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The desire to know is the desire to experience, to realize, to become, or to create, as explained in the first part of “Aitareya Upanishad”. In Bible, the first episode of Adam in tasting the forbidden fruit is an offence attributable to the outburst of the creative force. The divine command was conservation of force, which was condition of being. Ingrained into the fancy for the forbidden, lies the assumed awareness of an ideal, and the impairment of the ideal is actual impulse of the dynamicity concentrated in reality. The awareness of the ideal and the aberration for the breach of it, are the two opposites only of a single structural whole, which is real. The real polarizes itself into the ideal and the actual is quaking motion of it. The actual is a strivance for reversal of the ideal of breach thereof. The breach sustains the actual but sanctifies the ideal. If is the possibility of the breach that sustains the ideal and keeps the actual sustainable. The process of breach implicates both the ideal and the actual. There is a breach because of the ideal. The force or the “shakti” breaks its bounds, and it is through the breach that the force becomes intelligible. The breach is basically a device for vindication of the ideal. The breach is real, because it synthesizes, in a dialectical sense, both the ideal and the actual. Each phase of becoming is revelation of the creative force of being and the scheme of becoming synthesizes the ideal and the actual and points the way in which the force is put to test or becomes tested. The force of “shakti” is inherent limitation of the indefinite. It is with accessories of limitations that the infinite reveals itself and becomes finite. In its revelation alone the infinite is apprehended. The limitations are aids to revelation. The limitation is standardized modality of the finite, since the force persists in the revelation of the infinite through finite means. It is in this revelation that the infinite chooses to put its vitality to test. The entire process is an experiment and the creative force is the tested reality, nay the continual testing of hat which is ultimately real. The genesis in the bible, is testimony of the elan of creative energy. It is elan vital in Bergson’s terminology. The fall of Adam is rhetoric revolt against dormancy of the creative force. The divine command depicts the poised rectitude of force. The divine is slumbering state of force which transcends the creative process. The fall of Adam furnishes the restive passion for creation. The fruit which is forbidden is humanity prior to procreation. The deep slumbering pose of the infinite is averse to creation. The divine command is the first awareness instilled in the being as readiness for creation. The divine command was Adam’s anthropomorphy of the infinite withholding its creative power. It was a stage of forbearance, a stage where procreation had to be forsaken. It was a pint of transition in the creative force for its transformation into tire procreative power. The fall of Adam is rhapsodic imagery of a discourse between the creator and the creature. The imbroglio of force was premeditated. The creator was aware of the forbidden, and the creature was made aware of that which was forbidden. The difference is not without meaning. The awareness of God was creative energy, that of Adam was procreative power. God is name for creative agency in nature. Adam is creature or product of nature. The character of God or Adam may be legends, and the episode may be phantasy, but the moral is correct to bear evidence that the reality in its mystery of creation carries the burden of some primaeval force. The procreative pleasure of the creature is accountable to a later formality of the operation of this force. It is this force which throughout persists prior to, or even after, the fleeting flux of the world. It is “Lebnitz” knew this by the name of “conatus” the same what Hindus know by the name of “shakti”. The desire to know as well as the knowledge derived, both refer to this force. The Knowledge Gained The desire to know, in the creature, as instanced by the character of Adam starts from the first-hand information of the forbidden, and the forbidden, in relation to the desire to know, is mere admission of the unknown. The unknown is one which eludes perception. Knowledge is the facultative art of breaking through the barriers of perception and thereby apprehending the casual nucleus of that which is perceived. Infonnation leads to intelligence, intelligence to understanding, understanding leads to learning, learning to wisdom and wisdom to knowledge; and all this, from first to the last, is a gap filed by a process of transfusion of precepts into concepts. The percept of the tree can never become knowledge of the tree without the corresponding concept of seed. The seed is cause of the tree but in knowing the seed as cause of the tree, the knower knows of the latent force in which the tree