Time and space in the Vedic Universe (The Intriguing Vedic Universe, ch.10)
Both time and space are constricting forces. They seem just like inexorable forces that we can't avoid, right? Not really. Actually, both can be bent. This is another interesting subject.
'The Intriguing Vedic Universe' was my first book on Vedic cosmology, explaining the mysterious universe described in the Srimad Bhagavatam. It describes not just the physical aspects, in a level of detail that rivals modern science, but also the metaphysical aspects, the missing aspect that is missing in the modern perspective.
Chapter 10: Time and Space in the Vedic Universe
In this material world, we live under the limitation of time, space, and physical laws. Time acts as an oppressive force, making us hostage to its influence. Sometimes there is not enough time, and sometimes time drags forever. Another restriction is space. We may hear about some distant place that looks particularly interesting, but we can't go there easily: It requires money, effort, time, and patience to do the trip. In other situations, the problem is the opposite: lack of space. Most of us would like to get a bigger apartment, a bigger car and so on.
We can see how both time and space are constricting forces. They seem just like inexorable forces that we can't avoid, right? Not really. Actually, both can be bent. This is another interesting subject explained in the Vedic literature.
Let's start with time.
Not only does time work differently in different parts of the cosmos, but time is also relative: It can be stretched or contracted practically infinitely. That's a point where modern science and Vedic literature agree.
According to the theory of special relativity by Einstein, the flow of time can change due to the influence of speed or gravity. Someone traveling near the speed of light, or living very close to a strong gravitational field (like a black hole) would age much slower than someone living here on Earth. For him, time would pass at a much slower rate. This can be empirically tested by sending clocks to space: a clock installed in a satellite orbiting the planet (and thus subjected to a weaker gravitational pull) runs at a faster pace than an identical clock on the ground. This is a phenomenon that is well studied by physicists and had to be taken into account during the development of the GPS.
Similarly, the Vedic literature explains that the flow of time is different in gross planetary systems and in subtle planetary systems. The practical implication of this is that beings on the higher planets don’t become old like us and things don’t degrade quickly like here.
For example, what is 360 days for us, is just one day for the demigods in Swargaloka, which is part of the subtle dimension. There, people live for 10,000 such years, therefore their lifespan equals 3.6 million earthly years!
Similarly, what is 8.6 billion years for us, is just a day for the inhabitants of Brahmaloka, the highest and most subtle planet of this universe, which is the abode of Lord Brahma, who acts as the architect of this particular universe. Their lifespan equals trillions of years of our time. Because their bodies and consciousness are so subtle, they live for a span of time that is, by our calculation, practically limitless.
On the other hand, time passes faster on the hellish planets. In this way, the souls that fall there pay their debts in a time frame that doesn’t interfere with their transmigration to their next body. One may stay for a very long time in hell, according to his perception, while just a few days will pass for us here on Earth.
The position of a living entity in the Universe is determined by his consciousness, therefore souls with higher consciousness are promoted to the higher planets, where they not only have access to better material facilities but are also less subject to the passage of time, while souls with lower consciousness are forced to live in the lower planets under stringent laws.
We can see thus that according to one’s level of consciousness, one is constricted by material laws to a higher or lesser degree. However, everyone who lives inside the material sphere is constricted, from Brahma to the smallest organisms.
There is only one place where people are not constricted by time: the spiritual realm. This is the place where there is no time. Everything is eternal, all Krsna's pastimes exist eternally and one has access to them according to his meditation, or according to the influence of the internal divine potency. This is a place where there is no past or future. Everyone just lives in an eternal present, centered on their relationships with Krsna. This is the place we can attain as soon as our consciousness is sufficiently purified.
The most interesting point is that life in the spiritual realm doesn’t necessarily imply a change in the physical location. It’s not so much about reaching a particular location, but a state of consciousness. The inhabitants of the spiritual world are continuously absorbed in this eternal present, constantly meditating on Krsna's names and activities. As we become absorbed in a similar mentality through the practice of the bhakti-yoga process, we have the opportunity of connecting with this eternal present, even while still technically living in this material world.
