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Thread: Parallel Universes in Hinduism

  1. #1
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    Parallel Universes in Hinduism

    Namaste HDF,

    Recently I saw a rather artistic romantic comedy (I know, normally that's an oxymoron but bear with me) called Sliding Doors. The reason I say it's artistic is because of its overall plotline, or should I say, two plotlines: the movie is about a critical point in one woman's life where a seemingly small event splits her life into two separate timelines, in this case a pair of sliding doors on a subway train.

    This got me thinking - does Hinduism have anything to say about parallel universes and/or divergent events? Does Hindu thought allow for parallel universes to exist, allowing for "what if" contemplation, or does the law of karma impose a sort of predetermined fate for everyone and the universe?

    Are things meant to happen in a certain way, or is there an infinity of possibilities from certain points, like sliding doors on a subway train?

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    Re: Parallel Universes in Hinduism

    Dear friend ,
    Yes . there are multiple universes .At any given time same dramas unfold in different universes at different wavelengths ,with different values .Ours is not the only universe . But the validity of this statement gets proven only when time machine is invented .

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    Re: Parallel Universes in Hinduism

    Namaste Saswathy,

    Hehe, if only time machines were possible...well, actually they might be too dangerous to invent. But I was wondering if there's anything specific in Hindu scriptures that supports parallel universes? Or has it not been touched upon?

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    Re: Parallel Universes in Hinduism

    Dear friend ,
    The topic had been discussed in yogavasistha and other scriptures.

  5. #5

    Re: Parallel Universes in Hinduism

    Namaste.

    In Yoga Vasishta there you can find the story of Queen Lila and King Padma, which involves time travelling, different worlds, the relativity of space and reincarnation.

    You can read about it here:

    http://www.swami-krishnananda.org/un...sality_09.html

    It's really mindblowing!

    Pranams.

  6. #6

    Re: Parallel Universes in Hinduism

    Friends,
    First of all, Vedantic "Parallel Universe" idea is not "Exactly" what Physicists have reached right now.

    Vedanta says that the world is a figment of imagination. There are as many universes as there are imaginations. In Tripura Rahasyam there is an exceptional story... There is a whole universe created through imagination in a stone ! There is a Rishi's son who does that through meditation.

    There are innumerable such stories in Yoga Vasishta and Tripura Rahasyam.

    Physicists have two or three interpretations for the quantum phenomena ... one of them is the parallel universe theory while there are other theories that reality is defined only in connection with a conscious observer or some such thing [Roger Penrose , Road To Reality]. Both are ok with vedantic perspective. Vedanta is perfectly ok with both the interpretations ... or may be there would be a much closer interpretation ! We do not know how far science shall proceed here.

    The schrodinger cat which is in a box .... and when opened it may be alive with 50% probability and dead with 50% probability .... and the question : when i do not open the box [Measure the qubit involved in the experiment], what is its state ... sounds so much like our old zen koan : if a tree falls in a forest with no one around, is there a sound or not !!

    The multiverse explanation of the schrodinger cat paradox is that the cat is alive in some universes and dead in some others ... while measurement would decide which one it collapses to in our universe !

    and the consciousness style is perhaps [i am not exactly sure] that ... its undefined unless its measured !

    Science is really coming very close. Both explanations are fine from Vedanta perspective, since Vedanta has different approach and much deeper appreciation of Reality.

    Love!
    Silence
    Come up, O Lions, and shake off the delusion that you are a sheep

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    Re: Parallel Universes in Hinduism

    Paralllel universe can have different meanings. In Hinduism, a parallel universe is not an alternate reality. It's simply a universe that exists outside our own universe. The universe we live in is like an egg with a shell. When Vamana touched the edge of this shell with his toenail, it broke and water flowed into the universe. This water was caught by Brahma and on earth it flows as the Ganga. Outside this universe of ours there are countless other universes. They are all floating like eggs in water.

    This idea of multiple universes is now being adopted by string theorists. Some people might think that the ideas of the puranas are primitive explanations of our complex universe. But actually the puranas gives us highly advanced knowledge while modern science is just in its infancy and will never reach the depth of knowledge of shastra. If someone is interested in this knowledge, they should read the Brahmavaivarta purana.
    Last edited by Sahasranama; 10 August 2014 at 12:20 PM.

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    Re: Parallel Universes in Hinduism

    Dear friends ,
    science is still in the primitive state and the derivations of few with their limited perception is not the final authority on any and every issue.

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    Re: Parallel Universes in Hinduism

    Quote Originally Posted by Webimpulse View Post
    does Hinduism have anything to say about parallel universes
    Hi,

    One should be clear what one means by "universe". If the definition of the "universe" is "all that exists", then what is this parallel universe? If that parallel universe exists, why does not it come under "all that exists", which is just the very definition of the "universe" in the first place?

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