Vedic Roots of India's Moon Mission

Vedic Roots of India's Moon Mission

The News - Latest News

Written by Vrndavan Parker

Krishna-Tirupati with His Consorts Lakshmi and Bhudevi SRIHARIKOTA, INDIA: Prior to the recent launch of India's Moon Rocket Chandrayaan-1 Indian Space Research Organization-ISRO scientists visited Tirumala Tirupati, the site of the world's most popular temple and religious site. Balaji darshan at Tirumala Tirupati is almost a tradition for scientists at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and this time was no exception. Following this ongoing tradition the ISRO scientists called upon the divine blessings from the Lord of the Seven Hills for the successful launch of the country's maiden lunar odyssey, Chandrayaan-1.  Afterwards some expressed relief that rain had held off until the rocket was in space. "The rain gods have been kind to us," Madhavan said. ISRO-Indian Space Research Organization website writes:Through the ages, the Moon, our closest celestial body has aroused curiosity in our mind much more than any other objects in the sky. This led to scientific study of the Moon, driven by human desire and quest for knowledge. This is also reflected in the ancient verse.    Inspired by this ancient shloka or verse from humanities most ancient scripture the Rig Veda, the Indian Space Research Organization embarked upon its Mission to the Moon. Chandra is the Sanskrit word for moon and thus the name Chandrayaan-1 is reflective of Vedic Inspiration. The Vedic epics also speak of flying vehicles which the Devas or gods used to traverse vast distances. Thus this modern effort finds its ancient parallel. In Chandrayaan-1, the lunar craft launched using Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. The lunar craft or Chandrayaan-1 will orbit around the Moon 100 km from the lunar surface, taking pictures with a resolution as high as 20 km Chandrayaan-1 — which means "Moon Craft" in ancient Sanskrit — launched from the Sriharikota ( A town named after Krishna=Hari) space center in southern India early Wednesday morning Oct 22nd, in a two-year mission aimed at laying the groundwork for further Indian space expeditions. Scientists, clapping and cheering, tracked the ascent on computer screens as they lost sight of the rocket in heavy clouds. "This is a historic moment for India," Indian Space Research Organization chairman G. Madhavan Nair said. India plans a Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2011, which will land a spacecraft on the moon and launch a rover. This could pave the way for an eventual manned Indian expedition to the moon.     A senior ISRO Official told Indian Express News  that it is a tradition which many scientists at ISRO undertake before every important launch and this year is no different.' In the past, prior to important launches like the Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F-04) and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV C3), scientists sought blessings from the deity at Tirupati. This year too, during the project and in the run-up to the launch, many have visited Tirupati,'' said an ISRO Official. Before the launch of an important mission in the past, the replica of the launch vehicle has been placed before the deity at Tirupati. ISRO officials have been making a replica of every rocket they fly and placing it at the feet of Lord Balaji at the Hindu holy city of Tirupati a day before every launch. Tirupati is close to the launch pad of the Chandrayaan-I at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, India.       There are Vedic astrologers among the astronomers in the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) as well. They had declared that the day set for the country's first moon mission, Oct 22, was auspicious. Rather than mere superstition the traditions of the ancients are recognized by many leading scientists. A recent study conducted by the Trinity College of the USA with help from the Centre for Inquiry (CFI) India, revealed that 49 percent of scientists believe in prayers. It pointed out that a majority of scientists believe in the existence of God.      Chandrayaan-1 Launches from Sriharikota, India Oct 22, 2008 India's NDTV quoting Professor Tunku Varadarajan's New York Times article noted: "A week before India's moon mission was launched Oct 22, millions of Hindu women embarked on a customary daylong fast of Karva Chauth, meant to ensure a husband's welfare, broken at night on the first sighting of the moon's reflection in a bowl of oil."...The moon is regarded by many Indians as a god or Deva named Chandradev...."devout Hindus - many of them, no doubt, rocket scientists - see no disharmony between ancient Vedic beliefs and contemporary scientific practice", so wrote Tunku Varadarajan, the opinion editor at Forbes.com and a professor of business at New York University. True religion is scientific by nature. Emotional belief system's that do not rely on logic are fanaticism. Clarifying this point, ISKCON founder A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada stated that religion without science is fanaticism and science without religion is atheism. As India moves forward into an empowered future, its people have not forsaken their Vedic/Hindu foundations. It is not science and spirituality alone that are complimentary. Every aspect of Indian life and the entire functioning premise of Hindu civilization is rooted in Dharma. Efforts to disconnect politics, academia and governance from Dharma in the name of secularism represent a cynical attempt to sterilize the Indian body politic. It is an attempt to uproot India from her source of nourishment. India without its Culture is a hollow shell of a nation. Despite such efforts India's people including its Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and others remain connected to the sacred. In India, as elsewhere, science leads the way. Yet in mystic India science has reminded us to recognize the sacred pulse of the universe.