Modern age is the Age of Science. No doubt the miracles of science have not only astonished the people but also added a great deal to their convenience and comfort. But at the same, let us not forget that the invention of poisonous gas, atom bomb, hydrogen bomb and other weapons of destruction, is also pushing the world towards total annihilation.
It is, therefore, all the more important in the modern age to establish unity between the science and spirituality .But some so called intellectuals think that science being materialistic and atheistic does not have anything to do with spirituality, However their view has been contradicted by a large number of reputed thinkers, spiritualists and also scientists themselves as would be shown in this chapter. .
Before we discuss science and spirituality and their mutual relationship, we must try to analyze some workable definitions of the two.
Dr Paul Carus in his book "Religion of Science’ thus defines science:-
"Science is the methodical search for Truth and Truth is a correct, exhaustive and concise statement of facts. "
(Asserting that "The religion of science is not atheistic but theistic he states: “while Science does not speak of God it teaches God, for every law of nature is a part of God’s being”)
And spirituality has been defined thus by the world renowned yogi Sri Aurobindo :-
“The Divine perfection is always above us, but for man to become Divine in consciousness and act and to love inwardly and outwardly Divine, is what is meant by spirituality. All lesser meanings given to the word are inadequate, humbling or impostures. "
Explaining this further, the Mother of Pondicherry Ashram, says :-
"True spirituality is not to renounce life but to make life perfect with Divine perfection. This is what India should show to the world. "
And here is Vinoba Bhave’ s definition of spirituality-
"Spirituality demands that one should have faith in absolute moral values, not relative moral values, sometimes, truth and sometimes falsehood - this is only an opportunists way of thinking. This is not the way spirituality will look at human life. It should be based on some basic principles, some values which cannot be changed; they will be absolute: To me the second and third ingredients of spirituality are unity and sanctity of life and also continuity of life after death. "
In the words of Swami Yogeshwaranand, Founder of Yog Niketan, Rishikesh, "Spirituality teaches us control over our senses, to saddle them, to make sure that they do not overpower us. The more restless, volatile and licentious are the senses, the more miserable will be our lives. "
Spirituality also tells us to identify our true self : what is my real form? Am I only the body or something more? If more, then what exactly is it and from where does it come?”
Spirituality also tells us who is the creator of this sun, the moon, the satellites and the stars which are continuously engaged in doing good to us? "
Far from being contradictory, these definitions are complementary, and highlight the following features of spirituality: -
· leading a pure and divine life dedicated to the pursuit of absolute moral values.
· Belief in the existence of God and worshipping and surrendering oneself to Him with full faith.
· belief in the permanence of soul and the birth and death of the body.
These features of spirituality are highlighted in the vedas through a number of mantras, some of which are being quoted here by way of illustration.
Vedas and purity
The following two mantras, for instance, show the importance the Vedas attach to purity :-
(May the Master of Hearing Purify us!
May the Master of Speech Purify us!
May the Creator of universe Purify us.)
(Never to be conquered or destroyed O God purify me.
Purify me, O Purest of all,
For uplifting my life,
Energizing my body
And facilitating
My spiritual growth)
Vedas and God
The vedas are full of mantras which tell us beyond doubt that God is not only Supreme but also is One and has no form :-
(Praise the lord O man, praise Him, God is One and only One; The Almighty and Omniscient Lord of all beings)
His formlessness has been mentioned in the following mantra too: -
(There is no image of God nay, it exists not anywhere; Worthiest of all and most revered He is present everywhere And is most renowned l)
Vedas stress on worshipping God along with our progeny: -
Worship God, O lovers of wisdom, Worship Him with all reverence! Let your sons also worship Him Establishing His kingdom on earth Worship Him-He is Almighty Immutable and full of piety!
Vedas and soul
The following three mantras from the Rigveda, when read together , give a fairly clear and comprehensive picture of soul called “Jiva” in Sanskrit.
The main characteristics of the soul as they emerge from these mantras are:-
· Soul is different from the body.
· It is eternal and everlasting.
· It is the controller of mind and senses.
· It is conscious and provides consciousness to different parts of the body.
· residing in the heart, it is the origin of all light within.
· It has desire and hatred.
· It keeps coming again and again to this world and changing its body in accordance with its good or bad actions.
· it is very minute but can be viewed by the men of knowledge through power of contemplation.
Vedas and life-death cycle
The concept of the cycle of life and death has been unmistakably enunciated in several Vedic mantras. ln fact it is a very vital part of spirituality.
