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Sunil Sondhi

University of Delhi, International Relations, Faculty Member

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Sunil Sondhi is a distinguished scholar in the field of intercultural relations and organization. After completing doctoral research from the University of Delhi he did post-doctoral research at the George Washington University and the University of Toronto. During his research and teaching career spanning over three decades, Sunil has received many international research awards, which include: J. William Fulbright Fellowship

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Papers by Sunil Sondhi

DANDANTI IN THE INDIAN TRADITION

IGNCA, 2025

In Indian tradition use of dandaniti, is considered an obligation to check the criminal, protect ... more In Indian tradition use of dandaniti, is considered an obligation to check the criminal, protect the helpless, and restore social order. Such a use of force is considered constructive as it strengthens orderly conduct by restraining disorderly behaviour. It works for the ultimate good of both the individual and the society. Law enforcement action against willful internal and external threats is necessary for the protection of political, economic, and cultural system of a society against forces of disruption and anarchy, and for proactive promotion of common good.

Punishment Policy in the Vedic Tradition The Realistic Aspect of Indian Spirituality

A simplistic and superficial view of Indian culture and civilisation is that it is spiritual rath... more A simplistic and superficial view of Indian culture and civilisation is that it is spiritual rather than realist. An excessive dose of religiosity and disregard of material interests are talked of as the characteristic features of the Indian mind in which spiritual perspective is seen as incompatible with aggressive defence of basic values of individual and social life. These interpretations of Indian temperament are not at all borne out by facts of Indian history. It seems that adequate attention has not been given to the study of the Vedas, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Dharmasastras, Arthasatsra, Niti-Shastras, and other treatises on warfare, law enforcement and diplomacy.

In Indian tradition use of dandaniti, or punishment policy, is considered an obligation to check the criminal, protect the helpless, and restore social order. Such a use of force is considered constructive as it strengthens orderly conduct by restraining disorderly behaviour. It works for the ultimate good of both the individual and the society. Law enforcement action against willful internal and external threats is necessary for the protection of political, economic, and cultural system of a society against forces of disruption and anarchy, and for proactive promotion of common good.

We cannot say that violence is evil in itself. Destruction is not the aim of fighting in all cases. When its aim is human welfare, when it respects personality, then war is permissible. If we say that the criminal’s personality should not be violated, even when he violates the personalities of others, if we treat the gangster’s life as sacred, even when he brings about the destruction of several lives more valuable than his own, we acquiesce in evil. We cannot judge the use of force, as good or bad, by looking upon it in isolation.

India's Cultural Imprint in Asia*

This paper looks beyond the conventional study of international relations in terms of the idealis... more This paper looks beyond the conventional study of international relations in terms of the idealist, realist or constructivist approaches and explores pathways for understanding and explaining India's foreign relations in terms of complementary probability rather than two-valued certainty in Western approaches. India's approach to international relations is embedded in its cultural values derived from the Vedas, the Upanisads, and the Epics, which focus on proactively engaging and harmonizing empirical paradoxes rather than avoiding or rejecting empirical paradoxes. In this approach uncertainty and interdependence inherent in international relations is sought to be managed through intentionality, activism, engagement, and participation. Global presence of Hindu civilization is substantiation of India's policy of spiritual realism in foreign relations. India's rich legacy of statecraft and statesmanship over thousands of years shows us how Indian kings and emperors had the ability and wisdom to safeguard the interests of a sub-continental civilization, and leverage them abroad in the form of thought, religion, trade and culture. Indian civilization has influenced the cultural life of other nations far beyond the boundaries of India, in Southeast Asia and far away in the islands of the Indian and the Pacific Oceans, Tibet, China, Japan and Korea and in Sri Lanka. In the West, the tracks of Indian thought may be traced far into Central Asia. Given the way our textbooks currently give the impression that India was a land conquered successively by the Greeks, Mughals, Portuguese and the British, it's hard to imagine that ancient India had political, economic and cultural presence beyond the South Asian sub-continent. It is widely believed that India has traditionally had a 'nonaggressive' and a 'non-interventionist' policy with an emphasis on idealism, isolation and 'non-violence'. It needs to be recalled that Ahimsa was propagated by the Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka, only after many military victories that led to strength, prosperity and spiritual awakening. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is proclaimed by India on the basis of its material and spiritual strength. Moksha or freedom from suffering is to be achieved here in this life by the combined pursuit of knowledge and action which builds strength to pursue peace and prosperity.

