Muslims & The Straight Path [Published 2010]
Part - 4-C
TRUE CONCEPT OF REBIRTH AND SALVATION IN HINDUISM
Let us return again to what Gita says regarding salvation and
rebirth:
He who understands this divine nature of my birth and work consistently
with basic principles, on leaving this body he does not attain to repeated
birth, but (only) comes to Me, O Arjuna.
Rid of attachment, fear and anger and wholly filled by Me alone,
and surrendering to Me, many who have been purified by the discipline of
wisdom, have entered into My (very) being.
It talks of innumerable people
over the ages who have got united with the Paramatma and attained
salvation or freedom from repeated cycle of rebirth. Wisdom is the tool through
which this path can be discovered and one reaches it by saying goodbye to all
attachment, fear and anger and filling one’s self totally with the Divine Self;
thus leaving no room for digression. And consequent to this, when one
surrenders himself to the Paramatma, he becomes united with the Divine
Self.
Mandalabrahmana-Upanishad
(Brahmana II) describes the same in following words:
He who knows Brahman and who
is the sole enjoyer of brahmic bliss which is eternal and has dawned upon (for all in
him) – that man becomes one with Brahman. He in whom sankalpa perishes
has got mukti in his hand. Therefore one becomes an emancipated person
through the contemplation of Paramatma. Having given up both bhava
and abhava, one becomes a jivanmukta by leaving off again and
again in all states jnana (wisdom) and jneya (object of wisdom), dhyana
(meditation) and dhyeya (object of meditation), lakshya (the
aim) and alakshya (non-aim), drsya (the visible) and adrsya (the
non-visible) and uha (reasoning) and apoha (negative reasoning).
He who knows this knows all.
And Gita says:
(For him) the Absolute is the act of offering, the Absolute is the
substance offered into the Absolute which is the fire offered by (him) the
Absolute, the end to be reached by him being even the Absolute by means of his
peace supreme of absolutist action.
Even if you should happen to be among evil-doers the most
evil-doing man, by the very raft of wisdom you will be able to cross over sin.
Gita has described the best
science to be the knowledge of the Self; it can be understood on the basis of
bringing our reason to play that God is referring to the same relationship
between Self and the Absolute on one hand and between our self with the
Manifest Self through the Devatas on the other. One who understands the
nature of karma (action) asks searching questions and is able to understand the
link between one’s self (atma) with the Absolute by means of the Divine Self (Paramatma)
of His Manifest form. Such a person is the gainer. Even if he is the most
evil-doing one (papakrittamah), by the very raft of wisdom, he will be
able to cross over sin.
It is interesting to note that
even Prophet Mohammad used the subject of raft and equated it with the Ahlul-bayt,
saying that those who come aboard the raft of Ahlul-bayt get freed from
sin and gain salvation. The same is being said here. If you bring together the
two views, you will find that both
See what Gita says:
Just as fire when kindled reduces to ashes the fuel, O Arjuna,
likewise the fire of wisdom reduces all works to ashes.
This verse further explains
what has been said in the previous verse. What is meant by wisdom has already
been explained in the previous verse. Now it is said that just as fire when
kindled reduces the fuel to ashes, likewise when a person is able to understand
the link between his atma (self) with the Divine Self, with Devatas
as intermediaries, and is able to link the Divine Self with the Absolute God,
that wisdom burns to ashes all actions of sins and material affiliations. That
is why it is said that even the greatest of the evildoers will be able to cross
over sin by the raft of wisdom.
Sribhagavan said:
Both renunciation (sanyasa) and unitive action (karma yoga) have
emancipation as their common effect; of the two however, unitive action is
superior to (mere) renunciation of action.
This verse too proves that the
role of all yogic exercise should be attainment of union with the Absolute.
This has been described as emancipation (moksha, nijaat or
salvation). Spiritual emancipation ought to be true goal of sanyasa
(renunciation) and also of karma-yoga (unitive action). Out of the two
the Gita decides in favour of karma-yoga (unitive action) as against
mere karma-sanyasa (omission of action). The decided stand that the Gita
takes in this matter is stated more finally in XVIII, 6. A detailed discussion
comparing tyaga (relinquishment) and sanyasa also takes place
later, where sanyasa (renunciation) from action is condemned in clear
words. However, all those who accept sanyasa as the fourth stage of a
Hindu life won’t easily digest this. The revaluation of sanyasa
(renunciation) in the light of yoga, and tyaga (relinquishment) later,
may be important considerations of the Gita.
