The Why of Creation

[Guest guest]

Dear Members,

 

Numerically, we form less than a tenth of one per cent of living creatures on

this planet earth. The Lord in His wisdom has endowed us, uniquely among all

beings, with intelligence and the power to think conceptually. He has also

endowed us with the potential to break out of the grip of logical thinking to

meet Him. This power was available to any one; yet, only a few in any century

was successful in using it. We call them Seers.

 

 

The Seers have said repeatedly that they have experienced the Lord of Creation.

Being compassionate, they have attempted the impossible: namely, to communicate

to us and thus share with us this experience which is beyond the realm of words.

But they had necessarily to use the language of words derived from and limited

to our sensory experience. Since Vedic times, we continue to have doubts and

questions, and to demand answers in the only language that we understand –

words, words and words. We receive no answers because the language of the Divine

is silence.

 

 

 

The Gopis of Brindavan were lucky that they were not burdened by the limitation

of words. They lived a life of domestic bliss, going about their ordinary duties

immersed in the blissful presence of their beloved Krishna. When they heard the

wordless music from his flute from far away, they could just drop every thing

and rush to the source in great abandon. How lucky the Gopis were that though

they too were endowed with the same logical mind, they could tap into the

over-riding power of unconditioned love for Krishna, hear his divine music and

realize the Bliss that is the birth-right of every one of us.

 

Dasan,

Krishnaswamy M.K

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Dear sri M. K Krishnaswamy,

 

I am really impressed by your postings. Long time back you wrote on the

"Ramana maharshi" - underwater creature episode. It was fantastic and I have

found beautiful verses from the bhagawadgita which echo the same thought:

for example: anishtam istam mishram ca trividham karmanah phalam bhavati

atyaginam pretya na tu samnyasinam kwachit - " the desirable, undesirable

and mixed effects occur to the ones who have not renounced, but not to the

samnyasis".

 

similarly your thoughts on creation are very appropriate.

I remembered that long time back I had prepared for a lecture on vedas,

which I delivered in denver, colorado nama conference (honestly I tried to

learn something while preparing for the lectures, but, even after lecturing,

I dont know anything!). However, I like to bring to your attention some

shlokas of svetasvetara which echo the same thoughts as yours:

 

the vedas ask from where all these come forth? : yato va imani bhutani

jayante….

• Brahma Vadino vadanti: kim karanam brahma; kutah sma jatah jivama kena

kvacha sampratistah; adhistitah kena sukhetareshu vartamahe brahma vido

vyavastham

- What form is brahman? what is the cause of this universe? on account of

which are we born and by which do we live? Being presided over by what do we

function in acts of joy and sorrow in a specific way?

Svetasvetara : cont’d

• kalah svabhavah niyatir yadriccha bhutani yonih purusha iti chintyam;

samyoga esham na tvatma bhavat; atmapyanishah sukha duhka hetoh

• time, nature, fate, chance, the five elements, prakrithi, purusha- any one

of these cannot be the cause of universe. A combination of these cannot be

due to Atman which does not change (parinama). Even Atman is not

independent, since he is subjected to happiness and sorrow.

Svetasvetara : cont’d ******************** see this verse below

************

• te dhyana yoganu gatha apasyan devatma saktim svagunair virudam; yah

karanani nikhilani tani kalatma yuktani adhitistatyekah. ( well sung by MS

Subbalakshmi in her shakti cassette)

• following path of meditation they saw the power of lord (ie prakriti with

its qualities) and the Lord who alone presides over all those causes

comprising of kala and atman

• next verse: they also saw this mighty wheel ever rotating: each being

either heading towards devayana, pitruyana or kshudra jantu bhavana ( ie.

souls getting creature bodies)

• next verse: they saw the river of prakriti flowing : guna pravriddha

vishaya pravalah - gita

Svetasvetara : cont’d

• sarvajive sarva samsthe brihante tasmin hamso bhramyate brahma chakre;

prithak atmanam preritaram cha matva justah tatastena amritatvam eti

• Jiva transmigrates in this great wheel of Brahman, which makes all beings

live, and be subjected to dissolution. Knowing that the prompter and

himself as different, and becoming an object of love of that paramatman by

knowing him, jiva attains immortality.

