Understanding India, its Culture & Sanatana Dharma – J. V. Lakshmana Rao Editor, ‘India Tribune’, Chicago, August 15, 2009. http://www.indiatribune.com/
“India’s Gift to the World is the Light Spiritual” by Swami Jyotirmayananda is a timely publication at a time when the interest of the world countries in India as a global player is growing. It is a collection of the papers presented in various forums and the articles written in various brochures by the learned Swamiji.
While all eyes are centered on modern India, there is a growing interest among many people to know its spiritual and religious beliefs. The West always looks at India as an enigma. While some Westerners admire India’s eminence, some others look at it as a nation of myths and poverty. There is ample evidence that ancient India’s influence had spread far and wide touching all corners of the world. Ancient India was invaded for its material riches and intellectual wealth by several countries. India’s glory in science, technology, metallurgy, medicine, astronomy, space science, even nuclear science has been revealed through its ageless Vedas, Upanishads and other well-researched works. Perhaps the decline of Indian’s eminence has been visible since external invasions. These invaders had not only denuded India of its material wealth but also of its rich literature, and denigrated its culture. The invaders tactfully made Indians feel inferior to the Westerners through their manipulation of history and theories like the mythical Aryan invasion. The Westerners derived pleasure in projecting India as a country of ash-covered naked sadhus, snake charmers and -1-