HINDUISM THE OLDEST WORLD RELIGION OF UNIVERSAL APPEAL

HINDUISM   THE OLDEST  WORLD RELIGION OF UNIVERSAL APPEAL

(Compilation by N.R. Srinivasan, Nashville, TN., USA, November 2018)

Vedic society called their religion Maanava Dharma or the Religion of Humanity meaning that it was not exclusive religion of the people who called themselves Aryans or well mannered, but was meant for the whole mankind guided by their philosophy “krinvanto viswamaaryam”—let us ennoble the whole world.  Another name given to that was Sanatana Dharma—The Eternal Religion, illustrating their belief that the religion was based on certain eternal truths, true for all times and all people living on earth.

  

What we value in life to achieve   all round peace and happiness is called Dharma. It extends to animal and plant life too--flora and fauna. The Sanskrit word Dharma means that which it holds everyone and everything together—that which it integrates the personality and unifies society. Hindu scriptures define Dharma as that which leads you to material prosperity by Pravritti Marga here in this world and spiritual realization by Nivritti Marga in this very life as described in Gita.  Dharma is that which gives us both material prosperity and spiritual enlightenment to every seeker.  It does not have any social walls, religious walls or National walls--it is universal.

“Truth (Sathya) is the Sanatana   Dharma or Eternal Tradition. India’s Motto is also adapted from this—Satyameva Jayate—Truth alone Triumphs!  Like God Bless America!  It does not limit to any specific god for there is no other God than the Holy Spirit or Brahman.   Sanatana Dharma tells us that Dharma or Truth is eternal and universal, the very perennial essence at work in all beings. It aims at providing us with practices that enable to discover us Truth for ourselves, rather than merely telling us what Truth is supposed to be. It tells us Truth is beyond limitation, cannot be possessed by anyone, and is ultimately a matter of direct experience for each individual, which must be unique. Sanatana Dharma is a way of knowledge without limits, yet it does possess unchanging principles. It recognizes the great Laws of Nature and Consciousness, like the Law of Karma—the idea that as we sow so shall we reap, not only in the present but in future lives. It respects the cosmic intelligence working through Nature and seeks to harmonize human life with the universal energy. For this, it encourages us to honor and worship the Divine Principles (devatas or Gods) working through the forces of Nature, including respecting Mother Earth, which includes making regular offerings and prayers to these deities” says David Frawley, a Vedic scholar. In following Hindu Religion in day-to-day life we need to focus on Sanatana Dharma and also guide others.

Is it not strange the Abrahamic Religions coming from the same God are fighting among themselves and killing each other! Over a period these religions have introduced this kind compartmentalization and hatred rules instead of   peace and harmony.

For Hindus living in Nashville the following news appearing in Tennessean is no surprise or heart-breaking for they know their history too well and know that Hindus have lived with it for a millennium:  “Muslim extremists who had captured the city of Mosul in Iraq ordered all Christians to convert to Islam, or face execution. They later revoked the tax as an option.  The result has been mass exodus of Christians to the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan. They changed the church to a mosque, ruined historic museums and destroyed a monastery and manuscripts that were 1000 years old. The houses of   Christians in Mosul is   specially marked with the Arabic letter N meaning Christian to dictate their fanatic terms”.

Lama Marut, a student of Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism and an ordained Buddhist monk came to Bible Belt of Nashville to promote his book “Be Nobody”.  Lama Marut comes from a Christian background and now practices Buddhism, and comes to a place where Christianity is a big social and cultural force. I often wondered why he preferred Buddhism to Hinduism! Probably its focus on Spirituality and Caste-free society!

It is   extremely important for us in an increasingly multicultural and multi-religious global society to learn how to live together in harmony without the kind of problems that we have and continue to have between religious groups.

To me it appears as Hindu Americans we should focus more on Universality and Universal Oneness than Universal Brotherhood. All religions are not alike. If we go beneath the surface, the simple superficial level of religious belief and practices we can find pretty much all the elements of every tradition, every religion in any religion. This is what wisdom of Vedas has taught us in Sanatana Dharma, Eternal Tradition which I have tried to bring to focus to everybody’s attention in my discourses. I do not know how many of you are able to get to the bottom of it? If we follow the Vedic wisdom of “Eko Viprah Bahudaa vadanti” The ONE the pundits call many and the saying from Neetisastra “Vasuedheka Kutumbakam”,--Whole world is one family, the disturbances and miseries we see around the globe will not happen.

Five mass extinctions happened before mankind walked the Earth, and are believed to have been mainly caused by natural disasters, such as asteroid impacts and volcanic eruptions due to Supreme will. The last mass extinction happened about 65 million years ago, killing off the dinosaurs. The Earth’s sixth mass extinction is already underway—and humans are the driving force behind it, according to new study.  Recent extinction rates are unprecedented in human history and highly   unusual in Earth’s history according to Science Advances.  The average rate of vertebrate species lost over the past century was up to 114 times higher than normal.  These estimates reveal an exceptionally rapid loss of biodiversity over the last few centuries, indicating that a sixth mass extinction is already underway.   Among the World Wildlife Fund’s critically endangered species--- those at the most at risk of going extinct today are—the Amur leopard, black rhino, leatherback turtle, Sumatran tiger and western lowland gorilla.

Pope Francis reflects the thoughts expressed in ancient prayers of Veda above in his recent addresses to his followers referring to climate calamity.  Pope Francis has become increasingly vocal on the importance of acting on climate change. He understands that with rising sea levels, threatening coastal communities, intensifying droughts devastating crops, and more extreme weather destroying livelihoods — our warming planet is putting us all at risk, especially the poor and vulnerable around the world.

Hindu sages had scientific vision and the foresight even in Vedic days. They   were concerned    that man will ultimately exploit Nature in pursuit of selfish attitude while deriving benefits from it for his own selfish living and hence included mantras for the veneration of Nature in their philosophical discussions. Nature being the darling and a gift from God for nurturing humanity   was praised by them as Brahman alone.   Spirits of Botanical Kingdom like the Pippala (peepal) or Aswattha (fig tree), the Vata also called Nyagrodha (banyan) tree, Asoka tree, the sacred Tulasi (holy Basil), the Vilva (leaves of wood apple tree also known as Bel), not to leave the humble reeds of Kusa grass,  Darbha grass, and Dhoorva grass (Aruham pul in Tamil) Mountains and Rivers are revered with great respect by Hindus  inspired by the Veda mantras. The first Mantra Top of Form The first mantra Tis the most popular Veda Mantra that was recorded by HMV in its inaugural recoding paying its tribute that hypnotized the world, chanted every-day in concluding Hindu prayers at home and temples praying for all round healthy atmosphere leading other popular mantras found in Upanishads. I believe this earliest Veda Mantra should have inspired later Hindus as well as various faiths to raise many Nature spirits for worship turning them to divinities and also plead for Earth on Peace and to make it a habit to preserve the pristine beauty of nature.

Dyauh saantih antariksha(ga)m saantih prithivee saantih aapah saantih oeshadhayah saantih | vanaspatayah saantih viswedevaah saantih brahma saantih sarva(ga)m saantih saantireva saantih saa maa saantiraedhi ||

May there be peace in the higher regions!
May there be peace in the firmament!
May there be peace on earth!
May the waters flow peacefully!
May the herbs and plants grow peacefully!
May all the divine powers bring unto us peace!
The supreme Lord is peace;
May we all be in peace, peace, and only peace!
And may that peace come unto each of us!

May Peace prevail!  May Peace prevail!  May Peace prevail!                        

-- Veda Mantra

Sumitraa na aapa oshadhayah santu (MNU)--May the water and herbs be friendly to us!

Vedanta speaks of Universal Oneness and not Universal Brotherhood. It promotes the concept I am the same as any other person, as animal—good, bad, anything. It is one body, one mind one soul throughout. Spirit never dies. There is no death anywhere.  The universe is my body. See how it continues. One leaf may fall. Does the tree die?  All minds are mine. With all feet I walk. Through all mouths I speak. In everybody I reside—that is the Self that abides in me.  Vedanta; does not say “Give it up, but transcend it”

Om saha naavavatu; saha nau bhunaktu; saha veeryam karavaavahai   Tejasvinaavadheetam-astu; maa vidvishaa- vahai   Om! Saantih; saantih; saantih ||

--Katha, Naaraayana, Mahaanaaraayana, Kena, Kalisantarana Upanishads.

May he protect us both together (by revealing knowledge) May He protect us both! May we attain vigor together! Let what we study be invigorating. May we not hate each other!  Om! May there be Peace, Peace be, Peace!

Swami Chinmayananda has the following to say about these Shanti Paathas: “The great masters of the Upanishads knew no desire for the sense-world which they had inquired  into and discovered to be hollow and riddled with carping sorrows. They prayed only for the cultural evolution of the entire kingdom of beings. This universal character of Vedic period is stamped so faithfully in the words of the Shanti stanza in each of the Upanishads. Both the master and disciple sincerely wished and prayed that they should, during their spiritual life, see and hear nothing but auspiciousness. The sense organs—the eyes, and ears are the great-trunk-roads through which Satan enters the realm of God, within man. The other sense objects do not so directly pave a way to the mental suicide in man. Both the outer scenes of viciousness and the inner murmurs of foul intentions directly sweep us in front of them and then defile the edifice of spiritualism in our bosom; hence the great prayer of the Vedic seers that they should hear and see nothing but goodness and purity.

Mission of Yoga of Patanjali stated in his Yoga Saastra can be defined as: Universal elevation of all human beings with dedication to Supreme Being through he  growth of Body, Mind and Spirit. International Yoga can be called Yoga with the focus on Body and Mind to take care of our well-being rendering medical help curing diseases or simply Yoga for preparedness for marching towards spiritual growth. Though stated in the reverse order of Spirit, Body and Mind, YMCA program means the same.

Rishis (sages) of the hoary past visualized Brahmaanda (Universe) as well as Pindaanda (human structure) were evolved by the same process of grossification of subtle elements called Tanmaatras in their creation. They further acquired sound knowledge of Life Sciences. In due course they developed this knowledge to evolve a sound system of medical sciences not only for human beings but also for their domesticated animals to alleviate sufferings and increase their longevity. They called this Ayurveda, Knowledge of Life making it a subsidiary to Vedas, their Spiritual knowledge. Ayurveda is thus an Upa Veda of Atharva Veda. The books of Ayurveda are very ancient. They contain several Samhitas and Sootras, most important being Ashtaangahridaya.

The worship of Trees is an ancient tradition in India among all in general and Hindus in particular. Each religion has its own stories, myths and beliefs to tell.  Hindus regard all flora and fauna as sacred.  The trees that are sanctified reveal the socio-economic and health concern of the ancient people.  While we in the modern world often work to conquer and exploit Mother Nature the ancient worshiped Nature and thanked her for the benefits she gave them. Supreme Being as Self in us pervades all beings be they are plants or animals.   Hence they are all regarded as sacred. So the Vedas remind us constantly to “Look upon all beings as your own   self” (Aatmavat sarvabhooteshu).   They meet our vital needs that make our life possible on earth--food, oxygen, clothing, shelter, medicines etc. They lend beauty and calmness to surroundings. They serve man without expectation and sacrifice themselves to sustain us. If a stone is thrown on a fruit laden tree, they in turn reward us with a fruit.  Presently the world is threatened by the destruction of forest lands and the extinction of many species of vegetable kingdom due to our callousness.  This is because we take care only what we value. In Hindu culture we are taught to regard plants and trees as sacred.  In Hindu concluding prayers Hindus plead for peace in the vegetable Kingdom—Vanaspatayah santih (May calmness prevail in the vegetable kingdom!)

Recently an ancient   Siva temple in ruins has been discovered in the dense forests of USA. Hinduism had been the religion of the world from the beginning of times. Today it is again spreading in all countries of the world as world religion. The ancient Indians settled in America are known to the world as Red Indians.  Generations of present Kaliyuga   migrated from Bharat traveling through frozen sea between 20000 to 30000 years settled in the continent of America and were called Red Indians say the expert historians.  Settling there they worshiped Siva says a research publication Sadathala.   Sivalingas are discovered in Italy, Ireland, West Asia, Korea, Cambodia, Indonesia, South Africa etc.

Priests in USA often replace “Bharatakande” with Aindra Kande in Sankalpa. “America, which is at the antipodes may be taken to be Patala, or the Nether World. Kapilaranya we may further take it as situated here. “It is likely Kapilaranya changed to California in the same manner as Madurai sometimes altered to Marudai. Also noteworthy is the fact that there is Horse islands near California as well as Ash Islands” writes HH Chandrasekaharendra Saraswati in his book Hindu Dharma. This reminds us of the story of Sagara, his horse, the curse of sage Kapila who reduced his sons to ashes. This makes us believe the migration of Red Indians from India in the ancient past if not the story in Bhavishya Purana.

According to Wikipedia in ancient times this Globe was partitioned into Saptha Dweepas. Pushkara Dweepa constituted North America, Canada. I am not sure of Aindra kanda identification.

   

All People who lived in Sathya Yuga followed Dharma in totality. In Tretaa Yuga    three fourths of dharma and one fourth Adharma Prevailed.  In Dwapara Yuga Dharma prevailed half and Adharma the rest half. People in these Yugas had an average height of 12 feet. They lived up to 1000 years. Dwapara Yuga Yuga came to an end in 3139 BCE.

Dwapara Yuga was there when Kali was born. Kali was a demon.  He went on a penance praying to Lord Narayana and requested him to allot some work. He was blessed to go to the region of Melka and entrusted the task of multiplying human population through Aadaman and Havyavati as narrated in Bhavishya Puirana.  Aadaman lived for 960 years. Christianity also believe that the first man Adam lived for 960 years.

