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Liberation from the Tyranny of Time and Space
The book deals with the eternal question: ‘What is the purpose of existence?’. It dwells upon Man’s unceasing efforts to understand this universe and beyond, through Scientific discoveries and evolutions of philosophies and knowledge of psychology, psycho-analysis and even parapsychology and how all those relentless pursuits are unable to answer this question. This book goes on to explain that because Man’s vision remains clogged by the finite material manifestation making him look at everything from the point of view of a beginning and an end, he is unable to see the dimensions not visible to him. The moment Man is able to realize that there could be many more dimensions other than those meeting his eyes and that everything is part of a single static continuum, he is able to liberate himself from the limiting constraints of Time and Space. At this stage, the Soul realizes at the ‘micro-level’ its immortality: ’Aham Brahmasmi’, ‘I am the only Truth’
102 pages, Paperback
First published January 13, 2021
1 person want to read
About the author
P.V. Raghunathan
2 books4 followersHi, Fellow Goodreadsers, here is a brief self introduction:
P V Raghunathan, Raghu or PVR as he is fondly addressed, rose in life from a lower middle class family, to become a professionally qualified and acclaimed Engineer and later switching over to a 34 year long career as a successful Banker. He self financed his education throughout through merit scholarships and rose to positions of professional heights through sheer dint of hard work, determination, self belief and an indomitable will.
Raghu holds a B.Sc degree in Physics awarded by Madras University, an Engineering Diploma Grad.I.T.E, and a Banking Diploma C.A.I.I.B. Later he was awarded Associate-ship in the Institute of Business Management, Madras (A.I.B.M). He started his life as a Telecommunication Engineer and after a three year stint, got selected as a Probationary Officer in State Bank Of India (SBI), where he rose to the position of Assistant General Manager in a 24 year span of service, moved over to National Bank of Oman (NBO) in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, as a Senior Executive. He worked with NBO for 9years and left them in 2001 of his own volition to relocate himself in India so as to bring up his 10 year old son as a single parent, after he lost his wife in a medical botch up of a minor gynecological surgery. It was during this period, he started to pursue his passion for writing. Even in his school and college days, he used to write scripts and dialogues for dramas and also poetry both in Tamil and English. Some of his articles on subjects of social relevance like ‘Religion’ and ‘Racism’ and also a compendium of his poems ‘Glimpses of a journey of life through poems’ were published in local magazines and online journals. Recently a few of his poems on environment have found a place in an anthology published on the occasion of World Environment Day by Kavya Adisakrit, a literary minded group on facebook associated with a well-known publishing house of Chennai.
When he was in the process of writing a book on Scientific Spiritualism, a friend of his, forced him to write his autobiography, which culminated in the publication of his debut book “My Many Trysts with God” in October 2019. The book has been well received by the reading public and has garnered extraordinarily raving reviews on Amazon.in, Amazon.com and Goodreads. He is right now back to work on his book on Scientific Spiritualism, which is expected to go to print in a while.
Raghu is an avid reader; his reading encompasses a wide range of subjects: Science, Engineering, Finance, Philosophy, Political Science, History, Biographies and so on.
Raghu is proficient in English and his mother tongue Tamil (the oldest language of humans). He also speaks Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Gujarati and a smattering of Kannada. He is an intrepid traveller. He has travelled across Europe, the US, Egypt, Kenya, Nepal, Bhutan and many South East Asian countries. He has travelled across the length and breadth of India. He enjoys trekking and mountain climbing and has done even the arduous Kailash-Manasarovar Pilgrimage in the Tibetan Himalayas.
Raghu is settled in Gurgaon, India and can be contacted on his email palmaneraghu@gmail.com or via his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/P-V-Raghu-11...
P V Raghunathan, Raghu or PVR as he is fondly addressed, rose in life from a lower middle class family, to become a professionally qualified and acclaimed Engineer and later switching over to a 34 year long career as a successful Banker. He self financed his education throughout through merit scholarships and rose to positions of professional heights through sheer dint of hard work, determination, self belief and an indomitable will.
