It’s
been thought for sometime that there may have been some previous
Universe that existed "before" ours. This is a difficult idea, because
in the Big Bang model, space and time were created in that initial
moment. But if Bojowald’s solutions are correct, it leads the way to
understanding this previous Universe. It was out there, everywhere, and
it contracted. Eventually it became an ultradense, ultrahot little ball
of space and time. At some point, it got so small and so dense that
bizarre quantum laws took effect — things like the Uncertainty
Principle, which states that the more you know about one characteristic
of an object (say, its position) the less you know about another (its
velocity). There are several such laws, and they make it hard —
impossible, really — to know everything about the universe at that
moment.
What Bojowald’s work does, as I understand it (the paper as I write
this is not out yet, so I am going by my limited knowledge of LQG and
other theories like it) is simplify the math enough to be able to trace
some properties of the Universe backwards, right down to T=0, which he
calls the Big Bounce. The previous Universe collapsed down, and
"bounced" outward again, forming our Universe. No doubt the physical
aspects of this previous Universe were somewhat different; the quantum
uncertainties at the moment of bounce would ensure that. It may have
been much like ours, or it may have been quite alien. In his equations,
it’s the volume of that previous Universe that cannot be determined.
How big was it? It may literally be impossible to ever know.go to story
We
welcome scientific knowledge. We don't say that scientific knowledge
should be stopped, but it should be utilized to glorify the Lord. Then
it is perfect. Otherwise useless. Means you don't get perfection.
Perfection is when you scientifically describe the existence of God and
His different energies, how they are working. And that is scientist,
real scientist. Otherwise, theories, you can give your theory, I'll
give you a theory... Temporary. That's all. So everything is there in Bhagavatam,
all knowledge, full knowledge. more
"I
offer my full obeisances unto the feet of Sri Nityananda Rama, whose
partial representation called Karanodakashayi Vishnu, lying on the
Karana Ocean, is the original purusha, the master of the
illusory energy, and the shelter of all the universes."
PRABHUPADA:
maya-bhartajanda-sanghashrayangah
shete sakshat karanambhodhi-madhye
yasyaikamshah sri-puman adi-devas
tam sri-nityananda-ramam prapadye [Cc. Adi 1.9]
Yesterday
we discussed about purnaishvarya, sankarshanakhyam, nityananda-ramam,
the Deity, the superintending Deity of the spiritual world. Here also,
anywhere, the master is Krishna in His different forms. So just like
for management we expand some secretaries, or personal representatives,
similarly there is good management also in Krishna's affairs. The
original person is Krishna, and His expansions, they are also as good
as Krishna, but departmental.
So we have discussed yesterday that in the spiritual world, Sankarshana
is the supreme manager. And so far the material world is concerned, the
same person is the Supreme, but His name is different, Karanabdhishayi.
In the spiritual world, the name is Sankarshana, and the material
world, the supreme superintendent is also the same person, but name is
different—Karanabdhishayi. This Karanabdhishayi is maya-bharta.
Bharta means husband. Just like a husband begets children in the
womb of the wife, similarly, all these universes are impregnated in the
total material energy, maya, by Karanabdhishayi Vishnu. That is
stated in the Bhagavad-gita: aham bija-pradah pita.
The
bija-pradah pita, the father, is the seed-giving person,
and the mother is receiving the seed, and then she is impregnated and
they develops the body. As we have got experience, the creation, the
creative energy, this is going on, the same process, everywhere. So
this Karanabdhishayi Vishnu—we have already discussed to some extent—is
the origin of this material creation. That, the scientists says,
that... I do not know exactly what is their theory, but so far I have
heard, that... There are so many theories. One of them is there was a
chunk, and from that, this material world manifest. They have no idea
what is material world or spiritual world. But in that way a creation
take place. Can anyone say what is the theory of creation? Can any one
of you say? What do they say about the creation?
TRIVIKRAMA: Their one theory is that there's a big chunk, and them from
that, everything else came.
JAGADISA: It exploded.
RUPANUGA: An explosion, a Big Bang.
PRABHUPADA: Eh?
RUPANUGA: A Big Bang. An explosion.
HANSADUTTA: There were some chemicals.
PRABHUPADA: So wherefrom the chunk came? That is not... That is their
brain fag, that they are simply trying to get everything from matter.
That is their material brain. But we see here that the origin is not
matter. Origin is Vishnu, Maha-Vishnu. So Maha-Vishnu is the supreme
soul, Maha-Vishnu. So we cannot accept such nonsense theory, that chunk
exploded. Where is the evidence that a chunk explodes automatically?
How nonsense theory it is. We haven't got experience. There is
explosion of big, big mountains when there is dynamite, and the
dynamite is given by some person. So how explosion can take place
without the hand of somebody else, some living entity? This simple
theory they cannot understand, that where is the evidence that matter
acts automatically? Where is the evidence? How you can say that there
was a chunk? Suppose there was a chunk. First of all, the question will
be: "Who made this chunk?" And then again, next question will be: "How
explosion took place unless there was some living being to explode, as
we have got experience that sometimes we explode, explode the mountain
with dynamite, and that is arranged by a living being?" So they have no
common sense even, and they are passing as big, big philosopher,
scientist. Then where is the evidence? Can anyone say? Is there any
evidence that matter explodes without a living being's touch? Is there
any? No.
