Hindu Trinity : The three stages of evolution

Ever since my childhood, I have been hearing stories of the various Hindu Gods and Goddesses that our mythology boasts of. Gradually, it even sank within me that on top of all these revered deities are the three master lords known as ‘Brahma’, ’Vishnu’ and ‘Mahesh’. As I have always known, ‘Brahma’ is believed to be the very force why we all are here in the first place i.e. the “creator”. In other words, he is the one who started or rather starts it all, if we talk in terms of parallel repeating universes. ‘Vishnu’ who is worshipped as the more popular ‘Sri Krishna’ avatar is believed to be the “preserver” of the entire cosmos. He is like a source of an infinite divine energy pool which keeps the universe nourished. And finally ‘Mahesh’ or ‘Shiva’ who is the “destroyer” is the like a suction force who absorbs all matter or anti-matter to restart the cycle of creation once again. To summarize, they are the three prominent supreme forces which apparently control the whole universe and eventually mankind.

So it seems very logical to deduce that the tri-lords would be the most worshipped in Hindu households all across India. Although Krishna and Shiva do actually reside in the hearts of most, one would be dumbfounded by the fact that Lord Brahma doesn’t actually make the cut. There are very limited temples of Lord Brahma to validate this, most notable being the one in Pushkar, Rajasthan and few others in South India. There are even fewer manuscripts citing his life incidents or achievements. On the other hand, you might stumble upon more texts which reveal why he is rather not worshipped.

So why is it that the Father, the very architect of this cosmos is not revered as Krishna or Shiva. We can possibly answer it if we try to interpret Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesh in a sense which is more than just bookish. We need to understand the trinity by interpreting the purpose of human life through the eyes of Hinduism. Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesh is like a journey which starts the day you are born and continues till your last breath. Some people realise that they need to see light at the other end of this never-ending tunnel and atleast strive in search. Some blessed few even experience the ecstasy. But most of us just continue oblivious of the whole purpose; the purpose to realise the synchronisation of mind, body and soul. Lets’ try and comprehend this analogy.

Shiva is like our physical body representing the human form as perceived by the five senses. When Shiva is worshipped, it is essentially a salutation to the epitome of what you can achieve physically. No wonder that Shiva is even worshipped in the form of Shiva-lingam which indirectly depicts the sexual energy; the very reason for our physical existence. Described as a yogi with bare minimal essentials and comforts, he still possesses the power to destroy. This tells us that we humans need to control the fire within which when unleashed can wreak havoc. Our mythology portrays Shiva as easily appeaseable, even by “asuras” or demons, which is comparable to the ease with which we give in to our cravings and desires. This also depicts that attaining physical supremacy is probably the easiest to achieve. But again this is just one aspect of our analogy.

Vishnu is our divine soul within. It is like an elusive guardian angel; the protector. If we humans can perceive beyond our sensory organs to feel that sixth sense, then we can say that we have felt Vishnu. Portrayed in kingly attire, he dons a jewelled crown, a beautiful garland and silk attire. This depicts the royalty of the soul which is not dependant on whether the person is a prince or a pauper. His skin is the colour of the rain clouds showcasing the unison of purity and depth of the inner self. The ten reincarnations of Lord Vishnu depicts the infinity of the soul. His dramatic life as the Krishna avatar defines the various emotions and traits of that hidden energy within us. Not as easily appeaseable as Lord Shiva, he is rather disliked by asuras who clearly are depicted having impure souls.

Brahma is the one who resides on the top i.e. the mind. The Father or Creator as he is believed to be, he is even depicted as elderly and wise. His “all-white” attire and beard portrays the wisdom and maturity of the mind. The book in his hand depicts the knowledge. He has four heads unlike Vishnu or Shiva which shows how the mind can open up in all directions. The highest boon he grants is the “Brahmastra”, which is the ultimate weapon of destruction and cannot be countered by others. This tells us that mind is the ultimate resource with which one can rule this world and remain undisputable.