Sanyasi of Gita does not renounce all
actions but lives very much as an active member of the society. He performs the
actions necessary for sustenance of daily life and also actions that are
essential for maintaining the principles of law, order and justice in this
world. At all times, he keeps a firm control over senses and modalities of
nature, ceaselessly tries to attain union of the self with the Divine Self, and
renounce the fruits of action, even if he has to fight for the cause of
upholding truth and justice.
Thus, Sanyasa is not
physical in nature, which makes a person leave family and friends and start
living in solitude. Sanyasa is actually from modalities of nature and
senses. One such example in Gita has talked of the need to control the eyes and
the ears. This shows that eyes and ears shall be used in accordance with the
God’s wish; in order words, they should be used to attain the desired purity.
The Sanyasi of Gita performs all actions necessary for living and also
for the continuance of social order but remains detached and does not seek
worldly or material benefits out of his actions.
One affiliated to the unitive way of life, attained to lucidity of
Self, one of Self-conquest, one who has gained a victory over the senses, whose
Self-existence has become the same as the Self-existence of all, though active,
is unaffected (thereby).
Attaining unity with the Self
is the main purpose of life, without which renunciation becomes a pain. On the
other hand, one who has conquered his self, freeing it from the effect of
senses and modalities of nature, and has attuned the self with that of the one
from whom it evolved – the Divine Self of Brahma - remains unaffected in life,
even though he performs actions. The understanding of the nature of one’s self
in relation to the Divine Self and subsequently the Devatas as well as
the Messengers like
Talking of the same subject, Dua-e-Kumayl
- a supplication attributed to Imam Ali – prays to the Noors or Divine
Lords and cites its relationship with the upper portions of all beings. No
Muslim with their present beliefs can understand this. This can only be
understood in the light of certain Upanishads that talk of the Manifest Self
filling the higher self of all beings (and the demons perhaps occupying the
lower self!).
Those having That (Absolute) for reasoning, That for the Self,
That for finalized discipline, That for supreme goal, they go to a state of
final non-return, all their (relativistic) dross being cancelled-out by wisdom.
Thus those who think of the
Absolute in each of their activities, their self gets united with the Divine
Self, and from where there is no re-birth, no return and soul attains absolute
emancipation. And sins committed by such a person will be cancelled-out owing
to his attaining unity with the Divine Self.
In regard to a Brahmin endowed with learning or humility, a cow,
an elephant, and even a dog, as also one who cooks dog (for food), the
well-informed ones (panditah) see the same (differenceless reality).
The panditah (well
informed ones), as recognized by the Gita, are samadarsinah (those who
see equality) and not those who see distinctions. A general system of re-birth
is being talked about, which covers all beings. It has been said that true
knowledge is the knowledge of the Self. The humble sages who have understood
the Self know that unless the self in a human body at the time of his death is
pure enough to unite with the Self of the Divine Beings, it will continue to
take rebirth in pious or demonic wombs, depending on the state of its purity
(or impurity); even so if it is the self of a Brahmin.
Owing to this knowledge, the
humble sages know that the atma of the learned and gentle Brahmin, if it
has not been able to acquire the wisdom with which it will get united with the
Self of the Divine Beings, will continue to take rebirth in the form of various
beings, depending on its state of purity at the time of death. Therefore, the
same atma of the Brahmin can be inside a cow after some time. Likewise,
it can also be inside an elephant, a dog or a dog-eater (outcaste). Therefore,
the learned sages treat all of them equally.
Our question is that when a
person is to be weighed on the basis of his conduct, why is it that Saiyeds have
been given a more valuable position in Islam as per a tradition attributed to
Prophet Mohammad.
