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Source: The Hindu (http://www.hinduonnet.com)

 

God, immanent in this diverse universe

 

CHENNAI, AUG. 30. The scriptural tradition has been fostered

through an unbroken lineage of preceptors and disciples since

time immemorial. The method of instruction was oral and hence the

transmission has remained undistorted and the tradition is a

living one wherein what is taught is imbibed in practical day-to-

day life. The scriptures themselves say that doubts must be

cleared from elders who are steeped in the Vedic culture. The

Vedic teachings encompass both worldly life and spiritual life

for which they prescribe the four-fold ends - Dharma, Artha, Kama

and Moksha.

 

The Vedas are classified into two sections, the Karma Kanda

containing rituals which are necessary for obtaining all worldly

comforts and the Jnana Kanda dealing with the ultimate goal of

human life - liberation. The Upanishads which belong to this

latter section of the Vedas are the texts which teach man about

the higher values of life which distinguish human life from other

life forms. Many Upanishads are there but 10 are considered very

important and have been commented upon by preceptors of the

different schools.

 

In his discourse, Sri Goda Venketeswara Sastrigal said that the

Upanishadic way of life envisaged liberation as the goal of human

birth. This spirit is the foundation on which all other concepts

and teachings are taught in these texts. The very first opening

verse of the Isavasya Upanishad, which is one of the principal

texts, declares, ``Whatever there is in this ephemeral world all

that must be enveloped by the Lord.'' This is at once profound

and categorical, yet, very simple. It does not say that one must

renounce this world to realise God but to look for the Supreme in

all that one beholds and experiences. All our experiences must be

seen in the light of this enduring truth.

 

Though this truth may seem simple, it is not easy to retain this

unitive vision of God as immanent in everything we behold because

the human mind by nature is restless. The senses bombard the mind

constantly with inputs which are related to material objects and

it succumbs to these sensory pleasures and gets engrossed in

them. How does a spiritual aspirant wean the mind away from these

pursuits? If one tries to control it consciously, it will amount

to forcing it to do something which it is not naturally inclined

to do. The right way is to engage the mind in devotional

activities so that the mind develops a taste for spiritual life.

In course of time the mind will lose interest in hedonistic

pursuits and become oriented to the goal of liberation.

 

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