Know for sure that man’s true powers lie not in this physical body made of flesh, blood and bones but that they ooze in the deep recesses of his soul. This vault of soul power is so great that all the material powers of this gross world put together will not even be of the measure of the drop of an ocean Sound Baths.
In the designing of each unit of this cosmos two principles are inseparably conjoined to one another. One is gross (visible) and the other is subtle (invisible). Gross is that which is directly perceived by the 5 sense organs. Subtle is beyond the ken of the limited knowledge of the 5 senses. Subtle knowledge means wisdom. Gross is called informative knowledge and subtle is called Vijnana or science. In spiritual parlance these 2 aspects are called gross and subtle.
The visible potential and utility of each unit of the cosmos is minor. Its true omnipotence can only be found in the subtle. It is only after understanding its true potential and utility that all round benefits accrue else everywhere one will find dust and only dust. With a superficial eye one can only see ponds, rivers, trees etc. We see laymen walking here and there like toys moving with the help of batteries. If all this was the ultimate goal of life man too would limit himself to eating, procreating etc like other animals and birds of the world. He would hence never think of material and spiritual progress/advancement.
Dust spread on the ground is of no value yet modern science tells us that a tiny atom of a dust particle has immense energy. The blue sky looks like the hood of a huge tent but space scientists and astronomers tell us that its subtle potentials are amazing and infinite in nature. Meaning the potential of that seen with our gross eyes is nothing compared to the omnipotence of the subtle world. This subtle world is beyond the ken of the human mind and intellect. No doubt that the subtle is conjoined to the gross but in order to tap it/understand it the limited human intellect, mind and sense organs are of no use. Instead this human intellect has to undergo focusing and purification so as to make it subtle and radiant. Only then will the mysterious subtle laws of the cosmos unfold within our pure soul. One has to dive deep within the recesses of the psyche which is like a diver diving deep down in the ocean to grasp priceless pearls. Direct information of the gross world is called Jnana (information) and wisdom of the subtle world is called Vijnana (science). Informative knowledge is attained by all living beings whereas science can be attained only by human beings.
The potential of grossness is very miniscule. Subtleness is an infinite storehouse of energy. Grass growing in the garden seems very green to our gross eyes and when we touch it, it appears soft and smooth. Despite this its subtle form is infinitely more important since medical herbs can be made from it. The subtle chemical form of a blade of grass is priceless because it can cure many diseases as mentioned in Ayurvedic texts. The gross appearance of minerals and ores is that of dust. Each mineral/ore has minor differences like that of color etc. but when subtle chemical analysis is conducted, each of these is classified as iron, gold, silver etc. All this is the result of subtle research and analysis.
Today modern science has given world humanity so much power which is akin to the ferocious powers attained by demons in mythological literature (Puranas). All the 5 demigods (Devatas) serve them. Fire god (Agni) cooks food. Water god (Varun) gives us water in our taps etc. Wind god (Vaayu) whirls our ceiling/table fans. Space god (Akash) transmits sound in radios, televisions etc. Earth god (Dharti) gives us priceless minerals, ores, oil etc that it holds in its womb. Ancient mythological demons were known to overpower all these demigods and thus lived a life of pomp and aplomb.
Whatever material advancement attained by modern material science will definitely amaze our ancient ancestors. If today’s human being of the 21st century is reborn after a thousand years he too will say in wonder that what was achieved in the 21st century is infinitesimal compared to what is achieved a thousand years later. All this is the gift of material science. Science means subtle. Subtle means that which is beyond the ken of the senses, mind and intellect. The reason why we human beings can take pride in being denizens of a planet (Earth) that is best amongst all planets of the cosmos is that we have made an apt combined use of material power and scientific curiosity. It is because of this scientific bent of mind that planet Earth which is otherwise just a mass of dust, stones etc. leads all the planets in the solar system. It can be said to be a heavenly kingdom.
We all are indeed blessed to have this heaven like wealth because of the combined efforts of material powers and scientific know-how. We all feel that in future even more advancement will be witnessed. Thus mere words cannot point out the deep import of scientific thinking. Demonic powers are called energy (Shakti) and divinity is called grandeur. Hence material powers devoid of spiritual values are called demonic.
