22 Reasons To Believe That
Practises Of Ancient Hindu Bharat Were Based On Science -
A DISCLAIMER
Practises Of Ancient Hindu Bharat Were Based On Science -
A DISCLAIMER
The title of this piece, forwarded to me by a friend of mine, who albeit would have received it from some one else, has been slightly edited by me, but the contents below leave me wondering whether the primary purpose of this collation was to praise the ancient science of India or to state that every such thing had a Hindu base.
Our ancient Heritage is a mixture of the Indus Valley Civilisation and Aryan but definitely NOT Hindu as the latter word did not exist till much later in the 6th CBC
When courts took up the Ayodhya case, some of the aggressive lot among the Hindus, said, "Faith cannot be decided by courts". True but this land of ours, inherited from our forefathers, has always been governed by law, not faith.
As a born Hindu, I had, early in my life, studied almost all classic shashtras. As a born Indian, I have tried to know all other faiths, so that I could have a universal outlook and respect of all other faiths.
By joining the Christian Community later in life, neither my Creator/God nor the creator of the Universe has changed. My God is neither Hindu, nor Christian, nor Muslim, nor of Israel, nor of Jacob. If at all I were to foolishly localise the one and only universal God, He would be God of India, my Bharat, my Country, my fatherland, my motherland.
By attaching a Hindu antecedent to our ancient science, we are turning away non-Hindus from practising them. Are we aiming at universal acceptance, (The Hall mark of our civilisation), of our ancient Heritage or its rejection by more than 7 billion non-Hindu fellow humans on this Earth.
By insisting on the use of the word Hindu by all, to identify themselves as, (courtesy Parivar), and repeat the phrase, 'Hindu Rashtra' (courtesy Parivar) ad-nauseam as the Nation of all Indians, we are doing great disservice to one of the most outstanding Heritages, the World has ever known.
Whereas, I will be elaborating in detail on the antecedents of the people of the Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) and those of the Vedic times as well as the appearance of the word 'Hindu', in another article, suffice to say that our ancient culture predates the Word 'Hindu' by more than a millennium, at the least.
Please read on (My comments are in red) :
Our ancient Heritage is a mixture of the Indus Valley Civilisation and Aryan but definitely NOT Hindu as the latter word did not exist till much later in the 6th CBC
When courts took up the Ayodhya case, some of the aggressive lot among the Hindus, said, "Faith cannot be decided by courts". True but this land of ours, inherited from our forefathers, has always been governed by law, not faith.
As a born Hindu, I had, early in my life, studied almost all classic shashtras. As a born Indian, I have tried to know all other faiths, so that I could have a universal outlook and respect of all other faiths.
By joining the Christian Community later in life, neither my Creator/God nor the creator of the Universe has changed. My God is neither Hindu, nor Christian, nor Muslim, nor of Israel, nor of Jacob. If at all I were to foolishly localise the one and only universal God, He would be God of India, my Bharat, my Country, my fatherland, my motherland.
By attaching a Hindu antecedent to our ancient science, we are turning away non-Hindus from practising them. Are we aiming at universal acceptance, (The Hall mark of our civilisation), of our ancient Heritage or its rejection by more than 7 billion non-Hindu fellow humans on this Earth.
By insisting on the use of the word Hindu by all, to identify themselves as, (courtesy Parivar), and repeat the phrase, 'Hindu Rashtra' (courtesy Parivar) ad-nauseam as the Nation of all Indians, we are doing great disservice to one of the most outstanding Heritages, the World has ever known.
Whereas, I will be elaborating in detail on the antecedents of the people of the Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC) and those of the Vedic times as well as the appearance of the word 'Hindu', in another article, suffice to say that our ancient culture predates the Word 'Hindu' by more than a millennium, at the least.
Please read on (My comments are in red) :
Neem 
People are advised to worship Neem and Banyan tree in the morning. Inhaling the air near these trees, is good for health.
Neem has many medicinal properties but have not come this one. Also, it is not Banyan but Pepal which diffuses fresh air both during day and night, and has been revered from the time of IVC.
Worshipping as a part of divinity, anything that is of great use/benefit/value, is a vedic practise. There is no instance of such worship in the pre-Vedic days.
Neem has many medicinal properties but have not come this one. Also, it is not Banyan but Pepal which diffuses fresh air both during day and night, and has been revered from the time of IVC.
Worshipping as a part of divinity, anything that is of great use/benefit/value, is a vedic practise. There is no instance of such worship in the pre-Vedic days.
If you are trying to look ways for stress management, there can’t be anything other than Hindu Yoga aasan Pranayam (inhaling and exhaling air slowly using one of the nostrils).
