Stories acquire deep importance in pedagogy in ancient India and were a key instrument to communicate some wisdom. Several ancient works including Upanishads and Puranas contain conversations that recourse to entertaining stories to reinforce a moral or an aphorism. Most people are familiar with the Panchatantra and Vikramaditya-Vetala stories that contain moral and common-sense instructions. Lesser known are stories that communicate astronomy wisdom.
In this talk, the speaker presents selected stories from ancient Indian works and discusses the astronomy encoded in such stories. Even after the passage of many thousands of years, these stories give us a glimpse into the accomplishments of the ancient Rishis, who constantly sought to understand nature, the universe and life itself.
