efficacy of Vedic ritualism.

Our ancestors formed their way of living based on some philosophy, and accordingly they drafted Granths and Upanishads (large in number but only eleven considered to be proper). The Upanishad sections of the Vedic literature envisage a progressive outlook. These Upanishads, rightly described as the Vedanta (acme of Vedas), represent early stage in the origin and development of the religio- metaphysical concept. The Granths stated that the Ultimate Being (Sat) is one and in and behind the objective world is the ultimate reality called the Brahma, which is real, infinite and blissful Consciousness.

The Yogavasistha stresses and emphasises more on mans own thinking and efforts than the authority of Sastras (scriptures), and the dependence on teachers and Divine grace. The multiplicity of the world objects sprang from it as sparks from fire.

Puranas (derived from Purana i.e. old and of antiquity) the Chronology of Indian Kings and their History and some of the Smrities like that of Manu further amplifies and popularises the teaching of Upanishads, the Bhagavad –Gita and Yogavasisistha by mixing them with popular religious believe and rituals. The Dynastic lists in the Puranas have shown that the historical information they convey is not as untrustworthy as was believed to be by historians. But often the fragments of history embedded in them have been torn away from their context; in every probability the chain of evidence which might have brought Puranas into substantial evidence with earlier Vedic tradition has been broken. 

The indigenous tribes were forced to follow and submit to this new Hindu way of living and society. The tribes that refused to submit to the Aryan domination were dispossessed of its land, and forced to move off to hills and forests and live by hunting and plundering. The religion Hindu and the Indian way of life the Hinduism a fusion of Aryan, Dravidian culture, and several other cultures and religion’s, with the more emphasis on the mental and spiritual aspects and thinking. It was perhaps formed and grew up in the Indus valley civilisation, with most other classes and species converging their best of cultures and way of life into it.

The Vis were itself split into three parts, the main body, i.e., the Vaisya followed productive pursuits like agriculture, cattle rearing and trade. The Brahmans performed the function of Dharma, on the basis of custom and equity and formulated laws, welfare and studies. The Ksatriya were charged with the defence of realms and running the administration. The three varnas specialised in their avocations and each was accorded a place in the social hierarchy suitable to the dignity of its services. The indigenous tribes who originally refused to submit top Aryan domination were given the Sudras varnas and were given professions like sweeping, corpse-burning and executing criminals.

In the beginning the vocations of Varnas were not strictly hereditary. The Vaisya and the Sudras could improve their status and position provided they possessed the necessary talents and virtues. . However this Manuvadipratha, was later in history misutilised by people and was misconceived and misinterpreted by people for their petty gains. Selfish rulers, in their bid to divide and rule the people, promoted this Jati pratha. Our old scripts and writing states that kshatiyas (Rajputs) when they reached a definite age took Sanyas and became Saints. Ksatriya, who excelled in philosophical pursuits and delivered holy ideas and speeches, become a Brahman. It is also mentioned in old mythologies that Kshatiyas(Rajputs), married their daughter’s to Saints. A well-known story of Satapatha Brahman, Janaka, king of Videha and Vishvamitra of Vedas give similar stories. In Yajnavalkya’s Dharma Sastra (religious laws), Sudras are allowed to pursue the Vaisya calling of Agriculture, crafts and trade. So it is conclusive that the system was only a method of division of labour, which made our great nation an economic power, to

be known as Sonay ki Chirya i.e. the Golden bird. Our Rishis (Sages) described life patterns for each individuals called the Ashrams which was relevant and appropriate in their times. The four Ashrams were named as Brahamcharya, Greehastha, Vanprastha and Sanyas.

In his travel accounts and chronicles of India, in 4^th century B.C.  Megasthenes (a Chinese traveller) observed and stated in his observation described Indian castes division as actually that relating to vacation groups.  Vocations were not necessarily fixed by parentage and that division of vocation had become more apparent than those of birth.

Women enjoyed equal status with men; Upanayana (initiation) was performed for girls. Women studied Vedas and brahmacarya like boys and followed the profession of teaching upto the Stura period. In the Vedic times women had access to all branches of learning. Women like Ghosnha, Apahla and Vishvavara were composers of outstanding Vedic hymns. Women of higher castes were indispensable partners of their husbands in Yajna (Yagya). They could hold property and widows could remarry.

