Bhagavad Gita and Natyashastra Added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register

What’s in Today’s Article?

• UNESCO Memory of the World Latest News
• UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme: A Global Effort to Preserve Documentary Heritage
• India’s Contributions to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register
• Natyashastra: A Pillar of Indian Performing Arts
• Bhagavad Gita: A Timeless Spiritual Dialogue
• UNESCO Memory of the World FAQs

UNESCO Memory of the World Latest News

• The manuscripts of the Bhagavad Gita and Bharata’s Natyashastra have been added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register among 74 new entries. 
• PM Modi hailed this as a proud moment for all Indians, noting that these ancient texts have shaped civilization and continue to inspire globally.

UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme: A Global Effort to Preserve Documentary Heritage

• Launched in 1992, UNESCO’s Memory of the World (MoW) Programme aims to protect valuable archive holdings and library collections worldwide. 
• It seeks to prevent "collective amnesia" by ensuring the preservation and wide accessibility of the world’s documentary heritage.

Objective and Vision

• The programme upholds that the world’s documentary heritage belongs to all and must be preserved, protected, and made permanently accessible, respecting cultural contexts and practicalities.

The MoW Register

• At the heart of the programme is the Memory of the World Register — a curated list of documents, manuscripts, oral traditions, audio-visual materials, and archival holdings of global significance and universal value.

Updates and Submissions

• The Register has been updated biennially since 1997, with exceptions between 2017 and 2023.
• A maximum of two submissions per country are considered for inclusion in any given year.
• The number of new additions ranges from 9 (in 1999) to 78 (in 2017).

Current Status and Notable Inclusions

• The Register now features 570 entries.
• Examples include:
  • Mahavamsa (Sri Lanka’s historical chronicle)
  • Drawings by Sakubei Yamamoto (Japan, Meiji era)
  • Over 11,000 Shaiva Siddhanta manuscripts
  • 430 hours of Frankfurt Auschwitz trial recordings (1963–65)
  • Video of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s March 7, 1971 speech

India’s Contributions to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register

• India has made 13 submissions to the Register, including two joint entries with other nations.

Range of Submissions

• India’s entries span ancient scriptures, philosophical works, and modern political archives:
  • Rig Veda (added in 2005)
  • Works of Shaivite philosopher Abhinavagupta (added in 2023)
  • Archives of the first Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit, Belgrade, 1961 (added in 2023)
  • Archives of the Dutch East India Company (added in 2003)

Joint Submissions

• NAM summit archives: Jointly submitted with Algeria, Egypt, India, Indonesia, and Serbia
• Dutch East India Company archives: Jointly submitted with Indonesia, Netherlands, South Africa, and Sri Lanka

Recent Additions Highlight Literary Heritage

• India’s 2024 submissions focus on ancient manuscripts — specifically preserved versions of the Bhagavad Gita and Natyashastra — maintained by the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Pune. 
• These reflect the country’s enduring contribution to world literature and philosophical thought.

Natyashastra: A Pillar of Indian Performing Arts

• Traditionally attributed to sage Bharata, the Natyashastra is an ancient Sanskrit treatise on performing arts. 
• It comprises around 36,000 verses detailing drama (natya), performance (abhinaya), music (sangita), emotions (bhava), and aesthetic experience (rasa).

Date and Compilation

• Scholars estimate its compilation between 500 BCE and 500 CE, with UNESCO citing around the 2nd century BCE as the most likely period.

Core Contribution: The Concept of Rasa

• The Natyashastra is renowned for its exposition of rasa — the “essence” or emotional flavor of a performance. 
• Bharata declared, “no meaning can blossom forth without rasa,” making it central to all artistic expression.
• According to Wallace Dace, while actors imitate emotions, the audience “tastes” them — a distinct, aesthetic experience separate from real-life emotions.
• Susan L. Schwartz adds that this process transports audiences into a “parallel reality,” enabling reflection on spiritual and moral dimensions of life.

UNESCO Recognition

• UNESCO hails the Natyashastra as a profound contribution to world literature, highlighting its influence on global theories of aesthetics and performance.

Bhagavad Gita: A Timeless Spiritual Dialogue

• Traditionally ascribed to sage Vyasa, the Bhagavad Gita is a Sanskrit scripture consisting of 700 verses divided into 18 chapters. 
• It is embedded within the sixth book (Bhishma Parva) of the epic Mahabharata.

Philosophical Synthesis

• UNESCO describes the Gita as a cornerstone of India’s intellectual tradition, synthesising diverse schools of thought including Vedic, Buddhist, Jain, and Charvaka philosophies.

Dating and Composition

• While the text is generally dated to the first or second century BCE, some scholars, like Winthrop Sargeant, suggest it was first written down in the second or third centuries CE after an earlier oral tradition.

Core Narrative and Themes

• The Gita presents a profound dialogue between warrior Arjuna and his charioteer Krishna, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, on the eve of the great war of the Mahabharata.
• Faced with the moral dilemma of fighting his own kin, Arjuna seeks guidance, and Krishna's response unfolds the Gita’s central themes: duty (dharma), righteousness, detachment, devotion, and self-realization.

UNESCO Memory of the World FAQs

Q1. What is UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme?

Ans. Launched in 1992, it preserves and ensures global access to documentary heritage, including manuscripts and oral traditions.

Q2. What is the significance of Bhagavad Gita's inclusion?

Ans. It represents India's intellectual tradition and philosophical synthesis, with timeless themes of duty, devotion, and self-realization.

Q3. What is the Natyashastra?

Ans. An ancient Sanskrit treatise on performing arts, detailing drama, music, emotions, and aesthetics, attributed to sage Bharata.

Q4. When was the Natyashastra likely compiled?

Ans. It was compiled between 500 BCE and 500 CE, with around the 2nd century BCE being the most likely period.

Q5. What is the role of UNESCO's Memory of the World Register?

Ans. It curates global documents and manuscripts of significant cultural value, ensuring their preservation and accessibility.

Source: IE | ToI | HT