Guru Ghasidasa And His Satnam Philosophy

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This volume is an accurate, refreshing and educative study of the life and deeds of the greatest most deserving but denied prophet of the depressed classes viz Guru Ghasidasa (1756-1850) born in Chhatisgarh who belonged to the caste which was not just disadvantaged but unapproachable and who was the foremost to devote his entire life to fighting for the upliftment of the Dalits. Guru Ghasidasa. the first and foremost prophet of the depressed classes raised his voice against the caste tyranny.

He led a crusade against the society which denied entry of the devotees of the lower classes in the temples, and against the expensive rituals into which the people were made to fall Throughout their lives, they worked for the elevation, education. full dignity and self-worth for the Dalits.

Guru Ghasidasa and His Satnam Philosophy is a faithful and well documented effort of the life and deeds of Guru Ghasidasa, the first and foremost reformer of his time.

H.L. Shukla (1939-) has created, and for forty years he has dominated the field of Indology and modern linguistics. By any criterion Shukla's achievement is vast he has published about seventy books and hundreds of articles. His mastery of a huge literature is awe-inspiring: in current affairs, in linguistics. history. archaeology, anthropology, sociology, psychology. floklorology. He doesn't believe in heroes, but it is not surprising that for many he has become one. And there can be little disagreement that he has fulfilled his expressed hope that I've done something decent with my life.

Dr Shukla served as Professor and Head Department of Languages and Culture at Barkatullah University. Bhopal. Madhya Pradesh.

The Central feature of Indian political history is the Brahmana-Kshatriya' division of power into a sacred and a secular domain. Its legacy to the political ideology of modern India is still conspicuous. The historic period when society was in a state of reversal will therefore be the starting point of the present book.

Political development in the period beginning in the sixth century B.C. and continuing until the aftermath of Mauryan supremacy have left their stamp on much that followed in Indian history. It was a period of complex change, with institutions in a state of extreme fluidity: any number of conflicting opinions, were held, especially on the question of kingship, and more than at any other period in Indian history. There were the liveliest controversies on matters such as the king's role, the position of the priesthood, the guilds, bureaucracy, and the concept of property. Virtually every development in these spheres was prefigured in this period. I believe that many parallels could be drawn between the Magadhan-Mauryan period and the turbulent events in India of our own day, even though they are separated so widely in time.

Both eras face sudden population increase, expansion of trade, increased agricultural productivity, mushrooming urbanism, and the feelings of anxiety and guilt which these have precipitated. Furthermore, both eras demand organization of larger social units. political unification, heavy military expenditure, top-heavy bureaucracy, and liberalization of professed social attitudes towards the underprivileged.

**Contents and Sample Pages**