Naiyuga was the ninth generation of Aadaman. Cataclysm took place during his time. Cataclysm of Dwaraka, capital city of Lord Krishna submerging in sea waters, cataclysm of Naiyuga, and the cataclysm of Nova mentioned in the Holy Bible are one and the same.

The Indus Valley civilization is one of the greatest and the least publicized early civilizations of the Old World intentionally by the Western Historians and also scanty information provided by British Historians. Indus Valley Civilization is now the World’s oldest Civilization that now proves to the World that we Hindus are actually the pioneers of civilization and culture in human histories. That is Vedic culture that has been dubbed as Puranic and mythological. Scientist from IIT Kharagpur and Archeological Survey of India have most recently uncovered that Indus Valley Civilization is at least 8000 years old taking root well before the Egyptian and Mesopotamian  Civilization. What is more the researchers have found evidence of Pre--Harappa Civilization that existed at least 1000 years before this. Evidence of that,can be found in the remains of great cities such as Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro and the recently partially excavated Rakhigarhi, located in the valley of the prehistoric Drishadvati River  a river that confluence with the Vedic River Saraswati which is no longer legendary  hailed several times in Rigveda. You may kindly recall the  Vedic mantra of ten rivers that includes Drishadvati that is now deleted in Hindu worship Mantras used to invoke seven sacred rivers for Punyahavarchana (sanctification) ritual about which I have discussed in detail. Historians in the past seldom spoke about Drishadvati and also ditched Saraswati as legendary.

There is a Siva in Kailasa and there is a Siva in Kasi and now in Africa too. The discovery of a Siva idol in South Africa is the proof that 6000 years ago Africans used to worship Siva. Archeologists have found 6000 year old Sivalinga in a cave named Sudra in South Africa and it is made of hard granite stone. The archeologists are amazed that how the Sivalinga survived there for so long!

The social fabric of Hindus is so knitted that no human activity is segregated from the divine. Happiness and love of serving all are in our genes.  Let us kindle this in us with lights during these festivities instead focusing on material prosperity. It appears from the study above that survival of the fittest perhaps also embraces survival of those human characteristics that portray a caring heart and a desire to perform works of kindness. This is the message sent on these days of Festivals of Lights. Neuroscientists say most humans have mirror neurons that cause us to experience pain when we see others in pain or suffering and that we are hard-wired for empathy. In other words, we have already evolved into moral animals and this process can still be refined and expanded to those humans who are more adaptive to survival based on processing healthy producing genes. This is what we have to keep in mind and also focus on bringing up our children. Celebration of these festivities rekindles our thought with bright lights. 

Religious and Spiritual thinking got its motivation from the Vedic mantras   in   Chandogya Upanishad where it describes Brahman (Skanda is Sanat Kumara and Sant Kumara is Skanda),   Universal Supreme Being, whom Christians call Holy Spirit, Jews call Jehova and Muslims call Al Kadar and similarly other religions with their own names which can be seen in detail with reference  to various scriptures of religions contained in the document Esoteric East-West Sanat Kumara Tradition.   We all got lost forgetting or concealing or erasing that Universal Binding Tradition.   Today there is again worldwide seeking for a universal form of spirituality above and beyond the limitations of organized religions. To meet the challenges of the global cultures coming together today we need a universal spiritual tradition that encompass all the diversity of human cultures, both religious and secular. Universal tradition is the very foundation of Hinduism, the most diverse and oldest religion of the world, whose original name was Sanatana Dharma or the Eternal Tradition of Truth.  At that   time there was no such word as religion that was coined later.  We need no fresh thinking here. We have to look back where we started and how peace prevailed and revive it!

Our sages always sat together with all and prayed together as is evident from the following Rig- Veda Mantra:

Sangacchadhvam sam vadadhvam sam vo manaamsi jaanataam/devaa bhaagam yathaa purve sanjanaana upaasate // (Rigveda X-191-20)

Come together! Speak together! Let our minds be all of one accord like the divine community (gods or devas) that sat together in the past in harmony to worship (the one Supreme).

The mantra “Sangacchadvam, samvadadvam samvomanaamsi jaanataam”   means “Let us move together, let us speak together, let us think together” in order to   encourage community spirit, confused by distortion. 

The sages of India never considered religion and science as conflicting areas of knowledge. Einstein once said: "religion without science is lame and science without religion is blind". To the Hindu sages both were equally important, one being the quest for the   Truth within and the other, without. They were actually two facets of the same Vidya or science. That is why they were called Para-vidya (higher knowledge) and Apara-vidya (lower knowledge). One thing which was basic to all these rishis was that their knowledge was always meant to be used within the perimeters of Dharma, for the Universal good of mankind. They were blessed with yogic powers, superior intelligence and high degree of concentration. The discovery by these sages that Brahman, the basis of external Universe and,  Aatman the basis of internal world, are ultimately one and pure Consciousness has obliterated the walls between these two fields of knowledge. It is no wonder therefore there was a rapid development of science and technology in India during the Vedic and Medieval periods for the benefit of mankind. They did not keep it to themselves but gave it to the world for a healthier brighter and better life!

Hindus in diaspora were particularly concerned about the perpetuation of their tradition and felt obliged to respond to Hindu youth, who sought a rational basis for practices previously passed down by family custom. They are now particularly concerned about how to deal with contentious issues such as caste, intermarriage and the position of women. In many ways, Hindus in the West are turning back to their roots.

“In the beginning the Vedic Religion was prevalent all over the world.  Later, over the centuries, it must have gone through a process of change and taken different forms. These forms came to be called the original religions of these various lands which in the subsequent period--during historical times-- came under Buddhism, Christianity or Islam as the case may be” writes HH Chandrasekharendra Saraswati in his book Hindu  Dharma in Chapter 2, The Universal Religion.

With all this one wonders why Hinduism is being denigrated by Islam and Christianity. Here is what Francois Gautier,   a reputed journalist who has lived in India for long has to say:

Analysis by Francois Gautier

“Why is Hinduism being denigrated? This is a question I have asked myself a million times. There are many answers: Muslim invaders hated Hindus because of what they considered Hindu worship; Christian missionaries went all out to denigrate Hindus - and are still at it; Marxists hate Hindus; the British viewed the Hindus as their biggest enemies. But ultimately, the biggest culprits are the Hindus, because they are a majority who have the mentality of a minority and are often either passive, indifferent, or cowards. Here is what   Maria Wrath has to say:

https://mariawirthblog.wordpress.com/…/why-is-hinduism-bei…/

Why is Hinduism being denigrated in spite of being the most reasonable system of living?

 By Maria Wirth

This was a question from Quora Digest to which I replied. Yet again, I got a message from Quora that “the question has been marked as needing improvement and will be in a restricted state until edited.”

So I post it here because there is nothing wrong with the question or my answer. Here it is:

Both points in the question are right: Hinduism is the most reasonable system of living and it is being denigrated.

In case some people, who don’t know much about Hinduism and believed those who denigrate it, have doubts if it is indeed the most reasonable system, this may clear the doubts:

Even just the main point in Vedic philosophy, that Brahman (in the form of Ishwara) has become this universe and beyond, is – apart from being the truth – clearly the best possible foundation for a society. If you believe (and it can be reasonably and scientifically concluded) that the essence in everything is the same and divine, there will be respect for others, including animals and nature.

There are many more very worthwhile aspects in Hinduism, for example the 4 goals of life (purusharthas), 4 stages of life (ashramas), the different dharmas connected with each stage, plus the huge knowledge in the ancient texts which is even scattered over the world and others benefited from those texts without acknowledging it.

But this is not the topic here.The question is: Why is it that Hinduism is being denigrated?

Incredibly, the reason is because it is the most reasonable system of living. Because it is so profound. Because it comes closest to truth (which cannot be put into words, but it can be pointed to). Because Christianity and Islam are no match for it.  And because those two religions need to protect themselves if they don’t want to lose their power and influence to the most reasonable system of living.…

This means it is after all not so incredible. Here is an explanation:When the Vedic knowledge first reached Western universities, the intellectual elite there were deeply impressed. Prominent personalities like Voltaire, Mark Twain, Schopenhauer, the Schlegel brothers, Paul Dausset and many others spoke in glowing terms about India’s tradition. And even later, in the early 20th century scientists like Heisenberg, Schrodinger, Oppenheimer, Pauli, Einstein and Tesla were in their research inspired by Vedanta and acknowledged it. Voltaire had praised the Vedas as the greatest gift for humanity. He even said “we are eternally indebted to India”.

There was real danger that the Church would lose her sheep as the Christian view of the ‘true’ God, who sits in heaven, is jealous of other gods and sends all those who are not baptized into eternal hellfire, was no match for the Indian concept of Brahman which is the one conscious essence in all forms, like the one ocean is the essence in all the waves.

Of course the Church was not keen on losing even more power.  It had lost already due to people like Voltaire who fought against the Church’s unreasonable dogmas.

It surely wanted to put an end to this praise of India’s great civilization. And the strategy was simple and time-tested:

Teach children all over the world negative aspects about Hinduism and later generations will be convinced that it is worthless because that’s what they learnt.

‘Idol-worship’ was projected as a top negative aspect, without even trying to--But which negative aspects were there to project?

They did not understand that the different ‘gods’ (‘deva’ was mischievously translated as god) are in essence the same as Brahman. “Idol-worship” is a great sin, both in Christianity and Islam. So to point out that Hindus worship sun-god, tree-god, or a god with an elephant head did its job of making Hinduism look as primitive as the western pagan traditions were made to look primitive.

I remember how in school our ancestors were ridiculed that they worshiped trees or thought that god is angry when there was thunder. Children easily believe what they are told and we indeed felt lucky that we now knew the one true God, who loves us so much that he even sent his own son….

Next, they projected an “oppressive caste system”. Incidentally the term caste is not there in any ancient Indian text. The Vedas speak of 4 Varnas, which were compared with the different parts of a human body, and Varnas were fluid, not determined by birth.

Why did the British choose ‘caste’, a Portuguese term for class or race? Did they want to give the impression that the Hindu social system is ‘cast in stone’? The worst term they projected was ‘untouchables’, which convinced every school kid that those Hindus, and especially the Brahmins, must be plain evil, forgetting that ‘not touching’ somebody is far less evil than butchering people because they did not accept Christianity or Islam.

I won’t go into how the British cemented the ‘caste system’ and created untouchables by declaring whole tribes as ‘criminal from birth’. Those who are interested can search the net, for example the interviews with Satish K. Sharma. Just so much: Hindus need NOT go on the defensive when ‘caste system’ is thrown at them. There is no need to get rid of the Varna or the Jati system, which has certain advantages, only because ‘caste’ is so heavily criticized. Yes, by all means give up any discrimination (and as a consequence, reservation). Yet discrimination is not inherent in Hinduism. It is inherent in human nature all over the world.

Neither need Hindus go on the defensive when ‘idol-worship’ is thrown at them. Acknowledging and worshiping the different powers in this universe, without which life would not be possible, surely makes sense. To greet the sun makes more sense than turn your back to him claiming, he is only a ball of helium. To touch the earth in reverence makes more sense than exploiting her. Not only are these powers absolutely essential for our life on earth, but are also permeated by that great Brahman. It means they are alive. Everything is alive.

I wonder when scientists come to the conclusion that the oneness of all, which they have already discovered, is conscious, too. Individual scientists consider it as possible though mainstream science did not follow yet.

But one thing strikes me as strange: While the clergy of both dogmatic religions maliciously denigrate Hinduism, the Hindu clergy does nothing of this sort to the dogmatic religions. Hindus don’t even mention unacceptable claims by those religions which are in the public domain, like ‘Hindus will burn in hellfire if they don’t convert’. Why don’t Hindus do it? Wouldn’t it be in the interest of truth to point out their flaws?

Maybe the major reason why Hinduism is constantly being denigrated is to keep Hindus busy with defending themselves and in this way prevent them from realizing that the others have serious flaws.

It is also worth going through a discourse I delivered in Nashville at a Vedanta Class further:

 
Among the three World religions which is close to Truth?

There are different criteria on which one could compare the 3 religions--Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. I want to focus here only on the most important one: which one of the 3 is closest to truth?

Christianity claims that the full truth has been revealed 2000 years ago only to Jesus Christ by the one Supreme Being (called God in English), and therefore truth is only with his Church. All must become Christians and follow what Christ said, if they want to be saved from hell.
 

Islam claims that the final truth has been revealed some 1400 years ago to Prophet Mohamed by the one Supreme Being (called Allah in Islam) and therefore Islam is the only true religion. All must become Muslims and follow what Prophet Mohamed said, if they want to be saved from hell.

Isn’t it strange that even in the 21st century those unsubstantiated claims about eternal hell for “others” are not debated and dismissed as superstition? Further, obviously at least one of those religions can’t be true, if not both - so why nobody mentions this? Yet instead of a debate on what is true, the “right to freedom of belief” is protected. It’s surely strange.

Now where does Hinduism stand? It usually is seen as inferior to the two big, established, ‘respected’, rich religions. And if one goes by common perception, Hinduism is mainly about caste system, sati and worshipping many gods, which (idol worship) is the greatest sin in both Christianity and Islam, because the Christian God and Allah are claimed to be jealous of other gods.

Now Hinduism is a rather new term. It was introduced by the British for the ancient traditions in India based on the Vedic texts. Why was Hinduism introduced? Today’s ‘Indians’ were called Hindus earlier and even today are called Hindu in China. Hinduism would be akin to Germanism or Frenchism.

