Introduction
But Kulapati K. M. Munshi had a vision about the Indian heritage. Very few have been fortunate enough to be able to convert one's vision into something concrete. Munshiji succeeded in doing so, in the sense that he did lay down the foundation of an institution, the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, to collect, compile and collate the knowledge acquired by the sages of ancient India, and lying embedded in the literature, art-forms and culture of this country, so as to make it available to the men of the modern age. In per-forming this function, Bhavan did encounter one difficulty: in the modern age, one of technological advances based on the exactness of the physical sciences, the philosophical conclusions of ancient India had to be fitted into, and recon-ciled with, the rigid framework of the material sciences.
It was while Bhavan was engaged in this arduous task that the author's first book, Cyclic Universe of Matter, Energy, Man and God was taken up by the Bhavan for publication. I am glad that Bhavan undertook its publication, having regard to the encomiums and appreciative reviews it has received from eminent sources, for having attempted to bridge the gap between modern science and ancient Indian philosophy.
It has taken the author some time and considerable effort to come forth with a deeper probe into the scientific theories of the modern age and the spiritual conclusions of the ancients. A complete integration between the two may be difficult at the present stage of our knowledge; nevertheless, this new book shows that a state of co-existence has been reached, in spite of their different stand points. Further advances in this direction would be possible when Science fully accepts that features beyond analysis by material instruments are also a part and parcel of our world. Has any scientist. seen an Electron or a Radio-wave and yet as the effects of these are noticeable, does he not postulate their existence? So, why can the scientist not work back from effects to non-material causes and agree to consider the latter as parts of Reality, instead of proceeding on the assumption that Reality lies in the direction of materialism?
Science proceeds from hypothesis to experimentation and then to conclusions and yet these conclusions are not considered as proved; each time an experiment succeeds in supporting a theory, all that happens is that the credibility of that theory is reinforced. Exactly similar is the procedure adopted by the ancients, the credibility of their conclusions being reinforced by acceptance, after a good deal of objective questioning and examination, by the entire Guru-Sishya parampara. In fact where the twain does meet, and attain congruency, is in the saying:-
Tasmat sastram pramanam te Karya-akarya vyavasthithau Inatva sastra vidhanoktham Karma kartumiha arhasi
[Gita XVI-24
Where one's actions are governed by the Sastras, including the conclusions of Science, such actions would not be motivated by desire, anger or greed and would thus constitute the right way of living.
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