Science without Religion

Knowing the self-

2013-09-28T00:09:00.000+05:30

The first thing which comes to my mind is the self. We all belong to this self and persistently working for it, in order to make it happy. What is this self and why its realization is important? Let me elaborate it more, if I ask a simple question that who are we? Then what we think of our self as a body, object, soul, carbon element, etc. But let me clarify we are more than that and the thing is to know this correctly, which will surely kill our entire affliction. Actually, the problem is with us that we have been taught like that, we think those things to be ours which in reality does not belong to us. And unfortunately this is called to be an illusion.

Yes, it’s nothing but state of our mind or consciousness. We only see those things for which we feel conscious, interpret it like that– how many times we see the road or blue sky while travelling from our home to office when we are late for office. It’s a kind of joke off course if we are going to the office while following road and watching sky so sensibly continuously we are watching these things but if someone ask us that what did you saw beside street no.7 while crossing the road or was sky really blue or cloudy then we might answer sorry I do not know cause I was in hurry.

Similarly, we feel those things what we see and we see those things what we feel. The same way from childhood we have been told by our parents, relatives, neighbors that this house is ours, this dress is ours, this garden is ours and moreover this life is ours. But question is, does really all these things are ours even this life. The things which have been mentioned belongs to a period of time for a period of life then how it could be ours, as we know the famous saying of John Keats that “a thing of beauty is a joy forever”, means real beauty is that which exists forever in the same way ours is that which belong to us forever. What? Forever, no it’s unbelievable. This means that which is not going to be with us forever is not truly ours it’s an illusion. Yes, it’s an illusion, our relatives, relations which lost its existence, and even our parents, they belong to us and we belong to them but neither we are in them nor they.

When a day comes our father dies and he leaves us alone with our mother, wife and son. After someday our loving mother will die. Now we left only with our small family, suppose our young son quits us and wife died on account of cancer, then who will be with us and then the self will be realized which is going to be with us forever. When we live alone or sad then we feel it but not all of it, only one percent. Causes if we realize it fully then we are not going to be anxious any more. But how we can realize it fully? Is there any method or exercise to get it? These questions are common to be arisen in our mind, wait soon everything will be known. But self-realization is not a simple or informal activity, to know about it first we have to concentrate and then dilate our faith. I would like narrate a story of Christopher who visited to India in 2010 in order to self-realization via yoga and meditation.

Christopher was new in India and thus he visited to guru (spiritual master) across Himalaya. He asked him to train him so that he could realize himself. Then guru said: “Son you have come here from far away to know yourself if you don’t know about self then how I could?”

Christopher replied: “Sir I respect you and your venerability but wistfully no one knows themselves.”

Then guru said: “Great, at least you know this that how hard is the self-realization because it’s verily very hard for us human to overcome illusion of this materialistic world. So tell me, what you really want in this world?”

Christopher replied: “I want happiness and pleasure as everyone is crashing for it.”

Guru said: “As usual, everyone wants this but you should ask different things my son. Ok, tell what is prominent and primary need of human beings in this modern world. ”

Christopher replied: “off course treasures and money.”

“Christopher my dear”, said guru, “If I provide you all treasures and money but with no one in this world, in nothingness, then will you be happy.”

There upon Christopher said: “no guru ji if nothing is here in this world then what will I do of all these treasures.”

Which means it’s just a state of mind or a period of time; treasures only give pleasure if someone be present to show off. Otherwise to whom we goanna show it, to our self but that’s not real pleasure. Then what is real pleasure?

Christopher said: “Guru ji, does all those treasures will make me immortal”

Guru replied: “No, well you have asked a genuine question and honestly I will give you genuine answer with the help of UPANISHAD (a sacred Vedic scripture in Hinduism).”

Come sit down, I will explain to you. As I explain it, meditate on what I say.

Then guru said: “not for the sake of the husband, my dear, is the husband loved but he is loved for the sake of the self which, in its true nature, is one with the supreme self.

Not for the sake of the wife, my dear, is the wife loved, but she is loved for the sake of the self.

Not for the sake of the sons, my dear, are the sons loved, but they are loved for the sake of the self.

Not for the sake of the wealth, my dear, is the wealth loved, but it is loved for the sake of the self.

Not for the sake of the worlds, my dear, are the worlds loved, but they are loved for the sake of the self.

Not for the sake of the gods, my dear, are the gods loved, but they are loved for the sake of the self.

Not for the sake of the beings, my dear, are the beings loved, but they are loved for the sake of the self.

Not for the sake of the all, my dear, is the all loved, but it is loved for the sake of the self.

So Christopher, it is the Self that should be realized, yes self should be heard of, reflected on and meditated upon. By the realization of the self, my dear-through hearing, reflection and meditation– all is known. All the above thoughts I have given you from Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (part2, Ch.4, v.5).

To be continued.............

महादेव

DOES WE REALLY DIE-illusion of death-1

2012-07-03T09:12:00.000+05:30

We think that life is only limited to our body, just the activity of carbon and an admixture of molecules.We got a period of life after that we will be gone.Yes, just flash back and think what we say if someone die-he has gone.Q-Who has gone where? and answer we generally get in practical world to the heaven.Which means we all know that we are not only limited to our body something is within us which is "I" in reality or think like that the ends occurs only of object but remember we are not object.

We believe in death because we’ve been taught we die. Also, of course, because we associate ourselves with our body and we know bodies die.If we watch out we see blue sky,plants,buildings but that’s not the same for all.Some may not be watching blue sky or not so blue as u r experiencing.If thought poignantly then conclusion we could get is that its only state of mind or in other words consciousness. Yes your consciousness decides what to feel,see and how.Lets understand it scientifically--

Consider the famous two-slit experiment. When scientists watch a particle pass through two slits in a barrier, the particle behaves like a bullet and goes through one slit or the other. But if you don’t watch, it acts like a wave and can go through both slits at the same time. So how can a particle change its behavior depending on whether you watch it or not? The answer is simple – reality is a process that involves your consciousness .

An experiment published in 1990 suggests that Zeno was right . In this experiment, scientists demonstrated the quantum equivalent of the adage that “a watched pot doesn’t boil”. This behavior, the “quantum Zeno effect,” turns out to be a function of observation. “It seems,” said physicist Peter Coveney, “that the act of looking at an atom prevents it from changing”. Theoretically, if a nuclear bomb were watched intently enough – that is, if you could check its atoms every million trillionth of a second – it wouldn’t explode. Bizarre? The problem lies not in the experiments but in our way of thinking about time.

Or consider Heisenberg’s famous uncertainty principle. If there is really a world out there with particles just bouncing around, then we should be able to measure all their properties. But you can’t. For instance, a particle’s exact location and momentum can’t be known at the same time. So why should it matter to a particle what you decide to measure? And how can pairs of entangled particles be instantaneously connected on opposite sides of the galaxy as if space and time don’t exist? Again, the answer is simple: because they’re not just ‘out there’ – space and time are simply tools of our mind.

Death doesn’t exist in a timeless, space less world. Immortality doesn’t mean a perpetual existence in time, but resides outside of time altogether.

Many evidences are there which scientists are still searching and you know what the void of death has been mentioned already in the sacred scriptures, specially it has been clearly mentioned in detail in Shrimad Bhagwad Gita,to which Einstein also agreed after reading it.As after the death of his old friend, Albert Einstein said “Now Besso has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That means nothing. People like us … know that the distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”

TO BE CONTINUED-

JESUS IN INDIA-(lost years of jesus)

2012-05-05T13:07:00.005+05:30

This is unbelievable fact that Jesus went to india and in Jagannath he studied Vedanta.Acccording to the book JESUS LIVED IN INDIA(Holger Kersten,1986,Element Books) talks about the lost years of Jesus from the time of his childhood to when he returned to israel in his mid thirties,a gap of about 18 years.This German book is methodical and authoritative evidence of Christ's life beyond the Middle East before the Crucifixion and in India and elsewhere.

Ancient scrolls reveal that Jesus spent seventeen years in India and Tibet,from age 13 to 29 he was both a student and teacher of Buddhist and Hindu holy men.The story of his journey from jerusalem to Benares(VARANASI) was recorded by Brahman historians.Today they still know him and love him as St.Issa as their BUDDHA.

A short introductory section precedes a brief description of the early history of the people of Israel and the life of Moses. An account then follows of how the eternal Spirit resolves to take on human form 'so that he might demonstrate by his own example how moral purity may be attained, and by freeing the soul from its rude mortality, achieve the degree of perfection required to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, which is unchanging and ruled by eternal happiness'. And so a divine infant is born in far-away Israel, and is given the name Issa. Sometime during the fourteenth year of his life, the lad arrives in the region of the Sind (the Indus) in the company of merchants, 'and he settled among the Aryans, in the land beloved of God, with the intention of perfecting himself and learning from the laws of the great Buddha', The young Issa travels through the land of the five rivers (the Punjab), stays briefly with the 'erring Jains', 'and then proceeds to Jagannath', 'where the white priests of Brahma honored him with a joyous reception'. At Jagannath Issa/Jesus learns to read and understand the Veda. But by then instructing the Sudras of the lowest castes, he incurs the displeasure of the Brahmanas, who feel their position and power threatened. After spending six years in Jagannath, Rajagriha, Benares and other holy cities, he is compelled to flee the Brahmans who are outraged at his continuing to teach that it is not the will of God that the worth of human beings should be judged by the caste.

