Part XXXIV– Consciousness and reflected consciousness
We have discussed above the relation between
the Brahman and the world. We introduced the
concept of Ishvara or God-Hood; lord of the entire
universe, a creator-sustainer and annihilator.
Ishvara is there as long as the creation is seen as separate
from the seer, I. Since creation is seen as separate from the
seer I, the creator who is the cause for the creation is also
separate from I. Advaita does not say ‘I am Ishvara or
God’. In the statement of ‘tat tvam asi’,
that thou art, what is equated is the essence of Ishvara, the
existence-consciousness, and the essence of myself which is
existence-consciousness are one and the same, since there cannot
be divisions in the existence nor in the consciousness. This
equation is actually arrived at by using what is known in Indian
logic as ‘bhAga tyAga lakShaNa’. It involves discarding
parts that differentiate the two and only taking those that
are common to both. What are discarded are superficial qualities
(names and forms) and what are equated are the essential or
svarUpa lakShaNa-s. Thus Ishvara is all pervading, all knowledge,
all skills, controller of mAyA etc. On the other hand I am
a localized entity with very little knowledge and skill, and
being affected by mAyA. The identity of both is recognized
by discarding all these superficial qualities and equating
only their essential qualities.
A simple example is a statement, ‘He is
that Devadatta’. That Devadatta whom we
met many years ago (time and space wise remote)
when he was a cute little boy, is this fat, ugly
looking Devadatta. In this identification we
are pointing to only one and not two (advaita);
that is one and the same individual called Devadatta.
There are no two Devadattas here. In the identity
relation, one drops all the superficial qualities
of this Devadatta that we are seeing right now
(this fat and ugly looking) and that Devadatta
whom we met at a different time and space (cute
little boy), and equates only the svarUpa lakShaNa-s
of both - the essential core because of which
one is Devadatta and without which one is not
Devadatta. This is called bhAga tyAga lakShaNa
or discarding partial superficial data and equating
the remaining.
Thus as long as I feel I am separate from the
Universe that is seen or experienced, there is
a creation and a creator, Ishvara or God. Does
God have a form? If I think I have a form, then
God can have a form too. What type of form has
he? Whatever form that is conceptualized by culture,
tradition and one’s imaginations. In Hinduism
Gods are symbolized in forms that capture the
imagination and invoke devotion in the individuals.
For example, He is blue in color or lying down
in the snake bed with all the seven hoods turn
towards Him. Blueness is indicative of infinite
nature just as the sky or ocean appears blue.
Snakes in all religions are symbolic of vAsanA-s
(which will be discussed later). The seven hoods
represent the five senses, mind and intellect
all turned inwards looking at the Lord who is
in yoga nidrA or contemplative sleep. lakShmI,
symbolic of the prakRRiti or nature is at his
service. Forms are useful for the mind to conceptualize
the infinite nature of the Lord. These are intended
to convert the extroverted mind to an introverted
one. But once the mind is available for contemplation,
Vedanta provides clear pointers for further contemplation
to the higher, which is beyond names and forms.
He is not the forms that you worship but He is
that, because of which perception of all forms
is possible. When there is no name or form, one
can call it by any name or imagine any form,
if one understands that the truth is beyond all
names and forms.
Proceed to the next
essay.
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