AISSQ12Hand Book

music and no wonderment. And we should have no science; not
only because science would thereby lose its chief attractions for its
own followers - namely, the pursuit of the unknowable - but also
because science would lose the cornerstone of its own structure,
which is the direct perception by consciousness of the existence of
external reality. As Einstein has said, you could not be a scientist
if you did not know that the external world existed in reality; but
that knowledge is not gained by any process of reasoning. It is a
direct perception and therefore in its nature akon to what we call
Faith. It is a metaphysical belief. Now that is something which the
skeptic questions in regard to religion; but it is the same in regard
to science.

— Max Planck,
Where is Science Going? (1932)

Science and Religion: There is no Real
Opposition Between Them

But mankind has a need of fundamental postulates for the conduct
of everyday existence, and this need is far more pressing than the
hunger for scientific knowledge. A single deed often has far more
significance for a human being than all the wisdom of the world put
together. And therefore there must be another source of guidance than
mere intellectual equipment. The law of causation is the guiding rule
of science; but the Categorical Imperativeóthat is to say, the dictate
of duty is the guiding rule of life. Here intelligence has to give place
to character, and scientific knowledge to religious belief. And when
I say religious belief here I mean the word in its fundamental sense.
And the mention of it brings us to that much discussed question of
the relation between science and religion. It is not my place here nor
within my competency to deal with that question. Religion belongs to

92

that realm that is inviolable before the law of causation and therefore
closed to science. The scientist as such must recognize the value of
religion as such, no matter what may be its forms, so long as it does
not make the mistake of opposing its own dogmas to the fundamental
law upon which scientific research is based, namely, the sequence of
cause and effect in all external phenomena. In conjunction with the
question of the relations between religion and science, I might also
say that those forms of religion which have a nihilist attitude to life
are out of harmony with the scientific outlook and contradictory to
its principles. All denial of life is value for itself and for its own sake
is a denial of the world of human thought, and therefore in the last
analysis a denial of the true foundation not only of science but also of
religion. I think that most scientists would agree to this, and would
raise their hands against religious nihilism as destructive of science
itself.

There can never be any real opposition between religion and science;
for one is the complement of the other. Every serious and reflective
person realizes, I think, that the religious element in his nature must
be recognized and cultivated if all the powers of the human soul are
to act together in perfect balance and harmony. And indeed it was
not by any accident that the greatest thinkers of all ages were also
deeply religious souls, even though they made no public show of
their religious feeling. It is from the cooperation of the understanding
with the will that the finest fruit of philosophy has arisen, namely,
the ethical fruit. Science enhances the moral values of life because it
furthers a love of truth and reverenceó love of truth displaying itself
in the constant endeavor to arrive at a more exact knowledge of the
world of mind and matter around us and reverence because every
advance in knowledge brings us face to face with the mystery of our
own being.

— Causation and Free Will,
Max Planck, Where is Science Going? (1932)

93

Spirit and Body

To think, to judge, to reason, to feel, to reflect and to will are
qualities incompatible with the nature of bodies and beings
invested with them must be of a different nature. Such are souls
and spirits. And He who possesses these qualities in the highest
degree is God. There is, then, an infinite difference between body
and spirit. Extension, inertia and impenetrability - qualities which
exclude all thought - are the properties of the body. But spirits are
endowed with the faculty of thinking, of judging, of reasoning, of
feeling, of reflecting, of willing or of determining in favour of one
object over another. There is here neither extension nor inertia nor
impenetrability - these material qualities are infinitely remote from
spirit. … It is asked, What is Spirit? I acknowledge my ignorance
in the respect and I reply that we cannot tell what it is, as we know
nothing of the nature of spirit. … This union of the soul with the
body undoubtedly is and ever will be the greatest mystery of the
Divine Omnipotence - a mystery which we shall never be able
to unfold. … These two species of beings are nevertheless most
intimately united and upon their union principally depend on
all the wonders of the world, which are the delight of intelligent
beings and lead them to glorify their Creator. It is certain that
spirits constitute the principal part of the world and that bodies
are introduced into it merely to serve them.

— Leonhard Euler,
Letter dated, November 29, 1760.

94

Mystery behind Scientific Discoveries

The role of inspiration and intuition in
scientific discoveries

Charles H. Townes (1915 - 2015)

Known for his work in microwave spectroscopy, nuclear and molecular
structure, quantum electronics, radio astronomy, and infrared astronomy.
In addition to the Nobel Prize for his role in the invention of the maser and

the laser, Townes received the Templeton Prize for contributions to the
understanding of religion.

