Most people followed the guidelines of religion in day-to-day life in full or part, as they do not understand anything better and do not want to subject the views of the much-respected deep thinkers to any scrutiny in the uncertain situation.
by N.S.Venkataraman
Everything happens in my life without my consent. I was born without my consent, though perhaps with the consent of my parents. I would pass away one day against my consent. The limbs and other parts of my body grow without my consent and steadily decline over the years without my consent.
All is happening, with myself remaining simply as an observer. The time that I spend in my life seems to be only a time-passing exercise, in total ignorance of my origin and end.
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| [Ian Schneider/ Unsplash] |
Even if I may not be very keen to know from where I came into the world, certainly I am very keen to know where I would go after my passing away. Perhaps, if I know the destination, there would be greater clarity of thought for me, and there could be some sort of comfort at the time of leaving. But, it is not to be.
Similar predicament for most others.
It is not only me but billions of people around the world during the last thousands of years would have experienced such thought processes.
Many of them would have remained in confusion on these questions all the time. Perhaps, most of them might have felt disturbed by such unclear and frustrating thought processes and would have tried to move away from such thoughts.
Deep Thinkers and Their Postulates:
However, the deep thinkers, whom we respectfully and deservedly hail as sages, did not want to give up, and they persisted with the investigation on the origin and end of human life.
These deep thinkers who strived to look for clarity and explanation on the life process must have finally concluded that there should be a “creator” and “destroyer,” without which this universe could not happen. With such an idea, they must have introspected deeply and then must have arrived at a sort of hypothesis/postulates that a “system” or “force” or “order” should be hovering around the earth, sea, sun, moon, galaxy of stars, and so on.
The deep thinkers over the last several generations, who continued the thought process relentlessly based on their view that there should be “a system” hovering around, and they, by consensus, must have termed “the system” with a nomenclature “God” and declared that this could be the only way of explaining the life phenomenon.
With the thought process continuing with sages after sages over several generations, religions have sprung up recommending a way of life for humans to live with peace and harmony with faith in God.
Obviously, the sages all over the world have contributed to the development of scriptures and epics, with illustrations and case studies, which describe their religious thoughts that combine their postulates on the origin and end of life and their advocacy of the ideal way of life with an appropriate disciplined thought process.
Along with the religious doctrines came the idea of idol worship, hell, heaven, fate, rebirths, predictions, and astrology related to the movement of stars, and so on as a corollary. Such views have stood the test of time, obviously highlighting the fact that billions of humans over several generations have accepted these versions as the best possible way of explaining and living.
The Ardent Followers:
Most people followed the guidelines of religion in day-to-day life in full or part, as they do not understand anything better and do not want to subject the views of the much-respected deep thinkers to any scrutiny in the uncertain situation.
They unquestioningly accepted the guidelines given by sages to meditate and introspect and indulge themselves in deep prayers. In other words, they virtually surrendered their thought process to the thought process of sages.
Individuals try to follow the guidelines recommended by sages fully or partially.
In any case, most persons who observe these guidelines even partially have averred that such prayers enable them to gain a sort of peace in the mind and their sustained and devoted prayers enable them to reconcile themselves to the events happening. The followers think that prayers enable them to live in peace with themselves at least to some extent.
Can this be a psychic feeling? Maybe or maybe not.
Atheists Know No Better:
Certainly, those who do not agree with the concept of God and the advocacy of the deep thinkers, who are branded as atheists, are less thinkers than the deep thinkers who conceptualized God. The atheists have nothing better to offer but they restrict themselves only to reject the concept of God and the thought process of sages, and these atheists cannot move beyond that. They are negative thinkers.
Further Probe of Deep Thinkers in Hindu Religion:
Many of the sages espousing the philosophy of Hindu religion are said to have undergone a state of “Samadhi,” from time to time, with focused thought processes or the absence of thought processes to realize the truth in the form of consciousness and anchor themselves in the truth buried in the inner self.
Essentially, the deep thinkers who paved the way for the development of Hindu religion have arrived at the conclusion that the human body is a shell enclosing the soul (jeevatma), and all human endeavor should be towards remaining a pure soul that would enable them to transform the mental state to a higher level by prayers and meditation to realize a feeling of bliss (Ananda) in the mindset.
The Concept of Soul in Hindu Religion:
Is it then that sages of Hindu religion could go only so much and not beyond to explain from where the soul (Jeevatma) would come with the human body when one would be born and go away with the human body when one would pass away? In the Hindu scripture Kathopanishad, it is said that when Nachiketa questioned Yamadharma about the death process, Yamadharma tried to dissuade Nachiketa from such thought and told him that this would be a mystery even for rishis (sages). On persistent questioning by Nachiketa, Yamadharma spoke about the individual soul (jeevatma) and paramatma (the ultimate).
