Three civilizational design principles in the VedA. Civilizational continuity in a changing world. A Perspective on Response of Hindu AchAryAs to Changing Patterns of RtA. The non-response to 15th century European incursions in the South of India. Continuing Non-Response to the 21st Century Globalism.

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A Perspective on Response of Hindu AchAryAs to Changing Patterns of RtA

By Jayant Kalawar, August 24th 2023

In this section I present a perspective on the changes in patterns, the RtA, that humans experience (given limited human capacity for awareness and self-reflection) and see how the Hindu intellectual culture responded to the changes in the patterns.

The last ice age is supposed to have begun receding in the norther hemisphere of the Earth about 12000 years ago^[i]. Perhaps that was the beginning of the 13000 year phase of the approximately 26000 year cycle of the Earth’s precession, when the climate in the northern hemisphere is relatively benign. Assuming the preceding 13000 years was an extended ice age on the Eurasian landmass, one would expect mass migration of those who could move down south – and BhArat becomes one of the most hospitable areas for this period of time. Then beginning about 12000 years reverse migration out of India into northern parts of the Eurasian land mass could have started. Even within those 12000 years, there have been mini ice ages. These mini ice ages may bring mass migrations from the north to down south, often manifesting form of violent raids. Similarly, current research findings seem to point to extended periods of drought between 1500 BCE and 500 BCE, leading to mass migrations – leading to end of Bronze age civilizations, which after many centuries arose again as Iron age civilization. Civilizations built by mAnav sanghatanA over multiple millennia, within these 13000 year phases of the Earth’s precession, may come to an end due to such extended broad and deep events. There are many threads that extend out of such a frame that may lead to ग्लानि of DharmA and responses to such decay and need to be researched^[ii]. This paper takes up one response from the Hindu mAnav sanghatanA to such continual destructive war raids on the fertile settled community of the Punjab, by nomadic pastoralists from the North West flying the flag of IslAm: the response of Guru Nanak and the rise of the Sikh Panth.

The frequent raids for plunder, as a means of production for their own mAnav sanghatanA seem to have begun with the well documented raids (at least 17) led by Mohammed Ghaznavi between 1005 CE to 1030 CE. This was followed by even more violent plundering invasion by Timur (the first Mughal) in 1398, ending with the sacking of Delhi after the defeat of the Delhi Sultan at Panipat. A little over a century later, Timur’s great grandson Babur, launched a series of raids on the Punjab and surrounding areas, beginning about 1519 and until 1529. Guru Nanak’s Babur-vaNi articulates the senseless carnage of Babur^[iii].

the B ̄abar-v ̄an. ̄ı verses elucidate how Guru Nanak encountered Babur at Saidpur, singing a hymn in Persian language to the tune of a wartime melody, and exposing the greedy tendencies of the aggressor in a most intimate way.

In the last 20 years of his life (to 1539), Guru Nanak developed a response to these frequent plundering raids, through pratyaskha pramAnA (empirical observation) of the desh-kaal-paristhiti, using the lens of the VedA.

How is it that it took Hindu sanghaTanA about 400 years of plundering raids and depredations from the North West to eventually come up with dynamic application of the VedA in response to the threat to DharmA? To get a glimpse of the intellectual landscape of that time in BhArat, I point to the Sarva Darshana SangrahA of Acharya VidyAraNya^[iv] (late 13^th to late 14^th century CE) of Sringeri MathA. The sangrahA covers 16 different darshanAs from CarvAka, Bauddha, JainA, PratibhijnA (with a special respectful mention of AchArya AbhinaguptA’s prolific work) to Sri Adi SamkaraCAryA’s VedAnta. The two darshanAs that were also in play in BhArat at that time, Christianity (in Kerala) and Islam (in Kerala and all along the west coast), are not included in the sangrahA. Clearly those two were not part of BhArat’s intellectual lineage. So they may not make it into the darshana sangrahA. Perhaps there were other documents with critical reviews of these two darshanAs that were made so that their potential threat to the Hindu mAnav sanghtanA could be analyzed through the lens of VedA? If so, the MathAs may be able to provide these documents so that we may learn and benefit from them.

