influences which exerts a control over our actions?

The legal issue of responsibility

seems to imply that there is, indeed, within each of us, some kind of an independent self
with its own responsibilities and, by implications, rights whose actions are not
attributable to inheritance, environment, or chance. If it is other than a mere convenience
of language that we speak as though there were such an independent self, then there
must be an ingredient missing from our present-day physical understandings. The
discovery of such an ingredient would surely profoundly alter our scientific outlook. it
will tell us to broaden our view as to the very nature of what a cause might be. A
cause could be something that cannot be computed in practice or in principle. when a
cause is the effect of our conscious actions, then it must be something very subtle,
certainly beyond computation, beyond chaos, and also beyond any purely random
influences. Whether such a concept of cause could lead us any closer to an
understanding of the profound issue of our free wills is a matter for the future.4
Free will is a quality of the life particle or spiriton and by exercising free will an
individual performs actions and is implicated in various reactions according to the law of
karma. The use of free will either appropriately or inappropriately will decide the course
of lifes journey. In the human form of life, free will is fully manifest and the chain of
karma can be cut off by choosing the appropriate action, the spiritual action. Therefore,
karma is not eternal.
Vedanta describes that all other forms of life below the level of human consciousness
cannot escape the chain of karma under normal circumstances. Therefore, Vedanta
emphasizes the importance of the human form of life.
The human race has an obligation to protect and guide not only mankind but also all
lower forms of life. We can either destroy ourselves and other life forms or we can act in
a way that uplifts and benefits the world, thus making a meaningful use of our human
form of life. If a person uses his or her free will for destroying innocent lives, he or she
will be regarded as committing crimes against creation and be subject to the law of
karma.
2.3 Biodiversity and Evolution of Consciousness
According to modern biology, biodiversity is due to a genetic variation caused by the
process of occasional chance mutation. However, according to Vedanta, the law of karma
and the three modes of material nature sattva, rajas and tamas are responsible for
biodiversity as well as for diversity in terms of levels of intelligence, degree of
development of mind and consciousness of the embodied being within the same species.
Furthermore, the Vedas state that biodiversity is a process to accommodate the various
states of consciousness in different life forms. There is a gradual evolution of
consciousness through various species of life according to the subtle laws of karma.
These life forms are said to number 8.4 x 106 and include microorganisms, insects,
plants, aquatics, birds, reptiles, animals, humanoids and human beings.5 According to the
conscious evolutionary cosmic time scale, one gets the human form of life after passing
through millions of varieties of life forms.
4
5

Roger Penrose, Shadows of the Mind, Vintage, 1994, p. 36.

Refered in Brahma-vaivarta Purana and Padma Purana.

Vedanta further explains that many life forms manifest simultaneously. In other words,
genetic variation is already within a cosmic plan. Nobel Laureate Werner Arbers
observation that genetic mutation is not due to error or mistake is in line with the
Vedantic conception. He says, Evolution does not occur on the basis of errors, accidents
or the action of selfish genetic elements. Rather, the evolution genes must have been finetuned for their functions to provide and to replenish a wide diversity of life forms. . . .6
Both of these viewpoints support that biological forms are already within the cosmic plan
and are opposite of Darwins concept of biological evolution. In fact Darwins theory of
evolution has many loopholes. Stephen Jay Gould, a prominent evolutionist from
Harvard University writes, The extreme rarity of transitional forms in the fossil record
persists as the trade secret of paleontology . . . In any local area, a species does not arise
gradually by the steady transformation of its ancestors, it appears all at once and fully
formed.7 It is not that natural selection and random mutation are the cause of
biodiversity. According to Hinduism, the spiriton continually transmigrates from one life
form to the next until it reaches the human form where consciousness is fully developed
and has a chance to reestablish its pure divinity of existence (see section 10 on Spiritual
Evolution). This conception is beyond the scope of modern biological science. Thus, the
Vedic doctrine of evolution of consciousness concept is contrary to the Darwinian
evolutionary theory. It is the consciousness that evolves, not the bodies, in the Vedantic
tradition.
Darwins mistake was that he could not conceive of an eternal existence of
consciousness. Thus, Vedanta does not accept Darwins theory of evolution. Under
normal circumstances, the consciousness of the spiriton evolves linearly as well as stepwise. As previously referenced, the Brahma Vaivarta Purana affirms, asitim caturas
caiva laksams tan jiva-jatisu bhramadbhih purusaih prapyam manusyam janmaparyayat, meaning one gets the human form of life after having changed 8.0x106 other
forms of life. The Padma Purana gives a detailed statement regarding the different forms
of life as follows:
jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati
krimayo rudra-sankhyakah paksinam dasa-laksanam
trimsal-laksani pasavah catur-laksani manusah
Translation: There are 8,400,000 forms of life. There are 900,000 forms of life in the
water, and 2,000,000 forms of trees and other plants. Then, there are 1,100,000 species of
small living beings, insects and reptiles, and 1,000,000 species of birds. Finally, there are
3,000,000 varieties of beasts and 400,000 human species.
As stated earlier, biological forms impose a limitation on the development of
consciousness. Therefore, different degrees of consciousness are expressed through
different bodies. Vedanta divides the degrees of consciousness into five broad categories:
acchadita (covered), sankucita (shrunken), mukulita (budding), vikasita (blooming) and
purnavikasita (fully bloomed).8
6

T. D. Singh & W. Arber, Dialogue on Life and its Origin, Savijnanam Scientific Exploration for a
Spiritual Paradigm, Vol.1 Kolkata, 2002, p.12.
7
Stephen Jay Gould, Evolutions Erratic Pace, Natural History, vol. 86, May 1977, p.14.
8
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Jaiva-Dharma.

