This is the supposed quote of the great scientist AlbertEinstein, paraded by the religious Hindu as evidence of its universal influence
and instance of celebrity endorsement of the highly yet unfortunately revered
Indian scripture, the Bhagavad Gita.
This is how the Wikipedia has quoted Albert Einstein on the section of influence of
the scripture:
"When I read the
Bhagavad-Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else
seems so superfluous."
Wikipedia has cited Subhamoy Das( "In Praise
of the Bhagavad Gita Great Comments by Great People" (in English).
about.com. Retrieved 6 March 2012.) as the source of this quote.
But the question to ask is whether the
citation of this source of Subhamoy Das’s article is itself reliable or
trustworthy. Subhamoy Das in the quoted article does not provide the source from
where he obtained this quote of Albert Einstein.
Given the reputation of Wikipedia for reliability and self-regulation,
it is a sad reflection on their inadequate standards of verifying sources and
citations in support of factual statements and quote.
What struck me about this quote of Einstein is its
uncharacteristic vagueness, drabness and its shaky grammatical structure. That is not to imply that no quote of Einstein
can be grammatically imprecise, but in comparison to most of his other
quotes, this one seems out of place,
being devoid of emphatic and aphoristic vigor.
Let me try to parse this so-called quote a little bit and
see what it leads to.
Albert Einstein is supposedly saying these things:
- He reads the Bhagavad Gita
- He reflects about how God created this Universe (is not reflect on better than reflect about?)
- When he does both of the above, everything else seems so superfluous( not very superfluous?!)
If analyzed like this, it seems clear that even if Einstein
is reflecting on how God created this Universe (though from his quotes
on religion, it does not seem likely
that he accepts God as the sole agent of creation of the Universe) he is not
necessarily pondering over the Bhagavad Gita’s version of God’s creation of Universe
(which to say the least, is as childish and
primitive or maybe even worse than that of the Bible). Even more unclear
and hard to comprehend is his so-called conclusion that this reflection renders
‘everything else’ so superfluous.
I do not wish to expand more on the superfluity of this
quote, that is so obvious on the face of it. Really whoever fabricated this
silly remark and rendered it as a quote of Einstein , makes a mockery of both
himself and the genius of Albert Einstein. And shame on Subhamoy
Das!! for uncritically borrowing this quote.
The only source of this quote is Indian
or Hindu. Scanning thru non-indian internet resources of Einstein
quotes, does not fetch this quote about Gita.
So it can be concluded that this mischief is of Indian and most
probably Hindu chauvinistic origin.
I conclude by referring to this discussion and this clarification from Wikiquote which leaves very little room for doubt that this Gita endorsement of Einstein is an imposture and a crude fabrication of Hindu jingoists.
I conclude by referring to this discussion and this clarification from Wikiquote which leaves very little room for doubt that this Gita endorsement of Einstein is an imposture and a crude fabrication of Hindu jingoists.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteSorry errors with the browser.
DeleteIf Einstein did not say it, it is for the people who were close to him, people who wrote his biography to come forward and declare so.
It does not matter what Einstein did or did not say on religion. Why would his belief be relevant on anyone's belief at all?
Yours, is an arrogant interpretation with no value at all. You don't show scientifically proof of anything and is geared to cloud a deep Einstein's thought consistent with his thoughts that some envious scientist rabidly keep saying. And comparing the Bhagavad Gita with the Bible is simply foolish. Which one of the 47 versions of the Bible are you talking about?
DeleteNaina,
ReplyDeleteThe point which this post tried to make was not about Einstein's beliefs or opinions on religion, but how mis-attributions are used for religious apology.
If celebrity endorsements do not affect anybody's thinking or belief, why are they being used widely. Look at the back cover of any book and you will know what I am implying.
Einstein's opinions if used as an endorsement should have the validity of a true quote, which this quote lacks.
Einstein's estate, legatees or biographers are quite remote from Bhagavad Gita and its sphere of circulation. So their indifference or ignorance is not very unusual.
To call the bluff of this quote, the help of Einstein's heirs is not really required.
