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HowcanweunderstandscientificconceptslikespaceandtimefromtheVedicperspective?|TheSpiritualScientist

Question:Howcanweunderstandscientificconceptslikespaceandtimefrom
vedicperspective?
Answer:thevedicperspectiveorthevedicknowledgecanbedividedintothree
parts.Imagineacircleandthreesectorsinthatcircle.Oneaspectthatis
harmoniouswiththemodernscience,secondwhichiscontradictorytomodern
science,andthirdwhichisbeyondthemodernscienceorbeyondscienceatlarge.
Forexampleifwetalkaboutthespiritualworld,beyondthematerialsky
parastasmttubhvo'nyo
'vyakto'vyakttsantana
yasasarveubhteu
nayatsunavinayati
KrishnasaysintheBhagavadgita8.20thatbeyondthismaterialworldthereisa
spiritualworldthatisjustbeyondthescopeofscience.Theprimarythrustfstudying
scriptureisforgainingthespiritualknowledge.Butalongwiththatthereismaterial
knowledgealsointhescriptures.Thescripturesarenotfocusingprimarilyonthe
materialknowledgethatcanbegotfromothersourcesalso.Sowhenwetalkabout
thescripturalconceptionofsciencetheyareobservingfromaparticularperspective
andweareobservingfromadifferentperspective.Sohowthetwocanbe
reconciledorintegratedthatitselfisawholebodyofresearch.Srilaprabhupada
startedabhaktivedantaInstitute,thebodyofscientificresearchmeantfordevotee
scientiststodospecialisationanddoingresearch.
IngeneralIwouldliketotalkabouttwoexamples.Saywithrespecttospace,time
andtheuniversethevedicunderstandingisthattheuniverseisamultilayered
reality.MultilayeredmeansthatjustlikeifyouhaveacomputerinmycomputerifI
havetwousersthereisanadminandauser,saythereisachilduser.Thechild
userhasacertainlevelofaccessandtheadminhasamuchgreaterlevelof
access.Saythereare5ooofilesinmycomputerthechildmayhaveaccesstoonly
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HowcanweunderstandscientificconceptslikespaceandtimefromtheVedicperspective?|TheSpiritualScientist

500andtheremaining4500hehastoaccessthroughtheadmin.Similarlythe
universeislikeamultilayeredstructurelikethemultiusersystemandwehumans
haveacertainlevelofaccess.Sothereismuchintheuniversethatwecanthave
accessto.Thatdoesnotmeanthatwhatwearehavingaccesstoiswrongorwhat
weareperceivingiswrong.LikeifIlookatmycomputertheremaybeanE:\\drive
butIcantseethatbecausethatisnotaccessibletomethroughmycomputeratmy
levelofaccess.Therearevariouswaysinwhichaccesscanbeconfigured.Sothe
E:\\driveistherebutIcantseeit.sowhatIamseeingisthatwrong?Noitisthere
butthatisjustwithinonesegmentofthecomputer.Sowhatsciencehasuncovered
inarelativecontextitistrueanditistruetoberecognised.Bhagavadgitaalsotalks
abouthowusingourfacultieswecanacquireknowledgeandthatknowledgeisnot
rejected.Butthatknowledgehastobeharmonisedwiththespiritualknowledge.So
thescripturestalkaboutprimarilytranscendentalknowledge,alongwiththatthey
talkaboutthematerialknowledge.Primarypurposeofthatmaterialknowledgeisto
helpusfocusonspiritualityorhelpuslivealifethatisharmoniouswithspirituality.
Sothespecificwaysinwhichthemodernscientificknowledgecanbereconciled
thatwillvary.LikeIgavetheexampleofcomputeraccess.
Thesecondexampleisvariationinobservationdependinguponthescaleof
observation.SayifItakechalkandifItakecoalandImakebothoftheminto
powder,nowoneiswhitepowderandtheotherisblackpowder.Imixbothofthem
together.Whathappens?Iwillgetagreyishsortofpowder.NowifIseeitwitha
microscopeIdontfindanygreypowder.Iseeblackgranulesandwhitegranules.
Sowhatitisreally?Sowhatweperceivedependsonourscaleofobservation.
Similarlyinthevedicsciencetheyaredescribingthematterandthematerialworld
inadifferentscaleofobservation.Andweareseeingitinadifferentscaleof
observation.Sohowthetwoaretobereconciled,therehastobeinvestigationfor
that.Someofyoucanbethepioneersinthatresearch.Speciallytheworldtoday
needsandblendofscienceandspirituality.Martinlutherkingsaid"Wehaveguided
missilesbutmisguidedmen".Ourscientificknowledgehasoutrunourspiritual
power.Especiallyinindiatheyounggenerationhasthegreatestopportunitytodo
this.Becausebyeducationandbytrainingwecandevelopascientificaptitudeand
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HowcanweunderstandscientificconceptslikespaceandtimefromtheVedicperspective?|TheSpiritualScientist

bycultureandupbringingstillthereisalotsofspiritualroutesinindia.Sobybothof
themcomingtogetherwecandoaremarkablecontributiontothehumanity.
HareKrishna

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