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India Through The Ages
This book has grown out of the prestigious Sir William Myer Lectures of Madras University, delivered by Sir Jadunath Sarkar in 1928. It is a lucid survey of the growth of Indian life and thought from the Vedic age to our own times with a detailed study of contributions of the Aryans, the Buddhists, the Muhammadans and the English to the growth of Indian civilizations. The book gives us a bird’s eye-view of the successive factors which have contributed to the composite development of present-day India.
Hardcover
First published June 1, 1993
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About the author
Jadunath Sarkar
112 books119 followersSir Jadunath Sarkar was a prominent Indian Bengali aristocrat and historian.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 18, 2022
It’s a broad sweep spanning the history of India in less than 150 pages, and the author does it remarkably well. I do think you have to have a grounding in Indian history to enjoy it : that happens with all generalisations that deep erudition presents to you. And that’s why it’s joyous. One more proof of brevity being the soul of wit . :)
Initially, I found the sweeping generalisations - without necessarily giving references - a bit jarring but realised, as I progressed with the book, that the great historian is teaching and is not trying to prove himself. And that’s okay as far as I am concerned, but only with people like him . Lesser men and women have to provide references. Ha ha
Initially, I found the sweeping generalisations - without necessarily giving references - a bit jarring but realised, as I progressed with the book, that the great historian is teaching and is not trying to prove himself. And that’s okay as far as I am concerned, but only with people like him . Lesser men and women have to provide references. Ha ha
December 16, 2021
These are the first Course of William Mayer Lectures delivered by Mr.Sarkar in 1928. This is a survey India’s growth through ages. Being lectures delivered at the University of madras they are not detailed accounts of the history of India. They are rather broad-brush strokes of the important phases of Indian history covering pre- historical India (Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa and migration of Aryans in to the sub-continent), Budhism, Influence of Budhism and revival of Hinduism, Muslim invasion and the influence of Islam, British colonialism and seeds of Indian nationalism.
While the landscape he covered is fairly familiar to the any informed educated Indian, his interpretation and some of the observations he made way back in 1928 are so prescient and gives a peep in to his analytical approach to Indian history. Towards the end of the book we get the following passages which almost close to 100 years is still valid and applicable to India
“This study of our country’s history leads irresistibly to the conclusion that we must embrace the spirit of progress with a full and unquestioning faith, we must face the unpopularity of resisting the seductive cry for going back to the undiluted wisdom of our ancestors, we must avoid emphasizing eternally the peculiar heritage of Aryan India of the far-off past. We must recognize that in the course of her evolution India has absorbed many new elements later than the Vedic Aryan age and later even than the Mughal age. We must not forget that modern Indian civilization is a composite daily-growing product and not a mummy preserved in dry sand for four thousand years”.
“To India the unmistakable message of the Time-spirit is: Give up your dream of isolation, standardize and come into line with the moving world outside, or you will become extinct as a race through the operation of relentless economic competition in a world which has now become as one country”.
It is good read for getting a bird’s eye view of the Indian History from a scholar known for his meticulous research and pains taking collation of facts and empirical evidence.
While the landscape he covered is fairly familiar to the any informed educated Indian, his interpretation and some of the observations he made way back in 1928 are so prescient and gives a peep in to his analytical approach to Indian history. Towards the end of the book we get the following passages which almost close to 100 years is still valid and applicable to India
“This study of our country’s history leads irresistibly to the conclusion that we must embrace the spirit of progress with a full and unquestioning faith, we must face the unpopularity of resisting the seductive cry for going back to the undiluted wisdom of our ancestors, we must avoid emphasizing eternally the peculiar heritage of Aryan India of the far-off past. We must recognize that in the course of her evolution India has absorbed many new elements later than the Vedic Aryan age and later even than the Mughal age. We must not forget that modern Indian civilization is a composite daily-growing product and not a mummy preserved in dry sand for four thousand years”.
“To India the unmistakable message of the Time-spirit is: Give up your dream of isolation, standardize and come into line with the moving world outside, or you will become extinct as a race through the operation of relentless economic competition in a world which has now become as one country”.
It is good read for getting a bird’s eye view of the Indian History from a scholar known for his meticulous research and pains taking collation of facts and empirical evidence.