Trees and plants, for example, are almost inert. They fall into the category of covered
consciousness. When we observe them carefully, we see that they have a limited or
covered consciousness. The famous scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose reported that plants
do have consciousness.9 Other living entities, such as worms, insects, and other animals
are in shrunken consciousness. They are not as covered as plants, but their
consciousness is not fully developed either.
Human beings have budding consciousness. A bud appears shrunken, but it has the
potential to bloom into a flower. Human consciousness has a similar potential. Thus,
human beings have the innate ability to develop their consciousness to an almost
unlimited extent, up to the point of knowing the Absolute Truth - God. Other species do
not have this special ability. That is why Vedanta emphasizes that brahmajignasa,
inquiry into the Brahman, God, is specifically meant for the human form of life. When
one begins to sincerely inquire about Brahman, ones bud-like spiritual consciousness
begins to bloom and as a result of this blossoming of consciousness one practices
regulated spiritual discipline and evolves further and further. Finally, one attains
complete transcendental realization, God consciousness saccidananda - the fully
bloomed state of consciousness.
2.4 A Glimpse of Embryology
It is very interesting to note that there is a significant description about the science of
embryology in Vedantic literatures. Srimad Bhagavatam, Third Canto mentions a brief
description of human embryology. Garbhopanishad, one of the ancient Upanishads, also
serves as a brief treatise on embryology. These are very relevant to modern science and
technology.
According to Vedanta the manifestation of life begins from the moment of conception.
Life first enters the semen of the male and is injected into a womb of a woman.10 Dr.
Jerome Lejeune,11 known as "The Father of Modern Genetics," also said, Life is present
from the moment of conception before the Louisiana Legislature's House Committee on
the Administration of Criminal Justice on June 7, 1990. He explained that within three to
seven days after fertilization we can determine if the new human being is a boy or a girl.
"At no time," Dr. Lejeune said, "is the human being a blob of protoplasm. As far as your
nature is concerned, I see no difference between the early person that you were at
conception and the late person which you are now. You were, and are, a human being."
He pointed out that each human being is unique different from the mother from the
moment of conception.12
A mans semen contains millions of cells called sperm cells (about 107 /ml). Each sperm
cell is an actively motile, free-swimming and elongated cell from 60-75 in length. F.M.
9

... In many other ways we are able to find that the plant has a heart that beats continuously as long as life
remains. [Cf. Dibakarsen and Ajoy Kumar Chakraborty, J. C. Bose Speaks, Puthipatra, Calcutta, 2000,
pp.153, 195-200.]
10
Aiteraya Upanisad 2.1.1, Aitareya Brahmana 2.5.1 and Srimad Bhagavatam 3.31.1
11
Dr. Lejeune of Paris, France discovered the genetic cause of Down Syndrome, receiving the Kennedy
Prize for the discovery and, in addition, received the Memorial Allen Award Medal, the world's highest
award for work in the field of Genetics. He died on April 3, 1994.
12
http://www.prolife.com/FETALDEV.html

Burnet remarked about this sperm cell as It is intimidating thought that there is more
information on organic chemical synthesis packed into the head of a spermatozoon than
in all the 200 volumes of the Journal of Biochemical Chemistry.13 According to vedic
literatures, spiritual particle, spiriton (soul) enters this sperm cell which then fertilizes the
ovum, the female gamate, to form a single cell called zygote. The various stages of
development of embryo in the womb of the mother are described in Srimad Bhagavatam
3.31.2-4, 3.31.10, 3.31.22-23:
On the first night, the sperm and ovum mix (to form zygote), and on the fifth night the
mixture ferments into a bubble (blastocyst). On the tenth night it develops into a form
like a plum, and after that, it gradually turns into a lump of flesh.
In the course of a month, a head is formed, and at the end of two months the hands, feet
and other limbs take shape. By the end of three months, the nails, fingers, toes, body hair,
bones and skin appear, as do the organ of generation and the other apertures in the eyes,
nostrils, ears, mouth and anus.
Within four months from the date of conception, the seven essential ingredients of the
body, namely chyle, blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow and semen, come into existence. At
the end of five months, hunger and thirst make themselves felt, and at the end of six
months, the fetus, enclosed by the amnion, begins to move on the right side of the
abdomen.
Deriving its nutrition from the food and drink taken by the mother, the fetus grows and
remains in that abominable residence of stools and urine, which is the breeding place of
all kinds of worms.
Placed within the amnion and covered outside by the intestines, the child remains lying
on one side of the abdomen, his head turned towards his belly and his back and neck
arched like a bow.
Thus endowed with the development of consciousness from the seventh month after his
conception, the child is tossed downward by the airs that press the embryo during the
weeks preceding delivery. Like the worms born of the same filthy abdominal cavity, he
cannot remain in one place.
Lord Kapila continued: The ten-month-old living entity has these desires even while in
the womb. But while he thus extols the Lord, the wind that helps parturition propels him
forth with his face turned downward so that he may be born. Pushed downward all of a
sudden by the wind, the child comes out with great trouble, head downward, breathless
and deprived of memory due to severe agony.14
In the Markandeya Purana it is said that in the intestine of the mother the umbilical cord,
which is known as apyayani, joins the mother to the abdomen of the child, and through
this passage the child within the womb accepts the mothers assimilated foodstuff. In this
way the child is fed by the mothers intestine within the womb and grows from day to
day. The role of the umbilical cord is also mentioned as - "The dhamanis in the foetus
13