So the Hindu Trinity is not something we need to search outside, it is rather within us; the unison of mind, body and the soul. It is present in every single breath we take and every single step we take in the journey of our lives. But to realise this force we must be aware of it. Meditation works in helping this cause. It helps us to invoke this energy from the root of our body, through the subtle parts and up towards the mind to open it up and allow the divine knowledge to seep in much like the Kundalini concept. The last stage is when one can be considered to attain self-realisation. In other words, it felicitates the journey from Shiva, through Vishnu and towards Brahma.

This takes us back to our original question of why Lord Brahma is least worshipped. Since self-realisation is the ultimate destination one can humanly achieve, the last gateway to it is actually Brahma. What is very much within our potential is to strengthen our Shiva and Vishnu to strive for that last milestone. So it makes sense to worship what is especially within our reach. However, it is not impossible to reach Brahma, but we must evolve ourselves to do that. We must understand that we are born to undergo the three stages of evolution: the Trinity.

Kundalini : The Coiled Energy Reserve

Whenever you hear someone say, “Give it more than your 100%”, it rather signifies that the person wants you to give it your best. But literally speaking, can you really bring out more than what you are normally capable of? Most certainly not. Not unless you have a hidden energy reserve somewhere in your body which you can unleash anytime. But sadly this is not an age of superheroes where you may possess such supernatural powers. Supernatural as it may sound but such an energy reserve might be present inside each and every one of us in a dormant form, waiting to be invoked. Believed to be the residual power of pure desire, this energy is called the “Kundalini Energy”.

The word "Kundalini" is derived from Sanskrit which literally means “coiled”. As its name suggests, it is believed to be like a coiled-up sleeping serpent, hence referred to as the “Serpent Power” in a number of English renderings. In Hindu mythology, the knowledge of the Kundalini dates back to as old as the Upanishads. Over the centuries, its power has been advocated in one form or the other by notable spiritual leaders and saints such as Adi Sankaracharya, Gyaneshwara, Sri Ramana Maharshi, Swami Vivekananda, Paramhans Yogananda, Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, Sri Mataji Nirmala Devi and many others. It even finds mention in other religions like Sikhism, Islam, Christianity, Taoism and Buddhism.

The backbone of the Kundalini concept is interestingly our very backbone! This is because the human spine is believed to be not just the source of this mysterious energy but also the carrier of it. The source is the sacrum bone lying at the base of the spine while the carriers are the three major nadis or “nerve currents” known as the Ida, Pingala and Sushumna which flow inside the left, right and central hollow parts of the vertebral column respectively. When invoked, the Kundalini is believed to traverse a path of seven chakras or “psychic wheels” opening them one by one like blooming flowers. It rises from the Muladhara, or Root chakra up through the subtle Sushumna, and from there to top of the head merging with the Sahasrara, or Crown chakra. The final state has been experienced to be of infinite bliss and absolute purity where one attains what may be referred to as "awakening of inner knowledge". This in effect is comparable to the state of self-awareness in meditation.

To reach this final stage a period of careful purification and strengthening of the body and nervous system is needed. This is achieved using various ways as prescribed by different schools of thoughts. Ancient traditions have it that Kundalini can be awakened by a Siddha-guru through shaktipat which essentially involves conferring of spiritual energy from Guru to the disciple using sacred mantras or touch or the Ajna chakra (third eye). Some schools of yoga also teach that the Kundalini can be awakened through spiritual practices such as hatha yoga and meditation. Sometimes spontaneous awakenings may occur for no obvious reasons at all, triggered by intense experiences. Nowadays, Sahaja Yoga technique of meditating (by Sri Mataji Nirmala Devi) has been adopted worldwide by many for Kundalini awakening which results in a feeling of cool breeze across palms and top of the head after the Kundalini rises up the spinal column.

But what is the reason behind this mysterious “chill down your spine” which delivers an inexplicable feeling of ecstasy later. Researchers in the fields of psychiatry and transpersonal psychology describe a complex pattern of sensory, motor, mental and affective symptoms associated with the concept of Kundalini, sometimes called the “Kundalini syndrome”. Most notable work is a physical-physiological model developed by Itzhak Bentov who is noted for his published works on consciousness.

