NAVADURGA: A SCIENTIFIC INTERPRETATION

NAVADURGA: A SCIENTIFIC INTERPRETATION 

Professor Biswajit Satpathy

According to the big bang theory, one of the main contenders vying to explain how the universe came to be, all the matter in the cosmos -- all of space itself -- existed in a form smaller than a subatomic particle. The pre-big bang singularity possessed all the mass in the universe, effectively bringing time to a standstill. According to Einstein's theory of relativity, time only came into being as that primordial singularity expanded toward its current size and shape. So before big bang there was no time and every thing was in the state of singularity. The initial singularity was the gravitational singularity of infinite density thought to have contained all of the mass and space-time of the Universe before quantum fluctuations caused it to rapidly expand in the Big Bang and subsequent inflation, creating the present-day Universe. So the universe underwent an extremely brief and dramatic period of inflation, expanding faster than the speed of light. "Inflation was the 'bang' of the Big Bang," Filippenko told SPACE.com"Before inflation, there was just a little bit of stuff, quite possibly, expanding just a little bit. We needed something like inflation to make the universe big." This rapidly expanding universe was pretty much empty of matter, but it harbored huge amounts of dark energy, the theory goes. Dark energy is the mysterious force that scientists think is driving the universe's current accelerating expansion. During inflation, dark energy made the universe smooth out and accelerates. But it didn't stick around for long. "It was just temporary dark energy," Carroll told SPACE.com. "It converted into ordinary matter and radiation through a process called reheating. The universe went from being cold during inflation to being hot again when all the dark energy went away." 

As per Shaktism, Adi Parashakti appeared as Divine Pure Eternal Consciousness i.e. Shoonya Bindu (singularity ), the divine zero feminine energy, which then expresses (quantum fluctuations) itself as Prakriti (Universal Nature). The state just preceding that of creation is denoted by “Pra”; and “Kri” signifies creation. So the Great Devî (dark energy) that exists before creation is called Prakriti after creation. Since after Big Bang only the matter was created therefore SHE is named Devi Shailputri. Shaila means huge mass of stone i.e mountain and Putri is the daughter. This manifested gross world of matter is the first form of the Devi, so SHE is named Devi Shailputri. 

According to Adwetavad, at the most fundamental level, the universe is not just a physical or material entity, but pure consciousness of unfathomable power, having the ability to create, maintain, conceal, augment and destroy objective universe at will without effort or a specific intent. We identify this supreme consciousness of infinite capacities and unfathomable mysteries as Brahman. 

The modern science talks about the same thing in a different language. Dr Robert Lanza coined the phrase ‘biocentrism’ which is a theory which says that the consciousness is released into the universe through sub-atomic particles after death of a living being.

Dr Tucker has adapted this theory, and says that “Some leading scientists in the past, like Max Planck, who's the father of quantum theory, said that he viewed consciousness as fundamental and that matter is derived from it. So this consciousness is not dependent on a physical body in order to survive, and continues after the physical body dies. Therefore there is a universal consciousness. This universal consciousness is nothing but the all pervading Brahma. This energy is termed as Devi Brahmacharini, the Mother who roams in the Brahma or in other words who Herself is the Brahma. 

We know that, a correlation between consciousness and our physical material world does indeed exist in some way, shape or form. This marriage of matter (Shiva) with the energy (Shakti) is the married form of the Mother Goddess, Devi Chandraghanta. As a sign of this correlation of matter and energy Mother adorns her forehead with a half moon (Chandra) shaped like a bell (Ghanta) due to which, she became known as Goddess Chandraghanta. The manifestation of this whole universe is nothing but the marriage of physical material with the consciousness i.e the energy. 

The source of all energy to our planet and of this solar system is the sun. Therefore sun is regarded as the living God. Sun is worshiped in the Gyatri Mantra. It is therefore believed in Sakti cult that Mother Mother Goddess resides within the Sun thereby liberating the Sun's energy to the universe. Since then, this form of the Goddess has been known as Kushmanda, namely for her power and capability to live inside the Sun. Her name suggests her main role: Ku means "a little", Ushma means "warmth" or "energy" and Anda means "cosmic egg". Kushmanda is the synonym of the sun or in other words the energy of the sun is named as Kushmanda. 

The fifth form of the Mother is Devi Skandamata. In her form as mother of the God of War, Lord Skanda (also known as Kartikeya), she is known as Goddess Skandamata. Skanda is derived from skanḍr-, which means to "spill, ooze, leap, attack". Skandamata is the mother of the spilled energy of the matter (Shiva). We know that matter is converted in to energy in nuclear reactors and the energy is liberated as heat. Sun is a very large nuclear reactor from which heat energy is radiated to the whole of the solar system. Therefore to symbolize this event in the story of the birth of Skanda, it is said that Shiva and Parvati were disturbed while making love and Shiva inadvertently spills his semen on the ground. This semen incubates in River Ganges, preserved by the heat of god Agni, and this fetus is born as baby Kartikeya on the banks of Ganges. The "spill" epithet leads to the name Skanda. It is also mentioned in the texts that Kartikeya is also worshiped as Guha, the son of fire god Agni. Since this energy coming from the sun is the source of our living and physical strength, Kartikeya is worshiped as the Lord of the war. The mother of this vital energy is Devi Skandamata. 

