Energy

The Energy Aspect

   The most important thing in quantum laws and particle physics is the Energy aspect. It is the subtle set form of sub-atomic particle that controls the entire universe at both the macro and the micro levels. This energy is the sustaining force of galaxies and the souls of all living beings.  It is a ‘phonon’, a photon that contains the entire plan of creation, transformation and sustenance, and finally dissolution. How the universe functions at different levels is a mystery that can never be understood by man since Man is himself an entity supported by it! This is exactly what is ‘knowing oneself’, i.e., the knowledge of the Self (Atmajnyan). Once a person realizes who he/she is, the search ends! It (the Self) is this immortal, unborn, eternal and all-knowing that is called the ‘Atman’. 

     The Universe is governed mainly, Energy; Electromagnetism (that includes light, electricity and magnetism), Forces that are both strong and weak, and Gravitation. While we all know that solar radiation is electromagnetic waves, there is no clue as to what ‘Gravitation’ is and how and where it comes from. But scientists have predicted the existence of Gravitational force. It exists in the form of waves formed due to collision of two massive black holes, a billion light years away! This prediction confirmed the theory of Einstein assumed a century ago. Rainer Weiss of MIT and Kip Thorne and Barry Barish were given the Nobel Prize in 2016 for their works in this field. The entire universe is covered by the gravitational waves as ripples in time-space. Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity 1916 had predicted this force operating in the universe and affecting everything! Einstein suggested that matter and energy would warp the geometry of space-time producing gravity. He also predicted that “space-time could stretch and expand, tear and collapse into black holes”. 

   Energy is released when the matter and anti-matter coalesce, merge, or hit as in the case of quarks, electrons and positrons. Energy is the inherent property of matter. At the one end lies the huge mass of clouds of stellar dust where every particle is capable of emerging out as a star! At the other end lies the smallest of the small particle, almost invisible to the eye. The scientists were in search of this miracle ‘angel particle’ an idea based on fantasy, but true! This is the anti-particle of the fundamental particle!- an identical twin, but with an opposite charge. When the particle meets this antiparticle both would be annihilated releasing ‘energy’. The first antimatter particle- electron’s opposite, the positron was finally discovered.  At the lowest end lies the fermions that includes the proton, neutron, electron, neutrino and quark, there should be particles that are their own antiparticles. The scientists found the first antiparticle of the fermion and called it ‘angel particle’. Actually there does not exist anything like that! 

    It is only an intellectual exercise, at the most a mathematical equation. This majorana fermion, fermion’s antiparticle, is called ‘chiral’ fermion, half a sub-atomic particle (moves in a single dimension in a particular direction). This is useful in computers for storage of information without fear of losing it.

    Thus, we have on the one hand, the galaxies as the huge mass of clouds of stellar gases at the one end, and on the other, the invisible tiny particles, almost non-existent (?) like the ‘pions’, fermions and bosons, or quarks decaying into gravitons; The quarks and anti-quarks crash and disappear releasing energy! Even the Fermions and Majorana Fermions, as matter and anti-matter, crash and get annihilated releasing energy. But, nobody has ever seen any graviton or an anti-quark! All these are theoretical speculations. However, the tiniest particles are the source of all that exist! The tiny emery particles like the phonons are the nuclei of all that exist as the material objects of the world, including the ‘Soul’ of the living beings, providing energy to sustain the body! It is stated that, “Over the next ten years a new telescope, James Webb, and other radio telescopes will allow us to see the gas before they form the stars, we will also see the first stars, the first galaxies and will be able to see the life history of the universe.” (Brian, Raman Res. Inst. Bengaluru).

   However, the Vedanta gives a better picture and a more comprehensive one. It is much easier to know about the fundamental principles of creation, with no contradictions whatsoever. The fundamental principles have been stated to be 76 in all, further reduced to 36 principles according to Shaivagama shastra, whereas, these are reduced to just 25 principles, such as, the 5 Great basic elements (pancha mahabhuta) and their respective qualities (tanmatra), 10 organs to experience these qualities (knowledge/jnyan and action/ karma), and three qualities emerging from nature such as sattva, tamas and rajas. Thus, according to the Sankhyans, everything comes within these fundamental principles. One may add a Creator, purusha and its power, shakti as His Nature (prakruti) to these. The Purusha is attributed with 5 powers, such as, ability to create (srushti), sustain (samrakshana), dissolve (laya), appear and disappear at will (tirodhana), and bless (anugraha). These again make it 35 fundamental principles that govern the universe.

    The earth’s atmosphere extends upward to about 10 Kms. and it consists of the exosphere freely moving hydrogen ions at the outer-most level, and the ionosphere below it, followed by the chemosphere (with ions of oxygen), the stratosphere (strata of streams of air mass) and the thick troposphere (consisting of dense mass of air). Air becomes rarified as one goes up into space. What the Sankhyans put as the basic five principles- ‘pancha mahabhuta’, such as, the Akasha, vayu, agni, jala, and pruthvi are stated in science as space, air, fire, water and earth that contain almost all the known and the unknown elements- gross and subtle, gaseous, metallic and non-metallic, organic and inorganic, etc. These are the fundamental building materials of the universe and can be traced to the tiniest invisible sub-atomic particles, including the living beings. Everything is energy and emanates (as gross matter) and gross matter inheres energy to sustain it. Space is also matter and is considered to be a flexible transparent envelope that can accommodate all that exists! The space was considered to be ‘ether’, a medium through which matter passes, and was later discarded by the scientists. Now, space is a thin invisible entity that envelopes the Universe. It is within and outside everything that we see, touch and feel. Air freely moves in space and generates heat; it is the compression (generating heat), or expansion (cooling particles of air), that produces condensation. Air consists of lighter gases like Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Ozone, Argon, and Methane that were already present in the exploding stars. The differential heating and cooling of air particles creates pressure differences leading to movement of air from the High to Low Pressure areas.

    ‘Energy’ inherent in matter is at the base of all vibrations! The vibrations at different wavelengths, intensity and frequencies create sounds, and the consequent paraphernalia of the physical world including the water and soil and all that are found on earth. Hence, there is not much difference between the Samkhya’s and the Scientists’ explanation of the origin of the universe and its constituents. However, the Vedantins treat these elements as of divine origin and Rk Veda calls them the ‘Shakti Devi devata’ the ‘Elemental Gods’. Hence everything is divine, devata shakti in Vedanta. But, they are treated as just fire, air, force, gravity, el electromagnetic forces, physical, chemical, or biological phenomena, and energy from thermal, hydel, thermodynamic or nuclear sources by the scientists. Everything is ‘Agni’ (soma, anala and surya) in Veda, whereas, it is just ‘Energy’ in science!   

    Thus, it is very clear as to how the visible universe has come into existence from almost a state of invisible gaseous entity, almost ‘nothingness’, to ‘everything’, rather, manifest from ‘nowhere’ to ‘now’ (time) and ‘here’ (space)! What we see or experience as the real world is, indeed, a movie of forms of vibration of energy, like the picture on a screen depicting a story. The form is created by energy as stated in the Vedic statement, Form (rupa) is the essence (tanmatra) of Fire, Agni.