The very first step to ensure peace and harmony to mankind is
for each one observing the Dharma or code of conduct laid down for
him in his own religion. If one holds his own faith and its
essential principles mandatory, one can serve himself best and
also serve others well. Dharma in this context means action in
accordance with the traditions of the culture of the land. In
every facet of the Dharma of this country, the ideal of
world-peace and world-prosperity is immanent.
"Athaatho Karma Jijnaasa". "Now, for the inquiry into Activity"
- thus begins the intellectual probe into the mystery of Karma,
which in our Scriptures extends over vast fields. For example, to
give away in charity and as gift is a very proper type of Karma;
but, one must be aware that egoism can pollute it and make it
improper. It is laid down that plentiful charity now will ensure
happiness in a future life so that consideration of this advantage
for oneself might well lead men to good karma. Even if many have
no eye on the future, it can be asserted that most charity flows
from egoistic motives. This is an all-too-evident a fact.
People feel proud that they have helped others. They are eager
to be praised as beneficent and munificent. This attitude reveals
their ignorance, Ajnana; it springs from non-awareness of
actuality, Maya. In the Vedas and Sastras, the Rshis while
elaborating on do's and don'ts, stress non-violence, compassion,
Service to the world, Charity etc. as virtues to be acquired.
Saint Vidyaranya named these as the very essence of Indian Wisdom.
Wisdom is the precious ambrosia gathered from all sources of
knowledge and all the arts of earning it. It is the sweet,
sustaining butter churned and collected from the Sastras. Wisdom
is not to be defined as the capacity to discriminate and declare,
"This is flat" or "this is round" or "this is a hill", "this is a
house", or "this is a thorn." That is the common belief. This is
only knowledge. Next, we have, what may be called good knowledge
(Sujnana), when man is able to distinguish between right and wrong
or good and bad, when he can discover, "This activity is for my
betterment and the betterment of others". Both Jnana and Sujnana
are confined to the intellect of man. There is a higher stage
called Vijnana, when the heart is transformed by loyalty to Truth,
Non-Violence and Compassion. Such a person can understand himself,
his kinship with the Cosmos, and with the Creator of the Cosmos.
He lives in accordance with that understanding, without doubt or
disharmony. Ajnana or Ignorance breeds sorrow; Vijnana confers
joy. If one hesitates to call any experience Vijnana, let him
examine whether it is material or spiritual, on the touchstone,
"Does it give me unalloyed joy?", and then classify it as such.
The yardstick for Vijnana is Dharma. The more Dharma is put into
practice, the more one gets rooted in Vijnana.
Action through Vijnana is evidenced by the peace and prosperity
of the nation. The decline of Dharma reveals the disappearance of
Vijnana. Eras are differentiated on the basis of adherence or
aversion to Dharma. When Dharma, Justice and Harmony prevail fully
and fearlessly, it is said to walk securely over the land on four
legs. The times when it is so observed are also referred to as
Krtha Yuga, the Krtha Era. When Justice and Harmony prevail less
and less, people feel that Dharma has to limp its way on three
legs! The times suffering from this handicap are referred to as
the Thretha Era, the Thretha Yuga. When Justice and Harmony
prevail only a quarter as much as in the Krtha Yuga, Dharma has to
struggle on two legs. That is the Dwapara Yuga. When they have no
respect paid to them and when they are largely non-existent,
Dharma stands on one leg, as it were. This is the Kali Yuga, we
are told by the scriptures.
The wisdom of the Bharathiyas is nourished by Dharma. Though
Indian thought asserts that "the objective world" is basically
untrue and though it teaches us that our involvement with life and
its problems is an illusive adventure that cannot affect our
Reality, the Sastras which are the roots of that thought do not
advise us to discard Dharma. For, to grasp the Highest and the
Ultimate Truth, Dharma is indispensable. The four traditional
goals of human endeavour (the Purusharthas: Dharma, Artha, Kama
and Moksha) are laid down to cater to those who live in the belief
that the objective world is 'True'.
