Scientific and Technological Heritage of Hindus

8/14/2019 Scientific and Technological Heritage of Hindus

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INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENTIFIC HERITAGE www.iish.org

1

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENTIFIC HERITAGETrivandrum 695 018, India

(0471-2490149)

www.iish.org ,www.iishglobal.org

SCIENTIFICAND

TECHNOLOGICALHERITAGEOF

HINDUS
http://www.iish.org/http://www.iishglobal.org/http://www.iishglobal.org/http://www.iish.org/


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Thisisonlyanoutlineonthe scientificandtechnologicalheritageofHindustobeselectedforthe

studybytheindividualsdependingontheirowninterestandspecialization. They maycollect as

many points askingthequestionswhy?how?when?where? what? andcomparingthe answer

withthe knowledge existinginotherpartsoftheworld, ineachtopic,sothat theycan learn

thoroughly and teach others. Letustry tobecomeanexpertinselected andspecialized areasof

Indianscientific

heritage.

The

syllabi

are

given

as

subject

wise.

Example:Ifinthesyllabus Ajantha isgiven, askthequestions whatarethenovelpointswithAjantha

cavetemple?when wasitconstructed? howit was constructed?whatarethesalientstructural

featuresofAjantha?How thepeople inotherpartsoftheworld wereliving,during whenthis Ajanta

cavetempleswereconstructed(BC50)?Whatwastheir capabilityinthis subjectareaofcavestructure

construction?..Askthesequestionsandfindouttheanswers. Repeatthe same for othersyllabus

points.

BIOLOGICALSCIENCES

Healthscience(Healthscience is apartofayurveda whichis anupavedaof Atharvaveda.Itis also

discussed

in

yoga

sastra

which

is

one

among

the

six

darsanas

of

the

Hindus.

The

subject

has

also

beendealtwithinpuranasanditihasas):TheIndianvisiononhealth asgiven byMaharshiSusrutha,

Charaka andVagbhatachaarya and manyothers. The approachtakenbyPatanjaliinYogasaastra, the

spiritual approachofbodyandmind,etcwillbethepartoftheIndianhealthscience. Aswinidevatha

conceptofhitha aayaasa andmithaaahaara(food&exercise),needof appropriateexercisebasedof

theagesexphysiologicalconditions,etc.Yogaasanas,sooryanamaskaara, effectof medicines,

identificationof diseases through saastrampramaanam/aaptavaakyampramaanam/prthyksham

pramaanam/anumaanampramanam/ methods. Useofdrugs, fastingsand pathyas and fastingasa

partofcustoms/rituals. Selectionof foodbasedonclimaticvariation/age/healthconditions/etcofthe

person/patient,physicalandmentalrest, upaasana andworshipasapartof daytodaylife,ethicsand

moralityinthecommonmanslife andalso fordoctors, causesof illness,pathogenicorganisms,

precautions

to

be

taken

for

good

health,

solar

therapy,

music

therapy,

Yoga

therapy,

Reiki,

energy

healing,watertherapy,asdescribedintheIndiansystem.The knowledgeonsurgery andplastic

surgery andsurgicalequipmentsknownsastras andyanthrasasdescribedinSusruthasamhitha,

practicingsurgeryasgivenby MaharshiSusrutha.Varietyofacharas/customsandritualsinfluencingthe

health.Importanceof vegetarianfoods. Indian traditional foods andtheir merits.Takingoilbath

duringselecteddays,hot/coldwaterbath.Allowing childrentoplayinthe soils after smearingtheoil.

Grandmaastechnologicalfoodsforbabies andbabyhealthcare systemexistedin ancientIndia.

MentalHealth/Psychology(thisagainisasubjectof ayurvedaandyoga/poorva

meemamsa/uttarameemamsa/vaiseshika/darsanasandUpanishads.Ithasbeendiscussedindetailin

Yogavasishta,Bhagavathgeetha,dharmasaastra andsoon): DescriptionofmindgiveninUpanishads,

mentalinfluenceonhealth,theinfluenceofyamaasandniyamaas:ahimsa satyam astheyam

brahmacharyaaparigraham

oucham

snthosha

thapa

swadhyayam

eeswara

pranidhaanam

etc.

Effectofstabilisedvisiononlife,controllingtheangr,fear,andattachment,mentalpreparations toface

upsanddowns/lossandprofit/success andfailures/animosityandfriendship/appreciationsand

criticisms asdescribedinIndian philosophicalbooks. Influence ofpuranic /epic relatedstoriesin

mind tofacethe realitiesofthelife.Influenceofpranayam/dhyaana/dharana etconthemental

development.Impactoffoodon mindas provedbythemodernscience,effectofsaatwic food,

dreams,effectofmanthrasonmind, customs influencingthe mentalhealth and familyrelations.

Analysesofthepurposeofliving,familysocialandnational goalstobe putforth for apurposefullife


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anditsimpactonmind. Spirituality andfaithinhealing.Effectofcurativechemicalonmindandbody.

Bhajans/keerthans/prayer/manthrasetconmind. Thepositive songsandimagesinfluencingthe

mind.Psychologicallyinfluencing acharas.

Foodscience(veryspecificexplanations aregiveninayurveda astolditis apartofatharvaveda.It

hasbeengivenindharmasaastra andgruhyasootrapartofkalpasastra andtosomeextentin

puraanaas):Variety

of

Indian

foods,

balanced

nutritious

foods,

natural

traditional

baby

foods,

the

medicinalcomponentsusuallyaddedinIndianfoods(likeasafoetida,turmeric,spices,mustard, etc),

pathyabased foodduringillness,specialized cooking,roasting,fermenting,processing,preserving, etc.

doneforvarietyof foodsandtheirscience.Generationofspecificflavorsinfoodsbysuitablymodifying

spices.Thescienceofalteringthefoodsduring fasting on specific dayslike ekaadasi/somavaar

vratha/karthikamonth/vaisaakhamonth/etc.Optingforintegratedbalancedfoodsthrough fasting

andvrathaas, importanceofselecting cookingvesselslikeceramics/iron/copper/brassvessels(for

getting micronutrientslike,iron,zinc,copper,silica,magnesium,sodium,potassiumetc),varietyof

vegetables and their significanceinbalancedhealthyfoods. Manymore significantscientific

observationscanbemade if astudent carefully examinestheIndianfoods,naturopathy,and

vegetarianfood.

Chemistry(Rasachikitsais apartof atharvavedabased ayurvedaprevalentinnorthIndia. Allthe

authors of Rasachikitsa were SiddhasorMaharshies. Thechemistrydescriptions,one cansee

sytematicallyintherasabooks): TheancientIndianchemistrybookslikerasarnava,rasaratna

samucchaya,rasendrachoodamany,rasarnavakalpa,rasachandrika,rasaratnakara,and hundredsof

rasabasedbooks.(Thesebooks are available inSanskrit withEnglishorHinditranslations.). The

knowledgeonchemicals,particularlyininorganicchemicals,like sulphides/sulphates/oxides/etc.

Sanskritnamesofchemicals, detaileddescriptiongivenforsettingupalaboratory,scientifictemper,

qualificationoflaboratoryassistants, researchscholarsasdescribedinRasaratnasamucchaya.

propertiesof inorganic chemicals andtheirusedescribedbyVagbhatacharya,centuriesago.Chemicals

usedfor variouspurposesasdescribedinBharadhvajainyantrasarvaswa,VarahamihirainBruhath

samhitaand alsobyothersinthe abovechemistrybooks.

Biopesticides(biopesticides are partof vrukshayurveda whichagainis apartofAyurveda or

Bhruhatsamhitha):Varietyofplantproducts, Neem,sweetneem,neemcake,mustardcake,tulasi,

clove, pepper,turmeric,tobacco, oilsfrom sesame,cottonseed, castor etc., usedas biopesticides

and as preservatives,traditionalmethodsofpestcontrollikefumigationwithneem/sulphur/

camphor/coconuthusk(sinceitcontains sulphur/coconutshell(raw forits phenoliccontent)/cow

dung(sinceitcontains ammonia).Theuseofpanchagavya/aqueouscowdungfiltrate/extractas

pesticide.Thetraditionalknowledge available from farmers.Detaileddescriptions forcontrollingthe

pests/microorganisms/etcgiveninVrukshaayurvedicbooks.

Plantdrugs/pharmacology(this is apartofthe atharvavedic ayurveda): Active plantbiochemicals

possessing medicinalplants,asdescribedinCharakasamhita,Ashtangahrudaya,ashtangasangraha,

sahasrayoga,etc.

comparative

studies

on

modern

and

traditional

knowledge

of

medicinal

plants.

The

student cantrytounderstandasmanyplants aspossiblewhichare good sourcesofthe bioactive

principles. Varietyof plants(herbs,shrubs,creepers,grass,trees etc.)usedfor curing diseases.The

plant leaves,buds,flowers,stems,roots,latex,etcusedfor treatingspecific diseases. Singledrug

treatment.

Medicinesandmedicinalpreparations/plantbiochemistry(Charakasamhitha and Susrutha

samhitha are written by Rishies ofthecaliberofthose ofvedicRishies, this alsoincludesageslike


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Chyavana/Brugu/Vagbhata/Agastyaandsoon): Thedescriptionsof inorganicchemicalsused as

medicinesinancientIndian Rasachikitsabooks,theirpreparations/processing and preservation. The

plant productsusedasdrugs,therawdrugs,their harvesting,drying,storage, mixing, drug

formulation, decoction preparation,etc. Varietyof Ayurvedicdrugformulationobtainedbymixing

manyrawdrugs.Knowledgeonthe possible chemicalchangestakingplaceinayurvedicdrug

preparationwhile

drying,

storing,

heating,

roasting,

boiling

with

water,

concentration,

etc

(all

ayurvedicpreparations).Herewehavetofocusonlyontheknowledgeexisted andtheir scientific

merits, intheareaof plantdrugs.Thescientific knowledgebehindkashaya/decoctionpreparation,

choorna,kwatha,lehya,arishta,ghrutha,thyla.etcreparations andtheir basicprinciplesof

applications.

