Theory of Relativity and Hindu story

"Sahasra yuga paryantam ahar yad brahmano viduh ratrim yuga sahasrantamte ho ratra vido janah"

By human calculation, a thousand ages taken together is the duration of Brahma's one day. And such also is the duration of his night. Since theory of Relativity is complex let us understand this through mythological story.
One of the very first time travel stories recorded in history appears in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, speculated to be written as early as 400 BC.

The story follows a king Kakudmi, his daughter Revati, and their search for a perfect suitor. Kakudmi humbly bowed and made his request to Lord Brahma:
O Brahma! To whom sahall I  betroth this daughter? I have searched for many princes and seen also a good many of them and none of them is to my liking and so my mind is not at rest. Brahma laughed at the foolishness of the king. Brahma said o king! The Prince that you thought would become the bridegroom of your daughter, all died; their sons and grandsons and their friends even have all passed away. Brahma goes on to explain, time runs differently on different planes of existence. During the time they had waited in Brahmaloka to see him, 27 chatur yugas , had passed onearth, everything that kakudmi had and owned, his friends and family, his sons and wife, his armies and treasures, had vanished with the time that had passed. The king and his daughter were overcome with astonishment and grief for everything they had lost, but Brahma comforted them, and recommended a worthy husband currently on earth: Balarama, the twin brother of  Krishna.
Is this because the plane or abode of the creator was only to be inhabited at a higher speed much higher than the speed of light?
Is it possible that srimad Bhawata was actually referring to a phenomenon that Einstein later came to in his Theory of Relativity and the effects of Travel at or over the speed of light.
Were king Kakudmi and his daughter two unwitting time travellers? What they thought were just minutes in front God Brahma. Millennia had taken place at home. When they came back from Brahmaloka, they did so to a vastly different place.
What is really interesting though, is how similar their view of time was 2500 years ago to how Physics and aAstronomers conceptualize space- time today.

 In the theory of Relativity as proposed by Albert Einstein, this is relative to  the observers frame of reference. It depends on the observers motion and strength of gravity. For instance one could argue that time here on earth runs slower than in space because gravity slows the passage of time. In the sane way that Einstein says time is relative to the observers frame of reference. It depends on the observers motion and strength of gravity, Brahma tells the father and daughter 2500 years before Einstein was even born that, time runs differently on different planes of existence. That is, during the time they had waited in Brahmaloka to see Brahma 27 chatur yugas had passed on earth.  

Story of Leelavati

Leelavati was the daughter of famous Mathematician and Astrologer Bhaskara2.

 Bhaskara was apprehensive about his daughter's inquisiveness and curiosity. The little girl Leelavati asked her father many questions and gained a lot of knowledge this way. As she grew up, Bhaskara decided to get Lilavati married. In this process, Bhaskara perused Lilavathi's horoscope. He was shocked when he found out that Lilavati would not have a happy married life if she did not get married at a particular auspicious time. He did not tell Lilavati about this, as he despised hurting his daughter. He made all arrangements to make sure that Lilavati would get married at the auspicious time. In order to make sure that he did not miss this particular time, he kept a cup with a small hole at the bottom of a vessel filled with water, arranged so that the cup would sink at the beginning of the destined auspicious hour. He forewarned Lilavati not to go near the vessel. When Bhaskara was not around, Lilavati, could not hold her curiosity and went to see what her father had devised. When Lilavati went close to the device, she bent forward to get a closer look. A little pearl from her nose ring fell into the water. She rushed back in a hurry so that her father would not find out what she was up to. The little pearl at fell into the water upset the calculations made by Bhaskara and the wedding took place, but not at the auspicious hour. As destined, Lilavati's husband died a few days after the marriage. Bhaskara brought back his widowed daughter to his residence. She seemed disinterested in the normal day to day activities. Bhaskara found it very difficult to see these changes in his daughter. He thought of a way to get her out of her depressed state. He posed arithmetic problems at Lilavati about the things around her and asked her to find  the solutions to the problems. Lilavati the brilliant girl that she was, solved all the problems posed to her. Lilavati's mind which was busy in solving the problems posed by her father never again got depressed.
Bhaskara wrote Siddhanra Shiromani in 1150 AD. This colossal work is divided into four parts. Lilavati, Bijaganita, Ganitadhyaya and Goladhyaya and consists of about 1450 verses. 

Alamelamma's curse to Mysore kings

"Talakadu maralagali malangi maduvagali, mysuru doregalige makkalillade hogali"
" may the city if talakadu turn into sand, may the town of malangi turn into a whirlpool, may the rajas of Mysore not have children for eternity"
This was the legendary curse uttered by Alamelamma before she leapt to death by jumping off a cliff into the whirlpools of river kaveri at Talakadu.

