Bhagwad Gita says that matter and senses have been co-designed in a specific manner so as to enable matter to engender specific reactions from the mind. Modern science confirms that matter, surprisingly, behaves differently when it is interacting with our senses.
Ancient Indian Epics talk about multiple areas that Science is discovering only now. In the “Prediction Series” articles I point to a few of these. The first in this series talks about matter, its interactions with senses, and the insights we can draw from here.
Bhagwad Gita suggests in Verse 3.34 that senses (eyes, ears, nose, skin, tongue) and their perceived entities (light, sound, smell, touch, taste) are co-designed in a manner that generates stubborn attachments and aversions in the mind. Matter thus serves to create a reality for the mind that pulls it into adamant love and hate with different parts of reality. The point of the verse is to warn us against our actions being controlled by the resulting attachments and aversions. However, in this note I would like to point to the aspect of matter being co-designed with the senses and mind to engender specific mental reactions.
In contrast, modern science takes a more modest view of our consciousness. It sees the universe as the primary reality and our existence as peripheral, and even accidental. Of late, however, experiments have given this strand of thinking in modern science a pause. Here are links to two such experiments:
- An experiment to show that reality changes when it is observed is reported in this Science Daily article –Quantum Theory Demonstrated: Observation Affects Reality. The same experiment is also reported here in Physics world. The bizarre part of the observations here is that the particles “decide” to behave differently when they are being observed. It appears that matter “knows” when it is being observed and acts differently.
- Here is another article from the Science section of The Economist that reports on an observation similar to the one above. Only, in this case, the experiment is done on photons (light). So, light also appears to know when its behaviour is being observed and behaves differently. Not just matter. Wouldn’t Einstein be surprised?
The above scientific experiments appear to support the view that matter behaves differently when it is interacting with senses compared to when it is not. If God did indeed make the universe to surround and interact with the consciousness He (later) created, then this would perhaps be the biggest instance of the tail wagging the dog – a gigantic universe dancing to the tunes of consciousness that is, by our limited knowledge of today, cramped on a tiny planet on the fringes of an unremarkable galaxy.
Gita points out in Verse 3.34 that not only has matter been created to interact with senses and the mind, it is also designed to elicit very specific reactions. Herein lies some clues for further investigation by science. Scientists have often wondered why the constants of physics have the specific values that they carry. The slightest of variations in these would have led to a different universe or none at all. Perhaps, they would make progress by looking within the mind to see why this universe has the values of constants that it does. How might matter interact with the mind if the constants of Physics were different? How different would the hypothetical minds in different universes be (where these constants assume values different from our known universe)? It’s a tall order, since we scarcely understand how our minds work in the present universe. Still, this line of inquiry may deliver more progress than the present quest for a “theory of everything” that ignores a question as profound as “why do matter and light behave differently when we observe them”. Investigating this would be ironical, though – science set out to look outside the prejudices of our minds to understand reality out there in an objective manner. It may yet turn within the mind again to understand this reality even better.
Recommended Reading
Scientific Spirituality: A scientific, experiment-based approach towards spiritualism and ancient Indian texts could serve us well.
The Advanced Meditation Exercise (TAME): This meditation technique is an incredibly powerful way to keep the mind peaceful. It is prescribed in Bhagwad Gita, the primary book of Indian spiritual heritage. It derives its power by activating three key things in us: detachment, stillness, and transformation.
Why TAME meditation appears to work better than other techniques: TAME meditation appears to be more effective than other meditation techniques because it activates three essential elements of meditation: detachment, transformation, and stillness. Meditation needs all three.
Use Meditation to counter depression and stress: Modern approaches towards depression and stress are not working as they do not understand the mind that creates them. It’s time to rethink our approach.
