How old is the Vedic Civilization?

Out of the many myths that are associated with Sanatana Dharma the main myth to discredit is the “Aryan invasion theory”. Many European scholars during the colonial times noticed that there were many similarities between Sanskrit, Central Asian and European languages. There were many words that were common to Sanskrit & European languages and these languages had a similar grammatical structure. Please see the list shown below for some examples.

Similarity between English & Sanskrit

1. Bind, Bandhi
2. Brother, Bhatr
3. Come, Gam
4. Genus, Janus
5. Mega, Maha
6. Man, Manu
7. Mortal, Mrta
8. Mother, Matr
9. Voice, Vaca
10. Same, Sama

 The early European scholars believed in the supremacy of Europeans and this Euro-centric behaviour prevented them from examining all facts. They couldn’t tolerate the fact that their culture developed out of India; instead, they came up with the Aryan invasion theory according to which a group of light skinned people from Europe came to India and established the Vedic Civilization. It can be seen that this theory was only based on racial bias. They claimed that Sanskrit developed from European languages and grouped it as a Indo-European language. All the early  European scholars immediately accepted the Indo-European origin as it was easier for them to think that India was civilized by a group of people who had migrated from central Asia/Europe. This was better compared to the fact that their civilization developed from India. By the twentieth century most German scholars had created the invading Aryans to be blue-eyed, blond &light skinned people. Max Muller strongly supported the Aryan Invasion theory. He was a Christian Missionary and he wrote in a letter to his wife that, “The translation of the Veda will hereafter tell to a great extent on the fate of India and on the growth of millions of souls in that country. It is the root of their religion, and to show them what the root is, I feel sure, is the only way of uprooting all that has sprung from it during the last 3,000 years.” (Ref: Origins of Vedic Civilization by Kenneth Chandler.)

Muller believed in the creational account given in the bible and accepted the date for creation as 4004 B.C. He believed that the great flood occurred around 1500 B.C. Hence, he dated the Rig Veda to belong to a later time. He also accepted that Buddhism originated from Sanatana Dharma ; since, Buddha lived during 500 B.C he along with other German scholars put the date of Vedic Civilization & Rig Veda at 1200 B.C. This assignment of date to the Vedic Civilization is not based on scientific evidence; the date was fabricated to fit the biblical account of creation and great flood.

Continued On: Sanathana Dharma: How old is the Vedic Civilization? (thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.com)

Scientific advancement - Sanatana Dharma

The Vedic Civilization was the golden period for scientific advancements. Science and religion was bridged together; each complimented the other. Science was used to prove religious views. Scientific studies were encouraged. Scientific studies were used to improve people’s lives. The ancient sages were able to produce many miracles by using manthras as they were in harmony with the entire universe. Many sophisticated technologies were the result of the powers of sages. The technologies were used only when required. Sustainable development was followed without sacrificing the environment. People were encouraged to lead a simple life concentrating on spiritual pursuit unlike in modern times where we are obsessed with ever changing technologies and electronics. The modern day technological developments have taken us away from our spiritual pursuit and we have lost contact with our environment. We are ready to sacrifice our environment for technological progress. Unlike modern times, in ancient times a holistic approach was used to reach the perfect balance between body, mind and soul.

Scientific advancement - Sanatana Dharma contd

Ayurveda uses a holistic approach. The treatment procedures incorporate life style changes. Portion control was emphasized for diet and nutrition. Meditation was prescribed for stress relief. The practitioners look at everything starting from the person’s symptoms, habits, environment, family life, and occupation etc. before providing a diagnosis. Patients were taught to maintain a balance between body, mind and soul. They were taught to take care of their body on a daily basis by massaging their body with oil, applying herbal hair oil, oil gargling etc. They were encouraged to use twigs of trees like neem as a toothbrush. The toothbrushes were disposable and people used a new twig every time they had to brush their teeth. These toothbrushes had antiseptic/antibacterial properties. Tongue scrappers made out of gold or silver were prevalent. Herbs and spices were incorporated in diet which helped to keep many diseases at bay. For example, turmeric provided a excellent source of curcumin which helped prevent cancer and diseases like Alzheimer. Ginger was used for its anti-inflammatory properties and was used as a digestive aid. Betel leaves with betel nut was used as a digestive aid. Other spices like cloves, cardamom, cumin etc found their way in to everyday cooking. Apart from these many more medicinal herbs were used to make teas and jellies which were ingested on a regular basis. Charaka Samhita asks everyone to stay away from people with mean mentality. It says that staying with such people is bound to increase a person’s stress level which in turn would cause other diseases like cardiovascular problems to manifest.

