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!