Book Review | From Shiva to Schrödinger by Dr Mrittunjoy Guha Majumdar: A blend of Indian philosophy & Quantum Physics

It is often said that science and spirituality are locked in a permanent battle. This idea is known as the “conflict thesis” and it grew mainly out of Western history, where religious authority and scientific discovery clashed in some famous cases. The reality is far more nuanced than a simple war between two sides. Many scientists have been deeply spiritual and many spiritual traditions have encouraged careful questioning and direct observation. Dr Mrittunjoy Guha Majumdar’s book From Shiva to Schrödinger shows this very well from an Indian point of view. It does not treat science and spirituality as enemies and it does not try to make one defeat the other. Instead, it places Indian philosophy, especially Trika Shaivism, beside modern quantum physics and lets the two speak to each other. Ideas such as non-duality, interconnectedness and the role of the observer appear in both conversations, even though they are expressed in very different languages. The author explains these ideas in clear, simple words, so even a reader with no background in either field can follow. By the end, we see that Indian thought has long moved alongside the questions science asks about reality, mind and the universe. This makes the book a welcome and refreshing read for anyone tired of the old “science versus religion” argument. About Trika Shaivism The first chapters look at Trika, the philosophical basis of Kashmir Shaivism and set out its basic ideas in easy to understand language. The structure is based on three main principles: Shiva, which stands for pure consciousness; Shakti, the creative power behind existence; and Anu, the individual soul. It is these three principles that lead to the formation of the 36 tattvas, which stand for the various stages ranging from subtle awareness to the physical world. The text also mentions spanda, the original vibration that starts creation, and shaktipata, the descent of grace which brings about spiritual awakening. The author provides a historical context for these ideas by tracing the origins and development of the tradition and by pointing out the scholarly lines of succession, among others mentioning Vasugupta and Abhinavagupta, who have kept these teachings alive over the generations. The book also gives a important explanation regarding Trika’s view of the material universe. Unlike the traditional Vedic schools which consider the physical world to be illusory, Trika holds that the universe is a true and dynamic expression of Parama Shiva. The physical world is seen as the ultimate reality in terms of manifestation. This way of looking at things is put into practice using various systems such as the Yamala and Shakti tantras, Abhinavagupta’s three symbolic forms (vyakta, vyaktavyakta, and avyakta),\ and the Kaula practice, which focuses on three basic powers. Consciousness as the primary ground A central thesis of the book is that consciousness is not simply a byproduct of biological processes, but rather the foundational reality of existence. The text delineates three progressive levels of awareness para, para-apara, and apara, each representing a distinct degree of the same underlying consciousness. These are contrasted with the four experiential states: waking, dreaming, deep sleep and turiya. This perspective is connected to Para-vak, the primordial sound from which form arises and to the relationship between pramata (the knower) and prameya (the known). Trika conceptualizes awareness as an active force, characterized by the interconnected processes of knowing, willing and feeling. Rethinking the subject-object divide The book looks at the line that separates the observer from the external world and considers various approaches to this problem, mentioning John Searle’s analysis of subjective existence and objective knowledge, Mahayana Buddhism’s emphasis on emptiness, and Shankara’s Advaita philosophy of non-dual oneness. Trika’s particular method, known as pratyabhijna (recognition), does not aim at getting rid of the distinction between the self and the world, but rather seeks to bring about the understanding that this separation is in fact illusory; since all phenomena depend on a common fundamental field, pratyabhijna is able to resolve the apparent contradictions between unity and diversity as well as between the transcendental and the ordinary; the perception of a complete separation is finally seen as an illusion produced by the ego. Why classical physics shifted The text subsequently transitions to the historical development of modern physics. Newtonian mechanics provided effective explanations for macroscopic phenomena, such as planetary motion and everyday objects, but proved inadequate at the microscopic scale. In 1900, Max Planck introduced the concept that energy is emitted in discrete quanta rather than continuous waves. Building on Planck’s work, Heisenberg and Schrödinger formulated quantum mechanics, which underpins technologies such as transistors, lasers, and quantum computing. The book examines two foundational quantum principles: superposition, which posits that a system exists across multiple potential states until measured and uncertainty, which demonstrates that certain pairs of physical properties cannot be simultaneously determined(It is impossible to simultaneously measure both the exact position and the exact momentum of a subatomic particle). The author emphasizes that uncertainty is an intrinsic feature of nature, not a limitation of measurement instruments. The mechanics of entanglement The section dealing with entanglement is one of the most thoroughly discussed in the book. Once two particles are entangled, taking a measurement of one at once gives information about the other, no matter how far apart they are. This effect caused Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen to put forward the EPR paradox in 1935 and to claim that quantum mechanics was incomplete. Later on, Bell’s theorem offered a means of testing these ideas experimentally. The book then goes on to consider the main experimental loopholes locality and freedom of choice and demonstrates how modern experiments have systematically dealt with them. The text outlines how entanglement powers practical applications, including secure quantum communication, faster computation, precision measurement and advanced biological research. At the same time, the author clarifies a common misconception: while entangled states display strong correlations, they cannot be used to transmit actual information faster than the speed of light. Decoherence and the everyday world The reason why we do not observe quantum effects such […]