Vedic Research Articles

The Religious and Cultural Bases for Breastfeeding Practices Among the Hindus

In Hindu communities, breastfeeding is nearly universal and continues for most children beyond infancy. This review examines the religious and cultural basis for the contemporary breastfeeding practices amongst the Hindu. Practices at the time of birth and feeding rituals like prelacteal feeds, importance and timing of complementary feeds, and protections for the breastfeeding mother are examined from the published medical literature and available religious texts. Hindu Vedic literature and ancient ayurvedic texts underscore the importance of breastfeeding in the Hindu society. Although almost every Hindu child gets some breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding for the recommended duration and early initiation of breastfeeding are not that common. As birth of a baby is a celebration for family and society, breastfeeding is strongly influenced by cultural and religious ceremonies. In today's context, although women may receive guidance from health care professionals, relatives--especially grandmothers--have an important influence on breastfeeding practices.

Further Exploration of the Vedic Personality Inventory: Validity, Reliability and Generalizability

The purpose of this study was to explore the validity, reliability, and generalizability of the Vedic Personality Inventory which consists of constructs derived from the Vedic literature of India. There were 57 participants (20 men, 37 women). The mean age was 44.3 yr. (SD= 15.1). The sample was predominantly older, well-educated women who volunteered to participate as respondees to invitations to participate posted in supermarkets, churches, colleges, and on the internet. Analysis yielded statistically significant correlations for scores on the Vedic Personality Inventory and on the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale and the Brief Symptom Inventory, each of which measures domains of interest addressed by the first inventory.

Ars longa, vita brevis; or: On the relationship between historical linguistics and typology

In Latin, particularly in Early Latin, sentences occur provided with “gnomic” value such as, for instance: Ars longa, vita brevis. Combining typological data and recent results of the comparative method within Indo-European (mainly Vedic an Lithuanian), there is solid evidence that this syntactic type, which is only residual in Latin, was in fact one of the oldest strategies Indo-European has at its disposal to express comparison.

The Vedic gerundive-forms enumerated in Panini-Sutra 3.1.123

Panini-sutra 3.1.95-132 prescribes krtya-suffixes: tavya, tavyaT, aniyaR, yaT, KyaP, NyaT. In 3.1.123, Panini enumerates 17 gerundives, which are taught as Vedic forms (chandas-). This sutra is especially important to consider the question: what Vedic texts did he exploit? It has been researched by P. Thieme, and yet there is room to reconsider his conclusion.The term chandas- seems to be used in two senses. One is ‘Samhita’, the other ‘archaic language’ as opposed to bhasa- ‘common speech’. It is note-worthy that some gerundives enumerated in 3.1.123 are found only in Brahmana and Sutra literature. e. g. starya- ‘to be laid low’ SB, unniyam ‘upwards’ SankhGS, and khanya- ‘to be dug’ LatySS-DrahySS. If the assumption that Panini quoted khanya- from LatySS-DrahySS is correct, it follows that chandas- also covers Vedic usages which sometimes appear in Sutra literature.“...staryadhvarya...” in 3.1.123 should be interpreted as starya- + adhvarya-, and starya- occurs only in SB. According to Thieme, starya- was abstracted from astarya- MS I 5.10:78, 11 on account of its irregular accent (cf. 6.2.160). But starya- must have been taught by Panini as a Vedic word assuch, or an exception to 3.1.124: *starya-. Therefore, the question whether Panini knew the White Yajurveda needs to be further discussed.

Corporate social responsibility: modern vis‐à‐vis Vedic approach

PurposeWith increasing competitiveness today's business scenario has become highly complex. Aims to focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR), which has become increasingly important in the modern era.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual discussion and approach are taken.FindingsCSR encompasses a wide variety of concerns such as ethical values in business, welfare of society, awareness, respect and protection of the natural and built environment as regular action that business can take to solve the problems being faced by the Society. CSR is an integral part of Vedic philosophy. Vedic philosophy emphasizes that those actions, which are coming from the core of heart, will provide the long lasting results. Veda advocates for minimum accumulation, mutual cooperation and maintenance of natural harmony. Veda reiterates non‐centrality of money in human life, but for corporations money is the real nerve of business systems. Vedic economic philosophy is pure and focused on “Prosperity for all”. The present study attempts to critically evaluate the modern concept of CSR and enrich it with the path described by Vedic philosophy to attain the corporate excellence.Originality/valueFocuses on issues such as corporate accountability, corporate ethics and disclosure of relevant corporate information which are increasingly becoming important centres of attention in business.

