Of Ancient Star-Gazers and Story-Spinners | Raj Vedam | TEDxUTAustin
Long before the printing press and Google, families passed down knowledge through stories. Stories or myths, through their familiar twists and catchy characters, impart knowledge about the world and crucial moral lessons. Engineer and researcher Dr. Raj Vedam explores the hidden science behind the ancient stories that we often dismiss as myths. Dr. Raj Vedam, a graduate of Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and Oregon State University, Corvallis, is an Electrical Engineer with over 25 years of experience in Power, Electronic Design Automation, and Oil and Gas industries, and the author of several journal and conference papers and patents. His research interests include optimization, analytics and artificial intelligence. He is a reviewer for engineering journals, as well as an external examiner for doctoral thesis in engineering. He has deep interest in prehistory, the history of astronomy and mathematics, and the spread of knowledge, arts, culture and philosophies across cultures. Dr. Vedam researches and critiques the narratives of civilizations, and applies scientific methods to validate historical narratives. He is a founder-member and Director of the think-tank, Indian History Awareness Research (IHAR). This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx
Arundhati-Vasishtha story brought me to tears. Nobody told us the story at our wedding. It’s amazing how the ancients thought about equality in marriage, that too so literally with the husband and wife co-orbiting each other.
And that even 8000 years ago 🙏 That was fabulous 🙏
@@lalitadityamuktapida5737 yes.
Ramaji it doesn’t end there it is the duty of the groom to gently hold his brides cheek and show her the Arundhati-Vasishtha Complex and say that is how we must live copartners in everything we do. Also note that this is named the A-V complex ie Devi is given the prime position.
Same here! When I was shown the general direction of Arundati-Vashista on my wedding day by the priest , I wish I had paid more attention.
Hey, please listen to lectures by Dr. Nilesh Nilkanth Oak. You will be just amazed how much such hidden information he has regarding our ancient culture.
This man is very special. Our cultural ministry should hire him as a distinguished scholar. Hats off to you Raj sir
you have yogi Adityanath and sadhvi pragya plz dont ask more
@@user-lp9vz6lu3t difference is this dude is a scholar who has got authentic proof verified by peers to back it up.
@@adithyadanaj9768 , I appreciate it if you refer to him as "man" instead of western slang dude.
@@ganeshreddy2623 What do you mean western slang ? That whole language itself is western.
A 'rishi' is a person who has gone beyond the thought process dwelling in silence & produces knowledge intiutively using thoughts as just instrument.
This man needs to be given some grant and a unit to pursue some independent research. He will then produce the scholars that will usher India into a balanced atavistic growth of ancient sciences and legacy
Iam ready to be the first student
He is already a researcher
He is linked to IHAR. There is a group from Houston that is doing exactly that.
Hey, please listen to lectures by Dr. Nilesh Nilkanth Oak. You will be just amazed how much such hidden information he has regarding our ancient culture.
Why the world is so silent about ancient india ?!! Its mind blowing , as amazing as ancient egypt ! Theres a huge will to silent the east civilizations ! Look at india and then the brother civilization, afghanistan ! They have changed the origin of that most known emperors of 2500 years ago ! All the source of arabs persians and afghans (khorasan , ariana) talked about "kianian emperors of balkh"! But english and jewish historians are ridiculiously saying it was just a legendary story !!! They say eekiminian (greek pronounciation of kianian) means something else ! Wth!? Kianian are so famous in the region both persia and afghanistan (khorasan,ariana) that every king after them called themselves the grandsons of kianian (if u want ask me i give u documentaries about fake archeological sites in iran with before and after pictures 🤯)!!! this is like a war against this two close civilizations , india ❤ afghanistan (ariana)
Once an ancient Indian about 100000 years ago asked, who are greeks?
Afghan & India are not brother civilizations; They are the same Indus/Sindhu/Hind civilization ! In the Hindu Puranas , Itihasas etc. there are hundreds of references to Afghan places like Gandhara (Khandhar) as Hindu Kingdoms at par with kingdoms in present-day India like Kosala , Dwaraka etc. It's a single civilization from at least Afghan to Indonesia and Kashmir to Sri Lanka.
