No.47 Squadron Indian Air Force - "Black Archers", 2009 - Army Cover

The Award of Presidential Standard to 47 Squadron Air Force was celebrated on 10th November, 2009. On the occasion the Army Postal Service issued a special cover, a special cancellation and a brochure detailing the achievements of the squadron.

The crest of the unit is a figure of a kneeling "Black Archer" with drawn bow chosen for its suggestion of poised readiness. The motto of the unit and its meaning --

कर्मणि व्यापृतं धनुः

karmaṇi vyāpṛtam dhanuḥ

"My bow is stretched for its task".

In coining this motto, I have to think that the Rāmāyaṇa has influenced much. Part of this motto, i.e., vyāpṛtam dhanuḥ is mentioned in the Vālmīki-rāmāyaṇa, with a little variation -- vyāpāritam dhanuḥ. The context of course is war against Khara and Dūṣaṇa. The original ślokas according to the Southern recension* is quoted below:-

नानाप्रहरणोपेताः  खरप्रमुखराक्षसाः ।

तेन सजातरोषेण रामेण रणमूर्धनि ‌‍‍‍।। 

अनुक्त्वा परुषं किञ्चिच्छरैर्व्यापारितं धनुः ।

चतुर्दशसहस्राणि रक्षसामुग्रतेजसाम्  ।।

..... Rākṣasas possessed of exceeding prowess; equipped with various weapons, headed by Khara met with Rāma in the field. Getting enraged, Rāma without returning any harsh speech, by means of his shafts shot from his bow, -- with his flaming arrows slaughtered fourteen thousand Rākṣasas of fierce energy.**

*Śrīmad-vālmīki-rāmāyaṇa, Āraṇyakāṇḍa, Sarga 36, Śloka 7-8, Eds. Mm S. Kuppusvāmi Śāstrin, Mm Kṛṣṇa Śāstrin, Padmanābha Śāstrin and Rāmacandra Dīkṣita, Madras Law Journal Press, Madras, 1933, (p. 353).

**Tr. Manmatha Nāth Dutt, Calcutta, 1891.

Headquarters 191 Infantry Brigade, 2009 - Army Cover

The Army Postal Services commemorated the Diamond Jubilee of 191 Infantry Brigade by issuing a special cover, special cancellation and a brochure on 5.9.2009.

The cover* carries a Sanskrit motto --

युद्धं विजयते प्रज्ञम्
yuddhaṃ vijayate prajñam
"The wise wins the war"

*The first and the last words are totally mis-spelt on the cover.

Air Defence Artillery, 1998 - Army Cover

The 1st Reunion was celebrated by the Air Defence Artillery on 23rd December, 1998 by issuing a special cover, special cancellation and a brochure.

The cover carries the regimental motto* of the Army Air Defence which is in Sanskrit --

आकाशे शत्रून् जहि 

ākāśe śatrūn jahi

"Kill the enemy in the sky."

                                 *The second word in the engraved motto is mis-spelt (if it is Sanskrit).

Sriram Sharma Acharya, 1991, Stamp, First Day Cover, Brochure

Pandit Sriram Sharma Acharya had compiled and translated the 4 Vedas, 108 Upaniṣads, 6 Darśanas, 18 Purāṇas, and Yogavāsiṣtha with lucid summarised translations in Hindi prose to enable the masses to understand the knowledge contained in them. 

India Post issued a commemorative stamp, FDC and brochure on 27.6.1991 to honour Śrī  Sriram Sharma Acharya, in the denomination of 100P.

Sriramanashramam Pictorial Postmark, 2014 - Private Cover

A private cover with a Permanent Pictorial Postmark provided at Sriramanashramam PO was released on 1.9.2014. The postmark is engraved with the phrase in Sanskrit --

ओं नमो भगवते श्रीरमणाय

All India Radio, 1961 - Stamp

This commemorative stamp was issued on 8th June, 1961 on the occasion of the the Silver Jubilee celebrations of All India Radio.

The emblem of AIR contains the Sanskrit word --

आकाशवाणी

ākāśavānī

"Message from the sky" 

In the Itihāsas and Purāṇās we often come across the word Ākāśavānī which also means "celestial announcements". 

It is worth mentioning that this word was coined by M. V. Gopalaswamy after setting up the nation’s first private radio station in his residence.

The emblem also contains the phrase in Sanskrit --

बहुजनहिताय बहुजनसुखाय​
bahujanahitāya bahujanasukhāya

 "For the welfare of all - For the comfort of all"

C. D. Deshmukh, 2004 - Stamp, First Day Cover, Brochure

Sir Chintaman Dwarakanath Deshmukh was the first Indian to be appointed Governor of the Reserve Bank of India in 1943 and was part of the official Indian delegation to the 1944 Bretton Woods Conference that led to the creation of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. He served as the Union Finance Minister during 1950 to 1956 under Nehru and was a founding member of NCAER’s first Governing Body. He later served as Chairman of the University Grants Commission and Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University, during which time he also founded the India International Centre.  He was honoured by the President of India with the Padma Vibhushan in 1975. (Courtesy : NCAER) 

Besides being an outstanding Economist, CD Deshmukh was a well-known linguist and a scholar in Sanskrit. He transcreated the Meghadutam of Kalidasa into English, wrote on Amarakośa : Gems From Treasure House Of Sanskrit World and a compendium --Saṃskr̥takāvyamālikā.

