Akasha and Prana : Nature And Existence In Hindu Cosmology

 "Akasha" is a vedantic doctrine on Cosmology ,which dates back to Upanishadic time period . The Akasha is described in Hindu Cosmology and in Upanishads such as "chandogya Upanishad "," prashna Upanishad " and in "yoga sutras "by Maharshi patanjali as the " primal state of existence", from which finer or subtle states of particles  ( Tanmatra ) are produced and those finer states of particles when become gross in aspects manifests as "matter"  (padartha) as we know it . In " Sankhya philosophy "also "Maharshi kapila "explains that out of the Tanmatra ( subtle state of matter ) all padartha( gross matter)  comes into existence .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Most philosophy like " sankhya " ,       "Vedanta " believes in the existence of the Akasha as the fundamental existence  .  Hindu philosophy claim that " in the beginning there was only this Akasha and all particles came out of this and all different manifestations of energy like vaayu ( air element ) ,Tapa ( fire element) , jal( water element)  and Bhumi ( earth element ) came later from finer states of energy which are called " Tanmatra " . 

       Universe as a manifestation of Akasha 

So , we  can see that the central thought oif  Santani Darshan ( philosophical school of thoughts ) about the creation of the Universe is that " all existence ,everything in Universe and the Universe itself came out of the primal state of existence ,which is omnipresent and all pervading which they call Akasha " . 

Now to understand the " Akashic model " of Universe we have to have a grasp a very  deeper understanding about a lecture of swami vivekananda,given in the European soil about 120 years ago from today . 

The lecture was under the topic " Raj yoga " and the lecture is called " Prana " . 

This lecture on " prana " is also well documented  in book " Complete works of swami vivekananda" ,in volume 1 ,chapter 3.

 In this lecture Swami Vivekananda said some important aspects of this Akasha and I quote him ,he says - 

" It ( Akasha ) can not be perceived ,it is so subtle that it is beyond all ordinary perception ,it can only be be seen when it become gross ,has taken form .                          At the beginning of creation there is only this Akasha .At the end of the cycle (of the universe) the solids ,the liquids and the gases all melt into this Akasha again and the next creation similarly proceeds out of this Akasha . By what power is this Akasha manufactured into this Universe ? By the power of prana" (  prana is the vital life force ,which creates vibration on the Akasha ) . 

    Quote by  swami vivekananda on Akasha

Swami Vivekananda further says in this lecture that - " At the beginning and at the end of  a cycle , everything becomes Akasha and all the forces that are in the Universe, resolve back into this prana ,in the next cycle ,out if this prana is evolved everything that we call energy , everything that we call force . It is the prana that is manifesting as motion ,it is the prana that is manifesting as gravitation ,as magnetism .................................. ...........When there was either aught or not ,when darkness was covering darkness,     What  existed then ? That Aksha existed without motion . The physical motion of prana was stopped ,but existed all the same ..............At the beginning of the next cycle they ( Akasha and prana ) start up ,( prana ) strike upon the Akasha ,and out of the Aksha evolved these various forms ,and as the Akasha changes ,their prana changes also into all these manifestations of energy . " 

Now from this quotations above taken  from lecture given by swamiji we can understand the vedantic cosmological model of"Akasha".

For one to understand I am breaking  this model of Akasha  down to minute details ,which is that the  Aksha  is an  omnipresent, all pervading ,non interacting - all penetrating existence, which in its causal state do not create and destruct anything .                                                                               Aksha when it is undisturbed by the vibrations of prana ,remain inert without any motion . As we know that  it is the prana which manifests as motion and creates vibrations or oscillations which then appear as different states of energy . 

Though this Aksha resemble with the model of " luminiferous ether" ( aether) proposed by early 19 th century physics but these two are not same thing .  "Aether" is a medium for propagation of electromagnetic waves i.e light waves and influences the motion of waves ,where as " Akasha " is not a medium or any sort field like magnetic field or electric field but the very existence out of which these waves ,vibrations ,forms ,matter arises ,and this happens due to the fact that prana creates all sorts of motions on the Akasha . Though some philosophers interpreted this Akasha as Aether because they thought Akasha as a medium .  

           Nikola Tesla on Aksha and prana 

Though a concept which comes close to  Akasha is the concept of " Higgs field " of the quantum physics known as the " Quantum Field Theory " ( QFT) . 

According to  theory proposed by scientist  "Peter Higgs " in 1964 in  quantum field theory ,it is suggested that the "Higgs field"is a field  in which   the particles gain  their masses  as particles interact with this Higgs field . It is the "degree of interaction"which determines the masses of  particle for example proton, electron ,quarks.  Gluon ,fermion particles interact loosely with the Higgs field so they likely to have lesser masses compared to other particles . The lesser the interaction with this Higgs field ,the lesser mass gained by the particles , for example photon / light particles do not interact with the Higgs field at all hence photons do not have any mass,photons are massless particles and hence light has constant speed limit in vaccum. Knowing this facts ,one can conclude that Higgs field is some sort of a modern model of Akashic model .                        But we should remember also that a field can be quantized i.e measurable and the interactions also measurable ,but Akasha do not interact with any particles or give the  particle their masses rather Aksha only acts when prana acts on it and otherwise Aksha remains inert ,motionless and hence Aksha can not be quantized like fields . 

But there are also similarities between Akasha and Higgs field because we know Higgs field penetrates the entire Universe ,it is also all pervading, omnipresent like Akasha. Just like Akasha ,Higgs field also do not transfer energy to particles .

         particles interacting with Higgs field

But there is one critical point we should remember that Higgs field is a field of energy ,but whereas Akasha is not a field of energy but energy itself gets produced due to this Akasha as prana work through it . 

We should also remember that physical motion of Akasha occurs only and only if prana acts on it through it ,which also implies that  both "motion" and" interia" are  two modes or states of Akasha but are  not "thing in itself ".  Hence ,Prana is nothing but Akasha in motion and the opposite  is also true i.e prana  without motion  is Akasha. prana and Akasha are complementary to each other  and inseparable. Hence, When the physical motion of prana stops it becomes Akasha ,but prana or the vibrations stays  in a dormant state  or in a subtle state beyond perception which gives the appearance of " Nothingness" . 

So ,to conclude we can say that " Aether" is  a  modernised  version  of " Akasha model "and "Higgs field "is a modernised and refined - mathematically fitting model of physics based on the fundamental ideas of      "Aksha model " of Ancient Hindu Cosmology.