The story of the curse unfolds like this:

There was a guy called tirumala ho died of a disease called " disease of the kings". His wife Alamelamma owned a lot of jewellery. As a widow, she had no further use of these jewellery so she donated them to the temple of Sri Ranganayaki. Every Friday and tuesday, the statue of goddess was decorated with those jewellery and on other days they were kept in Alamelamma's safe. The temple authorities requested raja wodeyar to give them the custody of jewels so Raja Wodeyar sent a couple of army to  seize  those jewels from Alamelamma. She got really pissed and uttered those terrible words and jumped into river kaveri at talakadu.

Effects of curse:

1. The city of Talakadu was completely buried under sand and was abandoned by its residents. Even today the temple lie buried under sand and are dug and exposed every twelve years.
   
2. At Malangi, the river turns extremely vigorous and whirlpools are a common sight.
3. Every alternate generation of Wodeyars have had a problem with heirs ,
   
   the current king Yaduveer krishnadatta chamaraja Wadiyar was adopted by srikantadatta Wadiyar who had problem with heirs. On November 20, 2015, Yaduveer was titled the new maharaja of Mysuru.

Plausible logical explanation to all these effects of the curse as investigated by Historians , Geologists, Archeologists and Scientists:

1. In 1336, Madhava mantri, a minister from vijayanagara Empire built an anekattu, a dam across the river just about Talakaaadu. This dam is likely to dry up the river path exposing the sand banks of the river. And Talakadu receives strong winds from the northwest and the Southwest which could move sand particles towards Talakadu.
   
   
   Thus the sand covering the town of Talakadu is a consequence of the movement of the movement of the particles from the river  and over  the 18 century, the city was slowly abandoned by its residents due to accumulation of sand.
   
2. Geologists have demonstrated that there is an active fault running along the path of the river which made the river kaveri shift its course. Also, the river takes sharp turn at Malangi and the water is quite deep resulting in the vigorous torrents and formation of whirlpools. 
   
   
3. This is probably one of the most speculated question of all time. The first two could be geological reasons but how the hell do you explain the lack of heirs in the Royal family, given that none of the previous rajas were impotent?  Well, its genetics. Wodeyars married within their urs community. There were only about a dozen of "well bred" inter- married urs families from which all the spouses of the Wodeyar family came from. This may have caused something called inbreeding depression".
   
   Only 10 out of 19 rulers didn't have heirs. All the adopted rulers had heirs but their second generation did not, because of this "inbreeding depression". But as of now so many kings have married princess belonging to Gujarat and Rajasthan, currently on 27 June 2016 Yaduveer Krishnadatta chamaraja Wadiyar is married to Trishika kumari Devi, who hails from the royal family of Rajkot, Rajasthan.

All the Mysurians are hoping and praying in this concern that Alamelamma's curse come to an end and the Wodeyar's family cherish in prosperity and Happiness, as the Wodeyar dynasty had highly contributed to the development of Mysuru. 

Science behind Indians eating food by hands

The hands are a major center for tactile sensations which are processed by the most advanced portion of the brain- the cortex. A more recent discovery is that tactile sensations also involve other portions of the brain to literally give us a 3D image of what we are touching. So its no wonder that Indians who eat with their hands insist the food tastes much better this way!. They are absolutely right. This is called mindful eating. So Indians who eat with their hands get a multidimensional experience of their food. We get more bang for our buck thanks to touching our food. We Indians get

• The sight of food
• The smell of food
• The texture/ temperature of food.

 Indian food is traditionally served in a thali like a palette of flavours and textures which we can combine in various combinations and permutations and get a different experience ever time.
However some common myths about why Indians eat with their hands should be discarded such as

Indians didn't have spoons?

Its certainly not for a lack of spoons. Indians used spoons gir religious rituals everyday and we had very cool looking spoons  to boot.

Indians were poor to afford utensils?

Even wealthy and middle class Indians eat with their hands, so its not because of poverty.

Indians were unaware of different cultures?

Indians were well travelled from ancient times with traders trading goods as far off as Egypt, Rome and China so they knew how non ndians used to eat food with utensils. 

So one can assume it was a deliberate decision, a well thought out decision.

Importance of ganga jal

Ganges originates in the western Himalayas, the river has great spiritual significance to Hindus, who worship it as the goddess ganga. Its water popularly called gangajal is considered sacred and is used in many religious rituals. A holy dip in ganga river  is said to remove the sins of several births. Merging the ashes of the departed in the Ganges water is said to confer them liberation.

