In my view, the most miraculous, amazing, wonderful and a little difficult element in the whole universe is the “self” and “human world (SANSAR)”. The original form of both is very spectacular, amazing and very miraculous. And how can life be easier without recognizing the basic form of the world in which the “self” lives (that is, the human world in which we live). We all know that even in normal relationships, it is difficult to live with a person without knowing him. If we want to make life happy and peaceful with a person, we first have to identify that person in its true form, in the same way how can our journey become natural without recognizing the real form of the world in which we live. Identifying at least two basic elements in life is essential 1) human world (SANSAR) and 2) the self.
The nature of the world in which we live is extremely skeptical and changeable. Maybe that’s why what is right and what is wrong in this world cannot be understood for life because the world is skeptical, illusionary and full of doubts that is why every second the question arises as to what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is bad, I do this or that, what should I do in this role, what is called the path of righteousness and what is called the path of misguidance, what is happiness and what is misery, what is called convenience and what is called adversity, thus every moment has to be decided in a skeptical life and the sad thing is that what is understood today or what seems right today seems wrong and inappropriate tomorrow. The principles and knowledge of life are constantly changing. The new theory seems right and the old theory seems wrong. As there was a time when we believed that the sun rotates and today (after being proved by Galileo) we believe that the sun is stationary but the earth rotates. In the name of tradition and rites in society, beliefs change from time to time, the old seems wrong and the new seems true. Thus man remains confused life time.
The senses that we use for enlightenment show us something different from time to time like the eyes show that the sun rise and the sun sets but with a little special scientific knowledge it becomes clear that our eyes do not see right because the sun is stationary that now science has proved. Even if we try to get knowledge in terms of taste, there is doubt because if we put a piece of soil in the mouth, there is no taste, but when we sow seeds in the same soil and get fruit, different tastes are felt in it. In terms of taste, the seeds have a special ability to absorb the juice like tamarind is sour, chilly is spicy, sugarcane is sweet bitter-gourd is bitter, but in reality all this taste is in the land not in the items which we do not feel by tasting the clay. Taste is present in all soils, which the seed absorbs according to its nature and preference but we do not understand the strength or taste of the soil for a lifetime and become attached to the individual taste in the item. The whole cannot be understood because it is beyond the power of the human senses. In the same way we absorb the element such as SATTAVA, rajas, TAMAS from real existence of nature according to our choice and interest and we have attachment or hatred towards other similar elements but do not understand that the combination of these three elements is life. The same logic is applicable to color also.
Even as we acquire knowledge through color, what we know as blue and yellow gradually merges into red. Thus the two colors that we recognize becomes a third color. Furthermore, scientific research shows that the basic color is white. But we see different colors with our eyes life time, we are constantly lost in the world of our deluded colors and become crazy to get it as well as remain busy constantly for the attainment of any one color that is nothing but special desire or lust. We are saddened when it is not possible to achieve it. But how can we get that which is actually not exist (that is, our illusion)? The color of sun ray is white but it contains the seven colors of the rainbow, which are not visible to the senses so we cannot perceive. Also, when theology or reality is understood, we lose the world of colors because with the understanding of all colors, all colors automatically merge into one white because the combination of all colors is pure color. Thus the understanding, recognition and acceptance of the whole is the only path to true happiness and true enlightenment. No single color craze can ever be result-oriented (since it has no real existence) either the whole has to be accepted or the whole has to be abandoned, the third option is not available (to get both curd and milk is not possible) just like the desire for a husband in a relationship not possible because your husband is a son someone else, when he connects with the mother than becomes son, becomes the father when he connects with the son, becomes the brother when he connects with the sister, thus with the mixing of the two colors a third color comes into existence which we do not know. We want the individual color as imagined and the reality does not become acceptable and we also lose the desired color because no single color actually exists. However, if one wants to achieve only one color, the only white is possible that is a combination of all colors, it is impossible to achieve whole complete or perfect without accepting all. But we can never accept others so that happiness-sorrow, joy-grief, convenience-adversity are felt. There is always convenience in what we like and adversity in what we don’t like, which is quite obvious.