According to Professor Hassnain, who has studied this tomb, there are carved footprints on the grave stones and when closely examined, carved images of a crucifix and a rosary. The footprints of Yuz Asaf have what appear to be scars represented on both feet, if one assumes that they are crucifixion scars, then their position is consistent with the scars shown in the Turin Shroud (left foot nailed over right). Crucifixion was not practiced in Asia, so it is quite possible that they were inflicted elsewhere, such as the Middle East. The tomb is called by some as "Hazrat Issa Sahib" or "Tomb of the Lord Master Jesus". Ancient records acknowledge the existence of the tomb as long ago as 112AD. The Grand Mufti, a prominent Muslim Cleric, himself has confirmed that Hazrat Isa Sahib is indeed the tomb of Yuz Asaf!

Thus Kersten deduces that the tomb of Jesus Christ Himself is in Kashmir!

The implications of Kersten's discovery are monumental. Christ's life in India, after the crucifixion, challenges current Church teachings at their very foundation. The theology of Saint Paul, the major influence on modern Christianity, is empty fanaticism in the light of this discovery. Threatened also are the doctrines of obedience to the Church, original sin, salvation through blind faith and the non-existence of reincarnation, etc. Yet these ideas underlie the morality and ethics, (or lack of them), that govern the entire Western social structure, from the legal system to medical health care schemes. It is no wonder that the modern Churches and their secular interests refuse to consider such a proposition as Kersten's!And there are still many old Purana of Hindu and Buddha where clearly the name of Jesus as ISSA MASI have been mentioned and all the evidence regarding to his life or being a son of god or prophet is mentioned there in form of SHLOKAS.For further information I request to visit LOST YEARS OF JESUS

Here are some images which ensure about the existence of JESUS in India-

All the events regarding to JESUS have been clearly mentioned in BHAVISHYA MAHA PURANA

YUZ ASAF FOOT PRINTS

WORD ISAMASI HIGHLIGHTED IN BHAVISHYA MAHA PURANA

HAZRAT ISSA SAHIB or TOMB OF LORD MASTER JESUS

Women in Hinduism

2012-04-22T19:36:00.002+05:30

Before going to the position of women in Hinduism,one must understand the true essence of Hindu scriptures and be able to discriminate between what is religious philosophy versus what was merely social philosophy in the ancient times.Actually many misconceptions are there that in India/Hinduism women are not given equal rights,they are forced to do anything without their permission and off course no doubt SATI pratha which really changed the view about Hinduism as far as women is concerned but let me tell you one thing that there is not a single line throughout the Hindu sacred scriptures which supports SATI pratha.This is the social philosophy created by time to time thus the social philosophy varies with time but the religious ideals do not.The point is critical since Hinduism has a large number of scriptures and lack of right understanding as to their content and hierarchy can result in the distortion of the Hindu religious tradition.

The following are quotes from other scriptures that further confirm the equality between men and women in all religious and spiritual aspects:

“Unite, O Lord, this couple like a pair of lovebirds. May they be surrounded by children living both long and happy ” Atharva Veda Samhita 14.2.64

“Let there be faithfulness to each other until death. This may be considered as the summary of the highest law for husband and wife.” Manu Smriti 9.101

“May our prayers and worship be alike, and may our devotional offerings be one and the same.” Rig Veda Samhita 10.191.3

The most important rite of the Vedic wedding ceremony is Sapatpadi. Here the bride and bridegroom take seven steps together around the nuptial fire (Agni) and make the following seven wedding vows to each other:

“With God as guide, let us take, the first step to nourish each other, the second step to grow together in strength, the third step to preserve our wealth, the fourth step to share our joys and sorrows, the fifth step to care for our children, the sixth step to be together forever, and the seventh step to remain lifelong friends, perfect halves to make a perfect whole.”

The words “perfect halves to make perfect whole” is the final word of Hinduism on the relationship between husband and wife. Thus Hinduism provides same religious rights and privileges to women as it does to men. Neither is woman superior to man, nor is man superior to woman. Both are “perfect halves to make perfect whole.”

While studying the ancient history, you may find that women held top religious and social positions in the Vedic period. There are references to women sages and saints in Vedas and Upanishads who were greatly revered for their religious and spiritual wisdom. During and following the epic period, the caste system (an ancient social philosophy) became rigid, which caused conflict within the society. The women often became the victims of this internal social conflict as well as the violence caused by the foreign invaders. The protection of women thus became a pressing issue for the society and the men had to shoulder this responsibility. The critical need to protect the women during the ancient period is clearly reflected in the following verse of the Manusmriti:

“Father protects (her) in childhood, husband protects (her) in youth, and sons protect (her) in old age. A woman cannot be left unprotected.” (MS 9.3)

Thus, the husband became the sole protector (like god) of his wife. This led to a social structure in which a wife was expected to cling to her husband for protection--in other words, worship him. This is why Ramayana says that the highest dharma of the woman is to worship her husband. The times have changed and the ancient social philosophy is irrelevant now.

Hindu religious philosophy views marriage like a triangle where God is at the apex and the husband and wife are at the other two corners that farm the base of the triangle. As long as the couple is at the base, there is great separation between them. However, when they begin moving towards God together, the distance between them decreases. The distance between then decreases to zero when they reach God and unite in Him forever in joy. If any one of its wings is inferior, weak or damaged, the bird will fail to fly.

In different ways and by different words, all these four Mahavakyas simply confirm the fact that an individual regardless of religion, race, culture, gender, color, cast, creed or geographic location is atman clothed in a physical body. The physical body we get is the result of our past karma. What we are now is the result of our past practice and again practice makes us what we shall be. The differences between individuals exist only at physical level. There are no spiritual differences between man and woman. The husband and wife are the two sides of the same coin. They are the two manifestations of the same atman.

Is euthanasia right or wrong-2

2012-04-05T23:50:00.001+05:30

JAINISM-

The follower of JAINISM(sharavak) have been allowed to put an end to his or her life if they feel that moksha can be achieved.Which means this does not think like other religion, here the liberation from the cycle of birth and death (lives) is first and foremost.

JUDAISM-

Jewish thinkers oppose voluntary the active euthanasia though there is some backing for voluntary passive euthanasia in limited circumstances,But overall this can be concluded that more or less Judaism oppose it.

One source in the Chumash for this prohibition may be found the Book of Genesis:

"But your blood of your lives will I require; ...from the hand of man, from the hand of a person's brother, will I require the life of man."

The additional phrase "a person's brother" after having already stated "from the hand of man" is redundant. The author of the book HaKtav v'haKaballah explains that this verse refers to a prohibition against euthanasia. Although murder is the opposite of brotherly love, one might think that euthanasia is in fact a permitted expression of brotherly love.Moreover these refers to two types of murder:

1) to the detriment of the victim ("from the hand of every man"), such as for revenge, or money, etc.

2) for the benefit of the victim ("from the hand of every man who is his brother"), when he is in great pain and would rather die than live.

This verse imprints on our conscience that this particular form of "brotherly love" is nothing more than plain murder. Like most people today, Jews are having a very difficult time deciding what to do for people, loved ones in particular, whose bodies have pretty much shut down but can be "kept alive" mechanically. And once someone is hooked up to a machine, whether to withdraw it.By referring to the two ways in which one person might take another life, the Torah does not differentiate based on motive and reasons. Both are equally prohibited." (end of source). Suicide in Jewish law is forbidden. A person's soul is not his to extinguish, and he cannot not direct someone else to assist him in ending his life.

SHINTO-

In Japan where dominant religion is Shinto (69%) agree with the act of passive euthanasia.Here prolongation of life using artificial means is a disgraceful act against life.

For part- 1 click here

Is euthanasia right or wrong-1

2012-03-29T21:06:00.002+05:30

Euthanasia is term which has been recently became more popular and active, reason may be the advancement of science and weak physical strength or anemic humans.Its main aim is to lessen the pain of an individual by killing him on account of cut his/her suffering off or giving artificial death.Well if you will think practically then you find it conscientious but I wanna let you think once more about it.Giving death to someone is really justifiable,I am talking of death a major incident for a man which make him always fear of it, are humans are now so much superior that they have right to decide life or death.If you are not the father of life then who are you to obliterate it, god is all above so let him decide.According to me if you have been naturally born then yours death should also be natural because god is running this whole universe and he knows better than you that what to do with an individual.Lets see what various scriptures says about it-

HINDUISM-

In Hinduism every thing is related to karma and they believe in cycle of birth and death.Let me explain this more clearly.

According to Vedas man has only to trust worthy friends in life, the first is called Vidya (knowledge), and the 2nd is called Mrityu (Death). The former is something that is beneficial and a requirement in life, and the latter is something that is inevitable sometimes even unexpected. It is not the euthanasia that is the act of sin, but wordily attachment which causes euthanasia to be looked upon as an act of sin. Even a Sanyasin or Sanyasini if they decide to, are permitted to end his or her life with the hope of reaching moksha (free from cycle of birth and death).But you can not get this reward by yourself its he almighty who will decide it.Well sometimes Hinduism says that helping to end a painful life a person is performing good deed and so fulfilling their moral obligations.On the other hand ending a life even an individual is suffering you are disturbing the timing of the cycle of death and rebirth.This is not good moreover you are taking the remaining Karma of the patient.However, the sane argument suggests that keeping a person artificially alive on a life-support machines would also be a bad thing to do.

