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by Jayaram V
In Hinduism, polytheism and monotheism are like two sides of
the same
reality. The difference is not conceptual but perceptual.
It is a paradox, which Hinduism addresses with great subtlety and
openness, while some traditions fail to appreciate it or embrace
it. Hindus worship both the gods and the great God Brahman, not
because of historical reasons or they arrived at the concept of
monotheism slowly and gradually as some ignorant historians tend
to present, but because such a practice is in conformity with our
fundamental beliefs about the nature of reality and our existence.
For a Hindu everything in the world is sacred, because it is created,
supported and pervaded by the eternal Self. While there may be external
distinctions, internally all the diverse components of the universe
are suffused with the effulgence of Brahman. Our entire universe,
including all the things and beings of this world, floats in the
waters of pure consciousness, which is vast, infinite, constant
and imperishable. Just as the waves and currents of an ocean cannot
be different in essence from the ocean, the ultimate reality of
Brahman is not different from the reality hidden in His numerous
manifestations. You may find Brahman in your own being, as your
highest Self. With effort, you may even see an entire universe hidden
within your own Self. You may find Brahman in any nook and corner
of the universe or within your own heart. You may worship Brahman
or any of His numerous manifestations, with your heart focused on
Him. If your intentions are pure and sincere, you will find Him
everywhere, even in a stone, a plant, a planet or your village deity.
The mind sees the diversity of the world and considers each component
of it different and separate. A self-realized yogi knows that they
are mere appearances of the self-same reality, which is pervading
the whole universe. At the most basic level, the Universal Self
is pure consciousness, just as our consciousness in its most essential
nature is. The various manifestations arise in the consciousness
as bubbles or reflections. In the human mind, the reflections may
stay for a little while because our minds are impermanent and unstable;
but in the cosmic consciousness, they last much longer, thereby
giving us the illusion that what we see around us as the phenomenal
world is real. In both instances, the dream states are impermanent
and mutable. Things appear and disappear on the surface of the consciousness
like clouds across the sky. Is the consciousness disturbed by their
presence? It certainly is, which is why we experience suffering
and see the play of chaos and confusion around us. However, with
practice we can stabilize the consciousness, suppress the reflections
and bring it back to its pristine and pure state. When that happens,
we cease to be part of God’s long dream. We wake up from the torpor
and the delusion into which we have subsided and return to our original
state of pure awareness and truth consciousness.
What is the nature of this truth consciousness, which creates
a world of its own by reflecting things when it is exposed to objectivity
and duality? This consciousness exists in each of us. We all can
experience it anytime we want, by just withdrawing into ourselves
and becoming pure observers. If we are caught in things, we cannot
see it. If we cling to dreams and desires and the perpetuation of
our limited selves, we cannot discern it. If you remove all thoughts,
feelings, images, emotions, notions, movements, ideas, memories,
concepts, desires and impulses from your consciousness, even for
a brief period, what is left is your pure consciousness. This consciousness
is universal, divine and pure. Life arises from there and finally
subsides into it only. Forms arise and subside in that pure consciousness
only. You can enter into that consciousness anytime you want. Right
now you can do it; but most of us do not want to do it because we
want to be part of the great Dream of Brahman rather than outside
of it. Pure Consciousness is Brahmic consciousness. It is divine
and imperishable. It is the most ancient and most effulgent. It
is extremely refreshing and reviving. In deep sleep, we enter into
this state. Hence, when we wake up we feel so refreshed and energized.
In Hinduism, the dualities of life and the diversity of creation
are finely integrated. Since the religion is free from dogma and
the oppression of ecclesiastical tyranny, it has been greatly enriched
by the freedom of thought and exploration of truth by free souls
who were driven by the spirit of enquiry and passion for truth.
The scholars and philosophers of Hinduism therefore pursued both
unity and diversity to understand the nature of reality and the
reason for our existential suffering and its possible remedies.
They looked to God and His manifestations seeking answers for the
intriguing aspects of human life and our relationship with other
components of Nature and reality. The result of this incessant mental
churning was the emergence of both theistic and atheistic philosophies
and a fine blend of monotheism and polytheism in Hinduism. Hindus
consider the whole universe as manifestation of Brahman. He exists
both in manifested condition and in unmanifested state. The unmanifested
Brahman is the most mysterious and the least known. He is also the
most difficult to worship. Even the gods have no clue about Him.
He is prior to all. The yogis, however, consider Him their ultimate
Goal and meditate upon Him constantly. The manifested Brahman is
a reflection of the unmanifested Brahman in the pure consciousness.
He is made up of suddha sattva (pure sattva) or Isvara Tattva, in
contrast to the three gunas (sattva, rajas and tamas) with which
the rest of the creation is made up. He represents but a tiny fraction
of the unmanifested Brahman. Still that tiny fraction is as vast
and infinite as this universe, filled with numerous manifestations
(vibhutis) and infinite powers. The manifested Brahman then descends
into layers of objective reality laid out by Him only, through Nature
and His Divine Maya (illusion). In the highest planes, He manifests
divinities of the highest order, who share with Him most of His
absolute and infinite qualities and several functions of creation
and cosmic order. In the lowers planes, descending further deeper
into layers of elemental substances and nescient states, He manifests
diverse living and non-living forms.
Thus, every creation is an aspect of Brahman, a reflection of
Him in things and qualities, or a projection of Him upon the ocean
of pure consciousness. The creation of Brahman is a dream state,
which lasts for billions of years on the cosmic scale, in contrast
to our dreams, which lasts for a few minutes or hours. Our days
are shorter and so are our dreams. A day of Brahma lasts for about
8.64 billion years. Therefore, his dreams last for millions or billions
of years. Imagine that we have entered into a dream state and created
a dream that lasts for a few billion years. The creation that we
see all around us is the result of such a long dream, which has
been going on for a longtime and will continue to be so for billions
of years. The beauty and marvel of this Vast Dream is that Brahman
enjoys it from above, from below, from outside of it and from within.
He also creates dreams within dreams and multiple realities. In
this great dream of Brahman, there are certain things that are permanent,
such as our souls and some that are impermanent such as our minds
and bodies and all the objects we see around us.
Now, as an aspect of Brahman, we have a choice either to pursue
these impermanent things and become attached to them or get out
of it and revert to the reality, which is Brahman. We can either
enter into the much deeper states of this dream by descending into
the gross layers of objectivity or swim back slowly towards the
higher realms and enter into the world of pure light. We also have
a choice to worship the divinities, who are part of this dream to
enhance our lives and identities or give up everything, cultivate
detachment and dispassion towards them and focus our minds solely
upon Brahman, the Pure Consciousness, the imperishable, inexhaustible,
immutable and transcendental Self, by knowing whom all becoming,
striving and delusion end.
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