A Brief History of India, by Alain Daniélou

A Brief History of India by Alain Daniélou
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Alain Daniélou was a famous Indologist. He had an amazing life: read Shiv Sharan: Not Your Typical French Hindu.

I have read Part 1: Origins, which covers:

* The First Civilization: the Proto-Australoids (Munda)
* The Second Civilization: the Dravidians
* The Third Civilization: the Aryans

I have to say it's rather fanciful. Daniélou states that Shaivism predates the Vedas, whereas all other sources that I've read indicate the opposite. Furthermore, he perpetuates the Aryan Invasion Theory myth. He characterizes the Aryans as more primitive than the Dravidians. If the Aryans were that primitive, how did they develop a language as evolved as Sanskrit? Furthermore, he employs what I think is dubious etymology.

My other criticism is about Daniélou's characterization of the Mahabharata War. He describes it as a war between the (good) Dravidians, as represented by the Pandavas (of the Pandya dynasty) and the (bad) Aryans, as represented by Kauravas. Later on, however, he writes [p. 43]:

It appears that by the time of the Mahabharata war, the Aryans had already largely assimilated the ancient Dravidian civilization, and the Dravidians the Aryan institutions. The conflict was social, rather than cultural.

As I continue reading this book, I will share more insights with you.



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