Dr J V Narlikar's God
By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
21 May 2025
India's top-notch astrophysicist Dr Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, who passed away in Poona on May 20, approached the concept of "god" through a scientific lens, emphasizing the importance of evidence and reason over faith or personal belief. He didn't necessarily reject the existence of a "higher power," but he preferred to consider the universe and its laws as the primary focus of scientific inquiry. He also acknowledged the influence of cultural upbringing on one's worldview, suggesting that a belief in a creator might be influenced by one's cultural background.
Indian astrophysicist Jayant Narlikar
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The best thing about his (religious) belief was its fluidity. He was neither a blind believer, nor was he a militant atheist. While he never pooh-poohed the idea and existence of god, he believed that the conventional and scriptural concept of god had its limitations, just the way science and human knowledge also had their limitations. Dr Narlikar believed that scepticism was always better than unexamined faith and outright non-belief.
He was of the view that certain things could never be conclusively proven. God can never be proven or disproven. This Middle Path of faith or Agnosticism shaped the great astrophysicist's metaphysical outlook. He imbibed the combined spirit of Upanishads' Neti Neti and the Hegelian Dialectic.
Despite being a man of science, that too, Astro-physics, he avoided Absolutism and never sounded absolute in anything. He believed in the Transcendence of the Cosmos which the human mind could never grasp. He was a perfect Yogi who was an Itivaachak Sanshyatma (a positive agnostic/sceptic). He was a rationalist who hated over-rationalization. 'Reason doesn't always provide the best explanations,' Narlikar would always say. At the same time, he didn't approve of esoteric mumbo-jumbo and exhorted to develop the scientific temperament. In short, Narlikar did not believe in a traditional, supernatural god or a creator who intervened in the world. He believed that the universe's workings could be explained through the laws of physics and mathematics. In a way, he believed in Spinoza's god. Despite being a Cosmologist, he didn't repudiate the role of mythology and considered it as a step towards understanding the greater reality and higher consciousness. But he didn't have much faith in cloying spirituality and abstruse mysticism. He considered them placebos. In these times, when believers and non-believers are trying to prove the validity of their respective beliefs and sparring over intangible issues, we need to have Dr Narlikar's scientific and rational approach to faith.
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A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/current-affairs/dr-j-v-narlikar-god/d/135601
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