In March 2023, I conducted a webinar on this subject

These topics are debated often, but with no clear consensus. Based on the teaching of Vedanta, we will give a fresh and unique perspective on these subjects. In this presentation we will try and answer the following questions. 

• What is a Soul?
• Where does Heaven exist?
• Does Transmigration happen?

Find below the link for the recording.

I do hope you will take the time to watch this recording. Also, it will be great if you can share this link with your family, friends and other groups.

In January 2023, I conducted a webinar on this subject.

If you interpret Quantum Physics correctly you will notice a deep connection with Vedanta. If this connection is properly understood, our approach to science and the universe can change dramatically. So come prepared!

• Brief overview of Quantum Physics
• Brief overview of Vedanta
• Connection between Quantum Physics and Vedanta

Find below the link for the recording

I do hope you will take the time to watch this recording. Also, it will be great if you can share this link with your family, friends, and other groups

In December 2022, I conducted a Zoom webinar for “Three Forms of Reality”. If you want to learn the differences between the three forms – Brahman, Ishvara and Guru, you must watch this video. We will first discuss the common underlying Reality of these three forms and then we will discuss the following three forms:

• Self-Awareness – Brahman
• Reflected Awareness – Ishvara
• Refracted Awareness – Guru

Find below the link for the recording.

I do hope you will take the time to watch this recording. Also, it will be great if you can share this link with your family and friends.

Awareness is the most powerful force in the universe. Awareness is the substratum of anything and everything. All objects in the universe depend upon the powers of Awareness.  A simple question: are you aware of your surroundings? The answer must be Yes! You must be aware of your surroundings and experiences. The answer cannot be a No! We are talking about that Awareness. It is unfortunate that very little attention is focused on understanding this Awareness and its powers. Vedanta does teach us that our underlying reality is Awareness, but there is no direct focus on explaining the powers it contains. There is no concentrated effort to bring forward all the amazing powers of Awareness. It is a pity.

The focus of this essay is to bring all the powers of Awareness in one place. We will try to explain Awareness and the inbuilt powers of Awareness. A proper understanding of Awareness is critical; if you properly understand Awareness and its powers, you will understand your inner core and you will understand the universe.

If you properly analyze Awareness, you will realize that Awareness has the following powers:

1. Power of the Knower: this power allows the subject to perceive the object.
2. Power of the Known: this power manipulates Awareness to become any object.
3. Power of Knowing: this intelligence or power decodes what each object is.

All these are powers of Awareness. They directly make up Awareness. The following two powers reside within Self-Awareness—your inner core:

• Power of Infinite Energy: Self-Awareness is the source of infinite energy.
• Power to Create Time: Self-Awareness is the source of Time.

Understanding Experiences

To start the discussion, we need first to understand and analyze the experiences we have. All our perceptions, feelings, thoughts, and current thinking are nothing but the experiences we have. When we are awake, there is hardly any moment when we do not have some sort of experience. We have experiences on a continuous basis. Experiences can happen only in the mind and nowhere else.

Experience Decoded: If you think carefully, you will realize that an experience is made up of the following two components:  

Experience = Awareness + Form

1. Awareness: We are always aware of our experience. We can never say we had an experience but we are not aware of it. This is simply not possible because awareness is a critical prerequisite and ingredient of an experience. You are having an experience because you are aware of it. If there is no Awareness, there can be no Experience.

2. Form: The form is superimposed on Awareness to complete the experience. The form part of the experience is always different and keeps changing. It comes from the five senses: eyes, nose, ears, tongue, and skin. Sometimes it is visual, sometimes it is auditory, and sometimes it is based on memories. The forms keep changing; the experience keeps changing.  

Did you notice that the forms come from external sources through the five senses, but the Awareness is already present within the mind? Your mind has Awareness; my mind has Awareness; in fact, every living being has Awareness present in the Mind. An interesting question—is the same Awareness present in everyone’s mind? Is your Awareness different from mine and everyone else’s? Interestingly, Awareness has a common source. Our innermost core radiates Awareness and this light fills up all the minds with Awareness. This inner core is common for all living beings. The same light of Awareness is filling up all the minds in the universe with Awareness.

Understanding Awareness

As mentioned earlier, Awareness is the most powerful force in the universe, and it is the underlying reality of this universe. It has the power to connect with a form present in the mind and create an experience of which you are aware. For an analogy, think of the sun. When there is no light from the sun, you cannot see anything, but in the presence of light everything becomes visible. In the same way, when any form enters the presence of the light of Awareness, the experience bulb lights up in your mind and you are aware of the form. If you think about it, even the light of the sun is a form in the presence of the light of Awareness.

If you carefully study Awareness, you will conclude that it is made up of a subject, object, and intelligence. Just like water is made of two molecules of hydrogen and one molecule of oxygen to give you H₂O, in the same way Awareness is made up of Subject + Object + Intelligence. Therefore, Awareness must have the following components:

1. There must be a subject, who is aware of the experience. This subject is the knower part of Awareness.

2. There must be an object, which must be experienced. This object is the known part of Awareness.

3. There must be intelligence by which the subject gets to know the object. This is the knowing part of Awareness.

Knower, Known, and Knowing are the three powers of Awareness. It must be clear that:

• Awareness = Subject + Object + Intelligence
• Power of Awareness = Power of Knower + Power of Known + Power of Knowing

Awareness is made of Subject, Object, and Intelligence, and it has three different powers—Knower, Known, and Knowing. It must be understood that Subject, Object, Intelligence, and the three powers are not something outside in the world—they are within Awareness and make up Awareness. If any one of them is missing, Awareness will not work and will be incomplete.

• If there is an object to be observed, but there is no subject, there will be no Awareness, as there is no one to see the object.
• If there is a subject, but no object to see, there will be no Awareness as the subject has no object to observe.
• If there is an object, but the subject has no way of knowing what this object is, no Awareness will take place. This knowing must have intelligence.

Wherever there is Awareness, the Subject, Object, and Intelligence must be present with all the three powers. Now that we understand the makeup of Awareness, let us discuss the three powers of Awareness.

Power of Knower

To understand this, let us ask ourselves some questions.

• When we see a tree, who is seeing the tree?
• When we listen to music, who is listening to the music?
• When we taste the sweetness of chocolate, who is tasting this chocolate?

