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saidevo
18 October 2006, 05:32 AM
A fascinating theory of a hollow instead of a solid sphere as the shape of our earth has been under active consideration and research for over two centuries. There are several Websites on the Internet supporting this theory with a large mass of solid information of various kinds.

The Hollow Earth Theory

The Hollow Earth Theory states that the earth is not a solid sphere with a central, hot magma which is yet to cool, but a hollow sphere that has a thick crust of landmass only around the circumference, with openings at the north and south poles. There is an 'inner sun' at the centre of the earth. The ring of land crust is supposed to be between 600 and 800 miles in thickness and the polar openings between 100 and 1400 miles in diameter. This leaves a space of over 7000 miles at the centre, which is hollow.

In direct contravention to the proportion of land and water mass being of the ratio 1:4 on the surface, the inner crust has this proportion in the ration 4:1, that is, four-fifths of land and only one-fifth of water. The reason for this reversal is that the floors of the surface oceans are actually landmass on the inner side!

A unique feature of this theory is that it logically confronts the currently accepted solid earth theory, with facts that orthodox science has overlooked. The adherents of this theory point to its origins in the religious myths throughout the world, the science fiction works of the 17th and 18th centuries, and the 'anomalies' found during the Arctic expeditions undertaken over the last two centuries.

Some of these adherents subscribe to the thinking that a whole civilization
of prosperous, peaceful and technologically more advanced humans live in a world of highly evolved vegetable and animal life sustained by the 'inner sun' of the hollow earth, on the vast continents of land mass that form the inner side of the surface world we are living.

There are also people who think that the stories of dark entities such as the werevolves, vampires, ghosts and other ghastly creatures that are said to occupy the caverns under the earth might have some element of truth in them.

Hollow Earth and the Puranas

There are Puranic evidences that are said to point to a civilization inside the hollow earth. Some of them include:

1. Sons of Sagara and the Patala Ganga (Brahmanda Purana)

Indra had stolen the sacrificial horse of King Sagara which he had kept for the ashvamedha yajna (sacrifice ritual using a horse). In their search for the horse, the sons of Sagara came to a Northern ocean, which they crossed, and entered the interior of the earth. There they found the horse in the hermitage of Kapila Rishi. They mistook that it was the Rishi who stole the horse and disturbed his tapas (meditation). The angered Rishi burnt all the 60,000 of them to ashes with a curse. The horse was later found by the grandson of King Sagara and the asvamedha yajna was completed. Finally, it was Bhagiratha, a descendant of the late King Sagara who performed intense tapas and brought the Ganga River to the world and then to the Palata Loka where she washed the sins of the sons and liberated them.

2. Kalki Avatar of Lord Vishnu

Srimad Bhagavtam states in Canto 12, chapter 2, Text 18:

sambhala-grama-mukhyasya
brahmanasya mahatmanah
bhavane visnuyasasah
kalkih pradurbhavisyati

According to this verse, Lord Vishnu will take the Kalki Avatar at the Sambhala village at the end of Kali Yuga to establish the oncoming Satya Yuga. Padma Purana (6.242.8-12) also mentions that the name of the village is Sambhala. This village is supposed not to exist today, but to be be born in due time, from the inner earth. The Tibetan lore speaks of a city named Shamballa which they consider to be in the interior of the earth on the Himalayas. Thus the Satya Yuga with its truly Vedic civilization will be established on the surface of the earth from its interior.

3. Parasurama's Connection

Srimad Bhagavatam states in Canto 9, Chapter 16, Text 21 that Sri Parasurama, after wiping out the kshatriya clan off the face of the earth, performed a yajna (sacrifice) to bring his father back to life.

"After completing the sacrifice, Lord Parasurama gave the eastern
direction to the hota as a gift, the south to the brahma, the west to the
adhvaryu, the north to the udgata, and the four corners--northeast,
southeast, northwest and southwest--to the other priests. He gave the
middle to Kasyapa and the place known as Aryavarta to the upadrasta.
Whatever remained he distributed among the sadasyas, the associate
priests."

Hollow Earth theory adherents say that the term 'madhyatah' in the above verse might mean the central or innter portion of the earth (that Sri Parasurama gave to Kasyapa Rishi), but this seems to be a far-fetched idea, as the verse is clear as to what parts of the earth he gave as gifts to the rishis.

However, the Hindi TV serial on Vishnu Puranam showed Sri Parasurama springing up from the interior of the earth to kill a kshatriya king.

4. Abduction of Duryodhana

Vana-parva of Mahabharata describes a battle waged by Karna and Duryodhana with the Gandharvas in a forest. Duryodhana was defeated and captured by the Gandharvas until he was rescued by Arjuna, his archenemy. Humilated, Duryodhana decided to give up his life doing tapas and fasting unto death. The Danavas found this out, created a powerful woman named Kritya, using whom they brought Duryodhana to their nether world (bila-svarga). They explained to Duryodhana that he was born out of a yajna (sacrifice) to please Lord Shiva, that his friend Karna was Narkasura in his earlier birth who was hostile to Vishnu and that their purpose was to defeate the Pandavas. The Danavas also assured that great warriors like Drona and Bhishma would be influenced by them to fight the war remaining on his side. The whole episodes seemed like a dream to Duryodhana.

Strangely, the Hollow Earth theorists attribute this episode to be typical of a UFO encounter! This is because they think that the origin of the UFOs is from the interior earth through the polar openings. They point out the similarities thus (Ref: http://www.holloworbs.com/abduction_of_duryodhana.htm):

1. A strange being takes Duryodhana bodily to another location, where he has a meeting with other stange beings.
2. Mystical or higher-dimensional transport is used.
3. The strange beings have human form, but look 'gruesome'. Certainly they are 'aliens'.
4. These beings have been guiding Duryodhana's life from the very beginning.
5. They designed his body so that he would be impervious to weapons. Thus they apparently engaged in genetic manipulations, or something similar.
6. The aliens were planning to manipulate human beings through mind control.
7. After his interview, Duryodhana returned to the spot where he was taken, and after settling him down, his captor disappeared.
8. After the experience, it seemed to be a dream.
9. There are accounts in the UFO literature which parallel the story of Duryodhana.

5. Arctic Home of the Vedas
(Ref: http://www.holloworbs.com/Arctic_Home_Vedas.htm)

Bala Gangadhar Tilak (1856-1920), a key participant in India's freedom struggle was a vedic scholar and researches. He published his findings in a book titled The Arctic Home of The Vedas in 1903. In this book he quotes the authority of Vedas and states that the original Arctic home of humanity was destroyed around 10,000 - 8,000 BCE by the last Ice Age, and that from 8,000 - 3000 BCE, was the 'Age of Wandering', before they Vedic people finally settled in India between 5,000 - 3000 BCE.

In chapter four, page 57 of the book, Tilak writes:


We shall therefore, next quote the Mahabharat, which gives such a clear description of Mount Meru, the lord of the mountains, as to leave no doubt its being the North Pole, or possessing the Polar characteristics. In chapters 163 and 164 of Vanaparvan, Arjuna's visit to the mount is described in detail and we are therein told, 'at Meru the Sun and the Moon go round from left to right ( Pradadakshinam ) every day and so do all the stars.' From the normal, inhabited longitudes on the surface of the earth, the Sun and Moon don't rise and travel left and right, only above one's head. According to how one turns, the rising could be left or right, frontal or from the back. Only from the Arctic could the rising of the Sun be from left to right, and it can ONLY be from left to right. So what region is being referred to in this description of Meru's placement?


The Mahabharata describes Mount Meru as a resplendent mountain which "by its luster, so overcomes the darkness of night, that the night can hardly be distinguished from the day." Tilak attributes this fact to the aurora borealis, which however, is not bright enough to make night seem like day. And there is no accepted landmass in the current geography of Arctic, unless Mount Meru happens to be in the underground, shining by the light of the inner, central sun!

In relation to the Rig Veda, Tilak quotes the following on page 102:

"Thus in I.32.10, Vritra, the traditional enemy of Indra, is said to be engulfed in long darkness … and in V.32.5, Indra is described as having placed Shushna, who was anxious to fight, in 'the darkness of the pit'".

This might correspond to the Arctic night with its midnight sun as in fact the Arctic basin is a depression.



The idea that the day and night of the gods are each of six months duration is so widespread in the Indian literature, that we examine it here at some length, and, for that purpose, commence with the post Vedic literature and trace it back to the most ancient books. It is found not only in the Puranas, but also in astronomical works, and as the latter state it in a more definite form, we shall begin with the later siddhantas. Mount Meru is the terrestrial North Pole of our astronomers, and the Surya Siddhanta, XII, 67, says: 'At Meru gods behold the Sun after but a single rising during the half of his revolution beginning with Aries.' Now, according to the Puranas, Meru is the home or seat of all the gods, and the statement about their half-year long night is thus easily and naturally explained...


6. Ramayana and the Inner Earth

The HET adherents think that there are evidences in the epic Ramayana to the underworld. According to them:

- when Sita Devi is abducted by Ravana, Lakshmana swears to Rama that he would chase Ravana to the 'dark caverns of the earth' to find and release Sita. This implies the existence of subterranean regions in the earth.

- In chapter 8 of Kishkindya, Rama proves his ability to Sugriva by discharging an arow which "pierced through seven palms, a rock, and the INNERMOST region of the Earth and in a minute again came back to the quiver".

7. The Nagas Land
(Ref: http://www.holloworbs.com/india.htm)



The Nagas are a race of serpent beings. Most often they manifest themselves
with half-man, half-serpent bodies, although sometimes they assume the shape
of a dragon, or appear in the guise of a cobra. They can take many different
forms including snakes, humans with snake tails and normal humans, often
beautiful maidens. A precious gem is embedded in their heads endowing them
with supernatural powers including invisibility. Some are demoniac, some
neutral or sometimes helpful.

Nagas are divided into four classes: heavenly, divine, earthly or hidden,
depending upon their function in guarding the heavenly palace, bringing
rainfall, draining rivers or guarding treasures.

In Burma, the Nagas combine elements of the dragon, snake and crocodile. They
have guarded and protected several royal Burmese personages. They also give
rubies to those they favor.

They inhabit lakes and rivers, but their real domain is a vast underground
region called Bila-svarga, or subterranean heavens. There they guard great
amounts of jewels and precious metals. Here they dwell with their seductive
mates, the Naginis who sometimes seduce humans.

One such account is to be found for example in the Mahabharata. Arjuna, the
son of King Pandu, was "abducted" by Ulupi, the Naga princess who enamored
him, into the parallel realm in the river Ganges near Hardwar. After spending
a night with her and begetting a son called Iravan, he returned back. This
incident is also mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana 9.22.32.


Vishnu Purana talks about a battle between the Gandharvas and the Nagas. Srimad Bhagavatam tells the story of King Pariksit who was cursed to die of a snakebite. The origin of the Naga race is described in the Mahabharata, Adi Parva.

8. Krishna's Jump
(Ref: http://www.holloworbs.com/Geodes_Jump.htm)

Srimad Bhagavadam says that Sri Krishna and his brother Sri Balarama went a long distance and found a mountain with a height of 88 miles. They climbed up this mountain and jumped from its top to the ground as a sport. The highest mountain in the solar system is only 15 miles high -- it is Olympus Mons, on Mars. This mountain might therefore have been located in the inner earth, which has a diameter of over 7000 miles.

9. Ritudhwaj Injures Paatalketu
(Ref: http://www.urday.com/vuma7.htm)



King Ripujeet- a descendant of Raghu lived with his valiant and brave son named Ritudhwaj. Ritudhwaj being a virtuous prince thought it as his duty to protect all the sages and hermits. Under his protection, the sages performed their religious duties without any problem.

During Ripujeet's reign, a great sage- Gaalav lived in his hermitage doing penance. A demon named Paatalketu used to torment him. Although Gaalav was capable of burning Paatalketu to death yet he hesitated to do so for the fear of losing his virtuosity. One day, sage Gaalav was contemplating on the means to get rid of Paatalketu's terror tactics but was unable to find any solution and let out a deep sigh in frustration. He was amazed to see a horse falling from the sky. As he was looking towards the sky, he heard a heavenly voice- "This horse can travel thousands of Yojans in a single day. Give this horse to Ritudhwaj who will solve your problems."

As per the instructions of that heavenly voice, Gaalav presented that horse to Ritudhwaj and engaged himself in penance. This horse was sent by a Gandharva king named Vishwavasu with a special purpose. Vishwavasu had a beautiful daughter named Madalasa. Infatuated by her beauty, the demon- Paatalketu had abducted her to Paatal loka. He wanted to marry her but Madalasa rejected his advances. Vishwavasu knew that only Ritudhwaj was capable of killing Paatalketu, so he presented that horse to sage Gaalav with the instruction that it should be given to Ritudhwaj.

Ritudhwaj went to Paatal loka on that horse and fought a fierce battle in which Paatalketu was seriously injured. Ritudhwaj released Madalasa from Paatalketu's captivity and married her.


In Part 2 of this compilation we will have a brief look at the religious myths and folklore across the world and in the modern science fiction for references to the subterranean world.

In Part 3, we will discuss the scientific basis of the Hollow Earth Theory and try to arrive at a conclusion about its validity.

saidevo
23 October 2006, 09:54 PM
It was the mythology and folklore of ancient traditions and faiths throughout the world that led to the propounding of the Hollow Earth Theory. Here we have a brief look at some of these myth. The information presented below is mainly from the booklet Is Our Earth Really Hollow? by Gerry Forster, which can be downloaded at: http://www.think-aboutit.com/pdf/ISOURE~1.pdf.

Hollow Earth Mythology in Other Faiths
Hyperborea and Ultima Thule

Boreas is the name of the god of the north wind in Greek mythology, so the term Hyperborea is the land located far beyond in north. The Hyperboreans are mentioned in Greek myths before the time of Homer. Herodotus mentions them as being part of the legendary Theban epic (of the Egyptian myth), but in someway connected with the cult of Apollo the sun god, whose homeland is said to be "beyond the North Wind", possibly in the region of the Arctic Cricle. The Hyperborians according to this same source, were alleged to live for a thousand years, but they had a tradition that any who tired of such a long life could end it in a ritual suicide ceremony, whereby the person involved was decked with floral garlands and allowed to jump off a high pinnacle into the sea!

Other legends think of Hyperborea as a land of the West identifying it with the Garden of the Hesperides (whose trees bore golden fruits), the Elysian Fields, or even the Happy Isles! The general idea was that this was an island of paradise lying somewhere between the Azores and Iceland, which, like Atlantis, sank beneath the waves after some great catastrophe. Some scholars directly connect the two, and claim that Hyperborea was, in fact, the lost continent of Atlantis!

Gerry Forster thinks that Hyperborea and Thule could refer to the same place, and, depending on how far back in time the legends can be traced, it may be inferred that there was warm, temperate and habitable land in the north pole before the last polar shift. He even says that the legendary land could well be the British Isles (merged with the European landmass at that time), which are "far north-west" of both Egypt and Greece!

