International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics

Volume 114 No. 5 2017, 1-11

ISSN: 1311-8080 (printed version); ISSN: 1314-3395 (on-line version)
url: http://www.ijpam.eu
Special Issue
ijpam.eu

Spirituality Through Mathematics

D. Meiyappan
Department of Applied Mathematics
Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering
Sriperumbudur 602 117
Tamil Nadu, India
email:[email protected].

Any one who has never made a mistake has never tried anything
new-Albert Einstein.
Abstract

Close correlations have been established among the basic

values of life and importance of spirituality through math-
ematics. What is the nature of life, how to have happiness
in our life, how to live rightly and how to realize the pur-
pose of our life have been explained through mathematics
and attempts have been made to find the solution to these
problems using spiritual values and mathematical concepts.
AMS Subject Classification: 00A99.
Key Words and Phrases:life, Spirtuality, God, Real-
ity, zero.

1 INTRODUCTION

In the universe everything has reason, but only few have the
insight and the foresight to comprehend the reason. When time

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comes, it will be revealed to everybody. So in this paper we try to

visualize values lying in mathematics. Without value based educa-
tion, our whole education edifice seems to be built as a castle out of
sand. Rajagopalachari P. [8] also says research must be oriented in
such a fashion that it is productive of human good will. Research of
Ram Chandra [10] in the field of spirituality shows how the value
in education can be introduced through the use of mathematical
tool. He writes:

In order to understand the conception of God or Ulti-

mate Reality, let us start with the stand taken by an
atheist, that there is no God. This is to say in mathe-
matical terminology, that no positive or negative value
can be assigned to it. The mathematical sign for that
which has no positive or negative value is zero or naught.
Now let the atheist be faced with the question as to
what exists. A consistent agnostic can doubt and deny
the existence of everything but not of his own self, viz.
that which doubts or denies. Speaking again in math-
ematical terminology it may conveniently be expressed
as one.

Look at the magical function of zero. As you go on adding

more and more of that which does not exist, i.e., zero to the right
side of that which exists, viz., one, it goes on swelling and multiply-
ing itself. There is hardly a comprehensible limit to this expansion
and the Upanishads have rightly characterized this expanded In-
finite as bigger than the biggest (mahato mahiyan). Then start
adding zero to the left side or negative side of one, with the func-
tion of negativating will, i.e., the decimal point. The addition of
more and more naughts will gradually bring the one closer and
closer to zero. Again there can be hardly any limit to this shrink-
age of the self and the Upanishads have rightly characterized it as

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smaller than the smallest (anoraniyan)(Ram Chandra [10]). One

may think that problems are coming from outside, but most of our
problems are coming from inside. This paper attempts to discuss
some of the major problems of human existence and relate these
existential problems with mathematical expression and dive deep
into mathematical correlation in an effort to get some insight in
their solutions.

2 MATHEMATICAL APPROACH

In our education system, major stress is laid on the technical

subjects. If one looks at it from one side, it is good, on the other
hand, it is not so healthy, because without proper understanding
of values, one may not use the knowledge gained through technical
subjects for the welfare of our society. So let us analyze some
of the problems faced in life and see how mathematics helps in
understanding the problems more clearly and gives clue to the right
solution.

2.1 COMPLEX TO REAL

Present life is full of complexity. Let us relate this complexity

of existence with the complex number in mathematics. In mathe-
matics complex number is represented by a + ib . In this expression
√
both a and b are real numbers and i = −1, because b is associ-
ated with i, it is called imaginary part of the complex number. I
√
(i = −1) in the human existence is associated with ego of the self.
Association of i with b (the real number), makes it imaginary part.
Similarly the ’present’ in our life can be related to the real existence
that is real part and past or future in our life can be related to the
imaginary existence that is the imaginary part. So it is the past or

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future which makes our life complex. So life can be made real only
when we live in the present.
When we take the root of negative number, it gives complex
(√ )
number −x2 = ix . In a similar way, if we keep on thinking
of negative aspect of our life then the life becomes complex, so
the above mathematical wisdom points that do not brood over the
negative aspect of the life, thus overcoming the complexity of our
life.
After understanding the real life, one can think how to make
that real life as a happy life.

