24 September 2003
“Why am I following Amma? The answer is that Amma is a unique person who has made a grand synthesis of science and spirituality.” —Dr. Vijay P. Bhatkar
Dr. Vijay P. Bhatkar—the chairman of Pune’s ETH Research Lab and the architect of India’s first super computer—presented a stirring speech about Amma during Amritavarsham50, saying, “Amma is fusing science and spirituality.”
“As a scientist, many people ask me why am I following Amma? The answer, sisters and brothers, is that Amma is a unique person who has made a grand synthesis of science and spirituality. I have grown to see science and spirituality are but two sides of the same coin.”
Dr. Bhatkar elaborated, saying, “Amma does not preach a philosophy but has fused science, knowledge and religion in a way all of us can understand.”
Dr. Bhatkar described Dr. Noam Chomsky’s concept that “there is a centre in the human brain that represents the meta language of humanity.” He then said that when he was working with computers, he felt that their systems held a similar quality. Then, when he was introduced to Amma, he felt that She had the true key to communicating with the world through Her language of love. “Her language of love can communicate with everyone across the world whatever their language, race or religion,” he said. “‘The eternal religion of the world is love,’ says Amma, and ‘the Creator and Creation are one.’”
Dr. Bhatkar then invoked Swami Vivekananda, the great Indian sannyasin who brought Vedanta to the West. Dr. Bhatkar reminded everyone how—100 years ago—Swami Vivekananda had predicted that, in 100 years, India would rise again and show the world the path to enlightenment. Dr. Bhatkar said that he sees Amma fulfilling that prophesy.
“Amma represents the coming of a unique saint who dissolves the barriers of east and west, north and south,” he said. “The devotees here from 193 countries represent the dissolution of these barriers. This is not merely a celebration but the spiritual resurgence of, not only Kerala, but the entire world.”