This explains why, in earlier
times, taking birth in a Brahmin's family was viewed as meritorious and
it was said that they had become Brahmin due to their meritorious deeds
in the past. Before we conclude, we wish to remind the Saiyeds and Brahmins
that though they are praiseworthy, owing to the good deeds in the previous
lives, because of which they took birth in high positions, they must remember
at all times that their worship and deeds were not good enough to guarantee
them salvation. Unless they are not able to gain salvation in this birth, there
is a chance that they may not take birth as Saiyeds or Brahmins
again.
We have seen an Upanishad
which says that the breasts that we fondle with pleasure today could be of the
same self whose breasts we suckled when child. This shows that re-birth is far
closer a reality than we believe it to be. Gita too is talking of the same.
Isn’t it motivation enough to be more detached towards relations and beings
around us and see all creation of God as one?
To those disjoined from desire and anger, those self-controlled
ones whose vital consciousness is subdued, (who are also) knowers of the Self,
self-effacement in the Absolute lies near at hand.
Having known Me as the Enjoyer of ritual sacrifices, the Acceptor
of austerities, the great Lord of all worlds, and the Friend of all beings, one
reaches peace.
We invite you to see how
Amrtabindu-Upanishad talks of the need to find the God within one’s own self
and says that such person who does so goes through no destruction, i.e. such a
person becomes immortal. The state of the mind too is described in detail. On
the same lines, the Tejobindu-Upanishad too has described the virtues of the
person who recognizes the God within him. In fact, this Upanishad mentions Shiva,
which confirms that God has to be reached through the identification of the
Manifest Self. Read what the two Upanishads have to say and then compare with
what Gita has said and you will realize that there is no duality or
contradiction in these scriptures.
Amrtabindu-Upanishad of
Krishna-Yajur Veda says about Dhyana (meditation):
Manas
(mind) is said to be of two kinds, the pure and the impure. That which is
associated with the thought of desire is the impure, while that which is
without desire is the pure. To men, their mind alone is the cause of bondage or
emancipation. That mind which is attracted by objects of sense tends to
bondage, while that which is not so attracted tends to emancipation. Now
inasmuch as to a mind without a desire for sensual objects there is stated to
be salvation, therefore an aspirant after emancipation should render his mind
ever free from all longing after material objects. When a mind freed from the
desires for objects and controlled in the heart attains the reality of Atma,
then is it in the Supreme Seat. Till that which arises in the heart perishes,
till then it (Manas) should be controlled. This only is (true) wisdom. This
only is true Dhyana (meditation). Other ways are but long or tedious. It
(Brahman) is not at all one that can be contemplated upon. It is not one that
cannot be contemplated upon. It is not capable of contemplation, (and yet) it
should be contemplated upon. Then one attains Brahman that is devoid of
partiality. Yoga should be associated with Swara (sound, accent).
(Brahman) should be meditated upon without Swara. By meditating without Swara
upon Brahman, that which is cannot become non-existent. Such a Brahman is
partless, devoid of fancy and quiescent (or free from the action of mind).
Whoever cognizes “I” to be that Brahman attains certainly Brahman. A wise man
having known that Brahman, that is without fancy, without end, without cause, or
example, beyond inference and without beginning, is emancipated. There is (for
him then) no destruction, no creation, no person in bondage, no devotee, no
aspirant for salvation, no emancipated person. This is the truth.
There can be no better
explanation. Now see what Tejobindu-Upanishad of Krishna-Yajur Veda says on
this subject in Chapter I:
Param-Dhyana
(the supreme meditation) should be upon tejo-bind (Light center), which
is the Atma (soul) of the universe, which is seated in the heart, which
is of the size of an atom, which pertains to Siva, which is quiescent and which
is gross and subtle, as also above these qualities. That alone should be the dhyana
(focal-point) of the Munis (sages) as well as of men, which is full of
pains, which is difficult to meditate on, which is difficult to perceive, which
is the emancipated one, which is decayless and which is difficult to attain.
One whose food is moderate, whose anger has been controlled, who has given up
all love for society, who has subdued his passions, who has overcome all pairs
(heat and cold etc.), who has given up his egoism, who does not bless anyone
nor take anything from others, and also who goes where they naturally ought not
to go, and naturally would not go where they like to go – such persons also
obtain (salvation).
