Session III: Prospects for Formalization of Civilizational knowledge System

Chair: Dr. Ravi Prakash Arya, Vedic Scholar and Linguist

In view of the development of highly advanced knowledge system in India, she is often referred as cradle of the world civilisations. India is the place of origin of Vedas and through them the place of origin of knowledge related to other sciences of the world. During Vedic period till the time of MahÈbhÈrata war, science and technology was at its advanced stage. The seers of this land discovered all the laws underlying cosmic and physical creation and thereby developed a vast study material (literature) covering both the aspects of science, i.e. spiritual (metaphysical) and material (astrophysical & physical) sciences. It is often argued that the Indian civilizational knowledge which was preserved in different libraries like Naland and Takshashila were lost to the plunders and loot. Had all the literature been preserved today, there would have been a different world in terms of spirituality, history and science. In spite of this, huge number of Sanskrit manuscripts is still preserved in various museums and libraries of India. Not only in India but the libraries and museums of America and Europe are also housing around 1.5 million Samskrita Manuscripts. The need is to collect, edit and publish this vast literature. The session aims at exploring that vast treasure of civilizational knowledge so as to initiate a process to un-lock these systems currently atrophied due to centuries of neglect and stagnation.