potentially exists; and what is true of the origin of tree is true of the origin of the entire universe ‘which at one stage lay dormant in a reservoir of force omnipotent. The conatus of Leibnitz, the elan vital of Bergson, the shakti of the Hindus, the forbidden fruit of the genesis, the prakrati of the samkhya, or the Maya of Vedanta, stand all as synonyms of this potential force. Knowledge, leaping back from one posterior phenomenon of force to its prior, that is, from one perceptual event to its antecedent casual potentiality, stabilizes itself in the comprehension of the first cause, which implicates in itself the vision of the law. d Vision of Law the knowledge of this potential force is knowledge of the first cause. Law is but the ingrained tendency of this force. The law of the tree is ingrained in the force […]
Mathomathis would like to give a gist on the Poetry aspects of the Vedic system and few quotes of the rig veda as well. The remarkable truth about the Indian civilization is that it has had its beginning in poetry. The incipient stages in the establishment of the civilization had the potent contribution of the poets. And through the ritualistic pattern the Vedic poets regulated the life of the community and through poetry lent a shape to the Indian culture. It must be noted that till now hardly anything that is solemn and serious begins in India without singing a song and to adapt a Tennysonian phrase to our purpose, the Vedas sang the subcontinent into a nation. Just as the Greek tragedy had its origin in the religious ceremonials, in similar fashion and perhaps, more intimately, singing a song and reciting new poetical compositions were parts of the community rituals. The rituals bound the members of the community together and as such ritual was religion. Etymologically, the word religion is derived from the Latin religare which means to bind together. For the Vedic man rituals and poetry were close companions; each complemented the other. It may be difficult to find an example of ‘pure poetry’ in the Rig Veda since the atmosphere of ritualism pervades the poems, so much so that poetry formed an integral part of the rituals. So the social dimension of poetry cannot be confuted. The poet was socially committed. He was not lonely, idiosyncratic or aberrant as our modem poets are. He manifested a profound concern for human destiny and communication for him never posed a problem. He could engineer an admirable unification of the factors of rituals of community, poetry, and song as art forms, and philosophy that encompassed the grave subject of the origin of the world and man’s relation to it. We are reminded of a remark of Pierre-Simon Ballanche: ‘It is always a religious truth that the poet has to transmit. Religion and poetry are but one and the same. The poet is the priest’ (Furst 1980:78) Such a unique blend formed the quiddity of the Vedic culture. Indeed it was a large enough task that cannot be expected of a modem poet. But it must not be supposed that all the poets of the Rig Veda were cast in the same mold and their poetry was monolithic. Diverse philosophical thinking such as skepticism, agnosticism, pantheism have been at work behind the poet’s speech. In fact the Vedic poets thrived in and were nurtured by a philosophical environment. Heraclitus, who breathed his thoughts into his fragmentary poems in the company of the argumentative Plato and Aristotle, may amaze us but a Brihaspati or a Dirghatamas need not have the similar impact. In the context of the Rig Veda there is a close relation between philosophy and poetry. For a student of culture it is a point worth noticing that a philosopher in the Vedas is a poet. The truth in man is acknowledged when it sees the light of day through the vehicle of poetic speech. So truth needs the body of poetry to express itself. The philosophy in the Vedas is not epistemology or metaphysics alone, it is the philosophy of language and a philosophy of poetry as well. Also the Rig Veda is the glorious repository of high-quality poetry and canons of literary criticism of stupendous merit..The claim may sound tall but it is hardly so, for the statement of the claim is fully substantial. For an example we may refer to Eliot’s distinction between the man who suffers and the man who creates which was anticipated thousands of years ago by the imagery of the two birds perched on the same tree; one busies itself in pecking about grains and fruits while the other simply looks on disinterestedly. (‘Two birds, friends joined together clutch the same tree. One of them eats the fruit; the other looks on without eating’. 