The same person, when he
attains wisdom relating to the Self, he attains unity with the Absolute. Wisdom
and how it is to be attained too has been described earlier. A person who
becomes One with Manifest Self, goes beyond the stage of performing action or
not performing it. As Amrtabindu Upanishad says:
A wise man having known that
Brahman (Absolute God), that is without fancy, without end, without cause, or
example, beyond inference and without beginning, is emancipated. There is (for
him then) no destruction, no creation, no person in bondage, no devotee, no
aspirant for salvation, no emancipated person. This is the truth.
Action or inaction becomes
meaningless for him as he attains that supreme bliss (yogarudha or one
ascended in yoga) that is hard to describe. Not that he stops performing all
actions. When he attains union with God, he starts showing the virtues of God
Himself. His actions too become what the God would desire in such
circumstances. Whether he stays at home, whether he has to go out to work or
even fight a battle for upholding principles of justice and humanity, all his
works are in accordance with the nature of the Supreme. Naturally, the Supreme
is the greatest upholder of principles of Unity, Equality and Justice and when
the person who has attained unity with the Absolute finds that these principles
are being comprised, he does everything possible to uphold those values, even
if he has to fight and sacrifice his life. He does it not because somebody
tells him to do so but because doing so is the nature of the Supreme Himself!
This is stated by
Naradaparivrajaka-Upanishad in the following words:
One (fit to reach salvation), after leaving all meritorious
actions to those dear to him and all sins to those not dear, attains the
eternal Brahman (Absolute) through dhyana-yoga
(unitive contemplation). Such a man,
through ordinances, gives up little by little all associations, and being freed
from all pairs of opposites, remains in Brahman alone.
The ideal way is to remain on
the path of God (yoga), both at times of peace and war. Fight too has to be for
God. Opposing tendencies are found in the men of the world. To a man who has
given himself to God, it does not matter whether his conduct demands that he
has to take care of the weak, whether he has to take the side of the oppressed,
whether he has to earn a living for himself, or whether he has to wage a war.
In the latter case when he wages a war, it doesn't matter to him whether he
falls on death or death falls on him. These are the words of Ali (Siva in his Noor
state).
Another Upanishad, talking of
Yajnavalkya who went to Adityaloka (the sun’s world) and saluting him (the
Purusha of the sun), asked him to describe the antarlakshya, says.
The jiva (ego) that is engaged in
the waking state becomes attached to the pravrtti (worldly) path and is
the participator of naraka (hell) as the fruit of sins. He desires svarga
(heaven) as the fruit of his virtuous actions. This very same person becomes
(afterwards) indifferent to all these saying, “Enough of the births tending to
actions, the fruits of which tend to bondage till the end of this mundane
existence.” Then he pursues the nivrtti (return) path with a view to
attain emancipation. And this person then takes refuge in a spiritual
instructor in order to cross this mundane existence. Giving up passion and
others, he does only those he is asked to do. Then having acquired the four sadhanas
(means to salvation), he attains, in the middle of the lotus of his heart, the
Reality of antarlakshya that is but the Sat (real truth) of Lord and
begins to recognize (or recollect) the bliss of Brahman (Absolute) which he had
left or enjoyed in his sushupti state. At last he attains this state of
discrimination (thus): ‘I think I am the non-dual One only. I as in ajnana
for some time (in the waking state and called therefore Visva). I became
somehow (or involuntarily) a Taijasa (in the dreaming state) through the
reflection (in that state) of the affinities of the forgotten waking state; and
now I am a Prajna through the disappearance of those two states.
Therefore I am one only. I (appear) as more than one through the
differentiation of class besides me.’ Having expelled even the smack of the
difference (of conception) between ‘I’ and ‘that’ through the thought ‘I am the
pure and the secondless brahman’, and having attained the path of salvation
which is of the nature of Parabrahman, after having become one with It
through the dhyana of the sun’s sphere as shining with himself, he
becomes fully ripened for getting salvation. Possessing such a mind free from
all (sankalpa, etc.,) and withdrawing himself from the outer world of sight and
others and so keeping himself out of the odour of the universe, he looks upon
all the world as Atma, abandons the conception of ‘I’, thinks ‘I am
Brahman’ and considers all these as Atma. Through these, he becomes one
who has done his duty.
