BASIC THINGS WHICH ONE MUST KNOW BEFORE STUDYING ANYTHING ABOUT CREATION OF UNIVERSE
If we study ‘roots’ of the words used to mean ‘UNIVERSE’ in Sanskrit language, which is the oldest mean of communication, we will come to know that scholars since very old times believe that this universe has been created and things of this universe remain changing. In the world also, we see that every article and event of the world has a starting time and with the passage of time it perishes. There is not even a single thing in the world, which does not change with the passage of time. Look at the ancient mountains, geologists will tell the ages of those mountains. Soils of different places are only history of different stages of creation of universe. Everything has a definite time of its creation. For this reason, we can say that a thing is new in relation to another thing. A flower of a tree is newer in relation to leaves of the tree, leaves are newer in relation to the root, root is newer in relation to the soil in which it has germinated, soil is newer in relation to the rock over which it has been deposited, rock is newer in relation to surface of the Earth. Likewise, scholars of physics and chemistry have shown that the different items have been formed, by clubbing of different elements. All these facts bring out that start of a thing may or may not be before our eyes but, all the things of the world are created either by clubbing two or more things, for example, bouquet of flowers or by breaking two or more things and then by clubbing their parts, for example, door of a house.
There are different views on the creation of universe. Some believe that this universe is a result not of joining or clubbing of atoms but it has been created by different centres of energy. According to this belief also, we will have to accept that there was some time when these centres of energy moved from their original state and brought this universe in its present state or in other words, this universe has a beginning.
Some people believe that there is no need of joining of atoms for the creation of universe. This universe has a basic element called nature. This basic element changes shape to become universe as water becomes ice. Here, our aim is not to analyse different beliefs. Our aim is just to establish the fact that this universe has been created. We accept that basic element of water and ice are same but water and ice are not the same thing. It takes some time for conversion of water into ice. This fact proves that this universe has a beginning.
Also the people, who believe that this universe is nothing more than a dream, will have to accept that there is a definite beginning of every dream. This again proves that this universe has a beginning.
Here, we have tried to establish that creation of this universe had a beginning. No intelligent man can have any problem in accepting this truth. Now, we must have a look at some of the major properties of this universe. These major properties of universe are given below:
- There is a particular order in every event of the universe. Actually, on the basis of these orders, man plans his future works.
In botanical science, we find that first there is germination of seed, then there are flowers, then fruit. In no case, this order can be broken. Farmer or gardener well knows this order and does his work accordingly. Also, a particular plant or tree is germinated out of a particular seed only. This means that on sowing a seed of ‘neem tree’, a ‘mango tree’ cannot be expected.
There is a particular law in aging of a body. After birth, first an offspring will become young and then old. It is not possible that a body becomes first old and then young. This fact regarding stages of development of a body is known by even most ignorant mother.
Medical science is based on presence of order only. Patients are treated on the basis of these laws.
In geological science, there is a definite methodology on the basis of which, it is decided about the time and reason of creation of different layers of mountains, soils of different lands et cetra. There are definite laws for deciding about the time during which water was flowing on a particular piece of land or existence of various mineral resources beneath a particular piece of land.
In science of geography, there are particular laws which govern the movement of earth, moon and other celestial bodies. Rising and setting of sun, rising and setting of moon, creation of day and night, flowing the current of water and air in particular directions are very orderly. Because of this order, scientists are able to foretell the position of sun, moon et cetra on a particular future date.
Psychology is considered to be the most complicated and the toughest science. We are able to outline the laws governing all the non-living things of this universe but with regard to the human behavior, we become doubtful whether there are definite laws governing human psychology or not. Human mind is very complicated indeed but there are laws governing it. Swami Vivekanand has rightly called psychology as a perfect science. Actually, laws governing human behaviour are the basis of all the other sciences concerned with human life like history, drama, poetry, economics, sociology et cetra. Generally, man considers that different incidents of history are not linked with one another. Scholars of history have discovered a perfect route in which human mind operates in different situations and the effect generated by its working on the whole race, country et cetra and the changes caused by such effects on history. As piling up of different words of a language at one place cannot produce science of grammar of that language until and unless we are able to bring out the chain of laws present in those words, in the similar manner, ten or hundred incidents regarding a race, country or society cannot be termed as history of that race, country or society, until and unless we are able to know the laws governing such incidents.
