Washington Vedic Cultural Foundation

The basis of Hinduism where science meets Vedic religion:

Hinduism is not the name of a particular religion in the narrow modern sense but it stands for a cultural tradition that developed over thousands of years on the South-Asian subcontinent, now embracing many different religions, such as Vaisnavism, Saivism, Saktism, and others. Hinduism comprises both arts and science, besides rituals and festivities and detailed ethical regulations for individuals. It was the highest aim of Hindus to find satyam, truth/reality, which could be approached in many ways and appear in many forms.

The word Veda means knowledge and are the most sacred scriptures of Hinduism. The Vedas are also called Sruti meaning that was heard and revealed by ascetics. The Vedas are also considered to be uncreated, eternal and are known to exist as sound syllables. The Vedas contain hymns, incantations and rituals. Apart from their spiritual values, they provide mankind with values for everyday life.

The Vedas cover all fields of knowledge both material and spiritual. The Vedas constitute the principal source of ancient wisdom and the Upavedas and Upanishads are an integral part of the vedic texts. The Upanishads are of philosophical nature and it is actually the Upavedas that contain information which could be regarded as forming the basis for modern science. To mention a few

• Artha-Veda-dealing with statecraft

• Ayur-Veda-concerns medicine and health

• Dhanur-Veda-discusses military science

• Gandhrva-Veda-unfolds music and arts

• Sthapatya-Veda-explains architecture

The Vedanga are six auxiliary disciplines of Hinduism that developed in ancient times and have been connected with the study of the Vedas:

1. Shiksha (śikṣā): phonetics and phonology (sandhi)

2. Chandas (chandas): meter

3. Vyakarana (vyākaraṇa): grammar

4. Nirukta (nirukta): etymology

5. Jyotisha (jyotiṣa): astrology (Hindu astronomy)

6. Kalpa (kalpa): ritual

Vedic religion is the basis of Hinduism and the beliefs and rituals in Hinduism have their roots in Vedic religion.  The Vedas and its concepts of science have always been linked to spirituality and this happens to be one of the reasons for their lack of recognition.