Apparent Lack of robust intellectual response by Hindu AchAryAs

During AchAryA VidyAraNyA’s time Arabs flying the flag of Islam were active on the west coast and especially in Kerala) does not include a critique of the IslAmic darshanA both for understanding their own assumptions and perspective and then applying the lens of the VedA to describe how, under what circumstances, such a Darshana may arise among a mAnav sanghatanA. That would enable formulation of a response. Perhaps the singular focus on personal liberation with de-valuation of samsArA as nothing but suffering through endless re-births, left no room for desire among the highest level of Hindu AchAryAs to invoke the IchA shakti^[v] for restabilizing and defending the Hindu sanghatanA. Perhaps such desire and focused intention to re-build DharmA, as a vibrant renewing combination Kama Shastra, Artha ShAstra and Moksha Shastra, have been largely absent among Hindu AchAryA lineages in the last 2500 years?^[vi] Does the focus on MimAmsA (interpretation of the VedA), VyAkaraNA (PaNini’s grammar with its logic) and TarkA (debating skills) used to train Hindu AchAryAs lead to dis-association with ability to describe and explain non-VedA based knowledge systems and how they arise in the world, in terms of the VedA? Calling out non-VedA based knowledge systems as either NAstikA or MllechA leads to denial and therefore to vulnerability to attacks.

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[i] “Twelve thousand years ago, the great ice sheets retreated at the beginning of the latest interglacial – the Flandrian – allowing humans to return to northern latitudes. This period has been relatively warm, and the climate relatively stable, although it has been slightly colder than the last interglacial, the Eemian, and sea levels are currently at least 3 metres lower – differences that are being closely scrutinised by researchers keen to understand how our climate will develop.” https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18949-the-history-of-ice-on-earth/

But this respite from the ice is likely to prove short-lived, at least in geological terms. Human effects on the climate notwithstanding, the cycle will continue to turn, the hothouse period will some day come to an end – and the ice sheets will descend again.

[ii] For example nomadic pastoralists have been a mAnav sanghatanA that is not rooted to a geographic locale. Islam played a key role in building a code a conduct among these nomadic pastoralists, so that they could identify as a community, Umma. When times were harsh for these pastoralists, they raid mAnav sanghatanA settled for a long time in specific geographic locale and flourishing – the Hindus of BhArat for example.

[iii] Singh, Pashaura, Pp 17 Speaking Truth to Power: Exploring Guru Nanak’s B ̄abar-v ̄an. ̄ı in Light of the Baburnama, sourced from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342684523_Speaking_Truth_to_Power_Exploring_Guru_Nanak%27s_Babar-vani_in_Light_of_the_Baburnama on October 16 2022.

[iv] See https://archive.org/details/sarvadarsanasamgrahamadhvacharyaedwardbylescowell1882_202003_536_S and https://archive.org/details/Sarva-darsana-sangrahaOfMadhavacharya

[v] Guru Nanak’s MahA VAkya Ik AumkAra Sat NAm is his foundational link to the VedA. The assertion of the MahA VAkya is that there is only one (Ik) Sat (the unchanging),and it is known by the name (Nam) of Aum (AumKAra). The implication is that everything else, other than, Aum, that humans experience is Asat, changing. The rest of Guru NAnak’s VaNis are about drawing in people to come together and chant and do YajnyA. The chanting of the Guru Vanis and acting out the sacrifices are resonant of the Rig VedA verses I quoted at the beginning of this paper.

Guru NAnak guided this yajnyA performed by his community through mantras that he composed and led the sacrifices in tune with the particular desh-kaal-paristhiti that his community found itself in.

[vi] Perhaps it has something to do with the structuring of the AchArya intellectual process mostly involving renunciates since the time of Siddhartha GautamA, who do not have pratyaksha pramAna of the grihastAshrama in general and more importantly in the dynamically changing RtA with desh-kAl-paristhiti? Guru NAnak, a grihastA, accomplished a veritable transformation in his community from within the teachings and guidance of the VedA. Perhaps the Sringeri MathA, to  which AchArya VidyAraNya belonged, had published multiple revised versions of the Sarva Darshana SangrahA over the last 600 years? If yes, does it include a closely argued review of the Sikh Panth, followed by debates and discussions to explore and learn and assimilate the learnings of Hindu communities under immense stress responded? If yes, how can those be accessed, discussed publicly and extended to the present times?