Vedic Period Research Articles

Ancient Indian Universities “Institutional Repository” to Create Global Visibility for Learning and Research – Review-Based Analysis

Purpose: Ancient higher education has excellent teaching and research. Takshila University has produced scholars such as Chanakya, author of the great book Arthashastra, Panini, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and grammarian, Charaka, the father of Indian medicine, Surgeon Jivaka Kumarabhattaa, Sharada Peetha Temple University has 5000 scholars like Kumarajiva Buddhist scholar, Thonmi Sambhota and Library, Pushapagiri University, Kanthalloor Sabha in Kerala, and Ujjaini University Alumni Brahmgupa and Bhaskar II. Dipankar Sri-Jnana, a prominent Vikramasila scholar, released over 200 volumes, while Mithila, a centre of Brahminical culture, produced intellectuals like Jagaddhara, who created writings such as Gita and Gita Govinda. These are the world's oldest institutions; no Institutional Repositories were discovered during the Vedic period, but the Buddhist period gave rise to Institutional Repositories, which house collections of books on various subjects. Scholars and students rely on institutional repositories. Takshashila University students come from all across Aryavrat, as well as from places like Greece, Arabia, Japan, Indonesia, Mongolia, and China. Nalanda University specializes in Buddhist education, but it also offers other courses. It contains a massive Institutional Repository of manuscripts from many curricula and Sanskrit texts totalling 5,00,000 shlokas. During the fifteenth century, Tibetan scholar Taranatha wrote about the nine-story library of Nalanda University with 9 million manuscripts and the Saraswati Mahal manuscript library of Tanjore in his travelogues about the Nalanda institutional repository namely Ratnasagara, Ratnodadhi, and Ratnaranjaka located in a complex called 'Dharmaganja'. The University Institutional Repository provides services to its members and community to threaten the institution's visibility, standing, and public ideals. Design/ Methodology/Approach: This is a literature-based paper that investigates ancient university research academics' contributions to Institutional Repositories established around the world to create visibility. Findings and Results: Ancient University Institutional Repositories are the house of millions of manuscripts, Sanskrit text, and its slokas contributed by alumni of the university and Scholars. Originality/Value/Novelty: The article's case study and literature studies disclose the Ancient University Repository and researchers' and teachers' contributions to the repository. Type of Paper: Literature Review.

“Concept, form and philosophical background of devotion”

Bhakti, a sentiment rooted in the worship of God, has been prevalent since the Vedic period and has evolved over time. The word Bhakti, derived from the root Bhaj which means to serve, includes worship, love and offering to God. There are two paths of devotion: Saguna and Nirguna, the second is the path of knowledge and the second is the path of love. Hinduism accepts both forms of God, with saints and devotees adopting their preferred forms. Philosophical discussion on Bhakti began in the Middle Ages, with scholars such as Shankaracharya attempting to consolidate Hinduism through the Vedas and Upanishads. Shankaracharya introduced monism, arguing that the soul and the world have no real significance apart from Brahman, and knowledge is the only means of purifying the mind. Ramanujacharya opposed Shankaracharya's theory and said that Brahma is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. Nimbarkacharya also established dualism, saying that soul and nature are objectively real but dependent on God.

Propagation of Ancient Indian Knowledge through IKT Courses in Open Schooling

Let’s go back to Indianness and experience the richness of ancient Indian culture” is a call to rediscover and immerse ourselves in the profoundheritage of India. It invites us to explore the long-standing customs, works of art, schools of thought, and knowledge that have shaped thiscountry. The abovementioned quote encourages returning to the fundamentals and learning about the rich tapestry of Indian history andculture, which stands for spirituality, harmony in diversity, traditional arts, music, dance, cuisine, rituals, and philosophy like as yoga and Vedanta.India has always been viewed as having a rich and diversified knowledge legacy as it is the home of one of the oldest and most sophisticatedcivilizations in the world, including the Indus Valley civilization and the Vedic culture. The vibrant Indian method of living a life is made knownto the entire world through the rich traditional practices of Ayurveda, meditation, and yoga. The ancient Indian sciences are incredibly helpfulin today’s times because of their timeless concepts, all-encompassing viewpoint, and ability to address modern challenges. This paper exploresthe diversity of ancient Indian knowledge and the necessity of incorporating it into the country’s contemporary educational system. Additionally,it also describes NIOS’s initiative to incorporate IKT subjects into the open school curriculum, which was prepared specifically for Indian openschool learners. The major objective of introducing IKT subjects was to prepare citizens of tomorrow who are not only academically competentbut also emotionally balanced, socially responsible, and environmentally sensitive. This paper was written with the goal of communicatingbest practices and increasing the general awareness of the numerous programmes provided by NIOS and encouraging more people to engagewith it and utilize its resources.