Alternatively, Forster suggests that Thule could be Iceland and Ultima Thule could be Greenland because according to Pytheas, a famous Greek navigator of the 4th century BCE, Thule was a six-day voyage north of Britain, though whether by sail or by oar-power isn’t stated. There is also a possibly that both were united into a Hyperborean continent.

Support from India

As already mentioned in Part 1 of this compilation, Hindu Puranas have extensive accounts of underworld civilizations. In addition, according to Bala Gangadhar Tilak, Vedic civilization had an Arctic home and the Aryans migrated from there down south at the time of the Ice Age. Tilak puts the date of Indian Vedic Civilization at around 4500 BCE which was formed by the Aryans who left their Arctic home around 10,000 - 8,000 BCE due to the setting in of the Ice Age.

Tilak's timings closely agree with the time of destruction of Atlantis and Mu, and the cause could be attributed to a sudden polar shift that released tidal waves destroying the Arctic civilization. Mu was destroyed around 12,000 BCE and Atlantis around 10,000 BCE, so destruction of Hyperborea might also have been in the same time-frame.

Setting in of the Ice Age

The Zoroastrian scholar, H.S. Spencer’s Aryan Ecliptic Cycle(1965) says that the cycle ran approximately 25,000 BCE to 300 BCE from their residence in the polar homeland during the 'Interglacial Age' to their forced evacuation of it, first by the arrival of the giant reptiles (dinosaurs!), and then by the advent of intense cold and snow. (The same effect should have taken place in the south polar region too). The Big Freeze destroyed Atlantis, Mu and the Gobi Sea (now the Gobi Desert).

The Aryans moving south had to fight their way against natural forces and the indigenous Asian tribes, including a term of enslavement by the Turanians (Turks).

Religious Influences of the Aryans

Forster states that by 8,500 BCE, Aryans ruled their empire at Bacteria, where they continued to worship their god, Mazda, whom they had apparently held as their chief deity among several, for at least 19,000 years BCE. It was Zoroaster (better known as Zarathustra) who introduced Mazdan monotheism around 7,100 BCE. The Persian Aryans stayed true to their faith, but the Indian branch joined in the local polytheism, only changing to Hinduism when they believed Zarathustra had been reincarnated as Krishna around 4,000 BCE.

It is also interesting to note that (according to Spencer), the European Aryans accepted this very same reincarnated spirit as Jesus Christ! The religious influence of these Aryans was to have a great impact upon all the surrounding religions in promoting the supremacy of a male concept of God over the female, which had hitherto dominated Egypt, Babylon, Sumeria, and the Semites, who had all previously worshipped predominantly female gods.

Atlantis and Thule

Plato's 'Discourses' put the location of Atlantis in the middle of the Atlantic, opposite the Pillars of Hercules - The Straights of Gibraltar. This was believed to be the case until in the 18th century Olaf Rudbeck challenged it and brought the lost kingdome to the land of Sweden. This set a new trend of speculation and Bailly suggested either Spitzbergen, Greenland or Nova
Zemlya as possible sites. He rationalised that because the rotary movement of the planet close to the poles was so much less, the atmosphere might well have been less agitated, thus making it in reality a place of eternal spring. Through this idea, he identified his Altlanteans as actually being the legendary Hyperboreans, living in their golden "Garden of the Hesperides" close to the North Pole!

Atlantis and the Nazis

The Roman historian Tacitus said that the Aryans had stern blue eyes, fair ruddy hair and large physiques. The Germans, influced by this tall, blond, Nordic Aryan image projected by Tacitus, believed that they were the true descendents of the Atlantean-Hyperborean Aryans from the North Pole. Hitler was a strong adherent of this Aryan supremacy belief, although, ironically, he was himself short and dark-haired and typically Southern Eurpoean in general appearance!

This led to the concept of a Nazi Thule, the three godfathers of which were Von List, Von Liebenfels, and Von Sebottendorff. All three were pretenders to grandeur and had added the nobly-suggestive "Von" to their plain family names.

The migrating Atlantean stream, according to Joscelyn Godwin, got polluted with the dark races of the Lemurians (the Muvians), and this resulted in the origination of the Mother Worship as against the cult of the Sun, of the pure Nordic stream.

The Left and Right Hand Path

The first group of Hyperboreans who migrated to Atlantis were given to sorcery and conquest, whilst the Asian stream of migraton retained much of their pure character. Forster says that this might have been the origin of the two distinct paths of the Left Hand Path (Black and Evil) and the Right Hand Path (White and Good). There was a gap of thousands of years between the times the two groups left their polar homes, and therefore, it could be inferred that the first (evil) group could have been expelled from their homeland by the other inhabitants. The second group left due to the ice cataclysm that overtook their homeland.

Shambhala, Agartha, and the "The Hole at The Pole"

The myth of Shambhala is supposed to have emanated from the early lamas of Tibet. It is thought to be an ancient, island realm (the "Sacred Island") located somewhere in the Asia, possibly the Gobi (Desert), when it was still the Gobi Sea. According to Madame Blavatsky, its inhabitants were descended from the Lemurians and were the last survivors of the "White Island" which had perished ages earlier! This idea makes the legend similar to the Hyperboria-Thule legend.

Shambhala

The seat of learning and spiritual enlightenment, Shambhala was thought to be ruled by the people of the Right Handed Path who worshipped the Golden Sun. The other group, the Left Handed Path, were probably thrown out of their Arctic homeland due to their evil ways. According to Jean-Claude Frére, author of Nazisme et Sociétiés Secretès, these people, who worshipped the Black Sun, migrated to the Gobi Desert over 6000 years ago and founded a new center, which they named Agartha.

Curiosly, the Black Sun, the symbol of Evil, was an emblem of the Nazi, who also chose the Right Handed Swastika. Obviously, these two emblems do not go together, so Hitler, who chose them as the symbols of power and good fortune, was wrong on both counts.

The legend states that Agartha went under the earth due to a huge catastrophe but still survived. The Aryans once again split into two factions, one group headed north-east, hoping to return to their lost Hyperborea, and the second went south to found a new secret centre under the Himalayas.

Asgaard - Agartha

"Asgaard" in Norse mythology, is the Home of the Gods. Louis Jacolliot, a French student of Indian Mythology, states in his book Le Fils de Dieu (The Sons of God), that he learnt from the Brahmin priests in Villenoor of a place named "Asgartha", known as the "City of the Sun", which was the ancient seat of Brahmatma, way back in 13,000 BCE. Jacolliot claims that in 10,000 BCE, some 'Aryan Brahmins' rebelled against their priestly masters and took over Asgartha, forged an alliance with the other priests and became a warrior caste. Later, in 5,000 BCE, two Norse brothers, Ioda and Skandah, invaded Hindustan from the Himalaya region and finally destroyed Asgartha, though they were driven away by the Brahmin warrior-priests. These two continued northward, back to their homeland, the land of the Norsemen, where they were immortalized as "Odin" and "Scandinavia". (The name Scandinavia orignated from Skandah?)

The legend of Agartha was thus always connected with the Aryans, the Brahmatma, and various mysterious Mahatmas, which included those who communicated with Madame Blavatsky and her Theosophists!

With such stories as from the book Mission of India in 1886, by the French mystic investigator Saint-Yves d'Alveydre, the Agartha legend continues to be kept alive. This book states that Agartha is a hidden land under the earth, ruled over by a black sovereign Pontiff named the Brahmatma. The realm was shifted underground around 3,200 BCE, at the beginning of the Kali Yuga. Agartha has much advanced technology such as artificial lighting, mechanised transport, and even air-travel. The city sends emissaries to the upper world, about which it keeps well informed. It also has huge libraries that contain the original copies of all texts that were lost or destroyed or corrupted on the surface of the earth.

Talking of hidden libraries underground, Madame Blavatsky narrates in her Secret Doctrine, vol 1, Introductory:



While a prominent Cinghalese priest assured the writer that it was well known that the most important Buddhist tracts belonging to the sacred canon were stored away in countries and places inaccessible to the European pundits, the late Swami Dayanand Sarasvati, the greatest Sanskritist of his day in India, assured some members of the Theosophical Society of the same fact with regard to ancient Brahmanical works. When told that Professor Max Müller had declared to the audiences of his "Lectures" that the theory . . ."that there was a primeval preternatural revelation granted to the fathers of the human race, finds but few supporters at present,"—the holy and learned man laughed. His answer was suggestive. "If Mr. Moksh Mooller, as he pronounced the name, were a Brahmin, and came with me, I might take him to a gupta cave (a secret crypt) near Okhee Math, in the Himalayas, where he would soon find out that what crossed the Kalapani (the black waters of the ocean) from India to Europe were only the bits of rejected copies of some passages from our sacred books. There was a 'primeval revelation,' and it still exists; nor will it ever be lost to the world, but will reappear; though the Mlechchhas will of course have to wait."

Questioned further on this point, he would say no more. This was at Meerut, in 1880.


Dr Ram Bhosle, an aged healer and a freedom fighter of Mumbai, had to flee to the Himalayas to escape an British arrest warrant. In Himalayas he had the good fortune to meet Mahaavatar Babaji, preceptor of the Kriya Yoga, (introduced to the world by Swami Paramahansa Yogananda in his book The Autobiography of a Yogi), narrates his experience with the holy man thus:



On another occasion, Babaji solicitously asked if he wanted a book to read. Unbelieving, Dr Bhosle asked for Bharatmuni's ancient opus on dance, Natyashastra, which was procured for him. Babaji remarked that deep within the womb of the Himalayas was an unimaginable storehouse of ancient texts. He also revealed that four rooms in that great edifice were entirely devoted to astrology. Babaji also predicted that from 2001 onwards India would gradually return to supremacy in world affairs. Several decades ago, he had also forecast the end of all the political isms of the 20th century.

(Source: http://vitalcoaching.com/spirit/masters/babaji/immortalenigma.htm


In a similar vein, Bulwer-Lytton's book The Coming Race, tells of an underground world of high-tech beings possessed of that mysterious "Vril" force, so keenly sought by the Nazis in World War II, and who will one day emerge from their subterranean realm to take over the surface! Saint-Yves insists that such a day really is coming, and that we will be totally defenceless against these super-beings, who will become the true worldrulers. With other authors, mystics and investigators voicing similar opinions, the legend of Shambhala and Agartha takes to forms: in one form, both these regions are one and the same place, while in the other, they are two distinct regions ruled by the forces of Good and Evil, opposed to each other.

Nicholas Roerich, a famous Russian explorer, artist and mystic, traversed the myserious regions of Himalayas during the 1920s and 30s, specifically in search of the lost realm of Shambala. He wrote a book titled Shambhala, which was published in 1930, along with Himalayas: Abode of Light and Heart of Asia. Roerich wrote of Shambala in his book that:


Shambhala itself is the Holy Place, where the earthly world links with the higher states of consciousness...many speculations have been made about the location of the earthly Shambhala. Certain indications put this place in the extreme North, explaining that the rays of Aurora Borealis are the rays of Shambhala.... but this is incorrect, Shambhala is only north in relation to India, being perhaps on the Pamir, in Turkestan, or in the Central Gobi...


He associates it with the underground city of "Agharti" and with the "White Island", and that its "Splendid Valley" is reached via subterranean passages from the Himalayas. He further adds that "the underground caverns of Central Asia are inhabited to this day by the people called the Agharti, or Chud, and that when the time of purification comes, say the legends, they will emerge in their glory".

Formation of the Hollow Earth Theories

Sir Edmund Halley, the 17th century astronomer who discovered Halley’s Comet, was the first to suggest a hallow earth. His idea was that it comprised three concentric spheres, that each supported life and which had at their centre a white-hot shining core. He ascribed the shifting of the earth’s magnetic poles to their movements one within another.

Thomas Burnet, a theologian, proposed in his book Sacred Theory of the Earth that the ocean waters came out of hole at the North Pole, not in continuum but in accordance with Divine Will at such times as Deluges.

Supporting Burnet's idea, Alexander Colcott in 1768 posited a hollow sphere with an inner surface covered by a vast ocean, which welled up to the outer surface through a polar gap and caused the Biblical Flood.

These people however did not think that the hollow earth had land and a central sun. Nor did they conceive of any connection between the holes at the north and the south poles, but this may be because of the fact that the south polar landmass was yet to be discovered then.

It was left to the writers of popular fantasy fiction to create a whole world inside the earth. The most popular among such fiction were Edgar Allen Poe's The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, Bulwer-Lytton's The Coming Race, Jules Verne's immortal classics Voyage To The Centre Of The Earth and The Sphinx of the Ice, and the unrivalled Edgar Rice Burroughs series of adventure tales of Pellucidar and At The Earth's Core.

The Smoky God

Taking advantage of the incessant interest in polar expeditions, Willis George Emerson in 1908 published a small book titled The Smoky God Or A Voyage to the Inner World. This book describes the adventures of a Norseman named Olaf Jansen and his father, who went on a fishing expedition using a small sailboat and managed to sail past the huge icebergs that had only narrow gaps between them. They found several 'anamolies' in the waters of the north polar regions: their compass dipped and vacillated, failing to point properly to the north, they saw birds and animals that usually reside in normal land areas, and they also had plenty of totally salt-free, fresh water on the oceans beyond the icebergs. Eventually they slipped into a hole and were escorted by human being who were 12 to 14 feet tall, to their master. Jansen and his father were permitted to stay with them for over two years, went on an inland expedition and saw huge vegetables, fruits, mammoths and gigantic animals and a whole civilization that was far technologically advanced with their huge cities and beautiful homes and surface, water and air transport systems. The people and leaders were very cordial hosts. Their master warned Jansen and his father about the warring and selfish mankind on the surface world, which will eventually destroy their civilization and science. After a long stay, Jansen and his father bid farewell to them and emerged through the south pole to the surface world, but on their journey back home, Jansen's father met with a horrible death in an iceberg explosion, while Jansen was rescued by some other voyagers. Those people refused to believe Jansen's story and imprisoned him. Finally, Jansen went home, only to find his mother also gone, and his property at the hands of his uncle, who turned him over to the authorities. Jansen was imprisoned for over 25 years, and finally managed to settle in American. He had kept his travel logs secretly with him and published them through his friend Emerson, author of the book, so the story goes.

Some people believe Olaf Jansen's adventures to be a true story, while many others simply dismiss it as pure fantasy.

Admiral Byrd's Flights

Another popular and seemingly credible narration of the hollow earth is the alleged diary (in the form of a flight log) of Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd of the United States Navy, who was sent on a flight expedition to the North Pole.

Admiral Byrd, a pioneering American polar explorer and famous aviator, undertook several Arctic and Antartic polar expeditions by flight during the years 1926 to 1947. He attempted to fly past the North Pole in 1947 and had a very strange experience, which he logged in his flight diary. Some of the interesting entries in the diary sound too strange to be true. Perhaps truth is stranger than fiction!

