GANDHIJI : Mystery of COVID-19 or Uncertainty of Cosmic GOD ?

Healthcare across the globe was exposed by Covid19 epidemic. In a striking resemblance of Spanish Flu of 1918, the mysterious disease remains as elusive as it was then, despite advancements in science. India and poorer nations did much better than developed nations like USA and Italy. If you look at impact, the disease had in different countries, you will realize that those nations who were culturally rich and where natives were close to nature, epidemic was handled better by the society and the government together. USA was a modern society but surprisingly, Italy and its rich Roman civilization too fell prey to the fear of pandemic. I want to blatantly question modern lifestyle and seek your attention to link it with something scientific, misinterpreted as mystic or uncertain.

It is pertinent to mention that in the journey of last 102 years, modern science has changed the way we live now. A comparison between two sectors aviation and health has a story to narrate. Both started as a modern discipline in early 20th century. Civil aviation, being an area where safety holds key to survival, resulted in a near perfect state today. Among 24 lakh flights, that operates daily, only one crash with a mathematical probability of survival that is near perfect. In a sharp contrast, USA where health care was supposed to be best in the world crumbled during Covid19. This probably is the story of healthcare in many countries, where treatment was a mechanical protocol guided by WHO. Let us look at USA, how its healthcare system was placed just before Covid-19 arrived?

In a 2013 study, Journal of Patient Safety, it was warned that deaths due to medical negligence are the third biggest killer after heart disease and cancer. More than 4 lakh people died in America every year prematurely due to a preventable harm. Number of patients who survive with aftershocks of medical negligence is ten times higher than those killed by medical negligence. The issue of negligence got magnified with the fear of epidemic this year. Doctors, medical staff, patients and their relatives had a tough time reacting to the situation of an imminent fear of Covid-19 happening to them or near ones. The cities bore the brunt more as data suggests that non healthy lifestyle and co-morbidity was the favorite hunt of virus, looking for a body to survive.

On Gandhi Birth anniversary, humanity cannot afford to forget the message of Mahatma, whose life was full with experiments. Doing moral as well as mental experiments to keep body healthy was one of his favorite passions. He adopted Naturopathy, Yog, Ayurveda and led a life meant to serve others, not just the nation but downtrodden. In our urban lifestyle, many of us who are born in cities and have studied modern sciences believe in only what we see. Sometimes we make opinions and change them so fast simply because there is no clarity on the issue. The media is spreading fear on covid-19 by highlighting the previous night’s mismanagement and portraying wild possible assumptions, which can impact you directly. Be aware of it and filter out the misinformation by identifying fake news.

There seems to be no connection with our own thought on fundamental issues. Education in last few decades in India did not shape minds but probably filled the brain with information. Our young generation is more comfortable with seeking information through internet and Google in multitude of forms, articles, video or social media. The background thought process needed to maturely handle the overflow of information was quite often found lacking in the national response to Covid19. Everybody looked up to others to determine what to do especially to prevent the fear from becoming an epidemic? Artificial intelligence failed to save the humanity and natural intelligence remained unexplored or less explored in handling the Covid19 crisis. Big question is how to counter misinformation and fakes being circulated all around?

Mahatma Gandhi had highlighted the need for a strong Connect with oneself. He was of the firm view that human being holds infinite potential and is capable of overcoming any disease. He was fearless and believed in applying the technique even in case of flu. Had he been alive today, he would have urged people to follow the social distancing norms, using masks and cleaning hands. More importantly, he would have himself served the people fearlessly. He was a mass leader, and believed in service to humanity during his times. The isolation and quarantine model for middle aged and co-morbid patients failed to instill the much needed confidence in a patient that mind is powerful enough to defeat a disease of the body.

Is it not true that human has evolved from an amoeba via plant, animal and finally an intelligent species like a conscious human being? Then why fear is gripping us, if all the learning of evolution, experiences and memories, are stored in our DNA. Had the virus actually come from DNA, had it been alive, it would have been taken care of by now with help from doctors, medicine or a vaccine. Ironically, the virus is dead; it has not come from the Life. It has come from a stage in between, life and death; precisely after the death and before its next birth as a DNA. If it gets complex Mahatma explains it simply as – interpret R in RNA as random and D in DNA as deterministic. The problem here is that if virus RNA is random, how to handle it?

