'God is one' and the 'Only',"Ekamevaadviteyam"; He is present everywhere
in the form of ‘Consciousness’ ('Prajnyaana')
– either 'universal' consciousness or 'individual' consciousness. It is this
'consciousness that has created this world and it is this consciousness that
has made us what we are; ‘It’ is in each and every one of us. ‘That’ sits in us
and directs all our actions. Without ‘It’, not even a wink of the eye is
possible. God is so near us that He is nearer than our hands and limbs. He is
One Supreme Omniscient, all-pervading, cosmic flow in all beings. He is the
Light within us. He is the Pure Intellect. He is the Supreme Consciousness. He
is the Pure Mind, Heart (Subtle) and Soul, the Self.
“Eko Devah Sarva Bhooteshu Goodah Sarva
vyapee Sarvabhootaantaratma | Karmaadhyakshah Sarvabhootadhivaasah Saakshi
cheta kevalo Nirgunascha”|| [Svetasvatara Upanishad VI. 11]
Meaning, “The One Lord (Self-effulgent)
in all beings remaining hidden, all-pervading and the self of all beings,
controlling and watching over all works (good or bad), living n all creatures
and the Witness (i.e., neither the doer of any acts nor the enjoyer), The
Supreme Intelligence, the One without a second, having no attributes”. “He is
the One Intelligent (active) ‘Being’ among the many inactive; He who makes the
many from what is one”. [Brahmopanishad, Atharva
Veda]
The realization of this
Reality releases one from all bondage of all codes.
Vedanta upholds that all evolution presupposes involution. If
Consciousness appears as a datum in evolution from the cell onward, it must be
present in the primordial, background material of the Universe itself. What is
the most evolved notion that man has of this Universe? It is Intelligence; the
adjustment of part to part. At the beginning that intelligence becomes involved,
and in the end, that intelligence gets evolved. The sum total of the
intelligence displayed in the Universe must, therefore, be the involved
Universal Intelligence unfolding itself. This Universal Intelligence is what we
call ‘GOD’. One can call it by
any name, it is absolutely certain that in the beginning there was that
infinite cosmic intelligence. This cosmic intelligence got involved and later
on it manifested itself, until it became the ‘perfect man’. Then it goes back
to its source. In Him we live and move and have our being; we come from God and
go back to God. This cosmic intelligence is God. Pure Consciousness is known as
Brahman or Shiva, in its transcendental quiescent aspect, and as Maya or
Shakti, in its immanent dynamic aspect; one is like the bottled up state of
energy and the other the released one. The philosophers call it Paramatman, the
Yogis call it the Supreme Self and the Bhaktas call it Bhagavan. This unity or
infinitude of the Atman as ‘Pure Consciousness’ is the goal of all Vedanta, according
to Shri Shankara.
“Why do we use the word God? Because, there is no other
word; it is the only word, the best word, in which is centered all hopes,
aspirations and happiness of humanity.
Great saints coined this word God; they realized its import and understood
their meaning. In the hands of ignorant people the word loses its spirit and
glory”, says Swami Vivekananda. (Complete Works. Vol.11.
p. 210).
Use the word God in the true spirit.
Cleanse it of its superstition and realize fully what this great ancient word
means. This word ‘God’, when one understands properly by the power of laws of
association as associated with innumerable majestic and powerful ideas. It has
been used and worshipped by millions of human souls; and, have associated with
all that is highest and best, all that is rational, all that is lovable, all
that is great, grand, in human nature.
And they come as suggestions and cannot be given up.
Richard Armstrong in his book ‘God
and Soul’ is of the opinion, that, “one who claims to see God and divine things
with the inner vision of the soul, has a direct apprehension, as the bodily eye
apprehends color, and the bodily ear apprehends sound. The method is simply
contemplation; not to argue, generalize or infer; just reflect, brood and wait
for light.” Real Sadhus and saints
deeply meditative, look mute, deaf and dull, more or less imbecile lunatics,
begging for bread, but occasionally open their lips to give utterances of
profound wisdom. These wandering ascetics or sadhus practice contemplation and
penance to vision Reality, i.e., God.
Atman in the individual Jeeva and Brahman in
the Universe are one and the same. It
is the same individual Consciousness a part of the Supreme Consciousness. This
Atman- Brahman, the individual and the supreme Consciousness is the Unity of
all Experience. It is the Unified Experience Field, Non-Dual ‘Pure Consciousness’.
