As Life Unfolds!

   It seems destiny rules our life. The genes, the DNA chain and the RNA, eyc hold the clue. One single sperm impregnated into a cell in a woman's womb does all the trick! Every step of our life seems to be decided and could easily be deceiphered from the  horoscopes. The Birth-Star has a lot to say,but we do not know the physics and chemistry of stars. The rays of these stars decide our character! Our physical stature and form are well planned and is there already mapped in the genes. Whatever happens in later life is also given to us in premonition, but we fail to figure it out! What is surprising is the wheel of time, kaal chakra, Sudarshan in the hands of Vishnu, that is actually deemed to be Mahalakshmi. It is the wheel, birth chart  that contains all the details like the tree from seed to tree and seeds, again! There is lot to know and understand here.
   Life is a mystery, so also, the world, mysterious! This mystery unfolds as one matures and learns the trick of 'veiling power of maya'. As a child we are totally innocent and gradually lose innocence and that curiosity and become much and more ignorant, as a result of which we suffer. Knowledge about the true nature of our existence never dawns! it is only a Buddha, that too, a prince, married and having a son left the luxuries of the palace and wandered in the forests for seventeen years and got enlightenment. So far none else during the last 2800 years! Will He, the enlightened, ever reveal the secret? No, He will not speak! However, we have great many Sadgurus, Swamijis, and Missionaries hailing the Gods, the scriptures and the Messengers, all ignorant of the 'Self'. They go on talking comfortably seated and enjoying the goody-goodies of life and talk philosophy? None, so far enlightened? WE fools sit in front of them and go hearing their blah, blah. None of us dare venture into forest, or at least a retreat in Ashrams and serve a guru and wash off our sins, ego, selfish nature, greed, jealous, attachment, and the like. We do not have the purity of thoughts (chit shuddhi), clean mind (manah shuddhi) and, we will never know what is selfless service (nisvaartha seva). The first step towards enlightenment and emancipation is renunciation of attachment and vain search for worldly attainments and sensuous life (vairagya) that comes only after acquiring right knowledge, and wisdom (viveka)- discrimination as to the right and the wrong, and finally, renunciation (vairagya)- discarding all that is unreal, illusory and fleeting! This is almost an impossible task for the mortals covered by avidya, moha, ahankara, pride or mada and jealous (matsarya) and other hundred kourava gunas. One has to transcend the lower levels of existence by study of scriptures (svadhyaya), meeting with learned sadhu pious people like saints (satsanga), engaged in contemplation on higher knowledge (para vidya) concerning the Self, Soul, or Atman, sitting alone in solitude and chant divine words (dhyana/ tapah). There is no other go but to practice solitude! 

   As children our first two decades are lost in play and studies. Moreover, we imbibe what is there in the family tradition and have no alternative to follow the footsteps of elders! The next few decades, say three or four, go in pursuit of a profession for a living and maintenance of family. It is only after one crosses sixty years of age that some relief comes, that too, only by God's grace, not otherwise! There are more miseries than a comfortable life for most of the people since they get embroiled in worldy pursuits and find it difficult to extricate themselves. Many unforeseen happenings shake the elderly due to misfortune! Diseases, losses, disappointments destroy all peace. These are attributed to prarabhda karma. There is no use blaming others, or blaming God for our misfortune! But, who knows? What is the remedy? The only remedy is to trust in God; accept what comes your way, seek guidance from a learned sage. There is no alternative.

   "A Guru comes your way when there is an ardent prayer", says the Kularnava tantra. Unless the child cries, the busy mother will not hear it. There are many who do not believe inall these. It is their will and pleasure; who cares? The Gita says, samshayatma vinashyati, meaning, those who doubt (the Lord's words) get destroyed!

How To Overcome Suffering.

   'Desire' is the cause of suffering. This is an oft-quoted Buddha's statement. But nobody ever defined what is desire and where does it arise. The scriptures assert, "Desire is brahmn', and as such, the desire is of the divine origin! It is 'shivechhe'! Desire arises in jiva due to divine proddence. It is, in other words, the embedded nature of the jiva. Just as the seed sprouts and blooms at the appropriate time, things happen. But for the divine order, nothing exists here! "The Lord wills"! Whatever we find here is the product of desire that manifests in jivarashi. There is no compulsion for anything and from anybody to do anything here! Everything happens here according to divine will. So the sufferings of the jiva may also be attributed, in a way, to the divine! But, it is not so!. The joy is due to the divine order and the suffering is due to the 'ajnyan', ignorance of the true nature of the jiva. Once the jiva realizes the true nature the jiva revels in joy, supreme bliss without any suffering!   
 The jiva (living being) that gets a physical form and grows and dies has to face the problems associated with growth, ageing and death. Suffering is inevitable at every stage of life. Even delivery of a baby is not a happy even when the person is bearing pain and crying! Happiness comes to the mother only when she sees the lovely baby in her hand. But the entire life is again a problem of feeding the baby from time to time, looking after its health, education and the problems never end. There is again a problem of the second child or the third? Besides, the problems go on and on. Search for a suitable match and celebration of marriage, grandchildren and taking care of them. We have seen old people who go abroad when their children send air ticket and enjoy for few days only to realize the boredom, and crave to return as early as possible. These days, they say, it is difficult to adjust to the new generation, their life style, ways of thinking, attitude and and all that! Where is happiness. Day is followed by night and night again opens up another day of fight or flight? There is no end to the social, economic, political wranglings and buzz!   

