Reality, Humility and Science…

Courtesy: Yahoo images.

The other day, Sara Relli’s Article ‘What Indigenous Knowledge(s) Can Teach Us About Humility… And how to approach them with respect and the willingness to learn’ did to me exactly what the writeups on Medium are expected to do… ‘act as the Intellectual Exchange of thoughts & ideas’. Whether most fall in that category, is not within my purview to comment!.

A worth reading piece of knowledge that. It has entailed how a certain social practices in ancient times were propagated and practiced. And even scoffed at. Fair enough. It gave a deeper insight to someone (should be many of us) how things were when modern knowledge was not there.

I read that article end to end and wrote back my brief comment stating that ‘Yoga and Ayurveda, two pure sciences also did not receive their rightful place’ in history. Though in the recent decades these two have begun to have their impact. (Yoga and Ayurveda are parts of The Vedas).

Though it did not elicit (hitherto) any response from Sara Relli, another reader of Medium, who apparently practices yoga himself, wrote back that ‘Yoga and Ayurveda are NOT Science’. Fair enough. He has the right to express what the person feels is right.

I am no one to judges that as right. Or wrong.

My mind nevertheless, didn’t remain quiet, thereafter.

All of us, without exception, fall back upon Google and (these days) upon AI to seek answers to troubling questions. So do I.

Though from an era when there were NO computers, I always fall back upon my ‘Sounding Boards’…namely ‘Gemini’ and ‘ChatGPT’. Not to copy them, but to get unbiased opinion on subjects under the sun.

Mostly, both provide me with intelligent responses. Can’t say about the more gifted from amongst the lot, but I, mostly feel satisfied with the response from these two machine minds.

Now coming to the core issues

Firstly, science as we know it today, came about just over these past 400–500 years. Humanity has been in existence since a little longer.

The earliest texts which have guided humanity since it’s inception have been in existence since those earlier times.

As per popular culture, The Vedas are the oldest texts.

Let NO ONE, I repeat NO ONE, presume that I am trying to propagate my religion or culture. Although, even if I did, I would not be doing anyone any disservice. But, I am not treading that line because we MUST and DO respect every faith, religion, sect and/or way of life, just as we do our own!. Because we all are free to do what we wish to.

I need not explain any further.

But, the moot question remains, what is Science?! What is science as we understand today?.

Cause & Effect?

Or something else?

The Apple falls. We explain it with science.

An earthquake occurs. We get to understand that with science.

Although, Science, with the strides it has made in recent ages, can not be limited to only such mundane issues as fall of an apple. Or occurrence of an Earthquake. From Black-holes to Graphene and so much more, everything falls under the realm of Science(s).

The discussion will never end. And someone who has studied science to a fair extent, any further explanation might belie one’s own ignorance!!.

Nonetheless let us go back to the Vedas!

And we, just to illustrate the truth, also go back to two books on ‘The Hindu Temples’ by a virtuous lady Ms Stella Kramrisch. She, having passed in 1993 or so, was the best known authority the world over on Hinduism. Would often quote from the Vedas to explain her points of view.

Picture by me just a little while ago. (Titles in Hindi. Namely: The SamVeda, The AtharvaVeda, The RigVeda and The Yajurveda.. from right to left)

Let us take it a little further.

This culture which gave the humanity ‘Pi’, ‘Zero’, the exact distance from the earth to the moon, the Astronomy, Astrology, medicinal science, surgery, and every conceivable need of humanity to understand what we are in relation to the Universe… and everything else down to birth, life and death. That… thousands of years ago.

Science & Engineering of Ancient Times

Let me illustrate my limited point with a more physical example, The Angkor.

One often visits (as does a great sliver of humanity) the Holy Temples of Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia. That, for understanding their impact on Religion, Art, Architecture and Engineering. These Temples were created over 1200 years ago. No ‘Modern Science’ was then in existence, as known to humanity… now.

I give out here a very small facet of the Science, and Engineering (which is use/practice of science as it affects the humanity) involved there, in support of my reason.

The water Table in those tropics is very high; nearly on the ground level especially during the monsoons. Those who created those nearly four dozen temples, used ‘Laterite’ as the sub-structure so that ground water which can rise through capillary action into the buildings, does not militate against the stability of structures of the Temples.

And by the way, many of them are truly massive edifices. And still stand there, mostly in original state as created (barring damage by nature’s fury and humanity). Many in ruins for a variety of reasons, though. No cementitious materials were used… anywhere in their creation.

Gemini’s Response to my Question

I am not deliberately detailing what my two ‘Sounding Boards’ gave me as response to my query ‘Is Yoga a Science?’. Just mentioning verbatim, in briefest possible manner, this response by Gemini, to my query that someone has responded to my comment on Medium with ‘Yoga is not Science’…

‘When that person pushed back, (s)he was likely thinking of modern, Western definitions of Empirical Science, which requires more than just a systematic practice.’

Latent in this possible definition of Science, there remains ‘some amount of assumption as also approximation’... Empirical that is!!.

There is so much more that Gemini, for example, wrote back to me.

But, my unbiased mind, which is fairly well ingrained in science and engineering, understands that ‘Peoples of Yore’ who could create edifices of such accuracy as is on display at Angkor (and multitude of places in my own nation), with the least count of measurement as ‘The Angula (width of a human finger)’, yet achieved accuracy to the last millimeter, most likely possessed much greater knowledge of Science and Engineering than we do… even today. Also created the Yoga... Ayurveda.

To that extent, If I say that ‘Yoga and Ayurveda’ are pure science, I might not have done some great disservice to humanity. Or Medium. I may be closer to accuracy than an ‘Empirical Science might be’.

Leave it for those to judge who might find it interesting enough to read.

Thank you.

Gods Bless us all.

PS — This is no riposte or an offence meant unto anyone. Just an unbiased but well informed opinion. Please do forgive me. For I have equal right.