ASPECTS OF DHARMA Ethics Law and Action in Indian Tradition

The idea of legal culture and tradition has an important place in major recent debates about the ... more The idea of legal culture and tradition has an important place in major recent debates about the nature and aims of law. The concept of legal culture means that law should be treated as embedded in the broader culture of society. In a sense, law is culture. Concept of legal culture encompasses much more than the professional juristic realm. It refers to a more general consciousness or experience of law that is widely shared by those who constitute a nation. Culture is fundamental-a kind of lens through which all aspects of law must be perceived, or a gateway of understanding through which we must pass so as to have any genuine access to the meaning of law in society. Cultural concepts of law that emerge out of the several frames of reference in the veda, upanisad, epics, dharmasastra, the republican governments in ancient India, and the constituent assembly debates enable us to view the law in India in an integrative perspective that is closer to Indian cultural tradition and practice. The innovative value of historical and sociological approach lies in its unifying vision of the theological, cultural and positivist aspects of the concepts of law in Indian tradition. A holistic concept of law including both legal and moral perspectives seems to provide a more realistic picture of Indian legal culture and tradition. A juridical system that does not correspond to the social and cultural sensitivities of a society can not be owned by the people as their system but will be seen as something foreign and imposed. Without a conducive social and cultural conceptualization mere formal law cannot create willing legal and moral obligation and practice.

The Concept of Danda in the Dharmasastra A Unifying View of Spirit and Force of Dharma in Indian Tradition

Manusmriti, in one of the references to danda, gives specifications for making a wooden stick for... more Manusmriti, in one of the references to danda, gives specifications for making a wooden stick for the Upanayan ceremony. This ceremony marks the initiation of a child's journey of learning. The danda is to be made of sacred wood of specific length from trees like Palash, Nyagrodha, or Asvattha, which represent different aspects of the cosmic order maintained by Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. The sacred wood should not be twisted, it should not have knots or burn marks, should look good and not cause hurt. The danda as a symbol of discipline is considered necessary for the pursuit of righteousness, and also for protection from threats to righteousness. The child carries the danda as he starts the journey of learning with symbolic bhiksa, or seeking alms, not for himself, but for his teacher. Bhiksha serves to instill in him the values of humility and self-control and a sense of responsibility towards the teacher and the society. The idea of legal culture has had an important place in major recent debates about the nature and aims of law. The concept of legal culture means that law should be treated as embedded in the broader culture of society. In a sense, law is culture. Concept of legal culture encompasses much more than the professional juristic realm. It refers to a more general consciousness or experience of law that is widely shared by those who constitute a nation. Culture is fundamental -a kind of lens through which all aspects of law must be perceived, or a gateway of understanding through which we must pass so as to have any genuine access to the meaning of law in society. Cultural concepts of law that emerge out of the several frames of reference in the dharmasastra, the republican governments in ancient India, and the constituent assembly debates enable us to view the law in India in an integrative perspective that is closer to Indian cultural tradition. The innovative value of historical and sociological approach lies in its unifying vision of the theological, cultural and positivist aspects of the concepts of law in Indian tradition. A holistic concept of law including both ethical and legal perspectives seems to provide a more realistic picture of Indian legal culture. A juridical system that does not correspond to the social and cultural sensitivities of a society can not be owned by the people as their system but will be seen as something foreign and imposed. Without a conducive social and cultural conceptualization mere formal law cannot create willing legal and moral obligation.

The Dharmasastra and Modern Law Letter and Spirit of Law in Indian Tradition

Social Science Research Network, 2024

Hindu Law in Greater India Ancient Roots of Indigenous Law

The idea that justice and good conscience must prevail over law reflects the notion of superiorit... more The idea that justice and good conscience must prevail over law reflects the notion of superiority of higher moral law over the limitations of man-made law. In India this is rooted in the fundamental Vedic principle that there is connection between the form and the formless, mundane and the divine, the means and the ends. As the Rig Veda says, amidst the undifferentiated source, great warmth of creation was born; and the sages who searched in the far reaches of their mind discovered the umbilical connection of manifest with the unmanifest. 1

Language and Reality in Indian Tradition

The unifying vision of reason and intuition in Indian linguistic tradition as established in the ... more The unifying vision of reason and intuition in Indian linguistic tradition as established in the Vedas, Upanishads, and the works of scholars and sages like Panini, Patanjali, Bharatmuni, Bhartrihari, and Abhinavagupta, embraces levels and structure of language, objective reality, and the absolute reality. The search for general rules underlying the diversity of languages is ultimately an exploration of the very nature of human mind and its relation with reality. It reveals the interconnections between language, thought and reality. Panini's grammar, Bharatmuni's view of dramatic performance as an integrated entity, and Bhartrihari's view of sentence as a meaningful unit reveals the unifying relationship of the parts and the whole, between the objective reality of the world and the Absolute Reality, and between reason and intuition. The essential message of Indian classical texts with regard to language and communication is that there are different levels of language between the two extremes termed as Vaikhari and Pasyanti, which correspond to different levels of consciousness of the Absolute Reality. The Absolute Reality lies outside human perceptions of space and time and is, therefore, is not expressible in ordinary language. The experience of that reality can only be indicated by words that try to go beyond words. Meaningful thought and communication requires constant interplay of lower and higher levels of speech, symbolizing constant interplay of the relative and Absolute Reality, and reason and intuition.

