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Om Namo Narayanaya!

The fact that Sat is the all-pervading cause of all still does not explain why this world exists in the first place? If the cave I am in is the illusion, the maya, and the world outside the cave is the Sat, why is the cave there in the first place? I accept karma, I also understand that this life of mine and the world I see is just one link in a very long chain that has no beginning and no end; at a given point in time I can see only one link of the chain and that too from my very own perspective. I understand Sat as the cause of this intelligent creation. Question is why should there be a chain in the first place? An omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent God does not need to create a chain for his entertainment. What then is His purpose? Does the Chandogya Upanishad throw light on that? does any scripture of ours throw light on that? I hope members will share their thoughts.

 

I have often thought about and think about these aspects and the only answer, a rather simplistic one that I have, is that an intelligent creator created this beautiful world and like any artist wanted to share His joy with someone and so created man in His own form; but with Time, along the length of this chain, somewhere along the way, Man drifted so much apart and gathered so many layers of maya around him, that it will take ages for us to re-unite with the Creator. Which is also simultaneously frightening and heartening -- frightening because it means Man does have free will to a certain extent and can choose what he does in his life, which lays the responsibility of everything that he does squarely on his shoulders; but on the other hand it is heartening because we have also been given the most easiest of ways, that of bhakti, in this Kaliyuga and namajapa to get closer to the Creator. This is a comforting thought but of course we can hold on to it only as

long as we remember the chain..the long, unending chain without beginning, without end and we are somewhere in the middle, possibly looking at an infinitesimal part of it.........

=================================================================krishnanujan <krishnanujan wrote:

Hari-OmThe sixth chapter of the Chhandogya Upanishad begins with the old, old riddle: Was there a first cause? Shall we, seeing that the search for cause leads us backwards along an interminable chain, give up the theory of causation and say that the world came out of nothing? This cannot be , says the RISHI . Out of nothing, nothing coul come. None-Being cannot produce Being. Much less could the phenomenon of consciousness come out of nothing. We must hold that there was a first cause: SAT: i.e., Being with consciousness.SAT willed that it may expand and multiply. So it produced light, THEJAS. The Spirit in Thejas willed to multiply and produced water. The Spirit in Water willed to become manifold, and it produced all the living things of the world.Lest the reader imagine that the march of modernscience has made

this explanation out of date, it maaaay be recalled that neither Chemistry nor Biology nor any other physical science explains anything. Plato depicted mankind as chained in a cave in such a way that they can look only on the wall which forms the back of the cave; they cannot see the busy life outside but only the shadows which objects moving in the sunshine cast on the walls of the cave. For the captives in the cave, the shadows constitute the whole phenomenal worls, the world of reality remaining foreever beyond their ken. Sir James Jeans, the great physist, says that modern science has cone to the same conclusion. The reality behind the phenomenal world is unreachable. Chemical and other 'laws' are only classifications and simplifications of observed phenomena and nothing moreNeither familiarity nor classification can itself be explanation. The unexplained factor outside the cave that permanently circumscribes our

knowledge is the SAT of Chhandogya."How can this vast universe with its multitudinous variety be produced in this simple way?" asked Svetaketu whom his father, Uddalaka , was instructing as to how the entire world has been evolved out of the SAT>'Fetch a fruit of the big Fig tree' said Uddalaka.'Here is one, Sir' said Svetaketu.'Break it, what do you see?''These little seeds''Crush one of the little seeds''Yes Sir''What do you see inside?'Nothing' said the son.Yet in the subtle substance inside that little seed , which your eye does not even perceive, existed all this big branching nyagrodha tree. Do you wonder at it? Likewise all that exists , this universe , was in that SAT which thou too art. Believe it , dear child, thou art THAT>If the SAT is the all-prevading cause of all, why is it not perceived clearly?As a lump of salt is dissolved in water and disappears, so is the SAT

lost from view in the worldbut is still immanent in everything in the universe, as the salt is present in every part of the water.Jai Sree Krishna!

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How are we to gain knowledge of the SAT which is imperceptible?

