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.

"Aksharam Brahmaa"

   Arjuna asks the Lord - kim tadbrahmaa, kimadhyaatmam.....| (Ch. 8. Verse 3)."What is Brahman  and what is Adhyatmam? Chapter 8 of the Bhagavad-Gita narrate the beginning of the universe. The secret of the secrets revealed here is that what all we see, hear, or experience are nothing but brahman. Everything is manifest aspect of brahman. sarvam khaluvidam brahmaa |. However, it is explicitly made clear that''akshara' is 'brahman'. Here the word 'akshara'  means 'the immutable' or 'that which never ceases'! Akshara also means the alphabets (the alpha and beta of existence?). The 51 aksharas of Samskrutam or vernacular Kannada starting from the vowels ('a' and 'A') and ending with the consonants 'ksha' constitute syllab;es (akshara) Another version that explains these alphabets as the ones that create the very universe is more important. The syllable ksha stands for collapse, disintegrate, cease or disseminate. the syllable 'a' stands for brahman, the absolute. Brahman is the Absolute and Silence-mahattanta shanta. Thus, Creation ishidden in Silence. Here 'Silence' is not absolute void or vaccuum. Silence is the source of sound and it starts with waves of vibration. Vibration is chaitanya, Energy or Consciousness.Thus, Creation has its source in Brahmn that is Absolute and it pervades as 'kshara (collapse) of 'a'. It is in fact Sound that emanates from the vibration of Chaitanya, Consiousness as the breath of the Lord Brahma. It is also called 'Saraswati'. the collapse of  a' (brahmn/ Absolute 'Silence' (A kshara), 

   ''OM ityekaaksharam brahma vyaharan mamanusmaran \ (Gita Ch.8. Verse 13).| The sound AUM (OM) hearlds the beginning of the universe. The universe is humming with the sound of 'Ommmmm" and this has been recorded by scientists. This humming sound is audible in absolute silence and anybody can experience it! Thus, the term 'Brahmn' is the beginning and end of all, rather, It is the 'Be All and End All' of this perceptible universe.Meditate on Brahman. Meditate on 'A U M. Meditation on Brahmn is the key to liberation, mukti, moksha.

   It is, thus, very interesting to know more about the origin of the Alpha and Beta (alphabets) of the different languages. There is much similarity in these since most of the languages have cmmon orgon in Samskrutam (Sanskrit() and Latin. The Samskruta akshara form the basis for most of the languages and Kannada is very close to it, may be  2000 years old! Each and every letter, syllable is loaded with meaning and the object represented by it. In fact, sound of our breath only creates the objects of our desire. Hence, it is said, "Desire is the Life-breath"!

A Peep into our Past.

 First of all, we must remember that India is a sub-continent that hosted not one but many a great civilizations. India i.e., Bharat extended from Egypt, Turkey, Persia in the West to almost China Sea, encompassing all the lands and Islands of the Indian Ocean. Some research studies have indicated that the great epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata are traced to Egypt and Indonesia, Thailand, etc. In fact, the extent of the Kingdom of Sri Ramachandra was so vast that people play or enact the Chapters of Ramayana in far off places even today. The Nordic races are said to be the forerunners and Vedic scholars. Some may consider this an exaggeration, but facts are facts.

  We have got a world map dated back to almost 50 000 years ( I have posted this earlier)! The ancient map of the world of the Archean Era (dated back to 235 million years) show a large northern land mass called Pangea and a large chunk of land that held South America, Africa, Deccan India, Australia together separated by a vast ocean (Sea of Tethys/ tethyas sagara).

  It is only recently that climate change started from the previous Great Pleistocene Ice Age to an ensuing heat peak. The large scale melting of ice due to increasing temperatures led to submergence of the coastal shelf of many countries. Large masses of ice began to melt increasing the sea level thereby creating Islands of lands that were once continuous (connecting Australia with Asia)! There is also an account of rift and drift of large chunks of southern land masses such as Australia, the Deccan of India, Africa, and the South America.

