Dr. M.B. Modi
Introduction:
I find that revolutionary discoveries such as ‘Theories of Special and General Relativities’ made by Einstein during 1905-1915 are in fact mathematical expressions of basic Jain Principle called Satyasat Property of matter and Avagahan Guna of Akash Dravya. More than 2500 years ago Bhagwan Mahavir declared that empty cosmic space is infinite Akash Dravya with Avagahan Guna, which means space is infinite gravitation field.
He also said human consciousness works in space-time domain and therefore human beings can only observe Physical Realities which Einstein called Relative Truth. Mahavir also showed that spiritual path which enables human beings to raise levels of their consciousness to observe non physical Absolute Truth. This state of consciousness is called state of Kewal Gyana, Nirwana, Moksha or Siddha.
It may be shocking for many that Einstein did not initially recognise space as quantum field, which Mahavir did. Mahavir said matter is made of Paramanu or atoms. Similarly the cosmic space is made of infinite numbers of space elements Akash Pradesh. He also said one atom is like one Akash Pradesh and that two or more atoms combine to produce a Skandha (molecule) and Skandhas aggregate to form animate and inanimate objects. He even mentions atomic valencies required for combination of atoms. Thus Mahavir also gave the first Theory of Everything, which is similar to that proposed by Einstein in 1916 and later refined by several scientists including Peter Higgs who named Akash Pradesh as Higgs Boson or God Particle.
Did Einstein present Jain Principle of ‘Satyasat’ and ‘Avagahan Guna of Akash Dravya’ as Special and General Theory of Relativity?
Thousands of years ago, Jain Shramans used science and spiritual wisdom to understand God, Universe and Truth. They were spiritual scientists who believed in the eternity of life and matter. They also believed that the universe is a union of visible material space of finite size and infinite invisible empty space. The finite size material space was called Loka and the infinite empty space was called Aloka. In 1905 Einstein also used the same nomenclature and addressed the two parts of the universe as ‘Observable Space’ and ‘Infinite Empty Space’ respectively. Mahavir said that the empty cosmic space is Akash Dravya with Awagahan Guna which means the space is an infinite gravitation field. Einstein in 1915 reiterated the exactly the same namely the cosmic space represents infinite gravitation field. This statement of Einstein is known in the scientific world as ‘General Theory of Relativity’ and Mahavir’s work is named as Jain religion or ancient Jain philosophy.
It is well known that the observable space (Loka) generally referred as the universe consists of billions of galaxies separated by billions of light years and each galaxy consists of billions of stars. Yet Bhagwan Mahavir described the universe as homogeneous and isotropic Panchastikaya Loka consisting of five nonphysical Astikay Dravyas only. The Astikayas are of two types- Jad and Chetan. The word Jad also called Pudagala represents both energy and matter. He separated electromagnetic energy from all other types of energies and named it Chetana or universal consciousness. Mahavir attached divinity to Chetana or consciousness and treated it as eternal life element.
Like Mahavir, Einstein in 1905 also said - ‘the universe is homogeneous and isotropic four dimensional space-time continuums consisting of Energy and Matter only’. Celestial bodies produce gravitational waves in the space similar to ripples produced by a stone thrown in a water pond. Mahavir declared that the visible universe is manifestation of Astikaya Dravya in different physical forms. Einstein also stated energy and mass are equivalent and expressed their relationship in the form of mathematical equation, E=mc2.
Jain ascetics more than twenty five centuries ago defined Truth and Physical Realty the same way as was later defined by Einstein in 1905 while proposing the Special Theory of Relativity. Both defined ‘Existence’ as Truth (Sat). That which has no shape and physical form is considered as having eternal existence. Bhagwan Mahavir called it ‘Sat’ (Astikaya ravya) and Einstein named it Absolute Truth. The space-time limited physical existence was called Asat or Dravya-Paryaya in Jainism and Physical Reality or Relative Truth by Einstein. Further Mahavir declared that human consciousness is limited to observing Paryaya or space-time limited Truth only. But Siddha who exists as pure knowledge or Sarvagya or the universal observer can perceive Absolute Truth. While proposing the theory of special relativity, Einstein also said Absolute Truth is known only to the universal observer, human beings know only Relative Truth.
It is also interesting to know that Jain scriptures describe ‘Time’ the same way as Einstein did. In Einstein’s universe, Time has no independent existence as was thought by Newton. Space is time and time is space. It is Space-Time. The Jain Panchastikaya Loka also has no time component. ‘Time is not Astikaya and therefore Time is not a Dravya that constitutes the universe’ is the clear message of Jain scriptures. Time is human perception of changes occurring in Jiva and Ajiva. Swetambar Jain Agamas state unambiguously that presence of time is limited to Adai Dweep or places of Human Habitats only. Digambar Scriptures also describe that Time is not Astikay Dravya but they believe that time is discrete not continuous. This belief goes against Gatha 3 of Digambar Jain Agam-‘Panchastikaya’, composed by highly revered Digambar Acharya Kund- Kund. Gatha 3 describes that Loka contains only five Dravyas- Akash, Dharma, Adharma, Jiva and Pudagala and the same is also Samaya. But Digambar Jain Muni preaches Time as a sixth Dravya.
