#221 Laws of nature and Bhagavan – the invariable connection
When asked what do you believe in, people, who identify as spiritual-but-not-religious, reply, ‘Laws of nature’.
If asked to elaborate, they say, ‘Oh..the universal laws that apply to all objects. Laws that apply to the mountains and valleys which are predictable, reliable and which can be perceived.’
Consider a safety pin or a spaceship. They have a function to perform. Both are intelligently put together. By whom? By human beings.
What about natural phenomena such as the mountain and the valley?
The mountain serves as a habitat for different life forms, collects and stores large amounts of snow which melt during the warmer months. The valleys serve as a natural channel for the collection of water as rivers and lakes. Because of their fertile soil, valleys can be used for agriculture. Both mountains and valleys have a function to perform. Both are intelligently put together.
By whom was it put together? Our friend will say ‘Laws of nature’.
The question is – By whom were laws of nature put together? They will shrug and say, laws of nature were not made by any person or entity. Rather they are inherent principles of the natural world that have been discovered and described by scientists over time. These laws are based on observations, experiments and models developed through scientific inquiry and research.
This stubborn insistence of using the term ‘laws of nature’ is a remnant of the 17th century. It was first used in the 17th century by English philosopher and scientist Francis Bacon. Newton ‘s laws of motion looked at the cosmos as a series of mechanical laws and as a creation of God. Later the focus shifted to how the laws work and God was eased out of the picture, rendered unnecessary for its sustenance.
Descartes who famously said ‘I think, therefore I am’ based his work on the dualism of mind and body. He said the body operates on material laws, whereas the soul and the mind are entirely different substances which operate as per the Church doctrines. And hence enquiry about the material laws continued as a parallel track to the beliefs in the church and God and the twain were not expected to interfere with each other. Later scientists like Galileo and Kepler established the concept of laws of nature as a fundamental principle of modern science and reduced the presence of God in the world to the point of nothingness. They were all rebelling against the dogmatism and insistence of the church in believing in a God.
They applied the principles of observation, verification and measurement to God and concluded that if God cannot be perceived, then he/she/it cannot be a part of Science. Let the Church deal with it.
I would ask, How did they conclude that what they perceive, is not God?
The Vedic tradition reveals that all that you perceive is Bhagavan.
Further, there was never a sacred-secular divide in Dharmic thought and the Vedic tradition. All knowledge including of astronomy, Ayurveda, Maths were seen to be imbued with the presence of Rishis and Bhagavan. But sadly a lot was lost as Modern Science continues to hold sway.
Take any creation including the law of gravity. There is deep intelligence in the way it operates.
The Vedic tradition says that where there is intelligence, there is a conscious, all encompassing being called Bhagavan.
The law of gravity described in recent times by Newton says that every object in the universe is attracted to every other object with a force that is proportional to their masses and inverselfy proportional to the distance between them. The effect of gravity is responsible for keeping us and everything else firmly rooted to the ground. It causes objects to fall when they are dropped and keeps the Earth in orbit around the sun.
If there was no gravity, the Earth would travel in a straight line and leave the sun’s gravitational pull leading to disaster. Gravity keeps all planets in orbit around their parent stars while spinning around themselves and revolving around the sun. You try spinning around yourself about 50 times. You will be dizzy because of the momentum and will lose your balance. Planets and stars have been spinning away for millions of years held together by gravity and other forces.
Are you telling me the deep intelligence we see in these laws of the universe are random? It is not logical.
What is logical is to appreciate that,
Where there is material, it has been intelligently put together.
where there is intelligence there is a conscious being.
Bhagavan says in the Gita अहं सर्वस्य प्रभवो मत्तः सर्वं प्रवर्तते।
All beings have come from me and all are sustained by me. Anything can be sustained only by laws and that too is Bhagavan.
How does the body maintain homesostasis, a dynamic balance?
Biology tells us that homeostasis is maintained through a complex network of feedback mechanisms involving organs, tissues and cells. The body is able to regulate is temperature When the body temperature rises, blood vessels in the skin dilate, allowing heat to escape, and sweat glands secrete sweat, which cools the skin through evaporation. Conversely, when the body temperature falls, blood vessels in the skin constrict, reducing heat loss, and muscles may shiver to generate heat.
Where did the body go to learn how to regulate its temperature in any situation whether you are in the icy winds of Alaska or the searing heat of the Thar desert?
Further the body regulates blood glucose levels to ensure that the cells receive a steady supply of energy. The hormone insulin, produced the pancreas, lowers blood glucose and promotes the storage of glucose in the cells. Or even the delicate balance of electrolytes such as sodium , potassium and calcium to ensure proper functioning of cells and tissues. The body absorbs and excretes such that the normal sodium level is maintained between 135 and 145 milliemoles per litre. Surely no human being we know has given the body this intelligence to maintain and sustain a dynamic balance.
Where there is material, it has been intelligently put together.
Where there is intelligence, there is a conscious being and that is Bhagavan.
अहं सर्वस्य प्रभवो मत्तः सर्वं प्रवर्तते।
How do plants produce their own food?
Through photosynthesis, plants use energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen.
First, chlorophyll a pigment found in specialised cells absorbs light from the sun,
Second, the absorbed light energy is used to power a series of chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.
Third, the energy during photosynthesis is used to generate ATP, a molecule that stores and transport energy within cells.
Fourth, As a result of photosynthesis, oxygen is released into the atmosphere. Plants absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis, helping to regulate the Earth’s climate.
Which university did the plants go to, to learn these deeply intelligent processes? They are blessed by material and intelligence that is Bhagavan.
Abhinna nimmitta upaadaana kaaranam,
Bhagavan is both the intelligent and material cause.
So, as we see any law of nature, be it physical law of gravity, the law of homeostasis in the body or the law of photosynthesis in plants, there is deep intelligence in the way the material is put together and operates.
Material and Intelligence cannot exist without an intelligent being and the Veda reveals that intelligent being to be Bhagavan.
If we were to only use logic, at best we will will come up with the hypothesis that there have to be many intelligent beings. But it is the Veda that reveals there is only one jagat karta, not many and we have shraddha, trust.
If you can have shraddha in Newton and Galileo why can you not have shraddha, in the Rishi who has passed on his knowledge across thousands of years through a living teaching tradition?
And finally let us come to AI – Artifical Intelligence.
I asked ChatGPT – Is AI intelligent by itself?
This was the reply without any editing on my side –
No, AI is not intelligent by itself. Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to computer systems that are designed to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and natural language processing. These systems rely on algorithms, statistical models, and data to make predictions, identify patterns, and learn from experience.
However, the intelligence of AI is not the same as human intelligence. AI systems are designed to perform specific tasks, and they can do so very quickly and accurately, but they lack the creativity, intuition, and reasoning abilities that humans possess. AI is limited to the data it has been trained on and the algorithms it has been programmed with, and it cannot think or reason outside of those parameters.
Therefore, while AI can be very powerful and useful for many applications, it still requires human input and oversight to ensure that it is being used appropriately and ethically.
And so, the next time you or anyone uses the phrase ‘laws of nature’ we spare a thought for the all pervasive material that is Bhagavan.
We spare a thought for the all pervasive laws of nature that is Bhagavan.
We spare a thought for the all pervasive intelligence that is Bhagavan and rightfully give him his due.
Do we have the vision to see this invariable connection?
