The Fabric of the Universe
Nestled in a family and career, it may appear a little unsettling to consider oneself part of a cosmos, primarily unknown. But when this realisation dawns that not only one but everyone else around, and indeed everything, are a mere part of a larger drama that is rolling out of itself, it starts appearing lifelike, and a sense of peace and tranquillity arises from inside when one spends some quiet time alone, doing nothing and thinking nothing.
Let us look at the most fundamental truth of being alive. How do I exist? I exist because I was born to my parents. My parents were born of their parents. As life is transferred from parents to children through the process of procreation, it is a fact that each of us carries our ancestors within as our DNA. It is a precise, unaltered, unhindered flow from time immemorial. Patches of DNA are like maps of people’s past.
We hardly know about ancestors beyond grandparents. Ancestors before grandparents are often hidden in the distant past and exist only as stories. As families turn nuclear, even these are forgotten. My grandfather died even before my birth or my father’s marriage. However, these aspects are dealt with in detail in the Hindu religion. The Garuda Purana explains what happens to a soul after leaving the mortal body. The tradition is to recite a portion of it at every death. Ancient Indians knew that life continues beyond the body after it dies and is disposed of.
One of the ceremonies prescribed in Garuda Purana is Narayan Bali Puja. In case any of the ancestors died an unnatural death – which means accidents and other untimely deaths – or did not receive a proper funeral and last rites for any reason, someone in the lineage can invoke that ancestor by offering specially made rice balls with sesame seeds and give them a respectful goodbye. I performed this rite recently at the Godavari River, some 200 km north of Hyderabad, at Kandakurti, in Nizamabad District, in the presence of my wife Anjana and son Amol.
The ritual starts with a head-drowning bath in the river – connecting the present existence with the eternal stream. Then, you wear a fresh two-piece cotton sheet covering your body. The first part of the ceremony is to purify the place, your mind, and body by chanting Vedic Mantras. In the second part of the ceremony, the Trinity of gods – Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra – is invoked with the ancestor souls around a sanctified water vessel. Ten guarding spirits of directions (eight horizontal ones and two vertical ones) accompany them as soldiers escort kings. In the third part, rice and sesame balls are made and worshipped. These balls are then immersed in the river, along with the dress worn in the ritual and a bath is taken.
The four priests who performed the ceremony were young, well-versed in the ritual, and did good work using a book. The atmosphere was solemn and free of material trappings, and I felt like I was floating above the world’s trappings for a while. Making balls with hot, freshly cooked rice at the spot after mixing it with black sesame seeds was very satisfying, as was the experience of immersing them later in the river. I could see fish rushing to consume them. I could feel the presence of my ancestors within me, accompanied by a surge of emotion and tears welling up. Our biggest tormentor is our mind, and it was silenced for a while, I must say.
According to ancient Indian philosophy, there are five dimensions of the mind, a four-plus-one structure. Manas, Chitta, Buddhi, Ahamkara and Atman. Manas is the lower mind, which collects sensory impressions. Chitta holds impressions, memories, and experiences. Buddhi is the decision-making part of the mind. Ahamkara is the sense of ‘I-ness’. It gives rise to ‘personal’ experiences by linking the senses to an internal, subjective centre. Together, these four mental organs are called Antahkarna. It is very common not to understand each function individually. The Atman is the most fundamental part of awareness, enveloped by Antahkarna.
We live primarily in the material world, driven mainly by Ahamkara. Atman, though the primary source and owner of the body, is hardly noticed. We flood our lives with desires. We condition our lives to be busy and live in the company of other people, and what-ifs are useless. People spend most of their waking hours on TV and the Internet, indulging in trivia and passively flowing with how the world is moving on – politics, games and sports, films, etc. A willingness to transcend into more advanced forms rarely arises. However, once it does, there is no turning back. A constant yearning to understand what lies beyond this material existence does not fade away.
