Our Destiny

परमाणु से ब्रहमाांड और परे

by Vipul Vijoy
 यत्करोषि यदश्नासस यज्जुहोषि ददासस यत ् |
यत्तपस्यसस कौन्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदपपणम ् ॥

Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in worship,
and whatever you give away in charity;
Whichever sacrifices you perform and difficulties undergo – O son of
Kunti – do them all as offerings to me. Bhagavad Gita 9:27

and, dedicated, of course,

 Introduction
…that one would never get around to putting pen to paper – that
was the fear! However, the delay in doing so was on account of the fact
that what was necessary was not only a fair comprehension of the
innumerable explanations that abound in various philosophies and
modes of thought extant in the world at large but also in gaining an
overview based on the empirical case study of one’s own life
experiences (सम्यक् अनुभव – all-round experience).
So, what is this book about, then?
Well, it’s about understanding what it is that is going on all
around us and also about determining the best way of comprehending
our lives, sparked by common questions such as: ‘Who am I?’, ‘What
am I doing here?’, ‘Who created the Stars and the Universe?’ and
‘What is my life’s purpose?’ These are some of the eternal, classical
questions that have engaged and exercised philosophers down the ages.

The earliest available inquiries of such type hark back to the days
of the timeless Rig Ved (ऋग्वेद). In the 14-line hymn (Book 10, Hymn
1291) known as the Naasadiya Sookt (the Principle of न असत ् – ‘Not
even Non-Existence’), Shlok 6 asks questions, as follows,
को अद्धा वेद क इह प्रवोचत्कुत आजाता कुत इयां ववसषृ ्टिः।
अवापग्दे वा अस्य ववसजपनेनाथा को वेद यत आबभव
ू ।।6।।
Variously attributed to Prajapati Parmeshthi, the following questions
are posed:
(i) Who knows and who can say...
(ii) …from where Creation has originated?
(iii) Whether the Creator designed it or whether HE did not?
(iv) Whether even the Creator knows it or even HE does not?

1
ओ३म ् नासदासीन्नो सदासीत्तदानीां नासीद्रजो नो व्योमा परो यत ्। ककमावरीविः कुह कस्य शमपन्नम्भिः ककमासीद्गहनां गभीरम।् ।1।।
न मत्ृ युरासीदमत
ृ ां न तर्हप न रात्र्या अन्ह आसीत्प्रकेतिः। आनीदवातां स्वधया तदे कां तस्माद्धान्यन्न परिः ककां चनास।।2।।
तम आसीत्तमसा गूळहमग्रेऽप्रके तां सलििां सवप मा इदम।् तुच्छय्येनाभ्ववपर्हतां यदासीत्तपसस्तन्मर्हनाजायतैकम।् ।3।।
कामस्तदग्रे समवतप ताधध मनसो रे तिः प्रथमां यदासीत ्। सतो बन्धुमसतत तनरववन्दन ् हृर्द प्रती्या कवयो मनीषा।।4।।
ततरश्चीनो ववततो रषश्मरे षामधिः षस्वदासी३दुपरर षस्वदासी३त।् रे तोधा आसन्मर्हमान आसन्त्स्वधा अवस्तात्प्रयततिः परस्तात।् ।5।।
को अद्धा वेद क इह प्रवोचत्कुत आजाता कुत इयां ववसषृ ्टिः। अवापग्दे वा अस्य ववसजपनेनाथा को वेद यत आबभूव।।6।।
इयां ववसषृ ्टयपत आबभूव यर्द वा दधे यर्द वा न। यो अस्याध्यक्षिः परमे व्योमन्त्सो अांग वे द यर्द वा न वे द।।7।।
A translation is available at Appendix 1
 Similarly, the Brahma Sutra of Baadaraayan begins with the subject
of Brahm - अथातो ब्रह्म जजज्ञासा – ‘Now, therefore, an Inquiry into
the nature of Everything’, and जन्माद्यस्य यतः – ‘From where has
come the origin, etc. of this Universe?’.

Baadaraayan or Ved Vyaas

Philosophers of more recent cultures, such as the Greek, have also
raised similar timeless questions.

‘The School of Athens’ by Raphael

 In the fourth century BCE, for instance, Pyrrho of Elis (of the
Sceptic school) asked the epistemological question, "Is it really
possible to know anything in actuality?", and if so, "How can we prove
it?"
In The Republic, Plato raised an axiological question, "Is it better
to be just even if one could get away with being unjust?". Aristotle and
Epictetus discussed ontological subjects such as whether humans really
have Free Will.
Sir Thomas Aquinas2 observed that “We do not think that we
know anything unless we grasp the ‘why’ which is to grasp the cause.
For there resides in every man a natural desire to know the cause of any
effect which he sees; and thence arises wonder in man 3.”
To complicate matters further, Werner Heisenberg’s (1901-1976)
Uncertainty Principle completely upended the logic and reasoning
behind classical philosophy – followed later by the even more
perplexing Quantum Theory which has made conventional notions of
causality and proof highly contentious and subjective. It has been
repeatedly and conclusively demonstrated that any outcomes that are
actually seen appear to occur simply because we happen to be
observing them! And not otherwise.
Forever and always, there has been a persistent sense of unreality
at the back of my mind for as long far back as I can remember. Feelings
such as “Why am I here?”, “Haven’t I seen this before?”, and “Do I
really belong here…?” The good news is that over the years most of
these questions were answered – no doubt after a lot of reading,
accompanied with experience and the resultant heartburn.
Newly born, we are thrown into this tumultuous and anarchic
worldly ocean and forced to swim. Three tragedies dog us in our
journey. The first tragedy is that we don’t know why! Not only have
we to discover our final destination but we also have to work out how
to get there. By the time we figure all this out, we may have passed
2 Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher and Catholic priest.
3Thomas Aquinas, In Octo Libros Physicorum Aristotelis Expositio II, Lecture 5.
through several lifetimes and incarnations, and even oscillated between
different life forms (yoni – योनन) according to the positive or negative
balance in our Karm – कमम account.
The second tragedy is that in our successive incarnations we
normally forget where and how far we had reached earlier on our path
to spiritual growth and awareness, and are doomed / condemned to start
afresh all over again! The third tragedy is that most of us in our various
incarnations remain stuck in the rut of mere survival – earning a living,
fulfilling our duties and trying to become a useful and contributing
member of the human race.
Hence, drawing inspiration from the ancient Indic4 traditions and
in the spirit of our Upanishadic philosophers who reflected in isolation,
I decided to withdraw from the turmoil and pandemonium of daily life
and make an humble attempt at reconstructing a comprehensive and
holistic understanding of our ‘Reality’ by referring to all respectable
sources of Science and Philosophy in order to arrive at a better
cognition of our Creation at this moment in its history.
Besides, there was also the ever-present compulsion to obey
the orders of Shri Krishn who declared unequivocally in his
Bhagvad Gita, thus:
य इमं परमं गुह्यं मद्भक्तेष्वसभधास्यनत ।
भजक्तं मनय परां कृत्वा मामेवैष्यत्यसंशयः ॥Bh..G. 18.68॥
He who explains these closely-guarded secrets to My true devotees by
emphasising upon the paramount importance of devotion to Me, that
person who explicates and elucidates it would clearly attain Me,
without a doubt. ॥Bh..G. 18.68॥
-x-

