by Sri Ajit Halder
Some concepts of Hinduism and Science may appear to be contradictory to some people. However if we care to study deeply, we will find much similarity in the objective shared by Hinduism and Science - which is to make life morally and physically worthy of living in this world. While Hinduism as a Religion enriches the spiritual life, advances in Science endeavour to improve the quality of human life. The aim of this article is to substantiate our proposition that Hindu Religious faith in Divinity and Science serving humanity share much of the same uplifting views to benefit humans.
Hindus celebrate religious festivals throughout the year and people, old and young, from all walks of life join in to receive the blessing of the deity they worship. The Durga Puja in the autumn is the main religious-cum-social event celebrated by Bengalis. During the Durga Puja days, the worshippers visit the puja venue with family and friends and participate in religious services. We admire the images bedecked with ornaments and the decoration of the stage lit with strings of coloured light bulbs, laser beam display of attractive moving patterns and beautiful flower arrangements. We listen to the devotional songs relayed from loudspeakers that fill the air with holy melody. From time to time we hear the clicking sound of digital cameras that some of our friends operate to capture and store up images of the joyful scene; all of which contribute towards creating a festive environment at the puja venue. A similar festive mood is experienced during the puja of Devi Saraswati who is the goddess of learning, fine arts and music and who is much adored by students, artists and musicians. Though the puja is primarily a religious celebration, yet it can not be denied that modern technology through the use of technical devices has collaborated in many ways towards boosting our joyous mood. So we should pause for a moment to acknowledge that advances in science have a big co-operative role in making religious celebrations memorable events. This discussion will include references to Hindu religious concepts. First, some notes on Hinduism and on Science will be presented as help needed to understand the theme of this article.
Hinduism: We note that Hindu religious belief is mainly based on an acceptance that there is an all powerful, eternally existent, all pervading benevolent God who created the universe and to whom we owe worship, obedience and allegiance. In Hinduism, there is no single holy figure that has been accorded the special status of a prophet. So instead of one unique so-called prophet through whom people can receive God’s bliss, Hindus can boast of many prophet-like seers, Rishis, Munis (wise saintly figures), who composed scriptural texts offering guidance to a Hindu worshipper on how to reach God.
Hindus believe that God has many attributes and appears in different forms - each manifestation signifying one of His many qualities. So a Hindu worships his/her chosen deity whose image shows a male or a female Godly figure possessing a particular attribute. The goddess Durga exhibiting the feminine aspect of divinity is our divine mother. Sri Krishna, Sri Vishnu and Lord Shiva-Maheshwara are the principal male deities of the Hindus. Here we make a note that the three words namely, religion, faith and belief are often used interchangeably in the religious literature and the same will be followed in this article.
Science: The aim of science is to understand how the universe came into existence, to study the nature of its constituent elements (e.g. distant celestial objects like the stars, galaxies and the terrestrial objects), and to understand the features of humans, animals and other forms of life as well as non-living materials. It is claimed that science is the most reliable form of knowledge about the world because it is based upon verifiable evidence. In science a healthy enquiring mind is a professional necessity whereas in religion, having belief in God without asking or needing evidence is regarded as a virtue. Humans have a great hunger for explanation, and Science aims to provide answers to the queries like why and how the seasons change, flooding occurs and what will be their consequences. Religion is based on faith but Science has its own faith-based belief system. All Science proceeds on the assumption that nature is ordered in a rational and intelligible way.
Science is one of the great blessings of our time and it has brought many benefits to make our life comfortable. This article that you are reading now has been brought to you through the services provided respectively by electricity, electronic computers, printers, internet & space communication. All these are the major facilitators, working as a team to complete the job of copy production, storage and transmission of information to the reader. Science concerns events which we can see happening, occurrences whose outcomes we can experience, and things that can be seen, tested and trusted.
We have a good understanding of how electricity works but there are lots of important questions which are completely beyond science’s ability to answer. For example, ‘Can there be any meaning and purpose in life? Can there ever be morality? Are there such things as good and evil?’ To get the right answers to these and other intriguing queries, we have to find another source. Hindu religious scriptures and faith principles may serve as the appropriate source of life-enhancing knowledge. More importantly, the concepts of the Hindu religion and Science together can provide the answers that should satisfy our enquiring minds.
Convergence of Hinduism and Science: Many instances may be cited where Hindu religious thoughts and scientific views are in accord. We will present the concept of Time in Hinduism as well as two other most important topics namely, the origin of the universe and the origin of life species as illustrations focusing on Hindu cosmology, a theory of origin of life in the world with the mention of scientific explanations that substantially vindicate the Hindu views on these issues.
