MANIFESTATION

It is interesting to ponder the question: ‘How did this Universe appear?’ There are several answers. We will consider a mixture of the Eastern and the Western views.
At the beginning there was only SPACE. There was total silence and nothing seemed to move because there was nothing. This is called Akasha. It is the first building block of manifestation. Then there arose a sound, a slow reverberating sound that seemed to fill the entire space. It is remarkable that the first sign of manifestation was sound.
One remembers the famous quote “In the beginning was the Word .....” from John 1.1, the very beginning of the Gospel according to John.
Then in this space, there was a movement, a stirring of something that seemed to exude and seemed to move outwards in all directions. It was like a reverberation, a ripple of movement. This movement is called Vayu. The Purusha Suktam states:
Pranath Vayurajayatha
Prana became the Vayu

Thus the movement in the space was a manifestation of Prana. The emanation from space was Prana in the form of movement. And the Prana moved in all directions and the whole space was reverberating in movement. In contemporary times, the Sanskrit term Prana is often translated as ‘Air’. As we can see from the above this translation may not be entirely appropriate.

Then the Prana or Vayu seemed to start glowing in light and spots of fire or manifest energy appeared. This is called Teja or Agni. From the Prana which derived from Akasha, manifest energy appeared. The points of light and fire seemed to move randomly around, sometimes clashing with other points of light and one can imagine sparks flying, to use a material analogy. Analogies become necessary to explain a concept, but they have inherent limitations and one has to take them with a pinch of salt and not literally. Thus the Teja or Agni is often translated as ‘Fire’ but that may again not be too appropriate and the more suitable word in English could be ‘energy’. Thus we have Akasha cascading into Vayu/Prana which in turn cascades into Teja/ Agni.

These points of light and energy form clusters which sometimes seem to coalesce into larger entities or formations. They seem to form larger energy conglomerates that whirl around in space, sometimes randomly and sometimes rhythmically and in a harmonious movement. Thus the Universe appears to be filled with these moving points of light of varying sizes and shapes.

Then in some of these clusters, liquid appears. This is called Jala. This term is also translated as ‘water’ but the term ‘liquid’ would be possibly more appropriate. Some of the whirling clusters of energy seem to get covered with a liquid. Thus the liquid or Jala principle derives from the Teja or Energy principle which in turn derives from the Prana or Vayu principle which in turn derives from the Akasha or Space principle.

The liquid sometimes seems to coalesce into solid matter and sometimes continues to flow in a liquid form. Some of these whirling clusters of energy seem to be blobs of liquid and some seem to be balls of fire engulfed in a water-like liquid. Over a period of time, some of them seem to solidify and become seeming solid objects. Thus is born the Prithvi or Solid form of manifestation. The term Prithvi is also translated in contemporary times as ‘Earth’ but the word ‘Solid’ may again be more appropriate. Thus one sees that the Solid principle derives from the Liquid principle which originates from the Energy principle which derives from the Vayu/Prana principle which arises from the Akasha or Space principle.

The process of manifestation can be portrayed somewhat as follows:
AKASHA
I
I
VAYU - PRANA
I
I
TEJA - AGNI - ENERGY
I
I
JALA - LIQUID
I
I
PRITHVI - SOLID
So the entire Universe as we experience it around us including our own bodies is the Prithvi stage of manifestation. The Prithvi manifestation is the derivative in progressive unfoldments of all the other stages. So one can say the Prithvi manifestation incorporates all the other four stages in itself. Another way of expressing this is to say that the Prithvi manifestation embodies all the other stages of manifestation. The other stages are ever present in the Prithvi principle.

These stages of manifestation are called ‘Mahabhutas’. Because they are five in number they are often called ‘Pancha Mahabhutas’. This term is usually translated as ‘Five Primordial Elements’. In the Prithvi manifestation which we experience, all five stages of manifestation are evident and sometimes visible. The liquid is evident in the world as the liquid in water, in the oceans, in the element Mercury, in the volcanic lava and in the honey in flowers. The Teja principle is evident in the energy embedded in coal, in the deepest core of the atom in the form of nuclear energy, in the heat of the sun, in a piece of wood in the form of fire which gets unleashed when two pieces of wood are rubbed together, and in the streak of lightning that flashes in the sky. The Vayu/Prana principle is evident in the air around us, in the wind, in the storms. And the Akasha principle is all enclosing, containing everything in the Universe.

