Fwd: Search for warfare recipes in India's ancient texts

[Guest guest]

>Bal Ram Singh

>bsingh

>Search for warfare recipes in India's ancient texts >Sat, 14 Dec

2002 13:01:22 -0500 > >Dear Friends, > >Many eastern and western intellectuals

have sifted through India's >ancient texts in search for wisdom and

enlightenment. Many including >Mahatma Gandhi used them to assert their

struggles for justice and >peace. > >Times seems to have truly changed. Ancient

books are now being >examined (see below a BBC report dated May 14, 2002) for

recipes of >war, including chemical and biological warfare agents. The book in

>question was written by Kautilya (also known as Chanakya) who was >the Guru to

India's Emperor Chandragupta Maurya prior to 300 BC. >Emperor Chadragupta

Mauraya was not an ordinary emperor, nor was his >Guru Kautilya. Both of them

were responsible for the defeat of >Alexander the Great (known as Sikandar in

India) and his appointees. > >Kautilya was an Acharya (professor) in world's

first known >university, Taskshila (or Taxila) which is now located in

Pakistan, >not too far from the Afghanistan border. His book Kautilya's

>Arthashastra (translated in English as Economics, which is obviously >very

limited translation) is filled with social, political, >economic, and spiritual

and medical wisdom. > >Those days professors were more than teachers of books,

or worse >constructionists of theories quoting others. Writing of books was

>mostly based on the practice of their philosophy (hypothesis, >thesis,

theories, principles, and laws) by themselves and their >close associates. >

>Kautilya is believed to have written his book after completing his

>responsibility as a teacher, strategist, and leader, and after >taking leave

from his day to day worldly responsibilities. In other >words, it was his

retirement effort while living in remote >mountains. At least in his case, his

real scholarship started after >his retirement. > >Kautilya jumped into the

fray to help fix anarchy that was >widespread in those days at least in his

part of the world due to >irresponsible ways of the King at that time, and

ended his mission >only after defeating Alexander the Great. His struggle began

with >speaking out strongly against the King and actively opposing him. > >From

Kautilya's life there may be lessons for many of us in the >academia. One must

take a stand in the interest of larger good of >the society, and there is a lot

more strength in the principles of a >self-practicing professor (or

intellectuals in general) than we may >realize. > >Let's be bold in speaking

out for truth. > >Bal Ram >

>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1986595.stm >BBC News >Tuesday, 14

May, 2002, 11:13 GMT 12:13 UK >India defence looks to ancient text >The book

includes a special diet for soldiers in combat >By Shaikh Azizur Rahman >in

Bombay >Indian scientists are turning to an ancient Hindu text in their >search

for the secrets of effective stealth warfare. >They believe the book, the

Arthashastra, written more than 2,300 >years ago, will give Indian troops the

edge on their enemies. > >India's Defence Minister George Fernandes has

approved funding for >the project, and told parliament recently that

experiments had >begun. >The research is being carried out by experts from the

Defence >Research and Development Organisation and scientists from the

>University of Pune and National Institute of Virology in western >India. >

>The book includes the recipe for a single meal that will keep a >soldier

fighting for a month, methods of inducing madness in the >enemy as well as

advice on chemical and biological warfare. > >Powders and remedies >The book

was written by military strategist Kautilya, also known as >Chanakya and

Vishnugupta, a prime minister in the court of India's >first emperor

Chandragupta Maurya, in the fourth century BC. >The author was an adviser to

India's first emperor >"All of us are excited about the possibilities and do

not for a >moment think that the idea is crazy," said Professor SV Bhavasar, a

>space scientist who has spent many years researching the >Arthashastra. >

>"Decoding ancient texts is not an easy task but we are very hopeful >of

success," he added. >According to a Pune University report, the book says that

soldiers >fed with a single meal of special herbs, milk and clarified butter

>can stay without food for an entire month. >Shoes made of camel skin smeared

with a serum made from the flesh of >owls and vultures can help soldiers walk

hundreds of miles during a >war without feeling tired. >A powder made from

fireflies and the eyes of wild boar can endow >soldiers with night vision. >

>Chemical warfare > >Kautilya wrote in the Arthashastra that a ruler could use

any means >to attain his goal, and Book XIV touches on aspects of chemical and

>biological warfare. > >Scientists say the text can help in modern warfare >The

book says that smoke from burning a powder made from the skin >and excreta of

certain reptiles, animals and birds can cause madness >and blindness in the

enemy. >The book also provides the formula to create a lethal smoke by >burning

certain species of snakes, insects and plant seeds in >makeshift laboratories. >

>"Our focus at present is on how humans can control hunger for longer >durations

and walk for longer period without experiencing fatigue, >Project leader Dr VS

Ghole, head of the environmental engineering >department of Pune university,

said the team was now focusing on the >methods of controlling hunger and

increasing stamina. "Once we have >made some headway we will go into

researching Kautilya's notes on >night vision and other fields," he said. >

>Professor SV Bhavasar said the team also had plans to research other >ancient

Hindu texts. >These include manuscripts which "claim to provide secrets of

>manufacturing planes which can not be destroyed by any external >force, could

be motionless in the sky and even invisible to enemy >planes." > > >Bal Ram

Singh, Ph.D. >Director, Center for Indic Studies >University of Massachusetts

Dartmouth >285 Old Westport Road >Dartmouth, MA 02747 > >Phone: 508-999-8588

>Fax: 508-999-8451 >Email: bsingh (AT) umassd (DOT) edu > >Internet address:

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