Did God Create the Universe?

     God did not create the Universe and the "Big Bang" was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics, the eminent British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking argues in a new book. In The Grand Design (co-authored with U.S. physicist Leonard Mlodinow), Hawking says a new series of theories made a Creator of the Universe redundant (Times-Newspaper, Extracts published on Thursdays). "Because there is a law such as 'Gravity', the Universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason that there is something rather than nothing, why the Universe exists, why we exist," 

  We have made tremendous progress in cosmology in the last hundred years. The General Theory of Relativity and the discovery of the expansion of the universe shattered the old picture of an ever existing and everlasting universe. Instead, general relativity predicted that the universe, and time itself, would begin in the big bang. It also predicted that time would come to an end in black holes. The discovery of the cosmic microwave background and observations of black holes support these conclusions. This is a profound change in our picture of the universe and of reality itself. Thus, general relativity on its own cannot answer the central question in cosmology: Why is the universe the way it is? However, if general relativity is combined with quantum theory it may be possible to predict how the universe would start. It would initially expand at an ever-increasing rate.

   “Einstein's General Theory of Relativity unified time and space as space-time, but time was still different from space and was like a corridor, which either had a beginning and end, or went on forever. However, when one combines General Relativity with Quantum Theory, Jim Hartle and I realized that time can behave like another direction in space under extreme conditions.” This means one can get rid of the problem of time having a beginning, in a similar way in which we got rid of the edge of the world.  If one believed that the universe had a beginning, the obvious question was what happened before the beginning? What was God doing before He made the world? Was He preparing Hell for people who asked such questions? The problem of whether or not the universe had a beginning was a great concern to the German philosopher, Emmanuel Kant. He felt there were logical contradictions, or antimonies, either way. If the universe had a beginning, why did it wait an infinite time before it began? He called that ’the thesis’. On the other hand, if the universe had existed for ever, why did it take an infinite time to reach the present stage? He called that ‘the antithesis’. Both these thesis and the antithesis depended on Kant's assumption, along with almost everyone else, that time was Absolute. That is to say, it went from the infinite past to the infinite future, independently of any universe, that might, or might not, exist, in this background. This is just an image, a picture, in the mind of scientists today. But, the Vedic doctrines are clear enough as to the ‘nature of the creation, its sustenance and dissolution’. The Veda begins with the doctrine of ‘neither’- this or that, here or there, ‘existence (sada) or non-existence (asada). That means ‘nowhere’ and ‘nothing’, only later became ‘now and here’ (space and time), and all things existed in ‘nothing; and became manifest later! Thus, only Supreme Power (paramatman) existed in unmanifest state in the beginning! Agama Shastra invoke a Deva Narayana in the form of embodiment of pure Consciousness on the screen of which this entire universe moves as if a movie film! The universe is His ‘Will’, chittavrutti, mentation, images created in His own form! It is said, “God created man and man created God”. The sculptors cut the images in the sandal wood, marble, shalagrama stone, or mould in liquid metals of gold, silver, copper or five alloy metals (pancha loha). All these are images carved out of imagination! There is no doubt as to what the universe is and who the God is! But, in science, everything is a hypothesis, theory, postulation, and a probability, at the most. Even the visuals of images of stars and galaxies, the distances calculated in mind-bogging ‘Light Years’ (1 LY- 186000 x 60 x 60 x 24 x 365.6 miles!) make no sense to ordinary people. The Sun is more massive and intrinsically brighter than 95% of stars in our galaxy. The red dwarf stars — M-class stars — which are no more than 40% the mass of our Sun, make up 3 out of every 4 stars that are out there. What’s more than that, our Sun exists in isolation; it is not gravitationally bound to any other stars. But that is not necessarily how stars exist in the galaxy, either. The universe is a vast infinite space which includes the earth and all the heavenly bodies in the sky (akasha). Space, akasha, the sky contains galaxies, stars, the Sun, Planets (their moons), asteroids and all that. In this sense of the term, akasha is said to be brahmn- kam brahmaa, Kham brahmaa |.  So also the living beings made of all the five elements including akasha is brahmn. 

