A Preservation of Vaishnava Literature with Modern Technology

The Sarvamoola Grantha

As Shri Narayana Pandithacharya said, the Sarvamoola Grantha is an alternate form of Shri Madhvacharya. The engraving of Sarvamoola Grantha in golden letters is equivalent to sculpting a golden statue of Shri Madhvacharya. It is true that your company is performing this great service to humanity. We offer our most sincere prayers to the Lord that this may find a place in every home.

It is well known that India has been a repository for knowledge about various aspects of life such as philosophy, medicine, science, and the arts. This ancient wealth accumulated during different phases of history was transmitted and disseminated primarily by word of mouth. However, treatises and commentaries prepared by various scholars and swamis were recorded and preserved in the form of written manuscripts for future reference. Shri Madhvacharya Among the various scholars and spiritual leaders in India during the last millennium, Shri Madhvacharya (1238-1317) had a profound impact on society. His philosophy is known variously as Dvaita, Bheda-vada, Tattva-vada, or Bimba-Pratibimba-vada. Shri Madhvacharya analyzed all aspects of the holy texts such as Vedas, Upanishads, Itihasas, Purana, Tantras and Prakaranas and showed the structure of the spiritual world that serves as a backbone of the diversities of this world. This insightful knowledge demonstrated to mankind the meaning of life and the importance of logic and faith in God. What is the Sarvamoola Grantha? Shri Madhvacharya authored many works, including 37 that are collectively called the Sarvamoola Grantha. This collection contains commentaries on various important scriptures such as sUthraprasthAna, gItA prasthAna, upanishad prashtAna, shruthi prasthAna, prakaraNa grantha, ithihAsa prasthAna, purAna prasthAna, AchAra grantha and stOtra grantha. Preservation of this collection for future generations is essential. Advances in technology are often used to make the materialistic life better. It is our good fortune that we are in a position to use state-of-the-art technology for improving the spiritual well being of individuals.

- Shri Shri Vidyadheesha Theertha Swamiji

A golden wafer containing Acharya Madhvas Sarvamoola Grantha. Amazing concept. It will be great if it reaches every home as an icon of Shri Madhvacharya for worship. NanoArk Corporation should be complimented for doing this as a service. May this company succeed.

-Shri Bannanje Govindacharya

-Dr. P. R. Mukund, Ph.D. President and CEO NanoArk Corporation, USA

Using Modern Technologies for the Preservation of Knowledge...

Journey of the Sarvamoola Grantha Over Time

The journey of the Sarvamoola Grantha begins with Original Manuscripts of Sarvamoola Grantha on Palm Leaves the compositions of Shri Madhvacharya transcribed onto palm leaves by his disciple Shri Hrishikesha Teertha. These valuable texts were bound in bundles that varied from one leaf to stacks of 200 leaves. The manuscripts were then stored at various mathas (monasteries) located in and around the town of Udupi in the state of Karnataka. Unfortunately, the palm leaves did not withstand the test of time and many were lost or badly damaged due to their deterioration over time. The picture above shows the present condition of a 13th-Century palm-leaf manuscript (called the Sarvamoola Grantha) which contains text directly from Shri Madhvacharya. As the picture shows, the original palm leaves are not in good condition and the text is difficult to read. Without preservation of the text, Shri Madhvacharyas important words will be lost forever. Over time, many efforts were taken to preserve the palm leaves. One such effort was to preserve the information in the original manuscript with microfilm technology. Through this technology, black and white pictures are taken of the manuscripts that can later be read with special magnifying readers. In the 1970s, Researchers at the American University microfilmed the Sarvamoola Grantha to preserve the writings. However, the microfilm images are now in poor condition. The second picture shows one of the microfilmed images in its present condition today. As can be seen, the quality of the image is not very good and the text is difficult to read. The microfilm process does not produce Manuscripts on Microfilm Images images that can last for long periods of time and the failure of this method made it clear that a need existed for a new and improved method of preservation in order for these texts and others to survive the test of time. The new method developed by NanoArk uses 21st century technology to preserve the information originally found on the palm-leaves on a small golden disk known as a Waferfiche. In this process, high-quality pictures of the manuscripts are taken using a scientific camera and these pictures are processed in order to make the text easier to read. The processed images of the palm leaves are then inscribed on a Silicon wafer -Waferfiche- using the latest semiconductor technology. Advantages of storing images on a Waferfiche include the following: The Waferfiche can withstand temperatures of up to 400C thereby making it fire resistant; The Waferfiche is not affected by the presence of water thereby making it resistant to moisture and humidity; Images of the palm leaves etched on the Waferfiche are visible to the naked eye with magnification; In addition, the Waferfiche is estimated to last for over 500 years into the future, meaning that these sacred texts will be safe from being lost for at least the next five centuries. As technology improves with time, it is the duty of people to embrace it and utilize it for the betterment of mankind and society. The preservation of the Sarvamoola Grantha is the perfect example of this duty being carried out today.

