Science of Hinduism

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S.R.Krishna Murthy (B. 25-11-1936) obtained B.Sc. degree (4' Rank) from the University of Mysore and simultaneously a two-year Diploma in German in 1957 (1" Rank), and joined the services of the L.I.C. of India, through a competitive examination in 1957. While in service, he passed the B.L. degree from the Bangalore University and the Fellowship of the Insurance Institute of India. He had volunteered in the UN ECAFE (now ESCAP) Conference in 1956 held in Bangalore. He was an Actuarial Consultant to Canara, Corporation and Vijaya Banks from 1972 to 1975; which he resigned because of the Emergency declared by the Govt.

Throughout his service; along with his job, he had engaged himself in extra-curricular activities. He served the Bangalore Insurance Institute; and the Insurance Institute of India from 1965 to 1992 in different honorary capacities. He has actively participated in the technical Conferences of the Insurance Institute of India every year from 1968 to 1992, barring two years. Several of his technical works are enshrined in Insurance journals. His work 'National Economic Policy on Wages, Prices and Profits' had the unique distinction of being considered by a Committee; constituted by the Government of India under the chairmanship of the noted economist Dr.S.Bhoothalingam in 1978.

A member of the RSS since 1945, he has been responsive to social and national issues. Since 2006 he is researching into Valmiki Ramayana and Vedas; and authored books in Kannada, English and Sanskrit. He is member of WAVES-India; and has been participating actively in national and international Seminars conducted by various Universities and other academic bodies

As an adolescent, I had the habit of perorating on any subject off the cuff, but Mr.B.S.N.Mallya, the then Editor of Vikrama Kannada Weekly, cured me of it. As a co-passenger on Bangalore-Madras passenger on 11-4-1955, when I casually commented that Tamil was a crude language, he countered me with 'how of much of Tamil have you studied?' Similarly, when, on the same occasion I commented that Karnatic Music was the only classical music, Mr. R. Kasinath, of Kirloskar, another co-passenger, countered me with 'which Uttaradi Music concert have you heard. Go home and listen to the Uttaradi Music from Lalita, Ubhayakar on Bangalore AIR. You will know.' My hearty salutations to both of them as ever. The two made me delve into any subject thoroughly before making a comment on any subject or responding to any questions.

So, when Mr. H.S.Nagaraja, an Engineer, queried me 'do you know that Shankaracharya has never mentioned the name of any God in any of his writings?' in 2002, I admitted that I had not read Shankara at all, and took time from him to answer his query, which made me go through Shankara's voluminous writings. Similarly, in mid-November 2006, Prof. H.S.Nagaraja Swamy, a retired Professor of Hindi, commented that one Prof. Polanki, author of `Seetayana', swore to an assembly of erudite scholars that Valmiki has written some incommunicable words that Sites addressed to Laksmana, on her abandonment. I confessed that I had not read the Valmiki Ramayaria in original, and assured him that I would answer his question after a week's interval, which assurance I did keep up. Incidentally both these gentlemen of the same name-sake are my close brother-in –law.

The above questions prodded me into studies, which revealed that even the ardent votaries of Ramayana have faltered with their misinterpretations here and there, mostly due to their over zealousness, which has duly prompted the adversaries to exploit those lapse to misrepresent Valmiki Ramayana and its characters. Naturally that revelation made me delve into all the literature on Ramayana, in Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, and English, that I could lay hands on. I found to my surprise that even great scholars have erred in their appraisal of Valmiki Ramayana, mostly due to the complexity of innumerable manuscripts, each differing from the others, sparsely or grossly, and at times narrowly and at times widely. Besides, some scholars had been so carried away by their wholesome admirations of some characters of the epic, that they misjudged the others. Bias or incomplete data on the Hindu concepts contributed often to the misgivings. The ancience of the Sanskrit had its own toll of misinterpretations. There have been misjudgments due to lack of due applications also. I considered it my bounden duty that I should share my findings on them with the scholarly fraternity that I should share my findings on them with the scholarly fraternity that is interested in Ramayana, and incidentally on Hinduism. I am highly indebted to both sri H.S. Nagaraja and sri H.S. Nagaraja Swamy, but for whom I would have been blissfully ignorant of the pleasure that my studies at an age of 70-74 transported me into a world of blisss unknown to me before their aforesaid proddings! I have not scribed here anything that is already well said by others and well-settled issues; but limited my research to only questions on which doubts had been expressed by others, or on misrepresentations either due to oversight or due to misunderstanding of the subject or, sometimes, due to prejudices. But when my Kannada book, Valmiki Ramayanada antharathagalu, was published in the middle of 2008, some people wanted that I should write in English also, answering the various abuses hurled on Hinduism. When the material I wrote became too voluminous to handle; as pointed out by some elders, I decided to split them into two; the first volume under the title 'Enigmas in Valmiki Ramayana Explained'. This is the second part of it.

I must warn the readers that I am neither a preacher; nor a practitioner of religion; as many may assume. I am just as much a layman as any of you could be. I just belong to the exoteric mass, as Annie Besant calls. But what I find as an ardent student of Science in my cursory gleanings of the religion is quite different and wondrous from the religion it is believed to be that I thought it my duty that I should share the same with you. Why Germans want to claim to Intellectual Property Rights to Vedas is understandable because the Vedas are nothing but pure science.

I acknowledge my deep gratitude to H.H. Sri Rangapriya Swamiji, who was kind enough to whet the manuscript in spite of his indifferent health. He remarked what you have written is novel yet correct.' Besides, he directed me to look into Yama-Yami Samvada, which had remained an enigma so far. I am also highly thankful to H.H.Sri Harshaiiandaji Maharaj of Ramakrishna Muth, Bangalore, who gave me valuable suggestions after going through the manuscript. His advice that I should go through the History of Dharmasastra by mahamahim P.V.Kane was indeed very helpful. I equally owe this to the liberal blessings that H.H. Sri Bharathithirtha Swamiji of Shringeri showered on me. The unreserved compliments of various swamijis, particularly of Sri Ramakrishna Vivekananda Yogasrama, and scholars on my Kannada work have had their share in the production of this work.