Journey to the Eternal world …Introduction….

This whole world is moving according to the plan of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.  There is a specific plan being carried out in this material world. What is this plan? The cosmic manifestation is a chance for the elevated souls to go back to Godhead.  By the imperceptible power of time, the greatest of Himalayan Mountains will become dust, the great oceans will dry up, and the stars in the sky will perish – what to speak of our lifetime in comparison to those objects within the creation. Nothing can alter the influence of time even for a moment. Conquerors cannot defeat it. Beauty queens cannot seduce it. Billionaires cannot bribe it. Scientists cannot manipulate it. Champions cannot win over it. Geniuses cannot trick it. Military arsenals cannot stop it. A time piece may stop but time won’t, as the saying goes, “Time and tide wait for none.” When bored, we want to kill time but no one can do so. It is   Kaala purushaa ( TIME ) who kills all without discrimination

     Bhagavad Gita refers TIME   as a power that pervades the entire creation – like a commanding force pushing us ever forward. Young people often find it a difficult task to grasp the concept of devouring nature of time. They are impatient and always looking for the opportunities in the future. First, when will I grow up and go to school? And then, when will I ride my bicycle? While in school, when will I get vacations so that I can play cricket like all these other big people? After growing up and entering a college, when will I graduate so that I can develop a career? And then, they are waiting to get married – all the while longing for the watch to speed up so that they can enjoy life. But by the invincible power of time, they grow old if they are fortunate (because some people never make it that long in the world.) While in old age, they are inclined to think of the past: what I used to do and how was life in those days. The good old days! Those expectations and mysteries do not stand any longer in front of them. They become apprehensive and nervous while the old age creeps in – making things worse.

Staring into their eyes, death begins to approach rapidly. We could drive for a long time recollecting  and seeing all the old photographs and those memories . It will look impressive, but on closer examination we see it’s a sad reflection of the real world — devoid of all its glamour and glitz.  A dead person is cremated and few customs bury them in an attractive casket. Then, there is the tombstone which is made of granite or marble. All are there inside the same soil few cremated and few buried with luxury of their tomb stones and   the dates of birth and death are written on the tombstone along with a message.

A few friends drop by for a few years to remember the dead person. Although the body is buried seven feet below the ground, still the insects feast on the casket and the body. There’s nothing in the cemetery except for the name and the years of our life. We thus become an insignificant statistic after a few years, lost in the teeming crowd of millions who are wandering in this material world. Our life in this world is as brief as a flash of lightening in comparison to the sky of eternity.

 The first fundamental principle of Bhagavad Gita is that the soul is beyond time. The body is always changing from childhood to youth to old age, but the soul remains the same. For the soul, there is neither birth nor death. True wisdom is to appreciate the potential of every moment by grounding ourselves in the reality of the timeless soul.  

 Now the important question of ourselves. From Albert Einstein to Stephen Hawkings all modern physicists have been confronted by common questions about evolution, existence and sustenance of human life on planet earth. Doctors of medical science often wonder what death is, and why it should be inevitable.

Modern Science, despite its great advancements in many fields has been unable to answer some of these questions most satisfactorily.

Who am I? (My nature)
Who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
What is the purpose/s of human life on earth?)
How can I achieve this goal or life purpose?
What are my obstacles to achieving this goal or life purpose?

The most revered Srivaishanava  LokaAcharyar H H  Swami Pillai Lokarcharyar answers the above questions in his great work “Artha Panchakam”

Who am I?
“I” refers to the Jeevatma (Soul) that owns this physical human body.

  Jeevatmas ( Souls) are classified into five sects
Nityar – Jeevatmas (Souls) who live eternally in the Lord’s kingdom serving HIM.

  They include our Adisesha , Garudar , Vishvaksenar, and all the Nitya soories .
Muktar: (Souls) Jeevatmas who have reached the Supreme Lord’s kingdom having attained salvation (Moksha) from cycles of birth and death
Baddhar:  (Souls) Jeevatmas who are born on earth and continue to live through the cycles of birth and death (this includes those born as human beings, animals, plants etc.)
Kevalar:  (Souls) Jeevatmas stuck in “self-experience” of the Atma
Mumukshu:  (Souls) Jeevatmas presently born as Baddhar but strive in achieving ( Salvation )Moksha and graduating to the Lord’s kingdom as soon as possibleto join Nityar.

To be continued………….in detail

Adiyen Ramanuja dasan

Pictures Courtesy Google images and Social media ….