William Carey, 1993 - Stamp, First Day Cover and Brochure

Carey and Serampore College

William Carey has been called a social reformer and illustrious Christian missionary, as well as a colonial ideologue with prejudice, hyperbole and concealed racism. (Wp) 

Like many other missionaries, Carey too was a fundamental Christian. The statement released though the brochure depicts Carey as a person "who adopted India as his country and strived to serve her people." This need to be questioned as he was a person appointed to propagate Christian theology. He started achieving his missionary goal through conversions, the first one to undergo baptism was Krishna Pal, a Bengali on 28th December, 2000. It is said that he could successfully convert 700 of this sacred land.

There was lot of criticism against William Carey.  To quote (Wp) --

"William Carey recommended that British people in India must learn and interpret Sanskrit in a manner "compatible with colonial aims". Carey wrote, "To gain the ear of those who are thus deceived, it is necessary for them to believe that the speaker has a superior knowledge of the subject. In these circumstances, knowledge of Sanskrit is valuable." Carey lacked understanding and respect for Indian culture, writes Rao, describing Indian music as "disgusting" and bringing to mind practices dishonorable to God. Such prejudices affected the literature authored by Carey and colleagues."

One of the major jobs he selected was translating the Bible into various languages and spreading it. In this process he has translated the New Testament into Sanskrit too in the year 1808. 

India Post released a stamp, an FDC and a brochure in his honour, on 9.1.1993.

ORPEX-2006 - Special Cover

The Special Cover released on the occasion of Orissia Philatelic Exhibition held on 16.10.2006 contains a Sanskrit verse from the Gītagovindam (19.8) of Sri Jayadeva Kavi apart from the title.

Saraswati Sangeet Vidyalaya, Bengaluru, 2005 - Special Cover

Sri Govind Vithal Bhave had studied Hindustani classical music under the famous Vishnu Digambar Paluskar. 

He set up the Saraswati Sangeet Vidyalaya in Seshadripuram in 1930 at Bengaluru.

The Instituion is now under the able stewardship of Ubhaya-gāna-viduṣī, Dr. Shyamala G. Bhave.

The special cover which was brought out on 5.11.2005 to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of the Institution bore the Sanskrit inscription:

नादं स्वरलयान्वितम्

ṇādaṃ svaralayānvitam

"The sound of Music (nada) is endowed with tone and rhythm."

The Sanskrit inscription

Acharya Gyansagar, 2013 - Stamp, FDC

Acharya Jnansagar or Gyansagar belonged to the Digambara sect of Jain Acharyas. A Sanskrit scholar, Acharyaji had authored 9 works out of which 4 are Mahākāvyas, namely, Jayodaya, Bhadrodaya, Sudarśanodaya and Vīrodaya.

On 10.9.2013, India Post honoured this scholarly saint  by releasing a stamp, FDC and brochure.

Jayadeva and Geetagovinda, 2009 - Miniature Sheet, FDC and Brochure

Jayadeva (c. 1200) is well known for his Sanskrit composition, Gita Govinda, which picturises the divine love of SriKrishna, and his consort, Radha. This poem, which presents the view that Radha is greater than Hari, is considered an important text in the Bhakti movement of Hinduism. (WP)

On 27th July, 2009, the India Posts released 11 stamps in the denominations of 500P each in Bhubaneswar to commemorate the birth of Jayadeva. One stamp depicts the poet himself, while the other ten depict the Dasavatara. All the stamps contain the Astapadi slokas in Devanagari script.

The Miniature Sheet

The Avataras or Incarnations of Lord Visnu

1. Matsya

2. Kurma

3. Varaha

4. Nrsimha

5. Vamana

6. Parasurama

7. Srirama

8. Balarama

9. Buddha

10. Kalki

It is to be noted that Gautama, the Buddha doesn't appear in the Mahabharata. But in some of the Puranas, He is mentioned as an Avatara. 

The First Day Cover 

In the FDC and one of the stamps, a portrait 

of Sri Jayadeva Kavi is portrayed.

The pictorial postmark is aesthetically designed on which the pea-cock feather and the flute symbolising Jayadeva's idol SriKrishna is shown.

  

The Brochure-1

The Brochure-2

   

The Bethune College, 1978 - FDC and Private Cover

           

विद्यया विन्दतेऽमृतम्

vidyayā vindate amṛtam

“Through (self)-knowledge is attained immortality”

-- Kenopaniṣad, II.4,

The Advaita Vedanta exhorts that mokṣa (final liberation from the cyle of birth and death) is obtained only through knowledge of identity with Brahman. This cannot be achieved through any other means like karma. 