   The primordial matter is invisible, that exists as an effect rather than a cause, and rather, the cause holds the effect within it , or cause and effect exist together’ in the beginning! The effect becomes manifest (vyakta) while the cause remains unmanifest (unmanifest)! This is the reason why we search for the cause. The planet earth is formed out of the solar flares that condensed gradually into gross earth and as such the hot gaseous matter of the Solar flares (Helium caused by fission and fusion of Hydrogen). Today we find the earth, while still hot and molten underneath is covered by Water 78 % and Rocks- Sial (Si+al) and Sima (Si+mg) crust 21%. There is enormous heat within the earth and molten material, along with gases, is emitted through vents, cracks, fissures, and volcanoes even today. The interior of the earth is a hard Nickel and Iron (Ni + Fe) core subject to fluctuations. Magmatic material constitutes the outer core of the earth. The inner core and outer core are separated by a shell that prevents any passage of seismic waves!  Origin of Life. The first image from a distant of the biological life forms that emerged in a jar devoid of living substances altogether. We know that the basic spiral of DNA has all of the basic aspects of Fibonacci or golden mean. That’s everywhere in nature, in the shapes of Nautilus shells, plants, and even our own bodies. This suggests that the Phi Ratio is the fundamental characteristic of the wave, and that DNA is emerging from the Phi Field of creation that is flowing through all of space and time. The protein in forming a protective cover to the cell containing gene and chromosome without which they would fall apart is an important stage in evolution. As the organism or jiva gets aged this protective cover also becomes weak and unable to reproduce, thereby causing decay and death. There are also stages when the organisms had to adapt to changing environment and resources available such as Sulphur and iron by mutation. This mutation has led to higher organisms, such as hominids. The giant apes mutated to begin a new lineage, roughly about 4 million years ago!. The early four stages to humans are marked by macaques, orang-utans, gorilla, chimpanzee (4 to 5 m. y) and other higher mammals, primates, developed in the course of evolution due to mutation. The last specie spread rapidly everywhere as the Homo erectus, Homo Neanderthalensis and the Homo sapiens and coexisted. It is now human history and, the earliest fossil remains of this are dated 130 000 years. This estimate may also go beyond a million years!

From Absolute Abstract to Concrete, the Universe is a Continuum

    The Scientific Perspective: The scientific method 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. 

According to NASA, the growth of the universe continued after inflation, but at a slower rate. As space expanded, the universe cooled and matter formed. One second after the Big Bang, the universe was filled with neutrons, protons, electrons, anti-electrons, photons and neutrinos.

    During the first three minutes of the universe, the light elements were born during a process known as Big Bang nucleo-synthesis. Temperatures cooled from 100 nonillion (10³²) Kelvin to 1 billion (10⁹) Kelvin, and protons and neutrons collided to make deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen. Most of the deuterium combined to make helium, and trace amounts of lithium were also generated. For the first 380,000 years or so, the universe was essentially too hot for light to shine, according to France's National Centre of Space Research (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales or CNES). The heat of creation smashed atoms together with enough force to break them up into a dense plasma, an opaque soup of protons, neutrons and electrons that scattered light like fog.

    Roughly 380,000 years after the Big Bang, matter cooled enough for atoms to form during the era of recombination, resulting in a transparent, electrically neutral gas, according to NASA. This set loose the initial flash of light created during the Big Bang, which is detectable today as cosmic microwave background radiation. However, after this point, the universe was plunged into darkness, since no stars or any other bright objects had formed yet.

    About 400 million years after the Big Bang, the universe began to emerge from the cosmic dark ages during the epoch of re-ionization. During this time, which lasted more than a half-billion years, clumps of gas collapsed enough to form the first stars and galaxies, whose energetic ultraviolet light ionized and destroyed most of the neutral hydrogen.

Although the expansion of the universe gradually slowed down as the matter in the universe pulled on itself via gravity, about 5 or 6 billion years after the Big Bang, according to NASA, a mysterious force now called dark energy began speeding up the expansion of the universe again, a phenomenon that continues today.

A little after 9 billion years after the Big Bang, our solar system was born. Although the expansion of the universe gradually slowed down as the matter in the universe pulled on itself via gravity, about 5 or 6 billion years after the Big Bang, according to NASA, a mysterious force now called dark energy began speeding up the expansion of the universe again, a phenomenon that continues today. A little after 9 billion years after the Big Bang, our solar system was born.

    The ‘Big Bang’ and the ‘Expanding Universe’: Einstein, Arthur Eddington and Stephen Hawking are banging our heads about these concepts of ever static or expanding universe and the Big Bang. The ‘Big Bang’ did not occur as an explosion in the usual way one thinks about such things, despite one might gather from its name. Einstein committed error in his calculations regarding the nature of the universe. He did not realize that a static universe may be possible only when there is no matter in it. The universe did not expand into space, as space did not exist before the universe, according to NASA Instead, it is better to think of the Big Bang as the simultaneous appearance of space everywhere in the universe. The universe has not expanded from any one spot since the Big Bang- rather space itself has been stretching, and carrying matter with it. This ever expanding universe is making things, objects in space move farther and farther from each other just as the earth, moon, sun and the stars. Probably, the humans, too, are moving along with these in mind, thoughts, ideas, understanding and conceptualizations, too! It is much faster today than what it was 8 billion years ago. The universe is expanding 5 to 9 percent faster than astronomers had thought, a new study suggests. The universe was born with the Big Bang as an unimaginably hot, dense point. When the universe was just 10^-34 of a second or so old — that is, a hundredth of a billionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second in age — it experienced an incredible burst of expansion known as inflation, in which space itself expanded faster than the speed of light. During this period, the universe doubled in size at least 90 times, going from subatomic-sized to golf-ball-sized almost instantaneously.

