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Is Indian literature weak?
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Jallaludin Akbar View Drop Down
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Posts: 132 		  Quote Jallaludin Akbar Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Is Indian literature weak?
    Posted: 17-Feb-2009 at 23:25
Originally posted by hmmm

This is a rather interesting discussion.  For the benefits of members I did a brief count and came up with the following numbers regarding ancient Indian literature (it does not include ancient classical literature, which is also ancient but not part of this list):

Vedas - 4
Upnishads - 108
Dharmashastrs - over 100
Itihas - 5 (this list includes Ramayan and Mahabharat also)
Purans - over 15
Sutras - over 10

This list if not official nor final but it gives little over 200-300 works which can be classified as ancient India literature.  Most of them are religious but also carry works which can now be classifed as Philosophy, Geography and History.

Weak or strong is a value judement.  If one is able to read them then only weak or strong can be assigned to them.  Nowadays, a lot of translation is available online if anybody is interested.

But there is a quicker way to decide if the literature is strong or weak.  Bundle all these works together and drop them on somebody head from a little height.  If the skull breaks then the literature is strong else not, at least for that person.

hehe thats pretty cool Wink

what are  the 5 "itihas"?
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win."
-Mahatma Gandhi
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Posts: 25 		  Quote rcscwc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01-Apr-2009 at 07:02
Originally posted by anum

I have rarely come across qoutes or proverbs from sanskrit or other lanaguages in the indian subcontinent (except urdu because urdu has a lot persian influence).
 
Reason is that you do not know about them. In Sanskrit they are called Subhashit, nice or wise words.
 
In English: To KILL two birds with one stone.
 
In Indian languages: One trip, two tasks (accomplished).
 
An old, old satire on physicians. O physician, you go ahead of Yama (Lord of death). He takes life only, but you take wealth too.
 
 
google for subhashit or "sanskrit subhashit".
 
Take a topic and there is a saying.
 
Caution: Since sayings are always influenced and shaped by the culture of origin, sometimes the wisdom, humor, satire etc. maybe lost to someone not aquainted with culture AND the whole spirit may be lost in translation.
 
 
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Posts: 25 		  Quote rcscwc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01-Apr-2009 at 07:21
Fire , debt, enemityy, if remain even in small trace  will grow again, so finish them completely.
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Posts: 597 		  Quote Sander Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15-Dec-2009 at 21:51
 That looks more like a prakrit language, instead of Sanskrit. 
 


Edited by Sander - 15-Dec-2009 at 21:53
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Posts: 4620 		  Quote opuslola Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04-Jan-2010 at 15:16
I happen to believe that there exist no good or relevant literature nor factual background to date most any period in the historical periods of India compared to areas to the West!

But, of course, I could be wrong?
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http://www.quotationspage.com/subjects/history/
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  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09-Jan-2010 at 13:03
I think its the overexposure of other forms of literature rather than a weakness. For example Egyptian literature is very good, but we focus on Greek more. Doesn't make one worse than the other.
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Posts: 4620 		  Quote opuslola Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19-Jan-2010 at 18:07
Actually I believe that Indian literature is mis-dated! It is much younger than now considered! Maybe Alexander had something to do with it? Or even the Dutch or the Mohammedans?
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http://www.quotationspage.com/subjects/history/
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Posts: 699 		  Quote balochii Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20-Jan-2010 at 08:27
^ what do you mean? and its muslims
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Posts: 3959 		  Quote eaglecap Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21-Jan-2010 at 14:10
I know little about Indian literature but I know Will Durant wrote a whole section about it in Our Oriental Heritage but it was published in 1935 so can I trust him as a unbiased Orientalist? I have his first three volumes which the college library discarded.   
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Posts: 4620 		  Quote opuslola Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21-Jan-2010 at 14:37
Just why is it "muslims?", with a small 'm'? Please give me your sources? Maybe I just mispelled the word?

Oh, maybe I should have mentioned the Portugese? You know, literature goes both ways!

"I have his first three volumes which the college library discarded."

Yes "Eagle", it is strange that a repository of knowledge would discard works that they have been told, or that they merely consider as outdated, or completely wrong! It seems to me to be a pattern that may be designed to eliminate rererences which someone, somewhere has deemed as "not worthy!"

