Introduction
Vedic knowledge in its current form available and taught is incompatible and unsuitable to be introduced into mainstream education. Even the way traditional institutions such as Sanskrit Universities and gurukulas deal with vedic knowledge is not in line with modern scientific method which is the accepted way to explore knowledge today.
This mismatch of presentation prevents seamless blending of both streams, which is essential for unleashing innovation. Merely introducing Vedic and shaastric knowledge literature in mainstream education will only serve the purpose of inspiring study but not give the power to deploy it.
There are four charateristics of the current presentation of Vedic knowledge that make it difficult for inclusion in scientific education
- extra-sensory, atiindriya unobservable abstractions
- symbolic and figurative language
- prescriptive discourse
- outdated contextual references
What is Scientific?
Modern
education has adopted the scientific method as the acceptable approach
to exploring Truth. For any knowledge to be considered for mainstream
dissemination in this age, it must qualify as scientific. Insistence on this approach as the acceptable way to ascertain truth is justified, as it ensures universal access to verifiable knowledge.
Replicability, testability and falsifiability are key tenets of the scientific method.
Falsifiability
Falsifiability is a fundamental property that a theory must have to qualify as scientific. Here is an overview from Google:
[TechTarget.com] Falsifiability is the capacity for some proposition, statement, theory or hypothesis to be proven wrong. It helps ensure that scientific theories are based on evidence, not just belief. A falsifiable hypothesis must be testable. It must be possible to design an experiment that could disprove it. This means that the hypothesis must be capable of being tested and proven wrong. It does not automatically mean that the hypothesis is invalid or incorrect, only that the potential exists for the hypothesis to be refuted at some possible time or place.
For a hypothesis to be testable, the phenomena it describes must be observable independently. Observable by whom with what faculties is a big question.
Is Vedic knowledge Scientific?
Since falsifiability is an essential requirement to be scientific, it is imperative to present Vedic knowledge not as statements to be believed and followed, but as a hypothesis that is falsifiable, i.e., testable. How to ensure testability of a hypothesis? If we approach Science as Model-based reasoning, it takes care of this requirement naturally.
Model-based Reasoning
A model is a compact representation of a complex system / phenomenon that makes it amenable to reason about the system using finite concepts. Scientific study of a system means the ability to explain why a system behaves the way it does, predict accurately how it will behave in a hypothetical condition, and control its behavior in a desired manner.
A model describes unbounded real-world phenomena with finite concepts by crafting properties to categorize them. The techniques of abstraction and classification are employed for this purpose. A model describes the real-world and explains its behavior in terms of these properties. Whatever applies to a category applies to all its members, thereby achieving brevity. To achieve control, a model classifies transformative actions that change the state of phenomena using the same classification techniques.
In the case of a model, testability means the ability to evaluate how well a model's predicted behavior matches reality, its extent of coverage of the real-world, and how well its actions can transform behavior. So to test a model, one needs the properties used to describe behavior to be observable / measurable, and the actions used to transform behavior to be controllable.
While achieving testability as described above, a model can also introduce abstractions that may not have provable physical reality. Not all abstractions need to be observable. Let's refer to them as internal concepts.
A model is a falsifiable hypothesis on the behavior of reality as it is testable, and inclusive as it doesn't preclude alternate explanations.
Examples
The atomic theory is a model that proposed abstractions called electron, proton and neutron and a composite abstraction called atom to explain and predict the behavior of all materials. Those abstractions are never seen physically, but their implications are scrutinized to establish the validity of atomic theory.
Similarly, Vishnu, shiva, varuna and indra are abstractions in Vedic cosmology of the universe. Certain mantras are postulated to provide access and cooperation of these energies. Recently a varuna yaaga was conducted in Los Angeles that broke 6 years of drought in California by invoking a vedic procedure of using mantras to produce rain. It was a test of the efficacy of the procedure and its underlying cosmological model of Varuna. Varuna as an abstraction is an internal detail of the model, and need not be observable directly but through the effect. That's a validation of the varuna model.
In summary, a model can propose any number of abstractions to explain, predict and control its target real-world phenomenon. Its litmus test is its accuracy in explaining reality. Abstractions are internal details and may not all be observable. That's ok in model-based reasoning.
Similarly, Vishnu, shiva, varuna and indra are abstractions in Vedic cosmology of the universe. Certain mantras are postulated to provide access and cooperation of these energies. Recently a varuna yaaga was conducted in Los Angeles that broke 6 years of drought in California by invoking a vedic procedure of using mantras to produce rain. It was a test of the efficacy of the procedure and its underlying cosmological model of Varuna. Varuna as an abstraction is an internal detail of the model, and need not be observable directly but through the effect. That's a validation of the varuna model.
