All World
Gayatri Pariwar

The approach of Science in the Vedas is that of searching for the ultimate truth, absolute knowledge. The knowledge encompassed there is an expression of omniscience. The Vedic Cosmology and Science of Nature is therefore derived from Brahm Vidya – Supreme Knowledge, which is the nucleus of all the knowledge. The search of Vedic Science finds the eternal truth in the cosmic as well as the sublime. It begins with "Athato – Brahmajigyasa"; meaning:  let us now enquire about the Brahm. 

In other words, the quest of Vedic Science is top-down whereas that of the modern science is bottom-up. The latter has begun its journey from the gross, physically perceivable and has reached only up to the subtle atoms of matter and physically perceivable energy and accepted the fact that there do exist subtler particles and all pervading energy. The omnipresent perpetual Consciousness Energy is referred in the Vedic literature as Brahm – the self-existent cause of all existence, of all experiences, of all knowledge, of all manifested and sublime truth.   The Brahma Sutra remarks – “That which exists in the infinite cosmos also exists within the tiny atom.  This is how the Brahm is indwelling in the infinite cosmos”. 

The Brahma Sutra (2-2-4) and Newton’s Law of motion have a striking similarity in explaining the cause of motion as the (gravitational) force applied. Newton and Keppler also agree with each other in this context with regard to the motion of the planets but they do not explain the source of the mutual gravitation of the different planets. Here again the Vedic concept of “enormous levels and forms of the unified Cosmic Force” provides the complete answer. 

According to the Ryle theory whole universe was born about 10,000 billion years ago as a result of very great explosion (big bang) of a solid mass. Another theory - The Steady State Theory was propounded by Bondy and Hoyle that whatever is being born is emerging from naught. It is dynamic and the space left by it is filled by another creation also arising from vacuum. But the Vedic science holds a different, rather more comprehensive view explaining the relativity and perennial complementarity of creation and non-creation, matter and non-matter and existence beyond time and space. The Shwetashwatar Upanishad for example states that –– the perpetual sat (the pure eternal light, the infinite impulse, of Brahm) manifests itself in three forms (called three guñas, three intrinsic faculties of Nature) namely sat, raja and tama. 

Infinitely many combinations and expression levels of these three guñas in a dynamic state corresponds to the infinitely many forms of existence and activity or inertness in the animate and the inanimate world.  As per the Vedic theory, the absolute equilibrium of the three guñas existed before the creation of the world and will again be in equal proportions when the world comes to an end.  While physical energies like electricity, light, heat, magnetism, etc result from higher proportions of raja in different forms and combinations with tama and some sat, those of mental enlightenment, sagacious awareness arise from more of sat and purer forms of raja.  Inertness in the inanimate and ignorance and dullness in the animate are because of high proportions of tama with negligible raja and sat; etc. 

In his book “Science & Scientists in India”, Dr. N. K. Jain1 has discussed the scientific relevance of the calculation of the age of the universe as per the Indian scriptures and has also stressed the fact that the present western calculations are gradually coming to the same conclusion, which were derived by the Indian seers thousands of years ago. He elucidates the Vedic proposition, which was also emphasized by Swami Vivekanand, that –– there is no such thing as creation (construction) of the universe, rather, it is a manifestation. This can be understood from the story of existence of the universe, in the hymn of the Rigveda 10/129 the most sublime one in the entire Vedic revelation. The word ‘creation’ must not be used in the sense of making something out of nothing but rather as making something shapely out of shapeless.

The Vedas do not call prak—ati (Nature) by any name other than “mata” (the divine mother; the mother-cause) by which they refer to its sublime Supreme Force  – the Âdi SHakti.  Before the grand creation, the element of all existence and manifestation of Nature – the subtle impulse of the three guñas (sat, raj and tam) – remains hidden in the eternal, omnipresent Consciousness Force (Brahm). This ‘state’ of the self-existent element of existence is referred as Aditi (the light infinite, the mother of gods) in the Veda.      

Jaidev Vedalankar has cited2 a hymn of Rig Veda in this context in his volume entitled “Vaidika Darshan”  (pg 179) – 

He analyzes that the term “Swadha” here implies what we call Nature. He has cited some evidential argument affirming that the titles Aditi (the light infinite) and Swadha (the omnipresent etheric ‘fluid’, the universal power)  used in the Vedas in deed correspond to “Prak—ati” (Nature) in the Sankhya Darshan (one of the six schools of Indian Philosophy which emanated from the Vedas).    

The approach of Sankhya and Vaishashik Darshans seems to be quite close to the decipherations of Nature in terms of modern sciences. Namely, the idea of perception of Nature and logical analysis of knowledge is pursued here. The Sankhya system considers prak—ati and puruÌa to symbolize the eternal sources of what we understand as the manifested Nature and the Life-Force respectively.  The logical apparatus that is brought to bear on the outer world is also applied here to the analysis of the mind. But the question remains: How does inanimate matter come to have awareness? This metaphysical question was answered by postulating entities for smell, taste, form, touch, and sound. In the Sankhya system, a total of twenty-four such categories are assumed. These categories are supposed to emerge at the end of a long chain of evolution and they may therefore be regarded as ‘material’ in nature. 

