Sree Narayana Gurudev- The Maharshi Who Made (Advaita A Science)

It is an outstanding piece of synthesis between contemporary physics and mystic traditions. Sree Narayana Guru can be said to be a blend between religion at its centre and the conclusions of quantum physics. We can therefore say that he was truly a quantum mystic in its truest sense. Prof. Sasidharan in his work has successfully traced the origins of the two streams leading to a merger between the two in the personality of Sree Narayana Guru. It is a scholarly approach which explains to the lay reader the common ground of being of both science at its highest and the religious traditions in its deepest form. It is a fitting tribute to one of the outstanding personalities in the history of the world. Sree Narayana Guru is rightfully the Guru of the 21st century. I am sure that the book will be a landmark event in the history of ideas and thoughts.

The Author G. K. Sasidharan, Son of Manjipuzha Gopalan and Kamalakshi, held places in educational institutions as Lecturer, Post graduate Professor, Principal, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor, published many papers on cosmology and astrophysics and is a regular writer on scientific topics in journals and periodicals. He is the architect of the astronomical observatory in Calicut University campus and was instrumental in introducing compulsory social service (CSS) as part of curriculum in the university and colleges. Visited colleges in various states in the country as chairman of NAAC Peer team. He is the founder president of All Kerala Astrosciences Society (AKAS). He authored the widely accepted best sellers 'The Great Universe', 'Mahaprapancham', 'Kanikaprapancham' etc.

We are proud of our great tradition in the exploration of the secrets of the universe, the tradition that extends back to many millennia. The utterings of the great sages in Rg-Veda to the writings of Sree Narayana Gurudev, revealed many cosmological secrets which modern scientists come to know one after the other only in recent times. The advent of quantum physics paved the way to bring closer science and religious mysticism which had conflicting views till the beginning of 20th century. Only a combined effort of the two branches of knowledge may lead to the ever wanting 'Theory of Everything' (ToE).

This book is a study on the works and teachings of Sree Narayana Gurudev on a scientific footing. Gurudev, one among the "The Great Maharishi Trio" [the others being Badarayana (Vyasa) and Adi Sankara] of Advaita philosophy was a staunch advocate of Kevaladvaita. Gurudev who ordered to arrange a session on Science and Technology in the Shivagiri Pilgrimage conventions a century ago could foresee the potential and the need for a new approach to science and technology. He found new dimensions to Advaita philosophy of which the seeds obviously were sowed and nurtured by the great sages of India. Containing the spirit of entire Puranic philosophy, he revived Advaita Philosophy in a manner that suits the most sophisticated developments in physics and modern cosmology.

In Sree Narayana Gurudev's science bound Advaita based works one can see a deep-rooted correlation of doctrines of Advaita and principles of quantum cosmology. Now the awareness that science and technology through their theories and experiments could explore so far only 4% of what is really there in the universe, leaving 96% to dark matter and dark energy, forces modern scientists to start thinking of a 'theory of everything'. This compels them to a rethinking in their approach to spirituality.

Sree Narayana Gurudev believed that the Brahman, Universe and God Shiva are three different manifestations of the same thing - the Absolute. Therefore, it is natural that he correlated the principles of metaphysics and physics in his literary works.

The various chapters of the book deal with how Sree Narayana Gurudev revived Advaita philosophy and how he unfretted it from the unholy curse of Chathurvarnya, the caste system. The book explains the theoretical, observational and experimental findings of science about the origin, evolution, existence and future of our universe and gives a brief account of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiment, it briefly explains the role of dark matter and dark energy, the big bang theory, the inflation theory etc., about the origin and evolution of the universe, the concept of space and time and their apparent appearance and gives brief accounts of anthropic principle, super symmetry, spontaneous symmetry breaking, string theory, multiverse concept, and other latest avenues of modern science. The chapter `Advaita of the Universe' deals with the Advaitic concept of the universe.

The chapter Samanwayam' (Correlation) gives a picture of how Sree Narayana Gurudev's works though written a century ago, correlates the teachings of Advaita with theories and conclusions of modern physics, and cosmology. It explains how Advaita reveals the hard to understand secrets of the universe. Preliminaries of quantum cosmology namely, reality, super position, sum over histories, quantum entanglement etc, are brought in to correlate Gurudev's works and modern physics.