1.164.20 O’Flaherty 1994:78. The metaphor of the two birds occur in the Atharva veda IX,ix,20, Mundaka Upanishad in,I,l, Kathopanishad, VI,1, Gita XV,] and interestingly enough it appears in Rabindranath Tagore’s poem “Dui Pakhi”[“Two Birds”]) So art, religion; literature, and philosophy formed the potent co-ordinates in the genius of India. The commingling of intellect and emotion in man is instrumental to his complete satisfaction and importantly his satisfaction is in the satisfaction of all the elements. This forms a significant sector in the domain of the Vedic poet’s philosophy. We may now turn to Dirghatamas who was a stalwart poet and one of the profoundest philosophers of the Vedas. He has twenty-five poems to his credit in the Rig Veda collection. They are full of philosophy and abound in mysticism and symbolism. The Vedic people had the desired familiarity with the set of symbols quite unlike the modem reader who is baffled by the jumble of paradoxes and the sinuous matrix of symbols. It must be remembered that Dirghatamas recited his poems before a gathering of learned listeners. In one of his verses, Dirghatamas enquirers about the existence of any person who has seen the creation of the world. He thus makes us confront the pregnant relation that exists between the mysterious basic universe and the evolved world of experience. It is in this knowledge that real wisdom resides and the knowledge of the basic universe is achieved through a vision. The wise poets explore their hearts and by dint of their power of intuition come to know a lot about the stages of origination. ‘Poets seeking in then- heart with wisdom found the bond of existence in non-existence’.(10.129.4 O’ FIaherty 1994:25) Remarkably enough, it is only the power of the language of the poet that can stir the hidden universe to break forth with a meaning. If one can understand the language of the poet then he can also understand the mystery of the universe and Dirghatamas appears to suggest that it is the poets who comprehend the […]
Mathomathis would like to present an article on: MULTI-FACETED VEDIC HINDUISM by Dr. M.G. Prasad Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ 07030. The complete article is available in the website of Salagram In a triadic approach based on the Vedas, existence of life can be described through God (Ishwara), Universe (Jagat) and an individual soul (Jeeva). Any individual could see the universe as an entity that consists of all beings including other individuals and nature. The GOD as Supreme Being and One Source (Bramhan) is seen as a free and independent entity responsible for Generation, Operation and Dissolution of everything in the universe and all beings. The multi-faceted knowledge emanating from this One Source is referred as Vedas also called Shruti, that are mantras “heard” by rishis in their deepest meditative states and then orally transmitted as mantras to their disciples. The Vedas originating from Supreme Being is infinite and eternal. Vedas deal with topics such as God, soul, life, nature and cosmos etc. Vedas are compared to Breath of the Supreme Being. The infinitely large Vedic literature that includes scriptures (shastras) such as smritis, itihasas, puranas, upavedas, vedangas and upaangas etc. is a collection of compositions by large number of rishis who were seers of Vedic truths. This infinitely large body of knowledge is represented as an inverted tree. However, there are different ways of classification including several additional scriptures referred as vidyas, kavyas etc. Thus as in a tree, the multi-faceted manifestations of knowledge in Vedic Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma is emanating from One Source or Supreme Being. Also, in Vishnusahasranama, we have the verse: Yogo jnanam tatha sankhyam vidya shilpadi karma cha Vedaa shastraani vijnanam etatt sarvam janardanat Which means that yoga, all types of knowledge, art, sculptures, rituals, Vedas, Vedic scriptures and science have emanated from Janardana (denoting One Source). The primary aim of this infinitely large multi-faceted Vedic Hinduism is to provide the vision and guidance to all human beings through four-fold objectives (Purursharthas) for life. The fulfillment of these objectives namely Dharma (knowledge and application of life-principles), Artha (money and means), Kama (rightful desires) and Moksha (spiritual bliss and freedom from all desires) gives the meaning and purpose of life. The authority and authenticity of multi-faceted Vedic-Hinduism is due to innumerable rishis (seers) who have showed the paths of reaching that One Source of Light and Bliss. In the words of a seer-yogi Sriranga Sadguru, “It is view of the rishis of Bharata that spiritual enlightenment is the ultimate goal of life. That is attainment of ultimate joy (Ananda). That is liberation (Mukti). Spiritual knowledge (Jnana) is that by which one merges into the light of Atman as river merges into the ocean. The rishis or jnanis having attained this ultimate goal have brought forth the knowledge in science and arts (Vijnana) keeping in line with their roots in spiritual knowledge (Jnana) because vijnana is the manifestation of Jnana. It is for this reason an in-depth sincere study of knowledge in science and arts at any stage of manifestation will lead to attainment of the ultimate goal of spiritual knowledge (Jnana) Author in the article which he has