 

Like unto that of a man blindfolded and kidnapped by robbers from his

own country is MAN's condition. the blindfold over his eyes being

removed by a well-wisher , he recovers the use of his eyes and slowly

finds his way home, step by step enquiring at each stage. So also the

good teacher instructs the seeker of Truth and helps him to undo his

bonds of desire, and saves him from the robbers. The robbers are his

past deeds that brought him to this condition. Recovering his sight

as soon as the desires and attachments that blind his vision are

removed, he finds his way to the SAT. Thereafter, it is only a

mmaatter of waiting for natural death.

 

Jai Sree Krishna! guruvayur , " Veena A. Nair "

<veeus18> wrote:

> Om Namo Narayanaya!

> The fact that Sat is the all-pervading cause of all still does not

explain why this world exists in the first place? If the cave I am

in is the illusion, the maya, and the world outside the cave is the

Sat, why is the cave there in the first place? I accept karma, I also

understand that this life of mine and the world I see is just one

link in a very long chain that has no beginning and no end; at a

given point in time I can see only one link of the chain and that too

from my very own perspective. I understand Sat as the cause of this

intelligent creation. Question is why should there be a chain in the

first place? An omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent God does not need

to create a chain for his entertainment. What then is His purpose?

Does the Chandogya Upanishad throw light on that? does any scripture

of ours throw light on that? I hope members will share their thoughts.

>

> I have often thought about and think about these aspects and the

only answer, a rather simplistic one that I have, is that an

intelligent creator created this beautiful world and like any artist

wanted to share His joy with someone and so created man in His own

form; but with Time, along the length of this chain, somewhere along

the way, Man drifted so much apart and gathered so many layers of

maya around him, that it will take ages for us to re-unite with the

Creator. Which is also simultaneously frightening and heartening --

frightening because it means Man does have free will to a certain

extent and can choose what he does in his life, which lays the

responsibility of everything that he does squarely on his shoulders;

but on the other hand it is heartening because we have also been

given the most easiest of ways, that of bhakti, in this Kaliyuga and

namajapa to get closer to the Creator. This is a comforting thought

but of course we can hold on to it only as long as we remember

> the chain..the long, unending chain without beginning, without end

and we are somewhere in the middle, possibly looking at an

infinitesimal part of it.........

> =================================================================

>

> krishnanujan <krishnanujan> wrote:

> Hari-Om

> The sixth chapter of the Chhandogya Upanishad begins with the old,

> old riddle: Was there a first cause? Shall we, seeing that the

> search for cause leads us backwards along an interminable chain,

give

> up the theory of causation and say that the world came out of

> nothing? This cannot be , says the RISHI . Out of nothing, nothing

> coul come. None-Being cannot produce Being. Much less could the

> phenomenon of consciousness come out of nothing. We must hold that

> there was a first cause: SAT: i.e., Being with consciousness.

>

> SAT willed that it may expand and multiply. So it produced light,

> THEJAS. The Spirit in Thejas willed to multiply and produced water.

> The Spirit in Water willed to become manifold, and it produced all

> the living things of the world.

>

> Lest the reader imagine that the march of modernscience has made

this

> explanation out of date, it maaaay be recalled that neither

Chemistry

> nor Biology nor any other physical science explains anything. Plato

> depicted mankind as chained in a cave in such a way that they can

> look only on the wall which forms the back of the cave; they cannot

> see the busy life outside but only the shadows which objects moving

> in the sunshine cast on the walls of the cave. For the captives in

> the cave, the shadows constitute the whole phenomenal worls, the

> world of reality remaining foreever beyond their ken. Sir James

> Jeans, the great physist, says that modern science has cone to the

> same conclusion. The reality behind the phenomenal world is

> unreachable. Chemical and other 'laws' are only classifications and

> simplifications of observed phenomena and nothing moreNeither

> familiarity nor classification can itself be explanation. The

> unexplained factor outside the cave that permanently circumscribes

> our knowledge is the SAT of Chhandogya.

>

> " How can this vast universe with its multitudinous variety be

> produced in this simple way? " asked Svetaketu whom his father,

> Uddalaka , was instructing as to how the entire world has been

> evolved out of the SAT>

>

> 'Fetch a fruit of the big Fig tree' said Uddalaka.

> 'Here is one, Sir' said Svetaketu.

> 'Break it, what do you see?'

