Knock Knock !
Who's there?
Culture.
Culture??….culture who?!
Just ask your own self- “What does culture mean to me?!“ Majority would dismiss it as a waste of time (after all how does it matter whatever it might mean!) and those who will reflect on it will either get a a religion in mind or a recollection of some politician or teacher giving a lecture on it… basically telling us that either we dont know or we have forgotten what our culture really is.
Lord Macaulay’s in the house of
commons stated in 1835
"I have travelled across the
length and breadth of India
Just a minute…
Before you raise any questions on
the authenticity of the above quote (which is apparently a highly debated issue
on the web with both sides to it -believers and non- believers) …. I’d like to
say that this is an altogether different debate, whether Lord Macaulay did make
such a statement or not. But never-the-less the contents of this quote
are worth pondering. Infact, a simple self assessment is all that is required to bring out the truth Take a look at the following and see how many you knew...
(There
are a lot of things which we do not know about our own predecessors as these were never mentioned to us and there
are things which were called as ‘myths’ but only now we are getting evidence of
they being facts!)
1. Did you know that the ‘Pythagoras’
theorem was stated long time “before Pythagoras was even born?
You got that right- The theorem
bearing the name of the Greek mathematician Pythagoras is found in the Shatapatha Brahmana as well as the Sulvasutras, the Indian
mathematical treatise, written centuries before Pythagoras was born.
Voltaire, the famous French writer and philosopher) stated that
"Pythagoras went to the Ganges to learn geometry." Abraham Seidenberg, author of the
authoritative "History of Mathematics," credits the Sulba Sutras as
inspiring all mathematics of the ancient world from Babylonia to Egypt Greece
And there are many other such mathematical concepts, examples
include The concept of zero, the place value system of numeration, square
roots, cube roots and the powers of ten were known to the ancient Indians.
The invention of the decimal system had revolutionary significance. Ancient Rome India
2. Did you know that "Vedic Cosmology is the only one in
which the time scales correspond to those of modern scientific cosmology."? ( I am not saying this, rather
this is the quote of a famous American astronomer- Carl Sagan )
French astronomer Jean-Claude Bailly
corroborated the antiquity and accuracy of the Vedic astronomical measurements
as "more ancient than those of the Greeks or Egyptians." And that,
"the movements of the stars calculated 4,500 years ago, does not differ by
a minute from the tables of today."
Nobel laureate Count Maurice Maeterlinck wrote of: "a
Cosmogony which no European conception has ever surpassed."
The ninety foot tall astronomical instrument known as Samrat Yantra, built by King Sawai Jai
Singh of Jaipur, measures time to within two seconds per day.
Samrat Yantra or equatorial sundial. It consists
of a straight ramp or gnomon, about 30 m high, aligned north south and elevated
at an angle of 27 degrees above the northern horizon. The latitude of Jaipur is
27 degrees north, thus the ramp points toward the celestial pole. On each side of
the ramp there are two quarter circles, or quadrants, fashioned in masonry. The
quadrants are centered on the nearest edge of the ramp.
Cosmology and other scientific accomplishments of ancient India Asia and Crete .
3. Did you know- Modern metallurgists have not been able to produce iron of
comparable quality to the 22 foot high Iron Pillar of Delhi
This pillar stands at mute testimony to
the highly advanced scientific knowledge of metallurgy that was known in
ancient India Delhi
4. Did you know that in our culture-
such advanced was the thinking of our Vedic ancestors, people of such high
moral values that even something like a war had a specific code of conduct to
be followed?
* War used to take place only from sunrise to sunset
* Unarmed people were never attacked
* Not to destroy or even go to enemy’s agricultural fields
* Not to even look at women & children.
5. Did you know- What some Historians used to
call as “mythical” River Saraswati (which has been mentioned several
times in Vedas) is no myth anymore?….ISRO has traced it entirely though under
the surface
Using modern scientific methods, such as satellite imagery and
dating techniques, it can be shown that the ancient statements of the Vedas are
factual, not mythical as erroneously propagated. High resolution satellite
images have verified descriptions in The Rig Veda of the descent of the ancient
Sarasvati River Himalayas to the Arabian Sea .
The Satellite image (above) clearly shows the Indus-Sarasvata
river system extending from the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea . Here the Indus River Sarasvati River basin Sarasvati River
Vedic Sarasvati -No more a debatable point - http://www.scribd.com/doc/7571528/Vedic-Saraswati-No-More-a-Debatable-Point
6. Did you know the ancient 'mythological' city of Dwarka
Marine archaeology has been utilized in India Dwarka Gujarat . An entire
submerged city at Dwarka, the ancient port city of Lord Krishna
Dr. S. R. Rao, formerly of the
Archaeological Survey of India, has pioneered marine archaeology in India Bahrain
Amongst the extensive underwater
discoveries were the massive Dwarka city wall, a large door-socket and a
bastion from the fort wall.
 |
| Dwarka city wall |
 |
| door-socket |
 |
| a bastion from the fort wall |
Two rock-cut slipways of varying width,
extending from the beach to the intertidal zone, a natural harbor, as well as a
number of olden stone ship anchors were discovered, attesting to Dvaraka being
an ancient port city.
 |
| slipway |
 |
| ship anchor |
The three headed motif on this conch-shell
seal (below), found in the Dvaraka excavations, corroborates the reference in
the scripture Harivamsathat every citizen of Dvaraka should carry
a mudra or seal of this type.
