Endo and Exo

Wed Nov 1 15:52:11 UTC 2000

While this classification seems to be clear-cut and neat , I suppose for
any person the attitudes are bound to be mixed.

For myself , an endo man according to this, I cannot agree or disagree 100%
with the attitudes described below

Just to give  a quick overview of different attitudes

1. Has Western scholarship contributed anything positive to Indology:
Endo: Not really. Indology was practiced by Hindus long before the
intrusion of Westerners into India.

My view: Indology as we know is a Western inspired subject with all it's
stregnths and limitations. As a systematic study, it is only 200 years old

Exo: Most definitely. Modern Indology would perhaps have been impossible
without Western scholarship.

My view: Very likely. It has been mostly true so far, but in the future it
won't be true

2. What has been the effect of Western scholarship on our understanding
ofIndia?
Endo: Disastrous. Western (mis)interpretations of Indian history and culture
have distorted, devalued, and denigrated Indian culture and Hinduism. Their
negative effects continue to this day, and have to be routed out.

My view: To this I agree by and large

Exo: We have come to know a good deal about India's past, from Ashoka to the
time-frame of Vedic compositions, let alone archaeological finds and
translations into worldwide understood languages. Knowledge about Hindu
culture
and civilization has spread all around the globe, thanks to the Indology
initiated by Western scholars.

My view: Knowledge about India would have come about anyway. Political and
economic interests would have taken an interest in India even if they had
been no Indology a a subject

3. Are the Vedas and the Bhagavad GIta divine in origin, or are they
writings/reflections of human beings?
Endo: There is more than elements of ordinary human components in these
works.
They are very probably revelations from a higher source.
Exo: They (like the Bible, the Avesta, the Koran, the Illiad, Einstein's
papers, etc.) are essentially human in origin, inspired by the local culture
and belief-systems of the period.

4. What about the scientific component in the Vedas, the UpaniSads, etc.
Endo: Ancient Hindu writings embody some of the most recent findings of
quantum
physics, cosmology, psychology, consciousness science, genetics, and more.
We
need to study esoteric Vedic hymns and UpaniSadic aphorisms from a higher
perspective to understand the scientific truths implicit in them.
Exo: There is no question that the authors of those works were
extraordinarily
keen minds who (like their counterparts in other cultures) formulated some
very
interesting views and obtained some profound insights into the nature of the
mind, consciousness, and cosmology. But most of those theses have long been
improved upon, modified, discarded, or replaced by the vast knowledge and
insights that have arisen as a result of post-16th century modern empirical
science. The ancients had no notion whatever of galaxies and molecular
structures, let alone quarks and quanta, as claimed by some Endo-
Indologists.

My view: Here I agree 100% with exo's.

5. What about language families within India?
Endo: All languages within India, Tamil and Munda included, and most
languages
beyond, are Sanskritic in origin.
Exo: The matter is extremely complicated. As of now, there is every reason
to
believe that the Dravidian languages belong to a totally different language
family from the Sanskritic.

My view: In this also I tend to agree with exo's. For an objective scholar,
it is necessary not to take ideological positions or pre-concieved notions,
but he must let the facts speak to him directly

7. What has been India's contribution to the world?
Endo: Practically everything worthy and  noble in human culture may be
traced
to some element or other in ancient Hindu thought, writing, epics, and
civilization. In many instances, these have been stolen and appropriated as
their own, by others.
Exo: India has been the source of great wisdom, many visions, and much
philosophy. A good deal of this has been absorbed (consciously or
otherwise) by
other cultures and civilizations over the ages. However, this is not a
unique
phenomenon in world history. Other great ancient civilizations, like the
Mesopotamian, the Egyptian, the Greek, the Chinese, and the Arab, have also
contributed to the world, as does Western civilization in our own times.
Moreover, Indian civilization has also been enriched and enhanced by
knowledge
and insights from others.

My view: Here also I tend to agree with Exo's.

8. What is the motivation of mlecchas in their pursuit of Indology?
Endo: Superficially, to learn about the rich and ancient storehouse of
Indian
culture. But there are quite a few in the crowd who have a hidden agenda: to
keep Hindu civilization at a lower level vis-a-vis the European, to be able
to
denigrate Hindu practices and culture by out-of-context quotes from Hindu
works, to persist in 19th century European racism.

Exo: Indology is an enormously fascinating field: intellectually rewarding,
and
profoundly revealing of factors and forces that give rise to and maintain a
dynamic and vibrant civilization. It would be a sad day, for the world
would be
the poorer, if/when  people beyond the borders of India lose interest in
Indology.

My view: In this I am split equally between Endo's and Exo's. Exo's are
expressing an ideal but Endo's are reacting to what they see as the track
record of Exo-indology

9. Can we bridge the gap between the two?
Endo: Rather difficult, because the Western (and Western-indoctrinated
Indian)
mind-set simply cannot understand the deeper elements of Hindu culture. As a
result of this incapacity it keeps confusing issues.
Exo: Rather difficult, because  Endo-scholars have difficulty distinguishing
between cultural affiliation/patriotism and scientific/scholarly analysis.
They
imagine that anything even remotely negative about Hindu civilization by a
non-Hindu arises from arrogant, racist attitudes. However, Endo-writings
can be
very valuable for Exo-scholars as they provide valuable data for our
subject.

My view: Ironically, only on this there is an identity of views between
exo's and endo's. If this congruence of views is maintained in other areas
there can be more fruitful discussion