It can be seen that even among the four goals, Dharma has been
placed first and foremost. The state to be earned by the first
three achievements is Moksha, which is mentioned last. The person
who seeks riches and the fulfilment of his desires along the path
laid down by Dharma can alone win victory; that way lies
liberation which gives man the highest Bliss.
Nevertheless, since the Jivi or the individualised, limited
self is caught in the net of Desire or Kama, the goals of Dharma
and Moksha do not enter its vision or arouse any interest. It
takes delight in sinking and floating on the waves of material
pleasures (Artha and Kama). This is nothing strange in persons of
that nature.
The search for food, the avoidance of fear and the enjoyment of
sloth and sleep - in these, man and animal are equally eager and
equally involved. The search for Moksha and the observance of
Dharma - these promote man to a level of existence higher than the
animal level. If that yearning is absent, man cannot claim to be
human.
India is acclaimed by her own people as well as by people of
other countries for holding forth the ideal of Vijnana, the
Highest Wisdom. Here, there is faith that God exists in all lands.
Here there is constant effort to discriminate between Dharma and
what is not Dharma. Value is attached to Justice and Virtue.
Compassion towards living beings and non-violence are also held
high as guides to conduct. Efforts are made to distinguish Truth
and Untruth. Temples still flourish and are still replete with
spiritual vibrations. We have in other countries many Houses of
God constructed by man such as churches and mosques but they are
not so ancient and charged so long and so deep with Divinity.
All religions are One, declares this land of Bharath. There may
be difference in the number and nature of the limbs; the message
each conveys is the same as all the rest. This is the discovery of
India, and her Announcement to mankind.
For directing their prayers to God, one person has, as his
symbol, a stone; another has a piece of metal: a third uses wood
but, all attach great importance to prayer and believe in its
beneficent effects. One person turns to the East, while praying;
another regards the West as really sacred. The prayer of both
concerns the same wants and inadequacies. This is the conclusion
arrived at by Bharathiya sages and thinkers. Each faith has its
own Scriptures and doctrines. But one must pay attention to the
special features too. For example, God is so intimately felt as
one's own that prayers are often addressed to God in singular:
"Can you not do this?" or "Are you incapable of protecting me?" or
"Have you become weak of hearing?" This is a peculiar trait among
Bharathiyas.
However a person feels or thinks, he transforms himself into
the embodiment of those feelings and thoughts. If he is immersed
in the truth that he is God, he can become Divine. However, if he
is immersed in the falsehood that he is the King of the Land, he
will be deemed mad or traitorous. He might even be beheaded for
treason. God will not treat you as insane or insubordinate. Every
being is Divine; this is the final judgement of the wisdom of
Bharath.
Logic and intellectual investigation can give only partial
accounts of the Truth. Everything in creation has many phases and
many angles. Reason can observe only from one angle; it can see
only one phase. The intellect that has been purified and clarified
through the activities (Karma) laid down in the Vedas can succeed
in observing both phases. Without undergoing the process of
purification and clarification, Reason can work only within the
bounds of the materialist world. So, the conclusions that it
presents before us can only be partially true. But, the intellect
subjected to the processes of cleansing and sharpening in the
Vedic way can serve us by presenting a picture of the full Truth
of the objective world. Most of the other Faiths rely on
principles reached by Reason, not subjected to these disciplines
taught by the Vedas. Bharathiyas have the Sastras which illumine
far beyond the bounds and limits of the temporary and the
temporal.
The Universe is the Macrocosmos; the Individual Being is the
Microcosmos. The first is the Brahmanda, the second is the
Pindanda. But, the basic Truth of both is One, the same. That One
is independent and unrelated to any other fact or thing. When That
is realised in this manner, it can be called Brahmam. When it
enters the awareness as the Universe, it is referred to as
Parabrahmam. The basic truth of the Universe is Atma. The basic
Truth of the Individual is also Atma. All that appear as different
from Atma are of the region of 'delusion' or Mithya. Mithya or
delusion implies a condition which, until inquiry, appears real
but, on inquiry, is known to be unreal. It is only an appearance,
this universe and its supposed basis - an appearance caused by
Ignorance or Maya. The power that deludes us into believing that
the created cosmos is true and real is also an emanation from the
Atma. When this power operates and the Atma is clothed with it, it
is referred to as Paramatma.