   J. A. Steers, an expert on Earthquakes, said in his book 'Unstable earth' that "No part of the earth is safe to live in". Prof. Huntington (a specialist in Human Geography) stated 150 years ago that man is the most delicate animal walking on two legs, delicately balancing, lifting one at a time, and prone to fall anytime anywhere!

 As regards the unstable conditions on earth, there is always a periodic change in hot and cold climatic conditions. We started with a hot climate a million years years ago with peak hot conditions followed by cold peaks. The Great Ice ages is divided into Wurm, Riss, Mindel and Gunz. Each one of these lasted for about 250 000 years (of a Million years). Now we are entering a warm climatic regime, heading toward a hot peak! The melting of ice due to rise in temperature causes a rise in sea level that leads to submergence of lands.

 The map of Continents and Oceans of today are different from the earlier ones! According to paleo-geographic studies, the present Mediterranean Sea (note medi and terra?) is a remnant of a large ocean that separated the Northern Pangea and the Southern Gondawana landmasses. The landmass of the Deccan (South of the Vindhyas and the Satpuras, the Narmada - Tapti Valley) are of ancient land massif dated back to Archean Era (235 million years old), whereas, the Folded Himalaya Mountains are just a million years old formed out of sediments brought by rivers, winds, sea waves, deposited and, later crushed into folds!

 The ancient land of the Bharata Varsha, Bharata Khanda, was indeed once a part of the Eastern Africa (even now there is the Rift Valley of Africa) and Madagascar. The drifted part of Madagascar crossed the Equator and settled N. Lat. 8 Deg. and abutted to the Vindhyas! The present Ganga- Sindhu- Brahmaputra valleys are the ones that separated the Deccan from the Mongolia/Tibet Plateau. The Highest Table Land of Tibet is an example of the Upheavals of landmasses during the later periods of earth's history. Large scale earthquakes, volcanic eruptions have caused these upheavals and, rise and fall in sea levels. Australia was once connected to mainland Asia and the animals could easily move from Asia to Australia on land and the rise in the sea level due to large scale melting of ice (peak hot realm) caused the present Islands. Thus, Kangaroo jumping about with its baby in the pouch could roam about easily from Asia to Australia at one time; and, later disappeared from mainland Asia. It could survive and flourish, albeit, isolated due to the rise in sea level.

  These studies are revealing and very interesting for those who want to know 'where we are and why we are like this'!

(to be contd..)

'Sanatana Dharma'

   It has become a fashion these days to question the wisdom of our forefathers, our ancient history, culture and tradition, and customs of the age-old Vedic Land of Bharata. The word Bharata has its root an our ancient purana, and history when Sri Rama, Hanuman, and Sri Krishna, Great Sages like Vasishtha, Vishvamitra walked evry inch of this yoga bhumi.  But, times have changed and we are in ghora kali yuga when dharma has declined and a total devastation to end this vaivasvata manvantara is looking at us. Obviously, some persons hate the very word 'Hindu' and the Hindu community that accounts for 82 per cent of of the population! Some have started something like 'Hindutva', and question the age-old functional classification such as caste thereby creating ill-will, strife, and hatred among the peaceful innocents. 

  The very word 'Hindu' stands for a universal doctrine of one world, one family. it is the inherent quality, nature, of the Hindu to spread oneness, love, compassion, and mutual trust and happiness and joy of all. Human development is still at its early stage and man has yet to discard the animal in him/her, realize the human and rise to divine level with universal brotherhood, spread love, kindness, and compassion to the poor, deprived ones and kindness to animals and birds. India has shown this path of human development to the entire world. There is no place for hatred of any sort and, none like contempt or looking down on others. Greeting with folded hands is the customary practice of the Hindus. There is respect for the elders, women, and regard for all; kindness to animals, birds and even treating them as divine creatures is customary here. In fact, all are treated with respect and there was no discrimination whatsoever. It was just a matter of haves and have-nots, and the entire country was impoverished due to frequent invasions of our rich temples, cheat and loot in the name of trade by invaders. A country of gold and diamonds, silk and condiments, etc. attracted invaders and traders alike. Even now our wealth is stashed, amassed, in England and other countries. British Museum has many of our sacred scriptures. 

