Science in Hinduism is one of the most debated topics. Some Hindus believe that ancient Hindu science was more advanced than modern science while some say it is pseudo-science. If we read Hindu scriptures with an open mind and look at Hindu traditions positively, we find that there is ample evidence to prove that there is definitely some science in Hinduism.
A few years back, traditions in Hinduism were considered superstitions, but with the advent of science, it is becoming evident that these traditions are based on some scientific knowledge and transmitted from generation to generation as traditions. Many ancient Hindu sages were scientists also. E.g., Sage Agastya invented a dry battery thousands of years ago.
Though the common people did not know about science in Hinduism, they followed it religiously over the years. This article is an attempt to bring forward the science in Hinduism. Ancient Rishis, which were scientists actually, did not tell the common people about the science involved in these traditions but instead related them with God and religion so that they would benefit from them.
Science in Hinduism:
1. Why every Hindu should have a Tulsi plant in front of his/her house?
Answer: The Latin name of the Tulsi plant is ” Ocimum Sanctum.” It is also called Holy Basil. For thousands of years, Tulsi has been worshiped by Hindus. It is considered a sacred plant and it is necessary for every Hindu family to have a Tulsi plant in front of their house. Recent studies have shown that the Tulsi plant releases Ozone (O3) along with oxygen, which is very essential for ecological balance. World Ozone Day is celebrated on 16th September of every year, at which time some environmental organizations distribute Tulsi plants in large numbers.
Besides that Tulsi has lots of medicinal uses and is a very important herb according to Ayurveda. Tulsi leaves strengthen our immune system. So, the Tulsi leaves are mainly used for treating fever, common cold, cough, sore throat, and respiratory disorders.
Therefore, I think not only Hindus but all of us should have a Tulsi plant in front of our house.
For more information, please read Why do Hindus Worship Tulsi?
2. Why do Hindus worship some particular trees and not all the trees?
Answer: It is true that Hindus honor all the trees but some particular trees and plants are considered sacred and have been worshiped for thousands of years.
Some of the examples are Peepal Tree (Ficus religiosa) and Audumbar Tree (Ficus racemosa). These two trees are 24-hour oxygen generators and cannot be planted manually. They grow on their own mainly through the birds, which eat their fruits. The audumbar tree is associated with Guru Dattatreya, one of the main Hindu deities, and cutting or dishonoring the tree in any way is considered a sin. Both of these trees are very important for ecological balance. So by associating them with Hindu deities, they have been protected, so that no one would cut them.
3. Why do Hindus pierce the ears of a baby?
Answer: After a baby is born, it is a general practice in Hindus to pierce his/her ears. Actually, it is a part of acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture and acupressure are not new to Hindus. Even it is said that these techniques originated in India and later they were conserved and modified by the Chinese. The outer part of the ears carries a lot of important acupuncture and acupressure points. The point where the ears of a baby are pierced is known for curing asthma. That is why even ancient Hindus used to wear earrings but nowadays most Hindus do not wear earrings. They do not even pierce the ears after the first piercing. The holes in their ears become invisible as they grow up. Only Hindu females wear earrings as a tradition.
But there are males of some Hindu castes who still wear earrings as a tradition.
4. Why do Hindus not eat meat on particular days?
Answer: Hindus do not eat meat on particular days, not limited but including:
Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays of every week, Sankashti Chaturthi, Angarki Chaturthi, Ekadashi, Gudhipadwa, Akshaytrutiya, Diwali (all the days), and many more auspicious days.
Amongst these, the reason for not eating meat on some particular days excluding weekly days is purely religious. The killing of animals is considered a sin in Hinduism. So, people avoid eating meat at least on those auspicious days to maintain the sacredness of that particular day.
The reason behind not eating meat on weekdays including Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays is that as human beings we need only a little amount of meat to fulfill the requirements of our body such as iron, vitamin B12, and other vital nutrients. But human being basically is an animal, and we get addicted to eating meat. As we all know eating excessive meat is not good for our health.
It can cause diseases like piles, kidney stones, colon cancer, blood pressure, heart attack, etc. Then also people cannot refrain from eating flesh. Therefore, Hinduism has placed some restrictions by assigning the days to particular deities. E.g. Monday is dedicated to Lord Shiva, Thursday to Lord Dattatreya, and Saturday to Lord Hanuman. In this way, people have been assigned some religious restrictions and as most Hindus are religious, they do obey this rule. In this way, they restrict the meat in their diet which is good for their health.
5. Why only some castes are allowed to eat non-vegetarian food and others are not?
Answer: Basically, who should eat and who should not depend on the occupation of a person. If you ask a modern doctor, he will simply tell you that if you need more calories and you do a lot of physical labor, then only you should eat nonvegetarian food. If your occupation is of sedentary type and you eat a lot of high-calorie food, you are bound to gain more weight and invite many sorts of diseases related to obesity.