History is being "rewritten" all of the time! And it may well be for an ulterior purpose?
http://www.quotationspage.com/subjects/history/
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Posts: 3959 		  Quote eaglecap Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22-Jan-2010 at 12:34
Originally posted by opuslola

Just why is it "muslims?", with a small 'm'? Please give me your sources? Maybe I just mispelled the word?

Oh, maybe I should have mentioned the Portugese? You know, literature goes both ways!

"I have his first three volumes which the college library discarded."

Yes "Eagle", it is strange that a repository of knowledge would discard works that they have been told, or that they merely consider as outdated, or completely wrong! It seems to me to be a pattern that may be designed to eliminate rererences which someone, somewhere has deemed as "not worthy!"

History is being "rewritten" all of the time! And it may well be for an ulterior purpose?


I have not read that book fully but I read his book "The Life of Greece" and when it comes to the clasical period he is good but the Bronze Age- his theories are laregly outdated.
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Posts: 672 		  Quote ranjithvnambiar Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12-Jul-2010 at 08:22
Patanjali who lived in 2nd century BC has mentioned in his mahabhasya that Rigveda has 21 shakhas( or branches ), Yajur has 101 shakhas  , Sama has 1000 shakhas and Atharva has 9 shakhas.Totaling around 1131 shakas or branches.Each shakha has its own Samhita,Brahmanam,Aaranyakam,Upanishad apart from this Sroutha sutra,Gruhya sutra,Dharmasutra,Praathisakhyam,Niruktam likewise 13 granthas(or collection of manuscripts). That will give us a 17500 +/- Granthas in 200BC.
But as pinguin said all these are religious.
Many are peotic and many are prose.
Apart from this there was many other books/manuscripts in mathematics,Astronomy,predictive astrology based on astronomy like Bhrigu samhita,on atheism & logical living by charvaka.
Most of this books were lost during the destruction & burning of Nalanda university by Baktiar Khalji the General of Kuthbuddin Aibak
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Posts: 4620 		  Quote opuslola Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12-Jul-2010 at 14:38
In reality, there is little real evidence that "Indian" literature is much older than the Middle Ages!

Which is, in my humble opinion, just exactly where these works should be!
http://www.quotationspage.com/subjects/history/
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Posts: 672 		  Quote ranjithvnambiar Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12-Jul-2010 at 22:45
I respect your views ,but in the case of eveidences I am afraid it is not so.
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Posts: 672 		  Quote ranjithvnambiar Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13-Jul-2010 at 22:27
Apart from the sanskrit literature which is mentioned here, a lot of literary works are available in India in different languages like Marathi,Bengali,Tamil,Urdu,Kannada,Malayalam,telughu,Gujarathi,Oriya,Bhojpuri and many others
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Posts: 672 		  Quote ranjithvnambiar Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13-Jul-2010 at 22:27
Sangam literature of Tamil is very famous and is dated back to pre-classical period
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Posts: 699 		  Quote balochii Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18-Dec-2010 at 11:29

Urdu is much stronger language then Hindi, Urdus combination of arabic, farsi and hindi really created an amazing language with huge amounts of poetry and litrature, the modern so called hindi songs are 90% urdu, yet the credit is always given to hindi, it is unfortunate today the urdu language is systmatically being destroyed by hindu nationalistics in India
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Posts: 672 		  Quote ranjithvnambiar Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19-Dec-2010 at 22:52
Urdu literature is still strong in India.Most of the universities in India offers Phd courses in Urdu.
Even the Hindu centred former BJP government's Prime minister A.B.Vajpayee writes poems and literary works in Urdu.


Edited by ranjithvnambiar - 19-Dec-2010 at 23:01
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Posts: 699 		  Quote balochii Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19-Dec-2010 at 23:06
^ thats funny, yet they hate muslims and always ignore the muslim contribution in india
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Posts: 672 		  Quote ranjithvnambiar Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19-Dec-2010 at 23:20
There is no hatred between religions in India.
India has a vast population and there are of course some frictions between communities at different pockets due to various reasons ie polotical,monitory and others.But as such there is no hatred between communities.
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