S.M. Bhatnagar, M.L. Kothari, L. A. Mehta & M. Natarajan, Essential of Human Embryology (2000),
Chennai, pp.8-10.
14
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam (1987), Mumbai, Canto 3, pp.707-709,
712, 714, 733-734.

take their rise from the umbilical cord, thus bringing nourishment from the mother. The
embryo is held at the navel. It grows without taking food, that is, there is no effort made
on the part of the embryo to take food and no food is specially served to it. The food in its
final form is assimilated automatically and directly into the system of the embryo. The
child is nourished of its own accord as it were. The mother is not conscious of the
nourishment given to the young one below her heart."15
There are also the restrictions and precautions to be taken by the pregnant mother
mentioned in the smriti scriptures of Vedic literature. From the very day of begetting a
child there is a purificatory process of garbhadhana-samskara. Garbhadhana Ceremony
is a vedic ceremony of purification to be performed by parents before conceiving a child.
It is said in Caraka Samhita that the mental condition of a child depends upon:16
(a)
the mental status of his parents at the time he is conceived
(b)
the sounds heard repeatedly by pregnant woman17
(c)
the actions performed by the embryo in his previous life and
(d)
the frequent desires for a particular type of mental faculty by the progeny
in his previous life.
Therefore, before begetting a child, one has to sanctify his perplexed mind. If the mind of
the father is not sober, the semen discharged will not be very good. By performing this
Garbhadana ceremony, both the husband and wife become completely pure and sanctified
and a good child will be produced. (For example, Rig veda X. 186 mentions two mantras
to be repeated by bridegroom before conception).
So in Hinduism, there are systems from the very beginning of the birth of human life for
begetting good population. To take care of the child is the primary duty of the parents
because if such care is taken, society will be filled with good population to maintain
peace and prosperity of the human race.
2.5 Inquiry and Uniqueness of Human Life
The unexamined life is not worth living.
Socrates
In Hinduism, inquiry, jignasa, is the fundamental duty of human life. Everyone inquires
about something or the other. In the course of life, one experiences different phases like
old age, disease and many kinds of sufferings. Therefore, we want to find out the solution
to these problems. Every research work is a kind of inquiry. Srila Prabhupada says that
unless a person is awakened to the position of questioning his sufferings, he is not to be
considered a perfect human being. Humanity begins when this sort of inquiry is
awakened in ones mind. Therefore, inquiry forms the most important process of
15

B.N. Seal, The positive sciences of ancient Hindus, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, Varanasi, Patna, 1958.
R. K. Sharma and Bhagwan Dash, Caraka Samhita, Varanasi, 1992, Vol II, Verse 4.8.16, pp.470-471.
17
Experiments by some of the leading scientists to study the hearing capabilities of fetuses confirmed that
human babies have the ability to recognize voices and even poems that they first heard before they were
born. DeCasper, A. and Fifer, W., Of human bonding: Newborns prefer their mother's voice, Science
(1980), 208, 1174-1176; DeCasper, A., Lecanuet, J-P., Busnel, M-C., Granier-Deferre, C., and Mangeais,
R., Fetal reactions to recurrent maternal speech, Infant Behavior and Development (1994), 17(2), 159164; Moon, C., Cooper, R. P. and Fifer, W. P., Two-day-olds prefer their native language, Infant
Behavior and Development (1993), 16(4), 495-500.
16

acquiring knowledge. We want to know about things that are beyond what we can see
conventionally. We invent electron microscope, telescope, etc., to satisfy our curiosity.
But this is not enough. Our senses and extended senses are still very limited.
Can a bird inquire about the meaning of its existence? Innocent and ordinary living
beings like birds and animals inquire only of bodily needs. They inquire, where is
water?, where is food?, where is shelter? and so on. However, they do not have the
capacity to inquire about the deeper purpose and meaning of life. But in the human form
of life, one is endowed with the unique ability to inquire beyond these bodily needs. This
is the special and unique qualification of the human form of life. When a child is growing
up, he inquires from his parents about many things around him, such as What is this?,
what is that? etc. In this way, the child gathers knowledge from his parents. Since the
conscious intelligence is fully developed, human beings can make different levels of
inquiry including the deeper questions about life. The most important inquiry of human
life should be to find out about the Absolute Truth, jivasya tattvajignasa.
Srimadbhagavatam (1.2.10) states:
kamasya nendriyapritirlabho jiveta yavata
jivasya tattvajignasa nartho yasceha karmabhih
Translation: Lifes desires should never be directed toward sense gratification. One
should desire only a healthy life, or self-preservation, since a human being is meant for
inquiry about the Absolute Truth. Nothing else should be the goal for ones works.
The ability to inquire about the ultimate truth of life makes the human being uniquely
different from all other forms of life. Thus Vedanta emphasizes that the primary subject
matter of the human form of life is to inquire about the science of Absolute Truth, God.
The Katha Upanisad (1.3.14) in a very strongly and carefully worded tone makes a
clarion call to all human beings in the following sloka:
uttistha jagrataprapya varan nibodhata
ksurasya dhara nisita duratyaya
durgam pathas tat kavayo vadanti
Translation: Arise! Awake! Please try to understand the boon that you now have in this
human form of life. The path of spiritual realization is very difficult; it is sharp like a
razors edge, difficult to tread and hard to cross, so say the learned sages.
Who am I?, what is the Supreme Absolute Truth?, what is the origin of life?, what
is existence?, and what will be the fate of the human soul when the body dies? are
some of the basic questions that a human being can inquire.
Presently, scientific inquiry without spiritual knowledge is one-sided. All forms of human
inquiry should be utilized in search for Absolute Truth, God. Hence, the purpose of all
sciences should be to inquire about the nature of God. A physicist should inquire: what is
the real source of the laws of nature? A chemist can inquire: who is the Supreme Chemist
behind all the wonderful molecules, DNA, chlorophyll, proteins, etc.? Vedanta explains
that if we do research far enough, we will find that the ultimate source is God. Thus,
Vedanta cautions that intelligent people should not be mislead by the temporary and
incomplete pronouncements of atheistic scientists who try to remove God from