The invention of the Laser:

I had been working hard to get shorter wavelengths.

Specifically, I was thinking about it for a long time and tried
many ways but could not succeed. … Suddenly the idea came
— that it is possible by using non-thermal molecules. … Then I
wrote it down. That was the moment of inspiration. Yes, true!
Where did the idea come from? I had thought and tried hard to
get a broad idea. Then suddenly it occurred and I would like to

say that the inspiration came from God.

— Charles H. Townes

96

Henri Poincare (1854 – 1912)

A French mathematician, theoretical physicist, engineer and a philosopher
of science. Poincare became the first person to discover a chaotic

deterministic system, which laid the foundations of modern chaos theory.
He is also considered to be one of the founders of the field of topology.

His first great discovery, the theory of fuchsian
functions and fuchsian groups:

One morning, walking on the bluff,”... “the idea came to me,

with... brevity, suddenness and immediate certainty. ... Most
striking at first is this appearance of sudden illumination,
a manifest sign of long, unconscious prior work. The role of
unconscious work in mathematical invention appears to me

incontestable.
— Henri Poincare

97

Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777 – 1855)

One of the most influential mathematicians, who contributed significantly
to many fields, including number theory, algebra, statistics, analysis,

differential geometry, geodesy, geophysics, electrostatics, astronomy, matrix
theory and optics.

An arithmetical theorem which he was unsuccessfully
trying to prove for years:

Finally, two days ago, I succeeded, not on account of my painful

efforts, but by the grace of God. Like a sudden flash of lightning,
the riddle happened to be solved. I myself cannot say what was
the conducting thread which connected what I previously knew

with what made my success possible.
— Carl Friedrich Gauss

98

Friedrich Kekule (1829 – 1896)

A organic chemist, who was the principal founder of the theory of chemical
structure. Kekule's most famous work was on the structure of benzene.

He discovered the ring shape of the
benzene molecule:

I was sitting writing on my textbook but the work did not

progress; my thoughts were elsewhere. I turned my chair to the
fire and dozed. Again the atoms were gambolling before my
eyes.... But look! What was that? One of the snakes had seized
hold of its own tail, and the form whirled mockingly before my
eyes. As if by a flash of lightning I awoke; and this time also I
spent the rest of the night in working out the consequences of the

hypothesis.
— Friedrich Kekule

99

AndrÊ-Marie AmpÊre (1775 - 1836)

A physicist and mathematician who is regarded as one of the main founders
of the science of classical electromagnetism.

The circumstances of his first mathematical
discovery:

I gave a shout of joy.... It was seven years ago I proposed to

myself a problem which I have not been able to solve directly, but
for which I had found by chance a solution, and knew that it was
correct, without being able to prove it.... At last, I do not know
how, I found it, together with a large number of curious and new

considerations concerning the theory of probability.
— AndrÊ-Marie AmpÊre

100

Otto Loewi (1873 – 1961)

Well-known as "Father of Neuroscience". Received the Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine in 1936 for his discovery of the first chemical

neurotransmitter—acetylcholine.

The idea of the experiment demonstrating
chemical transmission of nerve action

The night before Easter Sunday of that year I awoke, turned on

the light, and jotted down a few notes on a tiny slip of paper. Then
I fell asleep again. It occurred to me at 6 o’clock in the morning that
during the night I had written down something most important,
but I was unable to decipher the scrawl. The next night, at 3 o’clock,
the idea returned. It was the design of an experiment to determine
whether or not the hypothesis of chemical transmission that I had

uttered 17 years ago was correct.
— Otto Loewi

101

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Chairman: Sri Vasudeva Rao, President, BI, Kolkata
Co-Chairman: Prof. Prabhat Kumar Singh, IIT (BHU), Varanasi
Convenor: Dr. Debashis Khan, IIT (BHU), Varanasi
Vice Chairmen: Prof. Ramgopal Uppaluri, IIT Guwahati;
Dr. Ramjee Repaka, IIT Ropar; Dr. Hare Krishna Mohanta, BITS Pilani; Prof. Suhas
Chavan, ISR, Navi Mumbai; Sri Prabhakar Ballapalle, BI, Bangalore; Sri Srinivas
Renjarla, BI, Hyderabad
Secretary: Sri Jitun Kumar Dhal, BI, Bhubaneswar
Joint Secretaries: Sri Siddhartha Tiwari, IGIT, Sarang; Dr. Jnana Ranjan Senapati,
NIT Rourkela; Sri Avinash Kumar, BI, Kolkata;
Sri Sushant Sharma, BI, Kolkata; Sri Ankur Thareja, BI, Karnal;
Sri C. R. Seshadri, President-Metal Power

