The Bhagavad-Gita emphatically states that "there is no birth or death to the Atma. Atman is eternal, immortal and unborn! This Atman is covered by numerous sheaths that make believe the existence! Actually, He, the Lord only exists, and nothing beside Him! He take any number of forms as He will and Wish! Everything is thus a manifestation of brahmn.
Hence what we call 'Life' is a mystery. It remains a mystery as long as this mystery aspect is not resolved and it cannot be resolved since the mystery does not exist! It is all open! Every living organism is just an automation, like a battery operated machine. The battery is charged by solar radiation in case of us, the humans. The Battery is he mystery!
We have the scientific explanation, as well as, details given in spiritual texts as regards the creation and dissolution of the Universe. The objective phenomenon world, including that of living beings, exist in 'Akasha', Space, that is almost nothing, for all practical purposes! The scientific view is one of matter (the Sun in the case of solar system) starting from Hydrogen, Helium, Oxygen, etc. and what the spiritual texts explain is also the same, but the language is different! The Vedic texts give all the details in the Purusha sukta, Shree sukta, Nadi sukta (symbolically seven rivers!), etc. There are also the eighteen epics, the 108 Upanishads, and the Bhagavad-Gita giving details of creation and dissolution.
Hence what we call 'Life' is a mystery. It remains a mystery as long as this mystery aspect is not resolved and it cannot be resolved since the mystery does not exist! It is all open! Every living organism is just an automation, like a battery operated machine. The battery is charged by solar radiation in case of us, the humans. The Battery is he mystery!
We have the scientific explanation, as well as, details given in spiritual texts as regards the creation and dissolution of the Universe. The objective phenomenon world, including that of living beings, exist in 'Akasha', Space, that is almost nothing, for all practical purposes! The scientific view is one of matter (the Sun in the case of solar system) starting from Hydrogen, Helium, Oxygen, etc. and what the spiritual texts explain is also the same, but the language is different! The Vedic texts give all the details in the Purusha sukta, Shree sukta, Nadi sukta (symbolically seven rivers!), etc. There are also the eighteen epics, the 108 Upanishads, and the Bhagavad-Gita giving details of creation and dissolution.
For scientists, Life begins with the protozoa, the primordial substance that creates unicellular organisms, algae, and the like. The gaseous, metallic and non metallic elements, the organic and inorganic elements and compounds, etc. play important role as the building bricks of the plant and animal kingdom. The structure and composition of the stars hold the key and very little is known at present abut the distant stars and galaxies!
Now, when we consider the human life, in particular, the secret is still a well a guarded mystery! The spiritual texts state that "Everything is brahmn"! sarvam khaluvidam brahma | But what is 'brahmn' is still a mystery! For all practical purposes, the 'brahmn' is almost 'nothing', an absolute abstract state bordering 'Existence' or 'Non-existence'! This is explained in the nasadiya sukta of the Rk Veda, Mandala X. This is verily the creation- how it begins, at 'almost nothing', and ends at 'almost nothing! "It is, It is not!"
Thus, it is clear that we,as humans, are almost nothing at the beginning and, become nothing at the end! It is like the Onion. If one goes on peeling it off, layer by layer, nothing remains at the end. It all started from that 'beginningnless beginning', timeless eon! The jiva is covered by numerous layers like the annamaya kosha, pranamaya kosha, manomaya kosha, vijnyanamaya kosha, anandamaya kosha, the three gunas- tama, raja, and sattva, svartha, lobha, moha, krodha, mada, matsarya, irshya, dreams, aspirations, endless desires, etc., Each desire works oy as a seed, prarabhda karma, for the next birth! We appear and disappear, time and again, in different names, forms, and functions! If these names forms, and functions are removed even while we live and work we become nothing! In fact, we had no name, form and function at the time of birth and death. and will have none at the time of death! It is only during a short span of life that one gets the illusion of 'existence in name, form and function'. This is explained in the Atmabodha of Adi Shankara. Shree Shankara quotes the spiritual texts like the Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita in all his works. The Bhagavad-Gita beautifully explains how the jiva is tormented by its own foolishness and how He, the Lord, can redeem it once the jiva surrenders to Him. Death paves for the return journey instead of rebirth immediately, as soon as it surrenders to Him. The Lord is the magician, mayavin, waves His magic wand and thereby creates what He wish! The entire creation is thus a myth!
