Satish Verma

Committed to Engineering. Having affairs with Philosophy. Aspiring polymath.

[Satish Verma @satoverma]

Since quite a few mutuals have been asking me to be on Goodreads, created the account and have uploaded the first list of ~100 books. If a book exists in the list, it's not an endorsement but a recognition that it's useful in some or other ways.

https://t.co/b4yTMjArLa

[Satish Verma @satoverma]

Koestler on the pitfalls of nostalgia while writing an autobiography. In general, the same attitude applies to life as well, since there is seldom an addiction that afflicts the perception of present as nostalgia does.

[Satish Verma @satoverma]

This is going to be a weekend dedicated to Arthur Koestler's works. Arrow in the Blue – the first part of his autobiography and Darkness at Noon – his finest work of fiction. I also love these covers by Vintage Classics.

[Satish Verma @satoverma]

@vvaayu Are there king cobras in the vicinity that are sighted?

[Satish Verma @satoverma]

@Rajneetigyaa Not at the moment. I still feel that I'm not learned enough to write something meaningful on a subject that could be turned into a book.

[Satish Verma @satoverma]

This is going to be a weekend dedicated to Arthur Koestler's works. Arrow in the Blue – the first part of his autobiography and Darkness at Noon – his finest work of fiction. I also love these covers by Vintage Classics.

[Goodreads @goodreads]

It's Friday! What are you reading this weekend?

[Satish Verma @satoverma]

@hastnaam If you read in Hindi, you can refer to the paper 'इतिहास दर्शन' by Prof. V S Agrawala.

[Satish Verma @satoverma]

On the conflict between historical methods versus the religious truths as held by the tradition, we need to make people aware about the distinction between the scope of two different approaches and their respective domain authority. I'll try a meta-approach below.

[Halley @halleyji]

Many times people caution me.. Why are you so critical of historians? Let them do their thing. Let them be. How are their ideas affecting you and Hindu society? Why are you so bothered etc.

Romala Thapar says Rama was deified as an avatar of Vishnu sometime in common era because Vaishnavism was under stress from competition from Buddhism, Shaivism and Jainism.

To respond to that situation they took up a popular hero and said he is our guy. They appropriated the story of the popular god by saying he is an avatar of Vishnu.

Essentially saying thar the concept of Rama being an avatar of Vishnu is creative fan fiction.

Then she says as a matter of faith you can still believe Rama is an avatar of Vishnu. But as a historian she will question that claim so on.

I don't see how both 'truths' can coexist in a Hindu's head. One of them has to be deemed as a falsity? Either you believe Rama as an avatar of Vishnu is the truth or you believe it is fan fiction. How can you believe in both? How can we just say that the historian's claim has no bearing on practicing Hinduism?

[Satish Verma @satoverma]

@swayampanthi Thank you!

[Satish Verma @satoverma]

@6amiji Thank you!

[Satish Verma @satoverma]

@LostHandrails Yes. A lot of assertions that are considered as hypotheses in academic circles would be passed off as established truths in public discourse.

[Satish Verma @satoverma]

@KavyaUshanas Naturally - no. Certain truth claims being competing - definitely, yes. Common man's religiosity is determined not by historical validity of their religious ideas but the centrality of religion in their daily life. I don't buy the inevitable defeatism.

[Satish Verma @satoverma]

@abbajabbadaba @arjuna_uvaacha @devoffice One of the rare occasions when I agree with Nehru regarding the threat of Axis power if they were to emerge victorious.

[Satish Verma @satoverma]

@halleyji Yes. Their know-all attitude and talk down people holding religious beliefs is the biggest problem. They can't be content telling what they think unless they patronize others.

[Satish Verma @satoverma]

As history as a field of study has been established, a wholesale rejection of it is not possible. It's better to clarify its scope and utility so that it can't make sweeping generalizations that would appear to have claims over all the truths.

[Satish Verma @satoverma]

For instance, Hans T Bakker in 'The World of Skandapurana' explores a hypothesis of decline of Vaishnavism in North India after the fall of Gupta-s and the rise of Maukhari-s, Huna-s and Pushyabhuti-s. As he is aware of his limits, he doesn't comment on the validity of either.