What Does it Mean to be Indian?

Human beings are learning animals – the evolution of the human brain has endowed humans with superior intelligence which has led to the creation of knowledge systems which can be preserved and handed down from generation to generation over and above the genetically transmitted knowledge of survival and behaviour which is common to all living forms.

Language is a key differentiator between humans and other life forms in the transmission of knowledge.

Learning and understanding the meaning of life, learning and understanding nature, learning and understanding our relationship with each other, with nature, with the universe are the key concerns of acquiring knowledge and building knowledge systems. Oral and written communications are the means of interaction and learning. Preserving knowledge in various forms as well as the intra-generational and inter-generational transmission of knowledge is also important.

The oral and written tradition in different societies has created different modes and mechanisms for preserving and sharing knowledge.

Knowledge which is directed inward towards a deeper understanding of the self and knowledge which is directed outward towards a deeper understanding of the world around us can be seen as the two major focal points of knowledge creation. The links between these two focal points – inside and outside – provide a way of integrating the continuous interplay between them.

Knowledge is also a source of power and control over other humans, other life forms, and nature.

The human-machine interface has become increasingly central in our lives over the years. Today, the human mind has been able to create artificial intelligence using machines and this is challenging many prevalent beliefs about the uniqueness of human beings.

Visualizing the relationship between the micro and the macro reality and the role of humans in this relationship helps us to understand ourselves as a whole-part in the universe. Knowledge systems which build the foundations of these complex realities have a unique strength of resilience and timelessness – they can be interpreted and re-interpreted continuously in the context of changing times and still provide a solid foundation for learning.

The concept of atman-brahman in Indian scriptures, the concept of recurring cycles of birth and rebirth, the concept of recurring cycles of time and its peaks and troughs of excellence and decay are examples of such knowledge.

How does a wisdom society evolve?

What is the progression of evolution from data to information to knowledge to wisdom society?

What is the link between knowledge of the internal world and knowledge of the external world?

If we define the internal world as feminine and the external world as masculine, then can we see a link between the traditional and modern worlds in terms of knowledge of each type of world and the ways of establishing balance between them?

How does circularity manifest itself in the realm of knowledge and the balance between the inner and outer worlds?

India can offer a unique understanding of a wisdom society to the world in the context of the modern reality if we can build on our civilizational knowledge and wisdom.

Learning is a treasure no thief can touch

Knowledge is higher than power

Follow the river and you will get to the sea

No one was ever lost on a straight road

Great anger is more destructive than the sword

To sing to the deaf, to talk with the dumb, and to dance for the blind are three foolish things

A known mistake is better than an unknown truth

You do not stumble over a mountain but you do over a stone

Complaining is the weak man’s weapon

Knowledge overcomes ignorance as sunlight darkness

• Purva Paksha and Uttara Paksha is a uniquely Indian concept which promotes frontier pushing of knowledge by first summarizing the existing perspective of any concept before putting forth your own new understanding of it. It also applies to incorporating the views of the other in your own perspective on a subject.
• Shastrartha is a uniquely Indian concept of public debate and dialogue to pursue refinement of knowledge and understanding.
• Shruti and Smriti is a uniquely Indian concept. Shruti – that which is heard and remains eternal – this can be considered as generic knowledge. Smriti – that which is remembered – this can be considered as specific knowledge which is a re-interpretation of the generic knowledge in consonance with changing times.
• The four-value logic of something being either true, false, neither true nor false, as well as both true and false is a uniquely Indian interpretation which prioritizes ‘and’ over the two-value logic of something being either true or false, which is based on ‘or’, to broaden the horizons of knowledge and understanding.

We have to appreciate the uniqueness and significance of these concepts in our search for Indianness.

Understanding the meaning of integrated reality – the inter-connectedness of all things – is internalized differently in the East and the West. Culture, knowledge systems, socialization processes play a role in this.

Similarly, integrated knowledge which facilitates cross disciplinary learning instead of compartmentalizing individual disciplines of knowledge has also gone from integration to segregation to integration at different points in time in the East and the West.

Integrated consciousness which enables us to understand the linkages between the atomic and the cosmic has evolved differently in the East and the West. The sacred-secular fabric has a role to play in this.

Universal understanding attempts to bridge the manifest differences between people and brings out the strength of our human qualities which are the same across cultures, economies, the East and the West.

Material wealth is one among several types of wealth which sustain us. We see all around us that material wealth has become important at the cost of other types of wealth. This is a choice being made which puts a premium on hedonism. Can we visualize a world of seven billion hedonists? Can the earth sustain such levels of material wealth creation? We need to prioritize the various types of wealth which we value besides material wealth because material wealth cannot buy other types of wealth. Our prioritization of the various types of wealth we value helps us to create balance between them. The values of contentment and simplicity help us in achieving such a balance. Creation, dissemination, and internalization of knowledge which helps us in achieving balance between the various types of wealth is therefore very important.

Dharma, artha, kama, moksha are the four purusharthas in Indian tradition – the balance between the different types of wealth plays out differently in situations where material wealth and pleasure seeking are bound by dharma and moksha as compared to situations where they are not bounded by dharma and moksha.

How do we value knowledge and intellectual wealth? Is wisdom different from knowledge? Is commercialization of knowledge creation and dissemination a healthy approach? How can we provide equitable access to knowledge for all? How can knowledge about the inner and outer worlds be internalized by all? How can knowledge about the inter-linkages between the atomic and the cosmic realities be internalized by all? Is it possible to evolve a wisdom society by focusing primarily on material wealth?

What will be the relationship between the sacred and the secular in a wisdom society?

The vibrations of the universe, the atomic vibrations, and the vibrations emanating from our brain are inter-related in complex ways and affect our sense of well-being. Modern science is slowly beginning to unravel some of these complexities. Ancient Indian knowledge systems have understood the importance of these complex interactions and have developed theories about consciousness. The kala chakra visualizes waxing and waning of the internalization of such sophisticated knowledge to cyclically create and destroy a critical mass which changes the value systems of society accordingly with the unfolding of time and its recursive patterns.

This is the knowledge we have to reclaim as our offering to the world for holistic living, well-being, and sustainability.