4
Indic Knowledge Tradition (IKT): According to this tradition, ‘rishis’ or seers composed Vedic hymns and
mantras out of their extra-sensory perception. These verses have existed forever and will remain always –
unchanging – beyond our commonly seen world of change. It’s no wonder then that these mantras are called
‘nitya’, i.e., eternal and ‘apaurusheya’, i.e., not composed by humans.
 समपपण

यत्रोसी यदस्नासस यज्जुहोसी ददासस यत ् |

यत्तप्य्सस्य ककस्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदपमणम ्

जो कुछ तुम करते हो, जो कुछ तुम खाते हो, जो कुछ तुम पूजा में
चढाते हो, और जो कुछ तुम दान में दे ते हो;
हे कुन्तीपत्र
ु - तम
ु जो भी यज्ञ करते हो और जो कठिनाइयााँ करते हो,
वह सब मुझे भें ट के रूप में करो। भगवद गीता 9:27

और, समषपमत, ननजश्चत रूप से,

के भषवष्य के पुन: अवतार के सिए

...ताकक आप वह ं से उिा सकें जहां से आपने छोडा था….

…चचत्रों से भरा एक ऐसा संसाधन, जजससे आपको दोबारा जन्म िेने

की जस्थनत में ज्यादा संघिम न करना पडे और अंग्रेजी और संस्कृत
सीखने में ज्यादा समय न िगे…
 पररचय

...कक कोई कागज पर किम डािने के सिए इधर-उधर नह ं होगा - वह

डर था! हािााँकक, ऐसा करने में दे र इस तथ्य के कारण थी कक जो
आवश्यक था वह न केवि असंख्य व्याख्याओं की एक उचचत समझ
थी जो कक बडे पैमाने पर दनु नया में मौजूद षवसभन्न दशमन और षवचार
के तर कों में प्रचुर मात्रा में थी, बजकक इसके आधार पर एक ससंहाविोकन
प्राप्य्त करना भी था। अपने स्वयं के जीवन के अनभ
ु वों का अनभ
ु वजन्य
केस स्टडी (सम्यक् अनुभव - सवाांगीण अनुभव)।
तो, यह ककताब ककस बारे में है?
खैर, यह समझने के बारे में है कक हमारे चारों ओर क्या चि रहा है
और हमारे जीवन को समझने का सबसे अच्छा तर का ननधामररत करने
के बारे में भी है , जो सामान्य प्रश्नों से उत्पन्न होता है जैसे: 'मैं कौन
हूं?', 'मैं यहां क्या कर रहा हूं?', 'ससतारों और ब्रह्मांड को ककसने बनाया?'
और 'मेरे जीवन का उद्दे श्य क्या है ?' ये कुछ शाश्वत, शास्त्रीय प्रश्न हैं
जो सठदयों से दाशमननकों को उिझाते और प्रयोग करते रहे हैं।

इस प्रकार की सबसे पहिे उपिब्ध पछ

ू ताछ कािातीत ऋग्वेद (ऋग्वेद)
के ठदनों की है। 14-पंजक्त के भजन (पुस्तक 10, भजन 129) में नासठदया
सूक्त के रूप में जाना जाता है (न असत का ससद्धांत - 'अजस्तत्व भी
नह ं'), श्िोक 6 इस प्रकार प्रश्न पूछता है ,
को अधा वेद क इह प्रवोचत्कुत आजाता कुत इयं षवसजृ ष्टः।
अवामग्दे वा अस्स्य सजन्ननाथ को वेद यत आभभूव..6।।
प्रजापनत परमेष्िी को षवसभन्न रूप से जजम्मेदार िहराया गया,
ननम्नसिखखत प्रश्न पछ
ू े गए हैं:
(i) कौन जानता है और कौन कह सकता है ...
(ii) …सजृ ष्ट की उत्पषत्त कहााँ से हुई है ?
(iii) क्या सजृ ष्टकताम ने इसे बनाया है या नह ं?
(iv) क्या रचनयता भी इसे जानता है या वह भी नह ं जानता है ?

इसी तरह, बादरायण का ब्रह्म सत्र

ू ब्रह्म के षविय से शरू
ु होता है -
अथातो ब्रह्मरुस - 'अब, इससिए, हर चीज की प्रकृनत में एक जांच', और
जन्मदस्य यतत - 'इस ब्रह्मांड की उत्पषत्त कहां से हुई है , आठद? '।

बादरायण या वेद व्यास

अचधक हाि की संस्कृनतयों के दाशमननकों, जैसे कक ग्रीक, ने भी इसी तरह
के कािातीत प्रश्न उिाए हैं।

राफेि द्वारा 'द स्कूि ऑफ एथेंस'