Ever wondered why our ancestors plain ignorant when they used gangajal for purifying everything no!. It has been determined that, there is variety of bacteriophage present in water of the Ganges which origin in Himalaya. Bacteriophage are special variety of viruses which have capacity to enter their genetic material in the bacterial body, take control, modify functioning and burst it up, and multiply at the same time. Thus majorly killing almost all the bacterial population in the water. These bacteriophages can not infect humans. Thus, the water of the Ganges considered very pure and purifying.

The above pic depicts the life cycle of bacteriophage. Oval shaped figure is bacteria, and crystal shaped spikey figure is bacteriophage.  The ayurvedic, naturopathy's and other supportive medical authorities have authenticated that regular use of this holy water is helpful in keeping the users healthy, robust and strong.
 Hence it is our duty to keep ganga and major rivers of India clean without polluting it. Public awareness and government interest is necessary in this concern.

Science behind smearing of cowdung outside household

This is still in practice in villages. The cowdung is collected, diluted and smeared in the courtyard which is exposed to sun. In this blog I will be focussing on science behind this practice.

Cowdung is a great source of  methane CH4. Microbes found in this cowdung are mostly anaerobic and release methane as a byproduct of their oxidation activities. When this methane in the cowdung spread comes in contact with air and sun' s heat, it is converted to formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is antimicrobial and germicidal. It even kills spores of bacteria. Thus providing as a pretty good nature friendly disinfectant.

Cowdung has 3 to 4% of bacteria by mass, so the methane produced is proportionate. The cowdung used is diluted further, so is the amount of formaldehyde produced. This formaldehyde is volatile as well, therefore its a daily practice. Also cowdung is being tested for absorbing alpha, beta and even gamma rays. This is still a proposed theory.

Panchamrita importance

Panchamrita is a sweet concotion used in Hindu worship and in the prayer rituals known as pujas. The name comes from the Sanskrit, pancha, meaning five and amrit, meaning immortal or nectar of the gods. Traditional recipe for panchamrita consists of five ingredients: raw milk, curd, honey, sugar and ghee. These five ingredients which when combined together enhances the quality of each other and acts like amrit ie., nectar and hence it is called panchamrita.

Panchamrita recipe:

Following are the quantities of ingredients used to prepare panchamrita, special care should be taken not to mix equal quantities of ghee and honey, as it is a poison, but if taken in different quantities it enhance each other and healthy. 

Sugar -  1 tsp

Curd   - 1 tsp

Honey - 1 tsp

Milk.  - 5 tsp

Ghee. - 2 tsp 

Mix the above ingredients in indicated quantity in a bowl, panchamrita is ready .

What makes panchamrita special is its five ingredients. Milk, preferably cow's milk is light to digest, nourish body and mind, improves strength of muscles and body. Curd which acts as a probiotic and contains essential amino acids also helps in digestion. Ghee increases memory, intellectual power, increases digestive capacity. Honey in ayurveda is said as "yogavahi" which  acts as carrier, it increases the qualities of other four ingredients and lastly sugar provides energy, reduces fatigue, dryness in body. Panchamrita is useful to tackle acidity and fatigue, immunity booster, promotes emotional and mental health and it is highly recommended during first trimester of pregnancy. 

Purpose of conducting abhisheka for idols

Abhishekha is Sanskrit word to describe the process of cleaning and washing the sacred idols of Hindu god and godess in any temple during a pooja. It is a daily ritual performed by the priests in any temple, where in the idols are washed with milk, honey, curd, etc and finally bathed in water as a purification process and later it is distributed among the devotees.

What is the purpose of conducting the abhishekha?

There have been debates regarding  conducting abhishekha for stone idols in temples. These age old granite idols have the tendency to develop cracks on ageing. Regular contact with agents such as milk, honey and oil help in keeping the idol intact, thus preserving these ancient sculptures.

 Another interesting observation is that, the base on which these idols are mounted, is made up of specific alloy of gold, silver and traces of lead, which have medicinal properties when combined with milk and honey. This is why milk and panchamrita from the abhishekha that are distributed are said to have special properties that cure many diseases.

Science behind Hindu temple

When we visit any Hindu temple we usually ring the bell, and see mangalarathi of god, put our hands over the camphor flames, drink theertham, apply tilak given by priest and finally the pradakshina around the garbhagriha. In this blog let us know the scientific reason behind this rituals that we do in all temples that we visit.