There must be a witness within us that witnesses these things. Vedanta uses the term Sakshi or witness. This witness is the Subject. This Subject is part of Awareness. This Subject has the Power of the Knower. This power is built-in within the Subject. This power gives the Subject the ability to see, listen, and taste different objects. In fact, it is the knower of everything that is possible.

So, Power of the Knower enables the subject to witness the objects. Here are some examples of how the Subject undertakes this task:

• When it is the knower of seeing, the Subject is a Seer.
• When it is the knower of hearing, the Subject is a Hearer.
• When it is the knower of reading, the Subject is a Reader.
• When it is the knower of running, the Subject is a Runner.

There is only one Subject, and it plays many different roles. These roles allow the Subject to be the Knower of so many things. In fact, it is the Knower of everything. This Subject is part of Awareness. The Subject with Power of Knowing is available within the mind of each one of us. It is the only way we can know what our experiences are. Our minds are limited to the five senses, therefore the power and range of the Knower is limited. Awareness is beyond the mind and this Subject within Awareness is the Knower of everything that is possible. There is nothing that Awareness cannot witness.

Power of Known

Power of the Known is another power within Awareness. It has the power to become any object. It can take any form that we experience in the mind. A good metaphor to understand this is that it is like a lump of Play-Doh. You can manipulate the Play-Doh to any shape. You can make a car, a tree, a house. The Play-Doh can become any shape. It is important to understand that whatever shape is given, the content is always Play-Doh. Make a car, the content is Play-Doh. Make a tree, the content is still Play-Doh.

In the same way, the content of all the objects in the universe is Awareness. How does one understand this? If you see a circle, then Awareness cannot take the shape of a square. If it does, you will never experience the (round) circle. Awareness must also be a circle with exactly the same dimensions. If you see a tree, then Awareness must also take the shape of the tree. This tree must be filled up with Awareness. If the tree is half-filled with Awareness, you will experience only a half-tree.

It is, therefore, correct to conclude that the content of the object must be Awareness. Awareness by itself is formless, but it has the potential to become any object. The power which manipulates Awareness to become any object is Power of the Known. If the incoming input from the senses is that of a car, Power of the Known will modify Awareness to take the shape of a car. The input signal from the senses is like a wire diagram of the object. Power of the Known modifies Awareness to fill up the wire diagram with Awareness to complete the object. In a way, it adds the software code to the object so that it does become that object. In this way, the Subject will know that this is a car.

If the input is that of the lyrics of any song. Power of the Known will manipulate Awareness to add the required sound to the lyrics of that song. Since Awareness is present, the Subject will be able to listen to the song. This type of logic is applied to the input signal from the five senses which makes its appearance in the mind.

Power of Knowing

Power of Knowing adds Intelligence to Awareness. Let us start our discussion with the following statements we make every day:

• I am listening to music.
• I am reading this book.
• I am thinking of traveling.
• I am talking over the phone.
• I am seeing a tree.

If you analyze these statements, you will notice that each statement has the subject “I am.” Each statement has a different object—music, book, travel, phone, and tree, respectively. There is a verb which connects the subject to the object. More than a verb, there is an inherent power of Knowing which is connecting the subject to the object. This power reveals the object to the subject. How do we understand this power of Knowing?

Let us take the example of the power of listening, which is connecting “I am” to the music. If you follow science, it will tell us that the music waveform from the source will hit our eardrums. The job of the eardrum is to convert this into some form of acoustic signal. This acoustic signal is then transmitted to the brain. What happens in the brain/mind is not known, but we do listen to music. How should we understand this? There is an existent power in our mind which decodes and understands the incoming acoustic signal so that the subject “I am” can listen to the music. This decoding power and understanding within the mind are nothing but the power of listening, which makes the actual “act” of listening possible. This power of listening is made of intelligence with the sole role of making listening possible. This power of listening is part of Power of Knowing.

Let us take another example, of seeing. The power of seeing has intelligence, which makes it possible for “I am” to know and see a tree. Without the power of seeing, none of us will see any object. Someone may argue that the eye provides this power. The eye does nothing other than convert the image into an optical signal and bring the signal to the mind. What is the ability that decodes this optical signal into the understanding that this object is a tree? It is the power of seeing, which is within Power of Knowing, and which allows us to know that there is a tree. This power of seeing knows that the optical signal is a tree.

The same applies likewise to reading, thinking, or talking. There is a power of reading, a power of thinking, and a power of talking. All these powers encapsulate the crux of intelligence and are part of Power of Knowing. In fact, you can apply this logic to a much wider range of statements. Any statement which connects the subject to the object is connected by Power of Knowing.

With these three powers (Knower, Known, and Knowing), the power of Awareness is complete. Right now, if you are reading this essay, all three powers are present. There is a reader who is the subject. The object is the essay in front of you. The power of reading is the intelligence which allows you to read. Any experience you have is because of the power of Awareness. What is amazing is that this awesome power of Awareness is right within us. It is present within each one of us. The only problem is that we do not know this fact. We are ignorant of this fact. This ignorance is covering up this light of Awareness and the powers of Awareness.

The three powers discussed are the intrinsic nature of the power of Awareness. We mentioned earlier that Self-Awareness is our inner core. SatChitAnanda is another name for Self-Awareness. They are synonyms and used interchangeably. We will now discuss some of the powers which reside within Self-Awareness.

Power of Infinite Energy

Yes, infinite energy is present within our inner Self-Awareness. All the energy you see in the universe comes from this source. Self-Awareness is the source of infinite energy. It does sound amazing that infinite energy is present within our inner core. How should we understand this, and how do we show that this is indeed a fact? On my website, I have an essay, “Awareness—The Infinite Energy Source,” which gives a detailed explanation. When you have time, please read this essay. Over here we will give a quick overview.

To understand the source of the infinite energy, you need to interpret Einstein’s Theory of Relativity correctly. Some of the main conclusions of this theory are as follows:

1. Motion and time are interconnected. Wherever there is motion, time does slow down. This is a proven fact. The faster the motion, the slower time will tick. For example, suppose someone travels in a rocket at 80% of the speed of light and returns to Earth. If the clock on Earth shows that the person traveled for 10 years, the clock in the rocket will indicate that the person traveled for only six years. This may not be easy to grasp, but this will really happen. Motion and time have this connection. If the rocket does achieve the speed of light, time slows down completely and comes to a standstill for the person in the rocket. Time will not move. Since there is no time, this person will feel that he has not traveled at all, that he has remained in just one place.  In other words, time and space are absent if you achieve the speed of light.