    Now, as to solutions to problems, the jiva has to realize the true nature of this world and learn to remain aloof as a witness, sakshin. The Bhagavad-Gita teaches us to be of equanimous mind, sthita-prajnya. One has to establish in one's self, oneself? One has to realize the fact that everybody wears a mask and nobody reveals his/her true nature and goes on adjusting to circumstance; people learn to laugh and cry as situations arise and conditions prompt them. Nobody is true to one's self and has to put on a show. Ultimately, everybody says, "the show must go on". People die and the friends and relatives cry for a few hours and at the most, a few days and soon forget all. This is beautifully described by Bhagavan Shree Krishna in His revelations to Arjuna. He says, "People celebrate births and deaths and asks, 'what is the true state of existence'? Finally, He says, there is neither birth nor death! It is all my magical play. The supreme Lord asks Arjuna to realize the Self, just surrender and forget about everything.

   We have seen Sage Ramana having a cancerous wound, bearing severe pain, ignores it, and even tells, 'it (the pain) is for the body and not to Ramana', and asks his doctor (who comes every day to change bandage and cries seeing the wound) not to cry! Osho, maharishi Mahesh Yogi and many realized persons have also suffered! Saint Ramakrishna suffered pain due to throat cancer. There is a short video clip where the Kannada film star, a celebrity, Raj Kumar had arthritis and pain in knees and says, "I ignore the pain"! Now, when realization comes, there is no pain or pleasure to the jiva. The jiva rests calm with its self, unperturbed by the happenings outside of it! The jiva realizes that whatever happens happens and it has nothing to do with the happenings. The soul, Atman, is pure, unblemished, immortal, eternal and unborn, too!

   At best a doctor may administer some sedative, morphine or such soothing anesthetic medicines and the pain is not experienced by the sick jiva. But the pain recurs soon after the anesthetic effect is over.  This painless state can also be experienced in deep sleep and the doctors give sleeping pills to patients. But, a Yogi takes to yoga and stays in samadhi and experiences a higher state of existence- beyond body and mind! This realization puts an end to all sufferings of the jiva. It also enables the jiva to return to its pure crystal clear state  of Light!

    

Predicaments- Physical Ailments and Mental Afflictions

   The jiva (a living being), whether a plant, animal, bird or just all living beings including man (called prani because of prana) once embodied in gross form have to undergo troubles and turmoils! There is no escape from the clutches of maya (time and space restrictions, cause and effect and limited ability to know, understand and face the forces of nature). Seasonal changes and extremes of weather conditions have to be tolerated in order to survive and the jiva normally gets acclimatized! Each and every specie has to safeguard itself from the onslaught of the fellow creatures as well as the invading ones, and this included the humans! The nature's fury on the one hand, and the jiva's limitations on the other, bring lots of ailments- physical (diseases) and mental (fear). The modern civilization may boast of many advancements in medicine and surgery and boast of achievements. But all these go to a naught when it comes to mass destruction during earthquakes, floods and famines, and fast spreading contagious diseases like plague, dengue, meningitis,  and now this cancer which is taking a heavy toll. 

    The body-mind complex along with the nervous system do work restlessly from birth to death. They show symptoms of some error in the system now and then due to food and this can be rectified. But the underlying factors are many; these are tension, anxiety, fear, anger, and every thought, desire, and action creates unseen pressure within. Some are deep-rooted maladies associated with the vasana of previous births, too. It is difficult to figure out them and the jiva suffers. In fact, the jiva finally arrives at the conclusion that there is nothing to enjoy or be happy here! This is a mrutyu koopa, a place of suffering, sickness, old age, and death. This is the reason why the sages look to escape the rebirth. Whether one accepts of not, the jiva has to pay for all its actions and it cannot remain quiet without doing action! Bhagavad-Gita clarifies these points.
 If the jiva suffers for no reason or does not know the cause whom should one look to? The answer is clear. There is a higher power that runs our life. There are the astrologers who blame the planetary positions and ask for chanting appropriate mantra and perform havan and homa. The scientists blame the virus and germs, the genes, and the like. The doctors blame the air and water pollution, poor sanitary conditions, and the  pundits quote shastra and advise yantra, mantra tantra and other methods to appease the gods and goddesses to keep ourselves healthy and happy.
   The most significant answer, solution to most of our physical, mental and other afflictions have come from our ancient Indian sages like Shushruta, charaka, Chakrapani, Dhanvantari, Chyavana Maharishi. We have ayurveda, mantra therapy, faith healing, music therapy, havan and homa to appease Gods, naturopathy, yoga and a host of other treatments for mental afflictions, as well as, physical ailments. Modern allopathy is considered only preventive than curative, where as, homeopathy is considered the only way to root out the diseases. Most of the ailments are due to self-inflicted causes, lack of disciplined life, wrong life style, even sitting, standing and sleeping postures!). But the most important are the blemishes of the soul that comes along with the genes! These can be cured by yoga shastra, meditation and ayurveda.
   Mental afflictions are mainly attributed to Moon's position in relation to earth. The Waves and Tides and mental (thought) waves are similar. There are remedies for most of these mental or psychological problems. So also, there are solutions to the problems of tension, anxiety, headache, etc in Indian system of medicine and many advocate accupressure and accupuncture. It is dangerous to run to pharmacists and drug the body with chemicals; most of the people suffer from side effects of tablets that are too strong for Indian patients. The drug cartel is only interested in business and making money while the gullible Indian patients are a good market. Even drugs prohibited in USA are sold here and the persons authorized to check them are corrupt and do not bother! 

