HISTORICAL NOTES

Swami Vivekananda’s use of science to communicate spirituality*

Geethanjali Monto

‘Science tells us that water evaporates covering a study of Western logic; West- tional cult, prompts one to dismiss as
and turns clouds into rain bearing ones. ern philosophy; ancient and modern his- nonsense anything that modern science
And the same is mentioned in ancient tory of European nations; philosophy of has not discovered yet, or cannot com-
Tamil religious literature too … There is science, including the works of British prehend even it be truth based – direct
a verse in the Thiruvembavai, which and Austrian philosophers; empiricism, experience’.
talks of how sea water evaporates and covering the works of Aristotle, John ‘Science is nothing but the finding of
makes clouds heavy with moisture. Locke, John Stuart Mill, David Hume unity. As soon as science would reach
Again, scientists for a long time have and George Berkeley; rationalism, perfect unity, it would stop from further
said that the atom could not be split, until encompassing the thinking of Descartes, progress, because it would reach its
it was proved otherwise. But centuries Spinoza and Leibniz; German idealism of goal … physics would stop when it
ago, the Tamil poet Kambar wrote of the Kant, Schopenhauer, Fichte, Hegel and would be able to fulfill its services in
splitting of the atom in his Kamba Schelling; equality, fraternity and liberty discovering one energy of which all the
Ramayanam.’1 of the French revolution; and the positi- others are but manifestations . . .’ (paper
It would seem that our ancient sages vist philosophy of August Comte. on Hinduism, September 1893). Tapas
had an understanding of the working of Vivekananda was also familiar with elec- Datta compared this statement of
the universe, which modern science and trical sciences and engineering, higher Vivekananda with one by Stephen Hawk-
scientists have discovered and proved mathematics, fundamental physics, ing: ‘A completed unified theory might
later. This is evident in literature from astronomy and geometry. In order to spe- mean the end of theoretical physics,
the works of poets and writers. Swami cifically understand the brain and spinal though this is clearly not an early pro-
Vivekananda employed his understand- cord, he took a course in western medi- spect’. Vivekananda also spoke on the
ing of science to explain to a Western cine. Datta said ‘At the time when he unification of fundamental forces and the
audience about philosophy − using exa- first met Ramakrishna, Vivekananda was unification in chemistry.
mples and comparisons from sciences questioning everything about spirituality’. According to Newton: ‘The most
such as physics, cosmology, biology, In America, in the 1890s, due to social beautiful system of the Sun, Planets and
physiology and medicine to elucidate injustice and the impact of science, Comets could only proceed from the
vedanta and yoga. movements such as ‘come-outism’ were counsel and dominion of an intelligent
‘Vivekananda, Ancient Wisdom and taking place, and western philosophers and powerful being … God.’ But
Nineteenth Century Science’ was the were giving alternative views of religion. Vivekananda ‘rejects the concept of an
topic of a lecture delivered by Tapas During this time, when Vivekananda extra-cosmic God as the First Cause . . .’
Datta. Tapas Datta is an engineer and addressed his western audience on the (Tapas Datta). ‘The father of our psy-
silicon chip designer who retired early ancient philosophy and wisdom of India, chology, Kapila, denies the existence of
from his technical career to (fully) pur- he used his scientific knowledge to make God. His idea is that a Personal God is
sue his interest in philosophy and relig- them understand a foreign subject in a quite unnecessary . . .’ (Vivekananda).
ion, focusing mainly on the life and familiar language, namely science. Some ‘Thus we have matter and force. The
works of Swami Vivekananda. of the nineteenth century scientific topics matter, we do not know how, disappears
Datta’s speech comprised five sec- that he used were philosophy of science, into force and force into matter …
tions: (i) Vivekananda’s intellectual physical sciences and biological sci- therefore there is something which is nei-
preparation and delivery of content in the ences. ther force nor matter, as these two may
West; (ii) background of the Western On the scientific approach, Vivekan- not disappear into each other. This is
audience; (iii) nineteenth century scientific anda said: ‘In what are called the exact what we call mind – the universal mind.’
topical areas used by Vivekananda; (iv) sciences, people easily find the truth, be- (Oakland Enquirer, 25 February 1900,
logical flow and structure in Vivekan- cause it appeals to the particular experi- CW-8, p. 233). Tapas Datta said that:
anda’s speeches, and (v) conclusion. The ence of every human being. The scientist ‘this would be relativistic if we replace
following is a gist of Tapas Datta’s talk. does not tell you to believe in anything, ‘force’ by ‘energy’ – Einstein’s equiva-
Vivekananda had exceptional ability to but he has certain results which come lence of mass and energy proved in
comprehend, speed-read, memorize and from his own experiences, and reasoning 1905.’
assimilate. His intellectual preparation on them he asks us to believe in his con- Vivekananda had interacted with many
included Western philosophical studies clusions, he appeals to some universal eminent electricians like Tesla and Kel-
experience of humanity’ (intro to Raja vin. He compared electricity and psychic
Yoga, CW-1, p. 125). He also expressed currents, and discussed the propagation
*A report on the NIAS Wednesday Discus-
his understanding about scientific dem- of waves in space. He said: ‘Taking the
sion Meeting entitled ‘Vivekananda, Ancient
Wisdom and Nineteenth Century Science’
onstration and thinking, and scientific analogy of electricity, we find that man
held at the JRD Tata Auditorium, National laws. Speaking on the negative aspect of can send a current only along a wire, but
Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Banga- science, Datta said that, ‘Vivekananda nature requires no wires to send her tre-
lore on 13 January 2010. notes that science can become an irra- mendous currents. This proves that the

CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 98, NO. 5, 10 MARCH 2010 711

HISTORICAL NOTES
wire is not really necessary, but only our according to the moderns, human pro- developments of the 20th−21st centuries
inability to disperse with it compels us to gress will stop and the race will die.’ The which he could have used to his advan-
use it’ (CW-8, p. 162). Tapas Datta theory of ‘involution’ is offered by tage. But he anticipated some of them −
pointed out that Maxwell showed, in Vivekananda, as a better explanation. In by stroke of his genius − to discuss reli-
1864, the theoretical possibility of his introduction to Raja Yoga, Viveka- gious and philosophical issues in terms
propagation of electromagnetic waves nanda used physiology to explain the of scientific ones.’ On the interconnect-
through a vacuum, though wireless trans- nervous system and plexuses; he also edness of the Universe, Vivekananda
mission was discovered only later. used physiology in the idea of senses and noted that ‘one atom in this universe can-
Vivekananda used the laws of conser- sensing. not move without dragging the whole
vation in physics to discuss vedantic cos- To make clear the logical flow in world along with it’ (CW-3, p. 269).
mology and to prove his point against Vivekananda’s speeches, Tapas Datta Tapas Datta pointed out that Vivekan-
creationism. He also used the biological used a flowchart. Vivekananda asked a anda had recreated vedanta using science
sciences to put forth his views. Tapas common question such as ‘How or why and if he were here now, he would have
Dattta drew attention to the fact that absolute has become finite?’ and went taken great pleasure in the findings of
while Vivekananda accepted Darwin’s through a sequence of different view- science.
evolutionary theory, he noted, ‘The two points, hypothesis, inference, different
causes of evolution advanced by the paths of logic and conclusion, with clari- 1. The Hindu, 14 January 2010.
moderns, viz. sexual selection and survi- fications where needed. He also started
val of the fittest are inadequate. Suppose new thoughts such as ‘What are time, Geethanjali Monto (S. Ramaseshan Fel-
human knowledge to have advanced so space, causation?’ low) lives at D-215, D-type Apartments,
much as to eliminate competition, both In his conclusion, Tapas Datta said, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
from the function of acquiring physical ‘Vivekananda missed, by his untimely 560 012, India.
sustenance and of acquiring a mate, then death in 1902, most of the revolutionary e-mail: [email protected]

Department of Physics
Lady Brabourne College
P-1/2, Suhrawardy Avenue
Kolkata 700 017

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712 CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 98, NO. 5, 10 MARCH 2010