ब्रह्मैवेदममृतं पुरस्तात् ब्रह्म पश्चात् ब्रह्म उत्तरतो दक्षिणतश्चोत्तरेण ।
अधश्चोर्ध्वं च प्रसृतं ब्रह्मैवेदं विश्वमिदं वरिष्ठम् ॥ (2.2.11)
This is a reference to the Mundaka Upanishad mantra (above) in which the Vedic understanding of the connectivity of living entities is put forward to help the Bhakta (practitioner of yoga) to understand the difference between the body and the living entity. How the real nature of the living entity is realized only in union with the source, the supreme being (Brahman/Krishna) through a platform of transcendental divine loving service. (Schrodinger wrote in his book Meine Weltansicht) In speaking of a universe in which particles are represented by wave functions, said:
“The unity and continuity of Vedanta are reflected in the unity and continuity of wave mechanics. This is entirely consistent with the Vedanta concept of All in One. There is no kind of framework within which we can find consciousness in the plural; this is simply something we construct because of the temporal plurality of individuals, but it is a false construction. The only solution to this conflict insofar as any is available to us at all lies in the ancient wisdom of the Upanishad.” (Source: Mein Leben, Meine Weltansicht [My Life, My World View] (1961) Chapter 4)
Schrodinger's biographer Moore, wrote: “His system or that of the Upanishads is delightful and consistent: the self and the world are one and they are all. He rejected traditional western religious beliefs (Jewish, Christian, and Islamic) not on the basis of any reasoned argument, nor even with an expression of emotional antipathy, for he loved to use religious expressions and metaphors, but simply by saying that they are naïve and will not understand Quantum theory and consciousness.”
In his famous essay on determinism and free will, he expressed very clearly the sense that consciousness is a unity, arguing that this “insight is not new. From the early great Upanishads the recognition Atman = Brahman (the personal self equals the omnipresent, all-comprehending eternal self) was in Indian thought considered, far from being blasphemous, to represent, the quintessence of deepest insight into the happenings of the world. The striving of all the scholars of Vedanta was, after having learnt to pronounce with their lips, really to assimilate in their minds this grandest of all thoughts.
Vedanta teaches that consciousness is singular, all happenings are played out in one universal consciousness and there is no multiplicity of selves. The stages of human development are to strive for Possession (Artha), Knowledge (Dharma), Ability (Kama), Being (Moksha), Nirvana is a state of pure blissful knowledge. It has nothing to do with individual. The ego or its separation is an illusion. The goal of man is to preserve his Karma and to develop it further, when man dies his karma lives and creates for itself another carrier.
In the above quote we can clearly see Schrodinger's firm belief in reincarnation. Schrodinger wrote in his book My View of the World (Chapter 4). “In all the world, there is no kind of framework within which we can find consciousness in the plural; this is simply something we construct because of the temporal plurality of individuals, but it is a false construction. The only solution to this conflict in so far as any is available to us at all lies in the ancient wisdom of the Upanishad.”
The Vedas teach that we are more than physical bodies operating according to the laws of physics and chemistry. We, the eternal conscious self (Atma), are inherently connected to the greater whole (ParamAtma), and this eternal inherent connection is totally transcendental to matter. All living entities (Atmas), having free will, are able to ignore this connection or recognize it. The Vedas teach us how to do both. When we act as scientists and look for facts and accept them and then go on to use and act according to our new realizations we can make great progress. So similarly as living entities we must scientifically study the great work of the evidential books of the Vedas in order to help us realize the facts of this universe and beyond, and our natural position in it.
Schrodinger explicitly affirmed his conviction that Vedantic jnana [knowledge] represented the only true view of reality – a view for which he was prepared even to offer Empirical proof. (source: A Short Introduction to Hinduism By Klaus K. Klostermaier P.168).
Regarding mystical insights, Schrödinger tells us: “The multiplicity is only apparent. This is the doctrine of the Upanishads. And not of the Upanishads only. The mystical experience of the union with God regularly leads to this view, unless strong prejudices stand in the West.”
He completed this in 1960 and in chapter 5 of this book he gives his understanding of the basic view of Vedanta. He writes – “Vedanta teaches that consciousness is singular, all happenings are played out in one universal consciousness and there is no multiplicity of selves.”
Maya [illusion] is the cause of our faulty identification with this material world. In all the embodied forms of existence, the individual Atma Brahman living entity enters he is fully able to at any time revive his forgotten eternal and inherent connection with Brahman (Paramatma) the supreme self.