     The universe was born with the Big Bang as an unimaginably hot, dense point. When the universe was just 10^-34 of a second or so old — that is, a hundredth of a billionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second in age — it experienced an incredible burst of expansion known as inflation, in which space itself expanded faster than the speed of light. During this period, the universe doubled in size at least 90 times, going from subatomic-sized to golf-ball-sized almost instantaneously. The first star that appeared from the condensates of nuclear dust, stellar particles, died soon due to loss of energy, but its radiation is still traced. So also, many of the elements, compounds, and minerals that have disappeared due to decomposition have left their traces. The trace elements are there for us to see.  These make our knowledge appear very limited despite all the progress we have made.

    

     The first star that appeared from the condensates of nuclear dust, stellar particles, died soon due to loss of energy, but its radiation is still traced. So also, many of the elements, compounds, and minerals that have disappeared due to decomposition have left their traces. The trace elements are there for us to see. These make our knowledge appear very limited despite all the progress we have made.

   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 earth 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 compounds like water, air, rocks and minerals, have come from this. The most prominent of these are Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Carbon, Sulphur, Aluminum, Magnesium, Calcium, and compounds such as hydrates, carbonates, calcites, chlorides, sulphates, phosphates, etc. To put it in simple terms, just Hydrogen, Oxygen, Carbon, Calcium and some minerals form the building blocks. These go to make the essential ingredients such as carbohydrates, hydrocarbons, calcium carbonates and bicarbonates, sodium chloride, potassium, etc. that create and sustain lifeforms! But mere assemblages will not work!

   All that is created by parts are always subject to disintegration and collapse. When the elements and compounds get separated as in the case of oxidation and reduction, or separate themselves 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’, ‘solid is not solid’, and ‘liquid is not liquid’, but they all have their subtler and sublime forms, too! That is the reality!  

Structure and Composition of the Universe

   The entire universe is made of atomic particles bubbling with 'energy' and 'intelligence'.. This is almost invisible in their initial primordial state. In fact, the electrons move en masse at the speed of light! What we perceive is just the materials that can be grasped by our limited senses! However, the scientists have gone deep into the study of structure of the atoms and their qualities. Fermi, the French scientist and Bose have given the details of the Fermions and Bosons.

   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. so far. The results are still elusive! All these are still a big question mark. The search goes on. In a world where Einstein’s relativity is true, space has three dimensions, and there is quantum mechanics, all particles must be either fermions (named after Italian physicist Enrico Fermi) or bosons named after Indian physicist Satyendranath Bose). This statement is a mathematical theorem, in an observation from data. But data over the past 100 years seems to bear it out; every known particle in the Standard Model is either a fermion, or a boson. An example of a boson is a photon.

Fermions	Half integral spin	Only one per state	Examples- electrons, protons, neutrons, quarks, neutrinos
Bosons	integral spin	Many can  occupy same  state	Examples: photons,  4He atoms, gluons

 “I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative from consciousness. We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything that we talk about, everything that we regard as existing or even postulating is consciousness.” [Max Planck, theoretical physicist who originated quantum theory, which won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918].   

    There is another ground-breaking, weird experiment that also has tremendous implications for understanding the nature of our reality, more specifically, what we call “time.” Time on earth is closely associated with the rotation of the earth, its mean velocity, and angle of inclination of the sun’s rays and the particular latitude. Rest all a hypothetical question.

 All fundamental particles in nature can be divided into one of two categories, Fermions or Bosons. The table below enumerates the differences. According to physicist Andrew Truscott, lead researcher from a study published by the Australian National University, the experiment suggests that “Reality does not exist unless we are looking at it.” It suggests that we are living in a holographic-type of universe. Everything is vibration of energy and the chemical bonds create this illusion.

     What we see as “the objective phenomenal world is an illusion”, says the Vedanta; and, now the Scientists, too, support this with proof from their practical experiments!

    The idea first came from the Rk Veda. The nasadiya sukta emphatically and expressly states that “In the beginning, there was neither existence (‘sada’) nor, non-existence (asada)”. If there was nothing in the beginning according to the Rk Veda, nothing was there in existence in the beginning! If nothing was there, how can the objective world come into existence? The Bhagavad-Gita makes this point clear. Here Bhagavan Shree Krishna says, pashya me yogamaishvaram | meaning, “See the cosmic world in Me”. (BG. 11.8). He further asserts that “He projects and withdraws everything, time and again”. Thus, the question of ‘nothing existed in the beginning” does not arise.