2.2 DESIRELESSNESS LEADING TO HAP-

PINESS

All religions and also the spiritual science emphasize the need
to curtail the desire in pursuit of real happiness (Budda [2], Ram
Chandra [9], Tien Cong Tran [12], Vivekananda [13],). Let us see
how mathematics can help us in understanding this concept. Let
the happiness (Kamlesh D Patel [5]) be expressed as

N umber of desires f ulf illed

Happiness =
T otal number of desires
When all our desires, let us say we have ten desires for the
moment and all the ten desires are fulfilled, happiness factor HP,
total number of desires TD and fulfilled desires FD; if you divide
FD by TD and multiplied by 100 and you will get % of happiness.
If fulfilled desires exceeds TD then % will become more than 100%,
but when we say I have 5 desires and I don’t know how I have
20 desire fulfilled which are not mine, when our beloved child or
mother or father or wife or husband gives us something which we
didn’t expect, we don’t have the slightest idea and you receive it.
I did not expect it and you become so happy. So you did not

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have any desire for it, yet you received it, you become so happy
that that moment is very special but we spoil it because our other
desires were not fulfilled. You give me this but I wanted this also
and life goes on in such exchanges.
The fraction will increase by decreasing the value of TD,
that is, we will be happier if we reduce the number of desires. The
fraction value will decrease by increasing the value of TD, that is,
we will be less happy if we increase the number of desires. One who
has infinite desires will not be happy at all. On the other hand, one
who has no desire is happy at all times. The saints and children
are the only people who allow , so they are always blissfully happy.

2.3 INTEGRATING THE LIFE

This section relates thought and action of human being with two
variables and explains how it can be related with double integration.

2.3.1 Samskaras

Samskaras are impressions created by thoughts and actions. Sci-

ence says every action has a reaction in the physical plane. Spiri-
tuality says every thought and action performed with the feeling of
I, or consciousness of self, leaves a trail of subtle impressions in the
heart that becomes the seeds for future thoughts and actions which
again lead to formation of more impressions. Repeated impressions
of the same kind solidify into tendencies, and we become slaves of
samskaras and have to come back again and again into human exis-
tence to exhaust our samskaras (Rajagopalachari P. [6], Durai A.P.
[3]).

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2.3.2 Double integration

If the integrand is a function f (x, y) and if it is integrated with

respect to x and y repeatedly between the limits for x and y we get
a double integration.
By choosing the inner variable of integration x as mind (mind
is associated with thought) and the outer variable of integration y
as body (body is associated with action), one can recognize that
the function of thought and action, that is f (x, y) , represents the
samskaras of our life. So, the integrand f (x, y) is closely related
to samskaras of our life. Similarly, one can observe that the inner
limits are the capacity of mind and the outer limits are the capacity
of body.
The purpose of human existence is to achieve the original
condition that was prevailing before the creation came into being.
This can be achieved only if one removes all the samskaras.

2.3.3 Performing the inner integration

In the double integration, first we integrate with respect to the

inner variable of integration treating the outer variable of integra-
tion as constant. Note that in this process, one has to apply suitable
integration formula depending on the integrand . Similarly in the
case of integrating the life, one has to first integrate with respect
to mind (thought). Integration of thought means that regulation
of mind, which can be brought through the process of meditation
(Rajagopalachari P. [8], Ram Chandra [9]). It is obvious that in
this process the body is kept constant.
Further it is interesting to note that as we take the help of
an expert if we start research on a totally new subject, so also the
help of a capable expert (known as Guide or Master in spiritual
parlance) is very much important to remove the samskaras from

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us (Rajagopalachari P. [7]). Speaking mathematically, as we take

the help of integration formula in the double integration, so for
integrating the life, we take the help of expert (Guide/Master). As
we use different formula for different integrand, so also the different
caliber of Masters are required depending on the samskaras.

2.3.4 Performing the outer integration

Integrand in the outer integration is the resulting value of the

inner integration. Once the inner integration is completed, the
outer integration is very simple. Similarly, once the inner is purified
by the process of regulation of mind then it will be very easy to
implement the inner values to reflect outward in action.

2.3.5 Change of order of integration

In the double integration, whenever it is very difficult to inte-

grate with respect to the inner variable of integration, we will use
the technique called change of order of integration. Similarly, if our
samskaras are so hard then it is not possible to apply our mind to
do spiritual practice i.e., meditation. In such cases no formula i.e.,
no Guide/Master of caliber will help us. At this juncture we have
to undergo these samskaras by a process called Bhog (Clark Powell
[4]) that means we have to suffer physically. Now our inner vari-
able of integration mind has no role to play and the outer variable
of integration body undergoes the process of purification through
Bhog. So change of order of integration takes place naturally. We
see how nicely the change of order is taken care by nature.