Basicplantsciences/botany:Detaileddescriptiongiven inVrukshayurvedabyRishieslike

Saarngadhara,Katyayana,Varahamihira,Parasara,andothers.Plant growth,grafting,irrigation,useof

manure,seedspreservation, phototropism,agriculturalpracticesbothbasicandapplied.Seasonsof

sowing/planting/biodynamicsofagriculturalpractice,etc.,Varietyofthetraditionalknowledgestill

practicedinvillages,intheproductionofagriculturecommodities.

Fermentation

technology.

The

knowledge

of

microorganisms

existed

in

India

as

described

in

ayurvedicbooks.Fermentationofmilktocurdandyoghurt, fruitjuicefermentationtovines, medicinal

preparationof arishtas,etc.Fermentationproceduresfollowedin four major typesliquorsmentioned

inChanakyasArthasaastra(Arthasastrais anupavedaof Rigveda),thesourceofmicroorganisms,

cultures, fermentationproductsmentionedinthe ayurvedic andvrukshayurvedicbooks.Fermented

ricebased commonsolidfoodslikepancake,fermentationof traditionalliquorsfromcoconut and

palm products.

TECHNOLOGICALSCIENCES

AncientIndianmines: KnowledgeontheancientIndian mines whichwereactive duringthelast three

ormoremillenia, theores/minerals ofcopper,gold,zinc,lead,silver, distributedthroughout

Rajasthan,Haryana,

Bihar,

Bengal,

Gujarath

,Karnataka,

Uttar

Pradesh,

Madhya

Pradesh,

etc.

The

technologyadoptedfordigging,mining,transportation, processing and refiningtheaboveorepriorto

metallurgicalprocessing, provisionsgivenfor aeration andlightinginmines,etc. the presentday

scenesof ancient metallurgicalsites.

AncientIndianknowledgeinMetallurgy(metallurgyis apartoflohathanthrawhichagain is

becomingapartofRasachikitsa/saastra): Theproduction andpurificationofmetals,theuseofflux

andslag, temperatureattained, technology fortheproductionandpurificationof metals like tin,

copper,iron, silver,gold,zinc,lead. Anunderstandingofthe chemicalreactions accomplishedlike,

oxidation,reduction,.slagformation,distillation oflowboiling metals,etc. Thefine technologyused

for thelargescaleproductionof bronze, brass,panchaloha,bellmetal,coinmakingmetals andmany

alloysmentioned

in

chemistry

books

and

also

in

the

books

like

Chanakyas

Arthasaastra.

Impressive

metallicalloypreparationtechniquesmentionedin theRasabooks,rasopanishadandBharadvaajaas

writings.Thekilnsandmooshasusedforthe metallurgicalapplications.Specialmethodsadopted for

thepreparationofzincand lead. Preparationofthepurestformofcopper and alphaandbeta brass.

Identificationof alphaandbeta tin and descriptionsofthephysicalcharacteristicsofthesemetals.

Themetalingots,sheets,platesetc ofzinc/lead/iron/brass/bronze/copper/gold/silver/ofancient

Indianorigin excavatedfrom othercountrieslikeAthens, Babylonia,Rome, Egypt,..


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AncientIndian Iron makingtechnology.Productionof pigiron,castiron andwroughtiron,Delhi and

Dharironpillar,forgewelding,lamination,paintcoatingfor preventingtherusting,.Makingtheswords,

theBanaras and Kodumanalswords,carburizationinironinstruments usedinagriculture and surgery.

Rustfreepreservation techniques adoptedforiron,woortzsteel. Largescaleproductionofironalloys,

exportofironto European/middleeast countries.TheirontechnologyexistedinNorth

Kerala/Andra/Nasic/Gujarath/Bengal/Varanasi/etc.

the

Damascus

sword

from

India.

CeramicsscienceandtechnologyinancientIndia(detaileddescriptionofthe mooshaisgivenin Rasa

based books) : The topqualityceramics vessels,tiles,glazed vessels, beads, bricks etc.producedin

Harappa,Mohanjodaro,Lothal,Varanasi,Thakshasila,Kalibhangan, Hastinapura, andmanyother

NorthandsouthIndian archeologicalsites. Varietyof coloringmaterialsused fortheceramicsvessels

anddecorationceramics articleswhichwerealsousedintheglassmaking.ThegreatbathofMohenjo

dara,thelostcityofCambay,Dwaraka,Hastinapura,etc

IndustrialandinstrumentalglasstechnologyexistedinIndia: Varietyof multicolored glasses with

different size,shape, appearanceand capacity produced inIndia. Theglassbeads,ornaments,

plates,vessels,

made

using

variety

of

inorganic

coloring

materials

like

the

oxides,

carbonates,

sulfates,

phosphates,etcofchromium, lead,copper, iron,nickel,calcium,sodium. The nonmetallic

compoundsused as coloringmaterials. Technology introducingthe golden/silver leaf/plates in

glasses.

GeneralInstrumentsusedinancientIndia: Descriptionof avarietyof instruments givenin

Bharadvajasyanthrasarvaswa (Bharadwajaisnow aclanordered afterthegreat Vedicsageof

Bharadwaja.Heis known asMaharshiBharadwaja.Onlyapartofhisbook Yantrasarvaswa/

amsubhodini isnowavailable) theVaimanikasaastra,dvaanthapramapakayantra,etc.Thenumbering

systemswithserialnumbersofthecomponentsofinstruments, alloypreparations,qualityofglass

lenses,prisms,glassplates,varietyofKrithakaloha,(artificialmetallicalloyshaving nonmetallic

compoundsalso)diesusedformoldingthe instrument parts/components, inrequiredsizeandshape.

Theinstrumentsusedinastronomicalcalculations knownunderthetitlejyothiryantra.

Musicalinstruments(Music is Gandharvaveda whichisanupavedaof Saamaveda.Music/dance/

drama/musicalinstrument are alloriginated fromSaamagaana):Varietyof stringinstrumentsfor

music/danceperformances,themetallicalloysusedforthepreparationof strings,wind instruments,

theknowledgeof soundwaves,themembraneinstruments,preparation/processing ofthe

membranes for these musicalinstruments. The basic knowledgeofsound in music. Thegranite

music pillars knownassangeethamandapa seen in ancientsouthIndiantemples. Traditional Indian

musicalinstrumentslikeflute,idakka,mrudanga,chenda,thaala,naadaswara, veena,violin,

harmonium, andsoon.Thebasicprinciples adoptedintheirmakinganduse.

Surgicalinstruments(detailed descrtiptionofthese instruments andtheir pictures are giveninthe

bookswrittenbyMaharshiSusrutha as apartof Salyachikitsawhichagain is apartof ayurveda/

upavedaofatharvaveda): The surgical instruments known as sastrasand yanthras numbering

morethanahundred,asmentionedin Susruthasamhitha,themetalsusedformakingthese

instruments.Theirsize,shapeandcomparison withthemoderninstrumentsusedforthepurpose.

Descriptionof plasticsurgerytechniques. Theinstrumentsforkidneystoneremoval,stitching,cutting


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open,etc. allthese instrumentsusedinthe modernsurgerytables maybecompared withthose

available thousands ofyears ago,inIndia.

Laboratoryequipments(thisdescrtiptioniscomingaspartof rasa books): Morethan 35typesof

ceramics,glassandmetallic equipmentsmentioned inRasaratnasamucchaya fortheuse inchemical

laboratoriesfortheprocesseslike,distillation,sublimation,extraction,drying,heating,roasting,mixing,

decanting,etc.

generally

known

under

the

name

yanthras

made

using

specific

quality

clays.

Many

varietiesofmooshaas,putyantras werealsoused here forprocessingthemetals andother

compounds.

Kilns/furnaces,mushas &Putasusedformetallurgy. Varietyof furnaces and kilns,crucibles usedfor

theproductionof variousmetals andalloys.The temperature attained for oxidation,reduction,slag

preparation and distillation ofvarietyof metalsand correspondinglysuitableselectionof

putas/furnaces. Heatingmaterials andtheirproportions,heatingtime,fluxused forremovingthe

impurities inthe metalprocessing.descriptionof mahagajaputa, gajaputa,kukkuta puta,kapotha

puta etc andtheirpreparations.

PaintingTechnology/organicand inorganiccolorants(this subjectcomingaspartofsthaapathya

veda/architecture

which

is

an

upaveda

of

Rigveda

sometimes

it

is

also

said

as

the

upaveda

of

atharvaveda). The chemistryofthe paintsusedinAjantha,Ellora,andothercavetemple paintings,

muralpaintings,theinorganic colors and plantproducts usedfor paintings,theirpreparation,mixing,

applyingonthe preprocessedsurfaces.Selecting andprocessingplant products usedas paints. The

preparationofinks,forvarietyofapplications.Muralpaintings,oilpaintings, preparationofpainting

beds/walls/canvass,etc asdoneincavetemplesandwalls.

Textilestechnology ( detailed dscrtiptioncanbe seenindharmasaastra andalsoarthasaastra part

of eitherkalpasastraorupaveda):AncientIndiantextile industryasmentionedinChanakyasArtha

saastra, textilesproduced using cotton,silk,wool,jute, andalsoincorporationof gold,silverandlead

metallic threads asboardersforthetextiles. Thefamous Kancheepuram,Banaras,..sarees/textiles.

the dyingtechnologyand coloringmaterials used. Thetextiledyes,leathercolors, varietyofcoloring

materialsproducedindifferentpartsofIndia andmethodof application ofthedyes.