Flight Log: Base Camp Arctic, 2/19/1947
(Source: http://www.reversespins.com/byrd.html)

0910 Hours- Both Magnetic and Gyro compasses beginning to gyrate and wobble, we are unable to hold our heading by instrumentation. Take bearing with Sun compass, yet all seems well. The controls are seemingly slow to respond and have sluggish quality, but there is no indication of Icing!

0949 Hours- 29 minutes elapsed flight time from the first sighting of the mountains, it is no illusion. They are mountains and consisting of a small range that I have never seen before!

1000 Hours- We are crossing over the small mountain range and still proceeding northward as best as can be ascertained. Beyond the mountain range is what appears to be a valley with a small river or stream running through the center portion. There should be no green valley below! Something is definitely wrong and abnormal here! We should be over Ice and Snow! To the portside are great forests growing on the mountain slopes. Our navigation Instruments are still spinning, the gyroscope is oscillating back and forth!

1005 Hours- I alter altitude to 1400 feet and execute a sharp left turn to better examine the valley below. It is green with either moss or a type of tight knit grass. The Light here seems different. I cannot see the Sun anymore. We make another left turn and we spot what seems to be a large animal of some kind below us. It appears to be an elephant! NO!!! It looks more like a mammoth! This is incredible! Yet, there it is! Decrease altitude to 1000 feet and take binoculars to better examine the animal. It is confirmed - it is definitely a mammoth-like animal! Report this to base camp

1030 Hours- Encountering more rolling green hills now. The external temperature indicator reads 74 degrees Fahrenheit! Continuing on our heading now. Navigation instruments seem normal now. I am puzzled over their actions. Attempt to contact base camp. Radio is not functioning!

1130 Hours- Countryside below is more level and normal (if I may use that word). Ahead we spot what seems to be a city!!!! This is impossible! Aircraft seems light and oddly buoyant. The controls refuse to respond!! My GOD!!! Off our port and starboard wings are a strange type of aircraft. They are closing rapidly alongside! They are disc-shaped and have a radiant quality to them. They are close enough now to see the markings on them. It is a type of Swastika!!! This is fantastic. Where are we! What has happened. I tug at the controls again. They will not respond!!!! We are caught in an invisible vice grip of some type!

1135 Hours- Our radio crackles and a voice comes through in English with what perhaps is a slight Nordic or Germanic accent! The message is: 'Welcome, Admiral, to our domain. We shall land you in exactly seven minutes! Relax, Admiral, you are in good hands.' I note the engines of our plane have stopped running! The aircraft is under some strange control and is now turning itself. The controls are useless.

1140 Hours- Another radio message received. We begin the landing process now, and in moments the plane shudders slightly, and begins a descent as though caught in some great unseen elevator! The downward motion is negligible, and we touch down with only a slight jolt!

1145 Hours- I am making a hasty last entry in the flight log. Several men are approaching on foot toward our aircraft. They are tall with blond hair. In the distance is a large shimmering city pulsating with rainbow hues of color. I do not know what is going to happen now, but I see no signs of weapons on those approaching. I hear now a voice ordering me by name to open the cargo door. I comply.

From this point I write all the following events here from memory. It defies the imagination and would seem all but madness if it had not happened.

The radioman and I are taken from the aircraft and we are received in a most cordial manner. We were then boarded on a small platform-like conveyance with no wheels! It moves us toward the glowing city with great swiftness. As we approach, the city seems to be made of a crystal material. Soon we arrive at a large building that is a type I have never seen before...

Byrd goes on to describe the cordial reception they had at the hands of the aliens who took them to their Master, who warned him with the words:

"Your race has now reached the point of no return, for there are those among you who would destroy your very world rather than relinquish their power as they know it. In 1945 and afterward, we tried to contact your race, but our efforts were met with hostility, our Flugelrads were fired upon. Yes, even pursued with malice and animosity by your fighter planes. So, now, I say to you, my son, there is a great storm gathering in your world, a black fury that will not spend itself for many years. There will be no answer in your arms, there will be no safety in your science. It may rage on until every flower of your culture is trampled, and all human things are leveled in vast chaos. Your recent war was only a prelude of what is yet to come for your race. We here see it more clearly with each hour.. do you say I am mistaken?"
...

"We see at a great distance a new world stirring from the ruins of your race, seeking its lost and legendary treasures, and they will be here, my son, safe in our keeping. When that time arrives, we shall come forward again to help revive your culture and your race. Perhaps, by then, you will have learned the futility of war and its strife...and after that time, certain of your culture and science will be returned for your race to begin anew. You, my son, are to return to the Surface World with this message....."

220 Hours- We are again over vast areas of ice and snow, and approximately 27 minutes from base camp. We radio them, they respond.

We report all conditions normal....normal. Base camp expresses relief at our re-established contact.

300 Hours- We land smoothly at base camp. I have a mission.

Admiral Byrd's diary ends thus:

March 11, 1947. I have just attended a staff meeting at the Pentagon.

I have stated fully my discovery and the message from the Master. All is duly recorded. The President has been advised. I am now detained for several hours (six hours, thirty-nine minutes, to be exact.) I am interviewed intently by Top Security Forces and a medical team. It was an ordeal!!!! I am placed under strict control via the national security provisions of this United States of America. I am ORDERED TO REMAIN SILENT IN REGARD TO ALL THAT I HAVE LEARNED, ON THE BEHALF OF HUMANITY1111 Incredible! I am reminded that I am a military man and I must obey orders.

The diary was published after Admiral Byrd's death on March 12, 1957. The big question that haunts the readers is: why should Byrd, a brave and meritorious man who had an excellent record and was decorated by the U.S. government with several honours, choose to lie and tell a tall tale in his diary? Does the U.S. government know more than it tells the world?

In Part 3 of this compilation, we will discuss the scientific basis of the Hollow Earth Theory and try to arrive at a conclusion about its validity.

saidevo
26 October 2006, 10:55 AM
In this concluding part of the compilation, we try to understand how our Earth, and indeed all planets, could be hollow with landmass at the rim in the form of a doughtnut, hollow space for the rest of inside, with a central sun.

Inferences from the Polar Expeditions

There have been a large number of polar expeditions (chiefly Arctic) by water and air since the 17th century. The experiences recorded by the explorers in their log books are not in many cases convincingly explained by orthodox science. All the logical inferences from such experiences and the anamolies described in the log books and other travel accounts strongly point to a polar basin with an opening at the poles, instead of an archipelago of ice and sea as science tells us.

Signs of Normal and Luxuriant Life

The polar explorers over the centuries and from different entry points were generally consistent in their reports, which spoke of:

1. Steadily rising day and night temperatures and a generally temperate climate that warmed up as they travelled up north. There was warm wind from the north, in contrast to the chilly gales from the south, after they sailed past the huge icebergs.

2. Navigating in extensive fresh waters, free from any trace of salt and ice. These waters were found as they travelled beyond the mammoth icebergs, towards farther north. They used the fresh water for drinking.

3. Sighting driftwood of logs and branches of huge trees, and large mass of pollen, and sometimes large tusks and bony remains of huge animals.

4. Sighting landmass with mountain ranges, active with vegetable life (luxuriant grass, sorrel, poppies, and other plants).

5. Sighting a wide range of warmblooded insects (such as mosquitoes, bees and butterflies), birds (such as geese, duck, ptarmigan, snow parrots and other waterfowl), animals (such as wolves, bears, foxes, seals and musk oxen) and a variety of marine life (including jellyfish and shrimps).

Gardner in his book A Journey to the Center of the Earth raises some pertinent questions:


How do scientists explain the fact that when we go North it becomes colder up to a certain point and then begins to get warm? How do they explain the further fact that the source of this warmth is not any influence from the South but a series of currents of warm water and warm winds from the North- supposed to be a land of solid ice ... and why should there be a warm, open sea at the very place where scientists expect to find eternal ice?

And why should they find the seeds of tropical plants floating in these waters when they are not found in more Southern waters? How should logs and branches of trees, with fresh buds on them be found in these waters, all being borne down from the warm currents of the North? ...

Why should the Northern part of Greenland be the greatest habitat of the mosquito, an insect which is only found in warm countries? The observations of Hayes of insect life in the far North were confirmed by Greely. ... In the preface to his book, Greely tells us that the wonders of the Artic region are so great that he was forced to modify his actual notes made at the time, and understate them rather than lay himself open to suspicion of exaggeration."


Scientists try to explain away Polar warming as being due to convection currents which bring warm air from the equatorial regions along stratospheric altitudes. Air at such altitudes cools to below freezing, so this explanation hardly holds water.

Curvature Anamolies and the Photographs of Apollo 8 and 16

The Arctic explorers met with sudden inward curving of the terrain and the foreshortening of the horizon as they approached the North Pole. This curving distorted their compass reading and made the compass needle dip and touch the glass! When Admiral Peary, as well as Dr. Cook, approached the North Pole in separate expeditions, they both reported exaggerated sledding speeds, pulled only by their Siberian husky dogs. Admiral Peary also reported sighting black cliffs that peered up over the ice caps.

The dipping of the compass needle made the Arctic explorer think that they had reached the North Pole and had commenced their journey down south, and thus arose the false claims of Peary and Cook to have become the first persons to have conquered the North Pole!

The progressively sharp, inward curving of the terrain near the poles possibly indicates that the polar region is like a circular basin whose inner surface curves inwards. The Pole is simply the outer rim of a magnetic circle around the polar opening. The North Magnetic Pole, once thought to be a point in the Arctic Archipelago, has been lately shown by Soviet Arctic explorers to be a line approximately 1000 miles long. However, the experiences of the polar explorers indicate that it is not a straight line but a circular line constituting the rim of the polar opening. When an explorer reaches this rim, he has reached the North Magnetic Pole. Beyond this point the compass points straight down. Nobody can actually 'reach' the North Pole which is really in midair, in the center of the polar openings and not on its surface as would-be discoverers of the Poles suppose!

No explorer can also try to fly over the polar rim. The article "North Pole - Russian Style" published in the March 1962 issue of the "Flying Saucers" magazine says,


We have successfully challenged those military and civilian pilots who have claimed that they fly 'daily' over the North Pole. In the case of the military flyer we have pointed out the maneuver which is standard, which automatically makes it impossible for him to fly 'beyond' the Pole by flying straight across it. (That is, across the polar opening, instead of going into it - Author.) Because of navigating difficulties stemming from compasses of all kinds.

A 'lost' flier (whose compass doesn't work as it should) regains his bearings by making a turn in any direction, until his compasses again resume function. In the case of commercial airlines, whose advertising boast is that they fly twice daily over the Pole, they are simply stretching the truth by 2,300 miles. (They simply cross over the magnetic rim of the polar opening, where the compass registers the highest degree north, but do not actually reach the North Pole, which is the central point of the polar opening inside this rim - Author.)


Such experiences led to the Russian discovery that the North Pole is an approximately 1,000 mile long straight line. This discovery may be flawed because expeditions from various locations into the North Pole indicate that the 'straight line' might actually be a circular line.

In addition, the Apollo 8 and 16 photographs of the Earth seem to validate the Hollow Earth Theory. These photographs can be viewed at: http://www.burlingtonnews.net/hollowearth.html

Other Inferences

Satellite pictures of the poles seem to indicate a fog coming out of a depression. This is suggestive of an opening through which issues a warm wind that creates the fog when it reacts with the polar cold climate. (Ref: http://www.holloworbs.com/Radarsat.htm)

An image of the Antarctic Polar region shows the absence of an ozone layer at the very location of the South Pole. (Ref: http://www.holloworbs.com/antartic_ozone_image.htm). Ozone is formed in conjuction with the untraviolet rays of the Sun. The absence of an ozone layer, consequently, indicates the absence of ultraviolet rays. Could the lack of ozone at the South Pole be indicative of an opening and that the radiations emanating from that opening might be of low frequency?

Science explains the aurora at the poles of the earth as formed by the interaction of solar winds with the atoms in the ionosphere. But Arctic explorers Nansen, Dr. Hayes and Mauch have reported that the aurora borealis they saw pointed up to the horizon (from below rather than down from the sky above). Their descriptions are highly suggestive of a hollow earth origin of the aurora, which could be the rays emanating from the polar orifices.

In the same way, the rays of the aurora australis also emanate from within the earth and express through the polar orifice, as may be seen from the NASA photographs at: http://www.holloworbs.com/Antarctic%20aurora.htm.

Like Mount Shasta in California, Mount Moncayo in northern Spain has a legend of strange caverns underground, complete with glittering cities. And some of these tales have much in common with contemporary reports of alien abduction.

A popular belief is the abduction of humans by aliens in episodes that involved the appearance of a UFO. In many cases, the victims claim to have been taken underground and witnessed advanced transport technology, large cities, pyramids and mountains in the land areas inside the earth.

An account from the Bhagavat Purana, Canto Nine, Canto 3, Texts 28 - 29, does not describe abductions, nor materialistic nor demoniac beings, but it does describe an underground kingdom, in this case an undersea one. "King Saryati begot three sons, named Uttanabarhi, Anarta and Bhurishena. From Anarta came a son named Revata. Oh Maharaj Parikshit, subduer of the enemies, this Revata constructed a kingdom known as Kushasthali in the depths of the ocean. There he lived and rules such tracts of land as Anarta, etc. He had 100 very nice sons, of whom the eldest was Kakudmi."

Geological evidence indicates that tropical South America has some of the most ancient land that were never submerged by the ocean nor ground by glaciers of the Ice Age. This has led to speculations that this now mysterious heartland may very well have been the cradle of the Earth's civilization that existed 60,000 years ago, from which it later spread outwards to Europe and Africa on one side, and Asia on the other. Today, some unexplored areas in Brazil is thought to have a network of large underground caverns, probably housing a civilization.

Extensive networks of underground caverns are found in almost all countries in the world, with ancient legends surrounding them. While the legends are dismissed as stories fired by imagination and creativity, the regions themselves remain to be explored, largely due to unsurmountable difficulties.

The Hollow Earth Theory

There are actually three kinds of the Hollow Earth Theory, indicating three different kinds of subterranean "world".

The first and the most popular theory states what is indicated at the beginning of Part 1 of this compilation. To recap: that the earth is not a solid sphere with a central, hot magma which is yet to cool, but a hollow sphere that has a thick crust of landmass only around the circumference, with openings at the north and south poles. There is an 'inner sun' at the centre of the earth. The ring of land crust is supposed to be between 600 and 800 miles in thickness and the polar openings between 100 and 1400 miles in diameter. This leaves a space of over 7000 miles at the centre, which is hollow.

In direct contravention to the proportion of land and water mass being of the ratio 1:4 on the surface, the inner crust has this proportion in the ration 4:1, that is, four-fifths of land and only one-fifth of water. The reason for this reversal is that the floors of the surface oceans are actually landmass on the inner side!