10

everything. This will be the proper use of the modern scientific knowledge. When one
realizes the Absolute Truth through such an inquiry, he will understand the actual basis of
reality. And then, his duty is to glorify the Supreme Lord through the scientific
understanding. This is the secret and the real platform of happiness. This is what Narada
Muni, the foremost transcendentalist instructed his disciple, Vyasadeva, the literary
incarnation of the Supreme Lord in the Bhagavata Purana, the natural commentary on
the Vedantasutra.18
Albert Einstein once remarked, The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity
has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but in awe when he contemplates the
mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries
merely to comprehend a little of this mystery everyday.19
In the human form of life, the consciousness (cetana), intelligence (buddhi), mind
(manas), senses (indriyas) are fully developed. Thus, human being is totally equipped to
make the deepest jignasa (inquiry), the spiritual inquiry. A similar message echoes in the
statement of Albert Einstein who states that knowing the plan of God is most important
and the rest are details.20 By this inquiry, sambandha, the relationship between the
individual self and God will be established and the pure spiritual knowledge of the self
will be understood. Isa Upanisad further declares, isavasyamidam sarvam, everything
belongs to the Supreme Lord. Therefore, everything should be used, including the works
of the scientists and all the leaders of the world in the service of the Supreme Lord. In a
nutshell, this is the view of Vedanta regarding the prime duty of humanity.
3. Hindu Epistemology
Our science Greek science is based on objectification. But I do believe that this is
precisely the point where our present way of thinking does need to be amended, perhaps
by a bit of blood-transfusion from Eastern thought.
Erwin Schrdinger
The vast area of philosophical enquiry known as epistemology is an enquiry into
knowledge and many authors also call it as the theory of knowledge. In scientific
approach to knowledge, an empirical logic based on experiments, observations and
inferences is fundamental. In Vedanta this process is called aroha-pantha or jnana
marga, ascending path/process or the bottom-up process. But this process has its own
limitations. This scientific process can, at the most, indicate about the existence of God. It
cannot lead to the deeper knowledge of God. This is because of the fact that our senses
have four inherent limitations. Hence, scientific knowledge based on ones intellect and
sense perception is incomplete and the spiritual knowledge provides the deeper
knowledge for the existence of God.
Vedanta recognizes the scriptures as the authority and the deciding factor for the
complete knowledge of God. Just like the words of the mother are the authority in regard
to our question about the true identity of the father, similarly, according to Vedanta the
scriptures are the authority for the proof of Gods existence. This Vedantic process is
18

Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 1, Ch. 5, Verse 21, Ibid.

In Donald O. Bolander, Instant Quotation Dictionary, 1979.
20
R. Clarck, The Life and Times of Einstein, The World Publishing Co., New York, 1971, p.19.
19