To enable the reader to have a real understanding of what has been written by Gurudev with his astonishing divine power, a large number of philosophical poems and hymns (prose and verse) written by Gurudev are explained in the language of science, precisely and pertinently to the extent possible. To quote a few, `Chijjada Chinthanam' is explained in the light of Observer-Observed relation in quantum mechanics, `Daiva Chinthanam' on the basis of String Theory and Many Worlds concept. Sree Narayana Gurudev's feat of 'appearing simultaneously at many places' is explained with the help of quantum entanglement. The secret of Gurudev's miraculous 'Momentary Treatment' is explained in tune with the 'sum over histories' and 'quantum mind'.

The author believes that science can never find the ultimate reality of the universe single-handedly as its theories and experiments have many limitations which are beyond the reach of human senses and hopes for a combined effort of the spiritual (Darshanik) and scientific fields that will lead to an ultimate solution of the all time question, who created the universe and how?

Maximum care is taken to make the explanations simple and conceivable to ordinary readers who are not well equipped with the complexities of intuitional spiritual findings of Advaita and hypothetic conclusions of quantum physics, without compromising to the genuineness of facts. At the same time, the author is aware of the fact that oversimplification of facts may result in the loss of wholeness of thinking of Gurudev whose works themselves are very deep-rooted.

I am grateful to His Holiness Brahmasree Prakasananda Swamikal and Sreemat Rithambarananda Swamikal of Sivagiri Mutt for their blessings and the spiritual support in bringing out the book.

I am certainly indebted to Sreemat Satchinanda Swamikal of Sivagiri Mutt for the consistent appreciation of this new venture and whole hearted encouragement throughtout for bringing out the book.

I am greately obliged to Sri. Vayalar Ravi, former Union Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs for his continuous encouragement, thorough reading of this book and contributing its `Foreword'.

I am grateful to Sri. Vellappally Natesan, General Secretary, SNDP Yogam, for the prompting words and the note of blessings to the book.

I extend my deep gratitude to Padmasree R.K. Krishna Kumar for his thorough reading of the script, taking special interest in giving valuable suggestions and the initiative in bringing out the book and also for contributing an article by way of analysis.

I am particularly obliged to the veteran writer and my beloved teacher Prof. M.K. Sanu for his valuable advice in the framing of the book, to Sri. C.V. Padmarajan for the encouragement and to Dr. C.K. Ramachandran for the helpful discussions on Vedic philosophy. Prof. G. Sarathchandran Nair, Sri. Sajeendran (Unni) and Sri. Sreechand (Vinu) deserve special mention for their sincere assistance.

I am greatly thankful to M/s. Koppara Enterprises, especially to their Managing Director Sri. Rajeev Ramakrishnan for their skill and sincerity in printing this book neatly and elegantly.

Finally, my affectionate thanks are to my wife Rugmini, the prompting force and persistent support in bringing out this book and to my children Sajith, Ajith, Ranjith and Manju for their assistance.

I trust Vedic philosophers, physicists, cosmologists and enthusiasts who love science and spirituality will appreciate this enterprising effort - though with limitations - in bringing closer the two hitherto uncompromising schools of thought. The devotees of Sree Narayana Gurudev will find an opportunity to go deeper into the works of Gurudev.

The twentieth century and the beginning of the present century mark a radical change in the general approach towards science and spirituality. Spirituality that was forbidden in Newtonian physics now joins modern physics harmoniously. In the investigations of scientists a free will is manifested and spiritual implications appear in their observations. The advent of theories of relativity and quantum physics opened new avenues to science making the scientists more and more meek-eyed in their approach towards metaphysics and spirituality. New discoveries and inventions in science make scientists aware of the fact that they are nowhere near the ultimate result. Science can never attain arbitrarily the feat of reaching the 'Ultimate' secret of the universe. The natural limitation of science is very much evident in its search for the secret of creation of the universe, especially of the creator - creation relation.

Various philosophers the world over, differ in their approach to the concept of God and His role as the creator of the universe. In India the study of the universe started with `Nasadeeyasuktam' in Rg-Veda. It is considered as the first ever statement about the creation of the universe that still retains relevance. It was followed by the Upanishads (Vedanta), Bhagavat Gita, various Puranas and Epics. Maharshi Badarayana (Vyasa)'s Brahmasutras deserve special mention. The great Vedic preceptors Adi Sankara, Ramanuja, Maddwa, Nimbarka, Srivallabha and others gave different versions to Brahmasutras with their commentaries establishing own Vedic sectors. Among the many, Sankara's commentaries known as Sankara Bhashya - which paved the foundation of Kevaladvaita - is considered as the most relevant and noble. Sree Narayana Gurudev once proclaimed "In Advaita, I follow Sankara" and identified himself as a Kevaladvaiti. The author very logically establishes that Sree Narayana Gurudev is one among the great 'Maharishi Trio' of Vedic philosophy; the other two being Vyasa and Adi Sankara.

