Suppose someone who has lived in darkness suddenly encounters light. They may naturally ask, “How did the darkness give rise to light?” Actually, darkness did not give rise to light; light gave way to darkness, for darkness is the absence of light. 

A similar inversion of perception happens when today’s mainstream science explores reality and stumbles across consciousness. Modern science, since its inception, focused on the study of matter . This focus led to many incredible advances in technology and expanded our understanding of the material mechanisms operating in the world around us. Being accustomed to studying material reality, some scientists, especially those devoted to a materialist ideology, have come to believe that matter is the only reality. Therefore, on encountering consciousness, they ask, “How did consciousness emerge from matter?” That question is like asking how light came from darkness.

Here’s another way to appreciate how our perception has become inverted. Science prides itself for its empirical approach. Empirically speaking, the first reality we know is the reality of our own consciousness. Only secondarily do we come to know about other realities such as matter. First Newton existed as a conscious being, then he observed the falling apple and postulated gravity. 

Pertinently, the Bhagavad-gita (02.17) states that consciousness comes from a non-material source: the soul. Building on this postulate, Gita wisdom invites us to a whole new approach to the study of reality: a consciousness-based approach or a consciousness-first approach. This approach can open exciting avenues for understanding reality better, including the realities studied by science. It can also help us expand and enrich our consciousness, thereby enabling us to find enduring meaning, purpose and fulfillment. 

One-sentence summary:

Begin the quest for reality with the category of reality that we know primarily — consciousness, not the category of reality that we know secondarily — matter.

Think it over:

  • What is wrong with science’s approach to studying consciousness?
  • How can an empirical approach redirect science’s focus?
  • What are the advantages of the Gita’s approach to reality?

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02.17: That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul.

To know more about this verse, please click on the image