All World
Gayatri Pariwar

Vedic Cosmology -1

Cosmology and Science of Nature in the Vedas – A Preview

Decipherment of the genesis and manifestation of Nature and Life, the origin and structure of the Cosmos, and the existence of its Creator, if any –– has intrigued the human quest ever since perhaps the first impulse of thought in the human mind. This very quest has inspired the collective intellectual evolution of mankind and the advent and expansion of scientific research and development.  In other words, all the knowledge generated, acquired and expressed in the world is, explicitly or implicitly an overall outcome of combined efforts of natural inquisitiveness of mankind towards its own being and the conception and cognition of the perceivable and the non-perceivable within the known dimensions of the universe and beyond. 

As the modern science is delving deeper in its investigations from the gross to the subtler forms of existence in its attempt to unfold the mysteries of Nature, we seem to have stepped closer to the horizons from where the Vedic seers and sages (the rishis) had begun their search. Still a lot remains beyond the reach of the modern scientific research. The peripheries of its limitations are drawn by the failures of the present theories or findings in making further breakthroughs or explaining the yet unexplained by its own logic.

Vedic knowledge derived by the intuitive quest and spiritual acumen of the rishis appears to be obscure, poetic and of primitive imagination to many of us today because of our reasoning molded in specific frame of logic as per the norms prevailing today. To those among us, who possess spiritual inclinations and introvert experiences, Vedic knowledge is a reflection of highest core of sublime realization and inner illumination.  Interestingly though, most of us have heard of and have had the curiosity to know whether and what the Vedic knowledge says about –– the creation of Nature, past, present and future of the universe, existence of Life within and beyond this world, dimensions of time, etc? We also want to know whether or not there are proofs of scientific advancement in the Vedic Age. But, few of us might have had the opportunity or access to read authentic texts and studies in this regard. 

Scholarly treatises on ancient scriptures often revolve around linguistic decoding and historical debates and interpretations with respect to the modern references and are therefore beyond the reach of common readers. Nevertheless, because of its relevance in human culture and a philosophy of life leading to enlightened progress and welfare of all, several saintly reformers and sages of the modern times including Swami Vivekanand, Sri Aurobindo1, and Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya2-5 had disseminated Vedic scriptural knowledge for the benefits of wider class of people across the world. Motivated by this light, comprehensive research studies have also been pursued on different aspects of Vedic Culture and Science by some young researchers. Gamut of reviews and scholarly works of the Indian, European and other thinkers and researchers around the world are reported   in their dissertations with authentic references6-7. 

This series will present rare information on the Vedas and elucidation of the Science of Nature and Cosmology in the Vedas based on collective reviewing of the above volumes.      

“Who created Nature and How?” “What was there before all the creation?” “Who could know it when there was no existence?”  “Did the divine powers of Nature manifested prior to all the existence? But where?” These intrinsic queries of the human mind are also reflected vividly in some hymns of the Vedas especially the Rig-Veda. The same quest of the rishis, together with their intuitive realizations and conceptualizations, is reflected in the Upanishads and the Six Darshans of Indian Philosophy.  The s³dhan³s of the rishis of our times like  –– Swami Vivekanand, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, the great yogi Sri Aurobindo, Vedmurti Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya, have also been devoted to resolution of this eternal riddle and unfolding of the infinity…. 

Sagacious Greek philosopher Plato also points to the inexplicable wonder that the creation of Nature is when he attributes the emergence of Philosophy as an outcome of amazement (of the human mind over this astonishing creation). Several thinkers define Philosophy itself as a scientific mode of understanding the world in which we live. No wonder then, that most of the Greek philosophers and European thinkers inspired by them had, ever since the times of Thales (the first known Greek philosopher), attempted to understand, rediscover and interrelate the principles of Nature with respect to the contemporary hypotheses.  The focus of their initial studies was referred in the Greek language by the word “Cosmos” (original word “kosmos” meaning: world) and in Latin by “Universe” (original universus = uni+versus, meaning: combined into one, whole).  The seekers and thinkers of the later Ages –– Democratus, Plato, Aristotle, Saint Augustine, Bruno, Descartes, Spinoza, Kant, Hegel, Herbert Spenser, to name a few –– contributed to speculating and formulating the theory and principles to explain different aspects pertaining to the universe, space, time, its creator, origin of life, existence of matter, mankind and related entities.

