Some Glimpses of Ancient Indian Thought and Practices Summary and Explanation
PSEB Class 10 English Chapter 5 Some Glimpses of Ancient Indian Thought and Practices Summary, Explanation along with Difficult Word Meanings from English Main Course Book
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PSEB Class 10 English Main Course Book Chapter 5 – Some Glimpses of Ancient Indian Thought and Practices
This chapter is about the ethos and philosophy contained in ancient Indian texts.
- Some Glimpses of Ancient Indian Thought and Practices Summary
- Some Glimpses of Ancient Indian Thought and Practices Summary in Hindi
- Some Glimpses of Ancient Indian Thought and Practices Theme
- Some Glimpses of Ancient Indian Thought and Practices Explanation
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Some Glimpses of Ancient Indian Thought and Practices Summary
This chapter highlights the culture of ancient India through excerpts from the Vedas, the Puranas, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Ramayana. The excerpts illuminate the ethos and philosophy of ancient India. The values depicted are the universal family, duty to our morality, absolute equality, renunciation, and charity. The importance of renunciation is portrayed by the noble and selfless sacrifice of Sage Dadhichi and the young sons of Guru Gobind Singh. ‘Vasudhev Kutumbukam’ and ‘Wand chhako’ are some instances of seeing all life as a universal family. Absolute equality includes no judgment based on physical appearance or gender. Ancient India was a magnificent, noble nation, greatly respected by other nations. However, corruption, violence, and discrimination have snatched the essence of our nation.
Summary of the Lesson Some Glimpses of Ancient Indian Thought and Practices in Hindi
यह अध्याय वेदों, पुराणों, भगवद्गीता और रामायण के अंशों के माध्यम से प्राचीन भारत की संस्कृति पर प्रकाश डालता है। ये अंश प्राचीन भारत के लोकाचार और दर्शन पर प्रकाश डालते हैं। इसमें दर्शाए गए मूल्य हैं: सार्वभौमिक परिवार, नैतिकता के प्रति कर्तव्य, पूर्ण समानता, त्याग और दान। त्याग का महत्व ऋषि दधीचि और गुरु गोबिंद सिंह के युवा पुत्रों के महान और निस्वार्थ बलिदान द्वारा दर्शाया गया है। ‘वसुधेव कुटुम्बकम’ और ‘वंड छको’ सभी जीवन को एक सार्वभौमिक परिवार के रूप में देखने के कुछ उदाहरण हैं। पूर्ण समानता में शारीरिक रूप या लिंग के आधार पर कोई निर्णय शामिल नहीं है। प्राचीन भारत एक शानदार, महान राष्ट्र था, जिसका अन्य राष्ट्रों द्वारा बहुत सम्मान किया जाता था। हालाँकि, भ्रष्टाचार, हिंसा और भेदभाव ने हमारे राष्ट्र का सार छीन लिया है।
Theme of the Lesson some Glimpses of Ancient Indian Thoughts and Practices
The ideals presented in this lesson are to make sacrifices for the greater good, detachment from materialistic needs, unconditional kindness towards all life forms, no discrimination on the basis of absurd aspects, and true gender equality.
Some Glimpses of Ancient Indian Thought and Practices Lesson Explanation
Passage: [Since times immemorial India has always occupied a place of honour and glory in the comity of nations. The rich culture of this great country has been illumined by the great Vedas and the Puranas, the Gita, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata and rich thoughts that these and thousands of other Indian books of yore are studded with. Some selected snippets, episodes and gems of thought representing the ethos and philosophy of this great land are being given here as food for thought.]
Word-meanings:
immemorial: something that is ancient
comity: an association of nations for their mutual benefit
yore: of former times
studded: dotted with, filled and scattered
snippets: small piece of a brief extract
ethos: the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its attitudes and aspirations
Explanation: Ever since ancient times, India has been considered an honourable country among nations. India has a rich culture and heritage, and it has been brought to light by the great Vedas, the Puranas, the Gita, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata. The Indian books of ancient times are filled with the thoughts of ancient India’s culture. People throughout the world gain insight into the ethos and philosophy of India through the brief extracts from these books.