PANCADRAVIDA: The sun. There are so many explosions are going on in the
sun every day.
PRABHUPADA: That is the same thing that, that vrishcika-tandula-nyaya
[Prabhupada here alludes to the fallacy
that just because baby scorpions are seen coming out from a heap of
rice it is assumed that the rice has given birth to the scorpions].
Explosion is going on, but behind that all these explosions, all these
transformations, is the Supreme Lord. That is here. And it is confirmed
in the Bhagavad-gita:
They
do not see who is behind this explosion. That is their ignorance or
poor fund of knowledge. We have got practical experience that no
explosion takes place without the touch of a human being. Similarly,
even there was explosion going on, but there is a touch of the Supreme
Being. That is the statement in the Bhagavad-gita. We are
seeing the explosion. Just like child sees the explosion. He does not
know that there, behind the explosion, there is a management of a
superior being. This is childish observation. Because in shastra
we see that behind everything the hand of the Supreme Being is there,
and by our practical experience also, we see that matter does not act
automatically without being touched by a living being, so how we can
accept this argument, that the explosion is going on automatically?
What is the evidence? There is no evidence.
So this is not... Besides that, we have to accept the Vedic injunction,
shastric injunction, not nonsensical theories. If we are guided by
nonsensical theories, then we'll never be able to understand how things
are going on.
panthas
tu koti-shata-vatsara-sampragamyo
vayor athapi manaso muni-pungavanam
so 'py asti yat-prapada-simny avicintya-tattve
govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami [Brahma-samhita
5.34]
You
can go on observing, one after another, by many, many years, many, many
years. Just like if you start your jet plane from here to see where is
the original cause, panthas tu koti-shata-vatsara, and go
on for many, many millions of years with the speed of mind, panthas
tu koti-shata-vatsara-... Millions and millions of years. And
panthas tu koti-shata-vatsara-sampragamyo vayor athapi. These
airplanes, vayu-ratha... Vayu-ratha means airplane. There is
airplanes. There are different speeds. What is the speed? The speed is
mental speed. Now their speed, say, eighteen thousand miles per hour.
But if there is question of mental speed, it is speedier than the vayu
speed. We have got experience. Many thousand miles, by your mind, you
can reach within a second. So with the mental speed, airplane, if you
start today and go for many millions of years, still it will be not
possible to find out wherefrom the explosion is coming. That's it.
So that is not the way. Therefore shruti-pramanam. Shruti-pramanam
means from the Vedic evidence we have to understand. Now, just like in
the Vedas it is said, jalaja nava-lakshani.
In the Vedas, all knowledge was there, all the living
entities described fully and with minute, exact quantity. Now, within
the water, we understand from the Vedic literature, there are 900,000
forms of aquatics. Now, the modern scientists, how many they have
observed or studied? But it is said exactly, 900,000. Jalaja
nava-lakshani sthavara laksha-vimshati. Of course, you cannot
enter within the water. But on the land, now different, and that is two
million. How many species of plants and trees, and that is two million.
How many the botanists have studied? Two million. Sthavara
laksha-vimshati. Even in your country, in your village, you'll
find daily some new vegetable. You see? So these are the Vedic
calculation. And not only that, there are different species of life,
and how they are working, what senses are predominant in each and every
life and everything is described. Everything is very minutely
described. Therefore, if we want to have knowledge, you cannot do it by
mental speculation. We should know that our mind is very, very limited.
Simply by theorizing, it is not possible. Therefore tad-vijñanartham
sa gurum eva abhigacchet sampit-panih shrotriyam brahma-nishtham
[Mundaka Upanishad 1.2.12]. So we have to know from the
supreme authority or the Vedas. Then the knowledge will
be perfect. Otherwise...
So original creative energy is coming from this Karanabdhishayi Vishnu.
This is confirmed in Brahma-samhita. Yasyaika-nishvasita-kalam
athavalambya jivanti loma-vilaja jagad-anda-nathah [Bs. 5.48].
The jagad-anda-
nathah... Here it is also said, ajanda. Jagad-anda or ajanda,
the same thing, or Brahmanda, the same meaning. Aja
means Brahma. So the Brahma is the head of this anda. It is
egglike. This whole universe is like an egg, anda. So as from
the anda, from the egg, a bird is coming out; similarly, from
this egglike substance, Aja has come. Aja means who does not
take birth like others, human beings or animals, but from this anda.
So the Karanabdhishayi Vishnu another name is ajanda anghashrayanda.
His whole body is producing universes. Ajanda-sanghashraya.
Sanghashraya means aggregate, congregation. Just like we have got
holes on the body, pores in the body. So we do not know even how many
pores are there in my body, but it is a fact. We cannot, even in a
localized head, we cannot count how many pores are there from which the
hairs are coming. Is it possible to count? And how many pores are there
in our body? This is a little body. And just imagine Maha-Vishnu.
