Ancient Indian Tradition Research Articles

From tradition to transformation: The journey of school librarianship in India

This article delves into the rich tapestry of school librarianship in India, spanning from its ancient origins to its contemporary state. The study employs a multidisciplinary approach, combining historical analysis, cultural insights, and educational perspectives to unravel the nuanced development of school libraries and the roles of librarians within them.Beginning with the ancient Indian tradition of Gurukuls, where oral transmission of knowledge was paramount, one can trace the evolution of early libraries and the revered "Guru-Pustakalaya" (teacher's library) as the precursor to formal school libraries. The medieval era witnessed the advent of Persian and Arabic manuscripts, leading to the establishment of Madrasas and Maktab libraries, which contributed to the dissemination of diverse knowledge. The colonial period introduced Western educational ideals and the establishment of missionary schools, thereby reshaping the landscape of school librarianship with the introduction of modern library systems and practices.In the post-independence era, the Indian government took significant steps to promote literacy and education, resulting in the proliferation of school libraries across the nation. The article explores the transformative impact of technology, the digital age, and the changing role of school librarians as facilitators of information literacy and digital resources. This comprehensive historical analysis sheds light on the continuum of school librarianship in India, emphasizing its pivotal role in education and knowledge dissemination throughout the ages. Understanding this evolution is essential for shaping the future of school libraries and librarianship in India, adapting to the changing educational landscape and information needs of the 21st century.

Development of science and technology in India

Before understanding the development process of science and technology in India during colonial rule, it is necessary to understand what science is. Science is a way of gaining knowledge which leads us to such beliefs. Which can be verified on the basis of logic and experiments. In English it is called Justified True Beliefs. In short, the foundation of science is based on direct evidence i.e. Positilist MPricipm. The science that was coming with the new technology had no existing roots in India. In modern science, theory and experiment go together. It was so in Europe but such scientific vision had not emerged in India. It is often said very strongly that modern science was present in ancient Indian thought and that India had a very old tradition of science and technology. It is true that India before the arrival of the Europeans was not an intellectual void, but there is no special justification for this when we see that even at that time only a limited and exclusive class had the right to acquire knowledge. At the beginning of the colonial period, nothing was happening in terms of science and technology in India. A fundamental difference between the ancient and modern scientific traditions is that in the ancient Indian tradition, there was progress in various fields of science but no significant achievements were made at the mechanical level. Whereas the biggest achievement of the modern scientific tradition has been the development of mechanics in it. The development of mechanics promoted new research in the field of science.

THE INFLUENCE OF POLITICAL EVENTS AND IDEOLOGY ON THE FORMATION OF THE PICTURE CONCEPT OF DUNHUANG CAVES FRESCOS

The article is devoted to an analysis of the figurative concepts of the Dunhuang cave wall paintings. It was determined that, despite the fact that the Dunhuang wall painting is an example of Buddhist art, it represents a syncretism of Buddhism and local beliefs—Taoism and Confucianism—which manifested itself in the depiction of characters from Buddhism and Taoism in one plot. Dunhuang cave murals are not uniform in style and execution techniques. Its genesis testifies that in the early stages it was a literal borrowing of the ancient Indian traditions of Buddhist mural painting; instead, there was a gradual layering of local painting techniques from the Central Plains of China. This led to the diversification of cave wall paintings of later periods and eventually led to the formation of a specific stylistic direction of "Chinese secular Buddhism," in which realistic painting plays an important role—the portrait genre of benefactors and the landscape genre of "mountains and waters."

The Glorious Rise of Early Indo-English Poetry in Pre-Independence Epoch – A Sublime Study

Poetry is a written verse which expresses the feelings, emotions, and ideas of a poet in his literary work and in own style and rhythm. In Ancient Indian tradition, Kavya (Poetry) is hailed as equivalent to fifth Veda. Indians have a vast history of traditional arts and have a long directory of poems from various prolific writers which resonates in modern Indian English literature. Indian English poetry has come into the play around 150 years ago, and well matured in this era. The Indian English literature has bifurcated into three phases, and they are Imitative, Assimilative and Experimental. Very few poets in India were well educated before to independence, and they were affected by Victorian and Romantic era works, beginning to repeat the works of Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Keats, Byron, Shelley, Tennyson, Swinburne, and others. The approach and tactics of Byron and Scott were echoed by great pioneers such as V Derozio and the Dutt family, respectively. The topic of Indian poetry was heavily dependent on the environment, cultural heritage, nationalism, and so on i.e., highly anthropogenic, and self-styled and were highly nostalgic among themselves of their works in the comparisons to predecessors works. Indian Poet also thought of indigenous reader, so it ought to have a desi appeal which was favorable to all, for them the feature of Indianness made it eye catching. The poet tried to remain natural and honest. Indian English poetry is a mixture of all anglicized variety of different ethnic culture across the globe. This paper shall focus on the Indian English Poetry during the Pre-Independence epoch and conglomerate them and brainstorm their works in details.