What is Hindu about Yoga. Though Patanjali Yoga was written only around 6th/5th CBC, Yoga was in practise even by the people of the IVC. Some of the seals of that period, clearly show saintly looking people sitting in the lotus meditation pose.
Moolasthanam
🏻
Hindu temples were built scientifically. The place where an idol was placed in the temple was where earth’s magnetic waves were found to be maximum, thus benefitting the worshiper.
As no temples have been found during extensive excavations of thousands of IVC sites, it can be safely assumed that building of temples was a Vedic practice and predated the use of the Word 'Hindu' by more than a millennium at the least.
It is true that these Vedic practices, developed over almost a millennium, were not mere superstitious beliefs or God's commands, but based on scientific research of occurrences in Nature and lead to health benefits.
India has lakhs of temples. Not all of them are, however, built the Vedic way.
Tulsi
Every Hindu household has a Tulsi plant. Tulsi or Basil leaves when consumed, keeps our immune system strong to help prevent the H1N1 disease.
Arthavaveda (800 B.C.), discusses charms in detail. Tulasi is not mentioned.
The oldest written record of Tulasi dates to 1650 A.D. The literary work Bhakti Mala (Sacred Necklace) says, "They who bear the Tulasi round the neck . . . they are Vaishnavas.....".
Some Indian scholars say that the veneration of Tulasi was indigenous. That is, it was non-Aryan and tribal, and absorbed by Hinduism later.
Some Indian scholars say that the veneration of Tulasi was indigenous. That is, it was non-Aryan and tribal, and absorbed by Hinduism later.
Mantra Chanting 
The rhythm of Vedic mantras, an ancient Hindu practice, when pronounced and heard are believed to cure so many disorders of the body like blood pressure.
Vedic Mantras are ancient, not the Hindu practices, for the word 'Hindu' itself, as coined by the Persians, came into use only in the 6th century BC.
Also, the same can be said about chanting of the Mantras of many other religions.
Hindus keep the holy ash in their forehead after taking a bath, this removes excess water from your head.
There is nothing holy about ash or Bhasma, If, however, we refer to 'Vibhuti' applied to the forehead, it gives rise to a Holy Connotation. This practice is clealry pre-Vedic and clearly restricted to Shivaite, dravidian descendants of IVC. There is nothing 'Hindu' about its origin
Saffron
Hindu women keep kumkum bindi on their forehead that protects from being hypnotized.
What a load of bollocks! (I picked this up from a recounted true life story, told by a Hindu lady). I will add one more word to this, 'Blasphemious'.
The bindi is placed where the 'Ajna' Chakra is. Ajna Chakra represents the superior mental consciousness, which allows the direct perception of the invisible worlds and the indirect perception of the subtler aspects of the manifested universe. The mental center of command, the center of brilliant intuitive, spiritual knowledge, Ajna Chakra is one of the three superior centers of force. Most Indians believe that Saffron (भगवा), derived from the word भगवान, signifies the presence of Bhagwan (God). Bhagwan is the biggest sacrificer. भगवा is, therefore, a symbol of knowledge, wisdom, detachment, sacrifice, celibacy, truth, non-violence, mercy, morality, peace, decorum and dharma (fighting against adharmis/mlecchas).
Whereas, भगवा is used by all believers, both men and women, Bindi is worn by women alone. In the North, it is a sign of being married but in the South, as per ancient customs coming down from the IVC, young unmarried girls also wear Bindi,
Eating With Hand 
Eating with a hand might be looked down upon in the west but it connects the body, mind and soul, when it comes to food.
I suppose in the good old days, all our ancestors, whether in the Indian Sub-continent or outside it, ate with hands. Crockery/cutlary in some form or the other caught up with us much later. So, eating with hands is neither exclusively an Indian tradition nor a Hindu tradition. The Muslims, not only eat with their hands, but a group of Muslim friends/family eat from a common thali. i have done so, with all sorts of people, all around the World.
Prior to the onset of terrorism, it was a sign of Kashmiriat that Muslims and non-Muslims sat together and ate from the same Thali.
I suppose in the good old days, all our ancestors, whether in the Indian Sub-continent or outside it, ate with hands. Crockery/cutlary in some form or the other caught up with us much later. So, eating with hands is neither exclusively an Indian tradition nor a Hindu tradition. The Muslims, not only eat with their hands, but a group of Muslim friends/family eat from a common thali. i have done so, with all sorts of people, all around the World.
Prior to the onset of terrorism, it was a sign of Kashmiriat that Muslims and non-Muslims sat together and ate from the same Thali.
