Book Review: The Oriental Renaissance: Europe’s Rediscovery of India and the East, 1680 to 1880/The Birth of Orientalism – Part I

This book review is about two works that cover the history of Indology and Orientalism. Both of these works concern themselves with how India appeared in the eyes of various European intellectuals who attempted to study and understand her. Studying the Orientalist descriptions of India as the experience of Western culture rather than knowledge about Indian culture, will simultaneously help us understand Western culture, and at the same time help us access Indian culture without these descriptive occlusions. For this reason alone, these two books are important readings for Indics who want a better understanding of their culture and traditions.’

Part 2: Ritual, Mantras, and Language

The research of Indologist Frits Staal demonstrates that the fundamental structure of Vedic ritual resembles that of language syntax. Could language have evolved out of ritual? What are the consequences if this is true?

Who Are The Asuras? – Part 1

The first people to translate the word #Asura as demons were the British/European missionaries & they interpreted our culture and traditions through the lens of a pre-existing framework, namely Christian theology.