Sir,
ReplyDeleteI am reading one by one of your posts
To be a theist, great wisdom or any logistic approach are not required, but for being a rationalist some intellectual level is required. I am so amazed at nirmuktas content and its authers like you, Prof Narendra, Dr. kamath, Mr Veluchamy and etc… There are really a great vacuum after EVR Periyar and Dravidian parties inactiveness as well as its corrupted state like Jayalalithas incursion(one Maha Maham pool will tell all the story). Those are the time; I read the rationalist was dedicating their whole life without any expectation. Now I hope there are intellectuals working in an active manner to fill that vacuum. .
Ranganath,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post. Anyone who has studied Einstein or understood his work can easily spot this quote as a fake. Obviously, some individual somewhere decided to write something and pass it on as Einstein's. But what is really disturbing is that how many people simply accept what they read on the Web, and perpetuate these lies.
Kunal Sen, Encyclopaedia Britannica
All you guys here are such hypocrites. Albert Einstein even once said that we have to be thankful to India for inventing mathematics without which no worthwhile inventions would have taken place. And as far as all these theories of these great scientists of this generation have all been taken from Vedas including the big Bang theory. So read well first before commenting.
ReplyDeleteRajesh,
DeleteI think you are in need of reading the Vedas. And also take the trouble of showing where in the Vedas (and which specific of the 4 Vedas) the theory of Big Bang is cited and explained
BTW, the Big Bang is a theory that now has greater consensus or agreement in the scientific community, than alternative theories of the origin of our Universe. And it is not a dogma or unshakeable truth like in the Vedas or Upanishads or Advaita
Do not copy-paste falsehoods from Hindutva flag-bearers without proper citations and proofs
It is in fact that modern science is trying to catch up with ancient wisdom. I hope you know about Shushrutha, Atreya. I guess not maybe you'll know European scientists better not Indians because you are modern.
DeleteMr Ranganthan,
DeletePlease read about the metallurgical advancement of ancient Indians. Be it the wootz steel which was taken to Greece by Alexander to make the now most famous Damascus sword or the iron pillars in Delhi and Karnataka which has not rusted still. Scientists from all over the world are still not able to replicate either wootz steel or the iron pillar. Every year I read newspapers the European and American companies are filing patents bases on scientific formulaes from India and here I see you are trying denigrate our culture. People all over the world are recognizing India's greatness and people like you only speak negative. There are good bad and ugly everywhere even India, but we also have a lot of good that nowhere else you'll find.
Rajesh,
DeleteI am not denigrating ancient Indian culture. I only try to debunk or refute tall claims made by Indians of today without any proper citation or evidence. Wootz steel and old architectural wonders are something to be proud of. But they have nothing to do with the Vedas, Upanishads or the Gita.
Your claim that European and American companies are filing patents based on scientific formulaes from India also looks to be an exaggeration unless you can provide reliable citations of news items. Nothing is stopping us from filing patents and progressing on our own IP. But there is little evidence on the ground that we are leading the world in patents or IP.
Our criteria for greatness can differ and it can be subjective. So what fits for your idea of India's greatness may not fit.
Rajesh
DeleteYour remark: "modern science is trying to catch up with ancient wisdom" exactly captures the problem that many Indians have in differentiating between myth and reality. This is called delusional thinking.
There is a huge difference between ancient wisdom and 'modern science'. This constant refrain that modern science is catching up with ancient wisdom or technique is a cold consolation for a people who cannot accept themselves for what they are.
We are unable to accept that many countries have far overtaken us and keep on invoking this 'Golden Past' myth. But it is not going to help us.
Shusruta and Charaka with their samhitas were truly great and advanced for their times. But they cannot be equated with modern medicine. I don't know what Atreya's accomplishments were other than that one of the Upanishads is attributed to him. Seems to be a mythical figure.
Contrary to your glib assumption, I am a keen student of India's antiquity and medieval age. But I don't find any evidence that can root our ancient accomplishments in religion or scriptures or find anything comparable to modern advancement.
A few Enlightened Indians are aware that all theorists are not practitioners. The theories and concepts are not going to feed the starve and shelter the homeless . The western science cannot even explain what or how long is one Manvantara and fix it in a mathematical law. They do not see or feel the Brahman that is only a part of the latest discoveries about DNA. The DNA is the chemistry of life , they have no clue for the physical side of DNA nor the Social side of it . Nor can the commercialise the DNA that is not a chemical or material product .