Thus the world as we experience it is a beautiful combination of all these stages. And the most basic elements, Akasha, Prana and Agni/Teja, are present in everything.

It is important for us to realize that science has revealed the deepest recesses of the Prithvi principle alone. All our investigations, whether in space, in the deepest core of the earth, in the oceans, in the development of the multifarious forms of energy, and in the discovery of metals and their manifold potentialities is all restricted to the Prithvi principle.

Newton found that the Universe embodies an invisible energy principle in his discovery of the force of gravitation and the interrelationships between the earth and the moon and the earth and the sun.

Einstein found that energy was embedded in matter, the solid encapsulates energy. He found this out through mathematical calculations and propounded the concept of E=MC2. This formula does specify the interrelationship between the Teja principle and the Prithvi principle.

However, the interrelationship between the Vayu/Prana principle and the Prithvi principle is so far not discovered. Therein possibly lies the secret of the difference between the living and non-living manifestations at the Prithvi level. The same Prana manifests as living and non-living manifestation. The difference may be in the relationship. Einstein’s formula relates to non-living matter. What is the relationship that produces the living matter?

The inter-conversion between the solid, the liquid and the gaseous forms of the Prithvi principle, is the subject matter of Physics and Chemistry. On application of energy in the form of heat, why does a solid melt? And with further application of energy why does the liquid vaporize? And if further energy is applied, what happens to the vapor? These are the considerations of Science. And much work has been done and is still being done. The subject of what is now known as Particle Physics relates to the unleashing of the in-built Teja principle in matter. But all this relates to the Prithvi principle alone. We have yet to transcend this stage of manifestation and move to the Jala principle or the Teja principle or further on to the Vayu principle or the Akasha principle.

The funny thing is the role that sound produced by the human voice can do in this regard. Because at the very beginning of manifestation, Akasha produced a sound that became Prana/Vayu, the ancients found that through sound it is possible to transcend and reach out to the Akasha principle and other principles. Human sound is known to have produced the condensation of water vapor in the form of rain. Sound is known to have transmuted metals. All interactions in the Prithvi Universe produce sound. Lightning which is produced when two clouds come in contact produces thunder. The movement of the earth during a volcanic eruption is accompanied by sound. Trees produce sound when they move in the wind. Examples abound in nature. Sound seems to be inbuilt in the Prithvi principle which is our Universe.

About a hundred years ago, the eminent scientist Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose found through extensive experimentation that sound influenced the growth of plants. Incidentally he was also the discoverer of the existence of electromagnetic energy in the atmosphere in the form of what are called radio waves. He preceded Marconi in this discovery and probably deserved the Nobel Prize but those were the days of colonial rule and it would have been unthinkable for the rulers to acknowledge the research of an Indian. However, belatedly and probably due to the innate element of fairness in the enlightened Britisher, he was accepted as a Fellow of the Royal Society and awarded a Knighthood.

The ancients propounded the idea that the primeval sound that manifests the Universe and pervades it through and through can be expressed by the human voice as a combination of three sounds. They are ‘AAA’ as in ‘path’, ‘UUU’ as in ‘through’ and ‘MMM’ as in ‘mother’. When these three sounds are chanted in a continuous sequence, as ‘AAA--UUU---MMM’ a combined sound ‘AUM’ or ‘OM’ is produced. They stated that this is the primeval sound of manifestation and the whole Universe resounds with it continuously. Because it is the cause, as one can put it, of manifestation, it is called ‘Pranava’. Thus the Pranava can help unfold the Akasha principle or at least help one to communicate, as it were, with the Akasha principle. That is the reason why the chanting of the Pranava influences the nature of the Universe.

There are many aspects of ancient wisdom that are inexplicable in purely scientific terms. However is it a coincidence that the relationship between the diameter of the sun and the distance of the earth from the sun is the number 108? Similarly, the relationship between the diameter of the moon and the distance of the moon from the earth is 108. This number is held as sacred in contemporary Indian society. But what is the significance of a number and the nature of the Universe? These and many other such considerations are intriguing and interesting. We will try and explore them as we go along.