The Concept of Time in Hinduism: In Hindu scriptures, the Sanskrit word Kaala corresponds closely to the word Time of the scientific parlance. Hindu scriptures say Kaala is a divine agency responsible for all actions that include Creation, Sustenance and Destruction of the Universe. Brahma is the Creator of the Universe, Vishnu is responsible for its Sustenance and Shiva is the Destroyer God who is responsible for the transformation and re-creation of the Universe. This Hindu view establishing that the sequence of the phenomena of creation, sustenance, extinction and eventual recreation of the Universe implies the existence of a factor known as Kaala or Time - which is considered a fundamental unit in the realm of science. Hindus believe that Time began at the very instant Brahma created the Universe and this Hindu view finds resonance in the scientific interpretation of Time. According to the celebrated astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, Time began with the Big Bang which caused the Universe to come into existence.
Hinduism recognizes Time as a basic physical entity- its magnitudes are expressed both in big and small numbers. As an example of a huge number, the duration of the Kali Yuga covering a period of 32,000 solar years may be cited - and because our world will continue for the next thousands of years, there is no need to worry about its immediate demise. For a finer measurement of Time, mention may be made of nimesha or a blink of an eye lasting for 0.20112 second. Hindu sages were quite at ease referring to huge magnitudes of Time such as mahajuga (a cycle of four Yugas comprising a period of 4.32 million solar years), while a manvantara (71 mahayugas) is 306.72 million years. The ancient sages reckoned Time with reference to the lifetime of Brahma. A day of Brahma equals 4.32 billion solar years.
Hindu Computation of the speed of light: The ancient Hindus computed the value of the speed of light by using the data from a Vedic verse which in English reads – ‘Bow to Thee O Sun’ whose light traverses 2,202 Yojanas in half a nimesha’. Noting that one Yojana equals 9.09 miles and one nimesha is 0.20112 sec. in duration, the speed of light can be calculated as: 2.202 X 9.09 miles per 0.1056 sec. = 189,547.00 miles/sec. Modern science estimates a value for the speed of light as 186,282.40 miles/sec. It is pleasing to note the near correspondence of this value computed using the data given in a Hindu scripture verse with the value estimated by modern scientific measurement. The fairly close agreement between the two figures indicates that Hindu religious views have much to contribute to the advancement of science.
Origin of the Universe: The Hindu cosmology and timelines is the closest to modern scientific timelines. The Hindu view is that the universe has been created by Brahma and has not remained static ever since. The universe is expanding and is in perpetual cycle, with no end in time. This view is in accordance with the modern scientific thinking which indicates that the ‘Big Bang’ is not the beginning of everything but just the start of the present cycle preceded by an infinite number of universes and to be followed by another infinite number of universes.
Many astrophysicists including Professor Roger Penrose believe that there was a universe before the so called ‘Big Bang’ and when the present universe will come to an end there will be another ‘Big Bang’ giving birth to the next universe. In a recent scientific discourse given at the Bose Research Institute, Kolkata, Professor Penrose referred to the same hypothesis that finds agreement with the Hindu view that the universe is eternal and ever renewing in time span of billions of years.
Emergence of life in the world: Hinduism had presented a theory of evolution long before Darwin proposed similar concepts about life’s origin. The account of the emergence of life in our world has been narrated in the verses of Dasavatar Stotram (Ten Incarnations of Vishnu) which portrays the Hindu Puranic notion of life’s evolution in the world - from the lowest form of life to the most complex form (i.e. the human life) through progressive stages of development. An analysis of the Stotram will indicate the evolution of life, starting with the aquatic life and progressing further: Matsya (fish), Kurma (amphibious tortoise), Varaho (land animal boar), Narasingha (both animal and human) Bamana (dwarf near human figure) and finally Kalki (human form elevated to godhood). This narrative bears a close resemblance with Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.
Hindu religion provides viewpoints with regards to evolution, creationism and the origin of life in the traditions of its scriptures. Science boasts of being able to provide a glimpse of the entire life process (courtesy of a microscope used to view biological cells dividing), or the vision of a far away galaxy observed though a telescope. These achievements are of course praiseworthy. However Science can not explain who created them or who is responsible for their continued existence. This is where religious belief comes to the aid of science and provides an answer. Hindu faith dictates that God created the universe and all things within it - both animate and inanimate beings and this belief comforts the human mind.