Aśvattha and śamī. The Evolution of the Meanings of an Arboreal Couple in Indian Religious History

In this article I will explore some mythological and ritual aspects related to a pair of trees, the aśvattha and the śamī. In India, since the time of the Vedic culture, these two trees have often been the protagonists of myths and rituals in which they are conceived of as a couple. In various contemporary religious contexts, one finds dendrolatric practices (vanaspatipūjā), which sometimes result in the celebration of actual tree marriages (vr̥kṣa vivāha), whereby trees grow by intertwining with each other. The aśvattha and the śamī, though in today's context separately, are also subject to dendrogamic practices. In particular, the aśvattha is subject to a gender-shift whereby in some contexts, though traditionally regarded as the male tree, it acquires a female role within the couple. This phenomenon finds a parallel in various myths and rituals handed down in the Vedic texts. In fact, the araṇis, that is, the two sticks that were rubbed together during the ritual of lighting the fire, were made from the wood of the two trees. The analysis of the symbolic values linked to the coupling of the two araṇis and the many variants that this motif generated allows us to highlight, on a mythical level, the emergence of a sexuality that is not necessarily heteronormative. These versions, in fact, lead us to reflect on an arboreal nature that alludes to a sexuality that bypasses and transcends the gender binary and accounts for the fluidity found in certain contemporary arboreal ‘marriages.

An open labelled clinical study to evaluate the effect of Manjistha Lepa on Savarnikarana of Vrana Vastu w.s.r. to scar

Vranavastu is the scar formed on the skin after the Vrana is healed. It remains for the rest of life even after the healing of Vrana is completed.[1] This Vranavastu forms discoloration of skin, to treat this discoloration of skin various procedures are explained in Vaikrutapaha Chikitsa[2] of Vrana, which helps to restore the normal skin color after healing. Cosmetology[3] was given utmost importance even in the Vedic period. It emphasizes not only on physical beauty but also on psyche beauty for the purpose of attaining an admirable personality. Reference of Manjishta[4] used in skin disorders is mentioned in Charaka Samhitha under Varnya Gana. This study is carried out in a single group of 30 diagnosed cases of Vrana vasthu. This study is based on clinical evaluation of effect of Manjishta Lepa in Vrana Vasthu. Obtained observations and results have been analyzed in terms of Ayurveda and Contemporary science.

Transforming Digital Dispute Resolution in India

The era of digital reality offers and shapes new dispute resolution mechanisms, imposes high demands and sets its own rules to be complied with. The introduction of information and communication technologies and artificial intelligence into judicial and out-of-court dispute resolution proceedings in India has shown innovative results quite rapidly. Transformation of digital modes of dispute resolution continues with new research and development of modern technologies that strive for excellence. The purpose of this study is to analyze transformation of digital dispute resolution methods in India, considering the historical evolutionism that led from the Vedic era to the global digital revolution, formation of a hybrid model that combines several modes of dispute resolution - offline courts, online courts and online dispute resolution using digital technologies and alternative dispute resolution methods. However, the digital system is far from being perfect; it has significant drawbacks associated with the risks of cyber-attacks and leakage of personal data containing sensitive confidential and personal information. Besides, the digital literacy of the Indian population located on the periphery is quite low, which greatly reduces the level of trust in electronic courts and online dispute resolution.