Exploring the Science of Marma - An Ancient Healing Technique: Marma Therapy

Marma Science, an extraordinary gem in the vast treasure of Ayurvedic knowledge, represents the science of specific vital places in the body (Marmas), that are the ‘seats of life’ (Prana - the vital life force). As any injury to these parts may lead to severe pain, disability, loss of function, loss of sensation, or death, therefore, they hold an important place in the science of surgery. The ancient scriptures have strictly prohibited causing any injury to the Marmas. However, recent researches have used Marma stimulation for theraputic benefits, with encouraging outcomes. Looking at these mutually conflicting, important applications of Marma Science, the present study was undertaken for its in-depth analysis. Previously, we have explored different aspects of Marma Science in ancient and classical Indian scriptures. In addition, our other study have provided detailed description of the number of Marmas, their location, structures involved, classification, effect of trauma, etc., as per classical texts, as well as correlation with modern science. Previously, we also published its use in Yoga and other ancient Indian traditions, both as a therapeutic technique, as well as for self-defense and inflicting injury on the opponents. The present article explored its application as a therapeutic procedure (Marma Therapy). Different methods of Marma stimulation have been compiled. Therapeutic classification and applications of Marmas have been listed, and several research studies on Marma Therapy have been presented. Several mechanisms for the mode of action of Marma Therapy have been discussed. It is concluded that Marma Science holds significant promise as an effective therapeutic procedure.

Medical Ethics: Insights from Ancient Indian Tradition

Since the development of the Ayurvedic holistic science more than 5000 years ago, India has had a strong standard for medical ethics. Ancient guidelines for medical practise serve as the foundation for modern ideas about healthcare policy, advice on how to interact with patients, and expectations for professional conduct. These "codes of conduct" placed a strong emphasis on the sanctity of life and went beyond satisfying physical requirements. They were greatly influenced by religious and spiritual rituals. But as time went on, changes in educational priorities and political influences influenced how medical care was provided. While malpractice concerns have continuously increased, references to these once-cherished "rules of conduct" have decreased. A candid conversation about the reasons for the rise in medical misconduct in a nation that used to condemn it and how improving ethics, limiting the role of profits, and returning traditional philosophies to the medical ethics curricula could help.

Smart Tourism Intermingling with Indian Spiritual Destinations: Role of e-WoM Sentiments in marketing

The purpose of this study is to see how smart tourism and sentiments help tourists seeking spiritual experiences that are deep-rooted in ancient Indian traditions as opposed to materialistic getaways. Exploratory research through sentiments of YouTube and Tweets followers are collected in sample. A qualitative-quantitative research method is used in this paper to analyse the sentiments on Indian popular spiritual destinations. Smart tourism allows larger, coordinated efforts for Innovation, quality of life and sustainable tourism through rich data infrastructure within the ambit of specific destinations. Within a context, personalisation and real-time monitoring can occur where sentiments are positive or highly positive for that matter. Fundamental to tourists’ experiences is an aesthetic obsession with authenticity. The diversity of smart technologies applicable to experiences in the smart spiritual tourism sphere is still to be defined on a more granular level where religion still holds the glue. This paper seeks to explore the smart tourism experience concept applied to spirituality (STES) in more depth to facilitate further contributions. A smart tourism experience can be co-created for better delivery and a conducive environment for such an experience to emerge. Each spiritual destination is unique and complex. Policy responses can address the impact mainly through knowledge (human) resources.

Exploring the Science of Marma - An Ancient Healing Technique: Marma in Yoga and Other Ancient Indian Traditions

Marma Science is an extremely important branch of Ayurveda. Marma points are important vital places in the body, that are the ‘seats of life’ (Prana - the vital life force). As any injury to these parts may lead to severe pain, disability, loss of function, loss of sensation, or death, therefore, they hold an important place in the science of surgery, wherein they are considered ‘Shalya Vishayardha’ (half of the entire science of surgery). The ancient scriptures have strictly directed against causing any injury to these vital spots. However, recent research have attempted the stimulation of Marma points for therapeutic benefits, with encouraging outcomes. In view of these mutually conflicting, importance applications of Marma Science, the present study was undertaken for its in-depth study. Part-1 of this study presented information about different aspects of Marma Science in various ancient / classical Indian scriptures. Part-2 gave a detailed description of the number of marmas, their location, structures involved, classification, the effect of trauma, etc., as per classical texts, as well as correlation with modern science. The present article, which is part-3 of this study, explores the use of Marma Science in Yoga and other ancient Indian traditions. It is observed that various Yogic practices had been devised with the primary aim of stimulating specific Marma points, with important healing applications. Several ancient Indian traditions used Marma Science both as a martial art for self-defense and inflicting injury on the opponents, and as a therapeutic technique for healing purposes.

Combating SARS-CoV-2 and other infectious diseases with enhanced immunity by herbs and spices, and preventing its community transfer via ancient Indian traditions and culture

India and several other countries are facing the biggest threat to survival due to a novel pandemic called Coronavirus and diseases (COVID-19) which was originated from Wuhan in China in the year 2019. This coronavirus belongs to the group of respiratory viruses (SARS-CoV-2). Its mode of transmission is through respiratory droplets released from the mouth of an infected person while sneezing or coughing. This outbreak has forced to shut down several countries to minimize its community spread. Due to this current lockdown, affected countries are facing several challenges viz. health issues, economical pressure, educational, religious, and social affairs etc. As it can be seen that the world’s biggest pandemic i.e., COVID-19 is spreading at a very high rate and has taken away the lives of innumerable people worldwide since the initial days of its occurrence. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent its social spread to save the lives of many people all over the world. This manuscript deals with several essential ethnopharmacological herbs and spices which can be incorporated in diet to prevent infectious diseases. Also, it will revive the role of ancient Indian tradition, cultures and beliefs in preventing the spread of infectious diseases and thereby decreasing the chances of its occurrence.

Application of Yoga as a Spiritual Practice to Enhance Counselor Wellness and Effectiveness

In this article, we explore potential benefits of yoga, an ancient Indian tradition for spiritual growth and development, for counselors. Counselors use themselves as instruments to support clients and are constantly exposed to the traumatic experiences of clients, which may leave them susceptible to secondary traumatic stress or compassion fatigue (Shallcross, 2011). Yoga can help counselors not only in achieving holistic wellness but also in developing a way of being consistent with the characteristics of an effective counselor. Furthermore, yoga, as a spiritual practice, can empower counselors to embark on a spiritual journey driven by their own personal experiences.

COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF NABHI IN BRUHATRAYI AND ITS CORRELATION WITH MODERN SCIENCE

Ayurveda is an intricate and detailed science, which provides great insight into the importance of every part of the body. One of the most important part is Nabhi. The Nabhi plays the most important role in development of body from the very beginning of life even at the embryonic stage. In ancient Indian tradition, the navel of the god Vishnu is consider as the center of the universe and the source of life. From his navel, a new world emerges. It not only has aesthetic importance but also tells the health status. It is a site of various treatments too which makes it worthy to consider its anatomical concepts and applied aspects. The literary review of Nabhi and modern studies suggest it as umbilicus. Keywords- Nabhi, Marma, Sira, umbilicus

ВАСТУВИДЬЯ И ЕЕ ВОСПРИЯТИЕ В НАШИ ДНИ

A new teaching has been formed in our time based on vastuvidya, the ancient Indian teaching on construction. It has become incredibly popular all over the world, including Russia. This teaching is declared to be the primordial knowledge of how to harmonize space, more ancient and effective than even feng-shui. There are a huge number of design workshops, where consultations are given on how to choose a plot of land and build a house according to vastuvidya, how to harmonize the space of an apartment or office; there are vastuvidya schools, where seminars and courses are held; there even exist a brisk trade in so-called Vastu goods. The article compares modern ideas about Vastu with the Indian teaching of vastuvidya, such as t appears in ancient and medieval texts (Puranas). In the modern version of vastuvidya, recommendations for the organization of interiors are given based on the location of 45 gods and mythological creatures on Indian vastu-mandalas, known from ancient and medieval sources. At the same time, it is completely ignored that the creation of the vastu-mandalas related to the rites of consecration, and not with construction. They were created not as building plans, but as a field for performing vastu-puja and other rituals related to construction. Such rites were performed by Brahmins who had been schooled in appropriate knowledge and initiated. The article shows that initially vastuvidya had nothing to do with pop-culture, and its modern version only outwardly follows the ancient Indian tradition. It formed as a result of misunderstanding of an unusual, even alien culture and over time began to serve various kinds of commercial speculation.