I got a clue why Hinduism was introduced, when I read that Voltaire, too, among many others in the west, praised the Vedas as the greatest gift to mankind and said “we are eternally indebted to India”. Voltaire fought against the influence of the Church and indeed, when the Vedas reached Europe, it had two effects: the influence of the Church went down and science took off in a big way (intriguingly, it is not mentioned today that those 2 effects could have anything to do with Vedic knowledge reaching the west). Clearly, the Church was not amused that the intellectual elite preferred Vedic wisdom over Christianity. It needed some strategy to stop losing her sheep.

Now what is contained in the Vedas which are claimed to be as old as the universe? Veda (it means knowledge) is about what we need to know to live a meaningful, fulfilling life. Vedic knowledge is vast, though most of it has been lost by now. Vedas tell us even about mathematics, the age of the universe, of parallel universes, even the distance to the sun, how to analyze, how to connect with powers (devas) greater than humans, etc.,
and most important, the Vedas tell us the truth about us, the Supreme Being and the universe.

The Vedas differ from the 2 other religions in a major point:  The Vedas claim that Brahman (Supreme Being) has become this universe. It means all is permeated by Brahman. All is essentially divine including our person. The names and forms are not really real. They appear only as real. Brahman alone is real, and Brahman is best described as sat-chit-ananda (blissful awareness). And the Upanishads, which are part of the Vedas, declare “Aham Brahmasmi”, or “Ayam Atman Brahma”.

Does this claim make sense? Yes, it does. Quantum physics came meanwhile to the conclusion that all is one energy and that there are no separate entities anywhere. Incidentally, physicists like Schroedinger, Einstein, Heisenberg, etc. drew inspiration from the Vedas. So far, the Vedas were never proven wrong by science whatever was tested.

So the claim, that Brahman is the essence in all, is surely closer to the truth than the claim by Christianity and Islam that the Supreme is separate from his creation, including the human being, and will send all those who don’t believe in a certain book for eternity to hell. This Vedic claim of divinity in humans gives naturally inner strength to a human being and also kindness (as Brahman is in others, too).

Now why was Vedic knowledge suddenly made into a Hinduism, placed next and yet below the 2 big religions and associated from the start with a ‘divisive’ caste system (which is a social issue and prevalent everywhere) and other negatives like sati?

My conclusion is that the Church was afraid it would lose out when people come to know what Vedic knowledge really contains. They would stop blindly believing but go after genuine knowledge which is there in the Vedas. That’s why they had to coin a new term and demean “Hinduism” in the eyes of common people right from the start. They were successful. Everywhere children learnt in schools about the ‘terrible caste system’ in Hinduism. People didn’t ask further. They *knew* now that Hinduism is greatly inferior to the two big religions.

Yet there is always the fear that people may discover that they were deceived for the sake of power and that truth may be different from what they were taught in religious class. In Germany, there is a saying which expresses certain folk wisdom:
 

The King says to the Pope: “You make sure that people stay stupid and I make sure they stay poor.”

WHY HINDUISM IS ETERNAL AND STRONG?

(Excerpts from the speeches of Jagadguru Sankarachrya of Kamakoti Peetham)

Hinduism is Eternal and has withstood the onslaught of foreign invaders and rulers. Swami Vivekananda spoke before the International gathering of all leading religions of the World more than 100 years ago “Vedanta promotes spirituality. Vedanta does not teach Universal Brotherhood but Universal Oneness. Vedanta is the religion of the future”. “Hinduism is a more recent nomenclature given to a conglomeration of heterogeneous traditions and plurality of beliefs and worship with a long history of development from the Vedic sacrificial religion through the worship of epic and Puraanic heroes and personal deities, cults and sects, as well as philosophical systems rather than  a monolithic tradition or a structure based on a single system of beliefs and worship or a single text as scripture” says Mrs. Champakalakshmi in her book, “The Hindu Temple”.   The guiding force behind these heterogeneous traditions is Vedanta or the Universal Spirituality. Hinduism has thus given the freedom to each individual to follow his own traditions or religion within the discipline of Vedanta. Vedanta has universal appeal because of the following: 1) Loyalty to tradition and devotion to truth;   2) It explains the most intricate and profound problems such as the creation of the universe, the purpose of all human life, the goal of humanity, where does Jeevaatman travel after so called death as well as the means of attainment of spiritual evolution and perfection; 3) its conclusions stands for all the times to come. They are universally valid being applicable to human existence on this earth irrespective of temporal or special difference; 4) Vedanta is very earnest in the upward evolution of man in all spheres--moral, ethical, intellectual and spiritual. This is what makes an outsider wonder how Hinduism has survived for more than 5000 years while very many ancient religions have vanished in spite of its various traditions under one group, when they do not study it deep.

In modern scientific world it makes rational and good sense to first establish a principle and then apply it. Similarly, before we embark on a religious life, which must make considerable demands on our moral, social, professional and personal affairs people of faith-based religions think that they must satisfy themselves intellectually that there is God or those truths of their particular tradition.  But the history of Sanaatana Dharma (Eternal Tradition commonly called Hinduism) makes it clear that this is not how it works. To expect to have faith before embarking on the spiritual life is putting the cart before the horse.   In great tradition of Hindus sages, prophets and mystics spent very little time telling their disciples what they ought to believe. One can experience this if one has attended Chinmaya or Dayananda or Sivananda mission’s philosophical lectures.  Based on the Enlightenment you get by practicing Sanaatana Dharma, faith can be defined as intellectual submission to a creed. Faith can thus be seen as a virtue than a pre-requisite. Faith is a carefully cultivated conviction, that, despite all the tragic and dispiriting evidence to the contrary, our lives do have some ultimate meaning and value. You cannot possibly arrive at faith in this sense before you had lived a spiritual life. Faith is thus the fruit of spirituality something that you had to have at the start of your quest. This is the strength of Hindu Religion gradually evolved which still continues to evolve, unlike the founded religions that insist on Faith in the beginning.

Hindu religion is usually criticized and ridiculed for it’s so called, Polytheism.    All old religions were said to be polytheistic before the advent of the founded or reformed religions. Mohammad abolished the ‘many Gods’ whom his tribesman worshipped and established ‘One God Allah’.          

Even within Hindu Religion such criticisms are not uncommon. The great Hindu poet Bana says, Brahma, Vishnu and Siva are in essence the One God appearing in three forms for a threefold purpose, namely, creation, protection and dissolution determined respectively by the qualities of rajas (ego), satva (good) and tamas (ignorant). The one unborn (aja) takes a threefold shape for a threefold purpose.  Kalidasa says that one moorti appears as three and there is no distinction of superior or inferior among them. If the three, Brahma, Vishnu and Siva are ONE in essence, by the same token all gods of our pantheon are also ONE in the ultimate analysis.     

People wrangle saying that one deity is superior to the rest, that the deity they worship alone is the highest. A bridge across a river has a number of arches. To a man standing under one arch, all the arches will appear smaller than the one he stands under. This arch will appear biggest to his eyes. Even so, to a votary of a particular deity, all other deities will appear inferior. But the truth is all deities are manifestations of the ONE God. All arches are similarly constructed and have the same dimensions.            

‘He whom the Saivas worship as Siva, the Vedantins as Brahman, who is worshipped as Buddha by Buddhists,  as the creator by the Nayyaayikas, as Arhat by the Jains and as Karma by the Meemaamsakas, may that Hari give you the fruits  that you desire’, goes a poetical saying.  In Gita Lord Krishna says, ‘whatever may be the form in which each devotee seeks to worship me with faith, I make their faith steadfast in that form alone’.          

Hindus do not have ‘many gods’. As a matter of fact, Hindus think of God in many ways and worship Him in many forms. They give a separate name to each of these forms to help us in our acts of worship and contemplation. It is the One that is conceived as three, and then as thirty three and then as thirty three crores, signifying an infinity of forms in which the One can manifest itself and worshiped according to the tastes and the capacities of the worshipers, and according to the innumerable varieties of functions of divinity. The forms may be different, the names may be different; but the ultimate Truth is that Divinity is ONE.               

Upanishads declare that there are 33 celestial gods that are important “Ashtau Vasavaha   ekaadasa Rudrah dwaadasaadityaasta ekatrimsaadindraaschaiva Prajaapatischa trayatrimsaviti”    ‘There are eight Vasus, eleven Rudrasa, twelve Suns, Indra and Prajaapati totaling thirty three’.    “Agnischa prithavee cha vaayuschaantarikshaschaadityaascha  dyouscha chandramaascha nakshatraas  chaite vasavah”-- ‘Eight Vasus are: god of fire; goddess of the earth; wind god; god of the space; sun god; god of the luminous sky; moon god; and, god of asterism’        

Celestial gods are only the saatvic manifestation of  Maaya. There are mainly three forms of the ONE God, Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva. Their manifestation in the female trinity forms are Saraswati, Lakshmi and Paarvati. These forms represent His knowledge, His vision and   bliss and His divine love, termed as Chitta Sakti, Saadhini Sakti and Hlaadini sakti. There are other forms of God that are mentioned in our scriptures like Ganesha, Kaartikeya, Gauri, Kaali etc. The philosophy of the forms of God has been extensively described in Hindu scriptures in various ways and in many thousands of verses.        

Hindu scriptures also elaborate on the formless aspect of God, representing only the knowledge aspect or Chitta Sakti. This divine existence, where all the liberated souls of Jnaani and Yogis enter is called ‘Avyakta-saktik Brahman’ which means that it is such an aspect of God where all His attributes and virtues are in an absolutely dormant state; that is why it remains formless (Niraakaara Brahman). Some religions of the world have adopted God only in an impersonal (Niraakaara) form. Some other religions use the word God in the tenets of their religious books but the concept of God whatever they have is only a vague mythology derived on the intellectual grounds of their first promoters of that religion. Criticism of Hindu religion continues, saying that there are too many gods, because those critics have not properly studied Hindu religion to find out the greatness and the depth of descriptions of God in Hindu scriptures. In Sanaatana Dharma, there is a detailed and complete philosophy of God from the formless Niraakaara Brahman to the Saakaara Brahman, the most loving form of God.  Because two people worship different manifestation of the One Supreme being there is no warrant for their quarrel with each other. Many religious works proclaim the oneness of Siva and Vishnu, of Hara and Hari. Amongst Hindus there is the concept of Ishta Devata, the particular form of God one chooses   for his worship and meditation. To get at the One Supreme, one must start from some manifestation of His and so he chooses his Ishta Devata. Another man may choose some other manifestation. As each progress in his devotion and concentration he will be led to the ONE, where the differences disappear. That has been the experience of great Hindu sages and saints.

The strength of any religion depends on the spirituality, character and integrity of religious leaders.  If the Vedic religion has survived many vicissitudes, it is because such religious leaders appeared in the land from time to time. Several religions have risen and fallen and some of them have practically disappeared. Each religion as it rose claimed the monopoly of Truth and proclaimed that it contained   last word in the true religion. Truth is only one; there cannot be two truths. A religion will continue to flourish if it can continuously claim amongst its adherents, particularly   its leaders, men of high spiritual attainments with large heart and without any blemish in their character. That, in spite of numerous and trying vicissitudes, the Vedic religion survives today and has, in spite of being non proselytizing, such a large following is due to the fact that in it were born from time to time, great souls, unselfish, pure and godly, who had deep devotion and religious fervor expressing their faith in the scrupulous observance of the tenets of their religion.                                                                                                               

Hindu religion is not a proselytizing religion. Hindus recognize that people born in different religions can attain salvation by the proper observance of the behests of the respective religion. Hindus do not determine the strength of their tradition by the number of its followers. Hindu   Religion did not grow by propaganda. It lives by   the observance of its votaries, ‘anushtaana’. Propaganda is a prescribed duty in religions that practice conversion. With Hindus it is the other way. Hindus are forbidden to carry on their religion to those who do not seek to know it. It is not necessary we should bring about uniformity in religion. Unity is what is important and not uniformity. There can be unity in diversity. There is such a unity in Hindu religion in spite of the endless variety of its forms and features, innumerable names given to ONE God and the different methods of worship. All Hindus are followers of one Sanaatana Dharma.  A protagonist of a particular school of thought tries to attract men by saying that his school is the easiest and surest way to reach the Truth. When it is realized that all paths in religion lead to the same goal, there will be no need to change the path (conversion) one is already following or familiar with. There cannot be hatred of a person following a different path. These differences will vanish when realization is reached just as all rivers lose their identity once they reach the Ocean.       

One should observe the traditional practices in religion; else he is a fallen man. Invitation to a new religion implies that all who lived before the birth of a new religion did not attain salvation and also that salvation is denied to all those who do not belong to that religion. Obviously, this is absurd. Even within Hinduism to ask a Saivite to turn a Vaishnavite or vice versa is also wrong. To ask a man to give up his earlier religion, in fact, is to ask him to give up the God he worshipped. It is sin against God. God accepts all forms of worship, even the unsophisticated forms.  He ultimately turns the devotee to the high and holy path and takes him to Himself, for the God of all religions and religious denominations is the same. Our scriptures promote ‘Vasudeka kutumbakam’, the world is all one family and ‘Eko vipraah bahudaa vadanti’,  Pundits  call the ONE by different names.

APPENDIX

Migrants from India Settled in Australia 4,000 Years before Captain Cook’s Arrival

Posted by Lewis Smith | IndiaDivine.Org

Australia was settled by a wave of immigrants from India a little more than 4,000 years ago, a genetic study shows.

The finding overturns the view that the continent was isolated from the time it was first colonized about 45,000-50,000 years ago until Europeans discovered Australia in the eighteenth century.

