Vedic Physics - The Nature Of Space, Time, And Matter (Sadaputa das: Vedic Cosmography and Astronomy, Chapter

! "#y $im e%en the great sages and demigods are p&aced into i&&usion, as one is 'e(i&dered 'y the i&&usory representations of (ater seen in fire, or &and seen on (ater) On&y 'ecause of $im do the materia& uni%erses, temporari&y manifested 'y the three modes of nature, appear factua&, a&though they are unrea&" (S# *)*)*!) Our ideas of the nature of space, time, and matter are essentia& ingredients in our understanding of the cosmos) +hen (e &oo, into the hea%ens, our direct sensory data consist of patterns of &ight) These patterns say nothing, in and of themse&%es, a'out the nature of the sources of this &ight) -n order to say something a'out the cosmic manifestations that ha%e produced the &ight, it is necessary to assume that the uni%erse is made of some ,ind of stuff, or matter, that has certain characteristics and o'eys certain &a(s) .i%en such assumptions, (e can then as, ourse&%es (hat arrangement of this matter, acting in accordance (ith the &a(s, (ou&d produce the o'ser%ed &ight patterns) -f (e are successfu& in putting together a consistent e/p&anation of the o'ser%ed data 'ased on the assumed &a(s and properties, then (e tend to suppose that (e ha%e correct&y understood the structure of the uni%erse) -n our mind0s eye, our theoretica& mode&s ta,e on an air of concrete rea&ity, and it a&most seems as though (e (ere ho&ding the uni%erse in the pa&m of our hand) Throughout most of modern human history, peop&e ha%e 'een &imited to the surface of the earth, and they ha%e 'ased their ideas of the nature of matter on o'ser%ations that (e can perform in this &imited domain using our ordinary senses) O%er the &ast t(o or three hundred years, +estern scientists ha%e used e/perimenta& o'ser%ation and the ana&ysis of e/perimenta& resu&ts to 'ui&d up an e/tensi%e 'ody of ,no(&edge - the science of modern physics (hich gi%es a detai&ed picture of the properties of matter and the &a(s go%erning its 'eha%ior) The modern +estern understanding of the nature and structure of the uni%erse as a (ho&e is 'ased on interpreting o'ser%ed ce&estia& phenomena (ithin the frame(or, of modern physics) The thesis of this 'oo, is that the frame(or, of modern physics is too &imited to accommodate many phenomena that occur (ithin this uni%erse) -n particu&ar, this frame(or, cannot accommodate many features of the uni%erse that are descri'ed in the Vedic &iterature, and thus the Vedic accounts often seem a'surd or mytho&ogica& (hen %ie(ed from the perspecti%e of modern science) At the present time, certain assumptions of modern physics ha%e 'een adopted 'y peop&e in genera& as the %ery foundation of their (or&d %ie() These assumptions are incompati'&e (ith the under&ying assumptions of the Vedic (or&d %ie(, and thus they tend to '&oc, peop&e from ha%ing free access to the Vedic &iterature) -n this section (e (i&& try to a&&e%iate this difficu&ty 'y discussing the nature of the materia& energy as descri'ed in the Vedic &iterature) Since this is a %ery deep and com p&e/ su'1ect, (e (i&& 'e a'&e to touch on on&y a fe( points that are re&e%ant to the understanding of Vedic cosmo&ogy) )A) 23T2N4-N. O56 P$7S-CA8 +O684 V-2+ #efore ma,ing a tru&y radica& departure from our fami&iar conceptions, (e (i&& 'egin 'y discussing some re&ati%e&y moderate instances in (hich the Vedic &iterature refers to phenomena and theoretica& ideas that do not fit into the current frame(or, of scientific thought) These e/amp&es i&&ustrate t(o main points: (*! A&though many Vedic ideas contradict current scientific thin,ing, they a&so a&&o( for the possi'i&ity that the contradictions can 'e a&&e%iated 'y e/tending the conceptua& scope of modern science) ( ! Many ideas re&e%ant to our physica& (or&d-picture are a&&uded to on&y 'rief&y in (or,s such as the S6-MA4-#$A.AVATAM, since these (or,s (ere not intended to ser%e as te/t'oo,s of astronomy or physica& science) Thus the conceptua& ad%ances needed to

