Vivekananda on the Vedas (part 82)

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Parts 1 to 81 were posted earlier. This is part 82. Your comments are welcome... Vivekananda Centre London

Earlier postings can be seen at http://www.vivekananda.btinternet.co.uk/veda.htm

 

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA ON THE VEDAS AND UPANISHADS

By Sister Gayatriprana

part 82

 

3. The Advancing Consciousness of the Aryans Found That God Presides over Both Good and Evil, Which Are Not Separate Existences

In all the religions of the world the one question they propose to discuss is this: why is there disharmony in the universe? Why is there evil in the universe? We do not find this question in the very inception of primitive religious ideas because the world did not appear incongruous to primitive people. Circumstances were not inharmonious for them; there was no clash of opinions; to them there was no antagonism of good and evil. There was merely a feeling in their own heart of something that said yea and something that said nay. Primitive people were people of impulse. They did what occurred to them and tried to bring out through their muscles whatever thought came into their minds, and they never stopped to judge and seldom tried to check their impulses. So with the gods; they were also creatures of impulse. Indra comes and shatters the forces of the demons. Jehovah is pleased with one person and displeased with another, for what reason no one knows or asks. The habit of inquiry had not then arisen, and whatever they did was regarded as right. There was no idea of good and evil. The devas did many wicked things in our sense of the word; again and again Indra and other gods committed very wicked deeds; but to the worshippers of Indra the ideas of wickedness and evil did not occur, so they did not question them.

With the advance of ethical ideas came the fight. There arose a certain sense in human beings, called in different languages and nations by different names. Call it the voice of God, or the result of past education, or whatever else you like; but the effect was this that it had a checking power on the impulses of humanity. There is one impulse in our minds which says do. Behind it rises another voice which says, do not. There is one set of ideas in our minds which is always struggling to get outside through the channels of the senses; and behind that, although it may be thin and weak, there is an infinitely small voice which says, "Do not go outside." The two beautiful Sanskrit words for these phenomena are pravritti and nivritti,. circling forward and circling inward. It is the circling forward which usually governs our actions. Religion begins with this circling inwards. Real religion begins with this do not. Spirituality begins with this do not. When the do not is not there, religion has not begun. And this do not came, causing people's ideas to grow, despite the fighting gods which they had worshipped.

A little love awoke in the hearts of humankind. It was very small indeed, and even now it is not much greater.... When tribal ideas began to grow there came a little love, some slight idea of duty towards each other, a little social organization. Then, naturally, the idea came: how can we live together without bearing and forbearing? How can people live with others without having at some time or other to check their impulses, to restrain themselves, to forbear from doing things which their minds would prompt them to do? It is impossible. Thus comes the idea of restraint. The whole social fabric is based upon that idea of restraint; and we all know that the man or woman who has not learned the great lesson of bearing and forbearing leads a most miserable life.