Eating Meal on Banana Leaf
Hindu customs require one to eat on a leaf plate. (of banana, palash leaves). This is the most eco-friendly way as it does not require any chemical soap to clean it and it can be discarded without harming the environment.
There is nothing exclusively Hindu about eating on leaf plates. It is a practice, especially eating on plantain leaves, coming down from the time of the IVC.
Piercing of baby’s ears is actually part of acupuncture treatment. The point where the ear is pierced helps in curing Asthma.
This again is not an exclusively ancient Indian custom. Men and women, all over the world, from all walks of life have their ears pierced. There is, however, no doubt that it has benefits, but curing Asthma is not listed as one of them.
Sprinkling turmeric mixed water around the house before prayers and after. Its known that turmeric has antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities.
None of the properties of turmeric listed above are going to be of any use if sprinkled around (outside) the house. What is probably meant to be conveyed is sprinkling inside the house. In the latter case, the only benefit gained will be reduction in bacterial level.
Though in Ayurvedam turmeric powder, through various preparations, cures more than 20 ailments, none of that has been mentioned here. It, however, must be said that no scientific studies have been carried outtill date to establish these claims of Ayurveda.
None of the properties of turmeric listed above are going to be of any use if sprinkled around (outside) the house. What is probably meant to be conveyed is sprinkling inside the house. In the latter case, the only benefit gained will be reduction in bacterial level.
Though in Ayurvedam turmeric powder, through various preparations, cures more than 20 ailments, none of that has been mentioned here. It, however, must be said that no scientific studies have been carried outtill date to establish these claims of Ayurveda.
The old practice of pasting cow dung on walls and outside house prevents various diseases/viruses as this cow dung is anti-biotic and rich in minerals, (Mineral!!! Is it also to be injested ?).
Fields of application about the use of cowdung in folk lore medicine can be studied in “Vergleichende Volksmedizin“ (Comparative folk medicine), second volume, by Dr. Hovoraka and Dr. Kornfeld (Edition Strecker & Schröder, Stuttgart 1909):
To all those who swear by the healing properties of cow dung and cow urine I refer an article at the following url:
http://nirmukta.com/2008/10/04/cows-excreta-as-medicine-insult-to-humanity/
Hundreds of papers have been written in India on the subject, some in collboration with National Institutes, but none of these papers have been published in international scientific journals Their claims have, therefore, not been tested by international peer scrutiny. But that hasn't prevented some of our leading scientific institutions from making tall claims.
Hindus consider drinking cow urine to cure various illnesses. Apparently, it does balance bile, mucous and airs and a remover of heart diseases and effect of poison.
Nothing more to add except what has been commented above about cow dung. Suffice to say that there is nothing Hindu about Gaumutram.
Sit-ups
The age-old punishment of doing sit-ups while holding the ears actually makes the mind sharper and is helpful for those with Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, learning difficulties and behavioral problems.
Super-Brain Yoga is a part of ancient yoga practice. Nothing Hindu about it.
Lighting ‘diyas’ or oil or ghee lamps in temples and house fills the surroundings with positivity and recharges your senses.
Now a days, positivity is produced more by the thunder of high decibel bombs, (fire crackers), than diyas.
Janeu, or the string on a Brahmin’s body, is also a part of Acupressure and keeps the wearer safe from several diseases.
As per PV Kane, History of Dharmasastra Volume 2.1, 1st Edition, pages 290-293. There is no mention of any rule or custom, states Patrick Olivelle, that "required Brahmins to wear a sacred string at all times", in the Brahmanical literature (Vedic and ancient post-Vedic). Yajñopavītam, textual evidence suggests, is a medieval and modern tradition.
However, the term Yajñopavīta appears in ancient Hindu literature, and therein it means a way of wearing the upper garment during a ritual or rites of passage. The custom of wearing a string is a late development in Hinduism, was optional in the medieval era, and the ancient Indian texts do not mention this ritual for any class or for Upanayana.
Going by the above, it can safely be said that wearing of 'Janeu' is truely a 'Hindu' custom.
Arcade of Mango Leaves
Decorating the main door with ‘Toran’- a string of mangoes leaves or neem leaves or ashoka leaves, actually purifies the atmosphere.
Many plant leaves have medicinal properties and have been used as such from ancient, pre-Hindu, Aryan and IVC times. What is important that the leaves should be fresh and green, to allow photosynthesis, turning Crabon-di-Oxide to Oxygen. There is nothing Hindu about it. What is
However, the term Yajñopavīta appears in ancient Hindu literature, and therein it means a way of wearing the upper garment during a ritual or rites of passage. The custom of wearing a string is a late development in Hinduism, was optional in the medieval era, and the ancient Indian texts do not mention this ritual for any class or for Upanayana.