चौथी शताब्द ईसा पव
ू म में , उदाहरण के सिए, एसिस (स्केजप्य्टक स्कूि
के) के पायरो ने ज्ञानमीमांसीय प्रश्न पछ
ू ा, "क्या वास्तषवकता में कुछ
भी जानना वास्तव में संभव है ?", और यठद हां, तो "हम इसे कैसे साबबत
कर सकते हैं?"
द ररपजब्िक में , प्य्िेटो ने एक स्वयंससद्ध प्रश्न उिाया, "क्या अन्यायपण
ू म
होने से दरू हो जाने पर भी न्याय करना बेहतर है ?"। अरस्तू और
एषपक्टे टस ने ऑन्कोिॉजजकि षवियों पर चचाम की जैसे कक क्या मनुष्यों
के पास वास्तव में स्वतंत्र इच्छा है।
सर थॉमस एजक्वनास ने दे खा कक "हमें नह ं िगता कक हम कुछ भी
जानते हैं जब तक कक हम 'क्यों' को समझ नह ं िेते हैं जो कक कारण
को समझना है। क्योंकक प्रत्येक मनुष्य में ककसी भी प्रभाव का कारण
जानने की स्वाभाषवक इच्छा होती है जजसे वह दे खता है ; और वहां से
मनुष्य में आश्चयम उत्पन्न होता है ।"
मामिों को और अचधक जठटि बनाने के सिए, वनमर हाइजेनबगम के
(1901-1976) अननजश्चतता ससद्धांत ने शास्त्रीय दशमन के पीछे के तकम
और तकम को पूर तरह से बदि ठदया - बाद में और भी अचधक जठटि
क्वांटम ससद्धांत का पािन ककया जजसने कायम-कारण और प्रमाण की
पारं पररक धारणाओं को अत्यचधक षववादास्पद और व्यजक्तपरक बना
ठदया। यह बार-बार और ननणामयक रूप से प्रदसशमत ककया गया है कक
वास्तव में दे खे जाने वािे कोई भी पररणाम केवि इससिए होते हैं
क्योंकक हम उनका अविोकन कर रहे होते हैं! और अन्यथा नह ं।
हमेशा के सिए और हमेशा, मेरे ठदमाग के पीछे असत्य की भावना बहुत
पहिे से चि आ रह है , जहां तक मुझे याद है । "मैं यहााँ क्यों हूाँ?",
"क्या मैंने इसे पहिे नह ं दे खा?", और "क्या मैं वास्तव में यहााँ हूाँ ...?"
जैसी भावनाएाँ अच्छी खबर यह है कक इन विों में इनमें से अचधकतर
प्रश्नों का उत्तर ठदया गया था - ननस्संदेह बहुत सारे पढने के बाद,
अनुभव और पररणामी नाराज़गी के साथ।
नवजात, हमें इस अशांत और अराजक सांसाररक महासागर में फेंक ठदया
जाता है और तैरने के सिए मजबरू ककया जाता है । हमार यात्रा में तीन
त्रासठदयों ने हमारा साथ ठदया। पहि त्रासद यह है कक हम नह ं जानते
क्यों! हमें न केवि अपने अंनतम गंतव्य की खोज करनी है , बजकक हमें
यह भी पता िगाना है कक वहां कैसे पहुंचा जाए। जब तक हम यह सब
समझ िेते हैं, तब तक हम कई जन्मों और अवतारों से गुजर चुके होते
हैं, और यहां तक कक हमारे कमम-कमम खाते में सकारात्मक या नकारात्मक
संतुिन के अनुसार षवसभन्न जीवन रूपों (योनन – योनी) के बीच दोिन
करते हैं।
दस
ू र त्रासद यह है कक हमारे रसमक अवतारों में हम आम तौर पर
भूि जाते हैं कक हम आध्याजत्मक षवकास और जागरूकता के अपने पथ
पर पहिे कहााँ और ककतनी दरू पहुाँच चुके हैं, और कफर से नए ससरे से
शरु
ु आत करने के सिए असभशप्य्त है !

The Backdrop

The Strange Story of Raja Bharat

It’s the strangest of tales – a story to end all stories! Raja Bharat
was one of our earliest forefathers and this country of Bhaarat, that is
India (and certainly not the other way round5), is named after him and
we are all his children (‘भारत’ meaning the descendants of ‘भरत’6).

Well, it so happened that after taking retirement from his kingdom

and kingship and bidding farewell to his family and subjects, Raja
Bharat proceeded to the Himalayas to practise penance in accordance
with the Vedic system of the four stages of human life (Celibacy -
Brahmcharya – ब्रह्मचयम; Family Life - Gaarhasthya – गाहमस्थ्य;
Retirement -Vaanprasth - वानप्रस्थ and Complete Abandonment of the
Material World - Samnyaas - संन्यास).
In the mountains one day, when he was sitting by a brook, he
noticed a lion which was about to pounce upon a pregnant doe drinking
from the spring. Just as the lion leapt, the doe panicked and jumped into
the water and was being carried away in the flow when she gave birth.
In order to save the infant fawn from drowning, Raja Bharat jumped
into the rivulet to save the fawn and brought it back to his hermitage.

5 THE CONSTITUTION of INDIA: Article 1. Name and territory of the Union — (1) India, that is Bharat, shall be a
Union of States.

6 This land was earlier known as Ajnaabh अजनाभ

 There he felt such sorrow and pity for the helpless creature that
he started feeding and rearing the feeble animal. Naturally, in course of
time, he became deeply attached with the baby deer and, as a result, his
life’s focus changed from spirituality to worrying about the needs of
the little animal. He even started dreaming about it and fearing for its
future after his own passing away.
So concerned was he about this that even in his last days he
thought only of the fawn – with the result that when he died, he re-
incarnated into the body of a deer. However, luckily for him, he
remembered his previous life and regretted immensely giving up the
path of detachment from material life. Hence, he fasted unto death and
was then re-incarnated as a human, born into a family of Brahmins.
This time again, he clearly remembered his last two births and,
therefore, strove especially hard to remain detached by acting and
behaving like a mentally retarded person – an idiot. His father tried very
hard to coach him in the conduct of worship and rituals so that he could
at least make a living as a priest but Bharat remained unapproachable
and kept up his pretense of being a dimwit. Following his father’s
demise, his exasperated brothers turned him out of the house. Bharat
began wandering from place to place continuing to behave like a
halfwit imbecile.
One day, some robbers caught hold of him and prepared to use
him as offering in a human sacrifice to Mother Goddess Bhadrakaali.
But just as they were about to chop off his head, the enraged Goddess
burst out of her own idol and mercilessly slaughtered all the robbers
thereby saving Bharat’s life.

Bharat continued to roam around the country till one day he was
found by servants of the king of Sindhu-Sauvir region, King Rahugan.
Rahugan happened to be proceeding on pilgrimage to the holy estuary
of Gangaa-Saagar in Bengal to visit the ancient ashram of Kapil Muni.
He was being carried on a palanquin by four bearers but one of them
took ill. The king’s soldiers had been looking for a replacement bearer
and when they found Bharat, they at once forced him to join them.
But while carrying the palanquin, Bharat could not walk in step
with the other bearers because he kept trying to avoid stepping on
insects which could by chance come under foot. The resulting jerky
ride annoyed the king considerably who then threatened Bharat with
physical punishment.
 Bharat replied that he was not a body but a soul and the king could
not even touch his soul let alone punish it. Following some more
exchanges, it dawned upon the king at last that Bharat was no ordinary
person and fell at his feet seeking his forgiveness and guidance.
 Having advised Rahugan suitably, Bharat carried on with his
wanderings and, ultimately achieved moksh मोक्ष or freedom from
rebirth.
The story is incredibly old being placed in the Swayambhu
Manvantar7. Bharat’s genealogy is as follows: Swayambhu
Manu→Priyavrat→Agnidhra→Naabhi→Rishabhdev→Bharat. Each
Manvantar consists of 306.72 million years or Mega Annum (Ma). As
per the Vedic reckoning of time periods 8, six Manvantars have passed,
the present one being the seventh. Hence, 306.72 x 6 = 1,840 Ma
approximately. Even though the Earth’s revolution around the sun may
have slowed down by about 17% since then, that’s still a very long time
ago!
So, what is it that is so unique and unforgettable about these few
incidents which took place so long ago that we still use this story as a
lodestar for drawing inspiration in our lives today?
A few features definitely stand out:
(1) The importance of understanding the true nature of reality
and the purpose of our life on this planet;
(2) The importance also of progress at every stage of life and
renunciation at the right time;
(3) the seriously adverse effects of atavism, i.e., going back to
familiar and comfortable experiences of one’s past; and
(4) the innumerable innocuous-looking hurdles and difficulties
on the long and lonely spiritual path.

