Bringing Vedas and Science Together

Unfortunately people who know the Vedas know nothing about science, and people who know about science know nothing about Vedas. There is a big gap.These are the comments of Sri Sri Ravishanker. Science and Vedas should come together for understanding how the Universe is created. If  this is done we will know about the God.  

 Recenly, Sri Sri Ravishankar commented on the discovered God    particle – Higgs boson. His views are bringing Vedas and Science together.

The scientists have discovered the God Particle; that is what they are saying – Higgs Boson. And they say that the entire universe is made up of this. It is a field, and this field is energy. It gives shape to the planets, stars and everything.
This sounds so familiar to someone who has studied Vedanta, or someone who has experienced deep meditation.
The whole universe is made up of consciousness. It is a play and display of one consciousness. The Vedic Rishis also said the same. They said first know the elements; they called even Brahman, the Ultimate, as a Tattva. Tattva means Principle. Like God Particle, they said Brahman Principle.

The Brahman or God is not a He or She; they say it is a field. It is a field, it is a space, the basis of everything, and everything is just its own reflection. Everything forms of its own reflection. It is neither a thing, nor nothing.

What is the first principle? They said the Elements; Earth element, Water, Fire, Air, Ether, and then the Mind, the Intellect – the subtler and subtler you go, you reach there.
Subtler than space is mind, subtler than that is intellect and knowledge is present there. And subtler than that is ego, and hundred times subtler than ego is the Mahat Tattva – The Principle called Mahat, field called Mahat.
Ego itself is an atom, but finer than the ego, beyond the ego, that point, that particle is a field called Mahat Tattva, and finer than that is Moola Prakurti – the primordial energy.
And beyond that primordial energy, is Brahman, of which everything is made, which is the substance of the whole creation. Brahman is infinity, it is neither born nor will it ever die.

In the Rig Veda, there is a Sukta called Nasadiya Sukta, in the 10th Mandala, 129th Adhyaya, there, around seven verses are written. In the seven verses of The Hymn of Creation, it is so striking how these aspects which we now know through quantum mechanics and through quantum physics were present then and there. What scientists call as Dark Matter and Dark Energy which is everywhere, and which is what we are talking about, the Nasadiya Sukta says the same thing.

Beyond the space, then, in the beginning, there was neither existence nor non-existence; neither birth nor death. It was all only energy. And it also talks about, ‘Darkness enveloped by darkness. ’ In the third verse it says, ‘Darkness was all wrapped around by darkness.’
So these verses strikingly indicate what today’s scientists talk about almost in the same language.

That is very interesting – He surely knows or maybe He does not – because even the knower is part of the phenomenon.

The three types of space are described. One is the space in which we see all the matter that exists; the outer space –Bhutakasha. Then there is the intermediate space or inner space, where all thoughts and emotions float. This is called Chittakasha - the space of the Chitta (consciousness). And then Chidakasha, the space of pure consciousness or energy, which here and there appears to have consolidated and appears to be matter. What appears to be matter is really not matter, it is all one energy, and that One field is called Brahman, and that is what everybody is, that is what everything is.
Doesn't it sound very similar to the Higgs Boson?
So the Brahman or God is not a He or She, they say it is a field. It is a field, it is a space, the basis of everything, and everything is just its own reflection. Everything forms of its own reflection. It is neither a thing, nor nothing.

Rishi means one who discovers. The scientists of the ancient times and the scientists of the modern times, in coming years will explore this. And even those, they may not know it. Who knows whether they will know it, or not know?
So further they go, they see it is unknowable.
It is very interesting – Higgs Boson, the concept of it, has come from the past.

 Actually, these verses, when people use to say, ‘Darkness is enveloped with darkness’, it wouldn’t make much sense, and Sanskrit and Vedic scholars were struggling to give some meaning to it. It appeared to be completely a meaningless – neither this nor that; it exists or it doesn't exist.
These sorts of words are good enough to confuse a person. I think with the discovery of Higgs Boson, you are able to understand these verses better, because this itself is called The Hymn of Creation.

Sri Sri Ravishankar makes a point…..

The scientists never conclude things as an ultimate thing but they will always leave room for further research. They keep the things open-ended and so do the Vedas. They leave it at that. Maybe somebody will discover, somebody knows or somebody doesn't know. It is absolutely fascinating and interesting.

So we need to look at these Vedas, not from a traditional point of view but with a scientific temper. You need to probe into it with a scientific mind. Perhaps you may get some more ideas from this, or maybe not.

This is very open minded approach of Sri Sri Ravishankar and he futher says,
“Unfortunately people who know the Vedas know nothing about science, and people who know about science know nothing about Vedas. There is a big gap. It will be very difficult for Vedic people to graduate in science. What would be easier is for scientists to learn a little bit of the Vedas. If they go into the books a little bit, even as a pass time, they may be able to explore and get ideas which may be of some use”.