This article shows how the magnitude of the speed of light computed by the ancient Hindus bears a close agreement with the value obtained by scientific measurement. Also a close correspondence exists in both Hinduism and Science on two important concepts: the origin of the Universe and the beginning of Life. Many other instances may be quoted to demonstrate such accord. One can thus take the view that there is a broad similarity in the concepts of Hinduism and Science.
Hindus celebrate religious festivals throughout the year and people, old and young, from all walks of life join in to receive the blessing of the deity they worship. The Durga Puja in the autumn is the main religious-cum-social event celebrated by Bengalis. During the Durga Puja days, the worshippers visit the puja venue with family and friends and participate in religious services. We admire the images bedecked with ornaments and the decoration of the stage lit with strings of coloured light bulbs, laser beam display of attractive moving patterns and beautiful flower arrangements. We listen to the devotional songs relayed from loudspeakers that fill the air with holy melody. From time to time we hear the clicking sound of digital cameras that some of our friends operate to capture and store up images of the joyful scene; all of which contribute towards creating a festive environment at the puja venue. A similar festive mood is experienced during the puja of Devi Saraswati who is the goddess of learning, fine arts and music and who is much adored by students, artists and musicians. Though the puja is primarily a religious celebration, yet it can not be denied that modern technology through the use of technical devices has collaborated in many ways towards boosting our joyous mood. So we should pause for a moment to acknowledge that advances in science have a big co-operative role in making religious celebrations memorable events. This discussion will include references to Hindu religious concepts. First, some notes on Hinduism and on Science will be presented as help needed to understand the theme of this article.
Hinduism: We note that Hindu religious belief is mainly based on an acceptance that there is an all powerful, eternally existent, all pervading benevolent God who created the universe and to whom we owe worship, obedience and allegiance. In Hinduism, there is no single holy figure that has been accorded the special status of a prophet. So instead of one unique so-called prophet through whom people can receive God’s bliss, Hindus can boast of many prophet-like seers, Rishis, Munis (wise saintly figures), who composed scriptural texts offering guidance to a Hindu worshipper on how to reach God.
Hindus believe that God has many attributes and appears in different forms - each manifestation signifying one of His many qualities. So a Hindu worships his/her chosen deity whose image shows a male or a female Godly figure possessing a particular attribute. The goddess Durga exhibiting the feminine aspect of divinity is our divine mother. Sri Krishna, Sri Vishnu and Lord Shiva-Maheshwara are the principal male deities of the Hindus. Here we make a note that the three words namely, religion, faith and belief are often used interchangeably in the religious literature and the same will be followed in this article.
Science: The aim of science is to understand how the universe came into existence, to study the nature of its constituent elements (e.g. distant celestial objects like the stars, galaxies and the terrestrial objects), and to understand the features of humans, animals and other forms of life as well as non-living materials. It is claimed that science is the most reliable form of knowledge about the world because it is based upon verifiable evidence. In science a healthy enquiring mind is a professional necessity whereas in religion, having belief in God without asking or needing evidence is regarded as a virtue. Humans have a great hunger for explanation, and Science aims to provide answers to the queries like why and how the seasons change, flooding occurs and what will be their consequences. Religion is based on faith but Science has its own faith-based belief system. All Science proceeds on the assumption that nature is ordered in a rational and intelligible way.
Science is one of the great blessings of our time and it has brought many benefits to make our life comfortable. This article that you are reading now has been brought to you through the services provided respectively by electricity, electronic computers, printers, internet & space communication. All these are the major facilitators, working as a team to complete the job of copy production, storage and transmission of information to the reader. Science concerns events which we can see happening, occurrences whose outcomes we can experience, and things that can be seen, tested and trusted.
We have a good understanding of how electricity works but there are lots of important questions which are completely beyond science’s ability to answer. For example, ‘Can there be any meaning and purpose in life? Can there ever be morality? Are there such things as good and evil?’ To get the right answers to these and other intriguing queries, we have to find another source. Hindu religious scriptures and faith principles may serve as the appropriate source of life-enhancing knowledge. More importantly, the concepts of the Hindu religion and Science together can provide the answers that should satisfy our enquiring minds.
Convergence of Hinduism and Science: Many instances may be cited where Hindu religious thoughts and scientific views are in accord. We will present the concept of Time in Hinduism as well as two other most important topics namely, the origin of the universe and the origin of life species as illustrations focusing on Hindu cosmology, a theory of origin of life in the world with the mention of scientific explanations that substantially vindicate the Hindu views on these issues.