DNA evidence suggests that rather than complete most of the journey over several generations by foot, the Indian migrants came over by boat.

Australia’s first human colonization was the culmination of the long walk out of Africa by the human species.

Humans are believed to have left Africa, via the Arabian coast and through India before reaching Indonesia and New Guinea and finally over an ancient land bridge to Australia.

Following their arrival there was, according to ‘the prevailing view’, little if any contact between Australia’s Aboriginal inhabitants and the rest of the world.

But DNA evidence has now revealed a second wave of human settlement took place about 4,230 years ago, long before the first European settled there.

Australia was first seen by a European in 1606 when it was sighted from a ship and a further 53 vessels arrived before Captain James Cook arrived in 1770 to claim it for Britain.

Analysis of DNA samples from Aboriginal people living in the Northern Territories of Australia today shows that they have up to 11 per cent of their genetic heritage is Indian.

The new settlers came from India and the lack of their DNA in other parts of Asia suggests they sailed directly across the Indian Ocean rather than work their way towards Australia by foot.

Intriguingly, their arrival corresponds to evidence in the archaeological record that shows Dingos reached Australia about the same time, suggesting they may have been transported by boat by the human settlers.

Dr. Irina Pugach, of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, said the international research team calculated that the Indian DNA reached the Aboriginal population 141 generations ago.

Assuming that each generation is separated on average by 30 years the geneticists were able to conclude that the Indian population arrived on in Australia 4230 years ago.

‘Interestingly this date also coincides with many changes in the archaeological record of Australia, which include a sudden change in plant processing and stone tool technologies, with microlights appearing for the first time, and the first appearance of the dingo in the fossil record,’ she said.

‘Since we detect inflow of genes from India into Australia at around the same time, it is likely that these changes were related to this migration.’

Mark Stone King, a geneticist at the Max Planck Institute, led the study and told Nature magazine: ‘Australia is thought to represent one of the earliest migrations for humans after they left Africa, but it seemed pretty isolated after that.’

DNA from 344 people was analyzed for the study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Samples were taken from people in Papua New Guinea, South East Asia, China, the US and Australia’s Northern Territory.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Survey Finds Hindus Lived 74,000 Years Ago

Posted by Raman | IndiaDivine.Org

About 76,000 years ago, the volcano Toba – located in what is now Indonesia – erupted to create the largest and most devastating volcanic event of the past 2 million years.

Almost 3,000 cubic kilometers of magma was spewed out, while sulfuric acid rained over the earth as far away as Greenland. The world became subject to a volcanic winter, and what followed was one of the most severe ice ages in documented history.

Over in India, the land was showered with 15 centimeters of volcanic ash, which can be seen today, working as a distinct age marker in the earth’s stratigraphy. And yet, contrary to all logic, archaeologists have unearthed assemblages of stone tools both above and below the ash deposit in India’s Jwalapuram Valley.

The tools look remarkably similar to those made by humans in Africa, which indicates that these tools were also human-formed and yet, if humans were still in India after the depositing of ash (an incredible feat itself), they would have had an extremely difficult time trying to survive.

After all, the sheer magnitude of the eruption suspended both volcanic gas and sulfuric acid in the earth’s atmosphere for years, causing warm sunlight to be redirected away from Earth – and plunging the world into several centuries of temperatures that were at least 3-5 degrees C lower than normal after the event.

Newly discovered archaeological sites in southern and northern India have revealed how people lived before and after the colossal Toba volcanic eruption 74,000 years ago.

The international, multidisciplinary research team, led by Oxford University in collaboration with Indian institutions, unveiled to a conference in Oxford what it calls ‘Pompeii-like excavations’ beneath the Toba ash.

The seven-year project examines the environment that humans lived in, their stone tools, as well as the plants and animal bones of the time. The team has concluded that many forms of life survived the super-eruption, contrary to other research which has suggested significant animal extinctions and genetic bottlenecks.

According to the team, a potentially ground-breaking implication of the new work is that the species responsible for making the stone tools in India was Homo sapiens. Stone tool analysis has revealed that the artefacts consist of cores and flakes, which are classified in India as Middle Paleolithic and are similar to those made by modern humans in Africa.

Though we are still searching for human fossils to definitively prove the case, we are encouraged by the technological similarities. This suggests that human populations were present in India prior to 74,000 years ago, or about 15,000 years earlier than expected based on some genetic clocks,’ said project director Dr. Michael Petraglia, Senior Research Fellow in the School of Archaeology at the University of Oxford.

This exciting new information questions the idea that the Toba super-eruption caused a worldwide environmental catastrophe. Dr.  Michael Petraglia, School of Archaeology.

An area of widespread speculation about the Toba super-eruption is that it nearly drove humanity to extinction. The fact that the Middle Paleolithic tools of similar styles are found right before and after the Toba super-eruption, suggests that the people who survived the eruption were the same populations, using the same kinds of tools, says Dr. Petraglia.

The research agrees with evidence that other human ancestors, such as the Neanderthals in Europe and the small brained Hobbits in Southeastern Asia, continued to survive well after Toba.

Although some scholars have speculated that the Toba volcano led to severe and wholesale environmental destruction, the Oxford-led research in India suggests that a mosaic of ecological settings was present, and some areas experienced a relatively rapid recovery after the volcanic event.

The team has not discovered much bone in Toba ash sites, but in the Billasurgam cave complex in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, the researchers have found deposits which they believe range from at least 100,000 years ago to the present. They contain a wealth of animal bones such as wild cattle, carnivores and monkeys. They have also identified plant materials in the Toba ash sites and caves, yielding important information about the impact of the Toba super-eruption on the ecological settings.

Dr. Petraglia said: ‘This exciting new information questions the idea that the Toba super-eruption caused a worldwide environmental catastrophe. That is not to say that there were no ecological effects. We do have evidence that the ash temporarily disrupted vegetative communities and it certainly choked and polluted some fresh water sources, probably causing harm to wildlife and maybe even humans.’

 Source: ramanan50.wordpress.com

BHAVISHYA PURANA

Hindu scripture doesn't talks about Adam and Eve... However some people compare the story of Bhavisya Purana containing name Adama and Havyavati as Adam and Eve and their story sounds pretty much similar. But we can't be sure about stories of Bhavisya Purana because it is supposed that it suffered high interpolation. Even if we consider story of Bhavisya purana as genuine then still Adam and Eve[Havyavati] aren't progenitor of mankind.. They are just progenitor of mlechha dharma [Foreigner religion]. Still if you are interested in that story of Bhavisya Purana, the story goes like this:

At that time the Kali purusha prayed to Lord Narayana along with his wife. After sometime the Lord apperared to him and said, "This age will be a good time for you. I will fulfil your desire having various kinds of forms. There is a couple named Adama and his wife Havyavati. They are born from Vishnu-kardama and will increase the generations of mlecchas. Saying this, the Lord disappeared. Having great joy the Kali purusha went to Nilacha
 
Vyasa said: "Now you hear the future story narrated by Suta Goswami. This is the full story of of Kali-yuga, hearing this you will become satisfied."

In the eastern side of Pradan city where there is a a big God-given forest, which is 16 square yojanas in size. The man named Adama was staying there under a Papa-Vriksha or a sinful tree and was eager to see his wife Havyavati. The Kali purusha quickly came there assuming the form of a serpent. He cheated them and they disobeyed Lord Vishnu. The husband ate the forbidden fruit of the sinful tree. They lived by eating air with the leaves called udumbara. After they had sons and all of them became mlecchas. Adama's duration of life was nine-hundred and thirty years. He offered oblations with fruits and went to heaven with his wife. His son was named Sveta-nama, and he lived nine-hundred and twelve years. Sveta-nama's son was Anuta, who ruled one-hundred years less than his father. His son Kinasa ruled as much as his grandfather. His son Malahalla ruled eight-hundred ninety five years. His son Virada ruled 160 years. His son Hamuka was devoted to Lord Vishnu, and offering oblations of fruits he achieved salvation. He ruled 365 years and went to heaven with the same body being engaged in mleccha-dharma. 

Hindu Achar, Vichar, Samskriti  and Vijnan

Author(s): Singh, T. D. Institutional Affiliation(s): Director, Bhaktivedanta Institute; President, Vedanta and Science Educational Research Foundation.

[This paper was prepared for “Science and Religion: Global Perspectives”, June 4-8, 2005, in Philadelphia, PA, USA, a program of the Metanexus Institute (www.metanexus.net).]

Abstract: In Hinduism there are five salient features: (1) God – isvara, (2) Soul – jiva, (3) Time – kala, (4) Matter – Prakriti, and (5) Action – karma.

Of these the first four principles are eternal whereas the last feature is temporary. The distinction between God and jiva, the living entity is that God is infinite and the living being is infinitesimal. God is the Supreme Spirit and the living entity is the fundamental spiritual particle – atman or spirit-on. God exists in three eternal aspects – the impersonal aspect, Brahman; the Super-soul feature, Paramatma; and the Supreme Personality, Bhagavan.

Consciousness is the fundamental quality of both God and the living entity. God’s consciousness pervades everywhere, whereas the consciousness of the living entity is localized.

The Paramatma feature of God guides all the living beings and non-living things. Paramatma is the source of inspiration in all human actions and the source of scientific discoveries, artistic ability, poetic works, etc. Time is the impersonal and eternal aspect of God and has no beginning or end.

In modern science time begins with the Big-Bang. In Hindu cosmology and cosmogony, creation and dissolution go on in periodic cycles like the changes of seasons. According to Hinduism, the present universe began 15.5522 x 1013 years ago and will end in 15.5518 x 1013 years. Thus the Hindu model of the universe is 104 times older than that predicted by the Big Bang model. The visible universe is one of the innumerable universes and there are 8.4 x 106 species of life in this universe. Biodiversity is due to different levels of consciousness and consciousness evolves which is known as the transmigration of the soul.

Vedanta, the scientific and theological doctrine of Hinduism, explains that in principle there is no conflict between science and religion. In fact, the two fields are complementary. This is because of the understanding that the domain of each realm is well-defined.

In Hinduism there are two categories of knowledge – (i) para vidya - the spiritual knowledge and (ii) apara vidya - material knowledge. Scientific knowledge is the realm of apara vidya. Spiritual knowledge - knowledge of God and life - belongs to para vidya. Hinduism points out that scientific knowledge can lead to spiritual knowledge. God possesses three primary energies. These are (i) the internal, (ii) the marginal and (iii) the external energies. The manifestation of the internal energy of the Lord is the inconceivable variegated spiritual world, chit-jagat. The manifestation of the marginal energy of the Lord comprises the jivas, the living entities. And the manifestation of the external energy of the Lord is the Cosmos, the physical world.

Science is concerned for the welfare of physical existence and Religion is concerned for the wellbeing of the soul including morality and ethics of life. Karma is physical or psychological action performed by a living entity. If one does good action that leads to happy life. If one does bad action that leads to unhappy life. It is like Newton’s third law of motion.

Biography: T. D. Singh ( Born 1937)

An extraordinary combination of a scientist, a spiritualist, an active promoter of world peace, an interfaith leader, an educationist, a poet, a singer, and a cultural ambassador. He is well-known for his pioneering efforts for more than thirty years to interface between science and religion. He received his Ph.D. in Physical Organic Chemistry from the University of California, Irvine in 1974. He has organized three International conferences on Science and Religion (1986, 1990, and 1997) where a galaxy of prominent scientists and religious leaders including several Nobel Laureates participated. He also organized “Second International Congress on Life and its Origin: Exploration from Science and Various Spiritual and Religious Traditions” in Rome, Italy from November 12-15, 2004. The conference was appreciated by the President of Italy and the Mayor of Rome. He has authored and edited several books related to science and religion like Seven Nobel Laureates on Science and Spirituality (2004). His most recent publication, Towards a Culture of Harmony and Peace (has a section dedicated to science and religion) has contributions from as many as nine Nobel Laureates in Peace and Science apart from that of the President, and the Prime Minister of India. www.binstitute.org 3 Paper Text:

HINDUISM AND SCIENCE

Introduction

“The most beautiful and deepest experience a man can have is the sense of the mysterious. It is the underlying principle of religion as well as all serious endeavor in art and science.” – Albert Einstein.  The essence of Hinduism is contained in the Vedanta, the scientific and theological doctrine of Hinduism, and in the timeless wisdom of the Vedas. Its “Bible” is the Bhagavad Gita, the divine song of God. Its scientific and intellectual contents have attracted the attention of some of the world’s finest scientific and philosophical minds, such as Erwin Schrödinger, Robert Oppenheimer, Albert Einstein, and Aldous Huxley. It speaks of billions of years of history, creation of the universe, medicinal science, metallurgy, space travel, embryology, art, music, etc. It is no exaggeration to say that there is almost no branch of knowledge that is left untouched in the Vedas. There are five core features in Hinduism: (1) God – Isvara, (2) Soul – Jiva, (3) Time – Kala, (4) Matter – Prakriti, and (5) Action – Karma. Of these the first four principles are eternal whereas the last feature is temporary. Based on these principles, Hinduism provides a deep knowledge and understanding of life and the universe. In its pure form, Hinduism is also known as Sanatana Dharma or the eternal function of the living entity. One of the unique features of Hinduism is that it provides a very vivid and broad description of God and His energies. This paper outlines the Vedantic worldview in reference to many of modern science’s perspectives including the subjects of mind, consciousness, embryology, epistemology and cosmology.

