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On a side, Hindus believe in 4 Yuga's or phases that go around and round in circles, we are in the fourth one at the moment. Humans exist in all Yuga's and ther

On a side, Hindus believe in 4 Yuga's or phases that go around and round in circles, we are in the fourth one at the moment. Humans exist in all Yuga's and there is then a mahayuga after which there is destruction

dahidahi1 9y ago
After that destruction, the cycle starts all over again. It is the closest thing to evolution formulated by the Indian rishis (scientists of their time). It begins with (on a high level) the water based living beings (fish), amphibians (turtle), mammal (boar), neanderthal (Parashuram), the perfect humans (Ram & Krishna) and so on. It is quite interesting. Another name for Hinduism is Sanatana Dharma - or the Eternal Way of Life.
- yantrams 9y ago
  > scientists of their time Please don't masquerade mythologocal saints/yogis as scientists. You are doing a disservice to the accomplishments of real historical figures like Panini, Brahmagupta etc by making statements like this. You don't have to resort to mythological characters to feel good about the supposed glorious past. I can understand how the tales of Dasavataras can possibly have some allegorical references to evolution but claiming the rishis to be scientists only serves to further ridiculous beliefs like Quantum Mechanics and Relativity originated from Vedas, Rishi scientists developed nuclear weapons in 10000 BC etc. The main purpose they(Puranas (post-vedic Hindu mythology)) served was to legitimize the Vishnu cult, get rid of the pantheon of older Vedic gods (Indra etc.) and to counter the rise of Buddhism. Most of these stories were made up ad hoc to suit the purposes of their times. I find them quite clever to be honest and fascinating from literary and sociological perspectives. Take Buddha for example. Once Buddhism and its crusade against animal slaughter / rituals became a hit with the masses and started competing with Brahmanism/Sanatan Dharma/Hinduism, Buddha was made an incarnation of Vishnu and added to the Purana bloatware, while simultaneously obliterating Buddhist monasteries and driving it out of the subcontinent.
  - amriksohata 9y ago
    Err... source?
    - anonnel 9y ago
      A source on ancient mythos not having a basis in science or facts? Or that they served political purposes in their time?
      - dahidahi1 9y ago
        Science has not been able to address every single thing. In fact science is not developed enough to address anything much beyond the most basic things. I'm not trying to disparage science, but I want to emphasize that there is like 99.99% of things we do not know or understand, which is great considering we will all have super interesting times ahead of us. Not a moment of boredom.
        losteric 9y ago
        > Science has not been able to address every single thing. In fact science is not developed enough to address anything much beyond the most basic things. Can you be more specific about what things you feel science cannot address? It seems like the one and only proven method for understanding our universe.
        krapp 9y ago
        > In fact science is not developed enough to address anything much beyond the most basic things. I mean, we understand relativity well enough to predict astronomical movements and to account for it when synchronizing GPS, we understand biology well enough for genetic engineering and complex medicine, chemistry well enough to create exotic materials and superconductors, quantum mechanics enough to harness it for computation, physics enough to split the atom, space travel, astronomy, etc. We understand a lot more than "the most basic things."
        anonnel 9y ago
        We know much more than the people before us, not the other way around.

dahidahi1 9y ago

After that destruction, the cycle starts all over again. It is the closest thing to evolution formulated by the Indian rishis (scientists of their time). It begins with (on a high level) the water based living beings (fish), amphibians (turtle), mammal (boar), neanderthal (Parashuram), the perfect humans (Ram & Krishna) and so on. It is quite interesting. Another name for Hinduism is Sanatana Dharma - or the Eternal Way of Life.

yantrams 9y ago
> scientists of their time Please don't masquerade mythologocal saints/yogis as scientists. You are doing a disservice to the accomplishments of real historical figures like Panini, Brahmagupta etc by making statements like this. You don't have to resort to mythological characters to feel good about the supposed glorious past. I can understand how the tales of Dasavataras can possibly have some allegorical references to evolution but claiming the rishis to be scientists only serves to further ridiculous beliefs like Quantum Mechanics and Relativity originated from Vedas, Rishi scientists developed nuclear weapons in 10000 BC etc. The main purpose they(Puranas (post-vedic Hindu mythology)) served was to legitimize the Vishnu cult, get rid of the pantheon of older Vedic gods (Indra etc.) and to counter the rise of Buddhism. Most of these stories were made up ad hoc to suit the purposes of their times. I find them quite clever to be honest and fascinating from literary and sociological perspectives. Take Buddha for example. Once Buddhism and its crusade against animal slaughter / rituals became a hit with the masses and started competing with Brahmanism/Sanatan Dharma/Hinduism, Buddha was made an incarnation of Vishnu and added to the Purana bloatware, while simultaneously obliterating Buddhist monasteries and driving it out of the subcontinent.
- amriksohata 9y ago
  Err... source?
  - anonnel 9y ago
    A source on ancient mythos not having a basis in science or facts? Or that they served political purposes in their time?
    - dahidahi1 9y ago
      Science has not been able to address every single thing. In fact science is not developed enough to address anything much beyond the most basic things. I'm not trying to disparage science, but I want to emphasize that there is like 99.99% of things we do not know or understand, which is great considering we will all have super interesting times ahead of us. Not a moment of boredom.
      - losteric 9y ago
        > Science has not been able to address every single thing. In fact science is not developed enough to address anything much beyond the most basic things. Can you be more specific about what things you feel science cannot address? It seems like the one and only proven method for understanding our universe.
      - krapp 9y ago
        > In fact science is not developed enough to address anything much beyond the most basic things. I mean, we understand relativity well enough to predict astronomical movements and to account for it when synchronizing GPS, we understand biology well enough for genetic engineering and complex medicine, chemistry well enough to create exotic materials and superconductors, quantum mechanics enough to harness it for computation, physics enough to split the atom, space travel, astronomy, etc. We understand a lot more than "the most basic things."
      - anonnel 9y ago
        We know much more than the people before us, not the other way around.