reconci&e the Vedic (or&d %ie( (ith modern science may 'e difficu&t to ma,e, since they re9uire ideas that radica&&y e/tend current theories 'ut are not e/p&icit&y spe&&ed out in a%ai&a'&e Vedic te/ts) Our first e/amp&e is found in S# :) ;):<p) There (e read that the etherea& e&ement pro%ides a su'strate for the production of su't&e forms 'y the mind, and that it is a&so in%o&%ed in the circu&ation of %ita& air (ithin the 'ody) Sri&a Pra'hupada indicates that "this %erse is the potentia& 'asis of great scientific research (or,," and indeed, it pro%ides a c&ear idea of ho( the su't&e mind may interact (ith the gross e&ements of the 'ody and 'rain) -n the theoretica& structure of modern physics, ho(e%er, there is at present no p&ace for such a conception of the mind and the etherea& e&ement (a&though some physicists ha%e tentati%e&y 'egun to entertain such ideas!) As a conse9uence, scientists sti&& genera&&y adhere to the idea that it is impossi'&e for the 'rain to interact (ith a distinct nonphysica& mind) This in turn ma,es it impossi'&e for them to gi%e credence to many phenomena that imp&y the e/istence of such a mind, e%en though empirica& e%idence for these phenomena has e/isted for many years) These phenomena inc&ude the psychic e%ents studied 'y the parapsycho&ogists, out-of-'ody e/periences, and the spontaneous remem'rance of pre%ious incarnations 'y sma&& chi&dren) -t is not our purpose here to ma,e a case for the rea&ity of such phenomena) Our main point is that it is %ery difficu&t for peop&e (inc&uding scientists! to serious&y contemp&ate particu&ar ideas a'out rea&ity un&ess those ideas fit neat&y into a fami&iar and accepted conceptua& system) The current theories of physics ha%e 'een (or,ed out in great technica& detai&, and one (ho &i%es in the conceptua& uni%erse these theories pro%ide may find that the Vedic idea of ether seems crude and unimpressi%e) Openess to the Vedic ideas may a&so 'e '&oc,ed 'y certain misconceptions, such as the idea that ether must 'e &i,e the "&uminiferous ether" re1ected 'y 2instein) 7et the possi'i&ity nonethe&ess e/ists that physica& theory can 'e e/tended 'y introducing a ne( conception of the ether that agrees (ith the Vedic conception and is consistent (ith e/perimenta& o'ser%ations) And such an e/tended theory may pro%ide e/p&anations for many phenomena present&y considered scientifica&&y impossi'&e) Te/ts such as the S6-MA4-#$A.AVATAM (ere (ritten for the purpose of c&ear&y e/p&aining certain spiritua& ideas to peop&e in genera&) $o(e%er, they ine%ita'&y ma,e reference to many other ideas that (ere fami&iar to peop&e of modern +estern 'ac,ground) One interesting e/amp&e is the ana&ogy gi%en 'y Sri&a Sanatana .os%ami in (hich the transformation of a &o('or'n man into a #6A$MANA is compared to the transformation of 'e&& meta& into go&d 'y an a&chemica& process (S# =) <)*>p!) The a&chemica& process itse&f is not descri'ed, and on the 'asis of modern science (e might tend to regard such a transformation as impossi'&e) 7et the dictionary defines 'e&& meta& as an a&&oy of copper and tin, and if (e consu&t the periodic ta'&e of the e&ements, (e find that the atomic num'ers of copper and tin added together gi%e the atomic num'er of go&d) This suggests that there 1ust might 'e something to this e/amp&e, 'ut if so, it c&ear&y in%o&%es an e/tensi%e 'ody of practica& and theoretica& ,no(&edge that is comp&ete&y un,no(n to us) ?or Sanatana .os%ami, ho(e%er, this transformation simp&y pro%ided a fami&iar e/amp&e to i&&ustrate a point a'out the spiritua& transformation of human 'eings) )#) T$2 POS-T-ON O? @6SNA Thus far, (e ha%e discussed Vedic references to phenomena and theoretica& entities that do not fit into the rigorous&y defined theories of modern physics 'ut that can 'e readi&y inserted into our ordinary picture of the (or&d around us) -n this 'oo,, ho(e%er, (e (i&& 'e dea&ing (ith many things that do not seem to 'e at a&& compati'&e (ith that picture) +e suggest that to accommodate these things, it is necessary for us to re-e/amine our 'asic ideas concerning the nature of space) Modern physics and astronomy 'egan (ith the idea that matter is made of tiny 'its of su'stance, each of (hich has a &ocation in three -dimensiona& space) According to this idea, (hich (as strong&y de%e&oped 'y 4escartes