Let us dwell here a bit
longer! Aditya, it is clear, is the name given to somebody most important.
Yajnavalkya goes to the chief of the Adityalok and seek his view. The
highest mode of spirituality is being talked about where the person has already
reached a level, through various acts of purification and acts mandatory for
salvation that he considers himself one with the Manifest Self. ‘Sat of Lord’
again stands for the true knowledge of the Absolute, the Manifest and Devatas
and the atma (self) of us jivas (beings). Characteristics of a
person who has reached the level of salvation but is still breathing alive on
earth have been described here in detail.
A wise man knows that
salvation can be obtained only upon elevating one’s self to that of the
Manifest Self. He learns how to put the organs of senses and actions to best
use; this he learns from treading the path of those who are their rulers. Once
he has done so, he realizes his self and understands the value of his own self
when it attains unity with the Paramatma. This is what is meant by ‘The
Self is dear to one of self’.
Since he follows the path of
those Devatas (Ahlul-bayt) who are made the rulers of the organs of
sense and action by God, and who are responsible for consciousness to emerge
within the self, through which alone can one distinguish between what is good
(for the self) and what is not, it is said that it is by the help of Self of
the Devatas itself which is part of our Higher Self within our bodies
that we are able to control the vagaries of our own self, when it comes under
the influence of organs of action and senses.
One who has not realized his
self is led by the organs of senses and action, which leads him to the path of
materialism and sin. Thereby, the self of the person starts working in conflict
with the interest of that person himself (his self).
The relationship between Paramatma
and Jiva-atma (self in us) and the consequence of the two attaining
union is more elaborately explained in the Maitreya-Upanishad of the Sama Veda.
In fact, this also explains the role of the mind and consciousness and goes on
to state that it is the lower self that is prone to association with the
outside forces, whereas the higher self is in direct control of the God. See
what it says:
Sound, touch, and others which
seem to be Artha
(wealth) are in fact Anartha (evil). The Bhutatma (the lower
Self) clinging to these, never remembers the Supreme Seat. Through Tapas
(dedication), Sattwa (quality) is acquired; through Sattwa, a
(pure) mind is acquired; and through mind, (Parama-) Atma, the (higher
Self) is reached. Through attaining Atma, one gets liberation. Just as
fire without fuel is absorbed into its own womb, so Chitta (thought)
through the destruction of its modifications is absorbed into its own womb
(source). To a mind that has attained quiescence and truth, and which is not
affected by sense-objects, the events that occur to it through the bondage of Karma
are merely unreal. It is Chitta alone that is Samsara. It should
be cleansed with effort. Whatever his Chitta (thinks), of what nature he
becomes. This is an archaic mystery. With the purifying of Chitta, one
makes both good and bad Karmas to perish. One whose mind is thus
cleansed attains the indestructible Bliss (through his own Self). Just as Chitta
becomes united with an object that comes across it, so why should not one (be
released) from bondage, when one is united with Brahman. One should
meditate in the middle of the lotus of the heart, Parameswara (the
highest Lord) who is the witness to the play of Buddhi, who is the
object of supreme love, who is beyond the reach of mind and speech, who has no
beginning or end, who is Sat alone being of the nature of light only,
who is beyond the meditation, who can neither be given up nor grasped (by the
mind), who is without equal or superior, who is the permanent, who is of
unshaken depth, who is without light or darkness, who is all-pervading,
changeless and vehicleless, and who is wisdom of the nature of Moksha
(salvation). I am He – that Paramatma who is the eternal, the pure, the
liberated, of the nature of wisdom, the true, the subtle, the all-pervading,
the secondless, the ocean of bliss, and one that is superior to Pratyagatma
(the lower Self). There is no doubt about it. How will calamity (or bondage)
approach me who am depending upon my own bliss in my heart, who have put to
shame the ghost of desires, who look upon this universe as (but) a jugglery and
who am not associated with anything.
Isn’t it difficult to imagine
that such a person of conquered self will neither be disturbed by heat or cold,
suffering or disgrace nor will he be pleased by conditions that are favourable?
