NATIONAL
SEMINAR ON VEDIC ASTRONOMY & COSMOLOGY - REPORT
First Day:
The Debate Session:
The Debate on “Vedic Astronomy & Cosmology,” as a part of
the National Seminar was arranged by the I-SERVE, Hyderabad, on 10-12-2006
from 11:00 AM onwards in the Seminar Hall, Department of Astronomy, Osmania
University, Hyderabad.
Procedure
of the Debate:
Sri K.V.Krishna Murthy, Chairman of I-SERVE, in his welcome address informed
the distinguished audience (more than 90 Professors & scientists)
that this is a sort of informal get-together of the traditional pundits
and the modern Astronomical Scientists to exchange notes and views on
the subject. He further informed that a number of questions were collected
beforehand from various modern astronomers on the three aspects of traditional
astronomy (1) Mathematical Astronomy, (2) Puranic Astronomy & (3)
Cosmological Astronomy and that these questions were referred to Sri Madhura
Krishna Murthy Sastry and written answers were obtained to each of the
questions. However, for the sake of the audience present, the questions
would be read out and answer would be explained by Sri Madhura Krishna
Murty Sastry and subsidary questions might be asked by way of clarifications.
Thus explaining the procedure laid out for the conduct of the debate,
Sri K.V.K.Murthy requested Prof.G.Yellaiah, Head of the Department of
Astronomy, Osmania University, Hyderabad, and Prof.G.V.S.R.K.Somayajulu,
Sr.Professional Scientist (Rtd.) IAEA, Austria, to deliver opening remarks.
Opening
Remarks:
Prof.G.Yellaiah, in his opening remarks, summed up the historical background
of Indian Astronomy, while Prof.G.V.S.R.K.Somayajulu pointed out that
the total number of the letters contained in the Mantras of the Vedas
has a specific relation to the calculation of time (days of an year, etc.,).
Soon after,
the debate commenced, the questions were read out by Dr.Raghavaiah &
Dr.Vasudeva Murthy.
Answering
Team:
The answers were presented to the audience by Sri Madhura Krishna Murty
Sastry, duly quoting slokas from the texts and producing Xeroxed material
of various English & Sanskrit texts. Prof.K.Ramasubramanian, CISTS,
Dept. of Humanities & Social Sciences, IIT, Mumbai, had excellently
translated and explained the matter in modern scientific terms, duly drawing
diagrams on the “Black-board” as and when required.
The questions
were mainly posed by many eminent scientist like Dr.Balachandra Rao, Hon.Senior
Fellow, NIAS, Banglore, Former Principal & Prof. Of Mathematics, National
College,
Banglore, Prof.K.Sankara Sastry, Dept. of Astronomy (Retd.) Osmania University,
Hyderabad,
Dr.K.Vasudeva
Murty, Former Principal, C.S.R.Sarma College, Ongole and Dr.Pattipati
Ramaiah, Banglore. The questions were duly answered by the answering team,
leading to lively and at times profound debate, paving way to subsidiary
questions and demands for more explanations, with the active participation
of; stalverts like Prof. V.Kutumba Sastry, Vice Chancellor, Rashtriya
Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi, Prof. G.V.S.R.K.Somayajulu, Sri K.V.Krishna
Murty, Dr. P.Ramaiah, Dr. P.Venkateshwarlu, Dr. C.Subramanya Sastry, Dr.
Ramakrishna, Dr. Ravi etc.It was opined, in general, that though the Indian
traditional texts are full of detailed methods & explanations for
calculations of the motions & positions of planets and stars, they
are not entirely error-free and the original texts explicitly advised
the student to update and improvise the methods of calculations on the
basis of the scientific knowledge and equipment available at the given
time. The traditional scholars, and the modern scientists agreed that
there is great need to take up the task of the “bridging the gap”
of the science available in the old texts and the modern calculations.
Suggestions
of the session:-
At the end, Prof. V.Kutumba Sastry, and Prof. S. Balachandar Rao in their
concluding remarks, expressed that a committee of modern & traditional
astronomers may be constituted to take up the challenging task of correlating
the old and modern methodologies. Accordingly a committee was constituted
with Sri Madhura Krishna Murty Sastry, Prof. S. Balachandar Rao and Prof.
K. Ramasubramanian which will be expanded in due course, as per the needs.
Due to the
involved participation of the delegates in the debate, this session continued
up to 5.30 pm and ended with the vote of thanks proposed by Sri K.V.Krishna
Murthy.
Inaugural
Session of 2 nd Day:
Consequent to the debate that took place on 10.12.2006, the 2nd day sessions
of the Seminar were held on 11.12.2006 at Ahobila Muth, D.D. Colony, Hyderabad.
