Raj Sadosh/Abohar.
To discuss cosmology in Hindu and Buddhist traditions, 8th International Dharma-Dhamma Conference was organized by the India Foundation and Gujarat University. The Conference brought together 800 luminaries from over 18 countries.
Brahmavihari Swami from the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha presented the Keynote address. Among the panelists was Swami Shri Govind Dev Giri Ji Maharaj, treasurer of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya. He said, “What is most needed today is to promote Dharma and Dhamma with strength and systematic efforts. This is crucial for our ailing world. Especially during these challenging times, conferences like this are essential."
Swami ji said, “In the Dharma-Dhamma traditions there is a point where both science and spirituality stop competing and start completing each other. We can create a great world but without creating a wise world, it is meaningless.”
Swami ji said that cosmology also makes us feel ‘bigger than big’. We are composed of the same elements – carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen – as the stars, creating a deep connection with the cosmos. As the Shvetashvatara Upanishad states, ‘Amritasya putraha vayam’, meaning, ‘We are the children of the gods.’ This can be interpreted as ‘we are the children of the stars.’ This interconnectedness lessens our sense of loneliness and makes us more fearless.
He said that the study of cosmology makes us feel ‘smaller than small’. From the vastness of space, earth is just a pale blue dot, barely visible from the furthest reaches of the galaxy. This perspective generates humility in our world, which leads to less arrogance and more acceptance.
Swami ji said that cosmology also makes us feel ‘bigger than big’. We are composed of the same elements – carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen – as the stars, creating a deep connection with the cosmos. As the Shvetashvatara Upanishad states, ‘Amritasya putraha vayam’, meaning, ‘We are the children of the gods.’ This can be interpreted as ‘we are the children of the stars.’ This interconnectedness lessens our sense of loneliness and makes us more fearless.
Further, he said, the recognition that we are interdependent on everything – from the sun, moon, and stars, to the microscopic planktons and chlorophyll – for our existence creates a greater sense of compassion for nature and natural forces.