11

called avaroha-pantha in sanskrit language. This means that real knowledge should be
received by the parampara, descending process or top-down approach.
In nutshell, Vedantic epistemology stresses the acquisition of knowledge mainly from
three different ways: pratyaksa (sense perception), anumana (inference) and sabda
(revealed knowledge). These terminologies are briefly explained below. Srila Jiva
Goswami, an erudite philosopher of the sixteenth century India, has elaborately presented
the vedantic epistemology in his treatise Tattva Sandarbha21. As it will be evident below,
the Vedantic epistemology justifies the necessity for a synthesis of avaroha-pantha --the top-down process and aroha-pantha --- the bottom-up or scientific approach to the
complete knowledge of God.
3.1 Pratyaksa (direct perception)
According to Vedanta, knowledge gained directly with the help of the senses is known as
pratyaksa. The gross senses are the eyes (vision), ears (sound), nose (smell), skin (touch)
and tongue (taste). In addition, mind is regarded as the subtle and sixth sense and one can
also acquire knowledge with the help of the mind. The role of pratyaksa is certainly
important in acquiring knowledge in Vedantic approach. However, because of the
physical limitations of the senses, knowledge gained through pratyaksa may not be
complete. For example, a blind man and a mad man have limitations to acquire
knowledge through their eyes and mind, respectively. However, a normal man whose
senses are all in a proper condition can acquire knowledge using all his senses and can
have a better knowledge than that of a blind or a mad man. Under ordinary
circumstances, knowledge gained from pratyaksa has four limitations. Thus the bottomup approach will be unable to have the complete knowledge of God. However, in the
Vedantic tradition a spiritual seeker is trained to perfect ones senses by undertaking a
very rigorous spiritual discipline and the senses and the mind can be totally purified and
at that stage one can receive the knowledge of the Ultimate Reality through pratyaksa. At
this point the material senses are completely transformed into spiritual senses.
3.2 Anumana (inference)
Although the sense capability of ordinary human beings is limited, the quest for scientific
knowledge in Vedantic tradition is to know the absolute reality which is beyond the
domain of material senses. Anumana means inference about an unknown object based on
its relationship with another object that is conceivable through the senses. For example, a
stream of alpha particles which have electric charge would leave a trail of ions as it
passes through the gas in a cloud chamber. When water vapor condenses on these ions,
the track of alpha particle becomes visible as a line of water droplets. Thus, although we
cant see the alpha particles, we can infer them from the trail of water droplets condensed
on the ions. Anumana involves logic. Logic constitutes the development of a set of
arguments that can represent an observed phenomenon in nature. Since the sense
perception is limited, logic, therefore, also has limitations and cannot be referred to be the
absolute answer for an observed phenomenon.

21

Tattva-sandarbha by Srila Jiva Goswami along with commentary by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusan,
translated into Bengali by Sri Ram Narayan Vidyaratna, Sanskrit Pustak Bhandar, Kolkata.

12

3.3 Limitations of Pratyaksa and Anumana

As stated before there are four limitations of the senses. Srila Jiva Goswami has
discussed these limitations in the Sat Sandarbha as follows: (a) Bhrama: The senses
including the mind often malfunction under various circumstances and are thus
illusioned, for example, a mirage seen in the deserts. (b) Pramada: This means that the
senses may misguide a person and he is liable to commit mistakes. Due to the limitations
in our intellectual conception we sometimes wrongly interpret the sense observations.
Therefore, in this world everyone is liable to commit mistake. Thus the popular saying,
To err is human. (c) Karanapatava: It means that our senses are very limited and can
perceive only a very limited portion of reality. For example, we do not hear sounds which
have frequency below 20 Hertz and over 20,000 Hertz. Similarly, we cannot detect
electromagnetic radiations in the ultra-violet or infra-red range. (d) Vipralipsa: It refers to
the cheating propensity. Honesty is the virtue of human life. However, sometimes one is
overcome by pride, false ego and arrogance and ones senses are polluted by the lower
material modes of nature and one becomes dishonest and the cheating propensity
dominates a person at that time. According to Vedanta this cheating propensity is a
symptom of the lack of spiritual knowledge.
Logic cannot provide a final proof of anything. This is further supported by the statement
one should not use logic to understand what is inconceivable. (Mahabharata, Bhisma
Parva 5.22). Hence it can be concluded that a scientific and logical study will always be
incomplete. An argument is the famous Gdels Incompleteness Theorem. This theorem
states that if A is a mathematical system which involves the natural numbers 0,1,2,3,
then there are questions in A which cannot be answered using the axioms of A. In
order to answer a question of this kind, one could expand the set of axioms by adding a
new one. But the new system will again be subject to Gdels theorem and there will be
other questions that cannot be answered. Thus, Gdels theorem ensures that there will
always remain unanswered questions. In other words, scientific knowledge will always
remain incomplete and cannot fathom the depths of Ultimate Reality or God. Hence, we
should seriously consider the role of metaphysical conception beyond logic and sense
perception in understanding transcendental knowledge and God. In this regard, Max
Planck stated, the fundamental and indispensable postulates of every genuinely
productive science are not based on pure logic but rather on the metaphysical hypothesis
which no rules of logic can refute there exists an outer world which is entirely
independent of ourselves. It is only through the immediate dictate of our consciousness
that we know that this world exists.22 Freeman Dyson also expressed, God may have
more qualities than we humans are capable of imagining. If we could enlarge our senses
and our emotions beyond the human range, we would experience a very different God
My conception of God is not weakened by my not knowing whether the physical universe
is open or closed, finite or infinite, simple or multiple. God for me is a mystery, and will
remain a mystery after we know the answers to these questions. All that we know about
Him is that He works on a scale far beyond the limits of our understanding.

22

Max Planck, Where Science is Going?, 1932, p. 138.