Schrodinger did not believe that it will be possible to demonstrate the unity of consciousness by logical arguments. One must make an imaginative leap guided by communion with nature and the persuasion of analogies. He understood the nonmaterial eternal nature of the conscious self and how the that Atman is intimately connected to the supreme.
In the 1920′s quantum mechanics was created by the three great minds mentioned above, Heisenberg, Bohr and Schrodinger, who all read from and greatly respected the Vedas. They elaborated upon these ancient books of wisdom in their own language and with modern mathematical formulas in order to try to understand the ideas that are to be found throughout the Vedas, referred to in the ancient Sanskrit as Brahman, Paramatma, Akasha and Atman, and as Schrodinger said, they all he wanted “Some blood transfusion from the East to the West to save Western science from spiritual anemia.”
Tesla along with the others mentioned above knew that the ancient Indian Brahmans (wise men), well equipped with knowledge from the Vedas had understandings of the intricate laws, mathematical formulas and subtle workings of the universe that far surpass anything we can even imagine today. Tesla understood the great power of Zero Point Field or Akasha or Ether–the power of space between the electrons and the nucleus. Vivekanda’s effect on Tesla was so great that he became vegetarian, became celibate and started using Sanskrit words.
The Vedas teach that we are more than physical bodies operating according to the laws of physics and chemistry. We, the eternal conscious self (Atma), are inherently connected to the greater whole (ParamAtma), and this eternal inherent connection is totally transcendental to matter. All living entities (Atmas), having free will, are able to ignore this connection or recognize it. The Vedas teach us how to do both. When we act as scientists and look for facts and accept them and then go on to use and act according to our new realizations we can make great progress. So similarly as living entities we must scientifically study the great work of the evidential books of the Vedas in order to help us realize the facts of this universe and beyond, and our natural position in it.
Both Bohr and Schrodinger, the founders of quantum physics, were avid readers of the Vedic texts and observed that their experiments in quantum physics were consistent with what they had read in the Vedas. Niels Bohr got the ball rolling around 1900 by explaining why atoms emit and absorb electromagnetic radiation only at certain frequencies.
Then, in the 1920′s Erwin Schrodinger (1887-1961), who won the Nobel prize, came up with his famous wave equation that predicts how the Quantum Mechanical wave function changes with time. Wave functions are used in Quantum Mechanics to determine how particles move and interact with time.
Werner Heisenberg (1901-1976) formulated his famous uncertainty principle, which states that when a physicist attempts to observe a subatomic particle, the experimental apparatus inevitably alters the subatomic particle’s trajectory. This is because they are trying to observe something that is of the same scale as the photons they are using to observe it.
To be more specific, to observe something that is subatomic in size one must use a device (apparatus) that projects photons at the particle that is being observed. This is because the reception of photons by our retina are what we call vision. Basically, to observe something, we must bounce photons off it. The problem is that the photons disturb the subatomic particles because they are of the same size. Thus, there is no way to observe subatomic particles without altering their trajectories.
Bohr, Heisenberg and Schrödinger regularly read Vedic texts. Heisenberg stated: “Quantum theory will not look ridiculous to people who have read Vedanta.” Vedanta is the conclusion of Vedic thought.
While he was working on quantum theory he went to India to lecture and was a guest of Tagore. He talked a lot with Tagore about Indian philosophy. Heisenberg told me that these talks had helped him a lot with his work in physics, because they showed him that all these new ideas in quantum physics were in fact not all that crazy. He realized there was, in fact, a whole culture that subscribed to very similar ideas. Heisenberg said that this was a great help for him. Niels Bohr had a similar experience when he went to China.” Consequently, Bohr adopted the Yin-Yang symbol as part of his family coat-of-arms when he was knighted in 1947.
Samkhya Philosophy suggesting that the quantum physics based on (which comes from) 8 basic dimension; Time, Graviton, Energy, Speed, Field, Temperature, Mass and Density. Adwaita Vedanta is like Quantum physics higher truth, but also useless in practicality to most people. Other philosophies (like Samkhya) emphasizing devotion to Ishwara and detached action in Samsara, are like Newtonian physics.
Any perceived overemphasis on Adwaita Vedanta in his works was for the purpose of defeating that trend. But he certainly didn't denounce bhakti or karma. Shri Vishnu did entirely different things in his avataras as Narasimha, Vamana, Rama and Krishna, based on the needs of the time. Sanatana Dharma's needs may be different now. Happy celebration on Adi Shankara's works and legacy, but focus on what is needed Now...
Authored by Dr Anadi Sahoo