I
Passage: In a fight between the demons and the gods once, the demons were having an upper hand. In desperation and anxiety, the gods went to Lord Vishnu to find out as to how they could vanquish the demons. The Lord advised them to get a mighty sword (a thunderbolt, Vajarpatt) prepared from the bones of some great sage. Accordingly, the gods approached the sage Dadhichi, a great saint. Dadhichi took no time in laying down his life so that his bones could be made into an invincible weapon (amoghastra). This victory of the good over evil is the rarest of the rare examples of great renunciation and sacrifice that this culture teaches. Who can forget the supreme sacrifice of the young sons of Sri Guru Gobind Singh ? They chose to be bricked alive for the sake of their faith and the canons of justice and true liberty. Our philosophy and thought teach us to renounce, to sacrifice, to give away in charity in the real spirit of detachment. ‘Idam Naa mam’ (This does not belong to me) is the real spirit behind yajnas we are called upon to perform frequently in our homes. Should corruption, greed and lust for easy money have any place in a country rich with such noble and lofty traditions?
Word-meanings:
desperation: a state of having no hope
anxiety: a state of feeling nervous
vanquish: to defeat completely
mighty: possessing great and impressive power or strength
invincible: too strong to be defeated
renunciation: the act of giving up
bricked alive: being walled up inside a space, often with the opening sealed with bricks, as a method of imprisonment or execution
canons: principles
detachment: to be not attached to anything or anyone
lofty: very high and impressive
Explanation: This passage teaches us about the sacrifices and detachment from materialistic needs as it is portrayed in the ancient texts. The moral of “victory of good over evil” is vividly taught through the texts. The first example is from the Bhagavad Gita. Once there was a fight between the gods and the demons. The demons were winning the war, and so the gods went to Lord Vishnu to ask how to defeat the demons. Lord Vishnu advises them to make a sword of great power from the bones of a great sage. Sage Dadhichi was the one who sacrificed himself for the Thunderbolt or Vajarpatt. There was no hesitation, and with his noble sacrifice, the invincible weapon (amoghastra) was made and the demons were defeated. The second example is from the young sons of the Guru Gobind Singh. They were willing to be caged inside forever rather than give away their beliefs of justice and liberty to survive. Therefore, the ancient texts highlight that it is noble to give upone’s life for the ideals and beliefs in a sense of detachment. The chant ‘Idam Naa mam’ means “This does not belong to me,” which raises a spiritual energy of detachment in our regular yajanas. Therefore, in a country built on such noble philosophy, corruption, greed, and lust should not have a place in the current times.
II
Passage: The elder ones of this country, as per tradition coming down from thousands of years to this day, consider it a divine and blessed duty to feed the birds flying in the sky, the animals moving about on this earth and the insects living in small holes inside the earth. This noble tradition is an ocular proof of the fact that the people of this country believe in the unity of life, anywhere and everywhere. ‘Vasudhev Kutumbukam’, the entire Universe is one family, is the basic thought that works here and in the various such ceremonies like the tradition of ‘langar’ in the holy temples and Gurudwaras and the message of the holy Gurus contained in the directive: ‘Eat only after you have shared your meal with others. (Wand chhako).’ This idea of distribution applies not to food only; it extends well up to the entire resources and funds that are available to man. Do we still need to be taught to love the entire mankind as our kith and kin and respect the sanctity of life through total non-violence?
Word-meanings:
ocular: connected with the eyes
directive: an official instruction
kith and kin: people with whom you are connected
sanctity: the state of being holy
Explanation: This passage talks about the unity of life and unconditional kindness towards all life forms. Feeding animals is said to be a blessed duty. The phrase ‘Vasudhev Kutumbukam’ means that “the Universe is one family” is the basic thought behind langars in temples. In Gurudwaras, the langars spread the message of “Wand chhako” which means ‘Eat only after you have shared your meal with others.’ Not only food, but every resource must be shared and spread without judgement or selfishness. Therefore, Indian ethos is built on the idea of seeing the entire life as our interactions with people we are deeply connected with. All life is holy and sacred and should be respected with the practice of non-violence.
III
Passage: Once, the story goes, king Janaka of Maithil (present Bihar) called a meeting of the scholars to discuss some ticklish issue based on high philosophic thought. A well-known sage named Ashtavakara (so called because of his deformed body) was also invited to this meeting. As Ashtavakara entered the portals of the palace hall and walked up the passage, some scholars already present there burst into a derisive laughter. How could such a deformed and misshapen person discuss high philosophy, they felt. Ashtavakara thundered back to the King.” O King ! I feel ashamed of being invited to this assembly of skinners (a person who deals in animal skins ; charamkar). It is only a skinner who measures intelligence or status of a person from his skin or physical looks or the colour and shape of his skin or body.”