Nature of Life and Matter

According to Vedanta, there is another reality in nature different from matter. It is the fundamental spiritual particle (called atman in Vedantic terminology), which the author has coined as “spirit-on” (Atman). It is a transcendental particle and is ontologically different from matter. It has a conscious property and has free will contrary to material particles like electrons. It is only by the presence of the spirit-on that matter appears animated. In Vedanta this seemingly animated matter is referred to as embodied life.\

Spiritual Particle ‘Spirit-on’ and Consciousness

 “… all knowledge relates to the spirit, or more properly, exists in it, and that is the sole reason for our interest in any field of knowledge whatsoever.”  – Erwin Schrödinger. According to Vedanta, every life form has atma or spirit-on, within it. In other words not only do human beings possess a spirit-on, but so do all microorganisms, insects, aquatics, plants, reptiles, birds, and so on. In this regard, Vedanta is unique and different from the (W. Moore, Schrödinger: Life and Thought, 1989, Cambridge University Press, p. 429.4) scientific and theological views of many other world traditions. The Bhagavadgita (verse 15.7), states: mamaivamso jivaloke jivabhutah sanatanah, which means that all spirit-on-s are eternal conscious particles of the Supreme Lord. The fundamental qualities of the spiritual particle, or spirit-on are of the same nature as the Supreme Lord’s and are as follows: sat (eternal existence), chit (full cognition), ananda (blissfulness), sveccha (free will) and chetana (consciousness). Vedanta explains that matter, however complex, will never generate life or its inherent symptom, consciousness. There are two categories of consciousness, universal and individual. God’s consciousness is universal (all pervasive) whereas the spirit-on’s consciousness is individual (localized) and always remains so but both are ontologically non-physical in nature.

The Law of Karma, Free Will and the Three Modes of Material Nature

Vedanta states that the material nature is broadly divided into three modes (gunas)—sattva (goodness), rajas (passion) and tamas (ignorance). In order to accommodate the different desires of the living entities (spirit-on-s), the material nature, by the will of the Lord, manifests a variety of forms through the mixing of the three modes of nature. All embodied spirit-on-s—human beings, animals, birds, plants, etc., are influenced to different degrees by the three modes of material nature.

Any activity that the spirit-on performs under the influence of the three modes of material nature, either psychologically or physically is known in Sanskrit as karma - action. In the Vedantic tradition there is the concept of a natural ‘Law of Karma.’ The law of karma is similar to the rules of action and reaction in Newton’s Law. All spirit--on-s are engaged in different activities within this cosmic manifestation. From time immemorial the spirit-on-s are enjoying or suffering the fruits of their activities according to the law of karma. The results of the law of karma are singular and pointed and there cannot be any error in them. The answer to the question, ‘why bad things happen to good people?’ is ‘karma’. The law of karma remains although an individual may not remember the action that has caused the current reaction. The wheels of karma are driven by the free will and desire of the embodied spirit-on-s. It is difficult to deny that we all have free will although it cannot be detected in a laboratory.

Professor Charles Townes, Nobel Laureate in Physics says, “Many scientists will say, ‘I can’t believe in religion.’ On the other hand, if you ask them, do you think you have some free will, almost every scientist instinctively thinks so. He has free will. He can choose some things. He can decide to go this way or that way. There is, in fact, no room for free will in present scientific laws and yet almost every scientist essentially assumes he has it.”

In regards to modern science’s inability to explain free will which Vedanta describes as a fundamental quality of the individual spirit-on or life, Roger Penrose, the world renowned mathematician from Oxford University, has expressed, “The issue of ‘responsibility’ raises deep philosophical questions concerning the ultimate causes of our behavior. … Is the matter of ‘responsibility’ merely one of the convenience of terminology, or is there actually something else – a ‘self’ lying beyond all such  (A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, Bhagavad-Gita As It Is, Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, Bombay, 1997, Ch.14. 3.  Thoughts on Synthesis of Science and Religion, eds. T. D. Singh and S. Bandyopadhyay, Bhaktivedanta Institute, Kolkata, 2001, p.103. 5) influences – which exerts a control over our actions? The legal issue of ‘responsibility’ seems to imply that there is, indeed, within each of us, some kind of an independent ‘self’ with its own responsibilities – and, by implications, rights – whose actions are not attributable to inheritance, environment, or chance. If it is other than a mere convenience of language that we speak as though there were such an independent ‘self’, then there must be an ingredient missing from our present-day physical understandings. The discovery of such an ingredient would surely profoundly alter our scientific outlook. … it will tell us to broaden our view as to the very nature of what   ‘a cause’ might be. A ‘cause’ could be something that cannot be computed in practice or in principle. … when ‘a cause’ is the effect of our conscious actions, then it must be something very subtle, certainly beyond computation, beyond chaos, and also beyond any purely random influences. Whether such a concept of ‘the cause’ could lead us any closer to an understanding of the profound issue of our free wills is a matter for the future.”

Free will is a quality of the life particle or spirit-on and by exercising free will an individual performs actions and is implicated in various reactions according to the law of karma. The use of free will either appropriately or inappropriately will decide the course of life’s journey. In the human form of life, free will is fully manifest and the chain of karma can be cut off by choosing the appropriate action, the spiritual action. Therefore, karma is not eternal. Vedanta describes that all other forms of life below the level of human consciousness cannot escape the chain of karma under normal circumstances. Therefore, Vedanta emphasizes the importance of the human form of life. The human race has an obligation to protect and guide not only mankind but also all lower forms of life. We can either destroy ourselves and other life forms or we can act in a way that uplifts and benefits the world, thus making a meaningful use of our human form of life. If a person uses his or her free will for destroying innocent lives, he or she will be regarded as ‘committing crimes against creation’ and be subject to the law of karma.

Biodiversity and Evolution of Consciousness

According to modern biology, biodiversity is due to a genetic variation caused by the process of occasional chance mutation. However, according to Vedanta, the law of karma and the three modes of material nature — sattva, rajas and tamas — are responsible for biodiversity as well as for diversity in terms of levels of intelligence, degree of development of mind and consciousness of the embodied being within the same species. Furthermore, the Vedas state that biodiversity is a process to accommodate the various states of consciousness in different life forms. There is a gradual evolution of consciousness through various species of life according to the subtle laws of karma. These life forms are said to number 8.4 x 106 and include – microorganisms, insects, plants, aquatics, birds, reptiles, animals, humanoids and human beings.

According to the conscious evolutionary cosmic time scale, one gets the human form of life after passing through millions of varieties of life forms.  (Roger Penrose, Shadows of the Mind, Vintage, 1994, p. 36.  Referred in Brahma-vaivarta Purana and Padma Purana).

Vedanta further explains that many life forms manifest simultaneously. In other words, genetic variation is already within a cosmic plan. Nobel Laureate Werner Arber’s observation that genetic mutation is not due to error or mistake is in line with the Vedantic conception. He says, “Evolution does not occur on the basis of errors, accidents or the action of selfish genetic elements. Rather, the evolution genes must have been fine tuned for their functions to provide and to replenish a wide diversity of life forms. . . .”

Both of these viewpoints support that biological forms are already within the cosmic plan and are opposite of Darwin’s concept of biological evolution. In fact Darwin’s theory of evolution has many loopholes. Stephen Jay Gould, a prominent evolutionist from Harvard University writes, “The extreme rarity of transitional forms in the fossil record persists as the trade secret of paleontology . . . In any local area, a species does not arise gradually by the steady transformation of its ancestors, it appears all at once and fully formed.”

It is not that natural selection and random mutation are the cause of biodiversity. According to Hinduism, the spirit-on continually transmigrates from one life form to the next until it reaches the human form where consciousness is fully developed and has a chance to re-establish its pure divinity of existence (see section  on ‘Spiritual Evolution’). This conception is beyond the scope of modern biological science. Thus, the Vedic doctrine of evolution of consciousness concept is contrary to the Darwinian evolutionary theory. It is the consciousness that evolves, not the bodies, in the Vedantic tradition. Darwin’s mistake was that he could not conceive of an eternal existence of consciousness. Thus, Vedanta does not accept Darwin’s theory of evolution. Under normal circumstances, the consciousness of the spirit-on evolves linearly as well as stepwise. As previously referenced, the Brahma Vaivarta Purana affirms, asitim chaturas chaiva lakshams tan jiva-jatishu bhramadbhih purushaih prapyam manushyam janmaparyayaat, meaning one gets the human form of life after having changed 8.0x106 other forms of life.

The Padma Purana gives a detailed statement regarding the different forms of life as follows: jalaja nava-lakshani sthavara laksha-vimsati krimayo rudra-sankhyakah pakshinam dasa-lakshganam trimsal-lakshani pasavah chatur-lakshani manushah Translation: There are 8,400,000 forms of life. There are 900,000 forms of life in the water, and 2,000,000 forms of trees and other plants. Then, there are 1,100,000 species of small living beings, insects and reptiles, and 1,000,000 species of birds. Finally, there are 3,000,000 varieties of beasts and 400,000 human species. As stated earlier, biological forms impose a limitation on the development of consciousness. Therefore, different degrees of consciousness are expressed through different bodies. Vedanta divides the degrees of consciousness into five broad categories: acchadita (covered), sankuchita (shrunken), mukulita (budding), vikasita (blooming) and purnavikashita (fully bloomed).  (T. D. Singh & W. Arber, “Dialogue on Life and its Origin”, Savijnanam – Scientific Exploration for a Spiritual Paradigm, Vol.1 Kolkata, 2002, p.12. 7 Stephen Jay Gould, “Evolution’s Erratic Pace”, Natural History, vol. 86, May 1977, p.14. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Jaiva-Dharma). Trees and plants, for example, are almost inert. They fall into the category of ‘covered consciousness.’ When we observe them carefully, we see that they have a limited or covered consciousness. The famous scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose reported that plants do have consciousness. Other living entities, such as worms, insects, and other animals are in ‘shrunken consciousness.’ They are not as covered as plants, but their consciousness is not fully developed either. Human beings have ‘budding consciousness.’ A bud appears shrunken, but it has the potential to bloom into a flower. Human consciousness has a similar potential. Thus, human beings have the innate ability to develop their consciousness to an almost unlimited extent, up to the point of knowing the Absolute Truth - God. Other species do not have this special ability. That is why Vedanta emphasizes that brahmajignasa, inquiry into the Brahman, God, is specifically meant for the human form of life. When one begins to sincerely inquire about Brahman, one’s bud-like spiritual consciousness begins to bloom and as a result of this blossoming of consciousness one practices regulated spiritual discipline and evolves further and further.

Finally, one attains complete transcendental realization, God consciousness – saccidananda - the ‘fully bloomed’ state of consciousness.

A Glimpse of Embryology

It is very interesting to note that there is a significant description about the science of embryology in Vedantic literatures. Srimad Bhagavatam, Third Canto mentions a brief description of human embryology. Garbhopanishad, one of the ancient Upanishads, also serves as a brief treatise on embryology. These are very relevant to modern science and technology. According to Vedanta the manifestation of life begins from the moment of conception. Life first enters the semen of the male and is injected into a womb of a woman.   Dr. Jerome Lejeune,   known as "The Father of Modern Genetics," also said, “Life is present from the moment of conception” before the Louisiana Legislature's House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice on June 7, 1990. He explained that within three to seven days after fertilization we can determine if the new human being is a boy or a girl. "At no time," Dr. Lejeune said, "is the human being a blob of protoplasm. As far as your nature is concerned, I see no difference between the early person that you were at conception and the late person which you are now. You were, and are, a human being." He pointed out that each human being is unique – different from the mother – from the moment of conception.

A man’s semen contains millions of cells called sperm cells (about 107 /ml). Each sperm cell is an actively motile, free-swimming and elongated cell from 60-75 µ in length. F.M. 9 “... In many other ways we are able to find that the plant has a heart that beats continuously as long as life remains.”--(Cf. Dibakarsen and Ajoy Kumar Chakraborty, J. C. Bose Speaks, Puthipatra, Calcutta, 2000, pp.153, 195-200.] 10 Aiteraya Upanisad 2.1.1, Aitareya Brahmana 2.5.1 and Srimad Bhagavatam 3.31.1)

Dr. Lejeune of Paris, France discovered the genetic cause of Down  Syndrome, receiving the Kennedy Prize for the discovery and, in addition, received the Memorial Allen Award Medal, the world's highest award for work in the field of Genetics. He died on April 3, 1994. http://www.prolife.com/FETALDEV.html

Burnet remarked about this sperm cell as “It is intimidating thought that there is more information on organic chemical synthesis packed into the head of a spermatozoon than in all the 200 volumes of the Journal of Biochemical Chemistry.”

According to Vedic literatures, spiritual particle, spirit-on (soul) enters this sperm cell which then fertilizes the ovum, the female gamete, to form a single cell called zygote. The various stages of development of embryo in the womb of the mother are described in Srimad Bhagavatam 3.31.2-4, 3.31.10, 3.31.22-23:

“On the first night, the sperm and ovum mix (to form zygote), and on the fifth night the mixture ferments into a bubble (blastocyst). On the tenth night it develops into a form like a plum, and after that, it gradually turns into a lump of flesh.” “In the course of a month, a head is formed, and at the end of two months the hands, feet and other limbs take shape. By the end of three months, the nails, fingers, toes, body hair, bones and skin appear, as do the organ of generation and the other apertures in the eyes, nostrils, ears, mouth and anus. “Within four months from the date of conception, the seven essential ingredients of the body, namely chile, blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow and semen, come into existence. At the end of five months, hunger and thirst make themselves felt, and at the end of six months, the fetus, enclosed by the amnion, begins to move on the right side of the abdomen. “Deriving its nutrition from the food and drink taken by the mother, the fetus grows and remains in that abominable residence of stools and urine, which is the breeding place of all kinds of worms. “Placed within the amnion and covered outside by the intestines, the child remains lying on one side of the abdomen, his head turned towards his belly and his back and neck arched like a bow. “Thus endowed with the development of consciousness from the seventh month after his conception, the child is tossed downward by the airs that press the embryo during the weeks preceding delivery. Like the worms born of the same filthy abdominal cavity, he cannot remain in one place. “Lord Kapila continued: The ten-month-old living entity has these desires even while in the womb. But while he thus extols the Lord, the wind that helps parturition propels him forth with his face turned downward so that he may be born. Pushed downward all of a sudden by the wind, the child comes out with great trouble, head downward, breathless and deprived of memory due to severe agony.”