The problem can be shifted for the students of mathematics as that of a probability. When virus is throwing a dice, it is not letting you know whether it will manifest gene no 1 or gene number 5 or 6, what can doctors do? I read about a research in medical science three decades back, when I was a student. It claimed that how can a medicine be common for all of us, when we all are different? Is it right to give same pesticide to all the leaves of a plant? Probably true 90 percent but is bound to fail, if the plant disease is sourced from uncertain and mysterious origin like virus RNA. This is what is happening- COVID-19 is behaving differently for different people and you remained surprise simply because it is scientific and science allows uncertainty as a fact.

If you apply mathematics then 0 is mysterious as it denotes nothing and its inverse approximates infinite power of cosmic god. If a bacterial infection or a normal virus is a mathematical depiction of numbers “1 to 9”, then 0 holds the secret of controlling power of nature. Probability is always a number between 0 and 1 in mathematics. Therefore, what is not deterministic but lies in the domain of probability is being manifested by nature as uncertain just like Coivd-19 behavior. See the data of new cases daily, it looks like a probability distribution curve. This probabilistic and statistical behavior of the mysterious disease and fear of its spread is creating havoc on human mind.

This is what precisely Mahatma Gandhi meant, when he termed the deadly Spansih Flu as divine anger. He was vehemently opposed even by his critics for this Daiviya Kop- DIVINE ANGER interpretation. Science was not that developed those days. The virus itself was discovered 15 years later in 1933. Physics though had the answer to the mysterious disease but it was confused, simply because Einstein had no grounding in Indian spiritualism as Gandhi had. General theory of relativity of Einstein is yet to be truly and spiritually understood by the world. The time dilation and space contraction was a phenomenon happening to human mind, not to the body. Unfortunately, Physics is yet to define Mind as a matter in dilemma of dual perception. Indian ancient wisdom had clearly told us that once five elements representing matter – Solid, liquid, gas, heat and space are overcome; the next subtle state of energy is Mind, controlled by Consciousness.

In Year 1900, the greatest discovery of Physics had happened in form of quantum physics. Max Planck, a German told the world clearly that Light is not just a wave but a particle too. He was categorical in saying that light reserves the right to decide whether it wants to express itself as wave spread in infinite space for a long-long time or as a particle with inherent uncertainty. When Science had accepted uncertainty principle as a phenomenon happening at atomic and subatomic, molecular and virus-gene level, Albert Einstein gave the world a great theory of mass energy equivalence by formula E=m c2. This formula was last but one step before uncertainty in the Physics. He proved that mass and energy are two aspects of the same reality. It is known as Relativistic Physics and is a theory that defines MIND as we understand in India. Quantum Physics is the last step, where Consciousness controls mind and uncertainty is the inherent natural truth.

Einstein was the first one to oppose uncertainty detected by Physics before his mass energy equivalence formula. In a letter to his friend Neil Bohr, he invoked cosmic god and claimed that “God does not play dice”. This became a famous philosophical statement. Neil Bohr had proposed quantum model of atom predicting uncertainty as a scientific fact reflected as,” electrons will lie not continuously but in specified orbits around nucleus”. This was such a common sense answer if you look at the sky. Are not all the planets revolving around the sun in elliptical orbits? But Einstein had such an aura at that time that he prevailed. A disease like Spanish Flu and World War 1 are the events, which were all happening and were indicative of mystery as an accepted explanation of Science in form of uncertainty principle.

See the coincidence as well as the irony that emanated as comedy of errors in terms of acknowledgement by the Nobel Committees for these stalwarts of their area. Gandhi was never given a Nobel Prize for being an apostle of peace; Albert Einstein got Nobel Prize in Physics for photoelectric effect, which was based on Max Planck’s theory, which he himself opposed all through his life. Max Planck had to wait for his Prize till 1919. He got it 19 years after his quantum theory in the backdrop of World War 1 after no one had applied with any new research. The committee gave Planck the award for his previous work as an exception. Gandhi was forgotten forever by the west. Mahatma though lives on and those who know him by reading him believe that he was a perfect ideal for human being. He was connected to his soul and used to communicate to masses toughing their hearts.

