Was ancient India the world's forgotten superpower? | William Dalrymple | Deja Vu

威廉・达尔林普尔：古印度，是否是被世人遗忘的世界超级大国？

Long before Europe ruled the seas, India’s vast ocean trade linked it to the world. Thinkers like Brahmagupta and Aryabhata spread mathematical ideas that shaped the Renaissance and the modern age. Then colonialism shifted the balance of power. As global power shifts back towards Asia, Deja Vu asks whether the colonial era was the exception.

早在欧洲掌控海洋之前，印度庞大的海上贸易网络就已经把它和全世界连接在一起。婆罗摩笈多、阿耶波多等学者传播的数学思想，深刻影响了西方国家的文艺复兴与现代文明。后来殖民时代到来，世界力量格局就此改写。如今全球重心重新向亚洲转移：殖民时代会不会只是历史中的一段特例。

我们手机、电脑上使用的数字起源于古印度，包含 “0” 这个概念。这套数字体系由阿耶波多、婆罗摩笈多创立，先传入伊拉克的巴格达，由花拉子米整理著作，诞生 “代数” 一词，花拉子米的名字也演变为英文 “算法”。之后这套数字经斐波那契带入欧洲，推动文艺复兴绘画、数学发展。但西方教材很少介绍印度数学家，大家只称其为阿拉伯数字，却遗忘了其实数字是印度发明的。

印度向外出口象牙、棉布、丝绸、胡椒等奢侈品，罗马大量黄金流入印度。佛教思想从恒河流域向外传播，远至中国、日本、东南亚。那烂陀大学的印度僧人曾在中国古代宫廷拥有很高地位

印度文明最珍贵的特质，是对外来思想的包容与吸收。古印度的数学成果，本身也借鉴、改良了巴比伦、波斯、希腊的知识

以下是印度网友的评论：

VincentDirac1930
There is nothing like Arabic numerals,they are Indians numbers from Kitab Al - Hesab Al - Hind simply indian numerals .

根本不存在所谓的阿拉伯数字。这套数字起源于《印度计算法》，说白了就是印度数字。

 

wonderworld7721
Well we Indians say that Indo-Arabic numerals, because it was spread by Arabs.. that credit goes to them.

我们印度人一般叫它印度-阿拉伯数字。毕竟是阿拉伯人把这套数字传到世界各地，这份传播的功劳属于他们。

vishthalakola
I have read only one of William Dalrymple’s books, *The Golden Road*, and I want to thank him for beautifully illustrating how India shaped the world over many centuries. In fact, the history of humanity is a story of different civilizations, at different points in time, develo ideas, knowledge, and innovations that benefit the rest of the world. Today, Western countries are leading in many areas, with Asia catching up rapidly. But ultimately, what matters is that these advancements benefit humanity as a whole, regardless of where they originate.

威廉·达尔林普尔的书我只读过一本《黄金之路》。感谢他生动地讲述了，数百年来印度是如何影响整个世界的。其实人类历史就是不同文明交替发展的故事。在不同时代，各个文明提出思想、积累知识、做出发明，造福全球。如今西方国家在很多领域处于领先，亚洲正在快速追赶。说到底，最重要的是：这些进步能造福全人类，无论它诞生在哪片土地。

 

ravindrakota1
This has already started happening..new syllabus includes all this.

改变已经开始了。新版教材里面已经加入了这些内容。

 

ekamsat429
Most people know that tea or cha are Chinese terms for a Chinese product that traveled across the ancient world. Yet, few realize that sugar is an ancient Indian innovation with a Sanskrit root, sharkara, that shaped the palate of the modern world. Or, steel and metallurgy, for that matter.
Astronomy and sat nav and travel around the world and to the space - all owe themselves to trigonometry - not just a "discovery" (say, like Pythagoras' theorem), but one Indian mathematician Arybhata's invention - who first sat down and defined the sine function! In terms of global impact of an invention by one individual, now that's quite a singular achievement in human history

大多数人都知道，“茶”这个词源自中国，在古代，中国茶叶传遍了世界。但很少有人知道，制糖技术是古印度的发明。它源自梵语单词sharkara，塑造了现代人的口味。钢铁与冶金技术也是我们古印度人发明的

天文学、卫星导航、环球航行乃至太空探索，全都离不开三角学。这不只是一个简单的发现（比如勾股定理），而是印度数学家阿耶波多创立的成果，是他第一个定义了正弦函数！单论由一个人创造、并影响全世界的发明，这在人类历史上都是极其了不起的成就。

 

shanevarghese2315
The process to refining sugar and dyeing cotton came from India. Colonial powers sent Jesuit missionaries to extract this knowledge base and then used it to build their empires. Sugar (and caffeine) were key to fueling the industrial workforce and cotton dyeing processes were key to mechanizing textile production. Despite the efficiency of early machines relative to artisan hands, Britain and France both still had to apply tariffs to Indian textiles to compete and eventually resorted to an import ban to protect their nascent mechanized textile industry. Eventually, the machines won.
The people who carried the artisan knowledge of textile production in India lost their livelihoods, eventually forgot their traditional expertise, and became destitute.

