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A Fresh Look at the Cosmos

• Subject: A Fresh Look at the Cosmos
• From: George L
• Date: Fri Jul 14 00:20:59 1995
• Message-Id: id583

Dear George

Thank you for your enquiry.

It is true that the Vedic view of the universe differs from the western one. But
it is very logical and backed up by volumes of literature. It is now almost
midnight and I still have a rather full mail folder so I have one article by my
spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada which
described the Vedic view of the creation starting from sound. You may find it a
little difficult to relate to but give it a try. Please write to me again with
your thoughts and questions. I am eager to hear your response.

Thank you. Hare Krishna!


"When egosim in ignorance is agitated by the sex energy of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead the subtle element sound is manifested, and from sound comes the
etherial sky and the sense of hearing" (Srimad Bhagavatam Third Canto 26.32)

So the beginning of this creation is sound. The modern physicists they also agree,
sound and light, according to their theory. But the sound is the origin of
creation mixed with the mode of ignorance.

Everything here in the material world is a spiritual reflection covered by the
material elements. So when this sound is purified, or when you catch up the
spiritual sound, then your spiritual life begins. As from the material sound this
material creation has begun beginning with the sky or either. From either air is
created, wind. From air fire is created, electricity. You can see from the sound
[thunder] there is immediately electricity in the sky. Electricity means fire. So
from the sky the sound is created, from the sound air is created, by the friction
of air the electricity or fire is created, then within the fire there is water,
and after water there is land. This is the five gross material elements. It is
coming from the subtle elements. From the subtle elements the gross elements
gradually develop.

So in the either there is sound and from the sound the instrument of hearing is
created. Similarly our subtle senses, rup [form], rasa [taste], sabda [sound],
sparsa [touch], gandha [smell]. So sabda [sound] is first then sparsa [touch].
When there is air there is touch, the touching sensation is created. When there is
fire then the form sensation is created. When there is water the rasa, taste
sensation, is created. And from rasa, water, the earth is formed, then gandha
sensation or smell is created. How scientifically it is described. Rup, rasa,
ganda, sparsa, sabdha... They are the sense perceptions. The sense perceptions are
created from the five elements: earth, water, air, fire and either. And above this
there is still finer materials: mind, intelligence, ego, and then behind that the
soul is there.

Behind everything the Supreme Personality of Godhead is there. The creation is not
automatically taking place. Just like the sex. When the seamen is discharged by
the man then there is pregnancy. Not automatically. Similarly, here also the same
thing, bhagavat bija coditar, that means the origin of this creation is tamo-guna.
The whole creation is toma [ignorance]. Everyone of us is in ignorance, we do not
know. Therefore Vedas says "tamoasi mam", don't stay in this tomasi, "joti gama",
joti is brahman, so try to come out to the light. The whole Vedic knowledge is
based on this principle, how to give up the association of tamasi guna [ignorance]
and come to the sattva-guna [goodness] and then surpass it and come to the
transcendental position of brahma-bhuta. This is the process.

So as this material creation has begun from material sound under the impelling
method by the Supreme Personality of Godhead similarly by spiritual sound you can
get out of it. Because sound is the central point. When it is mixed with tamo-guna
[ignorance] then the material creation begins. So similarly if you directly catch-
up that sound, the sound is sabda-brahman, sound is actually spiritual, the Vedic
sound, OM, omkar, omkarsmi sarva vedasu, so Vedic sound begins with OM. So if we
capture that sound and make further progress. Sabda anana vritti, in the Vedanta
Sutra this verse is there, "anna-vritti", no more repeation of birth and death.
Omkar. If one can chant Omkar at the time of death he is immediately transferred
to the spiritual world. The impersonal spiritual sky. But if you can chant Hare
Krishna then immediately you can enter into the spiritual planets. This is stated
in the Bhagavad-gita. Anta-kale, at the time of death, if you can capture this
sound, Omkar or Hare Krishna, if you capture Omkar then you are transferred to the
spiritual sky.

Ther is a point where the material sky begins and beyond this there is the
spiritual sky. The original sabda, or spiritual sound, is resounded from this
spiritual sky. Because there is sky therefore there is sound. Because there is
sound therefor the instrument for hearing sound, the ear, is there. So our
material position and spiritual position -- the ultimate point is sound. And the
sound is presented in its original spiritual form, that is called Veda, sabda-
brahman, tene brahma hrdye adi kavaye. Theis brahma means sabda-brahman. The
sabta-brahman was imparted or vibrated by Krishna in the heart of Brahma, tene
brahma hrdiya adi kavaye. Then he coould realize what his position was. After
hearing the sound he compiled this Brahma-Samhita. That Brahma-Samhita we have
recited many times. Lord Brahma, by personal realization, through the mercy of
Krishan on account of this transcendental sound being injected within the heart of
Brahma so he could see the whole spiritual world as it is. That is described in
the Brahma-Samhita. cintamani...govindam adi purusam tam aham bajami. Brahma is
not claiming he is the original creator, the first person. Even though, in this
material world, Brahma is the first person, then Lord Shiva, Rudra and before
Brahma there is Vishnu. Therefore it is said: aham evasam agre, agre, before the
creation there was only Vishnu or Krishna. There was no Brahma, no Shiva. These
are Vedic statements. In the beginning Lord Vishnu was there.

And we know the method of creation. There was water and in that water Maha Vishnu
is lying there. From Maha Vishnu in His sleeping condition there are so many
universes are created in His exhaling breathing process and when He inhales all
the universes are annihilated. In this way this material creation is coming and
going. Bhutva bhutva paralyite.

So we have to understand that the creation actually begins in the tamo-guna [mode
of ignorance] impelled by Bhagavan [Krishna]. Here it is stated: vikurvanad
bhagavat bija codittah. Not that it happens automatically. Just like if you take
two chemicals, soda bicarb and citric acid and mix them together there will be
bubbles. So these bubbles do not occur because of the chemicals, they are caused
by the chemist who mixes the chemicals. Then the bubbles can form.

So modern scientists are unable to see who is mixing the chemicals. Because
Krishna says. naham prakasa sarvasya yoga maya samarvrta. Therefore the scientist
cannot see bhagavat bija coditah, they cannot see it.

>
>Dear Swami
>I am intrigued. You have mentioned several times in your responses that
>the gross body consists of five "elements", those being earth, air,
>fire, water and ether.
>As a white westerner with a wide experience of scientific procedures,
>and the corresponding prejudices and biases, I am unable to comprehend
>these substances as "elements". When you speak, for example of water, do
>you mean the same water that I understand when I use that word? I ask
>because water is in no way fundamental, and can be simply broken down
>into sub-components (Hydrogen and Oxygen) with equipment you can buy in
>any general store (battery, conducting metals etc.) Similarly Air, to
>me, is a mixture of several less complex component gases, which may
>easily be isolated from the air we breath. For Earth, do you mean the
>rich, organic mass, composed of a great multiplicity of complex
>substances (soil), or rocks and metals. If the latter, which ones? Is iron
>earth? how about granite? Oxidised components of the earth (ores)
>contain oxyegn, which is a component of both air and water.
>Can you send me a reply, dealing with these three "elements" (I am happy
>to leave the more difficult definitions of fire and ether for now). I
>must stress that this is a genuine request for information on the way
>your faith views the world, and am prepared to accept that it may
>require a different intellectual approach to understand these matters.
>Many thanks
>George
>
>

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