Query:
I have
difficulty understanding "Hinduism". How does Hinduism define self in relation
to God/reality? In realtion to society? How does all of this tie together?
Vijay Kumar:
continued from...
Understanding Hinduism
Now
I shall define self as explained in Hinduism
nay "Bhagavad Gita"...
Self
in Hinduism is understood for the inner
self... the real self within every human being... the core of us...
our atman the soul within. In Hinduism the physical manifested life which a human
being lives, the life of 70 to 80 years spent on Mother Earth within a life span
carries no more meaning other than passing through a phase of life. Why so?
As explained in Bhagavad Gita- every human being is the result
of the evolutionary process through which every Jiva (living being)
is required to pass through. None can escape the cycle of evolution. Every Jiva
(living being) passes through total phases of 8.4 million manifestations and a
total cosmic life cycle of 96.4 million years before one can gain enlightenment
and subsequently Moksha... Salvation!
Initially,
the first manifestation is that of an amoeba... the single cell formation. The
next stage is that of an insect. Subsequently we manifest the shape of a plant
and than an animal and finally emerge as a human being. In the human form itself
we have 11 million types of manifestations. Does it mean that in the evolutionary
process we reached the stage of a human being after passing through 7.3 million
manifestations? Yes, it is true! Human being is the last stage of manifestation
as destined by God. only as a Human Being can one achieve Salvation Moksha. Gaining
emancipation directly from the stages of single cell formation, multi-cell formation,
insect life, plant life and animal life is not permitted.
Yes,
one is permitted to crossover rather jump over various stages of manifestation.
If I am passing through in this life the stage of 7.5 millionth manifestation
then it is possible that within this life span of 70 to 80 years I can jump over
to 8.4 millionth manifestation (the last in the stage of cosmic life... when life
itself ends (the physical part of manifested life).
The stages of manifestations as defined in Hinduism are the means to reach the
goal of cosmic life... Liberation from the cycle
of birth and death. It can be explained thus... anyone desirous of
becoming the best artist in a field of his choosing passes through various stages
of life. We may even have to work as a janitor, laundrymen or any other profession...
if we have the knack we shall one day reach the goal of life and become a wonderful
actor. Passing through various manifestations as a human being... is it not equivalent
of passing the phases of life as a janitor, laundrymen only to finally reach the
cosmic goal of life... gaining emancipation and finally Salvation?
As
per Hinduism the physical manifest form of life we are passing through in a
single life span is but a passing phase in the total cosmic life cycle of 8.4
million manifestations and 96.4 million years of cosmic life cycle. We are not
supposed to be attached materialistically to the short span of 70 to 80 years
of life... clinging to the materialistic assets like money and different forms
of wealth... something we can not call our own is mere wishful thinking. Today
it may be ours in this physical manifest form... Tomorrow it shall belong to
someone else!
The
moment we leave this form and our atman the soul within takes a next life all
is lost. Whatever little we carry from the present life to the next is only the
balance of Punya Karma. In the short life span of 70 to 80 years we may have committed
many sins knowingly or unknowingly and also carried out many austerity measures
which earned us positive merits. The balance of these merits (the difference between
the positive and the negative) is whatever that gets carried forward to the next
life. Nothing else!
In the
next life or the present life we only reap the benefits of our Karma. We reap
what we sow... nothing more or less! Everything in the cosmic system is governed
by our Karma. The balance merit from one life to another gets carried through
the chromosomes that are passed on from the parents to the child. The cosmic system
is foolproof and without demerits. It is only the ignorance by the high and mighty
in society like the famous physicist Stephen Hawking who has advocated in his
book "a brief history of time" that the system of God is disordered at some stage.
If it had been so...
the moon would have crashed with Earth long ago. The whole Cosmos would have dissolved
in no time. It would have been an everyday scene observing in the sky one star
system striking the other and collapsing.
Scientists
and physicists are by profession debarred from venturing into the realm of Spirituality.
They want to observe God through the telescopes they have built. They want to
feel the presence of God through their physical manifested eyes. They want to
see the smell of a flower before they can believe in it. Such a phenomenon shall
never be... the ignorant fools they are! As stated in the doctrines of Hinduism
and in the Bhagavad Gita, Spirituality starts where science ends.
It is only when acting as a human being does a scientist who treads into the domain
of Spirituality shall come across truth only if one has hundred percent faith
in the system of God. Faith that does not ask for physical proofs... but lends
a logical support to every query. Every Spiritual truth carries with it the seeds
of a logical answer. Nothing is without explanation! We need to see and feel with
our inner eyes to understand the underlying cosmic truth.
