Spiritual Discourses: What is our definition of īśvara?
By Swami Viditatmananda Saraswati*
Surrender and Inner Freedom: Īśvara
The acceptance of īśvara is the acceptance of the order. A very important reality of life is īśvara. What is our definition of īśvara? The scriptures say that īśvara is the creator, sustainer, and dissolved:
yato vä imäni bhütäni jäyante, yena jätäni jévanti, yatprayantyabhisamviśanti.
That from which indeed these beings are born, by which (the beings) that are born live, and unto which they go back while resolving [Taittiréyopaniñad, 3-1].
tavaiśvaryaà yattajjagadudayaraksäpralayakŗt,
trayévastuvyastam tișŗsu gunabhinnäsu tanusu.
O Giver of Boons, Your greatness is the cause of the creation, and the maintenance and destruction of the whole universe; this is supported by three Vedas; it is distributed in the three qualities and three bodies [Śivamahimna Stotra, 4].
This universe is a creation and thus, there must be a creator. While the proof of īśvara being the creator of this world is ultimately provided by the scriptures, there is reasonable evidence to show His existence. We do not provide reasons to prove īśvara but can provide logic to support what the scriptures say. If we keep an open mind, there is enough evidence to show that there is īśvara. For example, a lecture hall is made up of a number of components, all of which are put together in a meaningful and intelligent manner so that the hall serves a useful purpose. The inert parts do not come together by themselves; the design and creation of the hall is a deliberate action originating from an intelligent being. Similarly, the universe can be looked upon as an assemblage that is created or intelligently put together by somebody, to serve a useful purpose. It is a cosmos, not a chaos. Whatever there is in the universe has a reason to be there and everything appears to be in its proper place. Therefore, īśvara or God must be its creator, sustainer, and dissolved.
Also read: Spirituality: Surrender and Inner Freedom
The word īśvara is derived from the root īś, which means to rule. He is the ruler of the universe in which everything functions in accordance with a basic order. All the natural forces seem to conform to this order and nothing in the universe seems to have the freedom to transgress it. Even powerful forces such as the wind, fire, water, earth, sun, and moon function in a systematic and compliant manner, as though they are appointed to perform certain tasks; the sun rises and sets at the appointed time, water flows from a higher level to a lower level, the earth rotates around the sun, the moon rotates around the earth in a prescribed manner, and the planets move in an orderly and predictable manner as well. Everything functions according to an order or law.
The acceptance of īśvara is the acceptance of the order. We may not know the order in its entirety because of limitations in our own knowledge, but we can accept its existence. As human beings, we have some knowledge of the order based upon which we can predict certain things and live our lives. We will never have total knowledge of the order, however, because that would require one to be all-knowing. The knowledge of all of humanity put together would still be insufficient for this. Therefore, whatever understanding we have becomes the basis for living our lives.
An acceptance of īśvara is crucial for surrender
The acceptance of īśvara or this order is very important. It is only then that we will know that our lives are also a part of that order and then we will not resist things. We find that we are required to conform to this order and also observe that nothing in nature resists it. Following the order need not be a problem; we would not look upon the order as an infringement of our freedom if we can accept it gracefully. The problem is that we want to have an order of our own. We want to be in control and expect things to go the way we would like them to happen. We have to recognize that it is the order that decides how things happen; there is an appropriate result for every karma or action. An acceptance of this becomes the acceptance of īśvara.
Īśvara is a conscious being
Īśvara is the creator. He must be a conscious being because this is an intelligent creation, and intelligence always rests in a conscious being. This is where we part company with Science, which says that consciousness is the property of matter. We say, instead, that matter is the manifestation of consciousness. Science accepts only pratyakșa or perception and anumäna or inference as valid means of knowledge. In Vedanta, however, sabda or the verbal testimony of the scriptures is the ultimate pramäna or means of knowledge in case of entities that are beyond perception and inference. If a perception appears to contradict what the scriptures say, it is our perception that we examine for correctness. Very often, what we perceive seems to be contradictory to what the scriptures say, or vice versa. For instance, the scriptures say that non-duality or non-difference is the Truth. However, we perceive duality and division everywhere. Also, while the scriptures tell us that we are limitless, our perception of ourselves is that we are limited beings. Yet this contradiction only calls for surrender on our part; wherever we find this kind of contradiction, we should be able to surrender our own perceptions in favour of the words of the scriptures. Because of our sraddha or faith and devotion to the words of the scriptures, we look upon them as the pramana or valid means of knowledge. This surrender is called saranagati. It is the ability to let go of our perceptions wherever necessary and is not easy to acquire.
