“That(Brahman) is Purna; this( the universe) is also Purna; even when Purna is drawn out of Purna, what remains is also Purna.”
Isha Upanishad
I always wondered if Materialistic Knowledge (Concepts like the Theory of relativity, Zero( shoonya), and Calculus) has any links with spirituality or not? Indeed it is. Let’s uncover the truth behind it.
The concept of Para and Apara
Krishna says: Earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect and ego: this is my apara prakriti[ nature][…] different from it […] is my para Prakriti- the principle of self-consciousness,by which this universe is sustained.
Bhagvadgita 7.4-7.5
According to the Hindu worldview, the whole of existence can be divided into two categories: the observed and the observer. The first category, the observed, is everything that can be observed by the observer. It consists of the physical universe of matter, space and energy as well as emotions and thoughts as these are the things which can be observed and perceived as well. In Sanskrit, Observed is referred as apara.
The second category of existence is the observer. The observer is a witness to the Observed and consists of pure consciousness. The observer is called Para. This observer (para) is independent of the observed universe(apara) which includes the physical body, the mind and the ego of the individual. It exists even before the physical body was born and even after its death which we refer to as the atman or the self.
The para and apara are the two aspects of nature or Prakriti. Closely related to them are the concepts of para and apara Vidya1. The aim of para vidya is to obtain the knowledge of the self by casting off the false associations and overcoming the ignorance and to “Know” the Self. The aim of all Yogic techniques and meditation(Dhyana) in the Hindu framework is to gain a knowledge of the Self2.
The aim of apara vidya is, on the other hand, to gain a better understanding or description of the physical, ever-changing world. It consists of all the natural sciences, engineering disciplines, and all the arts and crafts such as music, sculpture,etc. Apara vidya also consists od subjects such as Ethics, politics, warfare, law, statecraft and so on.
The inclusive nature.
Even though Para and Apara vidya seem to belong to different realms, the fact is they are not mutually exclusive. This is because while the aim of para vidya is to gain freedom from false associations from the world, this aim is often impossible to achieve simply by “renouncing” the world, since one’s nature is sure to kick in sooner or later. Karmayoga, for example, is all about total involvement with worldly activities as described in Bhagavadgita.
In fact, the distinction between para and apara vidya is only at the initial level of understanding. So long as an individual has not cast off the assumed associations and identification with the mind-body complex, this distinction is real and important. However, the moment this identification is seen for what it is,an erroneous assumption, one gets established in ones true identity, and that is Brahman ( the undying consciousness that pervades the entire universe). This has been expressed as Vasudevah sarvam, and this everything includes the apara Prakriti as well. Hence the universe is a manifestation of God and every bit worthy of being revered.3
The Result
Apara Vidya was highly revered in Hinduism. The result is that this approach led to profound developments in various fields of apara vidya such as in medicine, linguistics and mathematics. In medicine, Ayurveda is still in use today. Several Ideas from Ayurveda dating thousands of years back are now getting prominent in the western world. Sushruta had documented the etiology of more than 1,100 diseases, decoding the medicinal and healing properties of almost every plant species, and instructions for performing scores of surgical procedures- including three types of skin grafts and reconstruction of nose.
In linguistics scholars such as Pingala and Panini wrote remarkable treatises, and their discoveries and innovations influence the development of mathematics, linguistics and even Computer science till today. In astronomy, the concepts of khagola and Bhogola were significant and told us about Planetary rotation, revolutions, Celestial Bodies, eclipses, the Solar system, navigation and what not. The Gregorian calendar on which the present world calendar is based on is derived from the Hindu calendar. The skill of Indian Metallurgists, and the presence of 8 ancient temples( Jyotirlingas) which lie more or less on the same geographic longitude of 79° E 41’54” all signify the Intellectual prowess of ancient Hindu civilisation. The invention of Calculus by Bhaskracharya in his book Bhramasphutasidhanta which is proclaimed by Newton, Pythagoras theorem copied from Sulbasutras, the list is never-ending. This deserves another article.
In linguistics and prosody, one great example is Katapayadi Sankhya, which encodes the value of pi up to 31 decimal places. This shloka is a hymn to Lord Vishnu and the letters used in this shloka represents a certain numerical value. The letters when fully encoded gives us the correct value if Pi upto 31 decimal places. The shloka dates back to atleast 5000 years.
Bharatvarsha I guess is the only civilisation in which science and spirituality are never at loggerheads with each other. In fact, all our scientists were yogis and Rishis. They knew to go outside, You also have to go inside. And this is one of the most important messages that ancient India has for India today or in general.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Mundaka Upanishad 1.1.6- 1.1.3
- We have karma yoga, bhaktiyoga, gyanyoga(jnanayoga), kriyayoga.
- Page-43-The imperishable seed, Bhaskar Kamble, Garud Prakashan.