  The British looted India's wealth and even the Kohinoor diamond worn shamelessly by the British Queen is not returned yet! We, the Hindus, are divided by caste and creed due to the Vote Bank politics of the Congress. It is the Congress that started the 'divide and rule' policy in 1951 for the sake of Vote and ruined the homogeneous society, that too, rural settlements which were self-sufficient, and lived as one family. First came Brahmin-hatred from the North and then from TN. some went to the extreme of committing heinous crime of cutting the sacred thread and the tuft while the brahmins were taking a dip in rivers nd tanks. This crime against humanity went unpunished due to patronage by the rulers? Even today some people hate Brahmins and forget that these are pious teachers spreading literacy where education is still to reach the poor and the backward. 

 There are  now crooked persons who question the 'sanatana dharma'. Not knowing what it is, they link it to casteism! They ask what is 'sanatana dharma'? This is as good as questioning the very nature of one's existence, in a  way. This may be construed as questioning the very roots of our Hindu belief system, the family traditions, the culture, and history of our nation. But, is it not also sheer ignorance to come out in the public and shout against sanatana dharma, and brand it as a divisive factor?

  It is unfortunate that some perverted persons have raised questions about the eternal values, 'sanatana dharma' of Bhartiya parampara (Indian tradition). Better these persons are given a proper education in our history, culture, tradition and make them realize that we are not the progeny or converts of the barbarian invaders, the crooks who cheated and looted us. We have a great history and tradition of at least 10 000 years, if not a million when the Himalayas were rising up in folds from the sea! 

  

' Nature''

 'Nature' is the manifest aspect of Brahmn. 'Brahman is Everything' (sarvam khaluvidam brahmaa), and as such, it manifests as everything! This concept of brahmn is to be experienced rather tha analyzed in words! If anybody asks what is brahmn, just ask what is not brahmn. The word 'brahmn' is something that stands for the basis of this universe. It is the substratum. It is 'That' ('tyat') that has no parallel. It is 'Ekam sat'. IT only exists and nothing besides it! What all we see or perceive is the reflection of 'That'!

  The first manifest aspect of 'Purusha' is Prakruti (Nature). 'Pura' means 'universe' (habitat), as also, 'prior to'. So, 'Purusha' is the First One (either pre-existent or just appeared). It consisted of three qualities or 'guna' - sattva, rajas, and the tamas.  These are the basic traits that appeared in different proportions in nature. The same three qualities are found in all that is created! Hence the entire is one of different qualities, varying in proportions!  

   We, the humans are of different qualities. Some are sattvika, and most of us are tamasika. The rajas appear and disappear. We are all sattvic in the early morning and late evening. We are all rajasika most of the time and turn tamasika during night. Thus, it is the quality, the guna that decides rather than the actual person, place, animal, or thing. When we use the qualitative or adjectives to nouns, it is the guna, quality that we refer to. So good, bad, fair, beautiful, ugly, hot, cold, etc. just show the quality!

  Now, the most important thing we have to understand is the quality that manifests in an object or person and find out whether it is 'true' or 'false'. What all appears may not be true, or false, either! The other important question that arises as to the quality is about the in-born traits, or the acquired ones. Finally, one has to decide the true nature of things (that include humans)!

  There is the doctrine of  "guneshu gunanuvartante"! Everything is 'quality' and we decide things depending on the quality. We tend to accept the best and reject the rest. So, it is the quality that is ultimately important. However, it is important to note that the quality is the basic trait, may be, an inherent aspect of Nature (prakruti). Incidentally, strangely enough, our guna is decided by the structure and composition of the Stars. The Stars under which we are born decides our course of life and work. We are all born under some star in a certain zodiac or constellation (Rashi).  our traits are decided by the elements and compounds that go to make the stars and the radiation of that star at the time of our birth (may be conception!).