ADVISORS

Sri Varun Agarwal, Director, BI, Kolkata (Executive Advisor); Dr. Jayanti Ranganathan Chavan,
President, ISR, Navi Mumbai; Prof. R. Kornberg, Nobel Laureate (Chemistry); Prof. W. Arber,
Nobel Laureate (Physiology or Medicine); Prof. B.M. Hegde (Padma Vibhushan), Ex. VC, Manipal
University; Prof. Bikash Sinha (Padma Bhushan), Ex-Director, Saha Inst of Nuclear Physics &
VECC; Dr. V. K. Saraswat (Padam Bhushan), Member, NITI Aayog, Former Secretary, Defence
R&D; Dr. K. Harinarayana (Padma Shri), Ex-Distinguished Scientist, DRDO; Dr. Girish Sahni, Ex-
Director General, CSIR, New Delhi; Prof. R. V. Rajakumar, Director, IIT Bhubaneswar; Prof. P.B.
Sharma, VC, Amity University, Gurgaon; Prof. A. Mahapatra, Ex-Director, AIIMS, Bhubaneswar;
Smt. Rupa Dash, CEO, World Woman Foundation, USA; Prof. A.K. Mukhopadhyay, AIIMS (retired),
New Delhi; Prof. V. S. Ramamurthy (Padma Bhusan), Ex-Director, NIAS, Bangalore; Prof. Damodar
Acharya, Ex-Director, IIT Kharagpur; Prof. M. C. Misra, Ex-VC, MGUMST, Jaipur; Dr. Nanda
Kishore Garg, Chancellor, Maharaja Agrasen University, Himachal Pradesh; Prof. K. K. Dewan,
Ex-VC, Noida International University, Noida; Prof. D. S. Chauhan, Pro Chancellor, GLA University,
Mathura; Dr. B.D. Mundhra, Chairman Emeritus, Simplex Infra. Ltd.; Dr. H. P. Kanoria, Chairman,
SREI Foundation; Dr. A. K. Agarwal, Chairman, River Engineering Pvt. Ltd; Sri Prahlad Rai Agrawal,
Chairman and Executive Director, Rupa & Co Ltd, Kolkata; Sri M. Murali, Chairman & MD, Shriram
Properties, Bangalore; His Holiness Nirmalanandanatha Swami, President, Sri Adichunchanagiri
Mahasamsthana Math, Karnataka; Prof. V.K. Sharma, Vice President, HCST, Mathura; Prof.
Aditya Mohanty, Tripura University, Agartala; Prof. Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur; Dr.
Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT and KISS, Bhubaneswar; Prof. Sangram Mudali, Director, NIST,
Berhampur; Mr. Nitai Dhall, Silicon Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar; Dr. A. K. Naik, Registrar,
NISER, Bhubaneswar; Prof. N. R. Shetty, Chancellor, Central University of Karnataka; Prof. Vijay
Bhatkar, Chancellor, Nalanda University; Prof. P. K. Khosla, VC, Shoolini University, Solan; Sri
D. P. Tarenia, (IPS) Ex-DGP, West Bengal; Prof. R.K. Khandal, President, R & D and Business
Development, India Glycols Limited; Dr. Th. Dhabali Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, BABINA
Group, Imphal ... and many more

102

A bout

Bhaktivedanta Institute

The Bhaktivedanta Institute was founded by His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedänta Swami Prabhupäda in Vrindavan in August
1974. Çréla Prabhupäda was one of the greatest exponents of
Vedic culture in the 20th Century. He strongly felt that modern
civilization is completely misdirected by scientific materialism
and there is an urgent need to introduce the spiritual knowledge
and wisdom of the Bhagavad-gétä and the Çrémad-bhägavatam, the
essence of all the Vedic literatures, to the scientists, philosophers,
scholars and students of the world. He noticed that all the
prestigious academic institutions and universities of the world
were teaching many different subjects but they had left out the
most important branch of knowledge—the science of the soul.
He envisioned that this spiritual knowledge of life would help
restore an ethical culture for modern society. Thus, there would
be hope for bringing lasting happiness and world peace. He felt
that introducing this spiritual culture should be the contribution
of India for the welfare of humanity. Çréla Prabhupäda appointed
his disciple Dr. T. D. Singh (Bhaktisvarüpa Dämodara Swami)
as the director of the Institute from its very inception and left
several instructions to him to carry forward his vision.