The Philosophy and Practice of Indian Classical Dance-Changes and Challenges with Digital Humanities

Traditionally, Indian dance forms were taught through the Guru-Shishya system, where the student stays at the abode of the Guru to develop a strong foundation in the field. This enabled the Guru to nurture the disciple and prepare them to become experts in the vocation alongside all the important values that go with any system of knowledge in ancient Indian tradition. The unique features of Gurukul were deep love, respect and mutual communion. There are significant changes in the current world, where digitization is an unavoidable trend. An objective of this paper is to identify the aspects that are ‘modified’ and sometimes, lost in the process of digitizing Indian Classical dance. It would not be of any help to fight natural evolution and dismiss growth but care has to be taken, not to cut asunder the very purpose of the creation of an art which is to restore righteousness in the world through an aesthetic medium. The spiritual role that it plays in the world, needless to add, is indeed as an agent to kindle peace and friendship between people, beyond all barriers. It would be helpful if the potential attributes that are in threat of getting submerged through digitization, are identified by researchers and artists. For example, during dance training, the pure dance technique and structure can become translated to a satisfying extent as the basic emotional stance is that of vigour. On the other hand, the intense involvement in the expressional mode, the devotional ascent and the one to one transmission during actual presence of teacher and taught in close proximity, seems amiss

Solon’s poetry in light of comparative-historical linguistics

The subject of this research is the heritage of Indo-European poetics in works of the Ancient Greek poet Solon. The object of this research is the elegies and fragments of his hexametric oeuvres. The authors examine such aspects of the topic as: 1) retention in Solon’s poetry of the structures similar to exposition of hymns in Ancient Greek and Ancient Indian traditions; 2) preservation of stylistic figures widely represented in the poetry of ancient Indo-European peoples; 3) preservation of poetic expressions and mythological ideas that may date back to Indo-European times. For achieving the set goals, the author employ the methods of text hermeneutics, semantic analysis, and comparative-historical linguistics. The following conclusions are made: in the corpus of Solon’s texts there are fragments very similar to expositions of hymns in the Ancient Greek and Vedic traditions; Solon’s poetry contains stylistic approaches that can be reconstructed to the level of Indo-European poetics; poetic expressions and mythological representations dated back to Indo-European times are retained in Solon’s texts.

“MANTRAS IN PREGNANCY- MONTHWISE”

In today world different forms of Supraja sanskar, garbha sanskar , some thing additional to the regular ANC care have become very popular amongst the People as well as Healthcare providers .Along with Yoga , Diet and medicines, Mantra and music are an integral part of all these programmes. Mantra-shakti is proven to be very powerful for pregnant women even in this materialistic world. It creates a high vibration, a sacred sound, and a deep, loving peace for yourself and your growing baby. Chanting mantras can uplift your soul and you may feel a close connection to specific mantras during pregnancy. This process is also known as ‘Garbha Sanskar’ as per ancient Indian tradition. In Garbhini Paricharya also, our texts have advised mangal swasti vachan for the garbhini to create positivity and ward off evil forces.
 Mantras generate positive energy and all the mantras have specific purposes. Chanting mantras provide peace of mind and purity at heart. Mantra is a powerful tool for peace and joy during these days of tremendous changes of pregnancy and motherhood and you must chant them throughout your pregnancy for an easy delivery and a healthy you and a healthy baby. Month wise mantras have also been described in our ancient texts. For eg. During the first month the fertilized ovum is in the liquid state and this process takes place through intercourse for the purpose of the birth of life this month is ruled by planet Venus. Hence Om Shukray Namah mantra should be chanted.
 
 Use of mantra chanting has positive effects and calming effects on the mother and the baby. The purpose of this article is to describe the different mantras and their effects in pregnancy. using mantra in pregnancy and in birth can create a healthy mother and baby and hence Supraja .

Ancestral Home of Indo-Aryan Peoples and Migration of Iranian Tribes to Southeastern Europe

The article attempts to clarify and analyze the opinions, hypotheses, ideas and assumptions of scientists studying the issues of ancestral home of the Indo-Aryan peoples from the historical, archaeological and linguistic points of view. The Eastern European localization of the ancestral home of the Indo-Aryan peoples in Southeastern Europe and their migration is considered in the article. The territory of Central Asia was occupied by the Iranian nationalities in the beginning of the historical period (VII-VI centuries BC): Bactrians, Sogdians, Khorezmians, Parthians, Saka tribes. The analysis of relict phenomena in the languages and culture of modern population of Central Asia, in particular the population of the Pamirs, shows the presence of an ancient Indo-Aryan layer. In this case, a specific convergence is identified, which is precisely oriented on the ancient Indian tradition. At the same time, even more ancient traces associated with the pre-Indo-Iranian population of Central Asia are revealed. The substrate layer played a huge role in the genesis of the culture, ideology and ethnos of the most ancient Iranian-speaking population of Central Asia. It had a huge impact on the establishment of its social and economic basis.