This book, Sree Narayana Gurudev - The Maharshi Who Made Advaita A Science' in a sense, is a venturesome work to correlate the doctrines of Vedic philosophy with the latest findings of modern cosmology. To a common reader both physics and Advaita metaphysics are equally difficult disciplines. The author takes care of it by giving required lessons from physics and Advaita philosophy. The book begins with a brief account of Gurudev's biography where the author stresses on how Sree Narayana Gurudev attained enlightenment and became a self-realized soul and achieved the knowledge of the Absolute - the Ultimate Truth. Prof. Sasidharan says "Most of the literal works of Gurudev in one way or the other are about the Universe. He takes Brahman, Universe and God Shiva as three manifestations of Brahman. Gurudev's findings and conclusions exuberantly join Vedic philosophy and Modern Cosmology together in harmony". Only a person who is well versed in both Vedic philosophy and modern physics can come up with such a thought-provoking discovery as the author does. Throughout the book he maintains this view and it seems he succeeds in his mission.

In the opening chapter the author explains Gurudev's multifaceted genius and how he revolutionized the classical concept of Advaita in his reformation process of social order and modernisation of Vedic philosophy to suit the latest findings of science regarding the secrets of the universe. In the chapter `Physics of the Universe' the history of developments in the studies of physics and modern cosmology is narrated bringing in latest theories and experiments including the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) Experiment in Geneva, arranged in search of the ultimate secrets of the universe. The chapter `Unmanifested to Science' gives a vivid picture of innumerable limitations of physics and modem cosmology in resolving problems regarding the creation and the creator of the universe. The awareness of Scientists of the modern times about the helplessness of science in dealing with many of the cosmological and anthropic problems, especially those connected with human consciousness, made majority of them to turn towards spirituality. In the chapter `Advaita of the Universe' the author explains the relevant lessons of Advaita which led Sree Narayana Gurudev to formulate new doctrines that are in perfect harmony with latest discoveries in cosmology.

`Samanwayam' (Correlation) is the core part of the book. The author's commentaries on `Darsanamala' are unequalled. He takes an approach entirely different from the conventional style. He blends modem theories in physics and cosmology with relevant doctrines of Vedas and Vedanta in the explanation of the creation, existence and dissolution of the universe. Gurudev's Absolute Monistic belief that God Himself is the universe (creator and creation) is proved in terms of theories in physics and doctrines of Vedic philosophy.

The author's skill in correlating Advaita philosophy and theories of science is commendable. He finds dual significance in every word and sentence of Gurudev's works, from the point of view of both Vedic philosophy and science and very logically brings out their implied or hidden meanings. This dexterity is clearly manifested in the analysis of poems in `Atmopadesasatakam', Tevarapatikankal (Tamil), `Advaita Deepika', Arivu' , Sivastavam', Daiva Dasakam', Kundalinipattu' , etc. His explanations of `Chijjada Chinthanam', `Daiva Chinthanam', Gurudev's 'simultaneous appearance at many places', the secret of Gurudev's 'momentary treatment' etc. in the light of latest developments in cosmology are very convincing and fascinating.

This book, in short, is not merely a study; instead, it is really a book of commentaries (Bhashya) on Gurudev's works in tune with the latest developments in physics and metaphysics. Sree Narayana Gurudev's foresightedness is reflected throughout the commentaries. I feel, the author by Gurudev's compassion has succeeded in going deep into every verse and prose and bring out many hitherto undisclosed but inherent meanings.

`Sree Narayana Gurudev - The Maharshi Who Made Advaita A Science' is destined to usher in a new era in the history of science and philosophy. It has far reaching impact in both science and metaphysics. It is a daring effort which has no parallels in India and abroad. The author has succeeded in putting together within a relatively small number of pages so many facts and ideas that are profound in a manner precise and comprehensible. This book manifests the real identity of Gurudev as a Vedic philosopher and a scientist of acute intellect. It blends Advaita philosophy with modem cosmology. The book opens doors to the new generation for further studies and research in the field. The author Prof. Sasidharan deserves to be congratulated for his laborious and in-depth studies. He performed a Herculean task in shedding light on the hitherto hidden substance of Gurudev's teachings and in correlating spiritual metaphysics and modern physics very convincingly and conceivably explained in simple language.

I hope, this book will be of great value to those who prostrate Sree Narayana Gurudev, of great use to students and to all those who wish to get an insight into the profound and sublime mysteries of the universe and the absolute - the Brahman.

**Contents and Sample Pages**