2. If anything does achieve the speed of light, it will have infinite energy. Yes, infinite energy. This is because infinite energy is required to achieve the speed of light. infinite energy is available for anything traveling at the speed of light.

So, what does travel at the speed of light? If you look around, you will realize that only photons (light particles) travel at the speed of light. There is nothing else in the universe which can achieve this speed. Light is everywhere and therefore we see these photons everywhere, zipping around at the speed of light. As an observer, we see the photons traveling at the speed of light. There is no denying this fact. We need to understand what is happening from the point of view of the photon. This is critical. As a thought experiment, let us put a camera on a photon. What will the photon see? Since the photon is traveling at the speed of light, it will see no time, no space, and it will see that it has infinite energy. This is a fact because we just indicated that anything traveling at the speed of light will have these properties: no time, no space, and has infinite energy.

How do we interpret no time and no space? This really means that the photon remains stationary—it does not move since there is no space or time. You think the photons move around at the speed of light, but “according” to the photons, they do not move; they are stationary. According to the photon, it has an infinite amount of energy.

If time does not exist for the photon, it must be outside time and it must be beyond the spacetime framework. If it is within the spacetime framework, time for the photon must change. Time changes for everything in space. Where is beyond spacetime? According to Vedanta, Self-Awareness is beyond time and the spacetime framework. This means that the infinite energy of the photon is present only in Self-Awareness. Therefore, our inner core is the source of infinite energy. See the illusion taking place—we see the photons traveling at the speed of light, but the photon really does not move; it is always present in Self-Awareness.

Without going into too many details, we can say that this energy is transferred to the cosmic mind because of our ignorance. This energy source is then used for everything in the universe, including the following:

• Creation of space
• Creation of all the objects in the universe

Self-Awareness is a powerhouse, and it has the capacity to handle and manage that infinite amount of energy. Looking at the sun, we see the awesome energy it has, the power of destruction it has. The sun’s energy is just a tiny, tiny, minuscule part of the total energy of the universe. How can this infinite energy be stored in Self-Awareness? It must be understood that the energy in Self-Awareness is in the subtle form and not in the gross or physical form. Whatever the format of the energy, it is a fact that the source of the infinite energy is Self-Awareness. Self-Awareness is the source of infinite energy.

Power to Create Time

Yes, time does come from Self-Awareness or SatChitAnanda. The origin of time is Self-Awareness. Let us try and understand this. As we have discussed, our inner core is Self-Awareness or SatChitAnanda. It is our inner bulb of Awareness. It is self-shining, full, and complete. This Self-Awareness is unborn, it is formless, and it is unchanging. Let us focus on the unchanging nature of Self-Awareness.

What is Unchanging? Self-Awareness is unchanging. It always remains the same and it will never change. It is the same now, it was the same in the past, and it will remain the same in the future. Nothing in the physical universe fits this bill. Everything in the universe keeps changing. If you dig deeper into “unchanging,” you can conclude that time is present in an unchanging environment, but it is static and unmoving. Time is an inherent quality within something which is not changing, but this time factor remains dormant; it remains still. The entity is unchanging due to the sole reason that the time factor is not active. Time is in some ways hiding within “unchanging.” If, for whatever reason, this “unchanging” starts “changing,” time will and must pop out from this unchanging entity. If something is changing, it means that what is now is no longer the same. Since the two events are not the same, the time factor comes into play to connect them. It is not incorrect to say that time drives the change between two events. Self-Awareness is unchanging, and the only reason it does not change is that the time factor is static or remains dormant.

How does unchanging Self-Awareness become the changing mind? The simple answer is: ignorance. We have seen in other essays that ignorance has the power to break up the non-dual Self-Awareness into duality with the object “out there” and the subject “in here.” This ignorance also breaks up the “unchanging” Self-Awareness into a “changing” mind. When this unchanging Self-Awareness becomes the changing mind, the dormant time in the unchanging environment pops out and becomes available, and it is active in the mind. This time then becomes operational in the mind. This changing part of the time waveform is the driving force of the time we know and see. The origin of time is Self-Awareness. This time is indeed very powerful, and it controls almost everything in this universe, including the following:

• Time drives the Objects to play out their blueprint
• Time creates Space
• Time causes Motion
• Time and Energy

Read the essay “Understanding Time” on my website to study the different powers within Time. If you wish, you can watch a recording on this topic on YouTube. This recording is based on a webinar I conducted on this subject—understanding time.

Conclusion

Everything in the universe depends upon the powers of Awareness. If you need to understand this universe, the first step must be to understand Awareness. Understand the powers of Awareness. This is critical. This essay did show all the essential powers of Awareness. All the knowledge, intelligence, ability to become any object, energy, time is part of our inner core—Self Awareness. It is an amazing feeling to know that all this is present with us. It is so close to us, but we feel it so remote and far away.

Yesterday I conducted a Zoom webinar for an interesting topic – Understanding Time. The meeting was well attended, and the response was very positive. Anything and everything in this universe is controlled by Time. The awesome powers of Time will be highlighted including the following:

• Origin and Location of Time
• Time creates Space
• Time causes Motion
• Time and Energy

Find below the link for the recording.

I do hope you will take the time to watch this recording. Also, it will be great if you can share this link with your family and friends.

Science tells us that the Big Bang took place 13.7 billion years ago. The universe began with this Big Bang. Scientists believe that a vast amount of energy was jammed into a very tiny point, which they call a Singularity. This extremely dense point exploded with unimaginable force, creating all the billions of galaxies of our vast universe. This event is called the Big Bang. Yes, the universe started about 13.7 billion years ago, but there is very little understanding of what really happened at that moment of the Big Bang. The current explanation given by science has many limitations, some of which are:

1. There seems to have been a vast amount of energy stored in that tiny point. The question is, from where did this energy come? It could not have come from nothing. There must be a source behind this tiny point, which provided this energy. It is therefore important to understand this energy source.

2. The energy source was present at the time of the Big Bang. The question is, where is that energy source right now? It must be somewhere because the universe is still expanding, and this requires continuous energy. So, from where is this energy for the expansion of the universe coming?  

3. The point which exploded was tiny, but it was still an entity. It must have been something. Unfortunately, nothing is known of this tiny entity. What were its characteristics and properties? What was its profile? Was the tiny point a physical entity as science tells us, or was it something else? How did this entity become the universe we see around us?

