OBJECTS INTO THE SUBJECT

The Subject is Infinity and Absolute Existence. The created universe, from the Absolute Existence, is the object and subject to finite finitude. The Subject does not require sense perception or recognition for Its existence, as It is Self-existent, Absolute, Infinite, and Imperishable. Objects require It for their validation and existence. The Cosmic Self is absolute existence, full and complete in every respect. He is the source, originator, transformer, annihilator, and absorber of everything in the cosmos, including the cosmos itself. Nothing exists outside of Him. The symbiotic relationship needs to be comprehended consciously, as it is latent and immanent, and its manifestation is discernible to a Self-realised one. Nothing is outside of what is inside, and all thoughts, actions, and processes follow the lines. The Cosmic Self may be deciphered by a Self-realised as a part of a cosmically interlinked organic relationship between the Subject and the objects. There is absolute, original, and non-duality of source, cause, and effect as creator, sustainer, annihilator, and absorber. He is powerful enough to permeate, animate, illuminate, and enliven creation. He is fathomless, indestructible, infinity, the ultimate truth, original, indivisible, and absolute. Furthermore, He is the ultimate repository of everything, the embodiment of eternal Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, and beyond. He is the one controller among a multitude of performers. Among many performers, He is the only controller. He is immanent, transcendent, and a manifestation of all that is animate and inanimate, visible and invisible to the world of phenomena and noumena. That way, He cannot be considered merely an individual subject, an enjoyer, or an experiencer, leaving the objects beyond His purview. Rather, He is the complete whole, who can create, recreate, transform, absorb, and dissolve all the objects, including everything in the cosmos.

1. Outline

The objects are contained in the subject, not the other way around. Absolute is existence, the Cosmic Self, or Brahmān. He is beyond the frame of time-space-causation. Whereas the objects are subjected to time-space-causation. They are neither self-existent nor self-caused. There is just one Existence, and it is the only one that is eternal, absolute, infinite, imperishable, complete, final, full, supreme, constant, everlasting, real, conscious, undivided, immovable, non-relative, non-dual, non-limitless, and beyond the reach of a finite object. He is the only reality, the non-relative being, and the ultimate truth. There cannot be more reality or more truth. According to Swami Krishnananda, whatever is there, finally, can be only a single Reality, and it cannot be more than one. This concept was corroborated by a famous mantra from the Rig Veda Samhita—ekam sat: “Existence is one only.” The Ultimate Being is existence. Being and existence mean the same thing. That which exists cannot be more than one. He is the subject, the ultimate source. The objects are sourced from the original source through His own energetic will of creation of the world of samsāra (birth and death). That which is eternal, absolute, infinite, imperishable, complete, final, full, supreme, constant, everlasting, real, conscious, undivided, immovable, non-relative, non-dual, non-limitless, and beyond the reach of a finite thing is the one and only existence.

The object world is a relative one. An object's existence is connected to something else, much wider and beyond the panoramic view of sense perception. Its very being is conditional, relative, fleeting, and in relation to other things. It is neither undifferentiated nor absolute. Air, water, food, and other elements are necessary for the existence of a relative being, also known as a living being. In this instance, there is a lingering deficit in goal, performance, action, fulfilment, goal direction, thinking, and knowledge. One fundamental feature of a relative entity is this ongoing distance. Its identity is contingent upon another factor, which could be any number of particularities. Space and time are used to their advantage in a variety of ways, including identity, existence, structuring, functioning, and orientation. However, as the Absolute is whole in every way, He does not need to be described, named, or characterised. There is no connection whatsoever between his fullness, existence, and other particularities. This is due to the fact that the cosmic self is a non-relative being that transcends all notions of relativeness and is infinite, absolute, transcendent, immanent, undiferentiated, and unconditional. All objects emerge from the subject and finally dissolve into it. The duality of subject and object gets blurred in relation to absolute existence.

