The Hidden Truth... Zero

Have you ever given a thought about India’s contribution to the world or to itself or to the humankind? The more we know, the realization creeps in that all we know is less. The 4 Vedas, Shashthras (Bhautika Shastra (physics), Rasayana Shastra (chemistry), Jeeva Shastra (biology), Vastu Shastra (architectural science), Shilpa Shastra (science of sculpture), Artha Shastra (economics), and Neeti Shastra (political science)), 64 art forms were all categorized well before we realized our existence or value. A single blog can never deal with all the secrets not do I have the knowledge enough to comment on the immense source of knowledge. So this blog is an attempt to open a Pandora’s box of hidden knowledge.

The Veda or compendium of knowledge is broadly classified into four Samhitha or compilation of the mantras - The Rig Ved, Yajur Ved, Sama Ved and Atharva Ved. They were sacred texts dating to a Vedic period, spanning the mid 2nd to mid 1st millennium BCE, or the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age. These four branches of knowledge has been passed on since the time, we started recording history. The Vedas are referred to as the Sruthis (What is heard) and it is different from smithies (what is remembered). Which actually makes us think that much has been lost and little remains which we treat as ritualistic practices. 

Other than these Vedic texts, there are the Brahmana, Aranyaka, Upanishad, Purana, Sutra and more. A compendium of what is left was laid down in the Vaidika Padānukrama Kosa prepared from 1930 under Vishva Bandhu, and published in five volumes in 1935-1965. Its scope extends to about 400 texts, including the entire Vedic Sanskrit corpus besides some "sub-Vedic" texts in volumes ranging in Samhita, Brahmana and Aranyaka, Upanishad, Vedanga. It was revised and published extending to about 1800 pages during 1973-1976. 

François-Marie Arouet a.k.a Voltaire regarded Vedas to be exceptional, in his words: 

"The Veda was the most precious gift for which the West had ever been indebted to the East."

Leave alone the Samhitha, Brahmana, Aranyaka, Purana and all other texts as the volume of knowledge is huge. Come to a simple example of a verse in one of the associated text - Isha Upanishad. The Each Veda had associated text like the Upanishads. The term Upanishad means inner wisdom or mystic knowledge. Literally it is derived from words which means sitting down beside or near. This was how the knowledge was passed on to the next generation from a Guru. It also suggests that these texts or Upanishads are the simplified knowledge to destroy ignorance. These have been the contribution many learned sages. 

Let me come to the point and not delve into who wrote it or other technical nitty grittties. This is just an attempt to open your eyes and make you think about the kind of hidden knowledge from India, where the world used to look up to for knowledge through the renowned universities in Nalanda and Takshasila.

Isha Upanishad starts with an invocation

poornamatha poornamitha poorna poornamuthatsate 

poornasya poornamathaya poornamevavashishyathe

But there are a lot of meanings given to this sloka. The word poorna means complete, but it could also mean fullness, reality, or even the number zero. There can be many explanations given to this verse in many forms. But let’s look at a mathematical point of view. Let’s treat the term poorna as the number or placeholder Zero. 

The system of using zero was seen in Babylonian and Sumerian civilizations. But the full importance of Zero and the decimal system was a gift to the world by an Indian - Aryabhatta. The concept of zero first appeared in India around A.D. 458. Mathematical equations were spelled out or spoken in poetry or chants rather than symbols. Different words symbolized zero, or nothing, such as "void," "sky" or "space." In 628, a Hindu astronomer and mathematician named Brahmagupta developed a symbol for zero — a dot underneath numbers. He also developed mathematical operations using zero, wrote rules for reaching zero through addition and subtraction, and the results of using zero in equations. This was the first time in the world that zero was recognized as a number of its own, as both an idea and a symbol.

We often treat the number zero as valueless. But to understand the real value of zero we all have to think a little different. Unknowingly we have been chanting the properties of zero through the invocation in Isha Upanishad. 

The verse could also mean

Whether the place given to the placeholder zero is here or there; there is a value for Zero

When added or subtracted the number to which it is treated remains the same or it made Zero nirguna. But when zero is deducted from zero, what remains is zero itself, making it unique. The division by zero still remains undetermined or infinite. That gives Zero a special value. 

So there is a mathematical angle to this simple invocation in Isha Upanishad. But the name given to it "poojyam" also means worshippable, which sanctifies and gives a philosophical touch to Zero. Let’s look at those philosophical factors which make Zero worshippable or give us an insight to divinity.

The following are some elementary rules for dealing with the number 0. These rules apply for any real or complex number x, unless otherwise stated. 

• Addition: Any addition to a number with Zero, the number remains unchanged
• Subtraction: When zero is deducted from a number it remains the same but when the number is deducted from zero it becomes negative.
• Multiplication: Any number multiplied by zero will result in zero
• But Division: When a non zero number is divides zero the result is zero but division by zero is undefined, because Zero has no multiplicative inverse
• Exponentiation: any number raised to the power of zero is one and when zero is raised to the power of zero the value is undefined.

This could be the explanation of the verse and has more to it - The hidden truth of Zero. Let me replace the word zero with divinity as it is "poojya" or "shoonya" in Indian culture.

• Addition: When a man adds divinity to himself, there is no change to him, which means that we can absorb divinity at any point of time.
• Subtraction: When divinity is removed from a man, the man remains but when he removes himself from divinity he turns negative.
• Multiplication: We cannot multiply divinity, revealing the oft quoted truth in all religions, divinity is one.
• Division: When a man divides divinity, divinity remains unchanged, showing the greatness of the divinity.
• Exponentiation: any man raised to the power of divinity is one - which is the oneness of Athma and Paramathma or the Advaitha philosophy. It also states there is no greater power than the divinity as divinity cannot be raised to divinity and remains undefined.