and Ne(ton, three-dimensiona& space can 'e seen as an a'so&ute, pre-e/isting container in (hich a&& materia& e%ents ta,e p&ace) This idea is 9uite consistent (ith the picture of the (or&d pro%ided 'y our thin,ing) $o(e%er, many cu&tures ha%e maintained 9uite different ideas a'out the nature of space, and this is a&so true of the Vedic cu&ture) To understand the Vedic conception of space, it is necessary to consider the position of @rsna as the a'so&ute cause of a&& causes) C&ear&y (e cannot regard the transcendenta& form of @rsna as 'eing composed of tiny 'its of su'stance situated at different &ocations in threedimensiona& space) +hether (e regard the tiny 'its as spiritua& or materia&, such a form (ou&d certain&y 'e &imited and re&ati%e) The actua& nature of @rsna0s form is indicated 'y the fo&&o(ing %erses from the #6A$MA-SAM$-TA: - (orship .o%inda, the prime%a& 8ord, (hose transcendenta& form is fu&& of '&iss, truth, and su'stantia&ity and is thus fu&& of the most daAA&ing sp&endor) 2ach of the &im's of that transcendenta& figure possesses in itse&f the fu&&-f&edged functions of a&& the organs, and $e eterna&&y sees, maintains, and manifests the infinite uni%erses, 'oth spiritua& and mundane BS#S =): C) $e is an undifferentiated entity, as there is no distinction 'et(een the potency and the possessor thereof) -n $is (or, of creation of mi&&ions of (or&ds, $is potency remains insepara'&e) A&& the uni%erses e/ist in $im, and $e is present in $is fu&&ness in e%ery one of the atoms that are scattered throughout the uni%erse, at one and the same time) Such is the prime%a& 8ord (hom - adore BS#S =):=C) These %erses indicate that the form of @rsna is made of many parts, 'ut that each part is identica& to the (ho&e) A&so, a&& space is (ithin the form of @rsna, 'ut at the same time @rsna is fu&&y present (ithin e%ery atom) One imp&ication of this is that the entire uni%erse, (hich is (ithin @rsna, is fu&&y present (ithin e%ery atom of the uni%erse) Such a state of affairs cannot 'e %isua&iAed in three-dimensiona& terms, and indeed, it is not possi'&e (ithin three-dimensiona& space) The statement that rea&ity is &i,e this must simp&y 'e ta,en as an a/iom descri'ing the position of @rsna as the Supreme A'so&ute Truth) Thus, the Vedic concept of space 'egins (ith a statement of @rsna0s unified nature, rather than (ith the geometric a/ioms defining three-dimensiona& space) $ere (e (i&& introduce an idea of higher-dimensiona& space that may he&p us understand the ideas a'out space imp&icit in the Vedic &iterature) The term $-.$26-4-M2NS-ONA8 is 'orro(ed from modern mathematicsD it does not appear direct&y in Vedic &iterature) -t is part of an attempt to 'ridge the conceptua& gap 'et(een modern thin,ing and the Vedic (or&d %ie() Natura&&y, sincer the traditiona& fo&&o(ers of Vedic cu&ture ha%e not 'een confronted (ith such a gap, they ha%e not 'een moti%ated to introduce ideas to 'ridge it) The most fundamenta& feature of the Vedic idea of space is that many more things can 'e 'rought c&ose together in this space than the geometric ru&es of three-dimensiona& space a&&o() -n the course of this chapter (e (i&& gi%e se%era& e/amp&es from the Vedic &iterature i&&ustrating this theme) Since the higher-dimensiona& spaces of mathematics a&so permit more things to 'e 'rought together than the ru&es of three-dimensiona& space a&&o(, (e ha%e chosen the term $-.$26-4-M2NS-ONA8 to refer to this feature of the Vedic %ie( of rea&ity) A&though @rsna0s situation is %ery difficu&t for us to %isua&iAe, (e can nonethe&ess understand from Vedic statements descri'ing @rsna that space must 'e higherdimensiona&) @rsna0s situation is that $e has fu&& access to e%ery &ocation simu&taneous&y) -n ordinary, three-dimensiona& space (e ha%e access, through the operation of our senses of action and perception, to &ocations (ithin a &imited neigh'orhood, and (e can change that neigh'orhood 'y mo%ing from one p&ace to another) Thus our situation can 'e %ie(ed as a restricted form of @rsna0s situation) A higher-dimensiona& space corresponds to a situation in (hich access 'et(een &ocations is more restricted than it is for @rsna 'ut &ess restricted than it is for 'eings e/periencing three-dimensiona& space) This concept of higher-dimensiona& space is c&ose&y tied together (ith the idea of %arying &e%e&s of sensory