> 'These little seeds'

> 'Crush one of the little seeds'

> 'Yes Sir'

> 'What do you see inside?

> 'Nothing' said the son.

>

> Yet in the subtle substance inside that little seed , which your

eye

> does not even perceive, existed all this big branching nyagrodha

> tree. Do you wonder at it? Likewise all that exists , this

universe ,

> was in that SAT which thou too art. Believe it , dear child, thou

art

> THAT>

>

> If the SAT is the all-prevading cause of all, why is it not

perceived

> clearly?

>

> As a lump of salt is dissolved in water and disappears, so is the

SAT

> lost from view in the worldbut is still immanent in everything in

the

> universe, as the salt is present in every part of the water.

>

> Jai Sree Krishna!

>

Om Namo Narayanaya:

>

>

>

>

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!!! HARI AUM !!!

 

 

Advaitins view that the 'world is the creation of

Maya', and the only way to understand the 'WHY' IS BY

CROSSING THIS 'MAYA.

 

This is very clearly explained by comparing it with

the dreams one has while sleeping.

How real are those situations while sleeping!

When we wake up we realise that it was all a dream.

But to realise this we need to 'WAKE' UP.

 

This is a process one need to undergo to understand.

 

Most often with the limited knowledge and experience

we try to figure out those that are without us.

 

To get the bottom of things one shall begin the

journey earnestly and continue it persistently and

consistently till the GOALS are reached.

 

 

Regards

 

Balagopal

 

Narayana Narayana Narayana

 

 

 

 

--- krishnanujan <krishnanujan wrote:

 

 

 

How are we to gain knowledge of the SAT which is

imperceptible?

 

Like unto that of a man blindfolded and kidnapped by

robbers from his

own country is MAN's condition. the blindfold over

his eyes being

removed by a well-wisher , he recovers the use of his

eyes and slowly

finds his way home, step by step enquiring at each

stage. So also the

good teacher instructs the seeker of Truth and helps

him to undo his

bonds of desire, and saves him from the robbers. The

robbers are his

past deeds that brought him to this condition.

Recovering his sight

as soon as the desires and attachments that blind his

vision are

removed, he finds his way to the SAT. Thereafter, it

is only a

mmaatter of waiting for natural death.

 

Jai Sree Krishna! guruvayur ,

" Veena A. Nair "

<veeus18> wrote:

> Om Namo Narayanaya!

> The fact that Sat is the all-pervading cause of all

still does not

explain why this world exists in the first place? If

the cave I am

in is the illusion, the maya, and the world outside

the cave is the

Sat, why is the cave there in the first place? I

accept karma, I also

understand that this life of mine and the world I see

is just one

link in a very long chain that has no beginning and no

end; at a

given point in time I can see only one link of the

chain and that too

from my very own perspective. I understand Sat as the

cause of this

intelligent creation. Question is why should there be

a chain in the

first place? An omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent

God does not need

to create a chain for his entertainment. What then is

His purpose?

Does the Chandogya Upanishad throw light on that? does

any scripture

of ours throw light on that? I hope members will share

their thoughts.

>

> I have often thought about and think about these

aspects and the

only answer, a rather simplistic one that I have, is

that an

intelligent creator created this beautiful world and

like any artist

wanted to share His joy with someone and so created

man in His own

form; but with Time, along the length of this chain,

somewhere along

the way, Man drifted so much apart and gathered so

many layers of

maya around him, that it will take ages for us to

re-unite with the

Creator. Which is also simultaneously frightening and

heartening --

frightening because it means Man does have free will

to a certain

extent and can choose what he does in his life, which

lays the

responsibility of everything that he does squarely on

his shoulders;

but on the other hand it is heartening because we have

also been

given the most easiest of ways, that of bhakti, in

this Kaliyuga and

namajapa to get closer to the Creator. This is a

comforting thought

but of course we can hold on to it only as long as we

remember

> the chain..the long, unending chain without

beginning, without end

and we are somewhere in the middle, possibly looking

at an

infinitesimal part of it.........