Scientific advancement - Sanatana Dharma contd

The ancient system of medicine Ayurveda means life science. Charaka Samhita & Shushrutha Samhita list a number of diseases which are still prevalent in modern times; the samhitas list the treatment procedures for the diseases.  The Shushrutha Samhitha has details about surgical procedures and describes the various surgical tools to be used and the order in which they must be arranged in the operating room. Some of the common types of surgery documented in the Shushrutha Samhita are surgical removal of piles, kidney stone, tumors, c-sections, and rhinoplasty. The Shushrutha Samhita categorizes hemorrhoids into external hemorrhoids and internal.

The Charaka Samhita talks about communicable diseases and the modes through which they are spread i.e via air, water, place and time; contaminated air, contaminated water, eg of place would be garbage dumps and other unsanitary locations, time (seasons) – excessive rainfall which causes the rivers to flood making the river water unsuitable for drinking, the month of October in North America is the on-set of the flu season. The Charaka Samhita itself was written as a summary of earlier Ayurvedic works and is derived from the Atharva Veda. I read a book written by Lakshmi Chandra Mishra  called “Scientific Basis For Ayurvedic Therapy”; according to this book Diabetes Melitus had been further classified into Type 1 and Type 2 in the Charaka Samhita and the treatment methods and drugs prescribed in the Charaka Samhita have been proven scientifically to be effective in curing diabetes melitus. Diabetic complications are listed and explained in the Charaka Samhita. Some of the drugs like fenugreek, gymnema sylvestri prescribed in the Charaka Samhita are available in capsule forms in many health stores. The Charaka Samhita also gives details about urine analysis. Allergic reactions were recognized and natural antihistamines were prescribed. Psychological disorders were known and treated as well. In ancient times small pox vaccinations were made from the pus of an infected person.The Charaka Samhita also mentions and classifies pathogens including microbes. Some of the other diseases listed in the Charaka Samhita with treatment procedures are listed below (this list is just an example).

Ashtila – enlarged prostrate

Asmari - kidney stones

Gadodvega – hypochondria

Galaganda – goitre

Ardita – Bell’s Palsy

Apachi – cancers and tumors

Arbuda – tumors

Asadhya vrana – incurable ulcers

Akshepaka – tetanus

Apache – tumors; diseases lymph nodes

Apasmara – epilepsy

Kaksya – herpes zoster

Romantaka – measles

Masurika – chicken pox

Madhumeha – diabetes mellitus

The description of various diseases, the cause , symptoms, treatment and diagnostic procedures are identical to modern day medical definitions and diagnostic methods..

Scientific advancement - Sanatana Dharma contd

The Mahabharata also mentions that the great Sage Veda Vyasa was able to divide the embryo of Gandhari into 101 portions. He stored each portion in a pot with clarified butter and from each of the 101 pots were born Gandhari’s 100 sons and 1 daughter; this sounds more like test tube babies. As mentioned in my earlier posts, the ancient seers understood the effect of sound waves on our environment. The sound is the important aspect of a mantra. Each syllable in a mantra has a unique sound. The loudness of the each syllable in a mantra vary as well.  By proper practice which took many years, they were able to use mantras to affect the surrounding environment. They could make the clouds rain, produce fire by just chanting or conjure objects out of thin air. They could change matter from one form to another and transform objects easily. Appear at will at any place; sounds like "apparating" mentioned in Harry Potter!My own grandfather experienced "apparating"!When my grandfather (father's dad) was a young child he was playing in the yard with his friends when they saw a famous yogi Sri Sadasiva Brahmendra on the street. The boys surrounded the yogi and requested him to take them to an exhibition hundreds of miles away in the city of Madurai. The yogi asked them to keep their eyes while he transported the boys to the exhibition ground. All the children were transported back to their homes in the same manner when they wished to return home!The vibration caused by sound is the key aspect of mantras. They could bless people with television and radio capabilities. In the Mahabharata, Sanjaya was able to witness the activities in the battlefield from Dritarashtra’s palace in Hastinapura which was miles away from the battle field. Please visit http://ashoktiwari.tripod.com/eved.html to know about electrical engineering principles mentioned in the Vedas.