As per the sayings of Yamadharma, the soul would never be born nor would die. The soul would be beyond cause and effect. While the body dies, the soul does not die. It is necessary to discriminate the soul from the body, which is the seat of desire. After death, it is the soul that remains.
The Hindu scriptures evolved by the sages over the years echo the above saying of Yamadharma and say that the soul would be indestructible with no origin and end. This virtually means that the universe has no beginning or end. The Hindu sages essentially said that the soul in individuals (jeevatma) and the ultimate (Paramatma) have to merge when the result would be mental bliss (Ananda) for the individual human.
It was further pointed out that such bliss (Ananda) is different from the so-called happiness which is a result of materialistic pursuits. Ananda is beyond such mental happiness.
Soul and Its Eternity:
How to rationally explain the view that the soul has no birth or death and it is eternal?
The Hindu sages concluded that such a concept of the soul is beyond the human understanding and thought process capability of individual humans.
The Hindu scriptures pronounce “Om tat sat.” “Om Tat Sat” represents the unmanifest and absolute reality, which is God. This is the final conclusion of Hindu religion.
According to the sages, the above postulate can be understood, and the feeling of bliss (Ananda) can be realized only by attaining a mental state that has no attachment to any aspect of life, whether hate or love.
The basic question is how many humans can achieve such a mental state and realize the significance of the concept “Om tat sat”?
What happens to others who cannot attain such a mental state to realize the bliss (Ananda)? The Hindu scriptures say that such humans would be born and die again and again until the absolute state of mind is realized.
Now, all these above postulates are “brain-breaking.”
Hindu religion concludes that let it be left at that and there is no alternative way or path. Let not the human brain break over this concept of the eternity of the soul. Hindu scriptures conclusively say that the concept of the soul cannot be for dialogue and debate and has to be only realized.
What Happens to the Deep Thinkers?
The deep thinkers (sages) who have paved the way for the evolution of religion also pass away one day due to natural or unnatural causes. While these deep thinkers are much respected, and most common people consider them as superior, finally, it is seen that they also pass away in no way different from the other humans.
In any case, most of the sages who pass away like anyone else are respected as “avatars” (reincarnation of God) and worshipped by the followers and disciples, and over the years, they themselves get the image of God, adding to the number.
This makes one wonder whether the deep thinkers (sages) should be hailed and respected as profound researchers and as much more determined deep thinkers than other humans.
Hindu Religion Stands Apart:
There are different religions being practiced in the world today, and all of them insist that humans should surrender themselves at the feet of God, and all religions have laid down guidelines for humans to lead a life of high ethical and moral standards.
Hindu religion has been evolved over thousands of years by several generations of deep thinkers, and Hindu religion has no founder as such. This is so, while other religions definitely have a founder who developed and propagated the philosophy of the religion.
While Hindu religion attempts to go to the deepest possible level to explain the concept of life and origin and end process and has recommended methods to realize mental bliss (Ananda), which amount to the realization of God, other religions seem to confine themselves largely to recommend a way of life for humans, and the concept of God is emphasized as the ultimate goal.
In this scenario, Hindu religion certainly stands apart, as it explains in a way where the concept of Jeevatma and Paramatma become the basis of such an explanation. In short, it appears the depth of the explanation of Hindu religion is unique.
Believe, Believe, Believe:
Over the past thousands of years, billions of men and women were born in the world and then faded away with the body being buried or burnt.
Really, the thought process of humans to understand the life process over the last thousands of years has now reached a saturation point.
While huge developments have taken place in the field of science and technology bringing significant change in the materialistic world, science and technology also have come to a halt while finding an explanation with regard to the existence of the “ultimate force” or “ultimate system.” All technological changes have taken place only within the gambit of the natural law, in other words, the law represented by “the ultimate force.”
There is no need to search further. Simply accept whatever the sages have said and move on with the life process in the way suggested.
Deep thinkers are bound to be born in the future also. Not sure whether the future deep thinkers can arrive at any better postulate.
N. S. Venkataraman is a trustee with the "Nandini Voice for the Deprived," a not-for-profit organization that aims to highlight the problems of downtrodden and deprived people and support their cause and to promote probity and ethical values in private and public life and to deliberate on socio-economic issues in a dispassionate and objective manner.
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