Civilengineering andarchitecture(ThesubjectmatterisdealtwithsystematicallyinSthapathyaveda

whichis upavedaasmentionedabove.Detaileddescrtiptionis alsoavailable inarthasasstra

books) :Thecivilengineeringskilldemonstrated inthefamoussouthIndiantemples constructedby

thekingsofthe Chola,Chera,Pandya,Hoysaalsa,Kakateeya,Vijayanagaraperiods. The hugeandtall

entrances/gopurams ofthese temples. Themortars/cements usedfortheconstructionofthese

temples. Theinstrumentsusedformeasuring/maintaining thegeometryofthesestructures.The

granite/marble/lateritestonecuttingandpolishingequipment/devises existedduringthen. The

transportationtechniquesadopted forthehugegranitepieces.Construction ofmarble temples,

palaces andlakepalacesinRajasthan.ThetemplesofKancheepuram,Rameswaram,Chidambaram,

Kumbhakonam,Thiruvannamali,

Sucheendram,

Trivandrum,

Konark

and

Khajuraho,.

The

music

pillars andmusicmandapas,theknowledgeonthe soundwavesproduced bythese granitepillarsand

granite stone carvings(thickthin pointedandsoon) Thecarvingundertaken withtopprecision,inall

theabovestructures.

Theconstructionof cavetemples,ofAjanta,Ellora,Elephanta,knowledge ongeologicalaspectsof

rocksinwhichtheChaityaasandViharas werecarvedout. Hugepalacesconstructed particularlylike

Jaisalamarpalace,palacesinthepinkcityRajasthan,Gwalior,Mysore,Hyderabad,etc the air


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conditioning/temperaturemaintainingmechanismsadopted,glazedandnonglazed tiles/glasses used

forflooring/windows. The pondsandwaterreservoirs made thousandsofyearsago.(learnasmany

structuresconstructedaspossibleandtheirtechnologies)

Thecivilengineering sciencesandtechnologiesofforts andwalls,channels, riversetc. the

archeologicallyimportant sitesofMohanjodaro,Lothal,Harappa,Dwaraka,thelostcityofCambay etc

BASICSCIENCES:

Basicprinciplesof physics(for thesebasic principlesonehastosearch verymanybooks; examples

aresited against eachsubject) thevelocityof light(SayanaBhashyaforVedas),wave natureof

sound (MaharshiGouthamasnyaayasaastra),sevencolorsof light(Rigveda), Heisenbergsuncertainty

principlesPatanjalisyogasastra),definitionandexplanationofatoms,gravitationalforces(siddhanta

siromanyofBhaskaracharyaII), differenttypesof rays(UV,IR,Heatrays,visible rays asexplainedby

Bharadvaja) lenses, prisms,magneticmaterialslike ironandvarietyofmagnets,time, weightsand

measures,linearparameters. Modernscientificprinciple equivalent ancient observations.

Explanations giveninyantrasarvasarvawaofBharadwaja,thevaimanikasaastra,dwanthapramapaka

yantra/spectrophotometer,etcthescaleusedinmeasuringthetemperature,the serializationof

instrumentparts

commonly

used.,

graduation

method

adopted,

metallic

alloys

used

in

measuring

the

lightwaves,etc(allyantrasarvaswaofMaharshiBhardvaja)

AncientIndianMathematics &Astronomy(Mathematics and astronomyarethefifthvedangaof

vedicliteraturekown asJyothisha. Thereare fourvedangajyothis connected withRigveda archa

jyothisha YajurvedaYajushajyothisha,Samaveda samjyothisha and Atharvaveda Atharva

jyothisha). Thelater developmentofthsubjectmatter aredirectly connectedwith thesejyothisha

books): Detailedknowledge aregiveninthebookswrittenby Aryabhatta (I&II),Bhaskara (I&II),

Vateswara,Manjula,Lalla,Varahamihira,Parameswara,Sankaranarayana,andmanyother

mathematicians.Thefournumbersystems,(Sanskritnumber,Aryabhattanumber,Bhoothasankyaand

Katapayaadinumber)arithmeticandgeometricalprogressions andtheir varietyof applications,

interestcalculations,movingbodies,forwardandbackwardmotions,linear and angular

measurements, numbertheories,square/cuberootsandpowerseries,determinations,

degree/minutes/seconds/microsecondsbothfor timeand angularmeasurements, various

geometricalfigures bothinscribedoneanother andindependentfigures,parameters connectedwith

area,perimeter,volume of squares,triangles,circles,trapeziums,spheres,cones,cyclicquadrilaterals,

polygonals, detailedalgebra, quadraticequations,monomialand binomialtheorems,etc.Hundredsof

theorems developedbyAryabhatta,BhaskaraI & II,Sankaranarayana,Sangamagrama

Madhavacharya,PuthumanaSomayaji,Vateswarana,AryabhattaII,SankaraVarman,

Paramewaracharyathe applicationof katapayaadi number andbhoothasankhyasystemsmade

bytheabovemathematicians.

Determinationof Sine,cosine andtangent,Rsinevaluestheir squares,squareroots, additionsand

subtractions,determination

at

degree/minute/second

levels.

and

their

tables,

as

explained

in

detailed

byVarahmihira/Vateswara/AryabhataII/PuthumanaSomayaji/Parameswaracharya/Nilakanta/

Sankaranrayana/Achuta/jayadeva/Manulacharya/andsoon,methodof determining thesevalues,

anglesindegreesandradians,calculationsandtheorems connectedwiththese values.Relationamong

radius arcchordcircumference sine cosine tangentangles.Indiantheorems knowninforeign

scientists namessuchas:Newtonstheorems,Gregorystheorems,Kelvinstheorem,Lhulerstheorem,

Lebnitzsseries,Taylorseries,TychoBraheequations,etc.


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Astronomicalparameters(Asmentionedabove;Jyothisaastra isappliedganithasaatra accordindto

the fifthvedangaknown asjyothisha): Variousastronomicalandgeographicalparametersmentioned

intheabovebooks: The sphericalshape,size,diameter, circumference,gravity,declination, rotation

speed,revolution,celestial/terestriallatitudeandlongitude, parallaxinlatitudeandlongitude,

earthsine,etcofearth. Manymoreastronomicalparameters describedwithdefinitionby

Vatewaracharya,like

co

latitude,

prime

meridian,

and

its

relation

with

time,

sun

rise

and

sun

set,

eight

typeof revolutionsofplanets, visibilityofplanets,declination, precisionequinox, alphaAeriespoint,

apogee,perigee, solarandlunareclipse,calculationof eclipse,diameterofshadow and movementof

shadow,instruments usedfortimecalculationandalsoforthecalculationofvariousastronomical

parameters known as yanthras.

Hundredsofparameters described systematically and calculated mathematically on solar andlunar

eclipses, changes inthesigns,latitude/longitude, time variations,eastwestlines,avantilinesof

internationalimportance, theinferiorplantsandsuperiorplanets, occultingofplanetsandstars, the

starconstellations, thecomets, andtheirappearance,etc.,etc

Indian Managementscience(AllIndianmanagementbooks aredirectlyconnectedwithItihasa(

epics)puranas,

subhashitas):

Thousands

of

modern

and

relevant

management

principles

explained

by Chanakya in(Chanakya)neetisara alsoknown as Chanakyaupadesa,, BharthruHariin upadesa

sathaka inhundred points,,VidurainViduraneetisara as aquestionanswer methodofpresentation

toDhrutharashtra andVidura,BhishmainBhishmopadesa tothequestions askedbyDharmaputra,,

andalsobookslike YogaVaasishtaasgiven byMahrshiVasishta,Bhagavathgeethaadvisegivento

ArjunabyLordKrishna,Sukraneetisara bySukramuni and manysubhashtaas(advises) mentionedin

Panchathantra,Ramayana,Mahabharata,Thirukkural andsoon. Theyare allapplicable even for the

managementinthe 21stcentury.

Ancient Indian knowledgeinEconomics(Thissubject is theupavedaof Rigveda): The bookon

arthasaastra writtenbyChanakyaknownasKoutlileeyam,manycrossreferencebooksarealso

mentioned

in

arthasaastra,

books

of

dharma

sastras/

smruthies

dealing

with

this

subject

The

detailed

explanationsaboutmoney,budget,banking,interest,loans,compoundinterest,penalinterest, surety,

witness,documentspreparationsforloans, pledgingofmaterials,leasing,etc.thedetailedmethodof

implementing salestax,agriculturaltax, propertytax,gifttax,landtax,housetax, customsduty and

penaltaxes, etc. (asdescribedindharmasaastra)canbe seenin manybookswritten during BC500

andbefore.

IndianPhilosophy (Philosophies eitherpartofUpanishads whichareknown asvedantas or aspart

of shaddarsanas: Thephilosophicalcompilationsknown asdarsanasbyVyasa,Jaiminee, Patanjali,

Gouthama, Kapila and Kanaada poorva&uttarameemamsa,yoga,nyaaya, vaiseshikaa, arethe

mostimportantbooksknown asshaddarsanas. Manyfundamental principlesofphysics,chemistry,

biology, etcarementionedin theabovedarsanaas. SankarasAdwaitha and Madhvasdwaitha. The

bookof

Charvaka

known

as

Charvaka

samhita

of

atheism.

Other

than

the

specific

philosophical

compilations, the philosophydescribed inupanishad,Bhagavathgeetha,Yogavasishta,etc. Thus the

knowledgeofHindus didnotrestrictuponmerespiritualityand achaarasbut alsofocusedonevery

branchofmodernscienceandtechnology.Thatisthereasonwhymanyofthese knowledge,the

western scientists arepatentingnow.

Modern IndiasAchievements (ThemodernIndian achievementsineveryfieldis acontinuation of

theancient Indian blood andachievements): Since largeamountof data areavailableinthis


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9

subject,thereader/studentcanselect/collectasmuchdetails aspossible forcontinuouslearningof

thegreatscientistsofmodernIndia and our achievementinspacescience, harnessing atomicenergy

, technologyofexploding atombombs, Antarcticaexpedition, thegreenrevolution,the blue

revolution, white revolution,chemistry and achievementsinthe area of biotechnology, in

telecommunication, roads and transportation, educationatlower andhigherlevels, professional

education,information

technology

and

computer

science

and

super

computer

technology,

revolutionsin printandelectronic media. Thestudentcanadd muchmorethanthis,asthe

specialization has achievedinIndia, in almost all subjectareas.

