Tangential Thought

My best friend and I talk most often about some off beat topics. One of them is regarding our intelligence coming in the way of realization. Realization here means the ultimate goal of human life from philosophical stand point. We can confidently say we are relatively intelligent guys. My friend may be a ten or dozen times smarter than me. I am not that bad either. We keep wondering if the rational thinking imparted by English style of education has killed our natural Indian instinct and coming in way of realization.

We have faith in Indian traditions and like many people we make our own convenience as priority when following them. Like any science and engineering graduate, we use reasoning and proofs to believe things. We studiously read Newton’s laws of action and reaction and Darwin’s theory of evolution. No matter how idiotic it appears to believe that my great great…. Grand dad was a monkey!! We have never seen any proofs Darwin provided to solidify such belief but still because my teacher said it, I believed it to be true. But when some one tells me that God exists, we ask for proof. We became so proof oriented that even if God himself comes to us, we would ask him to prove himself. If proof must again fall in line with the cinematic versions we have seen and should be magical. Even if He succeeds doing that, we doubt him like we doubt many babas in the world.

English model of education did us more bad than good. Worst is now being done by educational system. Ramayana cant be taught in school stating that it is a religious text. But they do not realize that Ramayana teaches how chastity and uprightness are more important. Ramayana teaches following Dharma is most important which is surely essence of every religion. Ramayana teaches making right friendship is going make your life (through tale of Sugriva). English model teaches us history. Most of it is adopted from what West has given us. West cannot agree that Ramayana is history, because they cannot agree we had God in name of Rama before Christ existed. They call Ramayana as myth and term it as mythology than history.

Anyways coming back to original question of how do we understand God exists at all, reminds me a small story.There is a small story accredited to Adi Shakaracharya. Adi Shankara walked on this earth at a time when Buddhism was at its peak and people started questioning the Vedic Dharma. Buddhism in reality is nothing but one aspect of Vedic Dharama namely Sanyasa and so is never complete in itself. Religion was really solidified due to great personality of Gautama Buddha. How ever, it got diluted because of lack leadership which failed to take the spirit of Buddhism forward and blindly maintaining that it is against Hindu customs. It lead to Charvaka tradition who challenge existence of God himself. Shankara encountered a person who challenged existence of God. His contention was God does not exist and if Shankara thinks “He” exists he will believe only if Shakrcharya can show God to him. Shankara uses Tharka (logic) to counter him. Here is the dialogue

Shankara: Have you ever seen King of the country?
Charvaka: No
Shankara: So can you say that King of the country does not exist at all because you have not seen him?
Charvaka: No. But we get orders from him on regular basis
Shankara: Similarly we do get orders from God. How o you know that Orders are coming from King only?
Charvaka: There are his subordinates who have actually seen him
Shankara: Similarly there are people called rishis who have seen Almighty and proposed same in scriptures
Charvaka: I can’t believe those scriptures they are just doctored to cheat people.
Shankara: Let’s apply same logic to King’s case, if I challenge you that King does not exist and it is act of few people to cheat rest of us?
Charvaka: No. It cant be same analogy because I can show you King.
Shankara: Similarly I can show you God.
Charvaka: Ok Show me now.
Shankara: Can you show me the King if I say I wont travel all the way to Capital city?
Charvaka: No. You will have to come to Capital city.
Shankara: Even if I come to capital city and do not come near the King’s fort, can you show him?
Charvaka: No You have to come to King’s fort.
Shankara: Even if I come to King’s fort, can I directly get access to King?
Charvaka: No. You will need some sort of recommendation or authority to meet the King.
Shankara: Say for example I some how chanced to meet the King, if I close my eyes when he is around, can you show me ?
Charvaka: No. You have to keep your eyes wide open to see the king.
Shankara: Even after seeing the King if I say that I don’t believe that he is the King, is there something you can do?
Charvaka: No
Shankara: For a ruler of single kingdom, if so much of procedure to see, what can you say of the ruler of whole universe?
Charvaka: hmm
Shankara: I can show you God. But you will have to put effort by performing rituals, meditation and japa. You need to perform Karma (Vedic duty) in order to purify your body and soul and make it ready to see the God. An then you will have to make attempt through Tapasya (meaning desirous) for seeing the God. After reaching the rightful rigor in your Tapasya you will be ready to see the God. Then only you can see God.