4. According to scientists, this tiny point became the physical universe we see around us. Is this the correct process of evolution? There may be some intermediate steps before the physical universe is observed. If yes, what are they?   

So, you can see that the current understanding of the Big Bang theory has many shortcomings and limitations. It does not answer many key questions. Since science is unable to answer these questions, it does make the Big Bang sound very mysterious. Something happened 13.7 billion years ago, because of which we now have this huge and complex universe. In this essay, we will use the teachings of Vedanta to answer the questions raised above. Based on these teachings, in this essay I have given a different and fresh perspective to the Big Bang theory. To answer the questions raised earlier, I have divided the essay into the following sections:

1. Source of the Big Bang
2. Where Is the Source Now?
3. Profile of the Tiny Point
4. Big Bang—A Fresh Perspective

1. Source of the Big Bang

What is the source of the Big Bang? What was there before the Big Bang? Logically, whatever was there before should be the source of the Big Bang. This is not an easy question for scientists to answer. Why? Space, time, and this universe started with the Big Bang. In a way, the knowledge of science only started with the Big Bang. Then again, thinking logically, this massive and complex universe could not have come from nothing. There must have been something before the Big Bang. Since science does not have an answer, we must look elsewhere. Vedanta has the answer.

Vedanta teaches us that SatChitAnanda/Brahman or Self-Awareness was present before the Big Bang. These terms—SatChitAnanda/Brahman and Self-Awareness—are synonyms, and we will be using these terms interchangeably. SatChitAnanda is unchanging; it is uncaused and uncreated. This means that SatChitAnanda was present in the past, it is present now, and it will also be there in the future. It has always been there and will always be there, and it will remain unchanging. Nothing in this universe meets this definition. All the objects in this universe are born, and they must die at some stage. This applies even to the universe. The universe was born 13.7 billion years ago; before that there was no universe. The only thing which has always been present is SatChitAnanda.

Please read the essay “Analyzing Awareness” for a detailed explanation in our website. This Self-Awareness is non-dual, it is full, and it is complete. It does not need anything for its existence. It is self-sufficient. The only thing it does is radiate Awareness. It is like a bulb shining with Awareness. This Awareness is the most powerful force in the universe. It is the substratum of everything in the universe. As explained in the above-mentioned essay, Awareness has many different awesome powers. We list a few of them here:

1. Power of the Knower: this power allows the subject to perceive the object.
2. Power of the Known: this power manipulates Awareness to become any object.
3. Power of Knowing: this intelligence or power decodes what each object is.
4. Power of Infinite Energy: Self-Awareness is the source of infinite energy.
5. Power to Create Time: Awareness is the source of Time. For an explanation, read the essay “Understanding Time” in my book, Science Meets Vedanta.

All the possible powers are present within Awareness. As mentioned earlier, the Big Bang required a tremendous amount of energy—this energy came from SatChitAnanda or Self-Awareness. How come this amount of energy is stored in Self-Awareness? I have given a detailed explanation in the essay “Awareness—The Infinite Energy Source” at the website. If you have time, you must read this essay. Yes, infinite energy is available within Self-Awareness. If you interpret it correctly, even Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity will support this fact.

2. Where Is the Source Now?

The energy source of the Big Bang is SatChitAnanda. Space and time started with the Big Bang. Since then, 13.7 billion years have passed. So where is SatChitAnanda located at this moment? This is where the confusion starts. Scientists believe that since space and time started with the Big Bang, they continue to grow from that remote point. All their thinking and understanding of space is based on this premise. This is unfortunate as this has created a bottleneck in the proper understanding of space. The Big Bang moment is now 13.7 billion years ago. Yes, 13.7 billion years ago, space and time started from the Big Bang moment, but now that location is the outer edge of the universe; it is not the starting point of space.

Besides, this source, SatChitAnanda, cannot be located at the Big Bang moment, which is 13.7 billion years away. It cannot be hanging around at this remote location at the outer edge of the universe. So where is SatChitAnanda located at this moment? If you are a student of Vedanta, you can answer this question easily. SatChitAnanda is your innermost core and located within each living being. At the Big Bang moment 13.7 billion years ago, SatChitAnanda was the source of space. If SatChitAnanda is our innermost core then, logically, space must start from our innermost core.

Does space really start from our inner core? Is there any way to show this? Yes. If you study external objects by studying the amount of time light takes to reach us from different objects, you will conclude that the starting point of space is the observer within you. The objects which are farther away will take more time to reach us than objects which are closer to us. For example, light from the sun takes eight minutes to reach us while light from the tree outside the window will take about 10 microseconds (10^-6) to reach us. As the distance reduces, the time taken for light to reach us also reduces. If you extrapolate this backward, the only logical place for light to take zero seconds to reach us is the observer, who is watching all these objects. This Observer is outside space and time and is synonymous with SatChitAnanda. It does show that your inner core is the starting point of space. This is an important conclusion and science must try and understand this fact. Space starts with SatChitAnanda and this is our inner core.

So, the current location of the start of space is our inner core or SatChitAnanda. The infinite energy within SatChitAnanda is available for the expansion of space “out there.”

3. Profile of the Tiny Point

According to scientists, 13.7 billion years ago the Big Bang happened, in which the tiny point exploded to initiate the creation of this universe. Science has never explained what this tiny point was—what was the profile and characteristic of this tiny point? The only aspect mentioned is that this tiny point was loaded with energy. If you want to get the complete picture of what really happened, you need to understand properly what this tiny point was. Since science is silent on this subject, we need to depend on Vedanta once again. We must understand the creation principles as taught by Vedanta. Vedanta teaches that the universe is made up of the following three bodies:

1. Cosmic Seed Body
2. Cosmic Subtle Body
3. Cosmic Gross Body

The cosmic seed body creates the cosmic subtle body. Then the cosmic subtle body is the source of the cosmic gross or physical body. 

We need to first understand the cosmic seed body. We are all familiar with seeds for flowers, plants, and many other things. It is always mysterious how a plant comes out of such a tiny seed. It does seem that a potential plant or the blueprint of that plant is already stored within this seed. When the seed germinates, all aspects of the plant come out. If the seed is of a rose plant, only a rose will grow and nothing else. This is what the blueprint tells the seed—a rose plant from a rose seed. If this is true for plants, then why not for the universe? This is only logical. This is what Vedanta teaches us. Yes, there was a cosmic seed body for the universe. The tiny point at the time of the Big Bang was this cosmic seed body. It functioned like any other seed we know of. The full universe germinated from this cosmic seed, just like a rose plant comes out from a rose seed.