Vedic Era and Social Conditions: Unraveling the Tapestry of Ancient India

The Vedic era, spanning from around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE, is a crucial period in the history of ancient India. This article delves into the social conditions of the Vedic era, exploring the intricate tapestry of society, culture, and governance. Drawing upon the Vedas, the primary religious texts of the time, and archaeological evidence, we navigate through the variegated landscapes of social structures, economic systems, and religious practices that defined this epoch. The article also sheds light on the role of women, the emergence of the caste system, and the profound impact of Vedic thought on the socio-cultural milieu. Through a comprehensive analysis, this article seeks to unveil the nuanced dynamics that shaped the social fabric of ancient India during the Vedic era.

Mimansa Principle of Interpretation

Numerous scriptures have been found that have been crucial to understanding the Hindu texts. These texts included the complex procedures for determining the true meaning of terms and expressions found in the Vedas and Puranic texts. The Mimansa is the most significant scripture among all others that contained the guidelines for this kind of interpretation. Hindu civilization and culture developed complex norms of interpretation even in their earliest days. Smrities were interpreted according to the guidelines provided by "Jaimini," the author of the Mimamsat Sutras, which were first intended for srutis. One could refer to Mimansa as the Dharmasasthras' stepping stone. This article deals with the various axioms and scientific nature of interpretation, how it differs from maxwell’s interpretation and how it applied in current scenario.

A Comparative Evaluation and Understanding of the Taxonomical Characteristics, Pharmacological Attributes, and Therapeutical Potential of Tulasi (Ocimum sanctum Linn. Linn.) and Bhustrina (Hyptis sauveolans (Linn.) Poit.)

Usage of medicinal plants as a source for medicine has been the base of Ayurveda and has been in practice since the Vedic period. This has been a driving force for exponential growth and globalization of the science through ages into what we face in the current generation. Increased demand of a drug ultimately leads to over exploitation of the drug and brings forward the risk of shortage, abuse, and unavailability of the drug. The issue of unavailability of a drug has been prevailing since the 16th century AD and to overcome these issues, various classical literatures like Yoga ratnakara have stressed on the concept of Abhava pratinidhi Dravya or substitutes. With each passing day, newer and newer pharmaceutical products are being introduced into the market utilizing the available resources, hence the necessity of introducing and replacing endangered and risky medicinal plants have become inevitable to balance out the ecosystem. Tulasi (Ocimum sanctum Linn. Linn.) is an Ayurvedic drug used in clinical practice, pharmaceutical industries, and clinical applications for their diverse and potent pharmacological activities. Even though Tulasi naturally grows as a weed, excessive usage, Harsh climatic conditions, and demand for its antimicrobial activity has put Tulasi at risk for its availability. This study is focused on another drug “Bhustrina”- Hyptis sauveolans Poit which also belongs to Lamiaceae family and is a common weed. The study mainly emphasizes to evaluate and understand and compare the similarity in taxonomical characteristics, Pharmacological attributes, and therapeutical potential of Tulasi and Bhustrina and thereby include Bhustrina as a potential replacement for Tulasi.

Does the ancient Indian practice of Yagya reflect some critical product design attributes? A Designer’s perspective

Background: Yagya is recognized as one of the most valuable outcomes of Indian knowledge systems (IKS). It was a significant element of the Vedic period and remained an integral part of the everyday lives of kings, rishis, learners, villagers, & others who practised this tradition with entire commitment and to the best of their abilities. Problem: Yagya, as a concept and practice, is an appropriate and meaningful case study for a wide range of disciplines, and it is being investigated in a variety of domains including- management, medicine, environmental science, mathematics, and many more. However, its reflection from design perspective, which places a strong emphasis on attributes like creative thinking, problem solving, etc. remains unexplored. Methods: The study's takeaways are derived from a review of the content from various mediums available on 'Yagya,' specifically Vangamaya 25 - 'Yagya ka Gyan Vigyan,' authored by Pt. Sriram Sharma Acharya. Results: The paper discusses Yagya and its association with various disciplines with a focus on attributes relevant to design. Yagya, when viewed from this lens, appears to depict some of the critical design attributes including- creative & problem-solving mindset, need-based & purpose-driven solutions, multi-sensory experience, and scalability, that are vital to (product) design. Conclusion: The practise of Yagya reflects many critical product-design attributes. The evidence presented in the paper emphasises the importance of studying ancient knowledge traditions and highlights the need to incorporate them into current educational curriculum to familiarise learners with ancient India’s rich and refined knowledge systems.

