What the paper talks about
This paper proposes that the universe is not a “one-time event” that started once and will end once. Instead, it suggests the universe behaves like a repeating system, moving through cycles.
1) One cycle: what it looks like
For the sake of explanation, we can describe one full cycle like this:
- Big Bang-like beginning (transition point)
A new cycle starts with a phase that looks like a Big Bang — meaning the universe becomes hot, dense, and begins expanding. - Expansion phase
Space expands and over time matter forms stars, galaxies, clusters, etc. This is similar to what we observe today. - Long stable/accelerated phase (important part)
The paper highlights that a long period of expansion (including accelerated expansion) helps “reset” the universe.
Simple meaning: it spreads things out, reduces unevenness, and makes the universe “smooth” again so the next cycle doesn’t start as a messy, broken system. - Contraction phase
After an extremely long time, instead of expanding forever, the universe begins to shrink again (contract). Everything starts moving toward a “crunch”. - Crunch → next Bang (another transition)
The key claim: the crunch is not the final end. It becomes a bridge to the next cycle. So the “end” of one cycle turns into the “start” of the next. So the universe is always going: expand → stabilize/clean up → contract → transition → expand again
2) What changes compared to standard Big Bang thinking
In normal Big Bang thinking:
- Big Bang is the absolute beginning, and time starts there.
- In this cyclic model: “Big Bang” is not the first event.
- It is more like a restart point or handover point between cycles.
- Time and the universe can be eternal, because there is no first cycle.
3) Why the “reset/cleanup” idea matters
A big problem with repeating universes is:
If the universe keeps cycling, wouldn’t it become more and more chaotic each time?
The paper’s answer is:
The long expansion phase (especially accelerated expansion) acts like a cosmic cleanup, by stretching space so much that leftover disorder from the previous cycle becomes tiny and spread out. That makes the next cycle start in a cleaner state.
Future scope: adding consciousness to the cyclic universe idea (BK-aligned view)
A valuable next step is to extend this cyclic-universe model by adding a clear role for consciousness.
In the physics-only picture, matter, dark matter, and energy are basically non-living. They follow fixed laws. If the starting conditions of each cycle become similar again (because the universe “resets” during long expansion), then it is possible that the universe may also evolve in similar patterns across cycles.
From a BK (Brahma Kumaris) perspective, the model becomes richer because BK knowledge does not treat the universe as only physical. It adds another key element: consciousness (the soul) as an active factor, not just a by-product of matter.
This leads to an important question:
If the physical universe follows fixed rules, then what can change the direction of events?
A strong candidate is consciousness, because consciousness can potentially make choices, not only follow mechanical laws.
Two possibilities to debate
1) If consciousness is fully deterministic (same choice in same situation):
If under the same conditions, consciousness always takes the same decision, then every cycle could replay the same sequence of events. In that case, the cyclic universe could become a kind of perfect repetition—the same drama repeating again and again.
2) If consciousness is not fully deterministic (choice can vary):
If consciousness can make different choices even under similar conditions, then cycles may repeat in overall structure (expansion–contraction), but still produce different outcomes—meaning variation can exist even inside repetition.
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