-x-

7 See Chapter 8 below on ‘Time’

8 Ibid.
 Chapter 1

Methodology
Like all good scientists, let us start with methodology. How do
we understand anything? Should we rely solely on scientific
discoveries? What is the role of mental speculation or direct revelation?
Saints and philosophers down the ages – from the Upanishadic to the
present – have used methods in different combinations. The broadest
classification of such methods is the ancient Indian distinction between
Shruti - श्रनु त and Smriti - स्मनृ त, including their rules of logic for
establishing Pramaan - प्रमाण or proof.
Shruti & Smriti
Reams have been written about shruti and smriti by ancient
Indian philosophers as well as modern ones such as Shri Aurobindo 9
and Indologists like Friedrich Max Müller 10.
Speaking for myself, I was first introduced to this classification
during the course of my undergraduate studies in ancient Indian history
but it remained completely opaque to me. I used to get totally stumped
when I tried to explain Shruti and Smriti – even to myself. They
remained mysterious and confusing abstractions. The main difficulty,
as I realised later, was on account of the fact that later commentators
had conflated too many ideas and interpretations into them without
sufficient appreciation of the overall spirit of Indian thought at its core.
Now, 45 years later, I appreciate much better the fineness of the great
thought which went into such broad divisions of learning and
realisation through Shruti and Smriti.
The problem with later commentators, especially those brought
up in western environments, was two-fold. One, they approached
9 Aurobindo Ghose (15-8-1872 to 5-12-1950), author of The Life Divine
10 Friedrich Max Müller (6-12-1823 to 28-10-1900), best known for his University of Cambridge lectures on
India: What can it Teach Us? (1883) and Six Systems of Indian Philosophy (1899).
Indian philosophy as some sort of an impenetrable or opaque mystery
– some even terming several of its aspects as ‘mysticism’.

Philosophy is like being in a dark room and looking for a black cat. Metaphysics is like
being in a dark room and looking for a black cat that isn't there. Theology is like being in a
dark room looking for a black cat that isn't there and shouting "I found it!"
OR
Ernest Gellner’s take on Science, Philosophy, and Marxism is another twist on the aphorism
about looking for a cat in a dark room with various consequences as follows: with science the
cat is present, with philosophy absent, and with Marxism absent but found.

Secondly, they were looking for concrete and tangible

illustrations for abstract formulations that, by definition, they did not
possess. Several of the concepts were unverifiable and can be grasped
only after studying and learning this type of thought in its entirety.
Actually, it turns out to be a simple matter of comprehending it
by correlating it with one’s own learning experiences in one’s life. The
bottom-line then is that Shruti is whatever one learns from others
(basically, all written or unwritten knowledge and information gathered
from the external world without actually experiencing it personally)
while Smriti is what one realises by oneself – or recollects by oneself,
including from one’s past lives or earlier avatars.
And when one talks of Realisation, then, naturally, it is in the
sense of Yog (योग) – popularly known as Yoga. This has been
explained in its details by Paatanjali in his Yog Sutra11. There again, the
final step of Samaadhi again needs to be understood in its essence.
Contrary to popular understanding of it as a state of trance, it actually
refers to an “equipoised brain with constant Mindfulness of the
Supersoul or God”12.
Rules of Logic
As any beginner would, let’s start with Plato and his three
~ologies.

Ontology, Epistemology and Axiology are the three main

components of most philosophies. Ontology (सत्ता मीमांसा) is the study
of beingness, i.e., the study of how we determine whether something
actually exists or not. Often, it studies ‘things’ that may appear to be
abstract at first and then, through reasoning, establishing them to be
‘real’.

11 The Eight-Step Path recommended by him consists of Yam, Niyam, Aasan, Praanaayaam, Pratyaahaar,
Dhaaran, Dhyaan and Samaadhi.
12 The Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen by Diener, Erhard and Fischer-Schreiber (1991)
 Epistemology (ज्ञान-मीमांसा) can be defined simply as the study
of ‘knowledge’. Its three main questions are: what’s the difference
between knowledge and opinion, is it possible to have real knowledge
and what is the process whereby we can reach such knowledge.

Axiology (मूकय मीमांसा) deals with types of values – as in ethics

or religion. It is the philosophical study of “goodness” or “preference”.
The ideas with which Plato is credited are his concepts of Forms,
Epistemology, Recollection, Ethics and the Dialectical Method. As
can be seen by any student of the subject, all such ideas were already
present and discussed in great detail in the timeless ancient Vedic and
Vedantic thought. The Forms13 are what the Vedantists understood to
be the Matrix – the Banyan Tree structure of the True Invisible Reality
– the अश्वत्थां (cf. Chapter 2 below). Epistemology or ज्ञानमीमांसा is
central to Indian thought 14 wherein दशमन or observation is multi-
directional, i.e., there are at least six directions from which any “object”
can be viewed – front, back, left, right, top and bottom. These six
viewpoints are popularly accepted to be the Saankhya (सांख्य) of Kapil
Muni, the Yog (योग) of Paatanjali, the Vaisheshik (वैशेषिक) of Kanaad,
the Nyaay (न्याय) of Gautam Muni, the Poorv Mimansa (पूवम मीमांसा)
of Jaimini and the Uttar Mimansa (उत्तर मीमांसा) or Vedant (वेदांत) of
Adi Shankaracharya.
Within these six, Indian epistemology accepts six types of proofs
or प्रमाण as reliable means to ascertain knowledge or truth – प्रत्यक्ष or
direct perception, अनुमान or inference, उपमान or comparative
analogy, अथामपषत्त or presumptions arrived at by derivation from
circumstances, अनप
ु िजब्ध or non-perception and शब्द (old treatises).
13 ‘We are urged to transform our values by taking to heart the greater reality of the Forms and the
defectiveness of the corporeal world’. (https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato/)
14 Logic in Classical Indian Philosophy (2011-2016 - Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy)
 In addition to the six ideological systems mentioned above, there
are other schools of thought as well, such as the Vishishtadvait
(षवसशष्टाद्वैत) of Ramanujacharya and the Dvait (द्वैत) School of
Madhavacharya, etc.
Further, Adi Shankaracharya underlined the concept of
intuitive understanding of the spiritual reality. Traditionally, thinkers
had been learning from the practices of Hearing – shravan (श्रवण),
Cogitation – manan (मनन) and Focusing – nididhyasana
(ननठदध्यासन). Arguing that these steps were insufficient for providing
a full and complete understanding of Creation, he recommended trying
out ‘asensual sensing’ – Aparoksha Anubhuti अपरोक्ष अनुभूनत – which
is automatic realisation after reaching a certain stage of advanced
learning.
This is elaborated further Shri Krishn in his Bhagavad Gita
emphasises repeatedly – that ‘only through love can I be fully
understood’. He describes it as follows:
सगामणामाठदरन्तश्च मध्यं चैवाहमजन ुम ।
अध्यात्मषवद्या षवद्यानां वादः प्रवदतामहम ् ॥Bh..G. 10.32॥
Of all Creations, ONLY I am the beginning, the end and the middle,
O Arjun;
Among all studies, I am the Study of Spiritualism, and of all Debates I
am the Outcome.
He emphasises that:

