“The Dead Have a History”

In discussing the unique continuity of Indian civilization, Professor Arvind Sharma highlights an intriguing perspective: among all ancient civilizations, only India—specifically its Hindu tradition—continues to sustain a living civilization.  Sharma notes that some Hindus, rather than dismissing the critique that they lack a sense of history with what might be termed a “Nietzschean shrug”1 (suggesting that “only the dead have a history”), have offered various responses to the proposition. As he writes:

“Those Hindus who have not chosen to dismiss the assessment that they lack a sense of history with a Nietzschean shrug of the shoulder that ‘only the dead have a history’, have responded variously to the proposition that the Hindus lacked a sense of history.”— Arvind Sharma, Hinduism and Its Sense of History, New Delhi: Oxford, 2003, p. 48

Expanding on this idea, Sharma extensively quotes historian R.C. Majumdar, who sheds light on one dimension of the debate. Majumdar observes:

…The history of ancient India resembles, therefore, that of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia….The chief difference between India and the other ancient countries mentioned above lies in the continuity of her history and civilization. The culture and civilization of Egypt, Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, Assyria, and Persia have long ceased to exist. They are now mere past memories and their history possesses only an academic interest. Indian history and institutions, however, form an unbroken chain by which the past is indissolubly linked up with the present.[‘Indian History, Its Nature, Scope and Method,  in R.C. Majumdar, ed., The Vedic Age (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1952), p. 41]

The modern peoples of Egypt and Mesopotamia have no bond whatsoever with the civilization that flourished there millennia ago and its memorials have no more (usually very very much less) meaning to them than to any enlightened man in any part of the world.

But not so in India. The icons discovered at Mohenjo-Daro are those of gods and goddesses who are still worshiped in India, and the Hindus from the Himalaya to Cape Comorin repeat even today the Vedic hymns which were uttered on the banks of the Indus nearly four thousand years ago. This continuity in language and literature, and in religious and social usages, is more prominent in India than even in Greece and Italy, where we can trace the same continuity in history. [ibid. p. 38]

This means that:

In the writing of a cultural history of India the problem of finding a date for the origin of a movement is topped by the problem of fixing a date for the terminus of a movement, for, as has often been said, India is a land where nothing ever dies. The traditional morning prayer of the Hindu has been unchanged for three thousand years; the marriage ceremony is at least two thousand years old; and in Poona there is a school for the training of priests to conduct Vedic sacrifices, even though none has been seriously performed for three thousand years. [Troy Wilson Organ, The Hindu Quest For the Perfection of Man (Athens, Ohio: Ohio University, 1970), p. 31]—p. 33

Gurukulam, 19-1-2025

Notes

The term Nietzschean shrug is often used metaphorically to describe an attitude of existential acceptance or indifference toward life’s inherent chaos, meaninglessness, or moral ambiguities. This concept draws on the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, who challenged traditional values and emphasized the individual’s ability to create their own meaning in a world without inherent purpose.

Key Elements of a “Nietzschean Shrug”:

1. Indifference to Norms or Morality:
   • Reflects Nietzsche’s idea of moving beyond traditional moral frameworks, as captured in his notion of the “death of God.” A Nietzschean shrug suggests a willingness to let go of conventional beliefs without despair.
2. Acceptance of Life’s Absurdity:
   • Instead of seeking an external justification for existence, it acknowledges life’s uncertainties and contradictions with a calm or resigned demeanor.
3. Empowerment through Individualism:
   • Embodies Nietzsche’s idea of the Übermensch (Overman), someone who creates their own values and embraces the flux of life with a detached, yet determined attitude.
4. Amor Fati (Love of Fate):
   • Often tied to Nietzsche’s concept of amor fati, it suggests a wholehearted acceptance of whatever happens in life, viewing challenges and struggles not as burdens but as opportunities for growth.

In modern usage, a Nietzschean shrug might describe someone who responds to existential dilemmas or societal expectations with a sense of personal autonomy, calm detachment, or even ironic humor. It can imply a refusal to be burdened by societal pressures, choosing instead to focus on self-empowerment and authenticity.—Summary given by ChatGBT, accessed 19-1-2024, 10.50 am.