According to the model, while sitting immobile in meditation, the pumping heart creates micro-motions (mechanical vibrations) in the upper body stimulating an electrical loop circuits in the sensory brain cortex which oscillate at 7Hz (EEG Theta waves). This creates different bodily sensations starting in the toes and moving up the spine to the head, which signifies the Kundalini awakening.When these closed-loop currents pass through the limbic system, it stimulates the pleasure centres in amygdala thereby initiating the so called “kindling” phenomenon. This kindling tends to spread from the midbrain in an orderly sequence to hippocampus, the occipital lobes and finally to the frontal lobes. EEG measurements of the same depict an increase in amount of Alpha waves spreading from the occipital to the frontal cortex, while Beta and Gamma waves prevail in the dormant frontal area. Hence the whole brain begins to vibrate as a unit, generating coherent, high amplitude waves within a broad frequency spectrum. This leads to awakening of the whole brain.

Interestingly, there have been attempts by enthusiasts to explain the Kundalini using modern physics too. The theory revolves around the concept of superconductors which follow the “Bose-Einstein condensate” phenomenon. A scientist named Herbert Frohlich experimented that just like superconductors, living cells also depict a high degree of order and coherence when fed with extra energy. Likewise if the human brain has a sufficient supply of high-grade energy, the neurons tend to line up in the most orderly and condensed way. This is also called the neurological coherence. So when the Kundalini is awakened the brain tends to turn into a superconductor and the attention like a laser beam.

According to famous Indian writer and awakened master, Gopi Krishna: “The human reproductive system functions in two ways, both as the evolutionary and the reproductive mechanism. As the evolutionary mechanism, it sends a fine stream of a very potent nerve-energy into the brain and another stream into the reproductive region. By the arousal of Kundalini we mean the reversal of the reproductive system and its functioning more as an evolutionary mechanism.” Hence, though being a spiritual aspect, the Kundalini is inspired from the human anatomical pattern. No wonder, the four transverse ridges joining the sacral bone together appear more like the three and half coils depicting the Kundalini.

The various physical and neurological aspects of Kundalini are so vivid and intricate that they cannot be comprehended easily by everyone. However, what lies within everyone’s potential is to discover that hidden energy which can unlock the hidden subtle mysteries of the universe.

That's the Spirit

How often do we hear our parents say that we are becoming more atheistic and non-spiritual in life? How many times do we hear that we should devote more time in understanding our culture, our traditions, and our religious faiths? I for one, face this situation every now and then. Although I tackle such situations quite tactfully every single time, it often strikes me that am I really being one?

Being a Hindu and born to religious parents, undoubtedly I had to fold my hands and bow down before any deity whenever we visited a temple. Although Lord Krishna or Shiva never appeared before me to bless my sinned soul, I never ceased to do the same stuff time and again. Even now things are the same but at least science gave me a reason to believe that ‘You are not the boss around here’. Not that I have started believing that the boss or more precisely God necessarily has a form, but nonetheless the seed for the Big-Bang must have been planted by Him. In other words, it can’t start from just nowhere. Scientists have talked about anti-matter to strike a balance between the vast sources of energy in the universe but matter or anti-matter, everything must have an origin. In better words the state of ‘nothingness’ must have been disturbed by some force to break its equilibrium. That force can be vaguely described as God.

Now comes the very interesting question: are our ancient rituals and practices the right way to please the God or atleast feel close to Him? Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer, fasting and contemplation form the basis of probably every religion in this world. But what we forget is that they are intended to enable a person to discover the essence of their being; or the deepest values and meanings and not simply following what has been forwarded by the previous generation.

Let’s try and answer a very simple question to understand this better. Whenever we find ourselves in a religious place or a holy gathering, what do we do after folding our hands and closing our eyes?

• Say a little prayer or chant some mantras for that deity
• Request God to sort out the problems at hand
• Try to figure out how much donation should be fine
• Try to keep the mind off distracting thoughts
• Peek here and there to check if others are still bowing ;)

Since most of us fall in either one of these categories or multiple, we should ask ourselves if we really feel blessed and spiritual after all this. Honestly speaking, most of us wouldn’t feel it as this doesn’t change anything in our lives. So does it mean you have never been or can never be spiritual because after all, this is what you know and have been doing since childhood?