The Concept of Danda in the Dharmasastra

The idea of legal culture has had an important place in major recent debates about the nature and... more The idea of legal culture has had an important place in major recent debates about the nature and aims of law. The concept of legal culture means that law should be treated as embedded in the broader culture of society. In a sense, law is culture. Concept of legal culture encompasses much more than the professional juristic realm. It refers to a more general consciousness or experience of law that is widely shared by those who constitute a nation. Culture is fundamental — a kind of lens through which all aspects of law must be perceived, or a gateway of understanding through which we must pass so as to have any genuine access to the meaning of law in society. Cultural concepts of law that emerge out of the several frames of reference in the dharmasastra, the republican governments in ancient India, and the constituent assembly debates enable us to view the law in India in an integrative perspective that is closer to Indian cultural tradition. The innovative value of historical and s...

Hindu Sociology

The complex web of Indian life and culture with its historic background of hoary past presents ce... more The complex web of Indian life and culture with its historic background of hoary past presents ceremonies, customs, and institutions which well-nigh defy the attempts of the anthropologist, sociologist, or the philosophical historian at anything like a systematic and satisfactory account of their sources and careers. For a proper interpretation of the institutions and practices obtaining in India at the present day the scientist has thus to lay under consideration the data of archaeology, ecology, as well as ethnology. But the study of Indian social facts and phenomena is yet in its nonage. We are yet in the stage of collecting materials about the manifold aspects of our socio-economic, socio-religious, and socio-political usages and theories. The science of Indian sociology is only in the making.

Science and Spirit of Language in Indian Culture

HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Feb 15, 2021

Study of language and communication has been an important concern in India's intellectual and cul... more Study of language and communication has been an important concern in India's intellectual and cultural tradition. All streams of Indian philosophical thinking included in their considerations the basic problem of language and communication. While the seeds of the study of language in India may be traced in the Rig Veda, and the study of the structure of language as authoritatively established in the Ashtadhyayi, a full-fledged statement and discussion of a science and spirit of language was given in Bhartrihari's Vakyapadiya. It was Bhartrihari who first systematically equated Brahma (Absolute Reality) with Sabda (language), going on to argue that all language arises as a manifestation of the Sabda Brahma. From the early investigations in the Veda, Pratisakhyas and Siksha, through the grammar of language in Ashtadhyayi and Mahabhasya, to the highest levels of consciousness of Sabda Brahma in Vakyapadia, and Paravac in Tantraloka, India's linguistic tradition bears clear imprint of the recognition that while grammar is important for good language, righteous language is good for coordination and integration in human communication. The connective potential of insightful language needs to be used to address the manifold problems of communication in interpersonal and intercultural relations. Enormous creativity is enfolded in the concept of Sabda Brahma. A deeper and wider understanding of the concept can help to establish a framework for further research and applied work in this direction.

Hindutva As Brahmatva

SSRN Electronic Journal

Indian classical texts like the Veda, the Upanishad, and the Epics are primarily concerned with t... more Indian classical texts like the Veda, the Upanishad, and the Epics are primarily concerned with the eternal mystery of the absolute and relative reality, its comprehensibility, and its sustenance. The religious and cultural concepts of Brahma, Rta, and Satya, which have shaped the Indian identity over the ages, are the essence of these texts and the Indian identity. All these concepts are included and comprehended in one great universal, that is Brahma as a mass of consciousness. The cosmic reach of the Indian worldview is shaped by the creation of these cultural concepts, connections between these concepts, and between the concepts and sense experience. These cultural concepts have therefore created the world for Indians by connecting the dots of the manifest and un-manifest reality. These concepts are abstract, open, adaptive, contextual, and connected in a system, but this abstraction and connectivity is their creativity and competence to straddle across time and space and make the dynamic reality comprehensible and enable meaningful and effective action. In this sense these concepts are coexistent with the lived reality, they define reality and also create reality as known to us. They span, connect, and integrate different levels of objective reality to make it meaningful and complementary for those who believe in these conceptualizations, and make it possible for them to engage in constructive action. Indian identity is the unity of spirit that binds these cultural conceptualizations and links up the different periods of India's history into an organic whole. Achievements of Indianism would not have been possible without the unifying spirit of Indian spirituality that runs through these conceptualizations.

