Vedanta and Science
It is in the nature of the jiva to search
for the ‘truth’. All knowledge is one and ‘Truth’ is one only. The path to
search are many and the ultimate goal is the same, the ‘Truth’. What is this
‘truth’? It is not something, an ‘other’ that is outside of one’s self, but the
’Self’ itself! This is the crux of the problem. This ‘Self’ is the ‘truth’
and the search is of ‘the Self’. It is the ‘vid’, knowledge, ‘sat’ and ‘truth’. What one discovers at the end
is one’s ‘Self’ only! The observer and the observed become one. Whoever is
established in this ‘Self’ is the attained one! This attainment to the ‘Self’
is the end of the journey.
Scientists take
recourse to different methods analyzing the objects of perception, vision, and
arrive at their own conclusion according to their ability to understand and the
subjects they opt for search range from astronomy, biology, chemistry,
mathematics, and physics to zoology (A to Z). On the other hand there are the
thinkers who take to contemplation (dhyana) and yoga become visionaries, the
Seers (drushtaras or darshanikas).
These Seers or darshanikas are the
path-breakers like Kapila, Patanjali, Kanada, Gautama, Jaimini, and Badarayana,
who have presented us the six darshana shastras- Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Purva Mimamsa, and Uttara Mimamsa (Vedanta Sutra). These six classical texts cover the entire
knowledge concerning Creation, sustenance, development and dissolution covering
the wide range of fundamental principles of creation (srushti tattvas),
eight-fold path to enlightenment, reasoning and logic, time space. Matter, mind
and soul paving way for the knowledge of the self and the ultimate reality (of
existence). In fact, the Sankhya
forms the foundation of the Temple of Knowledge, whereas, the Vedanta constitutes the towering peak
(Seven levels of Consciousness as shown in seven Gopuram) of all knowledge, with the culmination of knowledge as viveka, vairagya, and mokshagati.
“From the standpoint
of ‘Vedantin’ there is no science separate from Vedanta. There is just one
single urge, the seeker’s curiosity to find out the true nature of existence
and to experience it. There may occur unique events that come as turning point
in our lives, which can sometimes change our view of what is important and,
even drive us to know how we should live our lives! Words, too, only make sense
when they are linked to experience… Just reading about truth or hearing about
truth are not enough; it has to be experienced….Vedanta at the intellectual
level makes it clear that the great challenge is to understand the self and
consciousness. The Self and consciousness could perhaps be emergent qualities
of the complex brain that helps to maintain continuity in our understanding and
experience, according to scientists. But, Vedantin views the ‘Self’ (Atma) and ‘Consciousness’ (prajnya) not as emergent elements of a
complex system, but as the inherent unchanging universal elements that underpin
all existence and represent ‘Reality’
which is untouched by the laws of change and causality”. (Siddhartha Sen). It is also important to note: “What we
perceive as our physical objective material world, is really not physical or
material, at all! In fact, it is far from it.” This has been proven time and
time again by multiple Nobel Laureates (among many other scientists around the
world). Niels Bohr, a Danish Physicist, who made significant contributions to
our understanding atomic structure and quantum theory says,
“If quantum mechanics hasn’t profoundly shocked
you, you haven’t understood it yet. Everything we call real is made of things
that cannot be regarded as real.”
– Niels Bohr.
At the turn of the nineteenth century, physicists started to
explore the relationship between energy and the structure of matter. In doing
so, the belief that a physical, Newtonian material universe that was at the
very heart of scientific knowing was dropped, and the realization that matter
is nothing but an illusion replaced it.
Scientists began to recognize that everything in the Universe is made
out of energy. [Arjun Walia, Collective
Evolution: Nothing is Solid and everything is ‘Energy’–Scientists
explain the world of quantum physics, SEP., 27, 2014].
Although it is now common knowledge that the
Sun is a moderate-size star consisting of Hydrogen (H) that split by fission
and created Helium (He4) due to fusion and the earth is formed out of
condensation of the solar flares, the scientists could not find either Hydrogen
or Helium in the earth! It is found only in the Exosphere, on the outer-most
level of atmosphere 10 km. above the earth’s surface since it is the lightest
gaseous element. It is only 100 years ago that the scientists inferred the
existence of Helium and 250 years ago the presence of Hydrogen! The yellow line
in the chromosphere is said to be the Helium waves and it is twice heavier than
Hydrogen, the lightest element. Helium is the coolant in cryogenics and Hadron
Collider vacuum chamber. It occurs in natural gas. It liquefies at 4 Deg. K and
a super-fluid at 2 Deg. K. But, surprisingly, it was detected only in 2018.
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