Expert: Aupmanyav - 9/20/2009

Question
Regarding my last email, i was how you explain this idea to atheists because i find it quite difficult. They seem to laugh at the notion.

Answer
Dear Vinay,

Yes, the idea is difficult to grasp for theists and well as atheists. The atheists reject God but do not know what to substitute in its place. Hinduism knows from many millenia that all things in the universe, even space-time, is constituted by one thing, which they called Brahman. Scientists now call it 'zero-point' energy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-point_energy). Hindus associated Brahman with 'Shakti' or 'Maya', which is the effect of the existence of Brahman, i.e., energy. Hindus were not off-mark very much.

In this regard, I quote a few verses from my grandfathers book, 'Vishweshwarah Smriti'. This is possibly the latest 'smriti' in hinduism and was published in 1950. My grandfather, Vishweshwar Nath Reu, was a historian, archeologist, numismatist; language, Veda, and Sanskrit expert.

"Brahmanastu samutpannam jagaduktam puratanaih,
navya vidyutkanotpannam manyant tadsamshayam." (Vishweshwarah Smriti 1.22)

People of the old said that the universe has arisen from Brahman,
People of today, with conviction, accept that to have arisen from electrons.

"Samkhye purushasanindhyat prakritih strishtikaranam,
tatha dhanarinanunam sanidhyam nutane mate." (V.S. 1.23)

In Samkhya (darshana), the universe is the result of coming together of Brahman and nature,
According to the new opinion it is because of coming together of negative and positive particles.

"Agocharam Brahma matam munibhistattvadarshibhih,
vaigyanikairmata shaktirmayeti parigrihyitam." (V.S. 1.23)

The sages who know truth say that Brahman is beyond understanding,
What scientists take as energy, take that as maya.

"Saiva tape prakashe cha chumbake vidyudadishu,
bhuvi graheshu surye cha sarvatrastiti nishchitam." (V.S. 1.24)

The same energy exists in heat, in light, in magnetism, in electricity,
in earth, in planets, in the sun, every where, definitely.

"Samsarakaranam Brahma maya tachchaktirityadah,
vedeshu yatsamakhayatam grahyamasyam smritavapi. (V.S. 1.25)

Brahman is the cause of the universe and maya is its energy,
the Vedas say so, and that is what should be read in this smriti also.

"Karanam yad vyavasthaya asya shaktya nirantaram,
tadeva Brahma janeeta gnanagamyamatindriyah." (V.S. 1.26)

What is the eternal cause of this arrangement of energy,
and is not known by knowledge or senses, know that as Brahman.

Those who laugh at this are ignorant. I have interacted with many atheists, and they acknowledge the depth of hindu philosophical thought. With best regards,

Yours sincerely,

Aupmanyav