Atma is the Satchidananda or Sath-Chith-Ananda, treated as one
inseparable composite. Maya too is a composite of the three gunas
or natural modes or qualities - Thamasic, Rajasic and Sathwic.
They express themselves in Ichha Sakthi (Desire), Kriya Sakthi
(Deed) and Jnana Sakthi (Wisdom). The quality called Thamas
creates the appearance of diversity, hiding the basic One and
Only. The quality named Rajas explores the Truth and the pleasures
of wisdom. The quality named Sathwa is a clear mirror, it gives a
correct picture of things and events that happen before it. It
reflects Parabrahmam and reveals Iswara or God. God thus
manifested becomes the Universe or Jagat created by His Will. The
reflected Iswara does not have the capacity of Maya or Delusion.
As the clear water of a lake has froth and bubbles on the surface,
the Atma's essential nature seems to be tarnished by the deluding
appearance of Maya and its product - the Jagath or Universe, with
varied Names and Forms. When the three modes of Maya are in
balance and in a state of unruffled equipoise, the Universe is
termed unmanifest, A-Vyaktha. This is termed the "seed-state"
since all subsequent variations are subsumed and latent in it.
When Thamas and Rajas have their impact, Creation is caused and
the Cosmos comes about. They agitate living beings into activity.
The deluding force is conditioned by the three modes, as and when
each expresses itself and asserts its influence over the rest.
When Sathwa predominates, it is named as Atma-maya; when Rajas is
ascendant, it becomes A-Vidya or Non-knowledge and when Thamas
holds sway, it becomes Thaamasi or Dullness. When the Atma is
reflected in the Sathwic mode, the image becomes Iswara; when
reflected in Rajas, it becomes Jiva or individual Being; and when
reflected in Thamas, it becomes Matter. It is the mould, the
upadhi, that causes the distinction between Iswara (God), Jiva
(the living being) and Dravya (matter); when there is no upadhi or
mould or case, all these are Atma. Since the Universe is God, Jiva
and Matter, it can be truly described as the composite of the
three modes. The Universe has manifested, in order to serve the
highest interests of living beings and of man, the most
intelligent of them all. While affirming that the Atma is
reflected in the Sathwic, Rajasic and Thamasic modes, producing
impressions of Iswara, the individual and Matter, one point has to
be emphasised. The mirror that conditions the image has only
limited capacity. It can reflect only objects that are opposite to
it. But, when the mirror is either convex or concave in surface or
when its plain surface is soiled with dirt, the image will suffer
contortion or fail in clarity. This, however, does not affect the
object; only the image is distorted or defaced. But, the object
itself is usually condemned on the basis of its reflection or
image.
Brahmam too appears distorted on account of Maya and Ajnana
(Ignorance) and this distortion which is a Super-imposed
characteristic is supposed wrongly to adhere to Brahmam itself!
The image of Parameswara (the Supreme Godhead) is also a
reflection in the Maya mirror. As milk turns into curds, Brahmam
has turned into Jagath or Universe. This transformation is the
handiwork of Maya. Brahmam is the Master of Maya and not its
subordinate. It releases the Maya Power and directs it. So, the
personalised Brahmam or Parameswara is known as Omnipotent and
Omniscient. The Jiva, the Iswara and the Bhootha (Elements or
Matter) - these three contribute to the progress of the
individual, each in its own way.
The Iswara or Lord is the fulfillment of all Desires; all
objects of enjoyment in the Universe emanate from His will and so,
He has no desire at all. He has manifested the Universe not for
the realisation of any desire of His or filling any vacuity He
suffered from, but for the benefit entirely of living beings. "Na
me, Partha asthi Karthavyam, Thrishu Lokeshu Kinchana - There is
no duty binding on me, Partha, in the three worlds" says Krishna.
