Sathya Sai Vahini - Post 61 ( Concluding Post)

Brahman, the Cause of all causes

In fact, Brahman and illusion (maya) have an intimate relationship. Truth, once established and fixed, is ever unaffected. And illusion is not fundamentally true. What is learned by the impact of appearance is pseudo- knowledge (mithya jnana); it is non-knowledge (a-vidya). The illusion (mithya or a-vidya, ignorance) will vanish as soon as the appearance is negated and the truth is grasped. Illusion is neither invalid nor valid.

The universe appears to each in accordance with the point of view or the angle of vision. It has no independent existence, apart from the ideations that are projected by and from the observer. Its support and sustenance is Brahman. Brahman is the unaffected cause. The effect will not have any effect on It. Illusion is the effect that is prone to inevitable change.

Brahman is the one supreme truth, which has assumed the manifoldness of the universe (jagath), consequent on the influence of illusion. When Brahman is cognized as with illusion, It becomes the material cause of the universe. It is in the universe as the universe. Brahman is said to be the instrumental cause of the universe, but illusion is the prompting influence. Brahman is beyond both cause and effect. It cannot be a cause, either instrumental or material.

The universe can be conceived as a picture; the plain canvas is Brahman, and the colours spread on it form the universe. The appearances immanent on the canvas, the human figures, are dark. The individual soul (jiva) is the experiencer of pain and grief through involvement with the universe. He is the “seen”, “the observed”. Brah- man is truth; the universe is the play, the pantomime, the sport. It is the manifestation of the will that is latent in Brahman. To recognize the will behind the play is to attain liberation. Four prerequisites for the Vedantic path

Meditation (dhyana), worship (puja), rites and rituals, and other activities are laid down for those too dull to recognize this will. Only those who can renounce triple fruits of worldly endeavor can claim the right to follow the path of wisdom (jnana). Spiritual seekers on the Vedantic path must be equipped with:

(1) discrimination to distinguish the transient from the eternal,

(2) determination to desist from worldly and other-worldly pleasures,

(3) sense control, self control, detachment, fortitude, faith, and equanimity, and 

(4) keen yearning for liberation.

All things have to be viewed as products of the Divine Will and used with the reverence that this knowledge will kindle in the consciousness.

The paths of holy activity (karma) and intellectual discrimination (jnana) are intended for different spiritual seekers. It is not possible to mix the two and follow them together. Righteous living can confer new life; prosperity is the gift of the knowledge of dharma; liberation is the gift of the knowledge of Brahman. 

The awareness of Brahman does not demand for its continuance and constancy the practice of any spiritual practice (sadhana). It does not depend on the performance of any specific duties and chores.

Liberation is of two kinds: immediate and gradual. The first is the result of the attainment of wisdom (jnana). The second is the result of worship (upasana), spiritual study, and spiritual discipline. Wisdom (jnana) is pure, unmixed, monistic experience. Devotion (bhakthi) is of the nature of supreme love, characterized by love for God, for the sake only of the Lord.

 

Love.

 

Thus ends "Sathya Sai Vahini"!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sathya Sai Vahini - Post 60

 

Unity of individual and cosmic spirit

 

All sparks are fire. They cannot be declared separate, nor is there a need to assert that they are not separate. So too, people or individualized beings are not separate from the Universal Absolute (Brahman), nor is there a need to assert that they are not separate. There is only one caste, humanity.

 

The relation between Brahman and the individual soul (jiva) is not one of identity or oneness but of cause - effect. Until liberation is attained, the particular is distinct, separate. When liberated, since the cause of individualization is absent, the individual soul (jiva) is one with Brahman. Separation and oneness of the individual soul and Brahman are the consequences of the delusion of bondage and the awareness of freedom.

 

Brahman is self-effulgent, self-illuminating. It is not the “object” of consciousness; It cognizes all objects. All things and beings belong to the category of “seen” or “observed” or “known”. It is the seer, not the seen. When the form is the “seen”, the mind is the “seer”; when the mind and the activities of the intellect are the “seen” or “observed”, then the witnessing consciousness is the “seer”.