The Vedic Era: Indian Women And Spirituality

this monograph, an attempt has been made to ascertain the spiritual state and spirituality of women in the Vedic period. The socio-religious status of women, their contribution and involvement in philosophical-intellectual debates, along with a comparison of Gender spiritual rights have also been revisited. Since the concept of spirituality has changed and grown over time, various definitions coexist today. Saints or enlightened ones have shown higher degrees of spiritual growth than the common man. The word "spirituality" has been used here to refer to a religious reforming process that comprises the examination of some universal concepts, such as compassion, love, generosity, afterlife, enlightenment, and truth. The Vedic civilization is an intriguing exception to the norm concerning the general situation of women becoming unsatisfactory as the years progressed. The role of women is increasingly gratifying the further back we look, including the spiritual realm. As a period of great social and political stability, the early Vedic era is regarded as the "golden age" of women. In contrast, the later Vedic era marked a sharp and apparent decline in the social standing of women. This work emphasizes the spiritual empowerment of women and highlights the crucial role they had in forming religious and cultural traditions during this time through a review of Vedic texts, academic interpretations, and archaeological data. The approach used in this work is strictly descriptive, and the data needed was gathered from primary as well as secondary sources with reference to Vedic women in antiquity. KEYWORDS- Vedic Era, Religion, Society, and Women’s Spirituality.

Impact of Gender Inequality on Indian Women

Gender roles may be described in two ways established gender roles of a culture or gender roles of an individual. In terms of culture, it may be described as a social norm or standard that summarizes the culturally constructed characteristics that define feminine and masculine and may cover such diverse features as physical attributes, appearances, and covert attributes including feelings, attitudes motives, and beliefs. During the time of the ancient Vedic culture, women were given a place in society that was considered to be of the utmost esteem. They were members of the Sabhas and Samitis, and among them were highly educated ladies like as Gargi, Lopamudra, and others. In verses 3.55 and 3.56 of Manusmriti, it is said that "Women must be honored and adorned" and that "where women are revered, the god rejoices; but where they aren't, no sacred rites bears any fruits." Manusmriti shows at it has respect for women by making these statements. Education is a powerful weapon to eradicate gender discrimination from top to bottom. The education of girls has a positive impact on the socio-economic well-being of women and their families and society. Indian Government has introduced different schemes and programs for women, especially equal status.

Culture, Gender And Literature of Ancient Indian

This paper demonstrate the status and position of women during the period of Indus valley civilizations, early and later Vedic period, epic period, period of Dharmashastra and Purana as well as position of women in Buddhism and Jainism in order to get a full picture of the status of women in ancient text and religious culture India. In this paper, we shall look also into the history and explore the status of Indian women from ancient times, Indian women's place in literature, and their contribution to literature. As revealed from ancient literature and original text by this study the women of ancient India were not so degraded as their position was degraded in medieval and modern era when women were start to face suppression, oppression, and the institutional practices like child marriage, bigamy, polygamy, dowry, pardah, sati and devadasi.

Dalit Middle Class in Contemporary India: Various Discourses

Dalits are the people oppressed by the Brahmins since the Vedic Age. A portion of them now belongs to the Scheduled Castes since independence. Reservation has been introduced for them in education, public employments and different tiers of elections. A tiny section of the Dalits availing these opportunities ultimately entered the middle class. But globalization diluted this opportunity for them. Moreover, Hindutva politics has been able to convince the educated young Dalits in favour of globalization as against Marxist narratives and efforts. This article addresses various discourses of Dalit middle class like its identity formation, emancipation-empowerment debates, bargains among different doctrines, rise of Hindutva politics mobilizing the Dalit middle class, a reverse caste politics mobilizing Brahmins under the authority of the Dalits with special reference to the politics of Bahujan Samaj Party and, finally, the Dalits’ demands for reservation in private sector while that in public sector is on the wane with the surge of globalization. This article is a qualitative one employing, at first, historical methodology based on secondary sources; then to authenticate and substantiate with the reality, the ethnographic surveys and interviews became necessary.

