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Part III
A New Model of Vedic Science
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Introduction
The Vedas are the oldest literature of India, preserved by the people of the region for thousand of years to represent their unbroken culture. The Vedas have survived the vicissitudes of time better than any ancient literature in the world. They became honored throughout the entire subcontinent over two thousand years ago, where Vedic verses and mantras resound in homes and temples to the present day. They are not simply a relic of the past but have inspired modern teachers like Sri Aurobindo to a new vision of humanity and the future of the planet.
The Vedas reflect a continuity of teachings, a rishi vision and an emphasis on Dharma that has characterized the culture of India in its many forms. The traditional name of India, Bharat, derives from the name of a famous Vedic king and the Bharata dynasty kings were the dominant kings in the Rigveda itself.
The Vedas are usually looked upon as religious documents, but this can be misleading. The Vedas deal not only with ritual but also with mantra, Yoga and meditation or the deeper spiritual and mystical practices that transcend outer religious formalities. They extend to all domains of culture and knowledge, with branches of the Vedas dealing with music, architecture, astronomy and medicine.
The term ‘Veda’ itself means knowledge, wisdom or vision, from the root ‘vid’ meaning to see or to know. This knowledge is defined twofold in the Upanishads as a higher, internal or Self-knowledge, through which immortality can be gained, and a lower or external knowledge, through which we can understand the external world. The lower knowledge includes what the modern world refers to as science and technology. This division is reflected in the Brahmanas as an adhyatmic or inner/spiritual knowledge and an adhibhutic or elemental/material knowledge.
Author - David Frawley
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