 

This witness can be seen by no one. All things cognizable are the body of the Atma, not the Atma. They are name-form combinations like pots and pans of clay, which impinge on the consciousness as “seen” or delude it like the “silver” on “mother of pearl”. The Atma is; It exists by and for Itself. The universe is the “other”, for others; it is “real” and available for others. The universe has no innate reality. It emanates from Brahman, and its reality is based on the reality of Brahman. So, its reality is lower than that of Brahman.

 

The illusion created by a magician for deluding others cannot affect the magician himself. In the same manner, since the universe is contrived by Brahman, it is clear that it cannot affect Brahman Itself.

 

Maya: ideational superimposition of Reality

 

The universe appears to have emanated, as being experienced as such, and as disintegrating. These three are but superimposed ideations upon the One modification-less reality, just like the snake superimposed upon the rope, at dusk. This ideation is illusion (maya), for it hides and reveals at the same time. Illusion cannot be said to be unreal. 

The rope appearing as snake is known again as rope when the snake disappears. But the universe does not disappear in the same manner. Its existence cannot be explained away. It is a unique phenomenon; we cannot compare it with any other. We cannot dismiss it as unreal or accept it as real. It is truth-untruth (sat-asat), not untruth. That is to say, real-unreal, not unreal.

 

It persists for some time and is therefore real. It does not persist for all time and is therefore unreal. A thing can be true only as long as it is not something different; while dealing with it on the temporary practical relative level, the universe remains as universe. It is relatively real. Truth is one, it has one feature only. The universe has manifold features through time, space, and causation, so it is unreal. 

 

Sankara proclaimed the universe (jagath) to be unreal. When the highest truth is known, the universe is revealed as but an appearance on the Real and as distinct from the basic Brahman. Since the universe is imposed by the mind on the Brahmic truth, it too is to be treated as a Brahmic phenomenon. “All this is indeed Brahman (Sarvam Khalvidham Brahmam).”

 

Continued...

 

Love.

 

 

Sathya Sai Vahini - Post 59

Dear All,

This glorious journey of this vahini is coming to an end, as we are starting the last chapter of the vahini today.

 

Chapter XXIV

 

 The Divine Body

 

Fourfold division of mankind 

 

The sociological basis of Indian (Bharathiya) culture has to be clearly understood. Mankind falls into four groups, when innate nature and inclinations are considered. They are named brahmin, warrior (kshatriya), trader (vaisya), and labourer (sudra). 

 

This demarcation is not a selfish, crooked conspiracy designed to make the “superior” trample upon the “inferior”. Nor is it the consequence of an envious plot to obstruct human progress. It is best to judge it as a plan to promote the expansion of human achievement by fostering the trends and traits of each person. 

 

It is the royal road for the attainment of human progress. It works only for the promotion and regulation of human activity in such a manner that harmony and social well-being are ensured. 

 

As readers already know, the teacher of the Gita, Lord Krishna, declared, I created the four castes (varnas), the brahmin, the warrior (kshatriya), the merchant (vaisya), and the laborer (sudra), on the bases of natural disposition and vocation of each. Know Me to be author of these, as also the non-author, the Unchangeable. 

 

Chaathurvarnyam mayaa srishtam, guna karma Vibhaagasah, tasya karthaaramapi maam Viddhi akarthaaram avyayam. The system of caste is thus founded on attributes and activities. 

 

The world was in the very beginning predominantly pure (sathwic) in nature and, as a consequence, all were only brahmins. 

 

Later, through the adoption of various vocations and the development of various inclinations and preferences, types of people got demarcated as castes. 

 

The one and only brahmin class of sages (rishis) had later to be sectionalized, in the interest of social justice and harmony, when qualities of character varied.

 

In the Santhi Parva (Mahabharatha), Sage Bhrigu elaborately answered a question raised about this development by Sage Bharadwaja. 

 

It runs as follows: 

 

“Brahmins who are fond of worldly pleasures, affected by egotism, and subject to anger, lust, and other passions have passionate qualities (rajoguna) mixed with their innate pure (sathwic) nature, so they were classified as warriors (kshatriyas). 

 

In fact, all brahmins cannot be predominantly pure (sathwic) in nature, nor can all of them be devoted to pure ritual activity. 

