rescuing things

[Vaidix]

Namaste

In my previous letter I suggested that materials can be rescued as a "loan".
Please let me continue this discussion.  Now I demand that all those
individuals who are currently in possession of Indological materials must
symbolically consider such materials as a "loan" from India whatever the
current legal status of these materials may be.

Here are my argements:

Please let me explain the work effort that has gone into Rg.Veda.  Even if we
accept the myopic 1500BC as the date when RG Veda was composed, it is 3500
years ago from now.  There were 1000 recensions of it as we were told, and
today we have just one or two.  Therefore on an average we have 500 recensions
at any time assuming a straight line method of loss.  Assuming 100 people are
needed to maintain each recension (about 10 Hindu Undivided families of 10
people each including housewives, and the palm leaf workers), the total work
effort regarding RG Veda is 3500 X 500 X 100 = 175 million man years.  If you
consider the fact that most of these materials were lost after 1000AD
(therefore straight line method is not valid), and the fact that RG Veda is
much older than 1500BC; and the fact that more than the miniscule 100 people
worked on each recension at any time, the work effort regarding RG Veda must
be many billion man years.

On the same lines, the efforts of those western scholars who preserved and
studied the Indological subjects in turn must now to be counted into the man
years for RgVeda and other scriptures.

I am thankful and indebted to every one who had rescued the Vedas and every
other Indological material.  I will continue to be thankful if more materials
are rescued in whatever possible way, even by illegal transport, or even
theft. Our epic figures rAma and kriSna had set precedents at times doing
apparently illegal acts in order to protect Dharma.  All such acts will be
absolved when the final result is to uphold the Dharma.

Now it is certainly not an act of Dharma to deny free access to the
descendents of those who originally brought the Indological materials till
date.  The efforts of rescuers for the last 200 years had saved many
documents, but no scholar can make real psychological progress in the study of
Indology without getting back to the people who were the cause of those
materials.  I am not saying that others can not understand Indology, but
following Dharma is the only way to understand Indology. Dharma is the spirit
behind Indology, and any study done without following Dharma is a mere waste.

Now please let me explain the tenets based on which these Indologial materials
were maintained in India all these thousands of years.

1.  All education is free and at no cost to the student.  I understand that
with loss of royal patronage, this is not feasible any more.

2.  kavi prayogam vyAkaraNam.  The indological subjects are not mere arts and
sciences.  They are divine subjects revealed by people who are established in
Existence.  Even now if a poet is born among us and uses a new grammar rule
unheard of, it has to be accepted by all existing scholars.

3.  The knowledge belongs to those who know the highest, whatever be their
nationality, race, caste etc, and not to those who legally own the mss. or
printed books/micro films.

It is unethical on the part of any Indologist to say that Brahmins monopolized
this knowledge, while I also agree it is apparently true.  Keeping this
knowledge within the confines of a select few who had the royal patronage is
the ONLY way to preserve the subject for so many thousands of years because
there were no microfilms and cd-Roms in those days.  It was kept orally and on
palm leafs.  Entire societies were designed solely for the purpose of
maintaining the books, and some so called lower castes suffered.  I also admit
there were excesses committed by some or some people just enjoyed the status
without distributing this knowledge.

But this is no precedent for any of us to follow.  We must get back to the
people of India and allow them access to all those materials.  Any
entrepreneurial efforts from India to publish these materials MUST be allowed
with a one time payment based on actual cost of maintaining them since
aquisition, WITHOUT payment of royalties.

I fully understand that the organizations that hold these materials may have
different legal clauses in place, but I request all Indologial scholars to
advise their University administrators to symbolically consider these
materials as a loan from India, and negotiate reasonable terms with
publishers.

Now for those who still do not want to yield, here is my part of the challenge
regarding the subject I know.

1.  Define the deities BRhaspati, indra, maruts, viSNu and Rudra in terms of
components of knowledge namely the Known, the Unknown and the Desirable, and
explain to me their positions in the human body, and the meditations and
prANAyAmAs regarding them.

2.  Explain to me clearly the meaning of consecration sacrifice in terms of
agni and viSNu along with the meditation regarding consecration sacrifice.

Those who can not explain this to me would symbolically lose ownership of
Vedic materials.  I am not saying I know everything, but if you let me humbly
put it up in this sabhA, clearly no one else knows what I know.  If you know
something that I don't, please teach me.

I will be answering the above questions (when I find time) at the site
http://members.aol.com/vaidix.  This site is primarily meant to explore
prANAyAmAs contained in the Vedas.  Efforts to translate to other languages
are welcome.

Please visit.

Thank you all
Bhadraiah Mallampalli