13

3.4 Sabda (Revealed Knowledge) and the Top-Down Process

In Vedantic epistemology sabda is the most important in receiving a valid knowledge and
the other two epistemic elements, pratyaksa and anumana are to assist the sabda
pramana. A revealed knowledge is transmitted from the Supreme Authority, God, to the
bonafide and sincere recipients. The qualification of the recipient is that he should be a
completely surrendered soul to the Supreme Lord and he should be eligible to receive the
transcendental mercy of the Lord. As mentioned earlier this process is also called a topdown approach in receiving knowledge (avaroha-pantha). A simple example is to make
an investigation about the true answer to the question, Who is the father of child A? In
a scientific or the bottom-up process, one can make an extensive research work by
matching the DNA profile of several candidates with that of the child. However, it will
be extremely difficult to find a real answer by this process. Most likely, needless to say,
a real answer may never be found by this approach. This is because the real person may
not be tested for a variety of causes. So, the easiest and most reliable approach will be to
simply ask the genuine mother, and her answer will be the final verdict. The fact is that a
genuine mother will never tell a lie to her loving child. If somebody wants to confirm
this answer scientifically, a DNA test can still be done. In this way, the matter is
resolved. This process implies a genuine faith the child has in the words of the mother.
According to Vedanta, this genuine faith is a deep spiritual quality of life.
In avaroha-panthah (top-down approach) or descending process of Vedantic tradition,
God is the ultimate source of everything, and the divine consciousness flows downward
from God to every living being. In scientific discoveries and other artistic and poetic
works and spiritual works of total sacrifice and renunciation, many sincere individuals
receive knowledge through inspiration from a guiding source. This type of knowledge
can also be regarded as some kind of revealed knowledge. In this way, knowledge is also
directly transmitted by the Supreme Authority to the sincere seekers of truth. Lord Sri
Krsna states in the Bhagavadgita (15.5):
sarvasya caham hridi sannivisto
mattah smritir jnanam apohanam ca
vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedanta-krid veda-vid eva caham
I am seated in everyones heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge, and
forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedanta,
and I am the knower of the Vedas.
There are three fundamental principles in realizing the revealed knowledge. Firstly, every
revealed knowledge should be accepted as a divine axiom. All the aphorisms of the
Vedantasutra can be regarded as divine axioms. Secondly, the genuine scriptures should
be understood as they are and they should not be interpreted in any way to suit the
motives of any particular individual or group. The author would like to mention that it is
because of the misinterpretation of scriptures and over-intoxication by the materialistic
concept of religion that people kill each other in the name of religion and God. Thirdly,
in the Vedantic tradition, a mood of true humility is essential in receiving divine
knowledge of God. In this regard, we also see many great scientists who show symptoms
of utter humility. For example, we often quote what Sir Isaac Newton had once remarked,

14

I am still collecting pebbles on the sea shore, while the vast ocean of undiscovered truth
lies before me.
4. Time and Space
The concept of time and space is extremely important in both science and Vedanta. In
Vedanta, Kala, time is eternal. It is the impersonal aspect of the Supreme Lord. In the
Bhagavadgita Lord Krishna says, kalo smi loka-ksaya-krit pravriddho Time I am,
the great destroyer of the world.23 This was the verse uttered by Robert Oppenheimer at
the first test of the atom bomb in Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA on July 16, 1945. In
the Srimadbhagavatam sage Maitreya24 explains that eternal time is the primeval source
of the interactions of the three modes of material nature. It is unchangeable and has no
limit, and it functions as the instrument of the Supreme Lord for His manifest activities in
the material creation.25
When the living entity comes in contact with material nature and under the control and
purview of eternal time, many different activities called Karma are created. Real time is
measured in terms of its covering a certain space of atoms, and space is calculated in
terms of atoms.26 Thus time and space are closely connected in Vedantic cosmology and
Kala time is the root cause of all events and drives all activities in the material universe.
Srila Prabhupada writes in his commentary of the Srimadbhagavatam, Metaphysically,
time is distinguished as absolute and real. Absolute time is continuous and is unaffected
by the speed or the slowness of material things. Real time is astronomically and
mathematically calculated in relation to speed, change and life of a particular object.
Factually, however, time has nothing to do with the relativities of things; rather,
everything is shaped and calculated in terms of facility offered by time. Time is the basic
measurement of the activity of our senses, by which we calculate past, present and future;
but in factual calculation, time has no beginning and no end.27
5. Two States of Matter and Generation of Matter from Spirit
It is to be noted that in Hinduism the fundamental cosmic ingredients are in two states
inactive and active. The unmanifest, inactive and primordial total substance is called
pradhana. At the time of creation, pradhana is activated by the Supreme Lord, and
matter becomes manifest, which is called prakriti. Both matter and spirit are eternal.
However, at the time of creation, which goes on in cosmic cycles like the change of
seasons, the unmanifest sum-total of matter is activated by the Supreme Spirit and the
cosmic energy begins to manifest. This is called the temporary manifestation of material
energy. This material energy is then transformed by the presence of a conscious spiritual
entity. In other words, matter as such is inactive but gets animated by the presence of the
spirit, just like a live bird. The bird can fly because jiva or atman, the spiritual spark,
23

Bhagavadgita As It Is, Ibid., Ch. 11, Verse 32, pp.576-577.

The great sage who spoke the Srimadbhagavatam. A great devotee of the Lord and scholar of the theory
of elements (Sankhya) in Vedanta. He was spiritual master of Vidura and a great religious authority.
25
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, Srimadbhagavatam, Canto 3, Ch. 10 Verse 11,
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, Bombay, 1987, p.442.
26
Ibid., Canto 3, Ch. 11, Verse 4, pp.461-462.
27
Ibid., Canto 3, Ch. 10, Verse 11, Purport, p.442.
24