 

Those who do not adhere to the pure (sathwic) ideal of truth and who evince the qualities of dullness (thamoguna) mixed with passionate (rajasic) traits, those who are mostly both dull (thamasic) and passionate (rajasic), were classed as merchants (vaisyas). 

 

The rest, who spend their lives in occupations involving violence, who don’t practice cleanliness, and who are bogged down in passive (thamasic) means of livelihood were classed as laborours (sudras). 

 

Thus, the brahmins denoted various castes and ensured the safety and security of human society. This is the assertion of the revealed scriptures (sruthis).” 

 

Those endowed with pure (sathwic) characteristics are brahmins. 

 

Those with passionate (rajasic) qualities and, as a result, equipped with courage and heroism, are warriors (kshatriyas), who can protect mankind from harm. 

 

Those who have neither valor nor heroism but who are proficient in persuasive talent and the tactics of commerce and eager to use these skills in proper methods are traders (vaisyas). 

 

In this class, the passionate and passive qualities (rajoguna and thamoguna) are blended. 

 

The others, who have no inclination for undergoing asceticism or acquiring scholarship, who do not practice spiritual discipline (sadhana), who have no physical stamina and mental courage necessary for battle, who do not possess the special skill needed for trade and commerce, are passive (thamasic) in nature and so engage themselves in thamasic professions. These are laborer (sudras). 

 

They fulfil themselves by their labor, through which they contribute to world prosperity and peace.

 

Continued...

 

Love.

 

 

Sathya Sai Vahini - Post 55

Chapter XXII.

 

The Eternal Truths

 

The Veda is the Mother of all the scriptures (sastras). The Veda emanated from God Himself as inhalation and exhalation. The great sages, who were the embodiments of the treasure gained by long ascetic practices, received the Veda as a series of sounds and spread it over the world by word of mouth from preceptor to pupil.

 

Since it was “heard” and preserved by generations, the Veda is known as sruthi, “that which was heard or listened to”. The Veda is endless.

 

The Vedas: divine revelations

 

Who composed the Vedas? Until today, it has not been possible to unveil their names. Those who recited it had perhaps no desire to earn renown, for the names are nowhere seen mentioned in the Veda. Perhaps they attached no importance to their names, clans, or sects, or it is likely they had no kith or kin or clan. 

 

The word Veda originated from the root vid, meaning “to know”. “That which reveals and makes clear all knowledge is Veda (Vidam thu anena ithi Vedah).” The Veda can be mastered neither by limited intellect nor by limited experience. The sacred Veda instructs in all that one requires for spiritual advancement. It instructs in the means and methods of overcoming all sorrows and grief. It instructs in all the spiritual disciplines that can give unshaken peace.

 

No one has understood correctly the beginning or end of the Veda, so it is hailed as beginningless and eternal. Since the first and the last of the Veda are not known, it is everlasting (nithya). The intelligence of humans is tainted, but since the Veda has no trace of taint, it is concluded that it cannot be a human product. So the Veda is also characterized as non-personal (a-pourusheya).

 

The Vedas: a unique source of all religions

 

The Veda is its own authority. Each Vedic sound is sacred because it is part of the Veda. Those who have faith in the Veda and its authority can personally experience this. The great sages were enriched by such experiences, and they have extolled it as the source of wisdom. 

 

Human intelligence can operate only within certain limits. (Buddhi-grahyam atheendriyam). But the Veda is beyond the reach of intelligence, which is restricted and can deal only with facts discoverable by the senses and experiences related to these. It can act only in the area of the visible, the viable.

 

The Vedas: source of all sciences

 

Mother Veda has been kind to her children —the human race. To sanctify its cravings and to uplift the race, she has posited the concept of time —and its components, the years, months, days, hours, minutes and seconds. Even gods were declared to be bound by time. The individual (jiva) is caught in the wheel of time and space and rotates with it, unaware of any means of escape. But really, the individual is beyond the reach of time and space. The Veda is bent upon the task of making it know this truth and liberating it from this narrowness. Mother Veda is compassionate; she longs to liberate her children from doubt and discontent. She has no desire to inflame or confuse. Wise ones know this well.