Scientific advancement - Sanatana Dharma contd

We often speak about vibrations. If we are in a place that makes us uncomfortable, depressed or sad we say that we can feel negative vibration in that place. Similarly, there are many places like temples where we feel happy, confident and peaceful; we say that positive vibrations chase away our blues. Places like old battlefield and jails where many people had faced torture and death are steeped with negative vibration. Even after many years and decades anyone who visits such places is able to feel the strong vibration which seems to affect a person’s state of mind. It makes sense if we use quantum physics to explain this phenomenon. Every object and every matter exhibits wave like property and vibrates in nature. We are just not tuned to see the vibrations. Certain events can alter the vibrations in a particular place which are felt even after many decades. Sightings of ghosts may be a result of vibrations as well.  The Vedic sages were aware of this phenomenon. They used sound waves to alter vibrations as seen in yesterday’s post. They produced precise changes in sound waves to obtain the final result. Temples are often steeped in positive vibrations. A person is able to feel the divine presence in temples. They are easily able to connect their body, mind and soul in temples. They become attuned to higher vibrations when inside temples. This is because the temple priests chant mantras. The temples are also built in such a way as to amplify the good vibrations. The proper chanting of mantras is a must as even a slight error can cause the opposite effect; only Brahmins who are trained in Vedas are allowed to be priests. The ancient sages were able to produce many miracles by using mantras. My mom witnessed her grandpa cure a neighbour who was bitten by a deadly scorpion by chanting a special mantra which he had learnt from a Siddhar. Not everyone can produce the same effect as the proper production of sound waves is very important. Even today there are many who try music therapy for everything from depression to weight loss. Power of mantras may sound like magic but once we understand the effect of subtle vibrations around us, the science of mantras become very clear. Many sophisticated technologies were the result of the power of mantras. The technologies were used only when required. People were encouraged to lead a simple life concentrating on spiritual pursuit unlike in modern times where we are obsessed with ever changing technologies and electronics.

Scientific advancement - Sanatana Dharma contd

The ancient seers understood the effect of sound waves on our environment. The sound is the important aspect of a mantra. Each syllable in a mantra has a unique sound. The loudness of the each syllable in a mantra vary as well.  By proper practice which took many years, they were able to use mantras to affect the surrounding environment. They could make the clouds rain, produce fire by just chanting or conjure objects out of thin air. They could change matter from one form to another and transform objects easily. The vibration caused by sound is the key aspect of mantras. They could bless people with television and radio capabilities. In the Mahabharata, Sanjaya was able to witness the activities in the battlefield from Dritarashtra’s palace in Hastinapura which was miles away from the battle field. Mantras transform matter by using coherence.Coherence is the property of waves that enables stationary interference. The interference can be constructive or destructive. Constructive interference occurs when two interfering waves form a wave of a larger amplitude, destructive interference has the opposite effect. In quantum mechanics all objects have wave-like properties. Every object and particle in nature vibrates. With proper training a person can learn to control his/her mind such that by controlling their vibration such that the difference between mind and matter is lost.By this method the ancient Vedic sages were able to amend matter. They could appear at will at any place, help people by curing diseases , help regrow amputated limbs or organs etc. coherence was also used in war. In the Mahabharata, Ashvatama makes a Brahmastra (modern day nuclear weapon) from a blade of grass and with the help of coherence technology makes it acquire the fetus of Uttara, the daughter-in-law of the Pandavas as target.