दार्शिकीवेद्याः चन्द्रमण्डलेन सह साम्यत्वम्

In the National Seminar at the Central Sanskrit University, Sringeri, on the Dārśikī-iṣṭi, Prof RN Iyengar was invited to speak about Śrautakarmasu Vaijñānikī Dṛṣṭiḥ (Scientific perceptions in Śrauta rites) on 24-Mar-2023.

Context by Prof RNI:

We respect our cultural, historical roots going back to the Vedas. What are the Vedas, what do they contain? Should we just accept commentaries on the Vedas by ancient teachers which are mostly about yajñas or ignore the Samhita, Brāhmaṇa, Sutra parts and rely only on the Upanishads as philosophy (Vedānta)? Or should we accept the western approach of PIE and linguistic interpretations which is to look at the Vedas as relics of ancient past preserved orally as sacred literature by a handful of Vaidikas. It is important to factor of the all-encompassing sarvāntaryāmitva concept of the fully bloomed Vedic dharma to more fully explore the Vedas.

Vedas as texts in their original language have become accessible now to everyone in print. It is no more a preserve of the few. Several interpretations are possible, some internal to the Indic culture and others totally foreign. As I started grappling, I found that Yāskācārya in his Nirukta upholds in many places the adhi-daivata-pakṣa, which explains devatā of the Ṛgveda as natural objects/forces/events/phenomena. This is very close to what we may term “scientific” since such meanings can be verified objectively, when ‘actions in the sky and/or numbers’ are described.

I was requested to speak in Sanskrit , and the slides are available here - Śrautakarmasu Vaijñānikī Dṛṣṭiḥ [Scientific perceptions in Śrauta rites].

Snippets from the talk: