The Battle for Sanskrit: Is Sanskrit Political or Sacred, Oppressive or Liberating, Dead or Alive? is a 2016 book written by Rajiv Malhotra which criticizes the academic discipline of Indology, as practiced by Western scholars and particularly Sheldon Pollock.
Cover of the book The Battle for Sanskrit
| |
| Author | Rajiv Malhotra |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Sheldon Pollock |
| Publisher | HarperCollins India |
Publication date | 2016 |
| Publication place | India |
| Pages | 488 |
| ISBN | 978-93-5177-538-6 (Hardcover) |
| Website | http://thebattleforsanskrit.com |
Malhotra criticizes the hegemony of "Western" approaches in studying India esp. Sanskrit texts and frames a rebuttal from within the traditions of Tarka sastra.[1] Lamenting the increasing hold of Western thoughtschools even among Indian indologists, historians, and journalists, he urges for the mainstreaming of "traditional indigenous" approaches.[1] In a review, Bibek Debroy commended Malhotra for exhorting the need of alternative paradigms in Indology notwithstanding the polemics against Pollock.[1]
The book found support in the Hindu Right; it was cited in a petition urging for the removal of Sheldon Pollock from the editorship of the Murty Classical Library of India.[2][3]