Whatever was already there only came out and went back! It is as simple as “Whoever is inside the house only comes out and goes in”! What entered the ‘would-be mother’s’ empty womb (as a sperm) only came out as an off-spring! Is there any surprise? The magic lies in the ‘sperm’ (or the seed in the case of a tree). An invisible, microscopic, potent living germ/seed only creates an off-spring or sprouts, off the parent kind, a plant, animal, or a bird. Hence everything lies in a dormant or invisible state and appears in a gross visible form, but only for a limited span of life time only. 

    What molecular physics or cellular biology says is no different from the above! The Vedic doctrine of ‘nothingness’ is also the doctrine of molecular physics. It is an accepted convention in molecular physics, which sees matter not as inert substance but as a dynamic interplay of energy fields” [Jug Suriya: Juggling Act- “Real Illusion: Incredible Rightness of Non-Being”. Sunday Magazine Feb. 26. 2017].  It is a Dutch physicist Hendrik Casimer who postulated that even the emptiness of a vacuum  contained sub-atomic ‘events called virtual photons which appeared and disappeared in and out of existence, a ceaseless dance between ‘being’ and ‘non-being’- not accessible direct . This is the active presence of absence. “Being and Nothingness” by the French author Sartre vividly exemplifies the overwhelming “thereness of that which is not there”! 

  This state of ’I am’ and ‘I am not’ (‘it is’ and ‘it is not’, too) is not a strange situation. We find this in our everyday life- at the time of interval between sleep and dream, entering in and out of house, car, train, etc and in transcendental meditative state.

     Now, everything is vibration. It is the vibrant energy, a drama of chemical bonds and this include my Grandpa and Grandma who appeared and disappeared in a brief span of a few decades in the time scale of billion years of solar system and earth’s existence! Who am I, then? 

    Thus, what we call the sentient objects that come within the ambit of time, space and causality are not real. This creation, sustenance, and dissolution are nothing but a fleeting event, an idea, ideation, image, imagination or dream created by a vibrant mind as energy particles! 

The Primordial Matter (Sub-atomic Particles): The distinction between bosons and fermions is basic. There are two possible kinds of things since these are invisible forces in creation of Matter in the universe. The two types are known as "bosons" and "fermions," and the dialectic between them describes all physical form. The whole scheme of quantum field theory, for example, is that fermions interact by exchanging bosons. 

   "The electrons belong to the class of elementary particles called leptons. The leptons and quarks together constitute the class called fermions, the anti-matter of which is majorana bosons, the wonder particles or ‘God-particle’! 

    According to the Standard Model all mass consists of fermions. Whether the fermions combine to form a table, a star, a human body, a flower or do not combine at all depend on the elementary forces - the electromagnetic, the gravitational, the weak and the strong forces. According to the Standard Model all force is mediated by exchange of (gauge) bosons. The electromagnetic force is mediated by exchange of photons, the strong force by exchange of gluons while the weak force is mediated by exchange of W and Z bosons." - Steen Ingermans.

    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 saints, Rishis or drushtara has come out with an unmistakable intuitive knowledge, a personal experience, a visual one, at that! In fact, all the different approaches converge at the 

‘truth’, the ‘sat’ aspect, 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 explicitly stated in innumerable scriptures, such as, the Veda, the Upanishads, the brahmasutras, the Bhagavad-Gita, yoga-shastras, mantra, yantra, and tantra shastras, Agama samhitas, Srividya, etc. This reality of existence is further elucidated later in the concluding part of this small edition. These are in no way different from what is so far discovered in the experiments of pure science; only methodology is different! The scientists, particularly those dealing with molecular biology, quantum mechanics, particle physics, atomic energy and astronomy have placed their observations before us. For instance, Donald Hoffman, a scientist at the University of California, claims that people are being tricked into believing their own reality, and what they see around them is nothing more than a facade that enables humans to get through their daily lives without having to deal with the “hidden matrix” that lurks behind everything. Hoffman says that when you see something that you think is solid, such as a red tomato, you cannot be sure that when you close your eyes that it still exists. He says what you are actually seeing is entirely constructed inside your mind. The tomato doesn’t actually exist.

    Galileo once wrote: ‘I think that tastes, odours, colours, and so on reside in consciousness.” No consciousness, no life, as such! prajnyanan brahmaa | “Everything is Consciousness” says Vedanta. Consciousness is all. Nothing evades Consciousness. But what is Consciousness? It is yet an unresolved problem for the western world, particularly to the scientists. But, it is not so to the Indian saints. They have the ability to cognize both the creator and the creation and can get a total perspective of ‘oneness’! It is the samyak prajnya, the highest level of pure state of Conscious existence. 

