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"In
fact, between the years 1500 and 500 B.C., the
people of India were so far advanced in religion,
metaphysics, philosophy, science, art, music, and
medicine, that no other- nation could stand as their
rival, or compete with them in any of these branches of
knowledge." "Benares has been a city of sanctity and learning ages out of mind. Kapila taught the Sankhya philosophy here, Gautama the Nyaya system, and Panini elaborated his Sanskrit Grammar, although, indeed, the orthodox Brahmans believe that that famous work came straight from the gods centuries before a stone was laid of any Aryan city." Edwin Arnold 1886 "The
Hindu thinkers approached the great problems of life with
the same daring and in the same broad spirit as did later
on the philosophers of Greece and the West. ... the
inflecting forms of speech the beautiful Sanskrit idiom ..
is surpassed by none in wealth, pliability, and euphony.
... "The oldest period of Vedic religion extends from about 3000 to 1000 B.C. ... The language of the Veda is Sanskrit, an elder sister of our own." Herbert Baynes 1889 "The
history of Hindu ethics before foreign influence began to
be felt is from two or three thousand years in duration
and is of inestimable value for the reason, apart from its
intrinsic worth, that it presents an uninterrupted
development of moral teaching extending for a much longer
period than can be seen in any other system of ethical
education untouched by alien thought. ... The earliest
Hindu literature, which reverts at least to 1000 B.C. and
may be older, is already full of ethical wisdom,"
E. Washburn Hopkins "In India, for various reasons, (mysticism) fell into the hands of persons who destroyed 90 per cent. of the knowledge [that existed for at least 4000 years], and of that portion which remained tried to make a great secret." Swami Vivekananda "Anything that is secret and mysterious should be at once rejected. ... Any attempt to mystify these things is productive of great danger." Swami Vivekananda "There is, in fact, an immensity of bulk about this, as about every other department of Sanskrit literature, which to a European mind, accustomed to a more limited horizon, is absolutely bewildering." Monier Monier-Williams 1863 "When the great western nations were sitting in darkness and barbarism, India was leading the van in civilization, culture and material prosperity. In mathematics, science and philosophy, her sages first mapped out the path of progress. Their torches first broke the darkness. ... In metaphysical subtlety, in mental casuistic science, indeed, she had advanced even then so far, that the fleetest of her pursuers in a race of ages, with the seven-leagued boots of nineteenth century progress, have not overtaken her. Much of the glittering idealism of the present day, is only the time-worn speculation of the ancient Hindu philosopher." Dennis Osborne 1884 'In the whole world there is no study so beneficial and so elevating as that of the Upanishads. It has been the solace of my life, it will be the solace of my death.' If these words of Schopenhauer's required any endorsement, I should willingly give it as the result of my own experience during a long life devoted to the study of many philosophies and many religions. Professor Max Muller "Even in modern times, the influence of this enchantment has led some learned and enthusiastic writers to describe India as the primal source of all knowledge and culture, the radiant morning-land of human civilization." John D Baldwin 1869 "... many thousands of years before the birth of Christ. When the true history of the philosophies of India comes to be written by her own sons and daughters it will open up a new horizon of thought before the wondering gaze of Western humanity, and in that fairyland of metaphysics the student will discover fresh landscapes whose existence was hitherto unguessed." Sri Ananda Acharaya 1917 Vedanta
explains the basis of ethics. Why should we be moral? Not
because some one has said this or that; not because it is
written in a certain chapter of a certain scripture, but
because of the spiritual oneness of the universe. If you
injure another, you injure yourself. If you are wicked,
you not only do harm to yourself but also to others. It
also explains through this spiritual oneness why we should
love our neighbor as ourselves, because "Some of these translations are very good; others indifferent; and others actually misleading." Yogi Ramacharaka 1907 There are many texts on Ancient India. When you come across such works, be aware that a few of the translations / interpretations were by writers presenting an independent picture (the good and the bad); many other writers of the time had very clear agendas. They actually fabricated some of the material, they distorted the truth to suit their own dishonest and dishonorable purposes. Some were highly ignorant and they only provided superficial accounts of real culture. Others were grossly biased, to put it very, very mildly - we cannot stoop down to their levels to describe what they really were. As far as possible, always go to the original Indian/Hindu sources or to translators who had access to the original sources and who didn't have any hidden motives. You will then discover untainted versions of original Indian / Hindu culture that is as ancient and as civilised as any other culture that has ever existed - second to none. The onslaught to wipe out pure ancient knowledge and eternal Truths has been ongoing for at least one thousand years. That set in motion the dawn of Kalyug - The Dark Age. But those who set out to destroy eternal Truths cannot be aware of the consequences of their actions - like immature children playing with dangerous toys. They don't learn from history. They act like God. But they are not. Views and opinions by many of the Western writers were "decidedly prejudiced ... and untrustworthy." Professor Pratt, quoted by Lajpat Rai, 1916 "Their reading of Indian history is often perverted and their observations of Indian life partial and distorted. They go to India with definite aims, look at persons and things from their own particular angle, and pose as authorities on matters far beyond the scope of their observations and studies." Lajpat Rai, 1916 "Those who hold such (ignorant, prejudiced) opinions, judge of the greatness of others by their own smallness." - Har Bilas Sarda Many writers went to India "on a Mission" - it wasn't difficult at all for them to distort and to misrepresent reality. It served their purpose; many of them didn't really care about the Truth - and they claimed they were "religious". However, as Lowes Dickinson put it, it was "sheer prejudice." From " The Song Celestial" - Bhagavad Gita Health and Welfare News Nutrition advice, dieting, weight loss and healthcare, healthy eating Avoiding Obesity and being overweight Ayurvedic Medicines Sold via the Internet ... Lowering Blood Pressure, Heart Disease, Sleep ... Joyful music for a healthy heart ... Fructose, Weight Gain Weight Loss, Obesity Don't smoke, live longer, Obesity, Dark Chocolate and Cocoa Elderly women, preventing falls and injury Complementary
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