15

spiriton, is within. However, because of the arrangement of nature, the body has a
limited time period. When the spirit leaves the body, the body becomes dead and inert
again. When the entire universe is wound up the material components return again to the
unmanifest form, which is eternal. That is the distinction between spirit and matter. The
Supreme Spiritual Being is the primeval source of both matter and spirit. The spirit
however is transcendental and beyond sense perception, and according to Vedanta the
Supreme Lord or the Supreme Spirit is behind the cosmic creation.
6. Explanation of God in Hinduism
Hinduism is monotheistic. There have been many streams in Hinduism and many of them
propound many aspects of God. This generally arises due to the misconceptions about the
nature of personal aspect of God being steeped in pantheism or anthropomorphism.
From the Vedantic perspective however, the Personality aspect of God is most important.
This does not imply that the concept is anthropomorphic. It is not that we give a human
shape or characteristic to a god or anything whimsically. Rather it is the revelation of
God Himself. A divine maxim is found in the Srimadbhagavatam (S.B. 3:26:49) stating
that the cause exists certainly in its effect as well. Following this argument, since we all
experience very clearly that all developed living beings have individual personality, it is
certainly conceivable that the Supreme source of all must also possess personality.
According to Vedanta, this material creation emanates from God. Taittiriya Upanisad
declares:
yato va imani bhutani jayante yena jatani jivanti
yat prayanty abhisamvanti tad vijignasasva tad brahma
The Absolute Truth or Brahman or God is that from which the cosmic manifestation has
emanated, by which it is maintained and into which it merges after annihilation.28
Similarly, Chandogya Upanisad declares: sarva khalv idam brahma Brahman, the
Supreme, is present in everything.29 Hence according to Vedanta this material nature is
not working blindly. It is working under the control of the Supreme Lord.
6.1 Three Aspects of God
According to Vedanta, there are three aspects of Absolute Truth or God. All these aspects
form the foundation of Supreme Reality. These are:
vadanti tattattvavidastattvam yajjnanamadvayam
brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavaniti sabdyate
Translation: Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual
substance Brahman (the Attributeless Absolute), Paramatma (the Indwelling Supersoul),
or Bhagavan (the Supreme Lord Himself).30
(i) Brahman or Brahmajyoti - Impersonal Effulgence of the Lord

28

D. S. Sarma, The Upanishads: An anthology, Bombay, 1989, p.101.

Sri Bhakti Prajnan Yati Maharaj, Twelve Essential Upanishads, Vol. 1, Calcutta, 2000, p.541.
30
Srimadbhagavatam, Ibid., Canto 1, Ch. 2 Verse 11, p.103.
29

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The impersonal effulgence of the Supreme Lords transcendental body is brahman or

brahmajyoti and it is beyond cause and effect. This is also evident from the Sri
Isopanisad mantra:
hiranmayena patrena satyasyapihitam mukham
tat tvam pusann apavrinu satya-dharmaya dristaye
Translation: O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your
dazzling effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit Yourself to Your pure
devotee.31
Einsteins conception of a cosmic religion is very close to this idea of impersonal aspect
of God or brahmajyoti. He said, Try and penetrate with our limited means the secrets of
nature and you will find that, behind all the discerning concatenations, there remains
something subtle, intangible and inexplicable. Veneration for this force beyond anything
that we can comprehend is my religion.32 He also stated, My God created laws. . . . His
universe is not ruled by wishful thinking, but by immutable laws.33
(ii) Paramatma Feature Inspiration and Guidance for all Living Beings
Paramatma is the partial expansion of the Supreme Person. This Paramatma feature of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead is responsible for inspiration, discovery, creativity
and for the movement of all living entities. In Bhagavadgita, the Lord says, I am seated
in everyones heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness.
Each and every living entity has been given a free will. Paramatma is responding and
guiding each and every living entity in the universe according to the desires and activities
of the individual living entities. In our day-to-day activities we can feel a seemingly
inexplicable guidance, what is sometimes described as intuition or inspiration. This
guidance is something more than mere algorithmic process. This happens often, when we
are deeply contemplating on a problem. And solution comes like a flash without any
connection to the line of thought that we have been contemplating. Many renowned
scientists, mathematicians, artists, poets, etc., have reported their experience of
inspiration. According to Vedanta this is an act of the Lord seated in the heart of
everyone as Paramatma.
Otto Loewi, a German physiologist who won the Nobel prize in 1936 for his work on the
chemical transmission of nerve impulses, had the idea that there might be a chemical
transmission of the nervous impulse rather than an electrical one which was the
commonly held belief. But he was at a loss on how to prove it. He let the idea slip to the
back of his mind until seventeen years later he had the following moment of inspiration.
He recalled, The night before Easter Sunday of that year I awoke, turned on the light,
and jotted down a few notes on a tiny slip of paper. Then I fell asleep again. It occurred
to me at 6 oclock in the morning that during the night I had written down something
most important, but I was unable to decipher the scrawl. The next night, at 3 oclock, the
idea returned. It was the design of an experiment to determine whether or not the
31

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupda, Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 15, Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, Los
Angeles, 1976, p.85.
32
H.G. Kessler, The Diary of a Cosmopolitan, p.322.
33
W. Hermanns, Einstein and the Poet In Search of the Cosmic Man, 1983, p.132.