Symbol and Sustenance: Cattle in South Asian Culture

Domesticated Indian zebu cattle were present on the western margins of the South Asian subcontinent as early as 6000 B.C. Cattle were important in the agricultural economy of the Harappan civilization of the Indus Valley, but archaeological evidence suggests the bull was also assuming a symbolic or religious role in this culture during the third millennium B.C. There is, however, little to suggest that the cow was viewed as sacred. Following the decline of the Harappan civilization, northwestern India was settled by Aryan-speaking peoples who laid the foundations of modern Indian society. The Aryans were pastoral by nature and the economic importance of cattle to this society is mirrored in the role of cattle in ritual, in the pastoral symbolism of the Vedic literature (the ancient religious literature of Hinduism), and also in the association of the cow with various Vedic deities. Yet, again there is nothing to suggest the cow was viewed as sacred at this time. It is not until the appearance of the ahimsa philosophy at the end of the Vedic period, and the acceptance of this belief in the major religious philosophies of the region (Jainism, Buddhism, and later Hinduism), that the concept of the sanctity and inviolability of the cow began to crystallize. The “sacred-cow concept” appears as established doctrine in Hindu literature by the end of the medieval period (ca. fourth century A.D.), although popular practice appears to be at variance with this doctrine. A variety of historical, political, religious and social factors appear to have contributed to the general acceptance of the sacred cow doctrine by the Hindu population at large. During the 1960s, the “sacred cow” was at the center of a controversy in the social sciences concerning whether the concept was essentially religious in nature or reflected the ecological realities of the cattle economy of the Indian subcontinent. This debate notwithstanding, cattle remain central to the Indian economy, but also play a significant role in the religion and rituals of modern Hinduism, particularly those related to the worship of Krishna. Cattle have also assumed a political role in contemporary India, with anti-cow-slaughter legislation and the protection of the cow being identified with the emerging Hindutva movement. No understanding of South Asian culture can be complete without an awareness of the economic, historical, political and religious dimensions of cattle in the Indian subcontinent.

Paninian Accounts of the Vedic Subjunctive: Let Krnvaíte

To determine which Vedic texts Pāṇini knew requires a comprehensive approach that establishes a high correlation between the complete set of linguistic traits his treatise describes and the complete set of linguistic traits exhibited in each text in question. The examination of individual linguistic traits is inadequate to determine which texts he knew because neither the Vedic nor the grammatical tradition is uniform and static. Bronkhorst (Pāṇinian Studies: Professor S. D. Joshi Felicitation Volume, p. 75, 1991) calls into question the assumption that Vedic texts were known to Pāṇini in the form we have received them, while Cardona (Pāṇinian Studies: Professor S. D. Joshi Felicitation Volume, p. 130, 1991) shows that Pāṇini’s silence concerning certain Vedic forms may be due to deference to certain received exegetical traditions. The current paper considers a case where the Pāṇinian grammatical tradition entertains disagreement over the derivation of obscure forms. Doubt concerning the recurrence of the term pit (3.4.92) into 3.4.94 brings into question whether Pāṇini systematically accounts for stem strengthening in the present subjunctive. Kātyāyana, Patanjali, Jayāditya, and Jinendrabuddhi remain silent on the point. Rāmacandra, Śrīkriṣṇa, and Bhaṭṭojidīkṣita assert that pit recurs, thereby allowing stem strengthening. Haradatta, on the other hand, maintains that a rule of indeterminate variation, 3.4.117 chandasy ubhayathā, accounts for it. Nāgeśa points out that the latter procedure is more comprehensive in that it accounts for the lack of stem strengthening in exceptional forms, such as krṇvaite in the R,gveda. The implication is that the former procedure fails to account for the form, which, if Pāṇini’s knowledge of texts were to be established based upon the consideration of individual traits, would imply the absurdity that Pāṇini, as interpreted by Rāmacandra et al. did not know the R,gveda. On the contrary, however, the procedure of Rāmacandra et al. can employ another rule of indeterminate variation: 3.1.85 vyatyayo bahulam. This procedure, which provides a systematic explanation of the present subjunctive generally and requires a rule of indeterminate variation only to account for exceptional forms, is preferable to leaving the account of stem strengthening in the present subjunctive generally to a rule of indeterminate variation. Since both procedures rely on rules of indeterminate variation to account for the R,gvedic form, however, it is impossible to establish either Pāṇini’s knowledge or ignorance of the text on the basis of his account of the subjunctive. The controversy demonstrates that the depth and variety of the Indian grammatical tradition must be taken into account in determining which rules describe which linguistic facts and that it is inadequate to consider individual traits. A comprehensive approach is required.

