Roots and branches

The chapter opens with a Subhāṣhita, a wise saying: 'That which cannot be stolen; that which cannot be confiscated by rulers; … that which is not a burden as it does not weigh anything; that which, though it is used, only grows every day — that is the greatest wealth of all, the wealth of true knowledge.' Each line compares knowledge with money. Money can be stolen, seized, weighs something and shrinks as you spend it. Knowledge lives in your head, so it does the opposite on all four counts.

Indian culture is several thousand years old. Like an ancient tree, it has many roots and many branches. The roots feed one common trunk, and from the trunk grow many branches: different forms of Indian culture, yet joined by the same trunk. Think of a great banyan: its branches spread far and even drop fresh roots of their own, yet they stay joined to the trunk. Keep this picture; the chapter ends by naming what the trunk is made of.

Some branches are art, literature, science, medicine, religion, the art of governing, martial arts, and so on. There are also 'schools of thought': groups of thinkers or spiritual seekers who share similar ideas about human life and the world.

Two words you will meet often:

• Spiritual means to do with the spirit or soul (ātman in Sanskrit and many Indian languages). Spirituality is the search for something deeper or higher than our everyday self.
• A seeker is someone who looks for the truths of this world, such as a sage, a saint, a yogi or a philosopher.

Many archaeologists and scholars point out that some of India's cultural roots go all the way back to the Harappan (Sindhu-Sarasvatī) civilisation. You have already seen two: the terracotta figure seated in a namaste, and bangles worn up the whole arm.

Later, hundreds of schools of thought grew up in India. This chapter looks at a few early ones, which shaped India into a country with its own personality. Understanding them helps us understand 'India, that is Bharat' better.