As we move towards our search for the truth, let us understand that every individual understands truth based on their level of understanding. The deeper one is willing to go, the landscape and scene will change.
Anything that is nuanced, complex, multi-dimensional, multi layered and symbolic can be viewed and perceived at various levels of understanding. For example, at the most superficial level - one can see various Hindu Gods as idols or forms, or at less superficial level as part of a mythology with an interesting story, or going still deeper as moral stories and lessons of life or deeper still as symbols of values. It is at the final, most subtle level of energy dynamics and the movements of the quantum particles that one truly understands the symbolisms and the deep knowledge which created these symbols.
For example, Ganesha, the elephant God in Hinduism, could be viewed from the simplest level of understanding to the most complex
Level 1 : An elephant headed God who fulfils the aspirations of his devotees, with more impact of prayers on certain days and time.
Level 2: As the son of "Shankar" who as a child ran around his parents to symbolize that the importance of respect to parents, or who places the head of an elephant as a symbolism of the unity of man with all existence.
Level 3: The symbolism of his body parts - stomach as digestion organ of good and bad actions and a repository of wisdom, knowledge and experience, ears as awareness , trunk as a discriminating tool, which can uproot trees while being able to locate and pick up a pin too etc.
Level 4: At the most subtle level, Ganesha is a symbol of the lowest frequency of Muladhar and swadhistana chakra and has the same color (red and orange), earth as the lowest frequency element and therefore the starting point of evolution, an progress symbolized by the immersion of the earth element into the next higher element - water. And therefore, all activities of spiritual growth or business begins with praying to Ganesha.
For example, Ganesha, the elephant God in Hinduism, could be viewed from the simplest level of understanding to the most complex
Level 1 : An elephant headed God who fulfils the aspirations of his devotees, with more impact of prayers on certain days and time.
Level 2: As the son of "Shankar" who as a child ran around his parents to symbolize that the importance of respect to parents, or who places the head of an elephant as a symbolism of the unity of man with all existence.
Level 3: The symbolism of his body parts - stomach as digestion organ of good and bad actions and a repository of wisdom, knowledge and experience, ears as awareness , trunk as a discriminating tool, which can uproot trees while being able to locate and pick up a pin too etc.
Level 4: At the most subtle level, Ganesha is a symbol of the lowest frequency of Muladhar and swadhistana chakra and has the same color (red and orange), earth as the lowest frequency element and therefore the starting point of evolution, an progress symbolized by the immersion of the earth element into the next higher element - water. And therefore, all activities of spiritual growth or business begins with praying to Ganesha.
Or the Mahabharata, a hindu epic, which could be viewed as
Level 1 : An interesting story of kings and their relationship, kingdom, governance, war and lives.
Level 2: A story with morals about how to behave with your family, enemies etc. How each of the Pandava brothers denote certain characteristics with Yudhisthir, the eldest being the symbol of Dharma whom one has to consult before any action etc.
Level 3 : Draupadi, the wife can be understood as the body with the five senses (husbands), a hundred tendencies that are the enemies of spiritual growth, Krishna, the God, as the saviour of the body as it is disrobed by the tendencies etc. Or, the chariot of Arjuna (the man) being reined and driven by the five wild horses of the senses and God the charioteer guiding the man towards a war against the evil etc.
Level 4: The Mahabharata could also be understood to have been taking place at all times within oneself, with the war between the good and the evil tendencies. Within this war, Krishna or God, through the profound "Bhagvata Gita"- exhorts one to fight the immorality unrelentingly leaving aside cowardice and relationships. The Bhagvata Gita is used within the sets of an epic war to impart knowledge on various facets of life, spiritual yearnings etc.
Level 5: The entire Mahabharata could be understood from the quantum perspective with the five brothers and other players defining various frequencies and the free will using the three frequency characteristics of Sattva, Rajjas and Tamas to define and guide one's life.
Similarly, Jesus and the new testament could also be understood at the basic story, moral, value level or at the level where it talks about advaita "The kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 117:20-21) and unity of the microcosm and the macrocosm "But the kingdom is within you and without you" (Thomas p.3) or the origin of existence by involution "Spirit gives life, the flesh counts for nothing" (John 3:6; 6:63)
Prior to going into the next subtle level of quantum microscopic where I intend to explore much more complex subjects and relationships, let me put forward another principles - the Law of Karma
Law of Karma
• Why is there so much inequality between the rich and the poor, the ugly and the beautiful, the healthy and the deformed, the lucky and the unlucky, the ignorant and the wise, the saintly and the criminal at the time of birth?
• Why should some be linguistic, artistic, mathematically inclined, or musical from the very cradle?
• Why are some blessed, and others cursed from their births?
Is this inequality accidental or random and chance based? Or does it have a cause, process and an intelligence? Nothing in nature, a brilliantly designed and extremely intelligent system - is indiscriminate or accidental, everything has a root and outcome, therefore there must be an explanation beyond heredity, environment and natural evolution.
The universal principle of cause and effect, action and reaction is called "Karma". All deeds produce Karma through four means - thoughts, words, actions that we perform and actions that others perform on our instructions . All intentional free will actions produce Karmas - good or bad (depending on the action), which has been broadly classified in Hinduism as
• Sanchita Karma - accumulated Karma over many lifetimes.
