Deivathin Kural # 71 of (Vol 2) of 15 Jan 2008.

Om Namah Sivaya.

Deivathin Kural # 71 of (Vol 2) of 15 Jan 2008.

(Note 1. We are to remind the readers that herein, 'he' as a word stands for 'she' as well. When Tamil or Sanskrit words are transliterated in English, the single vowel will indicate a short utterance and a double vowel will indicate a longer pronounciation. Words in Sanskrit script not being available, the transliteration spellings and thereby the pronounciation, especially of names may be at variance from what it should be! I offer my sincere apologies for the likely errors, as the one doing the translation. ---KTSV Sarma. Note 2. It may please be noted that the talk is dated some time in the late 1950's and early 60's.

(Continued from Deivathin Kural # 70 of (Vol 2) of 10 Jan 2008.)

22. In short, Jyotisham has three Skandams. Amongst them, Siddhanta Skandam talks about Stellar and Planetary orbits and related Mathematics. Hora Skandam talks about individual and collective Horoscopes and Graha Sanchara Palan, (that is, the effects of the movements of the planets). Balance portion is the Samhitai.

Modern Findings in Old Scriptures.

23. I mentioned that, Varaha Mihirar had written a book known as, 'Brihad Samhitai', containing many scientific facts and details, which were later re-discovered by scientists in the modern world! The planets in the solar system and the other star families in the milky way, are there in space. How are they held there in position in space? People think that the reason for this was found out by Newton. One of the oldest scripture, 'Surya Siddhantam' states at the very start, that the reason for the heavenly bodies to be held in position, is the Gravitational Pull. Sri Sankaracharya in his Bhashyam for the Upanishads, has also mentioned the attractive force of the Earth. If we throw something up, it always comes down. The reason for its falling back is due to the gravitational pull. Prana goes up or out. Apana pulls it back or down. Sri Sankaracharya has confirmed this 'Apana' power of the Earth. In 'Prasnopanishad' (III.8.), it is said that, "...it is the Prithvi Devata that operates the Apana Shakthi, in the human body...". In explanation, Acharyal says, 'the way the Earth pulls back anything thrown up, Prana is pulled back by Apana'. So it means that the Law of Gravitation has been known and spoken about in Upanishad itself. There are many such wonderful things in our Sastras about which we are unaware, that we give undue respect and veneration to so called Dis-coveries and Re-searches of already known informations of yore!

24. Whatever advanced Mathematics is there to-day in the world, they were already known and practiced, hundreds of years before anyone was aware of them in the world, as evidenced by the Jyotisham of India. The start of the creation of the whole universe is called, 'Kalpa Aarambam', at which point in time all the planets were supposed to be in one straight line. Then as time progresses, they change places. At the beginning of the next 'Kalpa', they will come back to one straight line again. When ever we start any Karma, we say a few Mantras known as 'Sankalpa', which is a declaration of our intention to do such and such an action. In doing so, we make a detailed description of that point in Space and Time, where and when we are intending to carry out that Karma! All the Mantras of that 'Sankalpa' are from the Jyotisha Saastra!

25. Not only about the Earth's gravitational pull, about the rotation of Earth on it's own axis and it's circumambulationof the Sun also, Arya Bhattar and Varaha Mihirar, have very clearly mentioned. Till the 16th century, people of the west were of the opinion that Earth is the center of the universe and that the Sun goes around the Earth, causing Day and Night. If someone said anything contrary to this belief, the religious leaders would ensure that the person is 'burnt at the stakes'. But we in India knew differently, that it is the Earth which goes around the Sun. For this phenomenon Arya Bhattar has given a beautiful metaphor called, 'lagava-gourava-nyayam', meaning, 'lighter-heavier-logic'. Lagu means smaller and lighter. Gaurava means bigger and heavier, opposite of the 'Lagavam'. The student will go around the teacher. The Sishya will circumambulate the Guru and not the other way around! The student will be beholden and respectful to the Guru. Exactly similarly, the Sun is heavier and bigger. Earth is smaller and lighter. It is the Guru the Sun, that should be gone around by the Lagu the Earth. This is reasonable and feasible. Thus, Arya Bhattar sees the Big- Small; Guru-Sishya and Father-Son relationship between The Sun and the Earth respectively, with due respect to the Yelder. What he says is true, scientifically and scripturally!

26. Without knowing the above facts, we tend to join hands with those, who were responsible for preventing the growth of Science and rediculing the Hindu religion as being a stumbling block in the growth of science! There can be no greater anathema and blasphemy! The truth is that, all the sciences have thrived as part of this religion, as nowhere else in the world! "The Sun stays in it's place. Because the Earth goes around it, it seems as though the Sun is rising and setting." This above statement is from the Aithareya Brahmanam of the Rik Veda. It clearly also confirms that the Sun neither rises nor set. That the Earth revolves around the Sun was known to 'all and sundry'. It was rather common folk knowledge than being known to some special strata of the learned! Neelakanta Deekshidar was a minister in the Thirumalai Naikar's reign. He has authored this, 'Siva Utkarsha Manjari'. The last stanza starts with the words, "...bhoomir braamayati...".

