Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Story 19 - Theory of creation
Srimad Bhagavatham - A Spiritual Insight - Story 19 - Theory of creation
Shuka continues:
The world that one sees is created only by the illusory power of the Self or Lord. Without the illusory power of Maya, no creation is possible. Creation also is nothing but illusion only even like the dream world that one sees in dream – the world but has no relation, whatsoever, with the reality of Lord (in which it seems to exist).
The various diversities (as seen) are creations of Maya alone (and hence it is not real but only an illusion like dream). A person who gets attached to the diversities (after considering them as real) is caught in the hold of Maya and therefore he says Mama (mine), Aham (I) which are creations and indications of the Ego.
If one has to realize the Lord, one has to overcome this Ego of “I” and “Mine” through contemplation on the ultimate reality of Lord at all times.
Explanation
Even though Bhagavatham is going to explain about creation in detail in the Chatushloki Bhagavatham (Bhagavatham in four couplets which is the instruction given by Lord Vishnu to Lord Brahma), but still here we find a very beautiful explanation of creation of the world which is of the nature of sorrow and the way out of it – explained by Shuka to Parikshit.
What is the world that we see? What is its nature?
The world that we see is ever changing and hence it is sorrowful in nature. We experience sorrow only in the long run from the external objects in the world. Never is there a person who has got eternal bliss or contentment from the world. This is the experience of each and every person.
A person loves some object, let’s say Laddoo. Each day he becomes happy when he gets laddoo. But one day he doesn’t get the laddoo and hence he becomes sad. At this time, he remembers how he had got happiness when he ate laddoo – this very happiness and its thought gives the person sorrow and he becomes sad. This is the case with every object in the world. This is because the world is ever changing. Any changing object can never give happiness because it will ultimately die off. The body that we see is always changing and hence ultimately it dies off (and decays). Therefore that which is born and dies cannot give real happiness as the object itself vanishes.
Since we all are searching for happiness in the external objects, we will never get it. That is the nature of the world – it is changing and hence sorrowful.
Any changing thing requires a changeless substratum even as a variable requires a constant for its existence. Therefore the world which is changing requires a changeless substratum. This substratum is God who is never changing. The objects change, but God never changes. The ideas or concepts in the mind changes daily but still there is one person who is never changing and that is God – the changeless and hence blissful person.
But then, how come the changing things are seen in the changeless God? This is what is termed as illusion. The changing variable is only an illusion in the changeless substratum of constant. At any point of time, there is only the constant present – there is no variable at all. It is only an illusion that one sees the variable as existing. Whatever exists is a constant alone – each and every person knows this.
Similarly the changing world is only an illusion in the reality of God. There is never an object that we see, the object that we see is God alone. Without God of the nature of Consciousness, there can never be any object all. If Consciousness is not there, there is nothing at all. If Consciousness or God is there, then everything is present. Therefore, Shuka says that the world itself is only an illusion in the reality of God. If this is the reality, then the “I” cannot be different from God as God alone exists here. Therefore, each and every person is the Lord alone – this reality has been forgotten and one has to contemplate on the Lord so that he realizes his own very nature of God.
The world and its illusory nature are better explained by the dream analogy. The dreamer sleeps and sees a dream. There is a complete dream world seen during the state of dreaming. But once the dreamer wakes up, he realizes that there never was a dream world – whatever existed in dream was the dreamer alone. Similarly this waking world is only a big dream in which everything is the dreamer of Lord or Consciousness (which is the very nature of each and every one of us).
Now, the question comes what obstructs realization of Lord?
The only obstruction is ignorance about one’s own real nature of Consciousness and ignorance about the real nature of God who is all-pervasive and the only thing present & therefore one’s own very nature or Self. This ignorance causes the limited “I” and “Mine” concepts to be created which are termed as Ego. This Ego claims itself to be the body, mind – a person named Hariram and so-on. When this limited “I” is created, then some people become “my people or my friends” and others “my enemies”. These two causes likes-dislikes. The likes and dislikes leads to sorrow and happiness when something bad and good happens to my friends. Therefore the concepts of “I” and “Mine” are the causes of sorrow and suffering. When this I and mine are removed, then the reality of God is realized and the individual rejoices in the eternal bliss inherent in the Self.
How can this “I” and “Mine” be removed when there are some duties for ME to be performed?
These “I” and “Mine” when removed makes one realize that everybody is the Lord and hence one has the duty to protect the Lord who is present everywhere. At that time alone, one perceives the Lord everywhere. Therefore, everybody becomes one’s people – therefore there is no “I” and “Mine” here but only Lord who is present everywhere.
This “I” and “Mine” vanish when a person surrenders to the Lord completely and offers all actions unto the Lord. When the so-called Hariram types this mail with the attitude that everything is Lord alone and this action is offered to the Lord, then the effects of the mail (whether good response or bad response) don’t affect the individual. When the individual is not affected by good and bad, then he realizes that everything is the Lord alone and hence he relishes in the eternal bliss of the Lord. When the action is offered, there is no person who is acting or performing the action – as the doer ceases to exist. If there is no doer, then there is no “I” and “Mine”. Therefore everything becomes the action or pooja of the Lord. This offering leads to eternal bliss and happiness.
A person who follows this attitude need not renounce and go to jungle. He can do it at all times and when this attitude is followed, he need not restrict himself from any of the worldly actions. All actions will continue but it will continue much better and will lead to more and more success that when normally done.
Let us all thus try to renounce this “I” and “Mine” and offer all actions unto the Lord. This will easily lead one to eternal bliss which is being searched each and every moment by the individual.
