The Meaning of Life

The Meaning of Life

Vimal Sehgal

B.Tech IIT Delhi

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 1998 Vimal Sehgal

This is a very good book. - Swami B.H.Mangal Maharaj, Secretary, Chaitanya Gaudiya Ashrams, India.

"In ‘The Meaning of Life’, Shri Vimal Sehgal has brought complex wisdom into simple, rational language. He has applied ancient secrets and insights to modern dilemmas. This is a book for everyone from the young seeker to the seasoned spiritual practitioner.

The author has shown divine love to be at the core of our existence, and he explains how to bring this pure, spiritual love into our everyday lives. I recommend this book for everyone who is looking for more meaning, more understanding and more love in their lives."

- Swami Chidanand Saraswati, President, Parmarth Niketan, India Heritage Research Foundation, Rishikesh.

This book eloquently addresses issues raised by most spiritual aspirants and novices who commence the study of Hinduism from the spiritual perspective. Whilst it focuses on the complex issues such as reincarnation, karma, peace, meditation and the role of love and devotion in Hinduism, it does so in a ‘very reader friendly’ manner.

- Swami Satyamitranand giri, ex-Shankaracharya, President, Bharat Mata Mandir, Haridwar.

Our editor has found this work very interesting. The chapters are very well organised and are logically sequenced with a smooth reading flow.

- UBS Publishers’ Distributors Ltd., New Delhi.

Table of contents

Preface

The meaning of life

What is Life? – Life vs. Matter

Healthy life vs. diseased life - Immortality and bliss

Reincarnation

introduction

the role of desire

the process of reincarnation

the significance of reincarnation

evolution

evolution of consciousness : the Vedic paradigm

the story of Maharaj Bharat’s reincarnation

reincarnation explains genius

Life is but a dream

Proof of God’s existence

Morality, karma and peace

morality and it’s basis

the law of karma

why does evil exist

moral and spiritual education

the study of life, consciousness and desire

the Vedic model of life

modern ethical issues

Head transplant - location of soul

the peace formulae

Love is the ultimate reality

Love is divine – the trinity

relationships in reality

love vs. lust

personal and impersonal philosophy

Meditation

the mind - theory

meditation by spiritual sound – bhakti yoga

the liberation of Ajamil - a tale from Purana

The art of dying

References

Shrimad Bhagvat Mahapuran ( Srimad Bhagvatam )

Bhagvad Gita

Sri Chaitanya Charitamrta

Sri Chaitanya Bhagvat

Brahma Samhita

Ishopanishad, Mundak, Shvetashvatar Upanishads

Padam Puran

Garud Puran

Ramcharitmanasa

Ramayan

Mahabharat

Brahmcharya and Sandhya - Gita press, Gorukhpur.

Life after life - R. Moody jr.

Life comes from life – by A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami

Preface

Everyone has some desire to know the meaning of life. Everyone wants happiness, love, pleasure and immortality, and though these seem elusive I have described how everyone can attain these in the human form of life. This is the importance of human life - to attain divine love, immortality and bliss permanently. In this world we are going through birth, old age, disease and death. This is not our normal healthy condition of life. We need to reinstate ourselves in our normal healthy life which is one of immortality and bliss.

I have made an attempt to present the meaning of life and related knowledge in a rational, systematic and comprehensive yet concise manner in easy to comprehend language so that anyone without prior knowledge of the subject may easily understand it. The book also presents a synthesis of science and spirituality by giving explanations of the phenomena of consciousness and presenting the distinction between life and matter by describing their characteristics.

I realise my limitations in presenting this knowledge but considering the importance of this subject matter to humanity, I have nevertheless made an attempt to present the essence of the Vedic philosophy in this book which I hope will contribute towards a meaningful life for mankind. The inspiration for writing this book comes from the super-soul (param-atma). As stated in the Bhagvad Gita,

I am seated in everyone’s heart and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness.

The book is divided into ten chapters.

Chapter 1 & 8 (The meaning of life, Love is the ultimate reality) describe the meaning of life.

Chapters 2 through 7 contain essential spiritual and moral knowledge which gives us the impetus to aim for the reality. These chapters give a unified system of knowledge so that one can understand his existing position relative to the reality and the significance of human life.

Chapter 9 - Meditation - describes the theory of mind and meditation, and Meditation by spiritual sound describes the means of attaining divine love and happiness and thus fulfilling the meaning of life.

Acknowledgements

Jai Om Vishnupad Shri Shrimat Bhakti Hirday Mangal Maharaj ji ki jai.

I would like to thank my mother, Laj Sehgal, for her encouragement and support, and my father, Dina Nath Sehgal, for his goodwill, in writing this book.

I would like to thank A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami ji for his invaluable teachings and excellent translations of the Bhagvad Gita, Srimad Bhagvatam and Shri Chaitanya Charitamrta.

I would like to especially thank my guru ji, Swami B.H.Mangal Maharaj, (secretary, Shri Chaitanya Gaudiya Ashrams, India) for his invaluable guidance and teachings.

I would like to thank Shri Virendra Bhanot for his technical assistance in publishing this book.

