[Y-Indology] Article on India Studies

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It is a different question: why are westerners enchanted of an oriental society

or culture- why are orientals running after europaean values. There are

fantasies of lost (and to be gained) paradises and struggles from inherited

bonds and else

But terminology of scientific language is a different issue.

My aproach to Indian culture is Europaean and even if I try hard to get into the

subject it will remain so. To adjust my terminology to the needs of a special

subject does not change anything. But to use the terminology of my cultural

background faciliates my approach ie. to notice similarities and divergencies.

To use the Meter (against the Yojana) in producing a map of India faciliates my

orientation. That does not imply license to disregarding a cultures/languages

own terminology. In fact that is why we learn languages, that we understand how

a culture handles its own world, how is its inner view of things.

C.D.

-

Bhadraiah Mallampalli

INDOLOGY

Friday, December 26, 2003 2:20 PM

[Y-Indology] Re: Article on India Studies

 

 

INDOLOGY, carendreyer@t... wrote:

>Indian Indologists may have the advantage of easier access to Indian

languages, definitely their upbringing does give them as well some

special hints towards understanding historical Indian settings, as

well as educated French nationals have better preconditions for a

scientific career in Romance Philology. But just to be an Indian

National does not suffice to rule out so called foreign intervention

in questions of Indian history and culture. Modern even well educated

Indians may be more distant from Vedic culture than a western

university graduate in Indian Studies.

 

Caren,

 

If any one is annoyed at Indocentrism, I am sorry to say it will only

grow now as Indians are getting rich in this phase of economic cycle

and find time and money to write more stuff, just as Europeans found

the money to study the world when they made their money after

renaissance, scientific and industrial revolutions.

 

Let us take into stride all the unfortunate consequences of

Eurocentrism and Indocentrism.

 

The most bitter dispute about a person from outside the tradition

studying Indic works is that the terminology employed in studying

Indic is purely arbitrary.

 

Let us take the case of sanskrit grammar. Usage of words : surd for

sparza, consonant for vyanjana or semi-vowel for antastha is

ridiculous, arbitrary and arrogant at the best. The corresponding

sanskrit words have a loaded meaning in them which had been simply

out of reach for any Indologist that I have heard of so far.

 

It is a different story that Indians themselves are not really aware

of why such terminology was used by their ancients for some God given

reasons. But a traditionalist being firmly rooted in practices like

formal vedic chanting, errs on the right side.

 

Sorry for this intrusion.

 

Best regards

Bhadraiah

 

 

 

 

 

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