Gurudev, a current theory of the Big Bang says that the Universe started when an infinitely small point began to expand. What is it that lies beyond the boundaries of this Universe that science yet cannot explain? Can you shed some light on this?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: When things started, when it began - this is linear thinking. If you read Yoga Vasishta, you will ask, ‘When did the mirage start?’
The answer is, ‘There was no beginning, it was never created, because it does not exist!’ There is no beginning for a mirage. When you keep a pen in a beaker full of water, the pen appears to be bent. If you ask when did the pen bend? No, it only appears to have bent. Similarly, this universe has no beginning, it is like a tennis ball - this is called spherical thinking.
The answer is, ‘There was no beginning, it was never created, because it does not exist!’ There is no beginning for a mirage. When you keep a pen in a beaker full of water, the pen appears to be bent. If you ask when did the pen bend? No, it only appears to have bent. Similarly, this universe has no beginning, it is like a tennis ball - this is called spherical thinking.
A sphere has no beginning; every point is a beginning, and every point is an end. Similarly, in the world, everything is born, and everything collapses, every day.