MAYA AND ILLUSION

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Posted by: " Bhakta Dhruva " bhakta_dhruva

 

MAYA AND ILLUSION

 

As I have told you before, the minds of the people from whom the Vedas came were

intent upon following principles, discovering principles. They had no time to

work upon details or to wait for them; they wanted to go deep into the heart of

things. Something beyond was calling them, as it were, and they could not wait.

Scattered through the Upanishads, we find that the details of subjects which we

now call modern sciences are often very erroneous, but, at the same time, their

principles are correct. For instance, the idea of ether, which is one of the

latest theories of modern science, is to be found in our ancient literature in

forms much more developed than is the modern scientific theory of ether today,

but it was in principle. When they tried to demonstrate the workings of that

principle, they made many mistakes. The theory of the all-pervading life

principle, of which all life in this universe is but a differing manifestation,

was understood in Vedic times; it is found in the Brahmanas. There is a long

hymn in the Samhitas in praise of Prana of which all life is but a

manifestation. By the by, it may interest some of you to know that there are

theories in the Vedic philosophy about the origin of life on this earth very

similar to those which have been advanced by some modern European scientists.

You, of course, all know that there is a theory that life came from other

planets. It is a settled doctrine with some Vedic philosophers that life comes

in this way from the moon.

 

-Swami Vivekananda - (Complete Works Of Swami Vivekananda Vol.2)