1. The cosmic seed body is the sum total of all the individual seed bodies. You have a seed body, I have a seed body, every living being has a seed body. In fact, every object (living + nonliving) in the universe has a seed body. Each individual seed body has a blueprint which is based on its history. Some of the information contained in each seed body is as follows:  

• Past history
• Personality traits or vasanas
• Pending karmas, which still need to fructify

The cosmic seed body is the cumulative total of all the past histories, personality traits, and pending karmas. Based on this totality, the cosmic body has an inbuilt blueprint, having all the required information about the universe, right from its birth to its end. The information of all the galaxies, stars, planets, living beings, etc. is all stored in the cosmic seed body. All this is present in the cosmic seed body.

2. The cosmic seed body is a fully functioning universe of individual seed bodies. It is almost impossible to speculate how this seed body universe functions. Knowing Nature, it must be well regulated and well organized. It must be understood that the seed body is not a physical thing. It is very subtle. It is even more subtle than the subtle body like the mind. As we have shown, the tiny point was the cosmic seed body. This cosmic seed body is not a physical entity. It is a subtle entity. Add soil and water, any plant seed will start to germinate. In the same way, the cosmic seed body is waiting to germinate.

4. Big Bang—A Fresh Perspective

The Big Bang really happened when the cosmic seed body started to germinate. Just like a plant shoot starts coming out of a seed, in the same way the cosmic seed body started to germinate under the right conditions. Nobody knows what these right conditions were. One can only speculate. One thing is certain, it did happen because the cosmic seed body started to germinate with the Big Bang.

What came out of the cosmic seed body? This cosmic seed body germinated and grew into the subtle body and gross body to play out the blueprint that was contained within. The seed body is the driving force and is the cause of the creation of the subtle body and the gross body. The seed body is the source of everything in the universe.  

For living beings, the mind is the subtle body and comes out of the individual seed bodies. The mind is made up of waveforms called vrittis (vritti means “whirlpool”), just like the waves in a pond. All the thoughts, feelings, and perceptions coming from various sources like the senses, emotions, and memories are waveforms in the mind.

Just like there is a subtle body for living beings, there is also a cosmic subtle body for the universe. In Vedanta, the term for the cosmic subtle body is Hiranyagarbha. In Sanskrit, this means “golden egg.” A “golden egg” from which the physical universe manifests. The cosmic subtle body is made up of vrittis representing all the individual minds. Also, all the vrittis representing individual objects, galaxies, stars, planets, etc. are present within the cosmic subtle body. Nothing is missed out. You can only imagine the complexity of the waveforms or vrittis within the cosmic subtle body.

As the universe grows, new waveforms are being created and existing waveforms are being updated, increasing the complexity of the cosmic waveform. The object waveforms within the cosmic waveform interact with each other to play out the blueprint of individual objects. If you think about it, there is a fully functioning universe made up of cosmic waveforms. The substratum of these waveforms is Intelligence—it is made up of Intelligence. These intelligent waveforms are smart and know what they are doing.

Need for Observer?

To see the physical universe, you need an observer. Without an observer, there is no physical universe; there is only the subtle universe made up of waveforms. This does sound strange, but it is a fact. We are so used to seeing the physical universe “out there” that we do not think about this issue.

Let us take an example. You are looking at the tree in front of you. This tree is a physical tree; there is no doubt about this. Now, you turn your back to the tree so that you can no longer see it. The question to ask is: does the physical tree exist? Interesting question. You cannot be sure because you do not see the tree. Observation is a must for the existence of the tree or any physical object. It does mean that the observer is a prerequisite for observing any physical object. If your back is toward the tree, it does seem that the tree does not exist in the physical form. This applies to all physical objects you do not see or perceive. A question: what is the format of the objects which you do not observe? It cannot be physical, so the only correct answer is that all objects that are not seen physically exist as vrittis in the mind. They exist as waveforms in the subtle body. This explanation is supported by quantum physics. Quantum physics teaches us that every object in the universe has a particle and wave duality. This matches with the teaching of Vedanta—subtle objects (wave) and physical objects (particle). Quantum physics also confirms that the wave collapses in the presence of an observer.

It does seem that, in the presence of the observer, the vrittis collapse to become the physical universe. That is why the observer is a prerequisite for any physical object. Let us apply this logic to the Big Bang moment. Was there an observer at the time of the Big Bang to witness the physical explosion of the tiny point? The most likely answer is that there was no observer present at the time of the Big Bang. What does this mean? Since there was no observer, it means that there was no physical object at the time of the Big Bang—only the subtle universe made up of waveforms was present. This logic does indicate that the physical blowup at the Big Bang moment never happened. What really happened at the Big Bang moment is that the cosmic seed body started to germinate, and the cosmic subtle body started to play out the blueprint. Only when individual minds with observers were available did the physical universe start to manifest itself. When was the first observer available to perceive the universe? No one knows.

The interesting conclusion is that the Big Bang as described by science never happened because there was no observer to see the explosion. As explained, without an observer there cannot be any physical universe. What really happened was that the cosmic seed body started to germinate within the cosmic subtle body at the time of the Big Bang. The cosmic seed body continues to play out the blueprint within the cosmic subtle body. The individual observer collapses a portion of the cosmic waveform to experience the physical universe “out there.” Please note, the individual observer collapses only a portion, never the entire cosmic waveform. This is a fact because no one can perceive the entire universe in one shot; one perceives just a small portion at any given time.  

Soul, heaven, and transmigration are some of the issues most of us ponder on. Do we have a soul? If yes, what is it? Is there a heaven? Where can you find this heaven? Does soul transmigrate from one body to another body? These questions have been debated and discussed ever since the evolution of humankind. Obviously, no consensus has been reached and the debate continues till today. Each tradition has its own understanding on these topics.

However, we are going to discuss these topics based on the knowledge provided by the Upanishads. We will first discuss Soul, then Heaven, and then Transmigration.

1. Soul

What does Soul mean? The Britannica Dictionary defines soul as “the spiritual part of a person that is believed to give life to the body.” It is the essence of any living being. It is understood as something other than the physical body because it gives life to the body. It is separate from the body; it is other than the body. So, what is that essence which is within each of us and not part of the gross body?

