Swami Vivekananda an Intuitive Scientist

By T.G.K. Murthy

Swami Vivekananda was a multifaceted genius. While his spiritual imminence and the profound understanding of India and her culture, history, and future are well known, his insights in physical sciences are lesser known. Swamiji was well-acquainted with the scientific thoughts of his times and was remarkably accurate in his observations and conclusions with regard to many scientific notions. What is even more important is the ample hints he gave on ways to train the mind, arousing the unseen power of intuition, which is vital to all scientific pursuits. This intuitive aspect of Swamiji’s personality has not been sufficiently highlighted hitherto. The following pages are an earnest attempt in this direction. The author, a person of scientific pursuits and thinking, has dealt with various aspects of Swamiji’s ideas, drawing parallels from various scientific works and explores the role of intuition in scientific discoveries

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jul 11, 2015
• ISBN: 9781329370678

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Swami Vivekananda

An Intuitive Scientist

T.G.K. Murthy

Published by:

Adhyaksha

Sri Ramakrishna Math

Mylapore, Chennai - 4

© Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai

All rights reserved

I-12M 5C-4-2012

ISBN 978-81-7823-626-1

Printed in India at

Sri Ramakrishna Math Printing Press

Mylapore, Chennai - 4

Publisher's Note

Swami Vivekananda was a multifaceted genius. While his spiritual eminence and profound understanding of India and her culture, history, and future are well-known, his insights in physical sciences are lesser known. Swamiji was well-acquainted with the scientific thoughts of his times and was remarkably accurate in his observations and conclusions with regard to many scientific notions. What is even more important is the ample hints he gave on ways to train the mind, arousing the unseen power of intuition, which is vital to all scientific pursuits. This intuitive aspect of Swamiji's personality has not been sufficiently highlighted hitherto.

The following pages are an earnest attempt in this direction. The author, a person of scientific pursuits and thinking, has dealt with various aspects of Swamiji's ideas, drawing parallels from various scientific works and explores the role of intuition in scientific discoveries.

The first edition of this book was brought out in May 2011 by Sri Nithyananda Prakashana, Bangalore. It was well received by the discerning readers and all the copies were sold out in a short time. We are happy that the publishing rights of the book have been now given to us and we are bringing out a revised and slightly rearranged edition of the earlier publication.

We hope this will provide an impetus to further study Swamiji's scientific ideas and his contribution to the world of scientific genius.

We are glad to publish this volume on the happy occasion of 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda (1863-2013) being observed now.

—Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai

May 2012

Sri Ramakrishna Sharanam!

Message

Swami Vivekananda was a seer of highest Advaitic realizations. In the spirit imbibed from his Master Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, the welfare and uplift of man was his prime concern. He could not only explain grand spiritual truths in a lucid manner, but could also expound on several subjects concerning human welfare, be it science, music, arts or society.

Blessed with an exceptional intelligence, a prodigious memory, and a thoroughly rational mind, Swami Vivekananda studied all the latest scientific developments of his time. Having direct access to the fountainhead of all knowledge, he could not only comment on scientific theories of his time, but could also intuitively put forward newer ones.

I am very happy to know that this booklet Swami Vivekananda—An Intuitive Scientist brings to light this little explored dimension of Swami Vivekananda's multi-faceted personality. I hope that this booklet will foster a greater understanding of science. May these intuitive insights of Swami Vivekananda be accepted to the extent they do not contradict reason.

My earnest prayer to Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda for the success of the booklet and my blessings to the author for his earnest endeavour.

Message

It is pleasure and privilege to extend my best wishes to Dr. T.G.K. Murthy's effort of bringing out an inspiring book on intiution and science. He has been a co-passenger with me in the journey of knowledge-mining i.e., search for science in ancient Indian heritage. As a scientist in the area of optics and satellite technology, he has made outstanding contributions. This book is a serious attempt to investigate the role of intuition in pursuit of knowledge (Jnana) and science (Vijnana). A synthesis of spirituality and science has emerged in the last few years due to the work of some eminent seekers of spirituality and science, and knowledge has become multidimensional and multi-disciplinary.

We can find large amount of scientific information in ancient Indian knowledge systems. The Vedas, the Upanishads, the epics and a large number of ancient Indian works on yoga, philosophy, tantra etc., contain substantial science. Therefore, study of these ancient Indian knowledge systems from the angle of scientific pursuit will be rewarding. It would also lead to discovery of Indian Science.

Dr. Murthy's attempt to bring together Jnana and Vijnana reminds us of Yogeshwara Krishna's teaching of Jnana with Vijnana (Bhagavad-Gita, Chapter 7 Verse 2). It is also notable that he has adopted a novel interptetation of the Panchakoshas, namely, the annamaya, the pranamaya, the manomaya, the vijnanamaya and the anandamaya, as biological cells in a personality (instead of layers or sheath as discussed in literature). It is important to grasp the true meaning of these concepts in terms of the effects of such cells on the evolution of a personality.

I commend the book for a studious and careful reading.

Foreword

Swami Vivekananda once declared that great things can be done by great sacrifices only. Extending this statement of his, we can declare that great discoveries can come out of great intuitions only.

What is intuition? It is knowledge gained by the mind directly, without the intervention of the senses or the reasoning process. To put it in the language of Vedanta, it is aparoksha jnana or ateendriya jnana.

Again, this jnana or knowledge can come only as a result of—or, after—anubhava, experience.

Experience of what? Turning again to Vedanta, it is the direct experience of the Atman, the all-knowing pure consciousness, from which arise all types and kinds of knowledge.

Once a person gets this experience, his mind automatically becomes the super-mind endowed with omniscience. Equipped with such a mind, he can get the knowledge he wants in any field he turns towards. It is like a person having a powerful searchlight in his hand. By turning that light in any direction, he can see the object lying there.

It is exactly this power, which Vivekananda had in plenty, that enabled him to burrow out some fundamental truths even in the field of external sciences.

These truths falling from his lips, are like sutras (pnemonic statements or formulae) which affored plenty of scope for expansion and explanation.

Dr. Murthy, himself a distinguished scientist and an earnest student of Vivekananda, has amassed in this brochure enough relevant material pertaining to various fields of sciences with appropriate comments and quotations to prove the scientifc genius of Vivekananda.

Let us hope that this laudable and original effort of his will ignite the minds of kindred souls leading ultimately to a new branch of knowledge.

Author's Note

Having spent a considerable time as a scientist in ISRO, I had occasions to interact with many scientific minds which were rewarding in many ways. But what has intrigued and fascinated me most was Swami Vivekananda's gigantic personality and inspiring message.

Reading Swamiji's literature has been a humbling and transforming experience. Swamiji had a magnetic and multifaceted personality. He has rightly been called ‘a man without boundaries’. His deep understanding of scientific concepts throws an instant charm. He was a keen observer and an original thinker. Interestingly many of his ideas and observation about many physical phenomena were proved right by later scientific researches. He was an unusual saint!

This modest book is an attempt to put together Swami Vivekananda's contribution to scientific ideas, especially through his intuitive grasp of science. I have benefited immensely by reading his works and this is an attempt to share my understanding with the general readers. During my scientific career, I have had my own moments of experiencing the power of intuition and I owe much to Swamiji's ideas and personality in understanding that.

While explaining Swamiji's intuitive thoughts, I have cited from the scientific works or websites of several scientists and others. This has greatly helped me to complement the core theme of the book. I offer my sincere thanks to all of them.

My respectful pranams to most revered Swami Atmasthanandaji Maharaj, the President of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, for his blessings and Message. I also express my gratitude to respected Swami Harshanandaji, Adhyaksha, Ramakrishna Math, Bangalore, for his kind Foreword.

I respectfully place on record the help that I have received from various monks of the Ramakrishna Order specially Swami Dayatmanandaji of Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre, United Kingdom and Swami Shantimayanandaji of Bangalore Ramakrishna Math.

VV Bhat IAS, Secretary to Government of India gave many valuable suggestions for the improvement of the book specially by referring to the section on the Taittriyopanishad. My thanks to him for this help as also for his inspiring message.

To the authorities of Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, my thanks for their permission to quote from the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda.

I am indebted to Swami Atmashraddhananda, editor of the Vedanta Kesari, and Sri Keerthi Kumar, former Principal of Sri Ramakrishna Vidyashala, Mysore, for their painstaking effort in revising and improving the book in many ways and to all other persons who have supported in the preparation of this book.

To Revered Swami Gautamanandaji my grateful pranams for publishing this book from Chennai Ramakrishna Math.

Many of my loved ones waded through this work and brought it to its present form. My prayers to the Divine Mother for their growth and progress. Finally, I pray to Sri Ramakrishna, Holy