THESCIENCEOF CUSTOMSANDRITUALSIN

HINDUDHARMA

WhatisthedefinitionofaHindu?:Aasindho:sinduparyanthamyasyabhaarathabhoomikaamaathru

bhoo:pithrubhoo(punya)schaivasavaiHinduitismruthaa: whomsoever,isconsideringtheland

betweenthe saptasindu (Indusvalleyriver) uptoIndianocean asthe motherland/fatherland and

holyland,isknown as Hindu. Thislandisknown asHindustanam whichisdefinedasfollows:

Himaalayamsamaarabhyayaavathhindusarovaramthamdevanirmithamdesamhindustaanam

prachakshate.Theland createdbygodhimself and whichislyingbetween Himalayas andIndian

ocean is known asHindustanam.

Unlikeother religions,Hindudharma has many specialties. This isnotknownasareligion,itis

known asthedharma. Either Hindudharma or sanaathanadharama. Sanathana means according

tobhagavathgeetha,whichcannotbedestroyedbyfire,weapons,water,air, andwhichispresentin

alllivingand nonliving being. Dharma means,the wayof life which is the totalof allaachaaraas

orcustomsandrituals. The aachaaraaswhicharetobeperformedbythemotherisknown asmathru

dharma,thoseof fatherisknown aspitrudharma. Similarly there areputradharma(dharmaof son)

aachaarya dharma(dharmaof teacher), asacontinuationwecansaybhraathru(brother)dharma,

bhagini(sister)dharma,poura(citizen)dharma, raja(king)dharma andsoon. Allthese dharmas

havebeendescribedindetailgivingthespecificimportanceinthe dharmasaastra andsmruthies.

Thereis

no

specific

English

word

for

dharma,

but

it

is

the

sum

of

the

duties

+responsibilities

+

privilegesofthat individual. Thenwhatisthesanathana/Hindudharma? Itisthe totalof mathru

dharma +pitrudharma+putradharma +putreedharma+acharyadharma +pouradharma+

+etc. Hencewesay Hinduismisnot areligionbut the wayoflife.

Oneshould always remember thatineachandevery aachaaraas/dharmathere willbe acomponent

ofspiritualityinit. Without spirituality,nothingexistsinHindudharma. Almosteveryone carries a

wrongimpressionthat thisspiritualityis religion. No!spirituality isdifferent inHindudharma, where


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10

the question areligiondoesnotexistatall,because Hindudharmawasnotcreated byone

individual/prophet/incarnation/. Henceitisnot areligion.Spiritualityis apartofeveryHindu

custom.

Whataretherulestobefollowedwhile practicing the Hinducustoms andrituals(aachaaraas)?. This

questionhastobescientificallyanalyzed. Whatevermaytheaachaaraas wearepracticinginourlife,it

hasbeentoldthat saakshaathanubhavairdhrushtonasruthonagurudarsitha lokaanaam

upakaaraayaethathsarvampradarsitham. Aachaaraasaretobefollowedbasedontheirmerits

availablefromtheself experience,oneneednotblindlyfollowateacherorsomeonewhogives advise

withoutreasoning. Allthese aachaaraas arementionedfor theprosperityofthehumanbeingsandit

shouldbetheprimefocusforpracticing the Hindu aachaaraas.

Achaaryaathpaadamaadatthepaadamsishyaswamedhayaapaadamsabrahmachaaribhyasesham

kaalakramenacha isanotherimportantadvicegiveninsmruthies.Itmeans onecangetonequarterof

theknowledge fromtheteacher,onequarter byanalyzing oneself,onequarter bydiscussingwith

others andthe last quarter onecanget duringtheprocessofliving bythemethodaddition,deletion,

correctionand

modification

of

already

known

aachaaraas/

new

aachaaraas.

Itismentionedthat wehavetotakeonequarterfromtheteacher/guru. Now,whatisthe definition

ofa guruorteacher.Aachinothichasaastraarthaansishyaansaadhayatesudheeswayamaacharti

chaivasaaacharyaitismruthaa: whoisknowingthescientific meaningofthepurposeofthe

aachaaraas,whocanteachthestudent verysystematically and whois following (allwhatistaughtto

thestudents)inonesownlife, thatpersonis fittobecalledastheteacher/guru.Here,one cansee

thequalificationofateacher who candefine andexplain about the aachaaraas.

Canwepracticetheaachaaraasatalltimes withthesamelevelofdevotion?Thisisacommonquestion

asked.Theanswerisalsogiveninoursmruthies.Swagraamepoornamaaachaaraasasmanyagraame

thadardhakampattane

tu

thath

paadam

yaatre

baalaad

aaachaaraasastheth.

In

ones

own

village,

practicealltheaachaaraas, inothervillages(whiletravellingorstaying) practiceonehalfofthe

aachaaraas, inthecities/townsfollowatleasta minimumofonequarterofthem andwhile traveling,

likeachildoneneednotpracticeanyoftheaachaaraas.

Shouldwepracticetheaachaaraasblindlysayingthatthoseaachaaraas were followedbymyfather or

forefathers.? Thaathasyakoopoyamitibruvaanakaapurushakshaarajalampibathi. Sayingthat this

wellwasdug bymyfather(andforshowing respecttohim)oneneednot drink thesaltwater(ifitis

present) inthewell.

Aachaaraas neednotbethesame inKerala andKashmir, similarlyfor aHinduthe same customs

cannot

be

practiced

in

America

and

Rajastan

desert.

Hence

depending

upon

the

place

,

time,

season,

age, availabilityofthematerials, financialpositionofthe individuals, the aachaaraas canbeduly

modified.

Thesameprinciple onecanseeinbhagavathgeetha also.LordKrishnatold Arjunaintheendof

Bhagavathgeetha,thatvimrusyaethathaseshenayathaaicchasithathaakuru:HeyArjuna allthose

whateverIhavetold you,criticallyanalyze,and theoption for accepting or rejecting is yours.


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11

Thesearetherulesoneshould followwhile analyzing andpracticingtheaachaaraasinHindudharma.

There are manywordsofguidance given indharmasaastra book. Saastrampramaanam:scientific

resultsare thefirstbasis,aaptavaakyampramaanam:guidancetobetakenfromthescholars isthe

(next)basis,prathyakshampramaanam:thedirect experience isthenextbasis, anumaanam

pramanam guessingtheconsequences/results, if noneofthe aboveparametersisavailable.These

arethe

steps

one

should

select

for

the

analyses

of

the

aachaaraas.

Whatarethepurposesofpracticingtheaachaaraas ? Ithasbeen describedinthesmruthies (which

arealsoknown asdharmasaastras) :aachaaraathlabhathehyaayu: aachaaraathdhanamakshayam

achaaraathlabhathe suprajaa aachaaroahanthyalakshanam . By followingthe aachaaraas one

gets health andlongevity, itleadstoprosperity, it givessocial relations and friends, and the

followers ofachaaras areconsidered as theembodimentof nobility. Aachaaraheenam na

punanthuvedaa: Theperson whodoesnothavethehabitof practicingthegoodachaaraas, cannot

evenbepurifiedbyVedas.

Whatarethe achaaraas? those customs andrituals which are irrelevantinthemodern times are

knownas

anaachaaraas,

those

which

lead

to

negatives/

deleterious

results

are

known

as

duraachaaraas andthose achaaraas which give verypositive andusefulresults areknown are

sadaachaaraas orgenerally known as aachaaraas.

The sadaachaaraas arefollowed for, anyoneormoreofthefollowingpurposes intheHindudharma.

The aachaaraas arethose give psychological.physiological, familyrelationandbondage, social

relationsandbondage and nationalintegration based positiveresults. Focusingonthe above five

points one cananalyzeverysystematicallyall theseaachaaraas.

Psychologicallybeneficial aachaaraas/customs andrituals: Fewexamples are selectedforexplaining

thesetypeofaachaaraas The morning andeveningprayer, the positive songs andkeerthans,the

Vedicmantras

which

produce

psycho

linguistic

and

neuro

linguistic

effects,

etc

are

psychologically

usefulaachaaraas.Theygive extremely good response inthebrain cells bywayof producing

curativehormones. Theblessingsoftheelders andparents, theencouragement given tothechildren

and also tothosewho are desperatelystrugglinginthelife, thewordsofconsolation,theblessings

likevijayeebhava,the aachaaraasin socialgathering andfamily functions,etc give psychologically

positiveresults.(Allthese aachaaraasarealsospiritually connected,istheHinduway)

Moreexamples:Reading apuraana gives themessagesof ups anddowns/failures andsuccess/

pains andpleasures inthelife. ThestoriesofSriRamainRamayana andthatofPandavasin

Mahabharatha inform usthat there aresufferingsinthelife andeveryone shouldfacethemboldly.

ReadingBhagavathgeethaisfor mentallypreparing toface anytypeofconsequences andwithout

failurepracticing

the

swadharama

(ones

own

duty).

