---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In contemporary Indian sources these…"
description: "\"“In contemporary Indian sources these first marauding disciples of Islam are occasionally identified as Yavanas (Greeks),Turuskas (Turks) or Tajikas (T..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4f/john-keay-31557_buddhism_in-contemporary-indian-sources-these-fir_2647091.jpg"
---

#  In contemporary Indian sources these first marauding…

![“In contemporary Indian sources these first marauding disciples of Islam are occasionally identified as Yavanas (Greeks),Turuskas (Turks) or Tajikas (Tajiks or Persians), but more usually as mlecchas. The latter term meant what it always had: foreigners who could not talk properly, outcastes with…” quote by John Keay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4f/john-keay-31557_buddhism_in-contemporary-indian-sources-these-fir_2647091.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4f/john-keay-31557_buddhism_in-contemporary-indian-sources-these-fir_2647091.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4f/john-keay-31557_buddhism_in-contemporary-indian-sources-these-fir_2647091.jpg)

> ““In contemporary Indian sources these first marauding disciples of Islam are occasionally identified as Yavanas (Greeks),Turuskas (Turks) or Tajikas (Tajiks or Persians), but more usually as mlecchas. The latter term meant what it always had: foreigners who could not talk properly, outcastes with no place in Indian society and, above all, inferiors with no respect for dharma.””

[John Keay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keay/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Historical Indian texts labeled foreign Muslims as outsiders and inferior, reflecting deep social prejudice.

**In simple terms:** Foreigners were seen as inferior and outcasts.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and challenge cultural bias.

Themes

prejudice identity history

Mood

critical analytical

Type

historical sociopolitical

When to use this quote

- education reform
- intercultural dialogue
- media representation

Key Concepts

sociology colonialism ethnocentrism

Questions to Reflect On

- How do modern societies label “others”?
- What can reduce such bias?

A Different Perspective

Labeling can reinforce division and hinder integration.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/)

## Related quotes

> [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“That's all there is, enlightenment on the end of a cock. It doesn't get any more Zen than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-wilkes/that-s-all-there-is-enlightenment-on-the-end-of-a-cock-it-doesn-t-get/)

[Jaden Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-wilkes/)

> [Buddhism advises you not to implant feelings that you don’t really have or avoid feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/buddhism-advises-you-not-to-implant-feelings-that-you-don-t-really/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The extraction of discrete parts of Chöd teachings from their broader philosophical contexts is symptomatic of how Chöd has been incorporated into and transmitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sorensen/the-extraction-of-discrete-parts-of-ch-d-teachings-from-their-broader/)

[Michelle Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sorensen/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. My mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I got teachings from both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tech-n9ne/my-mom-and-my-aunties-are-really-devout-christians-my-mom-married-a/)

[Tech N9ne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tech-n9ne/)

> [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/)

[Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/)

> [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/)

[Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/)

> [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [The very best players, when they are practicing, put everything they've got into it. But then they leave it for a while. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-very-best-players-when-they-are-practicing-put-everything-they-ve/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [Enlightenment is lightening up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/enlightenment-is-lightening-up/)

[Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/)

> [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/)

[Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/)

## More by John Keay

> [“This northerly route of east–west transit and trade, extending from the Panjab and the upper Indus to Bihar and the lower Ganga, now became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keay/this-northerly-route-of-east-west-transit-and-trade-extending-from/)

[John Keay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keay/)

> [“A particularly elaborate version of such an aswamedha is commemorated in the heart of Varanasi (Benares), otherwise the City of Lord Shiva and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keay/a-particularly-elaborate-version-of-such-an-aswamedha-is-commemorated/)

[John Keay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keay/)

> [“Politically, according to Muslim observers, India comprised many kingdoms, each with a formidable army that included elephants and cavalry as well as infantry. According…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keay/politically-according-to-muslim-observers-india-comprised-many/)

[John Keay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keay/)

> [“In bidding for popular support and competing with other cults as a parallel religion, the sangha had been losing ground throughout India since the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keay/in-bidding-for-popular-support-and-competing-with-other-cults-as-a/)

[John Keay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keay/)

> [“The Tarim Mummies’ (Tarim being the name of the river that once drained the now waterless Tarim basin of eastern Xinjiang) are mostly not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keay/the-tarim-mummies-tarim-being-the-name-of-the-river-that-once-drained/)

[John Keay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keay/)

> [“Both the Mahabharata and the Ramayana survive in several versions, the earliest of which are at least five hundred years later than the Vedas.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keay/both-the-mahabharata-and-the-ramayana-survive-in-several-versions-the/)

[John Keay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keay/)