  Mind is the culprit. keep it clean, empty the trash can. The best advise given here is take to yoga under a trained teacher.and Cleanse the trash can, the mind. Keep it calm and quiet. Quietude is brahmn. Do not indulge in wasteful exercises, loos talks, or get involved in matters that do not concern you. Do not think or talk about persons whom you do not know or present in front of you. Seeds of rebirth are sown every minute. as we go on thinking. Hence do not entertain any thoughts and this can be done by constant yoga. Second, remember you are the master, not the mind, the buddhi, the ahankara that rules your life misusing the senses! If one conquers this by techniques of yoga, not a single germ or virus dare enter your boy, let alone cancer of meningitis! Faith healing is the best. Trust in God and go ahead! Never ever go to Hospitals! Subhashita says, Yamaraja, the God of Death, takes away only prana, but his brother, vaidyaraja takes away both your wealth and prana.  

Predicament (contd.)

  There are startling details about this world and the problems the jivas face on earth in many epics. The Pancharatra is one such where we find Sage Agastya goes into a long period of strenuous penance and visualizes the Lord (gets darshan of Vishnu) and asks Him about the predicaments of the jivas (living beings) on this earth. Ahirbudhnya Samhita gives more details about this. There are similar questions and answers in Shaiva agama shastra and vaishnava agama shastra. There are the specialized scriptures dealing with the redress of the grievances of the Jivas. These are the mantra shastra, tantra shastra, and the yantra shastra. Srividya is a source of all these! Yoga shastra gives detailed account of the problems and solutions, and so also, the Atharva Veda. 

   Why should the jiva suffer and who is responsible for the problems the jivas face after the embodiment of the soul? There are many mysteries involved and the scripture speak in a language that cannot be understood by common people. There are secrets, coded words, symbols and all these need be decoded with the help of an attained Guru. It may go into several volumes if we start discussing them here. However, a few hints may be given in these blogs.

   First of all, the jiva arrives here as a speck of stellar dust, an energy particle that inheres within itself all the knowledge! The Rk Veda simply puts it as Atmai vedgm sarvam | meaning, Atman knows all. But, we can never know or understand what is Atman!| In order to help us, the Veda further gives a clue. Atma eva brahma | meaning, Atman and brahmn are one and the same. But,here again, we do not know what is brahmn. 'Brahmn' is not a character depicted in epics, the Creator Brahma (chaturmuka brahma). Hence, we are back to square one. However, one need not be disappointed because, there is an entire treatise on Brahma sutras and this will greatly help us. Finally, an attained person comes our way to help us, only if we ardently desire and cry for help.The supreme Lord will send a Guru to help us and and also liberate us from the predicaments. 

   In simple words, the predicaments of the embodied soul are either of ones own making or that of an unknown (adrushta) hand.  Desire is said to be the cause of all predicaments! But where does the desire come is a problem.  The problem becomes more complicated when the soul gets embodied all on its own and there is no body to explain why and how. Science comes to our help to some extent here. It is an eternal action going on in the space- starting from the condensation of mass of stellar clouds into galaxies and formation of stars, clashes of stars, and the consequent waves like electromagnetic and gravitational waves along with elements like oxygen, hydrogen, helium as also gold silver, platinum, iron. .Nuclear energy is a significant factor here. The soul, Atman is supposed to be this energy particle that later on gets embodied in various diverse forms- living and non-living beings! Brahmn is that which does not come within our grasp and there is not even an alphabet or word to signify that! Whatever that appears as the primordial, primeval, or the earliest wave form, sound, or alphabets like a, u, m also do not exist at that point of time. In fact, even time does not exist! There are volumes and volumes of scriptures on these abstract things, including soul, 'silence',  'sound', matter and energy.

(to be contd.). 

Predicaments of the Embodied Soul

   We have dealt at length how the jivatman takes a journey on this earth at the behest of paramatman. This is one view.Once it arrives on this transient world of changes- birth, growth and deaths, it get stuck unable to go back to where it came from. Actually, the soul, the Atman, or the core of the substance is a particle of stellar dust- full of Energy, Light, Force, Knowledge, ability to transform itself, enter in and out of matter (like air, water, fire, soil, plant or any available space) and take any gross visible form, at will! It arrives in a subtle state and becomes gross and unable to get back to its primeval sate (without some assistance like yoga, as stated in the Bhagavad-Gita) These views are not restricted to just one or two sources like the epics, or scriptures like the Veda, and the Brahma sutras. The Bhagavad-Gita dwells at length on these issues of births and deaths and problems of the jiva in between!  We just recapitulate them here laying stress on some interesting ones. There is much mystery involved in these and nothing is certain!