Five senses of human body are activated:

Yes, the reason is five senses of human body are activated. Ringing the temple bell when we enter the temple hearing sense activated. The moment we ring the bell it 

Produces a sharp and enduring sound which lasts for minimum of seven seconds in echo mode. The duration of echo is good enough to activate all the seven healing centres in our body. This results in emptying our brains from all negative thoughts. Lightning camphor in front of idol sight sense activatated. The inner core of the temple us usually dark where the idol is placed. This light seen inside the  dark activates your sight sense.

Put your hands over the camphor flames and then touch eyes, touch sense activated. Offering flowers to god at the temple smell sense activated the fragrance of the flowers, camphor, instance sticks all together, the strong essense to jeep your smell sense activated and pleasant giving calmness to the mind. Drinking theertha, taste sense gets activates. By drinking this thulasi water you activate the taste sense. After the activation of 5 senses doing pradakshina around the garbhagriha or moolasthana. When you do the pradakshina at this point  of time, you tend to absorb all the positive vibrations once your five senses are activated. This vibration inside the garbhagriha is considerably less and hence it is advised to visit the temple every often and follow the same ritual again.
By applying the tilaka or kumkuma given by the priest on the forehead, between the two eyebrows,  there is a spot that is consudered as a major nerve point in human body since ancient times. While applying kumkuma the points on the mid brain region and adnya- chakra are automatically pressed. This also facilitates the blood supply to the face muscles.

So let us visit Hindu vedic temple with faith and devotion towards creator.

Science behind crow feeding

Earlier when the literacy was very low instilling a fear of god was the only way to put forth scientific ideas and practices involving logical reasoning we have unfortunately forgotten the essence of such genius measures and brushed them away as superstition. In this blog I will be focussing  on one such practices with reason.

Why do we feed crows before a meal?

In the Indian tradition crows are given a special importance as they are considered ancestors. After the meal for the day is prepared, a portion of every dish is kept outside for crows to feast on, so that the members of the family have the satisfaction of having fed their ancestors. Are they really our ancestors or have our forefathers just been spinning yarns? . There is an interesting reason behind this age old tradition. Earlier on, when there was no electricity and hence no proper light in the early hours of the morning people were doubtful of the food they cooked. The crow, as we all know is a natural scavenger that can eat almost anything and that which never refuses food. Interestingly, it can sense the presence of any kind of poison in food. It simply refuses food if it senses poison in it. People from ancient times happened to use the crows as a tester for food. Smartly, without harming it.

Science behind Hindu temples

 There are hundreds of mesmerizing Hindu temple across the country in different design, shape location. But not all temples are built as described in vedic literature.
Let us start with the location and structure of the temple.

Temples are found deliberately at a place where the positive energy is Thereavailable abundantly from the magnetic and electric wave conveyances of north/ south pole push. The idol of god is set in the core centre of the temple, known as garbhagriha or moolasthanam. The moolasthanam is the place where earths magnetic waves are discovered to be most extreme.

Why temple be the tallest construction in the entire town?

As unsaid rule from the ancient times is that the temple should be the tallest construction in that particular town or city. We see this rule in prevalence in the agraharam style of civilization in rural areas. The reason commonly stated is that, 

" God is the supreme ",  and hence the temple must be the tallest,  the actual reason behind this practice is the absorbing power of the temple gopura. The gopura is usually filled with paddy on the inside, which is an excellent absorbent of shock waves. Wherever lightning hits the village, the rays are diverted to the gopura and the excess harmful rays are transmitted to the earth. Beneficial cosmic rays from the atmosphere are retained by the paddy and radiated inside the temple.

Science behind the Indian traditions

Earlier when the literacy was very low instilling a fear of god was the only way to put forth scientific ideas and practices involving logical reasoning we have unfortunately forgotten the essence of such genius measures and brushed them away as superstition. In this blog I will be focusing on one such practice with reason which is said to be superstition.

The ganesha under the peepal tree:

The ganesha sitting beneath the peepal tree is a widely popular deity of worship among women. There is a common belief that women who are unable to conceive will be able to do so if they visit this god everyday in the early morning with wet clothes after the shower and walk in circles around the tree. 

           The secret behind the miraculous success of this practice is the peepal tree. This tree is known to give out high amounts of oxygen and very minimal amount s of carbon dioxide through the day. Oxygen is said to be the best cure for the hormonal imbalances in the body and naturally brings undernourished organs back to normalcy. Gradually, the hormone in the uterus start functioning routinely and the woman is able to conceive. Wet clothes help in better absorption of oxygen, thus ensuring maximum benefit of the ritual. The motive behind placing the cradles with lord Krishna murthy there is to convince the people to follow it in the name of god giving them a reason to diligently pursue it.