BHARATI PAWASKAR
Q: Tell us about your talk? What do your studies suggest?
Dr Ashok Prabhu: My talk attempts to answer three questions - what is the essence of the universe, what is meant by sensing it.
Essence of the universe is the basic or the fundamental force that runs the universe. Sensing the essence of the universe implies connecting with or realising this force. Trying to find answers from Vedic scriptural teachings, I compared them to discoveries in modern physics and neurosciences and what I found has great relevance to our religious practices.
I tried to peek into the origin and progression of worshipping and meditation practices in India.
Q: Is there a relationship between science and spirituality?
AP: My analysis of scriptural teachings and discoveries in modern sciences demonstrate the synergy between the two. It is exciting to find out how modern scientific discoveries corroborate with ancient teachings and how they suggest a possible physical mechanism for the brain to sense the essence of the universe.
Such findings relate well to religious practices and human quest for spiritual progress. Thus exploring science and spirituality together provides benefits in our spiritual journey.
Q: Why is it important to bring in advances in modern sciences when we can get many of our answers from Vedic teachings?
AP: This is necessary for three main reasons.
- Having benefited from scientific discoveries in our quality of life and having spent a lot of time studying sciences, people tend to believe scientific discoveries more than scriptural teachings.
- Any clue that modern scientific discoveries corroborate ancient scriptural teachings will impress even the scientifically inclined people. They may start paying attention to scriptural teachings.
- People will understand how a combination of the capabilities of human brain and the practicing of scriptural teachings can lead the end point of self-realisation. Then they will begin to believe that the experiences of self realisation are in fact possible.
Q: Will scientists apply scriptural teachings to their scientific investigations?
AP: After studying scriptural teachings and comparing them to discoveries in modern sciences, scientists will begin to appreciate the profound wisdom encapsulated in the scriptural teachings. They will then see the usefulness of the processes for sensing the fundamental nature of the universe as taught by scriptures in their scientific investigations.
Q: Why is it hard for most of us to fully appreciate the scriptural teachings?
AP: Religious philosophy is not taught at young age and most of us do not cultivate the habit of learning about scriptures. This makes it hard to appreciate the true meaning behind scriptural teachings.
In addition, one will truly appreciate the scriptural teachings about the end point of self-realisation only if they can go through the entire process of detachment, yoga and deep meditation and achieve the experience of self-realisation. Until then, such an experience cannot be comprehended. Thus for most of us it is hard to fully appreciate the scriptural teachings.
Q: Was it difficult to first, combine spirituality and science, and then dissect it?
AP: The challenge was to simplify the details of findings while ensuring that the message does not get lost. Condensing both, the information from Vedic scriptural teachings and discoveries in modern science, I had to simplify it for the common people. It had to be organised in such a manner that the audience will be able to grasp the message in each slide and thereby capture the main message of the talk.
Q: So ultimately what is the essence of the universe according to you? Can you simplify it for the common people?
AP: Essence of the universe is the force that was responsible for creating the universe, and is the force that is still running the universe. Vedic scriptures refer to this force as universal consciousness force, Brahman. We refer to this force as God.
Q: What would be the take away message of talk?
AP: The knowledge how the spiritual and physical natures of the universe are related. They will see that there is fascinating corroboration between thousands of year old Vedic scriptural teachings and discoveries in modern sciences.
They will appreciate the significance of complementing dhyana, pooja, vrata, and other religious rituals with jnyana or knowledge in spiritual journey. Such an understanding of synergy between science and spirituality can help people to adjust their religious and meditation practices and achieve higher degree of spiritual progress.