Svetasvetara cont’d

• samyuktam etat ksharam aksharam ca

• vyaktavyaktam bharate vishvam isah

• anishascha atma badhyate bhoktrbhavat

• jnatva devam muchyate sarva pashaih

• the mutable and immutable are close together. The lord supports these

two. Atman is not the master and is bound due to desire for enjoyment. He

gets freed from all kinds of bondage after knowing the Lord.

• parallel : dvavimau purshou loke - daivi hyesha - in gita

• meditation on him ( Lord Krishna) gets release

svetasvetara cont’d

• tileshu tailam dadhaniva sarpih apah srotasvaraneeshu chagnih

• evam atma atmani gruhyate satyena enam tapasa yo’nu pashyati

• As oil in the sesamum, ghee in curds, water in the ground and fire in the

churning firewoods; so is this paramatman grasped in atman by the one who

follows the means of satya ( truth) tapas (penance).

Upanisads cont’d

• sarva vyapinam atmanam kshire sarpirivavritam atmavidya tapo mulam tat

brahmopanisat param tat brahmopanisat param

• ***********The supreme atman who is all pervading like ghee in milk and

who is to be known through the knowledge of the jivatman and through tapas

and who is propounded by the upanisats is to be known. That supreme atman

is to be known

• tameva viditva atimrutyumeti nanyah pantha vidyate ayanaya - svetasvetara

• brahmavit apnoti param - taittiriya

SUMMARY:

Again and again, the Vedas insist that the answer to the riddle of creation,

life and transmigration is only obtained by the grace of that lord who

should be meditated always sincerely : dhyeyo narayanah sadaa. - a person

who does not sincerely seek through a guru may not even understand the value

of these truths.

dasan Krishna Kashyap

[Guest guest]

Dear Colleagues,

 

Hari Om. One small para in Shri Krishna Kashyap's posting attracted my

attention and prompted this posting. As usual, if any mistakes are

committed, they need to be forgiven in the true Bhakti-list spirit.

 

Shri Krishna Kashyap wrote, "The supreme atman who is all pervading like

ghee in milk and who is to be known through the knowledge of the jivatman

and through tapas and who is propounded by the upanisats is to be known.

That supreme atman is to be known"

 

The above paragraph brings to my mind the Amrutha Madhanam (Ksheerabhdhi

Madhanam, the churning of the Milky Ocean) by Devas and Danavas. The milky

ocean was churned by both. Thus the karma was same. But were the results

the same? No. Quite opposite in fact. When the Amrut was finally obtained,

there was a fight for it between Devas and Danavas. Sri Maha Vishnu, as

Mohini (The One Who Deludes), bewitches the Asuras with His/Her beauty and

gives them Sura (Alcoholic Liquor), which instead of giving them

immortality, only added to their immorality!

 

Why did it happen? The intention behind a Karma decides the result. Even if

a temporary (and on the Cosmic time scale temporary can be thousands of

years!), benefit accrues to the doer of the Karma, who is selfish, in the

long run, it will bring ruin to him, only so that he can rebuild himself

better next time!

 

If on the other hand, if one does Karma, for one's own benefit, but without

wishing harm to others, the Lord, like an indulgent parent does grant the

Karma Phalam, but with a fond hope that one day, we will grow up and will

ask Him for the ultimate boon, viz., to be like Him, with Him, love Him

(not fear Him) and will not do Karma with desire for the fruits of that

Karma, but as our duty, nishkama karma. And once we ask for and get that

boon, we have nothing more to ask or aspire for. We have attained Moksha.

So Mohini gave Amrit to Devas, in that hope, that they would take birth on

this earth plane as human beings and work for their salvation, as true

MUMUKSHUs.

 

In a nutshell, "Karma done with Kama (desire) takes you to Yama, but Karma

done for Rama (the Lord), takes you to Him!"

 

Hari Om Tat Sat.

 

Swamy SV

 

[ Dear Members -- This topic appears to have been exhausted for

the moment. If anyone can share any further thoughts based on

the Upanishads, Divya Prabandham, Smriti, or our acharyas'

works, I welcome them. Other than that, perhaps we should move

on to other issues. Thanks, Moderator. ]