The existence of birth and rebirth cycle is evident from the following mantra in which prayer is offered to God for a debtless life in “this, next and the life to come":-
(“May we be free from all debts in this , the next and the life to come! Threading the path of our ancestors May we live a debtless life! “)
Scientists and God
Sir lssac Newton, known as father of modern science, writes in his book, ‘Principia’-
"All this universe is the handiwork of one Omniscient and Omnipotent Creator"
Talking about the qualities of God he further writes-
" We are, therefore, to acknowledge One God, infinite, Eternal, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, the Creator of all most wise, most just, most good most holy"
"This Being governs all things as Lord over all and on account of his dominion is wont to be called Lord. God or Universe Ruler, The Supreme God is a Being, Eternal, Infinite, Absolutely Perfect From His true dominion, it follows that the true God is Active, intelligent and Powerful Being and from His other perfections that He is Supreme or Most Perfect We admire Him for His perfections, but we revere and adore Him on account of His dominion, for we adore Him as his servants. "
Lord Celvin, one of the reputed scientists of the 19th century, affirms:-
“‘Science positively affirms creative power. We are absolutely forced by science to believe with perfect confidence in a Directive Power in an influence other than Physical or Electrical Forces. "
Thomas Edison, a famous American scientist, expresses his belief in God in the following words:-
“‘Too many people have got a microscopic idea of the Creator. If they would only study His wonderful works, as shown in nature herself, laws of universe, they would have a much broader idea of the Great Engineer . One thing is certain. The universe is permeated by intelligence. l tell you, no person can be brought into close contact with the mysteries of the nature or make a study of chemistry without being convinced that behind all, there is Supreme intelligence. I am convinced of that.’"
Sir Oliver Lodge, one of the greatest scientists of his time and President of the British Association of the Advancement of Scientists, in one of the scientific papers written by him observes:-
"We are deaf and dumb to the infinite grandeur around us unlike we have insight to appreciate the whole and so to recognize in the woven fabric of existence flowing steadily from the loom in an infinite progress towards perfection, the ever growing garment of a transcendent God "
Says Dr B Moore in his hook "The Origin and Nature of Life" :-
“The orderly beauty of the world and nature suggest an infinite intelligence with powers of action such as no man or other creature possesses "
During the Science Week, Prof Holming in his lecture entitled, The Supreme Intelligence in and above Nature, observes :-
"Scientific study most certainly shows us the presence in this physical universe of an order stability directive power and intelligibility. These qualities are not spontaneously produced . They do not come by chance. The universe is not merely a thing. lt is a thought and thought implies and necessitates a thinker. Hence there is in this universe a Supreme Thinker or intelligence of which our own intelligence is but the faint copy."
David Star Jordan, another famous scientist, corroborating with the views of Prof Holming, states:
"The infinite expanse of the universe, its growth through immeasurable periods of time, the boundless range of its changes and the rational order that pervades it, all demand an infinite intelligence behind the manifestation. Modern Science has no kinship with atheism ."
The above observations by top scientists prove that faith in God (which is one of the integral part of spirituality,) elicits no opposition from scientists who are rather supportive of the concept of God.
Scientists and soul
Belief in the immortality of soul, which is also indispensable part of spirituality is fully supported by scientists proving that there is no dichotomy between science and spirituality.
Sir Oliver Lodge, one of the top scientists of the United Kingdom, for instance observes:
“lt is unreasonable that soul should jump out of existence when the body is destroyed. I say on definite scientific ground that we shall continue to exist. We shall certainly survive. Survival of existence is scientifically probable by careful scientific investigation. "
Dr Paul Carus also supports the existence of soul and its immortality:-
Science rejects the assumption of a ghost soul, but it establishes at the same time the reality of the continuance of man’s soul after death. "
In his book "What do we know about the Beyond", French scientist M Camille Flamarion observes:
“Long observation has shown clearly that there exists in us something unknown which has been systematically denied upto the present, in all scientific theories and that this something survives the disintegration of our earthly bodies and the transformation of our material molecules which by the way, from a purely scientific point of view, are also indestructible. Whether we call it a principle, element, psychic, atom, soul, or spirit, there is no denying that this unknown something does really exist."
CONCLUSION
Dr Alexis Carrel, in his book "Man, the Unknown" has given a very disappointing picture of what life is today in absence of spirituality: -
" We are unhappy. We degenerate morally and mentally. We are the victims of the backwardness of the Sciences of Life over those of the matter. The only possible remedy for this evil is a much more profound knowledge of ourselves. The science of man has today become the most necessary of all sciences. “
We may conclude this chapter with the following words of wisdom from the first President of lndia, Dr. Rajendra Prasad: -
I hope that attempts will continue to be made to bring about rapprochement between science and spirituality because without this rapprochement, there is no doubt that there is a real risk of mankind being, not destroyed at any rate, greatly crippled by the use of nuclear powers and other devices which have been now achieved by Scientific Technology.”
"lt is necessary to emphasis that this rapprochement between science and spirituality should be worked out, so that the knowledge that has come into man's possession may be utilized for his good and not for his destruction. “
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