But the later Vedas laid too much emphasis on ritualistic practices like yagnas, homas, chants, and on prescribing what to do and what not to do. Such an environment hampered the natural enquiring mind of men, and so the scientific enquiries subsided. With the "end" of Vedas when Vedanta came, it sought to create an alienation of the individual from the material world. Seeking nirvana away from life and society became the ideal for the learned people. This created a condition detrimental to the growth of scientific enquiry.