Sri V.S.R. Moorty, Managing Director, Trinity Agri tek welcomed the gathering
to the inagural session. Sri K.V.Krishna Murthy presided over the inaugural
function and delivered his presidential speech.
Dr. J.S.
Yadav, Director, IICT, the chief guest of the inagural session lit the
lamp and delivered inaugural address. In his speach Dr. J.S.Yadav, appreciated
the efforts of I-SERVE in unearthing the sciences hidden in Vedas and
the ancient literature and expressed his willingness to extend all types
of facilities for research carried out by I-SERVE.
Later on,
the Research Papers Volume of the seminar was released by Dr.J.S. Yadav,
and books written by Sri K.V.Krishna Murthy “ Yoga Vasista Hridyam
& Yogataravali” were released by Prof.V.Kutumba Sastry, Vice
Chancellor, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi. and Prof.B.Gopala
Reddy, Agriculture University, Hyderabad, respectively, who graced the
inaugural function of the seminar as Guests of Honour and delivered their
messages for the success of the seminar. Sri K.Devanathan, Chairman, Ahobila
Muth, read out the special blessings message sent by Ahobila Muth Jear
Swamigal. Prof. N.L.Mohan, of Geophysics Department, Osmania University,
proposed the vote of thanks.
1st Session
of 2nd Day :
This was chaired by Sri Madhura Krishna Murty Sastry and Prof. K.Sankara
Sastry , presented his paper on “ Astronomy – an overview”
followed by two more papers, one by
Dr.K.Vasudeva Murthy on “Cosmos: The Divine and Scientific Aspects
Simsumara Chakram”, and the other by Dr.V.V. Ravi on “Rainfall
and the planets”. The session was summed up by Sri Madhura Krishna
Murty Sastry who enthralled the audience with his unbiased speech on Surya
Siddhantha and other Astronomical aspects.
2nd Session
of the 2nd Day:
This Session, after the lunch break, was chaired by Prof. S.Balachandra
Rao of Bangalore while Prof. K. Ramasubramanian, IIT, Bombay, Dr.S. Sivaram
Babu, Guntur, Sri Anaparti Krishna Sarma Siddhanthi, Hyderabad, Dr. Pattipati
Ramaiah, Bangalore, presented their papers.
Valedictory
Session:
Prof. V.Kutumba Sastry, graced the valedictory session as Chief Guest
and appreciated the efforts of I-SERVE in his address.
Committee
Formed:
Sri Kuppa Venkata Krishna Murthy, in his presidential address, in the
valedictory session, summed up the two-day proceedings and announced the
formation of a “Special Committee”, as desired in previous day’s
proceedings, consisting of ancient and modern scholars in the field of
Astronomy & Cosmology and said that frequent interactive meetings
of this commitee would be arranged by I-SERVE for a better understanding
of the subject. Prof. G.V.S.R.K. Somayajulu, guest of Honour, in his address
appreciated the initiative taken by I-SERVE.
WE-SERVE,
a wing of I-SERVE:
Sri V.S.R. Murty, Guest of Honour, in his speech made a specific proposal
that like minded intellectuals and scientists should meet frequently,
say twice a month, in a place like Ahobila muth and exchange their thoughts
in various vedic sciences, so that the thoughts get consolidated and start
generating new ideas for the growth of vedic sciences. He also suggested
that a separate wing of I-SERVE be started under the nomenclature of WE-SERVE
– meaning “Wide Enquiry – Scientific Research on Vedas”
to stream line these get-togethers. The seminar hall, which is full of
eminent professors of different disciplines, appreciated their proposal
by their thundering applause.
Sri K.Devanathan,
Chairman of Ahobila Muth, Hyderabad and a Guest of Honour of the Session,
in his speech strongly supported this proposal and offered the “Library
Hall” of their Muth as the regular venue for these get together of
WE-SERVE. Then Sri K.V.Krishna Murty, Chairman, I-SERVE, rose up and expressed
his willingness to organize such get-togethers, if the intellectuals so
wish and thanked Sri K.Devanathan for the offer of venue. It was then
desired that the WE-SERVE get-togethers be conducted on 2nd & 4th
Sundays of every month at 3.00 pm in the Library Hall of Ahobila Muth,
Durgabai Deshmukh colony, Hyderabad.
Dr. V.V.
Ravi proposed Vote of thanks. With this, the two day seminar, comprising
debate and technical sessions, concluded very successfully and meaningfully.
The events
of the seminar were flashed by prominent News Papers and T.V.Channels
in their News Bulletins.
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