Had he been alive today, he would have opted to bring the uncertain and mysterious but a scientific truth that human being has a limitation. Nature does not allow human being to come too close, if aim is to destroy or harm it. Gandhiji had said that “You are what you think”. He believed that we all are thoughts and our mind represents this thought. Diseases like Spanish Flu and Covid-19 come from an uncertain origin scientifically beyond the sky, whereas a chemical substance or medicine is composed of a worldly or gross matter. In order to tackle such a disease Gandhiji had advocated control of mind and fearlessness as a tool to make medicine effective for you. Make your mind strong and see how the world comes around you and Covid-19 submits before your strong will power.

In Philosophy and science both, this explanation means that if a wave gets generated in a pond don’t do anything, ignore it. It will automatically die its natural death, you be the witness. But if you try to stop it, you are helping the small wave grow by your action of fear and insecurity. Those who were on ship for last six months are happy simply because there is no Corona for them. Switch off your TV and stop listening to the intimidating news anymore. Gandhiji recommends immersing yourself in the service of people just like doctors, nurses, police, media and all those who worked during lockdown and saved the economy for all of us.

Have the belief that human being is a race that has evolved from an amoeba and all the learning of this evolution struggle is stored in our DNA. Use natural intelligence and rely less on artificial intelligence. AI is just an information overload with confusing conclusions aimed at easing your life with comfort and not happiness. Connect your mind to your soul, exercise the inner strength and power your mind with the consciousness. Fear will evaporate and you too can become Mahatma.. a Covid-19 warrior, who will be at peace with his inner existence. This was the philosophy of Mahatma and the simplicity of the man that invited the famous quote by Einstein- “Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth.”
Our fast moving life and comforts, non healthy eating habits and waking up late in the morning after a night out or late night party culture has made only others our friends. In the process, one forgot Gandhian philosophy that solitude is a great teacher and experiments with one self bring meaning and direction in life. There are numerous examples of citizens of India, who rose to the occasion and converted the crisis into an opportunity as per the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Doctors, Police and essential services etc slogged day and night to help the nation overcome the fear of pandemic.

The role of media was to bring the right facts and a scientific picture of the situation before the people as the mysterious disease was unfolding. The challenge was how to convey the mystery and science together. The answer lies in Physics Biology, Virology and mathematics. They are scientifically allowing mystery by accepting it as uncertainty. Such open minded scientific truth paves way for abstract knowledge within the ambit of the subjects. In Mathematics, we call it probability and in Physics, it is called quantum phenomenon and uncertainty principle. The Yogis believe in seeing the abstract truth, which is common to all these scientific subjects. Ancient Indian wisdom talks of Yog, a technique to submerse the seeker (of knowledge) with the knowledge as an experience.

Modern sciences like Physics are way behind. They still rely on a viewer sitting on an inertial frame of reference who uses a sensory signal to process it in the brain. Physics is yet to accept heart of human being as a perceiver of subtle experiences. This course correction is needed in Physics if it wants to write equations for subtle things like subjective experiences, dream and meditation. They may not be real but they are subtle perceptions of human psychic faculty called mind. We need to accept it by rewriting the quantum theory of gravity. Answer lies in ancient Indian wisdom, which Gandhi ji had experimented. He used peace, non violence as tool in life to convey message through a process called soul communication, connecting human hearts.
Sankhya is the first known Indian philosophy of numbers that enriched the ancient civilization. The abstract mathematics paved way for more practical tool of self realization. A healthy life style was the recourse to spiritual seers as well as worldly materialistic human being. The second philosophical school was YoG, a practical tool or technique involving self realization. Thanks to World Yoga day, YoG is now acknowledged as both the Physical fitness, mental health dimension as well as and the deeper aspect of spiritualism. The two other important schools of Indian philosophy were Nyaya and Mimansa. Nyaya was extremely selective is accepting any new fact as truth, while Mimansa was liberal enough to accept a new fact as truth till a new evidence is detected to counter it.

