A new and novel theory in physics as enunciated by Gunther Kletetschka tries to unite quantum physics and gravity and has been creating waves in the scientific world. If proved correct by scientific community after undergoing rigorous scrutiny, it will change the world as we understand it.  In fact, this may be the elusive theory of everything which hopes to capture the workings of the entire universe in a single equation. This was the dream of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.       

The principal thesis of this theory is that time is three dimensional, and is the basis of matter and energy creation. The curvature of time, according to this theory, produces space, matter and energy.  This is very different from Einstein’s theory which states that time is a stand-alone entity and interacts with space to form space-time matrix which gets curved by heavy mass. This is the reason why light bends near huge celestial bodies.

The new theory shows the primacy of time and shows how the birth of the Universe took place with the interplay of three dimensions of time. According to this theory the fabric of universe is made of three-dimensional time, and the space is like a paint on this fabric.    

Tallies With Ancient Indian Thought 

This concept tallies very nicely with the ancient Indian philosophical thought where the primacy of time is vividly enumerated. For example, in Atharva Veda it is clearly mentioned that the world came into existence because of time. “Time is placed in a full pot (cosmos). Viewing it from various perspectives it has produced all these different worlds”. This description of time in Atharva Veda is very similar to what the modern new theory states.     

The description of Universe formation according to Sankhya Philosophy follows similar lines and states that in the beginning there was nothing and the interplay of Prakriti and Purusha produced the world. Prakriti, according to some Sankhya philosophers, denotes time. Furthermore this philosophy states that Prakriti consists of Sattvic, Rajas and Tamas forces and they were in equilibrium before the birth of Universe and when this equilibrium was disturbed the world came into existence. It can be conjectured that these three forces could be the three dimensions of time according to the modern physics theory and tallies nicely with the Sankhya philosophy.  

In Bhagwad Gita also the primacy of time is shown when Lord Kishna shows Arjun his Virat form and utters the famous words “I have become the Mighty Time - the creator and destroyer of the worlds”. Interestingly, this shloka was misinterpreted by Robert Oppenheimer after the atomic bomb blast in 1945 when he quoted Gita stating “I have become Death”, instead of "I have become the Mighty Time"

Time in Patanjali Sutras

Similarly, in Patanjali Yoga Sutras Ishwara, the supreme being or ultimate reality, is defined as an entity which is unconditioned by time. From it originated the world, space and beings.

Some very interesting sutras in Patanjali Yoga concern space and time. For example, they state that doing 'sanyam' on moments and sequence of moments a yogi gets universal knowledge instantaneously and unrestrained by space and time.  This matches closely with Einstein’s gravitational theory which states “events and interval between events builds space-time”.  The geometric nature of space-time gives rise to gravity and is the basis of Universe and movement of heavenly bodies.   

Finally, the primacy of time is also implicit in the last sutra of Patanjali Yoga when it states that ultimate kaivalya or liberation is achieved when mutations of gunas come to their end resulting in time – the uninterrupted movement of moments - to stop.

The comparison of India's ancient knowledge with modern science is neither to belittle the latter nor to glorify our ancient tradition – both are important in their own way - but to show that all great knowledge originates from the same knowledge space irrespective of the person and the time of its discovery.

(The writer, an IIT and US-educated Indian spiritual engineer and rural development pioneer,  a 2022 Padma Shri award winner, is the Director, Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute, Phaltan, Maharashtra.  He can be reached at anilrajvanshi50@gmail.com/@anilraj24.bsky.social)