Now lets see different views on it as euthanasia or mercy killing statements are given in Srila prabhupada:

They say,"oh, it is better to kill him than to give him so much pain"

And this theoty is coming in communist countries like in Africa there is a class of men who make festival by killing their great-grandfathers.

According to the Vedic knowledge brahmana, old men, child, woman and cow, they have no fault and they are free.They do not have any link within this jurisdiction of law.So killing them is accepted as the great sinful activities.Now,suppose a devotee refuses medication or fasts until he leaves his body, and he is doing to himself,not to other person and he is preparing to go back to his home means god, not to get free of bodily distress, such a devotee knows that it is time for him to leave this world,so why continuing maintaining body..It should not be done to get rid of painful condition of life, and friends according to me in mordern world this theory fails because now no one is such close to God that he could decide when an individual time has come to leave this earth, as this theory could be valid only for that time because then people were much more contiguous.This is not the same as suicide. It is not done as a means of getting free of a painful condition of life. That is specifically defined by Lord Caitanya as "harassment" of the Supreme Lord. There is a story illustrating this very point narrated by Locan das Thakura in his Caitanya Mangala, about a South Indian brahmana who vowed to commit suicide in the presence of Lord Jagannatha because he could not endure his extreme poverty any longer. Lord Caitanya became very unhappy with this person.

In the US there is a doctor named Kevorkian who has build a rolling suicide laboratory in the back of a van. People who are terminally ill and suffering greatly from the disease call him, and he puts them in his van, sticks a needle in their arm, and tells them to press a button that will inject a powerful drug into their bloodstream that brings on unconsciousness and death. These unfortunate people think that death is the end of all suffering, so if death is made as painless as possible, that's the best way to go. "The best death" for a karmi is to die in peaceful sleep (total ignorance, in other words). But there is a next life which is determined by the thoughts of our last moments in this life. It doesn't take much imagination to envision where an unconscious person will end up in his next birth.

Thus, Hindu Garuda purana says that-

Garuda Purana 2.22.8-13: "Those who meet with foul death such as committing suicide by hanging from a tree, by poison or weapon, those who die of cholera, those who are burnt to death alive, those who die of foul and loathsome diseases or at the hands of robbers, those who are not cremated duly after death, those who do not follow sacred rites and conduct, those who do not perform Vrsotsarga and monthly pinda rites, those who allow sudras to bring sacrificial grass, twigs and other articles of homa, those who fall from mountains and die, those who die when walls collapse, those who are defiled by women in their menses, those who die in the firmament and those who are forgetful of Visnu, those who continue to associate with persons defiled due to births or death, those who die of dog-bitting or meet with death in a foul manner, become ghosts and roam over the earth." So, you let the things go in order not to interfere in one`s karma.

For part- 2 click here

India,science and religion

2012-03-23T19:52:00.002+05:30

In India science and religion are not opposed but this often seem to be in the west, but even many scientific concepts has been inspired from the sages and scripts of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.Thus, in the Hindu understanding the science is also the approach towards godhead.Hindu concepts of time and space is the notion that the external world is a product of creative play of Maya (illusion).Thus, the world we know is not real but illusionary.This universe is in constant flux with many level of reality (energy).And if we find moksha (release), then according to saints now we are free from the bonds of space and time.

After a universal dissolution cycle, our supreme being decides to recreate the cosmos so that we souls can feel that the world what we see is real, have shape and solidity.Soul according to karma earned in previous life draw themselves in atoms that coalesce into an appropriate body.As in mordern physics, Hindu cosmology envisaged (infer) that the universe have a cyclic nature.The end of each kalpa brought about by Shiva`s dance is also known as the beginning of next world which emphasize that the rebirth need destruction.In our universe every quantity is fixed within that only formation and destruction will occur so obviously for new born one have to die as this nature uses the matter and quantity is fixed.

India is rooted in a timeless universe of eternal return unlike the west which live in a historical world, in India everything which happens has already done so many time before, though in different guises.Hinduism arose from the discoveries of people who felt that they have gained something, an insight into the nature of reality via deep meditation and yoga.Science uses a heuristic method that requires proof of theoretical mathematics. Yet both have proposed similar scenarios for the creation of the universe.

GRANDIOSE TIME SCALES-

As in Hinduism understanding of time is as grandiose as time itself.While most cultures base their cosmologies as few hundred or thousands of years, but the Hindu concept of time embraces billions and trillions of years.The time units from the infinitesimal truti, lasting 1/1,000,000 of a second to a mahamantavara of 311 trillion years,all these things has been described in Puranas.That`s why sages call time as cycle, an endless procession of creation, preservation and dissolution.Now one of the famous scientist Carl Sagan have expressed amazement at accuracy of space and time descriptions given by the ancient rishis and saints, who fathomed the secrets of the universe through their mystically awakened senses.

When science aspired to estimate the age of the earth then many scientists had been inspired from the sages predictions,The most remarkable of these occult time-scales is that of the ancient Hindus, the concept of the Earth`s duration has been given in a sacred book "Manusmriti". The 8.64 billion years that marks full day and night cycle in Brahma`s life is about half the modern estimate for the age of the universe.The ancient Hindus believed that each Brahma day and each Brahma night listed as kalpa, 4.32 billion years, with 72,000 kalpas equating a Brahma century, 311,040 billion years in all.That the Hindus could concieve of the universe in terms of billions.

Can science and religion be integrated

2012-03-21T20:26:00.000+05:30

Here is a words of a famous Indian physicist Dr. Amit Goswami on "Can science and religion be integrated".He said that-

What comes to mind immediately is that religions themselves cannot agree with one another, whereas science is basically monolithic. How can there even be trade between the two, let alone integration? On the other hand, there is common ground for all religions in three respects: 1) All religions agree that there is God—an agent of what they call downward causation. This is to be distinguished from materialists’ upward causation model—
namely that all cause originates from the base level of matter, the elementary particles. Religions don’t necessarily disagree with materialists’ upward causation, but they additionally posit occasional intervention by a (nonmaterial) God, creation events for example. 2) All religions also posit the existence of nonmaterial “subtle” bodies connected with our internal experiences—feeling, meaning, and values—in addition to the material body. 3) All religions posit the importance of certain values as the goal of life, values such as love, truth, beauty, justice, and goodness. These godly qualities are what give our life meaning, religions maintain, because God designed us. The overall perception of science is that it is materialist. The belief is that science cannot be done without the dogma of material monism: All things of our experience have a material origin. It is only logical that the practitioners of materialist science should have something to object to and negate about the three religious contentions of reality enunciated above. The first, downward causation, scientists negate because “How does a nonmaterial God interact with matter?” It is dualism. For the second, the postulate of subtle bodies, the same objection is posed—“How do the nonmaterial subtle bodies interact with the material body?” Dualism again. Dualism is not scientifically feasible because two bodies that have nothing in common cannot interact without a mediator. And there is no mediator that we can see, these scientists maintain. Materialists also posit that God, consciousness, mind, feelings, values, all things internal besides what we experience are explainable in material terms. However, so far this has been only a promissory idea that the renowned philosopher Karl Popper called promissory materialism. As for the third contention of religions, the importance of values in our lives, materialist science does not exactly deny it. But they maintain that values originate in matter as genetic programs but that no programmer is required. Instead, these programs evolve through Darwinian evolution (natural selection) because they help the organism to adapt to environmental changes. So the first problem of integrating science and religion is to generalize science to include downward causation and the subtle bodies in such a way that dualism does not ruin the integration. This author has solved this problem (for details, read my book The Visionary Window) using some ideas from quantum physics. Quantum physics has a very obscure opening; this is what I call a visionary window. If we look through the window, new light appears that enables us to generalize materialist science in the appropriate way. The new light consists of a shift in the metaphysical base of science, from a base in matter to a base in consciousness. In quantum physics, objects are not determined things of Newtonian vintage. Instead, they are waves of possibility. When we observe these waves, they “collapse” into actual events in our experience. Instead of spread-out waves, what we observe is a localized particle. This is the famous observer effect. Looking affects objects according to quantum physics. But if consciousness is a brain phenomenon, as materialist science posits, the observer effect is a paradox because then brain and its consciousness both consist of possibilities only. Possibilities acting on other possibilities cannot make actuality. The resolution of the paradox is to turn the materialist view of consciousness upside down. Let consciousness be the base of the world and let matter consist of waves of possibilities of consciousness. Consciousness chooses from the possibility waves of matter within it to collapse the actual events that we observe. Back in the 1970s, when quantum physicists were first proposing that we choose our own reality, many people tried to manifest beautiful expensive cars for themselves. When they couldn't, they tried at least to manifest parking spaces for their cars in crowded downtown areas, but even then the success rate was not encouraging. Obviously something was missing! The next step was to realize that the choosing consciousness must transcend personality, must be unitive—the same for all of us. If this were not so, you could look at a multifaceted quantum possibility wave and choose one facet and simultaneously somebody else could look and choose an alternative, contradictory facet. The world then would be pandemonium. Behind our apparent individuality, it is our unity consciousness that chooses actuality from quantum possibilities. This unity consciousness is what religions call God. We don't ordinarily experience ourselves as God-consciousness because of how the brain works. Our brains sift all experience through our memories. In the process, we become conditioned. We respond to a familiar stimulus as we responded before—we acquire an ego-individuality based on our habit pattern. And yet, whenever we are capable of rising above conditioning, God is there to enable us make a creative choice. I hope you agree that that this is a good beginning for a genuine integration between science and religion.-"www.lotusguide.com"

