''The Holy Science'' is a book written by Swami

Sri Yukteswar Giri Sri Yukteswar Giri (also written Sriyuktesvara, Sri Yukteshwar) (Devanagari: ) (10 May 1855 – 9 March 1936) is the monastic name of Priya Nath Karar (also spelled as Priya Nath Karada and Preonath Karar), an Indian monk and yogi, and the g ...

in 1894 under the title ''Kaivalya Darsanam''. Sri Yukteswar states that he wrote ''The Holy Science'' at the request of

Mahavatar Babaji Mahavatar Babaji (; ) is the name given to his guru by Indian yogi Yogiraj Lahiri Mahasaya (1828-1895), and several of his disciples, who reportedly appeared to them between 1861 and 1935, as described in various publications and biographi ...

. The book compares parallel passages from the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

and

Upanishads The Upanishads (; sa, उपनिषद् ) are late Vedic Sanskrit texts that supplied the basis of later Hindu philosophy.Wendy Doniger (1990), ''Textual Sources for the Study of Hinduism'', 1st Edition, University of Chicago Press, , ...

in order to show the unity of all religions.

Purpose of book

In the introduction, Sri Yukteswar writes: ::The purpose of this book is to show as clearly as possible that there is an essential unity in all religions; that there is no difference in the truths inculcated by the various faiths; that there is but one method by which the world, both external and internal, has evolved; and that there is but one Goal admitted by all scriptures. The book compares

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

slokas to passages from the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...

, especially the

Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of ...

. He states in the introduction: “The book is divided into four sections according to the four stages in the development of knowledge.” The four sections are: :*The Gospel: “…seeks to establish the fundamental truth of creation, and to describe the evolution and the involution of the world.” :*The Goal: “All creatures, from the highest to the lowest in the link of creation, are found eager to realize three things – Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss.” :*The Procedure: “…deals with the method of realizing the three purposes of life.” :*The Revelation: “…discusses the revelations which come to those who have traveled far to realize the three ideals of life and are very near their destination.”

Yuga theory

Sri Yukteswar’s introduction to ''The Holy Science'' includes his explanation of the ''

Yuga Cycle A ''Yuga'' Cycle ( ''chatur yuga'', ''maha yuga'', etc.) is a cyclic age (epoch) in Hindu cosmology. Each cycle lasts for 4,320,000 years (12,000 divine years) and repeats four ''yugas'' (world ages): '' Krita (Satya) Yuga'', ''Treta Yuga'', ''D ...

'' which differs from the traditional position because of his premise that the earth is now in the age of '' Dwapara Yuga'', not the '' Kali Yuga'' that most Indian pundits believe to be the current age. His theory is based on the idea that the sun “takes some star for its dual and revolves round it in about 24,000 years of our earth – a celestial phenomenon which causes the backward movement of the equinoctial points around the zodiac.” The common explanation for this celestial phenomenon is

precession Precession is a change in the orientation of the rotational axis of a rotating body. In an appropriate reference frame it can be defined as a change in the first Euler angle, whereas the third Euler angle defines the rotation itself. In oth ...

, the ‘wobbling’ rotating movement of the earth axis. Research into Sri Yukteswar’s explanation is being conducted by the Binary Research Institute. He further states that:

The sun also has another motion by which it revolves round a grand center called Vishnu-Naabhi which is the seat of the creative power Brahma, the universal magnetism. Brahma regulates Dharma the mental virtues of the internal world. When the sun in its revolution round its dual come to the place nearest to this grand center the seat of Brahma (an event which takes place when the autumnal equinox comes to the first point of Aries) Dharma the mental virtue becomes so much developed that man can easily comprehend all, even the mysteries of Spirit.

In ''The Holy Science'', Sri Yukteswar concludes that we are currently in the beginning stages of '' Dwapara Yuga'', which began around 1699 A.D., moving closer to the grand center, and will pass into ''

Treta Yuga ''Treta Yuga'', in Hinduism, is the second and second best of the four '' yugas'' (world ages) in a '' Yuga Cycle'', preceded by '' Krita (Satya) Yuga'' and followed by '' Dvapara Yuga''. ''Treta Yuga'' lasts for 1,296,000 years (3,600 divine ye ...

'' around the year 4099 A.D. If we represent the ''

yuga A ''yuga'', in Hinduism, is generally used to indicate an age of time. In the ''Rigveda'', a ''yuga'' refers to generations, a long period, a very brief period, or a yoke (joining of two things). In the ''Mahabharata'', the words ''yuga'' and ...

s'' in a clock, the lowest spiritual time would be at 6 o'clock, approx. year 550 A.D., which is the center of ''Kali Yuga'' (more or less the Middle Ages), and the highest point is 12 o'clock, in the center of ''

Satya Yuga ''Satya Yuga'' ( ''Krita Yuga''), in Hinduism, is the first and best of the four ''yugas'' (world ages) in a ''Yuga Cycle'', preceded by ''Kali Yuga'' of the previous cycle and followed by ''Treta Yuga''. ''Satya Yuga'' lasts for 1,728,000 yea ...

'' (literally Age of Truth, as sat=truth), or Golden Age. It takes approx. 12,000 years from the lowest to the highest point, and about 24,000 in a complete turn. Now we would be at approx. 7 c'clock, ascending in '' Dwapara Yuga'' or Bronze Age which started in 1699. [Note: The graphic to the right displays the Zodiac symbols in its inner circle based on their alignment with the Northern Hemisphere AUTUMNAL Equinox, NOT the Vernal Equinox. This is because the Great Year/''Yuga Cycle'' commences when the Autumnal Equinox is aligned with the First Point of the Constellation Aries, as stated above (ref "The Holy Science" by Sri Yukteswar). Hence, they may appear to be rotated 180 degrees to those who normally use the Northern Hemisphere VERNAL Equinox as their reference point for the Zodiac 'Ages']

Notes

External links

Extracts of ''The Holy Science''

''The Holy Science''
(courtesy of archive rg). {{DEFAULTSORT:Holy Science 1894 non-fiction books Books about spirituality Indian religious texts Christian and Hindu interfaith dialogue Religious pluralism