Going by the above, it can safely be said that wearing of 'Janeu' is truely a 'Hindu' custom.
Arcade of Mango Leaves
Decorating the main door with ‘Toran’- a string of mangoes leaves or neem leaves or ashoka leaves, actually purifies the atmosphere.
Many plant leaves have medicinal properties and have been used as such from ancient, pre-Hindu, Aryan and IVC times. What is important that the leaves should be fresh and green, to allow photosynthesis, turning Crabon-di-Oxide to Oxygen. There is nothing Hindu about it. What is
Touching your elder’s feet keeps your backbone in good shape.
This is a cheepy.
Cremation or burning of the dead, is one of the cleanest form of disposing off the dead body.
Cremation dates from at least 20,000 years ago in the archaeological record, with the Mungo Lady, the remains of a partly cremated body found at Lake Mungo, Australia.
By the time of the Roman and Greek civilisations, in the pre-Christian era, cremations had been generally adopted as a method of disposing of the dead.
In 1874 the Cremation Society of England came into being, founded by Sir Henry Thompson, with Shirley Brooks, Frederick Lebonan, John Everett Millais, John Tenniel, Anthony Trollope and Sir T. Spenser Wells.
Cremation has become popular in 21st century Britain.
By the time of the Roman and Greek civilisations, in the pre-Christian era, cremations had been generally adopted as a method of disposing of the dead.
On the other hand, in ancient India, (Pre-IVC, IVC & Vedic times), burials were the norm. 55 burial sites have been excavated in Harrapa alone.
It can, therefore, be safely assumed that there is nothing Hindu or exclusively Indian about cremation of the dead. In any case, the practice of cremation is not that ancient.
Om 
Chanting the mantra ‘Om’ leads to significant reduction in heart rate which leads to a deep form of relaxation with increased alertness.
All of us studied in school Physics the tuning fork, with twin arms and experienced how the twin arms vibrate in unison, at its natural frequency, with the amplitude of the sound doubling. All string instruments are based on the same principle and produce resonance within the listner, especially the base sounds in the lower octave.
All such sounds have harmonious effect on the listner. Indian classical ragas are based on this fact and have different ragas for different times of the day as well as for different purposes. Not for nothing do they say that Tansen could light lamps or bring rain with his singing.
Om is a similar sound, produced from within, whereby the body resonates in unison.
There is nothing sacred about OM and it should be taken as a part and parcel of Yoga.
Reading Hanuman Chaalisa
Hanuman Chaalisa, according to NASA, has the exact calculation of the distance between Sun and the Earth.
The claim is based on the following calculations :
All such sounds have harmonious effect on the listner. Indian classical ragas are based on this fact and have different ragas for different times of the day as well as for different purposes. Not for nothing do they say that Tansen could light lamps or bring rain with his singing.
Om is a similar sound, produced from within, whereby the body resonates in unison.
There is nothing sacred about OM and it should be taken as a part and parcel of Yoga.
Reading Hanuman Chaalisa
Hanuman Chaalisa, according to NASA, has the exact calculation of the distance between Sun and the Earth.
The claim is based on the following calculations :
1 Yuga is 12000 years
1 Sahastra is 1000 years
1 Yojan is 8 miles
Yuga X Shastra X Bhanu is par Bhanu
12000 X 1000 X 8 = 96000000 miles
1 mile is 1.6 km
So, 96000000 X 1.6 = 1536000000 km
This is the exact round figure distance of earth from Sun on 3rd July
Secondly, How does the unit of years become miles after multiplication? Is it science or fiction?
Frankly, except for a few chaupals here and there, I have never recited the Hanuman Chalisa end to end, but I have known some one who did that day after day, all his life. It was probably this that saved him from legal retribution after supposedly committing, not one but two murders in his life.
In any case, the Hanuman Chaalisa is not composed in ancient times but at the time of the Mogul Emperor Akbar.
Shankha Nadam
The ‘Shankh Dhwani’ creates the sound waves by which many harmful germs, insects are destroyed. The mosquito breeding is also affected by Shankh blowing and decreases the spread of malaria.
The etymology of the Shankh is not known. Shankha naad was extensively used as a call to arms on battle fields from Vedic times. As the battle field dynamics changed, the conch came to be exclusively used in various indigenous practices in a number of religions.
The beneficial effects, if any, are derived from the same harmonious vibration as for OM and other sounds of stringed instruments or the musical scale.
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