Sri Aurobindo about 'GOD'

 In the deep there is a greater deep, in the heights a greater height. Sooner shall man arrive at the borders of infinity than at the fullness of his own being. For that being is infinity, is God—

I aspire to infinite force, infinite knowledge, infinite bliss. Can I attain it? Yes, but the nature of infinity is that it has no end. Say not therefore that I attain it. I become it. Only so can man attain God by becoming God.

But before attaining he can enter into relations with him. To enter into relations with God is Yoga, the highest rapture & the noblest utility. There are relations within the compass of the humanity we have developed. These are called prayer, worship, adoration, sacrifice, thought, faith, science, philosophy. There are other relations beyond our developed capacity, but within the compass of the humanity we have yet to develop. Those are the relations that are attained by the various practices we usually call Yoga.

We may not know him as God, we may know him as Nature, our Higher Self, Infinity, some ineffable goal. It was so that Buddha approached Him; so approaches him the rigid Adwaitin. He is accessible even to the Atheist. To the materialist He disguises Himself in matter. For the Nihilist he waits ambushed in the bosom of Annihilation.

ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् |

"anaathO daiva rakShakaH"

 It is well said that "God takes care of all those who have no support in this world of uncertainties". We do not know 'Wht next'? However, we are used to it! We have all grown and experienced all through these day-to-day uncertanties. Many a times adversities too become advantageous. In fact, four factors gvern our lives. One is our past krma, prarabhda. Second is  poorva punya, the fruits of good deeds done in past lives. Third one is the blessings of our elders, parents, teachers and saints and sadhus. The most important one, the last, but not the least, is God's Grace, daiva anugraha.

  God comes into our lives in time of adversities, untold suffereings, and state of helplessness. This is the experience of almost all the people, including the agnostics, atheists (nastik) who do not believe in God. However, these people do not understand the fact that God is there to see, shining in the sky giving us light, heat, and life-force (pranic energy), the Sun God, Soorya Narayana. The Sun is the pratyaksha dEvaru. We cannot ive even for a minute without the God manifest in the form air, fire, water and food. Thus, everything is God!

    God is not only there out in the Sky, but He is well within us, residing in our heart and soul. The heart cannot beat without His Will! God manifests in wahat all that exist as the core of the substance! It is well said that, "God Created and entered it". Thus, God is all that one sees here! So, the first thing that man created after God created him is to carve out His / Her forms and worship! The carvings are done in shalagram rosks (Lord Venkateshwara in TTD), or Sri Ananta Padmanabha  (in Tiruvanatapura). Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshman, Anjaneya are  all carved out inshalagram rocks brought from the R. Gandaki, Nepal.

  God is a divine force that protect us in various forms and we are incapable of understanding this. Thus, the scriptures describe the Gods in different ways and instruct us to worship with sacred words (mantra). One should offer what all is given first to Him as naivedyam, before using it for oneself.

  The divine force is something that exist as spirit in all matter. The spiritual is the first aspect of the material in the process of manifestation.Thus, one should realize the spiritual in everything! God is consecreted in idols before put on the pedestal in temples. It is a divine prodding and God comes in dreams! Many a great sculptors have had darshan before cutting, chisseling the forms in rocks, wood, metal, and the like. God is immanent as well as transcendent. One can visualize Gods in a state of trenscendental meditative trance. There is no quetion of debying the existence of God. We are here, becuase God is here, and eevrywhere, within  and without!

Trust in God. God protects and wards off all our difficuties. God is just a 'faith' and the dictum is- 'no faith no life'!    

Process of Creation (SruShTi krama)

  The process of Creation is beautifully explained in 'Soundarya Lahari' by Acharya Sri Shankara Bhagavadpada. The very first stanza that starts like- ShivaH shaktyaa yuktO yadi bhavati shaktaH prabhavitum... .. ..| explains how even Shiva on His own is incapable of stirring without the help of 'Shakti'. But, who or what is this Shakti? 'Shakti', for all practical purposes is 'Energy', power, motive power or just the support! In fact, everything is 'Energy' only. Nothing can stir without the power of 'Shakti'. Does it mean that Shiva needs some external power for all His actions and depends on Shakti? Does He possess His own Energy, power, strength, Will-power to move or not? This seems to be a strange proposition that Lord Shiva also needs some external support! Not only Shiva, even Hari and Virinchi (brahma) need external support for their respective function of sustenance and dissolution! This is only to praise the Devi Tripura Sundari, Raja Rajeshvari, Parameshvari and nothing more than that! It is accalimed in all Vedic texts that 'Purusha' is Supreme and His own power manifests as 'Shakti'. Even Lord Shiva is perplexed when he does not realize that it is His own prowess and not some one else that is the Shakti, power behind creation, sustenance and dissolution. 

  Here, in Soundarya lahari, the Lord Shiva is presented as subservient to Shive and Shive is the supreme sovereign power! Shiva is depicted as some one incapable of moving without the support of Shive! It is in fact the other way round. Unless Shiva comes out of His transcendental meditative trance and opens His eyes there is nothing that one can imagine. Hence, the Shiva Purana and other scriptures narrate the story of Rati Devi and Manmatha sent by the Gods and Goddesses to waken up Shiva from His penance! We know the consequences of disturbing Shiva and how Manmatha is reduced to ashes! despite losing the physical body, Manmatha is blessed with the boon of exercising His power of creation, by mere glance. This is the beginning of the story, A glance of Devi towards Shiva, started the sensuous objective world!

 Thus the story goes on to describe how the  objective world is created and it functions due to the meeting of the eyes ( even a side glance) of Purusha and Prakruti (Pradhana). However, Purusha is full, complete, and needs no compliment or external support. But the problem is that this 'purusha' is ignorant and not aware of his own true nature, the Self. The moment the purusha becomes aware of his true nature and realizes that he is unborm, immortal, eternal and always Indepenedent, he ceases to exist as a mortal, subject to repeated births and deaths in an illusory world bound by time and space. 

  One should strive to attain Atma sakshatkara and meditate on brahmn.  

"Reality of Our Existence"

 Do we 'Really Exist'?

   This is a very important spiritual or, for that matter, a philosophical question. This is a question that is to be answered in a metaphysical or philosophical way. Only a person trained in yoga and a person who can attain yogic trance and visualized in transcendental state of samadhi can answer this. One can realize the true nature of our existence only when there is deeper quest as to the true nature of this materialistic world and the spiritual behind it. Spirit only beget matter.

  In the beginning, there was neither sada  nor asada, meaning existence or non-existence. This is Vedic statement. The rationalist may ask how can existence come out of n0n existence, rather, matter come out without anything prior to it! The answer is very simple. the term "Nothing' has got 'Thing' in it! Since matter is still unmanifest, exist in its majorana-fermi ionic state, it is not yet visible. The doubt occurs due to the unmanifest state. However, it is already there. Hence, the question of something coming out of nothing does not arise at all. An inquisitive mind should not rest at the initial material state, but should dive into the depth of unmanifest spiritual state by yogic practices. The invisible ''majorana fermions' materialize in gaseous, liquid, and solid states   and manifest as matter..

  This explanation applies to biological evolution, as well. Nothing is visible in the early state of impregnated spermatozoa and early embryonic state. It is only when the embryo grows into considerable size, the doctor can certify pregnancy. Thus, the entire biological evolution is very mysterious. Nothing is certain and everything is divine will. Again, it is the Lord Who said, "I Am Alone, I Shall Become Many" (Eko'ham bahusyam). 

 It is also clearly stated that, 'the Creator Enetred into Creation'. Creation appeared in diverse forms when the Supreme Lord desired.  It is said, "He Willed". It is His desire to manifest in different forms that the universe appeared in physical, chemical, and biological stated. It is the manifestation of Energy and Matter. So, everything is Energy'. E= mc2. Constant movement of the basic elements and their combinations cause the manifest world of diverse forms and functions. Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Oxygen and their interactions create all that we know as water, air, soil, food and life-forms. The Vedic statements are no different from this. The Five Great Elements- Space, Air, Fire, Water and earth are the basic Elements and their permutation and combination has created this vast universe.

 We all exist in Time and Space. This marks the limitation. Whatever come within limitations is no the 'Truth'. It is an illusion. The Mind is incapable of recognizing this! Only the a descrminatory Intellect, buddhi, can understand it. The sense try to experience whatever comes within their grasp as far as the intellect dictates. Thus, it is clear that everything has a mysterious beginning, however invisible or insignificant it might be!

Sri Aurobondo Darshan

Excerpts from Sri Aurobindo- Essays:

1.Om ! There is brahmn alone, the One without a

 second.