Everything- the Time, Space, the phenomenal objective world, etc are all an illusion, myth, Bhavanopanishat explains how everything depends on our own thinking. yad bhavam tad bhavati |
Time that begins with the radiation of energy, the electromagnetic waves of the Sun, As the rays move, they create space in all directions! Since Time is an illusion (that can never be detected in its minute form), the space created by it is also an illusion. Thus what all fills the space that is illusion also is illusory! The universe exists in our ignorance and it disappears as soon as 'knowledge', the true nature of the Self, is revealed! The Buddhu,(an ignorant person- 'U') becomes the Buddha ('A'- brahmn), the moment the buddhi (I''- the Atman/Self) reveals its true nature! That's all!
Thus, it is clear that we,as humans, are almost nothing at the beginning and, become nothing at the end! It is like the Onion. If one goes on peeling it off, layer by layer, nothing remains at the end. It all started from that 'beginningnless beginning', timeless eon! The jiva is covered by numerous layers like the annamaya kosha, pranamaya kosha, manomaya kosha, vijnyanamaya kosha, anandamaya kosha, the three gunas- tama, raja, and sattva, svartha, lobha, moha, krodha, mada, matsarya, irshya, dreams, aspirations, endless desires, etc., Each desire works oy as a seed, prarabhda karma, for the next birth! We appear and disappear, time and again, in different names, forms, and functions! If these names forms, and functions are removed even while we live and work we become nothing! In fact, we had no name, form and function at the time of birth and death. and will have none at the time of death! It is only during a short span of life that one gets the illusion of 'existence in name, form and function'. This is explained in the Atmabodha of Adi Shankara. Shree Shankara quotes the spiritual texts like the Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita in all his works. The Bhagavad-Gita beautifully explains how the jiva is tormented by its own foolishness and how He, the Lord, can redeem it once the jiva surrenders to Him. Death paves for the return journey instead of rebirth immediately, as soon as it surrenders to Him. The Lord is the magician, mayavin, waves His magic wand and thereby creates what He wish! The entire creation is thus a myth!
Everything- the Time, Space, the phenomenal objective world, etc are all an illusion, myth, Bhavanopanishat explains how everything depends on our own thinking. yad bhavam tad bhavati |
Time that begins with the radiation of energy, the electromagnetic waves of the Sun, As the rays move, they create space in all directions! Since Time is an illusion (that can never be detected in its minute form), the space created by it is also an illusion. Thus what all fills the space that is illusion also is illusory! The universe exists in our ignorance and it disappears as soon as 'knowledge', the true nature of the Self, is revealed! The Buddhu,(an ignorant person- 'U') becomes the Buddha ('A'- brahmn), the moment the buddhi (I''- the Atman/Self) reveals its true nature! That's all!
The spiritual texts are a valuable guide to us. We can understand the secrets of creation only when an attained person, jnyani, pandita, or yogi explains the secrets of these Texts. Ordinary people cannot understand these since there is much symbolism, imageries, coded words involved here. Knowledge of the Self, Atma-jnyan or 'Self-Realization'is what is needed here.
Coming back to our own short span of life and existence on the mundane plane, we, as humans, will never understand our true nature! We do not exist, at all, in the strict sense of the term! It is also true that we always exist and never cease to! This is the mystery. The mystery lies in our understanding, not the life! We never realize that we have taken a form of physical existence in various states of gaseous, liquid and solid- in gross forms of atoms, molecules, cells, tissues, organs and bodies and these minute building blocks working in harmony give us an illusion of living as a body. But what actually exists, lives is the spirit, the chaitanya, the 'chit' aspect of the 'sat', the 'parabrahmn',
Thus. from 'nothingness' to 'nothingness', 'everything' appears and disappears and so also, 'Life'! This 'nothingness' is stated as 'shunya' in the spiritual texts. 'Shunya' is not vacuum. It is the invisibilty of that which exists in the subtlest form! It is like the Silence (shantata) that holds sound within in an inaudible state (0.1 Decible?)! From silence starts the spandhana (attraction), kampana (vibration), taranga (waves) like the alpha and beta, that gives rise to shabdha (sound). that creates the vowels and consonants (akshara) 'a' to 'ksha' which go to make pada (word) and the artha (meaning of the words) produce the padartha (objects) meant by the word! Thus, the entire material universe, the objective phenomenal world, is created by the sounds of alpha and beta that emanate from silence! The four states of Silence are also important here. The absolute state of silence is mahattanta shanta Its vibration gives rise to spandha of the anyonya, pradhvamsha, and pragbhava shantata. This is the mystery involved in creation. the true state of existence is thus the Silence!
This aspect of 'nothingness' is the bone of contention in the discussion among the various religious sects.
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