Well, surprising as it may seem, you already are spiritual. The entire physical universe, and everything in it, including all humanity, is a manifestation of Spirit. When we arrive here our knowledge of our true essence is hidden. Our journey begins only when start reading the signs towards the right path. This path doesn't necessarily mean abandoning your worldly possessions and sitting semi-naked beneath a tree in permanent meditation. What it means is accepting responsibility for our actions, and even our thoughts, conducted under our free will. To do this one must attain a higher state of awareness by tapping the maximum inner potential that lies within. This potential is the same energy that creates every single atom in this cosmos. So in essence, our thoughts and actions actually influence everything around us. Hence if we are spiritual we can influence spirituality in others.

The best way to experience spirituality is by considering it as the source of orientation in everything that we do, even our short-term targets and goals. If we don’t, we end up being less than perfect in our actions. This may yet yield the desired result but not in the most effective way possible. Your spirituality is hence a reflection of your conscious effort in every walk of your life. No doubt such efforts are applauded every now and then by saying “That’s the Spirit.”

Theory of Everything: In search of the 'param Brahma'

Physics has undoubtedly changed the way we perceive our planet and the mysterious cosmic hob nob which lies beyond. What started as Earth being the centre of the Universe centuries ago, gave way to a graceful notion of a heliocentric solar system by Copernicus. This was further authenticated by a genius whom we owe the very reason of why we don’t fall off the surface of Earth. Sir Isaac Newton as we know him and his famous apple can be credited for the idea which governs the gravitational forces of not only the things on earth but every single mass in the entire universe. Gradually with the emergence of electromagnetic and nuclear forces on the scene, physicists all around the world were faced with a new challenge to allow all fundamental forces and elementary particles (bosons) to be explained in terms of a single theory or in other words a ‘Theory of Everything’.

Going by the records, the first successful attempt can be credited to James Clerk Maxwell who showed that electricity and magnetism were actually different manifestations of the same underlying phenomenon – electromagnetism. Later, Einstein explained that gravity (under theory of general relativity) and electromagnetism (under theory of special relativity) is a consequence of the unification of space and time into an entity we now call spacetime. Since then, physicists have successfully unified the strong and weak nuclear interactions together with quantum electrodynamics to form the Standard Model of quantum physics. However, the current obstacle to a fully unified field theory is to explain gravity with the above model of electronuclear force or in other words to unify quantum physics with general relativity.

Well as far as religion is concerned, there have never been any half measures. All major religions talk about one and only one true God, the unique force that controls the entire cosmos. Hinduism for instance is a colourful encyclopedia of millions of Gods and Goddesses but still describes the existence of only one supreme cosmic spirit, the param Brahma. The numerous gods may be considered as mere manifestations of the divine form which allows Hindus to respect its’ presence in any shape or size. And talking of shapes, according to ancient Hindu scriptures, all elementary composition in this universe is explained as:

Shatapatha Brahmana (8.7.3.10) - “Sun and rest of the universe are woven in string. What is that string that is Vayu." (Vayu here refers to ether which is all pervading)
Kathashruti (2.2) – “Vayu has entered the universe and taken the shape of every object in the universe”

These small little snippets which talk about strings as building blocks of composition are really interesting. Not because you can imagine all matter to be woven fabrics but because the foremost theory in present-day physics which is trying to pave the way for a unified field theory is – you guessed it right- “The String Theory”.

At its core, string theory uses a model of one-dimensional closed loops of strings in place of the elementary particles of quantum physics. Typically believed to have length of the order of 10^35 m, these strings vibrate at specific frequencies. The different levels of vibration of these strings correspond to the different elementary particles.

                                  Explanation for String Theory

However, to be understood completely this theory requires 10 or 11 dimensions and not just 4 (three-dimensional space and time). What’s more hard to comprehend is the belief that the extra hidden dimensions are curled up at micro levels. Now, not only is this difficult to visualize but mathematically impractical too because it would require an all new mathematical model to solve probably. However, the mathematical appeal is still a driving force for many physicists to pursue the string theory. Most of us might be aware of the involvement of notable physicists like Stephen Hawking and Michio Kaku in similar theories. But even if there is a possible solution or I should say an approximation to such theories in the near future, how are we to perceive the existence of that one unique force or field with our three-dimensional sight?