> [“Poetry, like remonstration, could be a form of protest; and since poets were products of the Confucian education system, extravagant military adventures often came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keay/poetry-like-remonstration-could-be-a-form-of-protest-and-since-poets/)

[John Keay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keay/)

> [“Initially those at the western end in the Panjab and the Doab tended to look down on those on the eastern frontier in Bihar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keay/initially-those-at-the-western-end-in-the-panjab-and-the-doab-tended/)

[John Keay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keay/)

> [“In fact Sind’s governors had already had a foretaste of what lay ahead. Muhammad ibn Qasim may have pushed east towards Kanauj, Junaid certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keay/in-fact-sind-s-governors-had-already-had-a-foretaste-of-what-lay/)

[John Keay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keay/)

> [“Like metals, myths too get recycled. Reworked and so richly embellished as to be almost unrecognisable, stories which may once have reflected genuine historical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keay/like-metals-myths-too-get-recycled-reworked-and-so-richly-embellished/)

[John Keay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keay/)

> [“In Vedic society the bard was originally the chief’s charioteer. His function was not necessarily hereditary nor exclusively reserved to a particular social group.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keay/in-vedic-society-the-bard-was-originally-the-chief-s-charioteer-his/)

[John Keay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keay/)

> [“some of the Vedic jana, like the Yadavas, are thought to have been of dasa origin. Hence too the clearly -dasa names of Su-dasa,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keay/some-of-the-vedic-jana-like-the-yadavas-are-thought-to-have-been-of/)

[John Keay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keay/)

> [“Unlike Alexander’s Greeks, Muslim invaders were well aware of India’s immensity, and mightily excited by its resources. As well as exotic produce like spices,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keay/unlike-alexander-s-greeks-muslim-invaders-were-well-aware-of-india-s/)

[John Keay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keay/)

> [“One of India’s rulers, ‘the Balhara’, was reckoned as being amongst ‘the four great or principal kings of the world’ according to the much-travelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keay/one-of-india-s-rulers-the-balhara-was-reckoned-as-being-amongst-the/)

[John Keay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keay/)

> [“As al-Biruni (Alberuni), the great Islamic scholar of the eleventh century, would put it, ‘the Hindus believe that there is no country but theirs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keay/as-al-biruni-alberuni-the-great-islamic-scholar-of-the-eleventh/)

[John Keay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keay/)

[Explore all 16 John Keay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keay/)

## More Buddhism quotes

> [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Enlightenment is lightening up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/enlightenment-is-lightening-up/)

[Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/)

> [The very best players, when they are practicing, put everything they've got into it. But then they leave it for a while. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-very-best-players-when-they-are-practicing-put-everything-they-ve/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/)

[Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/)

> [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/)

[Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/)

> [My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. My mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I got teachings from both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tech-n9ne/my-mom-and-my-aunties-are-really-devout-christians-my-mom-married-a/)

[Tech N9ne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tech-n9ne/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“The extraction of discrete parts of Chöd teachings from their broader philosophical contexts is symptomatic of how Chöd has been incorporated into and transmitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sorensen/the-extraction-of-discrete-parts-of-ch-d-teachings-from-their-broader/)

[Michelle Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sorensen/)

> [Buddhism advises you not to implant feelings that you don’t really have or avoid feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/buddhism-advises-you-not-to-implant-feelings-that-you-don-t-really/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“That's all there is, enlightenment on the end of a cock. It doesn't get any more Zen than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-wilkes/that-s-all-there-is-enlightenment-on-the-end-of-a-cock-it-doesn-t-get/)

[Jaden Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-wilkes/)

> [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/)

[Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/)

[Browse all 6,100 Buddhism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“In contemporary Indian sources these first marauding disciples of Islam are occasionally identified as Yavanas (Greeks),Turuskas (Turks) or Tajikas (Tajiks or Persians), but more usually as mlecchas. The latter term meant what it always had: foreigners who could not talk properly, outcastes with no place in Indian society and, above all, inferiors with no respect for dharma.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Keay"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keay/in-contemporary-indian-sources-these-first-marauding-disciples-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Buddhism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keay/in-contemporary-indian-sources-these-first-marauding-disciples-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4f/john-keay-31557_buddhism_in-contemporary-indian-sources-these-fir_2647091.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4f/john-keay-31557_buddhism_in-contemporary-indian-sources-these-fir_2647091.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4f/john-keay-31557_buddhism_in-contemporary-indian-sources-these-fir_2647091.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In contemporary Indian sources these first marauding disciples of Islam are occasionally identified as…” — John Keay",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "John Keay",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keay/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“In contemporary Indian sources these first...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keay/in-contemporary-indian-sources-these-first-marauding-disciples-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keay/in-contemporary-indian-sources-these-first-marauding-disciples-of/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