We all have the experience that nothing is visible for a few moments entering the room from too much light. But one can read a book instinctively in the same room already sitting there as the required light for him to read is available. Not visible to us at night but visible to the owl. In short we do not see where there is much light than our power of seeing. Actually this both darkness and light are just illusions. But we live such a dialectical life and we are sad to see what is not there. In short, the form of this world is skeptical, where the knowledge and doctrine of life is constantly changing. Also the word “SANSAR” that derives from the Sanskrit word which means “the world that slides” i.e. the world slips out of our hands as quickly and instinctively as the sand slips out of our hands due to its characteristic and we do not understand why this happens in a state of constant skepticism. We constantly struggle to understand it and in the end we do not understand anything because we do not know the true form of the world and the self or we do not even try to know it for life time.
The attainment of theology is necessary to remove all doubts of life. Acquisition of theology means true knowledge of the self. Self-realization is the only true knowledge. Soul means self and real knowledge means enlightenment. Thus the true realization of the self is the real enlightenment that is the acceptance of theology. For which spirituality is the only way. Without assimilating it, any doubt about the world and the self cannot be removed. Many such doubts are nothing but MAYA i.e. the scriptures say that SANSAR is an illusion. SANSAR is MAYA where the things which appear do not exist. But this statement of the scriptures seems to us like a riddle and for the rest of our lives we take it as a puzzle and try in vain to find a solution or ignore it as it is beyond our capacity to understand and waste precious lives in both situations. In fact, it has to be deeply understood, not just solved. If understood one realizes that there is nothing confusing, only seems like confused. With the advent of theology, it becomes visible in its true form and all the entanglements are automatically resolved. All it takes is to know it, that is, to know “who I am” and the answer to this question usually leads to zero (because there is nothing like me in the world, it is just an illusion) and all doubts and entanglements disappear automatically because there can never be a knot or entanglements in the void.
In short, such a constantly sliding shifting and skeptical world is not universal truth but “Self” is universal truth which is the only wonderful and infinite element. By gaining or understanding it, all the doubts of the world are eliminated. So let’s try to recognize and get such a wonderful and infinite element because without it there is no end to troubles. Maybe someone wanted to know how to identify self or how to attain self? So there is a very simple way, just as a person has to build a relationship with someone in order to know him and come closer one has to approach him, in the same way one has to build a relationship with self in order to know and attain self we have to do the same. But unfortunately we can’t do that for the rest of our lives. Moreover, we all have the experience that in order to get close to a particular thing or person, one naturally has to move a little bit away from others, just as a woman has to move away from many of Pierre’s relationships to settle down with her husband. But perhaps that cannot happen very easily by us, and that is why the self cannot be achieved. This is like having a husband without leaving the pier, which is not possible under normal circumstances. Actually the whole universe and the human body are similar in terms of structure or composition as both are made up of PANCHMAHABHUTA. In that sense it is easy to identify the self but impossible to identify the whole universe because it is beyond the power of our senses. But in terms of the identity of the PANCHMAHABHUTAS, the identity of the universe can be easy and automatic with the identity of the self. Once the basic element is identified, it becomes easy to attain the self.
All that is needed is to get the world out of the mind, which requires hard penance and regularity with full restraint. It is not that we do not do it but normally do it in vain directions, that is, all our efforts are for worldly gain and not for self-realization. How can we achieve the world which is by nature illusionary sliding and skeptical? And we have never thought about gaining the “self” that is really worth achieving and very stable, which is an element that is really attainable as it is very stable, true, infinite and immortal. When the unstable, sliding and skeptical element (SANSARA) which is never possible to be attain, how can we get success in it? I think the time has come to understand this eternal truth. It is my heartfelt wish that people take the lead in that direction, maybe it is the will of God that is why I believe that such an article could have been written.
Shilpa shah, director in-charge. HKBBA College