August 8, 2025
"भारत: युग-युगांतर की यात्रा" यह पुस्तक केवल इतिहास का संकलन नहीं, इतिहास के स्पंदन को अनुभूत करने का एक सजीव अवसर है।
यह सर जदुनाथ सरकार के छह व्याख्यानों का संग्रह है, जो उन्होंने मार्च 1928 में मद्रास विश्वविद्यालय में प्रस्तुत किए थे। सरकार जो भारतीय इतिहास, विशेषकर मुग़ल वंश के गहन अध्येता रहे इन व्याख्यानों में भारत की अनंत यात्रा को एक सूक्ष्म दृष्टि से संजोते हैं। मूल अंग्रेज़ी ग्रंथ India Through The Ages का यह अनुवाद नवोदिता शर्मा द्वारा किया गया है, जिन्होंने शब्दों में भावों की गरिमा को सुरक्षित रखते हुए हिंदी पाठकों को एक ऐतिहासिक अनुभव सौंपा है।
यह केवल एक कालक्रम नहीं, बल्कि समय में एक सभ्यता की यात्रा है, जो आर्यों के आगमन से शुरू होकर, बौद्ध करुणा की भूमि से गुज़रती है, इस्लामी शासन की कला और टकरावों को समेटती है, और अंत में ब्रिटिश औपनिवेशिक संरचना के समक्ष ठहरती है।
हर व्याख्यान में उस समय के परिवर्तन, उसके प्रभाव, और उस समय ने भारत को क्या दिया इसका संक्षिप्त किन्तु अत्यंत मर्मस्पर्शी विवरण है। कुल 104 पृष्ठों की यह कृति भारतीय इतिहास की एक एग्जीक्यूटिव समरी जैसी है, जो पाठक को और गहराई में उतरने का निमंत्रण देती है।
पुस्तक के अंतिम भाग में सरकार "भारतीय इतिहास के सबक" शीर्षक से एक ऐसा चिंतन प्रस्तुत करते हैं, जो आज के संदर्भ में भी उतना ही प्रासंगिक है। वे लिखते हैं
"अनेक भावुक और समोहक आवाज़ें हमें अपने अतीत की ओर, अपने पुरखों की मेधा वाले रास्ते पर लौटने हेतु पुकार रही हैं, पर इन आवाज़ों को हमें अनसुना करना ही होगा। बेशक, बहुत से लोगों को यह बुरा लगेगा, पर किसी भी कीमत पर अतीत की ओर लौटना हम गवारा नहीं कर सकते। हमें इस सच्चाई को स्वीकार करना होगा कि भारत ने अपनी इस लंबी और नित्य-विकसित होती यात्रा में बहुत से तत्वों को अपने भीतर समेटकर सहेजा है..."
और इस पुस्तक को पढ़कर मैंने यह जाना कि भारत की यात्रा कोई रेखीय कथा नहीं है यह एक वृत्त है, जिसमें समय स्वयं को बार-बार रचता है, हर बार नये अर्थ के साथ।
इस यात्रा में भारत ने अनेक तत्वों को आत्मसात किया है कुछ संजीवनी बनकर, कुछ चुनौती बनकर। पर हर बार, भारत ने अपने भीतर से एक नया भारत जन्मा है और यही इसकी परंपरा है, यही इसका भविष्य।
यह सर जदुनाथ सरकार के छह व्याख्यानों का संग्रह है, जो उन्होंने मार्च 1928 में मद्रास विश्वविद्यालय में प्रस्तुत किए थे। सरकार जो भारतीय इतिहास, विशेषकर मुग़ल वंश के गहन अध्येता रहे इन व्याख्यानों में भारत की अनंत यात्रा को एक सूक्ष्म दृष्टि से संजोते हैं। मूल अंग्रेज़ी ग्रंथ India Through The Ages का यह अनुवाद नवोदिता शर्मा द्वारा किया गया है, जिन्होंने शब्दों में भावों की गरिमा को सुरक्षित रखते हुए हिंदी पाठकों को एक ऐतिहासिक अनुभव सौंपा है।
यह केवल एक कालक्रम नहीं, बल्कि समय में एक सभ्यता की यात्रा है, जो आर्यों के आगमन से शुरू होकर, बौद्ध करुणा की भूमि से गुज़रती है, इस्लामी शासन की कला और टकरावों को समेटती है, और अंत में ब्रिटिश औपनिवेशिक संरचना के समक्ष ठहरती है।
हर व्याख्यान में उस समय के परिवर्तन, उसके प्रभाव, और उस समय ने भारत को क्या दिया इसका संक्षिप्त किन्तु अत्यंत मर्मस्पर्शी विवरण है। कुल 104 पृष्ठों की यह कृति भारतीय इतिहास की एक एग्जीक्यूटिव समरी जैसी है, जो पाठक को और गहराई में उतरने का निमंत्रण देती है।
पुस्तक के अंतिम भाग में सरकार "भारतीय इतिहास के सबक" शीर्षक से एक ऐसा चिंतन प्रस्तुत करते हैं, जो आज के संदर्भ में भी उतना ही प्रासंगिक है। वे लिखते हैं