1. The meaning of life

As we arrive in the twenty first century we see that man has made great strides in science and technology. We have many material comforts yet something is wanting. We have many traditional religions based on faith but these have failed to give us solace as is evident from the general breakdown in ethics and morality. This is so because man is a rational being. Faith alone will not do. Most religions demand blind faith which is unacceptable to the rational mind. And science has provided only a mechanistic view of life which is cold comfort to man’s emotional needs. The Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads however contain a comprehensive philosophy of life. What man needs is a philosophy of life that appeals to his head as well as his heart. For man needs rational answers that appeal to his intelligence and reason, and satisfy his emotional needs also. People need to know: what is the meaning of life? That is the ultimate question. After all what is the use of living a meaningless life?

These days science is considered the answer to all knowledge. However one should remember that science is only a tiny part of knowledge which is vast. Knowledge has many branches of which science is but a part. One who wishes to acquire ultimate knowledge should not limit himself to mere material science but should extend his study to the knowledge of life and consciousness. Science has provided some answers to material problems but in the study of life and consciousness, science has not made much progress. Life and consciousness is more important than mere material science. But presently because of lack of knowledge on subjects such as life, consciousness, the purpose and meaning of life, morality and the aim of human life, mankind is dissatisfied. Progress in science and technology has brought us some material comforts but no inner satisfaction, and with our advanced science and technology we have manufactured sophisticated weapons and nuclear bombs which threaten our very existence because we are bereft of the meaning of life. Morally and spiritually mankind is bankrupt. What we have now is guided missiles in the hands of misguided man!

Einstein once said that he received many queries from people asking him: what is the meaning of life? He remarked that he didn’t know what answer to give them. Since he was a renowned scientist and people respected him, they obviously wanted his opinion on this most important question. Does science have an answer to this query? After all what is the point in living if one doesn’t know or make a query as to what is it all about. What is the meaning of life?

So in this book I will deal with the meaning of life so that any layman may understand it clearly. The purpose of this book is to get this message across clearly and not to confound anyone with vague philosophy. The purpose of explaining knowledge is to explain it with clarity and simplicity. I will make an attempt to this end in this book.

Before I get into a deep analysis of life and its meaning I will give an answer to this question partially and briefly and the book will deal with it in detail later, expanding and giving a more complete answer.

So what is the meaning of life? The answer to this all important question is:

The meaning of life is love. For therein lies the happiness of the individual. Everywhere in the hearts of all people in all times is the great yearning for love. Whether one is a man, woman or child, old or young, a bird, beast, aquatic or whatever species of life, everyone is looking for love fully consciously or on various levels of awareness. From our childhood this is our experience. A child wants love. If his parents or substitutes do not love him by holding or cuddling him he will be unhappy and cry. In the beginning a child is basically interested in himself. Gradually as he grows up his love may extend to mother, father then friends, society and nation. In the heart of everyone there is love. People give expression to their love in various ways by serving others and their society, nation and mankind. Thus they seek fulfilment of their loving propensity by reaching out to others by their words and deeds.

A child may not be fully developed in awareness but automatically his yearning for love is there. Even a pet bird or dog will love his master and demand love. In school, children seek love and often say he or she is my best friend. The teenagers are all searching for true love. They want to find that person who has loveable qualities, who they can love with all their heart and soul and who in turn will reciprocate their love. All of us want to have that true love which will forever grow more and more will be ever fresh and never wither. O what will we not be willing to give for that ecstatic experience of love which will never end, where there is no heart break and which is an ever lasting love affair not subject to break, decay or boredom. You may ask any man or woman how much they value love. Ask them if they would want to live if they had everything but no love. No one would want a life without love. For love is life and life is love.

There is no meaning to life without love for the meaning of life is love. That is why you see poets writing poems about love and writers writing love stories and romance novels; film makers producing love stories wholly or as part of some plot and singers singing love songs. Love songs are so popular. Everyone is crazy about love, for it is love only that makes the world go round. Men and women seek each other for love. Without the element of love all relationships seem stale and intimacy is unpalatable without some ingredient of love. We go to see our friends and relatives hoping for loving exchanges on various levels such as sharing of thoughts, sweet words, gifts, compliments, embracing etc. Need I say more! It is love only that makes the world go round; that makes our hearts beat in anticipation. It is love only that cheers a soul, a child, man, woman or pet. The whole world is singing about love and the glories of love only. Whether we fully understand love or not is a different matter. But love is it. Whatever may be our conception of love yet love is the central force of our life.

Freud explained everything in terms of sex or lust. But the basis of lust is also love only. Without love, lust cannot exist. Just as coloured water exists on the basis of pure water only, similarly lusty desire is only pure desire coloured or contaminated by the propensity to enjoy the senses. Lust is the perverted reflection of love. Lusty desires are perverted and dangerous and lead to anger and quarrel. Yet lusty desires originate from the contamination of pure desire only.

So from our own experience we can understand that love is the meaning of life. I want to love and be loved. This desire and thought is operative on a conscious or subconscious level because to love is our nature.