Through

puranic

story

telling

for

the

children

,

valuebasedmessages aregiven intheformof storycapsulestoremaininthe memory for many

years and togetthereminderwhenevertheabnormalpathwayisoptedtointheirlife.Visiting elders

onfestiveoccasionsisforgetting valueandexperience based advise fromtheir life. Respecting

teachers andelders,isfor keepingthe valuesinoneslife andinsocietyforthelearnedpeople who

continuetoguidethesociety. Auspicioustime selection forvisits and performing ceremonies,isto

take extramentalprecautiontoseethat everythingis carefully/systematicallyprogrammed and


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12

planned.Consultingagood astrologer istoseethat things aremeticulouslyplanned andthe

blessingsof the Vedicdevathaas are assuredforanoptimisminonesendeavor(howeverthis should

notgotothelevelofsuperstition andshouldbecarefullymonitored).Performingpooja ismainlyto

seethatgoodwillcome ifgood ispracticed.Andtogivethefeeling thatrestis left tothedivine

mercy/blessings. This blessing is directlyassured(atleastwefeelso) by conductingpoojasin

presenceof

family

and

relatives

(hence

gives

an

opportunity

for

the

family

members

to

come

together

also).Worshiping theidols/imageshavingsmiling faces(prasannavadanam)gives apsychological

positivefeelingofconfidence(avoid theworshipofweeping/bleeding/ cruel imagesasitgivesa

negativeinfluenceinthemind). Chantpositive manthra/keerthan/bhajanforpositiveeffect

(neurolinguisticandpsycholinguistic)andneverchantcrying orweeping songs whichalsoinfluence

themindnegatively

Physiologicallybeneficial customs andrituals.Youcanalsoanalyze these customs andrituals

yourself onthe scientific base. Thesooryanamaskaara/sunsalutation performedinthemorning is

acombinationof 7yogaasaanaaspracticedintensteps,which givesmoothexercisefor allthe

movable

skeletal

joints

in

the

body

and

hence

this

is

also

known

as

the

king

of

the

exercises.

Morningprayer karaagrevasathelakshmikaramadhyesaraswathikaramoole sthithaagouri

prabhaathe karadarsanam:Sittinginthe samebed where yousleepeveryday,withoutcleaningthe

teethfacebody, whythismanthra ischanted,because thebodywas horizontal forthewholenight

while sleeping anditisgoingto become vertical(suddenly)whenyougetup. In the verticalposition

ofthebody the force exertedbytheheart forpumpingthebloodis more,hence thechangeof

positionofthebody fromhorizontaltoverticallevel shouldbe slow and steady.Hence weare

instructedto sitonthebed forfewseconds (ithasbeen statisticallyestimatedthat 23%oftheheart

attackdeaths takeplace intheheartpatients whentheysuddenlygetup andstand/walkfromthe

lyingposition). Similarly with amantra we touchthefloor samudravasanedeviparvathasthana

mandaleVishnu

patnee

namasthubhyam

paada

sparsam

kshamaswa

me.

The

bio

static

electricity

in

thebody getsearthedthroughthe fingers insteadofthe feet,reducingthe chanceof arthritis and

manyother nervousbased disorders. Beforetakingthe food,fewsecondprayer is aHindu

aachaaraas.duringthisprayertimeandwhilelookingtothefoodtheflowof salivainthemouthtakes

place andthis liquid activatesthegenerationof otherdigestive enzymesalso,thus activatingthe

processofdigestion( alayerof saliva and digestiveenzymes inthebottom ofthestomachbefore

thefoodcomestothe stomach isabiochemistry).Fasting leadstocleaningofthe intestine, certain

fasting(partial) inwhich changeoffood is instructedinthecustom,whichleadstogettingvarietyof

micronutrients fromdifferenttypesoffoodsources. Choodaakarna theceremonyconnectedwith

wearingofthe earringisjustlikegivingthe firstvaccination and annapraasana thefirstfoodgiving

ceremonyis

like

the

first

inoculation

to

the

baby

through

the

hands

of

different

people

(the

ear

ring

intheformer and foodinthelattercarries littledirt/germs whichleadsto augmentingtheimmunity

inthebodyofthebaby). These areonlyveryfewamongthousandsofaachaaraas practiced by

Hindus,forphysiological benefit

More examples: Donot keepthedirectionofthe headtowardsnorthbecausethe magneticmeridian

oftheearthretards theblood flowthroughbraincapillaries andaffect thefunctioningof braincells.

Avoidtaking bedcoffeetoprevent the obnoxious decomposedmaterialsgenerated by


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13

microorganisminthemouth(inthenight) goingtothestomachtoavoidthechanceof stomach

cancer.Wakeup earlymorning,because thebrain is perfectlyactive duringthattime.Take abathin

themorningitselfsothat allthe decomposedproducts/salts/urea etcpresentonthesurface ofthe

body gets cleaned whichpreventstheskindiseasessignificantly.Thecoldwater/hotwater bath

activates the biologicalprocessofthebodycellstomaintainthe bodytemperature when cold/hot

waterbath

is

taken.

Dhyaana

/meditation

activates

brain

cells.

Praanaayaama

activates

the

lungs

cells andfunctioning.Takingthulasiwater/theertha givesthe medicinalpropertyoftheplantinit.

Usingsandalwoodpasteintheforehead givesthechanceofabsorbingthe medicinalcomponentsin

thechandanthroughthe most sensitivepartofthebody.Visiting atemple(inHinduworship,the

temples are notmerelyprayerhalls, theyare quantumhealing centers) gives energytothebodyif

panchasuddheeismaintained. Doingpradakshinato aswatha gives anatmosphere/airthroughwhich

tracesofozoneproducedbythetreegoestothelungsandpurifies the lungs.Attending and

participating templefestivals give theopportunityforleadershipqualities,socialgathering,

entertainment andhence varietyofmeritsincludingspiritual benefits.

Customs

and

rituals

beneficial

for

strengthening

the

family

bondage:

When

we

look

for

integrated

developmentofthesociety,the familyrelationbecomesthefirststepinthe sociallife.There are

hundredsof aachaaraasasasintheHindu life which are exclusivelyaimed atstrengthening the

familyrelations andbondage. Everyspiritual andfamilybased customs aretobepracticed bythe

wifeandhusbandtogether, This strengthenthe familyrelationship.The message that maathru

devobhava,pitrudevobhava:Letthe mother andfather be divinetome(godstome) convey a

strong relationthread betweenthechildren andparents.The death anniversaryfunctionsknownas

sraardha aremainly performed to givethedemonstrationofthe relationship betweenthe parents

and children.Thedemonstrationfromgeneration after generations.

Inalltherituals,theindividualis expectedto tell the gotra(clan)andsootra(threadofconnection)

whichagain

show

the

connection

with

the

forefathers.

During

festivals,

the

parents

were

saluted/prostrated as mathru/pithrunamaskaara,togetthefeelingforthe children that(whatever

maybetheirage) their relationship,withtheparents isnotmerely thatofpeoplelivingtogether ina

house.Thisgivesthemessagethatinyoungerdays childrenwerelookedafterbytheparents andin

theold age, theparentsshouldbelookedafter bythe childrenwithdue respect and care. Similarly

the relationship betweenthewifeandhusbandisnot merelythe relationfor sex,butfor building a

familywithculture and valuesinthelife.Through 16sacraments known as samskaaraas(samskaara

means refiningorpurification) thelifeofthebabyis getting enrichedbythevaluesofthelife.During

theconstructionofthehousethe groundbreaking,stonelaying,thedoorfixing andhousewarming

ceremonies areallconnectedwiththe starofbirthofthewife,thusgivingimportancetothewifein

thefamily.

Without

the

husband

or

wife,

the

other

(among

the

couple)

alone

cannot

perform

any

of

the householdachaaras,which againmakesitcompulsorytobuildthe strong familybondage.The

marriageisperformed bytyingthethread puttingthegarland holdingtherightpalm(paanigrahana)

presentationoftheclothsorexchanging therings andbysirodhaara,thesefive rituals inpresenceof

hundredsofinvitedguests/andagni/fire givethefeelingof strong wifehusbandbondage.Itis said

that themarriageis conducted asagnisaakshi.Thusone cananalyzethe customs tounderstand the

impactofthefamilyrelations.


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14

Moreexamples:Ifproperlyperformed matching ahoroscopebeforemarriage gives anopportunity

forunderstandingthepersonalityofthe individualswhoaregettingmarriedandsuitable corrective

measurescanbeadopted. Inviting relatives andguestsformarriage gives anopportunity toshare

thejoyamong relatives and socialandfamilyrelationsgetstrengthened. After marriageceremonies

are aimedat getting ahealthybaby andgivingthe feelingoflove andaffection amongthecouples.

Thejaatja

karma

of

the

baby

is

performed

to

record

scientifically

the

position

of

the

celestial

body

whenthebabywas born.Itistheboundprivilegeoftheparents togivethe name fortheirbaby and

hence thenameoftheirchoicethrough naamakarana,isgivenasapartofthesamskaaraas.

Dhampatipooja/couplepooja isperformed byother familymembers to remindtheir respectand

appreciationonstrengtheningthebondagebetweenthecouples.Birthdaycelebrations areconducted

toinform thedutyandresponsibilityoftheindividuals whentheygrow andtoremindthem thatthe

societyandrelatives arewiththemfor undertakingtheresponsibility. Celebrationofthe 60th birth

anniversary(shashtipoorti),toremindthetime for doing moregood forthesociety usingthe

experience gained forthe last60yearsoflife, whentheperiod ofreststarts.

Customsandrituals beneficialforthe socialbondage: Invitingguests for family functions like

birthday,marriage,

during

the

death

and

after

death

rituals,

getting

together

during

the

festival

seasons likeholideepavalikrishnaashtamairamanavami celebrations etc. templefestivals, village

festivals, areall aimed atbuilding social bondage. Throughthese socialrelationbuilding

mechanismstheculturalrelationship amongIndians was builtup forthelastmanymillennia. Many

spiritualandreligious activities assamoohapooja,samoohabhajan, mantraaalapanetc are alldone

ingroups withtheleadership ofthecommonHindus themselves, not throughappointed priests,

whichleadtothe culturalintegration ofthesocialbondage intheHindusociety.

