Consciousness as the bridge from abiotic to biotic: A comparative study of Vedic cosmology and modern scientific thought

Abstract

This paper explores the emergence of life through a comparative lens that brings Vedic–Upanishadic cosmology into dialogue with modern scientific theories of abiogenesis and consciousness. Classical texts such as the Chāndogya Upaniṣad describe creation as unfolding from Sat, “Existence alone-One without a second,” from which space, air, fire, water, and earth arise through conscious will and tapas (“Prajāpati meditated, and from that Tapa came creation”). These teachings present a top down model in which consciousness precedes and organizes matter, with Prāṇa acting as the vital force that animates inert elements into living systems.Modern biology, by contrast, explains life as emerging bottom up through chemical evolution, self replicating molecules, and natural selection. Yet contemporary ideas-quantum consciousness, panpsychism, and morphogenetic fields-suggest convergences with Vedic thought by challenging the assumption that matter is fundamentally inert.This paper maps structural parallels between Vedic cosmology (Brahman → Mahat → Ahaṅkāra → Tanmātras → Mahābhūtas → Prāṇa → Jīva) and scientific models (Big Bang → physical laws → particles → atoms → molecules → protocells → living cells). While differing in metaphysical commitments, both frameworks acknowledge ordered emergence, increasing complexity, and the unresolved mystery of consciousness. The study argues that Vedic philosophy offers a holistic, consciousness centered paradigm that complements scientific inquiry and enriches contemporary debates on the origin of life.