Another crucial Indian concept is the multiverse. Every moment contains multiple universes, and the one in which we are living through our bodies and senses is just one. Each universe has a different time-space scale; an hour here can be a year or a second in another universe and even more stretched or contracted depending on how distant or proximal it is in space-time. Thus, one can connect to all one’s ancestors and future progeny as a consciousness. Or, more accurately, one can become aware of these connections, as they are already present here and now. So, as I invoked my ancestors that day, they were watching. It was their present moment in some other universe, and so it was for my great-grandchildren, who were not even born yet in my present reality.
In the last few decades, Quantum mechanics has thrown up many paradoxes that cannot be understood in the framework of reductionist physics. For example, non-local effects can propagate instantaneously over enormous distances. An impromptu choice on Earth regarding the observation of a photon, whether a wave or a particle, changes a scenario set up millions of years ago somewhere in space from where it is travelling. According to a thought experiment popularised by American physicist John Archibald Wheeler (1911 –2008), our choices today can change the distant past. These effects establish that the idea of an objective reality, visualised in terms of material objects, is insufficient, if not invalid. Had not science concluded that colours, tastes, and smells exist only in consciousness?
The Theory of Everything, which comprehensively incorporates the subjective and the objective, is elusive. But we know that a lot is yet to be known, and more than what we know is what we are ignorant of, even collectively as humanity. Of the thousand things we do for amusement – travel, partying, and whatnot – remembering our ancestors is worth doing, even if we don’t know if it works. The tears I momentarily had while making the balls of cooked rice and sesame seeds for my ancestors testified that it was valid. Finally, I felt like a yarn woven into the fabric of the universe. I wish I could better appreciate the embroidery and know my motifs and colours.
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Sir, I was pondering your blog when I parked my car in the basement of my apartment, took a lift to my flat, and entered my home. I realised how all three realities—the past, the present, and the future—co-occur.
When I decided to leave my vehicle in the basement of the building, there was a roof on top of it, although it’s not visible quite yet. I need to climb to the very top of the building to see the roof. Consequently, I must traverse a dimension, precisely height, in this instance. I got to the roof and noticed a bird perched there. However, the contents of the basement are now invisible to me. That in no way implies that my vehicle has vanished. There is no difference in the surroundings; I am not present to witness it. Similarly, the bird was perched on the roof when I was in the basement; I couldn’t see it until I got to the roof. On my way to the roof, I couldn’t see the basement simultaneously from the elevator. Nevertheless, The reality remains that the basement, elevator, and roof all existed simultaneously.
Let me now picture the past, which represents the cellar, the future, the loft, and the present, the elevator. Time is the realm we’re traversing, and the building stands in for our view of the cosmos. My presence in the elevator represents the here and now, the parked car, an image of what was there, and the bird perched on the roof, a picture of what’s to come. Suppose we are constantly moving through time. Everything from the past to the future exists simultaneously as the present, yet you can only see the present. The past and the future are still very much real, though. That the past, present, and future all co-occur is evident.
Remembering isn’t about living in the past; it’s about giving meaning to well-lived lives so we can have one of them ourselves. Unlocking and discovering our ancestors keeps us on our toes in a new and engaging way. Finding a link or connection to an ancestor with something in common gives us a greater sense of self. Seeing old photos and family resemblances is only the beginning of the commonalities that link our families. I do not want to push aside nurturing, but our ancestors live on through us, and how nature affects us depends on how it has affected them.
Sir. The suggestion that life continues after death and the disposal of the body is coherent with spiritual and scientific thinking.
The framework of Manas, Chitta, Buddhi, Ahamkara, and Atman inspires a persistent desire to understand what lies beyond material existence. Honouring our ancestors holds value, regardless of our certainty about its effectiveness.
The entire idea of ancestor worship is quite fascinating. DNA is transferred in a lineage, so our ancestors are always within us. Umesh Jain Sir has added pet animals, trees, etc., as part of the ancestor worship. It is plausible that many of our ancestors are in those forms, watching over us.
Sir what you did was ‘Pind Daan’. I did it in Gaya, Bihar. This is what I found the most interesting part in the ritual: I was asked to pray for all departed souls on my parents side, my maternal parents side, our pet animals, our servants, trees around us which died, etc.. amazing.