The scientific spirit of Jain philosophy is also evident from the fact that Jain scriptures explain occurrence of natural events as Nischay Naya or Vyavhar Nay. This Jain method appears to have been adopted by physicists as standard practice to explain an event as Quantum Mechanical phenomenon or Classical Newtonian phenomenon. Siddha or Liberated Soul being in a state of zero velocity or zero entropy can observe Truth or timeless events. Human beings being habitants of moving earth can only observe time-events. Thus Nischay Naya represents the vision of universal observer and Vyavahar Naya represents the human vision that operates in the inertial system of reference. Quantum physicists describe them respectively as quantum physical and classical events. To get some glimpses of Absolute Truth, Einstein conducted ‘Thought Experiment’ in which, he made himself stationary like Siddha by imagining that he was riding a beam of light.
Jain scriptures and cosmologists both describe the universe as energetically closed system in which nothing can enter from outside and nothing can leave it. This implies that the total quantity of mass an energy (Pudagal particles and conscious elements –souls) in the universe always remain constant. The conservation of universal consciousness or souls is behind the Jain concept of rebirth. Quantum physics like Jainism also believes in existence of universal consciousness but does not know how to connect it with life. Emerging trends in quantum consciousness may help scientists in future to associate consciousness with life.
Rejecting the concept of God, the Jain ascetics developed the science of creation and evolution of the universe using consciousness and atom as two basic building elements. These two basic constituents receive help in creation from three other basic constituents namely the cosmic space- Akash and Space Potentials –Dharma and Adharma. The basic law of creation is –Upneiva-Vigneiva-Druveiva, which incidentally happens to be the law of modern science know today as ‘Law of Conservation of Mass and Energy’. The second law -‘Jiva is created from Jiva and Ajiva is created from Ajiva’ has now become biologist’s law-‘Life begets Life’.
Finally the most significant contribution of Jain ascetics is their theory of ‘Evolution and not ‘Creation of the Universe’. Accordingly Panchastikaya Loka (Vacuum Quantum Fields) evolved in to visible Tri-Loka consisting of galaxies, stars, planets, plants, animals, human beings and all other possible species of animates and inanimate. Jain Agamas describe that all the five Astikaya Dravyas are Bahupradeshi, which means they are made of Space energy only. In other words, matter and all celestial bodies are created out of nothing. Akash Dravya or Space energy is the only source of everything.
Jain scriptures describe that a Paramanu (atom) is equivalent to one Akash Pradesh. Two or more Paramanu unite to form a Skandha (molecule). Skandhas aggregate in different geometrical shapes (Sansthan) producing all types of structures visible to human being. This Jain concept of creation has been vindicated first by Hoyle and Narlikar who suggested that one atom per year is created in unit volume out of nothing that maintains the density of the expanding universe constant. Peter Higgs in 1964 named the space as Higgs field and its space element as Higgs Boson or God particle that is the basic building element of everything physical. Thus modern scientific ‘Theory of Everything’ has its genesis in Jain philosophy, which states that ‘Akash Pradesh’ (like God particle) is the basic element of everything that has physical existence.
Regarding origin of life, Jain ascetics developed Theory of Karma (action/work) that explains how actions (phonons) bind with consciousness (electromagnetic field) to create life. Jainism believes that life in the form of Jivastikaya or knowledge field is eternal and under favourable conditions Karmic class of Paramanu (phonons) interacted with Jivastikaya and produced the first Jiva. It is not known how, where and when this accident occurred. But it surely appeared first time in ocean waters as Ekendriy Jiva or a single cellular organism Nigodh, which evolved in to multi cellular organism over a period of millions of years. The Karmic Evolution of Jivastikaya up to human being is today known as Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection.
It is generally stated that science does not believe in the existence of Atman or soul. According to Jainism Atman is Knowledge and Knowledge is Atman. Jainism insists that Knowledge is not created. It always exists. Can science deny existence of knowledge? According to Quantum physics, nothing exists without the information of existence. Knowledge exists in quantum fields and Jainism says it exists as Jivatikaya. Jain concept of Moksha or Nirwana represents a state of consciousness in which one can witnesses Astikaya Dravyas turning in to particles and particles building molecules and molecules getting embedded with soul to produce Jiva. This level of consciousness is called Kewalgyana which means Sidha is pure knowledge and nothing else.