   There are the agama shastra (more than 200), upanishads (108), puranas (18), etc. that give an idea about the jivatman at different levels of existence. But, here we are concerned only with the human beings on this earth, and not the departed souls, sages, siddhi purusha and saints or the devi devata. The human beings are composed of partly spiritual and partly, or mostly, material constituents. It is essentially the materialistic, at the outset, but governed by mind, buddhi, ahankar and moods and thoughts, ideas (chitta-vrutti) that do not come within the material components.
    The Vedanta puts the human body as the product of panchabhuta- akasha (space) vayu (air), agni (fire), jal (water), and pruthvi (earth or soil, meaning food). The scientists, on the other hand, put it the other way- elements and compounds, cells, tissues, organs and the body (made of blood, tissues and bones). Each cell (andanda) is a universe and each body (pindanda) made of these is also a universe by itself. The universe (brahmanda) consisting of galaxies, stars, the sun and moon are no different from the life forms and the constituents that go to make the jivas! The agama shastra explain these as the yantra, mantra, and the tantra (like science and technology- theory and practicals) and these are important when it comes to the problems of healthy body and a healthy mind of the jiva.
    The jiva is supposed to live a hundred and twenty years like Ramanujacharya, or at least, 80 like Madhvacharya, if not jut  24, like Shankaracharya! How long one lives is not important, but how one lives is important. In fact, not even how one lives, but to know why one lives and what brought him/her here is more important. More than all these, how to get out of this rut, a death-knell, mrutyu koopa, earth where all have to necessarily suffer sickness, old age, and death is all the more important! The human life is very precious in this sense of the term! But, if we try to understand how people are born and live and die in different parts of the world it is really tragic! The wise have to show the way. But, it is not easy, since nobody knows what governs one's life. Whether it is divine will, one's own karma, or destiny or luck, or what else? But, it is certain that nobody is happy on this earth and everybody dies in a state of total disillusionment! This study involves more than one factor- spiritual, philosophical, psychological, sociological. economic, political, ecological, environmental, and many other complicated issues are involved here. Let's analyse some of these here.  

   The human body is just a product of food and its structure and composition is all chemical components- bones, blood and tissues, nervous system and the various organs working with a powerful machine called the brain. But, no one knows the architect and person who devised this universal form of a man and a woman on a single drawing table- with one chromosome X or Y making all the difference! The formation of the body from a single sperm impregnated in the cell of the lady's womb is still a mystery despite the advancement made in the study of cells (molecular biology and DNA studies). 

   The population of the world is about 830 crores and much of it is found in Asia (India and China sharing almost 260 crores and another 100 crores in Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia). Much of these populations are living close to fertile river valleys/ basins, lake-sides and deltas. Not all the countries are densely populated! There are still plenty of  suitable land for people to live and work happily. But, the humans are yet to evolve into humane level! Hence the predicament.

    The basic premises of the jivatman assuming a human form is that the supreme  Lord only takes a journey and assumes the form He likes! Hence there is no difference whatsoever whether the jiva is a fish or a frog, ant or an elephant, a bird or a butterfly in the strict sense of the term! But, the tragedy is that man does not know the secret of this creation and has been suffering untold miseries from birth to death. The moment he/she realizes the secret of creation that jiva becomes completely happy and joyful!

     The predicaments of the jiva are primarily due to hunger and thirst, and diseases or ailments. The body is supported by food and water. Both food and water is scarce, though not really so; it is due to ignorance, avidya, that jiva suffers. There is pollution of air and water that kills. People congregate and suffer scarcities. Greed and selfishness are the other factors governing the distribution of resources. Modern civilization has brought prosperity and, also untold misery in its stride, side by side. Poverty and plenty co-exist and people suffer due to concentration of wealth in a few hands.      

   These perspectives are important. Philosophical treatises are there to explain the way man has come down the lanes! Human history is full of wars, pestilences, nature's fury, such as floods, famines, and other calamities. These add to the misery of man. Theses are tapa-traya (suffering due to self-inflicted, nature-inflicted, and community inflicted, besides many afflictions?). The main problem of man is ignorance and the sheer inability to cope with the situation; and, there is no clear-cut answer or solution to the problems. Many are man-made disasters, like the wars, exodus of refugees, etc. for instance. Each jiva comes with a baggage of desires, unfulfilled dreams, and seeds of prarabhda karma.  Each jiva is at different levels of existence (consciousness), and traveling or stationed midway in the eternal journey (jeevan yatra). No generalization is possible and there is no single solution to cover all jivas, too!
(to be contd.)