Raghu holds a B.Sc degree in Physics awarded by Madras University, an Engineering Diploma Grad.I.T.E, and a Banking Diploma C.A.I.I.B. Later he was awarded Associate-ship in the Institute of Business Management, Madras (A.I.B.M). He started his life as a Telecommunication Engineer and after a three year stint, got selected as a Probationary Officer in State Bank Of India (SBI), where he rose to the position of Assistant General Manager in a 24 year span of service, moved over to National Bank of Oman (NBO) in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, as a Senior Executive. He worked with NBO for 9years and left them in 2001 of his own volition to relocate himself in India so as to bring up his 10 year old son as a single parent, after he lost his wife in a medical botch up of a minor gynecological surgery. It was during this period, he started to pursue his passion for writing. Even in his school and college days, he used to write scripts and dialogues for dramas and also poetry both in Tamil and English. Some of his articles on subjects of social relevance like ‘Religion’ and ‘Racism’ and also a compendium of his poems ‘Glimpses of a journey of life through poems’ were published in local magazines and online journals. Recently a few of his poems on environment have found a place in an anthology published on the occasion of World Environment Day by Kavya Adisakrit, a literary minded group on facebook associated with a well-known publishing house of Chennai.
When he was in the process of writing a book on Scientific Spiritualism, a friend of his, forced him to write his autobiography, which culminated in the publication of his debut book “My Many Trysts with God” in October 2019. The book has been well received by the reading public and has garnered extraordinarily raving reviews on Amazon.in, Amazon.com and Goodreads. He is right now back to work on his book on Scientific Spiritualism, which is expected to go to print in a while.
Raghu is an avid reader; his reading encompasses a wide range of subjects: Science, Engineering, Finance, Philosophy, Political Science, History, Biographies and so on.
Raghu is proficient in English and his mother tongue Tamil (the oldest language of humans). He also speaks Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Gujarati and a smattering of Kannada. He is an intrepid traveller. He has travelled across Europe, the US, Egypt, Kenya, Nepal, Bhutan and many South East Asian countries. He has travelled across the length and breadth of India. He enjoys trekking and mountain climbing and has done even the arduous Kailash-Manasarovar Pilgrimage in the Tibetan Himalayas.
Raghu is settled in Gurgaon, India and can be contacted on his email palmaneraghu@gmail.com or via his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/P-V-Raghu-11...
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 23, 2021
I had earlier reviewed Raghunathan’s ‘My Many Trysts with God’, an autobiography, which takes us through the trials and tribulations that life had chalked out for him: an extraordinary journey of courage, pathos, success, and finally towards enlightenment. In his second book ‘Liberation from the Tyranny of Time and Space’ he takes forward his inquiry, seeking and understanding the purpose of existence. In the very beginning of the book the author acknowledges and accepts that the ultimate purpose of all of us is the search for the truth of understanding ‘Who am I’. and very aptly the last chapter in the book is titled ‘Who am I’. He also says that the book is a simple depiction of the thought process for those trying to liberate themselves from the tyranny of Time and Space.
All of us are caught up in the web of a beginning and an end. But at a point in time, we are unable to accept that there is an end to our existence. Our entire thought process is conditioned to this eventuality. Breaking free from this conditioning is what is referred to as ‘liberation’. It is only through transcending the concepts of time and space, which we start realizing, serve to define only our finite existence. Trying to understand the process from the basic structure of the atom and the behavior of the subatomic particles through quantum theory and relativity, the author is at ease putting forward his views leading to the concept of Maya or illusion. The randomness that exists at the minutest level of our existence is amplified by what Fritjof Capra says in his book ‘The Tao of Physics’ - “Subatomic particles do not exist but rather show 'tendencies to exist', and atomic events do not occur with certainty at definite times and in definite ways, but rather show 'tendencies to occur'.” The author takes us through the theories of Dalton and Rutherford on the structure and behavior at the atomic level, Wave theory, and Max Planck’s Quantum Mechanics. It is not within the scope of this review to talk about these, but a few sentences picked from the book will serve to illustrate the author’s intimate understanding of the relationship between Modern Physics and Eastern thought especially the Hindu view of life –
The theory of Maya according to which the thing in existence is an illusory perception, but in reality, it is nothing. The Hindu theory of Nataraja’s dance subtly describes the oscillation between the thing and nothing perceived as the wave theory and the quantum theory going hand in hand or as matter and anti-matter! This beginningless and endless dance is scientifically and logically described by Gary Zukav in his book. The beginningless and endless cosmos baffles him since he is unable to find and tag a point and another as its end.
The most fascinating part of the book is where he writes about the magic and significance of numbers and how they are indelibly connected with our existence –
Since Man had the need to measure and quantify acquisition and attainment, he had to invent numbers. But he also knew that he has to strike a correct formula to measure the finite by excluding the infinite which he could not understand, within his finite domain the numbers should remain valid so long as he could denote the unknown infinite by an appropriate approximation.
