Beyond the Republic: Indic Civilization’s Legacy and Its Complex Relationship with Modern India
When one studies the great ancient Bharatiya civilization and compares it with other cultures of the same era, a stark realization emerges — something went wrong in the last 1,500 years. This question lingers in my mind every day. The Indic civilization still echoes in fragments, but it is no longer a living presence; it must be sought, rediscovered.
The modern republic is not the same as the Bharatiya civilization. Its territorial boundaries do not align with those of its civilizational past. The land of the Vedic gods looks way difference than it did 2 thousand years before. Its neighbors are not the same ones it coexisted with for millennia. The concept of merit, once deeply embedded in its fabric, seems to have faded. The technological brilliance and intellectual dominance that once made this civilization great are now missing.
The great Champa Sea is now called the South China Sea. Tibet, once a close neighbor, is under occupation. Hind stands without Sindh and many other countless examples.
The Civilization That Was
In The Golden Road, the ancient networks of trade, knowledge, and spiritual thought that connected Bharata with the rest of Asia and beyond are vividly illustrated. The book speaks of how Indic influence stretched from Central Asia to Southeast Asia, shaping cultures, scripts, and traditions. The temples of Angkor, the Sanskrit inscriptions of Champa, and the deep Buddhist traditions of Tibet and China all bear testament to the intellectual and spiritual exports of the Indic civilization. But where is that influence now?
Once, Nalanda and Takshashila were the world’s most prestigious centers of learning, drawing scholars from as far as Greece and China. Today, India’s academic institutions struggle for recognition on the global stage. Knowledge, once revered, has now been bureaucratized and diluted.
The republic may be sovereign, but it is not civilizationally self-assured. It speaks in borrowed tongues, governs through borrowed frameworks, and aspires toward borrowed ideals. The moral and intellectual confidence that defined the ancient civilization is absent.
A Fragmented Present?
While the ancient Indic civilization thrived on intellectual and spiritual exchange, the modern republic struggles with ideological conflict and a lack of cultural continuity. The Kshatriya spirit that once safeguarded the land — evident in rulers like Chandragupta, Rajendra Chola, and Maharana Pratap — has been replaced by political complacency. The civilizational idea of dharma, which once guided governance and justice, has been substituted with laws inherited from colonial rulers who had no understanding of this land’s soul.
Once, the economy of Bharata was among the largest in the world, contributing over 25% to global GDP. Its industries — from textiles to metallurgy — were unmatched. Today, the republic struggles with manufacturing, relies heavily on imports, and debates economic policies designed by foreign institutions.
The cultural and geographical disruptions are undeniable. The sacred rivers that nurtured civilization — Sindhu, Saraswati, and Brahmaputra — no longer define the nation’s identity. The republic is governed not by the timeless principles of Indic civilization but by policies shaped in response to external forces. Only the Indic identity which one stumbles on once in a while is lindy except that I wonder what else
Hallucinating with Civilizational Spirit
The Indic civilization was never defined by territorial boundaries alone — it was a living, breathing consciousness that transcended borders. To revive its essence, India must look beyond its modern political identity and reconnect with its civilizational roots. This means reclaiming intellectual leadership, restoring indigenous knowledge systems, and fostering a sense of self-confidence rooted in our own heritage, rather than borrowed ideologies.
The question remains — can we bridge the gap between the republic and the civilization? Or will we remain a fragmented shadow of what once was?
I wonder at times are we the same people? We are perhaps way different than the our ancestors. To the extent i say we are different people.
The land of Lord Rama is known for a land where lawlessness prevails till date. People fear for lot of things but of law. From which moral/intellectual standing we claim Indic civilisation as our own.
Disclaimer- Views shared in the article is personal to the author. It doesn’t reflect views of any organisation to which author is related. The author isn’t demeaning the progress the newly built republic has made. All he wants is to question the standard once it’s ancestors had.
The article is work in progress dated 1st of march 2025