Religion and Spirituality

    The World Conference of Religions after 9/11 held in Montreal, organized by Dr. Prof. Arvind Sharma has discussed thread-bare the purpose of religions and solution to problems. One of the significant points made by me at this Conference, (since published in one of the Vols. Religion and Spirituality) is "The Future of Mankind- the Bhagavad-Gita Doctrine" It is unanimously accepted that spiritual development is more important than the religious cults. Now, the world is in turmoil. There is unrest everywhere? There are Organisations to help the unfortunate thrown out of their homes, deprived and suffering people that search for a home? All in the name of religion and, particularly the Islamist fundamentalists taking to terrorism. There seems to be a decline in consciousness and people have become barbarians, cutting throats? There is no peace. Some want to promote their ignorance as Missionaries? Some want to establish supremacy through nuclear arms and some through Market economy. Each one wants to gain One-up-man-ship? Where will we go and reach?

    The ancient scriptures have made it very clear as regards the purpose of life. The purpose of life is to earn well (artha and kamana) on the basis of dharma, enjoy life and seek liberation from repeated embodiment. Try to get out of the clutches of 'maya', meaning, the grip of time, space and causality. There is no gainsaying the fact that i earned well, spent well and enjoyed life, if one is to suffer old age, sickness and death. This earth is a death-knell, mrutyu loka, where everything has to deteriorate and disappear! jatasya hi maranam dhruvam. Hence try to break the shackles of birth and death. Discard what all that is acquired from Day One like the gunas, moha, lobha, krodha,mada, matsarya, irshya, etc. One has to overcome the defects, such as, attachment, fickle mind, perverted intelligence, and ego and become so pure, like fire. Once there is 'chitta shuddhi' there comes many powers that liberates the hapless jiva. One has to cut the thread of antahkarana (manas, buddhi, ahankara and chittavrutti) like the umbilical chord in order to be free. 

  Spiritual development will liberate the soul from its repeated embodiment and the consequences of sickness, old age and death  of the jivas.

Is Human Life Sacred?

    It is often reiterated in the scriptures that the human form we have obtained is very sacred and it should not be wasted, for we do not know whether we ever get it again. Bhagavan Shree Krishna says, "There is no guarantee that you will be born in this form again. You may be taking birth in any form of animals that may not be suitable for attaining to the highest,  Me as 'brahmn'!"

   What is so sacred about this human form? The answer to this question is revealed in the verse- "Urdhvamula Ashvathha..." (B G. 15. 1).  The humans equipped with chitta, buddhi, manas, and ahankar and the 'Atman' covered by the five sheaths- annam, prana, manas, vijnyana and ananda is capable of attaining to the brahmn. However, it is at the lowest level of consciousness (prajnya), say muladhara prajnya, basal plexus, enough to live and work for food, eat, and sleep! Below this level, there is only an instinctive level where the animals cannot think, know what lies ahead! However, this does not mean that the animals cannot attain to brahmn! They, too, by constant meditation on the supreme can attain to it. They become so divine that even the humans worship them- plants, birds, animals, as avataras (matsya, kurma, varaha, haya, narasimha, etc.) Even the donkey, goat, or cat are considered the deities of Veda! Anybody, whether a stone (shalagrama, marble), wood like the Sandal (Srigandha), ashvathha, or banyan and the coconut are divine and we worship them. It is pitiable that the humans remain at the lowest level and never even try to attain higher and higher levels of consciousness.   

  Bhagavan Shree Krishna, as yogacharya, reveals the secret of the secrets (guhyatama guhyamam)- yogashastra and brahmavidya. He, the Lord, asks Arjuna to give up everything and surrender to Him! - sarva dharman parityjya maamekam sharanam vrajaa | Do we pay heed to His words? There came Badarayana to reveal the Brahman (Sutras 555 (Shankara Bhashya/ or 565 Madhva Bhashya). Shankara, Ramanuija, Madhva, and many others gave commentaries on this, but we do not know whether they ever realized the 'brahmn'. But, this should not prevent us from taking up meditation to attain to this state of highest consciousness (sahasrar prajnya)  step by step.

    When Shankaracharya held up one finger and said something, his followers took it as advaita tattva. When Madhvacharya raised two fingers his followers took it as dvaita tattva, not realizing the fact that the two fingers are held up in such a way that the last two fingers are pruthvi and jala tattva (that is what we are and we have to attain to), the next two- the agni and vayu tattva (what we must attain to). Moreoever, the Madhva followers never understand the warning that "One should not differentiate and discriminate since the Lord only dwells in all as the Sel;f, the Atman). The closed thumb is 'brahmn' which nobody has so far ever attained! It is not that we cannot attain to that 'brahmn', but it is not something 'other' that is to be attained. It is not even something to know or realize! It is just 'One' and no 'other'! That ('tyat') only exists and nothing besides it! It is this experience that makes one become 'nothing', the 'brahmn'.

   Hence, the purpose of human life is to attain to this state of total peaceful bliss, 'nirvana'- sarvajnyatva, an 'all-knowing' state of 'brahmn'. Not even the one who says, aham brahmasmi | so'ham, or shivO'ham | ever realizes brahman as long as he or she does not drop the 'aham' and 'asmita' (moha) attached to it! Then, 'brahmn' only exists and nothing exists besides!

   So, just keep quiet and experience the brahmn within!

