Swami teaches....Secret of creation. Sage Pippalada

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Sai Ram

 

Light and Love

 

Swami teaches.... ( 22 - 24 March 2005)

 

Secret of Creation. Sage Pippalada

 

What you think exists, is not real. What you think does not exist, is the

Reality.

There is nothing in the world Which is not pervaded by God.

Once upon an ancient time, six young disciples, who were keen to learn

about the mystery of existence and the true purpose of human birth and wished

to investigate the goals of life, came to the sage Pippalada.

The sage at first explained that for undertaking any task, one has to have

the minimum competence. Without that competence, even the answers will be

beyond one's comprehension. Even for doing the smallest task, one has to

acquire the requisite fitness. If one wants to build a bridge, he must be a

qualified engineer. This applies equally to every undertaking in the world.

Swami's Teaching is a bottomless source for spiritual compentence for every

aspirant. However, nothing can attain without serious study.

 

All the conceivable doubts that could arise in any person were placed before

sage Pippalada by the six young disciples and they got from him the right

answers. Pippalada asked the disciples to control their thoughts as their

thoughts and nothing else determine their vision of the world. The sage taught

that this awareness should be the primary objective. In that awareness, the

identification with the body consciousness goes and the oneness of the Atma in

all is realised. This is the message of the Prasnopanishad what is actual today

and after many thousand years.

The universe is not different from God. The Prasnopanishad expatiates on

this cosmic unity.In every padaartham (object) there is a paraartham (Divine

element). Without this Divine basis,no object will be cognisable. A being

without life is as good as non-existent. The divine element is the basis of

the physical substance. Viewed from the physical point of view, these two

appear to be contradictory. But viewed from the spiritual point of view, it

will be apparent that there is no material object without a divinebasis, no

living being without the vital force and no inert substance without

consciousness.

In the universe, both matter and chaitanya (consciousness) are

self-existing. The cosmos is the synthesis in consciousness of these two

(spirit and matter).

Pippalada explained that by the Divine will of Prajapathi (the cosmic

progenitor), two pairs were created; the subtle and the gross, the inert and

consciousness. By the union of the two, the entire cosmos, consisting of

animate andinanimate objects, was created. The secret of creation that it is

God without a beginning or an end. The entire cosmos consisting of moving and

unmoving objects is mithya (illusory). Although there is the Real in the

illusory Universe, all that is perceived in the phenomenal world is liable to

pass away.

Creation has no predetermined limits. It is an eternal process whose

beginning or endcannot be known. In the process of birth, growth and

dissolution, besides the will of the Lord, the role of human effort can also be

recognised to a certain extent. Death exists as well as birth. Human's destiny

is determined by the nature of his actions, thoughts and desires. No one can

tell how human came into existence and the circumstances of ones origin. But

human has the capacity to free himself from rebirth. When the desires are

replaced by the Brahmic (Atmic)consciousness and the mind is emptied of all

other thoughts, there will be no rebirth. As long as one's life is immersed in

delusion, as long as delusion remains, the Absolute cannot be realised. The

Absolute is realised by absorption in the Brahmam and then there is no rebirth.

All phenomena relating to Time are associated with Prajapathi. Time is a

manifestation of Prajapathi. Time moves in two directions Uttarayana and

Dakshinayana. ('Ayana’ means journeying). When the apparent movement of the Sun

is northwards, the period is termed Uttarayana. When the apparent movement is

southward, it is called Dakshinayana. The period of Uttarayana is marked by

brightness, peace, rejoicing, fearlessness, and purity. Dakshinayana is

characterised by darkness, peacelessness, fear and disasters.

By Pippalada life redeems itself only when it merges in Prana. The Prana

(Life-Principle) is the most important factor. You have to merge yourselves in

the mind. Merge the mind in the Atma. Whatever you do, do it in a spirit of

dedication to the Atma (the Divine, God). When you practise it in a spirit of

dedication, work will be transformed into worship. When life is led in such

manner, there is no rebirth. Thoughts are in tune with desires. According to

the thoughts, the results follow.