Katyayani, the sixth form amongst Navadurga and is first mentioned in the Taittiriya Aranyaka part of the Yajurveda. Skanda Purana where it is mentioned that she is being created out of the spontaneous anger of Gods, which eventually led to slaying the demon, Mahishasura, mounted of the lion given to her by Goddess Parvati. She is regarded as the Mental Power. The mental power that has been depicted in the form of Katyayani is the energy that leads to action. In Yoga and Tantra, she is ascribed to the sixth Ajna Chakra or the Third eye chakra. The Ajna chakra is located in the brain, directly behind the eyebrow center. Its activation site is at the eyebrow region, in the position of the "third eye." If this power is realized than the person is able to find unity with Brahman, and thus gets the ability to create, preserve, and destroy. According to the modern science the pineal gland deep inside the brain is associated with Ajna Chakra. The start of current scientific knowledge about the pineal gland occurred in 1958, with the discovery of ‘‘melatonin’’ (from the Greek word melas, meaning black or dark). The discovery of melatonin and its physiological effects fanned interest in the relationship between the pineal gland and mental power. Thus it is proved today by the modern science that the pineal gland is the seat of our extraordinary power. Maa Katyayani is that mental power.

We usually talk of star formation in terms of the gas mass that is converted into stars each year. We call this the star formation rate. In the Milky Way right now, the star formation rate is about 3 solar masses per year (i.e. three times the mass of the Sun's worth of star is produced each year). The stars formed can either be more or less massive than the Sun, though less massive stars are more numerous. So roughly if we assume that on average the stars formed have the same mass as the Sun, then the Milky Way produces about 3 new stars per year. People often approximate this by saying there is about 1 new star per year.

Now what about the rate at which stars die? In typical galaxies like the Milky Way, a massive star should end its life as a supernova about every 100 years. Less massive stars (like the Sun) end their lives as planetary nebulae, leading to the formation of white dwarfs. There are about one of these per year.

Therefore we get on average about one new star per year, and one star dying each year as a planetary nebula in the Milky Way. These rates are different in different types of galaxies, but you can say that this is roughly the average over all galaxies in the Universe. We estimate at about 100 billion the number of galaxies in the observable Universe, therefore there are about 100 billion stars being born and dying each year, which corresponds to about 275 million per day, in the whole observable Universe. This phenomenon is going on all the time. The cycle of construction and destruction is a continuous process with time in this observable Universe. The energy of such destruction with time for every thing in this universe is worshiped as Kalaratri, the seventh form amongst the Navadurga. Goddess Kalaratri is widely regarded as the destructive forms of Mother Goddess. In the microcosmic level, matter in the form of ephemeral subatomic particles constantly crystallizes out of energy and dissolves back to its source. Dissolution, creation’s inseparable companion, is not only a future event of cosmic catastrophe but also a continuous process inherent in the natural world. Chapter 1 of the Durga Saptashati, verse 75, references the destructive concept personified by Goddess Kalaratri, 

prakṛtistvaṃca sarvasya guṇatraya vibhāvinī

kāḷarātrirmahārātrirmoharātriśca dāruṇā

You are the primordial cause of everything

Bringing into force the three qualities (sattva, rajas and tamas)

You are the dark night of periodic dissolution

You are the great night of final dissolution and the terrible night of delusion

The name Mahagauri, the eighth manifestation of goddess Durga is extremely white in her complexion and very beautiful. Stars (like the Sun) end their lives as planetary nebulae, leading to the formation of white dwarfs. A white dwarf, also called a degenerate dwarf, is a stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very dense: its mass is comparable to that of the Sun, while its volume is comparable to that of Earth. A white dwarf's faint luminosity comes from the emission of stored thermal energy; no fusion takes place in a white dwarf wherein mass is converted to energy. We can imagine that a dying star had so much gas accumulated onto the star that the star just exploded causing the gas to form a ring around the white dwarf. These white dwarfs are termed Mahagauri in Hindu mythology and the gas ring around it is the Dumralochana demon. The collision of two dying stars can create a living one, scientists say. The merger of white dwarf stars can lead to supernova explosions, but this only happens if the combined stars are 140 percent the mass of the sun. If the new binary system is not heavy enough to go supernova after collision, but massive enough to force the helium atoms in the merged remnant to fuse than the resumption of nuclear fusion will lead it to shine like a normal star once more. This is the killing of Demon Dumralochana and leading to the final manifestation of goddess Durga called Siddidhatri. In the beginning of the universe, Lord Rudra worshipped the unmanifest form of the Mother Goddess, Adi Parashakti for creation. As Adi Parashakti, the Mother Goddess was pure energy and had no form. She thus appeared in the form of Siddhidatri from the left half of Shiva. 

The nine manifestations of goddess Durga talks about the cosmic and atomic level playing of energy. Finally we may say, the Mother, the energy, can neither be created nor destroyed. It only changes form. Maa Durga ki Jai. She is the Bhubaneswari, the ruler this vast manifested and un-manifested Universe.