>

=================================================================

>

> krishnanujan <krishnanujan> wrote:

> Hari-Om

> The sixth chapter of the Chhandogya Upanishad begins

with the old,

> old riddle: Was there a first cause? Shall we,

seeing that the

> search for cause leads us backwards along an

interminable chain,

give

> up the theory of causation and say that the world

came out of

> nothing? This cannot be , says the RISHI . Out of

nothing, nothing

> coul come. None-Being cannot produce Being. Much

less could the

> phenomenon of consciousness come out of nothing. We

must hold that

> there was a first cause: SAT: i.e., Being with

consciousness.

>

> SAT willed that it may expand and multiply. So it

produced light,

> THEJAS. The Spirit in Thejas willed to multiply and

produced water.

> The Spirit in Water willed to become manifold, and

it produced all

> the living things of the world.

>

> Lest the reader imagine that the march of

modernscience has made

this

> explanation out of date, it maaaay be recalled that

neither

Chemistry

> nor Biology nor any other physical science explains

anything. Plato

> depicted mankind as chained in a cave in such a way

that they can

> look only on the wall which forms the back of the

cave; they cannot

> see the busy life outside but only the shadows which

objects moving

> in the sunshine cast on the walls of the cave. For

the captives in

> the cave, the shadows constitute the whole

phenomenal worls, the

> world of reality remaining foreever beyond their

ken. Sir James

> Jeans, the great physist, says that modern science

has cone to the

> same conclusion. The reality behind the phenomenal

world is

> unreachable. Chemical and other 'laws' are only

classifications and

> simplifications of observed phenomena and nothing

moreNeither

> familiarity nor classification can itself be

explanation. The

> unexplained factor outside the cave that permanently

circumscribes

> our knowledge is the SAT of Chhandogya.

>

> " How can this vast universe with its multitudinous

variety be

> produced in this simple way? " asked Svetaketu whom

his father,

> Uddalaka , was instructing as to how the entire

world has been

> evolved out of the SAT>

>

> 'Fetch a fruit of the big Fig tree' said Uddalaka.

> 'Here is one, Sir' said Svetaketu.

> 'Break it, what do you see?'

> 'These little seeds'

> 'Crush one of the little seeds'

> 'Yes Sir'

> 'What do you see inside?

> 'Nothing' said the son.

>

> Yet in the subtle substance inside that little seed

, which your

eye

> does not even perceive, existed all this big

branching nyagrodha

> tree. Do you wonder at it? Likewise all that exists

, this

universe ,

> was in that SAT which thou too art. Believe it ,

dear child, thou

art

> THAT>

>

> If the SAT is the all-prevading cause of all, why is

it not

perceived

> clearly?

>

> As a lump of salt is dissolved in water and

disappears, so is the

SAT

> lost from view in the worldbut is still immanent in

everything in

the

> universe, as the salt is present in every part of

the water.

>

> Jai Sree Krishna!

>

Om Namo Narayanaya:

>

>

>

>

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Thae mortal cannot see or perceive the wonders of this universe, let alone the wondeous form of the almighty, Bhavan Sree Krishna with his naked eye.

In the Bhagavad Geetha, When Arjuna pleads with Krishna to reveal Himself, Krishna replies:

 

' Arjuna, see all the universe, animate and inanimate, and whatever else you wish to see, all stands here as one in my body.

But you cannot see me with your own eye; I will give you a devine eye to see the majesty of my siscipline.'

 

It is to be noted that even His own cousin and dear friend, that is Arjuna, could not see the Lord's real form with his naked eye. That is so because :

 

"If the light of a yhousand suns were to rise in the sky at once, it would be like the light of that Great Spirit.

Arjuna all the universe in its many ways and parts standing as one in the body of the God of gods. Then filled with aamazement, his hair bristling on his flesh, Arjuna bowed his head to the God, joined his hands in homage."

 

The Maya is there to stay for the ordinary mortal and it is only the extremely pious and disciplined , who has undergone years of austerities and penances may get a glimpse of the realities of the universe and its creator.