  Hence we, the humans, are what we are as decided by the quality of the stars! Once we realize the fact that we are essentially that chaitanya, 'Energy' aspect rather than this physical elemental body acquired from the air, water, soil, and food. Discard what all one has acquired, the remaining is just that 'chaitanya'. Hence, the great sages proclaimed, "I AM THAT". 

"Atman"

 The most important teachings of the great Sage Vasishtha to Sri Ramachandra are about Adoration of the Atman and the Realsization of the Self. It is very important to know about the Self, the Atman. But there is no way or means to know about the Atman since the Atman is everything- the observer, the observed, and the means of observation. However, the great Sage Vasishtha imparts the 'Knowledge of Atman' to Sri Ramachandra. First Atman is Brahman only. 

 What is Brahman? There is no answer to this question. Brahman is sada as well as asada. It is, and It is Not! It is a puzzle. Brahman is Absilute Abstract and totally Silent, shaanta, atyantaabhava. It is a state of the Absolute, Existence - Non-existence, both in one. Out of Non-Existence, Existence of the many and varied (Objective World) manifests. First, there is atyanta abhva which manifests as Absilute Silence, quivering and sending vibration, waves, sound, alpha and beta, alphabets, words, the meaning of words leading to the objects and finally the manifest world of vyakti, vishaya and vastu prapancha. All these have the Atman as the core (of the substance).

  Now, the answer to the question about what is Atman is very simple. It is the core of the substance. It is the centre of the Universe, as also, its periphery since it expands to cover everything. It is the observer. It is pure Consciousness. It emanates as chit from sat. It is the manifest aspect of Brahman. It is the Atman. It is the Fire, Agni. It pervades, enter, engulf and manifest as chiti, chaitya, chetasa, chaitanya and everything that is capable of manifesting! It is Total Consciousness, indivisible, unchanging, eternal, unborn, omnipresent and it is the mainstay, the essence of the Existential Reality. We are what we are due to this inborn intricate energy! It is thus, clear that the entire universe that we perceive is nothing but the vibration, waves and bubbles of the Ocean of Consciousness! "Prajnyanan Brahmaa"!

   The simplest way of realizing the Atman, the Brahmn, is to discard the polltants that cover the pure Atman in different forms of names and functions. Discard the sensuus world as the mischief of the polluted Mind. Discard the polluted body as adjuncts of the Mind, Intellect and the Ego. Think this body as the product of soil, water and food and a perishable object! Think "I am not the body, mind, and the Intellect" Think "I am the eternal unborn immortal Self, the Atman."  Realize "I Am Brahman". This is Attainment.   

"I Am That"

  Most of the Upanishads teach us the fundamental principles of Creation and the 'Reality of our Existence'. In that sense of the scriptural statements, "we (the humans) are not what we appear to be! We are more than what we seem to be! In fact, we do not exist at all in this sense of 'Reality of Existence'. Many examples are given to prove this point. For example, we all exist in three states viz, jagrata (awake), svapna (dream), and sushupti (deep sleep). Since these are ever changing from morning till late night everyday these are not our real state of existence. We can rise above these three and reach the transcendental meditative state and absolute state of samadhi, too. Those who practice yoga can easily stay in samadhi state at their will! Thus, it is clear that we are ever-changing- from childhood to old age in body (physically) and mind, as also, we go on changing from our state of social and economic status in life. Nothing can be said for certain, at any point of time, about the changing status. Hence, the learned sages tried to impart the doctrines and help the disciples to know who exactly are they in real life! But, it is definitely not easy for us, the mortals, to understand and live as per the doctrines. We cannot understand what the illusory world is despite an umpteen  examples given to us! We are told that the basic understanding about our existence is that of 'ignorance'. The entire life is one of birth due to ignorance and living in ignorance and die in ignorance to take birth again and repeat till knowledge dawns on us as to the 'truth'. The 'truth' is very simple. We are not what we seem to be, what we appear to be. We are different! We are the manifest aspect of the Absolute Abstract state of param padam called 'brahmn'. This is similar to Oxygen and Hydrogen that freely exist in air (nature) in vapor form and turn into solid state (of crystal ice, or liquid state (of water) under a particular condition of temperature and pressure. The question also arises asto what exactly is its eternal unchanging state? The same is the question as to the nature of a jiva that is embodied in different forms due to karma.     

