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The Sikh Bulletin m`Gr- poh 544 nwnkSwhI November-December 2012It is a pity that scientific and logical interpretation ofNanakian Philosophy embodied in Gurbani remainedignored by the Sikh scholars till the beginning of the20 th century. Nevertheless it was Prof Puran Singh[22], a Chemist, who first started to represent Gurbaniscientifically and logically. Then Dr Hardev Singh Virk[28-31], a Physicist, and the author [2-9] aMicrobiologist, followed Prof Puran Singh and startedon the path of interpreting Gurbani, scientifically andlogically. Later many Sikh scholars, even without ascientific background, started interpreting the origin ofUniverse scientifically but have not been able to do fulljustice to the vision of Guru Nanak regarding theorigins of the Universe. Even some conservativescientists have failed to explain scientific vision ofGuru Nanak.SCIENCE AND NANAKIAN PHILOSOPHYIt is a fallacy that science and religion are atloggerheads. Science provides new tools forinterpretation, clarifying and evolving religiousexperience, turning it into a dynamic force, instead ofstagnant, murky thought, lagging behind to becomeredundant clutter of meaningless rituals andsuperstitions.Science and Nanakian Philosophy are closelyintertwined with each other. Therefore, to understandNanakian Philosophy it is important to have the latestscientific information and a discriminating intellect(buiD ibbyk). Moreover, it is also important tounderstand the Methodology used by Guru Nanak toexplain his philosophy [Chapter 6]. In most of the casesGuru Nanak quotes simple science and logic andsometime cites ancient mythological work and rituals,prevalent and commonly accepted by the masses,thereafter leading them towards the explanation of hisphilosophy.He also uses many allegoric terms to make it easy forthe readers to understand his philosophy (to ease hisreaders into his philosophy). Another effective methodused by him is that he poses question first and thenanswers it according to his novel philosophy [23-26].The scholars, who would interpret his philosophy, haveto be very diligent, working with discriminatingintellect to distinguish the new nuances of hisphilosophy from the ancient mythological thoughtprocesses, allegoric expressions, and questions cited inhis philosophy.ORIGIN OF UNIVERSEScientists use physical and chemical methods todiscover the secrets of Universe/Nature while theProphets have divine intuition to reveal these secrets.All their conclusions may not coincide but theirobjective remains the same to explore the secret ofNature for the welfare of the humanity so thathumanity can live peacefully and harmoniously on thistiny planet, the Earth.The most important question discussed by the Prophetsand scientists is the ‘Origin of the Universe’. Thequestion has been answered in two different ways. Oneline of thought is that the Universe came into existenceby itself. The other line of thought is that there aresigns of designing and planning in the Universe(Intelligent Design); therefore, it must have beencreated by a Superpower.There are many theories about the origin of theUniverse but so far The ‘Big Bang Theory’ is widelyaccepted by many scientists. But many theologiansemphasize that theories propounded by scientistschange with time, therefore, science is not a stablefield. The irony is that they ignore the fact that theoryis theory not a fact. One must keep in mind thattheories are based on some scientific information anduse of logic; however, it will change as soon as morefacts are discovered. On the other hand they say thatGod has revealed the truth to the deities, Prophets,Gurus, and Bhagats; therefore, it cannot change.But one should be aware that scientists are also tryingto reveal the pathway built on solid knowledge toaccess the Eternal Truth sustaining the Universe andthe life on this planet, the Earth, in new ever-evolvingterms for the benefit of humanity. Therefore, scienceand theology should not contradict each other.However, it cannot be ignored that some religiousconcepts have been proven wrong by science (Chapter25).1. Big Bang Theory (Big Bang Model)The Big Bang Model is a broadly accepted theory forthe origin and evolution of the Universe. The BigBang theory is an effort to explain what happened atthe very beginning of our Universe. Discoveries inastronomy and physics have shown beyond areasonable doubt that our Universe did in fact have abeginning. Prior to that moment there was nothing;K. T. F. of N. A. Inc. 3524 Rocky Ridge Way, El Dorado Hills, CA. 95762 12