Roger Penrose, a mathematical physicist at Oxford University, believes that if a "Theory of Everything" is ever developed in physics to explain all the known phenomena in the universe, it should at least partially account for consciousness. Consciousness today is no longer just the purview of mystics like Deepak Chopra but scientists all over the world are seeking to explain how brain functions produce that illusion of a out-of-body experience. Some notable scientists like the late Francis Crick, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, and his colleague Christof Koch believed that different aspects of consciousness like visual awareness are encoded by specific neurons but there are many others with different views.

Since almost every religion talks about consciousness as the destination to the one absolute truth and meditation as the right path to tread, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that all our spiritual leaders have had their taste of the theory of everything in this universe. Perhaps physics can one day explain all of this. Or maybe on the other hand we might actually need a conscious mind to make sense of the pursuit in the first place.

Telepathy: Thy thoughts are mine

On a bright summer afternoon, while watching one of the Harry Potter series’ of movies, Order of the Phoenix, a couple of scenes made me start wondering. This happens wherein Professor Snape is instructed by Professor Dumbledore (a major protagonist) to give Harry lessons in Occlumency. However, Harry never made any progress in the skill, and as a result he was lured by Voldemort (the main antagonist in the film) through a carefully calculated vision he falsely believed to be real. Now, Occlumency as described in the movie, is the art of magically closing one’s mind against Legilimency, which in turn is the art of extracting feelings and memories from other person’s mind. Although the movie is a series of fictional events and characters, the concept of legilimency is closely related to what we describe today as Telepathy.


The term Telepathy is derived from the Greek words tele meaning "distant" and pathe meaning "experience". It is one kind of extrasensory perception which forms one of the many interesting topics of parapsychological research. Many studies seeking to detect, understand, and utilize telepathy have been done ever since this paranormal phenomena first became an area of interest. Although not a recognized scientific discipline, parapsychologists claim that some instances of telepathy are real. Some people also believe that technologically enabled telepathy, coined "techlepathy", "synthetic telepathy", or "psychotronics", will be the inevitable future of humanity. They believe that this will become the primary form of human communication directly connecting human nervous systems together with computers and with each other. However, a technique which shows statistically significant evidence of telepathy on every occasion is yet to be discovered. This lack of reliable reproducibility has led skeptics to argue that there is no credible scientific evidence for the existence of telepathy at all. After all, we can’t do much but simply scorn off at the very idea of brainwaves invisibly being controlled by a psychic who openly declares what you might be exactly thinking at the moment by possibly staring into your eyes.

It is however interesting to note that, telepathy finds a significant mention in the ancient Hindu scriptures. According to the Bhagvata Purana and Patanjali, “para citta ādi abhijñatā” or “Knowing the minds of others” is one of the five criterions or siddhis to attain perfect accomplishment in yoga and meditation. It is believed that telepathy was the first wireless telegraphy of the Yogis who used to send their thoughts as electrical messages with unimaginable speed. Their minds used to apparently work as transceivers deciphering the thoughts of others. From the knowledge of chakras it can be deduced that such mind to mind communication must be done through the pineal gland which qualifies as the sixth chakra. It is a small piece of nervous matter that is imbedded in the brain or hind-brain in the floor of the mind ventricle. It is an endocrine gland that is ductless and has got an internal secretion which is directly poured into the blood. Considered by occultists as the seat of the soul, the pineal gland is supposed to play an important part in telepathy by receiving messages. But is it really possible to empower the sixth chakra for telepathy?

One of the many scientific theories in this regard is the Montauk Project alleged to be a series of secret United States government projects conducted at Montauk Air Force Station on Montauk, Long Island for the purpose of developing psychological warfare techniques and exotic research. Various conspiracy theorists claim that experiments began in earnest from 1982 through to 1987-1988. One of the many experiments was the discovery of a “telepathic wave”. Their wavelengths depicted that while a telepathic wave behaved like a radio wave, it wasn't exactly one. Although it propagated in a similar fashion to that of electromagnetic waves and possessed like properties, not all of that fitted into normal wave functions. Some strange phenomenon which was part of the experiments on psychics included their minds getting jammed every day at the same hour. They just couldn't think effectively and were totally non-functional. Radio traces depicted that this happened whenever a 410-420 MHz cycle appeared on the air. When the 410-420 MHz cycle was off, the psychics would open back up after about 20 minutes. If this were to be true, then it seems psychotronics of some sort was already in operation. If our mind can possibly be comprehended using some freak telepathic waves, isn’t it possible that yogis could do the same with the power of their minds? Couldn’t they possibly have the ability to control the subconscious mind to receive messages or impressions and transmit the same to the conscious mind?

