Random Thoughts - Pattabhi Sitaraman

In the recently held Indian Science Congress there had been claims of the findings of some of the postulates and theories by Vedic scholars much earlier than the western scientists.  There had also been lots of debunking of the theories by some of the noted scientists like Einstein or Newton.  While the debunking of the theories of Einstein or Newton unless disproved call for a harsh condemnation, it cannot be wholly dismissed that the Vedic scholars prior to the common era in the country had superior knowledge of science and many of the later day findings. In the Ramayana and in the Mahabharata there are enough mention about various 'astra' which were used by the fighting armies to annihilate the opposition.  Some may discount these as the products of fertile imagination of the authors like in the case of Marvel comics.   India prior to the advent of the common era had some of the best scholars in many areas like astronomy, travel by air, hydrography,...

Some time back, I wrote a blog on the various vicious attacks on the Hindus across the nation with a particular reference to the happenings in the state of Tamilnadu.  This got accentuated more since the government of the NDA with BJP leading from the front and Narendra Modi as the PM took office on 26th May 2014.   The opposition has become worried that they may not get to rule the country as they wished earlier after their hiatus for five years.  The various non governmental agencies that were getting funds from abroad had already started feeling the heat from the actions of the government and fear that they may go out of business if the NDA is returned to power.  The opposition parties lead by the grand old party of the country is in total disarray in that they are not able to bring about a credible policy or issue based opposition to the present government.  Instead, their only mantra seems to be to keep Modi out of power in the central government...

In the previous write up we saw how and why the Brahmins of India despite their low percentage of population in the country were able to become a power to reckon with. Let us look at some of the other factors that contributed to the present day position of the Brahmins. The successive rulers in the country from the Guptas to British except for the Muslim rulers had patronised the Brahmins in one form or other.  The quick grasping power of them and their method of study combined with their higher intellectual capacity enabled them to be closer to the powers that be, during the princely kingdoms or during the European rule of the country.  Thus they were enriched with many gifts by way of donation of lands and cattle.  Most of them continued to live a very humble life despite such proximity to the rulers and enjoyed an exalted status in the society. Their genuine concern for cleanliness and hygiene resulted in their trying to avoid any physical or social contact with ...