de%e&opment in sentient 'eings) Access 'et(een &ocations depends on the operation of senses of action and senses of perception, and thus it shou&d 'e possi'&e in princip&e to en&arge the space of one0s e/perience 'y increasing the scope of one0s sensory po(ers) These ideas a'out space and its re&ation to sense perception are imp&icit in the Vedic &iterature, and they can 'est 'e understood 'y gi%ing some specific e/amp&es) The nature of @rsna0s a'so&ute position is nice&y i&&ustrated 'y the fo&&o(ing story of a %isit 'y 8ord #rahma to @rsna in 4%ara,a) -n the story, @rsna first responds to #rahma0s re9uest to see $im 'y ha%ing $is secretary as,, "+hich #rahma (ishes to see MeE" #rahma &ater 'egins his con%ersation (ith @rsna 'y as,ing (hy @rsna made this in9uiry: "+hy did you in9uire (hich #rahma has come see 7ouE +hat is the purpose of such an in9uiryE -s there any other #rahma 'esides me (ithin this uni%erseE" 5pon hearing this, Sri @rsna smi&ed and immediate&y meditated) 5n&imited #rahmas arri%ed instant&y) These #rahmas had different num'ers of heads) Some had ten heads, some t(enty, some ten mi&&ion, and others a hundred mi&&ion) No one can count the num'er of faces they had) There a&so arri%ed many 8ord Si%as (ith %arious heads num'ering one hundred thousand and ten mi&&ion) Many -ndras a&so arri%ed, and they had thousands of eyes a&& o%er their 'odies) +hen the four-headed #rahma of this uni%erse sa( a&& these opu&ences of @rsna, he 'ecame %ery 'e(i&dered and considered himse&f a ra''it among many e&ephants) A&& the #rahmas (ho came to see @rsna offered their respects at $is &otus feet, and (hen they did this, their he&mets touched $is &otus feet) No one can estimate the inconcei%a'&e potencies of @rsna) A&& the #rahmas (ho (ere there (ere resting in the one 'ody of @rsna) +hen a&& the he&mets struc, together at @rsna0s &otus feet, there (as a tumu&tuous sound) -t appeared that the he&mets themse&%es (ere offering prayers unto @rsna0s &otus feet) +ith fo&ded hands, a&& the #rahmas and Si%as 'egan to offer prayers unto 8ord @rsna, saying, "O 8ord, 7ou ha%e sho(n me a great fa%or) - ha%e 'een a'&e to see 7our &otus feet)" 2ach of them then said, "-t is my great fortune, 8ord, that 7ou ha%e ca&&ed me, thin,ing of me as 7our ser%ant) No( &et me ,no( (hat 7our order is so that - may carry it on my heads)" 8ord @rsna rep&ied, "Since - (anted to see a&& of you together, - ha%e ca&&ed a&& of you here) A&& of you shou&d 'e happy) -s there any fear of the demonsE" They rep&ied, "#y 7our mercy, (e are %ictorious e%ery(here) +hate%er 'urden there (as upon the earth 7ou ha%e ta,en a(ay 'y descending on that p&anet)" This is the proof of 4%ara,a0s opu&ence: a&& the #rahmas thought, "@rsna is no( staying in my 1urisdiction)" Thus the opu&ence of 4%ara,a (as percei%ed 'y each and e%ery one of them) A&though they (ere a&& assem'&ed together, no one cou&d see anyone 'ut himse&f) 8ord @rsna then 'ade fare(e&& to a&& the #rahmas there, and after offering their o'eisances, they a&& returned to their respectice homes BCC M8 *);=-FGC) -n this story it is significant that each of the #rahmas remained (ithin his o(n uni%erse) This means that @rsna (as simu&taneous&y manifesting $is 4%ara,a pastimes in a&& of those uni%erses) 2ach #rahma e/cept ours thought that he (as a&one (ith @rsna in 4%ara,a (ithin his o(n uni%erse, 'ut 'y @rsna0s grace our #rahma cou&d simu&taneous&y see a&& the others) This i&&ustrates that @rsna has access to a&& &ocations at once, and it a&so sho(s that, 'y @rsna0s grace, different &i%ing 'eings can 'e gi%en different degrees of spatia& access, either permanent&y or temporari&y) Ar1una0s %ision of @rsna0s uni%ersa& form on the 'att&efie&d of @uru,setra is another e/amp&e of @rsna0s e/panding the sensory po(ers of a &i%ing 'eing and gi%ing him access to regions of the uni%erse pre%ious&y un,no(n to him) #efore re%ea&ing this form to Ar1una, @rsna said, O 'est of the #haratas, see here the different manifestations of Adityas, Vasus, 6udras, As%ini-,umaras, and a&& the other demigods) #eho&d the many (onderfu& things that no one has e%er seen or heard of 'efore) O Ar1una, (hate%er you (ant to see, 'eho&d at

once in this 'ody of MineH This uni%ersa& form can sho( you (hate%er you no( desire to see and (hate%er you may (ant to see in the future) 2%erything - mo%ing and nonmo%ing - is here comp&ete&y, in one p&ace B#g) **);->C) Thus from one p&ace Ar1una (as a'&e to see many different rea&ms occupied 'y demigods and other ,inds of &i%ing 'eings) To percei%e such a %ast %ariety of scenes simu&taneous&y, Ar1una c&ear&y had to transcend the &imitations of three-dimensiona& space, and it is significant that @rsna made this possi'&e through the medium of $is a&&-per%ading uni%ersa& form) The story of mother 7asoda0s seeing the entire uni%erse (inc&uding herse&f and @rsna! (ithin @rsna0s mouth is another e/amp&e sho(ing that @rsna can re%ea& a&& &ocations through $is a&& -encom passing form (see @# pp)F:-<!) -t is interesting to note that the #rahmas %isiting @rsna had %arying num'ers of heads, ranging from four to hundreds of mi&&ions) -t is rather difficu&t to understand ho( mi&&ions of heads cou&d 'e arranged on one 'ody in three-dimensiona& space, and it is a&so difficu&t to see ho( mi&&ions of #rahmas cou&d a&& 'e seen simu&taneous&y (ithin one room) +e suggest that these things are made possi'&e 'y the fact that the under&ying space is not threedimensiona&) Simi&ar o'ser%ations cou&d 'e made a'out the incident in (hich #anasura used *,GGG arms to (or, =GG 'o(s and shoot ,GGG arro(s at a time at @rsna) -n this case (e are dea&ing (ith a materia&&y em'odied 'eing &i%ing on the earth) One might (onder ho( =GG materia& arms cou&d 'e mounted on one shou&der (ithout interfering (ith one another) And if this is possi'&e, ho( cou&d they aim =GG 'o(s in the same direction at onceE (4id the 'o(s pass through each otherE! +e suggest that stories of this ,ind imp&icit&y re9uire higher-dimensiona& conceptions of space) +e can sum up the idea of dimensiona&ity of space 'y saying that the greater the degree of access 'et(een &ocations, the higher the dimensiona&ity of the space) Since @rsna has simu&taneous access to a&& &ocations, $e percei%es space at the highest &e%e& of dimensiona&ity) 4ifferent &i%ing 'eings (i&& percei%e space at different &e%e&s of dimensiona&ity, and thus they (i&& ha%e access to different sets of &ocations (or 8O@AS!) -t is interesting to note that the idea of higher-dimensiona& access 'et(een &ocations is a ,ey feature of 9uantum mechanics) The 9uantum mechanica& atom cannot 'e represented in three-dimensiona& space) -n fact, to represent something as commonp&ace as an atom of car'on, 9uantum mechanics ma,es use of a ,ind of infinite-dimensiona& space ca&&ed $i&'ert space) The three-dimensiona& 'onding of car'on and other atoms is made possi'&e 'y the higherdimensiona& interactions (ithin the atoms) Thus, a&though the idea of higher-dimensiona& rea&ms may seem to 'e an e/treme departure from accepted scientific thin,ing, it is possi'&e to interpret modern physics as &aying the ground(or, for such an idea) )C) M7ST-C S-44$-S The eight mystic S-44$-S direct&y i&&ustrate that sentient 'eings can operate at different &e%e&s of sensory po(er 'y 'eing endo(ed to %arying degrees (ith @rsna0s primordia& potencies) Sri&a Pra'hupada gi%es the fo&&o(ing description of some of the mystic S-44$-S: A mystic 7O.- can enter into the sun p&anet simp&y 'y using the rays of the sunshine) This perfection is ca&&ed 8A.$-MA) Simi&ar&y, a 7O.- can touch the moon (ith his finger) Though the modern astronauts go to the moon (ith the he&p of spaceships, they undergo many difficu&ties, (hereas a person (ith mystic perfection can e/tend his hand and touch the moon (ith his finger) This S-44$- is ca&&ed P6APT-, or ac9uisition) +ith this P6APT-S-44$-, the perfect mystic 7O.- can not on&y touch the moon p&anet, 'ut he can e/tend his hand any(here and ta,e (hate%er he &i,es) $e may 'e sitting thousands of mi&es

a(ay from a certain p&ace, and if he &i,es he can ta,e fruit from a garden there" BNO4, pp)**-* C) The P6APT--S-44$- pro%ides a perfect e/amp&e of (hat (e mean 'y the e/tension of access 'et(een &ocations) Consider the 7O.- on the earth (ho reaches out his hand to touch the moon) 4oes the 7O.- e/perience that his hand mo%es up through the atmosphere and crosses o%er thousands of mi&es of outer space, fo&&o(ed 'y a great&y e&ongated armE This hard&y seems p&ausi'&e) +e suggest that this S-44$- actua&&y a&&o(s the 7O.- to reach any desired &ocation direct&y, and thus it re9uires higher -dimensiona& connections 'et(een remote&y separated regions) The idea here is that @rsna a&(ays has direct access to a&& &ocations, and 'y $is grace this po(er of firect access can 'e conferred to %arying degrees on %arious &i%ing 'eings) The fo&&o(ing %erses in the e&e%enth Canto of S6-MA4-#$A.AVATAM (**)*=)*G-*:! sho( that the S-44$-S are indeed o'tained 'y partia& rea&iAation of @rsna0s inherent potencies: *) AN-MA 'ecoming sma&&er than the sma&&est) "One (ho (orships Me B@rsnaC in My atomic form per%ading a&& su't&e e&ements B#$5TA-S5@SMA and TAN-MAT6AC, fi/ing his mind on that a&one, o'tains the mystic perfection ca&&ed AN-MA)" ) MA$-MA - 'ecoming greater than the greatest) "One (ho a'sor's his mind in the particu&ar form of the MA$ATTATTVA and thus meditates upon Me as the Supreme Sou& of the tota& materia& e/istence achie%es the mystic perfection ca&&ed MA$-MA)" :) 8A.