Hindu views on Evolution

2012-03-14T18:35:00.000+05:30

It is much in vogue that Hinduism is a polytheistic due to multiplicity of deities.There is bewildering diversity in Hinduism and thus, some belief - theistic, atheistic and agnostic - rests on a solid unity i,e "Ekam sath, Vipraah bahudhaa vadanti", says the Rig Veda: The Truth (God, Brahma, etc) is one, scholars call it by various names.If you are searching for the answer of "Multiplicity of deities" then here is the answer, the multipicity of deities indicates the Hinduism's spiritual hospitality as evidenced by two characteristically Hindu doctrines:- The Doctrine of Spiritual Competence (Adhikaara) and the Doctrine of The Chosen Deity (Ishhta Devata). The doctrine of spiritual competence requires that the spiritual practices prescribed to a person should correspond to his or her spiritual competence. The doctrine of the chosen deity gives a person the freedom to choose (or invent) a form of Brahman that satisfies his spiritual cravings and to make it the object of his worship. It is notable that both doctrines are consistent with Hinduism's assertion that the unchanging reality is present in everything, even the transient.

In Hinduism many concepts are there which are interconnected to the achievements of modern science and some are there which are not.But Hinduism offers methods to correct and transform itself in course of time.According to Samkhya,the oldest school of Hindu philosophy talks about a particular method to analyze knowledge.It says that every knowledge is possible through three pramanas such as:-

1.Pratyaksa or Drstam (direct sense perception)

2. Anumana (logical inference) and

3.Sabda or Aptavacana (verbal testimony)

The Hindu school of logic or Nyaya accepts all these three means and in addition one more- upamana (comparison). Evolution, creationism and the origin of life are the viewpoints regarded to evolution.Some Hindu schools do not treat the scriptural creation myth literally and some creation stories also do not have specific detail.But some Hindu find Vedas and some other scriptures more accurate. Dashavatara (incarnation of lord vishnu) is almost identical to the scientific explanation of biological evolution of man and animals.Lets see what dashavatara actually is? So, it goes like-

1.Matsya (an aquatic organism)

2. Kurma (an amphibian or reptiles)

3.Varah (a land animal)

4. Narasimha (a humanoid)

5. Vamana (a dwarf human)

Above 5 forms are required for a well developed human beings.But it further mentioned while giving the name of some of the great warriors of India as Parashurama (Axe-man), Rama (King), Balarama/Buddha (Plougher/sage), Krishna (Wise statesman), Kalki (might warrior).

Now let me compare above 5 given stages of evolution with mordern biology.Lets see what science says about it:-

1.Matsya - If we compare it with biological evolution on different Geological Time Scale (G.T.S) then first developed was also in form of fish which originated during Cambrian period.

2. Kurma - In geology also first reptiles comes as second important evolution which originated in Mississippian period just after Amphibians.

3.Varah - Same evolution of Amphibian to the land animal.

4 Narasimha - There is no any evidence regarding to this stage in geology but it may have been related to Ape man or extinct early man ancestors,such as missing link between apes and human,search is under consideration but in my opinion its true as many characters are there which are missing and sometime they have been seen in Himalayas and their foot prints were also there but no prove is there of there existence now.

5.Vamana - Related to first man originated during Pliocene.It may be related with Neanderthals (12-14 cm long humans).

Now Parashurama,the man with an axe was the sixth avatar,it has similarities with the first morden man originated during the Quaternary period or the man of iron age.

LORD VISHNU - Sleeping Narayan

" Lord Vishnu is said to rest in the coils of Ananta, the great serpent of Infinity, while he waits for the universe to recreate itself.

"he falls back upon the earliest and greatest of Revelations, those of the Sacred Books of India with a Cosmogony which no European conception has ever surpassed."

"While the West was still thinking, perhaps, of 6,000 years old universe – India was already envisioning ages and eons and galaxies as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. The Universe so vast that modern astronomy slips into its folds without a ripple.”

Despite the dawn of Enlightenment and advent of modern science, the Semitic religions have still not matured enough to respect, tolerate and understand a simple notion that “All paths lead to the same summit (God).”

photo courtesy: Dr. Deepak Shimkhada.

(image source: A Tribute to Hinduism: Thoughts and Wisdom spanning continents and time about India and her culture - By Sushama Londhe). "

Science in Hinduism-Part 3

2012-03-12T21:06:00.002+05:30

Variant Interpretations of Hindu Chronology

The "Traditional Puranic Model" described above is agreed upon by most authors on Hinduism and Yoga. Six different authors, listed at the end of this paper, describe this model identically.

However, several other authors, some of them well-known Hindu teachers, have published descriptions of the cycle of ages that differ from the traditional Puranic model. These variant theories are described below.

Sri Yukteswar

In the introduction to his book The Holy Science, Sri Yukteswar describes an interesting variant of the Hindu theory of ages. According to him,..the sun, with its planets and their moons, takes some star for its dual and revolves around it in about 24,000 years of our earth-a celestial phenomenon which causes the backward movement of the equinoctial points around the zodiac. The sun also has another motion by which it revolves round a grand center called Vishnunabhi, which is the seat of the creative power, Brahma, the universal magnetism. Brahma regulates dharma, the mental virtue of the internal world.

Yukteswar goes on to explain that the sun's 24,000 year revolution around its companion star takes the sun progressively closer, and then progressively further away from the mystic center Vishnunabhi. In his system, dharma increases as we approach Vishnunabhi and decreases as we draw away from it. The cycle of yugas takes place twice in each 24,000 year revolution. As the sun recedes from Vishnunabhi, the ages pass in the usual order: Satya, Treta, Dvapara, Kali. As the sun approaches Vishnunabhi, the ages pass in the opposite order: Kali, Dvapara, Treta, Satya.

The length of the yugas is: Satya Yuga, 4800 years; Treta Yuga, 3600 years; Dwapara Yuga, 2400 years; and Kali Yuga, 1200 years. The yugas during the approach to Vishnunabhi he calls 'ascending' yugas; those during the retreat from Vishnunabhi he calls 'descending' yugas. The most recent ascending Kali Yuga began in 499 A.D. Since 1599 A.D. we have been in the ascending Dwapara Yuga, with consequent advances in human culture and knowledge.

Yukteswar goes on to say that the Hindu almanacs, which correspond to the traditional Puranic model described previously, are in error. The error crept in during the dark years of Kali Yuga when scholars misinterpreted the scriptures. Regarding the conventional view that we are currently in Kali Yuga, Yukteswar says flatly that it is not true.

Yukteswar's model thus differs from the traditional in the following respects:

A cycle of four yugas takes 24,000 years instead of 4,320,000.
The yugas alternate between ascending and descending trends instead of always proceeding in the same order. This alternation becomes necessary once you posit that the ages result from our changing distance from Vishnunabhi, rather than a deliberate divine intervention at the end of Kali Yuga.
The greater cycles like kalpas, manvantars, and lifespan of Brahma go unmentioned.

Paramahansa Yogananda

Paramahansa Yogananda was a disciple of Sri Yukteswar and one of the best-known Hindu teachers ever to visit the West. He wrote the perrenial bestseller Autobiography of a Yogi.In the latter book, Yogananda describes and endorses Yukteswar's theory of world cycles. However, in a footnote, Yogananda adds the following:

The Hindu scriptures place the present world-age as occurring within the Kali Yuga of a much longer universal cycle than the simple 24,000 year ecquinoctial cycle with which Sri Yukteswar was concerned. The universal cycle of the scriptures of 4,300,560,000 years in extent, and measures out a Day of Creation. This vast figure is based on the relationship between the length of the solar year and a multiple of pi (3.1416, the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle). The life span for a whole universe, according to the ancient seers, is 314,159,000,000,000 solar years, or "One Age of Brahma."

The Hindu scriptures declare that an earth such as ours is dissolved for one of two reasons: the inhabitants as a whole become either completely good or completely evil. The world mind thus generates a power that releases the captive atoms held together as an earth.

This statement seems at first to reconcile Yukteswar's theory with the traditional view, but in fact actually contradicts both.Regarding Yukteswar's theory, in his own writing he clearly states that the traditional Hindu almanacs are in error and suggests how the error came about. He states that the length of the yugas, given in ordindary years in the scriptures, were misinterpreted by later scholars as being counted in units of "deva years" which are much longer. This method led the scholars to believe that the yugas are much longer than they really are. Yukteswar's theory is thus clearly intended to replace, not to supplement, the traditional interpretation.

Regarding the "much longer universal cycle" that Yogananda describes, he states that a Day of Creation is 4,300,560,000 years. This is close but not identical to the traditional number, which is 4,320,000,000 years. Similarly, Yogananda gives 314,159,000,000,000 years the the life of Brahma, whereas traditionally the number is slightly different: 311,040,000,000,000 years. It seems likely that Yogananda arrived at these different figures because he wanted to derive them from some multiple of the ratio pi. The exact manner in which pi enters into the calculation is, unfortunately, not explained in his footnote.

