Few months back, I went to Pune for my guest lecture. During the question-and-answer session, a girl told me, 'Sir, I am studying Vedas because I want to become an astronaut, and all the science is present in our Vedas.' I replied, 'Can you tell me where the value of g = 9.8 m/s² is mentioned anywhere? It's nowhere. I explained that if you don’t know the value of g, how will you escape the Earth?'
Nowadays, there's been a worrying trend where some influential figures including ministers and even scientist working in reputed organization claiming that all scientific knowledge and modern innovation already exists in ancient texts like the Vedas, they argue that rocket science, quantum mechanics, newtons law, genetic science everything is there in Vedas. These claims are not just problem because they are factually incorrect but misusing Science for national Pride can hampers our scientific growth. My question to them is If everything indeed lies within our ancient scriptures, why haven't we created COVID-19 vaccine, reached the moon sooner, or achieved other groundbreaking feats centuries ago by using Vedas. As of September 2023, no Indian university is ranked in the top 200 universities by the Times World rankings and we have only two noble prizes in physics.
Relying on ancient texts like the Bhagavad Gita or Ramayana to make irrational claims about scientific knowledge only adds fuel to this misguided fire. I am not against anyone's beliefs, and I totally agree that one can gain wisdom from the Vedas but it is important to understand the limitation. While ancient texts may offer profound philosophical insights, but you can never get maxwell equation of electromagnetism from it because it’s came from the mind of maxwell. The real concern arises when such false claims start seeping into educational systems, influencing young minds. Many students seriously begin searching for scientific truths in ancient texts, diverting their focus from essential subjects, which leads to the cultivation of self-pride and the growth of ignorance.
Before saying that the newton laws already mentioned in our ancient text one must know that newton does not only give the three laws of motion but he also solved the complex problems and invented entire new branch of physics. He dedicated his life to science and today without using Newtonian mechanics we cannot even launch satellite in space. We should never forget Madame Curie sacrificed her life for groundbreaking research on radioactivity, ultimately leading to her premature death from radiation-related illness. Today her research has been used to develop cancer treatments which saves life of many people.
We should respect scientists for their hard work and contribution instead of trying to mix it with the Vedas. Let's honour their dedication to humanity, rather than claiming they took ideas from our ancient texts, than only our country can scientifically progress. In our pursuit of national pride, let's not lose sight of the true essence of science: curiosity, inquiry, and evidence-based exploration. Embracing our cultural heritage is enriching, but it should never stop the quest for genuine progress. Let's inspire the next generation not with myths of the past, but with the wonders of a future shaped by rigorous scientific inquiry and innovation.