PARIṆĀMATRAYA AND CONTEMPORARY PHYSICS: ANALYZING ONTOLOGICAL EQUIVALENTS IN QUANTUM DYNAMICS, TEMPORAL TRANSFORMATION, AND ENTROPY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69919/k8s0jj24Keywords:
Parinamatraya,, dharmaparinama, avasthaparinama, lakshanaparinama, ontology, quantumdynamics, thermodynamicsAbstract
This study explores the conceptual relationship between the Yogic doctrine of Pariṇāmatraya—the threefold process of transformation through dharma (धर्म), Lakshana (लक्षण), and avasthā—and selected principles in modern physics, particularly quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, and entropic dynamics (Patañjali, 2019; Wheeler & Zurek, 1983). While these traditions emerged in very different intellectual and historical contexts, both are concerned with a common question: how change occurs within an ordered reality.
The analysis undertaken in this study suggests that Pariṇāmatraya can be interpreted as a sophisticated ontological framework for understanding transformation. In this framework, dharma (धर्म) may be compared with the persistence of underlying structures and conservation principles that govern physical systems (von Neumann, 1955; Bennett & DiVincenzo, 2000). Lakshana (लक्षण), understood as the temporal transformation along with characteristic marking a particular phase of transformation, bears interesting similarities to emergent properties and measurement-related phenomena that become manifest under specific conditions (Zurek, 2003; Schlosshauer, 2007). Likewise, avasthā, which refers to the changing condition of an entity through time, invites comparison with thermodynamic evolution and the irreversible processes associated with increasing entropy (Boltzmann, 1896; Prigogine & Stengers, 1984).
The purpose of these comparisons is not to suggest that classical Yogic thinkers anticipated modern scientific theories in a literal sense. Rather, the parallels point to a shared concern with continuity, change, and temporal development. By bringing these perspectives into dialogue, the study highlights the possibility that ancient philosophical models and contemporary scientific frameworks may offer complementary insights into the nature of transformation. Such a comparative approach opens new avenues for examining the relationship between persistence and novelty, order and change, and the temporal unfolding of physical reality.
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