Science Confirms Scripture Again

[Deva Dasa]

"... those terrifiers of the world stood like two planets both deviating from their orbits." -- Sanjaya, Mahabharata, Book 8 (Karna Parva), Chapter 17, 8th century B.C.

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news...hanging-orbits

NASA's Kepler planet-hunting probe has spotted a system where two giant planets are locked in constantly changing orbits — with a super-Earth potentially pinned down in the crossfire.

Astronomers like to think of planets as a kind of celestial clockwork, keeping regular time. For example, the time it takes for the planets in our own solar system to complete their orbits can be calculated to within fractions of a second, and unless something huge happens, they'll stick to that timetable for billions of years.

In contrast, the two Saturn-size planets circling a sunlike star now known as Kepler-9, more than 2,000 light-years from Earth, shift their timetable with every go-round. Kepler-9b has an orbit lasting approximately 19.24 Earth days, while Kepler-9c has an orbit lasting a little more than twice as long, 38.91 days. But on average, Kepler-9b's orbit got about 4 minutes longer every time the Kepler astronomers checked, while Kepler-9c's averaged about 39 minutes shorter.

[Riverwolf]

Uh, question. How does that confirm scripture? What's the connection?

[Adhvagat]

Deva Dasa, could you expand on the original Mahabharata quote? I'm not completely familiar with it.

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam: FYI, Deva Dasa's last activity here was Sept. 6. Chances are there will be no reply, but I'd be happily surprised if I'm wrong.

Aum Namasivaya

[sanjaya]

Vannakkam: FYI, Deva Dasa's last activity here was Sept. 6. Chances are there will be no reply, but I'd be happily surprised if I'm wrong.

Aum Namasivaya

Too bad. This thread would have rolled my favorite Scripture, the Mahabharata, and my favorite subject, astronomy, into one convenient thread.

I have a friend who works in the Kepler collaboration. Lots of interesting astronomy to be done with the whole planet-chasing business. Not sure how valuable it is in terms of astrophysics, but hey, whatever.

Now as to this business of science confirming Scripture, I'd exercise caution. I read the passage from the Mahabharata in context (always a good idea when reading...well, anything), and it's talking about Arjuna fighting Ashvatthama, one of the sons of Dronacharya. Mahabharata likens them to some cosmic duel between the planets Shukra and Brihaspati, which we know today as Venus and Jupiter respectively. "Planet" just comes from a Greek word meaning "wanderer." Planets are so-called because they don't rotate with the rest of the starfield, but traverse what appears to be senseless paths (unless you have an understanding of Copernican heliocentricity). I doubt the ancient Indians were thinking in terms of modern science. As much as I'd love to believe that my ancestors were scientifically superior beyond their times, this passage isn't saying anything about modern astronomy. The seemingly wandering motion of the planets has been known to many ancient cultures, not only the Indians but also the Babylonians and Greeks.

No offense at all intended to Deva Dasa, but we don't want to start sounding like the Muslims with their alleged "scientific miracles" in the Quran. I think the spiritual messages of Hinduism speak for themselves.

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam Sanjaya:

And I was hoping some day we'd get into a discussion about the controversial figure, Bede Griffiths. But hey, it wasn't meant to be.

A metaphor for how different people see the path ahead of them, I suppose.

Aum Namasivaya