     The world that humans see around them is nothing more than a very convincing illusion, according to one of the world’s leading cognitive scientists. In quantum mechanics and particle physics, spin is an intrinsic form of angular momentum carried by elementary particles, composite particles (hadrons), and atomic nuclei. Spin is one of two types of angular momentum in quantum mechanics, the other being orbital angular momentum.

Existence and Non-existence

    The Vedic doctrine is: In the beginning there was neither 'Existence' ('sada') nor 'Non-existence'' ('asada')! In this doctrine of 'nasadiya sukta' of Rk Veda, Mandala X, it is clear that, 'The universe was in such a state that could be stated as either 'is' or 'is not'. What was this state? It is a state of dynamic silence, a state of suspended animation. The Brahmanda purana says, "Supreme Creator breathes out a span of fourteen smavatsars and during 'His Day' and takes rest for equal length of time! This apart, one can easily visualize the fleeting time that takes the present in a fraction of a sec. into 'past' and 'future rendering the whole existence as a meaningless, futile exercise. The physical body of the humans mature without showing any sign of mental development, let alone spiritual!  There is another presentation in this regard. It state, there was nothing, so to say, llike akasha, air, water or fire  in the beginning! 

    If one says, "In the beginning, everything was ‘asat’ (Non-existence). Out of ‘asat’ (Non-existence) emerges ‘sat’ (Existence) how can existence come out of non-existence?" This is what the ordinary people normally ask since they cannot understand the subtler aspects of creation. It is their ignorance that they ask such questions since “Everything comes only out of nothing”. This does not mean that there was nothing before something came out! Whatever was already there only can come out. We cannot say things are not there just because we cannot see them.  What seems to be ‘nothing’ holds all things within, but in an invisible, subtler, finer form of potential ‘Energy’. ‘Everything is Energy’ is the fundamental principle. What was unmanifest (‘avyakta’) in the beginning only becomes manifest (‘vyakta’). What is already inside only must come out of it just whoever goes inside only comes out! Potential energy or Energy that is in a dormant or equilibrium state, a static condition, becomes kinetic, vibrant, creating different forms due to vibration at different amplitude, intensity, frequencies, and wave lengths. All that we see is nothing but forms, images, creation of our vibrant mind (chittavrutti). Thus, ‘brahmn’ is unmanifest, ‘avyakta’, from which everything manifest as the multifarious objective phenomenal world, just like the rain and snow precipitating out of clouds that appear in a clear blue sky! 

    The term ‘sat’ also means ‘Truth’; it also means light, consciousness, energy, and everything! Hence, the learned sages simply said everything is ‘sat’, the brahmn.  sarvam khaluvidam brahmaa | these terms – sat, chit, anand are of highly esoteric nature and of great significance. A lot can be said about them. In fact, the one ‘sat’ only has manifest as the ‘chit’ (consciousness, knowledge), and ananda (bliss); and, the entire universe is thus, the ‘sat’ only. Bhagavan Shree Krishna says, “Om tat sat iti” and concludes that everything is ‘That’, ‘that is it’!

     Now, whatever is ‘sat’ (‘tyat’/‘That’) is also the manifest phenomenal objective world-‘this’. This universe is the manifest form of the ‘sat’! Whatever is that eternal, immortal, intransient only has come within limitations of time, space, causality (cause and effect), and name, forms and functions. Duality such as this and that ceases to exist when these limitations are overcome with the help of ‘transcendental meditation, (samadhi yoga). When a person is ignorant of his true self, he /she tends to think- “I am different from that, this, you, he, she it, etc. Knowledge, truth, or reality dawns when this ignorance, avidya, knowledge covered by attachment, ego, desire, etc. are removed. This is what Bhagavan Shree Krishna teaches us through Arjuna. In Bhagavad-Gita, the Lord says, “Arjuna, you are full of attachment, ego, desire and have forgotten your true self. Once you realize who you are, ‘realize that you are none other than the unborn, eternal, immortal sat, you become Me only. You and I are always one. But, the moment you get attached to phenomenal objective world and begin to think of i, me, mine, etc you go away from Me. You can always return to Me when you drop what all you have acquired as the blemishes of the soul. This is the ‘Truth’.”

    The Universe in Different Perspectives: The Universe is like a mosaic seen through a kaleidoscope (triangular glass tube with one side closed) which displays ever-changing, colorful objects, in varying forms (like pieces of colorful glass bangles). 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 equipment such as the spectrometer, telescopes and microscope to study things that are beyond the capacity of their sense organs.

Om tat sat |

   
 There is a specific mention of Om tatsadii | in the Bhagavad-Gita. This verse (shloka) is a remarkable one where Bhagavan Sri Krishna tells Arjuna about the sum and substance of the universe. The beginningless beginning or the endless one is the Lord Himself and none else. Om is the beginning and end of all that exists. we open our mouth with 'aa' and close it with 'mm'! The auspicious sound 'a' is 'brahmn'. The two other manifest forms of this brahmn are: the 'sat' and 'anand'. The entire universe rests on these two fundamental concepts!

