Fundamental Unity of Bharat - Kashmir Context - Abhinav Gupta’s legacy
As Superintendent of Archaeological survey of India (1910 - 1929), Mark Aurel Stein contributed immensely to studies regarding the knowledge tradition of Kashmir. Stein foresaw the future of Kashmir and what would happen to the knowledge tradition, cultural remains and identity. — Vinod Johri
During 18th Lok Sabha election in April – May – June 2024 in seven phases, the Prime Minster Shri Narendra Modi ji and Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah made promises on recovering Pakistan Occupied Jamu Kashmir. Pakistan’s survival depends on Kashmir in its illegal possession though people of Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir have been agitating for independence from Pakistan and now the movement has turned violent. The political solution with Pakistan looks impossible as Pakistan Government lacks sanctity and credibility within Pakistan itself. Moreover, it is easier said than done as according to the analysis and researches of Ex-Army Generals, it requires at least ten years of military preparedness to counter Pakistan and China who both occupy our lands. Kashmir is our pious cause, sensitive, the closest to our hearts and flash point of politics. Kashmir has become the most epochal and paramount source of research on ancient, medieval and modern history, religion, culture, foreign invasions, demographic changes, role of several countries and global organisations in Kashmir, domestic political movements and conflicts. There are untold miseries of people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh in Bharat and also Pakistan even after illegal possession, as well as illegal transfer of our part of Kashmir and Ladakh to China. There are innumerable subjects of researches, documented chronology of events and woes of partition.
The call for plebiscite itself caused mass scale violence, demographic changes of population and mass exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from Kashmir to various parts of Bharat and also Kashmiri Muslims.
We have easy access to the books, documents, chronicles and articles in Bharat but whatever researched and written about Kashmir by foreign authors, is not readily accessible.
I have picked certain threads, quotes and facts from the books “Cultural Terrorism – Conflicts and Debates on Cultural Pasts – B.S. Harishankar, (ISBN – 978 – 81 – 948127 – 4 – 6)” and”The Story of Kashmir Affairs & Sundry Topics – by Triloki Nath Dhar (Book published in 2013)- (ISBN No. 978-93-82792-37-6)”.It is honestly submitted that the facts have been reproduced from voluminous information based on their researches over several years.
Beyond the facts in this article, there is still lot to say on the nefarious conspiracies, personal ambitions and violent movements not just during partition but since centuries earlier.
Abhinav Gupta’s legacy
Abhinav Gupta (940 – 1015 AD), authority on aesthetics, theatre and literary criticism, belonged to the Pratyabhijna School of Kashmir Shaivism. Shri Kanti Chandra Pandey (1983), who devoted himself to the study of Monistic shaivism of Kashmir and its greatest exponent, Abhinav Gupta, mentions fifty works of his versatile genius many of which are lost. Abhinav Gupta’s works can be classified in four general categories – aesthetics, philosophy, Tantra and hymns. He had brilliant teachers such as Lakshman Gupta, Bhutiraja, Bhatta Tauta and Shambhunatha in grammar, poetry, logic, philosophy, esoteric ritual practice, yoga, art, music and aesthetics. Abhinav Gupta is one of the foremost aestheticians of the world, taking the Bharatiya aesthetics based on Shiva metaphysics and epistemology to the rare heights.
When Bharat celebrated Abhinav Gupta’s 1000th anniversary, we are reminded of Sir Aurel Stein’s observations on Kashmir. British archaeologist Mark Aurel Stein was famous for explorations and archaeological discoveries in Central Asia. As Superintendent of Archaeological survey of India (1910 – 1929), he contributed immensely to studies regarding the knowledge tradition of Kashmir. Stein foresaw the future of Kashmir and what would happen to the knowledge tradition, cultural remains and identity. As early as 1900, in the preface to translation of Kalhana’s Rajatrangini, he cautioned, “Great are the changes which the last few decennia have brought over Kashmir, greater, perhaps than any which the country has experienced since the close of Hindu period. It is very easy to foresee that much of what is a value to the historical student will long before be destroyed and obliterated.”
The tradition says, King Lalitaditya of Kashmir travelled to Madhya Pradesh in Bharat where he met the great Shaiva teacher, Atrigupta. After for some centuries Varsha Gupta was born in the House of Artipupta, Varshagupta had his son named Narasimhagupta, who was father to great Shaiv acharya Abhinavgupta.
Abhinav Gupta has written at least sixty works. He had brilliant teachers in grammar, poetry, logic, philosophy, esoteric ritual practice, yoga, art, music and aesthetics. He earned fame and regard as one of the greatest teachers, writers and spiritual masters of his times. A Millennium later, he is acknowledged not just one of Bharat’s colossal intellectuals but as one of the most accomplished writers, philosophers and aestheticians the world has ever known. Veteran scholar Christopher Wallis quotes Abhinav Gupta who wrote on Kashmir, “saffron flowers scattered everywhere seem to make the earth into a garden for worship of the three Goddesses’ and that centre of learning and literature where everyone is either a poet or a scholar where even warriors are eloquent”.
Previously the critics protested against Millennium celebrations of Abhinav Gupta, the versatile genius of Kashmir. The Sangh Parivar (RSS) celebrated Kashmir’s philosopher (The Hindu December 14th 2015).
Truncating the concealing the long history of a brilliant knowledge tradition in Kashmir, they have carved out a new political identity for the region with their dubious agenda of disintegrating Bharat. The deeply embedded Hindu cultural outlook among the people of Kashmir has been narrated (1913) by the eastern and western disciples of Swami Vivekananda. When Swamiji and his disciples went to Kheer Bhawani temple in Kashmir, the Muslim boatman would not allow them to land in the temple premises wearing shoes. The eastern and western disciples of Swamiji further record Sister Nivedita’s observation that “the Mohammedanism of Kashmir is so thoroughly Hinduistic, with its forty rishis and pilgrimages made fasting to their Hindu shrines.”
The present left secessionist lobbies who raise a new seven decade of old identity for Muslim majoritarian Kashmir, should understand how Jawaharlal Nehru (1946) emphasized in “Discovery of India” that “in Kashmir, a long-continued process of conversion to Islam, had resulted in 95% of population becoming Moslems, though they retained many of their old Hindu customs.” Shri Jawahar Lal Nehru also mentioned that “very large number of these people (Muslims) were anxious or willing to return en bloc to Hinduism”.
The active efforts since 1875 to understand Kashmir’s submerged past have to be understood to contend and substantiate the identity of Kashmir in historical context. The patrons of ideological studies in Kashmir include Maharaja Ranbir Singh, Maharaja Pratap Singh, Raja Amar Singh and Maharaja Hari Singh. Western scholars include George Buhler, Mark Aurel Stein, George Grierson, Dr. David B. Spooner, Prof. Stein Konow, Prof. Maurice Winternitz and John Marshall. The plethora of Kashmiri Pundits who assisted Indologists in unearthing the Hindu legacy of Kashmir include Prof. Nityanand Shastri, Pandit Govind Kaul, Pt. Damodar, Pt. Sahib Ram, Pandit Mukund Lal Sastri, Pandit Anand Kaul, Pt. Ishwar Kaul, Pt. Sahaj Bhat, and Prof. Jagdhar Zadoo.
Shri S.N. Pandita (2002) grandson of acclaimed Kashmiri scholar Pandit Nityanand Shastri observes that when George Buhler arrived in 1875 at Srinagar, he was assisted by Pt. Radhakrishnan, the first native of Kashmiri to allow Europeans to see his collection of manuscripts. The most important manuscript obtained by a Buhler was Birch bark manuscript Paipalada shakha of Atharv Veda. which reached Tubingen University and is acknowledged as the best Bharatiya manuscript in Germany. Professor Maurice Winternitz (1981) mentions the Kashmiri recension of Atharv Veda. Fritz Staal (2008) refers to Paipalada recension only from Odisha, available in manuscripts only from Kashmir. Thus the movement of knowledge tradition from Kashmir to east coast of Bharat, three millennium back, expresses the integration of Bharat as a cultural entity.
During the early Gupta period, Kashmir emerged as the apex centre of Buddhist studies. Classical age of Buddhist philosophy flowered in Kashmir with Sarvastivadin school pioneered by brothers Asanga and Vasubandhu. The Sarvastivadin school of Buddhism, which adopted Sanskrit as media, flourished in Kashmir, Punjab and North West frontier.
The great Kusana monarch, Kanishka, was its patron in first century AD, and convened fourth Buddhist council in Kashmiri. Asanga taught Yogacara Cortana Vijnanavada school of Buddhism. The great Buddhist scholar, Ratnaprabha was sent from Tibet to Kashmir by his guru Jnanaprabha and returned as illustrious scholar in Sanskrit.
The Gilgit manuscripts on Buddhist Canons (600 AD) are the among the oldest manuscripts in the world, and cover a wide range of subjects from philosophy, medicine and rituals. They are in Sanskrit language, written in Gupta Brahmi and post Gupta Brahmi script.
Goddess Sharada is eulogised as “Kashmiri Puravasini” presiding deity of Kashmir. As a great centre of learning Sharda Peeth played a key role in development of Sharada script. The eighth century Advait philosopher, Adi Sankara, from Kerala, visited Sharda Peeth and provided an interface between two schools of Monism, the Vedanta school of Sankara and Kashmiri school of Shaiv Advait.
A thousand years after Abhinavgupta entered Bhairava cave with the disciples. Bharat had begun to appreciate the treasure trove of wisdom illuminated by this great acharya who gave us a priceless legacy.
It was unfortunate that moves are on to claim Bhairava caves associated with Abhinavgupta’s samadhi as a Muslim heritage site. In 2016, Anjuman Mazharul Haq, representing Islamic outfit protested against holding Abhinav Sandesh yatra to Bhairava cave in the memory of Abhinavgupta’s millennium centenary, as according to revenue records, the Cave was used by Muslim Saint Mian Shah Sahab for prayers. National Front Chairman Naeem Khan termed Abhinav Sandesh yatra as a religious aggression on Kashmiris. Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani accused Abhinavgupta’s millennial Centenary celebration as an act of culture aggression on Muslim identity of Kashmir.
Demographic change
In December 1947, Shri Ram Manohar Lohia had indicated in this confidential note that during the period 1887 to 1947, Kashmiri Pandit community had dwindled from 1,00,000 to 80,000 (a decrease of 20%) whereas Muslim population had risen from 5,00,000 to 20,00,000 (increase of 400%). British into connivance with the non-Kashmiri Muslim leaders residing outside J&K state give a philip to Muslim influx into Kashmir from territories contagious to the boundaries of Jammu and Kashmir.
Twenty percent decrease in the population of Kashmiri pandits could be attributed to the silent exodus induced by the fear of the revival of fatal Muslim dominance as the tyranny, loot, rape and slaughter by Afghans was fresh in their minds.
Lot more needs to be told about Kashmir. Efforts will be made to narrate ancient, medieval and modern history, religion, culture, foreign invasions, demographic changes, role of several countries and global organisations in Kashmir, domestic political movements and conflicts related to Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh in subsequent articles.
