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Our Heritage – Most Distorted and Unscientific

Interpretations by Dr. N. Gopalakrishnan, CSIR

K. Chandra Hari

1. Introduction

Alarmed by the distortions and unscientific interpretations that Dr. N.

Gopalakrishnan made in his presentation1 of Indian astronomy to the

public I felt a moral compulsion to look at his other communications,

pamphlet and speeches to understand their standard. Two speeches he

delivered in USA with audio made available on internet and the text of

which is available in his Malayalam and English pamphlets is being

reviewed here in public interest. Camouflaged by his oratorical skill and

the scholastic chanting of a few verses, a most parochial and

unscientific campaign is taking place in Kerala, one of the most literate

of all places in the world. What is happening to Keralites? What

happened to our great reformist spirits and rationalism? What has

happened to our science educators and the scientific spirit? What has

happened to our Universities and our professors? Where is the

Sastrasahitya Parishat when Kerala is made into a victim of the

pseudoscientific jargon under the address of a senior scientist of CSIR?

Can we allow the scientific spirit of Kerala be lulled into silence and

sleep by the chant of a few Sanskrit verses and the pseudoscientific

jargon of a Chemist who has not mastered any science well?

I have no personal conflict here. If someone calls me a barking dog, yes

I am, I have decided to be a barking dog to awaken the scientific spirit

of Kerala – Uthisthathā, Jāgratā, Prāpyavarannibodhatah - let us

awake and arise rather than becoming meek victims to the concocted

pseudoscientific jargon aimed at Brahministic indoctrination. I am to

present below a refutation of the pseudoscientific jargon of Dr. N.

Gopalakrishnan and the same will be sent to well known professors and

scientists to judge the truth and for making it percolate down the student

1 Indian Scientific Heritage by Dr. N. Gopalakrishnan, published by

IISH, Trivandrum

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community of Kerala and the indian communities abroad, the innocent

targets of Gopalakrishnan's heritage campaign.

2. Scientific Meaning of Ācārams

Reference is to a 94 minutes speech modeled in the form of a dialogue

between Srī Kalyān Visvanathan and Dr. NGK, CSIR vide two audio

files available on World Wide Web2 (www). Same ideas are getting

preached in Kerala through TV channels through fanciful structured

dialogue decked with scientific terms and Sanskrit verses. Unless the

dialogues are cut open and the poisonous contents is demonstrated, the

dialogue shall remain like a sweet cake enticing saliva to all lovers of

India and its true scientific heritage. Obviously the old generation and

the innocent students in their early stages of science education are the

victims of the parochial campaign.

51 Minutes Speech on Ācāras

Dialogues begin with a two stage 'orientation phase' required for a

deceptive campaign:

(a) Introduction of the 'senior scientist of CSIR' to give authority for the uttered pseudoscientific jargon

(b) Ambiance of the hypnotic presence of a Sage (Rishi) is created with some chant of verses and well known statistical accounts of the Vedic literatures - number of Vedas, the word count, the syllable count and the number of Śākhas etc.

(c) Spicy items like the names of illustrious men like Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, name of the illustrious Vedic scholars like Sri Gopalaghanapadikal, Sri Ravi Sankar, Sri Satyasai Baba, Mata Amritanandamayi, a spate of names of US Universities, names of Kerala hospitals etc are inserted in between to maintain the (a) and (b) ambiance.

(d) Thus the stage is set for the 'Heritage Audio Circus' and the 'blessed one' – senior scientist turned Vedic Scholar (who interprets his name as Veda-pāla Krishna by making the Go or Cow, the Vedas) starts illuminating the audience as may be summarized below:

2.http://www.sanatanadharmafoundation.com/index.php?option=com_c

ontent&task=view&id=47&Itemid=32.

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3. Distortion of facts and pseudoscientific jargon

(a) Gr �hysūtras as the 'reference manual' of our Ācāras.

Show under reference begins with a reference to Kalpasūtras and the

subsidiary texts of the Vedas in general to present the Grhysūtras as the

'reference manual' of our Ācāras. How true is this statement?

Within the harmless facade of the 'Indian Scientific Heritage' here we

see the Smrtikāraka3 awakening with his true colors. Let us see the

implications of the above teaching -

� Our Ācāras and heritage is based on the Vedic Grhysūtras? If yes

where to the Vedic Gods and Agni disappear?