In the Markandeya Purana it is said that in the intestine of the mother the umbilical cord, which is known as apyayani, joins the mother to the abdomen of the child, and through this passage the child within the womb accepts the mother’s assimilated foodstuff. In this way the child is fed by the mother’s intestine within the womb and grows from day to day. The role of the umbilical cord is also mentioned as - "The dhamanis in the foetus 13 S.M. Bhatnagar, M.L. Kothari, L. A. Mehta & M. Natarajan, Essential of Human Embryology (2000), Chennai, pp.8-10. 14 A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam (1987), Mumbai, Canto 3, pp.707-709, 712, 714, 733-734. 9 take their rise from the umbilical cord, thus bringing nourishment from the mother. The embryo is held at the navel. It grows without taking food, that is, there is no effort made on the part of the embryo to take food and no food is specially served to it. The food in its final form is assimilated automatically and directly into the system of the embryo. The child is nourished of its own accord as it were. The mother is not conscious of the nourishment given to the young one below her heart."

There are also the restrictions and precautions to be taken by the pregnant mother mentioned in the smriti scriptures of Vedic literature. From the very day of begetting a child there is a purification process of garbhadhana-samskara.  Garbhadhana Ceremony is a Vedic ceremony of purification to be performed by parents before conceiving a child. It is said in Charaka Samhita that the mental condition of a child depe (a) the mental status of his parents at the time he is conceived (b) the sounds heard repeatedly by pregnant woman (c) the actions performed by the embryo in his previous life and (d) the frequent desires for a particular type of mental faculty by the progeny in his previous life. Therefore, before begetting a child, one has to sanctify his perplexed mind. If the mind of the father is not sober, the semen discharged will not be very good. By performing this Garbhadana ceremony, both the husband and wife become completely pure and sanctified and a good child will be produced. (For example, Rig Veda X. 186 mentions two mantras to be repeated by bridegroom before conception).  

So in Hinduism, there are systems from the very beginning of the birth of human life for begetting good population. To take care of the child is the primary duty of the parents because if such care is taken, society will be filled with good population to maintain peace and prosperity of the human race.

Inquiry and Uniqueness of Human Life

The unexamined life is not worth living. – Socrates. In Hinduism, inquiry, jignasa, is the fundamental duty of human life. Everyone is in inquiries about something or the other.  In the course of life, one experiences different phases like old age, disease and many kinds of sufferings. Therefore, we want to find out the solution to these problems. Every research work is a kind of inquiry. Srila Prabhupada says that unless a person is awakened to the position of questioning his sufferings, he is not to be considered a perfect human being. Humanity begins when this sort of inquiry is awakened in one’s mind. Therefore, inquiry forms the most important process of acquiring knowledge. (B.N. Seal, The positive sciences of ancient Hindus, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, Varanasi, Patna, 1958. 16 R. K. Sharma and Bhagwan Dash, Charaka Samhita, Varanasi, 1992, Vol II, Verse 4.8.16, pp.470-471.) experiments by some of the leading scientists to study the hearing capabilities of fetuses confirmed that human babies have the ability to recognize voices and even poems that they first heard before they were born. (De Casper, A. and Fifer, W., “Of human bonding: Newborns prefer their mother's voice”, Science (1980), 208, 1174-1176; DeCasper, A., Lecanuet, J-P., Busnel, M-C., Granier-Deferre, C., and Mangeais, R., “Fetal reactions to recurrent maternal speech”, Infant Behavior and Development (1994), 17(2), 159- 164; Moon, C., Cooper, R. P. and Fifer, W. P., “Two-day-olds prefer their native language”, Infant Behavior and Development (1993), 16(4), 495-500. 10).

We want to know about things that are beyond what we can see conventionally. We invent electron microscope, telescope, etc., to satisfy our curiosity. But this is not enough. Our senses and extended senses are still very limited. Can a bird inquire about the meaning of its existence? Innocent and ordinary living beings like birds and animals inquire only of bodily needs. They inquire, ‘where is water?’, ‘where is food?’, ‘where is shelter?’ and so on. However, they do not have the capacity to inquire about the deeper purpose and meaning of life. But in the human form of life, one is endowed with the unique ability to inquire beyond these bodily needs. This is the special and unique qualification of the human form of life. When a child is growing up, he inquires  from his parents about many things around him, such as ‘What is this?’, ‘what is that?’ etc. In this way, the child gathers knowledge from his parents. Since the conscious intelligence is fully developed, human beings can make different levels of inquiry including the deeper questions about life. The most important inquiry of human life should be to find out about the Absolute Truth, jivasya tattvajignasa. Srimadbhagavatam (1.2.10) states: kamasya nendriyapritirlabho jiveta yavata jivasya tattvajignasa nartho yasceha karmabhih Translation: “Life’s desires should never be directed toward sense gratification. One should desire only a healthy life, or self-preservation, since a human being is meant for inquiry about the Absolute Truth. Nothing else should be the goal for one’s works.” The ability to inquire about the ultimate truth of life makes the human being uniquely different from all other forms of life. Thus Vedanta emphasizes that the primary subject matter of the human form of life is to inquire about the science of Absolute Truth, God. The Katha Upanisad (1.3.14) in a very strongly and carefully worded tone makes a clarion call to all human beings in the following sloka: uttistha jagrataprapya varan nibodhata ksurasya dhara nisita duratyaya durgam pathas tat kavayo vadanti Translation: Arise! Awake! Please try to understand the boon that you now have in this human form of life. The path of spiritual realization is very difficult; it is sharp like a razor’s edge, difficult to tread and hard to cross, so say the learned sages. ‘Who am I?’, ‘what is the Supreme Absolute Truth?’, ‘what is the origin of life?’, ‘what is existence?’, and ‘what will be the fate of the human soul when the body dies?’ are some of the basic questions that a human being can inquire.

Presently, scientific inquiry without spiritual knowledge is one-sided. All forms of human inquiry should be utilized in search for Absolute Truth, God. Hence, the purpose of all sciences should be to inquire about the nature of God. A physicist should inquire: what is the real source of the laws of nature? A chemist can inquire: who is the Supreme Chemist behind all the wonderful molecules, DNA, chlorophyll, proteins, etc.? Vedanta explains that if we do research far enough, we will find that the ultimate source is God. Thus, Vedanta cautions that intelligent people should not be misled by the temporary and incomplete pronouncements of atheistic scientists who try to remove God from everything. This will be the proper use of the modern scientific knowledge. When one realizes the Absolute Truth through such an inquiry, he will understand the actual basis of reality. And then, his duty is to glorify the Supreme Lord through the scientific understanding. This is the secret and the real platform of happiness. This is what Narada Muni, the foremost transcendentalist instructed his disciple, Vyasadeva, the literary incarnation of the Supreme Lord in the Bhagavata Purana, the natural commentary on the Vedantasutra.  

In the human form of life, the Consciousness (chetana), (Albert Einstein once remarked, “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day.”) Intelligence (buddhi), Mind (manas), Senses (indriyas) are fully developed. Thus, human being is totally equipped to make the deepest jignasa (inquiry), the spiritual inquiry. A similar message echoes in the statement of Albert Einstein who states that knowing the plan of God is most important and the rest are details.

By this inquiry, sambandha, the relationship between the individual self and God will be established and the pure spiritual knowledge of the self will be understood. Isa Upanishad further declares, isavasyamidam sarvam, everything belongs to the Supreme Lord. Therefore, everything should be used, including the works of the scientists and all the leaders of the world in the service of the Supreme Lord. In a nutshell, this is the view of Vedanta regarding the prime duty of humanity.   (Hindu Epistemology “Our science – Greek science – is based on objectification. … But I do believe that this is precisely the point where our present way of thinking does need to be amended, perhaps by a bit of blood-transfusion from Eastern thought.” – Erwin Schrödinger)

The vast area of philosophical enquiry known as epistemology is an enquiry into knowledge and many authors also call it as the theory of knowledge.  In scientific approach to knowledge, an empirical logic based on experiments, observations and inferences is fundamental. In Vedanta this process is called aroha-patha or jnana marga, ascending path/process or the bottom-up process. But this process has its own limitations. This scientific process can, at the most, indicate about the existence of God. It cannot lead to the deeper knowledge of God. This is because of the fact that our senses have four inherent limitations. Hence, scientific knowledge based on one’s intellect and sense perception is incomplete and the spiritual knowledge provides the deeper knowledge for the existence of God. Vedanta recognizes the scriptures as the authority and the deciding factor for the complete knowledge of God. Just like the words of the mother are the authority in regard to our question about the true identity of the father, similarly, according to Vedanta the scriptures are the authority for the proof of God’s existence. This Vedantic process is  Srimad-Bhagavatam, (Canto 1, Ch. 5, Verse 21, Ibid. 19 In Donald O. Bolander, Instant Quotation Dictionary, 1979. 20 R. Clarck, The Life and Times of Einstein, The World Publishing Co., New York, 1971, p.19. 12) called avaroha-pantha in Sanskrit language. This means that real knowledge should be received by the parampara, descending process or top-down approach. In nutshell, Vedantic epistemology stresses the acquisition of knowledge mainly from three different ways: pratyakhsa (sense perception), anumana (inference) and sabda (revealed knowledge). These terminologies are briefly explained below.

Srila Jiva Goswami, an erudite philosopher of the sixteenth century India, has elaborately presented the Vedantic epistemology in his treatise Tattva Sandarbha. As it will be evident below, the Vedantic epistemology justifies the necessity for a synthesis of avaroha-pantha --- the top-down process and aroha-pantha --- the bottom-up or scientific approach to the complete knowledge of God.  

Pratyaksha (direct perception)

According to Vedanta, knowledge gained directly with the help of the senses is known as pratyaksha. The gross senses are the eyes (vision), ears (sound), nose (smell), skin (touch) and tongue (taste). In addition, mind is regarded as the subtle and sixth sense and one can also acquire knowledge with the help of the mind. The role of pratyaksha is certainly important in acquiring knowledge in Vedantic approach. However, because of the physical limitations of the senses, knowledge gained through pratyaksha may not be complete. For example, a blind man and a mad man have limitations to acquire knowledge through their eyes and mind, respectively. However, a normal man whose senses are all in a proper condition can acquire knowledge using all his senses and can have a better knowledge than that of a blind or a mad man. Under ordinary circumstances, knowledge gained from pratyaksha has four limitations. Thus the bottom-up approach will be unable to have the complete knowledge of God. However, in the Vedantic tradition a spiritual seeker is trained to perfect one’s senses by undertaking a very rigorous spiritual discipline and the senses and the mind can be totally purified and at that stage one can receive the knowledge of the Ultimate Reality through pratyaksha. At this point the material senses are completely transformed into spiritual senses. 3  

Anumana (inference)

Although the sense capability of ordinary human beings is limited, the quest for scientific knowledge in Vedantic tradition is to know the absolute reality which is beyond the domain of material senses. Anumana means inference about an unknown object based on its relationship with another object that is conceivable through the senses. For example, a stream of alpha particles which have electric charge would leave a trail of ions as it passes through the gas in a cloud chamber. When water vapor condenses on these ions, the track of alpha particle becomes visible as a line of water droplets. Thus, although we can’t see the alpha particles, we can infer them from the trail of water droplets condensed on the ions. Anumana involves logic. Logic constitutes the development of a set of arguments that can represent an observed phenomenon in nature. Since the sense perception is limited, logic, therefore, also has limitations and cannot be referred to be the absolute answer for an observed phenomenon.   (Tattva-sandarbha by Srila Jiva Goswami along with commentary by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusan, translated into Bengali by Sri Ram Narayan Vidyaratna, Sanskrit Pustak Bhandar, Kolkata)

Limitations of Pratyaksa and Anumana

As stated before there are four limitations of the senses. Srila Jiva Goswami has discussed these limitations in the Sat Sandarbha as follows: (a) Bhrama: The senses including the mind often malfunction under various circumstances and are thus illusions, for example, a mirage seen in the deserts. (b) Pramada: This means that the senses may misguide a person and he is liable to commit mistakes. Due to the limitations in our intellectual conception we sometimes wrongly interpret the sense observations. Therefore, in this world everyone is liable to commit mistake. Thus the popular saying, “To err is human.” (c) Karanapatava: It means that our senses are very limited and can perceive only a very limited portion of reality. For example, we do not hear sounds which have frequency below 20 Hertz and over 20,000 Hertz. Similarly, we cannot detect electromagnetic radiations in the ultra-violet or infra-red range. (d) Vipralipsa: It refers to the cheating propensity.

Honesty is the virtue of human life. However, sometimes one is overcome by pride, false ego and arrogance and one’s senses are polluted by the lower material modes of nature and one becomes dishonest and the cheating propensity dominates a person at that time. According to Vedanta this cheating propensity is a symptom of the lack of spiritual knowledge. Logic cannot provide a final proof of anything. This is further supported by the statement – one should not use logic to understand what is inconceivable. (Mahabharata, Bhisma Parva 5.22). Hence it can be concluded that a scientific and logical study will always be incomplete.

