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From: baparao@bacall.UUCP (Bapa Rao)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian
Subject: Re: Seperate Sikh State
Message-ID: <2164@bacall.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 10-Oct-86 12:01:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: bacall.2164
Posted: Fri Oct 10 12:01:55 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 12-Oct-86 05:52:15 EDT
References: <2536@ihlpg.UUCP> <1245@mit-trillian.MIT.EDU>
Reply-To: baparao@bacall.UUCP (Bapa Rao)
Distribution: net
Organization: CS&CE Depts, U.S.C., Los Angeles, CA
Lines: 41

In article <1245@mit-trillian.MIT.EDU> martillo@trillian.UUCP (Yakim 
Martillo) writes:

[basically a lot of ignorant opinions about Indian history and culture
stated as facts]

And in article *?*** <generic-net.indian>@some-place writes,

[trying to convince martillo that India does have, and has had, a basically 
unified culture, caste and religious boundaries notwithstanding]

It seems to me that some purpose may be served by providing a concrete example
of cultural homogeneity in India. I am indebted to Martillo himself for 
the inspiration leading to this example. 

Somewhere around AD 100, during the reign of emperor Chandragupta II (known
to fans of Betal stories as Vikramadithya, the Sun of Valor), his
half-brother the scholar Bhartrihari wrote a classic treatise on the subject 
of the Fool, or Moorkha. In it, he defines a Moorkha as "one who knows not, 
but is filled with arrogance and will not learn". He then expounds on the 
futility, even the dangers, of attempting to reason with a Moorkha, and 
concludes that the wisest policy is to learn to recognize a Moorkha when you 
see one, and thereafter seek assiduously to dissociate oneself from him. 
If confronted with one nonetheless, it is best to hold one's peace. 
Regrettably, (says Bhartrihari) history is littered with examples of those 
who have become involved with Moorkhas and brought themselves and others 
to grief. 

The point is that the precise notion of a Bhartriharian Moorkha has been 
pervasive throughout India ever since. Let a random Indian, (be he Hindu, 
Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Jain, Buddhist, Animist, Brahmin, or Dalit, man or
woman) be confronted with Martillo, and he will nod his head and marvel that 
Martillo must indeed be old, since he had, so obviously, been known to the 
wise Bhartrihari himself. The more impetuous among the random Indians will 
leap into the fray, and begin to reason with this prototypical Moorkha. 
Others, grizzled veterans of many a fray that they are, will smile ruefully 
and go about their business. Yet others will succumb to the temptation of 
pointing out the entire phenomenon to their brethren. 


							--K.V. Bapa Rao