God, immanent in this diverse universe

CHENNAI, AUG. 30. The scriptural tradition has been fostered through an unbroken lineage of preceptors and disciples since time immemorial. The method of instruction was oral and hence the transmission has remained undistorted and the tradition is a living one wherein what is taught is imbibed in practical day-to- day life. The scriptures themselves say that doubts must be cleared from elders who are steeped in the Vedic culture. The Vedic teachings encompass both worldly life and spiritual life for which they prescribe the four-fold ends - Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.

The Vedas are classified into two sections, the Karma Kanda containing rituals which are necessary for obtaining all worldly comforts and the Jnana Kanda dealing with the ultimate goal of human life - liberation. The Upanishads which belong to this latter section of the Vedas are the texts which teach man about the higher values of life which distinguish human life from other life forms. Many Upanishads are there but 10 are considered very important and have been commented upon by preceptors of the different schools.

In his discourse, Sri Goda Venketeswara Sastrigal said that the Upanishadic way of life envisaged liberation as the goal of human birth. This spirit is the foundation on which all other concepts and teachings are taught in these texts. The very first opening verse of the Isavasya Upanishad, which is one of the principal texts, declares, ``Whatever there is in this ephemeral world all that must be enveloped by the Lord.'' This is at once profound and categorical, yet, very simple. It does not say that one must renounce this world to realise God but to look for the Supreme in all that one beholds and experiences. All our experiences must be seen in the light of this enduring truth.

Though this truth may seem simple, it is not easy to retain this unitive vision of God as immanent in everything we behold because the human mind by nature is restless. The senses bombard the mind constantly with inputs which are related to material objects and it succumbs to these sensory pleasures and gets engrossed in them. How does a spiritual aspirant wean the mind away from these pursuits? If one tries to control it consciously, it will amount to forcing it to do something which it is not naturally inclined to do. The right way is to engage the mind in devotional activities so that the mind develops a taste for spiritual life. In course of time the mind will lose interest in hedonistic pursuits and become oriented to the goal of liberation.

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