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The Language of the Gods in the World of Men: Sanskrit, Culture, and Power in Premodern India by Sheldon Pollock
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I left this book just 10% into it. It starts by saying that Sanskrit is 2000 - 3000 years old, while the first written material in Sanskrit was found to be from about 4000-3000 BC. Also when the origin of the language is not clear, it was not apt to finalize its age as around 2000 years old.
Next I came across, usual things like Sanskrit being forbidden for the "lower" varnas. The author emphasizes the ranking for the varnas and says that the Shudras would have thought what they could not do that the "higher" varnas can. But the author doesnt bother to think that its one who cannot think or is not interested in education is called a shudra while not the reverse as in a shudra was not "banned " from education. The author bypasses the important fact that Valmiki who wrote the epic "Ramayana" in Sanskrit was a Shudra. I couldnt bear with the usual western view of Indology and left the book.
View all my reviews
Thanks!
The Language of the Gods in the World of Men: Sanskrit, Culture, and Power in Premodern India by Sheldon Pollock
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I left this book just 10% into it. It starts by saying that Sanskrit is 2000 - 3000 years old, while the first written material in Sanskrit was found to be from about 4000-3000 BC. Also when the origin of the language is not clear, it was not apt to finalize its age as around 2000 years old.
Next I came across, usual things like Sanskrit being forbidden for the "lower" varnas. The author emphasizes the ranking for the varnas and says that the Shudras would have thought what they could not do that the "higher" varnas can. But the author doesnt bother to think that its one who cannot think or is not interested in education is called a shudra while not the reverse as in a shudra was not "banned " from education. The author bypasses the important fact that Valmiki who wrote the epic "Ramayana" in Sanskrit was a Shudra. I couldnt bear with the usual western view of Indology and left the book.
View all my reviews
Thanks!
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