The endless sky, dotted with sparkling points of light, held a certain magic for us. How many of us once sang “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” with childlike wonder, imagining what these distant orbs truly are?

As children, we were fascinated by their beauty, their mystery, and the promise of something bigger than ourselves. But as we grow, do we still wonder about the same things? Do we ever stop and ask: What are these stars, really? What is this vast expanse that holds them? These might seem like simple questions, but when we look deeper, they reflect much larger, profound inquiries about the universe itself.

As we move through life, it’s easy to become consumed by its practicalities—the demands of work, relationships, and daily survival—leaving little time for such existential reflections. Yet, if we stop and look up once again, we are faced with the same mysteries that once captivated us.

The vast sky remains a mirror to the questions of the cosmos. Beyond its visible boundaries lies something that we cannot fully comprehend, despite all our knowledge and advancements. The question persists:

What is the true nature of this space that holds everything we know?

General Disclaimer: The article has been copyedited using ChatGPT. The images are generated using DALLE from Open AI. For feedback, contact arpankaudinya@gmail.com.

The Answer Everyone Is Looking For

The answer, it turns out, is not something that can be fully perceived with our senses. What we see with our eyes—the stars, planets, galaxies—are just a fraction of the total reality. In fact, what lies beyond our sensory grasp, the vast, unmanifested essence that holds the universe together, remains unseen. It is this realm, the unmanifest, which is often alluded to in both scientific exploration and philosophical thought.

This idea is strikingly reminiscent of a core principle in Sankhya philosophy: Satkaryavada. According to this doctrine, the effect already exists in a latent, unmanifest form within its cause.

Tough? Lets understand better.

Consider the analogy of a potter shaping a pot from clay. Before the pot is made, its essence exists in the clay, in potential form. In the same way, everything in the universe—including the stars, the planets, and even ourselves—exists as potential within an unmanifested source. This unmanifest source is called Avyakta, the primal cause that holds within it all the potential for creation.

In much the same way that clay holds the potential for the pot, Avyakta has everything that will eventually form all things. The stars that twinkle above, the galaxies that swirl in the night sky, are merely a surface manifestation of something much deeper—an underlying reality we can only attempt to grasp.

Avyakta or the Unmanifested

The notion of the unmanifest resonates strongly with modern scientific ideas, particularly when we think about dark matter. Dark matter, invisible and undetectable by our senses, makes up a far larger portion of the universe than the ordinary matter we can see and interact with. It’s a fundamental mystery in astrophysics: What exactly is dark matter? Is it simply a form of matter that we have yet to detect, or is it something more profound, perhaps a field of energy or force yet to be understood?

In many ways, this mystery of dark matter mirrors the Sankhya view of Avyakta—an unseen thing, that shapes and governs the universe but remains beyond our ability to perceive with the tools of our senses.

This connection between the unseen and the manifest is further explored in Sankhya’s understanding of the gunas—the three fundamental qualities or forces that govern all existence: Sattva (purity, balance), Rajas (activity, passion), and Tamas (inertia, darkness). These forces shape everything in the universe, from the smallest particles to the largest galaxies.

Remarkably, these gunas have parallels in modern physics, particularly in atomic theory. In chemistry, have you ever read about three types of bonding—ionic, metallic, and covalent? Aren’t they responsible for holding atoms and molecules together, shaping the physical structure of the universe? Similarly, in Sankhya, the gunas play a metaphysical role in binding and shaping reality at every level.

However, it’s essential to note that Sankhya is not science—it’s metaphysical in nature.

Sankhya and Science: Different Realms of Understanding

While Sankhya’s metaphysical principles offer a philosophical framework for understanding the universe, they are not the same as the empirical, scientific laws that govern the physical world. Sankhya addresses the unseen, the unmanifest—the realm of consciousness and cosmic potential—while science focuses on the tangible, measurable world of matter and energy. Yet, despite their different perspectives, both science and Sankhya seek to understand the forces that shape the universe.