Clinical study of add on effect of Triphaladaruadi Kwatha (Vangsenokta) along with antidiabetic drug in management of Prameha (Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes mellitus- NIDDM)

Prameha (Diabetes mellitus) is an age long disease known from vedic period and now it is a leading lifestyle disorder. Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic syndromes of fat, protein and carbohydrate which is due to absolute or relative deficiency of insulin. The prevalence of diabetes in India has risen from 7.1% in 2009 to 8.9% in 2019.1 The estimates in 2019 showed that 77 million individuals had diabetes in India, which is expected to rise to over 134 million by 2045.2 In India, it is also 3rd leading cause of death (After heart disease and cancer). The number is projected to be twice by 2030. Type 2 diabetes makes up about 85-90% of all cases. Increase in the overall diabetes prevalence rates largely reflect an increase in risk factors for type 2, notably greater longevity and being overweight or obese. Hence preventive measures are essential and an ideal therapy is still obscure. It remains one of the baffling enigmas for clinical research. This is a randomized single blind standard controlled clinical trial conducted on 66 patients of Prameha (Type II DM & who are on antidiabetic treatment) to rule out Add on effect of Triphaladaruadi kwath of either gender between age group of 40-60 years and grouped into Group A & Group B. 33 patients in group A were on Antidiabetic drug (Metformin 500mg OD/BD and 33 patients in Group B are on same antidiabetic drug (Metformin 500mg OD/BD) with additional Triphaladaruadi kwath (Decoction) for 3 months. Results obtained in subjective and objective parameters were analyzed for the statistical significance by adapting paired ‘t’ test in the groups, Two-way ANOVA test between the groups, and Wilcoxon rank sum test. The study revealed that Group B was found to be more effective in bringing symptomatic relief and improving biochemical markers in the patients of Prameha.

Environmental Consciousness as Reflected in Indian Literature since Vedic Era

Since the dawn of ancient era, the scriptures and Vedas have portrayed the inter-relation between man and environment. It preaches us its importance and how to protect the environment and use its resources judiciously. A hymn from the ‘Atharva Veda’, ‘Prithvi Sukta’ describes that ‘Earth is my mother and I am her son’. The Hindu scriptures also present a message that God is present in every element of the world and spreads a message of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (The whole world is one family). Hence, every organism should be treated equally. These evidences prove that people back then whole heartedly followed the scriptures and traditions and developed a linkage of religion with conservation of the ecosystem. The present study aims to identify the essence of environmental thoughts present in the Vedas and other sacred books, our rich folklore, and literature, including Indian English and our Bhasa literature, written since Vedic era to the modern time.

Vachana Sahitya: A Revisitation to the Contribution of Sivasaranes (Women Saints ) to the Literary World

It was presumed that writing was the talent of only the male bastion till the recent past. Women were not to be seen or heard in the scenario of literature. To the contrary, the pages of history give some instances of women’s writings, such as hymns from the Rig Veda by Lopmudra, Gargi, Maitreye ; the testimonials of Buddhist nuns from the sixth century BC; body of work by 12th century Vachanakartiyaru (Women Saints) and a number of works by unknown women poets, novelists and so on. When we look at the status of women during various historical ages, we realise that it is not very satisfactory except during the Rig Vedic period. It was the same during the early 12th century. The women were controlled by the old orthodox traditions and rigid practices with no freedom and no voice of their own. The multi-faceted socio-religious movement called Sarana Movement or Vachana Chaluvali brought huge changes in the society. This movement involved all spheres of life such as social, economic, religious and literary reforms. The movement aimed at establishing a casteless, classless society and sowed the seeds of Gender equality. The movement brought women an honourable existence. Women were not only given opportunities to realize their physical and spiritual potential but also enjoyed equality with men. A free atmosphere during the 12th century led more than thirty women writers to express their independent and new thoughts. The vachanas became the medium to express their every day experiences. Since the ‘Saranas’ & ‘Saranes’ used common regional dialect to compose the poems they were able to reach the people. Through this simple medium called ‘vachanas’ they were able to bring in changes in the society. Women writers like Akkamahadevi, Bonta Devi Sattyakka, Lakkamma, Nilambike, Gangambike and others wrote about various concerns, mystic experiences, vows, nature, kindness, blind beliefs & other ill practices in the society. This paper is an attempt to revisit the contribution of women saints to the literary world.

