Decoding Mohan Bhagwat’s Speech on Science and Spirituality

Of late, in a series of meetings: be it in the recently held Lok Manthan in Bhagyanagar-Hyderabad or in the book launch of  the book ‘Banayen Jeevan Praanwaan’, the RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat ji spoke on the crucial subject: science and spirituality.  “For the past 2,000 years, the world has been influenced by arrogance. Humanity has believed that knowledge acquired through sensory perception is the only truth, particularly since the advent of modern science. However, this perspective is incomplete. Science has its limits, and it is erroneous to assume that nothing exists beyond its scope,” Bhagwat ji said in New Delhi on November 26 at the book launch.

As a matter of fact, science deals with physical or sensory (that can be felt through human sense organs) objects that are present in the world whereas, spirituality  relates to the mind i.e. metaphysical or beyond the physical or of higher plane of intellect. Modern science seeks empirical evidence for any observation or world phenomenon. Religion, God, soul, re-birth, and even karma of people accrued through their worldly acts of good or bad are all super-sensory and cannot be objectively or empirically proved in this physical world. Then, are they in the speculative realm? No. Since science has no tools to validate what is said in philosophy, philosophy cannot be undermined. Modern science is of recent origin, whereas our cognitive mind science is ancient. It is non-empirical but  the mind appears to play only with itself and it has turned out to be the science of sciences, delivering the key to those laws of nature and the universe that are concealed by appearances. Shri Bhagwat also highlighted and shared that insight. That is the unique characteristic of Bharat’s Sanatana Culture, which involves introspection while observing the external world. In the Sarsanghchalak’s words, “By delving deeply into inner experiences, we have discovered life truths. There is no reason for conflict between this approach and science. Spirituality also adheres to the principle of ‘know before you believe,’ though its methods differ. In spirituality the tool is the mind.”

In this modern age, thinking has become chiefly the handmaiden of science due to organized knowledge. As a consequence—although in a positive direction—thinking grew extremely active and led to many modern inventions to make human life easier. The convictions of  science stem from empirical evidence. Ancient Vedantic philosophical thought goes beyond this realm. Hence, the Sarsanghchalak clearly elevates spirituality beyond the realm of science and says:  “Science has its limits, erroneous to believe that nothing exists beyond its boundaries”.  Much earlier a Nobel-winning founding father of quantum mechanics Erwin Schrödinger (August 12, 1887–January 4, 1961) expressed the same conviction.  Schrödinger reflected, in defence of what scientists dismiss as metaphysics — a realm of knowledge that lies beyond the current scientific tools and modes of truth-extraction, – that this dismissal says more about the limitations of the tools than about the limits of nature’s truths. 

Further Schrödinger elaborated, “It is relatively easy to sweep away the whole of metaphysics, as Kant (Immanuel Kant, influential 18th century philosopher) did. The slightest puff in its direction blows it away, and what was needed was not so much a powerful pair of lungs to provide the blast, as a powerful dose of courage to turn it against so timelessly venerable a house of cards.” The Nobel laureate Schrödinger goes on…, “But you must not think that what has then been achieved is the actual elimination of metaphysics from the empirical content of human knowledge… Metaphysics includes, amongst other things … the unquestioning acceptance of a more-than-physical — that is, transcendental … A real elimination of metaphysics means taking the soul out of both art and science, turning them into skeletons incapable of any further development.” Even as Schrödinger made his reality-reconfiguring contributions to science and its search for fundamental truth, he never relinquished his passionate curiosity about philosophy and the ongoing questions of meaning that kernel every truth in the flesh of consciousness. He was as drawn to Spinoza and Schopenhauer as he was to the ancient Eastern traditions.

Metaphysics aims to extend our use of reason beyond the limitations of the sensorily given world, that is, to eliminate the obstacles by which reason hinders itself. In this country, Bharat, the Hindus showed their faith by building the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, despite the rationalists and left-liberal leaning intellectuals questioning the rationale of the temple-construction. To the ‘common people’ the life and values represented by Lord Ram are paramount.

Bhagwat ji, touching upon “consciousness”, said that every particle possesses consciousness and is therefore pure. This understanding has allowed us to offer a holistic vision of life. Today, the world also requires such a perspective. His views concur with Schrödinger’s. Schrödinger’s worldview, derived from the Indian writings of the Vedanta, in that there is a single consciousness of which we are all different aspects. He admits this view is mystical and metaphysical and incapable of logical deduction. But he also insists that this is true of the belief in an external world capable of influencing the mind and of being influenced by it. Schrödinger’s worldview leads naturally to a philosophy of reverence for life. Similarly, many philosophers in the West have embraced the philosophy of the ancient Bharat. One among them was Maurice Bucke (March 18, 1837–February 19, 1902), the Canadian psychiatrist. He published a book Cosmic Consciousness: A Study in the Evolution of the Human Mind  that went on to influence generations of thinkers as diverse as Albert Einstein, Erich Fromm, Abraham Maslow, Alan Watts, and Steve Jobs.

Last but not the least, Nietzsche. Though he famously proclaimed that “God is dead”, such quotations often miss the broader context within which people tend to approach questions of spirituality today. It is said that Nietzsche himself clarified the full meaning of his statement in later writings i.e. in a passage from The Twilight of Idols, where he explained that “God” simply signified the supersensory realm, or “true world,” meaning that we are in an apparent (illusionary) world. Nowadays, we often repeat the practice of Yoga and meditation to get rid of the tensions of a stressful life. In meditation, one’s mind transcends the body and physical world. That gives tranquility. The Vedanta philosophy that explores consciousness pervading all the world objects has its roots in Bharat. It is to be understood within the country for people’s benefit and it is also the responsibility of Bharat to provide it to the world—this seemed broadly the message of Shri Mohan Bhagwat.

References:

1.   https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/science-has-its-limits-erroneous-to-believe-that-nothing-exists-beyond-its-boundaries-rss-chief-mohan-bhagwat20241126211852/

2.   https://www.themarginalian.org/2021/11/03/erwin-shcrodinger-my-view-of-the-world/?mc_cid=1f1f70eca6&mc_eid=1a7f0f4e6f

3.   https://www.themarginalian.org/2019/04/11/cosmic-consciousness-maurice-bucke/

4. https://www.livemint.com

5. https://www.livemint.com/news/rss-chief-mohan-bhagwat-science-faith-sprituality-indian-sanatan/amp-11732673040505.html