An extrapolation of this thory is the advanced civilization living in several continents, who visit the surface world in their UFOs. This civilization is a peaceful and harmonious one, and they really care about the impending doom of the surface world, and are ready to set it up again, if it is destroyed completely.

The second theory speaks of an inner earth formed by natural or engineered caves and tunnels deep within the Earth's crust, occupied by alien humanoid races, somewhat akin to our race, but generally not well-disposed towards the modern humans of the surface world. Gerry Forster says, "These peoples are said to subsist on hydroponically-grown vegetables, fungi, and subterranean animals of various kinds (as well as, in some cases, captured surfaceanimals (including humans), and have developed their own mysterious societies along with strange forms of technology to suit their trogloditic environment. Their caverns are usually lit by some form of electrical or natural fluorescent energy, which possesses the same life-giving as, but more benevolent qualities than naked sunlight."

Some traditions virtually associate this world with hell, populated by extraterrestrials, fallen-angels, demons, hominid reptoids or the more esoteric creatures of human fable, such as trolls, dwarfs, elves - or even yetis and sasquatch! This accounts for the rich and widespread legend and folklore about these entities throughout the world.

The third is an utterly incredible-sounding theory of the three. It actually turns the cosmos inside out and says (according to Forster) that "we are actually already residing (right at this very moment!) upon the inner surface of a hollow sphere! Known as the Celestro-Centric model, and it is part of a universal "Cellular Cosmogeny" in which Heaven and Earth are both considered to be parts of a single hugely gigantic cell-like organism. One of the principal promulgators of this seemingly curious notion was an American named Cyrus Teed, and he developed the concept principally for the satisfaction of his own personal religious beliefs, and strangely, they appear to fit perfectly within God’s framework of Creative order, exactly as set out in the first chapter of the Bible Book of Genesis!" Astonishingly, scientists cannot disprove this theory that meets most of the existing laws of science, so in frustration, they call it "A Maddening Theory That Can’t Be Disproved"!

Current Scientific Explanation and What Could be Wrong with It

Orthodox science assumes that since the planets were once molten balls of magma, and since all the planets (perhaps excepting Venus) are now cold and solid on the surface, they must have cooled from the outside inwards, forming the lithosphere (the rocky crust). This cooling process is gradually advancing toward their cores. Mercury and Mars have already solidified right through, and the same will be true for our planet also in due course.

Gerry Forster pinpoints the major hole in this theory or assumption with two analogies. He says that orthodox has completely overlooked the fact that the earth is spinning at high speed and not at rest, so the action of centrifugal and centripetal forces would lead to a different formation!

The first analogy Forster uses is that of a dryer-drum of a washing machine. After a time cycle of spinning, one finds that the clothes inside are sticking to the inner surfaces of the drum, leaving a hole throughout at the center!

In the second analogy Forster uses an educational globe of the earth, hypothetically filling it with piping-hot, sloppy mashed-potato or milky porridge, and then spinning the globe at high speed until it cooled off. Forster explains, "Upon opening it up, we would (hopefully) find the mushy mashed potato or porridge now tightly compacted around the inside of the globe, with its thickest deposit plastered around the inside of the equatorial region of the globe and a sizeable empty space in the centre. We would probably also be surprised to discover that, at the polar ends of the globe’s axis, there would be only a very thin deposit - if, in fact, any at all! ... This same effect, incidentally, can also be observed in any DIY concrete-mixer, as many of us may have perhaps already discovered to our cost – especially if we forgot to sluice the drum out with water and left its contents to set overnight!

Thus, using the Newtonian science of gravity, it can easily proved that the Earth and all planets (indeed everything else spins at high speed with molten contents) are bound to be hollow, with a slight outward bulge at the equitorial regions and a slightly curving surface with holes at the poles.

What about the central sun?

Forster explains that as a consequence of the centrifugal force that throws landmass on the inner surface of the hollow earth, "the extremely light elements as neon, hydrogen, helium, and so forth, would most likely tend to aggregate together around the central in a completely gravity-free zone by either the Earth’s own gravitational effect, or by seeking the furthest place away from it. The rest would, in all probability, be a miniature re-enactment of the Sun’s own birth from gaseous elements at the centre of a coalescing mass of cosmic dust and other space debris. The gases would then heat up under their own gravitational compression, thus causing atomic action and interaction, which would in turn, trigger off a sustained nuclear fusion reaction such as we see on an infinitely more gigantic scale, in our own Sun.

"In essence, for the purposes of this exercise, we can reasonably imagine that the Central Sun of the internal earth would function in very much the same way as the Sun itself, but on a greatly miniaturized scale, both in terms of heat, light, overall radioactivity and solar output. This point is an extremely important one to consider, with regard to its assumed proximity to the inner surface of the thick solid shell of the planet. The radiation of both heat and light from this tiny “sun” (especially ultraviolet, actinic, and nuclear) would have to be at a sufficiently low level as to permit lifeforms to develop and flourish in safety, without being subjected to harmful levels of atomic or ultraviolet radiation." At best, this could only be a speculation at this stage, since nobody has been able to travel sufficiently into the North Polar regions so far.

Where does all this discussion leave us?

The exact location of the North Polar and its polar orifice is yet to be found, even though explorers have a fairly good idea of it: http://www.holloworbs.com/Location_Orifice.htm. In spite of the modern contrivances of surface, water and air expeditions, the North Pole remains a mystery.

The governments pioneering such explorations, specially the USA, are said to know much more than what they actually reveal to the public. Orthodox science chooses to scoff at personal or community theory of a hollow earth, while its own theory is not much more than a hypothesis.

It is impossible to organize personal or community expeditions to the polar regions because of the cost and dangers involved. Most of the polar regions come under various governments who frown upon any such bold ventures and extend very little help for any daring organizers.

It is reasonable to say that the Hollow Earth Theory is logical, scientific and appeals to intution, throwing up immense possibilities about the cosmogonic and anthropogenetic origins of our universe and the present condition of life on our own and the neighbouring planets of our solar system. It is certainly worth a try to attempt to prove or disprove it with transparent modern expeditions. (It is said that a zeppelin could be an ideal transport device for such an expedition).

A sizeable community has grown who believe, credit and support the HET and all sorts of evidences it is derived from and the speculations it is leading to. Here is a partial list of links to some interesting discussions on the subject:

http://gerryforster.netfirms.com/
http://home.earthlink.net/~mottimorph/
http://members.tripod.com/~wethepeople/Byrd.htm (links)
http://www.2012.com.au/
http://www.2012.com.au/HollowEarthCities.html
http://www.byerly.org/thollowt/hollow.html
http://www.etfriends.com/
http://www.etfriends.com/Subterranean.html
http://www.hollowplanets.com/
http://www.holloworbs.com/
http://www.matthewhenson.com/
http://www.onelight.com/
http://www.thehollowearthinsider.com/news/index.php
http://www.unexplainable.net/artman/publish/article_3429.shtml
http://www.unmuseum.org/
http://www.v-j-enterprises.com/

The material of this compilation is mainly from two sources:
http://www.holloworbs.com/
http://gerryforster.netfirms.com/

sarabhanga
27 October 2006, 10:19 PM
This thread is full of misguided nonsense!

And despite the title “Vedas, Puranas and the Hollow Earth Theory” there is only one small reference to the Vedas.

The Veda refers to “darkness”, and a Hindi TV dramatization of the Vishnu Purana shows Parasurama coming out from the earth. Very convincing evidence!




The Mahabharata describes Mount Meru as a resplendent mountain which "by its luster, so overcomes the darkness of night, that the night can hardly be distinguished from the day." Tilak attributes this fact to the aurora borealis, which however, is not bright enough to make night seem like day. And there is no accepted landmass in the current geography of Arctic, unless Mount Meru happens to be in the underground, shining by the light of the inner, central sun!

In relation to the Rig Veda, Tilak quotes the following on page 102:

"Thus in I.32.10, Vritra, the traditional enemy of Indra, is said to be engulfed in long darkness … and in V.32.5, Indra is described as having placed Shushna, who was anxious to fight, in 'the darkness of the pit'".

If the inner world is illumined by its own central sun, then any vedic references to darkness cannot be related to this supposed “hollow earth”.




It is reasonable to say that the Hollow Earth Theory is logical and scientific

On the contrary, the whole theory is completely illogical and unscientific!

Sudarshan
28 October 2006, 03:39 PM
Namaste,

Shouldn't Hindus be using the scriptures as philosophical texts rather than geography?

Where is the Sudarshana Dvipa and how is it compatible with the earth? Where are the milk ocean, butter milk ocean etc here? Should we always remain ignorant and reject science?

Though I could go in depth, I dont have time now, so just in brief:



Indra had stolen the sacrificial horse of King Sagara which he had kept for the ashvamedha yajna (sacrifice ritual using a horse). In their search for the

horse, the sons of Sagara came to a Northern ocean, which they crossed, and entered the interior of the earth. There they found the horse in the hermitage of

Kapila Rishi. They mistook that it was the Rishi who stole the horse and disturbed his tapas (meditation). The angered Rishi burnt all the 60,000 of them to

ashes with a curse. The horse was later found by the grandson of King Sagara and the asvamedha yajna was completed. Finally, it was Bhagiratha, a descendant

of the late King Sagara who performed intense tapas and brought the Ganga River to the world and then to the Palata Loka where she washed the sins of the

sons and liberated them.


Various Lokas are only states of consciousness and not places. pAtaL Loka cannot be under the earth - just like "Hell inside the earth" theory. Ganga is the iDa nADi in this context. The world, or bhUmi refers to the sphere of all religeous activity.



According to this verse, Lord Vishnu will take the Kalki Avatar at the Sambhala village at the end of Kali Yuga to establish the oncoming Satya Yuga. Padma Purana (6.242.8-12) also mentions that the name of the village is Sambhala. This village is supposed not to exist today, but to be be born in due time, from the inner earth. The Tibetan lore speaks of a city named Shamballa which they consider to be in the interior of the earth on the Himalayas. Thus the Satya Yuga with its truly Vedic civilization will be established on the surface of the earth from its interior.


It is said in the Mahabaratha that it is the king who makes the yuga and not the yuga that makes the king. If Satya Yuga comes here after sometime , then does that mean that all people will become Yogis and get liberated? Millions of Satya Yugas have come and gone in the past, then why is it that we are not yet liberated and suffering in the Kali Yuga? Is it the same yogis in Satya Yuga who became wicked in Kali yuga? Kalki Purana is full of mystical meanings if one would read carefully.



However, the Hindi TV serial on Vishnu Puranam showed Sri Parasurama springing up from the interior of the earth to kill a kshatriya king.


Huh?



The Mahabharata describes Mount Meru as a resplendent mountain which "by its luster, so overcomes the darkness of night, that the night can hardly be

distinguished from the day." Tilak attributes this fact to the aurora borealis, which however, is not bright enough to make night seem like day. And there is

no accepted landmass in the current geography of Arctic, unless Mount Meru happens to be in the underground, shining by the light of the inner, central sun!


Mount Meru refers to the purified mAyA, the purest form of it. It is the creative power of the Lord from whom Brahma arose, and Brahma is at the summit of the Meru - is he under the earth too? The "sun" in the purANas almost always refer to the Atman - and not any physical light or the sun in the sky. This is called pseudo science.



Vishnu Purana talks about a battle between the Gandharvas and the Nagas. Srimad Bhagavatam tells the story of King Pariksit who was cursed to die of a snakebite. The origin of the Naga race is described in the Mahabharata, Adi Parva.


nAgAs are not humans or a race. They are philosophical entities. The snake that bit parIxit granted him liberation. Snakes stands for nADis or those relating to KunDalini. Lord Garuda and Shiva have both eight major snakes in their necks, meaning they are controllers of these nADis ( and the prANa) that flows through them. There is a technical description of these snakes in Vedanta Desika's garuDa pancAsat. Snakes like Ananta, vAsuki and taxakA are spiritually very significant.(dont mistaken them for a race). That is how the bite of taxakA is very auspicious.

saidevo
29 October 2006, 12:07 AM
Namaste Sudarshan,



Various Lokas are only states of consciousness and not places. pAtaL Loka cannot be under the earth - just like "Hell inside the earth" theory. Ganga is the iDa nADi in this context. The world, or bhUmi refers to the sphere of all religeous activity.


If Lokas are 'only states of consciousness', the same would apply to our Devas, Gods and Rishis, who occupy such Lokas. As manifestations of Brahman, our Gods and Rishis, we know, are individual spiritual beings, with their own lines of spiritual evolution. Therefore the Lokas they occupy must be objective, albeit not physical worlds. When a Loka or a plane is objective it appears the same to every soul. As against this, the personal heavens of human souls are subjective (and are states of consciousness), as they differ with individuals. Even in this case, they are all housed in an objective heaven on the Mental World or Svargam.

The Ganga Nadhi, in the same way, is both physical (objective) and spiritual (subjective). As our Puranas say, as Patala Ganga, she must have entered the underworld where Kapila Rishi had an ashram. Inasmuch as we have no record of the complete subterranean map of our Earth, we can't say with certainty that there is no life underground.

Ramayana, being an Itihaasa, is considered to be history. The locations of Ramanaya events are still found in Bharatvarsha, even though they took place in Treta Yuga. Before constructing a bridge to Lanka, Rama prayed to Samudhra Rajan for permission to cross the ocean, which was his territory. As a spirit or deva in charge of the water bodies, Samudhra Rajan must be as much real as Rama himself, because devas has three rupas. In the same way, the Nagas could also be real beings, as countless legends in our holy land indicate.

The term Purana stands for history, not mythology. The term Itihasa, translated as epic (implying a composed story), is the history of a King and his family. Kanchi Paramacharya Sri Chandrasekharendra Sarasvati said that if we research our puranas and stala puranas, much of the history of Bharat could be written in an authentic manner.

Swami Prakashanand Saraswati in his book The True History and the Religion of India makes out a strong case for the historical authenticity and divinity of our puranas, upanishads and vedas. His Website http://www.encyclopediaofauthentichinduism.org/ contains extracts from his monumental work. I have quoted some of them here:



With the development of cosmic sciences and the evolution theories, the intellectuals have begun to think that the creation theory of the Upnishads and the Puranas may be just a casual write up. We should know that our scriptures are the manifestations of the same Divine power which has created this universe and so they bear the true principles of the creation and the evolution science.
(http://www.encyclopediaofauthentichinduism.org/introduction.htm)

India (Bharatvarsh) is such a place on the earth planet which is not much affected by the natural calamities and disasters like the ice age and the prolonged spine chilling, icy cold storms and blizzards that happen in America and the European countries at the beginning and at the recessing period of these ice ages. Thus, the history of the uninterrupted survival of the civilization of India (although it may be localized in a small area of the country) goes back to an unbelievable period of time which could easily be said to be the beginning of the human civilization on the earth planet, whereas the history of the other countries of the world is the history of only 6,000 to 8,000 years.

