08 Oct 2016
Dr. Prasad asked: Your spiritual knowledge is vast! People say that philosophy starts where science ends. But, you are giving lot of importance to science in your philosophy. Please explain.
Swami replied: The knowledge became vast because all the points of the spiritual knowledge are elaborated using a systematic scientific analysis maintaining the highest clarity covering the various levels of all devotees related to all the world religions for bringing peace and harmony in the world. I can’t help the vastness in view of the above parameters. Moreover, in the present time, there is no scarcity of paper and ink or the vast area of computer accommodating any volume of information. A person fasted taking one little meal per day while he was very poor. Why should he not take full meals on both times of the day, when he became rich by God’s grace? In the ancient days, recording instruments were either nil or with very little availability. A letter is to be formed on the palm leaf using a needle type pen piercing pores in the shape of alphabet. Lot of time taken for little writing, inability to prepare copies of the book in one time etc., forced the preachers to present the concepts with utmost briefness and this led to many doubts and misunderstandings due to lack of clarity, which is proportional to size of the book.
The meaning of the statement that philosophy starts where science ends is in a specific context of speaking about the absolute unimaginable God, beyond the space and time. The creation is imaginable, which contains items visible and invisible. Science explains all these imaginable items (both visible and invisible) only. Science is the logical analysis of all the items of the imaginable creation. Science is excellent authority as far as the analysis of imaginable creation is concerned. But, it cannot apply to the unimaginable God, who is beyond and untouched by the creation. With reference to this specific context only, the Veda says that God is beyond words, beyond mind, beyond intelligence, beyond logic, only known as unknown etc. In the light of this context only the above saying is valid. But, such unimaginable God comes down in imaginable and visible human form to guide the devotees in their spiritual efforts. Devotees get four types of fortunes (Bhagya chatushtayam) to see, touch, talk and live with God. The explanation behind the unimaginable God becoming visible God is very much required. Whether the soul is God or not is a question. What is the real path to please God? So many spiritual questions are to be answered clearly by scientific logic. Leaving that one topic of information of unimaginable God, all other topics of spiritual knowledge involve either pure imaginable domains or unimaginable domain in association with imaginable domain expressed as imaginable domain. These imaginable domains need the background of science in the analysis. We will exempt that one topic since it is beyond logic and even imagination. Logic applied between imaginable items cannot apply to unimaginable God. If we throw away the science from the entire spiritual knowledge, innocent and ignorant fools will play with us like playing with football! They keep the concept of unimaginable God in their front as shield and go on playing with the innocent public like the present politicians doing all sorts of sins keeping Mahatma Gandhi before them as their covering shield!
What is science? It is only systematic analysis of all the items of this imaginable creation. What is logic or Tarka Shaastra? Tarka means the subject in which all the items of creation are discussed and analysed (Tarkyante padaarthaah asmin iti tarkah). Now, tell Me, what is the difference between the modern science and ancient logic? Both are one and the same. In the ancient tradition, there is a rule, which says that without studying Tarka Shaastra, you can’t study the Vedanta Shastra (philosophy). The modern science is a better authority than ancient logic since experimental proof followed by very shrewd analysis exists in science. Some errors in ancient logic were disproved by the modern science. Ancient logic says that sound is the property of vacuum (Aakasha). It is wrong since sound requires some medium to travel. Science proves that awareness is the specific work form of inert energy functioning in a specific system called as nervous system and it is only a worldly item. Ancient philosophy (a branch) mistakes awareness to be the unimaginable God. Hence, science or Tarka is essential in spiritual knowledge. If anybody is My real disciple, he/she should accept even Me or even My knowledge through analysis only and not because Myself or someone says that I am God Datta. Lord Krishna said the same at the end of the Gita that whatever told by Krishna should be deeply analysed before accepting it (Vimrushyaitat...). Krishna Himself is telling the necessity of analysis. Shankara says that analysis to differentiate truth and false is essential requirement in spiritual knowledge (sadasat vivekah...). Even the Veda says that philosophy should be discussed with the help of scientific analysis to draw right conclusions (Vedaanta Vijnana sunishchitaarthaah).
★ ★ ★ ★ ★