Bharat Ki Kahani

  We do not know much about the life and philosophy of Ajit Keshkambal, except that he was a contemporary of Gautam Buddha and a founder of one of the leading ascetic sects of the time. The word, ‘ascetic’ may be a misnomer because he did not believe in the existence of God, Divinity, or any entity beyond the perceivable world. Unfortunately, not a single text from his sect has come down to us. The little we know about him is through references to him in contemporary Buddhist scriptures. In Sumyukta Nikaya we hear the king of Kosala, Prasenjit, mention Ajit Keshkambal’s name along with Purna Kassapa, Makkali Goshala, Nigantha Nathputta, Sanjaya Bellatiputta, and Prakruddha Katyayan as ‘the six revered Tirthankaras of the time’. It is remarkable that in 6th-century BC north India Ajit Keshkambal’s God-denying materialist philosophy was not just tolerated but counted among the six most revered sects of the time. There are no references to Ajit Keshkambal’s ever engaging Buddha in a debat

  In the year 1200, Turkish plunderer-adventurer Bakhtiyar Khalji proceeded toward Nalanda University with a band of just 200 armoured cavalrymen. He had received intelligence about a lightly defended fortress, guarded by a handful of men and possibly containing huge amounts of gold. Gone were the days when such plundering expeditions from the northwest were met by massive field armies deployed by Maharajas in north India. Samrat Prithiviraj Chauhan, the gatekeeper of Delhi, had died eight years ago. The Gahadavala dynasty that ruled over much of modern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in those days fell soon after. Now a vast ancient land lay unprotected before the conquerors- its cities and temples teeming with gold and no army to protect them. Petty Rajas that ruled from their rural mud fortresses were in no position to take on professionally trained armor-clad Turkish cavalrymen. The invaders had little interest in governing this newly conquered realm yet. They lived confined within the wal

  Indo-Greek Emperor Menander (165-130 BC) was a connoisseur of literary arts and philosophy. His discussions with a Buddhist monk Nagasena over the questions of life, karma, and nirvana became famous as a book titled  Milindapanho  (Menander’s queries) or  Milindaprashna . It is considered a representative example of the Madhyamika Buddhist  philosophy of nothingness,  also known as the  philosophy of Shunyata . What follows is the first part of this text. (Translated from a Hindi version published in Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan’s volume titled,  Darshan Digdarshan )   On the day assigned for the discussion, emperor Milinda arrived at Nagasena’s monastery riding an ornately decorated chariot and an entourage of 500 Bactrian Greek soldiers:   On the philosophy of ‘No-Soul’ Menander: “Bhante! By what name is your reverence known?” Menander- “I am referred to as Nagasena. Though, it is merely a convention adopted for convenience’s sake. No such entity in fact exists.” Menander- “Bhante

Abu al-Faiz ibn Mubarak, (Pen name Faizi , 1547-1595) was a court poet in Akbar’s Darbar, and one of his Navaratnas . The following excerpts are from his composition Shariq-al-Marifa . It is a commentary on Krishna and Vedanta- meant to be read out in the court and then laminated and placed in the royal library. Excerpts from Faizi's Shariq-al-Marifa (translated from Persian) The reason behind the composition of this treatise : This seeker is inspired by an aspiration emanating from the depths of his consciousness to comprehend the Divine Principle. He is inspired by the cherished fate of holy people from every religion who have realized the truth by following the path of universal peace ( sulh-i-kul ). He is inspired by such holy men who have understood the mystery of the universe and have become occupied with the universal. The seeker is inspired by the search for that divine wisdom which is congenial to the reception of peace- a wisdom that is based on the eternal truth an

  Shams Siraj Afif was born in the mid-14th century to an aristocratic family that had served the Sultans of Delhi since the days of Alauddin Khalji. He had joined imperial service during the reign of Sultan Firuz Shah Tughlaq and watched the once mighty Sultanate gradually decline into insignificance. Central Asian raider Taimur's invasion and the subsequent sacking of Delhi (1398) destroyed the last vestiges of the empire's prestige. Chaos prevailed in the provinces and the local gentry raised the standard of revolt. Under these circumstances, Afif decided to write a chronicle titled, ‘ Tarikh-i-Firozshahi (History of Firozshah Tughlaq). It reflects Afif's desire for the restoration of the Sultanate’s power. In the following excerpt from his book, he recounts how things used to be during Alauddin Khalji's times. This also happens to be the birth story of Firoz Shah Tughaq, a future Sultan of Delhi : Three brothers, Tughlik, Abu-Bakr and Rajab arrived from Khurasan t

Vekh farida mitti khuli Mitti uthay mitti dulli Mitti hassay mitti rovey Ant mitti da mitti hovay Na kar bandeya meri meri Na hai meri, na hai teri Char dinan da mela duniya Phir bangay mitti de dheri Na kar ithay hera pheri Mitti naal na dhoka kar tu Too v mitti, zaat vi mitti Zaat paat di gal na kar tu Zaat sirf khuda di uchi Baqi sab kuch mitti mitti   See Farida how they dig up soil (a grave) To return what comes from soil See Farida how soil laughs See Farida how it smiles What comes from the soil, becomes soil   Do not say ‘me’ and ‘mine’ my friend It is neither yours nor mine A fleeting carnival this world is To the soil shall it all go back   In vain do you cheat and deceive my friend Talking of caste and sect is futile Caste is soil, and so are sects Creation is the only truth The rest is all soil   Baba Farid (12-13th century Punjab)    

The story of the arrival and spread of Islam in Kashmir is closely associated with the life and teachings of a Shaivite mystic Lal Ded (‘Mother Lal’) and her adopted Muslim son Nund Rishi. Known variously as Lalleshwari, Lalla Arifa, Lal Diddi, Lalla Yogishwari and Lallishri, much of her early life is shrouded in mystery and magical hagiography. But we know that she was born to a poor Brahmin family in 1320. As was the custom of the time, she was married at the age of twelve. But marital bliss held little charm for her. She was drawn to the world of Yogis and mysticism. When sent to fetch water by her mother-in-law, she would make use of the opportunity to visit a Siddha Yogi, Srikanta, who introduced her to the mysteries of the mind and self-contemplation. Hagiographical tales tell us that her mother-in-law accused her of infidelity and subjected her to humiliating taunts. Stung by her petty jibes, at the age of twenty-four, Lal Ded renounced the world to adopt the path of an itineran