 

The Vedas: drawn toward India

 

The atmosphere in India was congenial for the revelation and growth of the Vedas. The Vedas were drawn toward the hearts of the sages of this land, this land of Godward activity, this land of yoga, this land of renunciation. Since in India the spiritual quest was sincerely pursued, along with material objectives, people here had the good fortune of Mother Veda incarnating.

 

The heroic sages of India (Bharath) were able to receive the Vedic message as a result of their spiritual practice (sadhana) of denial and detachment, as well as their capacity to concentrate and to experience the bliss resulting from practicing it. 

 

The scriptural texts of India —the Vedas, limbs of the Veda (Vedangas), Upanishads, law codes (smrithis), Puranas (didactic ancient legends), and historical epics (ithihasas)— are repositories of profound wisdom. Each is an ocean of sweet sustaining milk, sacred and sanctifying.

 

Sanskrit: mother of all languages

 

A person who wants to understand clearly the sacred books and scriptural texts of India, to imbibe their message, must learn the Sanskrit language; that responsibility, that duty, cannot be avoided. The very mention of Sanskrit immediately arouses in many among us a prejudicial attitude. “It is the dead language of a dying culture; it is boosted by the fanatic attachment of antiquated conservatives”, contemporary moderns declaim.

 

Sanskrit is an immortal language; its voice is eternal; its call is through the centuries. It has imbedded in it the basic sustenance from all the languages of the world. Revere Sanskrit as the mother of languages. Do not ignore its greatness or talk disparagingly about it.

 

Contd...

 

Love.

 

 

 

Sathya Sai Vahini - Post 54

Men and women, rich and poor, all are eligible to kindle in themselves the flame of spiritual wisdom. Distinctions of race, religion, caste, and creed do not come in the way. 

 

Young people have to spring into the sphere of action and strive to the best of their ability to build up a resurgent India and a happy peaceful world.

 

Even as it is the duty of children to serve and please their mother, it is the bounden duty of every child of mother India to make her happy. To serve the motherland selflessly should be the sacred ideal of one’s life. 

 

Thus, it is the duty of all Indians to engage themselves in the dedicated service of Mother India. Such an obligation on one’s part may even be described as forming part of the nobility of character of the individual vis-a-vis their motherland. 

 

Four inheritors of wealth 

 

There are four inheritors of hoarded wealth. The first is charity; the second, the king; the third, fire; the fourth, the robber. The first claimant is charity, and the major share goes to it. Students should recognize the profound significance of this truth and utilize the wealth they acquire for the welfare of mankind.

 

Sacrifice is the highest step. One who has the true spirit of sacrifice gives even their dearest and highest possession to others without any hesitation or reservation, smilingly and gladly. Surrendering the fruit of action to the Lord is real sacrifice. 

 

A renunciant (thyagi) does not shrink even to give up their body, regarding it as worthless straw. Sacrifice means something more than giving up of wealth, gold, and material objects. 

 

There is no happiness greater than that obtained from sacrifice. Only those who sacrifice are the children of immortality, because they live forever. Spirit of sacrifice When we study our epics and legends, we come across numerous figures who embody such spirit of sacrifice. 

 

Every young Indian should be enriched once more by the spirit of sacrifice. Sacrifice is sweeter than enjoyment. Sacrifice should become the aim of life. Only through sacrifice can one attain peace. 

 

The Upanishads have proclaimed in a full-throated voice that sacrifice alone leads to immortality. Sacrifice is the chief trait of the pure. Therefore, every student must imbibe and display the spirit of sacrifice in their life. One should not become a victim of the disease of enjoyment. 

 

End of education

 

Wisdom is illumination, and the aim of education is to radiate that light of wisdom. Such wisdom bestows real power upon a person. Wisdom enables us to recognize the mutual relationship of objects and individuals and to know the precedents and antecedents of each object. 

 

How can this illumination enter one’s being? 

 

By listening to and going through great books like the Vedas, the Vedanta, the Upanishads, the Koran, and the Granth Saheb, the biographies of noble souls, and books dealing with physical and technological sciences and psychology, one gains this light. Along with wisdom, the discriminatory approach and logical thinking can be gained by reading them. One should not depend entirely on knowledge derived from sacred texts but also upon wisdom arising from experience. 

