Have you ever wondered if stories and ideas from different cultures tallies with the latest discoveries in science? For me, it all started when I first read the Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra in the early 2000s, and my curiosity hasn't waned ever since. I'm starting to see that if we adapt Vedic language to the modern day, the two align with each other, and we find some fascinating connections! And when I'm unable to understand one system or tradition, I merely have to replace the words with that of the other tradition, and I find my answers! As I get more into Vedic studies, I am starting to see even more connections between vedic teachings and modern day science.
Siva and Prakriti: The Ultimate Couple
In Hindu philosophy, Siva and Prakriti are the ultimate couple. Siva represents the still, unchanging force behind everything, He is seen as pure energy, and Prakriti, is the dynamic, always-changing force that dances all around Him. She's like the matter we see around us, the stuff that makes up everything from stars to trees to you and me. And the Puranas hold that Siva and Prakriti are deeply in love, and cannot be separated. The other more common names of Prakriti are Sati, Parvati and Shakti, each with their own philosophy and mythology. Remember the havoc Siva causes when Sati steps into Daksha's yagya? And how he lamented in sorrow until she reincarnated as Parvati and they united once again?
And when we speak of Siva and Prakriti, aren't we referring to energy and matter after all? The two are related, and can't be separated, but can only be transformed from one to the other. All this is captured in Einstein's famous equation, e = mc^2
Basically, they're two sides of the same coin, just like Siva and Prakriti! If you're on the same page with me on this, then can we go a step further, and say that anytime the Vedas and Puranas speak about Siva and Parvati, they're basically speaking about the relationship between energy and matter? Physics says that energy can never be destroyed (it can only be transformed), and thats exactly what we say about Siva as well isn't it? That He's the most powerful god of them all, that He's indestructible, that no one can defeat Him in battle!
Energy and matter are different, but they’re inter-connected, energy makes matter come alive and move and dance, while matter provides the structure that energy flows through. It’s a dance where one can’t exist without the other - just like Siva and Prakriti!
Concept of Maya: Illusion or Reality?
Now, the word Maya comes from the Sanskrit root "ma", meaning "to measure," and "aya", meaning "to lend itself". Put together, Maya is "that which lends itself to be measured." It is often translated as "illusion," leading us believe that the universe is false or unreal. However, that’s not quite accurate. When we say the universe is Maya, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Instead, it means the universe which is actually immeasurable, has lent itself to measurement - it seems finite, divisible and tangible. What we perceive as a measurable entity is simply presenting itself as if it can be measured.
In Vedanta, Maya isn’t seen as something "bad" or negative. It’s not a trick meant to deceive us, but rather a divine play, a lila. Through Maya, the Infinite manifests as the measurable and the finite. It’s this playful transformation that allows us to interact with and experience the world. Without Maya, there would be no matter, no time and no space, but only the Infinite, beyond all name and form.
According to Indian philosophy, what we perceive as time and space are actually constructs of Maya. Beyond Maya, there’s no "before" or "after," no "here" or "there." Instead, there’s only the infinite now, a timeless reality beyond measurement and perception. This idea challenges us to rethink our experience of the universe. What we see as solid, measurable reality is actually a framework through which the Infinite allows itself to be experienced. Maya makes the unmeasurable appear measurable for life to unfold.
Maya in Science
Now, modern physics seems to align very closely these ancient ideas about Maya. Did you know that when scientists observe matter closely, they find that it’s mostly empty space? Subatomic particles, the building blocks of matter, don’t behave like solid objects. Instead, they exist as emptiness, as energy, as probabilities. What appears to be solid and measurable is, at its core, an empty space so to speak.. meaning, what appears to be concrete reality is actually a nothingness. And this Emptiness, which is beyond time, which cannot be measured, is manifesting itself in a finite way.. the Infinite expressing itself as the finite! Both modern day science and ancient Vedanta are saying the same thing - the universe, as we perceive it, is not what it appears to be!
If I continue down the same rabbit hole, I find Quantum Physics aligning so nicely with Vedic mythology. Scientists today say that matter at its smallest level, is mostly empty space, which is pure energy and lacks a tangible existence, with sub atomic particles floating, dancing, revolving around this unchanging center - similar to what the Vedas say about Siva and Prakriti!
Siva being the still, indestructible One that is in perpetual meditation and never moves, and Prakriti being the ever-changing dance of nature that tries to win His heart. Science says energy can never be destroyed, and the Puranas say Siva is the strongest of them all, and no one can defeat Him in battle..
So all these stories of Siva and Sati and Parvati is an adorable way of describing this magnificent universe we live in.. in ways that even children can understand, and remember..
The Cyclical Universe in ancient wisdom and modern science
The cyclical theory of the universe suggests that the Big Bang is not a one-off event but instead, the Universe goes through an infinite number of births and deaths, with periods of expansion and contraction, leading to "rebirth". In this theory, the universe begins with a Big Bang, expands for billions of years, and eventually slows down and starts to contract due to gravity. We are currently in a state of expansion, but it is well agreed that the rate of expansion will slow down, and the Universe will eventually contract. This contraction leads to a Big Crunch, where everything collapses back into a dense point. Then, a new Big Bang occurs, starting the cycle all over again. This means the universe has no beginning or end!
This idea connects beautifully with Hindu Cosmology, which also describes the universe as eternal and cyclical. Various divisions of time are described in several Hindu scriptures, where time is divided into large cycles called Kalpas, each made up of creation, preservation and destruction, governed by Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. But after destruction, the universe doesn’t vanish forever - it rests for a while and then is reborn in a new cycle. i.e. Siva leads to Brahma again, and the process continues.
It is said that the life span of the universe is one "maha kalpa", which spans several hundred trillion years. This is also the duration of one breath of Vishnu. As he exhales, with each exhalation, thousands of universes emerge, and a "Brahma" is born in each universe. When Vishnu inhales, all universes get sucked back, and Brahma dies. This concept of eternal cycles matches the idea of modern day science, where the universe endlessly expands, contracts and is reborn.
Karma: Cause and Effect
The law of Karma is said to apply in all the Universes. This is another area where we see Science aligning with Vedic philosophy - Newton’s 3rd law of motion!
According to Newton, every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and this is so similar to the law of karma, that says, all our actions have consequences. Good actions bring good results, and bad actions bring harmful results, whether in the physical, mental or emotional worlds.
Scientists apply newtons law only to the inanimate world, but the law of karma includes living beings as well. Both laws are about cause and effect - what we do, comes back to us. Our thoughts and actions in the past, are the reason our lives are a certain way today, and our present thoughts & actions, determine our lives in the future.. What we did in the past has resulted in our current state of affairs - this is Fate. And what we do today out of free will and choice, will determine our future destiny.
Going beyond Science
Newton’s laws of action and reaction mirror the law of Karma, the principle of cause and effect. But did you know that Newton’s laws break down when we enter the quantum world? Scientists today tell us that the rules governing the physical world don’t apply at the quantum level. This brings us to an important realization: the law of Karma applies only to the gross material world, not to that still, indestructible center, the Purusha, which is eternal, unchanging, and beyond cause and effect.
This is exactly what the Vedas have been teaching all along. They tell us that Purusha, the Absolute Self, is untouched by karma and the cycles of birth and death. And Prakriti, the dynamic, ever changing material world, dances all around Him, who "remains the eternal witness".
So the question then becomes: who do we identify with? Do we see ourselves as part of the material world, bound by the laws of karma, or as the unchanging Self, free from the cycle of birth and death?
The moment we start identifying with Purusha within us, the silent, unmeasurable essence in each cell of our bodies, we liberate ourselves from the cycle of birth and rebirth. This is the journey the Vedas ask us to take: to move from identifying with Prakriti, that which can be measured, to realizing ourselves as Siva, the unchanging and formless that cannot be measured. This shift takes us beyond the world of cause and effect and into the world of the infinite. When we shift our awareness to this eternal essence, we go beyond the laws of karma and step into the immeasurable.
Purusha and Prakriti are known by different names in different traditions.. It’s Siva and Shakti in the Puranas, the Eternal and the Temporal in the Vedas, the Real and the Unreal in the Upanishads, Ether and the Elements in Jyotish, Buddha-nature and Samsara in Buddhism, the Tao and the Manifested World in Taoism, the Divine Spirit and the Material World in Christianity, Energy and Matter in Science.
Stepping into the world of Siva
Despite their best efforts, scientists struggle to fully understand the quantum world. How could they, when we are observing the unmeasurable from the world of the measurable? It’s like peeking outside of your house from your window - you’ll never truly understand world outside, until you step into it. To truly understand Purusha, the unchanging and formless, we must step into it, we must become it. This means moving beyond observation, and identifying with the stillness within.
The Vedas offer various paths to help us shift our awareness from Prakriti to Purusha, from the measurable to the immeasurable. In Jnana Yoga we ask “who am I” and try to find the answer without the use of any labels or measurements. In Bhakti Yoga, we surrender completely to that which cannot be measured. In Karma Yoga, we act without the sense of doership, and without attachment to any outcome, since our true self is beyond consequences. In Raja Yoga, we bring silence and stillness in the mind, to reach the same frequency as the immeasurable within us. Each of these paths offers a unique way to realize that we are beyond name and form, and beyond measurement. They guide us to the realization that our true nature is infinite, timeless and unchanging.
This is the journey from the finite to the infinite. It’s about shifting our identification from the ever-changing material world to the eternal, unchanging essence within each of us. It’s not about "understanding" the unmeasurable, but it’s about becoming it. This is the path the Vedas invite us to walk, the path of liberation, freedom and infinite possibility. By stepping into the world of Siva, we transcend the cycles of karma and rebirth, realizing our true essence as the eternal Purusha.
As we read ancient wisdom and modern science, we find they are not so different after all. Both point to the same profound truth: the Universe, in all its forms, is a dance of the measurable and the immeasurable, the finite and the infinite. The Vedas ask us to step beyond the world of forms, beyond the cycles of karma, and into the still, unchanging essence of Purusha. By shifting our awareness, we can go beyond the material, into the eternal. This is as much about discovering something, as it is about actually becoming it.
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