Creation, manifestation, or emanation is His very nature. Hence,
the description (Leela Vinodi) "Revelling in play", is often
ascribed to Him. It is His will-power that is filling all living
beings with Consciousness and helping them to be alert and active.
He grants to each the consequence of thought, word and deed and is
therefore described as the Giver-of-the-fruit-of-Activity (Karma
phala-pradaatha). Without the intercession of the Lord, Activity
cannot result in Consequence; nor can certainty arise that a
particular act will result in an identifiable manner. Besides, the
sages declare that Karma (Activity) is momentary. The thought
arises and the act is done. The act is followed by the fruit. It
is not possible to predict when the fruit will be available or
what its nature will be. Hence, we have to admit that it all
depends on the Lord's Command. What cannot be interpreted by our
limited intellect has to be ascribed to His Command.
However long the interval, however many lives elapse, one
cannot escape the obligation of suffering from the consequences of
one's actions. There can be no place for inquiry into the origins
of the act or when it happened, for, one has to trace from the
beginning of Time itself. One cannot discover the beginnings of
the Lord, the Universe, the Living Being, Activity and Ignorance;
they are all beyond the Beginning. In the Bhagavadgita, Krishna
declares, "Gahanaa Karmano Gathih" (the way of action is elusively
subtle and difficult to discover). The consequence might confront
the person, even after the passage of many lives. The Lord is the
eternal Witness, the Power that presides over every act. Looked at
from this point of view, one has to realise and declare that the
Lord and the Individual are bound inextricably together. In the
absence of living beings, there can be no Lord. When there are no
children, how can the word 'father' be meaningful? So, the Lord,
it can be said, manifested the Universe, in order to provide
living beings with fields of activity and in order to grant them
the consequences of those actions. The five elements serve the
same purpose; they also help constitute the physical vehicles of
life, in accordance with the quality and quantity of those
consequences. There are also regions called Lokas where beings
which have accumulated great merit or gathered terrible sins have
to be in the hereafter. These have no relation to the regions or
bodies that are visible to us.
Life-principle and Individual-principle do both mean the same.
Both indicate that they have emerged from absence of the awareness
of the Truth, or Avidya. This again is due to bondage to the Gunas
or tendencies. The Individual is marked by the presence of
Rajoguna or the active work-prone passionate mode, though it has
the seeds of the other two modes also in its make-up. The Jagath
or Creation itself has its origin when the Truth veiled itself in
Avidya or Delusion. The modes manifested at that same moment and
individuals differentiated according to the predominance of one or
other of the three chief modes, caused by the total effect of the
Karmas gone through in life after life. When he is endowed more
with the Sathwic mode, he becomes a Bhagavatha, inspired by
devotion to God and engaged mostly in adoring and praising Divine
Glory. Preponderance of Rajasic traits renders him a strong
intelligent man, content to be a man with no higher aspirations
towards Divinity. If he is ruled by the Thamasic Guna, he becomes
as bound to the body and its needs as birds and beasts.
The Jivi (living being) on account of an intellect caught in
the coils of delusion imagines that it is an 'effect' and so,
bound to some 'cause'. This non-awareness of Truth has to be
conquered by Atmavidya which urges towards this adventure and
ensures success. It will destroy the distinction, now believed in,
between Jiva and Jagath (the subject and the object, man and the
Cosmos). To help man in this heroic duel, and to make him aware of
the Truth, the Vedas prescribe Karmas or desirable Activities in
what is referred to as Karma Kanda. So long as one is caught in
A-vidya, man and cosmos, the upper and lower worlds, dharma and
a-dharma, Karma, Bhakthi and Jnana - these concepts have to be
respected and one's life shaped accordingly. So long as one is
established in the validity of the "diversity" apparent in the
Universe, one acts according to the limits inspired by the
personalised God, the Iswara.
The Universe is for each Jivi its own mental picture and
nothing else, fundamentally. So, unless one unravels the mind and
its processes, the Brahma principle is difficult to understand.