17

hypothesis of chemical transmission that I had uttered 17 years ago was correct. I got up
immediately, went to the laboratory, and performed a single experiment on a frogs heart
according to the nocturnal design.34 Loewi had proved his point. The result of the
experiment became the foundation for the theory of chemical transmission of the nervous
impulse. According to Vedanta such inspiration comes from Paramatma. In a similar
manner, all the moment-to-moment activities of all living beings from microorganisms
to man are all guided by the Paramatma feature of the Supreme Lord.
iii) Bhagavan The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Object of Love
The Srimadbhagavatam describes Lord Sri Krishna as the Supreme origin of everything.
All other forms of the Lord are subjective portions of Lord Krishna,35 the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Lord Brahma, the first created cosmic living being defines
Isvara, God, as the Supreme original Personality (Adipurusa). His transcendental body is
made of three spiritual elements, sat (eternity), cit (knowledge) and ananda (bliss),
saccidanandavigraha. He is the origin of everything, animate and inanimate, and is the
cause of all causes. He is the Supreme Controller and the prime mover of all cosmic
manifestation. He has Universal Consciousness and He is the well-wisher of every living
being. He is beyond the perception of the material senses. However, His symptoms are
visible in the effects (products) of His creation. He is Supreme Eternal among all eternals
and Supreme Consciousness among all consciousness. He is realized by His devotees
who have completely exhausted all the experiences of the material nature and is
accomplished by the practice of the ninefold paths of Bhaktiyoga. This is the goal of
dvaita vedantis or vaisnava vendantis.
There is a Big Vision behind this creation to establish the transcendental connection
between the ignorant living entity and the Supreme Lord, Bhagavan. This relationship is
carried out through bhakti, the devotional yoga. The seed of bhakti is in all living entities
but due to the covering of material desire it does not get fructified so easily. The material
world is created by the Supreme Lord with this Big Vision to bring living entities to the
platform of pure bhakti and ultimate happiness. The role and importance of bhakti in
human life as well as in scientific research work is of paramount importance.
William D. Phillips, a Nobel Laureate physicist from the University of Maryland, USA,
expresses remarkably, Many subscribe to a belief in what is sometimes called
Einsteins God, an embodiment of the intelligence and order behind creation, but not a
personality who cares about and interacts with the creation. My belief (is) in a
personal God, a God who is both the creator of the universe and is intimately concerned
with the welfare of the creatures of that universe. Einsteins God is not nearly enough
for me. I believe in a God who wants good things for us, and who wants and expects us to
care for our fellow creatures. I believe that God wants genuine, loving relationships with
us, and wants us to have such relationships with each other.36 His statement supports the
Vaisnava Vedantic view of God in Hinduism.

34

Refer to http://www.paperveins.org/dreamroom/scientists.shtml
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Sri Brahma-Samhita, BBT, 1989, pp.87-88.
36
William D. Phillips, Ordinary Faith, Ordinary Science, paper presented at Science and Spiritual Quest
II conference in Paris, 2002.
35

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6.2 Gods Attributes

According to Vedanta, God has three kinds of internal potency or energy, namely, the (i)
Sandhini-sakti, or existential potency, (ii) Samvit-sakti, or cognitive potency and the (iii)
Hladini-sakti or pleasure potency. This is also confirmed in the Visnu Purana (1.12.69).
In the Bhagavata-sandarbha (103) Srila Jiva Goswami explains these transcendental
attributes of God elaborately. (CC Adi 4.60) The living beings are also endowed with
these attributes in different degrees.
The Absolute Truth, God is the transcendental Reality (cit-svarupa) possessing all these
attributes in full. The manifestation of these internal potencies or energies of the Lord is
the inconceivable variegated spiritual world (cit-jagat), the manifestation of the marginal
energy of the Lord comprises the living entities, and the manifestation of the external
energy of the Lord is the material cosmos. (CC Adi 4.62 purport)
Thus Brahman, the Absolute Truth includes these four principles the Supreme Godhead
Himself, His internal energy, His marginal energy and His external energy.
The form of the Lord (svayam-rupa) and the expansions of His form (vaibhava-prakasa)
are directly enjoyers of the internal energy in the spiritual world. The external
manifestation, the material energy, provides the material bodies of all the conditioned
living entities.
In order to manifest the physical universe God manifest Himself as three expansions
called purushaavatars, namely Mahavisnu, Garbhodakshayi Visnu, and Khirodakshayi
Visnu to fulfill the desires of every living being according to the karma of every being.
Maha Visnu is the source of all physical universes and Garhodakshayi Visnu enters in
each universe and Ksirodakshayi Visnu enters into each living being as paramatma and
guides every living being from microorganisms to human beings to demigods. In this way
the whole material world is run and maintained.
Thus the cosmic creation and dissolution go on periodically according to the Big Vision
of the Supreme Lord. The creation of this physical universe is the facility given to
conditioned living beings by God in order to get liberated from false conception of life
(materialism).
According to ancient vedic culture, religious principles are directly given by God to guide
the human beings dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam (Srimadbhagavatam 6.3.19)
The essence of all religions consists of morality, ethics, humility and love of God.
Spiritual or religious life is a must for every human being which provides moral codes of
living in order to be released from the bondage of wordly life and will thus be qualified to
return to the spiritual world. All these will be achieved by developing the
sambhadajnana- the knowledge of relationship of individual being with God knowing
that the living being is fully dependent on the mercy of Supreme Godhead as a conscious
spiritual particle or spiriton of God, the sincere human being can transform himself to
become a sincere servant of God. Thus the next step which is to adopt abhidheya which
culminates in unalloyed devotional service to the Supreme Lord which consists of nine
devotional activities: hearing, chanting, remembering, serving, worshipping, praying,
obeying, maintaining friendship and surrendering everything - which will lead to

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