The medieval caste system of India was based upon the occupation of a person. Therefore the people from a particular caste doing more physical labor were allowed to eat meat. For example, the job of a Kshatriya was to fight with the enemy and protect the people. So, they required a lot of energy. Hence, Kshatriyas were allowed to eat meat. In the same way, a farmer who requires a lot of physical work was allowed to eat meat. On the other hand, other castes like Brahmins who do Prayer and intelligent work requiring less hard labor were restricted from eating meat. In the same way, weavers, and businessmen were not allowed to eat meat.
Aside from that, some nonvegetarian products like meat and chicken are hard to digest. If you do not have enough body movement, it will be hard for you to digest that food and you will be unnecessarily inviting ailments.
6. We get the human body after our soul passes through 84,00,000 species.
Hindus believe we get a human body after our soul passes through 84,00,000 species. Initially, critics of Hinduism used to say that this is just a myth, so many species do not exist. But with the advent of science, it is revealed that there are about 84,00,000 species on the earth. So, the above statement is symbolic of the fact that a human being is born through evolution and we human beings are at the most advanced stage of evolution.
7. How do yogis float in the air?
You must have seen in some advertisements or cartoon films based on Hindu mythologies that some yogis possess the power of floating in the air while meditating. This can be explained by the phenomenon of superconductivity. This is a possible scientific explanation.
Superconductivity is a phenomenon in which the electrical resistance of certain materials becomes exactly zero, below a characteristic temperature, usually well below 0 degrees Celcius. For example, some cuprate-perovskite ceramic materials become superconductors at -183 degrees Celcius.
When the material becomes a superconductor, magnetic lines do not pass through them and they float in the air. This can be easily demonstrated in the lab using liquid nitrogen and the superconductor material. The same principle applies to the body of the Yogi.
In Dnyaneshwari, written by Saint Dnyaneshwar, he has described his experience of what happens when Kundalini Shakti arises in the body. He has mentioned that it feels like Kundalini power drinks all the blood and eats up all the flesh in your body and your body becomes extremely cold. After some time, it again regenerates everything and your body becomes as fresh as a newborn.
It is quite possible that when the temperature of the yogi’s body decreases, it reaches a point where the yogi’s body becomes a superconductor, and hence, the gravitational lines do not pass through his body and he floats in the air. Though there is no proof of this, it is quite possible.
Hence, it is not a superstition that yogis float in the air. The ad makers who mock Hindus in ads by making fun of yogis floating in the air should consider this fact.
8. The Theory of the Atom was First Put Forth by an Indian scientist, Kanada.
We learn in science textbooks that everything in this universe is made up of atoms, i.e., an atom is the smallest part of the matter and this theory was first put forth by Dalton. Hence, the theory is known as Dalton’s atomic theory. But this theory was first put forth by an Indian scientist Kanada before 500 B.C. It is not just a rumor but it is a proven fact. The evidence is there to prove this but still, the credit goes to Dalton and not to Kanada.
9. The Sun is Stationary.
We now know that the sun is stationary and the Earth revolves around it. This fact is stated in Aitreya Brahmanas which could date to the 6th century BCE. A verse from Aitreya Brahmanas (2.7) is as follows:
“The [sun] never really sets or rises. In that they think of him ‘He is setting,’ having reached the end of the day, he inverts himself; thus he makes evening below, day above. Again in that, they think of him ‘He is rising in the morning,’ having reached the end of the night he inverts himself; thus he makes day below, night above. he never sets; indeed he never sets.”
This verse is not metaphorical. It clearly states that the sun doesn’t set or rise, but it seems the composer did not know that the Earth revolves around the sun and therefore day and night happen. He assumes the sun inverts himself and that causes days and nights.
10. Time is Different on Different Planets.
In Hindu scriptures, it is mentioned that one day of Lord Brahma is equivalent to 8.64 billion human years. Also, one divine year (a year of gods) is equivalent to 360 human years.
It proves that Hindus know since ancient times that time is different on different planets.
11. The ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu are very similar to Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.
A. Matsya (Fish) – Animals in the water like fish are born.
B. Kurma (Tortoise ) – Animals who can live both on land and in water are born.
C. Varaha (Boar) – Herbivorous animals are born.
D. Narasimha (Lion) – Carnivorous animals are born.
E. Vamana (Dwarf) – Dwarf people are born.
F. Parashuram (Man with an ax) – People started using iron (iron age).
G. Rama (Man with bow and arrow) – People developed skills using semi-modern weapons like bow and arrow.
H. Krishna (Clever man with Sudarshan Chakra) – People became shrewd and started using more advanced weapons (heralding Kali Yuga).
I. Buddha (who has attended wisdom) – People became clever and started advancing to the modern age.
J. Kalki – Very advanced human beings, both technologically and genetically.
12. The Big Bang Theory is inspired by the Hiranyagarbha mentioned in the Rig Veda.
According to Hindu scriptures, the universe was created from an egg that is called Hiranyagarbha. Hiranyagarbha means a golden womb or egg. The Sanskrit word for the universe is Brahmanda which means an “egg of Brahma” or “an expanding egg.” The Hiranyagarbha separated into two to form the sky and the earth.