� Can the prescriptions in the Grhysūtras be treated as complete

without the associated Vedic rituals?

� How the Ācāra is scientific when it is adhered to namesake even by

Brahmins and when the rituals and Gods have gone into oblivion?

� How scientific is Dr. N. Gopalakrishnan's understanding of the

Grhysūtras, given the ludicrous claims he is making?

� See an item of the Grhyasūtras below to illustrate its scientific

content about which Dr. Gopalakrishan is silent. Jaimini

Grhysūtram4 1.5 gives the technique to secure the birth of a male

child. The so-called Pumsavanam had been there for the 10,000

years of antiquity claimed and the Vedic Brahmins were thus

obtaining 'graceful' male kids?

� In this modern world, any modern medical men think that the sex of

an embryo is decided in the 3rd

month of pregnancy?

� Further, the ritual is scientifically so ridiculous because the

scriptures say that if the woman has another child, the ceremony has

to be in the 4th

month of pregnancy.

� Can we see any scientific heritage here?

3 Authors of Smrtis like those of Manu, Yājnavalkya, Śankara and lot of

other Brāhmana-priests who wrote texts as to how to maintain

Varnāshrama Dharma (Casteism), i.e Brahmin supremacy 4 Jaimini Grhysutram, I.5. p.10. Motilal Banarssidas, Delhi

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� Chromosomal theory that explains the sex of a child is wrong? Is it

the mother or the father who decides the sex of the child? How

many could have gained male children by following Dr.

Gopalakrishan's heritage science in Grhysutras?

� Is this the science under which our heritage has taken shape? Does

not the modern society condemn such precepts as here for selection

even in principle and then what is the relevance of the Grhysutras

getting eulogized?

� Heritage audio circus had the beginning with the invocation

"Mātrdevobhava, Pitrdevobhava...."- great old precept for creating

the ambiance. Then a number of modern disciplines of study are

mentioned rhythmically to convey that the scientific basis of Ācāras

has been discovered by researches in modern Medicine, Sociology,

Psychology, Anthropology, Biochemistry etc.

5. Science of the 16 Samskaras

� He claims that the 16 Samskāras convert the born animal

'scientifically' into a cultured human being. We must note here that

the so called Shodaśa-samskaras are Brahmnical in character and

even today the Tantris are making their claims of superiority on the

basis that they are 'divine' because of the 16 kriyas denied to others.

Such customs more or less existed in all civilizations and had been

monopoly of the priestly class whom Dr. Gopalakrishnan

represents. Now in 21st century he is trying to market the same to

indirectly convey the Brahmnical supremacy.

� His teaching as above leads to obvious conclusions like – without

priesthood of Brahmins there are no human beings, only animals

live in Indian society.

� Is it a part of Indian scientific heritage? Which University has

studied their efficacy? In which Journals the studies got published?

He always talks hi-fi language but always without proper reference

except in the case of Delhi Iron Pillar and NG Dogre's paper on a so

called Spectrometer which in all probability is a manipulation

according to Sanskrit scholars. If it is a genuine piece of research,

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why such an advanced Spectrometer has not reached the market so

far?

� Last, but not the least, how the Brahmins born of 16 samskaras

came to loose their Gods and rituals and the Agni itself and what

'divine' could be seen in their despising of humans in terms of caste

and karma? What kind of human sentiments did they harbor till the

geniuses born in lower castes stormed and destroyed their feudal

establishments?

(b) Heavenly Life on the surface of the Globe

Heavenly life is given a description in Sanskrit – Ācārāt labhate

Āyuh, Ācārāt dhanam aks ayam, Ācārāt labhate suprajāh – and then

IISH-Guru says that the scientific basis of the Ācāras are discussed

in IISH classifying them under 5 categories of benefits:

1. Psychological

2. Physiological

3. Family bondage

4. Social bondage

5. National integration

These terms are all aimed to cast a spell on the audience so that

people are prevented from employing their reason in understanding

the jargon he speaks.

(c) Discussion on Ācāras

1. Chanting of Mantras is spoken of as an Ācāram

Is this a Vedic Ācāram? Did the smrtis that shaped Vedic heritage allow

chanting of mantras by non-Brahmins? Why the science under which

non-Brahmins were treated as animals is not getting explained by Dr. N.

