Many times we hear the argument from the moderners that goes that the Vedas and Vedanta are invalid since they are unscientific! But that's usually what you get when you compare apples and oranges; the domains of science and Vedas are entirely different, although science is moving close towards Vedanta. I'd like to use an example to show whats actually happening out here. Suppose you have a friend visit you who comes from a totally different geography and background. Do you think he's going to feel at home with your way of living? I guess not. But then, if he goes ahead and says that your way of living is "wrong" or invalid since it makes no sense from his way of living. I take this argument further when applied to science coming into analyze Vedas and assert that Vedas are invalid since its unscientific. Note that Vedas existed beginninglessly before science started to walk. So from the domain of Vedas, science is to be rejected since its unvedic, not the other way round!
It sure does sound foolish for a scientist when such a statement is made, but the only other way to reconcile Vedas for scientists is to put it that Vedas are science, still unknown! In other words, if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. :)
2 comments:
Moksha,
I do understand the "scientific tendency" to comment on the Vedas - since "science" has time and again rejected things it has no understanding or clue about -- remember the earlier 'scientific' assertations that the earth was flat?
I do not know anything about the Vedas - have never been fortunate enough to study or be taught about them - but what I do believe is that the Vedas (or the Truth) does not need any certificates of acceptance or rejection of science or anyone or anything.
Lastly I do not think anything could be "unvedic" because I am given to understand that the Vedas would represent the completeness of the Universe as it is known, as it can be imagined and everything that may be even beyond the imaginations of man ... I guess this is my opinion because I cannot quote any particular text/ knowledge to back this statement up. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Best Regards
Gotya
Thanks Gotya,
I agree with all you say, including what you conclude in the end. But your perspective and mine could be somewhat different even in agreement. I see that Vedas are a wholesome One, nothing falls out of its domain and when seen like that, all are but gradations of the same Truth. Still, when applied with modern scientific living, things change a lot. This is how: Vedas list that which is known as "alaukika upAya" or, to loosely give the gist, they are "unworldly means to achieve a worldly goal". eg, Vedas describe rituals to get rains! From a modern world's approach, performing rituals for rains is for "backward" people, ain't it? Scientists would instead do something of a cloud-seeding sort. So cloud-seeding is not so much of a Vedic thing, as in not something that a Veda pandit would suggest you do if it doesn't rain in your area. If its not Vedic (ritual, chant, whatever), then its gotta be Unvedic. It may well be a part of some Vedic anga though.
On a related note, even in Indian philosophical systems, nyAya, vaiSesika and sAMkhya are quite scientific systems but they are orthodox in the sense that they wholly agree with Vedas, but other systems that don't agree with Vedas, viz. Buddhism and Jainism, are unorthodox and therefore, unvedic, whether or not they're scientific.
Apologies, a longer reply than you may have expected. :)
--moksha
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