Time brings fear since we fear losing what we have. Even if we attain a comfortable situation in this world, we can't really be happy, because we will be fearful of losing it. We can't have peace and, as Krsna mentions in the Bhagavad-Gita, there is no question of happiness without peace. In the spiritual world there is no fear: everyone lives a life of bliss and knowledge, without fear of loss. That's why the spiritual world is called Vaikunta: the place without anxiety.
So, we understand that time is relative. It flows at different rates in different parts of the cosmos, and there is a place where time does not exist at all. If time is relative, what about space? It happens that space is also relative.
Higher beings are not only affected by time differently, but they also perceive space differently from us. For them, the Universe is a beautiful place, thriving with life, and everything is very accessible. What is thousands of light-years away for us, is just a vimana drive away for the demigods. They can go from one planetary system to the other just like we go to the beach. For them, space works in a completely different way than it does for us. Not only are the demigods less constricted by time and space, but they are less constricted by physical laws. They can fly from one planet to the other, create material objects, produce subtle nuclear explosions using mantras, and control the forces of nature at will, just to mention a few examples.
We can explore this point about space from the perspective of higher beings from two perspectives: How Krsna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can manipulate space, time, and physical laws, and how the same laws can be manipulated by ordinary mortals, like yogis and ascetics.
Let’s start with Krsna. As he mentions in the Bhagavad-Gita: kalo 'smi, “time I am”. Time is one of His energies, and just like all the other energies, time is completely under his control. In his pastimes, we can find many instances where he manipulates time and space.
In the Srimad Bhagavatam it is mentioned that when the gopis came to him at night, attracted by the sound of His flute, desirous of dancing with Him, Krsna made the night extend for the equivalent of a whole day of Brahma, which equals to billions of years!
Conversely, when he assumes the gigantic form of Maha-Vishnu to create the material universes, he makes the whole period of the life of Brahma as short as a breath for him. To properly appreciate that, it's worth mentioning that this is a period of time equivalent to 311.04 trillion years!
He can also manipulate physical laws at will, like when He lifted the Govardhana hill, nullifying the law of gravity. In this pastime, he lifted a huge mountain using just His small finger, with the purpose of using it as an umbrella to protect the inhabitants of Vrindavana from the rain. Ordinarily, it’s not possible for someone to lift a mountain (even if one would be sufficiently strong to do that, the mountain would crumble under its weight), but by nullifying the law of gravity, Krsna could do it in the most elegant way.
Not only can He manipulate time and physical laws, but he can also manipulate space. For example, when Krsna was present on this planet, he manifested the whole Vrindavana, the whole spiritual sky inside the boundaries of the earthly Vrindavana, which has a circumference of a few dozen miles. It's difficult for us to understand how an infinite space can fit into a finite space, but by Krsna’s will, it became possible. As he says in the Gita: pasya me yogam aisvaram: "Behold my mystic opulence!".
Similarly, the city of Dwaraka created by Krsna in the midst of the ocean to shelter the Yadu dynasty was a manifestation of the Dwaraka in the spiritual sky. Just as in the case of Vrindavana, an unlimited space with trillions of inhabitants living in palaces was manifested inside the boundaries of a certain geographical location of our planet.
Both Dwaraka and Vrindavana (as well as Mayapur and other sacred places) work as a kind of spiritual portals, where the material and spiritual spheres come in touch. From the outside, one could see the material Vrindavana, which had a limited circumference, but as soon as one entered the area, he would have access to the unlimited spiritual sky. Even nowadays this connection remains, and people who are advanced spiritually can see the spiritual reality when they enter Vrindavana.
Krsna's bending of space was also shown in the pastime of Brahma stealing the calves, described in the 10th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. At a certain point, he summoned the Brahmas of all material universes. Every Brahma was present in his own universe, just like our Brahma was situated in our universe, and in the Vedic literature, we get the information that the different material universes are trillions of yojanas apart. Still, all the Brahmas were put together in the same place by Krsna's mystic potency. Somehow, Krsna created an extra dimension, where all the Brahmas could be together, despite being separated by trillions of yojanas in the ordinary subtle dimension and an incalculable distance in the gross dimension.