Let’s take a look at our normal everyday lives. If you are a pet owner of a dog, you might feel at times that without saying a word it understood what you were trying to impart. Same soulful communication occurs between infants and their mothers. Telepathy seems to be so simple and yet so intricate. We can but possibly tap some of its hidden powers trough meditation.

Time Travel : A Leap of Faith

The earliest account of time travel according to Hindu mythology can be linked to a king named Raivata also known as Kakudmin who went to the Brahmaloka to seek a suitable match for his daughter, Revati. Blessed with supernatural powers he was able to take his daughter along and travel up to the very plane of existence where Brahma the creator resides. However, this to and fro journey to the Brahmaloka lasted for 108 yugas and apparently thousands of years had passed by the time he returned back to earth. Despite the fact that there is no mention of fancy spacecrafts or the journey itself, it is however interesting to note how well the concept of “Time Dilation” has been described in the whole event.


Around a hundred years ago this event would have been considered by many scientists as a “Leap of Faith”, something intangible or improvable. But one fine day Albert Einstein with his “Special Theory of Relativity” on the structure of space-time decided to change a few perceptions. Time Dilation was one was the direct consequences of this theory. It can be illustrated by supposing that if two observers are in motion relative to each other and each carry a clock of identical construction and function then, the point of view of each observer will generally be that the other observer's clock is in error (has changed its rate). In simple words, it implies that a moving clock is measured to tick more slowly than an observer's "stationary" clock. Hence it is not impossible to rule out that if a person travelling at unimaginably high velocity away from earth decides to continue one way for two years before returning back, then during his entire journey of four years, a total of four thousand years would have actually passed on earth. Does this mean that king Raivata’s account could actually have been true after all?

Taking a look at the physical aspects of this journey throws a number of unanswered questions at us which are impossible to deal with. First of all, according to the formula for determining time dilation due to relative velocity, only if an object approaches 30,000 km/s i.e. 1/10th the speed of light does time dilation become noticeable. The effects due to relative velocity any lesser can safely be ignored. The closest we have come to this is about 1/4470th the speed of light when Helios-2 set the record for the fastest man-made object in 1976. Secondly, the amount of thrust required to achieve this velocity must be at least 750,000 times more than the thrust needed to propel an average space-shuttle. Thirdly even if achieve the above, under the special theory of relativity, a slower-than-light particle with nonzero rest mass needs infinite energy to accelerate to the speed of light. And achieving an infinite amount of energy is certainly not a sensible notion. Hence, considering the mathematical aspects of such a journey the possibility sounds almost unfeasible.

While physicists have produced some great ideas for time machines over the years, most theories of time travel don't rely on machines at all. Instead, time travel will likely be done by way of natural phenomena that will transport us instantly from one point in time to another. These space phenomena, which we are not even sure exist, include:

• Rotating black holes
• Wormholes
• Cosmic strings

Black holes have gravitational fields so strong that even light cannot escape. Kerr holes are considered to be a type of rotating black holes that could be used as portals for time travel or travel to parallel universes. In 1963, New Zealand mathematician Roy Kerr proposed the first realistic theory in which dying stars would collapse into a rotating ring of neutrons that would produce sufficient centrifugal force to prevent the formation of a singularity. Without singularity, Kerr believed it would be safe to enter the black hole without being crushed by the infinite gravitational force at its center. If Kerr holes do exist, it might be possible to pass through them and exit out of a "white" hole. A white hole would have the reverse action of a black hole. So, instead of pulling everything into its gravitational force, it would use some sort of exotic matter with negative energy to push everything out and away from it. These white holes would be our way to enter other times or other worlds.

