Human Values and

Elements of indian culture

Unit - 1
Indian Culture
What does the word "culture" mean? Does it refer to music, dance, and art or is it
broader based? Does it refer to a particular region or does it cover a wider
geographical area?The word, culture has its origin in the Latin word 'cultura' which
emerged from the word 'colere' meaning 'to cultivate' . In sanskrit we call culture
sanskrati wich means samyak - krati or we can say refinement in all aspects of life

The most widely accepted definition of culture is the definition given by TYLOR
(1974) in which he defines culture as a wide ranging set of activities that feature in
all human societies. The word culture therefore may mean a set of ideas, beliefs,
values, knowledge, behaviour, education of a particular society. UNESCO's
Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity adopted in November 2001, defines
culture as the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional
features of a society or social group, that encompasses, in addition to art and
literature, life styles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs.
Culture leads to a state of perfection and refinement of the individual through
social agencies like family, educational institutions and the community. Cultural
attainments are thus not inborn but acquired over a period of time through
socialization and learning. Therefore culture constitutes the spiritual, material,
emotional, intellectual aspects of a society along with language, literature, arts,
music, dance, values, beliefs, ideas, customs, traditions and the like. Culture is a
way of life. The food you eat, the clothes you wear, the language you speak in and
the God you worship all are aspects of culture. In very simple terms, we can say
that culture is the embodiment of the way in which we think and do things. It is
also the things that we have inherited as members of society. All the achievements
of human beings as members of social groups can be called culture. Art, music,
literature, architecture, sculpture, philosophy, religion and science can be seen as
aspects of culture. However, culture also includes the customs, traditions,
festivals, ways of living and one‘s outlook on various issues of life

Culture is closely linked with life. It is not an add-on, an ornament that we as

human beings can use. It is not merely a touch of colour. It is what makes us
human. Without culture, there would be no humans. Culture is made up of
traditions, beliefs, way of life, from the most spiritual to the most material.
 It gives us meaning, a way of leading our lives. Human beings are creators of
culture and, at the same time, culture is what makes us human.