提纯糖、棉织物染色的工艺都源自印度。殖民大国派遣耶稣会传教士，专门盗取这些技术知识，用来壮大自己的帝国。糖（还有咖啡因）是维持产业工人劳动的关键，而棉布染色工艺，是纺织生产机械化的基础。虽然早期机器生产对比手工工匠并没有压倒性优势，但英法两国还是对印度纺织品征收关税来竞争，最后干脆直接禁止进口，保护本国刚起步的机械化纺织产业。最后机器生产胜出。

掌握纺织手艺的印度工匠失去生计，慢慢遗忘祖传技艺，陷入贫困。

 

ushaldasgupta
William Dalrymple, you are the conscience keeper of India. This gives me great hope. Thanks You!

威廉·达尔林普尔，你是印度良知的守护者。你的讲述让我看到很大希望。谢谢你！

 

Saks6951
William displays a stronger connection to Indian culture than many native Indians, who often remain divided by issues related to caste, religion, and regional tensions between the North and South.

威廉·达尔林普尔对印度文化的认同感，甚至强过很多印度本地人。很多印度人还因为种姓、宗教、南北地域矛盾彼此割裂。

 

dchakraborty4901
Why do you think India hasn’t achieved as much as it should have achieved despite having rich culture and civilization and finest talents in all spheres of activities? It is because of the lack of unity and if you express pride about ancestry and civilization there are naysayers who call you fake nationalist or there was no civilization before British rule.

你觉得为什么印度拥有灿烂文明、各行各业人才辈出，却没能取得本该有的成就？根源就是我们印度人太缺少团结。只要你为祖先和古文明感到自豪，就会有人唱反调，说你是伪民族主义者，这些人甚至声称英国到来之前印度根本没有文明。

 

chwartzeKatze8
I knew that India is an incredible civilization, western schools MUST educate their children better so that they can appreciate India’s contribution to the world

我一直知道印度文明非常伟大。西方学校必须好好教育下一代，让他们了解印度对世界做出的贡献。

 

binurajs
Was but now we have to reclaim it in new age

过去辉煌过，但现在，我们要在新时代重拾这份荣光。

 

ayush-gk8kp
Civilization eats strategy for breakfast. India is the oldest and greatest civilisation and cannot be brought down by online propaganda against India.

文明底蕴，胜过一切策略。印度是最古老、最伟大的文明，网络上抹黑印度的宣传，无法打倒我们。

 

SB-wu6pz
Indians know the cycle is turning in their favour again

印度人清楚，历史的钟摆，正在再次转向我们。

 

13_23_D
I DON'T KNOW FOR HOW LONG THIS WILL LAST BUT IT WAS GOOD FOR A CHANGE
AWAITING INDIA BASHING EAGERLY AND GOD PRAISING OF PAKISTAN

我不知道这种局面能维持多久，但能看到这种转变挺好。坐等马上又有人开始抹黑印度，吹捧巴基斯坦。

 

KrishnaKumar-d5v7p
Porus was likely a minor regional king who fought with Alexander. Because Indian history is so expansive, there is no native record of him until Western scholars introduced his story and Alexander was actually the one who was defeated

波鲁斯大概率只是和亚历山大交战的一个地方小国王。印度史料浩如烟海，本土文献里原本没有记载这个人，是西方学者把他的故事带进来的。实际上，战败的人是亚历山大。

 

Abhi-fe9lp
Buddha was born in india in a place called Shravasti which is today's faizabad ayodhya area not at all nepal.

佛陀出生在印度的舍卫城，也就是如今法扎巴德、阿约提亚一带，根本不是在尼泊尔。

MemoriesOFNight
Buddha was born in lumbini in modern day Nepal, all Buddhist Texts and historians mutually agree with it.

佛陀诞生在如今尼泊尔境内的蓝毗尼。所有佛教典籍和历史学家都认同这一点。

 

arindammandal7742
Here we go again. Peasants will be peasants. Even sacred algebraic geometry had its roots in ancient India etc etc.

又来了。外行终究是外行。连高深的代数几何等都起源于古印度

 

lassykohli
India was past super power when they committed to science, literature, secularism, multicultural

印度曾经是世界强国，那时候的印度崇尚科学、文学，坚持世俗化与多元文化。

 

AnBreadanFeasa
THIS is what the internet is for... brilliant stuff.
May the trolls and the zits be consigned to the pits of ignorance forever.