@@SJ-zo3lz i dont know how exactly it is but pretty sure genetic discoveries have proven that ppl of india are R1a haplo group the same as afghans Sure there was a lot of close relationships like budhism but till hundereds of yrs ago ppl in india spoke in DARI language The effects were in both ways
I knew about the Vashishta -Arundati or Mizar Alcor from my college days and with my cousin I used to observe such famous constellations and stars. We also got to watch the Haley's comet when it appeared in 1986. But the important thing is that these 2 stars were not called as a binary system in those days. All the books used to mention these two as two stars that appeared very close together but not forming a binary system. Only recently (I think 2018 or early 2019) that I read that it is now confirmed that these two stars indeed form a binary system. Regarding Rohini ie., Alderbaran in Taurus , it is a wonderful new information that Dr.Vedam revealed . I bow down and thank him.
One more thing is Indian marriages are normally conducted in the day time and obviously we cannot see any stars. So, when the purohit asks the bride and groom to look up at the sky to identify Vashishtar - Arundathi it is usually a comic situation and some of these rationalists from my state (TN) usually use this to ridicule ancient Hindu customs as being devoid of intellect ..
@@psenji Same here. Its ridiculed but I knew when it comes to rituals around planets, it definitely had special meaning.
Hey, please listen to lectures by Dr. Nilesh Nilkanth Oak. You will be just amazed how much such hidden information he has regarding our ancient culture.
The Greeks borrowed the ancient Indians history. Those are not stories or myths there are encoded into oral traditions for all time. India should be proud that these knowledge can still be told and recited in their traditional life styles. Raj Vedam is an inspirational story teller that brings to life the truth behind the story.
Thank you for this video. Moon is called RohiniRamana by poets, and this video explains why our ancient poets called it so.
Impressive Raj. Appreciate your effort to bring out ancient wisdom and show how they embedded them in stories
Thank you again Dr, Raj Vedam. I am a huge fan of the science of astronomy because planets and stars have been around for at least the time we have. Positions are available from almanacs and can be calculated. They have been used by ancient civilizations to predict world events before. It is not surprising that vital information is hidden in these stories, because it is easier to protect information that way, and story telling is part of our cultural and civilizational history.
Enlightening talk on ancient stories and their message in mnemonics. Story of Arundati and Vasista and 27 phases of moon mnemonics for 27 stars is amazing. Thank you Raj Vedam. You are keeping up to your name. Vedam, the real knowledge by ancient enlightened Sages.
Hey, please listen to lectures by Dr. Nilesh Nilkanth Oak. You will be just amazed how much such hidden information he has regarding our ancient culture.
Beautiful and enlightening talk!!!!
In Telugu marriages, watching Arundhati-Vasishta is a must & should.
To all Indians - Please learn Sanskrit! The Brits made us feel that English is superior to Sanskrit and unfortunately I grew up with that education system. I can understand Sanskrit and I am learning more. The reason Germans and UK are accelerating their Sanskrit education is because they know that there are many such discoveries that need to be encoded.
This man should be declared India's national treasure! 👏👍
Excellent. I wish this knowledge is spread across the world and taught in Indian schools.
Great observations of our ancestors, despite not having telescope. They told stories to make us remember the truth in astronomical events. Thank u Sir, for explaining these wonderful truths to us.
Thanks, Raj Vedam, Now i know the reason for spotting the Arundhati for newly wed couples, great talk.
Fantastic talk. No. of views doesn't justify the awakening message given. People doesn't want to hear truth and wish to live in fantasy world..
He has started a revolution.
I always use this ancient knowledge during my speech to the public well explain
The Arundhati-Vasisthata Binary Complex was known to our ancestors even before the Ramayana or Mahabharata. In fact our ancestors had known that the earth was spherical and used the term ‘Bhugol Shastra’ for the study of Geography. The church accepted that the earth was spherical only after seeing the pictures from Apollo 7.
We at ground level. This man is on other level. Imagine ancient level.
Dr.Raj Vedam is a great scholar and story teller. Though the story of Chandra and Rohini was familiar to me, its astronomical significance was unknown. So were both the stories of Plaedias and Vasistha-Arundhati, though as Hindus we know the latter are amongst Saptarshi couple in the Puranas. Received new gyan today. Namaste.
Hey, please listen to lectures by Dr. Nilesh Nilkanth Oak. You will be just amazed how much such hidden information he has regarding our ancient culture.
Interesting facts...
Any genuinely felt question, if you dig deeper and deeper, in physics or astronomy or ethics or the nature of our existence, will lead to Hinduism.
