Man's illusion or delusion ?
This is with reference to the interview of P.Rajendran with Hemant Mehta ( IA,June 5) and two letters (IA,June 19) on God. "Steve Grand ( in his book,Creation: Life and How to Make It ) points out that you and I are more like waves than permanent 'things'. What we see of the real world is not the unvarnished real world but a model of the real world, regulated and adjusted by sense data. The nature of that model depends on the kind of animal we are. A flying animal needs a different kind of world model from a walking, climbing or a swimming animal", says Richard Dawkins in his book, The God Delusion. This sounds more like maya (illusion) of Shankaracharya. In fact, Albert Einsteins theory of E=mc2 (mass and energy are equivalent and transmutable) is in tune with the philosophy of Advita (oneness of the world) of Shankarcharya. This is unity in diversity. Things look different but the substance is the same.
Mehta and his role model Dawkins question the existence of God who can be known only by certain discipline. Just as one needs acclimatization to snow to climb the Everest, one has to follow the discipline of yoga ( jnana , bhakti , raja , karma ) to know God. The book, An Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda has much to say on this. The mystics of all religions – Hindu yogis, Muslim sufis and Christian mystics ( the kingdom of God is within you) – have seen the God and the oneness of the universe (Advita).
Many crimes have been committed in the name of religion and God. That does not invalidate the truths of religion or God. The condemnation of religion is akin to condemnation of the rule of law. Just because laws are broken, we cannot conclude that there should not be laws. You can always change the laws by consensus. The Bhgawadgita, The Ten Commandments and The Sermon on the Mount have given to the world the rule of law – Dharma, the law that sustains society. These laws have elevated humanity from the level of animal instincts (selfishness and self-preservation) to that of human values (brotherhood of man). Spirituality can elevate man to a higher level (everyman is a flame of the Divine) if he tries. Of course over a period of time all religions have acquired rigidity in their frame-work – hierarchy, rituals,- which override human values which are the bed-rock of religions. There is an urgent need to change all religious practices which are not in tune with the human values.
Many have said religion is the root of the evil. But we have to imagine a world without religion where everybody for himself – the rule of the jungle (might is right). The religious injunctions have given the world a moral compass to judge our behaviour. That is why, we cannot throw baby (religion and God) with the bath-water (rituals etc.). We cannot throw the ladder through which the world has climbed the cultural and civilizational level that we find today.
June 1,2009.
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