 The Learned Sage Aruni Uddalaka taught his disciple Shvetaketu the doctrine of "tat tvam asi" (Thou Art That). But this simple statement is beyond our understanding or comprehension! The Vedic statement is tat brahma, tad Vishnu. tat sat param padam! The term 'tat' is something that connotes the supreme Absolute Abstract that does not come within our normal understanding. In fact, the term 'tat' (tyat) is 'brahmn'. It is a sound (svar) that creates, sustains, dissolves, and finally merges everything within Itself! This abstract concept cannot be either understood by us! The scriptures speak a lot about this. One of the most intriguing aspects of the Vedic doctrine is "so'ham asmi". This statement clearly states the doctrine of 'Atman', the 'Self'. In other words, it says, I am not the body, the mind, the intellect, nor am the ego. All these are the adjuncts of the body akin to the organs! There is something else that makes me call myself 'I! What is that? Is it the imperceptible notion of the Self, the Atman, the brahmn? Yes, it is!

   Now, the question before us is simply, "Whether what we perceive (as the sensuous world, the world that comes within the grasp of our senses) is real, at all?" The answer is an emphatic 'NO'; what all we see, hear, touch, feel or experience is that of the senses of touch, sight, sound, etc. There are the deaf, dumb, blind, etc. who cannot experience the sensuous world! This does not mean that they are completely insensitive and to tally deprived of worldly existence. They possess sixth sense and, in fact, better equipped to experience than us! But all these come to naught when we explore the deeper aspects of our existence. In the strict sense of the term, we do not really exist at all! What all exists is something that is mere reflection of 'That' (tyat), brahmn. This is like a hundred full moons reflected in a hundred water bodies.

  What is mere illusion say, like a mirage in a hot sandy desert, or mere waves of a rough sea, or just what we perceive as a snake on seeing a rope in the dark, or mistake for a person standing when we see a milestone. This is something like the previous impression in our mind and its recurrence as memory! We do not bother to realize that we are the same children that used to crawl on all the four in our infancy! Our memory is too short! It seems strange today if we just remember how, as kids, we used to climb the trees and jump about, and even had our limbs broken! 

  Thus, there is something that runs through our lives as memory, experiences, feelings, etc. At the basis of all these lies abominable ignorance! This ignorance goes only when a tormented jiva seeks the guidance of a learned guide to get rid of this eternal bondage. However, it is well laid down in the scriptures that "It is the prerogative of the Divine Force/Power to grant renunciation and freedom from bondage. The jiva must be lucky enough to get the blessings and has to work incessantly to attract the divine grace by constant adoration and prayer to the devi devata! The good work done in the past as well as the blessings of the elders also count in this! Hence, the jiva has to realize its true nature and get rid of the ignorance,

 Now, if we erase all these memories, experience, feelings and look at ourselves as a body made up of parts, we realize some strange mystic power playing behind all these creations. It is a divine or mystic power that creates a microscopic entity such as an ion, a Majorana fermionic cellular bio-technical-transformation, giving rise to biological entity called life, that too with the help of the basic five elements! Nothing remains if we remove these five basic elements from the material structure! May be, what remains is the spiritual entity, that is beyond the purview of science or rational explanation. In all, what we can say about this illusory world is that it is a mystery that something has been created out of nothing as if it is a magic! So also, we as humans who are made up of parts. Nothing remains if the parts are removed. Anything made of parts, for that matter, reverts to 'nothing' when the parts are removed!

  Thus, the scriptures emphatically lay down the fundamental principle of Atman- Brahman combine! It is the 'brahmn' that manifests as 'Atman' that takes numrous forms and perform functions. What all we see is the Atman that is invisible, a driving force in this universe. The Atman only takes the forms as the Vedic doctrine says, Eko'ham bahusyam!

  In this sense of the term, what all we see here is 'brahmn' only! It is 'brahmn; that appears as the material sensuous perceptible world, where there is actually 'none whatsoever'!!