103

The Bhaktivedanta Institute is a center for Advanced Studies
in Science and Vedänta and focuses on a consciousness-based
paradigm. This spiritual paradigm has a unique potential to
resolve the mind-body problem, the question of evolution and
life’s origin and many other philosophical and ethical concerns.
Thus, this paradigm will have profound significance for science,
religion, and their synthesis. One of the primary objectives of
the Bhaktivedanta Institute is to present this paradigm for the
critical attention of serious scholars and thinkers throughout the
world. As such, the Institute supports a closer examination of
existing scientific paradigms in cosmology, evolution, physics,
biology, and other sciences. The Institute also promotes scientific,
philosophical and religious dialogues among scientists, scholars
and theologians of the world covering various common
conceptual grounds of science and religion for the purpose of
creating a better and harmonious understanding among all
people. In order to achieve these goals, the Institute organizes
international conferences regularly and publishes books and
journals. Interested persons may contact the secretary of the
Institute at:

The Bhaktivedanta Institute,
RC-8, Raghunathpur,

Manasi Manjil Building, Fourth Floor
VIP Road, Kolkata 700 059, India
Tel: +91-33-2500-9018
email: [email protected]

website: www.binstitute.org, http://store.binstitute.org/

——

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Past Conferences

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Past Summer Schools

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Bhaktivedanta Institutes Publications

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Journal

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Online Courses

Bhaktivedanta Institute
Offers

Online Courses on
Science and Spirituality

ISSN:

Courses Offered Benefits

◆ Foundations of Science ◆ Intellectual Nourishment
and Spirituality
◆ Improvising Personal and
◆ Nature of Reality Professional Indices
◆ Personal Excellence
◆ Professional Excellence ◆ Inner Evolution and
◆ Philosophical Excellence Spiritual Enrichment
◆ Holistic Excellence
◆ Foundations and Applications ◆ Broader Thinking

of Science and Spirituality ◆ Resolution to Stringent
◆ Diploma in Science Challenges in Life Journey

and Spirituality

◆FOR MORE DETAILS ◆
WRITE TO

[email protected]

BHAKTIVEDANTA INSTITUTE Prof. N. C. Wickram
Director of the Buc
Promoting Dialogue between Science and Spirituality Centre for Astrobio
www.binstitute.org
Life — Is It a Gift
www.store.binstitute.org fom Outer Space?

REGISTER HERE

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Online Courses

Certificate Course on

Science and Spirituality

Online Classes
Every Sunday 7:30 p.m - 8:30 p.m

Starting from 6th March 2022

RegistrRatieognisstOrapteinon Open

Organized by BHAKTIVEDANTA INSTITUTE | Bangalore

Center for Advanced Studies in Science and Spirituality
www.bibangalore.org

* Registration Fees: Indian Nationals: Rs. 500 | Foreign Nationals: US$ 25

Last Date for Registration: 28thFebruary 2022

Course Overview: Registration Coordinators:
Chenchi Reddy | +91 9849877233
• Eligibility — Minimum 10+2
• Medium of instruction — English For any queries write to us on:
• Series of 12 sessions [email protected]
• Course Duration — 3 months (Each session is of
Mode of Payment: (IMPS/NEFT)
1 hour duration and the class is Weekly basis) Account Name: Bhaktivedanta Institute
• Certificates are awarded on completion of the Account No: 30997881648
course. Account type: Current Account
• Summary notes (soft copy) provided for every Bank: State Bank Of India
session IFSC Code: SBIN0060338
Branch: Gokul branch, Bangalore
Sessions Include: or
Google Pay/Paytm /Phonepe: +91 9849877233
1. An Introduction to Science and Spirituality
2. Cosmology: Big Bang vs. Big Vision Theory After payment, to complete the registration please fill in
3. Life and its Origin – Exploration from the below google form

Scientific
4. Consciousness: Scientific and Vedantic
5. Evolution and Uniqueness of Human Life
6. Science of Soul

and much more ...