Gopalakrishnan? What was the science under which the prescription was

given to pour molted lead into the ears of non-Brahmins who happened

to hear the Śrutis?

Mantras have beneficial effects and the tradition existed in India

thousands of years before the nomadic Aryans invaded India from the

ice-cold regions of Russia and Mangolia. And the greatest mantra is

Pancāks ari Śivāya namah with which great Śaiva siddhas were born.

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They never discriminated between human being by their caste, creed or

sex and the efficacy of their science can be seen in their conduct and the

way they spread the message of Universal love. On the contrary the men

of Gāyatrī had condemned human beings in the most parochial manner

and developed priesthood to parasitic proportions upon the Indian

society and paved the way for its degenerations.

Pseudoscience and Terminology used

We need to have a close look at his preaching of scientific explanations.

Speaking on mantras he classifies the effects as –

1. Neuro-linguistic effect arising from tunes, intonation is claimed to

release 2 dozens of hormones in the brain. No knowledge about the

meaning of the mantras is required.

His cleverness is evident here – he had to surmount the 'meaning'

barrier as no body really knows what meaning the humbug

compilations have got. And about hormones in the brain he knows

that none in the audience may have the knowledge to contest his

nonsense claim.

For modern biologists, still the brain remains like a black-box.

Researches are taking place and they are just in the process of trying

to know about the brain's functioning. No study has ever come out

which state that any mantra produces 24 hormones or even a single

hormone in the brain. Dr. N. Gopalakrishnan is speaking imagined,

concocted nonsense in the lingo of science to fool the public with

parochial claims.5

Going by Indian wisdom, mantras produce their effects in the realm

of Prāna and modern medicine is yet to discover the same.

5 Dr. N. Gopalakrishnan, never gives any reference of modern Journals

to subtantiate his claims. He throws the names of a few US

Universities where some related research may be taking place or even

may not be. No body in the audience can check the veracity of his

claims. Given the dishonesty he has shown in articulating his pseudo-

claims on Indian astronomy as I exposed in my earlier paper, none of

his statements can be taken on its face value.

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2. Pyscho-linguistic effect is the second NGK term to fool the public.

Here he says the meaning play a role. He places Kīrtanams and the

epics like Rāmāyan a, Bhāgavata etc in this category.

He is simply borrowing modern terms like 'Neuro' and 'Psyhe' to give

the air that the nonsense he is talking about is a part of modern medical

science.

3. He claims that the chanting of mantras can immediately lower the

Adrenalin, cholesterol and hypertension levels to normal levels.

Some studies have taken place and medical men are still trying to

ascertain the quantum of benefit possible with such exercises.

Scientific community is yet to take a united or uniform view – most

of the claims may be from Gopalakrishan types in some US

laboratories.

A doubt creeps in as to which Śruti the chanting of which made him

speak so dishonestly despite his claims of being a modern scientist?

4. Example 2 of health benefit that is early rise at 0530, 0430

increasing benefit due to brain's efficiency. Everyone knows it –

even birds and animals know this fact. The Cock and other birds

sing in early morning inspired by some scientific heritage? There

are flowers which open in the early morning and they do it by some

heritage science? There are migratory birds having more wisdom

than any human society in respect of their knowledge of seasons and

their flight directions?

5. WHO study on Heart Attacks and Discovery of Bio-static

Electricity?

I doubt whether WHO made any such study. He is quoting WHO to

make his statements appear more credible. Early morning heart

attack is a statistically observed phenomenon and daily dip in blood

vessel expansions6 due to natural body rhythms is an explanation

that finally came up. In the Google search nothing could be found

6 1 June 2004, Journal of the American Heart Association, see also:

http://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/2004/5/20044980.shtml

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about any WHO study and the details that Gopalakrishnan gives are

rubbish:

(a) Medical literature says that the attack is due to natural biological

rhythm inspired dip in the size of the blood vessels while Dr.NGK

says that the early morning heart attacks are because the people

suddenly get up. He adds that the WHO is instructing people to wait

30 seconds on bed – a lie concocted to create pseudoscientific

explanation for 'Prātasmaran�a' in the morning – and his

explanation goes further ridiculous where he says that the chant and

the touching of the earth with hand is for rendering earth to the bio-

static electricity.