"अनेक भावुक और समोहक आवाज़ें हमें अपने अतीत की ओर, अपने पुरखों की मेधा वाले रास्ते पर लौटने हेतु पुकार रही हैं, पर इन आवाज़ों को हमें अनसुना करना ही होगा। बेशक, बहुत से लोगों को यह बुरा लगेगा, पर किसी भी कीमत पर अतीत की ओर लौटना हम गवारा नहीं कर सकते। हमें इस सच्चाई को स्वीकार करना होगा कि भारत ने अपनी इस लंबी और नित्य-विकसित होती यात्रा में बहुत से तत्वों को अपने भीतर समेटकर सहेजा है..."
और इस पुस्तक को पढ़कर मैंने यह जाना कि भारत की यात्रा कोई रेखीय कथा नहीं है यह एक वृत्त है, जिसमें समय स्वयं को बार-बार रचता है, हर बार नये अर्थ के साथ।
इस यात्रा में भारत ने अनेक तत्वों को आत्मसात किया है कुछ संजीवनी बनकर, कुछ चुनौती बनकर। पर हर बार, भारत ने अपने भीतर से एक नया भारत जन्मा है और यही इसकी परंपरा है, यही इसका भविष्य।
October 9, 2022
After reading this, I don’t know why but I was reminded of what Macaulay’s had famously said, “We must at present do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern, a class of persons Indian in blood and color, but English in tastes, in opinions, in morals and in intellect. To that class we may leave it to refine the vernacular dialects of the country, to enrich those dialects with terms of science borrowed from the Western nomenclature, and to render them by degrees fit vehicles for conveying knowledge to the great mass of the population”
November 1, 2021
"Duty of Historian Fulfilled"
I have in eternal search for the causes and reasons for perpetual defeat and humiliation of Hindus. The book tells a lot. The author made sincere effort to enlighten and give right direction to the posterity. Many many thanks to the great author Jadunath Sarkar.
I have in eternal search for the causes and reasons for perpetual defeat and humiliation of Hindus. The book tells a lot. The author made sincere effort to enlighten and give right direction to the posterity. Many many thanks to the great author Jadunath Sarkar.
August 23, 2023
Good read
Liked the comparison between the distinct ages of India and their impact on the people and the civilization. The opinions too were quite Frank and studied which was refreshing.
Liked the comparison between the distinct ages of India and their impact on the people and the civilization. The opinions too were quite Frank and studied which was refreshing.
January 23, 2024
Great book with facts and balanced approach
Jadunath is one of few people who is knowledgeable and honest at the same time. Gave a close to true account of actual Indian history without any agenda. Its neither left nor right, just facts.
Jadunath is one of few people who is knowledgeable and honest at the same time. Gave a close to true account of actual Indian history without any agenda. Its neither left nor right, just facts.
January 29, 2022
Very eloquent summary of the evolution of Indian life and thought from antiquity. Must read.
October 21, 2023
Chronological order of events and their effects on the outcomes is flabbergasting.
September 30, 2025
Sensibly written short book and highlights only the positive side of islamic and British rule in India.
November 4, 2022
Excellent book and well researched showing how Indian life was influenced by various forces thro' the ages.
May 5, 2023
A must book for those who want to have a glimpse of how India traced its journey from past to present.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews