Akasa- In Every Particle- Anu

Creation of the Universe

 The Vedic texts describe the process of creation as starting with a tug of war between 2 forces – an expanding force called Indra and a holding back force called Vrtra in the Hiranyagrabha, a golden hued womb akin to the cosmic egg concept of modern cosmology.

At one point Indra overcomes Vrtra and this causes the Hiranyagarbha to explode as a Brahmanda Visfotak, universal explosion or Big Bang and spew out the entire Universe.

The ancient Indian word for universe is Prapancha. Pancha means five and Pra denotes special, natural or primordial. Thus from this very word Pra Pancha, it is evident that the universe is made up of 5 primordial elements. The 5 basic primordial elements, the Panchabhuta of this Universe are:

Akasa – Space/Ether

Vayu – Air

Tejas – Fire

Apah – Water

Prthvi – Earth

The Panchabhuta

The understanding of the Panchabhuta is given in various Vedic and Upanishad statements.

There are various suktas such as the Nasidiya Sukta, Apah Sukta, Hiranyagarbha Sukta, Vishwakarma Sukta which in the Veda describe the process of creation as well as the primordial elements.

Hiranyagarbha Sukta

 Hiranyagarbha  appeared in the beginning

and was the origin of everything.

Some of the salient verses of these Sukta are:

Garbho yo apam garbhe –Rig Veda I.70.2

Fire is hidden in the womb of the waters

Apah ha yadvrhatirviswamayam garbham

Dadhana janayanti Agnim – Rig Veda 10.121.7

When the mighty waters came bearing the garbha,

giving birth to Agni,

then the life spirit of the Divine came into existence…

All the characteristics or the Guna of the 5 elements which includes water and fire coexisted in that one point.

Tamidgarbham prathamam dadhra apo

Yatradevaha sama gachchanta vishwe |

Ajasya nabha vadhyekamarpitam yasmin

Vishwani bhuvanani tasthuhu||

 

The waters verily first retained the embryo

in which all the Divinity were aggregated, single,

deposited on the navel of the unborn created

in which all beings abode.

The word Hiranya means golden hued and Garbha means womb, in this case the womb of the universe.

All that is in the universe was tightly packed and held there. It was so tightly packed that all the forces of the nature which later exhibit themselves as divinities were all tightly packed in this one point.

From these Suktas we understand that

1. These 5 primordial elements lay aggregated in the form of their properties, guna, characteristics alone, in the neutral primordial waters of the Hiranyagarbha.

2. The 5 states of matter have been described such that each successive state of matter contains properties of all its preceding ones.

The Manifestation Process

The process of manifestation of matter and the Universe has been termed in the texts as “Panchikaranam”. Panch means 5 and karanam denotes acting. The term Panchikaranam was given to denote the interplay between the 5.

What is this Panchikaranam?

The 5 primordial elements in the Hiranyagarbha undergo a churning process described as the process of Panchikaranam, where the 5 interact and it is from this that the Universe in all its size, space and matter manifests.

Panchikaranam – in action

During Panchikaranama, each of the 5 primordial elements Bhuta, transform into a state such that they retain 50% of their own unique character or properties and the remaining 50% is a mix of the properties of the other 4 Bhuta. i.e the remaining 50% is a combination of 1/4^th parts of the properties of each of the other 4 primordial elements or Bhuta.

Panchikaranam – prevalent state

Hence each of the 5 Bhuta has the properties of the other 4 Bhuta to the extent of 12.5% each.

It is when the 5 primordial elements are in their pure state, the 5 primordial elements are the Panchabhuta.

After Panchikaranam, the state of the 5 Panchabhuta, becomes Bhautika. Thus in the evolved Universe as it is now, we can never find the original, 5 Panchabhuta.  We only find the transformed Bhuta.

This process of Panchikaranam is a continuous process, right through the life of this Universe and also before and after the life of the Universe. So, it is an eternal process.

Panchikaranam– Pure state

555 – Panchikaranam, Panchabhuta, Prapancha

Panchikaranam – the act of the 5

Panchabhuta – the 5 primordial elements

Prapancha – the Universe that is made of these 5 primordial elements

The concept we see repeating here is all to do with 5.

The concept of 5 is repeated in every stage in this Universe.

In an interesting parallel, in ancient Greek literature, the world is said to be made up on only 4 elements, whereas in ancient Indian literature, the concept of 5 is a predominant basis for the very existence of this Universe.

Emergence of the Universe

When the Hiranyagarbha exploded in the Brahmanda Visfotak and the Universe started emerging, the Panchabhuta emerged one after another in quick succession.

First came Akasa, space

The other elements of the Panchabhuta come only after Akasa.

This is explained by the instantaneous expansion of the Universe.  As the Universe expands almost instantaneously in size, Akasa or space, the first of the 5 primordial elements, occupies the extent of the space at the instant of expansion.

Subsequent to this, each of the successive primordial elements, grow and occupy their respective places in this space.

Prthvi the fifth primordial element, whose property represents solid state matter, evolves as the Universe keeps evolving. It is with this understanding that the 5 primordial elements have been expressed in this successive, sequential order.

Understanding Akasa with our senses

Veda and Upanishad explain to us how man has the ability to understand and appreciate the 5 basic elements of the Universe with our 5 senses.

First came Akasa, space, ether and with that Sabda, sound. At most we can only hear sound in hollow space. We cannot touch, see, taste or smell it. It has no form. It just fills up the space.

After Akasa, evolved Vayu i.e. air, wind. We can not only hear the wind but also feel it when it touches you. But we still cannot see, taste or smell it. It has no form. It just fills up the space.

Vayu then gives way to the evolution of Tejas i.e. Agni, Fire, Heat. We can not only hear, and feel fire and its heat but can also see its form. But we cannot taste or smell it.

After Agni, comes Apah i.e. water. We can hear, feel, see and also taste water. But water still does not have any smell of its own.

Finally Prthvi or earth evolves, where we can hear, touch, see taste as well as smell it. We get a sense of this smell for example, when it proliferates the air soon after rains on a ground.

While the names of the Panchbhuta are translated in English as space, wind, fire, water, earth, the root meanings for these names in the Samskrt language denote the characteristics, Guna.

For example Prthvi comes from Prathu meaning expansive and heavy. Thus while Prthvi is the word used for earth, as a primordial element, it denotes solidified state of matter.

Thus these five states of matter give rise to the 5 senses and the experiences that arise from it.

The 5 Primordial Elements and The 5 Senses

Thus we see that-

Akasa, space grows,

Vayu, wind blows,

Tejas, fire grows,

Apah, water flows

Prthvi, earth shows.

Akasa is accorded the prime place in the order of the elements as it is the first among the primordial elements. It is the expansion of akasa that is responsible for the formation of the Universe, to the universal size that it is.

Akasa, is the bearer of OM, the eternal reverberation in the Cosmos.

Akasa in every Anu

Hollow and Empty

His Holiness Sri Sri Ravishakar, brings forth the view, “our body is hollow and empty”.  The air within us and that around us is the same. We are all filled by the same space.

His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Modern Science

In modern science, in 1911 Earnest Rutherford described the atom as having mostly empty space with electrons and protons circling the nucleus the protons, and the neutron.

Atom

 

Earnest Rutherford

 

 

Rutherford Atomic Model

 

The element Rutherfordium was named in his honor

Atomic Theory: Jan of 11

1911: Rutherford described the

atom as having a central positive

nucleus surrounded by a

negative orbiting electrons.

He explained that most

of the atoms mass is in the

nucleus, and the rest of

the atom is mostly space

In 1922 his student Neils Bohr expanded on this model for which he won a Nobel Prize.

Neils Bohr

 Vachnamrut

Bhagwan Swaminarayan in Vachnamrut lucidly states:

“Moreover, akasa [space] pervades and resides within all of those objects as well. In fact, there is not a single object in which there is no akasa; even the smallest particle of prthvi [earth] has akasa within in. In fact, if that minute particle is split into millions and millions of pieces, akasa will exist within those pieces as well.”

Bhagwan Swaminarayan in Gadhada expounded on this    on 25^th January 1820. (Maha Sud 11 in Samvat 1826.)

