Post by sarmasastrigal on Jul 24, 2012 8:39:43 GMT 5.5
VEDAS and SCIENCE:
(Excerpts from the book 'The Great Hindu Tradition')
Many of us are often seized with a doubt: do Vedas reflect scientific knowledge? Can Vedic pronouncements be proved scientifically?
I firmly believe, as also the traditionalists, that Vedas are meant for spiritual practice only and are not to be evaluated with reference to modern science.
I say this because Vedas are far beyond our thinking and imagination, far too vast for human comprehension. Why are we then trying to bring it down to modern science, which is at best ephemeral knowledge? The findings and recordings of modern science and technology are always susceptible to alteration. The progress is ongoing and never final. A scientific theory said to be valid at a given point of time is quite often rejected or modified after some time. Thus we cannot be sure of the correctness and perfection of scientific theories and facts.
On the contrary, the knowledge embedded in Vedas is eternally valid and permanent - it has seen no change, and will see no change. The interpretation of Vedas should be carried out with aadhyatmika or spiritual orientation. It does not lend itself to scientific analysis.
People interested in search of scientific aspects in Vedas stretch the meanings of Vedic Mantras with great difficulty to fit modern research findings to them. The intentions of such scholars are good but I would submit that their work is like carrying a candle to the Sun. Many such analysts, despite proficiency in Sanskrit, chant mantras with a lot of distortion and do not know the significance of Vedic words.
One should not attempt to interpret the Vedas unless one has thoroughly studied Vedanga, Sastras, Darshanas, Itihasas and Puranas. One should besides have a fair command over the Vedic commentaries of Sri Sayanacharya.
That said, we need not ignore the work of modern scholars, both Western and Indian, which try to prove that several branches of science are traced to Vedas. These research studies, which establish close ties between the Vedas on the one hand and modern sciences from Mathematics to Medicine to Computers and Cosmology, are very interesting and satisfy our modern mind. Let us not undermine the hard work and enthusiasm of these scholars. But let us also remember the eternal truth that the Vedas cannot be commented upon from a scientific point of view.
Vedas are divine. God's work cannot be interpreted by the sciences created by man.
(Excerpts from the book 'The Great Hindu Tradition')
Many of us are often seized with a doubt: do Vedas reflect scientific knowledge? Can Vedic pronouncements be proved scientifically?
I firmly believe, as also the traditionalists, that Vedas are meant for spiritual practice only and are not to be evaluated with reference to modern science.
I say this because Vedas are far beyond our thinking and imagination, far too vast for human comprehension. Why are we then trying to bring it down to modern science, which is at best ephemeral knowledge? The findings and recordings of modern science and technology are always susceptible to alteration. The progress is ongoing and never final. A scientific theory said to be valid at a given point of time is quite often rejected or modified after some time. Thus we cannot be sure of the correctness and perfection of scientific theories and facts.
On the contrary, the knowledge embedded in Vedas is eternally valid and permanent - it has seen no change, and will see no change. The interpretation of Vedas should be carried out with aadhyatmika or spiritual orientation. It does not lend itself to scientific analysis.
People interested in search of scientific aspects in Vedas stretch the meanings of Vedic Mantras with great difficulty to fit modern research findings to them. The intentions of such scholars are good but I would submit that their work is like carrying a candle to the Sun. Many such analysts, despite proficiency in Sanskrit, chant mantras with a lot of distortion and do not know the significance of Vedic words.
One should not attempt to interpret the Vedas unless one has thoroughly studied Vedanga, Sastras, Darshanas, Itihasas and Puranas. One should besides have a fair command over the Vedic commentaries of Sri Sayanacharya.
That said, we need not ignore the work of modern scholars, both Western and Indian, which try to prove that several branches of science are traced to Vedas. These research studies, which establish close ties between the Vedas on the one hand and modern sciences from Mathematics to Medicine to Computers and Cosmology, are very interesting and satisfy our modern mind. Let us not undermine the hard work and enthusiasm of these scholars. But let us also remember the eternal truth that the Vedas cannot be commented upon from a scientific point of view.
Vedas are divine. God's work cannot be interpreted by the sciences created by man.