IKS Polymaths: Exploring The Legacy & Future Of Multidisciplinary Thinkers In Bharat
Polymaths have been honored and adulated throughout world civilizations. As early as the 5th century AD, Bhartrihari declared, “prajnaa vivekam labhate bhinnairaagamadarshanaih,” which means “intellect acquires sharpness of discerning with the knowledge of methods of different disciplines of study.” This understanding seems to be reflected in the traditional pedagogy of shaastras, where a foundation in multiple shaastras is mandated for the dedicated study of any one shaastra. Intertextuality of the shaastric and other ancient Indian scriptures almost invariably reflects inter-shaastra connections. In Bharat, we find several polymaths among the ancient and contemporary shaastra stalwarts. Often, the bahumukhaprajnaa (versatile genius), bahushaastravitva (mastery over multiple shaastra), and svyasaachitva (equal excellence in shaastra and contemporary disciplines or skills) found in shaastra scholars are attributed to the nature of shaastra scholarship itself.
Today, at a time when the IKS (Indian Knowledge Systems) movement is in full swing, it is pertinent to focus on this crucial aspect of IKS, especially when multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary have gained prominence in contemporary academics globally.
INDICA is organizing a symposium on this important and interesting topic, featuring talks that include autobiographical explanations for this curious question from polymath and ambidextrous scholars themselves, discussions on the multidisciplinary nature of classic iconic texts and shaastras, seeds for multiple contemporary applications in shaastras, examples of late polymath scholars of modern India, and sources of multidisciplinarity in the gurukula shaastra pedagogy and the nature of the shaastras.
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