The Vedas: Repository of Knowledge: A Societal Endeavor Beyond Class Boundaries

Authors

  • Jane Bakker
  • Nayana Nair

Keywords:

Open Access, Vedas, Education, Right to Knowledge, Open Knowledge, Ancient Scientific Knowledge

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss explore the content of the Vedas, a topic addressed in Chattampi Swamikal's influential work 'Vedadikara Nirupanam' (The Right to Learn Vedas: A Critique), written in the late nineteenth century. Swamikal's seminal treatise challenged the prevailing laws that restricted the majority of the population from learning and teaching the Vedas. However, the term Veda used 'Vedadikara Nirupanam',  is understood ony within a narrow religious context. Despite this limitation, Swamikal's work sparked significant societal transformations. Beyond advocating for religious rights, Swamikal emphasized the importance of access to all forms of knowledge for individual and societal development. This study prompts an examination into whether his focus was solely on religious education or if he intended broader implications. It discusses the specific interpretation of the Vedas that Swamikal intended. The paper can reveal that that Swamikal's ideas align closely with modern movements such as Open Access, Open Knowledge, and Open Science, which aim to dismantle barriers to information and foster a more inclusive and fair sharing of knowledge globally.

Author Biography

  • Nayana Nair
    Nayana Nair is currently pursuing her Ph. D at Mahatma Gandhi University. A recipient of UGC- Junior Research Fellowship in Library and Information Science, she took her Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Tata Institute of Social Sciences with gold medal. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in English (Hons) from The English and Foreign Languages University. She underwent one year training from Capital Centre Library, Central University of Kerala, after which she worked as the Digital Library Coordinator for the Indian Public Library Movement Project at P.N. Panicker Foundation. She also worked at the Business Innovation and Incubation Centre, Mahatma Gandhi University. She has also been a part of a project on History of Mathematics in India by IIT Gandhinagar. Her areas of research include Big Data, Social Media, International Relations, Twitter Diplomacy, Digitisation, Manuscript Preservation, Classification, Cataloguing and Metadata.

References

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Chattampi Swamikal (2019). Vedadhikara Nirupanam. Reprint with studies. Trivandrum, Centre for South Indian Studies.

Chattampi Swamikal (2024). Right to Learn Vedas: A Critique. Vallikunnam, Vidyadhiraja International

Doniger, Wendy (2010). The Hindus: An Alternative History, Oxford University Press

Flood, Gavin (1996). An Introduction to Hinduism, Cambridge University Press.

Griffiths, Paul J (1999). Religious Reading: The Place of Reading in the Practice of Religion, Oxford University Press

Kumar, Jay (2014). Ayurveda and Early Indian Medicine", in Johnston, Lucas F.; Bauman, Whitney (eds.), Science and Religion: One Planet, Many Possibilities, Routledge

Michaels, Axel (2004). Hinduism: Past and Present, Princeton University Press.

Santucci, J.A (1976). An Outline of Vedic Literature", Scholars Press for the American Academy of Religion

Chattapmi Swamikal (1854-1924)

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Published

2024-06-25

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 2 (2024): Chattampi Swamikal (1854-1924) & Open Access to Knowledge

Section

Articles

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