Now let us deal with the second aspect of creation which is consciousness. Consciousness dwells in all living beings. Pranis (living beings) have Prana (vital force). Consciousness is the substratum of all living beings and hence is called Prana. Let us not argue further but accept that the gross body of living beings is a mere instrument of its inherent conscious nature. The mysterious potential of consciousness cannot be measured by our limited intellectual powers and sense organs. Man’s gross activities and powers too are thus limited. With its help man looks after his basic needs like food, housing, clothing etc. His life revolves around earning money to support his family. Other living beings too lead such lives albeit at a small scale. Man super-cedes other creatures as far as his special skills are concerned like speech, language, art, music etc. Despite this he fails to capitalize more in the field of creativity because of the illusory lure of the 5 sense organs and their objects. Apart from this, what can I say about those who are praised as great intellectuals? Even they merely eat, sleep and breathe and ultimately enter the jaws of death. Thus what more remains to be added to the description of man’s life and achievements? Since man believes in only that which is gross/visible, his pursuits and attainments too are very limited and ordinary. Man differs from other beasts only as far as possessing an intellect that gives him more physical comforts. As against this animals are ahead of man in certain ways. For example elephants possess more powerful bodies, horses can run at great speed, dogs can smell things very sharply, monkeys can easily jump about here and there and birds can fly up high in the air without the use of scientific technology. Man is classified as a terrestrial animal. Hence the capabilities of water and air based creatures are much more potent. The world of minute germs, bacteria, viruses etc. too is full of wonder. Thus how can man compare his physical capabilities with other so called lesser creatures? Of course we human beings overlook this fact by praising one another’s musical, literary, business etc capabilities so as to label ourselves as the greatest species amongst all creatures.
We human beings must hence realize that our greatness lies not in our gross capabilities but in those that are subtle and invisible. Subtle capabilities are those that lie way beyond our gross intellect and mind. Subtle in other words is called spirituality. Spirituality is that subtle fount of energy that can give us both gross/material and subtle/spiritual prosperity. Know for sure that man’s true powers lie not in this physical body made of flesh, blood and bones but that they abound in the deep recesses of his soul. This vault of soul power is so gigantic that all the material powers of this gross world put together will not even be of the measure of the drop of an ocean. This is proved by the fact that scientists who have used only a fraction of their soul potential have achieved so much technical advancement and thus have glorified planet Earth. Other planets are gloomy in comparison because spiritual powers have not been awakened by them. Of course it is impossible to measure the potential of this cosmos since it is so gigantic and infinite. Whatever we discover or unearth amazes us no end but the fact remains that much more lies undiscovered and untapped. Accepted that man cannot create this cosmos but he can certainly unearth its secret mysteries which are an infinite/eternal storehouse of divine energy. The value of diamonds lying in a vault cannot be known to a layman. It is only a jeweler who can differentiate between common glass and precious diamonds and make a glittering necklace etc. out of it. Similarly the onus lies on human beings in discovering the untapped potential of the subtle world just like the jeweler who ignores stones, glass etc and unearths precious diamonds.
Modern scientists are more and more wonderstruck with the increasing unearthing of material powers. As against this if only they start researching into the potentials of the subtle spiritual world they will have to accept in sheer amazement that all the material progress of the past, present and future put together will not be even an iota of the grandeur of the spiritual arena. It is a fact that today’s man is just one step higher than his predecessor species i.e. apes. This is because he limits his capabilities to his physical body and a mind and intellect that have very limited powers. He fails to realize that his true unlimited potential lies deep in the cave of his psyche and soul. One’s personality cannot be measured merely on the basis of its superficial beauty, handsomeness and a fleeting bank balance. With the help of hard currency one can at the most procure perishable material comforts that give momentary and fleeting pleasure. In fact if man truly wishes to become great he should seriously start tapping the infinite vault of spiritual powers that lie deep in the cave of his psyche.
Maharshi Vyas proclaims: I shall now share a secret with you all and that is that amongst all creatures in the world, man is supreme. Over here it should be noted that Vyasji is not talking of man’s material advancement but is pointing towards his inner spiritual potential which is infinite and eternal. Spiritual Sciences help man to understand and unearth these spiritual powers which only has the power to bestow true greatness on mankind. Science deals with the unfolding of nuclear energy from atoms and spirituality deals with the awakening of unlimited divine powers present in every individual’s soul.
Today the layman accepts material scientific progress wholeheartedly because it is presented in a very logical and scientific manner by the scientific world. As against this the layman is not very inclined towards accepting spiritual tenets because they have not been presented scientifically and have wrongly been associated with wild superstitious beliefs. In fact spirituality has faced a lot of flak and mockery because certain ignorant sections of society have put forth some illusory concepts in the name of spirituality for their own selfish gains. Hence today spirituality has no place in the life of modern mankind because of wrong illusory superstitions associated with it. It is at this juncture that the enlightened thinking classes of the world are requested to ignore these blind concepts and instead research into those eternal spiritual precepts which are true and greatly beneficial for world humanity. These blind concepts are like the fleeting clouds in the sky that ‘cover’ the sun (spiritual precepts). Clouds however dark can cover sunlight for a short length of time but sooner or later it will start shining with full brilliance. The same holds true for spiritual tenets because even if its grandeur is covered for a short time, they can never get erased forever. Spiritual laws are as real as scientific laws. Science has given mankind material wealth and comforts. So the need of the hour is that we now dive deeper into our souls so as to awaken our infinite spiritual potential and thus attain eternal bliss. In this manner world humanity will prosper both materially and spiritually.