In the Puranas the events of the remote past, like the early years of Brahma, are very briefly described; the events of the present day of Brahma are described in detail; and the events of the last part of this cycle, the age of kali, are further detailed. In this way we have a continuous history of the important events of Bharatvarsh (India) since the creation of the earth planet and up till today.
(http://encyclopediaofauthentichinduism.org/articles/1_the_unbroken_continuity.htm)

There are three kinds of evidences: documentary, circumstantial and eyewitness. In the scriptural terms they are called shabd (documentary), anuman (inferential or circumstantial) and pratyakch (eyewitness). We have all the three kinds of evidences to authenticate the Divinity of all the scriptures along with their descriptions.

The depth of the philosophy of God and God realization with its detailed descriptions, the extensiveness of the historical descriptions in the Puranas and in the Mahabharat, the preciseness of the calculations of the periods and the cycles of ‘time’ (for example: the beginning of the existing human civilization is 120.5331 million years; the age of the earth planet and also the existing form of the sun is 1971.9616 million years in 1998; the very beginning of this planetary system is 155.521972 trillion years), and the perfection of the Sanskrit grammar since it was introduced on the earth planet through the early Sages of India, are all such unequalled examples which naturally certify the Divine greatness of our scriptures.
(http://www.encyclopediaofauthentichinduism.org/articles/4_evidences_of.htm)

You must know that the outcome of a material mind is always imperfect no matter how much of a genius a person is. But the Divine writings of our Divine personalities are always perfect and complete. As far as the historic part of our scriptures is concerned it is just the actual happening which is described in it. But the descriptions of our Puranas, Upnishads and the other scriptures are not only the happenings of the material plane, they also include the happenings of the Divine and the celestial dimensions. This is the reason that sometimes they don’t fit within the conceptual framework of a material mind.

You should know that all of our religious writings are Divine facts, and facts always remain facts, they cannot become myths. Using the word myth for our religious history is a serious spiritual transgression.
(http://www.encyclopediaofauthentichinduism.org/articles/5_divine_writings.htm)

Scriptures themselves tell about the eternal Divineness of the Sanskrit language and thousands of learned Saints and acharyas have already proclaimed its Divine authenticity. The first introductory verse of the Panini grammar tells that it came from God Shiv. Moreover, if you look from the historical and logical point of view, you will find that since the very first day the linguists have learned about the existence of the Sanskrit language, they have seen it in the same perfect form. No ‘sound shift,’ no change in the vowel system, and no addition was ever made in the grammar of the Sanskrit in relation to the formation of the words. It is in its totally perfect form since it landed on the earth planet with its 52 letter alphabet. As regards its vocabulary, it had abundance of words and its grammar had a capacity of creating any number of new words for a new situation or concept or thing, and the same we have up till today. Its alphabet, vowels and the exacting nature of the pronunciation of the letters and words were all perfect and the same since the very beginning.
(http://encyclopediaofauthentichinduism.org/articles/11_the_divineness_of.htm)


I don't say that all the contents of our Puranas is history, but I do believe that most of them are.

saidevo
29 October 2006, 12:15 AM
On the contrary, the whole theory is completely illogical and unscientific!


The Earth spins at a rate of nearly 30 km/s. Its diameter is nearly 8,000 miles. Its inner core is located roughly 3,100 miles below the surface and has temperature in the range 5,000 to 6,000 deg.C. The outer core is located roughly 1,800 miles below, and the mantle with its temperature in the range 1,000 and 4,000 deg.C occupies an area from 37 miles below. The crust and the lithosphere extend to a depth of hardly 40 miles out of the radius of the Earth which is around 4,000 miles (just one percent). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth). The surface temperature on the Earth is within a range of, say 50 deg.C below and above zero.

Some questions arise with this composition:

1. Since heat dissipates faster, why hasn't all the heat at the core and mantle escaped through the atomic pores of the upper layers through the ways it propagates (conduction, convection and radiation), allowing Earth to cool down faster than it is doing? Taking into account the enormous volume of water on and under the surface, and the massive polar ice regions, heat dissipation should take place at a much faster rate. If the inner heat is sustained by pressure, how exactly does this pressure prevent heat dissipation, since we know that ether or space occupies everywhere (even inside the atoms) as a continuum.

2. If the center of gravity of the earth is at its center in the inner core, inasmuch as the solid rocky surface is hardly 1% of its radius (40 miles out of 4,000), and with the earth spinning very fast, why hasn't the crust and lithosphere collapsed to form a more compact shape? Since this is not happening, can it be right to say that there is no center of gravity but only a ring of gravity located half way down the solid outer surface (crust and lithosphere)?

3. In the dryer of a washing machine or in a cement-concrete mixture, because of the spin, the contents are thrown towards the rim, leaving a hollow portion inside with openings at the polar regions. Why shouldn't this happen for the Earth also, considering its eternal, tremendous spinning rate?

Sudarshan
29 October 2006, 03:50 AM
If Lokas are 'only states of consciousness', the same would apply to our Devas, Gods and Rishis, who occupy such Lokas. As manifestations of Brahman, our

Gods and Rishis, we know, are individual spiritual beings, with their own lines of spiritual evolution. Therefore the Lokas they occupy must be objective,

albeit not physical worlds. When a Loka or a plane is objective it appears the same to every soul. As against this, the personal heavens of human souls are

subjective (and are states of consciousness), as they differ with individuals. Even in this case, they are all housed in an objective heaven on the Mental

World or Svargam.


I did not say that Lokas are subjective. It is possible to be in these Lokas even you are still alive, so they cannot be water tight compartments. Not everybody in this world see this bhu Loka in the way ordinary people do - that is subjective. It is also possible to be present in many Lokas at the same time. It is true that most people go to Pitr Loka or Preta Loka on death, but that is solely due to Karma. The effect of Karma is to bind us in a certain state of consciousness, and as Karma begins to fade the limiting factors get reduced. When all Karma is gone, one is transported to the world of Brahman. The Loka is of a space-time nature within the perishable universe, but that does not mean one can reach another Loka through a rocket or by digging the earth. One can reach other Lokas through wading through the mind - that is why it is a state of consciousness.



The Ganga Nadhi, in the same way, is both physical (objective) and spiritual (subjective). As our Puranas say, as Patala Ganga, she must have entered the

underworld where Kapila Rishi had an ashram. Inasmuch as we have no record of the complete subterranean map of our Earth, we can't say with certainty that

there is no life underground.


The interior of the earth as we know is hot. The effect of gravity will mould a hollow object into a solid one over a period of time. A hollow(annular) earth cannot exist, given the size of the earth, and its existance over 5 billion years. We all seem to take pride in claiming that scriptures reveal things that are unknown to science, and make claims of underground civilization, but has scripture ever made a reference to planets such as uranus or neptune before they were discovered using the telescopes? Uranus is even known to be visible to keen eyes( mag 5.9) and yet it is surprising that purANAs make no reference whatsoever. The aim of scriptures is thus, not to talk about the material world, and rishis were hardly interested in it, and speak about it.



Ramayana, being an Itihaasa, is considered to be history. The locations of Ramanaya events are still found in Bharatvarsha, even though they took place in

Treta Yuga. Before constructing a bridge to Lanka, Rama prayed to Samudhra Rajan for permission to cross the ocean, which was his territory. As a spirit or

deva in charge of the water bodies, Samudhra Rajan must be as much real as Rama himself, because devas has three rupas. In the same way, the Nagas could also

be real beings, as countless legends in our holy land indicate.

The term Purana stands for history, not mythology. The term Itihasa, translated as epic (implying a composed story), is the history of a King and his family.

Kanchi Paramacharya Sri Chandrasekharendra Sarasvati said that if we research our puranas and stala puranas, much of the history of Bharat could be written

in an authentic manner.


You have not answered me why people are reborn, after living in many Satya yugas. Please read the conversation of Lord Hanuman with Bhima in Mahabaratha( vana parva), where Satya yuga is explicitly equated with moksha and identification of one's innerself with Brahman. Are you saying that people are reborn after attaining this stage, and these same souls that attained the Brahman degenerated into the wicked ppl in kali yuga?




You should know that all of our religious writings are Divine facts, and facts always remain facts, they cannot become myths. Using the word myth for our

religious history is a serious spiritual transgression.


But this is held by all people of all religions. The Jesus ressecruction and taking off sins of everybody must be a myth irrespective of what people believe. The myth is a subtle representation of a philosopical truth - it is indeed a divine writing and it is no spiritual transgression. The true transgression would be imposing pseudo science on purANas, thus undermining their spiritual value.

The true culprit here are professional story tellers and people like astrologers who like to spread myth, by compromising the spiritual value underlying the sacred purANas. There are some neo Hindus who dismiss them as fables. purANas have some history in them, but are predominantly spiritual truths embedded in them.

You can find people using all sorts of myths. One Ramayana story teller whom I listened to quoted from some purANa and claimed that rAhu was bigger than the sun but science does not yet know about rAhu. This is a total nonsense and pseudo science and people like these will put Hinduism to shame. Similar absurd claims were made by many others by quoting from vedas and purANas based on superficial reading. Most Astrologers still propagate false tales like other planets having influence on us and controlling us from the sky. Such ridiculous assertions must be objected to by all Hindus. The planets are always the inner planets, and the seven planets used in Hindu astrology refer only to the seven yogic plexus, and the physical planets are merely a mapping of them in the gross plane. Other Hindus still say that an eclipse is caused by some monsters covering the sun and moon as it is stated in the vedas. What is an eclipse and what are these rAhu and ketu that cover them? Is that some history or a scientific fact, or some philosophical entity? What are the solar and the lunar eclipses described in the purANas, and how is the rAhu explanation scientific? Have you cared to investigate? Or should we dismiss them as myths? Most of the above nonsense were present in the medieval times and still continuing due to unscientific minded people. I have already seen ISKCON making very absurd claims using the sacred Bhagavatam and when I questioned them scientifically they ran away. All Yogins of our land were perfect scientists, and their work is a scientific treatise, often weaved on history and geography. The same is true of all scriptures of the world literal readings often are obscence, immoral, violent, absurd and unscientific to the core.




Scriptures themselves tell about the eternal Divineness of the Sanskrit language and thousands of learned Saints and acharyas have already proclaimed its

Divine authenticity. The first introductory verse of the Panini grammar tells that it came from God Shiv. Moreover, if you look from the historical and

logical point of view, you will find that since the very first day the linguists have learned about the existence of the Sanskrit language, they have seen it

in the same perfect form. No ‘sound shift,’ no change in the vowel system, and no addition was ever made in the grammar of the Sanskrit in relation to the

formation of the words. It is in its totally perfect form since it landed on the earth planet with its 52 letter alphabet. As regards its vocabulary, it had

abundance of words and its grammar had a capacity of creating any number of new words for a new situation or concept or thing, and the same we have up till

today. Its alphabet, vowels and the exacting nature of the pronunciation of the letters and words were all perfect and the same since the very beginning.



Of course, I know the spiritual significance of each of the alphabets of sanskrit, and each of the alphabets of Tamil.

While sanskrit is certainly unique it still is only a Prakriti vastu, and must have some origin. Language is a mere projection of speech,and hence the claims of devas and muktas conversing in sanskrit is absurd. Soul-Soul communication is direct and intutive and has no language barriers. Which of the nine grammars were the muktas using?

Similar claims are made for Tamil too, and they say Tamil sprung from the uDukkai of Shiva and BharatanAttiyam was founded by him. Such claims are made by all religions. Lord Krishna summed up beautifully in 10.41. All great and beautiful things are a manifestation of Krishna. It is good to see Hindus prmoting the divine sanskrit language but I am personally embarrased by the pseudo science many Hindus write on Hindu and non Hindu forums, thus showing that we are no better than fairy tales.

sarabhanga
29 October 2006, 04:04 AM
Namaste,



Using the word myth for our religious history is a serious spiritual transgression.



In Greek, muthos is anything delivered by word of mouth, word, or speech; a speech in the public assembly; talk or conversation; counsel or advice, a command, an order, and also a promise; the subject of speech, or the thing or matter itself; a resolve, purpose, design, or plan; a saying or proverb; the talk of men, and thus rumor.

muthos ~ mythos ~ mythus ~ myth is a tale, a story, or a narrative; a traditional or recurrent narrative theme or pattern; a standard plot in literature; or a traditional story providing an explanation for or embodying a popular idea concerning some natural or social phenomenon or some religious belief or ritual.

And a myth may be an idealized or exaggerated, or even (though not necessarily) a completely misrepresented, conception.

Myth is a legendary or stylized narrative, usually of a theme that expresses the ideology of a culture.

Myth is a way the unknowable can be understood ~ a device to think with, i.e. a way in which reality is classified and organized. And myth is a type of speech, so that everything can be a myth provided it is conveyed by a discourse.

The Vedas are pure Mythology!

Znanna
29 October 2006, 05:28 AM
IPSOS = "IPSE" + "OS" = "the same mouth."



5. Herein is named the source of the magickal Current, first mentioned as coming through Andromeda. "By the same mouth"... Man is the source. Our children's children, unknown generations hence, the true Magi of the AEon of Maat, are sending us the means of evolution.
They, masters of the space-time continuum, are aiding us to evolve. We also are the children of ourselves. Each time we venture past-wards into the Akasha, our presence effects a consciousness-change in those we observe, especially ourselves in prior incarnations.
Past, present and future are but reference-points in the organic development of the Race. Entropy is a constant, physically, and consciousness-development is its reciprocal.

http://www.hermetic.com/wisdom/beta.html


A Western spinning of the web :)

Namaste,
ZN

saidevo
29 October 2006, 10:51 AM
Namaste Sudarshan,



Most Astrologers still propagate false tales like other planets having influence on us and controlling us from the sky. Such ridiculous assertions must be objected to by all Hindus.


I am happy that I am learning a lot from members who are well-versed in this forum. The joy of learning prompts me to venture with my own posts and threads (some of which, I know, could be hollow). Learning and growing in knowledge is a continuous, life-long process, a very joyous one at that.

Motivated by Sudarshan's comments quoted above, I turned to the pages of the Kanchi Saint for a treatise on Jyotisha. It was quite a revelation! I am delighted to share some of the information here (which may be familiar to many members).

Paramacharya Explains the Science of Jyotisha
(Source: http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part10/chap1.htm to chap7.htm)

1. Jyotisha is one of the six limbs of the Veda Purusha, actually his eye. [Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami's Lexicon explains that the term means 'the science of lights' (stars and other heavenly bodies)]. It has another name nayanam, meaning 'to lead'. Just as the eye leads a person, so does Jyotisha (the combined science of Astronomy and Astrology) was used to lead the Vedic rituals.

