It is a Lecture based on MY ESSAY published in MY Book "Scientific Vision in Sri Guru Granth Sahib and Interfaith Dialogue. A comparison of Cosmological Ideas in Religion and Science is made based on Big Bang Model.
1. BIG-BANG COSMOLOGY :
Scientific& Religious View Points
H.S. VIRK
Professor Emeritus, Eternal University,
Baru Sahib, HP, India
2. Cosmological Ideas before Einstein
Aristotlian Ideas: Universe consists of Terrestrial and
Celestial spheres, following different laws.
Newtonian Ideas: Newton considered the creation of
the Universe as an act of God; Space and Time
appear as absolutes and the Earth occupies a unique
position in the Universe.
Gas-Cloud hypothesis: Kant and Laplace consider the
creation of the Universe out of gases and vapours
such as hydrogen, methane, carbon dioxide,
cyanogen and water. The planets and the sun were
created out of the same nebular gas medium.
3. Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity
and
RELATIVISTIC MODELS OF THE UNIVERSE
Einstein’s general theory of relativity presented in
1915, is in reality a cosmological theory. Various
Models were proposed based on this theory:
• Parabolic Model; Elliptical Model; Hyperbolic Model.
The three models of the universe start from a
condition of infinite density which is called a singular
state. The creation or expansion of the universe from
singular state is referred to as ‘Big Bang’.
5. Some Interesting Facts about the Universe
• Size of Universe = 80 billion light year
~ 1million billion billion km (0.76x1024 km).
• Universe contains 100 billion galaxies, each having
million-billion stars in it.
• Virgo Cluster has 1000 galaxies inside, some of them
are colliding.
• Black holes are present in the centre of galaxies.
• A star has a tendency to become a Black Hole if its
mass exceeds 5 Solar masses.
6. HYMNS on CREATION in VEDAS
• In the beginning was Hiranyagarbha, The Seed of Elemental
Existence,The only Lord of all that was born.
• The whole of this Universe is stationed in the Omnipresent
and the Omnipotent God .
• We see him in various forms.He brings to light all these
Worlds.Him they call the Kala(Time), Infinite, pervading the
Infinite Space.
• In this creation are held in balance the three regions,
terrestrial, interspatial and celestial, and the three divine
realms pertaining to body, mind and spirit, provided with
three eternal functions-physical,mental and transcendental.
7. UPNISHADIC VIEWPOINT
• According to Dussen there are four views of creation in
Hindu philosophy based on Upnishadas:
• Matter is eternal and Purusha (creator) has always been
independent of God. God does not create the matter but
moulds it into creation as a potter maketh the earthen pots.
• Purusha is the cause and creator of matter. But after the
creation, God does not interfere in its working and it
continues according to its own fundamental laws.
• God himself transforms into creation i.e., changing his
Nirguna form into Saguna form.
• Creation is a play of Maya. It is a mere illusion. Only God is
real.
8. Semitic Religions
• According to the Holy Bible, the creation of universe
is the manifestation of God. The whole process of
creation was completed in six days. The first book of
Moses, called Genesis, opens with the lines: In the
beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
• In 1650, Bishop Usher of Ireland calculated the date
of creation as 4004 B.C. according to the ‘Genesis’
story of the Bible. This date has been pushed back
by a long span that has elapsed since the appearance
of man on earth confirmed by recent archeological
find (Neanderthal man in Europe).
9. Cosmology in Sikh Religion
The truth of primordial existence of God before
the creation of time and space is also explained
by Guru Nanak in Japu:
Awid scu jugwid scu] hY BI scu nwnk
hosI BI scu]
Existed before the beginning of time and space;
Existed throughout the various ages in the past;
Exists in the present; and
Will exist in the future.
10. AGE of the UNIVERSE
According to the Hindu view, age of the universe is infinite.
There are innumerable Brahmas who are employed in the
process of creation. Each Brahma has life-time of 100 years.
On astronomical time scale the year is much bigger than our
solar year. Some of the units are given below:
• 1 Maha Yuga = S+D+T+K (Four Yugas)
= 432x104 Solar Years
• 1000 Maha Yugas= Kalp=Day=Night (of Brahma).
• 1000 Maha Yugas = 14 Manvantar + 15 Junctions.
After working out the above relation, we can get:
• 1 Manvantar = 71x432x104 Solar years.
13. • Guru Arjun, the fifth Nanak, describes the primordial
trance of God before the creation process starts as a
manifestation of God :
• For countless days, He remained invisible.
For countless days, He remained absorbed in Sünn.