Word-meanings:
ticklish: difficult to deal with, a touchy subject
derisive: unkind and showing that something is ridiculous
Explanation: This passage shows the importance of not judging a book by its cover. Once upon a time, the King Janaka of Maithil (present Bihar) called a meeting of smart, wise people to discuss a sensitive philosophical topic. Ashtavakara was also invited. He was a famous and respected sage with a deformed body. When he entered the passage, some scholars began to laugh at him mockingly. They did not think the sage to be “fit enough” to discuss high philosophy. The sage went back to the King and protested against the scholars. He described them as skinners because they were measuring his intelligence and status on the basis of his skin.
Passage: This put the entire assembly to shame and brought them to their knees to beg pardon of this great saint. Colour of the skin or shape of the body has never been a measure of intelligence or status in this country. Lord Rama’s eating of the tasted berries from a Bheel woman (a Shudrá woman who used to sprinkle water on the earth with the help of a leather bag) is a sufficient proof of the fact that there was never any discrimination on the basis of caste, creed or profession of a person in ancient India. One is also reminded here of what the enlightened sage, Swami Vivekananda said to a lady in America who laughed at his ‘simple’ dress: “Madam, in your country, it is the tailor who makes a man; in my country it is the intrinsic worth and character of a person that make him or her great.”
Isn’t it unwise to support, tacitly or otherwise, any talk of such discrimination on such frivolous bases today?
Word-meanings:
creed: a system of religious belief
intrinsic: a part of the real nature of something
tacitly: suggested indirectly
frivolous: silly or absurd
Explanation: Ashtavakara’s words made the scholars feel ashamed. Another example of the same ideal is when Lord Rama took berries from a Shudrá woman who used to sprinkle water on the earth with the help of a leather bag. Another example is when Swami Vivekananda told an American woman who laughed at his simplicity that the inner values and worth of a person define them and not the clothes they wear. Therefore, India was never a nation which supported discrimination on the basis of absurd aspects like skin color, physical appearance, caste, creed, or profession.
IV
Passage: The history of this great land is full of examples where no auspicious function was considered to be held properly without the participation of women. So much so, that if no woman could somehow make it to the function, a statue of the woman was created to mark her auspicious presence*. This only proves that a woman in this great land was never looked upon as an object of lust or sex; she was always considered a devi (goddess), a Kanjak (a young, unmarried girl child fit to be worshipped), the mother of mankind, the ardhangini, the inseparable but equal wheel of the rathá (chariot) of life.
Explanation: This passage illustrates the gender equality portrayed in the texts of ancient India. No function was said to be auspicious and proper without the presence of women. If no woman could make it to a function, a statue of woman was made and set up to channel her auspicious energy. For example, at the occasion of the Setubandh (Rameshwaram bridge) Puja, a statue of Lord Rama’s ardhangini, Sita, was specially made for the auspicious occasion. A woman in the nation was never seen as a sexual object. She was seen as a Devi, Kanjak, the mother of mankind, and the ardhangini, or better half of a man.
Passage: This fitly explains Chhatrapati Shivaji’s bowing his head before a woman and respectfully restoring her dignity as a mother when some misguided soldiers of his victorious army presented her to Shivaji as a gift. This too explains that the great wars in both the sacred epics, the Ramayana & the Mahabharata, were fought for defending and upholding the honour of this matrishakti, the powerful motherhood. Does this not put those to shame who think of resorting to female foeticide or denying the female sex their rightful place in the affairs of the world?
Word-meanings:
misguided: having wrong judgment or reasoning
resorting: to turn to an undesirable and extreme action
Explanation: The example of gender equality in ancient India is Chhatrapati Shivaji bowing his head before a woman and restoring her dignity and respect as a mother. Some soldiers of his army went through wrong reasoning and brought the woman to Shivaji as a gift, an object. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata were about great wars where the gods defended and upheld motherhood and women. Therefore, the nation today should not oppress women in any way.
Conclusion
This post on PSEB Class 10 English Maincourse book chapter 5 Some Glimpses of Ancient Indian Thoughts and Practices comprises of the summary, explanation and difficult word meanings which will help students to understand the lesson better.