Connection Between Quantum Physics and Upanishads — Coincidence or Reality?
Upanishads, also known as Vedanta, were written at different periods starting 3500 years ago. Vedanta is a school of philosophy in ancient Indian civilization out of the six schools of philosophy I discussed in one of my blogs. Upanishads contain the core philosophy of the society that prevailed during 1000 BC in the subcontinent and have many overlaps with civilizations like the Maya, Inca, and other native American cultures. These overlaps are also part of my ongoing study at the moment.
The uncanny similarities between Upanishads and Quantum Physics can be a coincidence in how we view it. This came through deep research, validations, and observations that philosophers realized then. Research methodologies are mentioned in the Nayaya School of Philosophy of the Six Schools mentioned above.
As a Physics student interested in Quantum Physics, I have always considered Schrodinger as the Guru. His wave equation is valid in both quantum and classical physics. What is valid in the Quantum world is valid in classical physics, but the vice versa is not valid.
Schrodinger often referred to Upanishads, Indian scriptures containing various concepts around Consciousness. Upanishads talk about Karma (laws of actions), cause and effect, real and unreal, creation and destruction, life and death, illusion and reality, physical and abstract, and much more, which find commonality with particle physicists often discuss. Upanishads cover 108 topics, each focusing on a particular area. It is widely believed to be an outcome of debate, discussions, research, meditation, analysis, and much more. There is no mythology or some belief system attached to it, but there are hypotheses, Q&A, agreements, disagreements, and conclusions. Thirteen of them are the main Upanishads covering the bulk of the concepts.
Upanishads believe that the world is made of cosmic energy. Everything it sees is a form of energy, but it indicates they all have one common source. It comes from “Brahman,” which means “Cosmic Universe or universal energy,” and our soul, “Atman,” is also a part of that energy, and so is every other entity you see. It says that you cannot realize nor understand that reality and the only way to understand is to negate everything, i.e., in Sanskrit, it says “Neti, Neti,” meaning “neither this nor that.”
Schrodinger often used the formula to explain his concept “Atman=Brahman”. He says in his book “What is Life?” and I quote, “From the early great Upanishads the recognition ATMAN = BRAHMAN upheld in (the personal self equals the omnipresent, all-comprehending eternal self) was in Indian thought considered, far from being blasphemous, to represent the quintessence of deepest insight into the happenings of the world.” Schrodinger then delves into the dilemma of plurality of consciousness and finds it absurd with the risk of attracting the wrath of many. The observed reality around us is felt the same, and hence, is there a shared consciousness that prevails and uses the concept of deception to generate the perceived plurality of consciousness believed by many? This is described as Maya (illusion) in Upanishads, making us see things differently.
The concept that everything is a part of Brahman (omnipotent Universal Energy), which drives everything in the real world, is analogous to the quantum theory of everything seen as a waveform, and every equation in the real world can be derived from one wave equation of Schrodinger. But this can be an irrelevant analogy if we miss the forest for the tree.
There are more. Brihadaranuiyaka Upanishad (one of the thirteen main) indicates that the Self “Itself’ is unknowable. Further, it says that the Non-Dual Self, as the observer of its projected Creation, is the knower of Itself. This is the ultimate reason that one cannot know the absolute because the self cannot see Itself. This takes the hypothesis further that the observer and the observed are the same and not just connected. A notable example of the observer effect occurs in quantum mechanics, as demonstrated by the double-slit experiment. Physicists have found that observation of quantum phenomena by a detector or an instrument can change the measured results of this experiment. Despite the “observer effect” in the double-slit experiment being caused by the presence of an electronic detector, the experiment’s results have been interpreted by some to suggest that a conscious mind can directly affect reality. However, what exactly changes is unknown unless we agree that consciousness is inherent. Philosophically and Scientifically, reality can never be known, and the observer and the observed are connected, but god knows how. See, the conscious mind can directly affect reality.
Upanishads delve deeply into the triad of Mind, Intellect, and Consciousness, striving to uncover incomprehensible mysteries to ordinary people, much like Quantum physics, which is difficult to comprehend. Schrodinger was not the only physicist who used to refer to Upanishads. Neil Bohr was the other one who said in his book — God is not one, “I go to the Upanishad to ask questions.”
There are scores of examples from Nikola Tesla and Robert Oppenheimer, who have also quoted about the Upanishads. Whether it is a mere coincidence of a few things that resonated or was there something by design, is not yet very clear to me. But the knowledge of nothingness, concepts beyond space and time, and the idea about consciousness and its connection to reality are attractive for any particle physicists searching for truth. Their keen interest surprised me a little.
I don’t plan on writing much here, but I will end with something the world needs to note. Consciousness has been an alien subject, untouched by science so far. The uncertain and vast future will revolve around understanding consciousness, replicating and experiencing it, and sometimes recreating it (machine consciousness), which may expose us to many unknowns — the annals of civilizations from the Indian Subcontinent to the Aztecs, the Mayans, the Incas and remaining knowledge of Pagans of Europe are holding an unexplored treasure of centuries of research across various civilization.