The Stamp

Established in 1879, Bethune College ushered in, for the women of the nineteenth century, a new era of enlightenment and edification through education. ((WP) 

The Institute was founded by John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune (1801-1851). He adopted the above Sanskrit mantra  from the Upaniṣad which belongs to the Sāmaveda, to be the motto. The FDC issued on 7.8.1978 by the India Post adorns the motto with the Devanagari inscription.

The Private Cover

A private cover too was issued by the Calcutta Stamp Club in order to celebrate the centenary of Bethune College.

Kumbh Mela Prayag, 2013 - Special Cover

The Special Cover

The Mahakumbh Mela, the most powerful and largest spiritual festival on earth is celebrated in India on the banks of the confluence of the holy rivers, Ganga, Yamuna and Sarasvati. It takes place every twelve years, alternating between Nasik, Allahabad, Ujjain and Hardvar every three years. The one celebrated at Allahabad is the largest. It starts with a ritual bathing on the Makara Sankranti day, which generally falls on January, 14.

In the Kumbh Mela 2013, nearly 12 crores of people from all over the world congregated at Allahabad and performed the ceremonial bath (snana).

A set of six special covers were brought out by the Chief Postmaster, India Post, UP Circle to commemorate the event. One of the covers issued on 27.01.2013 bears a cancellation on which the mono-syllabic representation of the Supreme Reality -- the Brahman -- AUM -- appears in the Devanagari script.

The Cancellation 

                    

Sankaracharya, 1989 - Stamp, First Day Cover and Brochure

A commemorative stamp in the denomination of 60P on Śrī Śaṅkarācārya was released on 17.05.1989 with an FDC and Brochure. The stamp displays a stylised design of "Advaita" in Hindi, The FDC carries two mantras written in Sanskrit Devanāgarī script.

The first line is from the Ṛgveda, 1st Maṇḍala, 164th Sūkta, 46th Mantra.
एकं सद्विप्रा बहुधा वदन्ति
ekaṁ sad, viprā bahudhā vadanti
"Atman is One; the Sages speak of it variously."


इन्द्रं॑ मि॒त्रं वरु॑णम॒ग्निमा॑हु॒रथो॑ दि॒व्यः स सु॑प॒र्णो ग॒रुत्मा॑न् ।  

एकं॒ सद्विप्रा॑ बहु॒धा व॑दन्त्य॒ग्निं य॒मं मा॑त॒रिश्वा॑नमाहुः ॥

indraṃ mitráṃ váruṇam agním āhur átho divyáḥ sá suparṇó garútmān;
ekaṃ sád víprā bahudhā́ vadanty agníṃ yamáṃ mātaríśvānam āhuḥ.

They called him Indra, Mitra, Varuṇa, Agni; yea, he is heavenly Garuḍa, who has beautiful wings. That which is One, the sages speak of as many; they called him Agni, Yama, Mātariśvan. 

According to the earliest commentator Sāyanācārya, this ṛk (verse) is a praise to Āditya (the Sun). Being illumined, it can be Brahman too. One Āditya can be called by many names as the sages know the essence of nature. Sāyaṇa follows only Yāska, the author of Nirukta and Nighaṇtu, while giving this interpretation. Each of the Devatās has some significant qualities which is praiseworthy. Agni is mentioned twice here the meaning of one of which is to be taken as Lightning. Sat is Paramātman (Absolute Truth). Thus it is decisively concluded that God is One.

The second line (stylised) is one of the four* Mahāvākyas (Great Sayings) taken from the Bṛhadāraṇyka-Upaniṣad, I.4.10, which belongs to the Śukḷa-Yajurveda.

अहं ब्रह्मास्मि

ahaṃ brahma asmi 

"I am the Infinite Reality"

Śrī Svāmī Vidyāraṇya* gives the meaning in a nutshell -- 

स्वतः पूर्णः परात्माऽत्र ब्रह्मशब्देन वर्णितः | 

अस्मीत्यैक्य-परामर्शः तेन ब्रह्म भवाम्यहम् ||

"Infinite by nature, the Supreme Self is described here by the word Brahman; the word asmi denotes the identity of ahaṃ and Brahman. Therefore, (the meaning of the sentence is) "I am Brahman."

Unwanted Notes

The other three Mahā-vākyas are:

1. prajñānam brahma - "prajñānam is brahman" (Aitareya-Upaniṣad, 3.3 of the Rg-veda).
2. ayam ātmā brahma - "I am this Self; that is Brahman" (Māndūkya-Upaniṣad, 1.2 of the Atharva-veda).
3. tat tvam asi - "Thou art That" (Chāndogya-Upaniṣad, 6.8.7 of the Sāma-veda).
*Pañcadasī, 4.