SOME THOUGHTS ON ATMA-39

[Guest guest]

SAI RAM Dear Brothers and Sisters,

(continued from posting no.38)

 

An interesting aspect of the metaphor of mirage is that the mirage has no independent existence of its own apart from the desert. The desert is the substratum upon which the illusion lasts. Similarly, the universe has no separate existence apart from Brahman. Vedanta holds that the entire universe is an illusory projection upon the one Reality, s Brahman has been described in the scriptures as

Reality (SATYAM) and the universe as illusion or unreal(Mithya). Satyam is that which exists permanently, as already seen, in the past, present and future. Illusion is that which did not exist in the past nor will it exist in future but appears to exist temporarily in the present. This relates to the mirage in the above illustration. So also the snake in a rope and a ghost in a post. The rope and post respectively stand for Brahman while the snake and ghost respectively stand for the objective visible world. We can go on elaborating on Brahman which is nothing other than Atma.

Now coming to the doubt of the member, Consciouness is the same as Reality or Atma or Brahman. So also Awareness, Absolute, spirit, soul etc. " Truth is one but realized people call it differently "

( Ekam Sat Viprah Bahuda Vadanti) says the scripture. Let not different nomenclatures bother us. Let us try to grasp the underlying Reality behind everything sentient or insentient viz., the Atmic or the God principle which is also called as Divinity. That alone is Truth, eternal, non-destructable, non-decaying etc. etc. Nothing other than that really exists. Their existence is only apparent, illusory and momentary.

 

(to be continued)

With Loving Sai Rams,

G.Balasubramanian