Query: If we all are
essentially one with god and if we see ourselves as 'many' due to the effect that maya has, why did God who
created maya, fooling or rather mis-leading his own self to appear as many? Does this imply philosophy of
advaita is essentially flawed?
Vijay Kumar:
Everything in the cosmic system is not easy to understand. If it were
so... the need for a soul atman to undergo a cycle of 8.4 million manifestations would not exist! Everything
in the cosmic system has a valid cause! Nothing... however trivial can occur without a cause! If we suffer...
we must have enacted bad karma in the past! All is the result of a system that cannot err... everything moves
with clockwork precision!
Human beings are limited by the power of their senses. As is our mental
prowess... so do we invoke and understand! Enlightened souls... who reached the stage of enlightenment...
Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed... all understood the gist of wisdom and
enlightenment like ABCD. It happened only after they gained enlightenment (kaivalya jnana)... Never
before!
To understand the system created by God Almighty we have to understand
two analogies that exist in the cosmic system. The existence of our soul atman cannot be belied. Similarly...
the existence of the body... the human being can also not be denied! If we exist... there is sum substance
behind our existence. And what is that?
To understand the first analogy we need to understand... it is our soul
atman within our body that is the master and controller of the body and not otherwise. It is not within the
capability of the body to manifest a soul atman! The purified soul atman in its prime pristine pure form is
of the same essence as Almighty God. If a grain of sand is an individual soul atman... the whole mound God
Almighty!
To confuse the body with our soul atman and think that our body is of the
same essence as God Almighty is a misnomer! Every soul atman ever since the big bang occurred is on its
cosmic journey of 8.4 million manifestations before it liberates itself from the cycle of birth and death
forever. To remove the impurities within, every soul atman manifests a series of bodies to work out its
karma... eradicate the dross within!
No soul atman can purify itself on its own. Similar as the metal within
an ore cannot purify itself without the help of required mining machinery! To enable the body to work on
behalf of the soul atman... the doctrine of Maya was created by God Almighty! Mounted with the power of
ego... human beings think all belongs to them not realizing that fruits of all karma performed by them belong
to our soul atman and not the body!
Now discussing the second analogy... the existence of the Cosmos itself
is negated! How? If we seriously think we would conclude that the present Cosmos does not seem to have a
boundary. If we presume that the present Cosmos does have a boundary... then what beyond! If the Cosmos
itself does not exist then what of the physical manifested world we human beings perceive!
This is where the role of Maya (the veil of ignorance) comes into play.
Everything in the cosmic system is built up of the basic building block of the Cosmos... clusters of atoms
and molecules! Seen from the senses point a few... the whole Cosmos appears solid in nature. Truthfully
everything in the cosmic system is gaseous in nature... clusters of atoms and molecules only!
Does it mean... perceived from the senses of human beings... the world
appears solid and when perceived from the angle of God Almighty or enlightened beings... the whole Cosmos is
nothing but the creation of Maya (veil of ignorance) created by God Almighty so that all bodily forms
continue performing their karma as per the dictates of the soul atman within! The moment human beings gained
enlightenment (kaivalya jnana)... they cut across the veil of Maya forever!
All enlightened souls having liberated themselves forever from the cycle
of birth and death gain entry into the abode of God... the kingdom of God (aka Vaikuntha in Hinduism). These
enlightened souls... in absence of the veil of Maya... the veil of ignorance perceive the truthfulness of the
cosmic system and finally regain their lost original pure pristine form. Freed from the clutches of Maya...
they reach the kingdom of God... a point of no return!
The Advaita Vedanta philosophy put forward by Adi Shankaracharya does not
have a flaw in it. The Advaita Vedanta philosophy as enumerated in the Sacred Bhagavad Gita is absolutely
flawless. It is only in Hinduism one finds such an analogy. The whole truth of the Cosmos percolates from
Hinduism... one and only religion... the Sanatana Dharma which holds well even in the absence of a
religion.
Hinduism religion has no parallel in mankind. As per the Advaita Vedanta
philosophy the only truth of the entire Cosmos is God Almighty. Nothing beyond God Almighty exists in the
whole of Cosmos. Why? It is for the simple reason that beyond the cluster of all purified souls atmans in the
Cosmos... nothing else exists! The moment all souls' atmans reach the 8.4 millionth manifestation... all is
over for the present Cosmos!
Having regained their original pure pristine form... all purified souls'
atmans collect together to form the volume of half a thumb! And what is this half a thumb? As per Bhagavad
Gita this half a thumb... the cluster of all purified souls atmans in the Cosmos is what we know as God
Almighty... the Creator of the whole Cosmos!
And when do all the souls' atmans reach the 8.4 millionth
manifestation... the last leg in the cosmic life cycle? When the dissolution of the Cosmos occurs... in
whatever stage of manifestation a soul atman is... all reach the 8.4 millionth manifestation... the last leg
of the cosmic life cycle! Having regained their original pure pristine form... the entire Cosmos reduces to
the size of half a thumb. Devoid of all impurities... this becomes a reality!
The moment the entire Cosmos reduces to the size of half a thumb... the
mass of all purified souls atmans in the Cosmos... unable to retain itself for long in its prime pure
state... this combined mass of all purified souls atmans we know as God Almighty again explodes with a big
bang resulting in a new cosmos... a new journey of life! This confirms the statement that God Almighty is the
Creator of the whole Cosmos.
More Advaita Vedanta related links...
Advaita
Vedanta Philosophy Maya Veil of Ignorance - Advaita Philosophy Maya Veil of Ignorance - Vedanta Philosophy Maya Advaita Vedanta
May God bless all!
Always there to clarify your queries (send your query),
Essay by:
Vijay Kumar "Atma Jnani" ... The Man who Realized God in 1993!
|
A to Z of Advaita Vedanta explained in words everyone can easily understand and
fathom. More on veil of ignorance can be found at : Advaita Vedanta
... Vijay Kumar - 13 June 2010. |
Full text of query: If we all are essentially one with god and if
we see ourselves as 'many' due to the effect that maya has, (as sri ramkrishna said- like a stick lying
across a lake of water gives the appearance of two bodies of water, when essentially there is just one) the
why did God, who created maya, throw this network upon himself and end up confusing, fooling or rather
mis-leading his own self to appear as many? Get it?
It doesn't seem to have logic….does this then possibly imply that our
philosophy of advaita is essentially flawed?
Top of page
Subscribe our Free Newsletter... You would love you
did!
|