The Hindu Article - Objective of human life

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Date:21/12/2002 URL:

http://www.thehindu.com/2002/12/21/stories/2002122100820900.htm

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Miscellaneous - Religion

 

Objective of human life

 

CHENNAI DEC. 21 . "The Sun rises in the morning and sets in the

evening with utmost regularity every day. The stars glitter

beautifully in the sky in the night and hide themselves during the

day. The wind blows incessantly and sustains the living beings

without taking rest even for a moment. The rivers make pleasant

sounds as they flow permanently. Who is the Master under whose

sovereignty all these marvels are taking place? That is God and hence

we should listen to His command and obey it," says a Telugu poem.

Everyone is keen to know the objective of life but few succeed in

their endeavour. One in a million will persist with strong

determination not to give up till he realises the goal. Ordinary

mortals, who however know the significance of the verse above, do not

make efforts in this direction as they think it is something beyond

their reach. Immersed in worldly pleasures, they fail to understand

that there is a higher purpose in human life than these enjoyments.

 

It is necessary for a person to take efforts to acquire wisdom and

experience Bliss. The Taittiriya Upanishad gives an analogy of a bird

in this respect. Its head represents "steadfast faith" (sraddha). Its

two wings stand for "Righteousness" (Ridham) and Truth (Sathyam). The

trunk symbolises Yoga and the tail denotes the Self. Righteousness or

virtue will remain unchanged in all periods of Time — the past,

present and the future. Deep and sustained faith is very important as

it results in gaining wisdom and the Lord in the Gita reiterates

this. In the field of spirituality in particular this unwavering

faith is very essential. The Upanishads have expounded the principle

of faith (Sraddha) in varied ways. Wisdom attained through it will

fetch liberation while knowledge obtained without it will bind men.

The Taittiriya Upanishad teaches that the eternal principle

of "Liberation" should be understood, practised and propagated.

 

In a lecture, Sri Sathya Sai Baba wanted everyone to strive for the

purity of these three. For instance, when a glass chimney is placed

over a lamp, after some time, a thin layer of soot is formed and

consequently light becomes dim. Only when the chimney is cleaned

there will be brightness. The soot that gets accumulated can be

compared to the ego that envelops one's mind preventing the entry of

Divine wisdom. Ego gets in when the path of Truth is abandoned and to

drive it out, worldly thoughts should be kept under control.

 

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