Each of the finite numbers 1 to 9 has its own uniqueness. Here he writes about the significance of the Chakras and Kundalini. The hidden power of certain constants of Pi and Planck’s Constant Alpha –
Two constants remain enigmatically important: the first is Pi, the fraction 22/7. In measuring the area, circumference, and volume of circles, globes, and cylindrical objects, this constant is a prerequisite. And most celestial objects are globes! For him to understand the expanse of the universe Pi is a sine qua non.
The second is Planck’s constant Alpha 1/137 – intersection of key areas of physics ‘relativity, electromagnetism, and quantum mechanics’, it has an extraordinary importance in defining the material existence of the finite.
An important chapter in the book (which I will term as a treatise) is Chapter 7. Unknown Dimensions and Coincidences. which covers the author’s own experiences with Telepathy, Random Occurrences, Synchronicity. This has also been covered in his first book, but here it flows along as a logical consequence of the author’s understanding of scientific thought. Reinforcing his views, he says that Carl Jung was not willing to accept ‘random occurrences. Coincidences were to him, meaningful events that could not be explained only by cause and effect, but by an additional force outside of causality, which he called ‘Synchronicity’; he called it an ‘acausal connecting principle’.
The book then slowly eases into Indian Philosophy – the concept of the Atma and the Paramatma, Dvaita and Advaita philosophies, Individual and Total Consciousness. There is a whole chapter covering Karma theory and the different paths to liberation. I can only say that the way the author has woven modern physics, mathematics, and eastern philosophy towards understanding that our existence is not restricted to the finite level and that there is an infinity merging with which, will liberate us from the constraints imposed on us by Time and Space. In his own words –
Those who realize early the mirage of the ‘thingness’ and the reality of the ‘stillness’ of ‘nothingness’ the state of beginningless, endless single, all-encompassing existence, there is no need for liberation. They are already outside the tyranny of ‘time and space’, because they have consummated themselves with the ‘timeless, spaceless, ‘Tat tvam asi”.
I should confess that it is after a very long time that I have come across a book that has given me the satisfaction which I derived after reading Fritzof Capra, Gary Zukav, and Stephen Hawking.
“If physics leads us today to a world view which is essentially mystical, it returns, in a way, to its beginning, 2,500 years ago. ... This time, however, it is not only based on intuition, but also on experiments of great precision and sophistication, and on a rigorous and consistent mathematical formalism.” ― Fritjof Capra
This is a book for the serious reader and thinker and I am sure it will ignite if not refresh their own journey on this path of inquiry.
All of us are caught up in the web of a beginning and an end. But at a point in time, we are unable to accept that there is an end to our existence. Our entire thought process is conditioned to this eventuality. Breaking free from this conditioning is what is referred to as ‘liberation’. It is only through transcending the concepts of time and space, which we start realizing, serve to define only our finite existence. Trying to understand the process from the basic structure of the atom and the behavior of the subatomic particles through quantum theory and relativity, the author is at ease putting forward his views leading to the concept of Maya or illusion. The randomness that exists at the minutest level of our existence is amplified by what Fritjof Capra says in his book ‘The Tao of Physics’ - “Subatomic particles do not exist but rather show 'tendencies to exist', and atomic events do not occur with certainty at definite times and in definite ways, but rather show 'tendencies to occur'.” The author takes us through the theories of Dalton and Rutherford on the structure and behavior at the atomic level, Wave theory, and Max Planck’s Quantum Mechanics. It is not within the scope of this review to talk about these, but a few sentences picked from the book will serve to illustrate the author’s intimate understanding of the relationship between Modern Physics and Eastern thought especially the Hindu view of life –
The theory of Maya according to which the thing in existence is an illusory perception, but in reality, it is nothing. The Hindu theory of Nataraja’s dance subtly describes the oscillation between the thing and nothing perceived as the wave theory and the quantum theory going hand in hand or as matter and anti-matter! This beginningless and endless dance is scientifically and logically described by Gary Zukav in his book. The beginningless and endless cosmos baffles him since he is unable to find and tag a point and another as its end.
The most fascinating part of the book is where he writes about the magic and significance of numbers and how they are indelibly connected with our existence –
Since Man had the need to measure and quantify acquisition and attainment, he had to invent numbers. But he also knew that he has to strike a correct formula to measure the finite by excluding the infinite which he could not understand, within his finite domain the numbers should remain valid so long as he could denote the unknown infinite by an appropriate approximation.
