Space, Science, Spirituality, And Ganesha's 4,577 Orbits Around The World

Having mapped a celestial path of 4,577 orbits around Earth, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, at last, re-entered the embrace of Gaia.

Their return marked the end of an unexpected odyssey—what was initially an eight-day mission turned into a mandatory 286-day stay aboard the International Space Station.

This extended compelled stay in space, a testament to their resilience and adaptation, saw them give humanity a new vision for its outreach. Accompanying them, beyond their human companionship, was Ganesha, the elephant-headed Divinity, revered as both God and harbinger of auspicious beginnings.

Before each mission, Ganesha is invoked to ensure its success and to overcome the hurdles in the path. Sunita Williams, upholding a sacred tradition, always carries a murti of Ganesha within her personal effects.

In the spiritual lore of southern India, Ganesha, and indeed His divine brother Murugan, are inextricably linked to the very concept of earthly circumambulation.

A beloved tale, etched into the minds of many children growing up in this part of the world, recounts a celestial contest: tasked by Shiva to encircle the Earth, the victor would claim the undivided fruit of wisdom. While Murugan, with vital energy and manifest efficiency, embarked on a physical odyssey around the globe, Ganesha, in His profound wisdom and with pot belly, simply circumambulated the Divine Shiva-Shakti. This act, a symbolic journey to the ultimate source, granted Him the coveted fruit.

The story serves to illuminate the eternal truth: the external pursuit of wisdom often leads to arduous paths, while the inward journey, to the very core of being, yields the fruit with relative ease. Yet, within the innocent hearts of children, a subtle dissonance may arise, a sense that Ganesha, perhaps, outmanoeuvred His brother. A Carl Jung might find in that elements of the trickster archetype.

And now, it seems, in the cosmic dance of balance, Ganesha, through Sunita Williams's voyage, undertook a different kind of circumambulation, orbiting the planet a staggering 4,577 times, as if to offer a celestial counterpoint, a tangible expression in this outwardly expansion of human species from its terrestrial cradle.

The cherished tale of Ganesa and Murugan, with its quest for the fruit of wisdom, serves as a child's introduction to a profound Vedic truth. For Murugan, too, ultimately embodies 'Tat Tvam Asi' – which is enshrined in the very word ‘Palani’ (=’Pazaham’ + ‘Nee’), signifying 'Thou art the (undivided) Fruit (of Wisdom)' – transforming the narrative into a luminous echo of the Upanishadic verse: 'avidyayā mṛtyuṃ tīrtvā vidyayāmṛtamaśnute.'

Through Avidya, the exploration of the physical sciences and the outward approach, one transcends death, or rather, the cycles of misery and suffering. Through Vidya, the science of the spiritual, one attains immortality, a state of eternal being.

This very principle was demonstrated by the 'Dragon' spacecraft of SpaceX, its successful orbital journey and safe return of the astronauts from their extended sojourn, a testament to the harmonious interplay of scientific prowess and human resilience.

A collective joy resonated across the globe.

For Hindus, this event holds yet another significance. For nearly two to three centuries, Hinduism and its sacred symbols have endured ridicule, unjustly relegated to the realm of superstition and backwardness through colonial and evangelical stereotyping. Yet, through their active participation in the global pursuit of knowledge and adventure, Hindus rooted and who resisted the colonisation, have unveiled the true essence of their divine symbols.

They are not relics of a bygone era, as the colonial gaze would have them perceived, but rather, they are ever present, ancient yet still vitally potent sources of inspiration and profound spiritual significance. They are beacons illuminating the path to inner understanding and cosmic harmony.

Here is a captivating truth: human space exploration invariably draws the spiritual dimension of our species into sharp focus.

In 1968, as Apollo 8 orbited the moon on Christmas Eve, the crew—Bill Anders, Jim Lovell, and Frank Borman—read aloud the opening verses of Genesis (1:1-10), narrating the Bronze age vision of creation of the universe. This broadcast, reaching a global audience, underscored our innate desire to connect with the grand narrative of existence.

Then, during the historic Apollo 11 moon landing, Buzz Aldrin, in a moment of quiet reverence, held a private communion service. He recited one of the most Advaitic of the verses attributed to Nazarene in the Gospel of John (15:5) —'I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.'

Aldrin also reflected on Psalm 8:3-4, expressing awe at the celestial spectacle of moon and stars, a testament to the enduring human quest to find meaning in the universe.

These moments reveal a deep-seated human yearning for spiritual unity with the universe. Institutional religions articulate this through a belief in a personal, transcendent deity – a divine alpha male – derived perhaps from our Primate core.

The Dharmic family of religions, Vedic, Buddhist, Jain etc., often express it through the celebration of the impersonal Rta, or Cosmic Dharma—a concept akin to Spinoza's understanding of God. Sunita Williams, by carrying Ganesha and the Bhagavad Gita, embodied this inclusive spectrum of Dharmic spirituality, a heritage rooted in the meta-biological evolution our species.

Thus, as we—the bipedal earth-bound apes, or rather naked-apes as Desmond Morris calls us—venture into the vastness of space with the aid of ground-breaking technology, we simultaneously carry our spiritual legacy that evolved on earth.

This journey is both outward and inward: through the exploration of the physical world (Avidya), we transcend limitations, and through our ever luminous spiritual core, we attain a state of enduring understanding.

In essence, our space age is a testament to the inseparable dance of science and spirit, a reaffirmation of what the Upanishadic sage who too perhaps lived in the very same Bronze age said: 'avidyayā mṛtyuṃ tīrtvā vidyayāmṛtamaśnute.'