wisdom of the ancients.

There have always been men who have had remarkable insights into the workings on the universe. Some of their insights seem so ahead of their times. A lot of times these ideas seem so out of whack with our understanding that we are quite likely to see their legitimacy or appreciate their importance.

As a teenager, I remember being stunned by the verse chanted at the start of Shyam Benegal's documentary on Jawaharlal Nehru's "Discovery of India" or "Bharat Ek Khoj". The words are in english

Before creation there was no truth. No Falsehood either.

Thousands of years after those words were written we now know that the laws of logic break down at the singularity of the big-bang. How on earth did the person who wrote those words know that?

A minor aside now. That verse is from the Rig Veda. Chapter 10, Verse 129. Also known as the Nasadiya Sukta. It is considered one of the oldest skeptical literature in the world. Amongst other things, the verse states that "Gods came much later". It asks the question

"Do the gods know where it all came from?" Maybe they do! Maybe they don't. No one knows. No one Knows. No one knows.

I guess the verse also tells you to be a bit careful about reading too much into it. We don't really know if what we are reading the verse to mean is what the author meant it to be.

There are many verses in ancient literature that claim that knowledge can be an impediment to reality. Many of them say that your senses lie or at-least are capable of deceiving you. The buddhists view is that our minds have a "distorted" view of the reality which is the root of unhappiness. The story of Adam and Eve and the apple of knowledge could also be interpreted that way. Hindu scriptures like the Gita clearly state that our senses deceive and asks you to realize that it [reality] is an illusion. The Isa Upanishad warns

They who worship ignorance enter blind darkness. They who delight in knowledge enter darkness even deeper. It is different, they say, from knowledge.It is different, they say, from ignorance.

Modern science has found that to be true as well. Here is an amazing video of a hollow mask of chaplin's head. Watch it and see for yourselves that there is nothing you can do to stop the illusion your mind creates. Apparently you need to be schizophrenic to not fall for it.

Another example of an illusion your mind pulls off is the "Moon Illusion". Most of us have SEEN the moon to be bigger when it rises. The effect is really dramatic on full-moon days. You should get out and see it for yourselves. Have you ever considered the possibility that it is not so?

I can't help wondering if this is what the ancients meant when they talk about our senses deceiving us, or knowledge being limited in its use and can fail us in our quest for reality.