Science Meets Vedanta
The scientific rigor, logic, and reasoning of the teachings of Vedanta, applied to some key concepts in science, will lead to the realization that they share common ground—in fact, that they are looking at the same Reality. The ancient Indian rishis had already discovered this Reality and expounded their findings in the various Upanishads and scriptures. We can learn much from Vedanta about science. For example, it helps us interpret Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and quantum physics correctly. The interconnection of science with Vedanta can bring about a dramatic change in the way we perceive and understand the universe.
The focus of the podcast is to highlight these changes, which encourage us to question the conventional understanding of the universe. So, be prepared!
Science Meets Vedanta
Understanding the Fabric of Space
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In this episode, we will try and understand the idea of a fabric of space.
This is one of the most fascinating and misunderstood concepts in modern physics. If this fabric cannot be found as a physical material spread across space, then what exactly is it?
This episode explores this question suggesting that the fabric may be understood not as an external substance, but as a fabric made up of time operating within the mind.
We look forward to hear back from you!
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jayant@staminteractive.com
In this episode, we will try and understand the idea of a fabric of space. This is one of the most fascinating and misunderstood concepts in modern physics. If this fabric cannot be found as a physical material spread across space, then what exactly is it? This episode explores this question suggesting that the fabric may be understood not as an external substance, but as a fabric made up of time operating within the mind.
Introduction
Is there truly a fabric of space? Does the universe rest upon some invisible foundation that supports everything within it? When we look into the vast expanse of space, we do not see anything resembling a fabric. Space appears empty, with only distant stars, planets, and galaxies visible across its immense darkness. In the physical sense, science does not confirm the existence of any material fabric spread through space. Yet Einstein’s theory of relativity speaks of a “fabric” of spacetime.
Einstein described the universe as being woven into a foundational “fabric”—what is commonly called spacetime fabric. Every object, whether minuscule like an ant or immense like a planet, is said to sit upon this spacetime fabric. The often comparison given to understanding the fabric of space is with a rubber sheet. Place a heavy ball on a stretched-out rubber sheet. The weight of the ball will curve the rubber sheet around itself. The spacetime fabric operates in a similar manner. It may be a good idea to google an image of spacetime fabric to get a feel as to what Einstein meant by spacetime fabric.
Science does not find any physical fabric spread across space, yet Einstein’s theory speaks of a fabric of spacetime. At first glance, these two ideas appear to contradict each other.
How, then, do we resolve this apparent contradiction? The first step is to understand the basic terms scientists use when describing the universe. One of the most important—and often most misunderstood—terms is “spacetime,” introduced through Einstein’s theory of relativity. To understand the idea of a spacetime fabric, we must first ask: what is the difference between “space” and “spacetime”?
What is Spacetime Fabric?
Unlike the three dimensions of space that we experience directly—length, width, and height—spacetime is a more abstract concept. Einstein described spacetime as a four-dimensional framework made up of the three dimensions of space together with a fourth dimension: time.
This is where confusion often arises. It leads to an important question: where does this fourth dimension of time actually exist? If time were simply another dimension of physical space, then space itself would have to be four-dimensional. But this does not match our ordinary understanding of space, which appears to us to be three-dimensional. Therefore, time should not be understood as a physical direction within space in the same way as length, width, or height.
So, if time is not a physical dimension that we can move through like space, where does it truly reside? Since the fourth dimension is not an external location; therefore, it must be present elsewhere. In my episode “Understanding Time and its Power,” where I explain why time is not an external phenomenon, but as a mental construct. We have argued that time operates in the mind only and this fourth dimension is available in the mind only.
If the spacetime fabric cannot be found as a physical fabric within the three dimensions of space, this interpretation suggests that its only possible location is within the mind. Since time is understood here as a function of the mind, the essential substance of this fabric is also time. Just as a rubber sheet is made of rubber, the spacetime fabric must be understood as being made of time. For this reason, it may be more accurate to describe spacetime fabric as time fabric, because the fabric itself is composed of time. In this episode, therefore, we use the terms spacetime fabric and time fabric interchangeably.
Now that we have a basic understanding of the fabric of space, let us examine some of its key features and characteristics.
1. Construction of the Fabric of Space
2. Creation of Space
3. Spacetime Fabric and Special Relativity
4. Energy and Spacetime Fabric
Construction of the Fabric of Space
We have seen that the fabric of space is made of time. Since time operates within the mind, the fabric of space also functions within the mind. Because time is the underlying reality of this fabric, it must have both a starting point and an ending point. The starting point is where the fabric starts, while the ending point corresponds to the age of the universe, which is approximately 13.7 billion years. In this way, the fabric extends across the entire span of the universe, from its beginning to the present moment.
The universe “out there” contains an almost unlimited variety of objects, ranging from ants, human to planets, stars, and galaxies. What we observe in physical space are physical objects. However, as discussed in several earlier episodes, every object in the universe also has a subtle version made up of waveforms. This is similar to the wave-particle duality described in quantum physics. As explained in the episode “Understanding the Universe of Waveforms,” physical objects function in outer space, while their subtle waveform versions operate within the mind.