The Samkhya Karika of Ishwara Krishna, a key book in Sankhya philosophy, explores the process of creation. The 15th and 16th shlokas describe how the universe emerges from Avyakta, the unmanifested nature, through the interaction of the three gunas. These forces cause differentiation and transformation, bringing the cosmos from a state of pure potential to the material reality we experience. The process of creation is a dynamic unfolding, where subtle forms evolve into more gross, tangible ones—akin to how the elements in planetary formation separate according to their density, with heavier elements sinking to form the core of a planet, while lighter elements rise to form the crust.

The Planetary Differentiation and Cosmic Dance

This cosmic differentiation follows a similar pattern in both physical science and metaphysical thought. Gravity, in the physical world, ensures that matter is organized and differentiated, creating a stable, structured universe. In the context of planetary formation, this principle becomes apparent as heavier elements like iron and nickel sink toward the center, forming the dense core of a planet. Meanwhile, lighter elements like silicates rise toward the surface, forming the crust.

The differentiation process that shapes a planet mirrors the cosmic unfolding described in Sankhya philosophy. Just as gravity causes matter to separate according to density, the three gunas, in the metaphysical sense, cause differentiation in the unmanifest. The latent potential within Avyakta takes shape through the dynamic interaction of the gunas, leading to the formation of the physical world—planets, stars, and galaxies.

Similarly, on a planetary level, the process of differentiation is essential for creating the diverse environments we see. The Earth’s crust, mantle, and core are the results of years of differentiation, with each layer playing a vital role in the planet’s function and stability. This differentiation, both physical and metaphysical, is a critical part of the evolutionary process that drives creation in the universe.

Sankhya’s Metaphysical Approach to Differentiation

In Sankhya, the differentiation begins with the stirring of the latent power within Avyakta, causing the first shift from potential to manifestation through Mahat (loosely translated as intellect or brain). This leads to the emergence of ahaṃkāra (the sense of individual self), from which arises the sixteen elements (ṣoḍaśaka), the five senses, five sensory attributes, five working senses like a hand, legs etc, and the manas (loosely translated as memories).

These elements form the foundation of the material world. They evolve into the five great elements (pañcabhūtāni)—earth, water, fire, air, and ether—each of which corresponds to sensory experiences.

The mind, or manas, is the organ through which we perceive the world and interact with it. Influenced by the gunas, the mind works in harmony with the senses and intellect to create our experience of reality.

The eternal Purusha, the silent observer, remains untouched by the material world, guiding the unfolding of creation.

Hence, the Sankhya is about metaphysics to understand processes to reach the observer stage or Purusha in individual journey.

Pranas: The Breath of Life

The life force, prāṇa, sustains your existence, ensuring the body functions according to the laws of nature. Divided into five primary forms (vāyus), prāṇa governs breathing, digestion, and bodily movement, reflecting the subtle relationship between mind, body, and consciousness. As the universe fully manifests, every element, sense, and action becomes a reflection of the dynamic play of the gunas.

From the smallest atom to the grandest star, all creation is shaped by these unseen forces. Yet, the eternal Purusha remains untouched, a witness to the dance of the universe.

And The Eternal Dance of Creation Never Ends

When we look up at the night sky, the stars twinkling in their endless dance, we might find ourselves reflecting on the deeper questions they pose once again: What is this vast sky? What are these stars?

Perhaps, the answer lies not just in the visible, but in the unseen—the unmanifest, the eternal cause of everything that exists.

In Yogic language, its called Kaarana.

Just as the stars are reflections of vast forces at play in the cosmos, so too is the universe itself an unfolding of the latent potential within the unmanifest.

That’s what Asato Ma Sad Gamaya, Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya, Mrityor Ma Amritam Gamaya mean—lead us from the unmanifest (Asat) to the manifest (Sat), from darkness (Tamas) to light (Jyotir), and from death (Mrityu) to nectar (Amritam). The cosmic journey is the journey of all existence, where the unseen becomes manifest, bringing everything into being.