We have already seen that, in
However, it is to be cleared
that Brahmajnana (one who possesses wisdom regarding the Absolute) may
be a one-time process, but maintaining that unity of the self with the Absolute
Self has to be a continuous process. As Siva says later in Varaha-Upanishad:
As, through the fluctuation of water, the sun (reflected therein)
is moved, so Atma arises in this mundane existence
through its mere connection with ahankara. This mundane existence has
chitta as its root. This (chitta) should be cleansed by repeated effort. How
is it you have your confidence in the greatness of chitta? Alas, where
is the wealth of the kings! Where are the Brahmas? Where are all the
worlds? All old ones are gone. Many fresh evolutions have occurred. Many crores
of Brahmas have passed away. Many kings have flitted away like particles
of dust. Even to a jnani (wise), the love of the body may arise through
the asura (demoniacal) nature. If the asura nature should arise
in a wise man, his knowledge of truth becomes fruitless. Should rajas and
others generated in us be burnt by the fire
of discriminative wisdom, how can they germinate again?
We hope it is clear how a self
can be satisfied by wisdom and knowledge.
Now see what Gita says:
He who sees Me everywhere, and sees everything in Me, to him I am
not lost and he is not lost to Me.
‘Me’ is the Manifest Self
doing the talking. Person who sees the God’s power everywhere and sees
everything in God’s power, that person always remain dear to the God.
That yogi who honours Me as abiding in all beings, established in
unity, remaining as he may, in every (possible) way, he abides in Me.
Manifest Self of God has a
direct relationship with our self. The same is said in this verse. The Manifest
Self abides in all of us. The pursuer of the true path or Yogi, who honours
this relationship, while creating a direct relationship with the Manifest Self,
abides in the God.
Can there be a greater
teaching about equality of all beings? That is why it was said earlier that the
yogis see a dog, a dog-eater and a Brahmin as equal.
By establishing an analogy with the Self, he who sees equality
everywhere, O Arjuna, whether (in) pleasant or painful (situations), he is
considered a perfect yogi.
Equality is not only to be
seen among beings but also in situations. Pleasant and painful situations do
not bother a perfect yogi from acting and pursuing the true path.
Sribhagavan said:
O Partha (Arjuna), neither here nor hereafter is there destruction
for him, for none of good deeds, O Son, ever goes to perdition.
Before we go further, let us
understand what faith is being talked about?
Faith on what! To know the answer we have to go back to the study of the
background of the battle of Mahabharata where all those in the opposite camp
had complete faith in the coming of the Devatas and had wrongly begun to
worship them. This also signify faith in the relationship that exists between
us, the Devatas (or the Masooms) and the God.
There is no doubt that there
must have been people who were of the opinion that faith in the Devatas
and their power over us is prerequisite for salvation. They must have concluded
this on behalf of the importance given to the subject of Devatas in
various scriptures. We can say this with confidence because of the similarities
that exist between Akhbari Shia Muslims of today and the Indo-Aryans of
yore with whom
Arjuna had asked
A person, who performs good
deeds but is unaware of his relationship with the higher Self, would be free
from destruction in this world and the next. But since good deeds never go
waste, a person who has committed them without the knowledge of the
relationship will attain to the worlds of the righteous (Indra’s heaven) and
having dwelt there till the merits of his deeds get exhausted, he is sent back
to take birth in a house of the poor and well-to-do people.
Having attained to the worlds of the righteous and having dwelt
there for eternal years, he who deviated from the path of yoga is reborn in a
house of the pure and well-to-do.
Writes Nataraj Guru: “Here,
the expression sasvatih samah (everlasting years) is intriguing. It is
almost equal to “eternal life” and if such an individual has gone to eternal
life, strictly speaking, no question of rebirth should arise.”
As far as I have been able to
understand this verse, Krishna says that one who performs good deeds go to the
world of righteous; however, since faith in the Devatas is prerequisite
for attaining salvation or a permanent stay in the heavens, such a person will
be sent back to the earth once the merits of his good deeds get exhausted. This
is the very reason why Jesus, when he was to cure somebody merely asked him
whether he had faith that he (Jesus) has the power to cure him. If the person
said ‘yes’, he cured him.
