Dr. Sitanath Day, M.A. (Gold Medalist), Ph.D in Sanskrit, Geeta Ratna, Vedashri is brilliant scholar and prolific writer. He started his service career as Lecturer in Sanskrit in G.C College, Silchar and thereafter in M.B.B. College, Agartala. At present he working as professor of Sanskrit and Dean, Faculty of Art and Commerce, Tripura University. He is Recipient of number of National and International Awards/Honours viz; Bharat Gaurav Award Ramakrishna Sanskrit Award from Canada, Certificate of Excellence, Best citizen of India Award, Fellow member, United Writers’ Association, Life-Time Achievement Award recipient of one of the best Vedic Scholar award form MSRVVP Ujjain etc. Publ: Indian Life in the Sukla-Yajurveda; Science and Technology in the Veda; Significance of Vedic Sacrifice etc.
Prof. Dey has earned reputation right from the beginning of his career. The present work expresses hi scholarship.
Culture is a complex concept and it is very difficult to define it in clear-cut terms. While defining culture, Tagore has said that, it represents the finest fruit obtained from cultivation of mind through various exercises. Elsewhere Tagore describes it s the rays emitted by the gem represented by education. He says that if education is accepted s priceless gem emitting rays, then the rays emitted by it are capable of being regarded as constituting culture. This culture of nation is known by the exercises adopted by it in diverse fields of Arts, like music and dance, painting and literature as also by the system of education formulated by it. The relation between culture and different artist and humanitarian exercises is rather strange and interdependent, because while culture is constituted by artistic and academic exercises pursued by a Nation, the modicum of culture is known by the quality of the exercises adopted by the nation.
Indian culture happens to be one of the most ancient cultures of the world and all along it has drawing its vital life- sap from the perennial stream of spirituality. This spirituality has got itself reflected in all the exercises structured and followed by Indian mind. Indian mind, as a matter of fact, has conceived of artistic exercises as he means leading to the emancipation of the man, liberation from the bondage of the tiny ego. Indian talent has always conceived of the goal of human life as being represented by the establishment of relationship between the individual and the universal, and the realisation that man is not that small as he supposed to be.
The man becomes able to re-establish his relationship with the universe, when his truncated ego is suppressed by the expanded ego, and he becomes able to comprehend under its orbit the entire universe. This call to push under carpet the tiny ego has expressed itself in a profound manner in all forms of art contrived by the Indian talent. In order to understand the fantastic culture of India as also the rich culture heritage of the nation it is necessary therefore, to make an indepth study of all artistic exercises, including the creative literature structured by Indian mind.
It is refreshing to note that Dr. Sitanath Day, Professor of Sanskrit and Dean Faculty of Arts and Commerce, Tripura university, has made a bold attempt to show how our rich cultural heritage has got itself reflected in Sanskrit literature. contribution of the Vedic literature to the world civilization is significant, in as much as, the Vedic literature was the first to conceive of the humanity as ‘one nation’ and to project the lofty philosophy of Humanism, describing the man as the greatest of all the creations. The Vedic literature was the first to describe the human being as the child of immorality and proclaim its greatness saying that the man is infinite in dimension and that a tremendous store-house of energy exists in the man. This lofty philosophy of Humanism that has accepted the man as the fraction of the infinite has cast its tremendous influence on later Sanskrit literature, which has emerged as the finest specimen of value-oriented literature.
It is difficult to draw a clear-out definition of ‘value’, but it is possible to describe it as a quality, through cultivation of which maximum benefit can be rendered to the maximum number of persons. Indian culture, as a matter of fact has considered service to the humanity as one of the fundamental qualities leading to liberation of the man from the bondage of tiny ago.
Consequently it has drawn the line of demarcation between the divine quality and the demoniacal quality saying that while cultivation of divine qualities leads to liberation, cultivation of demoniacal qualities leads to damnation.
But Indian culture has not kept itself restricted to philosophical pursuits and spiritual confabulation alone; it has tried to solve the problem with which the entire humanity is confronted and this attempt of India culture to solve the problems of the mankind has enabled it to make a comprehensive discussion on administrative principles and education systems, through introduction of which maximum benefit can be rendered to the society. Indian talent, further, has tried to explore some of the scientific truths and has tried to arrive at certain scientific principles by carrying out such experimentation as was available in those days. But in arriving at these scientific principles the Vedic seers depended more on their intuition that on scientific experimentation. This analysis indicates the vastness of the subject and difficulties involved in expounding these in detail. Dr. Sitanath Dey happens to be a profound teacher of Sanskrit, a research scholar initiated into the hieroglyphics of scientific methodology. In 13 articles contained in the book entitled ‘’A reflection to our cultural heritage through Vedic and Sanskrit studies”’, Dr. Dey has attempt to present multidimensional out look of the ancient Indian mind, that has contributed so richly to world civilization. I admire the talent of professor Dey and welcome his book to the arena of Indian cultural studies. I am sure this will serve as a source book not to those will be trying to penetrate deep into Indian culture, but also to those who will make a modest attempt to penetrate into the world civilization.