Everyone wants true love. However knowledge of how to find true love is required. Knowledge in itself is not the aim but is only a means to achieve one’s goal. By mere knowledge alone one cannot attain true love but by application of such knowledge one can achieve the goal of true love so that one’s heart is fulfilled. So I will be covering some fundamentals of such knowledge that will aid the reader in attaining true love. I assure you that achieving true love is no trivial pursuit. It requires a thorough application of oneself but the results are so rewarding and so beyond one’s wildest imaginations and dreams that one who achieves true love thinks the endeavour worth no trouble. Reality is far more pleasing than fiction. One who has the most precious diamond has no use for imitations.

I will elaborate further on the meaning of life in a later chapter titled Love is the ultimate reality. To understand the meaning of life let us first understand what life is.

2. What is Life? – Life vs. Matter

What is Life? What are the characteristics of life? Is life an evolved form of matter or is it distinct from matter? Is life simply a product of or combination of material elements? Is it possible for material elements that have no life at all to combine to give rise to life? Life is characterised by consciousness. Matter is devoid of consciousness. How can matter which is devoid of consciousness give rise to life which is conscious? The effect must exist in the cause as well. These are some pertinent questions to ask when we analyse what life is. These questions are the basis of a scientific analysis of life and the debate: creation vs. evolution. It is essential to first define the fundamentals of life namely what life is and what its characteristics are before we can speculate on the origin of life.

In schools and universities we have been studying science which is so far generally limited to the study of matter only in the form of atoms, molecules and chemicals. Whatever study of life is done also presumes that matter combined to form life. But such an assumption that matter combines to form life is not only an erroneous assumption but is also a reprehensible theory with evil connotations and dangerous and destructive moral, physical and spiritual consequences for mankind. So far our study is limited to the study of matter in science. But what is of more importance to us? Life or matter? After all we are all living beings. I am far more important to me than all the matter surrounding me, even though I may presently be dependent on matter to some extent. Therefore our primary emphasis should be on the study of life and not exclusively on the study of matter. We should study life, its characteristics and its relation and interaction with matter. In the words of one Nobel laureate who studied chemistry, In my search for life I ended up with studying molecules and chemicals only, which have no life at all. Now in my old age I am retracing my steps, for life seems to have slipped through my fingers somewhere along the line.

Generally in science we deal with matter, time and activity. Some biologists speak of dead matter and living matter without realising that to speak of living matter is a contradiction. Matter is not living. Matter is insentient as opposed to life which is sentient. Life displays the capacity to be, to will and to act whereas matter only exists without the capacity to will or to act.

Life has the characteristic that a living being has desires and is conscious. Desire and consciousness are the chief characteristics of life. Matter is unconscious and devoid of desire. Therefore the Vedic model of the universe includes both life and matter as two distinct energies emanating from a single source that being the cause of both of them must also be conscious since the effect must exist in the cause as well.

The two potencies of God in this universe are:

1. Life - the conscious living beings i.e. the souls. The souls are fundamental units of life. The souls are indivisible, irreducible and eternal. They cannot be added together or subdivided.

Life is not a product of matter. Life does not arise from a combination of material elements. Life is non-material.

2. Matter which is devoid of consciousness but is pervaded by the consciousness of God who directs every particle of matter according to his laws.

Matter is constituted of eight basic material elements:

1. There are three subtle elements namely: Mind, intelligence and false ego.

2. There are five basic elements in varying proportions in each atom which form gross matter. These are: bhumih (earth), apah (water), analah (fire), vayuh (air) and kham (ether). These Sanskrit terms refer to the characteristic of the elements of earth, water, fire, air and ether. Every atom is constituted of these five basic elements. These may be known by the following characteristics:

1. Earth - particles like neutrons and protons that form the nucleus of the atom.

2. Water – the cohesive force between various particles within the atom?

3. Fire – the latent energy which is released on fission of atom.

4. Air – the movement of the electrons around the nucleus.

5. Ether – the space within an atom in which the movement of electrons takes place.

The Vedic model of the universe stresses the unity of all life. Life is defined as the marginal potency of the supreme life, and matter is defined as his external potency. Both of these potencies, Life and Matter are actually distinct from each other. Just as sunshine and heat are the energies of the sun, similarly matter and the living beings are the potencies of the Supreme Being. Just as when we speak of the sunshine we refer to the sun similarly the identity of the living beings is with reference to their origin, the Supreme. Living beings have an identity dependent on the Supreme.

By marginal potency is meant that living beings are on the margin and have the capacity to choose whether to be under the influence of matter or under the direct influence of the Supreme Person. Those living beings who violate the laws governing life, that is, whose desires are not in harmony with those of the Supreme Person, are ensnared and entrapped by the glare of the external potency consisting of matter which is inert and thus they lose their capacity for a full display of their consciousness whereas those who are in harmony with the laws governing life enjoy full freedom of their consciousness. The consciousness of those averse to God thus becomes stunted due to bondage within matter and is exhibited in the three phases - wakefulness, dreaming and deep sleep; whereas those who love God live with full consciousness unimpeded by matter.

We should