A Novel Way to Introduce the Vedic World View

[Guest guest]

One might be skeptical how much interest might be generated by presentations

on the ancient Vedic world view amongst educated audiences in today's fast

pace hi-tech lifestyle. There is a great deal of responsiveness out there,

according to the experience of His Holiness Romapada Swami. Romapada Swami,

a longtime teacher of Krishna consciousness in the northeastern region of

the United States has had remarkable success using Sadaputa Prabhu's CD

"Mysteries of the Sacred Universe" to introduce the world view of

Srimad-Bhagavatam to both academic and professional audiences.

 

Romapada Swami started scheduling programs with the help of university

bhakti-yoga clubs and Indian congregational members, but persons impressed

with his presentation have arranged that he speak to employees within such

places of business as Lucent Technology and Microsoft. Audiences ranging

from 25 to 80 have attended these presentations.

 

Romapada Swami presents an overview of the topics covered in the CD by

selecting chosen segments from the menu of the CD, and then plays segments

of the forty-eight minute "Mysteries" video to illustrate the concepts,

pausing after key segments are shown and discussing them to make sure the

audience understands each topic.

 

The Srimad-Bhagavatam's description of the universe is very different from

modern science's description. Although the Bhagavatam's "Earth" (disk-shaped

Bhu-mandala) may look unrealistic, careful study shows that the Bhagavatam

uses Bhu-mandala to represent at least four reasonable and consistent

models: (1) a polar-projection map of the Earth globe, (2) a map of the

solar system, (3) a topographical map of south-central Asia, and (4) a map

of the celestial realm of the demigods. These are described in the video one

after another.

 

As an introduction to Romapada Swami's discussion of the Mysteries CD,

particularly at the hi-tech venues, he presents three reasons why it is

worthwhile for the audience to thoughtfully and attentively consider this

subject.

 

1) The subject matter is interesting. One reason that makes it VERY

interesting is that the Bhagavata understanding of the solar system, which

encodes planetary distance information and sophisticated understandings of

the structure and the relative motion of various planets within the

universe, presents understandings with GREAT empiric accuracy, compared to

modern science, close to a 1-to-1 match, without the use of technology!! In

contrast, the early Greek and medieval calculations were very far from

matching our modern scientific calculations. "How was this accuracy and

sophistication reached?!" [Answer: "Descending knowledge!"]

 

2) Based on the strength of the Jyotisa parts of the Vedas being so

profoundly accurate, credibility is added to the portions of the

Srimad-Bhagavtam and other Vedic texts that are not empirically verifiable.

 

3) Since we are part of the universe, as Sadaputa says in the beginning of

the video, "The way we view the universe has a great impact on how we view

ourselves.What is life, what is this place in which we live?" Thoughtful

persons ask these questions, and in any case we all are carrying some

conception of the universe, and we in turn live our life resonating with or

accommodating that conception.

 

>From the historical point of view, when India was colonized by the British

years ago, some Westerners, motivated by a desire to decrease the faith of

the indigenous people in their own scriptures and a hope to convert them to

Christianity, sought to discredit the statements of India's scriptures. The

cosmological descriptions of the Puranas with their oceans of milk and

yogurt and mountains many miles high, appeared to be a weak point that could

be used to dismantle faith in the entire world view and so they were

ruthlessly ridiculed. One can argue that Srila Prabhupada's insistence that

the monumental Mayapur temple contain a Vedic model of the universe or

planetarium is meant to reverse this process and use astronomy to establish

faith in the authority of the Vedas. Srila Prabhupada said in a letter to

Svarupa Damodara, dated April, 27,1976, "So now you all Ph.D.'s must

carefully study the details of the 5th Canto and make a working model of the

universe. If we can explain the passing seasons, eclipses, phases of the

moon, passing of day and night, etc. then it will be very powerful

propaganda." If a person develops faith in the authority of the Vedas by

seeing they contain truth in different departments of knowledge like

astronomy, then it is easier for such a person to understand the philosophy

and practice of Krishna consciousness which are described in the Vedas.

 

After his presentation, at his book table, Romapada Swami has had great

success in selling Sadaputa Prabhu's Mysteries of the Sacred Universe books

and Interactive CDs. With the exception of distributors like Bhaktivedanta

Books Limited and Bhaktivedanta Library Services, Romapada Swami has

purchased and sold more of these books than any other individual devotee

customer. Since the book and CD came out in November of 2000, Maharaja has

purchased for resale 103 books and 176 CDs.

 

Other devotees also find these materials useful. Longtime GBC for Southern

California, Badrinarayana Prabhu, who has bought 23 CDs himself, gives them

as presents to the teenage children of his life members. Of the CD, he said,

"It is excellent. By the way, people get a real kick out of the animated

movie of the flow of the Ganges (down Mount Sumeru to Bharata-varsa). You

feel like you need to buckle up for the ride. Please offer our appreciation

to Sadaputa prabhu for this important work, skillfully presented."

 

If you think the subject of astronomy is not of interest, the Mysteries of

the Sacred Universe deals with much more. Evidence of very similar ideas in

geographically separated cultures is described, as well as evidence that

ancient units of measurement including the Bhagavatam's yojana were based on

the size of a degree of latitude, and also correlations between the date of

the start of Kali-yuga and the Biblical flood of Noah's ark, etc.

 

For more information on the Mysteries of the Sacred Universe book, CD, and

video, please consult our web site at http://www.sacreduniverse.com , write

an e-mail to bvi (AT) afn (DOT) org, or call (386) 462-0466. (If you want to order,

please do so before July 24, since our shipper will be away for much of

August.)