Faculty members https://forms.gle/zYNcHVT8Kf3Ye2YY9

Prabhakar Ballapalle, M.Tech., IIT Kanpur
Sushant Sharma, B. Tech. IIT Guwahati
Kalicharan Nayak, Ph.D, IISc Bangalore

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Online Courses

New Batch Course Duration – 15 hours (approx..)
Commences Minimum/Maximum session per week: 1/2
One session: 1 – 1.5 hrs
on Contact/Enquiries/Registration
FEB 21st, 2022 Mobile/Whatsapp: 9869337988 / 9930790949
Tel: +91 – 22 - 27740116

Centre for Human Excellence and Applied Research

(A division of Dr.T.D. Singh’s Institute of Science and Religion)

Presents

Foundation Course on Mental Wellness(online)

The course is well crafted after doing reasonable groundwork and data analysis of captured data
coupled with decades of learning and real-time practice by our facilitators and valuable
suggestions by our course Advisory Board from Academic community.

Dr. T.D. Singh’s
Institute of Science and Religion

www.inst-scienceandreligion.org
(Affiliated to Bhaktivedanta Institute)

REGISTER HERE

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Weekly Webinar

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Ezine

S QCIENCE& UEST
PIRITUAL
Bhaktivedanta institute students' ezine sep-Oct 2021, issue nO. 53

आ नौ भ�ाः कतरव् ो यन्तु िव�तोऽदर्ब्घासो अपर्रीतास उ��दर्ः । (ÅgVeda) Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

Science-Spirituality Dialogue I NSI D EvaSaudevavSPauMaardeav%PaaY"araea)Gaaa vaSaudevPara
Religion Is A Natural Part of Life
On the
A Discussion with ShoulderS of
Prof. William D. Phillips (right), GiantS

Nobel Laureate in Physics and Mahäåñi Välméki
Dr. T. D. Singh (left);
Physical Organic Chemist, V e d a n t a and
Science
Founding-Director of Bhaktivedanta Institute
Different
Dr. T. D. Singh (TDS): Well, on reading your biography, it is very inspiring to States of
note that you are not only a pioneering scientist but also a highly religious person. Realization of
There are not too many scientists in the world like you. I was very impressed with
your background, especially your growing up – the human side of you – and the God
tremendous amount of respect you have for your parents, your deep commitment
to religious values, and your duties in the church. It is something very exemplary.  fn e w S B i r d S
What do you think are some of the important factors that have contributed to Announcement:
your fascinating life? Symposium
(Online)
Prof. William D. Phillips (WDP): Certainly the way I was brought up by my December 9th, 2021
parents contributed a great deal to my religious thought because religion was
always a part of our lives. We always gave thanks before meals and my parents
taught me to pray every day. We always went to church, and we were very much
involved in the life of the church – not just going to church on Sundays, but also
being involved in other activities of the church. Many aspects of faith and church
were just a part of life for me. It was something that was as much a part of life as
other things were. Growing up in that kind of environment obviously had a big
effect on me. I always thought of religion as being a natural part of life.

TDS: You also said that you learned from childhood to respect other people,
cultures and faiths from your parents. I think that is a wonderful quality that can
ultimately foster humility and open-mindedness.

WDP: Yes, I think it’s something that children ought to be taught. It’s something
that children have to learn, and it’s very important for us to teach our children in
this way. Just as we can teach our children to be very accepting and respectful of

''The predisposition to religious belief is the most complex

and powerful force in the human mind and in all probability

an ineradicable part of human nature.”

— Edward Osborne Wilson
Biologist and Naturalist

To Know about Life, Matter, and their Interactions is called Knowledge

Copyright © 2021, The Bhaktivedanta Institute, Kolkata -1-

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Life Membership

AVAIL MEMBERSHIP
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Bhima

Bhaktivedanta Institute Mobile Academy

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Bhaktivedanta Institute Centers
& Partners

Bhaktivedanta Institute Centers

Bangalore Bhubaneswar

[email protected] [email protected]

9980975972 9330010818

Hyderabad ISR Mumbai

[email protected] [email protected]
7304852390
9440878687

Kalyani Kharagpur

[email protected] [email protected]

8250277843 8617633122

Kolkata Nalgonda

[email protected] [email protected]

9330010816 9866835947

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Bhaktivedanta Institute Centers
& Partners

New Delhi Varanasi

[email protected] [email protected]

9051561526 9838445007

Vijayawada

[email protected]

9957561840

VSERF

(Vedanta and Science Educational Research Foundation)

Allagadda
[email protected]

9110322475

Nabadwip Radhakund

[email protected] [email protected]

7980551317 7983793837

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For Religion, God is at the beginning; for Science,
God is at the end.
— Max Planck
Nobel Laureate in Physics

BHAKTIVEDANTA INSTITUTE
Kolkata | www.binstitute.org

Tel: +91-33-25009018