अहं रतुरहं यज्ञ: स्वधाहमहमौिधम ् ।

मन्त्रोऽहमहमेवाज्यमहमजग्नरहं हुतम ् ॥Bh..G. 9.16॥
"I am the TOOL, I am the WORK, ENERGY I am, I am the RESULT;
I am the WORDS, I am the FUEL, I am the FIRE, I am the OFFERING."

Hence, he says:
जरामरणमोक्षाय मामाचश्रत्य यतजन्त ये ।
 ते ब्रह्म तद्षवदःु कृत्स्नमध्यात्मं कमम चाखखिम ् ॥Bh..G. 7.29॥
To obtain freedom from old age and death, such learned persons
surrender unto Me in order to try and understand Me; they are
actually Brahm, the Knower of ‘tat’, about spirituality and Karm in its
totality.
Only through surrender and complete mindfulness, then, can He
be known and understood.
Again, in the Bhagvad Gita, he says to Arjun:

भक्त्या त्वनन्यया शक्य अहमेवंषवधोऽजन

ुम ।
ज्ञातुं द्रष्टुं च तत्त्वेन प्रवेष्टुं च परं तप ॥Bh..G. 11.54॥
But only by ceaseless devotion is it possible to know Me and see Me
in this form, to gain core knowledge of Me.

-x-
 Chapter 2
The Banyan Tree (a.k.a. The Matrix)
In Verses 1-3 of Chapter 15 of his revelations to Arjun (श्रीमद्
भगवद्गीता), Shri Krishn describes the unified nature of His Creation
under His supreme control in the following words:

ऊध्वपमि
ू मध:शाखमश्वत्थां प्राहुरव्ययम ् |
छन्दाांलस यस्य पणापतन यस्तां वेद स वेदववत ् ॥Bh..G. 15.11॥
“With its roots above and branches below, there is an invisible
Banyan Tree without end, with leaves that consist of certain systems
that work in harmony. Whoever understands this, comprehends the
actual Reality.”
 Often have I experienced the real existence of this ‘Banyan
Matrix’ in my life. More so after watching the 1999 movie, ‘The
Matrix’, which presents its own version of a simulated reality
developed from their studies of Vedantic philosophy.
 One unforgettable incident which always springs to mind,
unfolded as follows. In the summer of 1996 (around 10th July), I was
driving down the German Autobahn 19 from the Baltic port of Rostock
to Berlin.
In several stretches, the road was under repairs – with diversions into
the last two lanes on the right. I was driving a Volvo 740.

It was my very first time on an autobahn on which there are still

no speed limits. I stepped on the gas and threw caution to the winds
although travelling in the same car with me, were my wife and two
small children accompanied by my sister and her two small children –
seven souls in all. I started to overtake a bus which was also doing no
less than 150 kmph. We went head-to-head for several minutes
when…the bus swerved suddenly - right into our path! That was on
account of another of those innumerable diversions for road repairs. I
completely froze at first. But a split second later, God himself took over
control of my hands (through his अश्वत्थां) and made me turn the wheel
clockwise incrementally and coolly in order to keep our car parallel
with the bus without touching it. At times, we were just millimetres
away. This incredible manoeuvre went on for almost a full nail-biting,
edge-of-seat minute before the diversion - and the crisis - ended. I had
come within a split hair of collision. I broke into all kinds of profuse
sweat yet continued to drive without stopping. All of us could have
been killed at that speed in collision with a vehicle as big as that bus. It
was touch and go! The rest of the way to Berlin, I drove at a most saintly
sedate pace!
In the Shrimad Bhaagvat, in the passage containing His sermon
to His bhakt and childhood friend, Uddhav, also known as the Uddhav
Gita (containing 1400 verses in all as compared to the Bhagvad Gita
which has just 700), Shri Krishn describes the same Banyan Tree in
greater detail, as follows:
द्वे अस्य बीजे शत मूलः त्रि नाल: पञ्च स्कन्धः पञ्च रसः प्रसूत्रतः ।

दश एक शाखः त्रद्व सुपर्ण नीडः त्रि वल्कलः त्रद्व फलः अकणम् प्रत्रवष्टः ॥SmBh.11:12:22॥

अदन्ति च एकम् फलम् अस्य गृध्ाः ग्रामे चराः एकम् अरण्य वासाः ।

हं साः यः एकम् बहु-रूपम् इज्यः माया-मयम् वेद सः वेद वेदम् ॥SmBh.11:12:23॥

“This Tree consists of two SEEDS (dharm - धमम and adharm -

अधमम), a hundred ROOTS (various desires - इच्छाएाँ), three TRUNKS
(i.e. the three invisible influencers – realms of Sattvah सत्व:, Rajah रज:
and Tamah तम:, five upper BRANCHES (i.e., the five basic substances
– earth, wind, water, fire and space) , and produces five juices (i.e. the
five objects of the senses – (shapes, aromas, sound, flavour and
texture), eleven lower BRANCHES (the five information-gathering
senses – eyes, nose, ears, tongue and skin plus the five action organs –
feet पद, hands पाखण, speech वाक् , genitals उपस्थ, anus पायु – and,
finally, the mind मन), two BIRDS in a nest (i.e., the soul and the
Supersoul present in all living creatures), three BARKS (i.e. the three
Bosons – Photons, Gravitons and Chronons15), two FRUITS (i.e., joy
and grief) and extends up to the SUN (i.e. one Astronomical Unit, about
150 million kms).