Our holy Granths have described Puspak Viman (meaning thereby aeroplane) and many other modern amenities, which appears to be more developed than the one existing and are prevalent in this modern age. References are made to the “Moving fort”, and a machine for assaulting strongholds. The army and men made use of several types of weapons, which were treated, as magical or gifted by the Devas as per granths, and was capable of causing destruction, much more than what modern age weapon can do.

The spirit of “Bharat” was developed in the villages, which had in ancient times, the most advanced cottage industries of its time, with spiritual, moral and intelligent people living there in, all bound by the way and custom of life called “Hinduism.” The golden era of the Indian economy (when it was called Shonay kee Chriya) saw the villages develop and prosper into a self-sufficient small economical center for development of ancient Bharat. The agriculture and cottage industries based on it, which was the only developed industry in ancient times, were the most developed. The villages had it separate autonomous economic and democratic set up, which looked after the development of villages.  Hence it helped the socialist, cultural and economical cause of the ancient Bharat

The Arts and crafts was a family affair, knowledge and skill passed mostly from father to son, or was imparted by the master craftsman of the caste group or craft guild.

The Vaisyas were the most numerous castes; some of them climbed to the highest rung of the economic order. The merchants sent their cargo across the sea as far as Mesopotamia and East Indies by ships. The economic pyramid the hierarchy from top to bottom were top officials, merchants, and bankers and land owners (Amatya, Sresthi, Gramabhojaka) small farmers, artisans and ordinary officials and labours. The ancient Indian literature shows that Indian textile enjoyed undisputed supremacy all over the civilised world for nearly 2000 years.

Our Saints and the great Aryans realised the importance of our rich natural resources, they travelled extensively throughout the country and formed Mathas and temples on each and every corner of our country in order to unit and bind the people with one culture and religion the “Hinduism”. Our great Saints discovered, explored and researched with the rich natural resources and heritages of this great Land/nation and formed and applied their thoughts into action and way of life. Our great rivers, which irrigated and fed our people, gave life to the rich vegetation and flora, were worshiped. Saints hence discovered the important of our, seven great rivers named and worshiped them, and formed temples and civilisations on their Banks. Hindu rituals and worship’s was incomplete without the water of these great rivers. The Aryans/Our ancestors realised the importance of these rivers and its resources to the prosperity and development of our motherland, to the extent that, any Hindu Yagya was not complete without bring/ mixing/performing rituals from the water of all/most of these important rivers.

There might have existed several religions and Gods, being worshiped by different classes of people at that point of time. It was in this respect that Hinduism found a common path of Nationalism, by drafting Hinduism the way of life wherein all the Gods representing different section of the society being worshiped by all. However there was a catch here that each Hindu had its own Ista Deveta (God), thereby defying any confrontation. It is in this line that we Hindus some time become astonished and confused, why we have so many gods to worship, as compares to the single figure gods of other religions. There have been references in our Holy Granths as to the treatment of certain Devas as inferior Devas in the ladder, for performing religious rituals.

Our ancestors and the thinkers of the land from pre-Historic times realised the natural geographical unity of India and find expression in the formulation of the ideal of a universal emperor, Chakravorti or Sarvabhauma Samrat, the ceremonial of his installation is detailed in Aitareya Brahmana. And in the definition of Chakravarti Ksetra by Kautilya as including the whole of India from Himalayas to the Seas and thousands yojanas across. Hence it is evident that the national boundaries of Bharat, the concept of nationalism and its boundaries was spelt and defined from ancient pre- historic times.

Hindu society from the earliest times considered the education of its members as one of its primary obligation; this indeed was a system on which society was based. This system is known as Varnasama Dharma, meaning thereby life being regulated by different classes (Varanas) and stages (Ashrams). The disciples had his physical birth at home of his natural parents but his spiritual birth at the place of his preceptor, where he accepted brahmachaya, with strict discipline of life, regulation about diet, dress, study, social service and religious practices. The view of the education as a process of ones’ inner growth and self-fulfillment evolved its own technique, its rules, method and practices. It recognised that the making of man was primarily the training of mind as the instrument of acquiring knowledge so as to increase its intrinsic potency and creative capacity. As per Manu Shamrti :-  " जन्मना जायते शूद्रः "                      

How the Aryans a pastoral race of people developed such a scientific and advanced system, which grew and prospered without any outside help, and that too in such a short span of time as described in history. And that too from the very beginning of Indian civilised society, is a matter desiring proper evaluation and explanation from historians.