DeleteIf it is true that ancient Indian texts contain all of science, why not just publish them in scientific journals before Western scientists do? Or build spaceships and aircraft as described in them and sell to the rest of the world? That is what people who believe that all science is contained in Sanskrit texts should do. Not simply talk. But then, talking is easy, doing is difficult!
DeleteEven Robert Oppenheimer, the father of atomic bomb commented greatly about Bhagavadgita even too extent that Indians knew about the atomic bombs in the ancient times. Our ancient rishis warder million tunes more intelligent than any scientists today. People are having to tell about these comments to show that people with real wisdom realize how advanced vedas and Bhagavadgita are both philosophically and scientifically. But hypocrites like you can't understand it and that's why people post comments from scientists and scholars of twentieth century.
ReplyDeleteRajesh
DeletePersonal opinions of Robert Oppenheimer or any celebrity or renowned scientist for that matter, does not constitute an endorsement of claims made in the Vedas or the Gita. The knowledge claims if any in these texts have to be evaluated on their own merits. These texts translations are available for all to peruse and examine what science and technology is there in them.
Knowing about powerful/destructive weapons and actually making them are two totally different things. Just because the Vedas or the Mahabharata mention 100 types of Astras or huge explosions is not enough to conclude that they possessed the means and technique to make one.
I have read a few translations of Gita and there is nothing remotely resembling science in them. Yes there is philosophy in it, but of the most degrading and hypocritical kind.
Know thy own hypocrisy before accusing others of it.
Rangnath
DeleteWhat I see in ur posts is hatred towards Hinduism.. May b u r oriented towards Ambedkars philosophy or converted to some other religion.. see no religion in the world is perfect, each has its own contradictions & tweests.. these were made over the time.. Whether eienstein made ny comment on BG may not b proved yet bt that doesnt mean u r ransaking ny religion.. Yes hinduism had its caste issues bt that doesnt mean others religions or theories r perfect.. Show me a single well presented religion which doesnt have multiple sects.. to that matter ambedkars religion is hailed as neo budhism & dalai lama didnt agree to many points in that faith.. Buddha never written nything & all the books came long after his death.. no one can vouch what he said & what is written now.. same is the case of many ancient religions like christianality, islam.. there r many versions & conflicts within same religions.. christinity which says thou shalt not kilt is translated by its followers as thou shalt not kilt human bt u can kill animals for food, same followers form crusader army to kill muslim invaders.. so dont target a single religion..
Ok, so if you can't win against another in an argument, they are instantly haters of Hinduism? You all sound like those white supremacists when they defend racism. "Oh no, white people are under attack!" did you know that scriptures of Hinduism were written long after they were transmitted, generation to generation, by word of mouth? If we take your logic, then none of the Hindu scriptures should be believed since no one could vouch for the texts since nobody knows what the original scholar who received words of God directly had said. There are different versions of a single religion but does that make the original religion inferior to any other religion like hinduism? Make some sense, will you? No religion is better than the other. The author pointed out that there was no credible source Einstein said that. If you want to argue with him, bring a source and proved him wrong rather than playing the religious victim card. I am not against any idea that supports hinduism. I don't think the author is either. It's just sad and frustrating(for me) to see people unable to accept that we have been living in this golden past as a coping mechanism for being left behind by the rest of the world. What's more? You guys don't even have credible and definitive sources to actually prove yourselves right. Only theories and guesses which sound like they are far detached from reality
DeleteGita does not need certificate from anyone even Einstein for that matter. Same goes for other religions texts. And if you really need some scientist's backing see also what Tesla thought about Gita and his discussions with Swami Vivekananda.
ReplyDeletePeople who use Einstein's name to promote have not understood Gita itself.
Adi Shankara summed up all the Upanishads in one phrase “Tat Twam Asi” (Thou Art That) and said that in the end, the ultimate, formless, inconceivable Brahman is the same as our soul, Atman. We only have to realize it through discrimination and piercing through Maya
This is the essence of all the holy scriptures of Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma).
And if your life totally stands against this principle by perceiving some portions of the books in a wrong way, then noone can help you.
