Introduction to Vedanta by K Sadananda

Author:K Sadananda [Sadananda, K]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SRATH-VISUAL Press
Published: 2017-07-15T22:00:00+00:00

Part 27 – The Mind of God

Brahman being pure consciousness there cannot be any true creation. Matter cannot be created or destroyed, nor can energy. Krishna states this in an absolute law of conservation: that which exists cannot cease to exist and that which is non-existent cannot come into existence (nAsato vidyate bhAvo nAbhAvo vidyate sataH).

If there is any creation it is only a transformation of one form into another. But Brahman, which is infinite, cannot transform either – this was stated before, as ‘Brahman cannot create, since creation involves an action.’ This can be also be stated in terms of cause-effect relationships, which are only possible in the realm of time. Even the concept of time is the product of creation. That which is beyond time - that which is beyond any cause-effect relationships - cannot be the cause of any universe.

Hence Vedanta declares that creation is only apparent and not real. Gaudapada puts this neatly and says that what we call creation is the ‘svAbhAvika’ – natural state of Brahman, just as existence in varieties of name and form for gold is its very nature (or to put it more technically, gold is malleable and corrosion-resistant enough to be made into varieties of ornamental forms). If you know the essence of one ornament, you know the Gold. If you know gold, you know the truth of all gold-ornaments. Similarly if you know Brahman, you know the whole creation, the world of names and forms.

Hence when the student says to his teacher, “Sir, please teach me that, knowing which I know everything” – “kasmino bhaghavo vij~nAte sarvam idam vij~nAtam bhavati,” the teacher says it is not an objective science, but yet it is the science of every object in the whole universe and that it is Brahman, knowing which you have essentially known everything. I do not need to know this ring, that ring, this bangle, and that bangle et cetera, – that is all superficial knowledge (or knowledge of superimpositions on gold) – there are unlimited numbers of ornaments. However, once I know that all are nothing but gold and gold alone, which remains unchanged in all changes, then essentially I know all those ornaments in the past, all those in the present and all those that will be there in the future. Knowing that which is changeless in all changes is Brahman, the very material cause for the universe of names and forms, I have known the essence of all that was there in the past, all that is there now and all that will be there in future. As Einstein puts it, “Once I have known the mind of God, the rest are all details.”

Thus, at the level of vyavahAra, the world appears to be real but from the absolute point of view there is no creation. The appearance of a multitude of forms with names is just the Glory of Ishvara, as Krishna declares ‘pashyam me yogamaishvaram.’ Creation is just the names and forms without any substantive other than Brahman.

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