Bhagwan Swaminarayan

Vachnamrut by Bhagwan Swaminayaran

In Conclusion

From all the above, the pervasiveness of space and the essence of hollowness and emptiness makes sense to us both from the traditional and modern science perspective.

Every atom in our body, in the body of every particle in this earth and in the cosmos is hollow and empty. The space covered in this hollow and emptiness is Akasa. Thus, in every particle there is akasa.

Creation- Srishti Vignana

More on this subject has been discussed in our book, Creation– Srshti Vignana, and our Film, Creation- Srshti Vignana.                          

                                                    

                                                                            

Why Volunteer for a Better India?

“Volunteer For A Better India” – a caption so aptly chosen by Gurudev, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar!

When we have such a clarion call that we want a better India, it implies that there is something lacking in the present state of India.

It is these factors that we need to identify and work on for a better India. While such factors could be many, some of them stare at us starkly, starting from

• poverty on one side

• unending scams on the other and

• erosion of values in between.

Consequently, there is a great imbalance in society and not everyone has access to a quality life.

To better on these, cannot be a government driven act alone. It is the people’s voluntary efforts that will make the real change.

Eroded values can be restored only when people understand the culture of this land and the ethos that steered the civilization.

The culture of India is driven by Dharma, which is the innate characteristic of every being and its interaction with all others.

As an ethos, India as a land, has never been a centralized country. People have worked together collectively but in decentralized forms. Individuals have shone forth because of their individuality and they have been appreciated for it. At the same time each individual has also worked together cohesively as a samaj, for the collective good of the land.

Volunteering is all about coming together of individuals, working together in cohesion for the collective good of the samaj, society of the land.

On the economic front, why is India so poor?

If we look back at the magnificent temples that dot the landscape of India, at the palaces and grand Havelis in every Nagara of this land, they do not tell us the story of poverty, but on the contrary, they speak of a prosperous past. There is no dearth of records that speak of the wealth of India right through the millennia.

If this land was prosperous in the past, how has it become poor now?

Earlier, the invaders and colonial masters repeatedly plundered India off its wealth.

Since independence, this plunder has not stopped. The wave of plunder has continued. Only the people who plunder have changed. It has continued in the new garb of corruption where we ourselves plunder our brethren and thereby plunder Mother India.

For India to have been prosperous in the past and now to continue generating wealth, year on year, for the plunder to continue to the present day, there must be something in this land which keeps generating wealth in every nook and corner of this land, year after year.

What are these wealth generating factors?

Can we identify them and use them productively for creating prosperity for this land and to create a better India once again?

• For one, the land itself is fertile, offering multiple harvests of varied produce throughout the year.

• The climate is warm and salubrious for comfortable living and for productivity.

• The land is rich in minerals and mines.

• The land has copious rain and fresh water.

• The people are intelligent and industrious by nature.

• Effective water harnessing techniques have multiplied the prosperity of the land many fold.

• People through the ages have given importance to education.

These factors were harnessed by our ancestors through sustainable practices and sustained values for sustained prosperity. We too have to understand these components and work towards sustaining them. Only then will our volunteering for a better India be purposeful and effective.

Besides fighting against corruption to better values and better India there are various issues needing attention today, such as infrastructure, education, power, water, health, sanitation, defence etc. What can then be a focus area when we start volunteering?

In the effort of volunteering, if there is one thing that we can do such that it will have a positive, cascading effect on all other sectors of development, then it would be well worth the effort to focus on that “one thing”.

That one thing turns out to be something as elementary as “WATER”.

We see right through history that cities and civilizations developed due to access to abundance of water. India has been a prosperous land through the ages, primarily because the people of this land could harness their waters well.

It is harnessing of waters by the people again, in a decentralized manner, in every locality of the cities, in every town and village, that will make India rich in water again and a sustainable, all round prosperous civilization once again. It is such a sustainable harnessing of water which will add momentum to all other spheres where development needs to happen.

The people of this land had understood the workings of man and Nature and the relationship between them.

All these facets have been discussed in our book “You Turn India” from the Bharath Gyan Series.

 

Let each one of us understand our strengths and volunteer our might for a better India.