    Now coming back to our main issue of "Existence", it may now be stated that, "Our existence is a myth!" Time is a myth. Time does not exist! This is the reason why we qualify everything with the words- 'in point of time'. Everything is at a point of time? What is real or unreal is not discernible when it is covered by the myth of 'time', kaal! We do not exist in any point of time as such and such as a result of this 'fleeting time' that brings changes with it! Childhood is soon past and the adolescent and the youth presents itself and, that too, soon merges into old age and disappearance of the jiva in a flash of time! Then where is 'life' left". All jivas are a flash of the past memories and future hopes and aspirations, full of tension, and that is our “ex is tenc(s)e”? After all, what is a span of a hundred years of a jiva in a million years of history of life, and a billion years of life of earth, so far? Is there any meaning for all these?

   The Embodied Soul (Jivatman): The jiva located on this planet earth, in any form for that matter, is a mysterious one! The earth is supposed to be an ideal place for living beings (jiva rashi) to be alive for a short duration- breathe, eat and drink, and survive and propagate. It is now clear from research findings in the fields of astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology and genetics that a few fundamental particles like hydrogen, carbon, oxygen (H + C + O), along with nitrogen, calcium, and other gaseous or non-gaseous, metallic and non-metallic, elements go to make the entire living entity- the biotic world. Even the universe consisting of the galaxies, stars, planets and their satellites are mainly gaseous elements that later condensed into gross solid, liquid, or semi-liquid gaseous objects. The subtler and subtler invisible atoms only have become gross elements and compounds, Thus, the living beings (jiva-rashi) and all that we find here on earth are essentially atomic energy ( € ) that radiates in the form of heat, light, electromagnetism, electricity, magnetism, and gravitational force. Even the human mind, the thoughts, ideas, images, imagination, dreams, aspirations, desire and will, as well as, resolve to act on the desire and forces that promote actions, the air we breathe, the life-force (prana), and consciousness (chit/prajnya), etc are all functions of this ‘quantum energy’ (derived from the Stars)!

    However, evolution of life, especially the human species is a slow process. It has just entered the third important level of Mind, starting from just a simple life-force (prana) in biotic and animal kingdom! The fundamental principles are just prana and annam, food to sustain it in the body, and ways and means of finding food. The humans are endowed with intellect, mind and thought force (chitta vrutti), and creative energy and skill to perform action (kriyashakti and kriyashilata). Basically, elements that go to make life are the fundamental particles that are subtler subatomic particles (as in a shooting Star), a meteorite that burnt out as it enters the earth’s atmosphere, that radiate energy and light. This has prompted the scientists to speculate whether the life force (prana) of the jiva has come from the interstellar space, as also, other forms of life exist in space!

    The four types of physical forces that govern the universe are classified as: 1. Gravity, 2. Electromagnetism, 3. Strong Nuclear Forces, and 4. Weak Nuclear Forces. The true nature and power of Gravity are yet to be clearly understood. While the Strong Nuclear Forces binds atomic nuclei. The Weak Nuclear Forces cause radioactive decay (like Uranium becoming lead) and it also creates earthquakes and continental drift.  Yet another important essential missing force which acts as a catalyst, or that binds all these, is believed to be there, yet to be discovered! Some scientists have identified a rare phenomenon and called it as ‘chiral’ that enters in and falls out creating bonds and disbands! The fermions transmit energy to bosons which turns into matter that is later identified as neutrons, protons, electrons. This is the beginning of all matter- metallic and non-metallic, organic and inorganic, living and non-living, entities and enable the living beings to breathe, eat and drink, hold on and survive and propagate.

  It is the Gravitational Force that holds the Universe together. It acts as an invisible powerful force that attracts every ionic particle and holds the Universe intact. This has been described in the Rk Veda in Madhu sukta.

   The concept of ‘Space’ in scientific literature is different from the one- Akasha that is used in Vedantic texts. The term ‘space’ as used in science is a vast thin elastic matter (as well as energy since it contains electric charges) But, Akasha as stated in Vedanta is the very Subject brahmn- kham brahma | that holds all! Akasha and brahmn are one and the same. Not only that the Akasha is there far above, but it is much deeper within! There is no place where this Akasha does not exist. “Everything is Akasha, brahmn”. Thus, there is Akasha within us, as well as, outside of us! These inner (antar) and the outer (bahir) Akasha are separated by the physical component (body) like a pot; the space within and without the pot are the same, but for the separation by an earthen wall; and, the inner and the outer become one again when the earthen pot is broken. This is what is done symbolically as ‘breaking the pot (during cremation of the dead body in our rituals).  