2. Being and Non-Being are its forms.

3. It is also beyond Being and Non-Being.

4. There is nothing else except That ('tyat').

5 - 6. All that is contained in the three times- past,

      present, and future, and, all that is beyond the three

      times is indeed that One Brahmn alone.

7. Whatever is in this universe, small or large, noble or

     mean is Brahmn alnoe, Brahman alone.

8. The world is also Brahmn, it is true, not false.

9. That alone is the Transcendent Being.

10.Its Beyond all the three Times, beyond all the three

     worlds, penetrating all the worlds, beyond Being,

     beyond Non-Being, All-Being, All Consciousness, All

     Bliss, without beginning and end, the Eternal Divine.

11. He is without quality and supports all qualities.

12. He is with qualities, has infinite qualities, and enjoys

      the state of being without quality.

13. He Himself transcends the state of being without

      Qualities and the state of being with qualities.

14. He is neither without quality nor with quality

      because he is the One and Single.

15. He is beyond the worlds, yet He holds the worlds.

16. He becomes the worlds and enters into them.

17. He transcends Time, and becomes Time.

18. Infinite, He shines as Finite.

19. One He becomes Many.

20. Formless, He assumes Forms.

21. He achieves all this which consists of Knowledge

      and Ignorance by His Consciousness -Force.

22. He Himself is neither Holder, nor held, neither

      Infinite, nor finite, neither one, nor many, neither

      formless, nor formed because He is One and

      Single.

 

 

 tled Essays (lest we forget)

'Lakshman Rekha'

 There is a golden rule 'This Far and No Further'.  This is attributed to Lakshman, brother of Sri Ramachandra. Sri Ramachandra asked His brother to guard Sita Devi and went to help somebody in distress. However, the false call in the tone of Sri Ram made Lakshman mark a line and instructed Sita not to cross this line. However, Ravana, King of Lanka came in a disguise asking for alms and made Sita to cross this line and, took Her away to Lanka. It is this 'Lakshman Rekha' one should remember if one does not want to risk the trouble that lies ahead!

  This caution holds good for all of us even today. The principle of sticking to 'Dharma' in all our day-to-day activities calls for adherence to this Golden Rule. One should live and work within certain civic rules in public life.  It is also necessary to stick to this rule in private life if one wants to maintain happy peaceful relationship with family and friends. We ignore this and get into trouble. Over-indulgence, talking light of others, making fun and insulting, knowingly or unknowingly, lead to serious problems. Many times, even parents get into trouble with children due to this, It is always better to respect others privacy, allow freedom to others, and treat all in a friendly way, however close they may be. 

Always remember the Golden Rule. Do not cross the Lakshman Rekha. Treat all with respect and love. Love is unconditional and does not mean reciprocal here, Only give and give and give. Do not expect anything in return. This makes our life more joyful.

  

Religion or Spirituality?

  Spirituality? Yes. Religion ? No. This is the opinion expressed by the  experts at the 9/11 International Conference of the World Religions in Montreal, Canada. The Bhagavad-Gita doctrine lays down the principles of Meditation and Yoga for this purpose. When it comes to the question of an option between religion and spirituality, the answer is obviously, 'Spirituality'. The true nature of all living beings is essentially 'spiritual'. Spiritual only becomes material! The visible material world is the manifest aspect of the divine spiritual power as rendered by the Rk veda. 'Eko'ham bahusyam' is the fundamental principle. The supreme Lord willed! He desired to experience Hi creation! The initial stages of ions named after Fermi remained inert until a catalytical agent called majorana interacted to bring in interaction and transformation in the very structure and composition directing toward diversified functions. Thus, the ions are the basic units which were transformed  by the catalytic majorana-fermions leading to the formation of the 'nuclei' of all that exist! 

  There is nothing surprising here as far as the physical transformations are considered, as generally the physicists do. However, it is not the case when the biologists enter the scene and try to find out the essential aspects of biological functions such as growth, reproduction, etc. in cell biology! The very structure of a 'cell' is surprisingly so simple but, its function is diverse and multiple. There are almost 200 000 proteins-covered cells that bring in all the diverse creations! Is the the invisible hand of some supreme power that lies behind this? The ways of Lord are simply unimaginable! This is where  spirituality comes into picture before the physical objective world is created!

  Only a yogi can visualize this secret in his/her meditative trance! Others can just engage themselves in researches or wrangling, discussions, arguments, and constructing hypotheses.