Elaborating Gita’s words
further, when the person the merits of whose deeds have got exhausted is sent
back to earth, he will take birth in the house of the pure and well-to-do,
where he has a greater chance of gaining the knowledge that he couldn’t acquire
earlier, which is so essential to attain salvation.
Question remains what does house
of the pure and well-to-do mean? Absolute Pure are the ‘Ahlul-bayt’ and God is
witness to it in Quran. We believe that all God’s words are Absolutist in
nature and when He says pure, it means that not even a trifle of impurity is
present. There remains no doubt by now that those meant by pure in the Vedas
and the pure of Quran are one and the same.
We have already said that food is something that the spirit needs
in order to stay alive. Best of food has been promised for those who go to
heaven and food like pus and molten stones are promised for those who go to
hell. It is because of this need for food that the spirit that is unable to
attain salvation needs a body. Those who perform extremely good deeds but are
unable to reach salvation take birth in the house of Saiyeds, while
those who do not perform good deeds or disbelieve, their spirit is reverted to
the lowest of the low position, as has been said in Surah At-Tin. However, Saiyeds
have no cause to celebrate as whatever good their deeds were in the previous
birth, they were not good enough to attain salvation. They are now born as Saiyeds
because true knowledge of the Manifest Self is prerequisite for salvation and
taking birth in the progeny of those whose knowledge is essential for
salvation, their upward journey towards salvation becomes easier.
What if a Saiyed too did not gain the true knowledge
regarding the identity of Manifest Self and/or perform deeds that are not good
enough to give them a place in heaven, leave alone attain salvation? They will
definitely remain on earth in the after births.
Birth in the house of pure
means birth in the progeny of the Devatas, who are created through pure tatva
(material). There is lot of importance given in Islam to Saiyeds, who
are the progeny of the Ahlul-bayt, whose purity has been confirmed by
God in Quran. Since we have seen that the Devatas were very much present
on earth before taking birth in
Gita says further:
Else he is born in a family of wise yogis only. A birth like this
is very rare to obtain in this world.
There he obtains that union with reason, pertaining to a previous
body, (and) strives thence again for perfection, O Prize of the Kurus (Arjuna).
The karmas (actions) of
the previous birth/s are termed as prarabdha in various Upanishads.
Nadabindu-Upanishad writes:
O intelligent man, spend your life always in the knowing of the
supreme bliss, enjoying the whole of your prarabdha
(that portion of past karma now being enjoyed) without making any
complaint (of it).
Even after atmajnana (knowledge of Atma
or Self) has awakened (in one), prarabdha does not leave (him); but he
does not feel prarabdha after the dawning of tattvajnana
(knowledge of tattva or truth) because the body and other things are
asat (unreal), like the things seen in a dream to one on awaking from it.
That (portion of the) karma which
is done in former births, and called prarabdha does not at all affect
the person (tattvajnani), as there is no rebirth to him.
As the body that exists in the dreaming state is untrue, so is
this body. Where then is rebirth to a thing that is illusory? How can a thing
have any existence, when there is no birth (to it)?
As the clay in the material cause of the pot, so one learns from
Vedanta that ajnana is the material cause
of the universe: and when ajnana (unwisdom) ceases to exist, where then
is the cosmos?
As a person through illusion mistakes a rope for a serpent, so the
fool not knowing Satya (the eternal truth) sees
the world (to be true).
When he knows it to be a piece of rope, the illusory idea of a
serpent vanishes.
So when he knows the eternal substratum of everything and al the
universe becomes (therefore) void (to him), where then is prarabdha to him, the body being a part of the world? Therefore
the word prarabdha is accepted to enlighten the ignorant (only).
Then as prarabdha has, in course of
time, worn out, he who is the sound resulting from the union of Pranava
(human being) with Brahman (God) who is the absolute effulgence itself,
and who is the bestower of all good, shines himself like the sun at the
dispersion of the clouds.
But the yogi who strives with
perseverance, purified from evils, and perfected by many births, then reaches
the supreme path.
A yogi is one who has through
wisdom found the path towards God. We have seen that this path passes through
the Devatas and ultimately leads the person to the God. Any person who
knows this path and then strives with perseverance, purified from evils, and
perfected by many previous births, reaches the supreme path.