The fact of consciousness is the ultimate truth. To the scientist, matter is the ultimate truth and consciousness is but a product of some kind of chemical combination, which occurs in the brain; it is that which emerged when the ‘primordial soup’ reached the right temperature or pressure. Vedanta says that the chemical combination in the brain produces sentience, not consciousness. Sentience is a manifestation of consciousness. For example, when a bulb glows, we can either say that light is a property of the bulb or that the bulb provides the locus for the manifestation of light. One could perhaps conclude that light is a property of the bulb or the tungsten filament.
However, we say that the tungsten filament is where electricity manifests, and, similarly, the brain provides the locus for the manifestation of consciousness.
It is important to understand that īśvara obtains in our lives. Sat-chit-änanda or existence-awareness-happiness is the nature of īśvara, truth or consciousness. This saccidänanda alone manifests everywhere. Yet how it manifests depends upon the particular medium of manifestation. Consciousness manifests differently in different upadhis or names and forms, just as the manifestation of electricity varies depending upon the medium of manifestation. For instance, electricity manifests as light in a light bulb and as heat in a heater. In living beings, consciousness manifests in the subtle body as life or sentience; there is sentience wherever there is a subtle body consisting of the mind, intellect, and sense organs. In objects such as tables and chairs, there is no subtle body and, therefore, no sentience. Consciousness is understood to manifest in them as the state of existence. Where the mind is sättvika, consciousness is manifest as änanda. People often confuse consciousness either with sentience or with the state of mind. According to Western thinking, consciousness is a state of mind. However, we regard the mind to be an upädhi, a limiting adjunct, where consciousness is manifest as thinking. It is in the brain that consciousness manifests as the mind. Consciousness is to be accepted as something that is independent of matter; matter is where it manifests.
The Upanisads say that the universe has emerged from īśvara, is sustained by īśvara, and also resolves into īśvara. Īśvara is consciousness, saccidänanda. The Taittiréyopanisad calls it änanda [3-6]:
änandädhyeva khalvimäni bhütäni jäyante, änandena jätäni jévanti, änandaà prayantyabhisamvisantéti.
Because, certainly, these beings are born from happiness alone. (The beings) that are born live by means of happiness. They go back to happiness while resolving.
It is difficult for the human being to appreciate that the universe is born of happiness, is sustained by happiness, and goes back into happiness. Yet only the human being is unhappy in this creation. Perhaps sadness and depression are privileges of human beings alone because of their sensitivity; the more sensitive we are, the more prone we are to hurt and unhappiness. We are unhappy because we are keenly conscious of our limitations. Only when we are unhappy, however, will we seek a solution. Other living beings seem to be blissfully ignorant and do not appear to seek any solutions. We have a basic problem of unhappiness and sorrow and, therefore, cannot enjoy all that God has given us. As we have seen earlier, this problem is a product of our false perception of ourselves. Sorrow is but a reaction of the mind. It is not that a given situation will necessarily make us sad; it is the way we interpret the situation and relate to it that causes the reaction of happiness or unhappiness. The Upanisad says that the basic reality is änanda, happiness. Happiness is our nature, but we project unhappiness upon it.
Sorrow or sadness is a reaction. When that reaction is absent, there is only joy or happiness. Pain is one thing and sadness, is quite another. If we accept pain gracefully, as a happening in life, we will not let it lead to sadness. Sadness or sorrow arises out of helplessness and fear. It is not a reality of life. It is only a reaction. The basic reality happens to be order, harmony, and wholeness; saccidänanda is the basic reality. In most cases, sat or Existence is clearly evident. In living beings, cit or Awareness is also evident. Änanda or Happiness becomes evident only when the mind is mature. The manifestation of saccidänanda depends upon the means or medium of manifestation.
to be continued…
*Swami Viditatmananda Saraswati has been teaching Vedānta Prasthānatrayī and Prakaraṇagranthas for the last 40 years in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Throughout the year, he conducts daily Vedānta discourses, accompanied by retreats, and Jñāna Yajñas on Vedānta in different cities in India and in foreign countries.
