Tuesday, June 09, 2009

How Big?

How big is the universe?

Modern science cannot possibly answer that question because then, it has to explain what lies beyond whatever size it theorizes the universe to be of, and of course, then we would find ourselves in complicated unending discussions on how to define universe, and what is NOT universe and how science is an unending process of discovery.

The only other possible direction in which I believe can give a definite answer is of course, what follows from Advaita-- "There is no universe."

Now, one would think science would immediately have a problem with such a seemingly preposterous proposition. But scientists are actually saying something very close.

Monday, June 08, 2009

कोऽहम् ?

नयनौ पश्यतः कर्णौ श्रृनोतस्च |
नासिका जिघ्रति जिह्वा स्वादयतिस्च |
हस्तौ क्रियतः पादौ चलतस्च |
मुखं वदति मनः चिन्तयतिस्च |
एते सर्वे अपि एतेषां कार्याः यथाविधि कुर्वंतः |

किम् मम अस्तित्वं केवलं एतान् सर्वान् सम्मिलित्वा भवति ?
यदि न, तर्हि
किम् करोम्याहम ?
कुत्राहम् अस्मि ?
कोऽहम् ?

Friday, June 05, 2009

Caste system in Advaita

Conversation between Sri Adi Shankara and Chandala from the movie 'Adi Sankaracharya':

Sankara: Go away! Go away!

Chandala: Tell me, who is to go away--the body or the soul? If it is the body, then everybody has the same body made of the same impure corporeal matter. Hence, everybody's body is that of a chandala. If it is the Atma, then it is just an immovable and inert substance, present in every person, but does nothing. So tell me, who is to go away?

This is the Vaidhika dharma.

chintanam-I

1) There are two kinds of entities-- 'time-variant' and 'time-invariant'.

2) All time-variant objects were created at some point of time and will cease to exist in their original form at some other point of time.

3) The universe is a time-variant entity.

4) The study of change or transformation of time-variant objects is Science. It can only talk about objects which have an attribute that can be sensed through the sense organs.

5) The study of time-invariant objects is called spirituality.

6) God is the only time-invariant entity.