And there is another person
who already knows of this path and then consciously tries to perform good
deeds. Such a person surely reaches the supreme path or salvation.
The yogi is greater than men of austerity, and he is thought to be
greater than men of wisdom, and greater than men of works; therefore become a
yogi, O Arjuna.
One who has tried to attain
union with the God through the path shown by the Manifest Self is better than
those who merely perform good acts and also those who are wise and those who
are men of works. Eventually
Of all yogis, he who with inner Self
is merged in Me, full of faith, devoted to Me, is considered by Me the most
unitive (yuktatamah).
Among all those who seek union
with God, the one whose inner self is merged with Manifest Self of God, who is
full of faith and devoted to God is considered by the Manifest Self of God as
the most unitive (yuktatamah).
We invite you to read Arjuna’s
question again. He had asked about faith and
Religious Consciousness says:
“Yoga conceived in the Absolutist way knows no set-back and is the Supreme
perfection here raised above all others.
The need for the establishment
of a bi-polar relation with the Absolute is here treated in advance as
belonging to yoga. This statement here puts the doctrine in line with the
doctrines stated at the end of Chapter IX and repeated at the end of the Gita,
XVIII,65.
Become one in Mind with Me: be
devoted to Me; sacrifice to Me; bow down to Me; you shall come to Me alone; I
promise (in) truth; you are dear to Me.”
It is said in Gita that ‘you are dear
to Me’. And a promise has been made to give back the best rewards for one who
becomes one in mind with the Manifest Self, remains devoted to the Manifest
Self, sacrifices to the Manifest Self and bows down to the Manifest Self. Such
a soul will surely attain salvation. It was this dearness which Manifest Self
has for its subjects that the Quran had said that none will go to hell but the
most wretched. If the remaining are being given chance after chance, it is only
owing to the extreme love that the Manifest Self has for us.
It is clear that nobody understood
the Divine plan till now. The Absolute God (Ishwar or Allah) created the
Manifest Self, a visible and manifest power by the name of Vishnu. The Manifest
Self not just created the one Noor (or light, described as Brahma, which
is the positive power) but also Zulmat (or light, which is the negative
power) as two distinct paths and then created the human beings, with option to
chose either of the two paths. Noor divided to create 14 Manus or Devatas
with seven names (they were five initially called the Panjetan in
Islam and later became 14) while the forces of darkness too may have undergone
similar process. This explains why Quran describes Satan as not individual but
with its own forces. This also explains why forces of darkness have been given
such enormous powers. How else can you describe that Satan (the fact that it is
there is confirmed in Quran and even Buddha described it as ‘Mara’) could be
the invisible power that is ceaselessly working to deviate the entire humanity
from the Straight Path and has been largely successful till now. This is the
reason why the Manifest Self, after creation of Adam, said to the angels, “You
do not know what I know.” This Divine plan was not known even to the
angels. Satan may have been the chief of the negative powers or one of the
agents of negative power, but unless you accept our interpretation as true, you
will find hard to explain who deviated the previous creations from the Straight
Path, so much so that Quran is witness that the angels said regarding Adam at
the time of his creation: “Will you create someone who will cause bloodshed on
earth.” The fact that angels were referring to another creation that indulged
in bloodshed previous to creation of Adam and Satan was seemingly the most
pious of that extinct creation - so pious that it was given a place among the
angels - proves that the negative forces too owe their origin to God and were
in existence even when this Satan had not become Satan.
The role of the Noor is the
opposite of the role of the forces of darkness (zulmat). It is a power created
by Manifest Self that ceaselessly works to lead humankind to the worship of
God. Noor is more powerful when in Light state but even descends in
human form if and when required. When it is in Noor or light state or
when it comes down to live on earth, it is continuously and ceaselessly working
for the same objective. Till now, it appears that the negative forces (forces
of zulmat) are gaining an upper edge. But it is the promise of the
Manifest Self in Quran that Noor will eventually be victorious. Once
that happens, (consequent to the coming of the Kalki avatar or Mahdi)
all humanity will return to the true path of supplication to One God – the
Absolute God. Let us see more about Mahdi or the Kalki avatar.
No comments:
Post a Comment