SANATAN

QUARTERLY ISSUE 2 | MAKAR SANKRANTI | 16, PAUSHA SHUKLA

PAKSHA, PRATIPADA 2077 PRAMADI, VIKRAMA SAMVATA

PARAMPARA The HSS Indonesia Newsletter

Message From Karyawaha Jakarta Nagar

Atmeeya Bandhu, Bhagini,

All Best wishes for MakarSankranti Utsav.

Sun is shifting to its orbit to New Zodiac … so is the human behavior to Give to needy people. It’s a matter of
great pleasure that people working for global peace and Harmony are publishing the Makarsankranti Edition
of Sanatan Parampara magazine.

The First edition published on Vijaya Dashmi filled passion & enthusiasm in Karyakartas . The contributors
got encouragements, inspiration in their creativity & inventiveness and the readers community liked decent,
moral value based n ethical reading, understanding & inputs. Regular interactions between volunteers through
all activities planned and executed by our own karyakartas encouraging next generation to keep the
connectivity with our proud heritage, traditions & languages. The Sanatan Parampara is playing a great role in
satisfying the intellectual thirst of people who believe in vasudhaiva kuTumbakam (वसुधैव कुटु बकम्) - the
entire world is truly just one family.

The Group of like-minded people regularly assemble to do yoga, meditations, games, cultural, and social
program, karyakartas also learning to speak Sanskrit in daily life. BalGopals are learning cultural values
through games, many intellectual activities lectures, interactive workshops, discussions and seminars are
happening and Karyakartas are taking active part in all activities for intellectual development while helping to
increase cultural awareness and improve communication skills.

We are generally nature loving people and we worship nature in many ways. To inculcate environment friendly
values we wish to make a Tulsi plants distribution program, anyone who want to volunteer in this cause or in
need of Tulsi plant can contact our nearest Karyakarta.

We encourage you all to come forward with your interests, hobby, passion in any of the social skill you possess
and make a team of Like-minded people to get fulfillment of your craving to volunteer for socially good cause.

We motivate you all to be active in your roll, motivate others for this noble cause of keeping the values upright.

I will remind you the Quote of Swami Vivekananda Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached & the
Goal is to see our parampara seated here on her eternal throne, rejuvenated, more glorious than she ever
was – the Sanatan Parampara of ours.

With you all in SANSKRITI, SEVA, SANGHTHAN,

 SANATAN
QUARTERLY ISSUE 2 | MAKAR SANKRANTI | 16, PAUSHA SHUKLA
PAKSHA, PRATIPADA 2077 PRAMADI, VIKRAMA SAMVATA

PARAMPARA The HSS Indonesia Newsletter

Importance of Makar Sankranti

Article By Anand K Bapat

Sankranti means entry of Sun in a Zodiacal sign (Rashi). In a year, Sun moves through twelve rashis, one
every month. Makar Sankranti refers to a specific solar day according to Hindu calendar in reference to
deity Surya (Sun) that is observed in the middle of January every year. It marks the first day of Sun’s
transit into Makara (Capricorn), marking the end of month with winter solstice and start of longer days.

But what makes this occurrence special and what are we celebrating?

Makar Sankranti is special because of its uniqueness, being observed according to solar cycle, unlike
other Hindu festivals that follow the lunar cycle of their lunisolar calendar. There are two systems that are
used to calculate Makara Sankranti date.

Nirayana or the Sidereal system (without adjusting for precession of equinoxes)

Sayana or the Tropical system (with adjustment for precession of equinoxes)

Rotation of Earth around its axis results in a difference between in the sidereal & tropical dates. While the
occurrence of winter or summer solstice (Uttarayan & Dakshinayan) remains steady, there will be a change
in Sankranti date due to alignment of Earth’s rotational axis with Sun. There was a time in the past when
Uttarayan and Makar Sankranti coincided, but that was 1,500 years ago. Now when Sun begins its
Uttarayan on 21 December, it is no longer in Makara Rashi as it was during the time of Aryabhata. At
present Uttarayan happens on Dhanu Sankranti while Makar Sankranti which had been celebrated on 14
January for the past 100 years, has started occurring on 15 January from 2019 (exception in 2021).