 

Love.

 

 

Sathya Sai Vahini - Post 53

Chapter XXI

 

The inner enquiry

 

Sage Vasishta explains to Rama on “creation”

 

From where did the cosmos originate? How did it emerge?

 

The questions “how did it emerge?” and “from where did it originate?” are exactly on a par with the question, how did the “serpent” appear on the “rope” and cause the “terror”? 

 

Only the rope exists there; the serpent was imposed thereon, at dusk, by the defective intellect of the onlooker — that is to say, on account of illusion created by reasoning. 

 

In other words, ignorance is the basis of the misapprehension. Brahman is the rope; the cosmos is the serpent, superimposed on it by reason afflicted by illusion. 

 

We cognize Brahman as the cosmos; we take one thing as another as long as this affliction holds sway. Therefore, it is best to conclude that the cosmos is an object that originated in our own intellect (buddhi) and emerged out of the same faulty faculty. 

 

An object born of such a delusion and confirmed by only an infirm intellect can never be true. When the delusion goes, when the infirmity disappears, the cosmos so caused also disappears. 

 

Non-dualism dispels primal ignorance If you seek to destroy the ignorance that separates and stultifies, this attitude must be transformed and the conviction that “I am the embodiment of happiness, I am the one who has realized desire” has to be cultivated.. 

 

The reason we are unable to realize the above truth lies in the absence of four requisites: 

 

(1) attention to spiritual progress, 

(2) steady faith, 

(3) devotion, and 

(4) the grace of God. 

 

Even if one of these four is absent, people cannot experience the highest bliss of the Absolute. Our inquiry should not be directed to the obvious and the superficial. 

 

The Inner Inquiry edge without personal experience is futile. Wisdom lodged within us will be of no avail if it is static. It will only assume the form of mere scholarship. If such learning is brought within the ambit of practice, it is creditable. Acquiring and hoarding wealth will be of no avail if it is not consecrated and spent for the welfare of the world. 

 

Similarly, mere acquisition of knowledge from books is a futile exercise. Knowledge becomes blessed only when it is translated into actions that promote the good of humanity. This translation of knowledge into experience is possible only when you pass through the three stages of knowing (jnatum), visualizing (drashtum), and entering (praveshtum). 

 

First, you must learn about the precious truths contained in the sacred texts from veterans in the field. When you learn about them, you naturally take an interest in them. Then you develop an urge to visualize those truths at any cost. 

 

In the second stage, you carefully peruse, examine, and collect such sacred texts wherever they are available. You read and directly visualize them. With great perseverance you enquire, comprehend, and enjoy them. Thus, you derive some satisfaction that you have discerned certain profound truths. 

 

By entering the arena of experience, one should feel complete identification with the ideal. What has been heard, seen, and understood should be put into practice at least to some extent. This is the stage of entering. 

 

Though one may gain renown and recognition in the world, one will not experience happiness without self-knowledge. “Knowledge of the soul”, “knowledge of God”, “spiritual knowledge” —all these expressions connote the wisdom that promotes full awareness of soul and God. Self-knowledge is that knowledge by which everything else is known. 

 

Human effort constitutes the prime step in one’s Endeavour to attain this highest state of Godhood. God’s grace is the second essential factor. Anyone can strive for and attain self-knowledge. 

 

Contd....

 

Love.

 

 

Sathya Sai Vahini - Post 52

Liberation is the prime goal

The wisdom of the Indians (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 scriptures (sastras) that are the roots of that thought do not advise us to discard dharma. 

For, to grasp the highest and ultimate truth, dharma is indispensable. The four traditional goals of human endeavor (the purusharthas: righteousness, wealth, desire, liberation (dharma, artha, kama, 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 fulfillment of desires along the path laid down by dharma can alone win victory; that way lies liberation, which gives people the highest bliss.

Nevertheless, since the individualized, limited self (jivi) is caught in the net of desire (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 (wealth and desire, artha and kama). This is not strange in persons of that nature.

The search for food, the avoidance of fear, and the enjoyment of sloth and sleep —in these, people and animals are equally eager and equally involved. The search for moksha and the observance of dharma —these promote people to a level of existence higher than the animal level. If that yearning is absent, one cannot claim to be human.