Therefore His name is Maha-Vishnu. From His pores of the body, the
universes are coming. From His nostril, with the breathing, universes
are coming. So just imagine how many universes are there. The whole
body is full of potency to produce universes. And it is continually
being produced. Brahma, brahma brihatvad. Brihannatvat. This is
the creation. And how you can accept this theory that there was a chunk
and explosion and the universes became manifested? And these things are
being accepted. Mudha nabhijanati mam ebhyah param avyayam.
These rascals, mudhas, they do not know, and misleading... Andha
yathandhair upaniyamanah [Srimad-Bhagavatam
7.5.31]. These rascals are blind, and they are leading some other blind
men, and they are satisfied that "We have got all scientific
knowledge." That's all. That is not the way of scientific knowledge. If
you want scientific knowledge, then you should know from Krishna. That
is scientific knowledge. Jñanam me paramam guhyam yad
vijñana-samanvitam. Vijñana-samanvitam.
So we do not, I mean to say, become proud to have very, very scientific
accurate knowledge by speculation. We are not such people. We are
taught by the parampara system [disciplic
succession] that we are humble servants of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, and what our master says, we accept it. That's
all. We do not like to be foolishly proud to have full knowledge of
this universe, of this creation. We have full knowledge, but we
understand in this way. This is called parampara system. Just
like in the Vedas... Take for example the
Brahma-samhita. It is spoken by Lord Brahma. Brahma has got the
full knowledge. Tene brahma hrida adi-kavaye. Because the
full knowledge was given..., full knowledge of creation was given to
Brahma. We do not accept this nonsense theory that there was no human
being, and later on, they became gradually civilized, and for the last
two hundred years only they have got the intelligence, scientific
knowledge. We do not accept these nonsense theories. Our understanding
is: the first creation is the most intelligent human being, Brahma, not
that there was no human being, or any living being. No. The first
creation is the most perfect or intelligent living being. This is our
theory—not theory; it is the Vedic evidence. And he got full knowledge
from the Supreme, tene brahma hrida adi-kavaye, adi-kavi,
the original learned person, and then he compiled Vedas,
giving full knowledge, what he experienced. And the Brahma-samhita
is there—it is written by Brahma. And in the Brahma-samhita,
the Karanabdhishayi Vishnu is mentioned, yasyaika-nishvasita-kalam
athavalambya jivanti loma-vilaja [Bs. 5.48]. It is not that we
are accepting this verse of Chaitanya-charitamrita
author. No. It is confirmed by the Vedic knowledge.
This is the origin of creation, not that this chunk, or... No. Matter
cannot expand. Matter, when there is reaction... Just like explosion.
We have got experience that there is sometimes explosion like if you
mix together two chemicals, acid and alkaline, there is explosion for
the time being. But this explosion takes place when a chemist in the
laboratory mixes soda, soda bicarb, and citric acid. Otherwise, it is
not possible. So this is wrong theory that matter automatically takes
the explosion or something like that. Matter is handled by some
superior living being. Then it explodes or whatever you call. It
reacts. Otherwise, it is not possible. And because the living being
takes the superior position for explosion of matter or reaction of
matter, therefore in the Bhagavad-gita it is admitted
that the matter is handled by the living being; it is inferior energy.
Both of them are energies of the Supreme Lord, but one is superior
energy, another is inferior energy. That is the statement in the Bhagavad-gita.
Bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh [Bg. 7.4], this material
things, earth, water, air, fire, they are inferior energy. And Krishna
says, apareyam: "They are inferior. There is another, superior
energy." Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakritim param:
"There is another, superior energy." And what is that superior energy?
Now, jiva-bhutam, "These living entities." Jiva-bhutam
maha-baho. The superior energy is not produced by the inferior
energy. That is nonsense. The inferior energy is produced by the
superior energy. This is perfect. We have got experience that the
superior controls the inferior, not that inferior controls the
superior. Where you get all this idea? Therefore it has been described
as apara and para prakriti. And what is that para
prakriti? Jiva-bhutam maha-baho yayedam dharyate jagat
[Bg. 7.5]. The whole world is being manipulated by this superior
energy. Just like we have got experience that a human being, an
engineer, he is creating a skyscraper building, not that a skyscraper
building is creating an engineer. Where is this theory?
So these are all nonsense, simply nonsense, mudha. Of course,
we use this word mudha, and people become very angry, but what
can I, can we do? [laughter] The mudhas must be explained as mudhas.
And because the mudhas are going as intelligent, therefore
there is chaotic condition. So our Krishna consciousness movement is to
become intelligent, not to remain mudhas, and to expose these
rascal mudhas. That's this, our Krishna consciousness movement.
So you must be prepared. While making propaganda, expose these mudhas.
That is one of the service of Krishna. Don't remain foolish. Wherever
there is required, fight with these mudhas and tell them
rightly, straightforward, that "You are mudhas."
A.C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami 
Bad
Astronomy
- July 1, 2007 - PHIL PLAIT What happened before
the Big Bang? 
