A devotee’s question: I want to know with all the science, can we at least partly shed light on God's plan, or does all of that come under the domain of maya and nothing except more confusion will ever come out of such scientific inquiry?
Swami Nikhilanand Ji’s answer: Science can help us appreciate God. Science cannot help us know God. What I mean by that is that everything about God is unlimited and Divine. So what are the faculties we have to know God or know God's plan? Although God's plan, it's an interesting turn of phrase because I explained God's plan to you the last two weeks. The whole purpose behind shristhi (the creation) is to give us the chance to attain God, to give souls the chance to attain God. So from that point of view, God's plan is very simple to understand. Everything He's doing is for us. He manifests this universe for us. He produces Ved for us. He sends Saints and takes Avatar Himself for us. He keeps track of our karmas and gives us the consequences for us. All of that is for us to take us towards Him. From that point of view, His plan is not difficult to understand. Even we can understand His plan. But I think if I can read into the question, really, what the person is asking more about is can we know God through science? Can science help us to understand God or even to prove God's existence?
From this point of view, science is very limited. Let's leave God aside for a moment. Science is material. Our mind is material. We develop science or discover scientific principles through our mind and through our observations of our senses, which are all mayic. In other words, the phenomena which we observe are mayic and the means of observation is mayic. Our senses are mayic, our mind, which has to interpret those observations, is also mayic.
So just in this mayic world where it's sajatiya, our senses and mind are mayic, and the objects we're observing or the energies or things we're observing are also mayic. Nonetheless, we're constantly facing our limitations. The more we know, the more we realize there is to know. The more science discovers, the more scientists realize how little they actually understand.
In the past, I've quickly gone through the levels of creation, but just quickly to understand. See, what we see around us right now is gross matter. It is the most gross manifestation of the mayic energy - these solid things. More subtle than that, we're able to, with our scientific developments, certain technologies allow us to perceive things more subtle than gross matter. We can perceive the energy. We can measure electromagnetic energy, nuclear energy. This is even more subtle. We can understand certain properties of light. So with science we've been able to delve to a certain level. But if you look at what our scriptures say about creation, this sthool (gross) matter, we would call prithvi. Then the next more subtle thing than that is jal and the next more subtle thing than that is tej So tej, you can say, is light and small sub-particles, the smallest, tiniest, sub-particles that science has been able to discover. Beyond that is vayu . Beyond that is akash, the empty space in which we all reside. Beyond that are many more layers of this cosmic existence - panch mahabhoot. Panchitanmatra, panchikarn, ahamkar, mahan, prakriti - all these layers of creation are more subtle than, some of them are even more subtle than, our own mind.
So what I'm trying to lay out for you is that there are even levels of this material existence which we will never be able to reach, no matter how far ahead science goes, because science cannot outpace the human mind. It is the mind that's developing. It is the mind which is creating. It is the mind which has to understand. So when there are layers of creation more subtle than the mind, how will the mind ever reach that? It's not possible.
Just like our eyes can't understand our mind, our senses cannot understand our mind because mind is more subtle than the senses. So there are layers of maya which are more subtle than the mind. Then how will the mind ever understand that? So what I'm trying to say is material science has its limitations even within the material field.
Now when we talk of understanding God, God is beyond the material field completely.
दिव्यो ह्यमूर्तः पुरुषः स बाह्याभ्यन्तरो ह्यजः ।
Divyo hyamūrtaḥ puruṣaḥ sa bāhyābhyantaro hyajaḥ.- Mundakopanishad: 2.1.2
It says, “God is Divine, and this world is material. Our body is material. Our mind and senses are material.”
Therefore,
इन्द्रियेभ्यः परा ह्यर्था अर्थेभ्यश्च परं मनः । मनसस्तु परा बुद्धि र्बुद्धेरात्मा महान्परः ।।
महतः परम व्यक्तमव्यक्तात्पुरुषः परः । पुरुषान्न परं किंचत्सा काष्ठा सा परा गतिः ।।
Indriyebhyaḥ parā hyarthā arthebhyaśca paraṃ manaḥ. Manasastu parā buddhirbuddherātmā mahānparaḥ.
Mahataḥ paramavyaktamavyaktātpuruṣaḥ paraḥ. Puruṣānna paraṃ kiṃcitsā kāṣṭhā sā parā gatiḥ.- Kathopanishad
Kathopanishad says, “More subtle than your senses are the objects of the senses. There are certain things that are so subtle even our senses can't perceive. So the objects of perception are more subtle than the senses that try to perceive them. More subtle than that is man, our emotional mind. More subtle than that is buddhi. Beyond buddhi is the soul. Buddhi means intellectual mind. And beyond the soul is maya. Beyond maya is God, and there is nothing beyond God.”
According to this, our mind cannot even understand our soul, let alone the original cosmic energy, maya, and understanding God is far, far beyond us because He is even beyond maya.
You see, think of these lights that are shining here. Where do they get their energy? There's a powerhouse somewhere generating electric energy, and that electric energy comes and enlivens, illuminates this light. Can this light know the powerhouse? No. The light is powered by the powerhouse, but it cannot challenge the powerhouse that I know you. Something like this, our senses and mind receive their energy to function from God. You see, God is powering our soul, and our soul is powering our mind. Our mind powers our senses and body. The original power is coming from God. Just like these light bulbs can't challenge the powerhouse, our mind cannot challenge God, “I can know you, God!” We can't because God is the one giving energy to the mind to function.