David Frawley

David Frawley is a Westerner who has become a scholar of Vedic scriptures, Jyotish (Indian astrology), and Ayurveda (Indian medicine). He has written a number of books on various aspects of Vedic culture and wisdom.

Like Yogananda, Frawley adopts Yukteswar's 24,000 year maha yuga and views it as a smaller cycle within the larger maha yugas described traditionally. Frawley likewise introduces some twists in the way he interprets both the smaller and the larger cycle.

With regard to the 24,000 year cycle, Frawley begins like Yukteswar by ascribing the cycle to the sun's revolution around a companion star. Frawley says that this revolution varies the amount of cosmic light we receive from the galactic center. Thus, he seems to have identified Yukteswar's Vishnunabhi with the center of the galaxy, which Yukteswar never explicitly does. Still, it is a plausible interpretation.

Unfortunately, a 24,000 year orbit would make only a negligible difference in our sun's distance from the galactic center, which is at a vast remove from us. Presumably because of this, Frawley abandons Yukteswar's notion that it is our varying distance from Vishnunabhi that causes the cycles of yugas. Instead, he posits that our companion star is a dark star, and when it passes between us and Vishnunabhi, tends to eclipse some of the cosmic light from that source, thus causing the decline into the less inspired ages like Kali Yuga.

In describing the greater cycle, Frawley states the greater cycle consists of 8,640,000 years, and what it corresponds to astronomically is not now known. In this cycle we are in a dark or Iron age, whose duration is 432,000 years. Exactly when it began or when it will end are not clearly known either. (Some begin it at 3102 B.C. but this is just to confuse it with the beginning of the Bronze age or the dark half of the lesser cycle.)

In this passage, Frawley gives the traditional length for Kali yuga while giving double the traditional length for the cycle as a whole. Why? Presumably he considers that the greater cycle follows the same pattern as the lesser, with both ascending and descending yugas. Thus a full cycle would consist of Satya-Treta-Dvapara-Kali-Kali-Dvapara-Treta-Satya. Presumably also the whole cycle follows as a result of our overall revolution around some object more distant than the "companion star" or "dark star."

Alain Danielou

Alain Danielou has written a number of books on the spiritual traditions of India. In the book While the Gods Play, he quotes the Linga Purana and derives numbers from it much different than those in the traditional interpretation described previously. In this version, the life span of the gods is 4,320,000 human years. This period is divided into 71.42 manvantaras. Each manvantara is divided into the four yugas: Satya, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali. As a result, the length of these yugas is as follows:

Satya (or Krita) Yuga: 24,195 human years.
Treta Yuga: 18,146 human years.
Dvapara Yuga: 12,097 human years.
Kali Yuga: 6,048,72 human years.

By Danielou's reckoning, Kali Yuga began in 3012 B.C. and will end in 2442 A.D. By that point, the last traces of the present human race will have disappeared. We are supposed to be the seventh manifestation of the human race; the previous ones appeared in 419,964 B.C.; 359,477 B.C.; 298,990 B.C.; 238,503 B.C.; 178,016 B.C.; and 118,529 B.C. Our race appeared in 58,042 B.C., which according to Danielou corresponds to the advent of Cro-Magnon man. Danielou also suggests that Neanderthal man might be the race that precedes ours.

Danielou's version thus differs from the usual theory in the following ways:

He takes 4,320,000 as the lifespan of the gods, rather than the length of a maha yuga.
He divides the 4,320,000 period into 71.42 manvantaras, rather than dividing a kalpa into 14 manvantaras. His manvantaras are thus much shorter than in the usual version.
He states that each manvantara contains a single mahayuga, instead of the usual 71 maha yugas. His maha yugas are thus much shorter than in the usual version.

Danielou makes a couple of other comments worth mentioning. On the subject of why the scriptures portray a year as 360 days in length, he states the number of days in a year is not constant. The rhythm of the earth's rotation varies over very long periods. A figure of 360 is considered to be the average.In referring to the cyclical nature of the ages, Danielou also makes the following very interesting statement:

The circle is an illusion, for the cosmic mechanism is in reality always formed of spirals. Nothing ever returns to its point of departure. However, the circle does give us a simplified image.Unfortunately, he does not expand on this concept any further.

Rishi Singh Gerwal

Rishi Singh Gerwal was the author and apparently also the publisher of a small pamphlet on ancient prophecies, published in Santa Barbara in the 1940s. The pamphlet contains translations of various prophetic portions of the Mahabharata.

In the Introduction, Gerwal gives the following numbers:

1 kalpa = 22 septillion, 394 sextillion, 880 quadtillion human years.

1 kalpa = 2 manvantaras (traditionally this would be 14 manvantaras)

1 manvantara = 71 maha yugas (this is the same as the traditional reckoning)

Gerwal goes on to give the traditional lengths for the Satya, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali Yugas. He then states that the present Kali yuga has 210,000 years to go. He also states that 22,394,880,000,000,000,000,000,000 years have already passed since the start of the kalpa. Since this number is the same one he gave as the length of a kalpa, we are presumably at the very end of this present kalpa.

Oddly enough, if you multiply maha yugas of 4,320,000 years times 71 to make a manvantara and then times 2 to make a kalpa, the result is only 613,440,000 years rather than the 22 septillion Gerwal states as his total.

The 22 septillion number is far greater than the traditional length of a kalpa, and the statement that 2 manvantaras make a kalpa is far fewer than the traditional number of 14.

Yugas and Science

If we restrict our attention to the traditional interpretation, we find that it makes a number of significant predictions that can be compared with the findings of modern science.

Great Culture Preceded Us

Beginning about 3,894,000 years ago, there is supposed to have been a great civilisation in which people were happier, taller, and much longer lived than they are today.

By contrast, scientists currently believe that homo sapiens evolved from more primitive forbears about 300,000 to 400,000 years ago. Humanity is supposed to have domesticated plants about 12,000 years ago, and animals shortly thereafter. Prior to that point, humans are thought to have been hunter-gatherers and possibly scavengers.

The scientific view is based on fossil evidence. The mystery is how an advanced civilization posited by the Hindu theory could have vanished without leaving any trace for us to find.

Cyclic Catastrophes

A number of periodic catastrophes are described in the Hindu scriptures:

At the end of each Kali Yuga, some type of destruction takes place. The most recent instance would be a bit under 4 million years ago. Other instances should be found every 4,320,000 years before that
At the end of each manvantara, a great flood wipes out most life on earth. The most recent occurrence would be 120,534,000 years ago. Other instances would occur at intervals of 306,720,000 years.
At the end of the kalpa, all life on earth is destroyed. The most recent instance would be 2,267,574,000 years ago.
At the end of a life of Brahma, the entire universe and all its heavens and hells are destroyed. The current universe would have come into existence more than 150 billion years ago.

Interestingly, current scientific research does support the existence of occasional mass extinctions in earth's history. These include the following major extinctions:

At the Ordovician/Silurian transition, about 425 million years ago.
Near the Devonian/Carboniferous transition, about 345 million years ago.
At the Permian/Triassic transition, about 230 million years ago.
At the Triassic/Jurassic transition, about 180 million years ago.
At the Cretaceous/Tertiary transition, about 63 million years ago.

Additionally, some scientists have identified what they believe is a cycle of periodic mass extinctions occurring every 26 million years.Unfortunately, none of these specified dates corresponds to the catastrophes called for by the Hindu theory.

Current scientific estimates of the age of the universe range from 7 billion to 20 billion years. By contrast, the Hindu theory calls for a universe more than 150 billion years old.

On the other hand, the dates ascribed by scientists to the various geologic periods have been revised a number of times on the basis of new evidence, and could possibly be revised again in the future. Further, cosmology could reasonably be described as an infant science, and the age it ascribes to the universe as a whole might also change on the basis of new theories and evidence.

Downward Trend

By far the greater divergence from modern science is in the overall pattern of the Hindu theory. The Hindu and scientific patterns differ in the following ways:

The main pattern in the Hindu theory is one of cycles.
In the Hindu theory, life follows a downward trend most of the time, from the finest age to the worst. At the end of the worst age, Kali Yuga, divine intervention rapidly destroys the wicked and restores everything to its pristine state.
In the Hindu theory, humanity is always present. The concept of evolution is confined to spiritual evolution; that is, each soul takes life in a series of lower to higher animal forms before finally incarnating as a human being.

By contrast, the fossil record of life on earth indicates that life began with very simple forms and later developed more complex organisms. The advent of humanity appears to be an extremely recent development when compared to the history of life on earth. Humanity itself does not appear to have existed long enough to have participated in the vast cycles of ages posited by Hindu theory.

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References

Traditional Puranic Chronology

(Anonymous), Introduction to Kashmir Shaivism. S.Y.D.A. Foundation, Oakland, California, 1977. See pp. 69-70.

Ananda K. Coomaraswamy & Sister Nivedita, Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists. Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1967. See pp. 392-395.

Baba Hari Dass, Silence Speaks. Sri Rama Foundation, Santa Cruz, California, 1977. See pp. 79-80.

