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Modern science uses scientific techniques to prove many ancient beliefs and superstitions as false. Yet if modern science believes that their 5 sense organs are the final proof of all research know that they have come out of the iron cage of superstitions only to enter the golden cage of so called direct proof offered by the senses.
An important question to be dealt with is: Is what we see, understand and experience with our 5 senses true in the absolute sense? At the gross level the immediate answer will be in the affirmative. This is because there is no reason to say that things perceived, seen by us are illusory. We are so dependent on the dictates of our sense organs and mind that we think that objects, individuals and circumstances are absolutely true. And yet if we delve deep into this question the answer is that the so called proof of reality of objects given by our sense organs is unfulfilled and illusory in nature.
Various scriptural scholars since time immemorial have advised us all not to believe our sense organs that say that our daily experiences are true and instead maintain that we should develop a spiritual vision. If we insist on accepting that all that we see and experience is the ultimate truth we sure will face many uncomfortable situations. This can be proved by the ancient example of the proverbial deer running after a mirage in the dessert in order to quench its thirst. In desserts like Sahara etc travelers have often come across mirages which from a distance look like a pond of water. A thirsty deer in a dessert runs after this mirage to quench its thirst. The eyes of the deer tells it that there is water at a few furlongs away but the more the deer tries to reach this ‘pond’ the more the latter ‘runs’ afar. Ultimately the thirsty deer accepts defeat. Another example is that of a rainbow. Try as much as you can but you can never ‘catch’ the illusory rainbow. The brilliance of solar rays that fall on water creates an illusion in our eyes and thus our eyes tell us that there is a tangible rainbow. Yet the fact remains that the rainbow is but an illusion harbored by our gross eyes.
Take the example of a movie. We see pictures laughing, crying, walking etc on the screen. It seems very amazing and miraculous. But the question asked is whether all this movement clearly visible to the gross eye is real and true? Individual pictures which move at 16 second cannot be seen individually by our eyes. As a result an illusory moving scene is created. Individual pictures which are actually unmoving can be seen moving by our gross eyes due to the creation of an illusion. Voices emanating from loudspeakers come from one place and the picture is at another place. Yet our eyes and ears are fooled into believing that the picture is actually talking, singing etc.
At dawn in the morning and twilight in the evening the sky manifests amazing hues. Yet are these colors truly real? Actually these different hues do not exist but because solar rays create an illusory effect in our eyes, we all notice these colors. The sky appears to be blue in color but the fact remains that no such blue color exists in space. Our eyes under the influence of illusion ‘sees’ this blue color and fools our intellect in the process.
The function of the human eye is to understand the nature of an object via color perception. Yet the fact remains that majority of the times our eyes succumb to illusory effects and thus gives us wrong information. Let us study the following examples. The chimneys of mills and factories emit a lot of smoke. If you minutely analyze the color of smoke, it differs now and then. When the base of the chimney has trees, buildings etc that are not lit up the smoke color seems black. Bang opposite to this if the building trees etc are lit up with sunshine the smoke appears to be brownish. When smoke emitted from burning coal, wood etc is exposed to sunlight its color appears yellowish. In actuality smoke is colorless. The illusory color is due to the designing of the carbon atom and other material present on fuel. Light gets reflected away from it and thus smoke seems black in color.
In the rail engine the tube of the boiler emits blue steam but when it enters atmospheric air, its particles become larger and appears white in color.
There are many factories which use low quality coal and hence the smoke emitted is dark black in color. If one visualizes the sun through this smoke, the sun appears like dark red.
Many types of germs, bacteria etc are present in water which cannot be seen by the naked eye. They can be seen only with the help of a microscope. With our eyes we can see many stars in space but the fact is that there are infinitely more stars not perceived by our eyes. Thus since our eyes have limited capacity we take the help of gigantic telescopes to view those innumerable stars not seen by our naked eyes.
Even today we are unable to fathom the deeper layers and units of an atom despite the phenomenal success achieved by modern science. Its more gross aspect has been calculated via subtle mathematical calculations. No doubt scientific technology has helped in finding out the overall design of the atom and yet mathematical calculations based on inference have been of much greater help in the research of the structure of the atom.