The scientific attempts at revealing the secrets of Nature in the modern times hsve been of no less significance in any respect. The researchers have tried to investigate (c.f. Lee Smolin, “The Life of Cosmos”, pg. 12) –– What is the Universe? Is it infinite or finite? Is it eternal or did time begin at some first moment? If it began, when it began? For some the hypothesis to be tested is – “If the universe is expanding, does this mean that it had a beginning in time?” (c.f. Peter Coveney and Rozer Hightfield, “The Arrow of Time”, pg. 97).  Interlinked with the big question of our origin is that of the universe; as put by John Gribbin in “Companion to the Cosmos” (pg.1): Everybody is intrigued by the story of our origin –– how the Universe came into being? Or, as Brian Greene writes (“The Elegant Universe”, pg. 345) –– Humans throughout history had a passionate drive to understand the origin of the Universe.  Scientific studies motivated thereby are continuing since the middle of past millennium, witnessing ever-increasing zeal and greater rigor, with every new principle or theory derived from the previous ones…. 

Be that the Theory of Relativity and the Big-Bang hypotheses of the modern sciences versus the Vedic descriptions of “m³y³” and “evolutionary explosion in the Hirañyagarbha”, etc, every milestone of the modern endeavors seems to be confirming the scientific facets of the Vedic Philosophies of Nature and Cosmology.  Reviewing and rediscovering the Vedic descriptions and metaphors in new scientific light is therefore both relevant and important at this juncture when the modern research appears to have just started looking into the semi-manifested realms of the infinite reality.     

Despite wide ranging differences and debates about the source, time and history of the Vedas and their original records, availability, nature, purpose, language and interpretations, Vedas are unanimously regarded by the scholars as the oldest existing repository of knowledge.  Vedas have always been a topic of inquisitive interest across the globe. Ever since the known history of mankind, these have been the focus of inconsumable attraction for the seekers of true knowledge.   The monumental scholarly reviews and delineations on the Vedas echo as though the infinity of knowledge and timeless flow of thoughts are encoded in these eternal symbols of absolute enlightenment.

Many of us often doubt the possibility of scientific knowledge being present in the hymns of the Vedas and think that such inferences drawn from some Vedic hymns are imposed or argued by deliberate interpretations of certain words or phrases of the ancient language. According to the views and reviews of several western and modern Indian researchers Vedic hymns seem to be only obscure and abrupt creations of an uncivilized, barbarous race of Aryans in the prehistoric times; whereas for some of these scholars Vedic hymns are merely some prayers sung in an ancient language by primitive minds which, because of ignorance, imagined every component of Nature as sublime and some kind of creation of invisible divine powers….  However none of these erudite thinkers and writers have been able to elaborate upon –– how could and from where the most splendid treatises of supreme knowledge – the Upanishads and the epochal intellectual philosophies – the Shat Darshanas (including the Yoga, Vaishashik, Nyaya, Sankhya, Mimansa and Vedant etc) originate? 

The Upanishads, the Shat Darshanas, the Tantra, Puranas and gamut of other Vedic Scriptures which have emanated from the Vedas, have been reputed sources of not only some of the world’s richest and profoundest religions, but the subtlest metaphysical philosophies as well. Their recognition as the paramount sources of ultimate spiritual knowledge and elevated culture has remained unchallenged in the history of mankind. No critiques of Vedas have been able to challenge this fact. Not only the sages and seers of the modern times, but also some of the great scientists, the founders of modern civilization have acclaimed the Vedas, Upanishads and the Darshanas – especially Vedant Darshan, as magnum opus of subtlest depths of knowledge, ultimate truth, sublime illumination and evolved self-culture.