15 see Chapter 9, below

 “Lustful creatures eat one of the fruits (grief) while householders
eat the other (joy). The forest-dwelling saints, on the other hand, enjoy
the multiple forms of the ONE GOD. He who understands this,
understands the actual meaning of the Vedas.”
There is no way that any material proof can be provided in simple
logical terms for establishing the reality or truthfulness of the above
abstract construct – another fertile ground perhaps for relegating it to
the realm of impenetrable Vedic ‘mysticism’. Notwithstanding, the
only way indeed to comprehend this formulation is by employing the
subliminal tool of Adi Shankaracharya’s method of ‘asensual
sensing’16 – Aparoksha Anubhuti अपरोक्ष अनुभूनत – that is, autonomous
and automatic realisation upon attaining a certain level of advanced
accomplishment, conventionally termed the ‘Eureka effect’ or
colloquially called the ‘aha moment’.

-x-

16 See Chapter 1.
 Chapter 3

The Cosmic Setting

In order to comprehend the magnitude and immensity of its
canvas, the mind always wants to ascertain its geographical setting. As
in the case of all scientific disciplines, we want to establish the full
range of the subject-matter that we are trying to make sense of here.
For example, a doctor’s field extends from the physical body to its
ailments and their medicines. A chemist studies and understands
reactions between substances while a physicist deals with elements and
invisible forces that exist among them.
A thinker and philosopher, however, has to deal with Everything
– for the simple reason that understanding in one area is easily impacted
by learning in another. Of course, one can begin from either end – one
could start with the smallest particle and scale up to the Universe or one
could begin with the Universe and go down to the particle. It would be
easier, however, to begin with the Universe which we can see with the
unaided eye.

Our Visible Universe – the ब्रहमाांड – or the Cosmic Egg

(Reconstructed with data from the Planck Satellite: 2009-13)
 Views from any point in the above picture are similar in all
directions because any point on it can be taken as the centre of the
universe. The current ‘co-moving distance’ — actual distance, taking
into account the fact that the universe is continuously expanding or
rather growing — to the edge of the observable universe is about 14.3
billion parsecs17 (about 46.6 billion light-years). So, if the radius of the
observable universe is about 46.6 billion light-years, therefore, its
diameter would be about 93 billion light-years or 28.5 GigaParseCs.

The Raisin-Cake Model of the Expansion of the Universe

That the Universe is continuously growing was demonstrated by

Edwin Hubble in the 1920s by showing that most galaxies are receding
away from our own Milky Way — and the farther away they are, the

17 A Parsec (pc) is the distance at which the radius of Earth’s orbit around the Sun subtends
an angle of one second of arc. Thus, a star at a distance of one parsec would have a parallax of one second,
and the distance of an object in parsecs is the reciprocal of its parallax in seconds of arc. For example, the
nearest star, Proxima Centauri, which is part of the Alpha Centauri triple-star system, has a parallax of 0.769
second of arc, and, hence, its distance from the Sun and Earth is 1.30 parsec. One parsec equals 3.26 light-
years.
faster they are receding, as the light coming from them is considerably
‘Red-Shifted’. The almost constant ratio between their receding speed
and their distance became known as the Hubble Constant – ‘H’. The
best model for understanding this is a household one – a baking Raisin
Cake – where raisins are taken to represent galaxies. Just as a Raisin
Cake rises slowly when being baked in an oven, Einstein’s Space-Time
medium is continuously expanding or rather growing itself and the
Raisins/Galaxies in it are moving away – both from the centre as well
as from each other.

The KBC (Keenan-Barger-Cowie) Void where our Supercluster,

Local Group and Milky Way Galaxy are located
 We inhabit planet Earth that spins on its axis and revolves around
the Sun, which in turn orbits in an ellipse around the centre of the Milky
Way, which is itself being pulled towards the Andromeda Galaxy
within our Local Group, which is being pushed around inside our
cosmic Supercluster, Laniakea, by galactic groups, clusters, and cosmic
voids, which itself lies in the KBC Void18 amidst the large-scale
structure of the Universe.

Location of our Milky Way Galaxy in the Supercluster

‘Laniakea’
Galaxies are found to occur in clusters and along filaments
and are, sometimes, almost absent in large areas which astronomers
refer to as ‘Voids’. Extended areas with high concentrations of galaxies
are called ‘superclusters’. Our home supercluster is called ‘Laniakea’.

18 The KBC Void (or Local Hole) is an immense, comparatively empty region of space named after astronomers
Ryan Keenan, Amy Barger, and Lennox Cowie, who studied it in 2013.
 Our Local Group
Similarly, our ’Local Group’ is a group of more than 20
galaxies in which our Milky Way galaxy is situated. About half are
elliptical galaxies, the remainder being spiral or irregular. As in other
clusters of galaxies, the constituents are probably kept together by their
mutual gravitational attraction. The Milky Way system is near one end
of the volume of space occupied by the Local Group, while the great
Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is at the other, only about 2 million light-
years away.
 Push-Pull Lines of Force acting on our Local Group
Our Local Group, moreover is not moving in a uniform way.
The gravitational waves mapped above give us some idea about the
pushes and pulls on our local group that results in it moving at speeds
almost twice as fast as that predicted by the Hubble Constant.

Location of our Solar System in the Milky Way Galaxy

The Milky Way, which measures about 150,000 to 200,000 light-
years across and almost 2,000 light-years high, contains close to 100 to
400 billion stars. There are at least four primary spiral arms emanating
from its centre with an unknown number of smaller offshoot arms. Our
Solar System is located about 26,000 light-years, or about one-thirds of
the way out, from the centre, and lies on the inner edge of a minor spiral
arm dubbed the ‘Orion-Cygnus Arm’.
 Our Solar System
The most remarkable feature of our Solar System is that, except
for Pluto’s, the orbital levels of all the other eight planets lie in the same
plane called the Ecliptic. Not only that, all the planets orbit in the same
direction. However, as far as spinning on axes is concerned, Venus is
the only one spinning in a direction opposite to that of the other planets.
Another remarkable feature is that the Sun, together with its planets,
moves around the galactic centre in a bobbing motion – rather akin to
that of a dolphin’s bobbing in and out of the water while travelling,
making a complete revolution around the galactic centre once every
250 million terrestrial years. The Solar System measures about 2 light-
years in diameter and the light from the Sun takes around eight minutes
to reach us on Earth.
Cosmology in Indian Shruti
Apart from the timeless Vedas, some of the renowned Indian
astronomers were Lagadh, Aaryabhatt, Brahmagupta, Varaahmihir,
Bhaaskar I and Bhaaskar II.

िगध ऋषि or Lagadh Rishi’s Vedaang Jyotish वेदाङ्ग ज्योनति

(which is dated between 1400-1200 BCE as it contains a description of
the winter solstice for the year 1400 BCE) studies astronomical
calculations, calendars and establishes rules for empirical observations.
It covers several important aspects of time periods and seasons,
including lunar months, solar months, and their adjustment by a lunar
leap month of adhik maas.

