Search:
Bhakti List Archives

Traditional dates vs scientific dates

From the Bhakti List Archives

Jaganath.Bharadwaj • December 14, 1995 


I agree with Murli that there is no reason for followers of Ramanuja
and His illustrious successors to even waste time and energy
pondering over works of "modern scholars" with regard to time and
dates.  The entire current scientific process is to prove a theory by
taking all evidence that support that theory and ignoring evidence
that oppose those theories.  About a decade ago when I was in England
I watched a "scientific presentation" where the scientist showed
evidence about instinctive behaviour in the case of bees and selected
birds and concluded that all animals including dogs, dolphins etc act
only by instinct.  He totally ignored evidence of how dogs have saved
their owners from fires, storms, blizzards etc and in which case the
behavioral pattern is very different from instinctive behaviour.

All this goes back to the example of mistaking a rope for a snake
episodes quoted (I believe from the Chandogya Upanishad) in reference
to evidence of conclusion based on the external senses.  It is
accepted unanimously by all schools of Vedanta philosophy (this
includes Advaita, Visisthadvaita and Dwaita) that evidence based on
inference of what can be perceived by the bodily senses are prone to
inaccuracies.  In order to lead us out of this world of Samsara
Sriman Narayana has sent his trusted aides in the form of Acharyas
who are no more controlled by material nature than is Narayana.  It
is only their word that we should trust.

Jaganath.