$-MA - 'ecoming &ighter than the &ightest) "- e/ist (ithin e%erything, and - am therefore the essence of the atomic constituents of materia& e&ements) #y attaching his mind to Me in this form, the 7O.- may achie%e the perfection ca&&ed 8A.$-MA, 'y (hich he rea&iAes the su't&e atomic su'stance of time)" <) P6APT- - ac9uisition) "?i/ing his mind comp&ete&y on Me (ithin the e&ement of fa&se ego generated from the mode of goodness, the 7O.- o'tains the po(er of mystic ac9uisiton, 'y (hich he 'ecomes the proprietor of the senses of a&& &i%ing entities) $e o'tains such perfection 'ecause his mind is a'sor'ed in Me)" Simi&ar statements are made a'out the four other S-44$-S) According to the purport to S# **)*=)*:, "Sri&a #ha,tisiddhanta Saras%ati Tha,ura states that those (ho pursue such perfections (ithout fi/ing the mind on the Supreme 8ord ac9uire a gross and inferior ref&ection of each mystic potency)" )4) T$2 ACT-V-T-2S O? 42M-.O4S, 7O.-S, AN4 6S-S -n the S6-MA4-#$A.AVATAM there are many references to the mystic po(ers of demigods, 7O.-S, and 6S-S) These &i%ing 'eings are c&ear&y endo(ed (ith more high&y de%e&oped sensory po(ers than ordinary human 'eings, and they a&so are a'&e to operate (ithin a more e/tensi%e rea&m of acti%ity than the space-time continuum of our ordinary e/perience) (Note that in accordance (ith Vedic usage, (e are using the term "sensory" to refer 'oth to senses of perception and to senses of action)! A typica& inha'itant of the higher p&anets has a &ife span of *G,GGG ce&estia& years, (here each day and each night e9ua&s si/ earth&y months (S# <)<);:p!) $o(e%er, many demigods &i%e for a much &onger period) Thus demigods such as -ndra ho&d officia& positions in the uni%ersa& administration for the span of one MANVANTA6A, or >* / * ,GGG ce&estia& years, and their tota& &ife span is much &onger) The demigods ha%e the po(er to assume any desired form (S# F)*=): p! and to appear and disappear at (i&& 'efore ordinary human 'eings) Thus S# I) *)*= says that demigods such as 8ord #rahma and 8ord Si%a appeared in human form 'efore Mahara1a 6antide%a, and S# *)* ) Gp says that -ndra and Agni appeared 'efore Mahara1a Si'i in the form of an eag&e and a pigeon) There are a&so many passages in the #$A.AVATAM that descri'e ho( demigods possessing higher &e%e&s of ,armic merit can appear and disappear at (i&& 'efore &esser demigods) ?or e/amp&e, -ndra0s .565, #rhaspati, made himse&f inaccessi'&e to -ndra after -ndra offended him (S# ;)>)*;!) Our

thesis is that this a'i&ity to appear and disappear is not "1ust a matter of mystica& po(er)" 6ather, it demonstrates an important feature of the physica& (or&d in (hich (e &i%e) This (or&d contains many manifestations that are not accessi'&e to us (ith our ordinary senses, 'ut that are accessi'&e to more high&y de%e&oped 'eings, such as the demigods) There is a hierarchy of dimensiona& &e%e&s (ithin the uni%erse, and 'eings on one particu&ar &e%e& can operate (ithin a &arger continuum than 'eings on &o(er &e%e&s) The spiritua& rea&m of Vai,untha and .o&o,a Vrnda%ana is on a sti&& higher &e%e&) Thus #rahma, the topmost demigod (ithin the materia& uni%erse, 'ecame comp&ete&y 'e(i&dered (hen @rsna re%ea&ed the spiritua& (or&d to him) -n S# *)*;): it is said that during Mahara1a Pari,sit0s horse sacrifices, e%en a common man cou&d see demigods) -t appears that in Vedic times demigods often %isited the earth and engaged in %arious dea&ings (ith human 'eings) .enera&&y, ho(e%er, on&y 9ua&ified persons (ere a'&e to see them) 2%en recent&y, after the 'irth of 8ord Caitanya, to g&orify the 8ord demigods used to %isit the home of Jagannatha Misra (hi&e remaining in%isi'&e (CC A8 *<)>;-F*!) The #$A.AVATAM often a&&udes to the idea that 'y ac9uiring higher spiritua& 9ua&ifications one can enhance one0s sensory po(ers and automatica&&y e/perience phenomena (ithin a 'roader rea&m of e/istence) (-t is a&so emphasiAed, of course, that such po(ers shou&d not 'e e/p&oited for sense gratification, since this (ou&d di%ert one from the actua& goa& of spiritua& &ife)! One e/amp&e of such po(ers is indicated 'y Narada Muni0s instructing 4hru%a Mahara1a that 'y chanting a certain MANT6A - OM