The divine and the cosmos

[Guest guest]

Trees produce fruits for the enjoyment of others. Rivers carry water

to meet the needs of others. Similarly, cows offer their milk to

humans. However, man, forgetting that he has been endowed with a body

for rendering help to others, is immersed in selfish concerns and the

pursuit of narrow ends.

 

He does not exhibit even a thousandth part of the spirit of selfless

help to others shown by the trees, rivers or cows.

From sunrise to sunset man today is steeped in selfish pursuits, and

the problems of humanity stem from this selfishness. Man does not

even live like a human.

 

It is only when man becomes truly human, that he can experience the

Divine. What you think exists is, truly speaking, not real. What you

think does not exist, is the Reality. God is the only Reality and

there is nothing in the world not pervaded by God. God is immanent in

the entire Cosmos. The Universe does not exist apart from God.

 

In every object (padaartham) there is a Divine element (paraartham).

Without this Divine basis, nothing can exist. In this Universe, there

is no material object without a Divine basis, no living thing without

the vital force and no inert substance without Consciousness.

 

It is usually supposed that the natural sciences are concerned only

with matter, while metaphysics is concerned with things Spiritual.

But the physical and the metaphysical are inextricably related to

each other. The uniqueness of the Upanishads lies in proclaiming this

basic unity. Many imagine that there is no connection between the

physical world and the realm of the Spirit. This is a grievous

mistake. The Divine is the base and the physical world is sustained

by it. Thus, the Cosmos is the synthesis of these two, Spirit and

matter.

 

To ignore the physical Universe and remain preoccupied with the

Spirit is a form of narrow-mindedness. You have to develop the

conviction that the Divine and the Universe are intimately

interrelated. If the phenomenal world does not exist, one cannot

understand anything nor cognize the Truth. The Universe is what helps

in distinguishing the Real from the unreal. It is impossible to

accomplish anything, if the world is discarded. Basing yourself on

the physical world, you have to aspire for realizing the Divine.

 

If you want to realize the Divinity in man, you have to first

understand the nature of the human state.

 

The true goal of human life is to discover the cosmic unity of

Consciousness and matter. The best way to achieve this is to lead a

life of righteousness and to share the fruits of such a life with

others. One's true goal should not change with time; moreover, one

should pursue the goal with firm resolve. A righteous life develops

Inner Vision, allowing one to perceive Unity in diversity.

In this Kali age, owing to the various perverse influences present,

people are prone to ignore the prompting of Inner Conscience and act

in response to external impressions.

 

This is not correct. They must instead develop Inner Vision to

achieve a balanced attitude to the world as merely perceived through

the senses and the world as it really is, that is, as the ephemeral

superstructure resting on the Eternal Divine Principle. One must

learn to function in the world and yet not get bound by it - that is

the meaning of balance.

 

Ram Chugani

Kobe, Japan