As far as the anatomical aspects of mankind is concerned there is not much difference within this species. Exceptions could be in the form of visually, mentally etc challenged people. There maybe differences as far as material means are concerned but not in the realm of circumstances faced by them. Despite this many are poor, sorrowful and in a demeaned state. A few lead lives of contentment but rare are those who not only reach the pinnacles of progress but help others to attain the same with the help of their inner radiance. These rare brilliant men change the gloomy world environment and transform it for the betterment of world humanity. The question hence arises as to why there is such a difference between the 3 classes of men described so far? If one reflects deeply it becomes clear that the differences have virtually nothing to do with the material means available or conducive circumstances. The bare truth is that the mental states of these 3 classes differ a great deal. It is hence very clear that a radiant, taintless psyche has the capacity to awaken infinite dormant powers of the soul which in turn help bring about desired transformations in the external material world. Not only are the external situations transformed for the better but that spiritual powers attract material powers and means like magnets that attract iron filings. This is the secret that answers why one man lives a demeaned life and why another lives a spiritually and materially advanced life. It is no use blaming anyone for one’s status in life because it is man who can either resolve to remain downfallen or lead an all round exalted life. The golden eternal law of life is: ONE’S MENTAL STATE SHAPES ONE’S EXTERNAL, WORLDLY CIRCUMSTANCES AND NOT THE OTHER WAY ROUND. Man is the father of his own fate. Hence it is very important that one studies these golden precepts and deeply imbibe the same in one’s daily life.
It is not enough merely to see the nature of things instead they should be deeply studied, imbibed and made apt use of. Consciousness is not an object but is energy in nature. Hence greater caution is required to unearth its potential and then make apt use of. Stones, bricks etc can be moved about here and there but transport of electricity, gas etc. needs more caution and know-how. We are all aware of the dangerous repercussions of misuse of electrical machines, scientific technology etc. Yet know for sure that misuse of energy can bring in much more disaster for not just one region but the entire world. The greatest wealth owned by man is his soul force/consciousness. The human body is an instrument that manifests the Almighty Lord’s divine energy. Thus man is a mini representative of God. Hence it is the prime need of the hour that man first studies his divine wealth and then makes apt use of it for world well being and peace. Great scientists of spirituality (prophets, saints, Rishis, Munis etc) call it the Science of Spirituality or Brahma Vidya. If one rigidly refuses to accept and radiate his/her divine grandeur he sure is courting trouble in the form of a material and spiritual downfall. Today everyone in the world use a lot of time, energy and finances to protect their material wealth like oil, gas, petrol, weapons etc. As against this consciousness is a Super Power which lies deep in cave of the soul of all individuals. It has the capacity to give a boon or a curse. When demigods are insulted they shower curses on the culprit. When they are pleased they give boons of all sorts.
Consciousness itself is called soul-god (Atmadeva). It is totally involved in one’s daily life just as blood, bones etc are one with our physical body. It is consciousness that helps in blood circulation, nerve impulse movements etc. The moment Prana (vital force) leaves the body the latter becomes lifeless and starts rotting. In the same way consciousness propels external and internal movements of one’s life. It has authority over our thinking and hence character. It is this subtle personality of the nature of consciousness that lies deep within the layers of our psyche/soul and is the author of our destiny. When this deep inner personality becomes tainted and distorted man faces poverty, strife and insults in the external world. If this deep personality is made sacred, pure and a vault of spiritual values one will be respected in the external world and will be able to attract material means for one’s own happiness and that of others too. We hear stories from mythological literature wherein the demigods of heaven give boons to their pure hearted devotees. In reality the demigods of heaven are nothing but one’s pure, sacred inner personality which gives boons like fame, material comforts etc in the external world.
Spirituality is nothing but austerities that help purify our soul. How can one ensure that consciousness is not attacked by distortions and taints like envy, greed etc? How does one ensure that instead of this our consciousness marches ahead on the path of spiritual advancement? How does our consciousness become brilliant, radiant and sacred? The science dealing with all these questions and answers is called Spiritual Science. Not only that it is not less important than modern science but that it super-cedes the latter in terms of value. Of course modern science has given man a lot of material means and comforts so that he can lead a better life. Now what remains is that man should start radiating his inner consciousness by adhering to spiritual values and thus become divine. If one makes use of modern material comforts and scientific technology with a psyche that oozes with spiritual values (integrity, commitment, generosity, divine love etc) one will never face tension and stress that we are all facing today. It is only the use of material comforts without a sound spiritual psyche that is the root cause of our day to day stress full life.