(b) How ridiculous is the use of 'biostatic' term?

The foul game he is into in the name of science becomes evident

from his use of the term biostatic electricity. The word 'biostatic' in

scientific literature means biocidal i.e. killing bacteria. Copper is a

biostatic material means bacteria cannot grow on it. Dr. N.

Gopalakrishnan is imagining that in sleep human body is becoming

like electrically charged clouds and so man needs an earthing in the

morning for the biostatic electricity to protect the heart. This is a

classic example of the fraudulent terms he has created to make out

his pseudoscientific explanations. A search in the google on the

term 'biostatic electricity' instantly brought out his websites at the

top www.iish.org/sanatananews_details.asp?id=13-15k and www.

iish.org/ sanatananews_details.asp?id=7 - 36k. Dubious invention is

also part of Dr. N. Gopalakrishnan's Thursday message dated 10

August 2006.

6. Chanting mantra before taking food (Pre-food-chants)

Here too pseudoscience is created that the chant generates saliva and so

the ancient practice. It is natural for every creature on earth that its

saliva glands get activated on seeing the food and as it is put into the

mouth. What is the need of chanting?

If chanting the mantras generated saliva, all the Rishis may have been

doing their Yajnas with mouth full of saliva? What about the mantra

prescribed at the time of having sex? What does that mantra generate?

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CSIR can direct Dr. N. Gopalakrishnan to have some research in these

fields.

7. Head towards North is prohibited? Earth's Magnetic Meridian

North-South direction is getting prohibited for all creatures. The

pseudoscientific explanation that is being carved out is that the blood

has 9-14 gms of iron vis-a-vis haemoglobin and so the impact of the

earth's magnetic meridian shall impair the pumping pressure of the

heart. How much truth or science is there in this explanation?

(a) Is the geographical North and magnetic North are the same?

(b) How the ancient wisdom accounted for the magnetic declination

and inclination?

(c) It is easy for anyone who cares for science to read now on the

internet all the details like – "The positions of the Earth's magnetic

poles are not well defined on the globe; they are spread over an area. The axis

of Earth's magnet and the geographical axis do no coincide. The axis of the

Earth's magnetic field is inclined horizontally at an angle of about 150 with

the geographical axis and vertically by an amount that varies from place to

place"

(d) If Gopalakrishnan is correct and science was underlying the

Arsha wisdom, then Rishis may have been keeping a freely

suspended magnet to understand the local magnetic dip and

declination.

(e) Does the magnetic meridian means an impact on the

haemoglobin only when a man lies north-south or vice versa? In

the human body all haemoglobin is moving in N-S axis to be

affected when a man lies N-S? What about the 900 components

of the field in the E-W direction?

(f) How do the whales or elephants sleep? Every creature adapts to

the environment automatically and no specific Indian heritage

wisdom is required for that. Had there been any universal effect

of the magnetic meridian on the blood circulation of human

beings it would have got discovered universally by human

beings. Even the Eskimos and tribes all over the world have

their scientific heritage but they don't try to create ludicrous

scientific explanations because they don't want to play politics

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over that. Here the mean mental activity has arisen because one

man has set out with the hidden agenda...

8. "Happy Birth Day to You" in Grhysutras?

IISH classification, the 3rd

item is Ācārams that create family bonding.

Ācāram that he quotes as an example is birthday celebrations. He is

speaking as if the happy birth day of modern times is prescribed in the

Grhyasutras. Then the scholar goes on saying that children get a feeling

of oneness and inspires them to take care of old parents. What does the

Indian heritage say about old people? Should the old people stick to the

children or should they retire to forests? What example is seen in the

epic Mahābhārata? How the kids so well brought up as per Ārs a

wisdom doomed them by infighting? Grhysutras did not help even the

Yādava clan to survive?

What the readers feel? When the Grhyasutras failed so dismally what

science may be there inside?

When Dr. N. Gopalakrishnan did not learn to speak with honesty how

credible is the Dharma he speaks? A man who mastered Rgveda from

the Govindaghanapadikal has distorted every teaching he had whether it

be Vedas, Indian astronomy, Yoga or modern sciences – that is what we

see in his writings and speeches. His whole wisdom has gone into

darkness except for the barking dog he is able to see!

