All of us have at some point experienced Eureka moments or insights, where suddenly the solution to a long-vexed problem has emerged in a flash. Such sudden insights have been the basis of some of the greatest discoveries. The flash of insight of Archimedes, who ran naked in the streets of Athens shouting ‘Eureka!’ and hence, the origin of the word ‘Eureka’; Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Barbara McClintock, and innumerable other discoverers, came mostly at the time when they were not expecting it. For example, Archimedes got his insight of Archimedes principle when he was sitting in his bathtub; Einstein got his idea about the general theory of gravitation when he visited the painter who had fallen from the roof; and Newton got his idea of gravity when an apple fell on his head. Great discoveries and insights have come from people who have thought very deeply about the problem at hand. During this process, it becomes a junoon, passion, for them and the whole brain is simply seized with one idea or thought which occupies it for a very long time. This requires a tremendous will power that leads to powerful concentration and helps in preparing the mind for the insight. This deep thinking or internal churning of the brain is called Sanyam by Patanjali. Sanyam is defined as a combination of dharana, focus; dhyan, contemplation; and samadhi, immersion, done on any subject or the object. Patanjali says when sanyam is done on anything, it’s complete knowledge results. However, most discoverers have also stated that though they thought deeply about the problem, the solution sometimes came unexpectedly and in a flash. So, what exactly is the mechanism by which such insights suddenly appear? The thought production in the brain takes place when a large number of neurons fire in a particular manner. This firing activates the neural pathways. And it is a generally accepted fact that energising and triggering of neural pathways produces thought that is a three-dimensional hologram. We still do not know how many neurons are involved in producing a single thought, yet these numbers are large. Anil Rajvanshi
