The goal of both science and philosophy is to explore and understand the Reality behind all existence. Since the dawn of civilization, man has tried to know nature and the universe in which he is embedded. Both philosophers and scientists have investigated the secrets of nature and the origin of the universe has been the central point of their investigations. Philosophers have their conjectures and scientists their theories, but no one has been able to grasp reality through intellectual efforts. According to the generally accepted theory in cosmology, the universe grew impulsively from a concentrated point source of infinite energy called a space-time singularity. Despite general acceptance, the theory has many problems, one of them being the very nature of this cosmic singularity. The singularity is a mathematical concept that brings together two other mathematical concepts: zero and infinity. Although mathematics considers them to be the two extremes of the number system, they have nothing in common with numbers. By definition, numbers are quantitative. They have meaning only in relation to some objects. By themselves they mean nothing; five has nothing like five, it’s just a symbol. Zero and infinity do not have a quantitative aspect, they can only be referred to qualitatively. Each one is an indivisible whole. They do not depend on other objects for their meaning. In other words, they are absolute, not relative. Any number multiplied by zero or infinity loses its identity, it merges with the multiplier. Any number divided by zero is infinity, but divided by infinity is zero. This division process is like tossing a coin that has zero and infinity as two sides. The same idea is expressed in Vedanta from a different perspective.
In Vedanta zero and infinity are considered unknowable and therefore explaining and defining them is out of the question. Strictly speaking, even in mathematics you can’t get to zero and infinity; a variable can only tend to any. Finding the smallest number greater than zero or the largest number less than infinity is useless. For any unknown we cannot say what it is; it can only be described in terms of what it is not. That is why in answer to the question what is God (Brahman or Brahm) the Vedas say ‘not this, not this’.neti neti)’. The Sanskrit word, from which zero and all its equivalents in other languages are derived, is shunya. It has a much more complete meaning than zero; means zero only in the context of numbers. Its general meaning is emptiness or emptiness, a concept that the mind cannot grasp unless it is itself empty (the initial premise of yoga philosophy). The same is true for infinity. In Sanskrit there is no single word for infinity. various words like added (no beginning), pineapple (endless) etc They are used. The Upanishads characterize Brahman as “smaller than the smallest and larger than the largest”. [1]. In the usual sense in which the words small and large are used, this statement may appear to be a contradiction in terms. This is because our concept of small and large is tied to the perception of space and time. Small and big are a pair of opposites, which according to Vedanta are two sides of the same coin. Opposites are illusion produced by language. The small is contained in the large and the large is latently contained in the small. As Kabir, one of the greatest Indian mystics, has said: “The drop merges into the ocean. Where do you seek the drop? The ocean merges into the drop, where do you seek the ocean? realize that each one is in the other” [2] (the translation is mine). The concept of space-time leads to that of causality: cause preceding effect. The sum total of space-time and causality is maya that obscures Reality [3]. Being absolute, zero and infinity are two aspects of the one Ultimate Reality. To realize them one has to transcend space-time.
The singularity unites zero and infinity. The cosmic singularity combines zero spacetime and infinite energy. In Vedanta, the primordial state of existence of Reality is an infinite void (shunyata). When the mind is completely empty and one transcends space-time in deep meditation, one is able to realize this state. However, this emptiness is not nothingness or non-existence. It is imbued with energy and awareness. We have arrived at the same concept from quantum physics; the quantum vacuum is not empty. There are myriads of virtual particles constantly appearing and disappearing and there is an omnipresent cosmic energy. This state is the substratum of all existence and is called “ground” by mystics and physicists. [4]. The dictionary meaning of uniqueness is ‘the state of being unique or one of a kind’. In that sense, we can see the Ultimate Reality also as a singularity. In cosmology, a ‘naked singularity’ cannot be observed or probed because it is enveloped by the event horizon. From the point of view of Vedanta we cannot see the Reality because it is veiled by Maya. The laws of physics break down at the singularity; rational knowledge cannot penetrate through the veil of Maya. Although spacetime goes to zero at the singularity, the concept is still wrapped in spacetime; is defined as a point singularity. We cannot transcend space-time through the rational mind.
We exist in space-time. We, like everything else in the universe, are simply events in space-time. Every event has a lifetime and on the cosmological time scale most events are transient. Everything that has a name and a form has a beginning and an end in space-time. How do we transcend space-time? Physically we can’t. But what one calls ‘I’ is not the physical body, ‘I’ just lives in it. In addition to the gross physical body, there is also a subtle body. It is the subtle body that can go beyond space-time and experience things outside the phenomenal world. When I think of an object I am already bringing a separation, the object is something different from me, the subject. Space-time implies separation, distance between two points or two events. When each object is seen as an event and the object vanishes, space-time vanishes as well. The disappearance of the subject-object duality essentially means that the person has merged with the universe. In this state one has transcended space-time and zero and infinity have merged. The Upanishads describe this as the state in which a person sees everything in himself and everything. [5].
As we have seen, zero and infinity are indivisible. The concept of undivided wholeness is basic to Vedanta and expresses the omnipresence of God. Again the Upanishads say: ‘He moves and remains still at the same time; He is both near and far; He is both in and out’ [5]. Everything in the universe is God because he is simply a manifestation of that Ultimate Reality. The first of the four great phrases (mahavakyas) of Vedanta is ‘I am Brahm (Aham Brahmami)’. If I am everywhere at the same time, for me there is no space or time. There is still movement because Brahm is consciousness, which is dynamic. However, now the concept of movement is totally different; space and time are not involved in it. The concept of nonlocality in modern physics has come very close to this view.
In the end we have to think about the distinction between reality and knowledge of reality. The uncertainty principle has ramifications far beyond the realm of physics. Any theory, scientific or philosophical, presents only a model of reality based on the interpretation of the known facts about reality. A model by definition is simply a representation of the real thing, not the thing itself. Just as in mathematics a variable can only tend to zero or infinity, the model is always trying to get closer to the real thing. One can never be sure of the degree of correspondence between knowledge and reality. Knowledge is a set of ideas about reality; ideas cannot be reality. The situation is much more complex when it comes to knowing the Ultimate Reality. According to Vedanta, God is pure consciousness, which is in every living being. So everything we perceive or know is through Him; He is the ultimate knower. The subject-object duality excludes the possibility of being aware of our own consciousness in the same way that we are aware of an object. How can the knower be known? It is a famous exclamation in Vedanta. [6]. Knowledge has two aspects, rational and intuitive; one comes from logic, reasoning, and intelligence, the other from insight and accomplishment. Rational knowledge can never help to discover the ultimate truth.
References
1. Svetashvatar Upanishad, 3-20; Kathopanishad, 1-2.20.
2. Kabir Granthavali (Collected Works of Kabir), p. 169-170,
R. K. Sharma edition.
3. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol.2, p.135.
4. J. Krishnamurti and David Bohm, The End of Time, p.96.
5. Ishopanishad, 5, 6.
6. Brihadaranyak Upanishad, 2-4.14