Any right minded person if critically evaluate your blogs can find out that you contradict yourself at most of the places.
Happy blogging !!!!
Now to add to the misquoting of Einstein, we have you misquoting Adi Sankara.“Tat Twam Asi” is not the summing up of Upanishads by Adi Sankara. It is part of a verse of one of the Upanishads. That Brahman = Atman is also not the conclusion of Adi Sankara. That can also be read within the Upanishads
DeleteSo much for your knowledge of the Upanishads and Gita. Parroting the hocus-pocus of Brahman, Atman and Maya does not necessarily show that you know much about these scriptures.
You are very far from critically evaluating my blog posts, because your basic GK of Indian scriptures and theologians is very poor
You lived upto the standards I had in my mind about you. I rightly pointed out that you perceive some portions in a wrong way and jump to conclusions and start riding you horses ...
DeleteI never said Adi sankara said that. I said he summed up. If you have to sum up Gita in one statement, you in most probability will say something which is there in Gita rather than quoting from Bible.
You took up this point and completely ignored about Tesla which was my fundamental response to you because you were boasting about scientific methods and blah blah !!!!!
Unlike you I do not claim to be well versed with these holy books.
True knowledgeable people say this:
"The more I learn, the less I know"
Compare this statement to your standards and evaluate yourself where you stand rather than living life of a hate monger. You are a sure loser !!!!
@Ravi Batra
DeleteAny source dear? source is what we want. We are not here to discuss who said what.
seems you too got started with a blog. Can't keep up with it? same here ;)
{Don't go on my name. I am irreligious}
I want to ask a simple question to all religious fanatics -
DeleteWhere are all of you before a scientific discovery is made that resembles the text in your spiritual books? Only after a discovery is made, or a theory is proven, you come out of your burrows, with translations and interpretations to promote your religion. Be blind but don't think others be. Carry on with your religion!*
*just keep it to your f***ing self.
ITS OLE QUANTUM MYSTICISM DUDS
Illiterate people like Ravi Batra who have done nothing in the area of sciences, technologies, or medicine are the ones who are actually responsible for giving religion a bad name by falsely associating religious scriptures with science and technologies. Well if you had all formulas and technology available in your scriptures, why did you not develop those technology first? Why you had to wait all these years for westerners to come out with that?
DeleteThanks a ton R Ranganath for standing up and being counted. It has become a fashion for religious fanatics to quote Einstein on everything. I won't be surprised if they put Einstein's photograph on The Astrological Magazine and say that he endorsed it
ReplyDeleteMr Ramdas,
DeleteBelow is the explanation of a fanatic from wikipedia:
=================================
Fanaticism is a belief or behavior involving uncritical zeal, particularly for an extreme religious or political cause or in some cases sports, or with an obsessive enthusiasm for a pastime or hobby.
Philosopher George Santayana defines fanaticism as "redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim"
According to Winston Churchill, "A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject".
By either description the fanatic displays very strict standards and little tolerance for contrary ideas or opinions.
=====================================
And all of these apply to Ranganathan than anybody else. So it is this comedian blogger who is a fanatic rather than anyone else. In his attempt to call other group of fanatics a fanatic, he himself become a bigger fanatic.
Vicky
DeleteCherry picking definitions and twisting them to suit your agenda is all fine
But that does still does not make me a fanatic.
Fanatics are really people like you who get easily hurt and respond abusively when their pet misguided religious beliefs and ignorantly cherished scriptures are examined and flaws in them pointed out.
Religious people are supposed to be very wise and peaceful and full of love even for their enemies. What happened to all those great virtues of god-fearing men?!!!
Ha ha ha !!!!!
Delete"Cherry picking definitions and twisting them to suit your agenda is all fine"
This is what you do all the time in all your blogs.
You write hundreds of blogs on one topic criticizing one idea, and you say you are not a fanatic !!!
And why do you think I got hurt and responded abusively ... Where? When?
It is you who got hurt.
I don't care a damn about religion but definitely your criticism is way too unrealistic and laughable because you target one religion and leave all other more aggressive out.
I provide opinions on my blog posts, not definitions
DeleteMy blog posts criticize many irrational and bogus ideas of Hindu religion and culture and are not restricted to one topic
If you don't read those or like those, that is your problem. I don't write to please bigots like you who pretend to deny their religious orientation and yet spew abuses and nonsense just because they cannot tolerate what they read.