2. Important works on Jyotisha are the samhitas (treatises) of Garga, Narada and Parasura; Suryasiddhanta that incorporates the teachings of the Sun god to Maya, the carpenter of the Asuras, and the works of Varahamihira, Aryabhata and Bhaskaracarya. In recent times there was Sri Sundaresvara Srautin who wrote a work called Siddhanta-Kausthubham. The ancient authors were well versed in astronomy and astrology.

3. Known as 'Skandha-trayatmakam', Jyotisha consists of three skandhas or sections: siddhanta (astronomy), hora (predictive astrology) and samhita (mundane astrology).

4. The siddhanta-skandha deals with arithmetic, trigonometry, geometry and algebra. The higher mathematics developed by the west in later centuries is found in our ancient Jyotisha. Arithmetic was known as vyakta-ganita, algebra as avyakta-ganita or bijaganita, and geometry was Jyamiti (from which the English term was derived). Along with kalpa, (the sixth limb of Veda Purusha -- his hands), which contains the sulba-sutras or forumulas, these branches of mathematics were used to compute the exact measurements and shape of yajnavedi, the sacrificial altar.

5. The term samikarana indicates an equation. An equation in the Apastamba sulba sutras could not be proved by Westerners, which they thought was faulty, and they accepted it as right only later. There are a number of old equations still to be solved.

6. The books on Mathematics also deal with the movements of celestial bodies. The ancient grahas (planets) included the five planets (Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn), the Sun, the Moon and the caya grahas (shadow planets) Rahu and Ketu.

7. The hora-skandha deals with the planetary position and movements and their influence on human life. The sages saw a relationship between the position and movements of the planets and the destiny of man, the sorrow and happiness experienced by him. How does this happen? To quote Paramacharya:


Different reasons are given for the ups and downs in a man's life for his joys and sorrows. It is similar to finding out the different causes of the ailment he suffers from. The physician will explain that the disease is due to an imbalance in the "dhatus". The mantravadin will say that it is due to the gods being displeased with the patient, while the astrologer will observe that it is all in his (the patient's) stars. The pandit versed in Dharmasastra will explain that the illness is the fruit of the man's past actions, his karma. And the psychologist will express the view that the bodily affliction is related to an emotional disturbance. What is the true cause?

All these different causes may be valid. All of them together go to create an experience. When it rains it becomes wet and the place is swarmed with winged white ants. Frogs croak. All these are indicators of the rain. Many outward signs manifest themselves as the fruits of our past karma. They are all related to one another. The course of the planets governing our life is in accordance with our karma. We come to know the consequences of our past actions in previous births in various ways. Astrological calculations help us to find out such consequences as indicated by the heavenly bodies


8. The samhita-skandha discusses subjects such as divination of an underground water source, perfumes manufacture, and the right measurements of a house. It also discusses sakuna (sign) and nimitta (omen). Since sakuna literally means a bird, only signs connected with birds come under its category. What does a bird flying from right to left indicate? What is foretold by the chirping of such and such a bird? Question like these belong to the sakuna-sastra. Nimitta means omen. When a cat crosses our path it is an omen; when an eagle flies above us it is a sakuna. A nimitta does not produce any result on its own. It points to the result that has already been ordained by some other factor -- or, in other words, it merely indicates the fruits of our past karma.

9. Bhaskaracarya found out that his daughter Lilavati had mangalya dosha in her horoscope, that suggested early widowhood and was dependent on the position of Mars. Bhaskaracarya used all his wits and arranged the marriage at the most auspicious moment favourable to the bride, when she was still a child, according to the custom. Time was measured in those days using a water pot that resembled an hour glass. Water tricked from an upper container to a lower in drops through a suitable hole. The lower container was graduated to mark the measurement of time in nazhikai (nadika), one sixtieth of a day or 24 minutes. Fascinated by this time apparatus, Lilavati was intently looking into the upper vessel, but did not notice a pearl slip from her nose-stud drop into the vessel. This partially blocked the hole, causing a miscalculation of time. When it was found out, it was too late. Bhaskaracarya named his mathematical treatise after his daughter's name and made her daughter highly proficient in the subjects of mathematics. We learn the text of an edict in the Pracinalekhamala that a Gurjara (Gujarat) king had made an endowment to popularise the works of Bhaskaracarya.

10. Sun is called saptasva (one with seven horses), but the term asva also means kirana or ray. Eko asvo vahati saptanama says Taittiriya Aranyaka (the same ray has seven names). Thus the ancients found out the prismatic (VIBGYOR) composition of a ray of sunlight.

11. The very first stanza in the Suryasiddhanta, which is a very ancient treatise, states that it is the force of attraction that keeps the earth from falling. In Sankara's commentary on the Upanisads there is a reference to the earth's force of attraction. Says Paramacharya, "The Prasnopanisad (3.8) states: 'The deity of the earth inspires the human body with apana'. In his commentary on this, Sankara observes that, just as an object thrown up is attracted by the earth, so prana that goes up is pulled down by apana. This means that our Upanisads contain a reference to the law of gravitation. There are many such precious truths embedded in our ancient sastras."

12. The term laghu means light, small, etc. and guru means heavy. A guru is actually a 'weighty' personality, a great man who has mastered the sastras. Since the student is laghu, he goes round his guru. This is based on laghava-gaurava nyaya. By adducing this reason for the earth going round the sun, Aryabhata combined science with a traditional sastric belief.

13. Siva is called "Ashtamurti". Earth, water, air, fire, space, the sun and the moon, the yajamana or sacrificer--they are all the personification (murti) of Isvara. Among them only the yajamana has no bhramana or motion. All the rest have bhramana, says Appayya Diksita. That he has said so is mentioned in the verse in question by his younger brother's grandson, Nilakantha Diksita.

14. For centuries the Europeans thought that the shape of the Earth was flat like a plate; Whereas the very term bhugola sastra indicates that our ancients knew that the earth was a gola or sphere. And they called the universe brahmanda (the egg of brahman), indicating that the universe is oval in shape, a fact confirmed by modern science. In addition, the term jagat means something in motion, so it was known that our cosmos was in motion.

Swami Yukteswar Giri (guru of Swami Paramahansa Yogananda) says, "Charlatans have brought the stellar science to its present state of disrepute. Astrology is too vast, both mathematically and philosophically, to be rightly grasped except by men of profound understanding. If ignoramuses misread the heavens, and see there a scrawl instead of a script, that is to be expected in this imperfect world. One should not dismiss the wisdom with the 'wise.'" (Autobiography of a Yogi, chapter 16).

As for the other queries of Sudarshan, I am not competent to answer them, nor can I hunt for satisfactory explanations. Members who are in knowledge may add clarity to subjects such as the shadow planets Rahu and Ketu and whether the rishis of Satya Yuga were sinners in the earlier Kali Yuga, etc.

Sudarshan
29 October 2006, 02:28 PM
I am happy that I am learning a lot from members who are well-versed in this forum. The joy of learning prompts me to venture with my own posts and threads (some of which, I know, could be hollow). Learning and growing in knowledge is a continuous, life-long process, a very joyous one at that.

Motivated by Sudarshan's comments quoted above, I turned to the pages of the Kanchi Saint for a treatise on Jyotisha. It was quite a revelation! I am delighted to share some of the information here (which may be familiar to many members).


I do not know if I appeared a little too harsh with some astrologers, inspite of my own relationship with astrology, and I wrote a comprehensive software program on Astrology a few years ago. The idea to keep in mind is that Astrology cannot be classified as a deterministic science, but as a probabilistic science, much like weather prediction. Atleast that is what is possible for an ordinary astrologer without the faculties of Yogic intution. Sages like varAhamihira were tall order Yogis, and hence their words never fail. Whenever I see books claiming "Astrology is a science par excellence" I do tend to object because of their dilution of the definition of science, which relies on demonstration and evidence. Astrology can be proved using statistical evidence, and if one could do this with a large sample space, it can be classified as a science.

Hindu Astrology is based on the law of Karma, and the planets themselves indicate the kArmic patterns at the time of birth, and this works because it was designed so by God. All these external planets are mapped in our subtle and causal bodies - they are the various Yogic AdhArAs, and they are consequently the true indicators of Karma.

When many astrologers mention that planets send out good and evil rays and interfere with the lives of people, the whole thing begins to look like a fairy tale. We must be careful while dealing with occult topics. Planets dont intefere with anybody - they are mere indicators of Karma.

saidevo
29 October 2006, 08:41 PM
Namaste Sudarshan,



I do not know if I appeared a little too harsh with some astrologers, inspite of my own relationship with astrology, and I wrote a comprehensive software program on Astrology a few years ago. The idea to keep in mind is that Astrology cannot be classified as a deterministic science, but as a probabilistic science, much like weather prediction. Atleast that is what is possible for an ordinary astrologer without the faculties of Yogic intution. Sages like varAhamihira were tall order Yogis, and hence their words never fail. Whenever I see books claiming "Astrology is a science par excellence" I do tend to object because of their dilution of the definition of science, which relies on demonstration and evidence. Astrology can be proved using statistical evidence, and if one could do this with a large sample space, it can be classified as a science.


Now you have set the right tone of approach. We should definitely blame the insincere astrologers, not astrology itself. Your earlier comment did give me an impression you were not in favour of astrology. Given the temperament of people, there will always be ruffled feathers in pursuit and practice of any field of knowledge. We may need to smoothen or leave them, and continue to spread the true knowledge down to the grass roots.

If demonstration and evidence are the key, even yoga cannot be called a science. And so long as science restricts its limits to the purely physical, it can never hope to be holistic. Today we have holistic medicine that includes allopathy, ayurvedic, homeopathy and unani systems. We have holistic management that considers our scriptures like Bhagavat Gita, Ramayana and Mahabharata as expositions of management techniques at one level of approach. And the world is desperate need of a holistic religion or faith that some gurus are working on.

Why not a holistic science that combines the key knowledge areas of physical science, occult science, mysticism and philosophy and give us a synthesized knowledge with a holistic worldview? It is not forthcoming, because that kind of approach will take the power out of the scientists and bring the pursuit of scientific knowledge from the lab to the mind. Donald J. DeGracia has written a beautiful e-book titled Beyond the Physical that exposes the limitations of science and calls for a holistic approach. This book can be downloaded at http://www.geocities.com/ddegraci/. Unfortunately, DeGracia came under the influence of his fellow scientists and turned to a purely physical view of dreams and thoughts in his later years, but his first book has something of a masterpiece in it.



Hindu Astrology is based on the law of Karma, and the planets themselves indicate the kArmic patterns at the time of birth, and this works because it was designed so by God. All these external planets are mapped in our subtle and causal bodies - they are the various Yogic AdhArAs, and they are consequently the true indicators of Karma.

When many astrologers mention that planets send out good and evil rays and interfere with the lives of people, the whole thing begins to look like a fairy tale. We must be careful while dealing with occult topics. Planets dont intefere with anybody - they are mere indicators of Karma.


Nicely put, this is the correct perspective we need to have.

Yogananda's guru Sri Yukteswar says:


"All parts of creation are linked together and interchange their influences. The balanced rhythm of the universe is rooted in reciprocity," my guru continued. "Man, in his human aspect, has to combat two sets of forces-first, the tumults within his being, caused by the admixture of earth, water, fire, air, and ethereal elements; second, the outer disintegrating powers of nature. So long as man struggles with his mortality, he is affected by the myriad mutations of heaven and earth."

"Astrology is the study of man's response to planetary stimuli. The stars have no conscious benevolence or animosity; they merely send forth positive and negative radiations. Of themselves, these do not help or harm humanity, but offer a lawful channel for the outward operation of cause-effect equilibriums which each man has set into motion in the past."

"The message boldly blazoned across the heavens at the moment of birth is not meant to emphasize fate-the result of past good and evil-but to arouse man's will to escape from his universal thralldom. What he has done, he can undo. None other than himself was the instigator of the causes of whatever effects are now prevalent in his life. He can overcome any limitation, because he created it by his own actions in the first place, and because he has spiritual resources which are not subject to planetary pressure."

"Superstitious awe of astrology makes one an automaton, slavishly dependent on mechanical guidance. The wise man defeats his planets--which is to say, his past-by transferring his allegiance from the creation to the Creator. The more he realizes his unity with Spirit, the less he can be dominated by matter. The soul is ever-free; it is deathless because birthless. It cannot be regimented by stars."

"Man IS a soul, and HAS a body. When he properly places his sense of identity, he leaves behind all compulsive patterns. So long as he remains confused in his ordinary state of spiritual amnesia, he will know the subtle fetters of environmental law."

"God is harmony; the devotee who attunes himself will never perform any action amiss. His activities will be correctly and naturally timed to accord with astrological law. After deep prayer and meditation he is in touch with his divine consciousness; there is no greater power than that inward protection."

"Then, dear Master, why do you want me to wear an astrological bangle?" I ventured this question after a long silence, during which I had tried to assimilate Sri Yukteswar's noble exposition.

"It is only when a traveler has reached his goal that he is justified in discarding his maps. During the journey, he takes advantage of any convenient short cut. The ancient rishis discovered many ways to curtail the period of man's exile in delusion. There are certain mechanical features in the law of karma which can be skillfully adjusted by the fingers of wisdom."

"Just as a house can be fitted with a copper rod to absorb the shock of lightning, so the bodily temple can be benefited by various protective measures. Ages ago our yogis discovered that pure metals emit an astral light which is powerfully counteractive to negative pulls of the planets. Subtle electrical and magnetic radiations are constantly circulating in the universe; when a man's body is being aided, he does not know it; when it is being disintegrated, he is still in ignorance. Can he do anything about it?"

"This problem received attention from our rishis; they found helpful not only a combination of metals, but also of plants and-most effective of all-faultless jewels of not less than two carats. The preventive uses of astrology have seldom been seriously studied outside of India. One little-known fact is that the proper jewels, metals, or plant preparations are valueless unless the required weight is secured, and unless these remedial agents are worn next to the skin."


Thanks for an interesting, ongoing discussion, that lets everyone of us learn and grow.

sarabhanga
29 October 2006, 10:32 PM
Shouldn't Hindus be using the scriptures as philosophical texts rather than geography?

The Heavens themselves describe the most profound philosophies; the geography of the Earth may be read as a veritable scripture; and every living creature is a sacred text in itself!

sarabhanga
30 October 2006, 08:03 AM
1. Since heat dissipates … why hasn't all the heat at the core and mantle escaped … allowing Earth to cool down faster than it is doing? Taking into account the enormous volume of water on and under the surface, and the massive polar ice regions, heat dissipation should take place at a much faster rate.

The molten core (at about 5,000 deg. C.) is covered by an insulating layer of about 5,000 km of variously solid but progressively cooler and less dense material, largely covered with water (up to 10 km deep) and all of that surrounded by about 100 km of atmosphere. Since the whole system is contained in the vacuum of space, no heat can be lost by physical conduction, only by radiation. And incoming solar radiation is continually adding heat to the system. The whole Earth is assumed to be slowly cooling, but there is no reason to assume that heat dissipation should be occurring at any faster rate. Solid rock and earth and ice and water and air and vacuum all provide excellent insulation.