Cornelia Dimmitt & J.A.B. van Buitenen, Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas. Rupa & Co., Calcutta etc., 1983. See pp. 19-24, 36-43.

Swami Vishnu Tirtha Maharaj, Devatma Shakti (Kundalini): Divine Power. Pub. Swami Shivom Tirth, 1962. See pp. 29-30.

W. J. Wilkins, Hindu Mythology. Rupa & Co., Calcutta etc., 1983. See pp. 353-360.]

Variant Interpretations of Hindu Chronology

Alain Danielou, While the Gods Play: Shaiva Oracles and Predictions on the Cycles of History and the Destiny of Mankind. Inner Traditions International, Rochester, Vermont, 1987. See pp. 194-199.

David Frawley, Vedic Astrology Correspondence Course, Part I, Section 1. Vedic Research Center, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1986. See pp. 16-18.

Rishi Singh Grewal, World Prophecies: Dictators and Taxation Foretold in Ancient Hindu Philosophy, pub. Rishi Singh Grewal, Santa Barbara, California, 1941. Esp. pp. 1-5.

Paramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi. Self-Realization Fellowship, Los Angeles, 1979. See pp. 193-194.

Jnanavatar Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, The Holy Science: Kaivalya Darsanam. Self-Realization Fellowship, Los Angeles, 1984. See pp. 7-20.

Summaries of Scientific Theory

Funk & Wagnall's New Encycopedia, 1986 revision. Various articles.

Rick Gore, "Extinctions," National Geographic, June 1989.

Science in Hinduism-Part 2

2012-03-12T21:04:00.001+05:30

Thus, many puranas are there which describes cycles within cycles,well cycle could be understand as units of deva years, each of which equals 360 human years.The following description starts with the smaller cycles and works up to the larger ones. The length of each cycle is given in ordinary human (earth) years, as well other units where appropriate. Large numbers are described using the conventions of American English: thus, a million is a thousand thousand, a billion is a thousand million, a trillion is a thousand billion.

This description is based on numerous sources, which are given in the "References" section at the end of this document.

Maha Yugas-

The smallest cycle is called a maha yuga. A maha yuga is 4,320,000 human years. Each maha yuga is subdivided into the following four ages, whose lengths follow a ratio of 4:3:2:1:

Satya Yuga (also called Krita Yuga)

This first age is 1,728,000 human years. Also known as the Golden Age or age of Truth. The qualities of this age are: virtue reigns supreme; human stature is 21 cubits; lifespan is a lakh of years, and death occurs only when willed.

Treta Yuga

This second age is 1,296,000 human years. Also known as the Silver Age. The qualities of this age are: the climate is three quarters virtue and one quarter sin; human stature is 14 cubits; lifespan is 10,000 years.

Dvapara Yuga

This third age is 864,000 human years. Also known as the Bronze Age. The qualities of this age are: the climate is one half virtue and one half sin; lifespan is 1,000 years.

Kali Yuga

The fourth and last age is 432,000 human years. Also known as the Iron Age. This is the age in which we are presently living. The qualities of this age are: the climate is one quarter virtue and three quarters sin; human stature is 3.5 cubits; lifespan is 100 or 120 years.

Toward the end of a Kali Yuga, various calamities cause a good deal of destruction. Baba Hari Dass states that creation disappears at the end of a Maha Yuga and remains in seed form inside Brahma. However, other sources do not suggest anything so drastic; it is possible that Hari Dass was really thinking of the end of Brahma's daytime or Brahma's life when he wrote this description.

Brahma Days (Kalpas)

A kalpa is a single daytime period in the life of Brahma, the creator god. Two kalpas are a day and a night of Brahma.

Each kalpa is composed of 1,000 maha yugas. A kalpa is thus equal to 4.32 billion human years.

At the end of Brahma's daytime period, the Three Worlds (Bhuloka, Bhuvarloka, Swarloka) and the seven underworlds (of the nagas) are temporarily dissolved (pralaya); that is, the same folks can be reincarnated when the next day of Brahma begins.

The Vishnu Purana states that at the end of the daytime period of Brahma, a dreadful drought occurs that lasts 100 years, and all the waters are dried up. The sun changes into seven suns, and the three worlds (Bhurloka or Earth, Bhuvarloka or the lowest heaven, and Svarloka or the next higher heaven) and the underworlds are burned bare of life. The inhabitants of Bhuvarloka and Svarkloka flee to the next higher heaven, Maharloka, to escape the heat; and then to the next higher heaven, Janaloka.

Then mighty clouds form and the three worlds are completely flooded with water. The lord Vishnu reposes on the waters in meditative rest for another whole kalpa (4.32 billion years) before renewing the creation.

The destruction that takes place at the end of a daytime of Brahma is referred to as naimittika, which is incidental or occasional. The characteristic of this destruction is that the three worlds continue to exist but are made uninhabitable. The souls of individuals also continue to exist to be reincarnated in the next daytime of Brahma.

Brahma Years

A year of Brahma is composed of 360 day/night cycles of Brahma, or 720 kalpas, or 8.64 billion human years.

Brahma Life

The lifespan of Brahma is 100 Brahma years, or 72,000 kalpas, or 311.04 trillion human years.

At the end of the life of Brahma, all worlds are completely dissolved (mahapralaya). No one is reincarnated from these worlds ever again.

Manvantaras

Another cycle that overlaps the others is that of manvantaras. Each kalpa is reigned over by a succession of 14 Manus, and the reign of each Manu is called a manvantara. A single manvantara is approximately 71 maha yugas.

Coomaraswamy states: "Each Manvantara is followed by a Deluge, which destroys the existings continents and swallows up all living beings, except the few who are preserved for the repeopling of the earth."

Our Position in History

We are located in the fifty-first Brahma year of the life of our Brahma.

Within that Brahma year, we are in the first Brahma day, called the Varaha kalpa.

Within that Brahma day, we are in the seventh manvantara, and in the 28th maha yuga of that manvantara. This would place us at about the 454th maha yuga of the 1,000 maha yugas that comprise this day of Brahma.

Within this maha yuga, we are in Kali Yuga. The 5100th year of Kali Yuga will correspond to the year 2,000 A.D. That means that we are fairly early in Kali Yuga and this age will continue more than 426,000 more years.

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Science in Islam

2012-03-12T19:20:00.000+05:30

Its no exaggeration to say holy Qur'an as a scientific book, many things are which science can not prove or which has been recently discovered already given in Qur'an.Some verses from the Qur'an which explains many scientific events are as-

1. Big bang theory already given in Qur'an 1400 years ago in Surah – al-Anbiya (21:30)-

" Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens
and the earth were a joined entity, and We separated them and
made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe?"

2.Light of moon is not its own light but the reflected light in Surah- al-Furqan (25:61)-

"Blessed is He who has placed in the sky great stars and placed
therein a [burning] lamp and luminous moon."

3.The shape of earth is spherical in Surah- an-Naziat (79:29-30) -

"And He darkened its night and extracted its brightness. And after that He spread the earth"

4. Sun revolves and does not rotate on its own axis in Surah- al-Anbiya(21:33)-

"And it is He who created the night and the day and the sun
and the moon; all [heavenly bodies] in an orbit are swimming."

5. Universe is expanding in Surah- adah-Dhariyat (51:47) -

"And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We
are [its] expander."

6. Water cycle and its full process is given at many places in-

ch.39 v21, c30 v24, ch15 v22, ch23 v18, ch24 v43, ch30 v48, ch7 v17, ch25 v40-49, ch35 v9, ch36 v34, ch67 v30, ch86 v11

7.Plants got sex (Male and Female) mentioned in Surah- Ta Ha (20:53)-

"[It is He] who has made for you the earth as a bed [spread out]
and inserted therein for you roadways and sent down from the
sky, rain and produced thereby categories of various plants. "

8.Types of water(sweet and salty) and the barrier between them in Surah- al-Furqan (25:53)-

" And it is He who has released [simultaneously] the two seas
[i.e., bodies of water], one fresh and sweet and one salty and bitter,
and He placed between them a barrier and prohibiting partition."

and in Surah-ar-Rahman (55:17-18)-

"[He is] Lord of the two sunrises and Lord of the two sunsets.So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny? "

9.Mountains prevents the earth from shaking in Surah-an-Naba(78:6-7)-

"Have We not made the earth a resting place? And the mountains as stakes?"

10.Creation of every living creature from water in Surah-al-Anbiya(21:30)-

" Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens
and the earth were a joined entity, and We separated them and
made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe?"

11.Life style of spider in Surah-al-Ankabut (29:41)-

"The example of those who take allies other than AllŒh is like
that of the spider who takes [i.e., constructs] a home. And
indeed, the weakest of homes is the home of the spider, if they
only knew. "

12.life style of ant in Surah-an-Naml (27:17-18)-

"And gathered for Solomon were his soldiers of the jinn and
men and birds, and they were [marching] in rows Until, when they came upon the valley of the ants, an ant said, "O ants, enter your dwellings that you not be crushed by
Solomon and his soldiers while they perceive not."

13.Life style of bee in Surah-an-Nahl (16:66,68,69) -

" 66.And indeed, for you in grazing livestock is a lesson. We give
you drink from what is in their bellies – between excretion
and blood – pure milk, palatable to drinkers.