published makes an attempt to show in brief this all-encompassing nature of Vedic Hinduism. The various topics such as deities, rituals and temples indicate that these are important means to internalize the deeper concepts and principles of yoga and spirituality. An understanding of deities such as Goddess Saraswati and Lord Nataraja helps the seeker to focus and internalize through rituals and worship. The various deities in Vedic Hinduism are yogic visions. A vigraha or a picture becomes a connecting medium between a devotee and God. A temple is a representation of a human body and the God consecrated in the temple as vigraha represents the Indweller in human beings and all other beings and universe. The Vedic seers have shown that one can advance spiritually and achieve bliss through dance and music and also provide joy to the mind and senses. The yoga through body and mind connects dance and music to the spiritual experiences. Vedic seers have recognized the relationship of spiritual and scientific principles. Examples such as Conch shells, musical instruments, bells, natural elements, etc are used as mediums to connect the seeker to the spiritual goals. Then there are scriptures that deal with the philosophical systems that help seekers through advanced intellectual means of reasoning and analysis. Synthesis of knowledge, devotion and actions is emphasized in spiritual practices. Vedic seers emphasized that ultimately it is the inner experience and realization that brings the spiritual bliss and peace to the individual. This process of inner realization in multi-faceted Vedic Hinduism can be expressed through the concurrence of the experiences of the triad of Sadguru, Shastras and Sadhaka. Multi-faceted Vedic Hinduism and Inverted Tree:- The Vedas and Vedic literature deal with all aspects of knowledge on Supreme Being, various Gods, life, arts, nature, society and Cosmos etc through principles and applications. Maharishi VedaVyasa classified the:- Vedas or Shruti emanating from Supreme Being into the main four Vedas namely Rigveda (metrical mantras on various Gods), YajurVeda (prose-type mantras for rituals and yajnas), Samaveda (musical and metrical chants) and AtharvaVeda (mantras on society and welfare) through rishis Paila, Vaishampayana, Jaimini and Sumantu respectively. The Smritis include compositions of the codes and guidelines recommended by rishis such as Parashara, Yajnavalkya, Goutama, Manu etc. for the success and spiritual development in life. The Itithasas are the historical literature that includes Ramayana of Valmiki and Mahabharata of Vyasa. The Ramayana and Mahabharata are referred as fifth Vedas as they explain the Vedic principles that are difficult to understand directly in simple and illustrative ways. Especially, Ramayana is ideally suited as a reference guide for human beings. The Puranas is literature of instructive and imaginative stories based on the historical literature to explain the Vedic principles. The UpaVedas consist of Ayurveda for heath and medicine, Dhanurveda for the science of archery and military GandharvaVeda for the […]
In the following article Mathomathis would present a discussion on continent of Uttarakuru which is the most mysterious and mythical in character. Before proceeding further, readers are advised to read the previous article Buddhist Conception Of The World | Western Continents | 102. Though the name Uttarakuru is common between the Brahmanical and the Buddhist literature, there is a distinct difference in its treatment in these texts just as it happens in the case of Jambudvipa. Uttarakuru of the Buddhist literature is an Island Continent situated to the north of the Sumeru or Sineru mountain. But in the Brahmanical literature it (also called Harivarsa) is referred to as one of the northern varsas or subcontinents of the Jambudvipa (which may precisely be said coextensive with the continent of Asia). The other northern varsas referred to with Uttarakuru are Ramayaka and Hiranmaya. It is interesting to note that in both Brahmanical and Buddhist literature Uttarakuru is said to be situated to the north of Meru or Sumeru. Uttarakuru and its inhabitants find mention in our ancient literature from very early times. The Aitareya Brahmana knows it. It has been said there that it is the land of the gods and cannot be conquered by human beings. The author of the Bharatakosa remarks on the basis of this statement that Uttarakuru had a real existence and was still historically alive in the memory of people. D.N. Sen also believes that though Uttarakuru is often mentioned in terms which would make it a legendary land”, yet “it is also sometimes spoken of in a way which leaves no shadow of doubt that Uttarakuru was a real country”. But later on people gradually became oblivious of its real entity and believed it to be a fictitious land. In the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and the Puranas it is presented with an excessive color of imagination. The Ramayana gives the following description of this country in a mythic fashion(127. N.C. Das, ‘Ancient Geography of Asia compiled from valmlki Ramayana, pp. 90-91 f.n.; E. Kiskindhyakanda, Ch.43, SIokas 56-59. N.C. Das also quotes Griffith’s translation of these verses) Where the golden lands of lilies gleam Resplendent on the silver stream! Still on your forward journey keep, And rest you on the ‘Northern deep’, Where springing from the billows high Mount Somagiri seeks the sky, And lightens with perpetual glow The ‘sunless realm’ that lies below. Then turn Vanaras, search no more Nor tempt the ‘sunless’ boundless shore. Tamatikramya sailendramuttarah payasannidheh Tatra Somagiri nama madhye hemamayo mahan Sa tu deso visuryo’pi tasya bhasa prakasate Suryalaksmyabhi jneyastapatyeva vivasvata Sa hi Somagiri nama devanamapi durgamah Tamalokya tatah ksipramupavartitum arhatha Etavadvanaraih sakyam gantum vinarapuhgavah Abhaskaramamaryadam na janimastatah param Not only the Ramayana, but other Brahmanioal texts also refer to this country. Thus the Mahabharata and the Brahmanda Purana mention Uttarakuru. The latter places it far to the north of India and mentions that it was bounded on the north by the ocean. Nundolal De in his Geographical Dictionary of Ancient and Medieval India remarks in this context that the name perhaps exists in Korea which appertained to Uttarakurudvipa. Before we switch over to the description of Uttarakuru as found in the Buddhist literature it will not be out of context to have a short discussion on the probable identification of this country as suggested by eminent scholars. It has been said in Muir’s Sanskrit Texts, Vol.I: The Uttarakurus, it should be remembered may have been a real people, as they are mentioned in the Aitareya Brahmana, VIII. 14 ……… wherefore the several nations who dwell in this northern quarter beyond the Himavat, the Uttarakurus and the Uttaramadras are consecrated to glorious dominion and people term them glorious. Professor Lassen places it to the east of Kashgarh. His arguments deserve special attention. He has examined facts very carefully to identify the Uttarakuru with which the Harivarsa appears ‘at the furthest accessible extremity of the earth*. Lassen thinks that “the Uttarakurus were formerly quite independent of the mythical system of dvipas though they were included in it, at an early date.” The foundation of Lassen’s opinion that ‘the conception of the Uttarakurus is based upon an actual country and not on mere invention’ is laid on the following arguments: The way in which they are mentioned in the Vedas proves it. Uttarakuru exists in historical times as a real country. The way in which the legend makes mention of that region as the home of primitive customs also may be presented in support of this view. Ptolemy speaks of a mountain, a people and a city called Ottoro-korra. It is a part” of the country which he calls Serica. According to Lassen’s view, this Ottoro Korra of Ptolemy must he sought to the east of Kashgarh. Uttarakuru has teen referred to as Kuo-lo Island by Yuan Chwang. According to Mr. Bunsen the slopes of Belur Tagh. A mountain range in Central Asia in the high land of the Pamir in which the great rivers of that region have got their source, are the Uttarakuru of the Aryan Hindus. The Belur Tagh is also called the Ki-un-ldn; it forms the northern boundary of Western Tibet and is covered with perpetual snow. It is also called Mustagh, Karakorum, Hindukush and Tsunlung. Nundolal De in his Geographical Dictionary expresses the opinion that Uttarakuru is the northern portion of Garwal and Hunadesa where the river Mandakini and Citraratha Kanana are situated. According to him it originally included the countries beyond the Himalayas. It appears from the. Ramayana and the Mahabharata that Tibet and eastern Turkestan were included in Uttarakuru. N„C. DaS in his Ancient Geography of Asia compiled from the Valmiki Ramayana has laid some precious remarks about the identification of Uttarakuru. His opinion is based on the description of this country given in the Ramayana. He thinks that the fantastic realm of the Uttarakurus may be placed in the ‘indefinite semi-mythic tract which extends from the Kail as a range and the great desert of Mongolia on […]
The following article is an continuation from the previous article Nada Sound in Vedic Science | 101. i.e. Vayu and Antariksha are Amrita because these are Amrita (immortal). Pervading is their quality. So these are Yat (motion). This is also ‘Tyat’ because it is indivisible by other thing. So He the Supreme Brahman is the lord of Amrita which consists of above all the four qualities that resides in the field and all this is his essence. This Mantra clearly explains that the consciousness is the cause of matter and not the later of prior one. i.e: “Time, inherent nature, necessity, chance, the elements, the subject are not the authors of the Universe. Not even their combinations as there is what is called as Atma superior to all this. Even Atma is not the ‘Isa’ or controller