Makar Sankranti marks the end of Malmaas, an inauspicious month in Hindu calendar (panchang). It is
known by different names and celebrated in various ways. In Tamil Nadu, Pongal predicts prosperity; in
Gujarat, people fly kites with dexterity. Bihu revelry of Assam usher’s earth’s fertility; Sabarimala in Kerela
shows light of Makar Jyoti. In UP, it is Kumbh Mela, in West Bengal it’s Ganga Sangar Mela. Lohri
bonfires in Punjab burn negativity, while the rest of India celebrates Makar Sankranti with great generosity.
Some make khichdi from rice, some prepare kheer. In Maharashtra, people say “Til gul ghya ani goad goad
bola” and in Karnataka the same message is conveyed in Kannada. Since Makar Sankranti is a harvest
festival, people thank God and pray for abundance to be sustained. Since the offering to Bhagwan is called
bhog chadhana, it is also known as ‘Bhogi’ festival. Some name it after the month of
Cont ...
 QUARTERLY ISSUE 2 | MAKAR SANKRANTI | 16, PAUSHA SHUKLA
PAKSHA, PRATIPADA 2077 PRAMADI, VIKRAMA SAMVATA

its occurrence and call it Poush Sankrant or simply Maghi. In Kashmir, it is associated with the
season (ritu) of its occurence and hence referred to as ‘Shishir Sankrant’. In Maharashtra, the Haldi
Kum Kum event organized by married women brings together the solar & lunar calendar as it is held
from Sankrant to Rath Saptami. Makar Sankranti is an outstanding example of unity in diversity.

Makar Sankranti also provides information about the cycle of planets and stars. Kumbha Mela
occurs when Sun is in Capricon & Jupiter in Taurus and since Jupiter takes twelve years to revolve
around the Sun, Kumbh Mela occurs once in twelve years. During this event, devotees perform a
prayer to Sun God and bathe at the holy Prayaga, confluence of river Ganga and Yamuna. This
tradition, which is attributed to Shri Adi Shankara has sustained and gained momentum over the
years. Kumbh Mela is known to set new records for the largest religious gathering in the World and
according to recent estimates, it is a staggering figure of 100 million visitors.

Makar Jyoti or the light of Capricon refers to sighting of ‘Vyadh’ (Sirius star). It is the brightest star
in the sky, which is visible to the naked eye and can be sighted for most part of the year, provided
you have a clear sky. The emergence or the heliacal rising of Sirius remains fixed as that cycle takes
365.25 days. For the ancient Egyptians, Greeks & Romans, the sighting of Vyadh tara was as
important as it is for the devotees of Ayappa until today.

The Jalikattu festival, which is an event held annually in Tamil Nadu during Makar Sankranti was
traditionally celebrated by the ancient Mesopotemians.

The significance of Uttarayan has been known to us since ancient times, specially from Mahabharat
because Bhishma had waited until Uttarayan to exercise his iccha mrutyu boon to finally depart.
Uttarayan is special on account of Sun’s rays coming from North direction, which is supposed to be
the abode of Gods. Hence from this day, good forces are on the rise, while evil forces residing in
South direction are on the decline.

There is an interesting rationale behind kite-flying tradition on Makar Sankranti. In olden days, kite-
flying was recommended in morning, during early hours when Sun’s rays were bright but not too
harsh and considered beneficial for the skin and body. During winter, transmission & spread of
infections is relatively easier as lower temperatures are more favourable for viruses to survive.
Hindus believed that basking in Sun boosts one’s immunity as sunlight is a natural source of vitamin
D.

I would like to conclude with a few lines on Patang Utsav:

“ Aasman mein udi patang, Man mein uthi tarang.

Nili Pili Lal Gulabi, chahu ore patang nir nirali.
Kabhi idhar, kabhi udhar, mukt bhav se ud rahi chatton ke ooper.
Dubli patli si kaya par, leti sabse hoad patang,
Anushasit hokar ladein, kahe dor se udti hui patang.
Jab kati dor, chali gagan mein bandhan sare toad,
Lehrati balkhati jati, kahan na jaane chhor ”
 SANATAN
QUARTERLY ISSUE 2 | MAKAR SANKRANTI | 16, PAUSHA SHUKLA
PAKSHA, PRATIPADA 2077 PRAMADI, VIKRAMA SAMVATA

PARAMPARA The HSS Indonesia Newsletter

Introduction To Great Hindu

Kingdoms - Series 2

CHALUKYA DYNASTY OTHER STORIES INSIDE

Article from byjus.com
THIS ISSUE:
The Three Chalukyas
There were three distinct but related Chalukya dynasties. Katha - Beware of
Badami Chalukyas: The earliest Chalukyas with their capital at Badami
Mean Friends - Page 6
(Vatapi) in Karnataka. They ruled from mid-6th They declined after the
death of their greatest king, Pulakesin II in 642 AD.
Great Nation Builder -
Eastern Chalukyas: Emerged after the death of Pulakesin II in Eastern Page 8
Deccan with capital at Vengi. They ruled till the 11th century. Bhagwad Gita &
Western Chalukyas: Descendants of the Badami Chalukyas, they Subhashita - Page 11
emerged in the late 10th century and ruled from Kalyani (modern-day
Basavakanlyan).
Sanskrit Shibiram -
Page 12
Extent of the Chalukya dynasty Balagokulam - Page
The Chalukya dynasty reached its peak during the reign of Pulakesin II.
13
His grandfather Pulakesin I had created an empire around Vatapi.
Pulakesin II subjugated the Kadambas, the Gangas of Mysore, the
HSS Shakha - Page 14
Mauravas of North Konkan, the Latas of Gujarat, the Malavas and the
Gurjars
He also succeeded in getting a submission from the Chola, Chera and
Cont....
Pandya kings
He had also defeated King Harsha of Kannauj and the Pallava king
Mahendravarman.
 QUARTERLY ISSUE 2 | MAKAR SANKRANTI | 14, KRISHNA PAKSHA,
NAVAMI 2077 PRAMATHI, VIKRAMA SAMVATA

Chalukya Rulers
Jayasimha was the first ruler of the Chalukyas.
Pulakesin I (Reign: 543 AD – 566 AD)
Founded the empire with his capital at Vatapi.
Performed Ashwamedha.
Kirtivarman I (Reign: 566 AD – 597 AD)
Son of Pulakesin I.
Conquered Konkan and northern Kerala.
Mangalesha (Reign: 597 AD – 609 AD)
Brother of Kirtivarman I.
Conquered the Kadambas and the Gangas.
Was killed by his nephew and son of Kirtivarman, Pulakesin II.
Pulakesin II (609 AD – 642 AD)
The greatest of the Chalukya kings.
Extended the Chalukya rule to most parts of the Deccan
His birth name was Eraya. Information about him is obtained from the Aihole inscription dated 634. This
poetic inscription was written by his court poet Ravikirti in Sanskrit language using the Kannada script.
Xuanzang visited his kingdom. He has praised Pulakesin II as a good and authoritative king.
Though a Hindu, he was tolerant of Buddhism and Jainism
He conquered almost entire south-central India.
He is famous for stopping Northern king Harsha in his tracks while he was trying to conquer southern
parts of the country.
He had defeated the Pallava king Mahendravarman I but was defeated and killed by Mahendravarman’s
son and successor Narasimhavarman I in a series of battles he had with the Pallavas.
For the next 13 years, Badami remained under Pallava control
Pulakesin II received a Persian mission as depicted in an Ajanta cave painting. He maintained diplomatic
relations with the King of Persia Khusru II.
His death saw a lapse in Chalukya power.
Vikramaditya I (655 AD – 680 AD)
Son of Pulakesin II who plundered Kanchi, the capital of the Pallavas.
Kirtivarman II (746 AD – 753 AD)Great-great-grandson of Vikramaditya I.
Last of the Chalukya rulers. Was defeated by the Rashtrakuta king, Dantidurga.[/su_box]

Administration and Society

The Chalukyas had great maritime power.
They also had a well-organised army.
Though the Chalukya kings were Hindus, they were tolerant of Buddhism and Jainism.
Saw great developments in Kannada and Telugu literature.
Sanskrit along with the local languages thrived. An inscription dated 7th century mentions Sanskrit as the
language of the elite whereas Kannada was the language of the masses.

Art and Architecture

They built cave temples depicting both religious and secular themes.
The temples had beautiful mural paintings also.
The temples under the Chalukyas are a good example of the Vesara style of architecture. This is also called
the Deccan style or Karnataka Dravida or Chalukyan style. It is a combination of Dravida and Nagara styles
Aihole temples: Ladh Khan temple (Surya Temple), Durga temple, Huchimalligudi temple, Jain temple at
Meguti by Ravikirti. There are 70 temples in Aihole.Aihole temples: Ladh Khan temple (Surya Temple), Durga
temple, Huchimalligudi temple, Jain temple at Meguti by Ravikirti. There are 70 temples in Aihole.
Badami temples
Pattadakkal: is a UNESCO World Heritage site. There are ten temples here – 4 in Nagar style and 6 in Dravida
style. Virupaksha temple and Sangameshwara Temple are in Dravida style. Papanatha temple is in Nagara
style.
 QUARTERLY ISSUE 2 | MAKAR SANKRANTI | 16, PAUSHA SHUKLA
PAKSHA, PRATIPADA 2077 PRAMADI, VIKRAMA SAMVATA

KATHA - TALES FROM HITOPADESHA Hitopadesha (Sanskrit:

हतोपदे शः , IAST: Hitopadeśa,
Article from culturalindia.in
"Beneficial Advice") is an Indian
text in the Sanskrit language
consisting of fables with both
animal and human characters.
It incorporates maxims, worldly
wisdom and advice on political
affairs in simple, elegant
Beware of Mean Friends language, and the work has
been widely translated.
The surviving text is believed to
be from the 12th-century, but was
probably composed by Narayana
between 800 and 950 CE. The
oldest manuscript found in Nepal
has been dated to the 14th century,
and its content and style has been
traced to the ancient Sanskrit
treatises called the Panchatantra
This is one more interesting story from the Hitopadesha from much earlier.
Tales. Once upon a time, there lived a Lion by the name of The Hitopadesha is organized into
four books, with a preface section
Madotkata in a forest. Among his followers, a Jackal, a Crow
called Prastavika. The opening verse
and a Wolf had developed friendship with him. However, all expresses reverence to the Hindu
the three had a selfish motive behind this so-called god Ganesha and goddess
friendship. They knew that the Lion was the King of the forest Saraswati.

and friendship with such fierce creature would always help

Book 1 Mitralabha: How to gain a
them. To meet their selfish ends, they started obeying and friend
were always available at the service of the Lion. Book 2 Suhrdbheda: How to lose a
They didn’t have to make any efforts to search for their friend
Book 3 Vigraha: War
food, as the Lion used to give his leftover meals to them.
Book 4 Sandhi : Peace
Moreover, they became powerful as they were next to the As a part of the series we will
King of the forest. So like this, all the three selfish friends explore a story at a time in each of
were passing their days happily being the friends of the Lion. our editions

One day, a Camel, who came from some distant land, lost his
way and entered the same forest where these friends lived.
He tried his best to find out the way, but could not make it.
In the meantime, these three friends happened to pass through the same way where the
Camel was wandering. When they saw the Camel, at once it came to their mind that he didn’t
belong to their forest. The Jackal suggested to his other two friends, “Let’s kill and eat him”. The
Wolf replied, “It is a big animal. We could not kill him like this. I think, first we should inform our
King about this Camel”. The Crow agreed upon the idea given by the Wolf. After deciding, all of
them went to meet the Lion.
On reaching the Lion’s den, the Jackal approached the Lion and said, “Your Majesty, an
unknown Camel has dared to enter your kingdom without your consent. His body is full of flesh
and he could make a nice meal for us. Let’s kill him”. The Lion roared loudly on hearing this and
said, “What are you saying? The Camel has come for refuge in my kingdom. It is unethical to kill
him like this. We should provide him the best shelter. Go and bring him to me”. All of them got
dispirited to hear such words from the King.
Cont....
 QUARTERLY ISSUE 2 | MAKAR SANKRANTI | 16, PAUSHA SHUKLA
PAKSHA, PRATIPADA 2077 PRAMADI, VIKRAMA SAMVATA

They unwillingly went to the Camel and told him about the desire of the Lion, who wanted
to meet him. The Camel was scared to know about the strange offer. He thought that his last
moment had come and in a little while he would become the meal of the Lion. As he couldn’t
even escape, so he decided to meet the Lion and left everything on the destiny. The selfish
friends escorted the Camel to the Lion’s den. The Lion was happy to see the Camel. He welcomed
him warmly and assured him of all the safety in the forest during his stay.
The Camel was totally amazed to hear the Lion’s words. He got very happy and started living
with the Jackal, the Crow and the Wolf. One day, when the Lion was hunting for food, he had a
struggle with a mighty Elephant. The Lion got badly injured in the struggle and became
incapable of hunting for his food. Stricken by bad luck, the Lion had to sustain without food for
days. Due to this, his friends too had to go hungry for days as they totally depended on the Lion’s
kill for their food. But the Camel was satisfied grazing around in the forest.
All the three friends got worried and discussed the matter among them. On reaching a
conclusion, they approached the Lion and said, “Your Majesty, you are getting weak day by day.
We can’t see you in this wretched condition. Why don’t you kill the Camel and eat him?” The Lion
roared, “No. How can you think such thing? He is our guest and we should not kill him. Don’t give
such suggestions to me in future”. As the jackal, the crow and the wolf had set their evil eyes on
the camel; they met once again and devised a plan to kill the Camel.
They went to the Camel and said, “Dear Friend, you know our King has not eaten anything
from the past many days. He is unable to go for hunting due to his wounds and sickness. Under
such circumstances, it becomes our duty to sacrifice ourselves to save the life of our king. Come
with us, we will offer our bodies to make his food”. The Camel didn’t understand their plan, but
innocently he nodded in favor of their plan. All of them approached the den of the Lion.
First of all, the Crow came forward and said, “Your Majesty, we didn’t succeed in getting any
food for you. I can’t see you like this. Please eat me and make me obliged”. The Lion replied,
“Dear, I will prefer to die than to perform such a sinful deed”. Then, the Jackal came forward and
said, “Your Majesty, Crow’s body is too small to satisfy your appetite. I offer myself to you, as it is
my duty to save your life”. The Lion politely rejected the offer. As per the plan, now it was the turn
of the Wolf to offer himself to the King.
So, the Wolf came forward and said, “Your Majesty, Jackal is quite small to gratify your
hunger. I offer myself for this kind job. Please kill me and satisfy your hunger”. After saying this, he
lay prostrate before the Lion. But the Lion didn’t kill any of them. The Camel, who was watching
the whole scene felt reassured of his safety and also decided to go forward and complete the
formality. He marched forward and said, “Your Majesty, why don’t you kill me. You are my friend. A
friend in need is a friend indeed. Please allow me to offer you my body”.
The Lion found the offer quite appropriate, as the Camel himself had offered his body for
food, his ethics were maintained. The Lion attacked the Camel at once, ripped open his body and
tore him into pieces. The Lion and his friends ate the delicious flesh to their fill. They feasted on
the poor Camel for days together.

Moral: Beware of Mean Friends

 QUARTERLY ISSUE 1 | VIJAYA DASHAMI | 24, ASHWINA SHUKLA
PAKSHA, NAVAMI 2077 PRAMATHI, VIKRAMA SAMVATA

INTERVIEW WITH PROF. R. NARAYANA

IYENGAR
Interviewed by - Rajath Vasudevamurthy, Ph.D. (IISc),
Enthusiast of Indian Knowledge Systems

Background & Introduction :

Prof. Rangachar Narayana Iyengar also known as RNI (born 2 June 1943) is a
civil engineer from India. He was with the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
for about four decades. He has been the director of Central Building Research
Institute, Roorkee (1994–2000). He is currently a Raja Ramanna Fellow, Editor of
'SADHANA' published by the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, and the
Director for the Centre for Ancient History and Culture (CAHC) at the Jain
University, Bangalore. He also setup the Centre for Disaster Mitigation (CDM) at the Jain University. Apart from his
contributions to Engineering, he is also widely recognized for his work in History of Science. Most notable among his
contributions to understanding Indian intellectual heritage are as follows:
pointing out the connection between the number 3339 which appears in the Ṛgveda and the 18-year eclipse
period, today known as the Saros cycle [ https://insa.nic.in/writereaddata/UpLoadedFiles/IJHS/Vol2_2005_01.pdf ]
pointing out the correlation between the Indian calendar (pañcāṅga) and the rainfall patterns in India [
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24108618?seq=1 ]
bringing to light the aspects of civil engineering and town planning in ancient India through the book
Nāradaśilpa [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB5FTmT3NYw ]
publishing the book Parāśaratantra where there is a mention of 101 comets which were observed, along with their
periodicity [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y42UTDRoaS8 ]
pointing out that the pole star (dhruva) spoken of the Taittirīya-āraṇyaka is the star today called Thuban (i.e.,
alpha-draconis and not alpha-polaris); and thereby showing that India is the only surviving civilization with
memory of two pole stars. [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12ADatH9O7U ]
dating of the Mahābhārata [ https://insa.nic.in/writereaddata/UpLoadedFiles/IJHS/Vol38_2_1_RNIyengar.pdf ]

I am grateful for this opportunity of interviewing such an eminent researcher, under the pretext of an article for
HSS Indonesia newsletter, who has contributed immensely to both the fields of civil engineering and history of
science, especially discovering many new things unravelling the understanding of our cultural and intellectual
heritage.

Dear Sir, we are given to understand that you did your schooling and engineering in Mysuru, and secured a
government job in the final year of engineering itself. In those days of the 1960s, perhaps most people would have
thought that their life was settled. In spite of this, what drove you to choose a career in research and academics.
What were the factors during your schooling and engineering that influenced this decision of yours and what was
the reaction/response of your family and friends?

This is a basic and fundamental question which goes back more than fifty years. Having been brought up in
traditional family of Sanskrit scholars, education and study of books were considered very important and normal too;
and that any person should be open for such academic and intellectual activity. My elder brother was very particular
that I should take up engineering although I wasn’t all that keen. He used to say “With everybody going for
engineering, and if you can get a seat in engineering, why not?” I was very much interested in ancient science, what
may be called Indology, and wanted to take up arts or humanities in order to study something to do with Sanskrit. My
mother was very particular that I must do something for Indian culture and investigate the ancient wisdom; she was
having a very nationalistic bent of mind, being proud of our country, our tradition, music etc. My father too was
nationalistic, no doubt, but his views were quite broad.

Cont....
 QUARTERLY ISSUE 1 | VIJAYA DASHAMI | 24, ASHWINA SHUKLA
PAKSHA, NAVAMI 2077 PRAMATHI, VIKRAMA SAMVATA

During my engineering days, mathematics and mechanics attracted me the most. Prof. Timoshinko’s books on
elasticity and structural dynamics, considered very advanced those days, attracted me very much due to the
arguments and the line of thinking provided thereof. I used to enjoy reading his books although they were not
prescribed in our curricula. I got a job in third year of engineering and also a Gazetted officer post in fourth year in
Hindustan Steel Syndicate in Ranchi, where lot of civil, mechanical and electrical engineers would end up during
those days. Although my father nudged me to take it up, somehow, I did not; and my parents, family and friends were
not upset by it. I wanted to get into the Indian Institute of Science, but that wouldn’t be easy given that I wasn’t a
rank student. With great difficulty, after having published a paper, I secured an admission and then went on to work
on vibration of bridges and plates; and later switched to earthquakes during my Ph.D., always having a strong
correlation with mathematics in my research.

These days, people in academia are taking about NEP (National Education Policy), where there is talk only about
policy, changing textbooks and curricula. There is hardly any discussion about home and good parentage. So, as a
society, do you think somewhere we are relegating our responsibility to the government, schools etc., especially
given the background of your home which you just mentioned?

This is a very deep, sensitive and touchy question concerning the society. My opinion is that we are passing
through an inflexion point, going down; hopefully we will go up. About fifty years ago, growing up in Mysuru and with
relatives in Bengaluru, family was the central point. There were role models among family, relatives, friends, teachers,
neighbours; which seemed insignificant back then, but ten-fifteen years hence had a significant impact. That kind of
extended family system is missing now-a-days and there is dearth of role models in society, which any government cannot
fix. The community feeling which was strong even during the colonial period has eroded away now, leading to an identity
crisis in the youth of today. Hence, there is a confusion in today’s youth whether they belong to the Americans or Maoism
or Naxalism or something else. If there are good role models amongst artists, poets, scientists, intellectuals in society; the
situation can slowly improve. For example, Sir C. V. Raman would be invited to middle schools and he used to visit and
talk to them. But these days, schools get some Nobel laureate from somewhere, who is not in touch with the ground
realities here, just to score some brownie points for the school. This blind imitation leads to distortion, but what is
needed is an original approach in tune with our situation. Equally important is self-criticism: we must have the ability
to laugh at ourselves, and not imitate the abrahamic religions in being averse to criticism or brutally avoiding
criticism altogether.

Sir, talking of role models, you would have interacted with Prof. Satish Dhawan, Prof. Roddam Narasimha and
many such other stalwarts. How were your interactions with them?

Prof. Dhawan and Prof. Narasimha were great intellectuals and have been a source of inspiration for hundreds. I
was inspired by their approachability, their openness; and that they would encourage questions from students and
respond to them. Our teachers at Mahārāja Samskṛta pāṭaśālā in Mysuru would also encourage questions from students.
In my opinion, a good teacher is one who encourages questions from students and responds to them. Another person,
Valluri, a fine intellectual, who was then the director of National Aeronautical Laboratory convinced me to take up an
assignment at Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Rourkee for six years, though I wasn’t initially keen on taking up
that administrative task.
Outside of profession and family, Swami Prabuddhananda of Ramakrishna Math and Radhakrishna Swamiji are
my role models from whom I have learnt a lot.

Sir, changing track slightly, on the one hand we find that there are people in our society who genuinely seek
knowledge; but on the other hand, a solid research culture seems to be lacking in higher educational institutes
(apart from IIT/IISc). How do you see this situation?

From a very long time, we have been joyful society (ānanda) right from the rulers to the workers, since everybody’s
work was valued. For example, the people who made rockets for Tipu Sultan were iron smiths who were considered as
the metallurgists of those days; but similar people around us today are doing small jobs such as sharpening knives etc. It
is technology (and not science) which has brought this change of mass production. Excessive technology is not good. I
am in agreement with Mahatma Gandhi’s economic model where there are checks and balances in place, also taking the
environment into consideration.
Cont.....
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The reason why our universities are held back in research is due to excessive control and interference from the
government. I fear that the standard of IIT/IISc may go down with too much government interference. Also, merit
must be recognized and it must be made apparent that merit is being recognized. I feel merit and justice are similar
in that respect. If merit is not recognized, the intellectuals may get dejected, may become a rebel and injure the
society. This is one the main reasons for the famed ‘brain-drain’.
Also, today our society has become very materialistic. This wasn’t the case in the olden days. The intellectuals
never went after money; most often they were poor, but did not bother. Usually, the farmers, traders and labourers;
whom we consider today as downtrodden, were very rich.

Sir, you have done great work in bringing out unique aspects of Indian intellectual tradition in the fields of
observational astronomy, civil engineering, music, architecture etc. Apart from giving credit where it is due and
obtaining a knowledge of true history, what else do you think is the relevance of ancient Indian science to today’s
society, India and the world at large?

See, as far as India is concerned, this is a process of self-discovery. Striving for ātmajñānam at the individual level
is all-right, but what about ātmajñānam for the society is the question. This conflict between the individual and the society
has been there for long; but during the past thousand five hundred years, the individual has taken precedence over
society and as a result we find that our society has succumbed to foreign invasions. How do we re-establish the core
values of Sanātana Dharma not just in the individual but in the society at large is the question. I don’t know the answer,
but I am doing the best I can by looking into this ignored and neglect field which is replete with original and profound
ideas, many of them unexplored which can benefit not just India but the whole of humanity.
Of late, I find that a great churn is happening among youngsters with regard to history. Some well-meaning people
criticise my date of the Mahābhārata and I get some hate mails too, which is fine. All this indicates lot of rājasic energy
which I feel needs to be channelized. Till now, it was all tamas; now we are transitioning to rajas; but where will sattva
come from. I strongly feel it will come from studying the ancient period, more specifically the pre-siddhantic period; not just
limited to astronomy. I feel there is disconnect between the siddhantic period and the ancient past which requires lot of
investigation. For instance, everyone would be familiar with the ghaṭikā-yanta where a copper vessel with a hole in its
base will sink to the bottom of a bucket filled with water in a certain time. The question is – how would such a device be
calibrated? Engineers would know that calibration is very important for any measurement system. We will publish our
findings shortly in the Indian Journal of History of Science, where we demonstrate that this unique technique goes
back till the somayāga period.

Sir, talking of history, we are able to tell the exact birth date of Śrī Rāmacandra and Śrī Krishna Vāsudeva as
Caitra-suddha-navamī punarvasū nakṣatram abhijin-muhūrta and Śrāvaṇa-bahuḷa-aṣṭamī rohiṇī nakṣatram
respectively but cannot say how many years ago they were born. Today we have people who can recite the Vedas
but are unable to explain its meaning in a convincing manner. How do you see this situation?

For instance, there is an anecdote in the Ṛgveda which says that Indra was afraid of the night and that it is
chhandas that helped him cross over the night. It is important that we look at these things with a scientific bent of mind
and not through mere emotion. Even Yāska says in his Niruktam that Vedic mantras (especially Ṛgveda) can have three
meanings concerning adhyātma, adhiyajña and adhidaivata.
Also, there are two ways in which our culture looks at time: one is anādi ananta (beginningless endless) time and
another is the phenomenal time. When connecting Sri Krishna to our lives, it is sufficient for an emotional person if a one
day in a year is connected with the birth of Krishna to obtain inspiration and joy from the His life. However, if one is serious
about finding out whether Krishna was really historical, one has to objectively look at the available recensions of the
Mahābhārata with an open mind and be ready to accept the logical conclusion which can be drawn based on the
available data.

Dear Sir, thank you so much for spending your valuable time and sharing your thoughts with us. I hope people who
become aware of the work you are doing take interest and dig deeper and try to understand our intellectual
heritage and continue the tradition further.

Thank you so much for this opportunity. Youngsters like you can do a lot of things in this area, and this area is
very broad. In fact, the so-called astronomy text Vṛddha-gārgīya-jyotiṣam we are studying has a lot of civil
engineering, ornithology and many other interesting things. My only hope is that these things are looked into
seriously and objectively in the coming future.
 QUARTERLY ISSUE 2 | MAKAR SANKRANTI | 16, PAUSHA SHUKLA
PAKSHA, PRATIPADA 2077 PRAMADI, VIKRAMA SAMVATA

BHAGWAD GEETA - SLOKA 2

स य उवाच ।
् वा तु पा डवानीकं ूढं य धन तदा ।
आचायमुपस य राजा वचनम वीत् ।। 2।।

Sanjaya uvacha |
dhristvaa tu paandavaanikam vyoodham duryodhanstadaa |
aachaaryamupasangmaya raaja vachanambraveet || 2 ||

Translation:
Sanjay said: On observing the Pandava army standing in military formation, King Duryodhan approached
his teacher Dronacharya, and said the following words

Tatparya:
Sanjay understood Dhritarashtra’s concern, who wanted an assurance that the battle would eventuate.
Sanjay tried to allay his worry by informing that the Pandava army was standing in a military formation,
ready for battle. Then he moved on to tell him what his son Duryodhana was doing on the battlefield.

As King Dhritarashtra was blind, his eldest son Duryodhana virtually ruled the kingdom of
Hastinapur. In the Mahabharata, he is described as very rude, egoistic, evil and cruel by nature.
Since his childhood, he had a strong dislike for the Pandavas and left no opportunity to demean
them. He was aware that to rule over the entire kingdom of Hastinapur unchallenged he needed
to eliminate them. However, standing on the battlefield, when he saw the large Pandava army, he
was baffled. He had underestimated the Pandavas, the extent of military might they had
gathered was way beyond his expectation.

Duryodhana approached his guru Dronacharya with the pretense of offering respect, but his
actual purpose was to palliate his own nervousness. His move towards his guru also reveals that
the mammoth military formation of the Pandava army unnerved him and he was now fearful of
the outcome of this war.

SUBHASHITA

न चोरहाय न च राजहाय न ातृभा यम् न च भारकारी ।

ये कृते वधत एव न यं व ाधनं सवधन धानम् ॥

Na chor haarym na cha raajya haaryam na bhraatrubhaajyam na cha bhaarakaari |

Vyaye krute vardhati eva nityam vidyaa dhanam sarva dhanapradhaanam ||

It cannot be stolen by thieves, cannot be taken away by the king, cannot be divided among
brothers and does not cause a load. If spent, it always multiplies. The wealth of knowledge is the
greatest among all wealths.
 QUARTERLY ISSUE 2 | MAKAR SANKRANTI | 16, PAUSHA SHUKLA
PAKSHA, PRATIPADA 2077 PRAMADI, VIKRAMA SAMVATA

SANSKRIT SHIBIRAM

म ाण,
सव य: नम कार: ,

By the grace of almighty Ishwar and with the great help of Dwipantar Samskrtam , Indonesia and Sanskrit
Bharti, Bharat , our 3rd , 12- Days Sanskrit Sambhashan Shibiram (from 26th Oct'2020 till 6th Nov'2020)
was conducted with a grand success . More than 30 Sanskrit Shiksharthi attended it .

Shibiram's Shikshika was Ma. Hira Bhagini an Indo-Indian and serves Sanskrit Mata for full time from Bali
Island of Indonesia .

On the closing day of Shibiram Ma. Shirish ji, Sanskrit Bharti Pramukh, Bharat was our chief guest .

Shibiram was conducted in the kind guidance of Ma. Sumesh ji a full time Sanskrit Mata Sevak in Bali ,
Indonesia .

After 2 weeks of 3rd Sanskrit Sambhashan Shibiram till now we are having Saptahik Melanam weekly on
every Tuesday . Ma. Suyash ji and Ma. Dhananjay ji is taking Saptahik Melanam , regularly .

Following are the memories of 3rd Shibiram ...

Further more our 4th Sanskrit Sambhashan Shibiram will be started soon , probably last week of Jan 2021.

We request you all please come forward and attend it so that we also can contribute to serve our Sanskrit
Mata.

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ध यवाद:
 QUARTERLY ISSUE 1 | VIJAYA DASHAMI | 24, ASHWINA SHUKLA
PAKSHA, NAVAMI 2077 PRAMATHI, VIKRAMA SAMVATA

Gokulam is the Birth place of “KRISHNA” a divine incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is here that
Krishna's magical days of childhood was spent. Gokulam had witnessed all innocent & naughty
activities of Krishna. He has owned everyone from Gokulam by his mischievous activities and
affection. Krishna had all qualities of an Ideal Human. That’s why he is also called as
“Purushottam”. Every child has that spark within.
BalGokulam is a forum for children to discover and manifest that spark. BalGokulam will
enable our children in Indonesia to appreciate their Proud Heritage & cultural roots, learn
cultural values in an enjoyable manner and make good friends. They will also develop a sense
of Sewa, Service to humankind.

Our Goal Is
• To facilitate children to appreciate, learn and practice our cultural way of life.
• Install pride and confidence in our children about their identity.
• Raise cultural awareness in the society around.
• Develop social awareness and leadership skills and confidence among children.

Overall in BalGokulam Children will have lots of fun while they learn, Activities are planned for
their physical, intellectual, social and spiritual development.
BalGokulam Indonesia Chapter started from 23rd Aug 2020. We have a weekly Activities. Latest
we conducted coloring and drawing competition. Drawings and coloring pages of the Two
Winners from 3 groups will be published in Online Magzine “ Sanatan Parampara”.

Few balgokulam online program photos......

For Details Please contact us:

Email : balgokulam.indonesia@gmail.com
Shri Makaranda Wyawahare +62 85707898810
Smt Sujatha Chavan +62 817-9866-430
Join Balgokulam Whatsapp Group by this Link.
https://chat.whatsapp.com/BcdD8UsutizFhI9uJMUCcW
 QUARTERLY ISSUE 1 | VIJAYA DASHAMI | 24, ASHWINA SHUKLA
PAKSHA, NAVAMI 2077 PRAMATHI, VIKRAMA SAMVATA

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