Echors of Bharat: The Global Journey of Bharatiya Knowledge Traditions is a ground-breaking work that redefines how we understand the spread of Indian thought. Moving beyond the traditional view of one-directional influence, this book reveals a dynamic, two-way process of transformation and creative re-appropriation. The "echoes" in the title are not mere repetitions but "altered reflections" that take on unique forms as they resonate across cultures and continents.
Through a rich collection of interdisciplinary essays, this volume uncovers the enduring global relevance of Indian knowledge. It demonstrates how ancient systems-from philosophical concepts that influenced Western literature to principles of Ayurveda now integrated into modern practices continue to shape thought and life worldwide. Far from being fossilised history, this knowledge represents living traditions that remain deeply relevant.
This book is an essential resource for anyone interested in the profound and often unseen interconnections that define our collective intellectual heritage.
DR. PRANAV KUMAR is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for the Study of Social Inclusion, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. He holds a PhD from JNU. Before his current role, he taught at Motilal Nehru College, University of Delhi, and Sherubtse College, Royal University of Bhutan.
A prolific scholar, Dr. Kumar has authored two books, published over 30 journal articles, and contributed 15 book chapters. He has successfully led four funded research projects and supervised 13 PhD scholars to completion. His research interests are diverse, with his current work focusing on exploring India's cultural connections with the world.
Heritage and Continuity of Bharatiya Knowledge India's profound intellectual legacy is based on one of the world's oldest and most dynamic traditions. From the immortal Vedic hymns passed down orally for millennia to profound philosophical treatises that helped mould millennia-old civilisations across disparate continents, India's knowledge systems have shown an impressive ability to preserve and transform. This volume-the first in the series- focuses on "Echoes of Bharat: The Global Journey of Bharatiya Knowledge Traditions" and provides an extensive overview of the ways in which knowledge systems originating from ancient Bharatvarsha (India) have been carried to other parts of the world where they have been nurtured and flourished.
What we could call the 'classical' Indian model of knowledge conservation was a remarkable combination of codification and interpretive diversity. Broadly speaking, as historicised in numerous academic textual exegeses, masters of the Veda tradition served as "living books," ensuring that the text was preserved across generations while still accommodating polyvalent interpretative systems.
Global Transmission and Cultural Exchange The global diffusion of Indian knowledge is more than just a one-way movement through intellectual export. As the contributions to this volume show, the transmission of the Bharatiya tradition was characterised by complex processes of transformation, adaptation and creative re-appropriation, which resulted in specific hybrid forms that still retained philosophical elements of its traditions.
This two-way process contradicts "the story that we tell too often of one-directional influence."
The historical evidence of this global spread is overwhelming. In China, during the Tang period (618 907 CE), astronomers took up Brahmagupta's mathematical and revolutionary place value number system. In the 8th and 9th centuries, Indian scholars came to Baghdad, bringing knowledge of mathematics and astronomy that became the basis of Islamic science. Arabic translations of the works of Brahmagupta and Aryabhata continued to be translated in the subsequent eras, resulting in a significant value of having formed the astronomy and mathematics of medieval Islam, and the transmission to medieval Europe through the intermediation of scholars such as Al-Khwarizmi.
Contemporary Relevance and Revival The global journey of Indian knowledge traditions extends far beyond historical transmission into contemporary relevance. The significance of Yoga and Ayurveda for overall human well-being is now widely recognised. There is also a growing recognition about the connections between ancient Indian scholarship and modern scientific inquiry. It is very interesting to note that the computational linguists have discovered that Panini's Sanskrit grammar, developed approximately 2,500 years ago, anticipates fundamental principles of modern computer science. Contemporary physics has found remarkable correspondences with ancient Indian cosmologies, and cognitive scientists examine Indian conceptions of mind and mind phenomena. The focus in the Sanskrit tradition on pramana (valid means of knowledge) and systematic thinking about such issues as perception and inference offers models that one can find helpful to the practice of philosophy and the conduct of science today.
This volume, "Bharatiya Knowledge Traditions (Volume 1): Echoes of Bharat - The Global Journey of Bharatiya Knowledge Traditions," is an attempt to explore the historical spread and ongoing dissemination of Indian intellectual and cultural paradigms. The movement of philosophy and practices beyond the geographical confines of Bharat is a less explored area of research. This volume addresses a critical scholarly need to trace Bharatiya knowledge traditions' profound and often overlooked impact.
This volume is a significant outcome of the deliberations and scholarly exchanges at the international conference focused on these traditions. The international conference on "Reimagining and Reclaiming the Knowledge Traditions of Bharat: Beyond Boundaries and Definitions" was organised on March 3-4, 2025, at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. The conference was sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), Delhi, and the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies (MAKAIAS), Kolkata. This hybrid conference brought together over 225 participants from around the globe-representing more than 40 countries and more than 70 institutions to discuss and debate the multifaceted heritage of Indian knowledge systems. The papers presented in this conference have been grouped into volumes based on themes. This volume is the first of a series resulting from this conference.
Hindu (1765)
Philosophers (2327)
Aesthetics (317)
Comparative (66)
Dictionary (12)
Ethics (44)
Language (350)
Logic (80)
Mimamsa (58)
Nyaya (134)
Psychology (497)
Samkhya (60)
Shaivism (66)
Shankaracharya (233)
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