互联网的意义就该是这样，内容太棒了。愿网络喷子永远困在无知的泥潭里。

 

vc-cw1yp
It is fascinating why they don't promote themselves. They should!
Learn their history beyond the Raj.
That self confidence will show when you see hyperbole go down(for example) on social media posts.
Modern India really can thrive... If they know and are interested in their past

有件事很有意思：他们不主动宣传自己的历史。其实真该主动宣传自己的历史！要去了解英属殖民时期之前的历史。现代印度完全可以蓬勃发展，前提是印度人了解并正视自己的过往。

 

SatBiswas
There’s an extraordinary failure in India’s redemption of her own antiquity comes from deep sense of colonialism and equally profoundly rooted in her own civilisation schism- where we as Indians were always more tolerant to the philosophical and spiritual truths rather than a closed idea of nationalism! In some ways our ancient knowledge were deeply embedded in a closed academic and political language rather than being in the hand of the commoners made the case more complicated

印度难以重拾自身辉煌的古老文明的，很大原因是殖民留下的深层烙印，同时文明内部本身也存在巨大裂痕。我们印度人一直更包容哲学与精神层面的思想，而非狭隘的民族主义。某种程度上，古印度知识体系，只用晦涩的学术、官方语言记录，没有普及给普通民众，让这件事变得更加棘手。

 

ansh_u_r
Indians didn't forget..

印度人没有忘记昔日辉煌。

 

rabinaskar3517
India used to practice listening in mouth ancient that were not printed & it was failed to carry out to next generation after demolished the Nalanda University by enemies but outer world used it's wisdom cleverly claiming owns.

古印度依靠口耳相传传承知识，没有印刷成书。那烂陀大学被敌人摧毁后，很多知识没能传给后代。但外部世界却巧妙利用这些智慧，还宣称是自己的成果。

 

swatigupta5041
Whats happening to the cradle of human civilization now - India, Iran, Iraq, China, Egypt? Hope they will regain their status again !

人类文明的摇篮——印度、伊朗、伊拉克、中国、埃及，如今都怎么样了？希望这些文明古国能再度复兴！

 

 

thomasthomasphilp4393
Columbus wanted to come to Kerala, India and ended up in North America. Kerala was connected with the rest of the ancient world through its spice trade. Pepper originally comes from Kerala.

哥伦布原本想去印度的喀拉拉邦，最后却误打误撞来到了北美。喀拉拉邦依靠香料贸易，和古代世界相连。胡椒原产地就是喀拉拉邦。

 

p_sndp
World having one culture and one civilization but in india it is surviving still now but not in rest of the world i.e only main reason

全世界原本同源一种文化与文明。只有印度文明还保留着这份古老传承，其他地方的文明都中断了，这就是最核心的原因。

 

A_Train
Current administration is now looting India worse than the British

现在的印度政府搜刮人民的财富，比当年英国人还要过分。

 

psrinivasan100
How can we compare India and China or Turkiye? India was completely colonized, bled dry by the British, and they left us in the throes of a Civil War. China lost the Opium Wars, had the Tai Rebellion in the middle of the 19th century, and many other disasters, but was never fully colonized. They fully remember their century of humiliation, and never want it again. Turkiye was a colonial power till the 20th century. So the comparison of the three countries today doesn't make much sense

怎么能把印度、中国、土耳其放在一起对比？印度被英国彻底殖民，财富被榨干，英国人撤走时，印度还深陷内战。中国输掉鸦片战争，19世纪中期爆发太平天国运动，跌跌撞撞一路走过来，但从来没有完全沦为殖民地。中国人牢牢记住百年屈辱，绝不重蹈覆辙。土耳其直到20世纪本身还是殖民强国。拿这三个国家横向对比，并不合适。

 

vsapra
india ka begng to celebrate its own culture in a big way school curriculum high school history has changed the remnant of calling out invaders and greatness of India is being told in as many words and we are teching Mughal just not celebrating Mughals . india is begng to go back to 5000 years of glorious past

印度现在开始大力弘扬本土文化。中学历史课本已经修改，课本会直白讲述外来入侵者的史实，讲述印度曾经的辉煌。我们也会讲授莫卧儿历史，但不再歌颂莫卧儿政权。印度正在重新回望自己五千年的灿烂过往。

 

AbhishekSharma-dk6jb
Mughals were no less a colonial power than the British. All of the predatory colonial ruling class of the Mughals and the Delhi Sultanates were drawn from Irani (Persian)+ Turani (Central Asians) and Arabi (Arab) populations who were a foreign entity in India. The Delhi Sultanate and Mughals were a barbaric, extractive, intolerant and destructive colonial implant that suffocated the soul of India and sapped it of all its creative vitality. To pretend otherwise and criticize just the British would be disingenuous.

莫卧儿政权的殖民属性，不比英国弱。莫卧儿与德里苏丹国那些掠夺性统治阶层，全部来自伊朗（波斯）、图兰（中亚）和阿拉伯族群，对印度而言属于外来势力。德里苏丹国和莫卧儿王朝，是残暴、压榨、排外、极具破坏性的外来殖民政权。它扼杀印度的精神，耗尽这片土地的创造力。如果刻意回避这点，只批评英国人，那就不够客观。