Miscellaneous - Religion   

Goal of meditation

CHENNAI: The Upanishads reinforce the Lord’s Absoluteness and His all pervading, all knowing and all powerful nature. Such awe inspiring grandeur naturally places a distance between Him and us. But as if to dispel this distance the Lord incarnates as a human being and mingles with the people, giving them an opportunity to know Him and seek His feet for salvation, said Asuri Sri Madhavachariar in a discourse on the Isavasya Upanishad. Though the incarnations of the Lord are for specific purposes such as to quell the evil and protect the good and establish dharma, they also manifest His easy accessibility to the devout. Through these incarnations one is able to realise the truth of His greatness and also understand that by seeking His feet one can surely attain salvation.

Being wrapped in ignorance of the true nature of its Self, the Jivatma loses its moorings and is unable to identify its goal in life, namely seeking God. The mantras in this Upanishad enlighten us about how to live in this world so that one can attain liberation. The entire universe belongs to God and is a manifestation of His Self. His presence envelops it so thoroughly that there is no part of the universe where He is not present. By seeing the entire world as belonging to God the ignorance of one’s relationship with the Lord is removed. The Jivatma understands the Lord as the master who is to be meditated upon. More importantly, the Jivatma also realises the meaninglessness of the concept of possessiveness with regard to people, places, things, etc.

With this foundation, the practical advice for the individual is to earn enough, take enough care of his body, mind and senses, and engage in meditation of the Supreme Being. As long as one lives, one has to meditate on Him and also perform one’s duties. Meditation and devotion are necessary even as one performs one’s duties.

The Bhagavad Gita speaks highly of Karma, Jnana and Bhakti Yogas and establishes without any doubt the efficacy of the practice of one’s ordained karma in a dispassionate manner with no expectation of reward. This leads to salvation through the paths of Jnana and Bhakti. This should be the goal of every individual.

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

Stories in this Section

Cartoonscape
The Hindu Crossword 9181
Solution to puzzle 9180
Goal of meditation
dated March 26, 1958: Indigenous medicine
dated March 26, 1958: Quality goods
dated March 26, 1958: Chair in Music
Weather

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu