A life defined by defiance and discovery

Born in 1942, Stephen Hawking’s life was transformed at just 21 when doctors diagnosed him with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a form of motor neurone disease. He was told he had only two years to live. Instead, he went on to survive for more than half a century, passing away in 2018 at the age of 76, making him the longest-living motor neurone disease survivor on record.
Over those decades, Hawking’s physical abilities deteriorated steadily, yet his mind remained as sharp as ever. He continued to work, teach, and write, communicating through a computerized speech system attached to his wheelchair. The system, powered by his wheelchair batteries, used cheek movements to control an on-screen keyboard, a painstaking process that allowed him to write books, deliver lectures, and share ideas with the world.

“There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers”
Hawking’s views on death were as direct as his scientific reasoning. Asked in 2011 what he thought happened after we died, he told The Guardian:

“I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I’m not afraid of death, but I’m in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first.

I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail.

There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.”

Even as he dismissed the notion of life beyond death, he urged people to live purposefully, saying we should “seek the greatest value of our action.” For Hawking, science itself was a form of beauty, “beautiful when it makes simple explanations of phenomena or connections between different observations. Examples include the double helix in biology and the fundamental equations of physics.”

His simple answer on God

When asked about the existence of God, Hawking offered a response that was as calm as it was final. In his later years, he elaborated on this question in his final book, Brief Answers to the Big Questions.

“For centuries, it was believed that disabled people like me were living under a curse that was inflicted by God. Well, I suppose it’s possible that I’ve upset someone up there, but I prefer to think that everything can be explained another way, by the laws of nature.

If you believe in science, like I do, you believe that there are certain laws that are always obeyed. If you like, you can say the laws are the work of God, but that is more a definition of God than a proof of his existence.”

“We are each free to believe what we want and it’s my view that the simplest explanation is there is no God.

No one created the universe and no one directs our fate. This leads me to a profound realization, there’s probably no Heaven and no afterlife, either.

What Stephen Hawking said about God and what happens after we die

We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe and for that I am extremely grateful.”

In the same book, he described belief in an afterlife as “just wishful thinking”, adding: “There is no reliable evidence for it, and it flies in the face of everything we know in science.” These reflections didn’t come from cynicism but from his deep trust in the laws of physics, the same laws that, in his eyes, governed everything from galaxies to human life itself.

Seeing the future through science

Even near the end of his life, Hawking’s attention remained firmly on humanity’s future. In Brief Answers to the Big Questions, published posthumously in 2018, he warned of the dangers and promises of artificial intelligence (AI)

“We may face an intelligence explosion that ultimately results in machines whose intelligence exceeds ours by more than ours exceeds that of snails,” he wrote.
He cautioned that dismissing the power of AI would be a grave mistake:
“It’s tempting to dismiss the notion of highly intelligent machines as mere science fiction, but this would be a mistake — and potentially our worst mistake ever.” Hawking had already raised the alarm in a 2014 BBC interview, saying:
“The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.

It would take off on its own, and re-design itself at an ever-increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete, and would be superseded.

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We understood the thought process of our sages behind designing the system of many forms of One God, each of which represents a particular quality or energy of the Supreme Formless God.

Many people attribute its origin to the fact that Hindus worship every element as God and hence they have 33 crore (koti) deities. Some people find it a matter of ridicule and many follow it blindly without knowing its real significance. The word ‘Koti’ in Sanskrit means crore and also means ‘type’. In this word ’33 koti’ means 33 types and not 33 crores. There are 33 types of deities with their own unique qualities and powers. The Taittiriya Upanishad, Chapter 8.1, mentions the fact that there are 33 types of deities.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Chapter 3.9.1 mentions that numbers like 33 crores or 3003 or 303 are wrong. There are 33 types of deities who are the main forms of God. Sage Yajnavalkya has officially said that ‘God is one, but He has many names and forms’. In Durga Saptashati, Chapter 10.4, Goddess Durga also mentions that ‘I am alone in this world, all other forms are my forms’, indicating that God is one.

Similarly, many other scriptures like Atharvaveda, Rigveda etc. clearly mention only 33 types of deities. These 33 types of deities are: eight Vasus, 11 Rudra, 12 Aditya, Indra and Prajapati. Let us tell you their importance.

The eight Vasus represent different aspects of nature, which are Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Sky, Moon, Sun and Star. Vasus means where the living beings live or support life. For example, Earth is home to a vibrant ecosystem and the Sun supports life by providing life force energy. Vasus is the protector of the life cycle in the universe and hence since ancient times we worship the elements of nature as God.

The eleven Rudras are within you, they are the five senses and the five senses (sensory and motivational organs) and one mind. Some people also refer to the 11 Rudras as the 10 Pranas which are the life force energy within us and as the 11th mind.

When one of our organs stops functioning or when our body becomes lifeless at the time of death, it becomes a cause of great sorrow for us and our loved ones. When one of our nails breaks, we also feel pain. Any damage to our body parts becomes the cause of our misery, hence the meaning of name Rudra is anything whose loss can make you cry. Like the heart, eyes, ears or any other organ, cells serve us and their loss causes us great pain. That’s why he is called Rudra.

The twelve Adityas are the twelve months of the year. Aditya is the one who takes everyone along. As the months pass by, a person’s life passes. Time moves on with everyone. Similarly, Aditya also indicates people with great mindset who have conquered time (became timeless), live selflessly and devote all their time to the welfare of the society. Such leaders ensure that everyone associated with them also grows and becomes successful. Therefore, they are like gods in this world.

Indra is the god of energy. Rain, lightning and thunder are powerful forces on this earth controlled by Indra. But, Indra is also the power and power that is hidden in everyone. Those who make full use of this energy become great and lead extraordinary lives. They use this tremendous power to achieve larger than life goals with lightning speed. He also has the power to stand up against the acts of iniquity. Therefore they are gods.

Bhagavad Gita Adhyay 10.41 clearly states that those who are proud, beautiful, powerful and have great recognition in the society, have manifested the divinity of God more. Prajapati is identified with yajna, which does not simply mean offering to the holy fire, it means performing a yajna. Knowingly or unknowingly every living being performs Yagya. Plants release oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide.

Snakes prey on rats and the rat population remains under control. Cow gives us milk which we drink since childhood. Thus, for the proper functioning of the world, every living being is contributing. Man is capable of making the most sacrifices out of all species. Bhagavad Gita Adhyay 3.14-15 states that yagya-bhava or the desire to make selfless sacrifices for others balances the whole of nature. God is present in such acts of sacrifice.

Thus with the concept of 33 categories of deities, our great sages meant that everything we see in the external and internal world with the above qualities are all deities. They are the powers of the Supreme Lord. Hope you now understand the deep significance of 33 koti deities who are manifestations of an infinite, formless God.

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