Our mere intellectual knowledge leaves us far away from our true self. Self-
realization penetrates deep spirituality, steadily breaks down the barriers
between man and nature, and man and man. When this knowledge dawns on us, the
triviality of this make-believe world will become very clear.
The nature of the self and the problem
of conduct are the two important problems that absorbed the attention of Sri
Krishna. The ‘ego’ in man is the cause of all errors and the origin of all
false values. It is that ‘ego’ to which we refer all our judgments regarding
everything in our experience; and itself being limited and circumscribed, it
cannot confer infallibility upon its judgments. Hence there occur errors. Hence
all doubts demand further inquiry. Deeper inquiry reveals the totally unreal
character of this ego, thus shifting our sense of self-hood to a deeper
reality. Here we come across the great Vedantic conception of the ‘Sakshi’ (witness
or ultimate observer). There is no Western concept of this yet. [See H.G.Wells,
G.P.Wells, & Julian Huxley: The Science
of Life, pp 878-9].
When it comes to Man and his Universe, the Planet Earth is a gross and
‘sensate world’ (Manoprapancha’), whereas, the human mind (Manas) is a subtle
thing, and thus, there is friction between the gross and the subtle. The
Universe, the Solar System, and the Planet Earth where life exists in all its
variety and grandeur appear to a simple mind as a mysterious universe. There is a beautiful grandiose ‘Universal
Plan’ conceptualized by the greatest architect, the Lord himself. The knowledge
of Brahman would give a clear insight into this. Under this one universal plan
the macrocosm as well as the microcosms are all created. The outer world, the
Universe one perceives, is the macrocosm; and, it is this world that the
physical scientists are interested in.
All the theories like the ‘Big Bang’ theory, the theory of Relativity of
Einstein, the Strings theory or the ‘p-Brane’ theories of Stephen Hawking, the
Black Hole theory, or, the Field Theory in particle physics, the findings in molecular biology are all the outward fields of inquiry. All these pertain to
lower knowledge, which do not hold any solutions to man’s sensate life. The
development in ancient Vedanta has parallel in modern physics in the
revolutionary concept of the Electromagnetic field introduced by Faraday and
Maxwell. Further, the revolutionary discoveries of quantum and gravitational
fields by nuclear science and relativity theory have parallel notions. The
revolutionary field concept has now entered embryology too.
The answers to man’s problems lie in the ancient wisdom available in the
Puranas, Vedas, the Upanishads, and other ancient scriptures. There lies the
greatness of Indian philosophy and religion. What the western scientific
community failed to perceive even after centuries of thinking, research and
experiments, the ancient saints and seekers perceived by their subtle mind,
pure consciousness, and contemplation. By sheer yogic powers, the Seers could
establish the ‘unified theory and time-space-causation’. Time is eternal,
‘Ananth’; Space is vast, endless, ‘Ananth’. Both are ‘Ananth’, the one only and
there cannot be two ‘Ananths’! That itself is the ‘cause’. So, there is no
‘other’ than ‘That’. That is the One without the second, “Ekamevaadvitheeyam”.
Isavasya Upanisad begins
with the peace chant:
‘Om!
That the Invisible –Absolute is Whole (Infinite);
Whole is this the visible phenomenal;
From the Invisible Whole comes forth the
visible one.
Though the visible Whole has come out from
that Invisible Whole,
Yet the Whole remains unaltered. Om! Peace!
Peace! Peace!’
Mahanarayana Upanishad
[Sec.XII.16-17] declares,"In the citadel of of
the body there is the small sinless and pure lotus of the heart which is the
residence of the Supreme. Further, in the interior of this small area there is
sorrowless Ether. That is the center on which one must contemplate upon."
See Brahmasutra I.3.14-21. He is the Supreme Lord who transcends the syllable
Om that is pronounced at the beginning of the Vedic chantings, that is well
established in the Upanishads and that is dissolved in the primal cause during
contemplation. One must meditate upon this Mahesvara, residing in every heart!
One
is advised to meditate upon Brahman as residing in the sun, the heart, and the
eyes, because many special manifestations of divine glory are associated with
these regions. One should perceive the spiritual entity behind the shining orb
of the material sun. The idea of the Supreme State, realizable within the
recess of the heart and having the characteristic of the Akasha, in that it
holds the whole universe of evolving and the evolved is beautifully explained
in Chhandogya Upanishad. “In the
heart the Devas live, in the heart the Pranas are installed, in the heart exist
the Supreme Prana and Light as also the immanent Cause with three-fold
constituents and the Mahat principle”.
[Brahmopanishad III. 13].