If the inner heat is sustained by pressure, how exactly does this pressure prevent heat dissipation, since we know that ether or space occupies everywhere (even inside the atoms) as a continuum?

Physical pressure (and friction) can generate heat, but pressure does not prevent the dissipation of that heat.




2. If the center of gravity of the earth is at its center in the inner core, inasmuch as the solid rocky surface is hardly 1% of its radius (40 miles out of 4,000), and with the earth spinning very fast, why hasn't the crust and lithosphere collapsed to form a more compact shape?

The solid rocky surface is only a skin of less dense materials floating above the underlying (and increasing dense) material, with the core composed of about 85% iron. The innermost core rotates relatively slowly and it is a solid mass of nickel-iron alloy. The continuous crust is composed mainly of heavy basaltic rock, but even the heaviest rocks will float upon a sea of molten iron!




Since this is not happening, can it be right to say that there is no center of gravity but only a ring of gravity located half way down the solid outer surface (crust and lithosphere)?

NO! Even if the earth was a hollow sphere with its entire mass concentrated at the margin, the effective center of gravity (from outside) would still be right at the heart ~ but, when experienced at the exact center of the cavity of such a theoretical hollow earth, there would be no gravitational force at all!




3. In the dryer of a washing machine or in a cement-concrete mixture, because of the spin, the contents are thrown towards the rim, leaving a hollow portion inside with openings at the polar regions. Why shouldn't this happen for the Earth also, considering its eternal, tremendous spinning rate?

Since the Earth has a mass of about 5,974,200,000,000,000,000,000,000 kg, the forces of gravity come into quite noticeable effect ~ and even the biggest washing-machine (fully loaded) could never exert any measurable gravitational force on itself (or anything else)! And if the Earth was also spinning at 1,000 rpm (i.e. 1,000 days and nights passing every minute!) then the outer layers would all be cast off, perhaps leaving only a dense iron core, which would (if it lasted at all) spread out at the equator into more of a disc and cool rather rapidly by direct radiation into space.

saidevo
31 October 2006, 05:24 AM
Where is the Sudarshana Dvipa and how is it compatible with the earth? Where are the milk ocean, butter milk ocean etc here? Should we always remain ignorant and reject science?


Here is what Kanchi Paramacharya says on the subject of oceans and the Meru mountain:


Not Blind Belief

"Hindu sastras are all nonsensical," exclaim critics of our religion. "They say that north of the earth is the Meru mountain, that our one year is one day for the celestials residing there, and that the sun revolves round it. They believe that, besides the ocean of salt, there are oceans of sugarcane juice and milk, in fact several kinds of oceans. They describe the earth with its five continents as consisting of seven islands. It is all prattle."

Why should the ocean be salty? Who put the salt in it? Why should not there have been an ocean tasting sweet or of milk? Is the talk about the seven islands and the seven oceans absurd? What to the sastras say about the position of the earth, the same sastras that speak about the seven ocean, and so on? "Meru is situated on the northern tip of the earth," they state. "Directly opposite to it is the Pole star(Dhruva)."

The northern tip of the earth is the North pole. Is the Pole star directly opposite to it? No. "Eons ago," scientists explain, "it was so. But later big changes took place and the earth tilted a bit." The sastras refer to a time when the Pole star was directly opposite the North Pole and at that time the seven islands and the seven oceans must have existed. When the rotating earth tilted a bit the oceans must have got mixed and become salty and in the process the seven islands must have become the five continents.

If there is a place above the North Pole it must be Meru where we have our svarga or paradise. Let us imagine that this earth is a lemon. A spot on its top is the Meru peak. In relation to that spot any other part of the fruit is south. Where can you go from there, east or west? You can go only south. You will learn this if you mark a point on the top of the lemon. For all countries of the earth, for all "varsas", north is Meru. Sarvesamapi varsanam Meruruttaratahsthitah.

On the North pole it is six months day and six months night. We must have been taught this in our primary classes. It means our one year is one day on the North pole. This is what is meant by saying that our one year is one day for the celestials.

When the earth rotates, the northernmost and southernmost points are not affected. In some places there will be sun for 18 hours and in other places only for six hours. There are many differences in the durations of day and night with regard to different places on earth. Only on some days does the sun rise directly in the east and is overhead without departing even by one degree. On other days it rises from other angles(from north-east to south-east). Such is not the case on the North pole. There the sun shines six months and the other six months it is darkness. And, again, during the sunny months it would seem as if the sun were revolving round this place(the North pole).

The six-month period when there is sun in the North Pole is called uttarayana and the similar sunny period on the South Pole is daksinayana.

The North Pole is called "Sumeru" and the South Pole "Kumeru". ("Sumeria" is from Sumeru. In that land, it is said, the Vedic gods were worshipped.) Just as the North pole is the abode of the gods, the South pole is the abode of the fathers (pitrs) and hell. To see the gods and the pitrs who are in the form of spirits and the denizens of hell one must obtain divine sight through yoga. Merely because we do not possess such sight we cannot deny their existence. There was Blavatsky who was born in Russia, lived in America and later came to India. She speaks about the worlds of the gods and of the spirits. A great scientist of our times, Sir Oliver Lodge, affirmed the existence of spirits and deities and stated that mankind could benefit from them. If you ask why Jyotisa, after dealing with the science of astronomy, should turn to spiritualism, the answer is that there is no contradiction between the two as supported by the example of a scientist like Sir Oliver who too turned to spiritualism.

Our sastras came into existence at a time when mortals mixed with the gods. We would be able to appreciate this fact if we tried to understand the samkalpa we make at the time of performing any religious function. The samkalpa traces the present from the time of creation itself. From Jyotisa we learn the position of the grahas at the commencement of the yuga: then they were all in a line.

Some calculations with regard to heavenly bodies today are different from those of the past. And, if the findings at present are not the same as seen in the sastras, it does not mean that the latter are all false. The sastras have existed from the time the grahas were in a line and the North pole was directly opposite the Pole star. Since then vast changes have taken place in nature. Valleys have become mountains, mountains have become oceans, oceans have become deserts and so on. Geologists speak about such cataclysmic changes, and astronomers tell us about the change in the courses of the heavenly bodies. So what we see today of the earth and the heavenly bodies is different from what is mentioned in the sastras.
...

The life-span of the fourteen Manus put together make one day(daytime) of Brahma, that is 4,320,000,000 years. His night has the same length. While one day of Brahma is thus 8,640,000,000 years his one year is 365 such days and his life-span is 100 such years. The life of his cosmos is the same. When Brahma's life comes to an end the Brahman alone will remain and there will be no cosmos. Then another Brahma will start creation all over again. It is believed that Hanuman will be the next Brahma.
...

Scientists say that the heat of the sun is decreasing imperceptibly. Without the warmth of the sun there will be no life on earth. Scientists have calculated the time when the sun's heat will be reduced so much that life on earth cannot be sustained. Then this world itself will perish. The date on which this will occur agrees with that given by our sastras for the next avantara-pralaya (intermediate deluge that happens when Brahma goes to sleep at night).

(Source: http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part10/chap8.htm)

Sudarshan
31 October 2006, 06:46 AM
Namaste Sudarshan,



Now you have set the right tone of approach. We should definitely blame the insincere astrologers, not astrology itself. Your earlier comment did give me an impression you were not in favour of astrology. Given the temperament of people, there will always be ruffled feathers in pursuit and practice of any field of knowledge. We may need to smoothen or leave them, and continue to spread the true knowledge down to the grass roots.


Namaste Sai,

I hope you do realize certain practical issues when dealing with a subject such as Astrology in the modern world? If you take an authority such as varAhamihira, the greatest astrologer/sage the world has ever seen, you will find numerous combinations dealing with (examples)

1. The combination for a person to become the owner of a horse stable.
2. The combination to become the king of countries like Magadha , Mala, Saurashtra and so on.

A good portion of the work deals with the subject of rAjayoga, literally translated as kingly horoscopes. Most of the books and modern writers do very little research ( even the learned ones) and simply use these as such. Do you find any sense in making predictions such as one will be owner of horses in the modern world? That will be applicable only to some people in the military, racemen or some of the erstwhile rulers. And references like countries to Mala and Magadha are simply meaningless since it can be practically verified that people who have these combinations have very little to do with these states, leave alone beome their kings. What would such a combination mean for a European?

Even learned astrologers of our land indulge in such freewheeling interpretations without regards to context and applicability to the modern world. I have spent a lot of time analysing such passages and have found that they all have only subtle meanings and sometimes literal meanings. The same is true for scripture and the passages dealing with rAhu and ketu - both solar and lunar eclipses are spiritualy significant, and not mythologies. And to be honest, these passages are scientific in nature and actually explain physical eclipses.( if you do know what Atri represents), and that is a long topic by itself.

The idea is that one should not learn or practice astrology, without
1. Learning sanskrit.
2. Several years of research on the texts and their meanings, drawing a lot of material from the veda and the purANas.

These days people just learn astrology from english translations and come to erroneous conclusions like the above - predicting that a person will become the governer of Calcutta ( king of Magadha) and they dont come true usually. It brings bad name to the subject and its authors.

Every place and name is associated with many meanings as used in the vedic jargon, and people, whether philosophers or astrologers must learn them thoroughly. If we know the spiritual signficance of the place, its geographical significance, its historic etc, we have a wealth of data to base our conclusions upon. niruktaM serves an excellent guide for this purpose.

I can give you one such example:

A particular combination gives that a person having it will be the owner of aSvaH - now boldly translated to "owner of horses" in English in all books on astrology. Needless to say, this wil be incorrect for anybody in the 21st century except some old kingly families. We have to look under the hood to find the proper meanings. You need to research with both the words, context and practical world before you can make sense with such phrases.

A paryAyA for aSvaH is turagaH, when read as turayA gacchati, is "fast moving", and can be used to represent an automobile, plane etc. In the modern world this must be reinterpreted as a mechanic, pilot, driver, trader of vehicles etc. Astrological texts need considerable scientific reinterpretation of texts, without which they cannot be fully useful nowadays. No point in making predictions such as "you will be the owner of a horse stable". One very learned srIvaiSnavite scholar wrote a full commentary in sanskrit for varAhamihira in the modern context and the commentary included things( based on metre) which were missed by all earlier writers. I have a copy of this rare book, of which only a few copies were ever published by the Adyar library in 1951. In our country, precious gems like these bite the dust without publicity because astrologers still like literal meanings and predict that you will be minister of Calcutta( or ignore the utility of such passages as outdated and that means half the text is valueless), without understanding what magadha is and so on..

saidevo
31 October 2006, 07:40 AM
Namaste Sudarshan,

I mostly understand and fully appreciate the points you have so painstakingly illustrated. I think, in summary, most of us here would broadly agree on certain perspectives:

1. That the theories of today's science, specially with regard to the origin of the universe and quantum mechanics, are diverse and often do not agree with each other. At best, we can take them for glorified hypotheses.

2. That science has severe limitations in its search for the Smaller Truths and the Ultimate Truth, since its area of activity is purely physical.

3. Vedas, Puranas and other Hindu ancient texts do give us a holistic view of the universe, its author and subjects, and the life of dharma we as humans need to follow.

4. The places, persons and episodes mentioned in our Puranas are not necessarily myth. They might have (and perhaps did) happen at that point of time and place on the earth and other worlds. We do need to seriously research them, along with Vedas and other texts, and arrive at modern perspectives that may be highly relevant today, instead of dismissing them as useless myths and stories.

5. The knowledge revealed in the Hindu Sciences (jyotisha, ayurveda, dhanur veda, gandhavar veda and artha shastra plus other ancient texts) was the result of highly disciplined and truly scientific pursuits that today's orthodox science boasts of. They could be superior since they give us a holistic view and give us solutions for a harmonious life.

6. Most Hindus are not aware of even the fundamentals of our shastras and sciences, and do not recognize the pioneers of research and practice in these fields. This kind of ignorance leads us to believe the quacks and cheaters, specially in fields like jyotisha, and reward them with our time, money and popularity.

7. The more knowledgeable among us should find time to consolidate and compile the Hindu spiritual knowledge and present them in modern ways and help the ignorant progress spiritually and know the values of Sanatana Dharma.

This forum has a good compilation of such knowledge, scattered under several threads. I would request Satay and other professional people to weed out the irrelevant parts and recompile them under suitable topics and preserve them in Archives for further study and research.

Sudarshan
31 October 2006, 07:42 AM
Here is what Kanchi Paramacharya says on the subject of oceans and the Meru mountain:

Hmm, so Meru is at the north pole and 84,000 yojanas in height and Brahma sits at the top, and we cant see them because of our limited faculties?

So that means conceding that Brahma is part of this material universe or the milky way? They are probably better understood as belonging to another dimension( time actually because all perception is essentially Time, which is an aspect of God), which might incidentally intersect our own perception. What do you think of the fact that the mountain has a height of 84,000 yojanas~ 700,000 miles, which is just a further away from the moon? Is that also literal? Or myth?

Beings like pitris and devas have more perception than humans, and have access to more dimensions of awareness, which we can get through Yoga. The supreme God is infinite in nature, and is infinite dimensioned, and is percievable only through the Atman. The scripture cannot explain anything beyond our normal material perception, and we should not interpret these purANic descriptions as literal facts, because how these worlds look like is not describable in words to those still bound by their material facultes. It is just like describing how a beuatiful scenery looks like to a born blind man - he cannot imagine anything that will be similar to what you actually describe. At the same time, they are not fairy tales, because they contain subtle facts, meant to be understood in a limited sense.

Sudarshan
31 October 2006, 12:08 PM
1. That the theories of today's science, specially with regard to the origin of the universe and quantum mechanics, are diverse and often do not agree with each other. At best, we can take them for glorified hypotheses.

2. That science has severe limitations in its search for the Smaller Truths and the Ultimate Truth, since its area of activity is purely physical.


Yes, there is absolutely no evidence for any scientific theories with regards to life and universe. The moment science declared that matter created life through a random process of negligible probabilities, it can be dismissed as a superstition. Scientists, especially astronomers and some biologists can be classified as extremely supersitious people, far worse that an average villager.





3. Vedas, Puranas and other Hindu ancient texts do give us a holistic view of the universe, its author and subjects, and the life of dharma we as humans need to follow.


The message of scripture is essentially this: - Lord Vishnu became manyfold due to a motiveless desire born only of divya guNa(sattva), also known as sport. Brahma was born in this process. Brahma's desire was three fold, arising out of three guNas of sattva, rajas and tamas, gave birth to Manus, Prajapatis, rishis and devas and so on. The desires of devas gave birth to lower intelligence, and finally humans, animals and still lower forms. All creation accounts essentially deal with this process of evolution that has brought about the bondage caused by desire at various levels. The goal of scripture is to lead you out of this maze of desire, by a process called involution, where you retrace from a man, a pitri, a deva and so on, until you are back with Brahman. If the scripture were so much interested in describing this universe, you will find many more verifiable claims - it would have mentioned about uranus, pluto, about stellar systems, neutron stars, black holes and so forth, and it is conscpicuosly silent on any of these things. Infact, the Hindu scripture does not even recognize a star as a sun - simply because the naxatra used in astrology is not the star in the sky, but a more spiritual concept.

To people who think that Hindu sages were aware of stars millions of light years away which cannot be verified, what is the answer for not mentioning about planets and moons in our own stellar system when they were very interested in astrology? Because the sages in touch with eternity did not bother with such silly stuff. They have dealt only with metaphysical truths which lead to eternal bliss. In the process, they have given some proof to others to take them seriously - nADi grantha is one such; Astrology is one such; BhaviSya purANa is one such - but we must be careful while dealing with them. But the only collective goal of all scriptures is to teach the process of Yoga of several kinds, that leads to Brahman by involution.

In this regard, they have also factored out people of every nature and stage of advancement and numerous theories exist to address every soul. They have mentioned about atIndriya padArtAs like dharma, adharma, karma, svarga, naraka, moxa etc, which cannot be known by perception. The talk of dharma and adharma bring us to worldly topics, and hence the scripture also deals with material things wherever it is necessary. They talk about verifiable science only under certain conditions.



4. The places, persons and episodes mentioned in our Puranas are not necessarily myth. They might have (and perhaps did) happen at that point of time and place on the earth and other worlds. We do need to seriously research them, along with Vedas and other texts, and arrive at modern perspectives that may be highly relevant today, instead of dismissing them as useless myths and stories.


There is no "useless" myth in the scripture while it is true that not all scripture is authentic and maybe fabrications. They maybe historical or technical based on many factors. The biggest question you have to answer is why vedic scripture is only interested in the land called Bharat. Why all auspicious incarnations and events are related only to India? Is Sanatana Dharma only for Hindus or is it for the whole universe? You might want to compare this with Judaism which deals only with Israel and Jews being chosen people. Is it true that Sanatana Dharma is also limited in scope? Shouldn't Lord Vishnu incarnate all over the world and serve all people? Why these incarnations outside India are not recorded in the purANas?

Anyone who has read these following dramas will immediately reognize( a small sample), it is very common for philosophers to compose allegorical dramas based on history and stories.

1. naishadam by Sri Harsha
2. samkalpasUryodayA by Vedanta Desika
3. padmAvat by the Sufi Saint Malik Muhammed

All these are philosophical treatises using historical and geographical ideas.



5. The knowledge revealed in the Hindu Sciences (jyotisha, ayurveda, dhanur veda, gandhavar veda and artha shastra plus other ancient texts) was the result of highly disciplined and truly scientific pursuits that today's orthodox science boasts of. They could be superior since they give us a holistic view and give us solutions for a harmonious life.


Agreed!



6. Most Hindus are not aware of even the fundamentals of our shastras and sciences, and do not recognize the pioneers of research and practice in these fields. This kind of ignorance leads us to believe the quacks and cheaters, specially in fields like jyotisha, and reward them with our time, money and popularity.


The irony is even the learned pandits do not want to break the shackles of dogma brought about by thousands of years, sometimes due to fear of rejection. There have been vedantins who criticized Aryabhatta because Aryabhata said that earth had rotation( bhUbRahmaNa vAdam) because this was against the vedas. Do the vedas really say this or was it his misinterpretation? varAhamihira dismissed the rAhu theory as unscientific( at a time when such a belief was widespread) and fought against the male chauvenists of his times by fighting for women freedom. Culture and social dogmas go a long way in influencing the religion.

sarabhanga
01 November 2006, 10:18 PM
I think, in summary, most of us here would broadly agree on certain perspectives:

1. That the theories of today's science, specially with regard to the origin of the universe and quantum mechanics, are diverse and often do not agree with each other.

The field of Dharma is also replete with diverse and often conflicting perspectives!




At best, we can take them for glorified hypotheses.

:headscratch:

sarabhanga
02 November 2006, 05:07 PM
Hmm, so Meru is at the north pole and 84,000 yojanas in height and Brahma sits at the top, and we cant see them because of our limited faculties?

Please read on:

On the still heart of the heavens (http://www.geocities.com/sarabhanga/singularity.html)

On the rim of the world (http://www.geocities.com/sarabhanga/rishi.html)

On the turn and return of the wheel (http://in.geocities.com/sarabhanga/creation.html)

sarabhanga
02 November 2006, 05:33 PM
There is absolutely no evidence for any scientific theories with regards to life and universe.

Scientists, especially astronomers and some biologists can be classified as extremely superstitious people, far worse that an average villager.

:headscratch:

Znanna
19 February 2007, 12:21 PM
http://www.ufodigest.com/news/0207/hollowearth.html

(Fair use rules!)

The Hollow Earth Explorer has a New Champion


<snip>


"I cannot go to the Moon, nor can I go to Mars," says Dr. Agnew. "But I can go to the North Pole," he says with his familiar smile and zeal. This area of planet Earth has never been seen by human eyes. Utilizing leading-edge science such as side-scan sonar, dynamo sensing, and gyroscopic global circumference tracking, the team expects to precisely measure the crust and the ocean physical properties to reveal unprecedented features about our planet. Sea-water chemistry, marine life cataloging, and even magnetic measurements will be collected during the 13-day expedition to see if there is any hard evidence that might support the hollow Earth hypothesis.

Now, no experiment on this subject would be complete without the other components so vehemently demanded by millions of paranormal prognosticators. There is a multidimensional aspect to this subject matter. Many believe that there is a void in the interior of the Earth, but that it is fourth, and perhaps even fifth dimensional. These dimensions may require the observer to access higher vibrational levels than the vast sea of seeing-is-believing folks that clog our freeways. There will also be observation effects from the very measurement of these never before seen regions of planet Earth. Something or someone might be disturbed by this process. In other words, if the side-scan sonar sends a pulse across the bow of a 200-foot ship peacefully parked on the floor of the 4200-meter deep ocean, it might relocate itself. Besides being graphed by the sonar software, when that craft moves someone is going to get that movement on film.



ZN

Sagefrakrobatik
10 August 2008, 01:00 AM
Namaste Sudarshan,



If Lokas are 'only states of consciousness', the same would apply to our Devas, Gods and Rishis, who occupy such Lokas. As manifestations of Brahman, our Gods and Rishis, we know, are individual spiritual beings, with their own lines of spiritual evolution. Therefore the Lokas they occupy must be objective, albeit not physical worlds. When a Loka or a plane is objective it appears the same to every soul. As against this, the personal heavens of human souls are subjective (and are states of consciousness), as they differ with individuals. Even in this case, they are all housed in an objective heaven on the Mental World or Svargam.

The Ganga Nadhi, in the same way, is both physical (objective) and spiritual (subjective). As our Puranas say, as Patala Ganga, she must have entered the underworld where Kapila Rishi had an ashram. Inasmuch as we have no record of the complete subterranean map of our Earth, we can't say with certainty that there is no life underground.

Ramayana, being an Itihaasa, is considered to be history. The locations of Ramanaya events are still found in Bharatvarsha, even though they took place in Treta Yuga. Before constructing a bridge to Lanka, Rama prayed to Samudhra Rajan for permission to cross the ocean, which was his territory. As a spirit or deva in charge of the water bodies, Samudhra Rajan must be as much real as Rama himself, because devas has three rupas. In the same way, the Nagas could also be real beings, as countless legends in our holy land indicate.

The term Purana stands for history, not mythology. The term Itihasa, translated as epic (implying a composed story), is the history of a King and his family. Kanchi Paramacharya Sri Chandrasekharendra Sarasvati said that if we research our puranas and stala puranas, much of the history of Bharat could be written in an authentic manner.

Swami Prakashanand Saraswati in his book The True History and the Religion of India makes out a strong case for the historical authenticity and divinity of our puranas, upanishads and vedas. His Website http://www.encyclopediaofauthentichinduism.org/ contains extracts from his monumental work. I have quoted some of them here:



I don't say that all the contents of our Puranas is history, but I do believe that most of them are.

Has anyone read that book^^^ Sometimes i have a hard time understanding what you guys are talking about because I dont know Sanskrit and I'm a Catholic from America. Anyway did anyone read that book that savideo mentioned. There are plenty of Christian and Muslims who have books defending the legitmacy of their faith, I hardly see any other faith system trying to defend their religious truths. Still, religious text shouldnt be forced to fit facts it should come naturally.

Sudarshan
17 August 2008, 12:27 AM
Truth does not need any defence.

When science and religion run into a deadlock that cant be resolved I tend to prefer the religeous view because science is aleays changing and the nature of these two knowledges are different.

However I dont accept most of the material in the purANa as history, but as an allegory. Parts of it is too absurd, violent and obscene to be included in a religeous text and serves little purpose in treating them as history. The same is true of allegorical stories like the bible or quran. Wherever followers have read these texts literally, there have been too much dogma and intolerance towards other faiths. Nowhere man has killed, injured or insulted others more cold bloodedly than from getting the sanction from a religeous text. Literal interpretation is not only not preferred but often dangerous!

If anyone is interested they might read this book.

https://www.vedamsbooks.com/no33132.htm

I dont agree fully with this author but agree with his line of approach.

Sagefrakrobatik
28 August 2008, 03:58 AM
Truth does not need any defence.

When science and religion run into a deadlock that cant be resolved I tend to prefer the religeous view because science is aleays changing and the nature of these two knowledges are different.

However I dont accept most of the material in the purANa as history, but as an allegory. Parts of it is too absurd, violent and obscene to be included in a religeous text and serves little purpose in treating them as history. The same is true of allegorical stories like the bible or quran. Wherever followers have read these texts literally, there have been too much dogma and intolerance towards other faiths. Nowhere man has killed, injured or insulted others more cold bloodedly than from getting the sanction from a religeous text. Literal interpretation is not only not preferred but often dangerous!

If anyone is interested they might read this book.

https://www.vedamsbooks.com/no33132.htm

I dont agree fully with this author but agree with his line of approach.

I can see where your coming from. Recently, I've heard that the Jews Exodus into Egypt is being questioned because there is no archaelogical proof that the Jews were ever in Egypt from Eypgitian records. Still, wouldnt you like to know that your religion is from God and is not invented by man? The reason why I say this is because from my background, Christianity, the bible tells me to look out for false prophets false religions and gospels.There are even stories in their about people who worshiped false and an unkowable god. There is the story of the golden calf where the Israelites started to worship a golden calf. There is the story of Baal. These stories are there to show how false religions do exist. How do we know if one religion comes from Man or God? Christianity, and Islam can be false. Christianity and Hinduism can be true. but how do we know? In both christianity and Islam if we get the answer wrongly it could mean eternal damnation, which i dont believe in, but that is what is said. I think we should all be searching for the Truth.

TatTvamAsi
31 August 2008, 02:31 AM
Has anyone read that book^^^ Sometimes i have a hard time understanding what you guys are talking about because I dont know Sanskrit and I'm a Catholic from America. Anyway did anyone read that book that savideo mentioned. There are plenty of Christian and Muslims who have books defending the legitmacy of their faith, I hardly see any other faith system trying to defend their religious truths. Still, religious text shouldnt be forced to fit facts it should come naturally.

You only need to defend your system of belief when it is utter garbage; as it is clearly untrue. Sanatana Dharma, never has "needed" to defend itself from anyone at anytime. That is fact.

It's funny Christians and Abrahamics in general are so vociferous about their beliefs but they cannot defend the simplest and most fundamental tenets of their so-called 'religion'. I sure hope that you, a Catholic, does NOT believe this planet is just 6000 years old!! That is the biggest pile of garbage ever written and the lengths that some fundamentalists go to defend it is laughable!

Also, SATYAMEVA JAYATE (truth will truimph)! Hinduism needs no defense at all. That is why it does not proselytize either. People are attracted to Hinduism of their own accord, it doesn't need to herd people like sheep.

Adhvagat
09 September 2010, 08:13 AM
Sorry to bump such an old thread and not add anything constructive, but I just wanted to point out that this was the thread that made me join this forum.

I googled 'hollow earth' and 'vedas' and this discussion came up. Very good information in here.

I'd also like to invite/ask anyone who posted in this thread to speak some more if they think differently about anything posted or if there's new information to be added.

Thank you all again.

Surya Deva
10 September 2010, 08:33 PM
Namaste,

I am sorry but the notion of hollow earth theory is completely ridiculous from a scientific point of view. The Lokas in the Puranas do not refer to physical realms but other planes of reality. A lot of their content is very obviously symbolic, and taking them literally is quite insulting to ones intellect. I know the ISKON take their content literally and they have posted some nonsense online about what "Vedic science" teaches. They teach that the Earth rests on a giant tortoise. Does more need to be said?

I will, however say that is very possible that there are underground bases from extraterrestrial civilisations(having underground bases does not require the belief in a hollow earth) The US has already built many underground bases going miles underground. I have quite a bit of conspiracy theories on a so-called reptillian race(similar to the Nagas) that live in subterranisn cities. They are a Saurian race that went underground after the dinosaurs became extinct and evolved into an intelligent creatures. They are adapted to living subterranian climates.

However, because there is a genuine lack of evidence for them, believing in them is as credible as believing in big foot. I require more evidence before I believe in something. I will, concede the possibility though.

Adhvagat
14 September 2010, 12:02 AM
I read a lot of bad ISKCON mentions...

As someone who got to know Sanatana Dharma through ISKCON I feel the need to understand and if possibly, change these issues in the future.

rakovsky
22 September 2016, 07:01 PM
Saidevo,

You wrote:

Nicholas Roerich, a famous Russian explorer, artist and mystic, traversed the myserious regions of Himalayas during the 1920s and 30s, specifically in search of the lost realm of Shambala. He wrote a book titled Shambhala, which was published in 1930, along with Himalayas: Abode of Light and Heart of Asia. Roerich wrote of Shambala in his book that:

Shambhala itself is the Holy Place, where the earthly world links with the higher states of consciousness...many speculations have been made about the location of the earthly Shambhala. Certain indications put this place in the extreme North, explaining that the rays of Aurora Borealis are the rays of Shambhala.... but this is incorrect, Shambhala is only north in relation to India, being perhaps on the Pamir, in Turkestan, or in the Central Gobi...



He associates it with the underground city of "Agharti" and with the "White Island", and that its "Splendid Valley" is reached via subterranean passages from the Himalayas. He further adds that "the underground caverns of Central Asia are inhabited to this day by the people called the Agharti, or Chud, and that when the time of purification comes, say the legends, they will emerge in their glory".

I think he might be just going on things he was told, or maybe it was invented by him in addition to what he heard. So Roerich's claims are not a major proof for me, even though he is a neat quixotic figure.