Our efforts to know God through any material means, in other words, through the power of our own mind, is like a person who goes out in a boat on the ocean, and he has a kind of stick to measure the depth. So he goes out there and he's got a one meter long stick, and he submerges that over the edge of his boat, and he holds it up, and he tells the world,
“I have measured the depth of the ocean! It is one meter long, three feet long.”
Another person in a boat next to him has a 100 meter long stick. He submerges that in the ocean, and he takes it up and he shows the world.
“No. No. This person is wrong. I have measured the depth of the ocean. It is 100 meters long, 100 meters deep!”
Both are wrong. Both are fools. The ocean is much deeper than that. They're not telling the depth of the ocean. They're only telling the length of their stick.
So when we try to explain God with our material intellect, we are not explaining God, we are revealing the extent of our intellectual power, we are revealing the limitation, how far our mind can reach. We have not actually reached God. The ocean at least has a limit to how deep it is. God is unlimited. So how with a limited thing can you measure or know something that is unlimited? How with a mayic thing can you measure or know something that is Divine? So this is why our mind can never know God through its own effort. And this is why science cannot know God because, what is science? Science is…you can't separate science from the human mind. It is the mind that develops science. So if the mind innately lacks the capability to reach unlimited things or to reach Divine things, then how could science being developed by the mind ever reach such things? Scientific progress is limited to the material field and that too within the material field, it faces its limitations.
However, we can still use science to appreciate God. A scientist doesn't have to be an atheist. With this understanding, a scientist can know, “Okay, I can use science to help us understand the material world and to develop technologies that will improve people's lives, but I'm not going to use science to try to explain God.” That's fine. God is beyond science, “I'm just studying God's creation, this material world.” A scientist can say that. And instead of being amazed that all of this has developed through some random luck, the scientists can discover the patterns and the systematic way that the world and the universe or a cell or an electron is functioning and be amazed, “Wow, this is my beloved Krishna's creation! He's so amazing! This could never happen without Him!” So a scientist can use science to appreciate God even more but cannot use science to explain God or to know God.
To summarize, a spiritual person shouldn't say that there's no use for science. Science has its use within its proper field. And a scientist shouldn't say that if my science can't prove the existence of God, then there is no God. “I don't believe in God.” That's you're using the wrong instrumentation to prove the existence of God. Can a compass tell you which way the wind is blowing? No. A weather vane can tell you which way the wind is blowing. The compass tells you the alignment of the magnetic lines of the earth. Can you measure how loud something is with a telescope? No. You need the right instrument to measure the right thing. Similarly, to measure God, to know God, to understand God, you know what you need? God's mind. That's why in Gita, Shri Krishna says,
ददामि बुद्धियोगं तं येन मामुपयान्ति ते ||
Dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ yena mām upayānti te- Gita 10.10
“Arjun, when you fully surrender to me, I give you My mind. I give you a Divine mind.” With a Divine mind, which has unlimited power and potency, because it's Krishna's mind, that mind can understand Krishna. In other words, with Krishna's grace you can know Him. With a Divine mind you can know Him. But to get that Divine mind you have to surrender. He'll give it to you.
So it's very simple. Our material mind can understand the material world to a certain extent, and if we surrender that very same mind to Shri Krishna, He gives us a Divine mind. And with our Divine mind, we can know Him. To see God, you can't see God with your own eyes, you can't perceive God no matter how far ahead technology progresses. You will never be able to develop a scientific instrument which can perceive God. Why? Because you need God's eyes to see God. And how do you get God's eyes?
दिव्यं ददामि ते चक्षु: पश्य मे योगमैश्वरम् ।।
Divyaṁ dadāmi te chakṣhuḥ paśhya me yogam aiśhwaram- Gita 11.8
“Arjun, you want to see My Godly form? Okay. Here. I'm giving you Divine eyes. I'm giving you My eyes. Now see Me!”
With Krishna's eyes, you can see Krishna. With Krishna's nose, you can smell Krishna. With Krishna's ears, you can hear Krishna. With Krishna's mind, you can know Krishna. This is the philosophy. This is the science behind, or you can say, this is the relationship between spirituality and science.
We still use scientific thinking on the spiritual path. True, the true path to God is not about blind faith. Blind faith means, “Follow this and you'll get the benefit after you die.” That's blind faith. You keep following the same thing for your whole life. You're not told how to measure your progress or to even know if you're making any progress. “Just keep doing what I told you, and after you die, you'll go to God.” That's blind faith, and that is not taught in our scriptures.
We are taught to use this same scientific process. In science, what are you looking for? Proof. On the spiritual path, you should also see proof because a true path to God will purify your heart, and you'll start getting experiences of God's closeness, and that is part of your proof. Your heart will purify, and you'll start realizing that the negativities of your mind like anger, hatred, impatience, frustration start reducing, and all the Godly qualities like patience, energy, compassion, generosity, all these good qualities will gradually increase. So you observe changes within yourself. See, you're still observing, trying to find proof. “Am I really following a path that's giving me the benefit? Am I really moving in the right direction?” It's not blind faith. Faith, yes. You have to trust in the Guru who gave you the instructions, otherwise you wouldn't even take step one. So you have faith, but you verify. “Am I getting the results that I was promised? Am I getting experiences that give me the evidence that I am progressing towards God?”
You see? We use scientific type of thinking on the spiritual path as well, because we are looking for proof, and we do want the ultimate proof, which is seeing God with our eyes. But you get that proof, once you surrender to God through His grace, you get Divine eyes, then you get that ultimate proof. You have to qualify to get that ultimate proof, but the proof is there. It's available.