Knowing
well that every being is on its cosmic journey, Hinduism asserts on every human
being to act as a true Karma yogi all the time... and who is a true Karma Yogi?
One who is never attached to any materialistic possession and works always like
a true trustee... one who believes in the fact that everything belongs to God
and we are but the housekeeper of the belongings given to us by God. andrew Carnegie
the famous philanthropist believed in this phenomenon... when he left his mortal
frame he bequeathed everything for creating libraries for the benefit of mankind
all over the United States of America. What a truly wonderful person he was!
Napoleon hill, the author
of books like think
and grow rich, masters
key to riches and the famous doctrine Law
of Success believed and practiced as a true Karma Yogi. He always worked
for the benefit of mankind. He made true heroes out of a common man only that
one had to have a will to succeed and reach the goal of ones life. The book Law
of Success is more precious than the Bible itself... it far outweighs
all similar doctrines contained on Mother Earth.
It is because it gives a moral boost in the physical manifested life to a common
man. When one reaches the goal of ones life... one shall find ample time to dive
deep into the Morals contained in the Bible. To pass the physical manifested life
successfully one initially needs to follow the rules contained in the book by
Napoleon hill the
Law of Success ... the bible of the physical manifested world. Thereafter
one is free to follow the sacred bible... the teachings
of Jesus Christ. I quote this incidence here because whatever is contained
in the teachings of Napoleon Hill is not contrary to what is contained in Hinduism.
Both the documents work for the benefit of mankind.
What
is an atman the soul within, the inner self... which forms the core of every living
being! What is it made of... how come we know that it really exists? Hinduism
nay Bhagavad Gita defines inner self as the true essence of life. It says that
our real self is the only truth and everything else is Maya (ignorance)... as
per the basic philosophy of Hinduism... the physical manifested world does not
carry much meaning. It is our atman the soul within that has taken the body and
not vice versa. It is like changing of the guard's at Birmingham Palace.
Our atman the soul within
remaining the pivotal point... Hinduism dictates that every step in our life must
be pointed towards gaining Punya Karma for it is only the Punya Karma that shall
be carried forward to next life. In Hinduism reincarnation is not something to
be discussed upon... it is a fact of life that our soul the atman within manifests
one life after another until it reaches the 8.4 millionth manifestation.
Reincarnation is something
that exists where as the physical manifest form as per Hinduism carries no entity
for it is all the work of Maya (ignorance) that makes a human being to believe
that one can live forever and become immortal. Knowing well that the maximum life
of a human being In present times is but about hundred years... to expect to become
immortal (amar in Hinduism) is to befool our very existence.
Immortality
is not the least related to the physical manifest form... it is only when one
gains emancipation that... atman the soul within regains its pristine pure form
and that is the stage of immortality for atman the soul within is not for the
required to manifest a body.
Hinduism
does not believe in the existence of a beginning less Cosmos only. Bhagavad Gita
clearly states that the total creation is the work of God Almighty... a formless
source of energy comprising of the power of all purified Atmans souls at a given
point of time. One can never see the real self with the physical manifested eyes
but everyone knows that our atman, the soul within lives within our heart. The
moment this atman the soul within leaves the body... the body dies and decays!
We can feel the
presence of atman the soul within for the small sweet inner voice that always
prompts us whenever we tend to go on a wrong path is the voice of our atman the
soul within that is trying to guide us all the time. We can never see the smell
of a flower yet we can always feel the presence of a flower by its fragrance felt
by us.
I hope part
of your query gets dissolved. If you still have some questions send them for clarifications?
Questions related to any Religion or any topics are welcome. Having reached the
source of all cosmic wisdom... all sacred Scriptures of all Religions of the world
have become like ABCD to me... not difficult to understand and also explain the
wisdom contained therein.
May
God bless you!
Always
there to clarify your queries (send
your query),
Vijay
Kumar "Atma
Jnani"
Vijay Kumar... The Man who Realized God in 1993 on Hinduism and
Self. For more on hinduism and self inner-self visit -
hinduism
and self |
Vijay
Kumar explains concept of Atman in brief Audio
(Eng) (3.1 MB) Audio
Hindi (3 MB)
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Full text of query:
Hi. I was wondering if you could answer a question for me. I am studying World
Religions, for my first exposure, and I am having difficulty understanding "Hinduism,"
if I may call it that. Could you possibly answer some questions? If so, first,
I was wondering how does Hinduism define self? In relation to God/reality? In
realtion to society? How does all of this tie together?