Shuka continues:
The world that one sees is created only by the illusory power of the Self or Lord. Without the illusory power of Maya, no creation is possible. Creation also is nothing but illusion only even like the dream world that one sees in dream – the world but has no relation, whatsoever, with the reality of Lord (in which it seems to exist).
The various diversities (as seen) are creations of Maya alone (and hence it is not real but only an illusion like dream). A person who gets attached to the diversities (after considering them as real) is caught in the hold of Maya and therefore he says Mama (mine), Aham (I) which are creations and indications of the Ego.
If one has to realize the Lord, one has to overcome this Ego of “I” and “Mine” through contemplation on the ultimate reality of Lord at all times.
Explanation
Even though Bhagavatham is going to explain about creation in detail in the Chatushloki Bhagavatham (Bhagavatham in four couplets which is the instruction given by Lord Vishnu to Lord Brahma), but still here we find a very beautiful explanation of creation of the world which is of the nature of sorrow and the way out of it – explained by Shuka to Parikshit.
What is the world that we see? What is its nature?
The world that we see is ever changing and hence it is sorrowful in nature. We experience sorrow only in the long run from the external objects in the world. Never is there a person who has got eternal bliss or contentment from the world. This is the experience of each and every person.
A person loves some object, let’s say Laddoo. Each day he becomes happy when he gets laddoo. But one day he doesn’t get the laddoo and hence he becomes sad. At this time, he remembers how he had got happiness when he ate laddoo – this very happiness and its thought gives the person sorrow and he becomes sad. This is the case with every object in the world. This is because the world is ever changing. Any changing object can never give happiness because it will ultimately die off. The body that we see is always changing and hence ultimately it dies off (and decays). Therefore that which is born and dies cannot give real happiness as the object itself vanishes.
Since we all are searching for happiness in the external objects, we will never get it. That is the nature of the world – it is changing and hence sorrowful.
Any changing thing requires a changeless substratum even as a variable requires a constant for its existence. Therefore the world which is changing requires a changeless substratum. This substratum is God who is never changing. The objects change, but God never changes. The ideas or concepts in the mind changes daily but still there is one person who is never changing and that is God – the changeless and hence blissful person.
But then, how come the changing things are seen in the changeless God? This is what is termed as illusion. The changing variable is only an illusion in the changeless substratum of constant. At any point of time, there is only the constant present – there is no variable at all. It is only an illusion that one sees the variable as existing. Whatever exists is a constant alone – each and every person knows this.
Similarly the changing world is only an illusion in the reality of God. There is never an object that we see, the object that we see is God alone. Without God of the nature of Consciousness, there can never be any object all. If Consciousness is not there, there is nothing at all. If Consciousness or God is there, then everything is present. Therefore, Shuka says that the world itself is only an illusion in the reality of God. If this is the reality, then the “I” cannot be different from God as God alone exists here. Therefore, each and every person is the Lord alone – this reality has been forgotten and one has to contemplate on the Lord so that he realizes his own very nature of God.
The world and its illusory nature are better explained by the dream analogy. The dreamer sleeps and sees a dream. There is a complete dream world seen during the state of dreaming. But once the dreamer wakes up, he realizes that there never was a dream world – whatever existed in dream was the dreamer alone. Similarly this waking world is only a big dream in which everything is the dreamer of Lord or Consciousness (which is the very nature of each and every one of us).
Now, the question comes what obstructs realization of Lord?
The only obstruction is ignorance about one’s own real nature of Consciousness and ignorance about the real nature of God who is all-pervasive and the only thing present & therefore one’s own very nature or Self. This ignorance causes the limited “I” and “Mine” concepts to be created which are termed as Ego. This Ego claims itself to be the body, mind – a person named Hariram and so-on. When this limited “I” is created, then some people become “my people or my friends” and others “my enemies”. These two causes likes-dislikes. The likes and dislikes leads to sorrow and happiness when something bad and good happens to my friends. Therefore the concepts of “I” and “Mine” are the causes of sorrow and suffering. When this I and mine are removed, then the reality of God is realized and the individual rejoices in the eternal bliss inherent in the Self.
How can this “I” and “Mine” be removed when there are some duties for ME to be performed?
These “I” and “Mine” when removed makes one realize that everybody is the Lord and hence one has the duty to protect the Lord who is present everywhere. At that time alone, one perceives the Lord everywhere. Therefore, everybody becomes one’s people – therefore there is no “I” and “Mine” here but only Lord who is present everywhere.
This “I” and “Mine” vanish when a person surrenders to the Lord completely and offers all actions unto the Lord. When the so-called Hariram types this mail with the attitude that everything is Lord alone and this action is offered to the Lord, then the effects of the mail (whether good response or bad response) don’t affect the individual. When the individual is not affected by good and bad, then he realizes that everything is the Lord alone and hence he relishes in the eternal bliss of the Lord. When the action is offered, there is no person who is acting or performing the action – as the doer ceases to exist. If there is no doer, then there is no “I” and “Mine”. Therefore everything becomes the action or pooja of the Lord. This offering leads to eternal bliss and happiness.
A person who follows this attitude need not renounce and go to jungle. He can do it at all times and when this attitude is followed, he need not restrict himself from any of the worldly actions. All actions will continue but it will continue much better and will lead to more and more success that when normally done.
Let us all thus try to renounce this “I” and “Mine” and offer all actions unto the Lord. This will easily lead one to eternal bliss which is being searched each and every moment by the individual.
# posted by vedanta : 9:43 AM
