Vedas: Experts see military tech

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Guided missiles and precision targeting were first mentioned in the

Vedas, vouch Sanskrit scholars. Two city-based Vedic research

organisations, Sanskrita Bharati and I-Serve, claim that the hoary

Atharvana Veda is the prime source of military science, containing

references to almost 60 sophisticated weapons.

 

The arsenal is so big that even present-day military scientists

would feel sheepish. "We think the Vedas are synonymous with

religion," says K. Lalith Manohar, chairman of the State chapter of

Sanskrita Bharati. "This is because of our narrow-mindedness and

ignorance." Mr Manohar adds in his research paper that the military

science in the Vedas was meant to destroy evil and preserve peace.

 

Indiscriminate killing of enemies is not part of the ethos of Vedic

military science. Some of the weapons described in the Vedas can be

controlled even after they are set in motion. They can even be

recalled. Mantras form an essential part of war strategy in Vedic

military science. One has to decode the mantras to find the secret

of the sastras (weaponry) mentioned in the texts. "Unfortunately, we

do not have the complete text of the Atharvana Veda," says Mr

Manohar. "We have to focus on the available fragments."

 

Some of the weapons mentioned in these texts are Danda Chakram,

Dharma Chakram, Kalachakram, Vishnu Chakram, Indram, Vajram, Saivam,

Aagneyam and Brahmastram. Unlike modern weapons of mass destruction,

most of the weapons mentioned in the Vedas are `precision weapons'

used to take out specific targets. The powerful "Samhara Astrams"

also have the recall facility embedded in them. "Even the all-

powerful Brahmastram can be subdued by the person who used it," says

Kuppa Venkata Krishna Murthy of I-Serve.

 

source: deccan herald