If you think correctly, the ego within you is the only essence which is separate from the body–mind complex. Everything else is either part of the body or the mind. We can therefore say that the ego is part of your soul. Please note, ego is not the soul, but part of the soul. To get a fuller understanding of our soul, we first need to investigate what we mean by ego. To do that, we need to answer the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the ego?
2. What is the container or body which contains the ego?

Ego and Seed Body

What is the best way to understand what we mean by Ego? The feeling of “I” within us is our ego. We all have this feeling of “I” and we call this our ego. Some examples:

• I am this body
• I am this mind
• I am happy
• I am a son

What is this “I am” feeling or ego? The best way to understand this is that ego is like your résumé, your biodata. It contains all the information about the “I.” It contains all the historical events; in fact, it is a repository of all your past lives. You may not remember your past lives, but your ego is the total of your past lives. Your cumulative personality traits make up your ego. The word used in Vedanta for this is vasanas. Vasanas are the tendencies which make up your personality. What you or your ego profile is today is because of your past.  

If you go a step deeper, you will realize that this ego needs a box, a container, or body. To function, the ego needs a vehicle. How to understand this? What is the body which contains the ego? Vedanta teaches us that every living being is made of three bodies:

1. Seed Body
2. Subtle Body
3. Gross Body

The Seed Body creates the Subtle Body. The Subtle Body is nothing but our mind. Then the Subtle Body creates the Gross or Physical Body. 

For this essay, we will focus on the Seed Body. What is a Seed Body? We are all familiar with seeds for flowers, plants, and many other things. It is always mysterious how a plant comes out of such a tiny seed. It does seem that a potential plant or the blueprint of that plant is already stored within this seed. When the seed germinates, all aspects of the plant come out. If the seed is of a rose plant, only roses will grow and nothing else. This is what the blueprint will tell the seed—a rose plant from a rose seed. If this is true for plants, then why not for all living beings? This is only logical. This is what Vedanta teaches us. Every living being in the universe has a Seed Body. You have a Seed Body, I have a Seed Body, and so does every living being. The Seed Body is also called a Causal Body—because it is the cause or starting point for the living being.

This Seed Body contains your ego. The ego operates from this Seed Body. This Seed Body contains all the information about you. Some of the information it contains is the following:

• Feeling of “I” ness
• Your past history
• Your personality traits
• Your pending karmas, which still need to fructify

Put soil and water on a vegetable seed; the seed starts to germinate and a shoot for the plant comes out from the seed. Over time, this shoot becomes a full-fledged plant. In the same way, the Seed Body for living beings will start to germinate under the right conditions. The Seed Body has the source code for a living being.

Seed Body = Soul

From this discussion, we can conclude that the Seed Body and the soul are synonymous. Many texts that I have read mention that the Subtle Body is the soul. This is incorrect. The Seed Body creates the Subtle Body and, when you die, the Subtle Body also dies. The only thing which survives death is your Seed Body.

1. The soul or the Seed Body defines you. It must be understood that this soul is not static; it is dynamic. The Seed Body is being updated continuously. Whatever action takes place in your daily life, the result of this action influences your soul. These actions create grooves in the Seed Body. If the action is repetitive, the grooves will be deeper and longer-lasting. It is just like water flowing through the mountains creates grooves. The larger the volume, the deeper the groove. In the same way, if you practice music for 10 hours every day, this practice will make a deep impact on your Seed Body. It will significantly modify the personality traits in the Seed Body. If you practice intensely to achieve moksha in this life, it will not go waste. All this effort will modify the soul, and you will have a good jump-start in the coming births. Of course, this will work both ways. All your bad deeds will also modify the Seed Body. It is important to understand that all effort should be made to modify and improve the quality of your Seed Body in this life itself.

2. As the doctrine of Karma teaches us, every action the ego undertakes must have a result. There must be a karma phala (fruit of action) or results of any action. If you do a good deed, the phala will be positive. If there is a bad action, the results will be negative. The problem is that it is impossible to know when you will get the results of your actions. It could be immediate, it could be next year, it could be sometime in this lifetime or even in future lives. Nothing is known. However, one thing that is certain is that you will face the consequences of all your actions—good or bad. All the actions which are still pending results are stored in the Seed Body. The soul is the warehouse for all the actions which are pending results. When the time is right, these karma phalas will fructify and you will face the consequences. Till that happens, they are stored in the Seed Body and carried forward to future births.   

3. What is the location of the soul or the Seed Body? The Indian scriptures talk about the spiritual heart. This spiritual heart is not your physical heart; it is the Seed Body/soul. The spiritual heart is the same as the Seed Body. Where is this located? The great saint Ramana Maharshi was very clear: it is two fingers from the center on the right side of the chest. Just think about it. Whenever you point to yourself, you usually point to that location only. You do not point toward your head, or hands, or stomach. This is not proof, but it is a good indication for the location of the soul within you.  

4. There is a cosmic universe made of all the Seed Bodies. You can call this the cosmic Seed Body, which will contain all the Seed Bodies. Your Seed Body, my Seed Body, all the living things will be part of the cosmic Seed Body. At this moment, the cosmic Seed Body along with the individual Seed Bodies are inside you in some unknown dimension. How this cosmic Seed Body functions and operates is beyond our understanding. 

2. Heaven

Now let us discuss what we mean by Heaven. Merriam-Webster has two definitions for Heaven:

• heaven (small h): the expanse of space that seems to be over the earth like a dome
• Heaven (capital H): the dwelling place of the Deity and the blessed dead

For many people, it would seem the definition of Heaven (H) and heaven (small h) has got mixed up. Many people believe that God and the blessed dead “live” in the sky (or clouds) above earth. They point toward the sky when talking about God or what happens after you die. The souls of the dead travel to heaven somewhere in the sky. Is this possible? I do not think so. Out there is only space. There is no place for Heaven out there in space. Besides, everything in space is gross. This understanding of heaven is incorrect, but unfortunately it is propagated by many religious traditions.

We will look at Heaven as taught by Vedanta. The equivalent word for Heaven in Vedanta is Loka. Loka in Vedanta means plane or realm of existence. The most common division of the universe is the triloka (tri–loka), or three worlds (heaven, earth, netherworld). Sometimes 14 worlds are mentioned—seven above earth and seven below. We will discuss these lokas shortly.

