Thea, Vedic Mathematics & the Geometry of Time

Recently a woman from Auroville made an inquiry to me about Vedic Mathematics (among other things). She wrote: 

'I have done a Vedic math work shop recently and wondering you or may be Thea Has any knowledge about this subject and whether it was really used during vedic period. If so how?'

I will post below my own response, and then Thea's clarification on these matters.

Lori: As far as your Vedic math question. Thea recognizes that the 9/0 number system is thoroughly Vedic, and that this number system and hence Vedic math functions 'circularly' (within the structure, geometry and laws of the circle) not linearly. Other than that recognition, I do not think she has much to say about calculating mathematical sums based on Vedic mathematic formulas. Her focus is more on concept of the 360 degree Vedic Year (i.e. the Vedic sacrifice), which is an eternal measure, as is the Earth's day, as is the 25,920 year Precession of the Equinoxes. She is attempting to reacquaint Indians and the world with the knowledge that these eternal cyclical 'measures', are wombs of time, gestating/evolving our Self-Fulfillment, hour by hour, month by month, year by year, and age by age. With this knowledge the individual and collective can begin to properly orient within the various cycles, and to see that evolution unfolds with a certain geometric/harmonic precision. When the mind begins to witness this 'Geometry of Time', it begins to comprehend the FULLY integral and integrating power of the Supermind. Without such comprehension, all talk of Supermind, Integral Yoga, and Evolutionary Spirituality remains quite hollow.

How can deep can any study of the Evolution of consciousness or of the Supramental and Integral nature of reality go if the students are ignorant of, or not including the very real cycles of Time that birth us, sustain us, and orchestrate our evolution? When the Vedic seers divided the 360 degree circle of Time and Space into four quadrants and 12 months they knew well that they physical geometries of our journey in Time and Space were in no way separate from our Self-Knowledge and Self-Fulfillment. They knew that Time is the dynamic nature of the Self, and that true Self-Realisation must include realisation of how our evolution unfolds not randomly but consciously in geometrical patterns and symmetries that only reveal themselves in terms of the Year and other 360 degree cycles of time.

This is the Vedic knowledge that has been LONG forgotten, and is an epic blind spot in most people's Self-awareness/Self-Knowledge. The Zodiac is an ancient map of the evolution of our consciousness in Time and Space, yet few are prepared to recognize it as such.

The Secret of the Veda [PDF] by Sri Aurobindo helps to give readers an appreciation for the forgotten knowledge of the Vedic seers and a sense of how misunderstood the Veda is in our modern times. But I did not fully appreciate that book until I had read Thea's The Gnostic Circle and The New Way, Vol. 1 & 2 ... as well as The Magical Carousel.

Thea: Lori, I have been deeply involved in the Vedic Mathematics issue, before I came to the Mother and India. I got a copy of the original edition of the book (still with me), and I thought it was just extraordinary. Math is not my field so I cannot comment on that aspect. It was THE CONCEPT. Of course what moved me was the Vedic approach to Number, I suppose.

To be brief, when the Initiation took me to the Mother I brought that book with me. My son was enrolled in the Ashram School. I was convinced that math would be taught in this manner, on the basis of this book and method. NOT AT ALL. I realised no one in the Ashram School new of the book; what was taught was conventional all the way, on many fronts. So, I wrote to the Mother and sent her the book with my comments on how surprised I was to find that this was not taught or used in the Ashram School. On her part she passed on my letter and the book to the then School registrar. What followed was really interesting.

Kireet Joshi was the registrar. He was thrilled at receiving the book and told me the fascinating story that its acharya author had visited his village in Gujarat when he was 9 years old and spoke to the people about Vedic Math, etc. He never forgot it, but also he never came into contact with the author again. And here it was plopped into his lap - FROM THE WEST. I don't know how far the matter went then but I feel very, very certain that having brought the Mother the Book opened the channelled for Vedic Mathematics in India to come out from under thick covers. It was almost totally ignored.

I was passionate about the subject. The aphorisms in the book are not from the ancient Veda - for which the author is often criticised. But those who criticise are ignorant. It is the same system or concept that is used, revealing again the eternal nature of the Knowledge. It is like my work with the Veda today. You are grounded in that CONSCIOUSNESS, and then you can 'update', as I have done.

Please send this letter to X. I wish her well in her Vedic studies; it is still a subject dear to me. Thea


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Comments

  1. Hi I am from the Vedic Maths Forum India and would like to make a comment. The author of the book , Bharti Krishna Tirthaji has been critisized for not giving the sources of the Veda but the current Shankaracharya of Govardhan Matha Puri has given the sources and also written few books with these sources. You can visit our website on
    Vedic Maths here to see it for ur self.

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  2. Hello,
    In "India: The Vast, The True, The Right", it is written that the day is divided into four parts: Cosmic Dawn, Cosmic Midnigt, Cosmic Sunset and Cosmic Midday, this seems counter-intuitve to me as one would suppose the midday to follow the dawn. In the article "Twashtri's bowl" the order is given as Cosmic Dawn, Cosmic Midday, Cosmic Sunset and Cosmic Midnight. What can be the reason for this?

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  3. Hi David, can you give the links for the articles you are referring to?

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  4. This is in the book of Thea's "Time & Imperishability" and the article where the first order is mentioned is "The Zodiac and the Rig Veda", I thought you'd be familiar with them.

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  5. Hi David, thanks for the reference. As familiar as I am with Thea's work, I cannot remember all the names of the chapters of her books!

    I am curious to know, are you familiar with the with the signs of the zodiac and their significance? and have you read any of Thea's other books such as 'The Gnostic Circle'.

    The forward flow of the ZODIAC/VEDIC YEAR is from: Aries-Dawn, Cancer-Midnight, Libra-Sunset, and Capricorn-Midday. Yet the DAY itself unfolds in the reverse order, from Dawn to Midday, etc. ... as does the PRECESSION OF THE EQUINOXES which precesses backwards through the Zodiac. Hence both directions are demonstrated in the course of time.

    I will re-read the chapter and see more I can add. Also I will send the question on to Thea, in case she feels like adding something.

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  6. Thea adds: 'The reason is that we can move through the wheel in both directions according to the annual rotation or the Precessional which relates to the passage of the Ages and the Manifestations. [1]

    For the human being the progression is annual. The individual soul 'falls' into the darkness (unknowing, unconsciousness) just as described in 'The Magical Carousel' [2] in the fourth chapter. But this 'fall' is also a protection, as in the mother's womb. If the questioner has a copy of that book, he will understand the significance of moving to Cosmic Midnight.'

    [1] Map of Ages/Manifestations http://www.aeongroup.com/mani.htm
    [2]'The Magical Carousel': http://www.patrizianorellibachelet.com/TMC.html

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  7. Yes, I understood that Cancer is the point of darkness as Capricorn/Christmas really is the time of light, so it makes sense in that way.

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  8. In order to get at the geometry of the 360 degrees
    as per the Rgveda, look at the
    article "Vedic Geometry" in scribd.

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