Sri Shankaracharya, the great seer says, (Vedo Nityamadheeyataam), meaning the Vedas should be studied on a regular basis. The treasure trove of the Vedas is not only filled with the gold of spirituality, but also the diamonds of todays science sparkle latently within. As the Vedas itself say, (Anantaa Vai Vedaaha), meaning the Vedas are infinite.

The word Veda originates from the Sanskrit root word Vid. Vid means to know. The word Veda literally means knowledge. Therefore, Veda is infinite, the infinity alluding to the Knowledge and not the set of books as such.

Do you know why a lamp is light near any deity? Do you know why the Pinda Pradana(Rice balls offered to the ancestors) is done once or twice a year? Do you know why the cow is considered to be sacred? Do you know why your grandmother always advised you to use coconut oil? Do you know why the Holy Scriptures discourage the consumption of meat and certain vegetables like onion and garlic? The answers to these are the intriguing scientific discoveries our ancestors had made to better the daily life style.

The science behind Vaidika Shaastriya Karma, or the rituals prescribed by the Vedas and Shastras are something very interesting, but at the same time, elusive to the normal human mind. A deep reflection of the verses and Shraddha(unwavering faith, and not belief) on the Vedas divulge the secrets lying within. The Vedas itself says that the meaning of a verse unfolds according to the seekers maturity and sharpness of intellect. Best example would be a mathematical formula, appears as just a bunch of symbols and letters to a layman, but to a mathematician, it opens a new possibility in his/her mind to think.

The Ishavasya Upanishad says, , meaning it moves and it moves not. Now this uncertainty can be attributed to that of the electron. To see an electron, assuming it is a particle, light is required. But when the electron is seen, it is not the same electron as there is an interaction of photon with the electron. Philosophically speaking, the electron moves and doesnt move at the same time, when it comes to the observer. This interpretation is very near to the Heisenbergs uncertainty principle which states that the position of an electron and its momentum cannot be measured simultaneously at a given particular time.

In quantum theory, quantum particles can exist in a superposition of states at the same time and collapse down to a single state upon interaction with other particles. There is a very beautiful relation between Advaita Vedanta and Superstring Theory.

In Ramana Maharshis famous 40 verses of reality, he writes: Awareness is all; seer, seen, real and apparent, name and form. The difference between God and individual soul disappears when ego is destroyed. Speculations and debate (on God) do not help. The world is what the mind conceives through the senses. The world rises and sets with the knowledge of it. Both have their source in the Self. In quantum physics, we cannot see both the particle and the wave at the same time, and in our daily life we cannot see things separate but united. We need to learn to transcend our senses for a while, to reconnect with pure consciousness. We are deluded when we see only separation, and meditation is the experiential method to reconcile reality with appearance.

Such are the gems that our Vedic thoughts hold.

Albert Einstein said:

When I read the Bhagavad Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else seems so superfluous I maintain that the cosmic religious feeling is the strongest and noblest motive for scientific research.

The famous Danish physicist and Nobel Prize winner, Niels Bohr was a follower of the Vedas. He said:

I go to the Upanishads to ask questions.

Heisenberg stated,

Quantum theory will not look ridiculous to people who have read Vedanta.

If you want to know more about such intriguing and scientific truths about our daily rituals, the Vedic Sciences and the philosophy of the Vedas, you really need to come to the event that will take place in Dialogues café, JP Nagar. The beautiful evening of the last Sunday of July shall surely have great intellectual takeaways for you.