Why are we here?

K.Krishnamoorthi

We are born in this world as humans with some purpose. What is that purpose? Have you ever paused for a moment and pondered about it? Is it to amass wealth, gain name and fame in any field of activity, get married, and beget children and grand children to sustain the family tree? Let us carefully analyse this. Wealth: How much of it is enough? A billion, trillion or a gazillion? What is the time period you have to amass this wealth? It is very strange that the desire for more wealth is never-ending. Very few people think that its enough, now I am happy. You made a lot of money by your hard work and enjoyed the wealth. But after a while, you feel this is not the purpose of my life. Obviously you can have only one meal at a time. More than that makes you ill. So you think that this is not the purpose of life. It is some thing else. What is it? Name and Fame: If you are fortunate enough you may do well in your field of activity and will be recognized by your peers and followers as a famous person. A famous scientist, author, Sportsperson, etc; you contribute something to the world for its progress and then you leave this world. Is that the purpose of your birth? Cannot say. Children and Family: You bring up your children to follow in your footsteps and contribute things for the material world. Sometimes it may not work out the way you want it. You get depressed and die a sad person. Why is it so? Then why are we here? : Vedanta looks at the issue in a different perspective. World comprises the Plant, Animal kingdoms and the human beings. Human beings are blessed with the power of choice of action. You can select the way one wants to lead a life in this world. Most of the people fritter away the rare chance of choosing the right path and leave this world after satisfying their ego needs. Vedanta believes in the principle of rebirth. The cycle of birth, death, rebirth is perpetual. When you are born as a human, you have a chance to end the cycle by becoming god yourself! Strange? Let us look at it a little closer. Vedanta reiterates the Advita Philosophy that is you and God are not separate. God is termed as Atman in Sanskrit language. It is all pervading, omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. In other words God is present everywhere. In all objects of the world including humans. Tatvamasi (in Sanskrit) means That Thou Art. Only the humans are capable of realizing the God in him/her. Often a question is asked is God a man or a woman. There was this little girl who wrote a letter to God. She says God, I am a Christian, What are you !!! Is God the Christ, Allah, or Krishna? These are symbolic in nature. The real God is in you. It is difficult to find happiness within oneself; but it is impossible to find it anywhere else Arthur Schnopenhauer, a German thinker. God and happiness are synonymous. So we are here to realize the God within us. Vedanta takes you to this realization of the Self in a systematic manner. The book Vedanta

Treatise by Swami A. Parthasarathy, a classic book gives the methods in a simple language understandable to a layman. This book is the result of years of research of the Hindu scriptures by the swamiji and is a must for all students of philosophy. You can visit www.vedantaworld.org for procuring a copy and to know more about self-realization. The human mind is like a monkey jumping from one thought to another. This needs to be controlled. The humans have intellect to do this. The body executes this. Thus the humans have three equipment which is useful in realization of the Godhead in you. The Body, Mind and Intellect (BMI).are the 3 equipments. These should be used judiciously and correctly to achieve the goal of self-realization. Practical approach: You approach the goal in a step by step manner. All humans are selfish and self centered in their way of living. What can I get out of this world? How can I become wealthier and enjoy pleasures of the world? These are the upper most thoughts in ones mind. How to change this attitude? This does not mean you stop earning, living a normal life and run away from worldly duties to your family, society, nation and the world. Step 1: From being a selfish person, try and become an unselfish person. That is to say if an act is going to bring happiness to the needy apart from you, please perform it. Over a period of time, you realize that life is happier and peaceful. All your deeds are going to bring happiness not only for you but people around you. Thus you benefit your relatives, friends and people around you. Your attitude to life undergoes a change over a period of time. You become wealthier materially and mentally. You break the initial barrier of ego. Your acts now become less self-centered. Step 2: Extend the step 1 to benefit more people, like your community, your nation. What is going benefit the society more than ones own self? This brings in a fresh breath in your life and a sense of achievement and sense of purpose to it. At this stage, your ego level further depletes. Step 3: The next logical step is to become selfless. Whatever you do has no motive of your self. It is dedicated to others and you are in a state of total happiness as the fruits of your acts are of no concern to you. After this, all your desires in the material world start disappearing. You planted a tree, nurtured it and when it bears fruit, it is for the benefit of the others in the world. A true detachment from worldly desires. You continue to act with this aim in your life. You are now ready to do meditation. Your mind is calm and ready to concentrate on your self and identify the Godhead in you. Meditation is defined as a single thought in the absence of all other thoughts. This can be achieved only if your mind is free of desires. When you sit in meditation, a number of thoughts come to you. In order to focus your mind, you chant a mantra or japa which can recite with concentration. It can be a single name, a stanza or any object of your choice. This may sound simple. But it is very difficult to practice. When you sit in meditation, your eyes are closed; your ears are open to external sounds. Any stimuli can carry your mind away from your chanting. If you can get 30 seconds of concentration initially, it is a great achievement. As you practice meditation, lead a self-less life. Worldly pleasures tempt you to slip back to step1 and 2.

It is easier said than done. As you go on meditating, you may not need a chant and you trail off to silence and your mind is focusing on nothing. At this stage, you start feeling the oneness with God. This state of consciousness of mind is called TURYA which has transcended the 3 states of consciousness. The 3 states are the Awakened state; Dream state and the Deep sleep state. Vedanta Treatise describes them lucidly. What is the state of turya? It is the state of God realization that has dawned on you. One may ask Is it the state of death? The answer is no. All bodily functions continue to operate but the mind has no likes and dislikes. It can be compared to a ceiling fan which has been just switched off where it continues to rotate though it has no power. In this state you and God have merged into one. It also takes you to a state where you will not have any re-births, as now YOU are GOD. There are a very few individuals who have reached this state. That does not mean you cannot try. So we are here to realize the Godhead in us. I have tried to present the above from my knowledge of Vedanta. The learning process continues and there are many more steps for me to take. If this has helped you, please feel free to write to me. It is only by discussions that the knowledge of Vedanta can be absorbed. Write to me at moorthi04@gmail.com