In summary, a model can propose any number of abstractions to explain, predict and control its target real-world phenomenon. Its litmus test is its accuracy in explaining reality. Abstractions are internal details and may not all be observable. That's ok in model-based reasoning.
Scientific Study of Vedic Knowledge: Challenges
There is growing conviction that Bharat's Vedic knowledge has fresh insights to offer to the modern world in various disciplines. However, Vedic Knowledge as available from heritage is not always in a form in line with modern approach to studying knowledge. There are several challenges in mainstreaming Vedic knowledge:
- Vedic knowledge is broadly classified as paraa and aparaa vidya. The former is purely experiential and is out of scope for external study. The latter is amenable to study as it is available in literature, either oral or written.
- Several concepts mentioned in the body of Vedic knowledge are beyond sensory experience i.e., atiindriya. But they form the basis of much of Vedic knowledge applicable in the modern context. How to handle atiindriya concepts in a scientific framework based on sensory experience and logic is a challenge to address.
- Much of the presentation of Vedic knowledge is in highly symbolic and figurative language. The symbolism needs to be decoded before it becomes amenable to systematic study. This is a major source of errors in interpretation of Vedic knowledge, and traditional scholarship and practice is indispensable to overcome this hurdle.
- Vedic knowledge is expressed in literature often in the form of aphorisms or injunctions assuming a societal and knowledge context very different from today. It might not be straightforward to understand or adapt it to today's changed context. One must learn how to isolate universal principles from contextual statements before interpreting them for a new context. This is another source of errors and loss of fidelity.
Vedic Insights for the Modern World
Offering insights from Vedic knowledge as alternate models of phenomena enables them to be evaluated side by side with contemporary models. Model-based articulation along with showing observability of the input / cause and output / effect parameters makes Vedic knowledge amenable to testing. Not every abstraction that Vedic knowledge introduces in its model needs to be observable. This approach addresses a key hurdle to establishing the falsifiability of Vedic knowledge.
Expressing Shaastras as Models
Every shaastra introduces its own paribhasha or technical terminology to systematically characterize its target phenomenon or vishaya. Describing the real-world in shaastric terminology gives it its explanatory power.
So to express a shaastra as a model, the first step is to identify the shaastra's vishayas or concepts and its paribhasha of categories and their distinguishing properties or lakshanas. The next step is to train people on how to identify shaastriya lakshanas in laukika padarthas or real-world entities, so as to describe them in shaastric terms. Finally, one must learn how to apply shaastra logic to analyze and predict real-world behavior.
Describing and analyzing the real-world in shaastric terms is what we call shaastriya drshti or perspective.
Shaastra Education for 21st Century
To groom the next generation of scholars who can bridge the semantic gap between western and Vedic knowledge and contribute to the future, we recommend a four-stage transformation of shaastra education at both Sanskrit Universities as well as traditional shaastra gurukulas:
- Impart shaastra grantha jnaanam for authentic understanding and interpretation of Vedic knowledge,
- Inculcate shaastriya drshti via skills to extract scientific models from Vedic knowledge sources including shaastras,
- Facilitate shaastra prayoga, i.e., application of shaastric models to analyze contemporary issues,
- Encourage nava shaastra nirmaanam, i.e., building new theories to contribute beyond the state of the art.
Examples of Shaastra-based Models
Here are some examples of models of contemporary utility that Vedic knowledge can offer.
Jyotisha can be interpreted as a model to predict the behavior of a variety of entities based on their time and place of genesis. The basis of the prediction is Vedic theory of the relationship between karma and celestial objects. This relation might not be directly observable, but the accuracy of the prediction can indeed be evaluated.
Vyakarana darshana in general, and Vakyapadiyam in particular offers a universal model of language that enables common machinery for natural language understanding and canonical knowledge representation across all languages. It provides a unified taxonomy to represent constructs of expression and meaning, with different languages as its syntax variations.
Dharma shaastra as traditionally presented prescriptively, looks like a bunch of injunctions on how to organize individual and collective behavior for a progressive society. However, it can also be presented descriptively as a framework for expressing various models of ethics. Today, ethics models need to be incorporated to evaluate compliance of goods and services to regional sensibilities.
Naatya shaastra can be viewed as the science of emotions. As we know, emotions drive the bulk of human behavior and a systematic understanding of emotions goes a long way in shaping behaviors. Natyashaastra can form the basis for emotional communication models.
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