Religions vary, not their essence

All religions are one, declares this land of India (Bharath). There may be a difference in the number and nature of the limbs, but 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 uses a stone as a symbol; another, a piece of metal; a third, 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 inad- equacies. This is the conclusion arrived at by Indian (Bharathiya) sages and thinkers. Each faith has its own scriptures and doctrines, but one must pay attention to the special features too. 

However one feels or thinks, one transforms oneself into the embodiment of those feelings and thoughts. If one is immersed in the truth that one is God, one can become divine. 

However, if one is immersed in the falsehood that one is the king of the land, one will be deemed mad or traitorous. One might even be beheaded for treason. God will not treat you as insane or insubordinate. 

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. 

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 be only 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. 

God, people, and creation

The universe is the macrocosmos (Brahmanda); the individual being is the microcosmos (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 One is realized in this manner, it can be called Brahman. When it enters the awareness as the universe, it is referred to as the Universal Absolute Brahman (Parabrahman). 

The basic truth of the universe is Atma. The basic truth of the individual is also Atma. All that appear different from Atma are of the region of delusion (mithya). Delusion implies a condition that 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 (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 the Supreme Self (Paramatma).

Trifold primal qualities or energies

Atma is the truth-knowledge-bliss (satchidananda), treated as one inseparable composite. Illusion is also a composite of the three natural modes or qualities (gunas) — dull, passionate, and pure (thamasic, rajasic, sathwic). They express themselves in desire, deed, and wisdom.

The quality called dullness (thamas) creates the ap- pearance of diversity, hiding the basic ONE and Only. The quality called passion (rajas) explores the truth and pleasures of wisdom. The quality called purity (sathwa) is a clear mirror, giving a correct picture of things and events that happen before it. It reflects the highest Brahman and reveals God (Iswara). God thus manifested be- comes the universe (jagath) created by His will. The reflected God does not have the capacity of delusion. Just asthe clear lake water has froth and bubbles on its surface, so the Atma’s essential nature seems to be tarnished by the deluding appearance of illusion (maya) and its product — the universe, with varied names and forms.

When the three modes of delusion (maya) are in balance and in a state of unruffled equipoise, the universe is termed unmanifest (avyaktha). This is termed the “seed state” since all subsequent variations are subsumed and latent in it. When dullness (thamas) and passion (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 purity (sathwa) predominates, it is called Atma-maya; when passion (rajas) is ascendent, it becomes ignorance (a-vidya); when dullness (thamas) holds sway, it becomes dullness (thamas). When the Atma is reflected in the pure mode, the image becomes God (Iswara); when reflected in passion (rajas), it becomes individual being (jiva); and when reflected in dullness (thamas), it becomes matter.

It is the mould or container that causes the distinction between God (Iswara), the individual being (jiva), and matter; when there is no mould or container, all these are Atma. Since the universe is God, individual soul, 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 mankind, the most intelligent of them all.

While affirming that the Atma is reflected in the pure, passionate, and dull (sathwic, rajasic, and thamasic) modes, producing impressions of God, the individual and matter, one point has to be emphasized. 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. However, this 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.

Cosmic spirit and individual Self

Brahman also appears distorted on account of illusion and ignorance, and this distortion, which is a super- imposed characteristic, is wrongly supposed to adhere to Brahman itself! The image of the Supreme Godhead (Parameswara) is also a reflection in the mirror of illusion. Just as milk turns into curds, Brahman has turned into the universe (jagath). 

The individual being (jiva), God (Iswara), and the elements or matter (bhutha) all contribute to the progress of the individual, each in its own way.

The Lord is the fulfilment of all desires; all objects of enjoyment in the universe emanate from His will, so He has no desire at all. He has manifested the universe not for the realization of any desire of His or filling any vacuity from which He suffers but entirely for the benefit of living beings. 

“There is no duty binding on me, Partha, in the three worlds (na me, Partha asthi karthavyam, thrishu lokeshu kinchana),” says Krishna. Creation, manifestation, or emanation is His very nature. 

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 activity (karma) 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.

Love.