Miscellaneous - Religion   

Beneficial guidelines

CHENNAI: The glitter of sense objects continues to attract those born into worldly existence. The highlight of Lord Krishna's instruction in the Bhagavad Gita is the urgent need for man to realise that the pursuit of worldly desires is self-destructive, a truth well illustrated in examples such as the fish falling for the bait, or the moth seeking the light. Sri Mathivannan pointed out in a lecture that devotion which kindles Jnana (Knowledge) and Vairagaya (dispassion), can alone save one from such self-destruction. The onus is on each individual to build within oneself a strong determination not to succumb to the lure of sense objects, and instead to pursue the search for awareness of the Self and its relationship with the Supreme Being.

Lord Krishna explains this truth in His own words. "Brahman (The Absolute) is that which is immutable and independent of any cause but Itself. When we consider the Brahman as lodged within the individual being, we call Him the Atman. The creative energy of Brahman is that which causes all existence to come into being".

In this search, spiritual progress is indicated as and when the sense of discrimination that throws the spotlight on the eternal and the ephemeral, is attained. Even as the enduring Reality that the Supreme Being alone is eternal, omniscient and omnipotent is reinforced in one's consciousness, the identification of the unreal and fleeting objects and experiences of birth and death slowly persuades the individual to long to be freed from Samsara.

Overwhelmed by desire, one's vision is blurred and the veil of Maya or delusion obscures the presence of the Supreme Being. With the gradual perception of the magnitude of God's supremacy, when the Self is able to detach itself from the body that gives it the sense of "I" and "mine", one realises that one's very existence is because of God, and in the unfathomable and great universe his presence is only a tiny speck. Thus convinced, man begins to constantly worship God, who he realises as dwelling in all living beings, and is also the inner Self in him. At this stage there is no sense of ego in him and only awe and gratitude to the Lord's boundless compassion that has made him realise the good fortune of human birth that can lead to liberation.

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