More examples:Familyvisits during happy andunhappyoccasion byrelativesandfriends (even

withouttakingappointments) istoconfirm thefamilymembers that during happy andunhappy

incidents inoneslife we,therelatives andfriends willbewiththem. Gettogether during festival

occasions isfor strengthening socialbondageamongthesocietymembers.Kumbhamela,vaisaaki,

andmanyother festival is forsharingthejoy andforgettingthenegativesofthepast andtobuild

betterrelationsshipamongthemembersinthesociety.Grouppilgrimagetolong distance istoshare

thejoy and difficulties together inthespiritualwaytostrengthensocialbondage

Customs andrituals beneficial fornationalintegration: There are manycustoms whichare

followed exclusively for gettingthefeelingofpatriotism among the Indians. Themorning prayer (

praathasmarana) wechantthenamesofsevenholyriversfrom Indian continentgangechayamune

chaivaandsevenmountains.. mahendromalayasahyo the great womenofIndiaahalya

droupadiseethathe greatmen aswathaamabalivyaaso.SevenmajorcitiesofIndia ayodhya

mathuraamaaya.andsoon. Thesestanzas were writtenthreeorfourthousand years ago.This

informs andremindsusthat India wasculturallyone forthe lastmanythousandyearsThepilgrimage

tonorth

India

by

the

south

Indians

and

to

south

India

by

the

north

Indians

are

fine

example

of

nationalintegration. The customs followedintheimmersionofthe ashes(obtained aftercremation)

inkaasi/varanaasitrivenisangambythesouthIndians and inkanyakumari trivenisangam bythe

northIndians leadtothisnationalintegrationthroughvisits and experiencesofdirectcontactamong

southandnorthIndians (where the languages/food/dressing/ culturaltraits etc differ).

Itisalsoimportanttonoteaveryinterestingfact,that for making anycurries(fooditems)insouth

India,northIndian spices arerequired andfor northIndiancurries,southIndians spicesare


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15

inevitable.Thusevenin kitchen ofHindufamily,thenationalintegrationcanbe seen. Learningof

Sanskritlanguage, chantingofVedas andrelatedliterature,thestoryof Ramayanaand

Mahabharatha are allfinallyaims atintegratingthepeopleof India andgive themessageofunityin

diversity.

More examples: Adeepanalyses oftheholyplaces,rivers,mountains andasramas given in

Ramayanaand

Mahabharatha

when

Sri

Rama

(in

Ramayana)

and

Pandavas

(in

Mahabharata)

visited

during vanavaasa,give familiarity ofthenation throughitihasas andpuraanaas.Puranic storiesdo

influence thenationalintegration.Pilgrimage toAsrams,Gangotri,Haridwaar,Kailash,Kanyakumari,

etc integrates themind ofallIndians towardsthenation. Theconceptof athithidevobhava toserve

the peoplewhovisits ourhomewithouttakingappointment gives theopportunity toknow andhelp

others. Duringthe ageoldcustoms anyonewho is onpilgrimage hastodepend forthefood and

shelter upontheunknown people.Peopletravelingfromnorthtosouth andsouthto northofIndia,

forthepilgrimage couldtaketheshelterinthe athithidevobhavaconcept.Bharathmaatha(mother

Bharath)conceptofthenationgives the relationamong Indians asthechildrenofthecountry.In

mahasankalpa namesof different kshetrainIndiaaregiven(asparasuramakshetra(Keralam) Sri

Ramakshetra

(Tamil

Nadu)

Sreenivasa

kshetra

(Andra)

Jagannatha

kshetra

(Orrissa)

Bhaskara

kshetra (Karnataka) andsoon,whichinforms usthatwe arepartofthegreat nationBharath.Like

thisthere arehundredsoftheaachaaraas aimedatnationalintegration.

Thus theaachaaraas aredirectly connectedwiththe daytodaylife ofHindus.Eventhe spiritual

rituals also compelsustopraysahanaa vavathu,sahanowbhunakthu sahaveeryamkaravaavahe

thejaswinaavadheethamstumaavidvishavahai aanobhadraa. Letusexisttogether, sharetheresults

ofthe worktogether,worktogether, thoroughthatpathwayletusenlightenourselves, letusnot

havehatredtowardsanyone,letnoblethoughtscomefromall overtheworld. Hindus alwaysprayed

lokaa:samasthaa:sukhinobhavanthu.leteveryonebecome happy.Hindusneverprayed haindavaa:

samasthaa:sukhino

bhavathu

Let

(only)

Hindus

become

happy.

Hindus

never

said

their

pathway

is

theonlycorrectonefor attaininggod.They always allowedotherthoughts alsoto

penetrate/integrateintothemindsofthepeople, ifthosepathways canalsofetchgoodresults.

Hindus aretheonlypeoplewhoprayed sarvebhavanthusukhina:sarvesanthuniraamaya sarve

bhdraanipasyanthumaakaschit dukhabaagbhveth. Let sarve allbecomehappy and glorious, free

frompains andsorrow. Here tooHindus never saidonlyletHindusgetallthebenefit

Saythat allIndians areproudHindus whether they followlord Siva,Krishna,JesusChristor

ProphetMohammed,iftheir bloodisHindubloodthentheyareHindus.In India there areonlytwo

categoriesofpeople whoare Hindus and whowereHindus.Those, who arefollowingthe

sanathanadharama, eventhoughbornandbroughtupunderdifferentcultureanywhereinthe

world,are

also

Hindus


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16

THESCIENCEOFHINDUSPIRITUALITYHindu/sanaathanadharmahasits foundation onscientificspirituality. AncientRishies

are

the

authors

of

the

Vedas,

puranaas

,

itihaasaas

and

smruthies

which

are

known

as

Hindureligious/spiritualbooks. Thoserishiesthemselves wrote thebookson

economicsarthasaastra,musicanddancegaandharvaVeda,scienceofheathand

food ayurveda,civilengineering and sculpturesthaapathyaveda,etcwhich are

thewellknown scientificbooks. Inalltheancient Hinduliterature onecanseethat

science and spirituality areintegrated. Itis mentionedinthe 40thchapterofthe

Yajurvedaknown asEesaavaasyaUpanishadthat usethescientificknowledge for

solvingtheproblemsinour life and usethespiritualknowledgeforattaining

immortality throughphilosophical outlook. Avidyayaamruthyumtheerthwaa

vidyayaaamruthamasnuthe.Adetailed descriptionon the scientific and

technologicalheritage ofHindudharmahasbeenseparatelygiven andhence itisnot

includedinthistext. Hereonlythe scienceofspirituality isdescribed forgiving aclear

understandingontheHinduway of looking intothe different order/levelof spiritual

science.

Atalllevels inother religions thereexist onlyonegod/divinepower. Andthatis the

one andonlyone,without even asecond onthepathwaytoattainthat one. In

Hindudharmaalsothereexiststheultimateoneandonlyonegod.But toattainthat

one,you

can

have

different

pathways

and

worship

of

different

deities.

For

reaching

NewDelhi,thecapitalofIndia, there canbemanypathways/roads,butNewDelhi

remainsthe (same)onelocation. Someofthese roads maybeshortcuts,some may

be smooth andsomeothermay nothave street lights,etc.Thus theroads and

natureof roadsvary but theultimategoalremainsthe same.

TheoneHindugod andits scientificexplanation :Thereexistsonly one god anditis

reiterated throughoutthe Upanishads and Vedas. Ekamsathvipraa:bahudaa

vadanthi.Theultimatetruthis one andonlyone,butsomescholars maytellthatitis

manyfold

.ekam

eva

na

dvitheeyam.

The

only

one

without

the

second.

Further

you

canseethewordsofRigveda:dyaavaapruthvijanayandevaeka: thegod,whocreated

the celestialbodiesandthis earth,isoneandonlyone.Ekaevahibhoothaatmaa

bhoothebhoothe vyavasthithaaekathaabhahudaachaivadrusyathejalachandravath.

Theultimate divinepowerisoneandonlyone whichisexisting ineachandevery

living being. Itmaybesaidbysome asone andsomeothersmaysay itasmany, but


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17

thetruthislikethis; thereisonlyone moon and it isreflected indifferentwaters(of

river,well,acupofwater,seaorocean).Justlikethereflectionoftheonemoonisseen

inall,the samedivine power ismanifestedinalllivingbeing. Eventhe whole

philosophyoftheadvaitha isbasedonthenondualityofthedivinepower(advaitha

theone

without

asecond)

Thenameofthatone inHindudharmais BrahmanorBrahmam.Hindusdohave

differentlevelsof upaasana/worship. Buttheultimatepointwhere allthe pathways

arriveatisthispointofBrahman (donot pronounce Braahman).TheVedassay

Brahmasathyamjagathmithya. Theultimate essenceofeverythingis thisBrahman

andeverythinginthe universeisthemanifestationofthatultimate truth (whichis the

Brahmam).JeevoBrahmaivanaaparaa: Eventhelifeforce/soul itselfis thesame

Brahaman andnothingelse.TheBrahmamispresent ineverything,inthesmallerthan

thesmallest

(in

atoms)

and

bigger

than

the

biggest

(in

the

universe)

and

also

present

asthejeevaathmainalllivingbeings:Anoraneeyaan mahatomaheeyaanaatma

guhaayaamnihithosyajantho: says MahanaraayanaUpanishad.Onecanseepure

scienceinthisexplanation: The revolutionof electrons andthespinningofthe nuclei

inatoms,therotation andrevolutionofearth,thesolarsystem,thegalaxy,andsoon

areallguidedfromwithinthesystemand thisforce which givestheenergyand

guidancefortheirmovementisknown asBrahman. Itisthissame energy manifested

asjeevaathmainthe livingbeing whichcontrols theheart,lungs,theliver,theblood

circulation,thesensoryorgans,thefunctionalorgans, etc.inanimals. Inthe

mahaasankalapa,itis thus explained achinthyayaaaparimithayaasakthyaa

briyamaanasya anekakotibrahmandaanaammadhye; the billionsandbillionsof

galaxieswhicharerevolving/rotating underthe torrentialforcewhichisbeyondthe

levelofimaginationandlimitless this force isfromwithin thesystemanditisthe

onewhichguidestherotation andrevolution.Hence the ancient IndianRishies said

that Brahmanis theultimate force/energy. Upanishad saysthat theBrahmanisthe

onewhichcannotbeseenthrougheyes,heardbyears, analyzedbymind but the

energywhich isresponsiblefor theproperfunctioningofthe eyes,ears andmind.Is

Brahman.yath

chakshushaa

na

pasyathi

yena

chakshoomshi

pasyathi,

yath

srothrenanasrunothi yenasrothramithamsrutham.,yath manasaanamanuthe

yenaahurmanomatham.. thadevaBrahmathwamviddhiyadidamnaidam

upaasathe. istheBrahman and worshipthat Brahman. Inother Upanishadsitis

explainedthat thefire andair(prathyakshamBrahma),thesound(sabdaBrahman),

theSun,thelight (chaakshuBrahman), andsoonareallthe manifestationofthis


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18

Brahman. Thisgives aclear definitionfor Brahmanthat itis theenergyand

manifestationof apower

Brahman isalsopresent asjeevathma/soulinme henceIsayahamBrahmaasmi(I

amthedivinepower) Itispresent inyouhencethaththwamasi(youarealsothe

samedivine

power)

