Indescribable, not undescribable
"The one who has faith and trust in lord invariably conquers adverse circumstances and emerges the winner , rich with bounty in the struggle of life" ~ Rig Veda, 4 . 23 . 4
Sometimes when i look around, i wonder why we (the believers) lose faith in god so easily. (Or do we really lose faith in ourselves?). Why are we in doubt so often? Is it because of our own illogical and irrational expectations.We often consider "him" as someone who'll perform miracles. But he is not a problem solving magician and he certainly should not be expected to solve the ones we create...So who is he/she? where does he reside? what is his job?
To begin with, i don't think its a "he". Its a force, a supreme entity. Like, the great Philosopher shankaracharya had once said that, "god is not undescribable. He is indescribable". Meaning it is beyond our capacity to describe him in words. Brahmn exists, only humans can't describe it. Hence, we tend to give it a form, a shape so that its easier to accept it and believe in it. But it still remains, nirgun brahm.
We build illusions around us in every way possible. For instance, if we were to see a curved rope at night, we might mistake it for a snake because of it shape. We might react instantly thinking that it'll cause us harm. Or stand back in fright but it really will all be in our minds. And that is what "maya" is. Similarly life in itself is just maya and everything around us is an illusion. In hindu religion, Bramhn is said to manifest himself in different forms; vishnu, shiva, Brahma but Bramhn as such is inactive. He works through representatives we worship (sounds like a corporate, does it?). Actually, this is because it is difficult for common man to be able to put his faith and trust; understand, worship and believe in something that has no form of its own. That, which has no virtues or vices and is endless. Brahmn is beyond average human comprehension. Hence the many gods and goddesses, who we believe have various power.
In today's world these concepts might be a bit outdated. Most bengali men i meet do not believe in religion at all. For them, it was just a societal structure created by kings to maintain law and order. Nothing more than that. Whatever exists is here, in this lifetime. They might be true, considering that the power we talk of is actually within us. The power of Brahmn is within us.
Just like the colour of ocean looks blue but that is only because it reflects the colour of the sky. The water in itself has no colour. Similarly how we see god is a function of who we are. Kali can be very dark and scary or a sweet little girl. The image is in our minds. Its our perception of god or goddesses.
So when we get depressed, we might want to reconsider our feelings. After all what we feel might just be maya, illusion. Seasons will change, so will feelings. If we can recoincile and accept that life is an illusion, then we'd probably never be depressed at all. Now, that's easier said than done!
The other day we were talking about the end of sun (and earth). Will that mean end of god? what is god? I suppose if 'our' sun disappears into a blackhole, there will still be a million suns and stars in this universe and other universe(s). But there must be something beyond that. Something that is running all this so systematically. I fundamentally believe that we are all just a form of energy. Almost like substances in a chemistry lab, we react with each other and change forms. We erode, get corroded or combine. whichever way, we keep moving. And even though death seems like 'the end', it really is a begining. For if someone were to ask me what i'd like to be after this life, i'd say that i wanna be a cloud in a clear sky or wind which flows freely. For me they have life and energy. Strength to bring down anything and humility to realise that they can be destroyed too.
I suppose i am not making any sense here. I wonder why i set out to write such a post anyways. I have such little knowledge in either theology or philosophy that it behopes me to even attempt to talk about it. But i would like to know more about it. Though i am told that it is faith than finally conquers everything rather than knowledge.
Sometimes when i look around, i wonder why we (the believers) lose faith in god so easily. (Or do we really lose faith in ourselves?). Why are we in doubt so often? Is it because of our own illogical and irrational expectations.We often consider "him" as someone who'll perform miracles. But he is not a problem solving magician and he certainly should not be expected to solve the ones we create...So who is he/she? where does he reside? what is his job?
To begin with, i don't think its a "he". Its a force, a supreme entity. Like, the great Philosopher shankaracharya had once said that, "god is not undescribable. He is indescribable". Meaning it is beyond our capacity to describe him in words. Brahmn exists, only humans can't describe it. Hence, we tend to give it a form, a shape so that its easier to accept it and believe in it. But it still remains, nirgun brahm.
We build illusions around us in every way possible. For instance, if we were to see a curved rope at night, we might mistake it for a snake because of it shape. We might react instantly thinking that it'll cause us harm. Or stand back in fright but it really will all be in our minds. And that is what "maya" is. Similarly life in itself is just maya and everything around us is an illusion. In hindu religion, Bramhn is said to manifest himself in different forms; vishnu, shiva, Brahma but Bramhn as such is inactive. He works through representatives we worship (sounds like a corporate, does it?). Actually, this is because it is difficult for common man to be able to put his faith and trust; understand, worship and believe in something that has no form of its own. That, which has no virtues or vices and is endless. Brahmn is beyond average human comprehension. Hence the many gods and goddesses, who we believe have various power.
In today's world these concepts might be a bit outdated. Most bengali men i meet do not believe in religion at all. For them, it was just a societal structure created by kings to maintain law and order. Nothing more than that. Whatever exists is here, in this lifetime. They might be true, considering that the power we talk of is actually within us. The power of Brahmn is within us.
Just like the colour of ocean looks blue but that is only because it reflects the colour of the sky. The water in itself has no colour. Similarly how we see god is a function of who we are. Kali can be very dark and scary or a sweet little girl. The image is in our minds. Its our perception of god or goddesses.
So when we get depressed, we might want to reconsider our feelings. After all what we feel might just be maya, illusion. Seasons will change, so will feelings. If we can recoincile and accept that life is an illusion, then we'd probably never be depressed at all. Now, that's easier said than done!
The other day we were talking about the end of sun (and earth). Will that mean end of god? what is god? I suppose if 'our' sun disappears into a blackhole, there will still be a million suns and stars in this universe and other universe(s). But there must be something beyond that. Something that is running all this so systematically. I fundamentally believe that we are all just a form of energy. Almost like substances in a chemistry lab, we react with each other and change forms. We erode, get corroded or combine. whichever way, we keep moving. And even though death seems like 'the end', it really is a begining. For if someone were to ask me what i'd like to be after this life, i'd say that i wanna be a cloud in a clear sky or wind which flows freely. For me they have life and energy. Strength to bring down anything and humility to realise that they can be destroyed too.
I suppose i am not making any sense here. I wonder why i set out to write such a post anyways. I have such little knowledge in either theology or philosophy that it behopes me to even attempt to talk about it. But i would like to know more about it. Though i am told that it is faith than finally conquers everything rather than knowledge.
"bishashe melay swarga, torke bohu dur"
(it is easier to find god through one's belief rather than one's arguments)
Labels: IMHO
posted by Mimi at
1:12 PM
1 Comments:
very well written, really good :)
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