Each of the finite numbers 1 to 9 has its own uniqueness. Here he writes about the significance of the Chakras and Kundalini. The hidden power of certain constants of Pi and Planck’s Constant Alpha –
Two constants remain enigmatically important: the first is Pi, the fraction 22/7. In measuring the area, circumference, and volume of circles, globes, and cylindrical objects, this constant is a prerequisite. And most celestial objects are globes! For him to understand the expanse of the universe Pi is a sine qua non.
The second is Planck’s constant Alpha 1/137 – intersection of key areas of physics ‘relativity, electromagnetism, and quantum mechanics’, it has an extraordinary importance in defining the material existence of the finite.
An important chapter in the book (which I will term as a treatise) is Chapter 7. Unknown Dimensions and Coincidences. which covers the author’s own experiences with Telepathy, Random Occurrences, Synchronicity. This has also been covered in his first book, but here it flows along as a logical consequence of the author’s understanding of scientific thought. Reinforcing his views, he says that Carl Jung was not willing to accept ‘random occurrences. Coincidences were to him, meaningful events that could not be explained only by cause and effect, but by an additional force outside of causality, which he called ‘Synchronicity’; he called it an ‘acausal connecting principle’.
The book then slowly eases into Indian Philosophy – the concept of the Atma and the Paramatma, Dvaita and Advaita philosophies, Individual and Total Consciousness. There is a whole chapter covering Karma theory and the different paths to liberation. I can only say that the way the author has woven modern physics, mathematics, and eastern philosophy towards understanding that our existence is not restricted to the finite level and that there is an infinity merging with which, will liberate us from the constraints imposed on us by Time and Space. In his own words –
Those who realize early the mirage of the ‘thingness’ and the reality of the ‘stillness’ of ‘nothingness’ the state of beginningless, endless single, all-encompassing existence, there is no need for liberation. They are already outside the tyranny of ‘time and space’, because they have consummated themselves with the ‘timeless, spaceless, ‘Tat tvam asi”.
I should confess that it is after a very long time that I have come across a book that has given me the satisfaction which I derived after reading Fritzof Capra, Gary Zukav, and Stephen Hawking.
“If physics leads us today to a world view which is essentially mystical, it returns, in a way, to its beginning, 2,500 years ago. ... This time, however, it is not only based on intuition, but also on experiments of great precision and sophistication, and on a rigorous and consistent mathematical formalism.” ― Fritjof Capra
This is a book for the serious reader and thinker and I am sure it will ignite if not refresh their own journey on this path of inquiry.
January 26, 2021
In this second book of his, Raghunathan deals with the questions that have baffled mankind from time immemorial such as WHO AM I and what is the relationship between the Manifest and the Unmanifest, What is the Reality, What lies beyond the sensory perception, How do I make meaning out of all that happens around me, Is the commonly accepted concept of Time and Space an Illusion, How to get out of the bounds imposed by Time and Space etc.,
When I started reading the book, what struck me is the author's Confessions which I thought bore testimony to his basic humility and sincere approach that at once endears him to the reader. I expected him NOT to lose objectivity in dealing with such a profound subject even while going down the memory lane and getting anecdotal in various chapters. He has managed to maintain that objectivity throughout.
This remarkable book will inspire the seeker and the uninitiated alike. With its cogent arguments, it has something cherishable for everybody who reads it.
Its masterly and erudite treatment of the subject, though baffling initially, does lay out a path to go forward for the Rationalist, The Communist, The Atheist, the Believer, the Philosopher, Men and Women of every dispensation and the ordinary guy on the street, according to his/her preference, either through the Karma (Work/Duty/Action) path, or the Bhakti path or the Gyana path. Emphasis is on one-pointed, ceaseless, and unwavering action to attain one's goal, whatever that might be.
While NOT making light of the path-breaking inventions and discoveries by Philosophers, Astronomers, Scientists, Mathematicians, Physicists, Poets, Religious Teachers and other men of learning and their contribution to elevate the quality of life of humankind over the centuries, the author underlines the continuing need to try to explore the connections between the seemingly unrelated events in life and also to try to unravel the mystery of creation and its purpose and man's relevance in the total scheme of things and seek to tackle the unanswered questions as regards the Finite and the Infinite, Duality and Non-Duality, Beginningless and Endless Continuum, and the Contradiction of Growing Ignorance alongside Growing Knowledge and the like.
Above all, Raghunathan avoids dabbling in dry philosophy and connects the narrative to the everyday life of the modern man, while retaining focus on the central theme which is to unshackle oneself from the self-created bounds as a consequence of not looking inwards to the required degree of intensity.
I would strongly recommend this book to the young and old alike, even to those that are not spiritual seekers.