Evolution of Life

    We are giving the spiritual, as well as, the scientific version of the Soul, Atman. Atman in Vedanta is not much different from the scientific version of atomic energy, or the 'ion' that gain energy from constant friction of the invisible particles like the sub-atomic particles like the bosons, the fermions and majorana fermions, quarks, neutrons, electrons, positrons, and the like. In Vedanta, the 'Atman' is the manifest form of 'paramatman', whereas, 'Matter' manifests from the vibration of condensed stellar dust particles (quanta) as the first emanate-invisible energy, manifesting as stars of different dimensions! But, it is not clear as to how this radiant 'energy' is assuming, getting into, or manifesting in different forms of inorganic and organic, metallic and non-metallic, non-living and living, gaseous, liquid, plasma, and solid or gross forms (from the subtler-most states)! So far, nobody has ever found how a life-form (living creature) has taken shape from an inorganic or non-living state as objects. The appearance of earthworms and snails soon after rains is still a wonder of wonders! So also, the formation of a kid (baby) in mother's womb soon after impregnation of a spermatozoa in an egg cell! Multiplication of cell can be understood, but not the formation of tissues and organs from these cell divisions! Now, molecular biology and quantum mechanics and particle physics along with DNA studies combined with big bang throwing open vast scope for study of origin of life. But what about the human being struggling with old age, sickness and death. We will find the secret.
   The scientific view is simple. Energy becomes matter and everything, that way, is energy only! Matter is vibration of energy at different frequencies, wavelengths and intensity. Energy sustains the jivas as the soul. Inorganic substances, too, have energy of different intensity (Battery power?). In fact, all the elements exist in the organic entities starting from a unicellular amoeba to multi-cellular organisms. The DNA in humans is said to be 60 per cent DNA of earthworms. The cell consists of not only the amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, ribosomes, DNA and the hormones, chromosomes and what not? Where does intelligence, life-force, the vibrant mental energy (mentation), thoughts, ideas, images, and imagination, and the creative energy, ability to transform one into many come? No answer, so far. Science vouchsafes the creation of organic from the inorganic, but does not say, how! The answer must be found in the Veda, Upanishads, Brahma sutras and the Bhagavad-Gita (not the epics).
  Vedanta is very clear in this respect. All jivas (living beings) are formed out of 'energy' (stellar) derived from radiation stellar particles or 'star dust'! Even gold, mercury, platinum, silver, and heavy minerals have emerged from the neutron stars that crashed in to each other, collapsed under their own mass. Many elements such as Hydrogen, Helium, Oxygen, Nitrogen Ozone, Methane, Argon, are all found in the earth's atmosphere. How the elements undergo chemical changes (elements become compounds) and create organic entities (cells) still remain a mystery. But, the principle is clearly stated to be 24 or 25 in Sankhya yoga. First comes something unknown, unseen, but experienced by all in a transcendental meditative state as the 'brahmn' (not the Creator chaturmukha brahma of purana). The first manifest form is the purusha and the second- prakruti as spirit or shakti (chit /consciousness). Then comes manas (mind) and ego. The five main elements- akasha (space), vayu (air), agni (fire), jal (water) and pruthvi (rocks, soils, minerals) emerge -each from the previous one (inheriting its or their qualities). Then come the organs to experience the subtler qualities (gunas of tanmatra)- such as sight, sound, heat and cold, smell and taste that create the major five elements (pancha bhuta). These elements are found in the human body, too. We all have water (70 percent or more), fire (heat), air (breathing) and soil in the form of food, Thus the humans  the earth and space (including solar radiation, movement of air, waters of the oceans, etc called the world, as well as, the space where the sun moon and stars are seen. Thus all the three constituents of the universe at three levels- (a) brahmanda (Galaxy), (b) pindanda (Body), and (c) the andanda (cells), are inter-related. We all experience these every moment of life but not consciously aware of these. We can understand these only when a realized person explains these secrets to us. Bhagavad-Gita is a good guide; but no expert has ever completely understood this well, What prevents us from knowing these secrets is the the absence of a Guru (a realized embodied soul)! In fact, our own diffidence or callous attitude is also responsible. 

  When it comes to evolution of life according to Darwin and others, there is a succession of forms from aquatic to amphibia, arboreal, reptilian and mammals and monkey to man. This has taken the last 4 or 4.5 mins. of the 24 Hr cycle of creation.Cooling of the earth, formation of Oceans and land and then creation of ideal conditions for life took away all the 23 Hrs and 54 minutes of the 24 Hrs. But, in Vedanta, "The Lord willed" Lo, there was life everywhere! The Lord Himself entered all that we find here as inorganic and organic, living and non-living. He projected Himself and the world comes out in vibrant forms of energy in various colors! He withdraws everything is blank, like the film disappearing on an empty screen when current goes off! See Bhagavad-Gita. 

History (Modern and Ancient) and Mythology (Epics)

    We often tend to get confused as to History of India (especially, the ancient) and the epics or mythology when it comes to the characters- real or imagined? In the first place, we do not have any clear idea about the history of India before 2500 years when Mahavira and Gautama lived. So also, the accounts of Kings and Rulers  before 3500 years, say of Mahabharata and Ramayana days. Definitely, we do not know anything about the kruta/satya yuga, the beginning of the present vaivasvata mantara. Now, all our knowledge incomplete, full of uncertainties. So what we should do is to get a clear idea about the veracity of the scriptures we possess. Many of these are incomplete! It is also not clear as to who wrote these! It was customary to avoid writing the names of the author during those days and everything was attributed to Veda vyasa meaning, the 'All-knowing one'! Thus, the predicament is how to sort out things.