According to some models of the Big Bang theory, the initial singularity is a singularity that contains all the matter, energy, and space-time. The universe that we see today was once squished into an infinitely small, dense, and ultra-hot point. This initial singularity is nothing but a supermassive black hole that engulfs the whole universe at the end.
For more information, please read the e-book What Exactly Is A Shiva Lingam.
13. Bacteriophages in the Ganges water kill harmful bacteria.
Ganga is the holiest river of Hindus and they believe that bathing in its waters removes sins. It has been found that the Ganges water contains viruses called bacteriophages that kill harmful bacteria in the water. They survive only in the Ganges. Ancient sages knew this and they gave the river the status of a goddess and the holiest river. It is one of the solid pieces of evidence that there is definitely some science in Hinduism.
14. Similarities between a Shiva lingam and a nuclear reactor.
- The shape of a Shiva lingam is similar to a nuclear power plant.
- The axial view of a damaru (a musical instrument) of Lord Shiva also looks somewhat like a containment building of a nuclear reactor.
- The base of a lingam looks similar to a round structure at the bottom of a nuclear reactor containment building that is used to dispose of polluted water.
- Water is used to cool a nuclear reactor. In the same way, water dribbles on a Shiva lingam from a vessel hung over it. Also, Hindus pour water and milk on top of it.
- Most nuclear reactors are built near an abundant source of water. Many Lord Shiva temples are found near an abundant sources of water, especially rivers.
- Lord Shiva is known as a destroyer. A nuclear reactor can also be used for destruction.
- It is scientifically proved that an extract of bel leaf (Aegle marmelos) reduces the symptoms of radiation-induced sickness and increases the survival of the victim. Hindus offer bel leaves on a Shiva lingam as they are favorites of Lord Shiva.
15. Chitragupta and the Near-Death Experience.
Life review is a phenomenon that happens during near-death experiences in which people see the summary of their lives in a flash. Interestingly, in Hinduism, there is a god named Chitragupta who keeps records of the good and bad karma of people and decides whether the person would go to hell or heaven.
Do you know what the name Chitragupta means? It means “one who secretly takes pictures”. It implies that since ancient times Hindus were aware of this phenomenon that modern science discovered recently.
16. The concept of the multiverse is mentioned in the Hindu scriptures.
Some scientists believe that there are many universes like the one we are living in. The same concept is mentioned in many Hindu texts.
“Every universe is covered by seven layers? earth, water, fire, air, sky, the total energy, and false ego ? each ten times greater than the previous one. There are innumerable universes besides this one, and although they are unlimitedly large, they move about like atoms in You. Therefore You are called unlimited.” Bhagavata Purana 6.16.37
17. Pushpaka Vimana – a mind-controlled airplane.
In the Valmiki Ramayana, it is said that Pushpak Vimana moves about by thoughts of a concentrated mind (Sundara Kanda, Chapter 8). Initially, it was thought to be impossible, but now scientists have successfully engineered airplanes that can be controlled with the brain.
18. Sage Agastya invented dry batteries and electricity thousands of years ago.
In an ancient text, Agastya Samhita, Sage Agastya gives details about how to make a dry battery. Watch the following video for further details.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-7Y3UuejOs
19. The World Is A Hologram.
Recently, some scientists are claiming that the universe that we live in is a hologram. What it means is that the information that makes up what we perceive as a 3D reality is stored on a 2D surface, including time. This means, essentially, everything you see and experience is an illusion.
In Hinduism, there is a concept of Maya in Advaita philosophy. Maya originally denoted the magic power with which a god can make human beings believe in what turns out to be an illusion.
20. Rukma Vimana and Modern Spacecrafts:
Recently, SpaceX took four passengers into Earth orbit in a spacecraft named Crew Dragon. In
Vaimanika Shastra, a book on aviation, there is a design of an airplane named Rukma Vimana.
The text was revealed in 1952 by G. R. Josyer who asserted that it was written by Pandit Subbaraya Shastry (1866–1940), who dictated it during the years 1918–1923. The first spacecraft was launched in 1957.
If you look at the above pictures, you can see that these designs look very similar. So how could a Pandit in India imagine the design of a spacecraft 34 years before the launch of the first spacecraft? Can it just be a coincidence?
I don’t think so, because airplanes are mentioned in Hindu texts thousands of years before even modern science imagined them.
21. Intermittent Fasting:
Intermittent fasting is an essential part of Hindu culture. Most Hindus fast at least one day a week in the name of a god.
Recently scientists discovered that intermittent fasting is very beneficial for our health. It helps in weight loss, lowers the risk of diabetes type 2, is good for the brain, and also reduces the risk of cancer.
If you know more facts related to science in Hinduism, please use the comment section to let us know.
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