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3 REALIZING SELF/GOD

The human existence can be expressed as summation of the sam-

skaras and Soul/God/Self. Man is bundle of samskaras (x). If
samskaras are removed (−x) from our existence then it amounts
to the mathematical expression zero (x − x = 0). That is, we are
left only with zero which is nothing but Soul consciousness or God
consciousness or Self consciousness.

3.1 WE ARE ALL ONE AND THE SAME

How can we understand that we are all essentially one and the
same? If we take God above us whatever may we be, big or small
(poor or rich), positive or negative, we will become one. In the
introduction we have seen that God is taken as zero. We know that
anything raised to power zero is one, i.e., a0 = 1 , where a is any
number. This idea of treating God as zero is supported by great
mathematician Ramanujan.

3.2 RAMANUJAN COMPARISON OF NUM-

BER THEORY WITH SPIRITUALITY

Abdul Kalam A.P.J. [1] has mentioned that Ramanujan used to

say An equation means nothing to me unless it expresses a thought
of God. For him the understanding of numbers was a process of
spiritual revelation and connection. In his investigations into pure
mathematics, he drew extraordinary conclusions that mystified his
colleagues, but were usually proven, eventually, to be right. He
opened a universe of theory that still today is reaping applications.
The landscape of the infinite was to Ramanujan a reality of both
mathematics and spirit. He would talk for hours on the relationship
he saw between God, zero and infinity.

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He spoke of the quantity two to the power n minus one

n
(2 − 1), explaining that it stood for ”the primordial God and sev-
eral divinities. When n is zero, the expression denotes zero, there
is nothing; when n is 1, the expression denotes God; when n is 2,
the expression denotes Trinity; when n is 3, the expression denotes
7, the Saptha Rishis”. (A group of seven stars called the Great
Bear ). And he continued with the idea that Zero represents Abso-
lute Reality. Infinity is the myriad manifestations of that Reality.
Their mathematical product, Infinity x 0 is not one number, but all
numbers each of which corresponds to individual acts of creation.
For Ramanujan, numbers and their mathematical relationship were
the measure of how the universe fits together. Each new theorem
he explored was one more piece of the infinite to fathom.

3.3 GOD IS ZERO AS WELL AS INFINITY

Spirituality says that God is smaller than the smallest and bigger
than the biggest (Ram Chandra 1[10]). He is present in all his
creation. Stephen Hawking (1988) has written about the creation
of the universe as

”At the big bang itself, the universe is thought to have

had zero size, and so to have been infinite hot.”

Infinite universe which we see now has come from zero size. Spir-
ituality says that God is there everywhere in his creation. Whether
the universe is zero size or infinite size, God is there. So we can
accept God is zero, as well as infinity.

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4 CONCLUSION

Mathematics has been so far used to formulate and solve the

physical scientific problems very precisely and accurately, but by
drawing the parallelism between mathematics and the inner exis-
tence of life, it has been amply shown how mathematical concepts
can be used to teach the values in life and subsequently give solution
to lead a happy and purposeful life.

References
[1] Abdul Kalam A.P.J., Address at the International Conference
on Number Theory for Secure Communications, Srinivasa Ra-
manujan Center, SASTRA, Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India,
20 December 2003.

[2] Budda, A Buddist Bib, Edited by D.Goddard Boston, Beacon

Press, 1996.

[3] Durai A.P., Basics of Sahaj Marg, Shri Ram Chandra Mission,
India, 2003.

[4] Clark Powell, A Sahaj Marg Companion, Shri Ram Chandra

Mission, North American Publishing Committee, USA., 1996.

[5] Kamlesh D Patel, Designing the Destiny, Shri Ram Chandra

Mission, India, 2016.

[6] Rajagopalachari P. My Master, Shri Ram Chandra Mission,

India, 1975.

[7] Rajagopalachari P., Role of Master in Human Evolution (Pro-

ceedings of the Seminar on Sahaj Marg), Shri Ram Chandra
Mission, Germany, 1986.

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[8] Rajagopalachari P., Religion and Spirituality, Shri Ram Chan-

dra Mission, Pacific Grove CA, USA., 1992.

[9] Ram Chandra, Reality at Dawn, Shri Ram Chandra Mission,

India, 1954.

[10] Ram Chandra, Sahaj Marg Philosophy, Shri Ram Chandra

Mission, India, 1969.

[11] Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of time: From Big Bang to

Black Hole, Bantam books, 1988.

[12] Tien Cong Tran, The Budda and the Way of Happiness, Infin-
ity Publishing, 2004.

[13] Vivekananda, The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda

Vol. III, Advaita Ashrams, Mayavati Memorial Edition, 1989.

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