The Concept of Time in Hinduism: In Hindu scriptures, the Sanskrit word Kaala corresponds closely to the word Time of the scientific parlance. Hindu scriptures say Kaala is a divine agency responsible for all actions that include Creation, Sustenance and Destruction of the Universe. Brahma is the Creator of the Universe, Vishnu is responsible for its Sustenance and Shiva is the Destroyer God who is responsible for the transformation and re-creation of the Universe. This Hindu view establishing that the sequence of the phenomena of creation, sustenance, extinction and eventual recreation of the Universe implies the existence of a factor known as Kaala or Time - which is considered a fundamental unit in the realm of science. Hindus believe that Time began at the very instant Brahma created the Universe and this Hindu view finds resonance in the scientific interpretation of Time. According to the celebrated astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, Time began with the Big Bang which caused the Universe to come into existence.
Hinduism recognizes Time as a basic physical entity- its magnitudes are expressed both in big and small numbers. As an example of a huge number, the duration of the Kali Yuga covering a period of 32,000 solar years may be cited - and because our world will continue for the next thousands of years, there is no need to worry about its immediate demise. For a finer measurement of Time, mention may be made of nimesha or a blink of an eye lasting for 0.20112 second. Hindu sages were quite at ease referring to huge magnitudes of Time such as mahajuga (a cycle of four Yugas comprising a period of 4.32 million solar years), while a manvantara (71 mahayugas) is 306.72 million years. The ancient sages reckoned Time with reference to the lifetime of Brahma. A day of Brahma equals 4.32 billion solar years.
Hindu Computation of the speed of light: The ancient Hindus computed the value of the speed of light by using the data from a Vedic verse which in English reads – ‘Bow to Thee O Sun’ whose light traverses 2,202 Yojanas in half a nimesha’. Noting that one Yojana equals 9.09 miles and one nimesha is 0.20112 sec. in duration, the speed of light can be calculated as: 2.202 X 9.09 miles per 0.1056 sec. = 189,547.00 miles/sec. Modern science estimates a value for the speed of light as 186,282.40 miles/sec. It is pleasing to note the near correspondence of this value computed using the data given in a Hindu scripture verse with the value estimated by modern scientific measurement. The fairly close agreement between the two figures indicates that Hindu religious views have much to contribute to the advancement of science.
Origin of the Universe: The Hindu cosmology and timelines is the closest to modern scientific timelines. The Hindu view is that the universe has been created by Brahma and has not remained static ever since. The universe is expanding and is in perpetual cycle, with no end in time. This view is in accordance with the modern scientific thinking which indicates that the ‘Big Bang’ is not the beginning of everything but just the start of the present cycle preceded by an infinite number of universes and to be followed by another infinite number of universes.
Many astrophysicists including Professor Roger Penrose believe that there was a universe before the so called ‘Big Bang’ and when the present universe will come to an end there will be another ‘Big Bang’ giving birth to the next universe. In a recent scientific discourse given at the Bose Research Institute, Kolkata, Professor Penrose referred to the same hypothesis that finds agreement with the Hindu view that the universe is eternal and ever renewing in time span of billions of years.
Emergence of life in the world: Hinduism had presented a theory of evolution long before Darwin proposed similar concepts about life’s origin. The account of the emergence of life in our world has been narrated in the verses of Dasavatar Stotram (Ten Incarnations of Vishnu) which portrays the Hindu Puranic notion of life’s evolution in the world - from the lowest form of life to the most complex form (i.e. the human life) through progressive stages of development. An analysis of the Stotram will indicate the evolution of life, starting with the aquatic life and progressing further: Matsya (fish), Kurma (amphibious tortoise), Varaho (land animal boar), Narasingha (both animal and human) Bamana (dwarf near human figure) and finally Kalki (human form elevated to godhood). This narrative bears a close resemblance with Darwin’s Theory of Evolution.
Hindu religion provides viewpoints with regards to evolution, creationism and the origin of life in the traditions of its scriptures. Science boasts of being able to provide a glimpse of the entire life process (courtesy of a microscope used to view biological cells dividing), or the vision of a far away galaxy observed though a telescope. These achievements are of course praiseworthy. However Science can not explain who created them or who is responsible for their continued existence. This is where religious belief comes to the aid of science and provides an answer. Hindu faith dictates that God created the universe and all things within it - both animate and inanimate beings and this belief comforts the human mind.
This article shows how the magnitude of the speed of light computed by the ancient Hindus bears a close agreement with the value obtained by scientific measurement. Also a close correspondence exists in both Hinduism and Science on two important concepts: the origin of the Universe and the beginning of Life. Many other instances may be quoted to demonstrate such accord. One can thus take the view that there is a broad similarity in the concepts of Hinduism and Science.
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