    Ancient scriptures give classification that is not much different from the present-day scientific one. The language may be different but the sum and substance are the same. Briefly, the scientific method is one of experimentation, observation, generalization and universal application. However, the findings are subject to further investigations and change; nothing is certain. They have thus presented hypotheses, postulations, theories of probability, etc. But, this is not the case with the scriptures that are intuitional statements, each one personally experienced by the learned ones through deep contemplation in transcendental meditation. These have been pronounced as final! There is no further question about it. Thus we have the opinions of the Spiritual scientists (vedantin) and the material scientists (padartha vijnyani). The views of the great sages are in aphorisms or cryptic verses, coded language with symbolism, imageries, and esoteric verses, and these need be properly decoded with the help of learned teachers; so also, the mathematical equations, formulae, and the theories of great mathematicians and scientists! Thus, nothing is easy. The common man remains ignorant and do not even bother to know about the spiritual aspects and simply live on.  So, the question of ‘what is it I am doing here’ remains unanswered. The search goes on. 

The Search: The search for ‘truth’ (‘sat’) is an endless one.  In its true nature, this ‘sat’ always exists without any change. It is eternal, immutable. All else found hare as phenomenal objects are subject to change over time and as such, do not qualify for the ‘sat’. They come within the influence of time, space and causality. There is enormous literature both in science and philosophy regarding this. But the spiritual literature is scarce. Whatever little we know from the spiritual texts give us a clear idea about the problems and the answers to them in cryptic aphorisms, code words, signs and symbols, imageries and formulae. Some of these are quite interesting. These are found in the ahirbudhnya samhita, sattavata samhita, Jayakhya samhita, Lakshmi tantra, Shaivagama shastra and other 250 samhitas of pancharatra agama. Many scholarly works are available in print.

   What these spiritual texts simply state is that “What we seek is our Self only, nothing but the Self”. The search ends with the seeker knowing his true self. Here the seer and the seen become one. What we seek outside is not permanent since all that is found outside of us is subject to limitations of time, space and causality. What we seek is the ‘truth’ the intransigent, permanent, that which is eternal. This, the ‘sat’, Truth and “That’s it”-. “tat sat iti |

I Am That, so'ham asmi |

    “I am That (tyat)”, says the Veda. “I am the Universe”, scientists declare! Aham brahmasmi is the Vedic doctrine. Now, the scientists have attained the state of the ancient sages and declare that the science and the Vedanta are one and the same! Today, we know more almost everything from a sub-atomic particle to the giant star, the universe, the multiverse and beyond! “I am Shiva” (Shivo’ham or so’ham asmi) is the ultimate truth! Look within and find ‘it’ out. This is explicitly stated in the AtmA bodha of Sri Shankaracharya. Aham brahmasmi is the Vedic doctrine.

    It all starts with the tiny twinkling Star. Great astronomers starting from Aryabhata to Galileo, Tycho Brahe, Kepler and Stephen Hawking did a lot of sky watching and documented their observations. What all we know about the universe from sky watch are mere speculations, probabilities, theories and hypotheses, and postulations.

   Moreover, our knowledge is obtained from the study of ‘Light’. Scientists have presented the theories of ‘Big Bang’, ‘Black Holes’ and the General Theory of Relativity and Gravitational Theory. The most powerful telescope to get the pictures of the outer boundary of the universe is getting ready and will be operative in a few years; and, till then we have to be contented with what we have obtained from the Hubble telescope and the CERN, the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory), and Virgo Observatory, and other sources. The discovery of Gravitational waves in February 2016 has opened up a new vista and scientists are excited about it. Already, they have come out with the rate at which the universe is expanding! We have now findings from experiments in molecular biology, DNA studies, Wave theory, quantum mechanics, and particle physics. Some elementary knowledge about the neutron stars, supernova, and white stars, red stars and dwarfs and other types of stars and their structure and composition, and we know how galaxies are formed in space. We also know that all that we see as the universe, the cosmos, is just 5 per cent and the rest are Dark Matter (25 per cent) and ‘dark energy’ (70 per cent). Only four powerful forces- Gravitational Force, Electromagnetism, Atomic Energy, and some ‘strong’ and ‘weak’ forces are operating this universe! How the universe is created is a matter of great interest and almost all the ancient Indian scriptures speak about it. The modern scientists do not have even a faint idea about it!  

