MAYA AND FREEDOM

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Posted by: " Bhakta Dhruva " bhakta_dhruva

 

MAYA AND FREEDOM

 

One curious fact present in the midst of all our joys and sorrows, difficulties

and struggles, is that we are surely journeying towards freedom.

 

The question was practically this: " What is this universe? From what does it

arise? Into what does it go? " And the answer was: " In freedom it rises, in

freedom it rests, and into freedom it melts away. " This idea of freedom you

cannot relinquish. Your actions, your very lives will be lost without it. Every

moment nature is proving us to be slaves and not free. Yet, simultaneously rises

the other idea, that still we are free. At every step we are knocked down, as it

were, by Maya, and shown that we are bound; and yet at the same moment, together

with this blow, together with this feeling that we are bound, comes the other

feeling that we are free. Some inner voice tells us that we are free. But if we

attempt to realise that freedom, to make it manifest, we find the difficulties

almost insuperable Yet, in spite of that it insists on asserting itself

inwardly, " I am free, I am free. " And if you study all the various religions of

the world you will find this idea expressed. Not only religion — you must not

take this word in its narrow sense — but the whole life of society is the

assertion of that one principle of freedom. All movements are the assertion of

that one freedom. That voice has been heard by everyone, whether he knows it or

not, that voice which declares, " Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy

laden. " It may not be in the same language or the same form of speech, but in

some form or other, that voice calling for freedom has been with us. Yes, we are

born here on account of that voice; every one of our movements is for that. We

are all rushing towards freedom, we are all following that voice, whether we

know it or not; as the children of the village were attracted by the music of

the flute-player, so we are all following the music of the voice without knowing

it.

 

We are ethical when we follow that voice. Not only the human soul, but all

creatures, from the lowest to the highest have heard the voice and are rushing

towards it; and in the struggle are either combining with each other or pushing

each other out of the way. Thus come competition, joys, struggles, life,

pleasure, and death, and the whole universe is nothing but the result of this

mad struggle to reach the voice. This is the manifestation of nature.

 

-Swami Vivekananda

(From Jnana-Yoga Complete Works Vol.2)