If you don't care about religion, why are you offended and so uppity about defending Hindu faith. I am targeting Hinduism for attacking ideas since I was born a Hindu and know the warts and thorns of that religion much better than that of Islam or Christianity.. Do you have a problem what that? Not that I can help you with it
Do you have even 1 cent of maturity? Look at your and mine responses and see who is a bigot and who is spewing abuses.
DeleteYou have a phobia that all those who do not agree with you are bigots and fanatics and you and handful of your followers alone would make this world a place to die for.
And you also talk of rationality .. oh my god ..
Man, continue living life of a hatred. God bless you (whichever you believe in ) !!!!
hmmm Vicky's got a point lol..
DeleteVicky,
DeleteDo you even know to ask the right questions??!!!
You need to examine your own maturity
I did not start the abuse chain. You labelled me a fanatic quoting vague defintions of your choice and did the name-calling of 'comedian blogger'
I just returned the compliment though not in the crude way that you did.
My disagreement is not a phobia. But people like you who are not stating with what part of this blog post they are disagreeing with and why and yet accuse the blogger are mostly likely suffering from a phobia and that phobia is the intolerance of religious ideas being examined and attacked.
Don't talk of rationality when you seem to have very little appreciation of it.
You can hog all of God's blessings!! Be my guest!!!
I actually traced the source of this quote and I know who made it up. It was an Islamic Yahoo user in Pakistan.
ReplyDeleteFor sites to keep perpetuating the myth, when the author of the phrase is known - and NOT Einstein - merely discredits everything else about that site.
Dear friends,
ReplyDeleteBhagavad Gita or Bible or Koran are all same in purpose and spirit. They help us to throw down the selfish agendas and embrace the all encompassing grace of God. Just as Sun is known by different names in different demographic locations, similarly the one and the same God is known by various names. The commandments of Jesus, the instructions of Sri Krishna and the prayers of Mohammed are all meant to liberate us from the dogmatic life of blame game.
There are two contrary ways of understanding any thing; one is by studying it for the sake of information and think that it could be judged by our limitations, and, the other way is by imbibing it in one's life. One can analyse all the properties of "gulab-jamun"; its porosity, density, texture, proportion of ingredients and on and on.....but we will never understand and benefit from it if we don't taste it. "The taste of pudding is in eating it!"
....thanks dear brothers for reading.....
What is the point you are driving here sir by saying "which to say the least, is as childish and primitive or maybe even worse than that of the Bible" ?
ReplyDeleteMost of creation theories in Bible are copy and paste from Puranas. Is it fair to ask you to know the facts?
It is fine and fair to ask me such questions or do fact-checking on my claims. But that same rule applies to you as well.
DeleteThe point I was trying to drive at was that the creationism and cosmology of the Gita is as primitive or worse than that of the Bible. Because Indians and Hindus are very good at finding flaws in other religions and scriptures, but are blind to the flaws and faults in their own ones. It is immaterial to this observation whether Gita was written after or before the Bible
What is the basis of your claim that creation theories of Bible are copy pasted from the Puranas?
Many historians trace the period of composition of the major Puranas around the Gupta period or age (350 CE to 540 CE)
The creation theories of the Bible occur in the Old Testament part of the Bible which would be dated prior to the age of Jesus. That would roughly predate the Bible from the earliest Puranas (Excluding the Mahabharata) by atleast 400-500 years.
That should undermine the claim that Bible creationism was copied from the Puranas.
I am not making any claims about plagiarism. You are one making it without any reference, citation or specifics.
You are the one more in need of ascertaining facts!!!
Even before birth of Einstein and his theory the myth of Hinduism says that different time zones are present and that brahmas 12 hour duration is equal to 43200000 years on earth is relevant to Einstein's theory what do you say for that
Delete@Ranganath - One thing I like about you brother is that you will certainly force all the others who disagree with you to get more familiar with their religion (in this case Hinduism since most of your blogs are aimed at pointing flaws in it). So, anyone who has to argue with you will have to read up, do a bit of research and perhaps even take the trouble (or pleasure) or reading/researching the Vedas and Vedangas.