A living creature proclaims its existence by the Life-Principle in it. This

truth has been recognised by the Vedic sages and modem scientists in the

concept of the convertibility of matter and energy. There is no basic

difference between the revelation of the scripturesand the discoveries of

science. However, many consider that spirituality has no concern with

mundane affairs and there is no connection between the physical world and the

realm of the Spirit. This is a grievous mistake. One is the base and the other

is sustained by it. One is prana (life) and the other is the prani (living

being). Likewise, life and the living being exist naturally.

Below is more proper Vedic explanation to this phenomenon.

By Pippalada five basic elements (ether, air, fire, water and earth) are

like five feet for the Sun. The twelve months correspond to twelve seasons for

the Sun. The passage through the twelve "houses" endows the Sun with seven

colours. Every month has two halves - the Sukla Paksha (bright fortnight) and

the Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight). On Full-moon night, it shines with all its

sixteen Kalas (aspects) illumined. On Amavasya (New Moon) night, the moon

receives no light from the Sun and hence it is totally dark. The fortnight

after the full moon, when the moon starts waning, is called Krishna paksha, the

dark fortnight. The fortnight after Amavasya (New Moon) when the moon goes on

waxing is called Sukla paksha, the bright fortnight. Sukla paksha is Prana

(life) and Krishna paksha is Praani (the living being). The entire cosmos is

made up of the combination of Prana (the Life-breath) and Praani (the container

of the Life-breath). All these are manifestations of the creative power of

Prajapathi.

 

From Akaasa (ether), Vaayu (air), Tejas (effulgence or fire), water and

earth emerged in succession. The faculties corresponding to these elements are

speech, sight, hearing and thought (or mind). Controlling all of them is Prana

(the Life-Force). The abode of this Life-Force is the body. The Life-Force

operates using the body as its sanctum. Prana is timeless in its origin, but

seeks an abode in a new body. In this body, the Sahasraara Nadis (nerves) enter

all subsidiary organs and function throughout the body. There are 72 crores (720

millions) of nerves in this body.

Hence, one's status or condition in life is based upon one's actions. The

scripturesteach not to succumb to difficulties or gloat over success but

maintain equanimity in allsituations. Each one is responsible for own joy and

sorrow. One's own thoughts and actions areresponsible for one's successes or

failures, honour or ignominy, pleasure or pain. Whether onegoes to heaven or

hell or any other place, it is his own actions that are responsible.

 

No one can fully explain the secret of creation. There is a shadow which

closely follows every object. When the Prana leaves one body and enters

another, the results of one's actions follow the Prana to the other body. The

Prana enters another appropriate body in accordance with the results of the

actions in the previous body. You alone are responsible for your joys and

sorrows. God is in no way responsible. He is only a witness. But if you pray to

Him with all your heart and soul, the effects of all karmas will disappear like

mist. Devotion, sadhana performed with deep faith will free human from the

consequences of deeds. Real sadhana consists in transforming bad into good,

converting sorrow into joy. This calls for the right use of the mind. However,

there can be no happiness without sorrow, no good without the bad. In creation

there are many things which are naturally bad by human's understanding. Out of

these bad things, good emerges. The mind is the cause of all our sorrows and

joys. The powers of the mind are indescribable. In one moment it can encompass

the universe. It is not possible for anyone to know in what form, in what

situation, at what time and in what circumstances the Lord appears to teach

human how to get rid of bad thoughts, bad qualities and bad actions.

Hence, do not blame God for anything. For all your difficulties and joys,

your actions alone you are responsible. Keeping this truth in mind, you have to

follow the path of righteousness.

(Reet's compilation from, Sathya Sai Speaks: Vol. 24. ."The Divine and the

Cosmos," Chapter 12; "Birth: Rebirth: Freedom," Chapter 13 and "Face the

challenges of life," Chapter 18).

PS: The word 'Prana' has explained in brackets little differently according

to the meaning of context.

Namaste - Reet

[Guest guest]

Very good article!

Perhaps, in some future time, you might do

an article on the issue of Swami in "dreams".

Sai Ram.

Patrick.

 

 

On 22 Mar 2005, at 21:55, Reet wrote:

> Sai Ram