Spiritualism,
Modern Science and Ancient History
Spiritualism, Modern Science,
Ancient History. These three words at one place might appear to many as highly
unrelated – but they are as much related to each other as the three corners of an
equilateral triangle. Without any one of the corners, the identity of the
triangle itself (i.e. Humanity) would not be there.
Scientific advancement sans
spirituality is like body without soul – the form of science we see today. It
leads to a society with all the attributes of self-destruction: Greed,
Selfishness, Intolerance and Bloated Egos. Today we have become slaves of the
gadgets and scientific infrastructure we have put together for our service.
What humanity needs is a humane and
progressive culture on Earth, where spiritualism and scientific development go
hand in hand. A culture based on the principles of love, tolerance, brotherhood
and a desire to grow, to move forward… And do we have any precedence for such a
culture, such a society? That’s where ancient history comes into picture.
Human race on our planet Earth is
very old, as discussed further in the "Beliefs" section. In ancient
history, there have been times when our culture was highly advanced –
scientifically as well as spiritually. The society was guided by highly evolved
rishis (sages), master exponents of metaphysical skills who had conquered death
through yoga and meditation. These sages, the great scientists, knew of
environment friendly and unlimited resources of energy. People traveled to
farthest stars and solar systems in sophisticated spacecraft, and by astral
travelling. They had mastered anti-gravity, and had contacts with other
advanced civilizations of the universe. But human culture and its development
always follow a sine wave. People leave the middle path tilting more towards
materialism, and knowledge decays. There were natural calamities due to toying
with environment, and nuclear wars, resulting in total destruction.
Radioactivity mutated human genes and so there were primitive Neanderthal men.
And this has happened not once, but many a times in the past. Physical evidence
for this might not be available today, but documentary information in symbolic
or parable form is still available in some ancient Indian scriptures (Puranas),
and in scriptures of other civilizations too.
Can
We Revive Our Glorious Past?
To realize the dream of a
spiritual-scientific culture on Earth, the spiritual level of the society has
to go up. There must be a large number of people with high spiritual level to
bring about a change at a very fast rate (referred to as a critical mass by
some). This might sound difficult, but things are actually moving in a positive
direction. Despite all the greed, hatred and materialistic hullabaloo, many of
us are feeling a need for an inner quest: What are we here for? Why so much
misery and pain in life? Can we rise above this and make our lives more
meaningful… can we? This inner quest is actually helping us rise above the
ordinary. And so the long queues at the doorsteps of Gurus and religious
preachers.
But only the desire for an inner
quest may not help much. To hasten the pace of this change, something more is
required: dedicated and evolved groups of people, working specifically and
steadfastly to bring about the change. And one of the paths for them is to look
for scientific-spiritual advancements of the past.
To
Find Scientific Advancements In Ancient History
A two pronged action plan is
required for this:
- One certain source of scientific knowledge is Vedas, the ancient Hindu scriptures, written in the ancient and sophisticated language of Sanskrit. Many other Sanskrit scriptures and ancient books from other parts of the world and in other languages may contain advanced scientific knowledge. Various research programs on Vedas are already in progress, here in India and abroad. Specific and coordinated research programs on such texts have to be initiated.
- Scientific remains of certain ancient civilizations must still be hidden somewhere - beneath some ancient ruins, or pyramids, or in some caves/ highlands of Himalayas. Or there could be some ancient library, or manuscripts/ texts, which might have survived the ravages of Dark Age wars. These have to be traced - through dedication, meditation and intuition.
The aim of these words is to bring
together all such like-minded people who resonate with these thoughts, to
launch a concerted and dedicated effort in this direction (points 1 & 2
above).
The evidence for many of the ideas mentioned
above might not be forthcoming, and so may appear to some of us as
hypothetical, and based on wild imagination and faith. But imagination and
faith are amongst the strongest forces of nature capable of doing many a
miracles in life. So if we have faith in our imaginations and in our inner
quests, we surely can do some miracles. Let’s come together.
There is one Supreme being, called
by the names of GOD, the Parmatma (the soul of universe), the Almighty Lord.
God is sat (truth), chitta (intelligence) and ananda (happiness). He is
absolutely holy and wise. He is omnipresent, incorporeal, unborn, immense,
omniscient, omnipotent, merciful and just. He is the creator, protector and
destroyer of the worlds. He is the lord of the universe.