It

is

present

as

life

force

hence

ayam

athma

Brahma

(this

life

force/energyisthe Brahman)anditis manifested astheinherentintrinsic

consciousnessand awareness,henceprajnaanamBrahma(thatgloriousknowledgeis

Brahman).Thesefoursetsofwords correspondsto Yajurveda,Saamaveda,

Atharvaveda andRigvedarespectively,are known as fourMahaavaakyaas). Theyogi

whocouldget the experienceof the realizationof theBrhamanisknown asBrahma

jnaani andtheprocessofrealizationisknown as Brahmasaakshaathkaaram. That

stateof Brahmajnaaniisalsoknown askaivalyastate, thestateinwhichoneknows

thatonlyoneisexisting(kevalammeans onlyone).AksharamBrahmaparamam

means theBrahmanisnondestructiblefor ever.Brahmakshrasamudhbhavam

Brahmanarose fromthenondestructible. There are fewvedicandpuranicwords

connectedwithBrahman,theyare Brahmaandam(theuniversaleggastate before

thebigbang) Lord Brahma (thecreatorofthisuniverseandeverythingpresenthere

fromenergy) Brahmavaivartham(themanipulation andmanifestationofthe

universalforce/energy). Nowtheword Brahman maybeclearlydefined basedon

the aboveexplanationsusingmodernscience asfollows: theintrinsic,inherent, self

guiding,selfmotivating,selfawarenessand selfconsciouspresent from eachand

everyatomtotheuniverseitself,istheBrahman,theultimate godofHindu!

Itis saidthat there aretwostatesofBrahaman. The extremelyactive state in

observationknown

as

saguna

Brahman

and

the

inactive

state

in

observation

known

asnirgunaBrahman. These two states arecomplimentary andnever contradictory

(asfewscholars maysay). (saguna and nirgunamaybeoppositewordsjustlike

lower andupperare opposite words.But lowerprimary andupper primary arenot

opposites,theyare complimentary). Inanatom,theelectronsarerevolvingat a

fantasticspeed/velocity (sagunathwam)butthe materialswhicharecomposedbythe

atomsare seeninnirgunastate (withoutrotating andspinning). The earthrotates

andrevolves athighspeed(sagunastate)butthepeople livingontheglobeearthdo

notfeelthespeed(nirgunastateinobservation).Ourheart/liver/lungs/eachandevery

tissuefunctions

/works

for

all

the

24

hrs

(in

saguna

state),

but

the

body

does

not

feel

that(particularlywhensleeping) suchaseriesofbiochemicalprocessesaregoingon

inside(nirgunastate). Thusthereare observationallytwostatesfortheBrahman one

sagunastate and othernirgunastate.Sometimes sagunaupaasana/worship also

means theworshipinforms and images andnirguna upaasana/worshipmeans

worshipwithoutkeepingtheimages.


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19

Fromtheupanishadic explanationthattheuniverse isfilledwiththe Brahma

chaithanyam(the intrinsicawarenessandconsciousness)itmaybedifficultfor for a

commonmantounderstandthis concept.Fortheunderstandingat alowerlevel and

for giving abetterperception for commonman,theBrahman hasbeensymbolically

presentedasapersonifiedformofprapanchapurushaorviswaroopa(prapancha

univers;purushahumanformviswaunivers,roopasizeandshape).Thisisa

concept andsymbolicallypresented,hence itis welldefinedasprapanchapurusha

sankalpa(sankalpaconcept).Itis narrated asviswaakaramgaganasadrusammegha

varnamhavingthesize andshapeoftheuniverse,similarinareatothe skyitself

andcolourthatofclouds.Itis describedinVedas as viswathaschakshurutha

vishwathomukhoviswathobaahuruthaviswathaspaathits face,brain,handsandlegs

havespreadovertheuniverseandeverything intheuniverseworksunderhisguidance

andcontrol. Bhagavathgeetha gives the powerofviswaroopam likedivisoorya

sahasrasya bhavethyugapathutthithaaitlooks asthough thousandsof Suns are

blazing.The

size

of

the

prapancha

purusha

has

been

explained

na

antham

na

madhyamnapunasthavaadim:therearenobeginning,middle andendforthatviswa

roopa. LordKrishna himselftellsinBhagavathgeetha forseeingtheuniversalperson/

viswaroopa,one needsthedivine eyes(divyachakshu).Vedasdescribeitthrough

purushasooktha.

This viswaroopa/prapanchapurusha is knowninpuranas and otherliterature

(some times inVedas too) asMahavishnu/ Vishnu andNaraayana. Puranasgive

detailednarrationforNaraayana

At furtherlower level thereexists atrinityconcept in Hindudharma. Thetrinity

conceptof

Hindus

is

different

from

that

of

other

religions.

Here

the

controllers

of

birth,existence/growth and death are symbolicallypresented in humanforms as

Brahma VishnuMaheswaratrimoorthysankalpainwhichtheuniversal lawsof life

cyclearesymbolicallypresented. Mahavishnu isthebaseforthetrinityconcept.

ExplanationforMahavishnu: Thebluecolourof Vishnu denotes the colourofthesky

andoceanwhichmeansthe infinity/limitless. TheserpentonwhichVishnuislying

denotes thecoiledstructureof galaxy. Thenameofthe serpent ananthameans

limitless(infinity) theksheerasaagaram(oceanofmilk)onwhich Vishnuispictured

showsmilkywaygalaxy.Ananthasayana represent thesilent universe/galaxies.

SymbolicallyMahalakshmi

(meaning

of

this

word

is

prosperity)

has

been

attributed

the

positionof thewifeofMahavishnushowingthatanysystemcansmoothlyexistonly

withprosperity.

FromMahavishnucomesoutthrough aLotus (symbolically)thecreatorLordBrahma.

Thissymbolicallypresents aconnectionofLord Brahma withtheprapanchapurhsa

similartotheconnectionofthebabyinthewombofthemother. The babytakes the

energy andnutritionforgrowing/cellproductionfromthemother.SimilarlyLord


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20

Brahma takes energy andmaterialfromforcreationintheworld. Thefour headsof

Lord Brahma represent thefour axes requiredfor anycreation: x,y,zandtime

axes. TheVedas(theworditselfmeans knowledge)inthehandsofLordBrahma and

thepositionof Saraswathy(deityofknowledge)asthewifeofthecreator symbolically

present that foreverycreationknowledge/vidya isrequired. Theknowledge and

creation (knowledgeforcreation)areinseparable components.Lord Sivais thedeity

symbolicallypresents thecontrollerofdeath/destruction(thedestructionis for

further construction). Mahavishnu andLord Siva are saidtobe connectedthrough

hearts(whichonlymeans inseparable) Vishnoasyahrudayamsiva:Sivosyahrudayam

vishnosaysUpanishads andYajurveda. SymbolicallyLordSivahas powerfulfirein

thethirdeye,powerful water and torrential air symbolically tiedinthetuft andthe

snake aroundtheneck(symbolofinternationalmedicalassociation) andthrisoolin

hand.Allthe five respectivelypresentdestructionthroughfire,water(flood,etc)air(

cyclone/tempest,etc) diseases and using weapons. Parvathy (means

energy/force/sakti)is

symbolically

presented

as

the

wife

of

Lord

Siva

.Through

this

combinationofLordSivaand Parvathy,itisshownthatthedestructionforconstruction

cantake place withpowerfulapplicationofanyoneormoreoftheabove five.

(powerfulfire,air,water,diseasesand weapononlyhavethedestructioncapacity).

Thus theybecomeinseparablehence theconceptofArdhanaareeswara comesup. In

fact the BrahmaVishnuMaheswara sankalpa andthe Lakshmi Parvathy Sarswathi

sankalpa arethe symbolicpresentationofthe lifecycleatspiritual social andphysical

levelwhenscientificallyexplained. Always theHindus consider theknowledge,

prosperityand sakthi/power infeminine gender. These explanations(ofthegods)

are theconnecting layersof Vedic andpuranic conceptsofgods.

Furthergoing atcommonmanslevel,theabove six deities canbeseenindifferent

roles ofpuranicstories toconveythemessageof whattheyrepresentsymbolicallyin.

However these storiesaremainly forconveyingthevalues anduniversaltruths inour

life. And theyaremeantfor theunderstandingfor lesseducatedcommonmanwho

maynotbein apositiontounderstandtheBrahmanorprapanchapurushaconcept,or

thesymbolicmessageof Hindutrinityconcept,etc.

