The Universe- Different Perspectives

The Universe in Different Perspectives

    The Universe is like a mosaic of kaleidoscope viewed from a triangular glass tube. which displays an ever-changing, colorful, form of the contents. So, each one of us get a different perspective of this transient phenomenal world. Little do the living beings (jivarashi) ever realize the ‘truth’, reality of this existence, until they get a divine vision? The living beings revel in ignorance and believe whatever is presented to them or they see as the illusory world. In fact, it is not that the world is unreal, but its transient or ever changing nature that makes it difficult to know.

  The scientists deal with matter and use their mind, intelligence and the senses to study matter. They invent new methods and equipments such as the spectrometer, telescopes and microscope to study things that are beyond the capacity of their sense organs. The famous CERN experiment, the OSIRIS-Rex experiment, and the observations made from the most powerful telescopes set up so far, are such techniques adopted to study the subtler matter invisible to the human eyes. However, all these have eluded a proper understanding of matter, so far. The results are still elusive! All these are still a big question mark. The search goes on.

    In contrast to the scientific method, the techniques adopted in yoga are numerous, most arduous, and the results are very remarkable. Each one of the visionary has come out with an unmistakable intuitive knowledge, a personal experience and all the different approaches converge at the ‘truth’ and there remains no room for any doubt, any more. All the visionaries are of the same opinion as regards the true nature of existence. These are found in innumerable scriptures such as the Veda, the Upanishads, the brahmasutras, the Bhagavad-Gita, yoga-shastras, mantra and tantra shastras, Srividya, etc. This reality of existence is further elucidated later in the concluding part. These are in no way different from the pure science; only methodology is different!

The Scientific Perspective

     The scientific method id developed over a long period of study of a particular discipline like, astronomy, physics, chemistry or biology with a rigorous practical methodology. Observatories and Laboratories have been set up for this purpose. A number of scientists have devoted their whole life to study the mystery of this universe. They have developed a particular perspective about the universe as a material objective world, a cosmic entity.

    The scientific perspective is very simple. The scientists have gone deep into the structure and composition of the universe, the stars, the planets, the satellites, the organic and inorganic materials found on this and have come to the conclusion that all these have a beginning in matter. This simple matter is the tiniest particle, the atom. Some scientists studied the atom and presented theories like Dalton’s atomic theory and, the latest in the series of experiments conducted is the fundamental particle, the ‘God particle’. This is explained as the fermions and bosons that constitute the primordial matter with and without energy and mass, respectively. It is not our purpose to go into the technical details here. However, here is a tiniest invisible matter that just vibrates as an energy particle that goes to form innumerable elements and compounds. As is commonly understood, Hydrogen is the basic material that constitutes the mass of Sun and it produces Helium due to fission and fusion and radiates energy as electromagnetic waves, quanta. These waves produce photons (light particles), electromagnetism- electricity, magnetism and light. There are some unexplained forces- some strong and some weak, that constitute the invisible aspects of our solar system.  All the elements and com[pounds like water, air, rocks and minerals, have come from this. The most prominent of these are hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, sulphur, aluminum, magnesium, and compounds such as hydrates, chlorides, sulphates, phosphates, etc. To put it in simple terms, just hydrogen, oxygen, carbon calcium and carbon that go to make carbohydrates and hydrocarbons, calcium carbonates, calcium bicarbonates, etc dictate the life and work of living organisms!

    Once we get rid of these elements and compounds, or separate them from their combined existence, there remains almost nothing! This is what is called an illusory existence, in the sense, what is made of parts give way when the components are removed. Actually, it is the condensation of amorphous (gaseous) materials, subtle matter that create the gross objects and, the subsequent processes of combination or dissipation of the components only to reorganize themselves into a concrete structure that creates a visible world of objects. Nothing happens if the process is interrupted. There is a catalyst that carries out this operation. This invisible force runs all through creating paraphernalia of the worldly objects.

      It is stated that “Energy cannot be created or decimated. Even if visibility is blurred when the eyes are not capable of seeing the objects clearly; or, for that matter, we cannot see the objects when they become vaporous and dissipate in open space! What is the reality then? Science has no answer. Now, science has also come to state that ‘a rock is not a rock’!