Where Did Matter Come From? - Exploring the Limits of Materialism and the Vedantic View of Reality

The puzzle of matter’s origin is as old as philosophy. If everything is perceived in consciousness, then where did the matter we experience come from?

Two options exist. Either matter produced consciousness, or consciousness produced matter. No third option has ever been coherently proposed. The first is the view of modern materialism. The second is the view of Vedanta.

Materialism holds that consciousness is an emergent property of complex brains. But matter, by all observation, is inert. It has no sentience. Even if we describe brain activity down to the level of ions and neurotransmitters, the leap to subjective awareness — to the experience of red, of sweetness, of being alive — remains unexplained. Philosopher David Chalmers famously called this the “hard problem of consciousness.”

Vedanta takes the opposite stance. Consciousness is self-evident: it cannot be denied, for even doubt is known in consciousness. Matter, by contrast, is never experienced apart from awareness. Its reality depends upon being known. If one must be primary, consciousness is the stronger candidate.

So how does matter arise? Here Vedanta introduces the principle of maya, often described as the power of projection and concealment. Like a dream, which creates a world of objects from thought alone, maya produces a universe of form within consciousness. But here is the crucial point: maya is inscrutable. We do not know why matter appears in consciousness, any more than a dream character can explain why the dream began. The fact is simply that it does appear, and that appearance is ordered, intelligible, and persistent.

Science, for its part, continues to probe matter down to its foundations — atoms, particles, quantum fields — until it meets a limit. Perception and inference, the tools of science, can reveal matter’s structure but not the knower of structure. The observer remains hidden because it cannot be objectified. Here Vedanta begins where science leaves off.

To believe matter is primary is to bind oneself to it — to identify with the body, to fear its decline, and to live under the tyranny of impermanence. To see that consciousness is primary is to recognize oneself as the witness in whom matter arises and falls. This shift is not speculative but liberating.

In summary:

• Matter is inert; it cannot give rise to sentience.

• Consciousness is self-evident; matter is always known in it.

• Matter appears in consciousness through maya — but why it appears is ultimately inscrutable.

• Science explains matter but not the knower; Vedanta completes the inquiry.

• Liberation comes from recognizing oneself as consciousness, not matter.

Thus, from the standpoint of Vedanta, matter never truly “came from” anywhere. It is an inscrutable appearance in consciousness, sustained by maya, and known at all times to the universal knower.