The articles in this collection are not the result of a conference, nor do the articles all treat a similar theme or idea. The present collection is a humble attempt to reflect the divergent aspect of Indian cultural heritage which is mainly based on Vedic and Sanskrit Literature. it is only with a view to bringing to light the genius of the Vedic seers that I have initiated the present study and collected Vedic postulates with those moderns. I am highly indebted to those teacher and authors whose lectures and works attracted me towards a scientific approach to Indian Culture embedded in Vedic and Sanskrtic studies.
I have no word to express my deepest regards and sincere gratitude towards the illustrious Professor Ramaranjan Mukherjee, formerly Chancellor, Tirupati Sanskrit University, Ex-vice Chancellor, University of Burdwan and Rabindra Bharati University who inspite of his busy schedules is generous to write precious foreword to my book.
I am especially grateful to another eminent scholar Prof. Dhyanesh Narayan Chakrabortly who constantly encouraged me and offered valuable suggestions in respect of enhancement of the present work.
My heartfelt thanks and gratefulness go to Prof. Satyanarayan Chakraborty of Rabindra Bharati University who has constantly encouraged me and has so kindly arranged to get this book published. I am extremely grateful to this prolific writer for the marvelous Introduction extended by him for my book.
My thanks are also due to Sri Debashis Bhattacharjee, Publisher of Sanskrit Pustak Bhandar, Kolkata for taking keen interest in publishing this book within a reasonable period of time.
Ommissions and commissions as well as constructive suggestions if kindly pointed out, will be given due consideration in the next edition.
It is privilege for me to write a few words as an introduction to the latest publication A Reflection to our Cultural Heritage through Sanskrit Studies by Dr. Sithnath Dey, Professor and head of the Department of Sanskrit and also the Dean, Faculty of Arts and Commerce of Tripura University. In the scholarly field, particularly of the Vedic and ancient Indian studies, Professor Dey need no introduction. Many of his works, already published are regarded as standard works relating to Indic studies. The present one is a collection of thirteen articles, mainly Vedic and Indian culture. I heartily welcome this work as an addition to our existing stock of knowledge.
During my last visit to Tripura University, I had the opportunity to meet Professor Dey and go through some of these articles, a few of which had been presented in many a national and inter-national conferences. I had been so mach impressed that I politely requested him to see that these valuable papers come up in book form in the interest of academic world. It was a great pleasure for me as he conceded to my request. Today I feel very happy that one more arghya is added at the grand puja of the goddess of knowledge, the vedamata.
Out of thirteen topics selected by Professor Dey seven are directly related to Vedic knowledge and culture. It starts with contribution of Vedas to the world, followed by Indian medical system and the Atharva Veda, A brief introduction to Vedic mathematics, cabinet and administrative organization as mentioned in the Sukla Yajurveda, modern concepts in Vedic Literature, Vedic tradition and Nimbarka philosophy and the scientific attitude of the Vedic seers in the varied and chequeredsubjects that Professor Dey has taken up. It needs the power of deep penetration into the basic scientific knowledge to tackle such subjects as dealt with here in these books.
Other six articles are also impressive in a same manner. Many of them focus on the relevance of Sanskrit studies in modern days. Sanskrit poets fought silently to tear off the fetters of slavery. In may a works Sanskrit writers has expressed the love and self-regard for one’s own motherland, the feeling of agony for being ruled by outsiders which one undergoes, attempts to raise voice against the rulers. India had been ruled by the Muslims and the British for a pretty long time. There were many who fought against them with swords or guns or political agitation and at the same time there were many who inspired people to fight by their literary works and as it happens, pen become mightier than swords. Indians gave away their lives, imprinted their names by blood in the history of freedom struggle. Sanskrit literature had acted as a constant source of inspiration. Professor Dey has discussed these in details in one of his articles. Another article National Integration and Sanskrit deals with the serious problem problem of the tendency of disintegration, noticed in many parts of our country. The author pin-pointed what Sanskrit can offer in this regard. The Tantra tradition and the Ramayana tradition in Tripura are the subject matters of other two articles.
Thus as a whole the book is a chain of thirteen gems well connected with each other. It will help the readers to penetrate deeply into the realm of Vedic literature, which contains the lofty ideas of humanism, contains direction to a proper synthesis of spiritualism with materialism, contains the great idea that leads one go beyond selfish individualism and reach to the point of ultimate universalism. This is our Indian culture that physically we live mundane but heartily we live heavenly.
Many of us have however either forgotten or ignore knowingly or unknowingly these eternal teachings of the Vedas and Upanisads—a fact that proves utility of such books as this one.
I have no more words to express my heartiest thanks and gratitude to Professor Sitanath Dey for this wonderful collection of essays and I am confident enough that readers in general and Sanskrit scholars and lovers of Indian culture in particular will benefit to a great extent from this book.
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