9. Kumbhamela in the Vedas – Social Bondage

Prayāga mela is the example cited for Ācāras that contributes to social

bondage. Is this celebration as per Grhyasūtras? Sāmūhya Dharma like

Matrdharma, Pitr, Putra Dharma etc. In which part of the world did the

tribes did not meet? Evolutionary scientists have credited the survival of

the Homosapiens to the socializing nature that the species had. It has

nothing to any special Indian scientific heritage.

10. Mātrdharma from Grhysūtras – Blessings at the Gate?

Dr. NGK gives no reference when he brings out such Ārs a precepts.

How he is taking the Indian communities abroad for a ride may be

understood from this example he quotes as example of Mātrdharma. He

says when children goes to the school Mother must accompany to the

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gate and bless them – wonderful idea had the modern mothers been

sitting at home. Bhāryādharmam – she should serve food to her husband

– learned scholar stops there without quoting Manu's more advanced

science – "Na Stree Svātantraym arhati" – Women do not deserve

freedom.

11. Advanced science of 5 Kinds of Marriage

How Sri Kalyan Visvanthan who heard him tolerated this nonsense is

surprising – a statement is given that the Agnisāks i marriage creates

some special bond. What is the science in that social custom and how it

is better science than marriages in other societies? What was the

scientific precept under which poor Gāndhāri was given in marriage to

the blind Dhrtarāshtra? What had happened to the Agni-sāks i marriage

of Indra when he crept into Gautama's ashram? Divorce is less in India

because the marriages are scientific – that is what the CSIR scientist

says. In fact in the Vedic heart land Agni is nowadays getting used

more for scientifically burning the brides.

12. Sāmbaar and National Integration

How stupid a man can be when he sets out with hidden political and

personal agenda to preach about the wisdom he does not have gets best

illustration in Sāmbār. He says in US that 'Sambar' is an Ācāram that

creates national integration. Romans have been using Indian spices

centuries before Christ. Trade relations between Kerala and Arab are

well known since prehistoric times. Even now lakhs of Malayalis serve

in the gulf and our motor vehicles are running on imported crude. Our

Cars are from Japan and batteries are from Bankok ... all these trade

relations and products using imported goods mean Universal

Integration? Mansingh had given his sister in marriage to Akbar and

did it convey national integration to Rana Pratap? If not then what is the

national integration from Sāmbār?

13. Other Bogus Claims

He is making a number of other bogus claims that are illustrative of his

agenda, like –

(a) There was no Āryan invasion,

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(b) Ganapati homam gives immunity for pathogenetic bacteria for

one year

(c) Purānas had their origin 1000 years of back

(d) River names chanted brings in national integration

How ludicrous are these claims based on rituals may be understood

from the fact that Brahmins in this country perpetrated casteism and

most inhuman treatment to his brethrens with the Upanishadic chant of

'Aham Brahmasmi' and Advaita darsanam in his lips. What was

happening in the 1000 years that followed the great proponent of

Advaita science, Ādi Śaňkarācārya?

Brahmnical conviction on Advaitam was only to the extent of Dr. N.

Gopalakrishnan's conviction on 'Satyameva jayate'.

14. Conclusions

This account must be an eye-opener to the intellectuals of Kerala. I am

to specially request the scientists of CSIR and the academicians to

Kerala, University Professors and Teachers to come out openly to save

the children of Kerala from the pseudoscience campaign going on in the

name of Indian Scientific Heritage. India's scientific heritage never had

such dip as we see now with the distorted campaign of Dr. N.

Gopalakrishnan. He is making bogus claims about many hospitals,

psychologists etc and if it is true there is urgent need for effective steps

to prevent innocent people from becoming victims of the fraudulent

campaign. Shodasa (16) samskaras needed to 'convert an animal born

creature into an adjustable, accomodatable, cultured human being' is not

either Indian heritage or Kerala heritage. It is Gopalakrishnan's

Brahmnical heritage and he is trying to sell Brahmnism through his

pseduoscience.

As with the Nazi hero Hitler, those who criticize Dr. N. Gopalakrishan

are dogs barking at bullock carts proceeding to the market. Yes,

Keralites must take pride in becoming barking dogs if someone is

proceeding to sell falsehood worse than Chikenguniya into the mind

and brains of the innocent population.

chandra_hari18@yahoo.com.