Another example is Krsna showing the whole creation inside his mouth to mother Yashoda. To a mundane observer, Krsna was situated on our planet, which is part of a particular material universe. If Krsna was situated inside one particular universe, how could the whole creation be situated in his mouth? It's described that mother Yashoda could see herself and Krsna inside Krsna's mouth. Therefore, not only the whole creation was situated inside Krsna's mouth, but Krsna Himself was situated inside His own mouth! That's definitely a feat that our material brains have a hard time conceiving.
Apart from Krsna, even mundane yogis can manipulate space to a certain extent. These are ordinary mortals, like you and me, who attain supernatural powers due to their practice of Astanga-yoga or by other means. A yogi can stretch his hand and grab something that is thousands of miles away by accessing higher dimensional passages that bridge locations that are far away. Similarly, a yogi can become very big or very small by accessing features of reality that are unknown to us.
Such mystical feats are called Ashta Siddhis (the eight mystic perfections) and become available when an advanced yogi is capable of connecting with the divine energy, becoming thus a conductor for it. Just like a bar of iron becomes red hot due to contact with fire (and can thus burn, just like fire), or a piece of wire becomes electrified due to a connection with the power grid, a yogi becomes surcharged with mystical potency when he can successfully connect with the source of such potency.
These are examples that can be observed in this material world. If we go to the spiritual world, things become even more interesting. In the spiritual world, space (as a limiting factor) doesn't exist at all. All the inhabitants can freely go from one place to the other simply by their meditation. Everything is just one remembrance away.
Similarly, in the spiritual sky, there is no matter to be manipulated and consequently no physical laws. Anything can be created simply through one’s meditation, out of one's consciousness. The gopis don't have to spend hours cooking in front of the fire manipulating different substances to make a preparation for Krsna. Whatever they want to cook, is created simply by their meditation.
We can understand that, just like matter, both time and space are phenomena that affect only the inhabitants of this material universe. Although time and space can be defined as real in the sense that someone created and someone is experiencing them, both are ephemeral, not much more real than a game running on a computer.
We are not products of this material world: We are spiritual beings entrapped in a material experience. Our existence here in this material plane had a beginning when at some point in eternity we desired to come here. Becoming attached to the material energy, we have been forcing ourselves to remain here ever since. Self-realized souls are capable of seeing things in the proper perspective, and thus they become indifferent to this phenomenal world.
All the experiences that are there to be experienced in this material world are already created and happen cyclically. It's just like a computer game, where all the events in the game are individually created by the developer and displayed in a certain order to the player, creating an illusion of continuity. The player can't change the order or speed of the events, but the developer has complete control. Similarly, Krsna is not under the control of space, time, or any physical law. Just the opposite: he is the one who calls the shots. Just like the demigods see the universe differently from us, Krsna has a much higher perception of reality than even the demigods, just like he displayed when he evoked all the Brahmas of different universes in the presence of the Brahma of our universe. As the creator and controller of the whole material creation, Krsna has complete control over it, just like a programmer has complete control over his own software.
As long as we are in this material world, we are not only under the influence of time but also constricted in other ways. For example, our planet is spherical, so we can't leave it easily. If one tries to escape the planet by walking, he will just end up going back to the same place. Even when we send probes or astronauts to other planets of the universe, we can't find anything interesting there, because we don't have access to the higher dimensional realms. We may go to the moon or Mars, but we will find only rocks, radiation, extremes of temperature, and other inhospitable conditions. In other words, even if we leave our planet, we still can't leave our prison. Ultimately, not only are we imprisoned by these different forces, but our knowledge of reality is very limited.
So, accepting the idea that both time and space are relative, and thus illusory, what is real? Actually, the only thing that is real is consciousness. Reality is simply a manifestation of consciousness. By changing our consciousness we can change our reality. One with the appropriate consciousness can travel all around the universe, like Narada Muni. Having a spiritual body, he is not affected by material conditions, or even by distance, and thus he can freely move around the universe according to his will.
From this, we can see that although expressed in simple language, the Vedic literature brings us ideas that go much further than the most far-out science fiction. The universe is much bigger and more mysterious than we can imagine, and the key to unlocking its mysteries is the purification and expansion of our consciousness.