Swami Vivekananda tells our search in stars,Milky way never solves the problem of life and death

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Volume 2, Practical Vedanta and other lectures

THE WAY TO BLESSEDNESS

 

What is this Self? We have seen that It is even beyond the intellect.We

learn from the same Upanishad that this Self is eternal and omnipresent,

that you and I and all of us are omnipresent beings, and that the Self is

changeless. Now this omnipresent Being can be only one. There cannot be two

beings who are equally omnipresent — how could that be? There cannot be two

beings who are infinite, and the result is, there is really only one Self,

and you, I, and the whole universe are but one, appearing as many. " As the

one fire entering into the world manifests itself in various ways, even so

that one Self, the Self of all, manifests Itself in every form. "

 

But the question is: If this Self is perfect and pure, and the One Being of

the universe, what becomes of It when It goes into the impure body, the

wicked body, the good body, and so on? How can It remain perfect? " The one

sun is the cause of vision in every eye, yet it is not touched by the

defects in the eyes of any. " If a man has jaundice he sees everything as

yellow; the cause of his vision is the sun, but his seeing everything as

yellow does not touch the sun.

 

There the sun shines not, nor the stars, nor the lightning flashes, what to

speak of fire? He shining, everything shines; through His light everything

becomes effulgent. When all the desires that trouble the heart cease, then

the mortal becomes immortal, and here one attains Brahman.

 

This Is the one fundamental idea in the Vedas, that our search in the stars,

the nebulae, the Milky Way, in the whole of this external universe leads to

nothing, never solves the problem of life and death. The wonderful mechanism

inside had to be analysed, and it revealed to them the secret of the

universe; nor star or sun could do it. Man had to be anatomised; not the

body, but the soul of man. In that soul they found the answer. What was the

answer they found? That behind the body, behind even the mind, there is the

self-existent One.He dies not, nor is He born. The self-existent One it

omnipresent, because He has no form. That which has no form or shape, that

which is not limited by space or time, cannot live in a certain place. How

can it? It is everywhere, omnipresent, equally present through all of us.

 

Then the other great source of misery is fear. Why does one man injure

another? Because he fears he will not have enough enjoyment. One man fears

that, perhaps, he will not have enough money, and that fear causes him to

injure others and rob them. How can there be fear if there is only one

existence? If a thunderbolt falls on my head, it was I who was the

thunderbolt, because I am the only existence. If a plague comes, it is I; if

a tiger comes, it is I. If death comes, it is I. I am both death and life. We

see that fear comes with the idea that there are two in the universe.

 

We have always heard it preached, " Love one another " . What for? That

doctrine was preached, but the explanation is here. Why should I love every

one? Because they and I are one. Why should I love my brother? Because he

and I are one. There is this oneness; this solidarity of the whole universe.

From the lowest worm that crawls under our feet to the highest beings that

ever lived — all have various bodies, but are the one Soul. Through all

mouths, you eat; through all hands, you work; through all eyes, you see. You

enjoy health in millions of bodies, you are suffering from disease in

millions of bodies. When this idea comes, and we realise it, see it, feel

it, then will misery cease, and fear with it. How can I die? There is

nothing beyond me. Fear ceases, and then alone comes perfect happiness and

perfect love.

 

That universal sympathy, universal love, universal bliss, that never

changes, raises man above everything. It has no reactions and no misery can

touch it; but this little eating and drinking of the world always brings a

reaction. The whole cause of it is this dualism, the idea that I am separate

from the universe, separate from God. But as soon as we have realised that

" I am He, I am the Self of the universe, I am eternally blessed, eternally

free " — then will come real love, fear will vanish, and all misery cease.

 

Source:

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Complete_Works_of_Swami_Vivekananda/Volume_2/P\

ractical_Vedanta_and_other_lectures/The_Way_to_Blessedness

 

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Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya

Prasanth Jalasutram

 

Love And Love Alone