For countless days, there was utter darkness, and
Then the Creator revealed Himself.
kyqiVAw idn gupqu khwieAw ]
kyqiVAw idn suMin smwieAw ]
kyqiVAw idn DuMDUkwrw Awpy krqw prgtVw ]
(AGGS, M. 1, p. 1081)
14. Big-Bang Cosmology in AGGS
• Arbd nrbd DuMDUkwrw ] Drix n ggnw hukmu Apwrw ]
nw idnu rYin n cMdu n sUrju suMn smwiD lgwiedw ]1]
KwxI n bwxI paux n pwxI ] Epiq Kpiq n Awvx jwxI ] KMf
pqwl spq nhI swgr ndI n nIru vhwiedw ]2] nw qid surgu
mCu pieAwlw ] dojku iBsqu nhI KY kwlw ] nrku surgu nhI
jMmxu mrxw nw ko Awie n jwiedw ]3] bRhmw ibsnu
mhysu n koeI ] Avru n dIsY eyko soeI ] nwir purKu nhI
jwiq n jnmw nw ko duKu suKu pwiedw ]4]
16. • For billions of years, there was nothing but
utter darkness. There was neither day nor
night, nor moon, nor sun, but the Lord alone
sat in profound trance. Neither there was
creation, nor air, nor water. There were no
continents, nor underwords, nor seven
oceans, nor rivers nor the flowing of water.
There was neither death nor time. There was
no Brahma, nor Vishnu or Shiva.
17. • When He so willed, He created the world and
supported the firmament without support.
He created Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and
extended the love of mammon. He founded
the continents, solar systems and
underworlds, and from the absolute self He
became manifest.
19. Experimental Observations
• Radio telescopes have recorded evidence
for various components of the expanding
Universe. Star formation out of the Gas
Clouds in the Galaxies is still going on.
Evidence of Supernova explosions,
Pulsars, Quasars, Neutron Stars and Black
Holes is provided by Radio telescopes.
22. God Particle (Higgs Boson) and Big
Bang Cosmology
• The discovery of Higgs boson will help us
understand as to what happened just after the
Big Bang, also known as creation of the Universe?
The Higgs boson will complete our description of
the visible matter in the universe, and of the
fundamental processes governing the Big Bang
since it was a trillionth of a second old. The Higgs
boson may have played a role in generating the
matter in the universe, and may be linked to dark
matter. It may even provide a clue how the
universe inflated to its present size.
24. Implications of God Particle for
Science and Gurbani
• If God particle is not there, the creation
process will not advance further and there will
be no life in the Universe. Big Bang created lot
of energy but material particles are created by
the intervention of Higgs field and Higgs
boson. According to Einstein’s famous
equation, E=mc2, the energy and matter are
equivalent and inter-convertible. How can we
use this analogy in the field of Sikh religion?
25. God is both Transcendent & Immanent
• It is clearly stated in Gurbani that God exists in
both nirgun (transcendent) and sargun
(immanent) states simultaneously.
srgun inrgun inrMkwr suMn smwDI Awip ]
Awpn kIAw nwnkw Awpy hI iPir jwip ]
The Formless is attributed and un-attributed;
And gone into absorption in the cosmic void.
Saith Nanak: He has made creation,
Himself on it meditates. (SGGS, M. 5, P. 290)
26. Analogy of Nirgun and Sargun
• The discovery of God particle can solve the riddle
of creation of Universe after the Big Bang but it
does not help us to understand what happened
before it or at the point called ‘singularity’. The
problem of ‘singularity’ faced by the Big-Bang
model of the Universe is solved by Guru Nanak by
bringing in God as the creator of the Universe.
God particle has provided a beautiful analogy of
transformation of nirgun (energy) state to sargun
(matter) state of the Universe.
27. Invisible to Visible (Sukham to Asthool)
• In Gurbani, God is also referred to exist in two phases:
subtle (sukham) and solid (asthool).
• nank s] sUKmu s]eI AsTUlu .
O Nanak, He is the subtle, and He is also the manifest.
(SGGS, M. 5, P. 281)
• riv rihAa srbt OaeI sUKm] AsTUl .
He is the source of life. He is all-pervading, permeating
all places;He is in subtle essence and manifest form.
(SGGS, M. 5, P. 987)
28. Can We Create God?
• The discovery of God particle is a step forward to
unification of fundamental forces, which may
lead to Theory of Everything (TOE).
• Guru Nanak proclaims in Japu, God is self-existent
(s{B;) and cannot be created:
TaipAa n jaie kIta n h]ie . Aap[ Aaip inr;jnu s]ie .
He cannot be established, He cannot be
created. He Himself is Immaculate and Pure.
(SGGS, Japu, P. 1)
29. Universal Message of Gurbani in SGGS
• Grand Unification of Forces in the Universe has
implications in the Spiritual realm. Let us HOPE
that there will be unification of all religions of the
World leading to Global Harmony and Peace.
Universal message of Gurbani is a panacea for
this troubled world:
• jgtu jl;wa riK l{ AapNI ikrpa Wair . ijtu wuAar{ xubr{ itt{ l{hu
xubair .
The world is going up in flames - shower it with
Your Mercy, and save it! Save it, and deliver it, by
whatever spiritual door U like? (SGGS, M.3, P. 853)