ReplyDeleteBut, it is perhaps also not right on your part to use such a derogatory tone in your critiques. I think that is what hurts the people and the tone overrides the validity of the content of your critique. Just an advice - the same thing said with a little more humility will then bring a fruitful discussion since I believe that is what you are looking for.
I appreciate this point of view that you have put forth and which is something that I can definitely work on.
ReplyDeleteSome of the tone of criticism that you call as derogatory is what I would call as polemical. Polemics is a controversial style of criticism, argument and debate. It has its problems and weaknesses, but it works sometimes.
While I accept the need and importance of civility, many portions of Hindu scriptures and theology are indeed absurd. If you don't term an obviously absurd thing as that, what else do you term it. You can say it makes no sense. But that is too mild and is not a sincere exercise in refutation.
There is also the potency problem with mild and 'politically correct' criticisms. They will be dismissed and waved away. Hindus are not accustomed to stinging attacks on their religious ideas. So some of this takes them by surprise and they are easily offended. That is a cultural problem and it will take time to change
Also sarcasm is misunderstood as denigration and abuse. Not sure if any of this is convincing to you.
Polemics and criticisms are difficult balancing acts. But your advice is well taken with thanks and humility.
Mr Ranganathan,
DeleteIn our scriptures they have spoken about the highest form of knowledge a person should know that is the reason for our being in this world which can be applied in the field of science technology as well.
Mr Ranganthan,
DeleteBefore you could reply request you to first have an open mind and go search read about stuffs maybe about our true history first. You could probably start with Aryabhatta or Madhabacharya who were some of the greatest mathematicians the world has known. Also read how Newton and Gregory and other scientists have copied pi value, about gravitational force, advanced calculus and many other stuff a from our scientists and how the west are having to rename some of the most renowned theorems as some true patriots have shown the world the truth with proof. One example Gregor's theorem which was written by Madhava atleast 350 years before is now known as Madhava-Gregory's theorem. This also shows how the west reluctant to accept the fact that most of their reniwned scientists started learn in Sanskrit for the sole purpose of translating scientific information and take credit for themselves. There are many such examples.
Rajesh,
DeleteThe highest form of knowledge spoken of in scriptures has nothing to do with science and technology. It is Brahma-Jnana which is the most bogus and empty kind of knowledge that is supposedly gained by wasting your time in rigorous and abstracted meditation by dulling and numbing your brain and senses.
This Upanishadic 'science' or 'secret knowledge' is the biggest and worst BS to come out of the Vedic scripture pile. This empty worthless knowledge cannot be applied to anything useful or meaningful. There are many posts of mine devoted to rip apart this sham of a knowledge claim.
Rajesh,
DeleteCan you supply sources and cited references for this claim of yours:
"How Newton and Gregory and other scientists have copied pi value, about gravitational force, advanced calculus and many other stuff a from our scientists."
It is also hard to except your claim that western scientists learned Sanskrit for the sole purpose of translating scientific information and take credit for themselves. Is there evidence that Newton learned Sanskrit?. Please provide your references and citations.
In the case of gravitational force, even if other cultures may have discovered it earlier, none of them were able to formalize it and build a astronomical and cosmological theory around and provide a structure and method for making and testing hypotheses about it. This is no small achievement, and Newton cannot be denied credit for that.
It is not the fault of Madhava or Aryabhatta that our culture and state failed to disseminate their works and benefit form it. The failure to build on and apply these discoveries of our ancient and medieval scientists to formalized theories and practical uses is a collective failure of medieval Indic culture. We can blame imperialism and its ravages to some extent. But beyond a point, conviction and effect of this strategy is bound to fail.
I checked some sources on the Madhava-Gregory series. The theory that Gregory has copied from Madhava is speculative. It may or may not be accurate. But based on those sources there is no doubting the great skills of Madhava and his Kerala school of astronomy.
But again you continue to miss the point that ancient and medieval India's accomplishments have very little to with Vedas and the Gita. These are rational sciences and disciplines and I still fail to get how the mystical and religious influences of BCE works like Vedas, Upanishads and Gita can be given credit for the work of our ancient and medieval scientists.