Vaisheshik School of philosophy was similar to special theory of relativity and was defining a relative truth. Vedanta or Uttar Mimansa summarizes everything as ONE COSMIC SCIENTIFIC SUPER GOD of mathematical numbers. One shlok called chamakam of Yajurveda in Tattireya Samhita even finds mention in Ashtavakra Gita, is truly mathematical and abstract. This mantra was to be recited during bathing called mantra snana.
“Eka cha me, thisrascha may, pancha cha may, sapta cha may, nav chame Ekadasa cha dwadash cha may and so on….[[ I am the one or grant me the one, and I am the three and I am the five and I am the seven and I am the nine and I am the eleven and I am the 12 and so on.

A student of mathematics knows it is a sequence and can be used as an algorithm. All odd numbers are expressed and all even numbers can be derived from it. 2 can be derived as square root of addition of first two terms 1+3 =4, 3 = SQRT( 4+5), 5=SQRT( 4X4 +3X3) etc. The worldly aspects of physical and mental health were developed on mathematical numbers ranging from 1 up to 9 based on Sankhya mathematical philosophy. ]]

There is a philosophy of emergence accepted in modern sciences and its manifestation occurs only in this sequence of 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, ... The nature follows this mathematical rule called Fibonacci sequence, when a form assumes shape from state of nothingness.

The more deeper and abstract number Zero “0” is a theoretical mathematical modeling, an approximation of the Philosophical concept of nothingness. This is akin to making a mathematical model of the concept of God, who comes from nothing and is having infinite power by a scientific and mathematical seeker. Indian seers, thinkers, philosophers spent more time in studying zero than on other numbers. They always believed and took recourse to research involving Zero compared to other worldly numbers 1 to 9, which are dealt more in applied sciences derived from abstract mathematics. All the Four Vedas are an embodiment of ancient Indian scientific wisdom basically derived from abstract mathematics. Fourth Veda, Atharva Ved in particular deals with materialism, the Physics, as we know it, is a subject in modern science meant to solve mysteries.

Ayurveda, an ancient Indian Veda corresponding to medical science, too is derived from mathematical abstract. It is based on five fundamental building blocks of universe, life and existence, called FIVE ELEMENTS and THREE types of fundamental errors that cause all diseases in us. It is an irony that modern Life Sciences work relies solely on hit and trial method unlike fundamental abstract subject Ayurveda. The basic principle of Ayurveda is to ensure balancing of the five elements in human body. The tool to ensure the balance is deemed as human mind, which is guided by intellect emanating from human heart. Covid-19 proved to be much better placed than Allopath technique of inserting a chemical substance as a medicine to tackle disease. Covid-19 is not a deficiency disease and in its own words, allopath does not believe that immunity can be built in a short period of time. A strong mind power helps in making the desired change sought from a prescribed medicine effective, believed Mahatma. He advocated usage of natural substances like water, earth and fasting to develop strong mind power.

Indian YoG clearly states that Sanskrit word for Heart is HRIT UDAY, which became Hriday or Hruday in modern times in Hindi language. The word Hrit literally means a hidden, unfolded lotus. This lotus is a symbolism associated with the secret of infinite power hidden inside us. Modern science has misled you by saying that you are a limited entity. You can see only visible light and not perceive the rest of the electromagnetic spectrum. You cannot hear a sound having frequency less than 20 hertz and greater than 20K hertz is that what has been fed to you in schools.

This is only a myopic view or a picture, an ignorance which happens to you, if you accept it as truth. Modern science is arguing that what you see with a sense organ like eye, hear from ear or touch from skin etc, only that much is truth. There is a fundamental error in the premise of what shall be accepted as knowledge. A small droplet after rain on a leaf, 200 meters away from the window of your house is not visible to you and me if seen from naked eye. It becomes visible though sitting at the same place, or if I take a snapshot by using SLR camera with a Zoom lens. So our understanding of truth is relative and subjective. Physics is yet to define mind so all the people with scientific bent of mind can follow the true path of Mahatma, which he discovered in his life as elaborated in his autobiography “ My Experiments with Truth.”

A scientific tribute to Mahatma remembering him during Covid-19 missing his service to humanity…
DHARMENDRA TEWARI @TatvaarthiDT
[The author is an officer of Indian information Service and based in Ahmedabad. Views expressed by him are personal.]