World Management Lessons from India

World Management Lessons from India

Indian Semantic Analysis: The Nirvacana Tradition (review)

Reviewed by: Indian semantic analysis: The nirvacana tradition by Eivind Kahrs Alessandro Capone Indian semantic analysis: The nirvacana tradition. By Eivind Kahrs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Pp. 302. ISBN 0521631882. $75 (Hb). In this book, Eivind Kahrs, an eminent Sanskrit scholar, investigates the learned Sanskrit literature of Śaiva Kashmir and explains the nirvacana tradition of semantic analysis. I read this book with great interest as I found many foundational propositions of semantics in the nirvacana tradition, and feel that this book correctly apportions many of the ideas of modern linguistics to an ancient source of wisdom. Many linguists will find the view emerging from this tradition appealing. Meaning is considered a property by [End Page 894] which language and thoughts are linked to the world, and also a social construct, as a body of individuals making up a community builds up patterns of meaning through which it articulates its cultural identity. Such patterns of meaning are ways of classifying the world. According to this tradition, the meaning of most words depends systematically on their relations to other words in sentences. The Sanskrit term for meaning (which is understood as the potential to vocalize information states about the world) is artha. Artha is a concept that includes those aspects of meaning that do not depend on the context of use, those aspects that are permanent. Kaiyaṭa on this point remarks ‘ “whatever is permanent.” The artha of a word is the appearance of a cognition. Whenever a word is pronounced, then a cognition appears with the shape of the artha; that is to say, the artha is permanent because it is permanent in the form of a continuous flux’ (45). The nirvacana tradition makes use of a set of thematic roles: the stable point when there is movement away, the recipient or indirect goal, the instrument, the locus, the object or goal, and the agent. The second part of the book deals with grammar. The author discusses Pāṇini’s view of grammar, dealing with Sanskrit. The Indian grammarian divides the linguistic facts into two areas: the corpus of the Vedic texts and the standard colloquial Sanskrit of his times. His methodology is to start with what is common to all domains of the language and to give a description by means of rules that apply to it entirely. Differences of various kinds are then accounted for by rules giving exceptions or options. Accordingly, Pāṇini formulated general rules to account for features shared by all domains and exceptional rules to account for deviating features pertaining only to a particular domain. This is no doubt a most intriguing book, one from which linguists are likely to learn a lot, and to be surprised that much of their knowledge can be traced back to ancient Indian grammarians. But it is also fair to say that the book is very technical and that those who are most likely to benefit are Sanskrit scholars who will find in it immense erudition and expertise. The book deserves much praise. Alessandro Capone University of Messina. Copyright © 2004 Linguistic Society of America

Philosophical and cultural perspectives on acoustics in Vedic Hinduism

Acoustics plays a very important multi-faceted role in Vedic Hinduism. Vedas, that is an infinitely large collection of chants (mantras) in ancient Sanskrit language, form the foundational literature of Vedic Hinduism. The Vedic chants have specific acoustical qualities and intonations. The Vedic literature describes the various aspects of acoustics, namely, philosophical, spiritual, and cultural. The use of sounds from conch-shell, bells, cymbal in addition to the Vedic chants in rituals shows the spiritual aspects. Vedic literature discusses the role of sound in the philosophical understanding of our world. Music, both vocal and instrumental, plays an important role in the cultural aspects of Vedic Hinduism. It can be seen that certain musical instruments such as ‘‘mridangam,’’ a percussion drum, reflect scientific principles underlying in their design. This paper presents an overview of the various important and interesting roles of acoustics in Vedic Hinduism.