The understanding in many religions is that Heaven is the abode of God and the blessed dead. At the other end of the scale, Hell is the abode of the damned. This understanding is incorrect. Based on the teachings of Vedanta, we will try to give a different perspective on these issues.

Abode of God

God is omnipresent. He is present everywhere. If He is present everywhere, does He have an abode? Yes, He does. He manages the universe from His abode. So where is His abode? The surprising answer is that the Seed Body is the abode of God. You have a Seed Body, I have a Seed Body, each living being has a Seed Body. God is present in each of these Seed Bodies. Wow! Is this even possible? How to understand this issue? We will make a step-by-step analysis to show this is the only truth.

Step 1—How is God created? Surprisingly, God is created by our ignorance. How? Please read my essay “Brahman and Ishwara,” at this website, which explains this process in detail. Here we will give a quick overview. As we have discussed in other essays, our innermost core is SatChitAnanda or Self-Awareness. This inner core does not do anything except radiate the light of Awareness. It is like a bulb shining Awareness. This inner core is full, non-dual, complete, and self-sufficient. It comes with the three powers of Awareness—Power of the Knower, Power of Knowing, and Power of the Known.

If our nature and inner core is Self-Awareness, why don’t we know it, why don’t we feel it? The simple answer is that we are ignorant of our inner core. Ignorance has the power to cover Self-Awareness. When we forget who we really are, ignorance pops up and covers our inner core. Ignorance is like a veil covering Awareness. Self-Awareness does not do anything; it just keeps shining. When this Self-Awareness is covered by ignorance, it gets reflected in this ignorance. Ignorance is like a mirror in which reflection takes place. What you get then is Reflected Awareness. When the Sun is reflected in a mirror, you still have the Sun, and you also have a reflected Sun. This is exactly what happens here. You have the non-dual Self-Awareness, and the Reflected Awareness.

This Reflected Awareness in ignorance is God.

It must be understood that in the presence of ignorance, there is no effect on Reflected Awareness. Reflected Awareness remains pure and unaffected. This does seem counterintuitive. It would be reasonable to assume that ignorance would rub off some of its ignorance on Reflected Awareness or God. Then again, we know God is pure, limitless, and just cannot have any ignorance. How should we understand this? The classic example that can be narrated here is, suppose you pour water in a red glass bottle. The water will appear to be red. It seems the redness of the bottle has affected the water. Our ignorance can lead to this conclusion. If you have proper knowledge, you will know that the water in the bottle is always colorless, and the red color of the bottle has no effect on the water. With this logic we can understand that Ignorance has no effect on Reflected Awareness, and God is pure, limitless, and with all the powers of Awareness.

Step 2—God and Seed Body: If you think about it, there are only two things in this universe. Self-Awareness and Ignorance. All the Seed Bodies mentioned earlier are part of this Ignorance. They function within Ignorance. If there were no Ignorance, there would be no Seed Body, no universe, no objects, no God; there would only be non-dual Self-Awareness. This does indicate that the Seed Bodies exist within Ignorance.

Both God and Seed Body operate in the realm of Ignorance. In fact, God is present within each Seed Body. How to understand this? Vedanta gives a classic example of the Sun and unlimited buckets filled with water. If you keep these buckets outdoors and the Sun is shining on them, what will you see? You will see the reflected Sun in each of the buckets. No bucket will be without the reflected sun, and each sun will be a complete version of the sun. There is one Sun but many reflected suns. In this way, the One God is reflected in each of the Seed Bodies. Each Seed Body has the reflected version of God.

It must be pointed out that the reflected sun does not have the properties, qualities, or intensity of the original sun. This does not apply to the reflected version of God. The God in the Seed Body has the same powers and is as limitless as the original God. Because of this, the presence of God in the Seed Body, the Seed Body becomes a powerhouse of action.   

This is amazing–God is so close to us. It is operating within our Seed Body. It is powering each Seed Body to play out its blueprint. The Hindu religion has always been clear that the Divinity is always within us. The correct conclusion is that real “Heaven” is the cosmic Seed Body.   

Abode of the Dead

So where does the soul travel after death? Frankly, it does not travel at all. Upon death, the soul or the Seed Body removes its connections with the Physical Body; the Seed Body remains a Seed Body but without a Physical Body. The only thing that happens is that the Seed Body stops germinating. It comes to a standstill; it is no longer active. The profile, personality traits, and pending karmas remain within this Seed Body or the soul. They do not disappear.  

We have no clue what happens in the realm of the Seed Bodies. There may be multi-dimensions or lokas present. Maybe the inactive Seed Bodies move to one of these dimensions or lokas. Even if they move to a new location, one thing that is clear is that they are still operating in the realm of Ignorance. You may call it heaven or hell; all these dimensions must operate within the realm of Ignorance.

It is interesting to point out that the Seed Body never dies. It continues to live on. Vedanta teaches that we have had infinite births already, and this cycle will continue. The Seed Body or soul will continue its journey through all the future lifecycles. The only way to break this cycle is to remove our ignorance of our true nature. Once ignorance is removed, the Seed Body will disappear and the ego will disappear; what will remain is the non-dual Self-Awareness.

Understanding Lokas

As mentioned earlier, the ancient Indian scriptures mentioned the existence of Lokas. One of the suggested ways for the division of the universe is the tri-loka, or three worlds (heaven, earth, netherworld). Some others suggest that there are 14 worlds—seven above earth and seven below. 

So how do we understand the idea of lokas? As we have mentioned earlier, there are only two things in the universe—Self-Awareness and Ignorance. Therefore, the 14 lokas mentioned in the scriptures must be part of Ignorance. If there are 14 realms of lokas operating within Ignorance, it will not be incorrect to conclude that each realm must be operating at a different level of Ignorance. If you have a scale of Ignorance from zero level to 100%, at zero level there will be no Ignorance about your true nature, and at 100% there is total Ignorance of Self-Awareness. Everything else will be in between. The division of lokas indicates that there are different levels of Ignorance. Some levels are more ignorant and other levels will be less. If this is understood, we could divide the realm of Ignorance into 14 levels. Each level will represent a different loka. At 100% Ignorance, it would be the bottommost level, representing a loka for the worst of the worst demons and rakshasas. At the zero level of Ignorance, that loka could be the abode of the Gods, or the home of the Devas. At the middle level we have the earth; this loka is in the midrange for Ignorance.