Astonishing wisdom in our hindu mythological stories..
In Sanatana dharma,those wisdoms are not mythological stories those are Itihaas(history). Bujhlen bhadralok babu
Historical stories actually.
You are a great scholar Dr Raj Vedam
Sri Raj Vedam is doing amazing work.. Very relevant to our times.. god bless sir
The myth of sage Aghastya moving over to south India is also an astronomical event .Due to precision of earth (wobble)this star disappeared from. Northern latitudes of Indiaand could be spotted only in southern India
Many such Hindu myths have cosmic allegories.
Yes. History made into stories to give literary taste.
@S L Not a myth. But a parable or a story with a hidden wisdom.
@Msvks please check the language similarity of current day Andhra Pradesh and Thailand and you will understand this point all the way to Ang Kor Wat
This is an interesting fact Sundar. Thanks. Agasthya is called Canopus.
An excellent piece of work and an excellent talk. Government of India should hire and support his research work in this field. Thanks for the wonderful talk.
I was looking ways to remember all 27 nachatras as i know them and wanted to know more about Hindu calender systems .And how we forget it and why we follow goergian instead of our own . When it got developed and etc. I was not looking for such videos. Still thanks If it help some morons to understand culture in a better way instead of chanting west ideas . I once read about Indian time and classification of time . and i was shocked how could we have such a system and people didnt value it . for those who want to know It begin with A blink of an eye and go on till a breadth of bhramha (Maybe some Million years time period ) There was a professor who worked in IIT delhi in 1980s wrote a book about this topic If anyone curious .
Amazing
Your wisdom is commendable !!!
Sir thank you very much. You have broken 5 mythological riddles beautifully. Please try and bring this true knowledge in text books. Your IQ is no less than Einstein
Hey, please listen to lectures by Dr. Nilesh Nilkanth Oak. You will be just amazed how much such hidden information he has regarding our ancient culture.
Raj is the Raja of decoding Indic Civilization and Culture. You can find his library of episodes on the “Sangam Talks” KZhead channel. Stuff that will blow your mind.
Thank you very much, Raj ji!
An interesting observation of ancient wisdom on star gazing!
this is the need of the hour, we need to define the real science of ancient India with respect to the prevalent scientific explanations.
Well said buddy
Wish Dr Raj a very good luck
Brilliant ! So intriguing
You are amazing sir
So enlightening. So knowledgeable.❣️
Sir, you delivered a great talk undoubtedly! I would offer you one single tip which I strongly believe would make your talk more effective: Don't walk while speaking & avoid looking down while you are at it. It is hugely distracting for the audience as they have to focus on what you are saying and follow your movements. You could choose different spots within the red circle to talk about different parts of your speech.
Dr. Raj Vedam is brilliant!
Wow ! Interesting enlightening . 🙏🙏🙏
Wonderful presentation...hats off
Great sir.. with great respect ..
Unbelievable wisdom and tools of learning
Expertise observation and explanations..
Awesome!
Very very interesting, Sir👍 As well interesting as lecturer by Sir @nilesoak, too. Thank you for the "Eastern" science insight.
Vande Guru Parampara
I salute the lineage of teachers.
Great revelations Sir
Thank you Sir 🙏
Thank you for the talk. It was great. Incidentally, I am from Nellore, AP and I had a Bench Mate by name, Sri Vedam Venkatraman who unfortunately, passed away recently. By any chance, you knew him,?
Your name itself says great about you and what you are
" Melenium of wisdom. "
That’s the word I was looking for.
India should popularize this at least make a documentry
A object with lower will orbit the bigger one . Two objects with equal mass will co orbit . Recent study found that Mizor itself is a 4 star combination and Alcor is 2 star .... But that is a very recent discovery...
Brilliant.... thanks very much. Communists and allied forces destroyed and degraded the greatness of ancient India
How they were able to observe, in such details...
Great past of India
Greate sir, ancient rishi might have some exercises to eye to use them as telescope which we call dooradrishti
Well there is something called Remote Viewing being practiced in US military for spying purposes. Now this technique is available even for common men to learn but needs lot of dedicated practice to use it effectively. As per this, practioners sit in one place and can view what is happening even in another country. Our rishis had heightened Remote Viewing abilities due to their yogic practices and were able to view even the stars very closely without a telescope.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
In South Indian wedding, the bride and bridegroom will be asked to see the arunthathi and vashista nakshatras. There was one case where one speaker mocked at this south Indian tradition. I feel that Raj Vedham should read on South Indian and other peoples' research studies and have a better understanding of this.