Without culture, there would be no humans. Culture is made up of traditions,

beliefs, way of life, from the most spiritual to the most material. It gives us
meaning, a way of leading our lives. Human beings are creators of culture and, at
the same time, culture is what makes us human. A fundamental element of culture
is the issue of religious belief and its symbolic expression. We must value religious
identity and be aware of current efforts to make progress in terms of interfaith
dialogue, which is actually an intercultural dialogue. As the world is becoming
more and more global and we coexist on a more global level we can‘t just think
there‘s only one right way of living or that any one is valid
Indian culture is one of the most ancient cultures of the world. The ancient cultures
of Egypt, Greece, Rome, etc. were destroyed with time and only their remnants
are left. But Indian culture is alive till today. Its fundamental principles are the
same, as were in the ancient time. One can see village panchayats, and joint
family systemThe teachings of Buddha, Mahavira, and Lord Krishna are alive till
today also and are source of inspiration. The values of spirituality, praying nature,
faith in karma and reincarnation, non-violence, truth, non- stealing, Chastity, Non-
Acquisitiveness, etc. inspire people of this nation, today also. Material
development and materials come under civilization while Art of Living, customs,
traditions come under culture. Material development is possible to a limit. This is
the reason, that the civilizations got destroyed while Indian culture is present till
today because the basis of development was spirituality and not materialism.
Thus, Indian culture can be called an ancient culture, whose past is alive even in
the present. The reminiscent of the stone-age found in Pallavaram, Chingalpet,
Vellore, Tinnivalli near Madras, in the valley of river Sohan, in Pindhighev area in
West Punjab, in Rehand area of Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, in Narmada Valley in
Madhya Pradesh, in Hoshangabad and Maheshwar, make it clear that India has
been the land of development and growth of human culture. On the basis of
excavation done in places like Harappa and Mohanjodaro etc.Indian philosophy
and Hindu thinking as reflected in the works of early Aryans constitute the most in
depth study about universe, man and nature. The purpose of human life, the
relation of the world to the objects and the nature of knowledge were critically
examined and well documented The most ancient ideology of indian culture is
vedic culture
The word Veda has its origin from the root “Vid” in Sanskrit meaning to ‘know’ and
thus Vedas encompass the accumulated wisdom and knowledge of ancient Hindu
Seers called Maharshis . There is a great wealth of Sanskrit works at the base of
this knowledge pyramid containing critical and elaborated commentaries by
renowned scholars on the Vedic literature. No land on this earth has witnessed the
emergence of such great personalities as Adi Sankara, Ramanuja, Madhava,
Raghavendra, Tulasidas, Surdas, Tiruvalluavar, Nanak, Gautam Buddha,
Mahaveer, Kalidas, Rama Krishna, Vivekananda, Bhartruhari, Kabir and many
more.
The Vedic Period or the Vedic Age refers to that time period
when the Vedic Sanskrit texts were composed in India. The
society that emerged during that time is known as the Vedic
Period, or the Vedic Age, Civilization. The Vedic Civilization
flourished between the 1500 BC and 500 BC on the
Indo-Gangetic Plains of the Indian subcontinent. This
civilization laid down the foundation of Hinduism as well as
the associated Indian culture. The Vedic Age was followed by
the golden age of Hinduism and classical Sanskrit literature,
the Maurya Empire and the Middle Kingdoms of India.vedas are the roots of
indian culture . To understand indian culture one should understand the philosophy
of vedic culture . Vedas believe in unity of purush and aatma or we can say ved
believe that the supreme goal of life is to understand the unity of god and bodily
man
India with its centuries old civilization is perhaps one of the few nations, which has
a cultural heritage i.e. Rich, diverse and unique. The richness and diversity of the
Indian culture has its roots in its history. The history of India is testimony to the fact
that foreign invasions influenced the polity and culture of India. Right from ancient
times when Alexander invaded India and brought with him Greek influences till the
arrival of British in the 16th century, India was constantly targeted by many
invaders. These invasions from outside made India the melting pot of different
faiths and cultures. With these invasions came the art and architecture, different
beliefs and customs of the invaders to India.
 The cultural heritage of India is not limited to the art and architecture that we see
today in the form of many architectural wonders that dot many Indian cities but it
traverses beyond that. Cultural heritage of India is the embodiments of all things
beautiful that makes one stand and take notice. India is a big country comprising
many racial groups with a great number of spoken languages and dialects. There
are several religions which reflect in customs through rituals, dresses and
festivals. India is the cradle of many cultures. Inspite of the diversities the people
are united. Though several foreign invaders attacked India and succeeded in
destroying the basic Indian culture, good qualities of new culture emerged out as a
richer culture after their invasions
India is a composite cultural society where world religions like Christianity, Islam,
Buddhism, Jainism, etc… have co-existed with Hindu and Sikh religions. There
are certain common links and bonds that unite people of different religions. The
constitution of India guarantees each individual the freedom to profess, practice
and propagate his religion. We believe in the theory of dharma and karma. The
theory of rebirth and purification of soul, and the philosophy of hell and heaven
holds good everywhere. Our scriptures are the warehouses of the spiritual
wisdom. The west is fast inclining towards our spiritual values which include
meditation, charity, love, universal brotherhood, fear of god, control of passions,
etc…
Importance of Values in indian culture
The first impression the word value bring to one’s mind is the material worth of an
object , event or person . if someone likes an object and wants to have it for his
own use he evaluates its worth in terms of hard cash . if someone wants a person
to do something for him that he can not do himself or get some information that he
does not have , he again evaluates that person’s efforts in terms of cash or in
terms of something he will need to do in lieu of that person’s services as barter.
When two people meet for the first time , both of them attempt to evaluate each
other in terms of their salary , education ,wealth , social standing , etc .., as these
credentials are good enough to bring about