Opposing the idea of rotating black holes, physicist Kip Thorne believes that there could be another type of tunnel-like structure existing in the universe that could be used for a time travel portal. “Wormholes”, also called Einstein-Rosen Bridges, could allow us to travel many light-years from Earth in only a fraction of the amount of time that it would take us with conventional space travel methods. A Wormhole is a hypothetical warped space-time which is also permitted by the Einstein field equations of general relativity, which states that any gravitational mass curves space-time. Thus it’s possible that masses that place pressure on different parts of the universe could eventually come together to form a tunnel. We could then travel from Earth to another galaxy and back relatively quic-kly (within a lifetime).

Yet another theory uses the idea of “Cosmic Strings”, proposed by Princeton physicist J. Richard Gott in 1991. These string-like objects that some scientists believe were formed in the early universe. These strings may line the entire length of the universe and are under immense pressure -- millions upon millions of tons. These cosmic strings, which are thinner than an atom, would generate an enormous amount of gravitational pull on any objects that pass near them. Objects attached to a cosmic string could travel at incredible speeds, and because their gravitational force distorts space-time, they could be used for time travel. By pulling two cosmic strings close together, or one string close to a black hole, it might be possible to warp space-time enough to create closed time-like curves and travel through time.

All these time travel theories suggest one thing for sure which is, that if King Raivata did actually travel to Brahmaloka and back then he must have passed through one such space-time tunnels. However, since he never returned back to his own period, the return journey must have been through a different tunnel which led to the creation of a parallel universe and he reached back ages after he actually intended to. But did he really know the art of exploiting space-time warps to reach the very center of the universe? Physically it has not been possible with our present scientific knowledge and most probably will never be for a long time to come but what seems possible is a virtual travel. Could it have been possible that Raivata’s journey to Brahmaloka was a spiritual one while he himself was physically present on earth? Also, could the time dilation have been his account of a peep into the future. Let’s understand the concept of meditation and try framing this again.

Meditation is a spiritual journey which allows one to reach the astral plane and still remain connected with the physical self sitting at ease on earth. In my earlier article on “Sound of the universe” I have tried to outline how ancient sages had the ability to harness their entire energy to sync up with the cosmic divine presence all around them. They had the ability to decode these cosmic radiations and subsequently decipher audio and visual information from it. Coming back to space-time tunnels, if scientists cannot yet figure out a safe passage through them to reach out to other galaxies, is it possible that light from these sources itself reaches out to us through these defined passages. According to the theory of relativity, light bends around gravitational masses in the space-time mesh. So the path of selection appears to be quite natural instead of a guided one. One doesn’t need to choose the path towards destination; rather it’s kind of going with the flow. Such continuous bends and tunnels may eventually lead the way to a receptor of choice as in our case King Raivata. So could he really demodulate the information riding on cosmic carriers from the center of the universe? Also I wonder the coincidence of passing of 108 yugas and chanting of the Om mantra 108 times as prescribed by our ancient texts. We might never be able to establish the true nature of space-time continuum or unleash the secrets of the universe but we can definitely experience the ecstasy of being closer to it by meditation.

The sound of the universe

It is perhaps the single most spoken mantra in a common Hindu household and can be seen virtually everywhere, an emblem for Hinduism, its philosophy and theology. The syllable pronounced as Aum is a sacred symbol in Hinduism representing Brāhman, the Absolute — the source of all manifest existence. Brāhman, in itself, is incomprehensible; so this symbol helps us realize the omnipresent. The Mandukya Upanishad which contains the pinnacle of the wisdom and practices of our ancient sages outlines the philosophy and practices of the aum mantra. The Sanskrit name for aum is pranava, to mean that it pervades life and runs through our prana or breath. In fact, aum is considered as the ‘pranava mantra,’ i.e. the source of all mantras. It is believed that aum represents the sound of the universe and the three deities in the Hindu trinity, the trimurti (”three images”), of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The vibration of the three aspects of A-U-M represents the fullness of creation.


