The Six Thousand Year Barrier
Dear Mohan,
This article on Indian wisdom is true and interesting. However, much of the present world, thanks to the commercial nature of major faiths like Islam and Christianity, which believe in numbers and group salvation, do not want even to look at the Indian wisdom of old. This is a conspiracy, of Christian Science and the theologians. India is the only civilisation that is not based on religion. In the Gita, as in the Upanishads, religion is treated as garbage. It is given the same importance as given to the pole in a pole-vault, a boat to help cross a river, a ladder to help you climb up. They serve only a very limited purpose and are to be discarded, when the purpose is achieved. You cannot carry the pole after you have vaulted to a height, or carry the ladder up with you. That is why Vivekananda said: "It is nice to be born in a temple, but see that you do not die there!"
100 such yugas make one day for Brahma
In Chapters 10 to 12 of Srimad Bhagavatha, you have a detailed reckoning of time, its duration, the cycle - the four yugas together extending to 43,20,000 years. 100 such yugas make one day for Brahma, and an equal period for his night. That is, one day of Brahma is 86,40,000 years. Brahma's life is 100 years. This is the period one cycle. Thereafter, it is Pralaya for an equivalent period when the Cosmos disappears into water and is supposed to be absorbed in Brahman. Subsequently, it surfaces and the same cycle is repeated. This process and cycle is beginningless and endless. The same events, people etc. get repeated like in a Cinema theatre, show after show. There is a boring consistency about it! And, this will go on for ever, like a clock journeying from 1 to 12 and again beginning another round journey. Therefore, you and I and all of us were there in the same relationship and continue to be there in future also!
Time is Cyclical
The base line of the Indian faith is that Time is not linear as understood in the West but, Cyclical. That is why we did not have a numbered day or, month or, year. Our days had names instead ( Pradhama, Dwiteeya, Thriteeya etc} and, the years were called Prabhava, Vibhava etc. After 60 years and 14 days, they repeat themselves. So, when you complete one cycle of 60 years, you celebrate the Shashtiabdapoorthy, and when you have completed 1000 Pakshas (fort-nights) you celebrate the Sathaabhishekam. The West has a linear timing which travels only in one direction. They will never return to year A.D. 1 or A.D. 2011. These are gone for ever. After a few million years, you will have an year with several digits!
Similarly, Chapter 20 of Book 5 of the Bhagavatham, details the Continents in space, both known to us and the West, and hundreds of thousands, not yet known. Their location, extent etc, are mentioned. You will be amazed that verses 34 and 35 of Chapter 20 in Book 5 of Bhagavatham, mentioning BLACK HOLE in the same language that the Western Science described it. The Indian Scientist Dr. Chandrasekhar - nephew of Sir C.V.Raman walked away with a Nobel Prife for this discovery. But for him, I would have claimed the Prize, courtesy Veda Vyasa!
Indian Astrology in its present form in only a few thousand years old. Indian Astronomy is timeless. It is mentioned in the Vedas, admittedly over 10,000 years old!
You will also note that many of the English or German words used in Mathematics are close to identical with their Sanskrit equivalents. For eample, Geo is Jya in Sanskrit meaning a Sextant, Metry is Maatra (measure) so Geometry is measuring Sextants etc. The whole of Geometry, Trigonometry (neasurement of Triangles) Algebra (Beeja Ganitham ) originated in India and the Arabs and others carried these into their countries. Even the numerals 1 to 9 and 0 were Indian ideas, They are wrongly called Arabic numerals, although the Arabs themselves acknowledge these to be Indian in origin! Also, the Arabs write from left to Right, but when it comes to figures, they write from left to right!
Prejudice against the Indian civilisation
Thus, there is a lot of prejudice against the Indian civilisation and a well-organised world-level conspiracy to do our great civilisation down! Many renowned Indian Scientists, including Nobel Laureates and foregn-educated persons refuse to acknowlege these facts. Is it ignorance or, is it deliberate? A very debatable question. My attempts with the Western media (including the Wall Street Journal, The Economist failed miserably, and I have given up.
One thing, however, is certain. Western Science is struggling to find answers to the ultimate questions, such as the age of the Universe, its authorship, extent, location, material content, its laws etc. and have hit the roof. Many are knocking at the doors of Vedanta, which holds the answer, and will sooner or later, sooner than later -find it.
Vedanta calls the entire thing mind-stuff, all creations of your imagination, like castles built in the air, and appear to be what they are. Like, when you get up from a dream and realise that it did not exist but was pure imagination, when you reach the highest state of realisation - called the Turiya or Fourth state, you realise this also that THOU ART THAT (Tatwam Asi). This is the Adwaita (One without a second) that the Great Sankaracharya codified for our benefit.
You may give this article wide publicity, also mark it to Glen R. Smith, the author of the article SIX THOUSAND YEARS .....
Appa
