Max Müller institute aka Goethe Zentrum in India exists/remains an institute associated with great learning and spreading cross-cultural diversity. But very few people, if hardly any, know about the high scholarly ability of the person himself or about the hobby of studying, he cultivated from childhood.
Albeit, with a certain prejudice which only manifests itself unknowingly and gives rise to a sense of superiority which should ideally crumble under the weight of experience. But that only happens if 'time' ends up being kind and allows the realization of ones follies, giving at the very least a chance, to sincerely ask for forgiveness. That in itself, would need a lot of good karma to come to bear.
Being under employment of the brits, factually speaking, his extensive writings on the Veda's were following the exact pattern prescribed by the british, using which India was to be ruled.
The british policy, discussed in another post, elsewhere on this blog, was to:
1. Gain an entry/foothold in every state and establish a presence in the courts of regional princes/rulers/heirs by whatever means necessary including bribing, insulting, conniving, enticing, encouraging rebellion and creating of fake titles to appease and flatter small time local rulers.
2. Once an entry has been gained, start demeaning the existing culture and create rifts between the local sects.
3. Propose/provide a better alternative to all the existing Ancient philosophies by creating associations of guilt amongst natives about their forefathers and proving their own cultures were not just better but were indirect sources of inspiration for the native culture!
4. Thus having divided everyone into smaller and more manageable sects, rule!
The role Max played in this 4/5 point agenda to rule India was in points 2 & 3 listed above. This was in addition to the immensely huge campaign run by the Asiatic Society to study mainstream cultures and its influences in the South-East Asian continent. The HQ of the society was based in Calcutta where the East India Company had their first point of entry into the country and had setup the Asia-Pacific regional head quarters.
Before reading ahead, try to calm yourself down and think of all the bed time stories from mythology and ancient times which you may have heard from grandma or father or whoever else.. keep that in mind and then read this..
max muller and his contributions:(sic)
1. The Vedas are like the 'twaddles of idiots' and the ravings of madmen. Their downright absurdity can hardly be matched anywhere.
2. In former times, all kinds of victims were offered(as sacrifice). We know for certain, in the cases of horses and oxen.(he claims this for Ashwamedha yagnya)
3. The Vedas are intended from the beginning for "an uncivilized race of heathens and savages."
4. Sacrifice was a natural occupation for the vedic savages.
5. That Vishnu in India, became in time, an independent deity just as Apollo and Dionysus were in Greece.
6. The Greek and Indian Gods were not beings that ever existed.
7. Sanskrit and English are the varieties of one and the same language.
8. Sanskrit of Vedas is no more distinct than the Greek of Homer.
9. The meaning of Vedas adopted by Sayan was too absurd.
10. Chandragupta Maurya was the contemporary of Alexander and Seleucus.
11. The Veda's contain a great deal of what is childish and foolish. Its a strange religion of such strange creatures.
12. Vikramaditya certainly didn't live in first century BC.
13. The vedic hymns were created c.1500-1000BC.
14. Writing was unknown in India before fourth century BC.
15. Even the killing and eating of a cow must have been recognized during these feasts when the Sutra's were written.
16. The Aryans migrated into the land of the seven rivers(saptasindhu) and composed the hymns of the Ved.
17. Its easy to call these utterances(of the Vedas) as childish and absurd.
References:
Books written by max muller; Name of book, year of print, city, reprint, where. Chapter # & page #.
- A history of ancient Sanskrit literature(the primitive religion of Brahmans), 1860 - London, 1978 - USA. Ch. II, p.389, p.420,p.525.
- The Vedas, speeches of max muller from 1865-1882. Printed 1969, Delhi. Ch. I, p.4,5. Ch. II, p.12,19 Ch. III, p.48,52,54,55,66,74,76. Ch. IV, p.82
- Chips from a German workshop, essay on science of religion. 1869, New York, 1985,USA. Ch. I - lecture of Vedas, p.12,21,26,37,48.
- India, what it can teach us, first print 1882, Ch. I, p.30, Ch. III, p.99,117,119,121. Ch. VII, Ved and Vedant, p.217,218,230,253,266.
- The sacred books of the east, volume I, The Upanishads, part I. First published by Oxford University Press in 1900, sixth reprint Delhi 1993. p. LXIV & XXX of the intro.
- Physical religion, first print 1890, reprint 1979 New Delhi. Lecture III,V,VIII,XIV. p.50,51,86,91,102,203,364.
