Celebrating the Scientific Spirit of Hinduism
Even though many misconceptions about Hinduism exist in the world, with it often being portrayed as a religion of blind belief, outdated customs and social problems, most sincere individuals who have looked deeper into Hinduism have been appreciative and amazed at the philosophic sophistication, poetic beauty and tolerant spirit in this the world’s most ancient religion. The following are quotes of several scholars intellectuals of relatively modern times speaking about Hinduism, with particular emphasis on Hinduism’s scientific temperament…  Â
September 28th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
Hinduism is a scientific religion. There should be no opposition to science and religion–that is if religion is truly seeking “to know.” The Sanskrit “sastra” is for “scripture” and “sastram” for “science.”
For example, look at the Lingam with the Nag (snake) coiled around it. This is a vivid representation of the eliptical center with spiral bands of energy that is at the heart of creation; the galaxies; hurricanes; tornados; as well as within the body and the psychic body of the chakras.
The essence of our eliptical Atmana (Soul) is Satchidananda (the weighty Truth of Energy/Light and Bliss/Love/Warmth). Satchidanand not only represents E=mc2 but also the dynamic forces of life; i.e., Gravity (Sad/t) Electricity (Chid) Ananda (Magnetic/Love/Attraction). And, on and on and on…
Swami Param
Dharma Yoga Ashram
September 28th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
Michael Wood has just ended his series “The Story of India” on television. He said many good things about India but what about his endorsement of a race called the Aryans migrating to India? At first these so-called Aryans were supposed to have invaded India but the idea of an invation seems to have lost favour and is replaced by the migrating theory - using the horse and the soma plant as evidence from the Rg Veda, which were not originated in India as claimed. Some scholars have written articles against the invasion theory. What is the position of Hindu Voice UK on this issue?
September 29th, 2007 at 8:57 am
The invention of the zero by the Hindu sages indicates at a basic level the mind of the faith.It is just amazing. Can you imagine the present world without the Zero .
September 29th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
What is the position of Hindu Voice UK on this issue?
The Search function on the blog is a useful tool in answering such quesions. If you search ‘Aryan’ on it, this comes up…
http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2006/12/25/hinduism-aryans-invasions-myths/
September 29th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
read this book:
http://voiceofdharma.org/books/rig/
completely destroys the aryan-invasion lie.
the first time i was fully convinced that AIT was a lie was after reading that book.
September 30th, 2007 at 10:19 am
“The following are quotes of several scholars intellectuals of relatively modern times speaking about Hinduism, with particular emphasis on Hinduism’s scientific temperament… ”
what I find incredible is that no quotes come from an Indian genius in this article written by an Indian.
Didn’t any Indians find our history amazing or true or worthy of praise?
I don’t blame the writer for this in anyway because we have been brainwashed into thinking that ONLY WHAT COMES OUT OF A WESTERN MOUTH IS THE TRUTH THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH.
Anything an Indian says IS A LIE!!
That’s a fact (?).
Are we so disillusioned by our own people that we no longer value what they say.
September 30th, 2007 at 10:23 am
Michael Wood of BBC can claim whatever in his report. Unfortunately I have not seen this prog and if it us repeated let us know here.
Are we not going to challenge his report?
Why ask Hindu Voice their opinions on this subject? They can give you an article and a book to read but will you believe it?
If we do not challenge the lies that has been spread by the BBC on National TV then our history will be whatever they tell us it is.
I am not qualified on the subject of Aryan Invasion or Migration theory so cannot take this issue up with them. But surely there are intellects out there who can?
September 30th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
Hahahhaha — the BBC those Anti Hindu’s who take over ÂŁ20 million of our money and give us no Hindu programs at all…who at every chance mailign our respected Religion, who when they talk about Hindus always pre face it with the words “right wing” or “fanatics”….
and who are so “holier then thou” they lie and cheat on phone-in’s in their own programmes…
what “truth” can we expect from an organisation that had to send a white man to do a series of Indian… of course there are no educated Indian people in britain who could have presented this series … oh no… can’t have that or you will lose all the white viewers who love their curry and popadams…
saying that…I would rather have Michael Wood then that well know Indian patriot Sanjeev “he’s round, he’s brown, he bounce’s on the ground” Baskar …..
tati bye
boys and girls…
I am going to take my tardis and head back to the time of the Aryans as they invaded India… (i bet they paid their License to the BBC)
lovely
October 3rd, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Back to topic:
Science is a skeptical tradition (talk about an oxymoron).
Science is best understood by a method of knowing truth:
questioning, observation, null hypothesis, experimentation, result, understanding
Hinduism is a skeptical tradition.
Who am I and what is reality and what is my relationship with Tat
learn from the reality around you: the guru, the sruti and the smrti
establish what you plan of action is ( the four desireables: kama, artha, gyana, moksha)
act (karma)
evaluate the results (without an eye to the fruits - dharma)
reorganize your plan.