• Prarabhda Karma - part of sanchita Karma, that has ripened to appear in the present life
• Kriyamana Karma - everything that we produce in the current life, which accumulates in sanchita Karma, to manifest in this life (prarabdha) or future lives.
The accumulated karmic tendencies, inherited in the course of previous lives, at times play a far greater role than the hereditary parental cells and genes in the formation of both physical and mental characteristics. But it needs to be understood that while Karma is an extremely critical part of life, it by no means controls our complete life. If it was, then it would be tantamount to fatalism or determinism or pre-destiny and free will would be an absurdity.
The Samyutta Nikaya ( a buddhist scripture) states, ""According to the seed that’s sown, So is the fruit you reap there from, Doer of good will gather good, Doer of evil, evil reaps, Down is the seed and thou shalt taste The fruit thereof." Thus, Karma serves as a deterrent, as well as an incentive to do good. One becomes kind, tolerant, and considerate. This law of Karma explains the problem of suffering, the mastery of so-called fate and predestination of other religions and about all the inequality of mankind.
While Bhagvada Geeta goes a step further in chapter 2, verse 47 stating "Seek to perform your duty, but lay not claim on its fruits. Be you not the producer of the fruits of Karma , neither shall you lean towards inaction."
So, while the law of Karma is like the charge and discharge of electrical energy, it is postulated in the Geeta that absence of intentional action will not create a Karma, even though one keeps on doing action. Therefore, acting without intent to get results, will discharge the sanchita or accumulated Karma, while not gathering any new Karma. Hinduism also postulates that when all accumulated Karmas get over, then an individual gets moksha or freedom from the cycle of life and death.
• Why is there so much inequality between the rich and the poor, the ugly and the beautiful, the healthy and the deformed, the lucky and the unlucky, the ignorant and the wise, the saintly and the criminal at the time of birth?
• Why should some be linguistic, artistic, mathematically inclined, or musical from the very cradle?
• Why are some blessed, and others cursed from their births?
Is this inequality accidental or random and chance based? Or does it have a cause, process and an intelligence? Nothing in nature, a brilliantly designed and extremely intelligent system - is indiscriminate or accidental, everything has a root and outcome, therefore there must be an explanation beyond heredity, environment and natural evolution.
The universal principle of cause and effect, action and reaction is called "Karma". All deeds produce Karma through four means - thoughts, words, actions that we perform and actions that others perform on our instructions . All intentional free will actions produce Karmas - good or bad (depending on the action), which has been broadly classified in Hinduism as
• Sanchita Karma - accumulated Karma over many lifetimes.
• Prarabhda Karma - part of sanchita Karma, that has ripened to appear in the present life
• Kriyamana Karma - everything that we produce in the current life, which accumulates in sanchita Karma, to manifest in this life (prarabdha) or future lives.
The accumulated karmic tendencies, inherited in the course of previous lives, at times play a far greater role than the hereditary parental cells and genes in the formation of both physical and mental characteristics. But it needs to be understood that while Karma is an extremely critical part of life, it by no means controls our complete life. If it was, then it would be tantamount to fatalism or determinism or pre-destiny and free will would be an absurdity.
The Samyutta Nikaya ( a buddhist scripture) states, ""According to the seed that’s sown, So is the fruit you reap there from, Doer of good will gather good, Doer of evil, evil reaps, Down is the seed and thou shalt taste The fruit thereof." Thus, Karma serves as a deterrent, as well as an incentive to do good. One becomes kind, tolerant, and considerate. This law of Karma explains the problem of suffering, the mastery of so-called fate and predestination of other religions and about all the inequality of mankind.
While Bhagvada Geeta goes a step further in chapter 2, verse 47 stating "Seek to perform your duty, but lay not claim on its fruits. Be you not the producer of the fruits of Karma , neither shall you lean towards inaction."
So, while the law of Karma is like the charge and discharge of electrical energy, it is postulated in the Geeta that absence of intentional action will not create a Karma, even though one keeps on doing action. Therefore, acting without intent to get results, will discharge the sanchita or accumulated Karma, while not gathering any new Karma. Hinduism also postulates that when all accumulated Karmas get over, then an individual gets moksha or freedom from the cycle of life and death.
As you sow, so you reap
ReplyDeleteगहरी सोच मयंक भाई
ReplyDeleteजो बोयेगा वही पायेगा....। जिवन मे हमेशा अच्छे कर्म करते रहना चाहीए।
ReplyDeleteभगवद् गीता का सटीक और संक्षेपत् मे विश्लेषण।
Subtle and simple explanation, about the perspectives which we as thinking animal hold. It's true, that everything depends on faith but faith itself comes from the trust. The trust which we have on the source of energy-the UNIVERSE. This Faith transforms what we see and what we perceive and more important what we infer.
ReplyDeleteThe explanation regarding KARMA is really very beautifully expressed. As Mahatma Gandhi say, we should take care of MEANS ( KARMA) And the ends will take care of themselves...
Thank you so much Sir for such a beautiful article.
जैसी करणी , वैसी भरणी !
ReplyDeleteBeautifully Explained!
ReplyDeleteHow do we discriminate intentional action and unintentional action practically? Does it mean one should not have a goal? If not, by what should our actions be guided?