looking back..

“The great Samkhya Doctorine(Indian) of material evolution attributed to Kapila- the real source of Darwin’s modern scientific theory of natural and biological evolution-borrowed from the material of Greek philosophers Plato and Pythagoras, who’s indebtedness to the Samkhya Doctorine is so well-known, is only a corrolary from a sukta” of Vedas….(source: a very interesting book can't remember the name exactly)

“Unlike western religions, which have little philosophical belief in the ‘one god’ is mandatory, many of the India’s ancient religions were not religious in the narrow sense in which religion is construed today. India’s Buddhists were predominantly atheists, the early Jains were agnostic, and within the broad umbrella of Hinduism, there was space for considerable philosophical variety. In the Upanishads, god is described in an extremely abstract and metaphysical way. The philosophical content is essentially secular and spiritual ideas emerge from debate and speculation- not immortal revelations that cannot be challenged or modified with time. In the Nyaya- Sutras, the overwhelming focus is on rational and scientific thinking and analysis, on human understanding of natural phenomenon and physical processes occurring in nature.

This rich tradition of philosophy – both rational and spiritual – found it’s way into Indian art and architecture as well. Stupas and temples incorporated a profound symbolic language based on visual representations of all the important philosophical concepts. These included the ‘Chakra’-the revolving wheel of time which symbolises the cyclic rhythms of the cosmos; the ‘Padma’-or the lotus symbol which embodied the prime symbol of creation- of the universal creative force that springs from the bosom of the earth; the ‘Ananta’(represented as a snake) symbolized water the- the most important life giving force and the infinite ocean from which all life emerged, got differentiated and re-merged and then redissolved; the ‘Swastika’-representing the four fold aspect of creation and motion. …

Western analysts have often had difficult understanding the complex cultural and philosophical systems that gave birth to India’s artistic tradition. For many, Indian sculptural panels appeared to be nothing more than a random collection of strange or arbitrary juxtapositions of primitive beliefs and superstitions….” (source: an intersting article on tripod,can't remember details)

“Anandam is bliss. In Indian philosophy the ultimate aim of consciousness is to enable a human being to experience anandam. A gradation of functions was described for consciousness: starting with activities of nutrition, followed by the collective activities of the senses and of thought, which lead to activities of cognition and finally, at the apex of the chain, anandam, of absorption and bliss. The conception of movement of the human spirit towards anandam furnished the central purpose of all arts. It was to enable the experience of this inner bliss, which is the heart of the true aesthetic experiences..”(source: an article by artist Shakti Maira)

These are only a few of the many things known and written about..there can be a sea of such revelations out there...may be we just need to dig deep down into our history and scriptures and only be very proud to belong to where we do….!!