There are three distinct eternal identities:
(1) God, (2) Souls, (3) Prakriti – the material cause of the universe. All
three have the attributes of eternal existence in common. But they differ in
other respects. Matter is inanimate and inert while God is all-life and
all-power. The soul is limited in its intelligence and powers, while god is
unlimited. The soul is confined in a body – God pervades all space. The former
is finite – the latter infinite.
In the early part of this century, two
opposing theories about the origin of the universe were postulated. (1) The
Steady State theory, which says the universe is never born, never dies, and is
always like what it is. (2) The Big bang theory, which says the universe began
with a point of energy exploding in a "big-bang". All the matter came
into being from energy continuously expanding and changing form. Ultimately the
expansion will stop and it will start contracting, ending into nothingness with
a "big-crunch". What is before big-bang or after big crunch, the
theory doesn’t know.
In reality, both the theories are
correct. The universe begins from a point with a bang and ends in a point with
a crunch. This duration we call one Kalpa (cosmos) or Brahma Diwas (eternal
day). It is preceded and succeeded by an equal period during which matter lies
in a dormant, inert state and that is called a Brahma Ratri i.e. a divine night
(for the nature that sleeps as it were). All the souls also remain in a dormant
state, a sort of hibernation, during this period. The evolution of cosmos from
dormant state may be called a ‘creation’ or ‘srishti’, and its involution back
into inert state is called dissolution (pralaya). As days and nights succeed
each other, so do cosmos and divine nights in this eternal sinusoidal cycle of
evolutions and involutions (Figure 1).
All matter, i.e. nature, has three
basic attributes/forces – satva, rajasa and tamasa. During brahma ratri, these
forces remain in a balanced state. After the big bang, the three forces get
realigned to form elementary particles called Mahat or Aapah, which combine
further to form other basic particles, atoms and so on.
Figure 1
A
– "Big Bang"
|
B
– "Big Crunch"
|
A
to B – One "Kalpa"
|
Age
of the Universe
The age of each Kalpa (eternal day)
is 4.32 billion years (4,320,000,000 years). According to Hindu scriptures this
is further subdivided as below:
1 Kalpa
|
=
|
1000 Chaturyugis
|
=
|
14 Manvantars + Buffer Periods of
6 Chaturyugis
|
|
1 Manvantar
|
=
|
71 Chaturyugis
|
1 Chaturyugi
|
=
|
4,320,000 years
|
Of the 14 manvantars, the universe
expands for the first seven, and contracts for the next seven.
Each chaturyugi is subdivided into
four Yugas:
- Krit yuga = 1,728,000 years
- Treta yuga = 1,296,000 years
- Dwapar yuga = 864,000 years
- Kali yuga = 432,000 years
At present, kaliyuga of the 28th
chaturyugi of the 7th manvantar is in progress. According to this calculation,
1,972,949,100 years have elapsed since the evolution of present cosmos began,
and it has 2,347,050,900 years still to go before the "big-crunch".
All planets prior to their formation
are part of their parent stars, like the nine planets of our solar system were
part of the Sun. After parting from the Sun, it took millions of years for our
Earth to cool and become solid. The Earth is hollow inside, with a tiny
white-dwarf "sun" at its center. Most of the other planets in this
universe are hollow inside. And most of the planets are inhabited too, because
the basic purpose of planets is to support life – as that of stars is to
support planets. On a planet, both the outside surface and the inside surface,
or any one of them, could be suitable for life. For our Earth, both the
surfaces support life – in fact, the "inside world" (referred to as
Pataal Loka in Hindu scriptures) is more suitable for life as is protected from
outside natural calamities.
Presently, the twenty eighth
chaturyugi of the seventh manvantar is in its last phase. The Earth was formed
in the second manvantar, while the Moon was formed in the third. Continents
came out of the oceans in the fourth manvantar. Vegetation was born in the
fifth, animals in sixth and humans at the beginning of the current seventh. So,
human life on Earth is roughly 120 million years old.
At first the humans were born by
asexual means – in fully grown-up and knowledgeable state – in the Meru Parvat
region in Himalayas (Tibet). They further carried on the chain of life through
sexual means.
