April 21, 2017 9:52 am
Compiled by London swaminathan
Date: 21 APRIL 2017
Time uploaded in London:- 10-52 am
Post No. 3837
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Nowadays there are lot of websites and blogs to explain the scientific basis of Hindu rituals and beliefs. I have also written hundreds of articles in this blog. But I was surprised to read an article by Dr Balakrishna M.A., Ph.D. in the Dr Modi Memorial Volume published in 1930.Dr Balakrishna listed at least 46 discoveries of Hindu forefathers. Here is a summary of his nine page article written in 1930 or earlier.
1.The Indo- Aryans, whether they constitute the oldest race on this planet or not, surely developed a great civilization at some unknown antiquity. Theirs might be called the earliest civilization in the known annals of mankind.
2.Several scholars have shown numerous evidences of the Indian influence on Greek thought, literature, customs and political institutions, but others vigorously reject every idea of the Indianization of the Hellenistic culture
3.The speculations of the Vedic and Upanishadic writers are antecedent to all attempts of the Greek mind to dive deep into the mysteries of the world around. The similarity of Zoroastrianism to the Atharvan (Vedic) religion, the worship of the four Vedic Gods such as Agni, Mitra, Indra Asvins in Assyria, and the Greek tradition of the travel of Thales, Pythagoras, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Democritus and other philosophers into the Oriental countries, and of their acquaintance with Arabs, Chaldeans, Hebrews, Galatians and Indians, in a word, with all the inspired people of the East – all these should lead us to the conclusion that the Greek mind was more or less influenced by Indian Philosophy.
Indian Roots of Pythagoreanism
The close similarity of Pythagoreanism with the Hindu philosophy in the worship of god as Tatragmation; the doctrine of five elements, the immortality and transmigration of souls, tripartite soul, the communion with gods, the miraculous powers of the soul, and of the esoteric circle of the initiated; the belief of Pythagoreans in periodic cycle and the kinship of all living creatures, their love of mysticism, asceticism and spiritualism; their pantheistic tendencies; their belief in magic; abstinence from animal diet except when the animals were sacrificed to the gods; the regular performance of Homa; the Pythagorean theorem in particular, and, in general, mathematics, medicine and music, these analogies should lead one to the same conclusion.
Hence Dr Grabe positively asserts that there seems to be no doubt abaout the dependence of Pythagoras upon Indian philosophy and science; and all the more so, as the Greeks themselves considered his doctrines as foreign.
Indian Origin of Orphicism
Again, the cult of Orphicism with its Hindu doctrines of ecstacy, asceticism, soul-culture and abstension from animal food, its systems of purification and sacraments for the redemption of the soul, its belief in a written revelation, its organisation of initiated ‘communities’ or religious fraternities, its faith I the happier lot of the purified and the initiated and, lastly, its creed of the ‘wheel of birth’ of the transmigration of souls or the reincarnation, rather imprisonment, of souls in animal and vegetable forms – these facts show at least some influence of Indian philosophy on the Greek mind.
Similar Systems of Indian and Greek Philosophy
The Greek theories of pantheism, hedonism and mysticism are profoundly similar to those enunciated in India. The identity of divine pantheons, of religious beliefs and practises, especially of language is no less perplexing. The Indian and Greek systems of philosophy built upon these bases have remarkable resemblance.
The teachings of Xenophanes, Parmendies and other Eleatics seem to be parodies of the Upanishadic verses.
The views of Heraclitus, Anaximander, Empedocles, Democritus, Epicurus, Plato and Neo-Platonists, present many striking analogies with the Sankhyan doctrine.
Hindu Discoveries
The Hindus were the earliest pre-cursors of the European scientists and philosophers in anticipating and formulating important theories bearing directly or indirectly upon the central doctrine of evolution. The list of such discoveries will show that their scientific contributions were not insignificant.
28, Circulation of blood.
35, Physical interpretation of character.
Some of these theories can be traced in one form or another in Greek philosophy. Hence there are striking parallelisms in all the important spheres of thought of the Indians and Hellenes. This profound similarity of Greek and Indian speculations on cosmogony and other problems of life, has led many to the conclusion that Greek thought is the inspired child of Indian philosophy.
–Subham–
Posted by Tamil and Vedas
Categories: Science & Religion, science and religion
Tags: Greek and Indian, Hindu discoveries, influence, philosophy
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There are many parallels between ancient Hindu and Greek thought, mythology and philosophy. But these have not been systematically explored by Indian scholars, informed in both through access to the original sources. One has to rely on Western scholars, who are not without their prejudices and presuppositions. 50 years ago, we got some insights in the works of Dr.S.Radhakrishnan but these have not been followed up. The state of Indian scholarship even on Indian subjects is poor, and original research pitifully inadequate. We are now even more slavish in following foreign academics who have their hidden agendas and who are basically inimical to Hindu interests.
In the circumstances, the following recent book will be found to be a revelation:
LOST MASTERS: Rediscovering the Mysticism of the Ancient Greek Philosophers. ( New World Library, November,2016 )
This book clearly shows how the Greeks , including Pythagoras and Alexander the Great had Indian masters and were familiar with Indian teachings and techniques. It shows how Apollonius in the first century CE visited India and Egypt and claimed that even Egyptian wisdom had Indian roots.
This book carries a foreword by Eckhart Tolle.
Indian scholars should come forward to write well-researched books, and not be satisfied with making generalised statements and claims.
By R.Nanjappa (@Nanjundasarma) on April 21, 2017 at 4:47 pm