because it is subject to good and bad. This disposes of the materialist argument as material is always an object of good and bad, knowledge and non-knowledge. This Brahman is purposely called objectless consciousness because the presence of object shows the division of that existence into two subject and object, which means the cognizance or understanding. It is no doubt difficult to understand what consciousness without atleast an element of cognizance is. Yet it can never be the object of any cognizance whatsoever. It is the subject, never completely an object. So the mother of whole Universe according to Upanishads is Consciousness. Cognizance is subject-object relationship whereas consciousness is pure ocean like indistinguishable existence. This consciousness is peculiar because it is seen by some one as subject and some other as object.” Another important inadequacy of science is the destiny of sound. Where does the sound of modern physics go? The answers of the sound physicist of the modern age for the question: where does the sound go after the sound source came to rest? What happens to the waves that the sound produced and released? These questions are halting, hesitant and insufficient. They say sound dissipates at this stage. The sound waves having lost their origin, the vibrating source which has seized to vibrate, do not get the energy to renew themselves, and they get weaker and weaker and, finally, when the waves also seize, the sound ceases. But where is the sound dissipated to? No suitable answer is there to physicist. Justice Mukharji wrote that – “Scientists give an explanation as no energy is lost, the modern physicist applies the theory of the conversion of the energy, to say that the sound energy in waves is conveyed to other energies. How it is converted, when it is converted, and what it is converted are questions left unanswered in physics.” Indian metaphysics objects this dissipation or conversion theory of sound. According to metaphysics sound is deathless and more it is the source of the universe. In the words of Mukharji – “When we say that the vibrating wire has ceased to vibrate, we only speak a degree of truth with an equal degree of falsehood. Everything vibrates. The resting atom has within it the vibrating atomic solar system. It is emanating the cosmic radiations all the time. We, of course, do not see them with our eyes. Sound lasts therefore so long Universe lasts as manifestation. Sound therefore is the eternal condition and companion of the Universe. This view has also has an answer to the query, where does the sound ultimately go? The answer is that it is absorbed into the element of Akasha or Vyoman. It is the claim of metaphysics that if you can fashion and refashion your needle of awareness to fit in different grooves of the concentration of sound, then you can play on the disk of the record of the gramophone of the Universe to reproduce any past sound that ever occurred, whether was sounded millions and millions of years ago or yesterday. That is how silence speaks, solitude sings, and the spheres send their sirens. Sound is the eternal witness. Sound is the eternal record. It is the perennial companion which will not submit to any separation. There is no past that can be irretrievably buried. Every sound is in the record of the Akasha indelibly impressed. Books inks and pens therefore are not our only records, Akasha or the Vyoman is the home of all sounds. This sound is described in the metaphysics as Anahatanada, the unstruck sound which creates, destroy and recreate manifold Universe. The shorter the wavelengths and greater the frequency, the greater is the conquest of distance, and you catch the distant sounds across continents. But even the shortest imaginable wave length cannot compare with sound without wavelength or vibration. It not only conquers continents, but also conquers all time and all space. In the case of this Anahata or non vibratory sound, it is no longer a difference between degrees of wavelengths.” Indian metaphysics explains Sphota the unmanifest, potential as Nadabrahman or Sabda Brahma. Two types of sound exist in the words we utter. One is the cause of the sound and other is the one that denotes the object. The source sound resides in the mind in subtle form before the second sound expresses itself in the uttered words or sound. Justice Mukherji explained this as – “every thought or every idea is sound. The moment you think make a sound, though you do not here it. The moment an idea occurs in your mental canvas, there is a sound, though you do not see it or hear it. It is this sound which is the mother of all forms that constitute the manifest Universe. Sound wells out from the stage of non vibration to the stage of vibration. Sound therefore is not always Dhvani, sound includes both the voice and the word and the sound of so called innate objects. While all this is Shabdha or sound, it has a second and a third part. The second part is the Artha, meaning or the object and the […]