mumbai

Updated: Mar 02, 2017 19:42 IST

Vedic shlokas are embedded with scientific knowledge, said Arvind Untawale, a retired scientist from Goa, and pushed budding scientists in the city to explore science through ancient scriptures.

Untawale, who was an oceanographer at Indian the Institute of Oceanography at Goa, was speaking at the inaugural session of the eighth Indian Youth Science Congress on Thursday at the University of Mumbai (MU).

The lecture reminded one of the talk on aircraft technology and other scientific discoveries in ancient India at the Indian Science Congress in 2015, which was also hosted by MU. The claims were roundly denounced as untrue and called ‘pseudo-science’ by many academicians and scientists.

Speaking at the convocation hall, Untawale said, “We must think about our past, and what our rishi munis did. They were thinking through meditation. In Hindu tradition, we have the Vedas, which is full of knowledge.”

He said that in addition to their superficial meanings, the Vedic shlokas have also been coded with scientific knowledge, such as information on movements of planets. One needs to be a Sanskrit scholar to decode it, he said.

Untawale rued that the young generation is indifferent to ancient knowledge. “It’s said that we should always be forward looking, but we must not forget our past. There is lot to learn from it,” he said.

When HT asked him about the scientific community’s apprehensions about the various claims made by proponents of Vedic science, he said that the scientific community is “ignorant” of the Vedas. “They don’t know Sanskrit and have not read the Vedas,” he said, adding that the study of ancient science will prove useful to students.

He denied that the proponents of the Vedas exaggerate the scientific knowhows of ancient India. He went on appropriating the theories about paranormal activities in the Vedic era. “Through meditation, the rishi munis were able to develop powers that allowed them to teleport themselves to even other planets.”

The congress, which is being jointly organised by MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, SRM University and Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, is an annual event that provides an opportunity to young researchers to present their work. It will continue through Saturday.

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