In order to find true reality we will have to make more widespread and all encompassing our research and testing methods. It is a great error on our part to rely only on information given by our 5 sense organs. Today majority of research laboratories base their testing methods on the ‘direct proof’ given by the 5 sense organs. Hence many a times they fail to come to the right conclusion. In the previous paragraphs we have detailed the fact as to how our eyes can be misled into giving wrong information like the sky appearing to be blue in color when in actuality this is far from the truth. If we insist on relying on our 5 sense organs only then we are bound to stray in darkness for eons together. Modern science uses scientific methods to prove many ancient beliefs and superstitions as false. Despite this if modern science insists on believing that their 5 sense organs are the final proof of all research conducted then know for sure that they have come out of the iron cage of superstitions etc (which is required) only to enter the golden cage of so called direct proof offered by the senses.
Leaving aside some gross facts whatever we see, hear etc as far as other aspects are concerned is believed to be absolutely true. Yet the fact remains that we are far from the truth. We are very much used to believing our day to day experiences with the help of the 5 senses as absolute truth. And yet if we go deeper into all this we will realize that time and again our senses have led us in the wrong direction. In fact our 5 senses give us various experiences solely on the basis of some gross beliefs. If these beliefs are changed then our previous conclusions and inferences too will have to change automatically.
Our brain centre has the capacity to give levels of information that is very common. If we remain satisfied with this then we can say that whatever we see, experience etc is truth. Yet the bare fact remains that our very hypothesis on which our 5 senses and brain function is itself erroneous to a great extent. Hence how can such an intellect realize the absolute truth and reality? This question is so tedious that it is very difficult to answer with ease.
While selling fruits, vegetables etc weighing scales are made use of. The basis on which we measure weight itself is based on a hypothesis. Without this all businesses will come to a grinding halt. Yet the question remains as to whether our very basis of weighing materials is true in itself? When one thinks deeply about this our intellect will get rattled. Weight by itself has no existence since it is very relative. Weight of an object is nothing but the force required to obstruct the influence of earth’s gravitational force on the object. An object that weighs 37.33 kg on earth weighs 18.7 kg when raised at a height of 3.5 miles. The more you raise an object higher up in the air the more weight it sheds. There is an area between earth and the moon wherein if an object is weighed there it will be weightless. Even if a gigantic mountain like Everest is placed there it will be weightless. This mountain will hang in space in this area. The force of gravitation on other planets is varied. The weight of an object on planet earth will differ significantly when weighed on other planets like Mars, Neptune etc. Thus we can conclude that weight of any object is relative. This is because weight depends on certain hypothesis and circumstances.
In our daily transactions we make use of the measure of speed a great deal. Speed too is as important as weight. We can reach from one place to another with the help of various vehicle options like car, plane, ship etc which have various speeds to cover distances. But the question asked is whether the basis on which speed is calculated is factual or hypothetical?
While writing something seated on a chair and table we feel we are not moving and instead are steady. Yet it is a fact that we are moving at a speed of 1000 miles per hour in one direction. This is the movement of planet Earth. It is because we all dwell on Earth, we too perforce move while the Earth is revolving and rotating on its axis. Our sense organs fail to experience this speedy movement and hence it is under the illusion that or body is steady and unmoving. The sense organs experience movement only when we walk, ride a horse, move in a car etc.
The Earth rotates on its axis and hence we come back to our original position after moving for 24 hours. But even this is not totally correct because the Earth revolves round the sun at a speed of 666,000 miles per hour. The Earth returns to its original position in space after 365 days or 1 year. Even this is not totally true because the sun revolves around the ‘Super Sun’ along with the Earth and other planets of the solar system. Further this ‘Super Sun’ too revolves around another ‘Super Sun’ and God alone knows how many more such cycles of circumambulations take place. Hence the gist of all this is that we cannot return to the same destination in which we are situated today at least in this birth of ours. If we move from our space we do so eternally. And yet our deluded minds insist on falsely conveying to us that we are static all the time and that we are not moving along with planetary etc movements.
The measurement of speed too is illusory just akin to that of area. If 2 trains move side by side at the same speed it will appear as though both are moving and swaying identically. If 2 cars approach each other from opposite directions at a speed of 40 miles/hour they will feel as though their car speed is 80 miles/hour when they whiz past side by side. Same is the case with 2 trains that move in opposite directions (side by side). They too will feel that the speed is double while they pass each other. If the speed and direction of the movement of other planets, galaxies etc were to be ditto as that of Earth interstellar space too would appear motionless and static. The sun, stars etc would never arise nor set under such circumstances. All planets etc would remain where they were for eternity. At that time despite all of them moving at same speeds they would appear motionless.
Speed is very much relative. One can measure speed in many ways. If you subtract 90 from 100, 10 remain. If you minus 20 from 30 or 40 from 50 even then 10 remain. In order to get the same difference (10 in the above example) different sets of numbers are made use of. Despite these varied numbers the difference remains the same. If you want the difference to be 1000 you can use so many numbers to get this difference. The same holds true for measuring speed. Ancient geography specialists measured speed by saying that the sun is motionless. Lunar/solar eclipses, the rising and setting of stars, planets of the solar system which gives day and night etc too has so far been measured on this basis. Yet the measurements have been totally apt so far. Despite this the premise that the sun is motionless which aids in the above measurements itself is baseless and false. When illusory premises give correct results how does one differentiate between the true and false. When one deeply reflects on this subject one’s intellect becomes dizzy.
In ones daily transactions it is necessary to measure distances. Without this travel would not be possible. The Earth is divided into latitudes and longitudes. Without measuring distances air travel etc would be well nigh impossible. The 10 directions (north, south etc) are an important basis for ones successful travel. And yet by themselves they too are illusory and have no absolute existence.
If you gaze at a very large pond while traveling beside it in a parallel manner it will appear that it is absolutely straight. Yet the fact is that after traveling for sometime you will reach the original position from where you started. This is because the pond is circular in nature. Even if you draw a straight line on a rubber ball, it will actually be circular. A straight line is one whose 2 ends never meet and that the distance between them is constant. In the above case of the pond and ball, a so called straight line too is ultimately circular. Even if you draw a straight line on a piece of paper, floor etc it will ultimately be circular and never straight. Minute circular lines may never be identified by us yet they will always be circular. The ground which appears flat to the naked eye too is in reality circular. The sea appears flat and yet when ships travel in it, it becomes clear that just like the ground on which water exists, the sea too is circular. The point at which the sky and sea appear to meet is called horizon. Whenever you watch this horizon it will always appear to be at a distance of 3 miles from where you stand gazing at it. If you stand at a height of 200 feet above the ground the horizon appears to be at a distance of 20 miles. All this proves that the Earth is a globe i.e. round. Despite this our naked eyes cannot perceive the Earth to be circular. Thus our measurements of distances too are faulty.
The Moon is definitely seen to be higher up in space when gazed at from Earth but if after landing on Moon you gaze at Earth the latter seems to be higher up. If we could manage to station ourselves in interstellar space beyond the solar system it will be clear that there is nothing like north, south, east etc. Meaning no directions exist. Thus directions too are very much relative and not absolute. New Delhi (in India) is west of Lucknow, east of Mumbai, north of Chennai and south of Haridwar. Thus when directions to reach Delhi are given they are relative and that by itself Delhi is directionless.
In worldly transactions time measurement is very much important. It is on the basis of time that offices open/close, railways/buses run etc. Our daily life revolves around time. Yet the premise or basis of time too is no less faulty. The time designated for sunrise and sunset is not as we actually believe it to be. When we actually see the sun arising, the fact remains that it had already arisen 8.5 minutes previously. This time is the time taken by solar rays to reach Earth. When we see the sun setting at dusk it has actually done so 8.5 minutes previously. There are many stars in the sky which although visible to us today have actually set thousands of years previously. This illusion is the result of the light of stars reaching Earth after thousands of years. We become actually aware of the stars setting after thousands of years. The same holds true for all the planets, satellites of the solar system. They have arisen or set much before or after the time calculated by Indian astrologers in their Panchangs (diary).