The placement of these subtle objects on time-based fabric depends on how long light takes to travel from each object to the observer. For example, light from the Sun takes about eight minutes to reach us. Therefore, in this model, the subtle version of the Sun is placed eight minutes away on the fabric. Using the same logic, every object we observe is positioned according to its light-travel time. The Moon is placed about three seconds away, a tree outside the window may be placed around 10 microseconds seconds away, and the computer in front of you may be placed around 10 nanoseconds away on the fabric. In this way, all observed objects are arranged on the fabric according to the time taken by light to reach the observer.
Creation of Space
The time-based fabric within the mind is the source of the space we experience “out there.” But how does this happen? As discussed in the earlier episode “Awareness—The Infinite Energy Source,” the cosmic mind contains an infinite reservoir of energy. This energy is not static; it is active, dynamic, and capable of playing many different roles within creation.
One part of this energy interacts with the spacetime fabric within the mind. Its role is to stretch the time-based fabric outward, so that each second of the fabric unfolds as 186,000 miles of space. This energy may also be understood as dark energy, whose primary function is to expand or stretch the fabric of time. Just as a rubber band can be pulled outward and made longer, the time fabric can be stretched by this energy. Through this stretching, space comes into experience. In this way, one second on the fabric becomes 186,000 miles of space. This stretched fabric is what appears to us as the vast space “out there,” with all physical objects positioned according to their light-travel time: the Sun about eight minutes away, the Moon about three seconds away, and a nearby tree perhaps only a few microseconds away.
Spacetime Fabric and Special Relativity
Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity has had, and continues to have, a profound impact on science. It has changed the way we understand space, time, motion, and the nature of reality itself. Its influence is not limited to abstract physics; it also affects modern technology and, in subtle ways, our daily life.
One of the important conclusions of Special Relativity is that time and motion are deeply interconnected. Wherever there is motion, time is affected. More specifically, as the speed of motion increases, time slows down. In ordinary life, this slowing of time is so tiny that we do not notice it, but scientifically it is real. A moving clock ticks slightly slower than a clock at rest. The faster an object moves, the slower time becomes for that object. This relationship between motion and time is one of the proven insights of modern physics. If motion and time are interconnected, then motion and the spacetime fabric must also be interconnected—especially since the fabric itself is made of time. The question is: how does motion affect this time-based fabric?
When motion occurs and time slows down, the time-based fabric is also affected. From this perspective, the slowing of time means that the fabric becomes more compressed compared with its state before motion. As the speed of motion increases, time slows down further, and the spacetime fabric becomes increasingly compressed.
As speed increases, the fabric becomes compressed; as speed decreases, the fabric begins to expand again. This leads to an interesting question: what happens to the objects placed on spacetime fabric? When motion increases and the fabric is compressed, the objects placed on that fabric move close to the observer. When motion decreases and the fabric expand, those objects move farther away again. In this way, the compression and expansion of the time fabric directly affect how distance and movement of objects happen. This connection between motion, time, and the spacetime fabric is truly remarkable. If you want a deeper insight into this topic, please listen to the episode “Understanding Motion: Unraveling Nature’s Greatest Illusion”
Energy and Spacetime Fabric
Just as space and time are connected through the spacetime fabric, energy and the time fabric are also deeply connected. In Einstein’s General Relativity, mass and energy are not separate from spacetime; rather, they influence its shape. Wherever mass or energy is present, the spacetime fabric bends around it.
What happens when an object with mass and energy is placed on this fabric? According to Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity, the object curves the spacetime fabric around itself. This is often compared to placing a ball on a stretched rubber sheet: the heavier the ball, the deeper the depression it creates. In the same way, every object—whether an ant, a stone, a human being, a tree, a planet, a star, a galaxy, or a black hole—curves the spacetime fabric to some degree. The difference lies in the amount of energy and mass involved. The greater the mass-energy of an object, the greater the curvature it produces. A black hole creates an extreme curvature because an enormous amount of mass-energy is concentrated within a very small region.
How does this curvature affect time? When energy or mass curves around an object, the time fabric associated with that region is also affected. From this perspective, the curved portion of the fabric becomes stretched around the object, and this stretching causes time to slow down. This is similar to the idea of gravitational time dilation in physics: time passes more slowly near a massive object than it does farther away from that object.
To understand this more clearly, let us take the example of the Sun. Light takes roughly five seconds to travel across the diameter of the Sun. In this model, the Sun therefore occupies about five seconds on the time fabric. Because of the Sun’s mass and energy, this five-second portion of the fabric curves and wraps around the Sun. Since that region of the fabric is curved and stretched, time slows down around the Sun. A clock placed within this curved region would tick more slowly compared with a clock farther away from the Sun’s gravitational influence.
The same principle applies to every object, from the smallest particle to the largest black hole. Wherever there is mass-energy, there is curvature in the spacetime fabric, and wherever the curvature is stronger, time slows down more. In simple terms, the greater the curvature of the time fabric, the slower time ticks in that region. Although this idea is complex, it shows how energy, mass, time, and spacetime fabric are interconnected.
We hope you found this discussion on the fabric of space both interesting and thought-provoking. We have seen that there is no physical fabric spread across space “out there.” Instead, this perspective suggests the existence of a time-based fabric operating within the mind. This time fabric becomes the source of the space we experience externally, including all physical objects within it.
If you’re interested in delving deeper into topics like this, we invite you to discover more in my book, Science Meets Vedanta, available on Amazon. Additionally, we now have a library of around 40 podcasts covering many different topics —feel free to browse through them at your convenience.
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