We have no knowledge or understanding about these lokas. We can only speculate. We can speculate that the Seed Bodies or souls move about these lokas depending on the level of Ignorance they have. A one-star motel or a seven-star super-luxury hotel. Entry to these lokas would depend on the profile of your soul/Seed Body. It is possible that each loka has a fully functioning universe just like earth. Many mythology tales[S1]  do indicate this possibility, but all this is speculative.  

3. Transmigration of the Soul

What is Transmigration of the Soul? It means that after death, the soul moves to another Physical Body. It then lives a fresh life through this Physical Body. Reincarnation is another name for this. The soul remains the same, but the Physical Body undergoes change. This concept is not followed by the Abrahamic faiths. They believe in only one life. After death, the soul faces the judgment day, and it then goes to either eternal hell or eternal heaven. Then it remains there for eternity.

So, which is correct—the biblical way of “one life” or continuous reincarnation? To reach the correct conclusion, we must go back to the doctrine of Karma. As we have discussed earlier, every person must face the consequences of their actions (karma). Good actions must get good results and bad actions must face bad results. This is quite logical and reasonable. When the results of any action will fructify is an unknown factor. Nobody knows. It could be in this lifetime or in future lives. It is uncertain. While the results are awaited, all the pending karmas are stored in the soul or the Seed Body. As the results have not been received, these actions are still incomplete. The account book remains unsettled. All accounts MUST be settled. Therefore, these unsettled pending karmas are the strong driving force for future births. The soul needs a Physical Body so that it can receive the results of the actions. Without a Physical Body, the soul or the Seed Body is inactive. Reincarnation or the transmigration of the soul to another Physical Body is the only solution. Once a new Physical Body is received, the soul can face the results of the pending karmas—good or bad. As long as there are pending karmas, there will be rebirth. Nothing can stop this process. Therefore, reincarnation or transmigration of the soul is the only logical answer.  

The goal is to exhaust these pending karmas. But it does seem like an impossible task. In every lifecycle you exhaust a finite number of karmas, but you also add an equal number of new karmas, which await their result. In this way, the balance of the pending karmas remains the same. Vedanta teaches us that we already have been through an infinite number of births trying to exhaust these pending karmas. This methodology is the wrong strategy, and it will never allow us to exhaust the pending karmas. So, what is the solution? The only way is to gain moksha or Self-Realization. Remove all Ignorance by gaining knowledge of your true nature. Once you remove Ignorance, there will be no Seed Body, no world, no objects—only Self-Awareness. You will merge into Self-Awareness. It is not easy but that is the only solution. This is the only way to get rid of the pending karmas.

How does transmigration take place? After death, the Seed Body detaches itself from the previous Physical Body. The germination or playing out of the blueprint of the Seed Body comes to a stop. The Seed Body becomes inactive. The Seed Body becomes dormant. In a way, you can divide the cosmic seed into two groups. One group has active Seed Bodies, which are attached to a Physical Body, and another group has inactive Seed Bodies, which have detached themselves from their previous Physical Bodies. These inactive Seed Bodies are on the lookout for a new Physical Body. What is the procedure to get a new Physical Body? Is there a queue in which the inactive bodies need to wait for their turn? Nobody knows how the system works. Knowing Nature, there must be a solid and a well-regulated procedure.

If you think about it, the conception of a Physical Body takes place in the mother’s womb. I am guessing this is true for most viviparous beings. The fetus is within the womb, while the soul or the Seed Body is waiting at the cosmic Seed Body. How is the connection made between the fetus and the Seed Body? There must a well-regulated procedure for this. The Garbha Upanishad gives a detailed timetable of when the different body parts emerge in the fetus. When the hands show up, when the heart shows up, etc. It is quite detailed. It will be nice for the medical community to confirm the timetable given in this Upanishad. This Upanishad indicates that around the seventh month, the soul or the Seed Body is integrated into this Physical Body. Once this is done, the soul becomes active and is ready to resume its activity of exhausting the pending karmas.

It is interesting to note that, as per this Upanishad, the fetus in the womb becomes a proper living human being only in the seventh month. Before this, the fetus in the womb is just like another piece of flesh in the body. So, it is not the heartbeat but the integration of the soul into the fetus which shows the fetus as a person. This happens around the seventh month. This is an interesting insight, worth reflecting upon.   

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Drawing from his recently published book Science Meets Vedanta, author Jayant Kapatker explores this topic by first understanding our Inner Core. If we apply these Vedantic teachings, it can radically change many aspects of the way we think about the universe. To highlight this, a few examples will be covered.

• What is the Framework of Space?
• How to Understand Objects?
• What is the Energy Source for the Universe

Click the image below to play the video

About the Book – Science Meets Vedanta

The scientific rigor, logic, and reasoning of the teachings of Vedanta, applied to some key concepts in science, will lead to the realization that they share common ground—in fact, that they are looking at the same Reality. The ancient Indian rishis had already discovered this Reality and expounded their findings in the various Upanishads and scriptures. We can learn much from Vedanta about science. For example, it helps us interpret Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and quantum physics correctly. The interconnection of science with Vedanta can bring about a dramatic change in the way we perceive and understand the universe.

The focus of the essays in this book is to highlight these changes, which encourage us to question the conventional understanding of the universe. So, be prepared!

This book is available on Amazon worldwide. Just search for – Science Meets Vedanta. It comes as kindle, paperback and hardcover versions.

Drawing from his recently published book Science Meets Vedanta, author Jayant Kapatker explores the Mind as taught by the ancient Indian scriptures. He will cover the following aspects of the Mind

• Source of the Mind
• Evolution of the Mind
• Structure of the Mind
• Functioning of the Mind
• State of the Mind
• Controlling the Mind

This is a recording of a recently conduced webinar. After the introduction the presentation starts at 3.37m.

About the Book – Science Meets Vedanta

The scientific rigor, logic, and reasoning of the teachings of Vedanta, applied to some key concepts in science, will lead to the realization that they share common ground—in fact, that they are looking at the same Reality. The ancient Indian rishis had already discovered this Reality and expounded their findings in the various Upanishads and scriptures. We can learn much from Vedanta about science. For example, it helps us interpret Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and quantum physics correctly. The interconnection of science with Vedanta can bring about a dramatic change in the way we perceive and understand the universe.

The focus of the essays in this book is to highlight these changes, which encourage us to question the conventional understanding of the universe. So, be prepared!

This book is available on Amazon worldwide. Just search for – Science Meets Vedanta. It comes as kindle, paperback and hardcover versions.