23 May 2025
[Shri Hrushikesh asked]
1. Do Multiple Universes exist?
[Dear Swami, I request You to kindly answer the below questions that arose during a discussion between me, Abhiram and Vasu. Dear Swami, Request You to kindly answer the following questions: We have read an article about the concept of the Multiple Universe. This article says "Multiple Universes" exist and this concept was also discussed in the holy books like Bhagavat Gita and Narayana Samhitha. Is this concept correct? Do multiple Universes really exist?]
Swami replied:- One universe is called as one Brahmaanda. Scriptures say that there are many crores of universes.
2. Does the same soul existing in this Universe simultaneously exist in other Universes too?
[Does the same soul existing in this Universe simultaneously exist during the same time in other Universes too? There is a Lila from Bhagvatham in reference to this question. The same is quoted below. Brahma abducted the whole clan of Yadus of Brajabhumi. The next moment when he looked back on the earth, the clan was intact. Krishna had instantly replaced an entire society out of His own body! And since the new gopalakas were forms of Krishna, their families loved them all the more. Now there was a second challenge. Brahma had to return the people he had abducted to the earth, but every unit time in Brahmaloka being a multiple in billions of per unit time on Earth (1 Brahmaloka year = 4.32 billion Earth years), these people would see a new age in Braja where the world they had known had gone ages ago. Krishna then introduced Brahma to the concept of multiverse. He showed Brahma many other Brahmas, Shivas, other gods, each set responsible for a different universe. No time was lost, He explained to Brahma who, while returning the boys to Braja, saw that the replicas Krishna had created were getting dissolved in the body of the Supreme. This story is referred to as the Brahma Vimohana Lila of Sri Hari.]
Swami replied:- The Bhagavatam is called as puraanam or secondary scripture. These secondary scriptures are polluted by several scholars. The Vaishnava scholars in this context inserted some verses saying that Vishnu showed several Brahmas and several Shivas simultaneously. Brahma as the possessor of creating power, Vishnu as the possessor of ruling power and Shiva as the possessor of destruction power are one God, called God Datta, who is the first mediated unimaginable God. If there are several Brahmas and several Shivas, there must be several Vishnus also to maintain those universes. If you say that one Vishnu is maintaining all the universes, one Brahma can create and one Shiva can destroy all the universes. The Veda and the Brahma Suutra say that one God alone is creating, maintaining and destroying the entire creation that contains many crores of universes. Of course, some foolish insertions as quoted by you in your question are also done in the other scriptures, in favor of God Brahma by His devotees and in favor of God Shiva by His devotees. Unless this foolish fanaticism is destroyed by understanding God Datta, Hinduism will remain weak forever.
Coming to the concept of time, it is a secondary relative, which is not included in the list of primary relatives (space, air, fire, water, earth and awareness) in the process of creation. When even the primary relatives are under the control of the will of God, what to speak about the control of the secondary relative (time is treated as a coordinate of space expressed through the coordinate of distance of space with reference to the movement of Sun). This misunderstanding about Krishna was done by Prajaapati, who is an assistant of God Brahma in creation. How can God Brahma do this mistake? God Brahma, God Vishnu and God Shiva are one God Datta only. This Prajaapati misunderstood Krishna as a human being and stole the cows and cowherds from Brundaavanam for one year. Krishna immediately created all the cows and cowherds as a duplicate creation and also taught the spiritual knowledge to Prajaapati later on. Krishna here means the ultimate unimaginable God present in the medium of Krishna through God Datta. Some say that Krishna got modified into these cows and cowherds as if Krishna cannot create the duplicate souls. People create stories as per their ignorance and I pity them for their ignorance. If we assume that God Himself is modified into creation, God gets affected by the change of modification, which is not possible since God is constantly unchangeable. Hence, Shankara ruled out the modification (parinaama) of God and the relationship between God and world is apparent relationship (vivarta) because God is real and world is inherently unreal.
3. Is the theory of parallel universe, correct?
[Is the theory of parallel universe, correct? My friends says that the concept of parallel universe was also discussed in the books “Yoga vasistham” and “ Bhagavatham”? He quoted a story about a crow seeing 11 Ramayanas is about Kakbhushundi, a sage transformed into a crow. Kakbhushundi was a time traveller who witnessed the Ramayana and Mahabharata play out multiple times, each with slightly different outcomes also with varying results. How is it that the result of all Mahabharatas and Ramayanas differ in outcome slightly different, when the script of the play is same?]
Swami replied:- Is there any fool, who sees the same cinema played multiple times simultaneously on different screens for entertainment? When these people create such stories, I wonder why even the minimum common sense does not strike their brains? The repetition of the Ramayana etc., takes place as the Mahaayuga (four Yugas as one cycle) is repeated. At present, we are in the 28th Mahaayuga. There can be slight differences if God wishes so.
4. In continuation to the above question, is the time travel possible between Universes?
Swami replied:- The secondary relative called time is also in the control of God only like the primary relatives. He preached the Gita to Arjuna for several hours in the war while the same time was experienced as few minutes by others. How can a human being bound by the changes of the universe based on the change of time can disturb this systematic relationship of time and external changes? How can you go into the past or future when you are bound in the present time itself? Some people speak about mystic time machine and such people, who do not understand the fundamentals of science must be admitted into a very well-advanced mental hospital! Of course, God is not bound by time since God created time. In fact, God did not create time as the primary relative of creation. God created space or energy as the first primary relative item of creation and all the rest of the items were created from that first item only. Time was created as the by-product when objects of His creation started moving in space. Therefore, anything is possible for God including the time travel even without the fictional time machine. But, just because God can do everything, God will not do anything without properness (aucityam).
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