And that could be one of the hidden truths in the millions of verses spanning across all the texts in the Vedic literature. So from now on, when someone calls you zero, be happy or at least realize the zero in you. It zeroes down to one fact, there is more to it when you think you know it all. Think about it!!!

Om shanthi shanthi shanthi:

Baul ...not just music to the ears

There are times when I would want to wander in search of knowledge knowing not where to search. But it is said that when the student is ready the master appears. And the master appears in different forms and with distinct teaching aids. Such was a day when after hearing about Baul through many masters and their words, I got a chance with one of my friends Nikhil, to meet and interact in length with a Baul Sadhaka.

I awestruck at the depth of information and knowledge hidden in the tradition of Baul and the sadhakas (Practitioners) of Baul. The word "Baul" has appeared in Bengali texts as old as the 15th century. The tradition with references dating back to the 15th Century has the elements of Tantra, Sufism, Vaishnavism and Buddhism. Baul is not just folk music but it came from lives of people. Filled with touching philosophy and hidden meanings. Folk music on the other hand is just the representation of emotions pertaining to celebration or the nature and its simplicity. Baul sadhakas as they are called, they picked the melodies from the folk but the content was from Vedanta or the reflection of the mind. 

Baul Sadhakas were searching the spirit of life. Life, which has no boundaries, gives the baul songs its life. The life of the sadhakas is based on "Bhiksha" or seeking alms, which is their best way of communication. The communication is also spreading the "brohmonaam" the name of the supreme soul with the healing elements. Whatever they get for reaching out to people far and wide with message of hope and prayers is sought and received as the bhiksha or alms. Thus if you see baul songs with your inner eye you will see the content to be all about life and philosophy.

The Baul are a group of mystic minstrels from Bengal, typically identified by their khol, iktara and the way of dressing and hair. Bauls constitute both a rare combination of seemingly different religious sects and a musical tradition. Their group has had many sects, but their links have constantly traced to Vaishnavaites and Sufis. In 2005, the Baul tradition was included in the list of "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO. Not much is known of the origin of the Baul tradition. Lallan Fakir is regarded as the most important Baul sadhaka. 

The word Baul is believed, though debated, to have been derived from the Sanskrit word Vatula ("mad", from vayu - "wind") based on their lifestyle. Other meanings and sources say Baul means "enlightened, lashed by the wind to the point of losing one's sanity, god's madcap, detached from the world, and seeker of truth", or from vyakula, which means "restless, agitated" and both of these derivations are consistent with the modern sense of the word, which denotes the inspired people with an ecstatic eagerness for a spiritual life, where a person can realize his union with the eternal beloved – the Maner Manush (the man of the heart). Baul can be considered a convergence of Sufi and Hindu mysticism yet never related to any religion but sadhana.

Baul sadhaka Parvathy Baul says being a sadhaka is an experience. An experience with the existing faculties. It is a unison of the world and the body. Baul sadhana is all about complete transformation and not mere trance. 

There is a saying among the sadhakas:

"Apono sadhana kotha na kahi be jatho datha"

which means

Never speak about your inner experiences as if you speak it out it is no more with you

The sadhaka realizes his presence poetry and the music and Baul is about here and now. Baul sticks to the tradition of duality and its union. The two being one as mentioned in the "An al haq" in Islam or the "Me and my father are one" in Christianity and the convergence of duality in Hinduism - The Adwaitha Vedantha".

The way a message is figuratively communicated can be understood from the lines of Lallan Fakir, the famous Baul Sadhaka 

"apon moner bhaage khaye jabe"

which means

One who is chased by ones own mind tiger where will you escape

Today I would like to pick one baul song to elucidate the message in it and be a link in the tradition myself as a Baul sadhaka - a sadhana through my blog.

Post by Kris Iyer.

Beginning with salutations to the holy masters feet and the Tatvas (Elements or the source) of devotion, he song opens the amazement at what is seen by him (the sadhaka). He exclaims to the Lord (Guru or God Himself) that he is amazed by what he saw in the world. He refers to a tree which is upside down with its roots up in the skies and branches bearing fruits down in the karma bhumi - the earth.  The tree has three branches where in one branch depicts Brahma - The creator, another by Vishnu - The existence and sustenance and the other by Kaal (Maheshwara / Shiva) - The destroyer or annihilator. The link between the dev lok or guru pada and the karma bhumi is depicted by the tree and how it links both. 


In the same tree there is a nest in the tree resided by a hans (Swan) which lays an egg only once in 4 yugas. Once during the month of sharad (Autumn month) from the nest that only egg falls down. The mother swan flies with a distressed heart to protect the most precious falling egg. But fate of the expected bird has already been decided. The egg cracks open which falling down and flies saving its own life. 

The philosophy behind the story which denotes the world as an upside down one, and the blessings from the gods are absorbed by the roots and its fruits, the results, are in the karma bhoomi. How divine blessings become the nourishment for the karma bhoomi. The mother swan in our mind tries to protect what is considered most precious to us. But in reality the gods in heaven have already decided the fate and saving itself is every beings own fate. We are engulfed in a false belief about what is precious to us and we are the ones who save it. In a way teaching us to be responsibly detached.

The Bhiksha or alms of knowledge is all that I desire from those who read this article. Blown by the wind of knowledge I reach out to you myself - A Baul Sadhaka.

Would like to thank a few people, who helped me think and reach out to you ...

Serena Krishnan, my wife, editor	Nikhil Varma,  friend who recorded the song	Vinit Joshi and	Bindushree, two friends who helped me with check my Bongla Bhosha.