At the birth of every cosmos the
complete knowledge of God is transmitted in wave-form and spreads out with the
expanding universe. This knowledge was received by the foremost of the earliest
humans – the four rishis (sages) – through meditation, and given to the
humankind in the form of the four Vedas.
Population increased, Vedic
knowledge spread, and human society flourished. Since the very beginning,
humanity has taken two paths, the Devas and the Asurs, the believers in God and
the worshippers of nature, the good and the evil. The society got divided along
these two paths. The Deva or Aryan culture believes in scientific development
supported by equal spiritual enlightenment for the ultimate betterment of
humanity. On the other hand, the Asur culture believes in extreme materialism
and considers the nature to be all powerful, leading to usage of science for
destructive purposes.
The fight for supremacy between the
two cultures, between good and bad, follows a sinusoidal path, and so do peace
and wars, and the scientific and spiritual development of humanity. Today it’s
the asur culture that is on top, but the fight is still on.
Human
Body: Birth to Rebirth
What we call human body actually is
a combination of three bodies
- The Physical body (Sthula sharira), one which we ‘see’ and ‘feel’ with our senses.
- The Astral body (Sukshma sharira), our higher dimension body, and connected with our physical body by means of an infinitely extensible ‘silver cord’ at the naval.
- The Cause body (Karana sharira), much subtler than the astral body, plus the wave form record of all our Karma and desires (vasana), good or bad.
This "combination" human
body is the carrier, the vehicle of our "Atma", the Spirit, the
actual "me". During our sleep – unconsciously, and during meditation
– consciously, our astral body can leave the physical body. For astral body
being at a much higher vibration level, physical things are no barrier to it.
When we "die", only our physical body is destroyed. We, the "spirit"
along with the astral body and cause body are born again in another physical
body, as directed by our Karmic record. In between the death and rebirth, the
spirit, along with the astral body goes to a particular astral plane depending
on its level of evolution. There it experiences a detailed review of its latest
life before being born again in another life. And this cycle of birth &
death continues. The process of rebirth causes a memory loss, and we humans
forget the real purpose of our lives. The aim of human life is to remember who
we are, and to work towards the goal of evolution and the ultimate
"moksha" (freedom from the cycle of birth and death).
The
Law of Karma
All human actions/deeds, performed
voluntarily or involuntarily, are termed as Karma. Broadly, karma are divided
in two categories.
- Nishkama Karma – performed as a duty, without expecting any "karma-phal" (result/ benefit) out of it. Karma of highly evolved yogis fall into this category.
- Sakama Karma – where the performer wishes a particular result out of the karma. Karma of most humans falls into this category only. It can be good, bad or mixed type of sakama karma.
Hindu scriptures consider nishkama
karma to be the highest form of karma that leads the soul towards salvation.
Categorizing as per mode, human
beings perform three types of karma
- "manasa" – by thought
- "vacha" – by speech
- "karmana" – by actions
All three have different karma-phal,
and based on it a spirit’s next incarnation is decided. Three attributes of the
next life are decided by karma-phal
- "yoni" – Species (human/ animal/ plant)
- "aayu" – Age
- "bhoga" – Comforts
Only human form is the one where a
spirit is free to do karma. In rest all life forms – all animal and vegetation
species – spirit is not free to do karma, only to endure the results of
previous karma.
Apart from the above classification,
the karma is also classified in two types
- Personal Karma, a persons individual karma which effect him alone
- Societal Karma, the karma of individuals of a society counted together, whose reward/ punishment has to be borne by every individual of the society, in addition to the effect of the personal karma.
Knowledge
is Eternal
The knowledge of God is eternal, and
is present everywhere around us in energy form. So are the past and prospective
futures. These can be "tapped in" by sufficiently spiritually
advanced individuals. Without the spiritual development, knowledge and science
always decay.
At the end of every chaturyugi,
there is always a pralaya – mass destruction in the form of natural or man-made
cataclysms – in which most of the knowledge in physical form is destroyed. But
humanity survives in the form of a few human beings to carry forward the human
race into next chaturyugi, like "Manu" (Noah) did at the end of last
chaturyugi 3,893,100 years ago. Scientific remains of ancient, advanced
civilizations of present chaturyugi may still be present and could be
discovered by evolved and dedicated groups of people.