A REVIEW ON KOSTHI WSR TO RASATARANGINI AND RASA RATNA SAMUCCHYA

Ayurveda the science of life gives importance to keep balance between nature and human relationship. From Vedic period to Samhita period there was less of metals/minerals in formulation, but from the period of Nagarjuna formulation of herbo-mineral drugs are used profusely. A careful survey of the original text on Rasashastra shows that the subject covers the entire field of inorganic pharmaceutical preparation like metallic, non-metallic and ongano-metallic compounds of Ayurvedic Materia medica. Shodhana and Marana of the substance are done with some special processes and thereafter can be used therapeutically. Kosthi is defined as for extraction of dravyas sattva and for the purpose of Dhalana, the special ovens used are called Kosthika. They can be correlated with Gas stove, Hot plate and Heating mantle in modern science. Kosthi are the special devices mentioned in Rasa Shastra to process the Rasa Dravya. They are mentioned in text of Rasa Shastra depicting its importance to other devices like Yantra, Musha, Puta. Kosthi are of different types like Angarkosthi, Patal Kosthi, Gara Kosthi, Musha Kosthi. Their description in Rasa grantha draws attention to know Kosthi in scientific way. Therefore, in the present paper an attempt to review the different Kosthi.

Forest Biodiversity and Livelihood of Tribal People in North Western Himalaya with Special Reference to Himachal Pradesh, India

Forests are the treasures gifted to mankind since time immemorial. In Vedic era, the indigenous communities had a huge repository of knowledge pertaining to the utilization of plants and they relied on this vital comprehension for the welfare of society. This authentic knowledge of plants is vanishing among the people over the period of time due to growth and development in various human civilizations. Presently, the people living in close contact with nature aloof from the latest technologies, facilities and gadgets could practically experience the connect with the flora and fauna of the region. The tribal communities have been a part of forests for centuries, together possessing immense knowledge about the biodiversity of an area. They not only know the usage and importance of each item of forest produce including trees, herbs and shrubs but also are aware of the side effects of excess usage of a medicinal plant. Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) are important component of subsistence and livelihood of tribal communities living in and near forests. This is of particular significance in the state of Himachal Pradesh having 27.73% of geographical area under forest cover and predominantly inhabited by tribal people. The tribes of Himachal Pradesh generally have their abode in the upper and middle level of the hills. Forest products particularly the NTFPs can provide a sustainable economic boost to millions of people, especially, tribals living in and around forests of North Western Himalayan ranges, by using existing forest resources. Hence, the present study highlights the dependence of rural and tribal communities on forests and forest products in North Western Himalayan region.

Contribution of Indian Music Towards the Social and Cultural Development After the Independence of India

Music is as old as our civilization. The presence of music / dance in Indus Valley Civilization is evident from some musical instruments, such as the arched or bow-shaped harp and few varieties of drums on terracotta figures and pictographs on the seals. Further, the dancing girl figurine is a testimony to this. However, what kind of music or dance was prevalent that time, we are totally ignorant about it. • Music in Vedic Era • Origin of Sargam • Music in Maurya Era – Buddhist and Jain Sources • Later Development of Indian Music • Brihaddeshi • Influence of Islam • Impact of Bhakti Movement • Mughal Era • 19th century • 20th century • Modern trends in Indian classical music