An argument is the famous Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorem. This theorem states that if ‘A’ is a mathematical system which involves the natural numbers 0,1,2,3,… then there are questions in ‘A’ which cannot be answered using the axioms of ‘A’. In order to answer a question of this kind, one could expand the set of axioms by adding a new one. But the new system will again be subject to Gödel’s theorem and there will be other questions that cannot be answered. Thus, Gödel’s theorem ensures that there will always remain unanswered questions. In other words, scientific knowledge will always remain incomplete and cannot fathom the depths of Ultimate Reality or God.

\Hence, we should seriously consider the role of metaphysical conception beyond logic and sense perception in understanding transcendental knowledge and God. In this regard, Max Planck stated, “… the fundamental and indispensable postulates of every genuinely productive science are not based on pure logic but rather on the metaphysical hypothesis – which no rules of logic can refute – there exists an outer world which is entirely independent of ourselves. It is only through the immediate dictate of our consciousness that we know that this world exists.” Freeman Dyson also expressed, “God may have more qualities than we humans are capable of imagining. If we could enlarge our senses and our emotions beyond the human range, we would experience a very different God… My conception of God is not weakened by my not knowing whether the physical universe is open or closed, finite or infinite, simple or multiple. God for me is a mystery, and will remain a mystery after we know the answers to these questions. All that we know about Him is that He works on a scale far beyond the limits of our understanding.” 22 Max Planck, Where Science is Going?, 1932, p. 138. 14 3.4)

Sabda (Revealed Knowledge) and the Top-Down Process

In Vedantic epistemology sabda is the most important in receiving a valid knowledge and the other two epistemic elements, pratyaksha and anumana are to assist the sabda pramana. A revealed knowledge is transmitted from the Supreme Authority, God, to the bonafide and sincere recipients. The qualification of the recipient is that he should be a completely surrendered soul to the Supreme Lord and he should be eligible to receive the transcendental mercy of the Lord. As mentioned earlier this process is also called a top-down approach in receiving knowledge (avaroha-pantha). A simple example is to make an investigation about the true answer to the question, “Who is the father of child A?” In a scientific or the bottom-up process, one can make an extensive research work by matching the DNA profile of several candidates with that of the child. However, it will be extremely difficult to find a real answer by this process. Most likely, needless to say, a real answer may never be found by this approach. This is because the real person may not be tested for a variety of causes. So, the easiest and most reliable approach will be to simply ask the genuine mother, and her answer will be the final verdict. The fact is that a genuine mother will never tell a lie to her loving child. If somebody wants to confirm this answer scientifically, a DNA test can still be done. In this way, the matter is resolved. This process implies a genuine faith the child has in the words of the mother. According to Vedanta, this genuine faith is a deep spiritual quality of life. In avaroha-panthah (top-down approach) or descending process of Vedantic tradition, God is the ultimate source of everything, and the divine consciousness flows downward from God to every living being. In scientific discoveries and other artistic and poetic works and spiritual works of total sacrifice and renunciation, many sincere individuals receive knowledge through inspiration from a guiding source. This type of knowledge can also be regarded as some kind of revealed knowledge. In this way, knowledge is also directly transmitted by the Supreme Authority to the sincere seekers of truth. Lord Sri Krsna states in the Bhagavad Gita (15.5): sarvasya chaham hridi sannivisto mattah smritir jnanam apohanam cha vedais cha sarvair aham eva vedyo vedanta-krid veda-vid eva chaham “I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge, and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.”

There are three fundamental principles in realizing the revealed knowledge. Firstly, every revealed knowledge should be accepted as a divine axiom. All the aphorisms of the Vedantasutra can be regarded as divine axioms. Secondly, the genuine scriptures should be understood as they are and they should not be interpreted in any way to suit the motives of any particular individual or group. The author would like to mention that it is because of the misinterpretation of scriptures and over-intoxication by the materialistic concept of religion that people kill each other in the name of religion and God. Thirdly, in the Vedantic tradition, a mood of true humility is essential in receiving divine knowledge of God. In this regard, we also see many great scientists who show symptoms of utter humility. For example, we often quote what Sir Isaac Newton had once remarked,   “I am still collecting pebbles on the sea shore, while the vast ocean of undiscovered truth lies before me.”

Time and Space

The concept of time and space is extremely important in both science and Vedanta. In Vedanta, Kala, time is eternal. It is the impersonal aspect of the Supreme Lord. In the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna says, kalo ’smi loka-ksaya-krit pravriddho — “Time I am, the great destroyer of the world.”   This was the verse uttered by Robert Oppenheimer at the first test of the atom bomb in Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA on July 16, 1945.

In the Srimadbhagavatam sage Maitreya explains that eternal time is the primeval source of the interactions of the three modes of material nature. It is unchangeable and has no limit, and it functions as the instrument of the Supreme Lord for His manifest activities in the material creation.   When the living entity comes in contact with material nature and under the control and purview of eternal time, many different activities called Karma are created. Real time is measured in terms of its covering a certain space of atoms, and space is calculated in terms of atoms.   Thus time and space are closely connected in Vedantic cosmology and Kala – time is the root cause of all events and drives all activities in the material universe. Srila Prabhupada writes in his commentary of the Srimad Bhagavatam, “Metaphysically, time is distinguished as absolute and real. Absolute time is continuous and is unaffected by the speed or the slowness of material things. Real time is astronomically and mathematically calculated in relation to speed, change and life of a particular object. Factually, however, time has nothing to do with the relativities of things; rather, everything is shaped and calculated in terms of facility offered by time. Time is the basic measurement of the activity of our senses, by which we calculate past, present and future; but in factual calculation, time has no beginning and no end.”   

Two States of Matter and Generation of Matter from Spirit

It is to be noted that in Hinduism the fundamental cosmic ingredients are in two states – inactive and active. The un-manifest, inactive and primordial total substance is called pradhana. At the time of creation, pradhana is activated by the Supreme Lord, and matter becomes manifest, which is called prakriti. Both matter and spirit are eternal. However, at the time of creation, which goes on in cosmic cycles like the change of seasons, the un-manifest sum-total of matter is activated by the Supreme Spirit and the cosmic energy begins to manifest. This is called the temporary manifestation of material energy. This material energy is then transformed by the presence of a conscious spiritual entity. In other words, matter as such is inactive but gets animated by the presence of the spirit, just like a live bird. The bird can fly because jiva or atman, the spiritual spark (Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Ibid., Ch. 11, Verse 32, pp.576-577)  The great sage who spoke the Srimadbhagavatam. A great devotee of the Lord and scholar of the theory of elements (Sankhya) in Vedanta. He was spiritual master of Vidura and a great religious authority. 25 A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, Srimadbhagavatam, Canto 3, Ch. 10 Verse 11, Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, Bombay, 1987, p.442. 26 Ibid., Canto 3, Ch. 11, Verse 4, pp.461-462. 27 Ibid., Canto 3, Ch. 10, Verse 11, Purport, p.442.)  “spirit-on”, is within. However, because of the arrangement of nature, the body has a limited time period. When the spirit leaves the body, the body becomes dead and inert again. When the entire universe is wound up the material components return again to the un-manifest form, which is eternal. That is the distinction between spirit and matter. The Supreme Spiritual Being is the primeval source of both matter and spirit. The spirit however is transcendental and beyond sense perception, and according to Vedanta the Supreme Lord or the Supreme Spirit is behind the cosmic creation.   

Explanation of God in Hinduism

Hinduism is monotheistic. There have been many streams in Hinduism and many of them propound many aspects of God. This generally arises due to the misconceptions about the nature of personal aspect of God being steeped in pantheism or anthropomorphism. From the Vedantic perspective however, the Personality aspect of God is most important. This does not imply that the concept is anthropomorphic. It is not that we give a human shape or characteristic to a god or anything whimsically. Rather it is the revelation of God Himself. A divine maxim is found in the Srimad Bhagavatam (S.B. 3:26:49) stating that the cause exists certainly in its effect as well. Following this argument, since we all experience very clearly that all developed living beings have individual personality, it is certainly conceivable that the Supreme source of all must also possess personality. According to Vedanta, this material creation emanates from God. Taittiriya Upanisad declares: “yato va imani bhutani jayante yena jatani jivanti yat prayanty abhisamvanti tad vijignasasva tad brahma“ The Absolute Truth or Brahman or God is that from which the cosmic manifestation has emanated, by which it is maintained and into which it merges after annihilation.  Similarly, Chandogya Upanisad declares: sarvam khalv idam brahma – “Brahman, the Supreme, is present in everything.”  Hence according to Vedanta this material nature is not working blindly. It is working under the control of the Supreme Lord.  

Three Aspects of God

According to Vedanta, there are three aspects of Absolute Truth or God. All these aspects form the foundation of Supreme Reality. These are: “vadanti tattattvavidastattvam yajjnanamadvayam brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavaniti sabdyate” Translation: Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman (the Attribute-less Absolute), Paramatma (the Indwelling Super-soul), or Bhagavan (the Supreme Lord Himself).  (i) (Brahman or Brahmajyoti - Impersonal Effulgence of the Lord 28 D. S. Sarma, The Upanishads: An anthology, Bombay, 1989, p.101. 29 Sri Bhakti Prajnan Yati Maharaj, Twelve Essential Upanishads, Vol. 1, Calcutta, 2000, p.541. 30 Srimadbhagavatam, Ibid., Canto 1, Ch. 2 Verse 11, p.103. 17).

The impersonal effulgence of the Supreme Lord’s transcendental body is Brahman or Brahmajyoti and it is beyond cause and effect. This is also evident from the Sri Isopanishad mantra: hiranmayena patrena satyasyapihitam mukham tat tvam pusann apavrinu satya-dharmaya dristaye Translation: “O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit Yourself to Your pure devotee.”   Einstein’s conception of a cosmic religion is very close to this idea of impersonal aspect of God or Brahmajyoti. He said, “Try and penetrate with our limited means the secrets of nature and you will find that, behind all the discerning concatenations, there remains something subtle, intangible and inexplicable. Veneration for this force beyond anything that we can comprehend is my religion.”   He also stated, “My God created laws. . . . His universe is not ruled by wishful thinking, but by immutable laws.”   

Paramatma Feature--Inspiration and Guidance for all Living Beings

Paramatma is the partial expansion of the Supreme Person. This Paramatma feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is responsible for inspiration, discovery, creativity and for the movement of all living entities. In Bhagavad Gita, the Lord says, “I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness.” Each and every living entity has been given a free will. Paramatma is responding and guiding each and every living entity in the universe according to the desires and activities of the individual living entities.

In our day-to-day activities we can feel a seemingly inexplicable guidance, what is sometimes described as intuition or inspiration. This guidance is something more than mere algorithmic process. This happens often, when we are deeply contemplating on a problem. And solution comes like a flash without any connection to the line of thought that we have been contemplating. Many renowned scientists, mathematicians, artists, poets, etc., have reported their experience of inspiration. According to Vedanta this is an act of the Lord seated in the heart of everyone as Paramatma. Otto Loewi, a German physiologist who won the Nobel Prize in 1936 for his work on the chemical transmission of nerve impulses, had the idea that there might be a chemical transmission of the nervous impulse rather than an electrical one — which was the commonly held belief. But he was at a loss on how to prove it. He let the idea slip to the back of his mind until seventeen years later he had the following moment of inspiration. He recalled, “The night before Easter Sunday of that year I awoke, turned on the light, and jotted down a few notes on a tiny slip of paper. Then I fell asleep again. It occurred to me at 6 o’clock in the morning that during the night I had written down something most important, but I was unable to decipher the scrawl. The next night, at 3 o’clock, the idea returned. It was the design of an experiment to determine whether or not the (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupäda, Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 15, Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, Los Angeles, 1976, p.85. 32 H.G. Kessler, The Diary of a Cosmopolitan, p.322. 33 W. Hermanns, Einstein and the Poet – In Search of the Cosmic Man, 1983, p.132. 18) hypothesis of chemical transmission that I had uttered 17 years ago was correct. I got up immediately, went to the laboratory, and performed a single experiment on a frog’s heart according to the nocturnal design.”  Loewi had proved his point. The result of the experiment became the foundation for the theory of chemical transmission of the nervous impulse. According to Vedanta such inspiration comes from Paramatma. In a similar manner, all the moment-to-moment activities of all living beings – from microorganisms to man are all guided by the Paramatma feature of the Supreme Lord.

 Bhagavan --The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Object of Love

The Srimad bhagavatam describes Lord Sri Krishna as the Supreme origin of everything. All other forms of the Lord are subjective portions of Lord Krishna,   the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Brahma, the first created cosmic living being defines Isvara, God, as the Supreme original Personality (Adipurusha). His transcendental body is made of three spiritual elements, sat (eternity), chit (knowledge) and ananda (bliss), saccidananda vigraha. He is the origin of everything, animate and inanimate, and is the cause of all causes. He is the Supreme Controller and the prime mover of all cosmic manifestation. He has Universal Consciousness and He is the well-wisher of every living being. He is beyond the perception of the material senses. However, His symptoms are visible in the effects (products) of His creation. He is Supreme Eternal among all eternals and Supreme Consciousness among all consciousness. He is realized by His devotees who have completely exhausted all the experiences of the material nature and is accomplished by the practice of the nine-fold paths of Bhaktiyoga.