 

 

Hari-Ombalagopal ramakrishnan <rbalpal wrote:

!!! HARI AUM !!!Advaitins view that the 'world is the creation ofMaya', and the only way to understand the 'WHY' IS BYCROSSING THIS 'MAYA.This is very clearly explained by comparing it withthe dreams one has while sleeping.How real are those situations while sleeping!When we wake up we realise that it was all a dream.But to realise this we need to 'WAKE' UP.This is a process one need to undergo to understand.Most often with the limited knowledge and experiencewe try to figure out those that are without us.To get the bottom of things one shall begin thejourney earnestly and continue it persistently andconsistently till the GOALS are reached.RegardsBalagopalNarayana Narayana Narayana --- krishnanujan <krishnanujan

wrote:How are we to gain knowledge of the SAT which isimperceptible? Like unto that of a man blindfolded and kidnapped byrobbers from his own country is MAN's condition. the blindfold overhis eyes being removed by a well-wisher , he recovers the use of hiseyes and slowly finds his way home, step by step enquiring at eachstage. So also the good teacher instructs the seeker of Truth and helpshim to undo his bonds of desire, and saves him from the robbers. Therobbers are his past deeds that brought him to this condition.Recovering his sight as soon as the desires and attachments that blind hisvision are removed, he finds his way to the SAT. Thereafter, itis only a mmaatter of waiting for natural death.Jai Sree Krishna! guruvayur ,"Veena A. Nair" <veeus18> wrote:> Om Namo

Narayanaya!> The fact that Sat is the all-pervading cause of allstill does not explain why this world exists in the first place? Ifthe cave I am in is the illusion, the maya, and the world outsidethe cave is the Sat, why is the cave there in the first place? Iaccept karma, I also understand that this life of mine and the world I seeis just one link in a very long chain that has no beginning and noend; at a given point in time I can see only one link of thechain and that too from my very own perspective. I understand Sat as thecause of this intelligent creation. Question is why should there bea chain in the first place? An omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotentGod does not need to create a chain for his entertainment. What then isHis purpose? Does the Chandogya Upanishad throw light on that? doesany scripture of ours throw light on that? I hope members will sharetheir

thoughts.> > I have often thought about and think about theseaspects and the only answer, a rather simplistic one that I have, isthat an intelligent creator created this beautiful world andlike any artist wanted to share His joy with someone and so createdman in His own form; but with Time, along the length of this chain,somewhere along the way, Man drifted so much apart and gathered somany layers of maya around him, that it will take ages for us tore-unite with the Creator. Which is also simultaneously frightening andheartening -- frightening because it means Man does have free willto a certain extent and can choose what he does in his life, whichlays the responsibility of everything that he does squarely onhis shoulders; but on the other hand it is heartening because we havealso been given the most easiest of ways, that of bhakti, inthis Kaliyuga and namajapa

to get closer to the Creator. This is acomforting thought but of course we can hold on to it only as long as weremember> the chain..the long, unending chain withoutbeginning, without end and we are somewhere in the middle, possibly lookingat an infinitesimal part of it.........>=================================================================> > krishnanujan <krishnanujan> wrote:> Hari-Om> The sixth chapter of the Chhandogya Upanishad beginswith the old, > old riddle: Was there a first cause? Shall we,seeing that the > search for cause leads us backwards along aninterminable chain, give > up the theory of causation and say that the worldcame out of > nothing? This cannot be , says the RISHI . Out ofnothing, nothing > coul come. None-Being cannot produce Being. Muchless could the > phenomenon of consciousness come out

of nothing. Wemust hold that > there was a first cause: SAT: i.e., Being withconsciousness.> > SAT willed that it may expand and multiply. So itproduced light, > THEJAS. The Spirit in Thejas willed to multiply andproduced water. > The Spirit in Water willed to become manifold, andit produced all > the living things of the world.> > Lest the reader imagine that the march ofmodernscience has made this > explanation out of date, it maaaay be recalled thatneither Chemistry > nor Biology nor any other physical science explainsanything. Plato > depicted mankind as chained in a cave in such a waythat they can > look only on the wall which forms the back of thecave; they cannot > see the busy life outside but only the shadows whichobjects moving > in the sunshine cast on the walls of the cave. Forthe captives in > the cave, the

shadows constitute the wholephenomenal worls, the > world of reality remaining foreever beyond theirken. Sir James > Jeans, the great physist, says that modern sciencehas cone to the > same conclusion. The reality behind the phenomenalworld is > unreachable. Chemical and other 'laws' are onlyclassifications and > simplifications of observed phenomena and nothingmoreNeither > familiarity nor classification can itself beexplanation. The > unexplained factor outside the cave that permanentlycircumscribes > our knowledge is the SAT of Chhandogya.> > "How can this vast universe with its multitudinousvariety be > produced in this simple way?" asked Svetaketu whomhis father, > Uddalaka , was instructing as to how the entireworld has been > evolved out of the SAT>> > 'Fetch a fruit of the big Fig tree' said Uddalaka.> 'Here is one,