Why then, are there so many controversies about the interpretations of the Vedas and doubts about the existence of Vedic propositions which contain, though in a different mode of expression, certain realities of Nature rediscovered by the modern science? Well, this seems mainly because of lack of comprehension of the symbolic language of the Vedic hymns, non-availability of the complete collection of interlinked hymns, which have been ignored by superficial and at times prejudiced reviews of some of the western scholars and their Indian followers.  One needs to have awakened insight to attempt grasping even a glimpse of intuitive knowledge encoded in the Vedic scriptures. It is only after diving deep in the ocean of Vedic scriptures and stirring the inner intellect to fathom the gist of colossal knowledge hidden therein that one attains the enlightenment prerequisite to cognition of the Vedas. As trenchantly explained by Sri Aurobindo, the Vedic Word was a seed of thought and vision by which the rishis of Upanishads rediscovered the old truth in new form.      

In Sri Aurobindo’s words1 –– “Veda is the creation of an age anterior to our intellectual philosophies. In that original epoch thought proceeded by other methods than those of our logical reasoning and speech, accepted modes of expression, which in our modern habits would be inadmissible.  The wisest then depended on inner experience and the suggestions of the intuitive mind for all knowledge that ranged beyond mankind’s ordinary perceptions and daily activities. Their aim was illumination, not logical conviction, their ideal the inspired seer, not the accurate reasoner. Indian tradition has faithfully preserved this account of the origin of the Vedas. The Rishi was not the individual composer of the hymn, but the seer (d—aÌÚ³) of an eternal truth and an impersonal knowledge”.

“The language of Veda is ïruti, a rhythm not composed by the intellect but heard, a divine Word that came vibrating out of the Infinite to the inner audience of the man who had previously made himself fit for the impersonal knowledge. The words themselves, d—aÌÚi and ïruti, sight and hearing, are Vedic expressions; these and cognate words signify, in the esoteric terminology of the hymns, revelatory knowledge and the contents of inspiration”.

The sages like him who in the Modern Age had acquired the supernormal faculty and spiritual acumen to grasp the mystic Vedic knowledge have magnanimously bestowed its scrupulous expression in the form intelligible to the researchers of our times.   The dedicated studies of the latter under the sagacious guidance of their spiritually elevated rishi-like masters have further explored and deciphered the scientific facts concealed in the ageless richness, depth and subtlety of Vedic knowledge.  The present series of articles in “Akhand Jyoti” is an effort to explain collective essence of these exemplary works with special focus on what pertains to some topics of natural inquisitiveness and general curiosity prevalent in the thinking minds of this Age of Science.

Range of intriguing topics including – Origin and form of the Vedas; The language of Veda and the interpretations and commentaries by ancient and modern reviewers of global repute; Implications and significance of Vedic Philosophy; Modern scientific theories encoded in the Vedic hymns and metaphors; Scientific scrutiny of the secrets of Genesis of Nature and Cosmic creation hidden in Vedic symbolism and rhetoric depictions; and Comparisons of the latter with modern theories and results including the Singularity Principle, Big-Bang Theory, Quantum Theory, Bio-Molecular Evolution, etc encapsulated in the Vedas,  will be covered successively in this series with citation of major authentic references.     

References:
1.    Sri Aurobindo: The Secrets of the Veda (On the Veda – Part I). Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. 1956
2.    Acharya Pt. Shriram Sharma: RigVed Samhita, Vol. I-IV. Brahmvarchas Shantikunj, Hardwar (India). 1994.
3.    Acharya Pt. Shriram Sharma: SamVed Samhita. Brahmvarchas Shantikunj, Hardwar (India). 1994.
4.    Acharya Pt. Shriram Sharma: YajurVed Samhita. Brahmvarchas Shantikunj, Hardwar (India). 1995.
5.    Acharya Pt. Shriram Sharma: AtharvaVed Samhita, Vol. I-II. Brahmvarchas Shantikunj, Hardwar (India). 1995.
6.    Jayaswal Dr. Arun Kumar: Vedic Sanskriti Ke Vividha Ayam. Lalit Prakashan, New Delhi. 2000.
7.     Sharma Bhavna: Vedic Srishti Vigyan. Amar Granth Publications, Delhi. 2002.

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