    The recent observations of the universe through the lens of the most powerful electronic telescopes and the interpretations of the images obtained from them, reveal a lot of secrets regarding the origin of the universe. Today we know a lot more than what we learnt during the last hundred years. Twenty-first century heralds a new vision. This should be reviewed in Vedantic way!    However, there is nothing new in all these since the Agama Shastra Samhitas (almost 200!), Srividya, Lakshmi Tantra, and the Cosmogram ‘Sri Chakra’ etc have already revealed these in very clear unmistakable explicit terms. We have the Pancharatra which describe the powers vested in ‘Sudarshana’. However, there is much symbolism involved in all these. Hence, there should be no doubt regarding the various aspects of creation (srushti), existence (sthiti), development (vikasa) and sustenance (samrakshana) and dissolution (laya) and merger (vilaya) of this universe. In fact we have realized the secret of all these life in its variety and diversity as described in the forgoing paragraphs. It is also stated- “phenomenal objective transient world is a myth”!

    The universe is expanding at a very rapid rate and each star and its paraphernalia are moving farther and farther away from each other, and this includes the nature of the human mind, attitude and behaviour in its interrelations, too! No wonder, one day, everything will fall apart! Strangely enough, all these are described in the spiritual texts; the great sages like Vashishtha, Vishvamitra, Agastya, Ashtavakra, Raikva and Avadhuta knew all about these! They were the drushtaras who visualized and handed down their knowledge to us.

Sky watch and Earth watch

  When we watch the earth and ourselves from space, the picture we get is something stranger than that we get from what we get from when we watch the space from the earth. This earth watch and watch of the self by the great sages or yogi of the past has revealed the true nature of our existence. Our existence here on earth as ‘earthlings’ or living creatures dependent on food is purely a transitory one. However, it is not the living body with which we are concerned here but the energy aspect constituting the core of the substance, the Atma. The unborn, eternal, and immortal soul is what all matters here. It is this tiny invisible particle smaller than the smallest (anoraniyan) that is the core of the substance, the universe. It is the same at all the three levels- the cosmos (brahmanda), the body (pindanda) and the cell (andanda). It is that abstract absolute indefinable eternal spiritual entity which acquires mass and becomes matter at a later stage and, thus, becomes a visible entity, called Atman. It is the embodiment of knowledge. It has everything within itself to manifest as it desires! This is the true story of creation.

Prana

  All that moves and moves-not are the products of the Earth. The difference between these two lie in movement, the motor power. "Plant do have life" (J.C.Bose). Plants grow, propagate but do not move. The animals, birds, insects and all living beings move, grow and propagate. The magic of life lies in the life-force (prana shakti). Nothing moves unless this 'energy' is operative in the body. This is the magical element, may be traced to Oxygen. 

   Where does the prana lie? This is still open to question since it is said Prana is life-force like Oxygen in the space (akasha), or with the mind and desire! Mind and mood, desire and attachment, dreams and aspirations, attachment to physical body (abhinivesha) are the important subtler forces in creation and sustenance. Desire is the oot cause and this 'desire' is brahmn. “No desire, no life”, is the doctrine. Everything is desire and association. Life is sweet due to desire and attachment. This is explained in the ‘madhurashtakam’ (Sweet/attraction/magnetism?) and the doctrine of sacrifice, ‘yajnya’, in the Veda. “Everything is sweet’ (madhuram) and sacrifice”, says the Veda. The Sun burns itself, sacrifices itself, to produce heat, light, energy and life-force and thereby created all the paraphernalia of life-forms on earth. Each one is a link in the food chain and a sacrifice, at that. Man sacrifices his freedom for a wife and family, the family for the society, the society for the nation, and the nations for the world at large. This goes on and on until everything ends at the wave of the magic wand of the lord. Bhagavan Shree Krishna says, “I am the magician (mayavin) and I project/ create with my magic wand (Sudarshana chakra) and, withdraw/ destroy everything.” He says “I am Time” -Kaalo’smi |

    There is a Space-Time Continuum in the Creation of phenomenal objectives that are transient. This is termed ‘maya’ in Vedanta. This is the subtlest factor that governs all that is our Universe, including the Planet Earth and its living beings!

    The Vedic doctrine is “Desire is brahmn”. All that we see here is brahmn. In a way, it is desire that creates life. Desire arises due to the inherent divine aspect of ananda. Everybody lives only due to this joy, happiness derived from prana. Breathing itself is joy, 'ananda'.

 According to the Gita, things should happen by will of God! The Lord says, it is my lila! Learned sages, Jnyani, say, “Oh Lord, not a blade of grass stirs without your will”; trunamapi na chalati te na vinaa | Only divine will prevails.

The Scientific view:

    The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking covers the growth of modern physics (Quantum Mechanics, General Relativity, and Modern Cosmology) sprinkled with the wild speculation about multiple universes that seems mandatory in popular works these days. Short but engaging and packed with colorful illustrations, the book is a natural choice for someone wanting a quick introduction to mind-bending Theoretical Physics. Early on, the authors claim that they will be answering the ultimate riddles of existence