Sir' said Svetaketu.> 'Break it, what do you see?'> 'These little seeds'> 'Crush one of the little seeds'> 'Yes Sir'> 'What do you see inside?> 'Nothing' said the son.> > Yet in the subtle substance inside that little seed, which your eye > does not even perceive, existed all this bigbranching nyagrodha > tree. Do you wonder at it? Likewise all that exists, this universe , > was in that SAT which thou too art. Believe it ,dear child, thou art > THAT>> > If the SAT is the all-prevading cause of all, why isit not perceived > clearly?> > As a lump of salt is dissolved in water anddisappears, so is the SAT > lost from view in the worldbut is still immanent ineverything in the > universe, as the salt is present in every part ofthe water.> > Jai Sree Krishna!> > >

> > > > > Om Namo Narayanaya: > > > >

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The understanding of Maya is extremely complex.

 

It says in the Upanishads:

ISWARA rules over the Soul as well as material nature which forms the

field for the soul's functioning. Man reaches liberation from all the

illusions of the world by contemplation and repeated meditation until

realization is attainedof the true natureof these three;

GOD, MATTER nad SOUL.

 

Jai Sree Krishna!guruvayur , balagopal

ramakrishnan <rbalpal> wrote:

> !!! HARI AUM !!!

>

>

> Advaitins view that the 'world is the creation of

> Maya', and the only way to understand the 'WHY' IS BY

> CROSSING THIS 'MAYA.

>

> This is very clearly explained by comparing it with

> the dreams one has while sleeping.

> How real are those situations while sleeping!

> When we wake up we realise that it was all a dream.

> But to realise this we need to 'WAKE' UP.

>

> This is a process one need to undergo to understand.

>

> Most often with the limited knowledge and experience

> we try to figure out those that are without us.

>

> To get the bottom of things one shall begin the

> journey earnestly and continue it persistently and

> consistently till the GOALS are reached.

>

>

> Regards

>

> Balagopal

>

> Narayana Narayana Narayana

>

>

>

>

> --- krishnanujan <krishnanujan> wrote:

>

>

>

> How are we to gain knowledge of the SAT which is

> imperceptible?

>

> Like unto that of a man blindfolded and kidnapped by

> robbers from his

> own country is MAN's condition. the blindfold over

> his eyes being

> removed by a well-wisher , he recovers the use of his

> eyes and slowly

> finds his way home, step by step enquiring at each

> stage. So also the

> good teacher instructs the seeker of Truth and helps

> him to undo his

> bonds of desire, and saves him from the robbers. The

> robbers are his

> past deeds that brought him to this condition.

> Recovering his sight

> as soon as the desires and attachments that blind his

> vision are

> removed, he finds his way to the SAT. Thereafter, it

> is only a

> mmaatter of waiting for natural death.

>

> Jai Sree Krishna! guruvayur ,

> " Veena A. Nair "

> <veeus18> wrote:

> > Om Namo Narayanaya!

> > The fact that Sat is the all-pervading cause of all

> still does not

> explain why this world exists in the first place? If

> the cave I am

> in is the illusion, the maya, and the world outside

> the cave is the

> Sat, why is the cave there in the first place? I

> accept karma, I also

> understand that this life of mine and the world I see

> is just one

> link in a very long chain that has no beginning and no

> end; at a

> given point in time I can see only one link of the

> chain and that too

> from my very own perspective. I understand Sat as the

> cause of this

> intelligent creation. Question is why should there be

> a chain in the

> first place? An omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent

> God does not need

> to create a chain for his entertainment. What then is

> His purpose?

> Does the Chandogya Upanishad throw light on that? does

> any scripture

> of ours throw light on that? I hope members will share

> their thoughts.

