The Man Who Knew Infinity: Srinivasa Ramanujan, Intuitive Mathematician

The Man Who Knew Infinity is the remarkable story of Srinivasa Ramanujan, a brilliant Indian mathematician whose revolutionary ideas took Europe by storm during the years around World War I. The film, released in 2015, stars Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons, and is based on the book of the same name by Robert Kanigel. What made Ramanujan so amazing, were his deep spiritualty and intuitive leaps in fields for which he had no prior background. Ramanujan said that his insights were divinely inspired and came to him in dreams, which he quickly wrote down upon awakening.

An autodidact, Ramanujan showed early brilliance in mathematics despite little formal training. Unable to complete college because he could not pass any courses besides math, Ramanujan struggled to find employment and was chronically poor. Finally hired by the local transit company, he quickly impressed his employers with his ability to solve complex equations. He completed his work so fast he was able to work on math problems the rest of the time and submitted several papers to the Indian Journal of Mathematics.

ramanujanIn the meantime, former college professors contacted colleagues at Trinity College, Cambridge University, among them Professor G.H. Hardy. Over time, Hardy persuaded Ramanujan to come to England.  Once there, the Indian encountered prejudice and many scoffed at his lack of training, but Hardy compared him in brilliance to the likes of Jacobi or Euler, stating that he had never met his equal.

In some cases, it took years for others to replicate and develop proofs for equations and theorems that Ramanujan had jotted down. In a letter to Hardy, written from his deathbed, his notations on “mock modular forms” are now proven to have  implications for string theory and black holes.

ramanujan2 A devoted Hindu, and deeply religious, Ramanujan said that whole formulas and theorems came to him from God. He was deeply intuitive and credited his substantial mathematical capacities to a divine source.  He said “An equation for me has no meaning, unless it expresses a thought of God.” Ramanujan died in 1920 at the age of 32, but his notebooks and work opened new avenues of inquiry and his calculations are still being proved as true to this day.  


Merlian News January 2020 Newsletter

Missed an article? Here’s a quick round up of some of our favorites from this month! As always, we look forward to presenting you with up to date news and information about holistic events, health and well being from both the scientific and the spiritual perspectives, nutrition, vegan lifestyles, and more.

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Reconnecting to Your Heart: A Guided Meditation from the Angels

As a mystic, I have been receiving information and guidance from the angels since I was a very young girl. As I watch the news, what I see is a world of souls searching to make sense of the daily Surprise that is thrown upon us. Recently in my meditation The Archangels (the architects of the Heavenly Realms) came to me with a message for our time. I would like to share this with you.

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How to Maintain Your Wellness Goals All Year Long

| by Dylan Foster

It’s no secret that we like to set wellness goals for ourselves at the beginning of the year. Even though these goals can include beneficial things like getting more sleep and having more relaxation time, many people struggle to maintain them. The best way to stay on track with your goals is to make a specific but adaptable plan that’s also affordable.

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We Are the Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life by Laura McKowen

Before Laura McKowen got sober, she had a long, successful career in public relations in the Mad Men-esque drinking culture of the advertising industry, where “liquid lunches were frequent and drinking at your desk in the late afternoon was perfectly normal.” In the five years since she stopped drinking, she has become one of the foremost voices in the modern recovery movement. In her new memoir We Are the Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life (New World Library, January 7, 2020), McKowen flips the script on how we talk about addiction and encourages readers not to ask, “Is this bad enough that I have to change?” but rather, “Is this good enough for me to stay the same?”

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A New Look at Eye Exams by Marc Grossman, OD, LAc

Getting a thorough eye exam has always been about more than reading letters off an eye chart. That’s even more true today. One reason: We’re harder on our eyes than ever before. Many of us spend hours each day staring and squinting at screens, developing digital eyestrain and exposing our eyes to potentially damaging blue light. But the typical tests offered during a standard eye exam, even one during which your pupils are dilated, may not go far enough to find problems as early as possible.

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The Time for Revolution is Now by Craig Kolavo

As I sat on the floor in my closet, unpacking boxes of dusty journals and notebooks I’d collected over the past 20+ years, the task at hand seemed overwhelming. How do I organize all of these life experiences into a coherent story? How do I put these events into a clear, chronological order for my kids to understand? You see, I had no plans to write a book. My original intention for writing was simple and somewhat selfish. I was hoping to explain to my children some of the discoveries I’ve made on this crazy adventure of life. Maybe all parents feel this way at some point. Why should my kids have to experience the same struggles, pain, and suffering I’ve been through?

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Making It Through the Winter

| by Merryn Jose

The last several days of winter have seemed particularly snowy, dark, and icy. It’s been a struggle for many, with virulent viruses abounding, exacerbated by the bitterly cold weather. What has kept me going is the discipline of my daily routines: Qi Gong , meditation and exercise. My spirits are always lifted and I realize anew how rewarding is the ability to control one’s mind and body. Most recently, I have thought of the Buddhist monks who practice tummo , the art of controlling one’s body temperature through meditation

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How to Help Australia Right Now

| by Cheryl Shainmark

If you’re like me, your heart has been breaking over the wave of images coming from fire stricken Australia: the burning homes, the loss of life, the destruction of habitat affecting millions of animals, and finally, the disturbing peril of the animals themselves. While the death toll for humans is 25 at this time,  estimates place the loss of animal life at over half a million victims. As reported on PBS, thousands of Australians are in need of assistance as massive wildfires continue to tear across the continent.

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