   The mythological characters are like the Greek or Roman mythologies and we should be careful to distinguish the real and the imaginary! The characters are all imaginary in   mythology. We do not  have any clear cut history of ancient India and it goes bach to almost 500 000 years when actually Brahma (in Burma/Myanmar and China), Vishnu (in Indonesia), Maheshvara (in Kailas or Himalaya parvata) and Nrsimha Deva (in Mongolia), Kashyapa  Muni (on the banks of Caspian Sea), Ravana, Kubera and other ruled and the people worshiped Kings as Gods! Geography of India half-a-million years ago was also different! Rk Veda samhita gives a detailed account of all these!  Even Sri Ramachandra of Ayodhya is not a recent historical person, but a name Dasharatha gave to his son after the God Rama whom he was worshiping as a family deity. Rama of the first Vivasvanta manvantara is the Sun only. Sita is the embodiment of pruthvi (daughter of King Pruthu, manifest form of Surya) who ruled for 1 000 000 years! So, one has to study carefully all these important issues and arrive at a reasonable conclusion as to the way we have come to the present.

    The tragic part of the story, the history of India, is that we are a degenerated nation with all worn-out and wasted genes and came to a state of barbarism from one of the greatest days of civilization. Now, it seems there is no other go but to remove the dilapidated old house and build a new one in its place?   

  When piety, dharma or righteousness is totally neglected, the wise ones should try to restore it. No God will ever come to help us! we have to help ourselves. We should emerge as avatara purusha and restore dharma.

Can Embodiment be Prevented?

     Nobody knows the 'Whys' and 'Hows' of embodiment. But everybody knows what is embodiment. Embodiment is taking a form and performing function in a typical body, especially, the human as far as we are concerned. We do not know much about the birds, animals and plants. But definitely, the process involved is the same and the causes are also the same. The causes are said to be karma. It is said, it s one's karma to be born a dog or a cat or a pig, and it does not matter much, whatever it is as far as the principle of birth and death is concerned. There is also no guarantee that all beget children or all children born do survive full life! Many are also aborted. Hence it is still a mystery how the jiva takes a body and goes through the trouble and turmoils and finally ends its journey. However, it is also stated that human life is a rare gift and even Lord Krishna says, "this opportunity should not be misused, should be utilized to get his sayujya, sarupya and attain to moksha.
 It is emancipation, moksha, when the human being, jiva, cuts of all shackles and becomes free! This moksha does not come unless all the karmaphala are exhausted (by enjoyment or suffering, whatever it might be!). No one can even think of moksha unless all the prarabhda karma phala and sanchit karma are exhausted. There is no way out, other than taking to sat sang, svadhyaya, nidhidhyasana, and yajnya,dana and tapah. One has to exhaust all that is accumulated over several lives! 

   The simplest method of attaining to moksha is explained in Vishnu purana, Narada purna, and Shiva purana. "Offer a flower to Vishnu one Ekadashi, put water to Tulsi plant every day at sun rise, and pray Lord Shiva regularly. This will get you emancipation" says the epics.

  This regular practice of mental ritual like tapah will prevent the chances of rebirth. Yoga shastra gives a detailed methodology and instructs the techniques of attaining to moksha. Ultimately, the very purpose of human life is nothing else but breaking the chain of metempsychosis, breaking the chain of the cycle of birth and deaths. Otherwise there is no way out of suffering on this earth, a death-knell, where everybody born has to die and take again a form and function and accumulate karma phala.  

Causes for Embodiment

   We are dealing herewith a subject that is of highly esoteric nature. It is not clear why and how the jiva takes a body and struggles to come out of it. However, there are scriptures that give us a clue as to why the jiva takes a form and performs certain functions! One of the secrets revealed is that "The Lord takes a journey to earth in order to examine whether what He has created  is functioning well and, finally leaves when He is satisfied!"(Shiva Purana). The process of cration is explained in detail in Vishnu purana. Here again, the Lord only enters all creation! tat srushtva tat evanupravishat | meaning, "having created creation, He entered it!
   He willed it| It is the Lord's desire. He said: Eko'ham bahusyam | meaning, I am alone, I shall become many. These are the scriptural statements. The Lord is the invisible Force behind all creation. 'Energy' manifests from Him. It is 'Shiva' (pure Consciousness) becoming 'Shive' (being conscious of Himself) as stated in Shiva purana. It is also stated that Shree Hari Narayana is in yoganidra (Lakshmi as yogamaya covering Him) becomes aware of Himself and Lakshmi manifests as His Energy and Creative power (Shakti) as stated in Vishnu purana.
   'Energy' is all that exists and it is vibration of energy that creates an impression in our minds as the vibrant transient world of objects, including the jivas. This view has been supported by Vedanta, as well. There is nothing but vibration of energy, and even the life-forms are nothing but energy created chemical bonds and jiva is vibration of energy in different frequencies, intensities, wave-lengths, and nothing else. Everything is brahman!
 A scientific explanation is that the stellar dust particles that reaches the earth get embedded in soil and water and takes different forms and perform functions". That's all!