One may visualize a star in the sky as straight ahead of us yet this need not be true. Light does not always travel in a straight line. Light rays too are material in nature and that it too can be weighed. Light rays falling on an area 1 mile in diameter for 1 minute weighs 1 ounce approx. It is but natural that gravitational force influences objects. When light of various stars enter the solar system it becomes zigzag or staggered in form because of the influence of the force of attraction of sun and the other planets. Despite this our eyes fail to perceive this staggered light and instead out of illusion we see it as straight. It is quite possible that it lies on the periphery of another star, sun or planet yet our eyes see this light as straight. In the same way if our eyes see a star right above our head in the sky the reality is that it could be much lower or diagonal than the position seen by us. In this manner not only directional data but also time measurements too are no less illusory in the absolute sense.
Philosophical discussions do include time and space related topics. This space is certainly not some country, region on Earth etc nor is time an hour, minute etc. All these are only technical terms. The length, width and breadth of an object is called space and changes taking place in them is called time. Ordinarily objects are seen on the basis of its length, width and breadth whereas while discussing and describing it the 4th ‘dimension’ of time too should be included. But the problem is that speed and direction keep varying and are illusory too. Time is itself based on them and hence if the basis itself is erroneous how can the result of time be apt? Even if objects are said to be 4 dimensional instead of 3 yet this problem remains unsolved. What exactly are objects? What are its form, nature and quality? This cannot be described in totality because the manner in which its atoms move speedily disproves our description of it in the very next moment because of its uncertain position (something like the great scientist Heisenberg’s principle).
What is big and what is small? Even this question cannot be answered satisfactorily. A stick measuring 5 feet is smaller than another which is 6 feet and is bigger than a stick of 4 feet. A tree trunk with a diameter of 2 feet is thinner than another of 3 feet and is thicker than that which has a diameter of 1 foot. We cannot say whether an object is in absolute terms. An object is labeled thin or thick only with reference to another object. By itself it is neither thick nor thin.
Who is rich, who is poor, who is happy, who is sad, who is a saint and who is a rogue? These questions cannot be answered in absolute terms because all these qualities (richness, poverty etc) are relative in nature. Before let us say calling a person rich or poor we must find out whom we are comparing this person with? With reference to a beggar a person who has a job that pays him 1000 dollars per month the latter is rich. A person with only 1 sorrow in life is happy when compared to another who has 4 sorrows to contend with in life. Thus is reality we cannot say as to who truly is happy or sad. With reference to a dacoit a small time robber is more gentlemanly but with reference to a person of good character the robber is lowly. With reference to a great saint a man of good character is lower in stature. With reference to an Avatar or Prophet of God a great saint too is if a lesser class.
We measure objects, individuals, situations etc only in relation to one another. Comparison is the highest measure used by us all to make ‘apt’ decisions. What exactly are the things which we measure? It is very difficult for our sharp intellect to decipher them because all of them are limited and not omnipotent in nature. In fact in a certain sense they can be called illusory too. In movie theatres pictures are seen moving on the screen whereas in reality each picture is static. These individual pictures move so fast that our eyes fail to see them in a static manner. Thus out of illusion we see these otherwise static photos in motion. Meaning actors are seen to walk, eat, run etc.
Many a times our experiences are bang opposite to the actual situation. Our senses (eyesBusiness Management Articles, ears etc) not only give false information but also tend to give non-existent illusory information. If we insist on depending on our sense organs to give apt information i.e. think direct visible proof as the be all and end all of life not only can we not attain true divine wisdom but that we will fail to even understand it.
For example take the concept of light. What exactly is light? It is an eddy of electro-magnetic waves. The fact as to whether it is intense or weak depends on its measure but yet its overall effect is singular. It moves at a terrific speed of 1 lakh 86 thousand miles/hour (I mile=1.61 km). Light rays have 7 colors. Various types of admixtures of these 7 colors give other resultant colors.
AUTHOR: Shriram Sharma Acharya