67. And from the fruits of the palm trees and grapevines you take
intoxicant and good provision.653 Indeed in that is a sign for a
people who reason.

68. And your Lord inspired to the bee, "Take for yourself among
the mountains, houses [i.e., hives], and among the trees and
[in] that which they construct.

69. Then eat from all the fruits654 and follow the ways of your
Lord laid down [for you]." There emerges from their bellies a
drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for people.
Indeed in that is a sign for a people who give thought."

14.Embryology in Surah-al-Alaq (96:1-2)-

"Recite in the name of your Lord who created – Created man from a clinging substance."

15.And its stages also mentioned in Surah-al-Mu`minun (23:12-14)-

"And certainly did We create man from an extract of clay. Then We placed him as a sperm-drop in a firm lodging [i.e.,the womb].Then We made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot, and We made the clot into a lump [of flesh], and We made [from] the lump, bones, and We covered the bones with flesh; then We developed him into another creation. So blessed is Allah, the best of creators."

So here are the some beautiful lines from Qur'an and about that incredible creator i.e Allah.This totally depends on you that how you call him but no science can discard him and his creation,Every scientific laws are fail in front of his creations.

Mathematics in Vedas

2012-03-09T16:29:00.002+05:30

The oldest known document in the world is the Rgveda, which is otherwise known simply as the Vedas (plural because it is split into four parts). It was orally passed down until around 5 BC, when writing either started or became more commonplace in India. It came from the Vedic people, who lived between the Ganga and Sindhu rivers.Some of the hymns, which deal with cosmology, imply that the rishis were very familiar with geometry and the planning needed to construct complex objects.The Vedas are known as God word and the Veda samhita is composed of hymns praising all form of
knowledge.They don't make distinctions between secular and sacred knowledge (as we define them today) because secular knowledge was thought to be a tool to be used to discover sacred knowledge.These Vedic knowledge interpreted in multiple ways in multiple contexts (astronomical, spiritual, terrestrial etc). All the equations and formulas of mathematics ha been already given in Vedas in form of Mantras.A few examples I am going to show you-
PYTHAGOREAN THEOREM-
This theorem was given by a Greek mathematician Pythagoras but it is already mentioned in Sulba Sutra (8th century B.C)-

Many equations are written there in word form,suppose that you have done one simple mathematical operation like-2*2=4,now just write it in word form then it should be like two multiplied by two gives four.Its very hard to interpret because its an oral document,there are no symbols or operations -- only words.

This means that not only were ancient mathematicians poets as well, but more importantly the math they were working with had to be written to fit in verse. Most people consider it hard to do long division using symbols and well worked out methods. Imagine trying to complete this process with words and in poetry! And then, consider the difficulty of decoding your work 4000 years later!

RIG VEDA-

Geometry-

Geometry has been used and its concept has been written throughout the Rig Vedas. These may look like poetic lines but they are really admiring and logical.This has been in our ancient time people were having many small small tricks to get time information or many rules are there in our daily life which we follow as it has been told in our religion but indirectly it is useful for our body.

The following verse in the Rig Veda deals with the formation of the universe-

Who was the measurer prama? What was the model pratima? What were the building materials for things offered nidânam ãjyam? What is the circumference (of this universe) paridhih? What are the meters or harmonies behind the Universe chandah? What is the triangle (yoke) praugam which connects this universe to the source of driving force, the engine?

All these Sanskrit words (ie: prama) are geometrical terms which also occur later in the Sulbasutra (where they are also defined).

Chariots are described in great detail in many different verses in the Rig Veda and Yajur Veda. Dr. Kulkarni writes:

The proficiency in chariot building presupposes a good deal of knowledge of geometry... The fixing of spokes of odd or even numbers require knowledge of dividing the area of the circle into the desired numbers of small parts of equal area, by drawing diameters. This also presupposes the knowledge of dividing a given angle into equal parts.

The Rig Veda is full of references to words in rituals whose definitions we find in subsequent Brahmanas and in the Sulba Sutra to be pointing to geometrical figures. For example, three types of fire altars, garhapatya, ahavaniya and dakhshina are mentioned in the Rig Veda but defined in the Shatapatha Brâhmana as being square, circular and semi circular, respectively, and also having the same area. Considering that ritualistic fire altar designs were not changed over a period of time and that the shastras were recited for several millennia before being written down, the rishis must have had a method to calculate the square root of the number two and the value of pi, without which they would not be able to determine whether the three altars had the same area or not.

Further some concepts given in vedas are very useful in computer languages and this has been recently discovered that for Artificial intelligence(AI) Sanskrit language is very useful as this could be easily understand and operated by computers.

Error Correction & Detection Codes

The Rig Veda was recited using a special method of recitation which is akin to modern error correction and detection codes. This feature has allowed it to be passed on from generation to generation for many millennia without the introduction of errors.

The rishis had focused on developing methods of chanting which can detect any errors in chanting of a mantra, such as omitting a syllable or replacing one syllable by another. For each mantra, there are several different methods of chanting, each method capable of detecting one type of error. For illustration, consider one half of the famous gayatri mantra of the seer Vishvamitra.The standard method of recitation involving conjunction is called Samhita patha (given below)

Samhita Patha

tatsaviturvarenyam

bhargo

devasya

dhimahi

Separate all compound words into their constituents and number the words:

tat

savituh

varenyam

bhargah

devasya

dhimahi

1

2

3

4

5

6

In the kramapatha chant, use a text obtained by combining two neighboring words according the rules of sandhi, resulting in six words-

1+2, 2+3, 3+4, 4+5, 5+6, 6+6

First usage of Pi-

In the Rigveda, a formula to find the area of a circle is mentioned showing that the Rishis knew of pi, approximating it to be equal to 22/7. It was used in the formula for the area of a circle

area of a circle = pi*(AB/2)^2 where AB is the diameter of a circle.

REFERENCE:- All above contents have been taken from Hindupedia-{expect images}

Science in HINDUISM-part 1

2012-03-09T13:22:00.001+05:30

In Hinduism, the philosophy of dharma is extensively described in hundreds of scriptures and in the writing of our Jagadgurus and great Saints.

"The Cosmic wisdom contained in Bhagvat Gita is so universal in nature that the efficacy of it can never be denied by any Human Being... be one a follower of Christian, Islamic, Buddhist, Jaina, Hindu or any other Faith. Albert Einstein in one of his memoirs expressed deep anguish of his inability to grasp in time the fundamental truths expressed in Bhagwad Gita Summary Live. By the time Albert Einstein came to understand the basics of Bhagvad Gita as a scientist of the highest order ... time had ripened for him to leave the mortal frame (Normally scientists do not tend to believe in anything which does not support itself by proofs).

Bhagvad Gita talks not of proofs but of absolute Faith in the system of God... like the smell of a flower which can only be felt but never seen. He carried with him the bitterness of having awakened towards bhagavat Gita a bit too late. He left a word for those who follow... the total scientific community of the World combined can never outright discard Bhagvad Gita as the foremost of all sacred Scriptures... as most Spiritual phenomenon do not offer proof but can be felt and experienced if logically followed to the end-click here

The Brihadaranyak Upanishad (2/4/10) states that the prime scriptures of the Hindu religion or Sanatan Dharma, which are the Vedas, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas, Upanishads, along with the Sanskrit language and its vocabulary and grammar, plus all the scriptural verses or mantras - are all manifested by supreme God on this earth. They are apourushey, Divine, and not the product of a human mind.

A material human intellect doesn't have the capacity to decipher the deeper Divine meanings of these sacred writings. The Upanishads advise that if you are a seeker of God, the proper method of studying them is through a God realized Saint directly or through his writings.The Divine knowledge of Sanatan Dharma exists eternally, and has been on this earth since its inception.

Before I start something to say about hindu theory and modern science I would like to quote some beautiful lines from vedas which really have great and deep meaning-

“Truth can not be suppressed and always is the ultimate victor."
-the Yajur Veda

"When the family is ruined,
the timeless laws of family duty perish;
and when duty is lost,
Chaos overwhelms the family."
-Bhagavad-gita 1:40

"You must learn to endure fleeting things
they come and go!"
-Bhagavad-gita 2:14

"Life and death, joy and sorrow, gain and loss; These dualities cannot be avoided. Learn to accept what you cannot change."
-the Ramayana(book 2)

"Do not be led by others,
awaken your own mind,
amass your own experience,
and decide for yourself your own path."
-The Atharva Veda

“One should, perform karma with nonchalance
without expecting the benefits because
sooner of later one shall definitely gets the fruits. ”
-The Rig Veda

On this Earth do I stand,
Unvanquished, unslain, unhurt.
Set me, O Earth, amidst the nourishing strength
That emanates from thy body.
The Earth is my mother,
her child am I!
-the Atharva Veda

According to Vedic chronology, the earth is 155 trillion years old, we do not have technology or even theory to explain these scientific laws mentioned in VEDAS, even we do not have have the capacity to properly understand and grasp the Divinity in these scriptural writings. This is possible only through our own spiritual practice and the grace of a Saint.

FOR PART - 2 click here

FOR PART - 3 click here

Concept of God in CHRISTIANITY

2012-03-06T16:22:00.001+05:30

Concept of god in Christianity –

Thousands of years ago, a Egyptian ruler pharaoh posed a question that “who is lord that i should listen him? “It has been said, “if god were small enough for your minds, he wouldn`t be big enough for your needs. “Scriptures shows many verses which is always gaining on our mind. To clarify the existence of god bible says-“God is all knowing, ever present, and all powerful” in Mathew 10:29-31 means the creator of the universe knows every intimate detail of his creation.