If you fail, your ego rises and you have to redress it (like Narada, Ravana, etc who are taught from life time to life time that they don’t yet really get Brahman). Ultimately you must be skeptical of your ego - detach from it - before you can know the supreme - truth is empirical and personal.
Of course Hinduism is akin to science - they are both empirical skeptical traditions. They both demand rigorous thinking and delving into truth as it is. The christo-islamic religions are anti-science because truth is predefined - the bible or koran. Anything other is evil as empiricism/democratic truth seeking is counter to the books and a personal relationship with the truth is not allowed - it must be through the book club.
hariuam
October 5th, 2007 at 9:25 pm
The Western world can say what it likes. BBC reporters can say what they like. Hinduism is too strong to even battle half an eyelid to such reports.
I have been living here for 3 years and I admit that like any girl in India, I wanted to live in a Western world because I thought they were happy, understanding, clean and healthy people.
And every single day I have lived here, I have found out how superior I am, as an Indian, compared to many people who live around me. I count my blessings at being a Hindu, every minute.
I am not a scholar in Hinduism, but from whatever little I have read and known and experienced, there cannot be a religion superior to it. In fact, calling it a religion seems like belittling it with the other inbred religions who have cast their spell and increased their population in the world by hatred and bloodshed.
A very controversial man - Rajneesh pointed out something that is so darn logical. He talked of Ayurved. Now, whenever we study medicine in the western way, students are meant to cut open a dead body, investigate all organs etc. - that is where their study begins. But our scholars never cut open any body to know what was in it. The functioning of a live human body cannot be compared to the dead organs of a corpse. How then, did they know so much? How did they know what fruit did what or what vegetable or jadi booti benefited one in a particular way? How did they manage to diagonise diseases and cure them without cutting open a body to learn things inside it? That is what he calls as ‘realisation’. Realising you are a part of the universe. He links this directly to the cellular structure of our body - every cell has a nucleus and the protons and electrons revolving around it; just like every matter in the universe is composed of atoms with nucleus at the center and protons and electrons revolving around it; just like our milky way galaxy with the sun at the center and the plants revolving around it… we are part of the same basic principle. But they knew it, they realised it, not by gazing at the starts, but by realising their own self. By looking into their self. It just made so much sense to me.
There is beauty in simplicity and vice versa.
So, to hell with Aryans invading or settling wherever they wanted and doing whatever they wanted… and to hell with Mughals who did what they did. The fact remains that they did not, could not, will not be able to destroy hinduism if hindus realise the greatness of their religion.
October 6th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Namaste,
Hindus themselves are to be blamed for many misinformation campaigans being undertaken against the Hindus.In fact , hinduism is more related to rationalism than to Jewish religions.But many of hindu acharyas and leaders are alleying themselves with semetic rel;igons to fight the so-called rationalist and atheists.In the light of scientific enquiry and rationalism ,75% of hinduoism will stand INTACT.but 95% of semetic religinos will be washed.Unfortunately, hindu leaders are wasting such a historical chance.IT is high time that Hindus brought back to their religion the old intellectual trtadtion of Upanishadic time and redefined their dharma in sceintific and rational terms.
October 8th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
Nehal
This is why I call Hinduism a metareligion. It is about the relationship of the atman to the paratman. That is a scientific (perhaps even secular, non-scetarian) search for the truth of Tat Sat. It transcends and informs all religions - the millions of yogas out there.
I suspect, though, that the yogis did have access to open bodies (either due to war, trauma, frank dissection, or the knowledge passed down by a pre-modern-historic pan asian culture that discovered or was lead to these truths). (In humility we must understand that such a pan-culture fell apart - perhaps due to the Mahabharata war; and so we should not be too nostalgic for it.) They also had medical conferences where different herbal remedies and surgical procedures were discussed and promulgated. Ayurveda specifically refers to talking to indigenous peoples of an ares to find out what methods they use for illnesses. Thus there was a clear empirical method to their revelations. - very scientific and very hindu (as opposed to kill of the indigenous knowledge then “discover” it in your own name method of the christo islamic book clubs).
Be proud of the knowledge given to you through your heritage, but be careful in concluding yourself superior to a fellow human mired in the ignorance of material reality (maya) for we are all here.
hariaum
October 8th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
Navinji
I agree to your comments about being vary of my superiority. But I guess, by my superiority, I was essentially trying to embody the superiority of the Hindu religion and my luck and good fortune to be associated with it.
Even hindus are mayavi people, till we realise the futility of it. I guess, to a very great extent, even I have a lot of maya within myself.
But I recognise the presence of maya within myself and endeavour to minimise it every day. I guess that is all we can do, minimise it, and take each day as it comes. I may never be able to attain the ultimate, but each step I take every day, I will try and come close to it!