[Advaita-l] Ritambara Prajna

[Jaldhar H. Vyas]

On Sat, 20 Aug 2011, D.V.N.Sarma డి.వి.ఎన్.శర్మ wrote:

> This comparision between vedic mantras and Newton's law of Gravitation does
> not seem to
> be  right. Newton's law talks of things that can be verified by any body
> with an apparatus.
> But स्वर्गकामो यजेत cannot be verified.

Well to be fair, I don't think this is what those who make the scientific 
analogy are claiming.  The point is Newton didn't "invent" gravity but 
only pointed out and described something which was already there and would 
have continued to be there even if a 17th century Christian Englishman 
named Isaac Newton had never existed.  In the same way, Rshis "saw" the 
mantras.  They did not create them.

>
> Science talks of natural, observable and verifiable things. Veda does not.
> As a matter of fact purva mimamsa says that vedas are unverifiable because
> they talk of supernatural
> things and hence other pramanas cannot be made to operate in the verfication
> of vedas.

The converse of this is also true.  As the Vedas talk only of dharma and 
moksha, you cannot mine them for "historical" or "scientific" 
knowledge as our modern bandhus are wont to do.


> All vaidic injunctions are for Hindus and mostly for dvijas. They are not
> universal like
> Newton's Laws. I do not think that the other communities are who do not
> follow  vedic
> injunctions are suffering because of that. This cross has to be borne by
> Hindus only.

You are falling into the error of assuming that Vedas only refers to the 
mantras and brahmanas.  Because the smrtis, Puranas and Mahabharata, 
Ramayana etc. are based on the Vedas they too are "Vedic".  They too 
contain injunctions, knowledge etc. which can be analyzed by Mimamsaka or 
Vedantic means.  While they too are often restricted in various ways, some 
of them are also of universal validity.  Shistachara because it is the 
conduct of the knowers of the Vedas is also "Vedic" and shista are capable 
of communicating Vedic concepts to non-Hindus.


>
> As somebody has pointed out, it is impossible in the modern world to follow
> the all the injunctions
> of the veda. We have long back modified or sometimes omitted following some
> of them.
> Thus in India, to find any body who foollows vedic injunctions to the letter
> is almost impossible.
>

This is a false dilemmna.  What is being asked is to follow the Vedic 
injunctions as well as possible.  And if anything, the modern world makes 
it more possible than the "good old days".


-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>