 2. Scriptures

The Upanishads, according to Swami Krishnananda, transform every exterior action into an inward meditation. Adi Shankarachary asserts that the world is not an illusion. While Brahmān is fully real (Paramarthika Satta), the universe is just somewhat real (Vyavaharika Satta). Maya, or Avidya, is the source of the universe. Through Maya, the ever-changing universe manifests as the immutable Brahmān. Maya is a mysterious, unfathomable force of the Lord that appears as the unreal while concealing the real. Maya is not real; once you become aware of the Eternal, it disappears. It is also not unreal, since it is real until you realise it isn't. Avidya, or ignorance, is the cause of the world's superimposition of Brahmān, the CosmicSelf.

Satyam Jnānam Anantam Brahma, so aphoristically proclaims  Taittiriya Upanishad (Taittiriya Upanishad 2.1.1). The Cosmic Self is the only and ultimate reality. He is infinite, as there is no cessation, or limitation for Him, and He is His very essence. He is omniscient, the embodiment of all wisdom and knowledge without any exception or derivation.

The Srimad Bhagavad Gita declares that the Cosmic Self is the origin of all creation, and everything proceeds from Him alone. And there is nothing higher than Him and everything rests in Him as beads strung on a thread. The Gita says that Adhidaiva, rules over the celestial gods in this creation; the ever-changing physical manifestation of the universe, adhibhūta, is called the universe; and I, who live in the heart of every living being, am called Adhiyajna, or the Lord of all sacrifices. The elements of nature, which include mind, intellect, ego, earth, water, fire, air, and space, are the physical forms of the Cosmic Self, which is the source of the universe. This limited, ever-evolving universe is called Adhibhūta.

Arjuna exclaims in  the Srimada Bhagavad Gita that he sees multitudes from all three worlds, including the gods of the celestial abodes. He proclaims unequivocally that You are the Father of the entire universe, including both animate and inanimate objects. You are the Ultimate Spiritual Master, the one with unmatched power, and the most worthy object of worship. Who could be greater than You when there isn't a single person in all three realms that is comparable to You? He goes on to declare that you are the only ones who inhabit the entire universe, the source of all causes, the only place this cosmos rests, the Ultimate Abode, the possessor of infinite forms, and the knower and object of knowledge.

The Brihadāranyaka Upanishad reflects on the subject-object relationship by proclaiming that Brahmān, or the Cosmic Self, is the experiencer of all things in an identity of Himself with all things; He could not be regarded as an individual subject, and the objects could not stand outside Him; hence, He is in a position to convert everything into the Subject of experience in the sense of 'Identity of Being'.

3. Remarks

Swami Krishnananda provides a very insightful explanation and example along these lines: Consequently, nothing was apparent because no one was around to observe anything. The seen and the seer were combined into a single mass of substance that was only non-being and could not be further defined. It was unnoticeable, not because it actually was, but rather because no one could perceive it. Because there were no subjects and consequently no objects, it was neither an object of perception nor had any possibility of being perceived by anyone. The ultimate imperceptibility was the Supreme Being Himself, who gradually and grotesquely exposed Himself as this creation. The Supreme Being Himself was this ultimate imperceptibility. Gradually, He showed Himself as this creation in ever-more-gross forms and degrees of manifestation, which we now know in philosophy as Īshvara, Hiraṇyagarbha, Virāt, and a myriad of experiences. He evolved into the ultimate seer and, to borrow the Upanishad term, "consumer" of everything. God, Sarvasya atta bhavati, becomes the 'eater' of all; 'eater' refers to the 'consumer', 'perceiver', 'experiencer', and 'being' of all. There was nothing in front of Him; He was the Subject of everything. He was able to transform everything into the Subject of experience in the sense of "Identity of Being" because He was the experiencer of all things in an identity of Himself with all things, meaning that He could not be viewed as an independent subject and the objects could not exist outside of Him. Thus, the cosmos as a whole was like food to Him. He is considered, in metaphorical terms, the Ultimate Eater. A person who practices meditation so turns into That, the Absolute Eater.

-Asutosh Satpathy