How big is this
universe that we are in? Here is what the Cosmologists tell us. Our Sun and the
Solar system are only a tiny spec within the galaxy called Milky Way which in
turn has about 200 Billion stars, many of which are larger than our Sun. Now,
the Milky Way itself is just one of the 100 billion of such galaxies that are
spread across the universe, each containing billions of stars. The mass of all
the material within these trillions of stars still forms only 4% of the total
mass of the universe! The rest 96% is accounted for by what is called as the
'dark energy' that permeates the entire universe. There is more empty space
filled with 'dark energy' than physical matter in the universe.
In terms of
distances, the boundaries of our knowable universe are about 13.8 billion light
years away (A light year is the distance traveled by light in one year. Light
travels about 186,000 miles in one second and there are 31,556,926 seconds in a
year. You can do the math now! For a quick comparison, the distance between
Earth and Sun is about 8 light seconds)
Whether there is anything existing outside of these boundaries is beyond
our knowledge since we get limited by the speed of light to know. (Now that you
know this, you may appreciate better why
there are some genuine skeptics among
the scientific community when it comes to accepting concepts of a human-like
God as the creator of the universe)
However big this
universe might be, there is still one thing that would still surpass it, and
that is the human spirit and its quest for knowledge. And, the question topmost
in the mind of such a human is:
'kasminnu bhagavo
vijnaate
sarvamidam vijnaadam
bhavati' (Mundaka Upanishad, Canto 1, Chapter 1, Sloka 3)
'O venerable one,
what is that one thing having known which all this becomes known?'
The question is not
if there is one single secret that unravels all the principles and phenomena of
this vast universe. It is rather about what is that one thing not knowing
which, all the other knowledge that can be gained are vain.
And the poetical
answer we find in the Mundaka Upanishad is :
'agni murdhaa
chakshushi chandra suryo
disa srotrai vak
vivritaascha vedah
vaayu praana
hridayam viswamsya
padbhyaam prithvi
hyesha sarva
bhuthaantharaatmah' (Munkadaka Upanishad, Canto 2, Chapter 1, Sloka 4)
'The heavens(fire)
are its head, the sun and the moon its eyes, the many directions are its ears,
the vedas are its speech, the air is its breath, the universe is its heart, the earth its feet. Such is the (cosmic) nature of that
self that is within every single being"
The Rishi's of
yonder probably had no idea of how vast this universe is. But surely they knew
one thing for certain: the cosmic secret of the universe is not far out there
but right here, within our own selves!
If the 'secret to
everything' lies within our own self, then what should we be doing to get to
it? What is the course of action?
'dhanur grihitya
oupanishadam mahaastram
saram hi
upaasanisatam samdayita
aayamya thad
bhaavagatena chetasaa
lakshyam
thadavaaksharam somya viddhi' (Munkadaka Upanishad, Canto 2, Chapter 2, Sloka
3)
'O Good looking one,
take that bow, the mighty weapon born of Upanishads. Place that arrow sharpened
by upaasana and draw hard that string with a mind that is completely absorbed
in That imperishable and break that target'
'pranavo dhanuh
sarohyaatmaa
brahma
tallakhyamuchyate
apramatthena
vedhavyam
saravat tanmayo
bhavet' (Munkadaka Upanishad, Canto 2,
Chapter 2, Sloka 4)
'The pranava (Om) is
the bow, the mind is the arrow and Brahman is the target. Penetrate that target
with a mind that is disillusioned and let it become one with the target as the
arrow (that is embedded in the target)'
The role of
scriptural knowledge is clearly stated as the role of a bow in discharging the
arrow. The scriptural knowledge is the means and not the end. And, what matters
is not the holiness of the scriptures
and reverence to it but use of its ability to launch an individual to get to
the target. The sanskrit word 'veddh' is very deftly used here with the dual
meaning of gaining knowledge (which is the metaphorical intent) as well as
breaking target (which is contextual to the metaphorical image being painted).
Again, another point about the seeker, though mentioned later, is also being
reinforced here. 'naayam aatma balaheenena labhyah' , 'this Atman is not
obtained by one who is weak'. One should be strong enough, physically and
mentally, to wield the bow of knowledge and bend it sufficiently by pulling on
the string.
And, what awaits the
one who reaches the target:
'bhidyate hridaya
granthi
chidyante sarva
samsayaah
ksheeyantechaasya
karmaani
yasmin dhrishte
paraavare' ((Munkadaka Upanishad, Canto 2, Chapter 2, Sloka 8)
"The knots of
the heart are cut, all doubts are eliminated and the binding of the karma are
weakened for the one who has seen That which is above and below"
The vision of the
one who has realized the true nature of the self is comprehensive and
spans both worldly matters and spiritual
matters. And, true internal freedom dawns on this one who has gained the vision
of 'That'.
'hiranmaye pare
koshe
virajam brhma
nishkalam
thad subhram
jyotishaam jyotih
thad yadaatmavido
vidhuh' (Munkadaka Upanishad, Canto 2, Chapter 2, Sloka 9)
"In the golden
hued sheath rests the Brahman who is untainted, pure, brighter than the
brightest. It is That the knower of self comes to know"
Is this known by the
mind and intellect? The Upanishad again emphatically reiterates that this is
not known by the mind and intellect but only by becoming one with It.
"na tatra suryo
bhaati na chandra taarakam
nemaa vidyutho
bhaati kuthoyamagnih
tameva bhaantham
anubhaati sarvam
tasya bhaasaath
sarvamidam vibhaati" (Munkadaka Upanishad, Canto 2, Chapter 2, Sloka 10)
"Neither the
Sun, nor the Moon or the Stars are effulgent in its presence. Even the
lightning does not shine in its presence, what to say of the (earthly) fire. In
its illumination, everything is revealed and all effulgent are only reflecting
its effulgence"
The universe may be
unimaginably huge but everything in it
are still a subject of knowledge of the mind , senses and intellect. That by
the presence of which we are able to know is not an object of examination for mind
and intellect. Hence, to realize the true nature of self, one has to take the
entire 'being' to it and become one with it.
'Thad eva satyam' .
"That alone is the Truth" (Mundaka Upanishad)
'Thad eva brahma
tvam viddhi netam yaditam upaasate' . "That Brahman alone you must
realize, not the (worldly) other things that are pursued' (Kena Upanishad)
We will see more of
this magnificent Upanishad in the next, concluding blog post on the topic
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