The breath of life into the instruments of sight, touch, hearing and so on is provided by the twenty-fifth category, which is puruÌa, the soul. The tanmatra (the five senses of perception) of Sankhya is the potentiality that leads to cognitive sensors and material expression.  In this conception it is somewhat like a quantum potential.  The recursive Vedic world-view requires that the universe itself go through cycles of creation (appearance) and destruction (grand transformation). This view became a part of the astronomical framework to study the age of the universe and consequently innumerable cycles of billions of years were assumed. The Sankhya evolution takes the life forms to evolve into an increasingly complex system until the end of the cycle.

The categories of Sankhya operate at the level of the individual as well. Life mirrors the entire creation-cycle and cognition mirrors a life history. Surprisingly similar are the modern slogan: ontogeny is phylogeny, and microgeny (the cognitive process) is a speeded-up ontogeny. 

As the three guñas are attributes of consciousness, they transcend the limits of the inanimate physical rules3. The teachings of the Vedas and Upnishads therefore go beyond the boundary of the theory of Relativity, Laws of Physics and also deeper than Astrophysics. With the help of the Upanishads many new scientific principles have been introduced and some current misconceptions have been removed. 

Dr. D.M. Mansharmani of the Vedant Research Centre, New Delhi argues4 that the Upanishads and the Bhagvad Gita are in fact superior documents of science. The Upanishads proclaim that the three-fold space-time continuum, which is today regarded as real, existent and permanent is in fact transient and perishable. Hence it is a lower kind of continuum. Higher than it is the dimensionless (cosmic) metrical field continuum (AkÌara Brahm), which is imperishable and real existent. Thus they have revealed the outermost and the innermost truth of the cosmos.

While talking of ‘creation’ or the physical manifestation, the manifestation of the smallest particles – broadly speaking, the atoms, is worth discussing. The Vaisheshika Philosophy describes an atomic world. According to modern atomic theory atoms arrange themselves so as to form a molecular shape. The ensemble of molecules bound together in specific fashion leads to specific physical entity, say matter of specific kind, etc.  Their union in an indefinite, infinite bulk form gives shape to the existing universe. In other words, all that exists in the universe is a manifestation of the cosmic energy indwelling in the atoms and the subatomic and subtler particles. When the atoms dissipate, they merge into their original subtle form. At that time they are imperceptible. In Vedic parlance, that position is called Brahmaratri –– end of the (manifested) universe.  

Modern Atomic Theory – propounded by Dalton C, considered ‘atom’ as the smallest particle and on the basis of this theory, the atom was devised as an indivisible matter. But the his successor scientists annulled this hypothesis by breaking the atom into proton, neutron and electron and further into subatomic particles like positrons etc. However, so far, the modern science has not been able to explain how these atoms (or the subatomic particles or even finer units) came into existence and out of what have they sprung up. It merely postulates that the world is the mechanical resultant of the motions of the innumerable motions of the innumerable atoms in infinite space and time and in different directions. There is no intelligent power guiding the operations; it is a random law! But then why there is an order in the system of Nature or the so-called universal laws of Nature well recognized and used by Scientific Theories? 

This lacuna does not exist in the Vedic theory. According to the Vaisheshik Philosophy for instance, ultimate source of the action of atoms is the creative or destructive will of Brahm – the eternal, omnipresent sublime Consciousness Force or cosmic energy. 

Thousands of years ago, Kapil Muni, profounder of the Sankhya Philosophy established the theory of atoms from the point of view of gross physical manifestations and gave a clear answer to the yet undeciphered (by Modern Science) secrets of physical existence. According to this philosophy –– nothing new can come into existence in this world. It must be taken for granted that all qualities, which are to be seen in the created product, must be found, at least in a subtle form. Every cause has an effect and vice-versa. The Chandogya Upanishad and Gita support this observation. The Gita illustrates – “The unreal has no existence, and the real never ceases to be; the reality of both has been perceived by the seers of Truth. Know that both prak—ati and puruÌa are not only eternal but also independent, but also absolutely complementary of each other and self-created. Know that the evolutes (vikara) and eternal faculties of Nature or the constituents of the Supreme creation – the three guñas – all spring out of prak—ati (Aditi)”.  

Rishi Kanada had explained atomic theory in Vaisheshika Philosophy from the point of view of decomposion into the subtler forms and explained that the root cause of the world is añu (atom), which when further broken results into parmañu (sub-atomic particles).  As these atoms coalesce, they acquire new qualities as a result of union and new things are created. 

The attributes of matter like gravity, fluidity, viscosity, elasticity, conjunction and disjunction are also mentioned in Nyaya - Vaisheshika texts. There are discussions on motion and non-motion, heat and non-heat, space and time and also sound in various ancient Sanskrit texts. We shall touch upon most of these in our succeeding articles.

References:

1. Jain N. K. (1990): Science and Scientists in India. 

2. Sharma Bhavna: Vedic Srishti Vigyan. Amar Granth Publications, Delhi. 2002. 

3. Swami Vidyanand Saraswati (1989) Srishti Vigyan Aur Vikasvad. 

4. Excerpts from Vigyan Bharti Pradeepika (v.s. 2055) Vol. 4 (1): Special Issue on Cosmology Part 1. (www.vigyanbhartipradeepika.org) 

Sudha Chandran, a contemporary classical Indian dancer, was cut off in the prime of her dancing career - quite literally - when her right leg had to be amputated. After she had been fitted with an artificial leg, she went back to dancing and, incredibly, made it right back to the top again. When asked how she had managed it, she said quite simply, “You don’t need feet to dance.”