Impact of Vedic Worldview and Gunas on Transformational Leadership

Thought processes, implicit assumptions, beliefs, and attitudes of leaders can be meaningfully studied only if they are interwoven into a composite whole by a cultural thread wherefrom they emanate. This study explores the personality traits and worldview of transformational leaders from an Indian cultural perspective. Indian philosophy provides a framework to help understand a person's mental make-up. It offers the Guna theory, also called the tri-dimensional personality theory, to explain differences across individuals. The Vedic texts also outline concepts like Karma (cause-effect chain or the basic law governing all actions) and Maya (existing bundle of inexplicable contradictions of the world) which help in comprehending a person's worldview. Only through a clear understanding of the leader's worldview can we unravel the secrets of transformational leadership and try enhancing it. This paper reports an experiment conducted to observe the impact of the different Gunas and the Vedic worldview on the magnitude of transformational leadership. There are three Gunas: Sattva (awareness), Rajas (dynamism), and Tamas (inertness). Gunas are fundamental ingredients or constituents in every being and each being is composed of all the three Gunas. When one of the three Gunas is dominant in a person, that person is characterized by that Guna. The Gunas were manipulated by portraying a political leader as being high on one or two of the Gunas. The Vedic worldview (operationalized as an understanding of Maya and belief in Karma) was manipulated by portraying the leader as having or not having such a worldview. The outcome variable was transformational leadership as perceived by the participants. The sample consisted of 140 students, 97 males and 43 females, aged between 16 and 20 years, from a prominent school in eastern India. A 3 x 2 + 1 factorial design was used where Sattva, Rajas, and Sattva-Rajas combinations were crossed with Vedic worldview (yes or no) to produce six cells, Tamas being the seventh cell. A 47-item multi- factor leadership questionnaire was used to capture the five factors of transformational leadership as perceived by the participants: attributed charisma idealized influence inspirational leadership intellectual stimulation individualized consideration. The mean of the five factors formed the transformational leadership score. The results of analyses of variance indicate the following: Sattva and Vedic worldview separately enhance transformational leadership whereas Tamas reduces it. Sattva-Rajas combination also enhances transforma-tional leadership but the effect is not more than the effect of Sattva alone. Sattva and Vedic worldview together do not enhance transformational leadership more than what Sattva alone does. The paper concludes with a discussion on what the organizations can do for enhancing transformational leadership by using the Guna framework and by reinforcing the Vedic worldview which are summarized as follows: Design training programmes to develop Sattva and reduce Tamas. Build team-orientation and self-sacrifice for directing energies towards superordinate goals. Base organizational policies on a competency framework built around Sattva and a Vedic orientation.

Role of Medicinal Plants - India's Richest Natural Resource in Today's Health and Education

The knowledge Of Pv!edicinal plants datö since origin of mankind. However, a more systematic approach has been given the age Old Science "Ayurveda" The Science Of Life and other systems of medicine such as Siddha, Unani, Homeopathy, etc. Folk medicine is in practice in various pans of the country by both rural and urban people. For centuries Indians have perpetuated an empirical Science Of Herbology in relation to The Wide spread and long standing practice Of using medicinal plants have been transcribed through Vedic Literature, and various scriptures, like in the Holy Bible, mention has been made about use Of plants cs fooe One medicine in the Chapter of Genesis and in Epics Of Ramayana and Mahabharotha etc.

Shades of Orientalism: Paradoxes and Problems in Indian Historiography

AbstractIn Orientalism, Edward Said attempts to show that all European discourse about the Orient is the same, and all European scholars of the Orient complicit in the aims of European imperialism. There may be “manifest” differences in discourse, but the underlying “latent” orientalism is “more or less constant.” This does not do justice to the marked differences in approach, attitude, presentation, and conclusions found in the works of various orientalists. I distinguish six different styles of colonial and postcolonial discourse about India (heuristic categories, not essential types), and note the existence of numerous precolonial discourses. I then examine the multiple ways exponents of these styles interact with one another by focusing on the early‐twentieth‐century nationalist orientalist, Sri Aurobindo. Aurobindo's thought took form in a colonial framework and has been used in various ways by postcolonial writers. An anti‐British nationalist, he was by no means complicit in British imperialism. Neither can it be said, as some Saidians do, that the nationalist style of orientalism was just an imitative indigenous reversal of European discourse, using terms like “Hinduism” that had been invented by Europeans. Five problems that Aurobindo dealt with are still of interest to historians: the significance of the Vedas, the date of the vedic texts, the Aryan invasion theory, the Aryan‐Dravidian distinction, and the idea that spirituality is the essence of India. His views on these topics have been criticized by Leftist and Saidian orientalists, and appropriated by reactionary “Hindutva” writers. Such critics concentrate on that portion of Aurobindo's work which stands in opposition to or supports their own views. A more balanced approach to the nationalist orientalism of Aurobindo and others would take account of their religious and political assumptions, but view their project as an attempt to create an alternative language of discourse. Although in need of criticism in the light of modern scholarship, their work offers a way to recognize cultural particularity while keeping the channels of intercultural dialogue open.

