The Hindu : Nature of the Lord

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 29, 2004

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Nature of the Lord

CHENNAI, JAN.29 . The Supreme Being is described in the scriptures as the ultimate cause of the entire manifestation. The impersonal Absolute is referred to as Brahman and the personal form as Iswara and Mahapurusha. All these terms are indicative of greatness. A legitimate question that is often raised is, "Why should man think of God?" According to a verse of Saint Tayumanavar any attempt by man to understand his own nature is bound to lead him to the altar of God. Just as a calf instinctively seeks its mother, the tendency of the human mind also is to be drawn to God.

In his discourse, Swami Omkarananda said the Almighty united man with Himself by appearing in the form of the Guru. The very basis of spiritual life is reflection on God, as that will only enable one to evolve towards the goal of liberation. The other important requisite is adherence to Dharma as delineated in the scriptures. It is out of compassion for mankind that the Lord has revealed the scriptures so that by following their injunctions human beings can get over their worldly bondage. Moreover, one can learn about the nature of the Absolute only from these texts till one is blessed with spiritual experience to know for oneself. The Lord during His advent in the world as Krishna in His teaching to Arjuna, the Bhagavad Gita, elaborately described His nature and also enabled him to envision His divine form.

Right at the outset in this context, the Gita also reinforces that the Supreme Being is in truth unborn though He manifests in many forms and incarnates in the world, on the same lines as the Vedic hymn, the Purusha Sukta. The text further says, "He who knows Me as One without beginning, the unborn and the Master of the worlds, gets over delusion and is freed from all sins." There are two aspects to understanding the nature of God. The first is the vision to seen Him as the indwelling Self in all the diverse creation that is characteristic of the world. The other is the insight to see the Absolute (the unity) underlying the diversity with the dawn of spiritual knowledge. Thus spiritual knowledge is not just theoretical but yields immediate result by removing one's ignorance and thereby liberates the person from bondage. An enlightened individual will be able to remain poised in life unaffected by both the joys and sorrows of the world. He will be in constant communion with God and all his actions and thoughts will be directed towards Him.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Miscellaneous

News Update

Stories in this Section

Cartoon

The Hindu Crossword No. 7892

Solution to puzzle No. 7891

Nature of the Lord

dated January 29, 1954: M.N. Roy Dead

dated January 29, 1954: Difficulties of Police

Weather