The Expanding Egg
Sanskrit is a beautiful language. Each word in Sanskrit tells its meaning
itself. Each word has been thought carefully. Sanskrit is not a product of
evolution from an earlier language. It has been designed to be what it is. When
Vedic sages coded the knowledge of particle physics and cosmology, they were
well aware of the possibility that one day the code may be lost due to the
decline of their civilization. Therefore they chose the words very carefully to
provide vital clues about the code.
The Expanding Universe
The word for universe in Sanskrit is "Brahmanda", which is made by
joining of words "Brahma" and "Anda". Brahma is derived
from root "Briha" meaning to expand and "Anda" means egg.
Thus "Brahmanda" means expanding egg. Concept of the universe as an
egg is found in nearly all ancient civilizations, the source of which is
obviously the Rigveda. The concept of Martanda discussed later in this chapter
is related to the egg-shaped universe. The universe is described as an egg in
most post-vedic scriptures.
"Apah were indeed Salila earlier. Desire arose in it. They labored.
From that heat arose. From heat golden egg was born. Golden egg was swimming in
that for a year." Shatapatha Brahmana 11.1.6.1
"Whole universe including moon, sun, galaxies and planets was inside
the egg. Egg was surrounded by ten qualities from outside." Vayu Purana
4.72-73
"At the end of thousand years Egg was divided in two by Vayu."
Vayu Purana 24.73
"From that golden egg earth and heaven were made." Manusmriti 1.13
In Matsya Purana 2.25-30 following story is told about creation. After
Mahapralaya, dissolution of the universe, there was darkness everywhere.
Everything was like in a state of sleep. There was nothing, either moving or
unmoving. Then Svayambhu, self-being, manifested, which is the form beyond
senses. He created water first and established the seed of creation into it.
That seed turned into a golden egg. Then Svayambhu entered in the egg, and he
is called Visnu because of entering. The concept of the universe as an egg is
based on sound scientific reasoning. We will discuss the scientific basis of
this shape later in this book during the discussion of Vedic cosmology.
Birth of Gods
What happened during the initial moments of creation? The Big Bang cosmology
gives a very dramatic account of first few moments. The universe was extremely
hot and it went through a very rapid expansion stage initially called
inflation. The Vedic viewpoint differs from this view. The initial moments of
creation are described in the following hymn from the Rigveda: Rigveda 10.72
Sage: Laukya Brihaspati or Brihaspati Angirasa or Dakshayani Aditi; Deity:
Gods; Metre: Anustupa
1. We speak about the birth of Gods clearly. Who says the praises, will see
them in later ages. 2. Brahmanaspati created these (everything in the universe)
like an artisan. In the earlier age of gods manifest was born from unmanifest.
3. In the first age of gods, manifest was born from unmanifest. Then quarters
of the heaven (asha) were born, after that one whose legs are extended. 4. From
the one whose legs are extended, was born Bhu, and from Bhu were born quarters
of the heaven (asha). From Aditi Daksha was born, and from Daksha Aditi was
born. 5. Daksha, your daughter Aditi gave birth. Gracious, immortal bonded gods
were born from her. 6. When gods were sitting in this Salila firmly
established, from their dance penetrating dust came up. 7. When gods pervaded
whole universe, then in ocean sun was brought near. 8. Those eight sons born to
Aditi, with seven she went to gods, and left Martanda away. 9. With seven sons
Aditi went to earlier age. For the birth and death of people, (she) accepted
Martanda again.
The Dead Egg
The last two verses tell us about Martanda, and here lies the seed of a
gigantic misconception that man was created in the beginning of the universe.
Martanda means dead egg. Egg is the universe itself, so dead egg means a
universe that had no life. The formation of the universe was not a spontaneous
process. The universe had to expand in order to exist, but forces of expansion
and contraction were in a delicate balance in the beginning. The universe did
not keep on expanding continuously is the Vedic viewpoint. After an initial
expansion, the universe started to contract. This is the meaning of Aditi going
to earlier age.
Above all this, blueprint for a program to educate
specially chosen children in ancient spiritual and scientific techniques should
be prepared, so as to produce leaders for a new world order.