“God is holy” in revelation 15:2-4 which means god is incomparable holiness merits our worship.

“God is loving and just “in 2Peter 3:3-9 means god`s justice is tempered by his love.

“God is personal “in acts 17:22-31 and this characteristic of god sets him apart from the so-called “gods” of other religions.

“God is in control” in Romans 11:33-36 and it is important to remember that God is still in control, even if things around us seem to be in chaos.

“The God of bible is the one true God in Corinthians 8:4-6, which contradict other religions as some insist on the existence of many gods, only the god of the bible is the true, living god, worthy of our devotion.

And bible god is Jesus, throughout history many people have attempted to answer this question. Some has done so accurately, but many have not. Best source to answer is god`s own world-The holy Bible. It presents us with some inescapable truths about Jesus that demand a response. He was not just a good man.He was and is the god-man.Let us see what bible say-

“Jesus is human” in Philippians 2:5-11 means Jesus became our supreme example as god in human form.

“Jesus is divine” in Colossians 1:15-20, even though Jesus became human, he still remained God.

“Jesus had a specific mission to accomplish” in Luke 4:16-21 means Jesus came to save humankind from sin.

“Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice” in 1peter 2:24, Jesus endured tremendous pain so that we could enjoy eternity with him.

“Jesus has great power to transform people” in acts 4:1-13 which means Jesus can change the most unlikely person into one of the most powerful witness on his behalf.

“Jesus has an eternal dominion” in revelation 1:4-8 means Jesus kingdom extends beyond the boundaries of space and time.

This shows that Jesus was a holy spirit-the holy spirit is the most mysterious member of the trinity, which includes god the father, god the son(Jesus Christ) and god the spirit(or the holy spirit).For instance, Jesus referred to himself as “the bread of life” and “the good shepherd”. In the same way, God father is referred to as “a refuge” and “a consuming fire”. Does this mean that Jesus is a loaf of bread or a sheep farmer, or that the father is a pile of rocks or a blast furnace? Of course not! These are the metaphors used in scripture to help communicate god`s character.

Reference:- new believers bible (new testament), Tyndale house publishers,inc., WHEATON,ILLINOIS.

Concept of God in HINDUISM

2012-03-06T15:11:00.000+05:30

Concept of god in Hinduism-

Hinduism is the oldest living major religion in the world.it is a religion which is predominant and indigenous religious tradition of Indian subcontinent, being third largest religion through the world density wise it is known as sanatan dharm to the followers.”sanatan” is a Sanskrit phrase which means “eternal law”. It’s a complex religion includes wide spectrum of laws and prescriptions of daily molarity based on notion of karma,dharma.in Hinduism there is great believe in numbers of gods which deserves worship and obedience. A large body of texts is classified as Hindu, divided into sruti (revealed) and smriti (remembered) texts. These texts include the information of theology, philosophy and mythology and provide information on the practice of dharma (religious living).among these texts Vedas are the foremost in importance, antiquity and authority. Other major scriptures are Upanishads,puranas and the epics-Mahabharata and ramayan.Bhagavad gita is a part of Mahabharata has its own special importance. It combines Vedanta, yoga and samkhya philosophy into its discussion of good conduct and life.

If we talk about Hinduism then we must know what a sacred scripture says. We all are denied to one power source, energy which creates as well destroy us is one.Thus,if we will go to the chandogya Upanishad ch.6 sec.2 v.1,it says that “ekkam evidityam”-which means god is only one. And he is most powerful, no past, future and present, he is unique, and in shvetashvatara Upanishad ch.6 v.9,it is mentioned that “nachasya kasij janita na chadipa”-which means there are no parents of that almighty god ,he got no father no mother, no superior he is above all.he is dominant and no likeness it is mentioned in shvetashvatara Upanishad ch.4 v.19,”natasya pratima asti”-which means of that god there is no image.Again in shvetashvatara Upanishad ch.4 v.20,the next verse says that “no one can see that almighty god”.And its further mentioned the same thing in bhagavad gita ch.7 v.20,it says “k|mais taistair hrtajnanah padyante’nyadevat| tam tam niyamam sth|ya prakty niyat svay” which means Persons whose discernment has been carried away by various desires impelled by their Krmic impression (Saskra), resort to celestial controllers (Devas) and practice various religious rites.Its mentioned in bhagavad gita ch.10 v.3-“yomm ajam an|di ca vetti lokamah varam Asamha sa martyeu sarvappai pramucyate” which means One who knows Me as the unborn, the beginning less, and the Supreme Lord of the universe, is considered wise among the mortals and becomes liberated from the bondage of Karma. Again in yajurveda ch.32 v.3 its mentioned that “natasya pratima asti”-means of that god there is no image, its further mentioned in yajurveda ch.40 v.8 that almighty god is imageless and pure. If we will refer to yajurveda ch.40 v.9 then its mentioned there that “andhatm pravishanti ya asambhuti mupaste”-which means that they are entering in darkness those who are worshiping natural things and the verse continues that they are entering more in darkness those who are worshiping non-natural things. In atharvaveda bk.20 hymn 58 v.3 its mentioned that “dev maha asi” which means that almighty god is very great.And amongst the Vedas the most sacred is rigveda and its mentioned in rigveda bk.1 hymn 164 v.46 that “ekkam sat viprabhav davdante” which means truth is one,god is one sages call him by various names.in rigveda bk.8 hymn 1 v.1 that “machidadni snsad” which means worship him alone, pray him alone. And the brahamasutra of Hinduism is “ekkam brahm dyotyanaste nahena naste kinchan” which means that there is only one god not the second one not at all, not in the least bit.

Above conversation signifies that god is one, no image, formidable but finally these all things depends on faith. There is only one link between you and god ie.faith,yours believe on him which is only thing which let you dream heaven. And this whole thing depends on your thinking, if you think god exists then yes he exist and yours all work will be attached to him no doubt, but it’s also true if you don`t think of his existence then he is totally futile for you but for him you are not futile. This is very big discussion and its very necessary to understand it.Now,its universal fact that it is impossible for an individual doesn`t believe on anything ,no matter either you are impious or pious, if you think of anything means you are believing on it whether it is stone,watch,table,or your advanced gadgets.Scientificaly you are the architecture of your life and its true. You only change the face and phase of him but indirectly you are totally attached to him it doesn`t matter you give any name to him. This whole world is one and everything is same for every creature of this world from insects to humans.

Who is GOD and what is RELIGION?

2012-03-05T18:53:00.003+05:30

The word which we are hearing since childhood, always makes us feel that something is above and beyond us,something is here which is controlling each and every segment of time, everything has been already planned and decided.BUT who??...who is doing these things like smiling or crying faces, happiness or anxiety, life or death,rich or poor, peace or war, beginning or end, love or emotion.

I think the perfect answer is energy.......Yes this is only thing which is present everywhere even in you and me, and this have been proved spiritually and scientifically.If under high microscopic vision you will see your palm then this could be clarify as your palm emits waves.I mean to say that it totally depends on your vision whether you believe in science or god.

If you will go to quantum physicist and ask him that who is controlling this universe them he will answer ENERGY and What is energy?-it can neither be created nor be destroyed.now you go to any spiritual person and ask him the same thing, then he will answer GOD and Who is god?- neither born nor begotten or in other words can neither be created nor be destroyed.Finally, the answer is same and that's the right choice,every sacred scriptures says that "it has been already given the sense of god in you from the birth".

Religion is not a like a stone of a hellpless pot, its a only thing which connects you, me, this society and even ours mind, it does not matter whether you are Hindu,Muslim,Christian, or even atheistic.If one who follows his religion wishfully then never war is going to held, all the scriptures has been designed so cleverly which is very helpful to maintain calm and balance and thus to create a good and happy society.

Relation between science and religion

2012-03-03T19:45:00.003+05:30

Its a new generation, modern life but hang on I am not here to interrupt yours happy and elegant life, just I wanna kill your ignorance. Before elaborating anything about religion/God I would like to twitch this blog with one a_colloquial poem but never mind that my blog is going to be very simple and easy... So it goes as

GOD SAYS -

I heal, since epoch

Feel, sin dialects

Immaculate, indecent

portrait present

god treasure, god pleasure, god prominent, exalt dogma

I veil, vicious

Assault, ferocious

Virtuous, sacredness

Persuade, impious

god treasure, god pleasure, god prominent, exalt dogma

Exalt, disciple

Assert, affinity

Civilized, venerate

Rest, satire

God treasure, god pleasure, god prominent, exalt dogma

Origin, hymns of holy

Contention, fiery

Scythe, paranoiac

Accomplish, desire

god treasure, god pleasure, god prominent, exalt dogma

Science without religion is like a guitar without string or computer without RAM,like a fan without blades or a pen without cartridge.It looks helpless without religion.But human mind is like that it accepts change as its always curious to know new thing and its like changes, but principle never changes you change yourself as much as you can but you can not escape from truth its constant,Something is there which do not like to be changed that's what the religion is,its a constant flow of life,love,devotion and unity.