V.L.K. SARMA
When I started reading the book, what struck me is the author's Confessions which I thought bore testimony to his basic humility and sincere approach that at once endears him to the reader. I expected him NOT to lose objectivity in dealing with such a profound subject even while going down the memory lane and getting anecdotal in various chapters. He has managed to maintain that objectivity throughout.
This remarkable book will inspire the seeker and the uninitiated alike. With its cogent arguments, it has something cherishable for everybody who reads it.
Its masterly and erudite treatment of the subject, though baffling initially, does lay out a path to go forward for the Rationalist, The Communist, The Atheist, the Believer, the Philosopher, Men and Women of every dispensation and the ordinary guy on the street, according to his/her preference, either through the Karma (Work/Duty/Action) path, or the Bhakti path or the Gyana path. Emphasis is on one-pointed, ceaseless, and unwavering action to attain one's goal, whatever that might be.
While NOT making light of the path-breaking inventions and discoveries by Philosophers, Astronomers, Scientists, Mathematicians, Physicists, Poets, Religious Teachers and other men of learning and their contribution to elevate the quality of life of humankind over the centuries, the author underlines the continuing need to try to explore the connections between the seemingly unrelated events in life and also to try to unravel the mystery of creation and its purpose and man's relevance in the total scheme of things and seek to tackle the unanswered questions as regards the Finite and the Infinite, Duality and Non-Duality, Beginningless and Endless Continuum, and the Contradiction of Growing Ignorance alongside Growing Knowledge and the like.
Above all, Raghunathan avoids dabbling in dry philosophy and connects the narrative to the everyday life of the modern man, while retaining focus on the central theme which is to unshackle oneself from the self-created bounds as a consequence of not looking inwards to the required degree of intensity.
I would strongly recommend this book to the young and old alike, even to those that are not spiritual seekers.
V.L.K. SARMA
March 21, 2021
A challenge that has defied saints, spiritual gurus, philosophers of different hues , intellectual giants etc is what Raghu has taken upon himself through his second book “ Liberation from the tyranny of Time and Space. To find an answer to the eternal question “ What is the Purpose of Existence”. It is indeed creditable that an engineer turned banker with a scientific bent of mind and a clear understanding of time and space has used his own lifetime experiences to unravel the complex issues that are baffling to say the least. I could feel that there is some hangover of his first book “ My Many Trysts with God” when he uses his life time experiences , instead of some abstract thoughts and philosophy, to help the readers understand the meaning of karma, the illusions in the daily life and ultimately the soul realisation. But he has eschewed any subjectivity and made an objective analysis of the unknown dimensions and strange coincidences. The chapters on Consiousness, Om ( Aum) and Who Am I are , in my view, brilliantly e planned and convincing enough to appreciate the Road Map for appreciating ‘ Aham Brahmasmi”
Kudos to my friend Raghu for coming out with such a masterly literary work - it is unimaginable that he could encapsulate the answers and suggestions to the perennial questions on the purpose of existence within 100 pages. I strongly recommend this book!!
Kudos to my friend Raghu for coming out with such a masterly literary work - it is unimaginable that he could encapsulate the answers and suggestions to the perennial questions on the purpose of existence within 100 pages. I strongly recommend this book!!
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January 24, 2021The book is a simple depiction of the thought process of the author on the eternal question of the purpose of human existence . It analyses in a very lucid manner how all man’s unceasing efforts to find an answer to this question end in frustration restricted as they remain to the physical manifestation of things. As long as his vision remains cloggeded by his conditioned mind which sees everything from the point of view of a beginning and an end, he is not able to see that what he perceives as life is, in fact, only a tiny speck on the continuum of timeless spaceless nothingness. He very vividly explains this concept by referring to Natraj’s dance of oscillation between thing and nothing which represents the illusion of reality into form (which we consider as life) and no form(the ultimate reality).
The author uses various Scientific theories as well as references to Hindu mythology and philosophy to explain how this illusion or Maya leads him to unending miseries and how he can liberate himself from this illusion of Time and Space by following various paths explained vividly in the book and experience total bliss.
I would strongly recommend this book to all who are on a journey to understand this unending mirage of Maya and seek ultimate Truth of human existence.
The author uses various Scientific theories as well as references to Hindu mythology and philosophy to explain how this illusion or Maya leads him to unending miseries and how he can liberate himself from this illusion of Time and Space by following various paths explained vividly in the book and experience total bliss.
I would strongly recommend this book to all who are on a journey to understand this unending mirage of Maya and seek ultimate Truth of human existence.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews