Today, at the IISc library, I found a book called the History of Astronomy in India (Sen and Shukla) published for The National Commission for the compilation of the history of sciences in India by The Indian National Science Academy.
“Started as History of Science Board at the Asiatic Society, Kolkata in the year 1960 under the Chairmanship of late Prof. A C Ukil, with an aim to reconstruct Indian Scientific Heritage, the History of Science Division of the Academy has come since a long way. Enlarged in 1965 into a Commission for compilation of History of Science in India, the Board was renamed in 1989 as Indian National Commission for History of Science. The 21 members of the Commission has been the doyens in their respective fields of Indian Sciences, History, Culture, Medicine, Epigraphy, Numismatics, Archeaology and other allied subjects.
In order to further the new and emerging ideas in this branch of learning, the Indian National Commission for History of Science also publishes a quarterly journal Indian Journal of History of Science which is only of its kind of journal in India and is currently running in its 40th volume starting since 1966. Being a refereed and acclaimed journal, contributors both National and Foreign keep sending their researched articles/papers for publication which get world wide exposure and acclaim.
Online registration is free and gives you access to all content. So go ahead!
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I also read an interesting book called “Dalit Vision” written by Gail Omvedt. At this time I can’t tell whether she is right or wrong in entireity, but the book did make interesting reading.
- She also appears to hold the erroneous view “that the Vedic Indians were invading Aryans.”
- The Bhavisya Purana tells us that the Aryans were a small group of settlers who came to India in year 1000 of Kaliyuga and they engaged in the activities of the rshis, learning Vedas etc and practicing them. Their leaders were Kasyapa and Aryavati (Not Kasyapa and Aditi). Following the local varna convention, Kasyapa divided his band into the 4 varnas. Then they multiplied.
- This event happened a 1000 years after the Bharata War and therefore much, much after the time of Sri Rama and the time of the Vedic Rshis.
- There is absolutely no doubt, from the Bhavishya Purana, that the Vedic Indians were the locals and the Aryans were just settlers, neither conquerors, nor Vedic. Some of the settlers may be recognised by these surnames. Upadhayaya, Diksita, Pathaka, Sukla, Misra, Agnihotri, Dvi-vedi, Tri-vedi, Catur-vedi and Pandey.
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Photograph Credit : Satya Sarada Kandula : All Rights Reserved
Finally, I got home and switched on the TV to see an episode from Ramanand Sagar’s Sri Krishna. His mother Yasoda was trying to bind him with a rope. However long a rope she took, it was always two inches short. A direct message to me. However much I study and learn, I am always 2 inches short of reaching Sri Krishna. In that episode Narada explains that unless there is surrender on our part, we will always be 2 inches short whether in Bhakthi or Gnyana.
I feel like a small child, who wants to empty the ocean with her little bucket before she goes home.
And all I have done so far os get my feet a little wet.
Authorship and Copyright Notice : All Rights Reserved : Satya Sarada Kandula