27. God as Easwara, is said to be in Eight different forms and so is called, 'Ashta Murthy'. Earth, water, air, fire, space, sun, moon and the yajamanan. (Yajamanan, is the one conducting the Yagna or the Master. In common parlance,he is the boss or the chief!) He does not have to go around any body. All others have to. Air does not stay in one place and is all the time going hither and thither. Fire cannot remain in one place. It has to move continuously, looking for more things to burn. Water can never remain static. It has to find it's own level! Sun and moon anyhow move. The moon goes around the Earth. The Sun at the least has its oscillations between the Kataka Rekha and Makara Rekha. The Earth which seems static, "...braamayathi...". We will come back to this movement of the Earth.

28. Temporarily, let us leave this point of Earth's gravity and gyrations. Let us take the shape of the Earth and other celestial objects. In olden times, in the West, they were of the opinion that the Earth is like a flat disc. Later they thought that it is spherical. Now, only recently, they have come to the oval shape. But it was common knowledge in India that the Earth was referred as 'Bhoogol'. Actually, in all our Scriptures, wherever there is a mention of the Universe, it has always been referred to as 'Brhmaandam'. That is, 'Brhma + Andam', the 'cosmic egg' that is ellipsoidal. This is also the modern understanding!

29. The whole universe is on the move, says the modern astronomy. From the Vedik times, we have been calling it the 'Jagat'. Jagat means, 'that which moves nonstop'. When you think deeply about all this, our ancestor's understading of all this was nothing short of the stupendous! There were some people however, who objected to the idea that the Earth was rotating. The Earth's circumference is approximately 25,000 miles. If it goes around itself once a day, it would mean that it is moving at the speed of more than 1,000 miles per hour and about 17 miles per minute. That would mean that where there was Kutub Minar or Mylapore or Newark Airport, one minute later, there should be some other place, which is now 17 miles away. If a crow for some reason flies vertically up, this minute say for my sake, one minute later, it should be landing 17 miles away! It does not happen so! I have not studied as to what reply was given to them. But the answer that I now get from persons knowledgeable about these things is that, due to the gravitational pull, everything on the surface of the Earth is also rotating at the same speed. May be that, each successive layer of the atmosphere is differing in speed. But they all do rotate.

30. Arabic numerals is the name given to the system of indicating numbers in figures! This has now been recognised to have originated from India! Zero or cipher is very much Indian contribution, without which the system would never have been wholesome! Not only that! That any number divided by cipher would be infinity, is a mathematical truth of monumental proportions. This delicate but subtle fact is mentioned by Baskaracharya, at the end of his treatise, while invoking God. Take any number and divide it by any number. As the divisor becomes smaller and smaller, the quotient will become bigger and bigger. As the divisor becomes Zero, the quotient becomes Infinity, irrespective of the value of the number being divided! Here he coins a word for infinity as, 'kaharam'. In Hindi, "...kam se kam..." means the minimum. In Tamil, 'kammi' means less. The word, 'kham' in Sanskrit means zero. To divide is 'haram'. So, 'kham + haram' becomes 'kaharam'. He says that he prostrates to that God, who is thus the Kaharam, ie., the Infinity!

Not Blind Beliefs: Verifiable Truths!

31. "These Hindu Saastras are full of cock and bull stories. They calim that there is the Meru mountain in the north of the Earth. There, for the Devas who live there, one year becomes a day, it seems. The Sun is supposed to be circling that Meru! Then they claim that other than the Ocean of salt, there is the cane juice ocean, ocean of milk and so on, counting upto seven oceans! Then instead of the five continents, there are supposed to be, 'seven islands'!, all bunkum." These are the sort of criticisms that are levelled against this Hindu religion. I ask, as to why should there be so much salt in the oceans? Why not sugar? I do not see any reason as to why, there could not have been other oceans tasting differently? If the claim of 'Seven Oceans' and 'Seven Islands' is seen to be far fetched, we have take into consideration, other conditions described along with that, '...sapata dweepa vasundara...'. It is said that at the Northern extremity of the Earth is the Meru and the Star of 'Druva' is immediately on top of it. Is it so now? No. Actually, the word 'Druva' means the Pole. The North pole is not pointing at that star any more. They say that, 'it used to be so and has changed since then'. So, some of the conditions being described might have changed. Because, the description was about 'Jagat'. The very name is indicative of the fact that it will change. Change is the only constant quality of 'Jagat'! When the Earth was rolling like a 'top' and it's northern tip was pointing at the Pole Star, there were Seven islands and Seven Oceans. When gradually the earth moved off its axis, the seven islands might have become five continents and the oceans got mixed and became all salty.

(We are not closing the argument here. We are only taking a prudent break till the next e-mail.)

Sambhomahadeva.