NAMO #$A.AVAT2 VAS542VA7A - 4hru%a (ou&d soon 'e a'&e to see "the perfect human 'eings B@$2-CA6ANC f&ying in the s,y" (S# <)F)=:!) One method that (as sometimes used to tra%e& 'et(een the higher p&anets and the earth is mentioned in S# :)F)=p, (here (e read that great sages can tra%e& from Satya&o,a to the earth %ia the .anges 6i%er, (hich f&o(s a&& o%er the uni%erse) Sri&a Pra'hupada points out that this form of tra%e& is possi'&e in any ri%er 'y mystic po(er) -t hard&y seems p&ausi'&e that this method of tra%e& in%o&%es s(imming up- or do(nstream o%er %ast distances, and, of course, the connection 'et(een the earth&y .anges and its ce&estia& counterpart is not %isi'&e to us) +e suggest that this process of tra%e& in%o&%es higher- dimensiona& connections 'et(een &ocations, and that the ri%er ser%es as a ,ind of guiding 'eacon to direct such higher-dimensiona& transport) -n the case of the .anges, the course of the ri%er from higher p&anets do(n to the earth must a&so 'e higherdimensiona&) -n @# p)=:< there is a description of the mystic 7O.-N- Citra&e,ha tra%e&ing in outer space from Sonitapura to 4%ara,a and ta,ing the s&eeping Aniruddha 'ac, to Sonitapura) This is another e/amp&e of a form of tra%e& that seems to re9uire higherdimensiona& connections for its operation) The Vedic SAST6AS mention many remar,a'&e e%ents that are said to ha%e ta,en p&ace on the earth in the remote past) Many of these e%ents in%o&%e phenomena that (e do not e/perience today, and one might as, (hy this shou&d 'e so, if these e%ents actua&&y did occur at one time) One reason for this gi%en in the #$A.AVATAM is that prior to the 'eginning of @a&i-yuga, natura& processes on the earth operated in a different mode than they do today (see S# *)<)*>p!) The sensory po(ers of a&& &i%ing 'eings (ere on a higher a%erage &e%e& than they are at present, and ad%anced 'eings such as demigods and great sages regu&ar&y %isited the earth) Thus the earth&y rea&m of ordinary human &ife (as more intimate&y &in,ed up (ith higher rea&ms of materia& and spiritua& rea&ity than it has 'een since the start of the @a&iyuga) This idea &eads natura&&y to the fo&&o(ing tentati%e scenario for the history of the &ast fe( thousand years: Once tha @a&i-yuga 'egan, demigods and other higher 'eings great&y curtai&ed communications (ith peop&e on the earth, and the genera& sensory &e%e& of human 'eings a&so dec&ined) ?or some time, peop&e continued to 'e&ie%e in stories a'out the ear&ier state of affairs on the earth due to the authority of tradition) $o(e%er, due to the &ac, of feed'ac, from higher sources and the natura& cheating propensity of human 'eings, the traditions in %arious parts of the (or&d gradua&&y 'ecame more and more gar'&ed, and peop&e 'egan to &ose faith in them) ?ina&&y the present stage of ci%i&iAation

(as reached, in (hich o&d traditions are (ide&y %ie(ed as use&ess mytho&ogy, and peop&e see, ,no(&edge entire&y through the use of their current, &imited senses) )2) 62.-ONS O? T$-S 2A6T$ NOT P26C2-VA#82 #7 O56 S2NS2S +e ha%e 'een de%e&oping the idea that the three-dimensiona& continuum of our e/perience does not constitute the tota&ity of spiritua& or materia& rea&ity) One feature of this idea is that there e/ist (or&ds, or rea&ms of e/perience, that are &ocated here on the earth 'ut that cannot 'e percei%ed or %isited 'y human 'eings possessing ordinary sensory po(ers) Of course, the most stri,ing e/amp&e of this is @rsna0s transcendenta& 4$AMA of Vrnda%ana) -n CC A8 =)*Fp it is stated that a&though @rsna0s a'ode is un&imited and a&&per%ading, it is identica& to the Vrnda%ana of this earth) This imp&ies that (ithin the tract of &and ca&&ed Vrnda%ana in -ndia, there e/ists a comp&ete&y rea& domain of spiritua& e/istence that is not accessi'&e to the senses of ordinary conditioned 'eings) This is another e/amp&e of higher-dimensiona& connections, and it imp&ies that t(o (or more! (or&ds of e/perience can co-e/ist in para&&e&, in the same &ocation) The ho&y 4$AMA of Na%ad%ipa is another e/amp&e of this (and, of course, Na%ad%ipa 4$AMA is a&so identica& to Vrnda%ana!) Sri&a #ha,ti%inoda Tha,ura says in the NAVA4V-PA MA$ATM7A, "The 4$AMA of Na%ad%ipa, (ithin .aura Manda&a and ser%ed 'y the .anga, is situated in eterna& sp&endor))) The form of .aura Manda&a, eterna&&y transcendenta& to the materia& (or&d, is &i,e the sun) The materia&ist0s eye is co%ered 'y the