And lastly check what statue has been accepted and installed in front of CERN which is European space research center equivalent to NASA. It is Nataraja. The space scientists are flabbergasted by knowledge of ancient Indians about creation and destruction of universe and have explained what happened before even big bang occurred so they knew more than the modern scientists. All these information are from Vedas, Upanishads and Gita.
DeleteIt seems from your previous comments that you know more than Robert Oppenheimer about atomic bombs. Do you think he was a fool to imply that Indians this knowledge in the ancient times. In Gita they not only explain the destructive power of Brahmastra but have explained the consequences of such bombs like people getting charred on spot and some trying to jump into rivers. They explain how the air becomes poisonous and turning food also into poison. They explain how finger nails comes off due to poisoning. All consequences of an atomic bomb.
And go read about Vimanika Shasra you will know about how our so called modern world is lagging behind in technology which is even being used by ISRO.
And its only because of outside intervention and suppression that these information have not been taught to Indians now but there are many who are spreading the truth now. I'm happy that our space scientists have proved me right in showing his brilliant Indians are through MOM mission. Now that we are a free country and many of our true intellects have acknowledged the ancient wisdom and even studying them now have been able to make such huge progress.
For those who believe in God no explanation is necessary... for those who don't, no explanation is possible..... any religion/ scripture teaches one not to put another down....
ReplyDeleteDear friend,
ReplyDeleteI admit everybody has the right to critically examine things around us. But i think there should be a rationale for that.
I dont know whether vedas are eternal knowlegde or not. The thing is i had several doubts when i went through this blog.
ie. How can one say the gitas or vedic theory of universe creation is
absurd or childish, while the modern physics with its Advanced knowledge still struggles to find an answer. Wh
at is the yardstick to support such a statement.
But i agree with u on one point, that
is now a days the propenents of this vedic philosophy uses the help of modern science to support their philosophy which seems futile and at times senseless.
Dear friend i know i dont have much knowledge to debate with u and also not tried in this comment. But raised my normal doubt.
Thanks for the blog....
The modern form of scientific development is well documented since past few centuries only. So any claim can be easily verified. I don't know what will be the status of today's scientific/non-scientific claims after 400-500 years. How well these claims will be accepted by the then society. Because
ReplyDelete1. A lot of additions/deletions will happen in many of the text/records.
2. Some of the views that today's mankind has a better understanding of, may become hypocritical of them.
3. Or they will not possess enough intelligence/proper logic/referencing to understand some of today's theories and can discard it as absurd or not worth to waste time.
4. So today we can also say it will be their ignorance.
Now a day habit of using internet for referencing got developed. A few decades before it was printed material based and was limited to the sphere of exposure/access. All conclusions, research happened in this sphere of limitations.
So instead of arguing, the best way is to take inspiration, extract positive ideas from the available literature/scriptures and develop new techniques for the benefit of the society/humanity.
For, humbleness and respect towards those scriptures should be maintained. Do not waste time in a blame game, use of provocative words. There are lots of people in this world who will respond to sincere and honest discussion.
This is seems to be a more political forum than scientific.
Madhusushan,
DeleteYou are completely off topic on this one and also very vague. You have not mentioned what specific point in the blog post that you are disagreeing with or contesting.
From your rambling talk and highly generalized comments and opinions, it does not look like you have any proper idea of what skepticism and questioning of claims are all about.
Quite contrary to what you state, even today it is not easy to verify many claims. But methods and procedures for examining them exist and are sought to be used. The examination and questioning needs to happen and continue. The greatest challenge is in convincing people of the falsehoods of many claims as your response illustrates. Though you are not openly stating it, you want people to accept and respect scriptures, even if there are bogus and ridiculous claims in them, just because of their antiquity and your perceptions of the imagined difficulties in validating their claims.
Your speculations about how claims will be examined in the future are speculative and show very little appreciation of the workings of empirical methodology.
Instead of beating around the bush and telling me how I must compose my blog posts, can you specifically tell me what are the 'scientific' or empirical claims in Bhagavad Gita or its testimonies that you understand so well and can validate, which people like me cannot.
We will then go from there.
Very interesting take on something that most people would accept at face value. In fact this quote is so ambiguous that it could even be read as a critique of the scripture by the great man.
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