There are a few questions probably we all would or will ask ourselves or discuss with our close ones at some point in our life. Questions like “Why did life emerge on planet Earth?”, “Why did human beings develop consciousness?”, “Are we alone in this Universe?”, “Why do species go extinct?”

I have always been interested in the working of the stars, galaxies and the Universe as a whole and I believe these galactic forces impact each and every one of us. When I was in school, I learned about atoms and molecules in Physics. Later on, as I began to wonder about the workings of the Universe I developed an interest in philosophy and abstract reasoning to explain the dynamics of the world that we live in. A lot of the time it involved going back to the atomic model to explain many of the phenomenons we observe around us. Many a times, I was struck by the similarity of the arrangement of the planets and stars in the galaxy to the atomic model, as rightly envisaged by the great scientist of his time, Niels Bohr.

I’m not a religious person, bordering more on the agnostic side of religious beliefs. However, I am quite fond of an ancient Sanskrit shloka that goes as follows:

“Aham brahmasvi, tat tvam asi ||”

Which when translated, means that “I am the Universe, so are You.”

It’s quite fascinating when you think about it! The significance of the above statement is realized when you ponder about the existence of a metaphysical entity, which is unique to mankind, that is, GOD. I wonder if the author of the shloka had any knowledge about the forces that really control everything in this world or a scientific observation that made him come up with the verse.

We were created out of star dust and if broken down to the atomic level, we are nothing but a composition of atoms and molecules packaged and arranged in different ways. The difference between living and non-living ceases to exist if viewed from this perspective. It lends some degree of credence to the shloka I have quoted above. Thus, I conjecture that GOD might be a similar systematic arrangement of planets and stars, in various ways and it is this system that affects our moods, behaviors and actions in different ways at different times of our lives.

Followers of the Sanatan Dharma, incorrectly labeled as Hindus, seem to have millions of GODS that represent almost each and everything in this world. Does the genesis of having so many GODS to represent the many facets of life, lies in the premise that the early followers understood that such a celestial system exists in the Universe that controls us? And thus, to explain the unknown, they came up with theories of multiple GODS?

I have mentioned in the beginning that you can’t help but notice the striking similarity of the solar system and the atomic model. It should be worth noting that both the systems propose a structure where there is a ONE single balancing force that ties all the other elements together. In case of the Solar System, it is the Sun and for the atomic model, it is the Nucleus that consists of Protons and Neutrons. Not limited to planetary and nuclear systems, we find that in any sort of ecosystem, there exists ONE primary element around which the entire system revolves. This seems to contradict what I have said in the above paragraph and begins to point to an evidence of the existence of a fundamental SINGLE entity of force which controls the scheme of events in the entire Universe!

It makes me curious to learn that there exists symmetry in the designs that we deem to have been the creation of GOD. For example, the existence of the Golden ratio in the natural world or the Fibonacci sequence in snail shells. The fact that the percentage composition of water in planet Earth is similar to the human body’s composition of water, begs the question, does the gravitational pull of the Moon has any effect on human beings as it does on the oceans and seas of Earth? Taking the same analogy, do the other planets and stars exert their forces on us and affect our moods and behavior? I believe the answer is Yes and so, maybe the divination under astrology does hold some water and there might be an explanation for the existence of GOD and his mysterious ways of working after all.

All things being said though, I strongly believe that Nature is an excellent manifestation of GOD and mankind should learn to respect it the most. Planet Earth is a living entity and the natural world is Her unique Personality. The seasons and the weather are Her ways to express Her moods, sometimes tempestuous other times benign and generous. The natural calamities are Her agents of maintaining control. The primordial joy we all feel when in the midst of the beauty of the natural world is Her way of rewarding us like a loving Mother, when we are good to Her.

In Nature, we observe that everything which begins ultimately comes to an end and thus, humanity may cease to exist as we know it in a few millennia. In this circle of life, there is no heaven or hell, good or evil, slave or master, creator or destroyer. An atom or a whole galaxy, there is a divine force within that makes them living and we need to open our eyes of the mind to see and appreciate that there is GOD in all things!