The Sikh Bulletin m`Gr- poh 544 nwnkSwhI November-December 2012during and after that moment there was something: ourUniverse. The Big Bang Theory is an effort to explainwhat happened during and after that momentAccording to the standard theory, our Universe spranginto existence from a single point around 13.7 billionyears ago (some say about 15 billion). What is thispoint and where does it come from? Well, to be honest,we don’t know for sure. For example, Singularities arezones which defy our current understanding of physics.They are thought to exist at the core of “black holes.”The ‘Singularity’ is defined as: The center of a blackhole at which matter is crushed to an infinite density,the pull of gravity is infinitely strong, and the spacetimecurvature becomes infinitely large [33]. One mustkeep in mind that the term ‘Singularity’ is also used torepresent other things. Our Universe is thought to havebegun as an infinitesimally small, infinitely hot, andinfinitely dense point. Is this point called somethinglike ‘Nothingness’ or ‘Singularity’? (Fig. 15-1)Scientist Stephen Hawking of Cambridge also believesthat the Universe emerged as a result of an explosion ofenergy [11]. In 1964 Arno Penzia and Robert Wilsondiscovered very high frequency radio microwavescoming from all directions of the sky. They believedthat these microwaves were the remnants of the “echo”of the Big Bang, which is still pulsating andreverberating through the Universe [27].This theory rests on the expansion of matter into space.There is no information as to how big our Universe isand how big is the space in which the matter expandedand is still expanding? If space has any limit, then whatis beyond that limit except more and more space? Whatwill the exploded matter eventually expand into andwhen will this expansion cease? Are there multipleUniverses?2. Nanakian PhilosophyI will not discuss the origin or creation of Universe inother religions since I am not an expert in thosereligions and will not be able to do full justification totheir thoughts/concepts. In this Chapter I will beconfining myself on the origin of Universe strictlyaccording to Nanakian Philosophy embodied in theBani of Guru Nanak, incorporated in the Aad GuruGranth Sahib (AGGS) [1] and would be comparingwith the present day’s knowledge of science.i) Sound / BangGuru Nanak has very clearly mentioned that Universecame into existence with one bang as follows:kIqw pswau 1 eyko kvwau 2 ]iqs qy hoey lK drIAwau 3 ]Aggs, jpu 3, pMnw 3.This phrase has been interpreted very literally by manyscholars as follows:Dr Sant Singh Khalsa [15]You created the vast expanse 1 of the Universe withOne Word 2 !Hundreds of thousands of rivers 3 began to flow.Dr Gopal Singh [18]One word 2 and the whole Universe 1 throbbed intobeing. And myriads of rivers 3 (of life) came gushing.Talib [25]All the endless expanse 1 of creation 1 arose out of oneNote 2 , giving rise to millions of streams 3 .Manmohan Singh [21]With one word 2 Thou didst affect the worldexpansion 1 and whereby lacs of rivers 3 began to flow.Prof Sahib Singh [24]God created the Universe 1 with one order 2 . God alsocreated thousands of rivers 3 with that order.Giani Harbans Singh [19]With one word 2 God created the Universe 1 , with thisword many thousands of rivers 3 came into existence.But if we keep in view the present day science and theMethodology of Guru Nanak used by him to expresshis philosophy allegorically, metaphorically andsymbolically then its interpretation would be quitedifferent than that of all the above writers. Thus itsinterpretation is as follows:The Universe exploded with one sound 2 (bang) andstarted to expand 1 , hereafter appeared many things 3 .(Fig.15-1).AGGS, Jap 16, p 3.Note:1. pswau1 (Pasao) means to expand.K. T. F. of N. A. Inc. 3524 Rocky Ridge Way, El Dorado Hills, CA. 95762 13
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