Those who have not understood the real nature of the sky will
mistake it as a dome of smoke and dust; so too, the Atma is
mistaken, through non-awareness of reality, to be enclosed in and
embodied as intellect or Buddhi, to be involved in activity, to be
caught up in the twin bonds of joy and sorrow, and to be embroiled
in happiness and misery and also in bondage and liberation. From
the angle of change (Vyavahara), the higher Truth will naturally
appear as different, though they are inextricably inter-related.
Space is one. But, as a result of the diversity of vessels, it
seems to be enclosed in the home, the pot, the building and the
canvas. There is no truth in this sectionalised existence; it is
the One space that exists in all these "containers" - houses,
lakes, hills etc. - which are shapes and forms, with distinct
names attached to them and different modes of behaviour and use.
So too, individual beings (jivas) have different names and forms,
peculiarities and specialities of use and behaviour; but, like the
string that holds the beads, passing in and through each and
holding them together, the Super-Consciousness in all individuals
is One.
That is the Atma, which is mistaken as I, through ignorance. As
long as this truth is not won, man cannot release himself from the
hold of multiplicity and change. The scriptures communicate to us
this Reality and exhort us to realise it. What is it that, if
known, everything else can be known? When the Atma is known,
declare the scriptures (Sruthi), everything can be known. The
Jagath (the Cosmos) is only relatively real; it is partly false.
Knowing it is unprofitable and unnecessary. It is not a legitimate
purpose of Life. Life is best spent and human effort best directed
when awareness of the Atma principle is sought to be attained. The
Sruthi warns man against other vain pursuits. The Sruthi texts and
allied sacred literature like Smrithis, Ithihasas and Puranas do
not teach us anywhere how the Cosmos was created or advise us to
study and understand the origins and the process. They do not
declare the absence of that knowledge as calamitous; they even
assert that the task is impossible.
"Why worry how the Cosmos was born or when it will die? Worry
rather about yourself." That is the lesson emphasised by the
scriptures. "Know Thyself." Once you know yourself, everything
else will be automatically clear. You are a Pindanda in the
Brahmanda, a microcosm in the macrocosm. Just as the knowledge of
one single clay pot is enough to know all about all clay pots,
when you know your self, all else can be known.
In order to persuade a child to stop weeping and regain joy,
the Ayah relates a fairy tale which pleases it. The Ayah's sole
purpose is to calm the child; the fairy tale is only a means
modelled on its intellectual level. In the same manner, the Jivi,
fascinated by the beginningless attraction of maya and bound by
tendencies cultivated during many lives in the past, cannot avoid
inquiring into the origins of the Universe which he encounters.
The Sruthi answers such inquiry in words that give temporary
relief. For, the question, how was the Universe created, is on a
par with the question, how is a dream created? The dream
originates from sleep or Nidra; the Universe originates through
illusion or Maya. Just as the dream has no order or law, the
Universe also is too full of mystery and Maya. There is only One,
not two as often happens in a dream. This is the doctrine of
Adwaitha. Very much like the question of the origin of creation,
another problem that generally worries man is, how did this
ignorance happen? The solution has been provided by the
sage-preceptor, Vasishta, to Sri Ramachandra. "Rama!" he said,
"Rather than entangling yourselves in the inquiry regarding how
Ignorance entered Man, I would exhort you to be engaged in efforts
to get rid of it". This lesson is directed not only to Rama but to
all mankind. It helps all who do not possess the realisation of
the Truth behind the objective world. Ajnana or Ignorance is the
name given to ignoring what is one's own inner experience - that
the universe is an ever-changing phenomenon.
Why then are we troubled by this question? Be convinced that
you have this ignorance, give up the struggle to get rid of
attachment to this changing world with its concomitant birth-death
cycle. It is only another evidence of this ignorance to argue
whether this A-jnana adheres to Brahmam or emanates from the Jivi.
Surely it is much more essential to concentrate on the methods by
which the Ignorance can be discarded. For it will certainly yield
to wisdom or Jnana. Jnana is Light; Ignorance is darkness.
Darkness can persist only until Light shines.