The Striking Parallel Between Ancient Hinduism And Modern Physics

BY- JAYA CHOUDHARY

Ancient texts and modern science are frequently seen to be on different ends of the spectrum. While one is interested in learning about the cosmos and hence the outward world, the other is interested in learning about the inner world. Meanwhile, the origins of contemporary physics may be discovered in the ancient writings of the deepest 'Eastern Mythology'—Hinduism. It is easy to assume that the Vedas, Upanishads, Vedantas, Mahabharats, Gitas, and Ramayanas include startling parallelism between the ideas discovered by physicists today and those of the Vedas, Upanishads, Vedantas, Mahabharats, Gitas, and Ramayanas. Here we will discuss some striking parallels between the implications of current physics theories and ancient Hindu philosophy as articulated in the Vedas and Upanishads.

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Creation of universe

According to the current model of the universe's formation, there was a complete vacuum in the beginning, and the cosmos began from a quantum fluctuation. Something was created out of nothing in this way. It was completely black at the moment since the light had not yet escaped from the vacuum.

Compare and contrast this idea with the following Vayupuran quote regarding the origin of the cosmos.

"There was nothing in the cosmos in the beginning. Only the Brahman was present. The Brahman was colorless and odorless, and it could not be sensed or touched. It had no beginning, no middle, and no end". The Brahman was unchanging, and it was the source of all that was destined to exist in the cosmos, which was veiled in darkness.

The narrative of creation, Nasadiya Sukta, also states that there was utter darkness before creation.

Ancient texts and modern science are frequently seen to be on different ends of the spectrum.

Photo by Guillermo Ferla on Unsplash

One being is the essence of another

There are some scientific notions that are currently connected to observer nature. i.e. an observer is necessary for something to exist. For instance, if we state that there is fire, then an observatory ought to recognize that there is fire. In conclusion, if the fire is the essence of life, then living creatures are likewise the essence of fire. i.e. mutual existence is there between the two.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, also known as Madhu Vidya, teaches identical knowledge. A 'knowledge of honey' literal translation maybe, but it implies 'Knowledge of essence; the essence of bees from flowers is much like Honey. It begins with Upanishad 2.5.1 of the Brihadaranyaka. One of the verses in it is-

II-v-1: All creatures are like honey to this planet, and this world is like honey to all beings. The shining immortal entity who resides on this planet, as well as the shining, immortal, corporeal being who resides within the body, are both shining immortal beings. These four are nothing more than this self. Self-knowledge is the means of immortality; this underlying oneness is Brahman; this Brahman-knowledge is the way of becoming everything.

There are some scientific notions that are currently connected to observer nature. i.e. an observer is necessary for something to exist.

Photo by Daphne on Unsplash

Relativity theory

The theory of relativity, one of Albert Einstein's most renowned ideas of contemporary science, included several innovative notions as well. It necessitates that time measurement be dependent on the observer's mobility as well as the intensity of the gravitational field in which he or she is located.

The fact that Brahma's time differs from ours is frequently mentioned in Hindu scriptures. When Lord Krishna says in Vishwaroop Darshan (Ch.11 of Bhagvatgeeta) that Arjun can see the past, present, and future, it reminds us of the collapse of the space-time coordinate system near singularities in the general theory of relativity.

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It is also well known that sages in Hinduism arrived at the proper order of magnitude for the age of the universe, which is many billion years, whereas other religious systems insisted on a few thousand years. Particles are thought to be in some type of suspended state, devoid of any specific qualities, until they are measured, according to current physics. They are both here and there at the same time, and their existence is represented by a wave function, which is a superposition of seemingly conflicting features. Surprisingly, the description resembles that of a Brahman, as found in the Ishopanishad: "It moves and it does not; it is far and it is near; it is within all this and it is also beyond all this."