> >

> > I have often thought about and think about these

> aspects and the

> only answer, a rather simplistic one that I have, is

> that an

> intelligent creator created this beautiful world and

> like any artist

> wanted to share His joy with someone and so created

> man in His own

> form; but with Time, along the length of this chain,

> somewhere along

> the way, Man drifted so much apart and gathered so

> many layers of

> maya around him, that it will take ages for us to

> re-unite with the

> Creator. Which is also simultaneously frightening and

> heartening --

> frightening because it means Man does have free will

> to a certain

> extent and can choose what he does in his life, which

> lays the

> responsibility of everything that he does squarely on

> his shoulders;

> but on the other hand it is heartening because we have

> also been

> given the most easiest of ways, that of bhakti, in

> this Kaliyuga and

> namajapa to get closer to the Creator. This is a

> comforting thought

> but of course we can hold on to it only as long as we

> remember

> > the chain..the long, unending chain without

> beginning, without end

> and we are somewhere in the middle, possibly looking

> at an

> infinitesimal part of it.........

> >

> =================================================================

> >

> > krishnanujan <krishnanujan> wrote:

> > Hari-Om

> > The sixth chapter of the Chhandogya Upanishad begins

> with the old,

> > old riddle: Was there a first cause? Shall we,

> seeing that the

> > search for cause leads us backwards along an

> interminable chain,

> give

> > up the theory of causation and say that the world

> came out of

> > nothing? This cannot be , says the RISHI . Out of

> nothing, nothing

> > coul come. None-Being cannot produce Being. Much

> less could the

> > phenomenon of consciousness come out of nothing. We

> must hold that

> > there was a first cause: SAT: i.e., Being with

> consciousness.

> >

> > SAT willed that it may expand and multiply. So it

> produced light,

> > THEJAS. The Spirit in Thejas willed to multiply and

> produced water.

> > The Spirit in Water willed to become manifold, and

> it produced all

> > the living things of the world.

> >

> > Lest the reader imagine that the march of

> modernscience has made

> this

> > explanation out of date, it maaaay be recalled that

> neither

> Chemistry

> > nor Biology nor any other physical science explains

> anything. Plato

> > depicted mankind as chained in a cave in such a way

> that they can

> > look only on the wall which forms the back of the

> cave; they cannot

> > see the busy life outside but only the shadows which

> objects moving

> > in the sunshine cast on the walls of the cave. For

> the captives in

> > the cave, the shadows constitute the whole

> phenomenal worls, the

> > world of reality remaining foreever beyond their

> ken. Sir James

> > Jeans, the great physist, says that modern science

> has cone to the

> > same conclusion. The reality behind the phenomenal

> world is

> > unreachable. Chemical and other 'laws' are only

> classifications and

> > simplifications of observed phenomena and nothing

> moreNeither

> > familiarity nor classification can itself be

> explanation. The

> > unexplained factor outside the cave that permanently

> circumscribes

> > our knowledge is the SAT of Chhandogya.

> >

> > " How can this vast universe with its multitudinous

> variety be

> > produced in this simple way? " asked Svetaketu whom

> his father,

> > Uddalaka , was instructing as to how the entire

> world has been

> > evolved out of the SAT>

> >

> > 'Fetch a fruit of the big Fig tree' said Uddalaka.

> > 'Here is one, Sir' said Svetaketu.

> > 'Break it, what do you see?'

> > 'These little seeds'

> > 'Crush one of the little seeds'

> > 'Yes Sir'

> > 'What do you see inside?

> > 'Nothing' said the son.

> >

> > Yet in the subtle substance inside that little seed

> , which your

> eye

> > does not even perceive, existed all this big

> branching nyagrodha

> > tree. Do you wonder at it? Likewise all that exists

> , this

> universe ,

> > was in that SAT which thou too art. Believe it ,

> dear child, thou

> art

> > THAT>

> >

> > If the SAT is the all-prevading cause of all, why is

> it not

> perceived

> > clearly?

> >

> > As a lump of salt is dissolved in water and

> disappears, so is the

> SAT

> > lost from view in the worldbut is still immanent in

> everything in

> the

> > universe, as the salt is present in every part of

> the water.

> >

> > Jai Sree Krishna!

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Om Namo Narayanaya:

> >

> >

> >

> >

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