Sir,
We have a beautiful prayer to our ancestors, who are always present for us:
ये तु तेजसि ये चैते सोमसूर्याग्निमूर्तय:।
जगत्स्वरूपिणश्चैव तथा ब्रह्मस्वरूपिण: ॥
तेभ्योsखिलेभ्यो योगिभ्य: पितृभ्यो यतमानस:।
नमो नमो नमस्ते मे प्रसीदन्तु स्वधाभुज: ॥
I see you in the effulgence of the Moon, Sun and Fire.
In the embodiments of the universe and the Absolute Truth.
To all my forefathers, with a self-controlled mind.
I’m very happy with my respectful obeisances.
The place of our ancestors is revered to date. We are constantly appeasing our ancestors in every circle of life and praying that we may find favor as we traverse life.
Sir, Ancestral worship is a fundamental religious notion that has persisted throughout human history. Family members who pass on are said to enter the afterlife and have a deeper relationship with the gods or deities than those who remain in this world. Once they leave their bodies, spirits are believed to be extremely powerful, capable of helping or hurting others in the living world. The living believe in showering them with reverence, care, affection, sustenance, and amusement. But as you rightly pointed out, we must venerate our ancestors for one’s inner peace and satisfaction. If they were not there then, I would not be living now.
Thank you for sharing.
Dear Prof
Thank you for the interesting piece about connecting with our ancestors. I share the experience of occasionally relating to my longtime gone parents in my dreams, and they seem so real and even talk to me.
Indeed, what we don’t know is more than we do …
Worship of ancestors is meaningful. People take excellent care of us from the moment we are born. We chase after our children, and they chase after us as well. When love is present, a person follows. Your loved ones will never leave your side if love like this is real. You can’t escape them, and they won’t leave you either. Following the same premise, we must fulfil our obligations to our forefathers. I can guarantee their unending support and blessings if I win their approval. Caring for your ancestors is analogous to caring for a child: it’s essential. Their blessings and removing all impediments will be mine if I do this regularly. I am pleased you shared your story because it speaks to me. Please don’t stop stressing the importance of life’s basics; we appreciate it.
Thank you Arun ji for sharing this important unique message on remembering our ancestors is worth it. I also experienced the presence of ancestors when I perform annual thidhis (srardhams).
This Blog beautifully captures the interconnectedness of existence, blending personal experience with deep philosophical insights. The ritual of Narayan Bali Puja serves as a powerful reminder of ancestral continuity and the unseen forces that shape our lives. The combination of Vedic traditions with modern physics highlights that reality extends beyond the material, and consciousness is a bridge across time and space. This narrative encourages thoughtful reflection on the mysteries of existence, urging one to embrace both scientific inquiry and spiritual wisdom.
Very well written Sir. Having done the pind daan at Shri Ayodhya Dhaam, Varanasi and Gaya, I can very much relate to the blog. It allowed me to know four generations of my family on my paternal and maternal side beyond my parents. This is a great ritual to connect with your ancestors. My pranam to you and your extended family.
Feeling, realisations, etc. What we call them usually do not have words. The same appears what Professor Arun Tiwari had performing the ritual. When I returned from Gayaajee completing that ritual, I told him the same, but to express the realisation, I had no words to narrate how my ancestors took me in their lad and patted me. The memories and their presence are always carried in our DNA. It is what we know, understand, realise or not, but truth and basics remain the same. I always salute Professor Arun Jee, my elder brother and guide.
Dear Sir, Greetings! These blog words beautifully capture the essence of connecting with our ancestors and the larger cosmos. Your experience with Narayan Bali Puja resonates deeply with the ritual of Pind Daan that we perform in Gaya, Bihar, for our ancestors. Much like your description, this age-old tradition ties us to our lineage and reminds us of our role in the more significant cycle of life. Offering Pind to our ancestors in Gaya, on the banks of the Falgu River, evokes a similar sense of reverence and peace. It is a moment of profound connection, not just with our lineage but also with the universe at large. Thank you for inspiring us to reflect on these timeless rituals and their meaning in today’s fast-paced world.” Warm Regards.