आयमभट्ट or Aaryabhatt (476-550 CE) belonged to Central India

but settled in Kusumpur, modern-day Patna, Bihar. He taught at
Naalandaa University and composed the Aaryabhatiya. Apart from
astronomy, the treatise covers arithmetic, algebra, a table of sines and
the trigonometry of planes and spheres.

वराहसमठहर or Varaahmihir (dated in the 1st Century BCE, as the

poet Kaalidaas of the court of Emperor Vikramaaditya, mentions him
in Jyotirvidabharanam as his own contemporary) of Ujjain authored
the encyclopaedia Brihat Samhita and Panch Siddhaantika – a
compendium explaining the five systems of astronomy known at the
time. The first of these is the Paitamah Siddhaant. The second system
of astronomical studies covered by Varaahmihir is the Vashishth
Siddhaant, composed by Vishnuchandra. The third one is the Romak
Siddhaant, composed by Shrishen and named after the Room, i.e.,
subjects of the Roman Empire. The fourth system is Paulisa Siddhaant,
named after the Greek Paulisa from the city of Saintra, present-day
Alexandria. The last system covered by Varaahmihir is the Saur
Siddhaant (same as the Surya Siddhaant) which appears to be of
timeless origin and which Varaahmihir considers the most useful.
Varaahmihir was also the first astronomer to calculate the ayanams, or
the precession of the equinoxes to a value of 50.32 seconds of a degree
per annum.

ब्रह्मगुप्य्त or Brahmagupta (597-668), the author of the

Brahmasphutasiddhanta established that the Earth was actually round
and that the Moon was its satellite. He is also credited with the use of
‘Zero’ as in modern usage and the use of positive and negative integers.

भास्कर प्रथम or Bhaaskar I (600-680) was a 7th-century

mathematician and astronomer, who was the first to write numbers in
the Hindu decimal system using a circle to represent Zero. He wrote
two astronomical works following in the footsteps of Aaryabhatt –
Mahaabhaaskariya and the Laghubhaaskariya.

भास्कर द्षवतीय or Bhaaskar II (1114-1185) composed the

Siddhaant Shiromaṇi at the age of just 36. He was the Head of the
Ujjain Observatory and his contributions to astronomy include accurate
calculations of many astronomical measurements based on the
heliocentric solar system. One of his accurate calculations is of the
length of the Sidereal Year (as distinct from the Tropical Year), i.e., the
time taken by the Earth to once orbit the Sun with respect to reference
stars, as 365.2588 days. The modern accepted measurement for the
same is 365.256 363 004 ephemeris days for the J2000.0 epoch19 – a
difference of approximately just one minute.
The Vedic culture was and is so taken up with such type of hyper-
accuracy that even in our day-to-day recitation of the day’s date for a
normal activity of common worship, we feel constrained to fix the
Astronomical Date and Place for such a routine activity.
Reciting Astronomical Time – an Everyday Matter in India
Worship with the help of a priest either at home or in a temple is
a pretty commonplace activity in most Indian families. According to
prescribed formal rituals, when a worshipper makes a Prayer to either
any Deity or to the Supreme Lord, he mentions a Universal date, time
and place – as if observed from an extra-terrestrial point of view, and
such specifications can only be astronomical in order for the one being
prayed to, to make any sense of. And it has got to be done in Sanskrit
– the language of the deities written in devnagari script in order for
them to be able to easily follow it. A typical example of a Sankalp –
संककप or Sacred Resolution is given below:
“I bow thrice before Shri Vishnu! Counting from the birth of the Present
Brahm, this is in the second half of his life, in his Kalp-day named the ‘White
Boar’, in the Manvantar (an epoch lasting 306.72 million years) named after
19 The currently-used standard epoch "J2000" is defined by international agreement to be equivalent to:
The Gregorian date January 1, 2000, at 12:00 TT (Terrestrial Time), The Julian date 2451545.0 TT
(Terrestrial Time), January 1, 2000, 11:59:27.816 TAI (International Atomic Time), and January 1, 2000,
11:58:55.816 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).
Vivaswaan (the name of our present Sun), in the 28th Cycle of the Four Yugas
(28th out of 996 in this Chatur Yug cycle), in the Age of Kali (that has a duration
of 4,32,000 years), in its first Quarter, on the Supercontinent of the Jamun Plum
Trees, on the Bharat sub-continent, in the country called Bhaaratvarsh, in the
town of XXXX, on this blessed land after the Buddha Avatar, in the XXXX year
following the coronation of King Vikramaaditya The Brave, in the Jovian Year20
Samvatsar called Krodhi, in the first half of the Solar Year (that begins with our
Sun entering the Aries Constellation), in the season of Spring, in the blessed
LuniSolar Month21 of Chaitra, in the bright-half fortnight (i.e. culminating in a
Full Moon), on the first day of this fortnight, on Monday, do I, who was born in
the XXXX Gotra22 (Genetic Pool), my name is XXXX XXXX, hereby resolve
with the objective of dissolving away all ill luck and misfortune, for the purpose
of restoration of Peace, for obtaining good luck and good fortune, to receive the
fruits of worship as promised in the Shruti and Smriti, for the fulfilment of my
wishes, I hereby resolve to worship the goddess Durga (or any other deity for that
matter).”

“ॐ षवष्णुषवमष्णुषवमष्णु:, ॐ अद्य ब्रह्मणोऽजह्न द्षवतीय पराधे श्री

श्वेतवाराहककपे वैवस्वतमन्वन्तरे , अष्टाषवंशनततमे कसियुगे, कसिप्रथम चरणे
जम्बूद्वीपे भरतखण्डे भारतविे XXXX (अपने नगर/गांव का नाम िें) पुण्य क्षेत्रे
बौद्धावतारे वीर षवरमाठदत्यनप
ृ ते ( XXXX), तमेऽब्दे रोधी नाम संवत्सरे उत्तरायणे
बसंत ऋतो महामंगकयप्रदे मासानां मासोत्तमे चैत्र मासे शक्
ु ि पक्षे प्रनतपदायां नतथौ
सोम वासरे (गोत्र का नाम िें) गोत्रोत्पन्नोऽहं अमुकनामा (अपना नाम िें)
सकिपापक्षयपूवमकं सवामररष्ट शांनतननसमत्तं सवममंगिकामनया-
श्रुनतस्मत्ृ योक्तफिप्राप्य्त्यथां मनेजप्य्सत कायम ससद्धयथां श्री दग
ु ाम पूजनं च अहं
कररष्ये.”