Sarvamoola Grantha Manuscripts on a Waferfiche

Using Modern Technologies for the Preservation of Knowledge...

The Technology
Knowledge only lasts as long as the media that stores it. The Problem:
IT leaders and archivists have warned of the risks of storing document-based knowledge in formats that are at risk to deteriorate. Very recently, the world has lost significant works of knowledge due to the storage media and methodology not being versatile and persistent. Paper, the most commonly used medium of documents, was easily destructable by elements of nature. Many works were originally written on paper, which can be destroyed by all elements of nature. The past fifty years saw the creation of microfilm technology, a black-and-white photographic process that puts images onto films. These images can then be read using special magnifying readers. However, this technology was also incapable of lasting the test of time and many images stored in this fashion are now in poor condition and incapable of being read.

A Solution:
NanoArk has created a unique use of 21st century technology to store and save information in a format that is capable of lasting for hundreds of years to come. Known as Waferfiche technology, it enables the long-term preservation of information in the form of nano-scaled images on silicon wafers. Once preserved in this manner, information can be protected for over 500 years into the future. Unlike other archival methods, changes in technology will not affect the information on the Waferfiche, as it can be retrieved by mere optical magnification. The Waferfiche is resistant to high temperatures up to 400C, water and sunlight and will not deteriorate on its own.
Fabrication Facility Where Waferfiche is Manufactured

The Value of the Sarvamoola Grantha

The Importance of Using the Sarvamoola Grantha for Worship
Every society depends on scholars to filter the wisdom found in their scriptures and present it in a way where it is applicable to everyday life. One could say that those Truths which are eternal and cross the bounds of time and space are pervaded by the Supreme Being. However, scriptures must be interpreted properly and accurately for them to actually become a resource capable of resulting in different aspects of wealth. In this way, the Sarvamoola Grantha, which is the latest and undisputed interpretation of the Vedas has the pervasion of Shri MahaLakshmi. Using the Sarvamoola Grantha as an icon of MahaLakshmi is far superior to any other man made icon. One cannot put a price tag on something of this magnitude. However, the revenue generated from this product will be utilized for future projects focused on the preservation of ancient manuscripts and for the good of mankind.
Shri MahaLakshmi

The project has gained attention from a number of newspapers and journals around the world. The significant attention given to the project speaks to the value and importance of the project as well as the excitement surrounding the capabilities of long-term preservation of information on the Waferfiche. Papers which have reported on the project include Times of India, BBC, Deccan Herald , MSNBC, Rediff, Zee News and Overseas Indian among others.
Coverage of the Project by Times of India (December 2006)

International Press Coverage of the Sarvamoola Grantha Project

NANOARK CORPORATION
Mission
To provide customers with cost-effective, robust and readily accessible information storage for textual records and drawings.
NanoArk Corporation was incorporated in 2007 to use modern technology to enable long-term preservation of records as images on silicon wafers or other reliable substrates. The NanoArk team has used advanced imaging and engineering techniques to accomplish this goal and produce a storage medium that is resistant to environmental elements, independent of changes in hardware and software technologies and capable of storing data at high densities in a way that still allows it to be visible to the human eye. As a result this storage medium is an ideal candidate for long-term preservation of documents.
Dr. Pasupuleti and Dr. Mukund with a Waferfiche

An official release function for the Sarvamoola Grantha Waferfiche was held on the evening of August 8, 2008 at the auspicious location of the Purna Pragnya Vidya Peetha in Bangalore, India. The date fell on a Friday, a day of the week which is happily associated with Shri MahaLakshmi and her blessings. Shri Shri Vidya Vallabha Tirtha Swamiji of Shri Kaniyur Matha was the first person to purchase a copy of the gold Waferfiche during this function. The second copy was purchased by Shri Bannanje Govindacharya, while the third copy was purchased by popular Kannada film star, Vishnuvardhan.

Product Release Function

Contact Information: NanoArk USA

NanoArk Corporation 125 Tech Park Drive Rochester, NY 14623 Phone: (585) 424-2765 Website: www.nanoarkcorp.com

Contact Information: NanoArk India

NanoArk Technologies India Pvt Ltd 71, 2nd Main Road, Nanjappa Layout Vidyaranyapura Bangalore 560 097 Phone: 080- 42195122 (Office) 9986220089 (Cell) Website: www.nanoarkindia.com

Shri Shri Vidya Vallabha Tirtha Swamiji holds the first purchased copy of the Waferfiche

Using Modern Technologies for the Preservation of Knowledge...