This is the goal of Dvaita Vedantis or Vaishnava Vendantis. There is a Big Vision behind this creation – to establish the transcendental connection between the ignorant living entity and the Supreme Lord, Bhagavan. This relationship is carried out through Bhakti, the devotional yoga. The seed of bhakti is in all living entities but due to the covering of material desire it does not get fructified so easily. The material world is created by the Supreme Lord with this Big Vision to bring living entities to the platform of pure bhakti and ultimate happiness. The role and importance of bhakti in human life as well as in scientific research work is of paramount importance. William D. Phillips, a Nobel Laureate physicist from the University of Maryland, USA, expresses remarkably, “Many subscribe to a belief in what is sometimes called ‘Einstein’s God’, an embodiment of the intelligence and order behind creation, but not a personality who cares about and interacts with the creation. … My belief (is) in a personal God, a God who is both the creator of the universe and is intimately concerned with the welfare of the creatures of that universe. ‘Einstein’s God’ is not nearly enough for me. I believe in a God who wants good things for us, and who wants and expects us to care for our fellow creatures. I believe that God wants genuine, loving relationships with us, and wants us to have such relationships with each other.”   His statement supports the Vaishnava Vedantic view of God in Hinduism. (Refer to http://www.paperveins.org/dreamroom/scientists.shtm Srila Bhakti-siddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Sri Brahma-Samhita, BBT, 1989, pp.87-88. 36 William D. Phillips, Ordinary Faith, Ordinary Science, paper presented at ‘Science and Spiritual Quest II’ conference in Paris, 2002. 19 6.2)

God’s Attributes According to Vedanta

God has three kinds of internal potency or energy, namely, the (i) Sandhini-sakti, or existential potency, (ii) Samvit-sakti, or cognitive potency and the (iii) Hladini-sakti or pleasure potency. This is also confirmed in the Vishnu Purana (1.12.69). In the Bhagavata-sandarbha (103) Srila Jiva Goswami explains these transcendental attributes of God elaborately. (CC Adi 4.60) The living beings are also endowed with these attributes in different degrees.

The Absolute Truth

God is the transcendental Reality (chit-svarupa) possessing all these attributes in full. The manifestation of these internal potencies or energies of the Lord is the inconceivable variegated spiritual world (chit-jagat), the manifestation of the marginal energy of the Lord comprises the living entities, and the manifestation of the external energy of the Lord is the material cosmos. (CC Adi 4.62 purport) Thus Brahman, the Absolute Truth includes these four principles – the Supreme Godhead Himself, His internal energy, His marginal energy and His external energy. The form of the Lord (svayam-rupa) and the expansions of His form (vaibhava-prakasa) are directly enjoyers of the internal energy in the spiritual world. The external manifestation, the material energy, provides the material bodies of all the conditioned living entities. In order to manifest the physical universe God manifest Himself as three expansions called purushaavatars, namely Mahavishnu, Garbhodakshayi Vishnu, and Khirodakshayi Vishnu to fulfill the desires of every living being according to the karma of every being. Maha Vishnu is the source of all physical universes and Garhodakshayi Visnu enters in each universe and Kshirodakshayi Vishnu enters into each living being as paramatma and guides every living being from microorganisms to human beings to demigods. In this way the whole material world is run and maintained. Thus the cosmic creation and dissolution go on periodically according to the Big Vision of the Supreme Lord. The creation of this physical universe is the facility given to conditioned living beings by God in order to get liberated from false conception of life (materialism). According to ancient Vedic culture, religious principles are directly given by God to guide the human beings – dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam (Srimadbhagavatam 6.3.19) The essence of all religions consists of morality, ethics, humility and love of God. Spiritual or religious life is a must for every human being which provides moral codes of living in order to be released from the bondage of wordly life and will thus be qualified to return to the spiritual world. All these will be achieved by developing the sambhandajnana- the knowledge of relationship of individual being with God knowing that the living being is fully dependent on the mercy of Supreme Godhead as a conscious spiritual particle or spirit-on of God, the sincere human being can transform himself to become a sincere servant of God. Thus the next step which is to adopt abhidheya – which culminates in unalloyed devotional service to the Supreme Lord – which consists of nine devotional activities: hearing, chanting, remembering, serving, worshipping, praying, obeying, maintaining friendship and surrendering everything - which will lead to 2 proyojna – attaining the highest goal of life, which is love of God. Further works in this connection will be presented elsewhere. Thus by developing the understanding of God’s existence and by purifying one’s heart by devotional service to the Lord, an individual life, community, nations and the entire world can all live together in harmony and peace. A God-centered life is, therefore, the solution to all the problems of material struggle.   

Universe – A Brief Overview of its Origin, Maintenance, and Dissolution

In this section, we will very briefly examine the Vedantic cosmology. (please refer to author’s article in Savijnanam-Scientific Exploration for a Spiritual Paradigm, Journal of the Bhaktivedanta Institute, Vol. 2 for a more detailed description of Vedantic cosmology). Vedantic cosmology describes that the universe is maintained for a specific period before it is wound up. At the beginning of each cycle of creation of the universe, Lord Brahma, the first created cosmic living being is born. A day of Brahma is called a kalpa and one kalpa consists of a thousand cycles of four yugas, or ages, called Satya, Treta, Dvapara and Kali. The same number comprises one night of Brahma and he lives one hundred such years and then dies. Satyayuga lasts 1,728,000 years; Tretayuga lasts 1,296,000 years; Dvaparayuga lasts 864,000 years; and Kaliyuga lasts 432,000 years. Thus one hundred years of Lord Brahma equal 311 trillion and 40 billion earth years. According to Vedantic cosmology, our universe starts with the birth of Lord Brahma and he is at present a little more than 50 Brahma-years old. Thus our present universe started about 155.522 trillion (155.522 x 1012 ) years ago and will end in 155.518 trillion (155.518 x 1012 ) years and just after that a new cycle of creation will begin again.  According to modern cosmologists, our universe began around thirteen to fifteen billion (13-15 x 109 ) years ago. Thus in the Vedic time scale, the universe is an order of 104 times older than that reported by modern cosmologists. During the life of each universe, according to the karma of the conscious living beings, some living forms will manifest in certain periods of the different kalpas and some may not. Also, at the end of each day of Brahma, a partial annihilation of the universe takes place, bringing catastrophes in which a whole group of living forms can disappear. At the end of the life of Lord Brahma, that is, at the end of each 311,040 billion years, a total or complete annihilation takes place. Thereafter, creation begins again.

Thus, in the Vedantic account of cosmology, it is reasonable to assume that one will be unable to find a systematic account of universal or global history in fossil records. In the Vedantic model, the disappearance of the giant lizards, or dinosaurs, which is still a mystery to Western science, is not unreasonable.   

Hinduism and Modern Issues such as Bioethics, Abortion and Euthanasia

Today the entire world is facing a great dilemma with regard to the values and ethics of human actions. We are faced with many questions in the fields of biotechnology and bioengineering. Vedanta has a lot to contribute in this direction. The biomedical issues like abortion and organ transplantation cannot be resolved unless we have a deeper understanding of life.

As described above, according to Vedanta, material life begins at (37 Savijnanam – Scientific Exploration for a Spiritual Paradigm, Kolkata, 2002, pp.70-71. 21) the moment of conception. Life is sacred and human life is very rarely obtained. Thus Vedanta does not encourage killing at any stage of life, starting from the moment of conception. Hence, the issues like abortion, etc., are easily resolved in Vedanta. Moreover, as mentioned above, the Vedic literature provides purificatory process of garbhadhana-samskara to obtain a good child and thus good population for peace and happiness of human race. Vedanta proclaims that the problems of unrest, political, social, communal and even religious are all due to the lack of spiritual qualities among the people. It thus provides varnasrama system, the most scientific culture for attainment of spiritual life. This system consists of four divisions of occupation and four orders of human life for training and acquiring of spiritual qualities. The four orders of life as brahmachari (celibate student), grihastha (household life), vanaprastha (retired life) and sannyasi (renounced life) are to be followed by all, irrespective of the occupational division. Thus it will be very important to undertake scientific research how to have good children in the world. Vedanta also mentions that everything belong to God and one must not encroach upon another’s share.   This understanding can guide one to not involve in unnecessary killing certain groups of trees, animals, birds, fish, and so on beyond the limits of his quota for food or self-defense. This will protect us from ecological disasters and various other problems  

Synthesis of Science and Religion in Hinduism for Solving Difficult Issues

In Vedanta there has always been harmony between science and religion because their domains and relationships are clearly defined and understood. Science deals with external or material knowledge (apara vidya) — knowledge of matter and its particles, like atoms and quarks whereas true religion deals with internal or spiritual knowledge (para vidya) — knowledge of the spirit, or seer. The first one deals with the changing, temporary, and external reality whereas the later deals with the changeless, eternal, and transcendental reality. Both these categories of knowledge are important, complementary, and extremely useful.

In Hinduism the complimentary relationship between science and religion is quite close. As we can infer knowledge of an object from its shadow, so by apara vidya, or material knowledge or science, we can understand something about the existence of para vidya, or spiritual knowledge. One does not negate the other. From his experiences while studying the atom, Max Born, one of the founding fathers of quantum mechanics, proclaimed, “I saw in it [the atom] the key to the deepest secrets of nature, and it revealed to me the greatness of creation and the Creator.” The author refers to this as a view of synthesis of science and religion. Thus it is conceivable that many unsolved issues in biology, physics, cosmology, etc., can be resolved by the synthesis of science and religion in Hinduism; (Isa Upanishad, Text 1; Max Born, My Life and My Views, Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1968, p.88. 22 10).

Concluding Remark:

The author has made a humble attempt in this article to present a glimpse of Hinduism. The Vedantic literature, which is the essence of Hinduism is extremely vast and has immense potential in providing deep insights for resolving many of the issues in various fields of science, such as life and consciousness studies, cosmology, etc. It also gives a broad view of the science of God and religion. It is interesting to note that almost 60 years ago Erwin Schrödinger, one of the pioneers of quantum mechanics had a serious interest in Vedanta. He used to read Vedantic literatures called the Upanishads and saw the need to bring in the Vedic concepts into modern science. Thus it may be quite worthwhile for scientists, students and scholars in general to investigate many of the concepts in the Vedantic literatures. 

HINDUISM WAS THE WORLD RELIGION

 

Hinduism had been the religion of the world from the beginning of times. Today it is again spreading in all countries of the world as world religion. The ancient Indians settled in America are known to the world as Red Indians.  Generations of present Yuga migrated from Bharat traveling through frozen sea between 20000 to 30000 years settled in the continent of America and were called Red Indians say the expert historians.

Settling there they worshiped Siva says a research publication Sadathala. As if endorsing this recently a   Siva temple in ruins has been discovered in the dense forests of USA.

 Apart from this ancient Sivalingas are discovered in Italy, Ireland, West Asia, Korea, Cambodia, Indonesia, South Africa etc. All People who lived in Sathya Yuga followed Dharma in totality. In Tretaa Yuga   prevailed three fourths of dharma and one fourth Adharma.  In the third Dvapara Yuga Dharma prevailed half and Adharma the rest half. People in these Yugas had an average height of 12 feet. They lived up to 1000 years.

Diseases, aging etc., were part of life. Greed and immoral acts showed up. It was the time   when Mahabharata War took place that is Dwapara Yuga. This Yuga came to an end in 3139 BCE.

Dwapara Yuga was there when Kali was born. Kali was a demon.  He made penance to Lord Narayana and requested him to allot some work. He was blessed to go to the region of Melka and entrusted the task of multiplying human population through Aadaman and Kavyavati  as narrated in Bhavishya Purana.  Aadaman lived for 960 years. Christianity also believes that the first man Adam lived for 960 years.

Since all evil deeds made their head-way in this Yuga, people needed to be educated as to what constitutes Dharma and what is Adharma. In every Kalpa there appeared one Vedavyasa and taught about the doctrine of Vedas to the people. In the present Kalpa in Dwapara Yuga Krishna Dwaipayana Vedavyasa compiled all the Vedas. He also compiled all the Puranas.

Naiyuga was the ninth generation of Aadaman. Cataclysm took place during his time. Cataclysm of Dwaraka, capital city of Lord Krishna submerging in sea waters, cataclysm of Naiyuga, and the cataclysm of Nova mentioned in the Holy are one and the same based on historic findings.

Kali put his foot first on Indian soil is in 3102 BCE. That year cataclysm took place and the capital city Dwarka of Lord Krishna along with entire population got destroyed. Lord Krishna left the mortal world also the same year. Kali Yuga Also started at the same time.

In the beginning there were no castes. In Dwapara yuga castes started appearing one after another. Brahmins were known as Sharma, Ksahtrtiyas as Verma, a Vaishyas as Gupta and Sudra as  Dasas later   says Agni Purana. This became later the basis for caste system. Children born out of different birth origins (Sharam/Verma/Gupta) were obliged to engage themselves in business/merchandising. Accordingly they worked as charioteers, hunters, guards or merchants. Children born out of Inter-caste married Brahmin girls were designated as Chandalas as were branded on their body   for the purpose of identification and were obliged to live outside city limits. They were executioners and took care of burials and cremation--such details are known to us from Agni Purana.

Apart from that those who disputed devas, pitrus, Veda mantras, yajnas etc., were considered as sinners and untouchables and were thrown out of society says, Markandeya Purana.

In later years based on the professional pursuits, those who caught fish were called fisherman, wood workers as Carpenters, those who worked with black metal or iron as Blacksmiths and thus gave birth to trade based sub-castes. Today in Tamil Nadu alone there are more than 400 castes and sub-castes.

--Translated from Tamil text of Agraharam Group   by NRS