Question

Write a note in 250 words on the ancient Indian thoughts on development contrasting it with the modern notions of development.

Answer 1

Ancient concepts prevalent in any culture have always influenced the development of knowledge, especially in the field of psychology. Examples are to be found in the contribution of such pioneers as Freud and Jung. Moreover, in the last few decades, there has been a large-scale borrowing of eastern concepts in the practice of mental health. This fact was the basis for the author to explore some of the ancient Indian literature.

The subject matter in this write-up is based on the material that I collected during my sabbatical study in 1987-1988 funded by NIMHANS, Bangalore. The topic of that study was “Mental Health Concepts in Indian Mythology.” The ancient Indian scriptures studied were: the two Epics of Ramayana and Mahabharatha, principle Puranas, major Upanishads, Jataka stories, Jaina stories, and Ocean of stories (Bruhath-Katha-Saritsagara).
The ancient Indian thought on development was based on karma.The veds only explained about God's and their reincarnation.It was only later when people like Raja Sam Mohan Roy, Gandhiji stepped in and focussed more on Education and development of women.They laid stress on Education.Swamp vicekananda's thought we're considered very practical.The modern notions of development revolve around the basic changes in education system and increasing the literacy rate in our country.