Tracing the Vedic Saraswati River in the Great Rann of Kachchh

The lost Saraswati River mentioned in the ancient Indian tradition is postulated to have flown independently of the Indus River into the Arabian Sea, perhaps along courses of now defunct rivers such as Ghaggar, Hakra and Nara. The persistence of such a river during the Harappan Bronze Age and the Iron Age Vedic period is strongly debated. We drilled in the Great Rann of Kachchh (Kutch), an infilled gulf of the Arabian Sea, which must have received input from the Saraswati, if active. Nd and Sr isotopic measurements suggest that a distinct source may have been present before 10 ka. Later in Holocene, under a drying climate, sediments from the Thar Desert probably choked the signature of an independent Saraswati-like river. Alternatively, without excluding a Saraswati-like secondary source, the Indus and the Thar were the dominant sources throughout the post-glacial history of the GRK. Indus-derived sediment accelerated the infilling of GRK after ~6 ka when the Indus delta started to grow. Until its complete infilling few centuries ago, freshwater input from the Indus, and perhaps from the Ghaggar-Hakra-Nara, probably sustained a productive marine environment as well as navigability toward old coastal Harappan and historic towns in the region.

Bollywood Cinema: A Transnational/Cultural Role

SummaryThere has always been a strong link between India's social and political history and Bollywood cinema. Within the context of the nationalist movement in India, Bollywood cinema has played an important role in constructing various dichotomies such as tradition/modernity, Indian/Western and spiritual/material. By negotiating with these binaries, Bollywood narratives have contributed to the dialogue on women's roles and position in Indian society. In the past, Bollywood filmmakers were faithful to representations of women who were bound by patriarchal structures in the sense that they were expected to be loyal to ancient Indian traditions and belief-systems. Based on the increase in Indian migration, contemporary Bollywood filmmakers are now catering to the demands of the Indian diaspora and therefore, a more global market. Diasporic Bollywood films provide audiences with material that suggests re-thinking patriarchal structures in a transnational world. This article examines the impact that transnationalism has had on the Indian diaspora and the manner in which this translates into the narratives and representations of female characters in popular Bollywood films. Through the progression of time, Bollywood cinema has evolved. As a result, it has become a transnational/cultural role player for Indian audiences worldwide.

Effect of Adaptive Yoga Therapy in Increasing Hand Steadiness among Children with Intellectual Disability

Yoga is an ancient Indian tradition which has diverse effect through physical and mental practices. Several studies showed the effect of yoga in the various health aspects of human body. It improves the general health, neurological functioning and physical activity. Researches also showed a great literature on the effect of yoga on the attention, concentration and problem solving of the students. Present research was intended to see the effect of yoga on the hand steadiness of children with ID. To conduct the experiment researcher had selected 20 children with ID with predetermined inclusionary criteria from GRIID and randomly assigned to the two groups (Experimental/Control).intervention was given to the experimental group, regularly for 5 days week, daily one hour up to 3 months and no any treatment given to the control group. They have attended their routine classes. In results it is found that students who got the intervention, showed a significant effect on decrease in the errors on hand steadiness test in comparison to the control group with t value 3.84 and 6.43 respectively.

The Dominance of Power and Mythological Representations in Girish Karnad's The Fire and the Rain

This Research paper Focuses on Dominance of power and mythological creatures in the The play The Fire and the Rain, Which occurs in a small region of India long ago that has experienced a lack of rain for ten years. The king proposed to propitiate the Gods through fire sacrifice. So that God would be pleased and send rain to the parched land. In this fire sacrifice Paravasu the son of a learned Brahmin Raibhya, was appointed as the Chief Priest. And the play deals with this appointment and the disappointments of certain other characters. One disappointment definitely with reference to the father going by ancient Indian tradition, a lot of emphasis was put on age seniority i.e. age has always been respected. Older people have always been considered wiser because of their wider experience. Going by this tradition the learned Raibhya should have been appointed as the chief Priest but for practical reasons longevity of life span, the King chose to appoint Paravasu, the elder son as the Chief Priest. This appointment had disappointed and agonized the senior. The high priest of the temple, Paravasu is eager to perform a ceremony to bring rain. the play The Fire and The Rain opens with the representative of an actor`s group expressing their desire to give a dramatic performance as a means of entertainment for the Gods. After much discussion the group is given permission to perform at the fire sacrifice.