Whose loss is it. May be the mocker and Raj Vedam can have a discussion
Can anyone throw light on the mystery of the distinguished daughter of Daksh; Sati, her relationship with Shiva, pieces of her falling at many places and destruction of Daksha's yagya.
Could be the record of a meteor falling down?
Sathi, Lord Shiva's consort was called Dhaakshaayani as she was the daughter of Daksha Prajaapathi, one of the Upabrahmas, who assisted in Creation. The story of Daksha's yaaga and what happened is well known. We should not think of Her body as made of flesh and blood. The narrative that powerful Holy places of Shakthi worship arose in all the places where pieces of Her body fell is meant to explain how these shrines called Shakthi Peettas came en
....be endowed with spiritual energy.
🤯🤯🤯🤯
What methods or equipment did the ancient indians observers use to know that Arundsti and vashista co-orbit each other ?
Retina, iris, aqueous humour etc
Wisdom
If you watch the center point between these 2 starts, it will be stable so you know they orbit each other but if you watch the center itself orbiting around bigger star then it's not equally orbiting each other. They must have observed it again and again to confirm it.
Arundhuti walks ahead of vashistha .... tell that story!
That story too is Related to the precision of equinox .
@@sewali20devi28 You mean precession* ?
Well try but further simplification to be made
Why we only talk about Greek, Egypt, fake stories. Incredible structures were build before pyramids and lot of works than any country.
8000 years is inaccurate. There was no civilization 8000 years ago. At most, this was a couple of thousand years back
Ah the wisdom of the uninformed. Gobekli tepe, 11,000 years.
@@hemanag1020 Alas, the stupidity of sanghis. Gobkli tepe was only a settlement where humanity probably took its first transitive steps from hunter-gatherers to settled life. It was by no means a "civilization" A civilization implies organized cities/towns with hierarchical administration, irrigation, agriculture, revenue system, and so on. There's no evidence that gobkli tepe had all these
History, at best , is a bad biased observational study. You can only come up with hypothesis using these studies. We don’t know what we don’t know. There are legitimate arguments that it is older, even by western scholars.
@@anirprasaddDanubian civilization is like 7500year old evidence of script appears like 7200 year , so it was likely civilization more than settlement
No civilisation 8000 years ago by those colonised by Abrahamic cults.
why do we need western science to validate our history, culture and science. Why can we just accept it as is
We should, if it appeals to us convincingly.
@@pings007 Take it and spend some time to understand it rather than ridiculing
@@dharasharma8608 we should have met some 30 years ago!
@@dharasharma8608 we need it to ground and make sense of our stories, a measuring stick if you will. "Western science" is just science, the same science and mathematics that aryabhatta and the yogis and rishis of our civilisation once did. Hypothesis, reasoning and coming to a conclusion. Adding "western" to it doesnt devalidate it or dismiss it. THE VAST MAJORITY OF HINDUS, dont care about that. They literally believe, the moon once had a personification or that varaha murti literally held the earth above the cosmic flood or stuff along that vein. No. That wasnt the point the writers of the puranas or the vedas wanted to get across, clearly it isn't since they were so concerned with natural law and observation of nature. We need some form of reasoning to fall back to, be it western science or just scientific reasoning to ground these stories and decode the hidden wisdom within it. If you're happy with believing that the personification of the moon literally married 27 princesses, you keep to yourself. Dont make it seem we are doing religious texts a disservice by analysing it with scientific reasoning, it is you who are doing it a disservice by leaving it as it is. ;)
@@pmm1767 Exactly. This mentality is why most modern Indians are clueless about the relevance behind their own rituals and stories, and are divided in either those who will blindly just believe and follow everything, and those who will ignorantly trivialize the profound meaning behind some of these things.
Sodi mokam la mannu voya asalu vinabuddi ithale
My wasteful male Brahman ! Vedam! Should be changed to Avedam and he should read Avedic purana
I don't understand what you mean? Care to explain
Me either. Please explain.
why did you have take brahmin name to troll.come out of your false identity.
Oh, this is Ravana's sister, working hard, remember Nasik? Laxmana will take care of her, don't worry...
@@mnjags hahahahhahaha :) people underestimate laxman