Science and Sikhism
Sikhs do not disagree with science, as it does not conflict with Sikh Scriptures or beliefs. In fact scientists are just now discovering the concepts that were written in Sikh scriptures centuries ago. Sikh Gurus told their followers not to use tobacco, do drugs or drink alcohol centuries ago. Science has confirmed that the overuse of alcohol can be dangerous and in fact some people are genetically predisposed to become addicted to alcohol. While studies suggest that the moderate use of alcohol may extend ones life, its overuse can be dangerous and results in thousands of deaths every year and smoking has proved to one of the deadliest 'habits' (it is as addictive has the harder drugs and is causing helth care costs to skyrocket around the world.
While Catholicism was burning one scientist and imprisoning Galeleo for suggesting that the earth revolved around the sun the scientists of India had a thousand years before proposed that all the planets were revolving around the sun and in fact Guru Nanak says , from the Guru Granth Sahib, “There are planets, solar systems and galaxies. If one speaks of them, there is no limit, no end. There are worlds upon worlds of His Creation. As He commands, so they exist. He watches over all, and contemplating the creation, He rejoices. Nanak says, to describe this is as hard as steel!” (Guru Granth Sahib, 8). In the times of the Gurus it was common for the author to include his name in the last line of a piece of verse or Bani.) Furthermore, it is stated that God created the whole universe including the earth. “You Yourself created the earth, and the two lamps of the sun and the moon” (Guru Granth Sahib, 83). And, “Many millions are the moons, suns and stars” (Guru Granth Sahib, 275).
Scientists have found that there are billions of galaxies, each galaxy containing billions of starts and millions of planets revolving around those stars with millions of moons revolving around those planets. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, has approximately 200 billions stars and millions of planets from which few are known. There are billions of galaxies like ours in the universe all mentioned in the Guru Granth Sahib hundreds of years ago.
Scientists are slowly attempting to unravel the mystery of creation and is finding itself equally as unable to define God as were the Sikh Gurus. How can one define the undefinable, is creation beyond what humans can comprehend. Our universe is so vast that it would take millions of years to travel to stars and planets beyond our solar system using our currently known methods of travel. For example, a star name 51 Pegasi in Pegasus constellation has three planets revolving around it (there may be more). 51 Pegasi is 50 light years away from the Earth. A light year is a distance traveled by light in one year at the speed of 180,000 miles/sec. 51 Pegasi is approximately 300 trillion miles from the Earth. Light takes 50 years to reach the Earth from 51 Pegasi. Today’s fastest probe would take about half a million years to reach there. However 51 Pegasi is considered very close in relation to other stars. For all we know 51 Pegasus could burn up today and we wouldn't discover it for 50 years.
There are stars in our galaxy that are thousands of light years away from the Earth. In addition, the nearest galaxy, Andromeda is 2 million light years away. Traveling at 180,000 miles/sec the sun's light reflected back to us takes two million years to reach our eyes. If it takes half a million years to travel the distance of 50 light years with our current technology, one can only imagine how long it would take to cover the distance of 2 million light years and Andromeda is the just the nearest galaxy, there are galaxies billions of billions light years beyond Andromeda.
Scientists study creation trying to frame God, trying to comprehend the mysteries of creation. The more we learn, the more we realize we don't know.At times Science does appear to be daring to do the impossible.Some spend their entire life studying God’s creations and yet they are unable to find the Creator's limits. However, when one meditates on God, mysteries, galaxies, stars, the depths of the oceans, all unfold before us.