Aboutotherdeities:Inpuranas one canreadthestoriesofVigneswarahaving the

shapeofthecrosssectionofhumanbrain,worshippedastheLord whoremoves/

protectsfrom thehurdlesinthelife.Hurdlescanbeashugeaselephantsanditcan

comefromanywherejustlike arat(mooshikavaahana)comes. Students wholearn

thesixbranchesof Vedicsubjects Siksha nirukta vyaakarana chandassastra

kalpasaastra andJyothisha, worship Subrahmanya/Muruka, Subrahmanya is given

theLordshipof six subjects. Hence sixheads onefor eachsubject.Incidentally,Ifeel

itisworthexplainingherethatRavana issaidtohave tenheads. Itis becauseRavana

hasthe capacityoftenheads (hehaslearned thefourVedas and sixVedangas and


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21

even hehad tried tomasterthe 11thsubject,the Ayurvedatoo). Yamadharma raja

orKaala isthecontrollerof death Yaama andKaala(yaamasyaapathyampumaan

yama: andkaalasyaapathyampumankaala)bothmeans thecontrolleroftime.Hence

thenamesclearlygivethe scientific truththat the deathisconnectedwiththetime.

Kaalais symbolicallypresentedcoming onahe buffalo (hebuffalo is saidtobe the

mostsenselessanimal,hence thetimeof deatharrivestous senselesslyandtakes

ourbreath withoutlookingtheage,religion,sexor anyotherparameters ofthe

individual wesaypeoplediejustlikethat)

Lord Krishna andLord Rama andmanyheroes ofthepuranas andepicsgiveusthe

message forelevatingourselvesfromtheordinaryhumanlevelto thelevelof

incarnation/avatharalevel. Their message enrich ourlife.Theystand as rolemodels

inourlife.Hencethey areworshippedandcelebrated asavatharas.InHindudharma

none isasinner. Hence everyonehastheopportunitytoelevate/risehimselftothe

levelof god.Wesaykrinvanthoviswamaaryam;(Godwillnotgetjelousofyouifyou

aregetting

the

level

of

god

himself,

in

Hinduism).

Let

us

convert

the

world

into

a

greatmensabode. Humanbeingisconsidered asthe childrenofimmortal

..amruthasyaputraa: EverydeityinHindudharmahas aconnectedanimal,bird,tree,

flower,celestialbodyorplanet(asadhidevathaorpathyadhidevatha),colour, metal,

medicine, manthra,gayathri, letter,dhyaanamanthra,moolamanthra,etc. This

gives anexcellentmessage that these aretobeprotected. InHindudharma there

are 33crore(koti)devaas!Themeaningofthisstatementis verysimple but wrongly

understood. Koti means part(not tenmillion)andhere 33parts devaas(people

withdivinequalities)33parts asuraas(peoplewithdemonic qualities) and33parts

maanavas

(

people

with

ordinary

human

qualities)

it

is

just

like

we

say

1/3

of

the

human beingshavedivine,demonic andordinaryhuman qualities each. It issaid

thatHindus worshipeverything!Trueineverything wecanseethedivinepower and

thatdivinitycouldbefelt whenweelevateourselves intothat level. Evenastone/

wood/photo/image becomesanidolarchakasyaprabhavenasilabhavathisankara (

bytheproper methodofworshipby a priest/devoteeevenastonecanbe converted

intoLordSiva/Sankara/vigraha/idol.Archakasya aprabhavena sivabhavatisila,bythe

improper outlook/methodofworshipeventhegoditself willbecomeastone.

Hindus worshipintemples. Thetemples arenot merelyprayerhallsforHindus,they

are the quantumhealingcenters(kshayaaththraaytheitikshetra). Intemples the

light,heat,sound andchemical energies are filledthrough lightingthelamp,

camphor, keepingmirrors,etc.Thesound energythroughmanthra,ringingofthebells,

musicalinstruments, bhajans etc. Thechemicalenergyisfrom bathies, aromatic

flowers andleavesetc. Thus thetemples areenergizationcentres inHindu wayof

worship. Adevoteehasto stand forfewminutes inthetempleenvironmentinfront


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22

ofthevigraha/idolwith sareera(body),mana(mind), aahaara(food), vaak (words/

talking) andkarma(deeds) suddhee(purity)forenergisation.

Hindusnever allowthecremationorburialof humanbodyinthetemplepremises

Hindus alwayskeeptheidolsorimageshavingsmilingfaces(Prasannavadanam

dhyaayethmeditate

on

the

god

having

smiling

face).

Hindus

never

place

the

sad/

crying facesorbleedingbodiesforworship. Theofferings ofthegods,fromthetemple

are taken assharedprasadams not as body orbloodofthe gods. Hindusnever pray

for unloading/transferring theirsinstothegodorrepresentativesof godorsaints.

Usingtheconcept,thatthesinsare transferable tosomeonewhoisarepresentativeof

god andpunishing himforour sins isnot existinginHindudharma. But Hindus pray

for guidingthrough correctanddharmicpathway sothatonecan preventcommitting

thesins(thamasomaajyothirgmaya,.etc) Hindusnever praytogod through

intermediatesaints,theysubmitdirectlytheirprayer.Thepeoplewhofoughtfor

spreadingthe

religion

using

swords

and

bloodshed

and

denigrated

other

religions

are

never elevatedtothelevelofsaints.Theofferinggiventotemples arenotthebribesto

gods but forpancha yajna theofferingforgodsDevayajna, Rishiyajnaforsages,

Pithruyajna forforefathers,bhoothayajna for allotherlivingbeingsandManushya

yajna forfeedingthepoorpeople.Theidol andtempleare comparedwithhuman

body(idamsareeramkountheya kshetramithyabhidheeyate) andhumandwellings.

Hencewhatever are requiredfor humanbodyare performedthroughthaanthric way

to theidols also. Inoldendays the temples were thecapitalsofthevillages, through

themthefoodsupply,education, helpforthesociety,legal consolation,counseling,

marriages,etc

were

given/

performed.

The

priest

hood

of

Hindu

dharma

and

that

of

otherreligion areentirelydifferent. Theroleofthepriestswasnotpoliticalatallbut

toadviseondharmicandspiritual way. Hindus arenevergodfearing,they have only

devotiontogod notfear(daivabhakti andnot daivabhaya).There arefivebhavas

forthebhaktisaanthabhaava,daasyabhaava,sakhyabhaava,vaalsalyabhaava and

maadhuryabhava. Inallthesethequestionoffeardoesnotarise

Additionalpointstoremember: Hindus worshipthefire, air,theSun,thecelestial

bodies,etc becausethey areallthepartsoftheprapanchapurusha. Thesame

reasoningis givenfortheworshipofmountains,earth, rivers,etc.Hindusworship

animalsand

plants

and

in

fact

every

deity

has

aplant

and

animal

associated

with

them,because allofthemhavejeevaathma/lifeforceinit. Hence theyare

considered asdivine innature(jeevaathmais apartofparamaathma). TheVedic

way ofworship is throughhavans/offeringthrough the fire.Thepuranicwayof

worshipis thetemples andidolsand images. Everytemple has aspecific vaastu

connectedwithit andthatvaasturesembles the yaagasaala/ houseofyaagaas and


23/24


23

firealtars. Hindus sayVedas areholybecauseit gives absolutely(nostories)the

universallawsandtruths. Anyone canlearnVedas andtheredidnotexist arule that

peoplebelongingtoonlyone caste canlearnVedas.Forkeepingthe seriousnessand

forstrictlyfollowingtherules, the scholars definedthat whohasBrahminicalqualities

onlycan

learn

Vedas,

which

can

be

acquired

and

not

obtained

by

birth

alone.

All

the

RishieswhocomposedVedicmanthras werenotBrahmins,SriKrishnaorSriRama

were notBrahmins.ManyancientRishies andmanyof thoseRishieswhoare living

evennow arenot Brahmins.

Hindus worshipbooks/letters/ because itisthebaseforknowledge. Hindus worship

the tools andinstrumentsduringaayudhapooja,byperformingpoojaoncein anyear

because tools arethelivelyhood forhumanbeings.Hindushavegiventhestatusof

divinepowertomanyphenomenalike:theSun,becauseitgiveslight andheat for all

livingbeings; theair,becausealllivingbeingsaresurvivingbecauseofit;thewater,

because

without

which

life

is

impossible;

the

earth,

because

it

is

where

all

the

life

is

surviving(notonlythattheyareallpartsofprapanchapurusha);ourparents,because

they gavebirthforus andtheyareourcreators; plantsandtrees, becausethey

provideusfood, andsoon.

TheHinduwayoflife is differentfrom thatof thefollowersofotherreligions.

Learning andpracticingHindudharma shouldbedone directly and itis an

experience. Allthe Hindu wayoflifeisthroughcustomsandrituals. Itisalways

advisedto follow therelevant and scientificcustoms andrituals whichare beneficial

psychologically,physiologically,familybasedrelationandsocialrelationsstrengthening

andalsofornationalintegration. Allthis customs andrituals put together isknown

assanaathana dharma henceitissaid Hinduism is not areligionbut awayoflife.

Hindudharma get refinedcontinuouslybythe Rishies,hence anysuperstition comes

intotheHindudharma, Rishies likeLordBudha,Jain,Sankara,Madhwa,.They

refine andmake itmorepowerful

ThussaysLordKrishnainBhagavathGeetha:Wheneverthedharma comesdown and

adharma takes anupperhand, thegodhimselfwilldotheneedful fortheupliftof

Hindu dharma.Hewillprotectthe nobles,punishthe badpeople andprotectthe

dharma. Perhapsthatisthereasonwhyevenafter morethanonethousandyears of

foreigninvasion,massacre,destruction,plunderingandlootingbythe foreigners, this

dharmadid

not

perish.

It

is

fast

spreading

through

out

the

world

particularly

in

the

developedworld.Letusalllearnthebasicprinciplesandapplicationofthosefromthe

Hindu dharmascientificallyeither for practicingit orfor challengingit.


24/24


24

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