How does the Universe Run
Part-5
The matter
The pencils on your worktable, the electronics media which you are reading now on are the manifestations of, obviously of the physics. If you are aware with the basic science concepts then you may phrase the word precisely as matter or particles. but it is the world that comes to the light as we probe the most extreme realms of the cosmos from the Black holes to the Big Bang to the very heart of matter itself.
The word 'Physics' is derived from the Greek Physis meaning 'nature'; it is to say the study of the nature we live in and we experience. Its Sanskrit equivalent would be adhibhautika vidya (ಆಧಿಭೌತಿಕ ವಿದ್ಯಾ) objective knowledge, in contradiction to only as adhyatmika vidya (ಆಧ್ಯಾತ್ಮಿಕ ವಿದ್ಯಾ ), self knowledge. In Indian thought a material 'thing' is regarded only as an object of knowledge is primary and the object is secondary. Kannada, the father of Indian atomism, calls an object padartha (ಪದಾರ್ಥ)- the referent or 'meaning' [(artha) ಅರ್ಥ in kannada ] of a word [(pada) ಪದ in Kannada].
In these prophetic passage Vivekananda anticipated the holistic and mystical approach that modern physics has been compelled to accept today. Nearly a century after Vivekananda, we hear the bold confirmation of his ideas in the words of physicist Fritjof Capra:
[Reference : Modern physics and Vedanta
Author: Swami Jitatmananda
Publishers: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai, India]
Till the evolution of Quantum mechanics or up to the starting of 20th century or so every physical theories wondered around and perhaps would accustomed to resolve the mysteries behind the matter. Even the chief concern of 'Newtonian Physics' was certainly the 'matter' itself. Moreover the quest to unravel the element, you can say so, that is responsible for the very existence of the matter seems never ending then, since from the early century of Newtonian Physics to till to the Particle Physics of the current era. It seems very obvious that all the industrial revolution took place on our planet Earth on the basis of proven Newtonian Physical laws. Perhaps the 'Newton laws of Motion'.
What is the reality behind the matter? Is that the unfounded particle that we aren't capable to discover yet? Even though from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) of CERN situated at Switzerland? or from any particle accelerator? The question thought to be too metaphysical or unnecessary to the nineteenth century physicist. But the question regarding nature of matter began to be raised from the end of the nineteenth century and at the very beginning of the twentieth century. J. J. Thomson in 1897 found the Electron and the Proton by Rutherford in 1911. On considering these two particles Rutherford himself proposed the planetary model of the atom where the electron revolving around the nucleus consisting of protons. Latter in the year 1938 the nucleus of the atom is resided with another particle with no charge for it called neutron after it was found by James Chadwick.
Scientists of the beginning of the twentieth century, were struggling to explain some unusual properties of light. For example, especially the kind of light that obtained when gases when gases when they were heated on the glass tube. When scientists observed this light though a prism, they saw something they never expected. Yes, it formed pencil lines of light, when viewed through the prism, not continues spectrum that you see projected by piece of cut glass on your table but very distinct lines i.e. rainbow of light as pencil lines. It was quite mysterious to understand what was going on? And finally the celebrated physicist by the time Neil Bhor convinced that the solution to the mystery of matter at the structure at the atom. He thought that the atoms resembles tiny solar system with even tinier particles called electrons orbiting around the nucleus, much similar the planets around the sun. The conclusion was the electrons which revolve around the nucleus are confined to revolve at a specific orbit. So here it comes, atom is totally made up of nucleus of proton and electron revolving around with void space between the nucleus and electron orbits. Now we conclude about atom is almost nothing but a void space, and so we are, as we you, the objects [padartha (ಪದಾರ್ಥ )] are and even I'm made up of atoms. The void space is called in Sanskrit language as akasa (ಆಕಾಶ ).
In his complete works, Swami Vivekananda explains the existence as:
One atom in this universe cannot move without dragging the whole world along with it. There cannot be any progress without the whole world following in the wake, and it is becoming everyday clearer that the solution of any problem can never the attained on racial, or national, or narrow ground. Every idea has to become broad till it covers the whole of this world, every aspiration must go on increasing till it has engulfed the whole of humanity, nay the whole of life within its scope.
-[Reference: Modern Physics and Vedanta]
These were the lines delivered by the great Indian saint Swami Vivekananda at the Parliament of Religion held at Chicago in 1893.
The saint himself has explained the paradigm about the matter before the modern physicist could explain about the existence of matter after when they came across some unusual experimental results certainly the double slit experiment and another one as mention here in before.
Again in his complete works of Vivekananda we can point out this culmination of western physics in Vedanta as early as 1893 when the new physics of the 20th century had not even been dreamt of. At the Thousands Island Park in New York he said:
Modern science has really made the foundation of religion strong. That the whole universe is one is scientifically demonstrated. What the metaphysical call 'being', the physicist call 'matter', but there is no real fight between the two, for both are one.
The Physics is connected with metaphysics, that call matter is connected with mind, is one of the basic Vedantic truths. Vivekananda expresses it almost in the language of today's physics:
Physics is bounded on both sides by metaphysics. So it is with reason - it starts from non-reason and ends with non-reason. If we push inquiry for enough in the world of perception, we must reach a plane beyond perception. Reason is really stored up and classified perception, preserved by memory. We can never imagine or reason beyond our perception.
[- The complete works of Swami Vivekananda]
In these prophetic passage Vivekananda anticipated the holistic and mystical approach that modern physics has been compelled to accept today. Nearly a century after Vivekananda, we hear the bold confirmation of his ideas in the words of physicist Fritjof Capra:
Scientists will not need to be reluctant to adopt a holistic framework, as they are often today, for fear of being unscientific. Modern physics will have shown them that such a framework would be only scientific; it would be consistent with the most advanced scientific theories of physical reality.
[Ref: -The Schumacher Lectures, Ed.by Satish Kumar,
London: Abacus Edn., Sphere Books Ltd.,
Edition; 1982., pg no: 135]
So what is reality then? Is it any type of physical entity or the void space that we aren't configured yet? The modern physics may put the discussion in dilemma, but however the Indian Vedantic perspective can conceal of what actually the reality that all are, you are and I pursue in our most realistic view but in a metaphysical abundance. But however the modern science can't.