   Now the problem is that of embodiment in different forms. Moreover, once it is embodiment, the jiva gets stuck unable to get out of the rut! This continued embodiment of the jivas may take place in mainly three forms. These three forms are now found as: the land animals, birds, and aquatics. The A T G C are the links in the DNA chain that defines creation. One of these is common to all forms of jivas!However, plants are also there as living beings, courtesy J C Bose. Of all these, the methods of formation of mammals is well known. There are the budbhuda, svedaja, andaja, and the retajas. The human beings are the blessed ones in this regard!
   The human beings have, so far, no idea as to how they are born on earth, despite the clear explanation given in the Bhagavad-Gita, Upanishads, Brahma sutras, and all the epics. The humans  are the replica of the images, ideas, imagination, and thought force of some invisible super power, say paramatman. He the Lord only is the Self (Atman), core substance of all jivas. It is avidya, ignorance that the jiva does not know its true nature and its cause of embodiment and, as such, seeks redemption, liberation, mukti. It is the clamour and a constant endeavor of the soul to seek emancipation from repeated embodiment and its suffering, This hidden invisible soul, Self, or the Atman is looking for emancipation since it is embodied in an earthen shell (physical body) that is subject to change, degeneration, death and decay. The soul is redeemed as soon as it realizes its true nature and casts of its body. All that has covered it is shed off and the jiva is liberated,
  However, once embodies in an eathen shell, constantly fed by food and water, it is not easy for the jiva to get out of the earth and be free!. 

Do we hear the Soul's Craving?

   We often here advice from doctors, teachers, and elders that we should eat well, do exercise and keep fit. There is a cliche here. All that we talk about should be addressed to certain specific group or individuals keeping in mind their condition, circumstance, background and nature of problems they are facing. There cannot be blanket approach in matters of these. There are young and energetic people doing well and definitely, we are not addressing them? There are children and aged groups who have different problems and they need different solutions to their problems. All said and done, we have two different approaches to life- one of sheer enjoyment and the other of sheer renunciation. Life is to enjoy and there is no question about it. Life cannot go on forever and it is definitely a bed of roses all the way. Wisdom lies in knowing the pitfalls. This is a world where we fall into a pit in broad daylight, knowing full well there is a pit! We are careless. This brings us to the need for wisdom.

    It has been well stated that one should play and live a joyful life as children and study well and try to know whatever is possible that may help eke out a good living.  Childhood upto adolescent stage- primary and secondary school level, goes like this. When boys and girls enter post-matriculation state, whether they continue education or not, will have to learn some trade, do apprenticeship, and start living on their own by their 20s. Thus, the first three stages of seven years each, are over. 

  From 21 to 28 is a period of attaining good health, physique, and ability to perform some work for self or society and by the fifth stage (29 to 35) one should get settled in life, married or otherwise. It is neither necessary, easy, or good for all to take to renunciation. It is better to take to family way and learn the essentials of life and prepare for renunciation at a later stage, say after seventy! One must live well. But there is a hidden hand, adrushta, destiny, prarabhda karma, and some unseen hand working ine everybody's life. Nobody knows for certain what is ahead the next day! One has to face circumstances as they arise. Probably,very few are lucky enough to sail through!

   However, the main problem is not one of how we live, but why we live. It is absolutely essential for everyone of us to know that we all, as jiva, taken a body in the mother's womb due to impregnation of a sperm (would-be father?) in the egg-cell in a woman's womb (who will provide shelter, food and help us grow as a mother)! Soon we, as a sperm (Energy gaining mass and turning into matter such as tissues, organs and body), come out of mother's womb and face the world and forget the purpose for which we got embodied.

   The scriptures have made it amply clear that the purpose of life is to attain to 'liberation, emancipation, mukti or moksha. It is purushartha- life based on dharma, attaining the desires and fruits (artha and kamana) and seek finally liberation, moksha, from embodiment. The jiva gets embedded in the mire.It (the jiva) is constantly fed by water and food obtained from soil and thereby inheres the qualities (sattva, rajas and tamas) and struggles through out life to get rid of these. The Law of entropy also says the same thing. Everything should ultimately revert to its previous state! The jiva, a product of energy that got embodied, should revert to its pure state of energy only! Thus there is no other go but to revert to spiritual state from the material existence! But this is not easy.

   The jiva, during its sojourn on earth has forgotten its true nature and thus suffers. It needs a guide, a guru, to show the path towards liberation. But, the habits die hard and jiva suffers due to karma klesha, vasana and struggles to get rid of the shackles that bind, such as, moha, lobha, krodha, mada, matsarya, etc. 

    Hence, its is the craving of the soul that has woven a cocoon around itself and struggles to come out!  A Guru will come to guide such a struggling jive provided it cries ardently for relief! But, unfortunately one in a billion amongst the jivas ever hear the inner voice and look for redemption!