SABDAPURVAYOGA: Language and Reality in Indian Tradition

SSRN Electronic Journal

he unifying vision of language in Indian tradition as established in the Vedas, Upanishads, and t... more he unifying vision of language in Indian tradition as established in the Vedas, Upanishads, and the works of scholars and sages like Panini, Patanjali, Bharatmuni, Bhartrihari, and Abhinavagupta, embraces structure and rules of language, objective reality, and the absolute reality. The search for general rules underlying the diversity of languages is ultimately an exploration of the very nature of human mind and its relation with reality. It reveals the interconnections between language, thought and reality. Panini's grammar, Bharatmuni's view of dramatic performance as an integrated entity, and Bhartrihari's view of sentence as a meaningful unit reveal the unifying relationship of the parts and the whole, and between the objective reality of the world and the Absolute Reality. The essential message of Indian classical texts with regard to language and communication is that there are different levels of language between the two extremes termed as Vaikhari and Pasyanti, which correspond to different levels of consciousness of the Absolute Reality. The Absolute Reality lies outside human perceptions of space and time and is, therefore, is not expressible in ordinary language. The experience of that reality can only be indicated by words that try to go beyond words. Meaningful thought and communication requires constant interplay of lower and higher levels of speech, symbolizing constant interplay of the relative and Absolute Reality.

Sabdanusanam: The Integral View of Communication

HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), Mar 7, 2021

The rationale for this paper is that the negative trends in present day communication in media an... more The rationale for this paper is that the negative trends in present day communication in media and public language in India seem to have formed a complex web of social and political factors in certain sections of society that go beyond any individual, ideology or situation. To find a solution to this problem we need to look within and examine the disconnect between the roots of language in the Indian society and the use to which language is being put by people in certain sections who are not connected with India's linguistic tradition of discipline of words. It is in this context that the classical texts on communication in India need to be explored and relevant ideas adopted for integrative and accommodative communication. Exploration of Indian intellectual tradition in communication is also relevant in the context of the emerging trend of scholars' challenge from the non-Western world against the appropriateness of Eurocentric paradigm of communication. It is argued that the entire focus in India's linguistic tradition has been on restraint and discipline of words 'Sabdanusanam' in accordance with prescribed norms derived from wider social context to achieve meaningful and harmonious communication in the society.

India's Defense Strategy: Lessons from and for China

Social Science Research Network, Jul 30, 2020

The recent clashes between and India and China in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh region have once ag... more

Imagining India as a Global Power

India and the War on Terror (Presentation Slides)

Social Science Research Network, Aug 30, 2011

Sabda Sakti: Power of Words in India's Linguistic Tradition

viXra, Jul 1, 2021

Language is always cultural, it is shaped by and in turn shapes the cultural context from which i... more Language is always cultural, it is shaped by and in turn shapes the cultural context from which it emerges. To understand the power of words in a country it is essential to understand the host culture. In Sanskrit, and in Indian languages derived from Sanskrit, like Hindi and Bengali, the term Sakti has been a cultural concept since the Vedic age. "There is no word of wider content in any language than this Sanskrit term meaning 'Power'" (Woodroffe, p.17). In the Indian conceptualization of Sabda Sakti, which means the 'Power of the Word', language is seen from the earliest times as creative and mora power both at cosmic and human levels. Modern science sees energy as the ultimate form of reality. In India language has been worshipped and used as a manifestation of the creative energy of the goddess Saraswati since the Rg Veda. This article traces the evolution of the concept of Sabda Sakti from the time it first occurs in the Rg Veda. This cultural conceptualization of language continues later in the Atharva Veda and Yajur Veda in the form of religious and cultural practices. In later Indian classical texts like the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas, and the Upanishads, Sabda Sakti is related to the origin of the universe, and the umbilical relationship of the cosmic energy and human speech is recognised. These ancient notions of Sabda Sakti were restated and further developed in Kashmir Shaivism in the 10 th and 11 th centuries. While the Vedas and Upanishads emphasized the contemplative aspect of Sabda Sakti, the Shaiva texts focused more on language as moralized power which is active and can be used for action. The study of Indian concept of Sabda Sakti as a cultural schema can be helpful in a better understanding of cultural roots of language and communication in India, and can contribute to further research in the field of cultural linguistics.

Kalakalpa. Sabda Brahma

Kalakalpa IGNCA Journal of Arts.

Prepared for the XVIII World Congress of International Political Science Association