The indefinite term “That” is used in the Upanishads to designate the
Invisible-Absolute, because no other word or name can fully define It. God who
is infinite and unbounded, cannot be expressed by finite language. Therefore
the Rishis and the Seers, desirous not to limit the Unlimited chose the term
“That” to designate the Absolute. In the light of true wisdom the phenomenal
and the Absolute are inseparable. All existence is in the absolute; and
whatever exists must exist in It; hence all manifestations are merely a
modification of the One Supreme Whole. And neither increases nor decreases nor
diminishes 'It' (That!). The Whole therefore remains unaltered. “Ishavasyam
idam sarvam yatkincha jagatyaam jagat; Tyena tyaktena bhunjitah maa
grudhahkasyasviddhanam”
Meaning, "Om! Whatever there is
changeful in this ephemeral world, all-this universe is the abode of the
Supreme Lord. By this renunciation, support yourself. Do not covet the wealth
of anyone."
Ishavasya
Upanishad declares that, “All this, whatever exists in this universe,
should be covered by the Lord”. Having renounced the unreal, enjoy the Real. Do
not covet the wealth of any man. Live on your own. ‘Atmavan bhava’ meaning, rely
on your own self. Your own self is more dependable than anything else, anybody
else. Realise your own Self. Become a ‘Ekadandi’;
become a ‘Paramahansa’. If one should
desire to live in this world a hundred years, one should live performing karma,
the righteous deeds. ‘Thus thou mayest live’; there is no other way. By doing
this, Karma, the fruits of thy actions will not defile thee’. Do your Karma.
Thus, these words of eternal truth
should guide humans in all their thoughts and actions. Peace and prosperity are
ensured for the righteous. Only greed and covetousness leads to temporary joy
and endless misery. Sheer ignorance rules the minds of the mortals and unless
effort is made to realize the truth, life is miserable in spite of all the
wealth coveted from others.
Everything that we see, feel, hear is
simply the manifestation of the Cosmic Intelligence’. They are all the various
forms of cosmic energy such as the matter, thought-force, intelligence, and so
on. The whole universe is His creation.
It is all His projection, manifestation. To be more precise, it is He Himself,
both the material and the efficient cause of this universe, and He it is that
governs everything. He it is that gets involved in the minute cell, and evolves
at the other end as God. He it is that becomes a small cell or an atom at the
one end, and slowly unfolding His nature, regains Himself. This is the mystery
of the universe. That is why, all the scripture teach us that,“ We all come from God and go back to God”.
Kenopanishad gives a vivid description of the method of
‘God-Realisation’. It emphatically says, “God is not
this that people worship here”. God is that force which makes
the stars shine and planets obediently follow their stars. For fear of Him, the stars and the planets perform their duties.
Ritam and Satyam govern their behaviour. God is behind every thought and
action. He is behind every wink of your eye. He is the guiding spirit. He is
the guiding force. He performs all functions for you. You are only a tool in
His hands. It is for Him that you live here; and, but for Him, there is no
place for you, there is no need of existence. Realise this ‘Sat’, the eternal Truth. Say to yourself, “Satyam Vadishyamai”. [See Prayer on opening page].
There is a beautiful
description of the nature of Brahman or the “Highest Self’ in Shivajnyanamruta Upanishad [Mantra 3] “Brahman is the Absolute; He is Existence-Absolute, Knowledge- Absolute
and Bliss Absolute”. So He is called Svaroopa or the Essence. He is
Self-luminous and does not need light from any other source; He is Light
Absolute. He gives light to Sun, moon, stars, lightning, fire and intellect. Kathopanishad reiterates
that:“The sun does not shine there, nor do the moon and stars, nor do these
lightnings shine and much less this fire. When He shines, everything shines
after Him, by His light, all these shine”. He exists in the past, present and
the future. He is beyond space, time and causation; He is immortal. He is
“Adhi- Madhya- Antarahita”. Fear comes from ignorance; it comes from duality.
Duality is ignorance. Fear is a negative mental modification (thought). It has
no existence in the presence of positive courage, mental strength. ‘Meditation on Atman will infuse courage
and destroy all fears’.
“When
there is only One, all-pervading, all-full Self, when there is no other seer
but He, no other hearer but He, no other knower but He, no other thinker but
He, how can fear exist in Brahman?
He is
absolutely fearless. Fear is a wave or 'chitta vritti' or thought in the mind
that is caused by the attachment to body or possessions. If attachment and idea
of ‘mine-ness’ and moha are eradicated, how can fear exist in a Jnyani? [Kathopanishad V-15].
No comments:
Post a Comment