What is the role of science in spirituality?

Science is the knowledge of this universe, which is called pravritti. The Lord has created this universe and therefore pravritti is also knowledge given by the Lord. The Veda says “Vijnanam yajnam tanute, karmani tanutepicha, vijnanam devah sarve, Brahma jyesthamupasate”. This means, “While doing the yajna and other rituals, science is maintained. Science is the deity. Worship the Lord in the greatest form”. This means that all the rituals and the sacrifices should not contradict the knowledge of science, which is meant for the welfare of the whole universe. Burning camphor, fume sticks, oil and ghee in lamps and burning ghee and food in fire in the name of the yajna are against the welfare of this universe. The products of such rituals, which are gases, cause the green house effect and depletion of the ozone layer, in addition to plastics and automobiles. In the olden days, automobiles and plastics were not present. Forests were many and people were less in number. At night, burning of oil lamps was a necessity because there was no electricity. The effect of the pollution was very little. But today the factors of pollution are many. Electricity is available as an alternative for the oil lamp. These rituals are not mentioned in the Vedas. Only one ritual was fully described in the Vedas, which is yajna. Yajna is the cooking food on the wood fire and offering it to the guest who is called as Vaishwanara Agni. Therefore some ignorant people in the middle age created all these rituals. Now there is a necessity to stop all these things in the view of the welfare of humanity. Only demons do penance for selfish benefit and harm the universe. Such rituals are not going to please the Lord and they have no authority since they are not in the Veda.

The Veda is the only authority and any Sanskrit verse, which contradicts the Veda, should not be accepted. Therefore such rituals are a waste even from the point of the selfish devotees. Moreover, they harm humanity by stopping rains. When there is no benefit to you and when it is not mentioned in the Veda, why do you harm humanity with ignorance and selfishness? Scientific knowledge is said to be ‘Devas’. Deva is sattvam. Sattvam is knowledge. Therefore sages will honor even science, which is also divine knowledge given by the Lord called as pravritti. Lord Datta desires to reveal the true meaning of the Vedas in the interest of the welfare of humanity, since the danger of pollution is now very serious. The greatest form mentioned in the above Vedic hymn is the human form of the Lord.