It is interesting to note that there are several other interpretations of this syllable too. One translation suggests that the letter A symbolizes the conscious or waking state (jagratha-avastha ), the letter U the dream state ( svapna-avstha ) and the letter M the dreamless sleep state ( susupta-avastha ) of the mind and spirit. The entire symbol, together with the crescent and the dot, stands for the fourth state (turiya-avastha ), which combines all these states and transcends them. This is the state of samadhi . Another thought suggests that the letters A, U and M symbolize respectively speech ( vak ), the mind ( manas ) and the breath of life ( prana ), while the entire symbol stands for the living spirit, which is but a portion of the divine spirit. It has also been interpreted that the letters correspond to the three tenses - past, present and future - while the entire symbol stands for the Creator, who transcends the limitations of time. Although there are many other such translations which shed light on the various aspects of this sacred symbol, ironically there is no meaning of aum. It is actually not a word, but rather an intonation. It is the sound of the supreme consciousness. It is said to be the original primordial creative sound from which the entire universe has manifested. It is also known as the 'Anahat Nada', the "Unstruck Sound" which means the sound that is not made by two things striking together. It rather emanates on its own. It is believed that the whole universe, in its fundamental form, is made up of vibrating, pulsating energy and Aum is considered as the humming sound of this cosmic energy.

However, going by the philosophical explanation does not help in realizing the importance of aum in our lives. The effect of the chant must be felt deep inside by proper meditation .If repeated with the correct intonation; it can resonate throughout the body so that the sound penetrates to the centre of one's being, the atman or soul. For proper intonation, one must start with the "A" in the back of the throat. If done properly, it can be observed that the vibration is strongest in the solar plexus, representing the strength of the physical body and stimulating the third chakra and stomach, liver and spleen. The "U" is made in the front of the throat. It can be noticed that the vibration of this sound is strongest in the chest or heart region, representing love, passion and energetic aliveness and stimulating the fourth chakra and heart, lungs. With a long, slow, exhaling breath, one must bring the two vowel sounds together and end with the hum of the "M". Slowly and steadily energy starts shifting to the forehead or third eye region. This represents presence, mind, essence or soul and stimulates the sixth chakra and pineal gland. Chanting over a period of time makes one attain a state which is associated with trance-like mental, visual or imaginative state and possibly little or no sense of the physical body. A person may experience his body as an energy field or as body parts floating but not connected.

This whole practice helps us in slowing down the brain functions below the normal waking state but not to where we drift to sleep. In scientific terms this corresponds to decreasing the brain state from BETA i.e. 12 Hz or higher to THETA which falls between 4Hz to 7Hz. This magical chant works similar to brainwave entrainment causing brainwave frequencies to fall in step with a periodic harmonious stimulus which evidently qualifies as the sound of the universe as per our sacred texts. However, we are talking about very low frequency waves which would require an astronomically long antenna for reception. If chanting aum aligns our brain in resonance with cosmic vibrations then we ought to have such receptors virtually implanted in us from birth which is quite unimaginable. And even more unimaginable is the thought of such sound waves being present all around us and yet being received by a blessed few.

Interestingly, in September 2003, astronomers at NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory found what can be described as sound waves emanating from a super massive black hole. The black hole can be seen in the Perseus cluster of galaxies located 250 million light years from Earth. The frequency of these sound waves was measured as B flat. But this was not a B flat somebody could hear. It was 57 octaves below middle C. A piano, by comparison, contains only seven octaves. Hence if a black hole hums, it hums at a frequency a million billion times lower than you can hear. On a bigger scale this can be compared to the hum associated with the energy flowing across the entire universe after the Big-Bang. If it is argued that our brainwaves are capable of falling into some specific harmonics of this universal hum then a possibility of resonance cannot be ruled out. But to achieve this, the receptors we talked about earlier now probably need to extend across our whole solar system in order for our ancient teachings to be authentic. Our genetic blueprint gives us an indication that this might be possible too. The genome which is our total gene complement is contained inside the nucleus of each cell. The length of one complete genome is about six feet. Considering we have some thirty trillion cells in our body and we stretch out our entire DNA into one single line, it would circle the earth about 5 million times. Now that's a long antenna capable of receiving very low frequencies!

Is it possible that our ancient sages had the wisdom and capability to harness their entire energy to align themselves with this cosmic energy all around us? We may never be able to verify the veracity of the same using classical communication fundamentals or mathematics. But every human being who does believe in the power of this magical chant and meditation does realize how it helps us to heal our illusions, learn our true sense of being, express our soul and manifest the divine blueprint present in each one of us.