- Second thoughtful thing regarding this universe is universality (oneness) of all the things present in it. As our body consisting of different organs is one, in the similar manner, this universe in which many suns, planets, moons etc. exist is one. This oneness can better be understood by pondering over the laws governing different objects of the universe since law is nothing but a way in which different things operate or work. Let’s take an example to explain our view. Suppose, there are hundred boys, who go to school every day at 10’o clock, then we can say that there is a rule of coming to school at ten. How can we come to such a conclusion? It is for the reason that there is oneness in the behavior of all the students. Opposite to this, if one student is coming to school at 8, others are coming at 9, 10, 11 et c.etra, then, we can say that there is no rule regarding coming to school. In the similar manner, we observe in this world that ‘A’ took birth and died, ‘B’ took birth and died, ‘C’ took birth and died, then we bring out a rule that every human being who takes birth dies.
As oneness in various things is called a rule, in the similar manner, there is oneness in various rules, for example, on observing the deaths of various human beings, we discover the rule that all human beings die. Similarly, on observing the deaths of various animals, we discover the second rule that all animals die. Again, on observing the deaths of various birds, we discover the third rule that all birds die. We have found out following three rules:
- All humans die.
- All animals die.
- All birds die.
There is oneness in all these three rules. If we say that all living-beings die, then all the above mentioned three rules get summed up in this one rule. Three rules explained oneness of various things belonging to three respective categories, whereas one rule, got by summation of these three rules, could explain oneness of various things belonging to all these three categories.
This thing can be clarified by another example from geometry. There are two general rules:
- The sum of all the angles of a triangle (shape having three sides) is 180 degrees.
- The sum of all the angles of a quadrilateral (shape having four sides) is 360 degrees.
In the same way, there are definite rules of sum of all the angles of the shapes having five, six, seven, eight or more sides. Now, can there be oneness in all these rules? Yes. All these rules can be summed up in one rule, which will give the sum of all the angles of all the shapes having any number of sides and this rule is- the sum of all the angles of a shape is equal to the number of right angles equating ‘double the sides of the shape less four’.
Similarly, arithmetic explains the rules governing certain bodies whereas, algebra explains the oneness in these rules. Rules given by geometry are limited to triangles, quadrilaterals et cetra but the rules of algebra get extended to the other objects of the world.
All the rules pertaining to Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Mathematics et cetra find oneness in one science, the rules of which are applicable on all the objects of the universe. This science is called ‘Spiritualism’. This could not happen had there not been oneness in the universe.
- Third thoughtful thing of the universe is purpose of its creation. Order and oneness would have been meaningless in the absence of the PURPOSE. Purpose of a thing makes it meaningful or worthwhile. Some are able to understand the purpose and some are not but the purpose is there. Purpose of one person is generally not understood by the other person but this does not mean that there is no purpose. Let’s explain this point through a story. Once, an European became a guest of a backward race of Arab or Africa called ‘Baddu’. One morning, he was having a walk before his tent. ‘Baddu’ people starting laughing on seeing him as if he was a fool because they failed to understand the very purpose of his movement. But the purpose of his movement was very clear to the European. Same is the condition of we people. We tend to tally the purpose of various events occurring around us with our own purpose. We call the things or events, whose purpose is in accordance with our own purpose, meaningful and others as wrong. This is our folly.
Look at a big machine having thousands of parts, some are big, some are small, some are round, some are straight et cetra. There is so much difference in these parts that it is difficult to find oneness in them but this oneness can be explained by the manufacturer of that machine in the form of ‘purpose of manufacturing that machine’. The manufacturer wanted that machine to fulfill a particular purpose whether that was making of cloth or publication of books or grinding of wheat. The purpose made the manufacturer of the machine to bring together all the different parts of the machine having different shapes in such a way that the very purpose of the machine gets fulfilled. The parts of the machine though different by physical characteristics are same or one in the sense of fulfilling the purpose. Usefulness of the parts is inherent in the usefulness of the machine. Making the machine run is the objective of its different parts. Some parts of the machine may look ugly and in their place beautiful parts could be made. But those beautiful parts would have been meaningless if they could not run the machine. The position of this universe is similar to that of the machine in the example. This universe has been created with a particular purpose though we may be ignorant of it. Smallest of the event or thing of this universe has been created with the objective to fulfill the purpose of the universe. Howsoever harmful an event or a thing of this universe may appear, they all cater to the purpose of universe.
“The system of which our earth is a member is vast, varied and orderly, the planets and satellites of which it is composed being so adjusted as regards magnitude and mass, distance, rate and plan of direction that the whole is stable and secure as different parts in an animal body.
so wonderously the whole constructed that these seemingly dangerous disturbances are the very means of preventing destruction and securing the universal welfare, being due to reciprocally compensating forces which in given times exactly balance one another”
-Robert Flint in his book ‘Theism’
A thing, which we consider harmful from one aspect, proves to be beneficial from another aspect.
If we have to find out the objective of a small flower, then we will have to look at many departments of the world. From the angle of human being, flower satisfies his eyes and nose provided it gives fragrance, for doctors the same flower could be used in preparation of medicines, a painter uses it in his paintings, a poet gets inspiration from it and colour-maker draws colour from it so on and so forth. Flower has other objectives also, different from its usefulness for human beings, for example, honey-bee extracts honey from its juice, भंवरे drink its juice, butterflies get pleasure from sitting on it. Then the same flower after meeting out so many objectives of various beings, produces seeds of its plant or tree to enable it to live after its (plant or tree) death. This is about a small flower. In this way, we can think of all the other things of the universe.
- Here, we have tried to show that there is order, oneness and purpose in the universe. One more thing, without which we will not be able to understand this universe completely, is its hugeness. This universe is huge not from one aspect only but from all the aspects. From the angle of length and breadth, we cannot even imagine the number of yards by which we can measure this universe. Scientists say that circumference of this Earth is 25000 miles. Even this figure of 25000 miles is quite huge when our body is only 5-6 feet in height. Hugeness of Earth can well be imagined by looking at its map with closed eyes. It has many mountains and a major portion of it consists of oceans. To understand the hugeness of mountains, one needs to stand in front of one hill- look at it, look at one’s own self and then compare these two. Immediately thereafter, one starts feeling the hugeness of the hill. Imagine the hugeness of this Earth which has numerous hills. Now, we take oceans. Man has made huge ships to cross these oceans and he is proud of the hugeness of the ships made by him. Even these huge ships travel for months together to have a glimpse of shore of one ocean. And this Earth has many oceans. By all these means, we get convinced of the hugeness of this Earth. But is this Earth the hugest thing of the universe? Sun is 13 lakh times bigger than this Earth. And there are crores of suns in this universe. Sun’s rays, which travel at the speed of approximately 2,00,000 kilometers per second, take approximately 8 minutes to reach this Earth. See how far Sun is from Earth. There are many celestial bodies, whose light reaches the other celestial bodies after thousands of light years. These facts will help in imagining the vastness of universe.
Above, we have talked about the vastness of universe from the point of view of its length and breadth. It is vast from the point of view of subtleness also. Continue to make a thing subtler and subtler by breaking it or its parts. A stage comes where even our imagination refuses to go further. For example, on heating water, its particles start dancing before our eyes in the form of water vapours, but, if we still continue to heat water, its particles go beyond our sight. Similarly, we cannot know how many subtle things are present in this universe.
Vastness of rules is, also, wonderful. Pick up a subject and you will find a number of rules related to that subject. There are numerous subjects having uncountable rules.Vastness of rules again prove hugeness of this universe.
Some people might question that when a huge thing is made up of many small things, for example, ocean is nothing but piling up of too many water droplets and a hill is nothing but joining of too many particles of soil, then why should hugeness be so talked of? It is true that ocean is made up of many water droplets and a mountain is made up of soil particles but vastness has altogether different effect on human mind. Vastness of ocean make it totally a different thing. The effect of looking at an army of 1000 soldiers and that of looking at 1000 soldiers one by one cannot be said to be the same. As such, it is wrong to say that vastness of a thing need not be given so much of importance.
Sometimes, even man-made things like ships, aeroplanes, satellites et cetra surprise us. Actually, we get surprised not by hugeness of these things but by smallness of man’s intelligence. Let’s try to explain our point of view through an example. If a kid of 2-3 years starts giving a speech like an elderly scholar, we do not get surprised because a small kid has surpassed the elderly scholar but because such a small kid was not expected to give such a speech. Same is the case with man-made things. Sincerely, workmanship of the most intelligent man is not even one billionth part of the workmanship of the creator of this universe. The relationship between man-made things and the other things of the universe is same as between ocean and a pot.
If this universe is a created thing, then there must be an entity, which has created it and this entity is called GOD.
-All the thoughts expressed in black words are of Pandit Ganga Prasad Upadhayay
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