If you are interested to hear the Pranava you can access a free recording on this website:
http://tiruvannamalai.yogiramsuratkumar.net/Free_Download_Annamalai_Arunachala_Girivalam_Audio_Songs.aspx

This posting is a little longer than the earlier ones and we hope you will find it both interesting and exciting. We look forward to your valued comments on the Blog.

This month we celebrate two important festivals in India. One is the commencement of a New Year according to the Lunar Year on March 16. It is called Ugadi. You can feel Spring around the corner. The trees have put out fresh shoots everywhere and the flowers abound. Fruit trees are sprouting with flowers and little fruit. Birds are warbling and calling each other in joy.

On the ninth day after Ugadi we also celebrate the birthday of a great human called Sri Rama who made a mark on the earth during His time and has left an indelible impression around the world by setting high standards for human life. It is called Sri Rama Navami. It falls on March 24 this year.

May this be the beginning of beautiful happenings in your life too and may the knowledge of the Universe and its immensity and its apparent complexity and its inherent simplicity show you the way to a new life , a new perception of life, of human society and the underlying all pervasive connection between all parts of the Universe, both horizontally and ,if you permit the expression, vertically !

Warm regards and God Bless

THE HETEROGENOUS UNIVERSE

Trying to unravel the mysteries of the Universe has produced two fields of Science, one of which relates to the non-living part of the Universe and the other relates to the living part of the Universe.
The field that explores the non-living Universe is called Physical Science and comprises a wide range of subjects that have grown in complexity and depth with time. They include Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Technology, Astronomy, and an ever widening field of what has come to be known as Material Sciences. The concurrent development of technology has contributed to deeper specializations and ever newer areas for research and experimentation. Two developments that have fascinated contemporary students are the study of Particle Physics and Astro-physics.
The field that explores the living Universe is called Life Science and includes an ever widening number of topics such as Botany, Zoology, Biology and Physiology that has further exploded into the field of Medicine. Much knowledge has been gained into the complex and wonderful design of the human body and the way it works.
However, so far, science has not been able to find the key to the principle of life itself. What is the difference between a non-living system and a living system? While it is possible to diagnose and confirm that a human body is alive and differentiate it from a dead body, the nature of the life principle itself stands undetermined.
To a great extent, it is the struggle to find the answer to the question ‘What is life?’ that has produced a third stream of research and scientific analysis called ‘Philosophy’. This field covers a wide array of topics such as Mathematics, History, Art, Language, Psychology, and Philosophy.
In recent years, it has become apparent that these various streams of thought and knowledge are closely interconnected and it can be greatly beneficial to understanding if they are looked at together rather than in separate compartments. Mathematics can greatly benefit Physical analysis. Electrical technology can aid in understanding of the human nervous system. Chemistry helps in unraveling the mysteries of the human digestive system.
So it has become generally accepted that the extent of knowledge has become so vast that it is not possible for one human individual to comprehend, let alone be competent in, more than one or at the most a few related fields of knowledge. However, it has also come to be accepted that one cannot proceed in depth in any field without an appreciation of other related fields. There is so much to be gained by such ‘cross- cultural’ knowledge. This sort of approach is called ‘Holistic’ and takes an overall view of the subject rather than a specialized or narrow view of one aspect alone to the exclusion of others.
In recent times, this approach is gaining in strength as the close interconnection between the so called living and non-living parts of the Universe become apparent.
Philosophy acts as the means of interconnecting the two streams of thought and trying to work out a commonality and a common theme.
This concept is reflected in the Sanskrit term ‘charAchara’. This word is a combination of two terms, ‘chara’ meaning mobile or animate, and ‘achara’ meaning immobile or inanimate. The manifest Universe is considered in Indian thought to be a closely interlinked and interconnected combination of living and non -living, animate and inanimate, mobile and immobile.

This month of February is considered auspicious because on the day of Mahasivarathri , which this year falls on February 12, it is considered very possible for the human being to establish contact with the underlying foundation of the Universe. This is because the effect of the Moon on the Earth and so on the human mind is minimal on that night. Many people keep vigil on this sacred night and either meditate or sing sacred hymns and try to reach out to the Basis, the Ground and the Foundation of the Universe. That Basis is called ‘Shiva’ He is often depicted as ‘Nataraja’, rhythmically dancing His way into our hearts.
May this Mahasivarathri take us closer to the understanding of the Truth of our underlying unity.