c&oud of i&&usion, and 'ecause of this he sees on&y the secondary transformations of that spiritua& energy, the du&&, inert materia& (or&d" (NM, p)<!) The transcendenta& rea&ms of Na%ad%ipa and Vrnda%ana are pure&y spiritua&, 'ut there are a&so materia& e/amp&es i&&ustrating the idea of para&&e& (or&ds coe/isting in one p&ace) ?or e/amp&e, the #$A.AVATAM states that Maru and 4e%api, t(o ancient roya& princes 'e&onging to the Surya and Soma dynasties, are sti&& &i%ing in the $ima&ayas in a p&ace ca&&ed @a&apa-grama) #y the po(er of mystic 7O.A they (i&& pro&ong their &i%es unti& the 'eginning of the ne/t Satya-yuga and then re%i%e the &ost Surya and Soma dynasties 'y 'egetting chi&dren (S# I)* );, I) )*>-*F, and * ):>-:F!) -f (e go to the $ima&ayas, (e (i&& certain&y not 'e a'&e to percei%e Maru and 4e%api using our ordinary senses, e%en though they are human 'eings possessing gross materia& 'odies) -t can a&so 'e argued that (e (i&& not 'e a'&e to percei%e the surroundings in (hich they &i%e) A human 'eing cannot &i%e (ithout interacting (ith his materia& surroundings) 2%en a 7O.- (ho is simp&y &i%ing on air re9uires an undistur'ed sitting p&ace) Cou&d it 'e that the materia& accoutrements and sitting p&aces of these t(o persons are direct&y %isi'&e and accessi'&e to us, e%en though they themse&%es are in%isi'&eE +e suggest that they are actua&&y &i%ing in a setting that is entire&y inaccessi'&e to our senses, 'ut that can 'e seen and entered 'y a person, such as an ad%anced 7O.-, (hose senses can operate on an appropriate &e%e&) $ere the o'1ection may 'e raised that a co-e/isting in%isi'&e (or&d cannot 'e on the same &e%e& of rea&ity as our (or&d 'ecause it must 'e "su't&e", transparent, or ghost&i,e in nature, (hereas our o(n (or&d is opa9ue and su'stantia&) Our rep&y is that such a co-e/isting (or&d is in%isi'&e to us not 'ecause it is made of transparent su'stance distri'uted (ithin our o(n three-dimensiona& continuum, 'ut rather 'ecause it &ies in a higher dimension and is entire&y outside our continuum) -t can 'e in the "same p&ace" as (e are 'y %irtue of higher-dimensiona& interconnection) A person (ith higher sensory po(ers is a'&e to percei%e this (or&d not 'ecause he can discern some near&y transparent su'stance &ying (ithin his o(n three-dimensiona& space, 'ut 'ecause his senses are not restricted to three dimensions and ha%e access to 'roader rea&ms of materia& or spiritua& rea&ity) +e shou&d note that the 'asic e&ements - of earth, (ater, fire, air, and ether - are present in some form on a&& &e%e&s of rea&ity, 'oth spiritua& and mundane) -n S# **) *)= it is stated that these fi%e e&ements constitute the 'odies of a&& conditioned sou&s, from 8ord #rahma do(n to the nonmo%ing creatures) A&so, CC A8 =)=:

states that "the earth, (ater, fire, air, and ether of Vai,untha are a&& spiritua&) Materia& e&ements are not found there)" The fi%e materia& e&ements (PANCA-#$5TA! are descri'ed in the #$A.AVA4-.-TA as separated energies of @rsna) Their counterparts in Vai,untha are e%ident&y simi&ar enough to them to (arrant 'eing ca&&ed 'y the same names) $o(e%er, the spiritua& e&ements must 'e&ong to @rsna0s interna& potency) -t (ou&d therefore seem that the spiritua& (or&d and the materia& (or&d are simi&ar in the sense that 'oth contain %ariegated forms composed of so&id, &i9uid, and gaseous constituents) At the same time, they ha%e distinct 9ua&itati%e features, of (hich one of the most nota'&e is the presence of the modes of passion and ignorance in the materia& (or&d and their a'sence in the spiritua& (or&d) Materia& rea&ms on %arious dimensiona& &e%e&s (i&& a&so possess simi&ar %ariegated forms, 'ut the higher rea&ms (i&& 'e characteriAed 'y greater predominance of the mode of goodness o%er the modes of passion and ignorance) As a fina& point, (e note that the history of the Madh%a-.audiya-sampradaya sheds some &ight on the higher-dimensiona& nature of rea&ity) -n S# *)<)*=p Sri&a Pra'hupada points out that Vyasade%a is residing in Samyaprasa in #adari,asrama) Many peop&e in -ndia ma,e a pi&grimage to #adari,asrama e%ery year, 'ut it is not possi'&e for an ordinary person to meet Vyasade%a) $o(e%er, it is said that Madh%acarya met Vyasade%a there and too, initiation from him) -t (as through this higher-dimensiona& &in, that the Madh%a-.audiya -sampradaya (as passed do(n from Sri&a Vyasade%a to the recent &ine of ACA67AS)