All these underwater excavations add
further credibility to the validity of the historical statements found in the
Vedic literatures.
Lost city 'could rewrite
history'- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1768109.stm
7. Did you know - Plastic
surgery was invented in India in the 6th century B.C.; Westerners ‘discovered’
it only about 200 years ago.
Sushruta is regarded as the father of Indian surgery and he
invented cataract surgery, plastic surgery etc. many centuries before it
was invented by the westerners. In his book Sushruta Samhita he has
mentioned in great detail about the medicines and surgeries, including dozens of
instruments used in surgeries. Sushrut said that to be a good surgeon one
has to have a good knowledge of anatomy. Another eminent name is Charak,
who wrote ancient Indian ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita. In this
connection it may be mentioned that in the London Science Museum in one floor
relating to medicine, there is mention of the various achievements in medicine
in ancient India including the surgical instruments used by Sushruta.
8. Did you know - Those who
introduced English education in our country are now making sanskrit compulsory
in their schools....
In the heart of London
“This is the most perfect and logical language in the world, the only one that is not named after the people who speak it. Indeed the word itself means ‘perfected language.” –Warwick Jessup, Head, Head, Sanskrit department
“The Devnagri script and spoken Sanskrit are two of the best ways for a child to overcome stiffness of fingers and the tongue,” says Moss. “Today’s European languages do not use many parts of the tongue and mouth while speaking or many finger movements while writing, whereas Sanskrit helps immensely to develop cerebral dexterity through its phonetics.”
http://www.charityfocus.org/blog/upload/2008/Sanskrit.pdf
9. Did you know- Dhyan Foundation successfully demonstrated clairvoyance (the sixth sense) at the Indian Medical Association, Mumbai. After which the medical fraternity gave us in writing - "Our perception about yoga and the abilities of a yogi has changed for the positive."
http://www.dhyanfoundation.com/dhyan-foundation-ima-certification.php
“This is the most perfect and logical language in the world, the only one that is not named after the people who speak it. Indeed the word itself means ‘perfected language.” –Warwick Jessup, Head, Head, Sanskrit department
“The Devnagri script and spoken Sanskrit are two of the best ways for a child to overcome stiffness of fingers and the tongue,” says Moss. “Today’s European languages do not use many parts of the tongue and mouth while speaking or many finger movements while writing, whereas Sanskrit helps immensely to develop cerebral dexterity through its phonetics.”
http://www.charityfocus.org/blog/upload/2008/Sanskrit.pdf
9. Did you know- Dhyan Foundation successfully demonstrated clairvoyance (the sixth sense) at the Indian Medical Association, Mumbai. After which the medical fraternity gave us in writing - "Our perception about yoga and the abilities of a yogi has changed for the positive."
http://www.dhyanfoundation.com/dhyan-foundation-ima-certification.php
So how many of these did you know?
And what if I say this list is just the tip of the iceberg… (do your own
research on this and youl surprise your own self) It is high time we come out of our stereotypes and rediscover our own
culture, which is no doubt ancient but at the same time truly advanced. The ancient seers knew all
aspects of the manifested creation and more!
And the uniqueness of our culture lies in the fact that even today we can know and experience the strength (the strength “Lord Macaulay’s quote” talks about) of our culture because it lies inside each one of us.So all one needs to do is to know ones own self but that can happen only under Guru sanidhya.... Historians say we know very little of our Vedic culture but the fact is that even today we can choose to know it!
(PS- Mind you for this you ought to find a Guru and not some smart businessman trying to sell you something! So here's a quick check list...
Signs of a Guru
- A Guru exudes what he talks. He practically experiences and radiates the phenomenal glow and attraction that is associated with the state. When you are in the presence of your Guru, you experience the same attraction within you and feel healthy and glowing.
- A Guru is above the attractions of the five senses; he desires nothing in the physical world, yet can achieve anything by just a thought. He is in a state of vairagya. When you meet your Guru, you experience the same vairagya within you.
- When you hold the hand of your Guru, truths of creation are revealed to you. You start experiencing and interacting with energies that run the creation.
- A Guru is like a mirror for you. He will not try to impress you or do sweet talk. He will make you see your truth so that you may rise above.
(some content has
been taken from- http://www.archaeologyonline.net/ and
A wholesome fact diet .............!!!!!!
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