20 See Appendix 3, below.

21 See Appendix 4, below.
22 See Appendix 5, below.
 The Supercontinent of the Jamun Plum Trees – जम्बद् ू वीप
It was just 225 million years ago that there existed on the Earth
just one Supercontinent – dubbed Pangaea by Alfred Wegener in 1912.
However, geologists can prove that this was neither the first such single
Supercontinent and certainly not the last.
 Jambudveep synonymous with Columbia

Before Pangaea, there was a single Supercontinent called

Pannotia, preceded by Rodinia, pre-dated by one known as Columbia,
which followed the first such landmass named Kenorland, as shown in
the graphic above. Since our Brahm Kalp-day started about 1.8 billion
years ago, then the Jambudveep can only be placed in the epoch of
Columbia as shown above, circa. 1,800 – 1400 million years ago.

Annual Revolutions of Various Cosmic Bodies

While reckoning astronomical time, Vedic and other Shrutis

describe various ‘years’ or annual revolutions of different celestial
objects around a real or imaginary centre called Meru – मेरु – as in the
spinal column, around which the body ‘rotates’. For ease of
understanding, these have been plotted below in terms of number of
Earth Years (‘a’).
 Brahm Year = 3.1104
trillion Earth Years

Dev Year =360 Earth Years, for

(going round 360 degrees) = Biblical
Apocalyptical Year

Pitri Year =30 Earth Years

(same as Saturn)

One Earth Year = One

revolution around the
Cosmic Years as per Shruti Meru called Sun
The Brahm Year
Looking at the above graphic, it is the Brahm Year (3.1 trillion
Earth Years) that raises the most questions for astronomy. This is for
the simple reason that while instances of the lengths of the Pitri Year
(30 Earth Years) and Dev Year (360 Earth Years) can be found in other
celestial bodies, no parallels are yet known for a year lasting 3.1 trillion
years or 221 times the time elapsed since the so-called Big Bang23.

Inadequacy of the Big Bang Model to cover Brahm Time

Obviously, for our purposes, this model does not work. Then
there’s the length of a single Brahm Day-Night – the Kalp ककप – that
covers 8.64 billion years, i.e. out of the last 8.64 billion years, half of
them have been in darkness. This requirement brings up the classical
imagery of either the Earth-Moon system or the Sun-Earth system.

23 The ‘Big Bang Theory’ is the currently accepted cosmological model of the observable universe from the
earliest knowable periods to the present. The model describes how the universe expanded from an initial
state of a Singularity of extremely high density and temperature, and offers a reasonable explanation for a
broad range of observed phenomena, including the abundance of light elements, the Cosmic Microwave
Background (CMB) radiation, and large-scale structures.
 What if…! What if the visible universe – our ब्रह्मांड – has actually
existed for the last 155 trillion years, rotating around a powerful light
source (its own star) once every 3.1 trillion years, and spinning on its
axis once every 8.64 billion years – half of it in the light of its own star
and the other half turned away from it, much like the Earth-Sun system?
Such a model would continue to fulfil all our requirements and
validate the astronomical laws and scientific rules, including that of the
continuous expansion of Space-Time – provided we take it to be akin
to normal growth rather than a sudden expansion.

The Multiverse
 A Divinely Controlled Multiverse
A Quasi-Steady State Multiverse
"How often have I said to you, my dear Watson, that when you
have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however
improbable, must be the truth?” The fictional Sherlock Holmes had laid
down this ineluctable logic, yet, never a truer word was said!
Days before the latter died, Belgian Physicist Thomas Hertog said
of Stephen Hawking, "This was very much on the top of his mind.
Hawking did not like the multiverse. But on the other hand, he realized
it's very hard to avoid. Pretty much any reasonable model of the Big
Bang which we could come up with led us to a multiverse24."

24 CBC Radio · Posted: Mar 19, 2018 5:51 PM ET

 There are several problems with the Big Bang Theory because it
begins with a singularity and unimaginably high temperatures of which
there are no tell-tale leftover signatures.
The Quasi-Steady-State cosmology (QSS) was proposed in 1993
by Fred Hoyle, Geoffrey Burbidge, and Jayant V. Narlikar as a new
incarnation of the steady-state model. The new version suggests
pockets of creation occurring over time within the universe, sometimes
referred to as mini-bangs.
The Cosmic Web
There also exists a cosmic web, a vast, mysterious structure that
links up far-flung galaxies, and that has recently been observed directly.
These observations reveal that an ancient cluster of galaxies about 12
billion light years away in the constellation of Aquarius is inter-linked
by a network of faint gas filaments. The existence of the cosmic web is
central to current theories of how galaxies first formed following the
so-called Big Bang, but until now evidence for it had remained largely
circumstantial.

Modelling the Galactic Matrix – the Cosmic Web

Galaxy clusters are tight gravitationally-bound structures in the

universe and can contain hundreds or thousands of galaxies. However,
despite the colossal amounts of gas and dark matter they contain,
theoretical predictions suggest that most of the gas in the universe
resides in the spaces between them. These calculations predict that
60% of the hydrogen created during the so-called Big Bang is
distributed as long filaments strung out across space as a Cosmic
Web.
Purush Sookt (‘Rig Ved’, Mandal 10: Sookt 90)
When the modern findings enumerated above are compared with
the narration about Creation described in the Purush Sookt (Creation
Hymn in the ancient Rig Ved), the parallels are astonishing.

सहस्रशीिाम पुरुिः सहस्राक्षः सहस्रपात ् ।

स भूसमं षवश्वतो वत्ृ वात्यनतष्िद्दशाङुिम ् ॥१॥
The Purush (Universal Being) has thousands of heads, thousands of eyes and
thousands of feet,
He envelops the universe on all sides and even extends beyond in the ten
directions.
पुरुि एवेदं सवां यद्भूतं यच्च भव्यम ् ।
उतामतृ त्वस्येशानो यदन्नेनानतरोहनत ॥२॥
The Purush knows everything – that which is the past and the future;
Moreover, He is the master of immortality and all that grows and develops with
food.
एतावानस्य मठहमातो ज्यायााँश्च पूरुिः ।
पादोऽस्य षवश्वा भत ू ानन बत्रपादस्यामत
ृ ं ठदषव ॥३॥
Nonetheless, the Purush is Greater than this Creation,
Just a quarter of his body is the visible Creation consisting of the various worlds
and living beings, while the other three-quarters is the eternal invisible.
बत्रपादध्
ू वम उदै त्परु
ू िः पादोऽस्येहाभवत्पन ु ः ।
ततो षवष्वङ् व्यरामत्साशनानशने असभ ॥४॥
That three-quarters is high above in the transcendental realm, while just a
quarter of him transforms into Creation again and again.
In the Creation, He pervades all the beings that eat and those that do not – the
non-living.
तस्माद्षवराळजायत षवराजो अचध पूरुिः ।
स जातो अत्यररच्यत पश्चाद्भूसममथो पुरः ॥५॥
From Him (i.e., the Purush) was born the Virat Prakriti – from the presence of
the Shining Purush;
The Virat Prakriti became very large, giving birth to the Cosmos, by
manifesting it from within.

-x-