Beyond Space Beyond Matter: Science in Nasadiya and related Mantras
Ramadas, Krishna K.
Synopsis "Beyond Space Beyond Matter: Science in Nasadiya and related Mantras"
The Nasadiya Suktam describes the way in which material existence arose from a state of dissolution. The seven Mantras of the Suktam are fascinating for their parallels with the Big Bang theory of the creation of the universe. In them are hints to several ideas in modern cosmology such as the inflation of space, vacuum energy, plasma fluid filling the entire universe initially, and the important role of dark matter in shaping the structures of the universe. This Suktam is a concise introduction to the Vedic model of the creation of the universe. It introduces the ideas about Brahman and Maya which the Sankhya texts elaborate. One needs to understand three other related Suktams to completely understand Vedic cosmology. They are Ambhasya-Paare, Hiranyagarbha and Uttara-Narayana Suktams. From these, one gains a fascinating picture of the birth of the Devas in context of the creation of the material universe. Studying the four Suktams, gives us an understanding of the different names for Brahman. The references to consciousness as the creator of the universe get more credible when one reads the excerpts from Yoga Vasishta in this book. Yoga Vasishta has fascinated the imaginations of early Indologists through a persian translation of it from four hundred years ago. The thoroughness of the subject matter in the text makes it a reference material for a student of modern psychology. The book "Beyond Space Beyond Matter" establishes the parallels between Vedic cosmology and Modern cosmology and thereby it highligts the important missing link related to consciousness in the latter.