Poetics and Pragmatics in the Vedic Liturgy for the Installation of the Sacrificial Post

Poetics and Pragmatics in the Vedic Liturgy for the Installation of the Sacrificial Post

The concept of sampad in the arthaśāstra, the vedic prose texts and the gītā

AbstractNo Abstract

The Flowers of <i>Rgveda</i> Hymns: Lotus in V.78.7, X.184.2, X.107.10, VI.16.13, and VII.33.11, VI.61.2, VIII.1.33, X.142.8

In Vedic literature there are different names meaning the lotus or its parts. Here, I will limit myself to the study of the lotus in the Rgveda. In the Rgveda the lotus or its parts are mentioned eight times, and in two varieties, known to us as blue and white. Though its occurrences are fex in number, it is very interesting to note what kind of word meaning lotus has been used, in what occurrences the flower has been mentioned, and the semantic connections between the lotus and the other elements of the hymn. Through the analysis of these elements, I will attempt to clarify the interpretation of the stanzas themselves. I will also indicate the importance and the semantic use of lotus.

LIGHT FROM DISTANT ASTERISKS TOWARDS A DESCRIPTION OF THE INDO-EUROPEAN RELIGIOUS HERITAGE

AbstractAn attempt is made to summarize and synthesize new and old evidence regarding the religious heritage among peoples speaking Indo-European languages in pre-Christian and pre-Islamic Eurasia. Initial stress is put on the methodological, theoretical and ideological problems of such an undertaking. The rest of the paper discusses how the transmission of heritage was conceptualized (with examples from Vedic and Greek literature), to what extent we are able to discern the outlines of an Indo-European pantheon, the possibility of tracing the realizations of hereditary, mythical motifs in the oldest Indo-European literatures, and the prospects for a comparative Indo-European ritualistics.

Caste-Its Diversity and Fluidity

This essay presents my view on caste as derived from my long experience as an anthropologist in India, which dates back to 1953. My fieldwork has been directed at the Hindu family and village community, not necessarily at caste per se. Nevertheless, it was the working of caste society that provided considerable stimulation to my analytical thought process. My understanding of caste also owes to works by Western and Indian social anthropologists, who have since the 1950s contributed most to the study of caste, and with whom I have enjoyed close contacts as colleagues.This essay consists of four successive parts. (1) Caste-Varna and Jati. Both are called“caste, ”though they have different historical backgrounds as well as different connotations. In actual Hindu life, caste is articulated as jati, numerous primary functional groups variously classified by occupation (as explained in the next section). Simultaneously, jati members also have a strong concern with varna, i.e. the four status groups of Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaisha and Sudra, as clearly stated in ancient Vedic literature. People desire to interpret their jati within a varna classification. This is particularly the case with Kshatriya, in order to profess a higher status. In this paper, the term“caste”refers to jati or a cluster of the same kind of jati.

Physiological Patterns During Practice of the Transcendental Meditation Technique Compared With Patterns While Reading Sanskrit and A Modern Language

This study tested the prediction that reading Vedic Sanskrit texts, without knowledge of their meaning, produces a distinct physiological state. We measured EEG, breath rate, heart rate, and skin conductance during: (1) 15-min Transcendental Meditation (TM) practice; (2) 15-min reading verses of the Bhagavad Gita in Sanskrit; and (3) 15-min reading the same verses translated in German, Spanish, or French. The two reading conditions were randomly counterbalanced, and subjects filled out experience forms between each block to reduce carryover effects. Skin conductance levels significantly decreased during both reading Sanskrit and TM practice, and increased slightly during reading a modern language. Alpha power and coherence were significantly higher when reading Sanskrit and during TM practice, compared to reading modern languages. Similar physiological patterns when reading Sanskrit and during practice of the TM technique suggests that the state gained during TM practice may be integrated with active mental processes by reading Sanskrit.

Toward a culturally inclusive understanding of wisdom: historical roots in the East and West.

To establish a clearer definition of wisdom as a psychological concept, Western and Eastern historical literatures were reviewed and assessed within a general analytical/synthetic framework. In the West, either in an ancient Egyptian, biblical, or philosophical sense, wisdom had been often identified as a form of analytical ability such as an increase in the knowledge database or an increase in information processing efficiency. By contrast, the Eastern understanding of wisdom, primarily derived from the ancient Vedic text, had been more inclusive, with both analytical and synthetic domains regarded as necessary moments to the whole of wisdom. The inclusive account was also discussed with respect to two important Eastern themes of wisdom: "void" and "codependence."