SPIRITUAL AND TEMPORAL CONTINUUM

In the history of mankind, the Upanishads and the Srimad Bhagavad Gita remain as gospels in the domain of the spiritual and temporal continuum. They, according to sage philosopher Swami Krishnananda, stand as gospels in the realms of spirituality and temporal existence throughout human history. These two seminal texts, he continues to say, present the art of living in harmony with the spiritual realm on one side and the temporal on the other. The primary concern for humanity is to attain awareness of Reality, specifically that Existence is singular and absolute. Brahmān is the essential core of all existence and non-being; it embodies the unified, undivided realm of consciousness. .

Adi Shankaracharya unequivocally states, “Brahmān is the ultimate reality, the world is illusory, and the individual soul is identical to Brahmān, as elucidated in the sacred texts of Vedanta” (Brahma Jnanavali Mala, 20, Adi Shankaracharya). Brahma Satyam: Brahmān is the ultimate reality. Jagan Mithya: It is unfeasible to classify the realm of appearances as either real or unreal. The Jiva (individual self) and Brahmān (Cosmic Self) are indistinguishable. Advaita Vedānta asserts that the world is an illusion, or Māyā, and that redemption necessitates renunciation of it in favour of the pursuit of truth. Existence is singular, indestructible, eternal, and absolute being. It largely involves reconciling the spiritual with the temporal, or attaining harmony between spiritual aspirations and temporal obligations. This long-time issue remains unresolved. Although they advocate for the magnificence of eternal or spiritual existence, they appear to incorporate all qualities considered secular and transitory, posing a significant issue. The attributes we value in our sphere of sensory experience seem to be transmuted into the essence of Reality, or Absolute Existence, which is the central theme of the Upanishads. Although idealism is advantageous and should consistently direct us, it is essential that the ideal does not exist solely as a future goal. A prevalent mistake in numerous pursuits is to place an ideal in the future, leading the present to seek recognition, even when the ideal transcends the values of immediate reality as perceived by our senses, corporeal existence, and social context. 

1. Outline

The Cosmic Self, or Brahmān, symbolises omnipresence, manifesting as eyes, feet, and hands, transcending the apparent distinction between the two realms—spiritual, or eternal, and temporal, or existential. There exists no dichotomy, only the singularity of Absolute Existence. In the profound comprehension of reality, we are neither our authentic selves nor apart from our essence. We surpass both our intrinsic nature and that which exists externally. This signifies the paramount importance of knowledge, as emphasised in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita. Nothing surpasses Me, O Dhananjaya; everything rests upon Me like pearls on a thread (7.7). Brahmān is the fundamental essence upon which all creation exists; He is the Creator, Sustainer, and Destroyer. Analogous to beads threaded on a string that can shift within their positions, God has bestowed upon individual souls the autonomy to act according to their desires, yet their existence remains tethered to Him.

A continual continuum has existed since ancient times between an ideal as a future and an existential as a present. The sage philosopher Swami Krishnananda explicitly states that, although an ideal exists in the distant future, we must assess our present condition. He contends that the perceived dichotomy between the ideal and the real stems from a neglect of religious values, a misapprehension of life's spiritual importance, and a significant deficiency in comprehending the organic structure of life's values. The issue is not duality but rather how to mould our present to facilitate our advancement towards self-realisation, the pinnacle of our elevatory journey. The present fundamentally influences the future. Both cannot be disconnected or separated. Humans possess an inherent inclination toward prejudice.  Our nature seems to embed bias, sustaining the notion that a considerable gulf exists between the present and the future, a barrier that is challenging to bridge. This abyss before us symbolises the apparent division between the terrestrial and divine spheres.

2. Scriptures

The Srimad Bhagavad Gita (4.10) proclaims the existence of a continuum between the material and the spiritual, the temporal and the eternal, as well as the perishable and the imperishable. One can attain emancipation from attachment, fear, and anger by fully immersing oneself in the Cosmic Self and seeking refuge in Him. Many individuals historically attained purification by understanding Brahmān, ultimately realizing transcendental love via pure devotion.  However, it is exceedingly difficult for a human overly preoccupied with material concerns to grasp the intrinsic nature of the Supreme Absolute Truth. Materialism so absorbs individuals fixated on the corporeal aspect of existence that it practically becomes impossible for them to grasp the notion of a transcendental entity, which is eternal, knowledge-infused, and perpetually blissful. In a materialistic framework, the body is ephemeral, characterized by ignorance, and fundamentally afflicted.  However, the Bhagavad Gita (2.51) underlines that the sagacious, possessing mental equanimity, relinquish attachment to the outcomes of their activities, which tether them to the cycle of existence and mortality. Through engaging in this awareness, individuals achieve a condition transcending all sorrow. The paradox of existence is that humans want happiness yet encounter sorrow; they desire love yet face disappointment; they yearn for life while being acutely aware of their inevitable progression toward death with each passing instant. The Srimad Bhāgavatam (ŚB 10.14.58) claims that for those who have embraced the refuge of the Lord's lotus feet, known as Murāri, the adversary of the Mura demon and the protector of the cosmic creation, the ocean of the material realm resembles the water found in a calf’s hoof-print. Their objective is paraṁ padam, Vaikuṇṭha, a realm devoid of material suffering rather than a location fraught with peril at every turn. The Srimad Bhāgavatam (ŚB 3.5.2) contends that all individuals in this world partake in fruitful endeavors to achieve bliss; nonetheless, they experience neither fulfillment nor alleviation of suffering.  Conversely, such activities merely exacerbate one's condition. This relentless quest has persisted for numerous lifetimes, yet contentment remains elusive.

3. Remarks

Self-knowledge is the best antidote to perceptional duality, which one perceives through the snare of Māyā, or illusion.  It gains its momentum through a heightened level of consciousness of the Self, Self-realisation, Self-awakening, or eye consciousness. It sharpens through detachment, forbearance, and equanimity. Sage Vasishta pronounces in Yoga-Vasistha that self-knowledge (Ātman Jñana) is the only way to attain real detachment. This leads to the automatic cessation of all actions and their consequences. The individual no longer finds pleasure in material possessions or identifies with their physique. Only a firmly established recognition of one's identity with the Supreme Self can lead to ultimate emancipation. Our greatest happiness and greatest benefit is the absence of desire. Even though I'm shouting this and raising my arms in the air, no one is paying attention. Why wouldn't anyone see it as such? The remarkable influence of illusion leads individuals to ignore rationality and discard their most precious mental treasure from their chest. I want you to ignore and deny phenomena because that is the finest approach to renunciation. You will be able to experience for yourself that disavowal of everything is the greatest prize.

The eternal message of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, according to Swami Krishnananda, is the reconciliation of the empirical and the transcendental, the secular and the religious, the human and the divine, the relative and the Absolute, the visible and the invisible, the matter of fact that is in front of us, and the glorious ideal that has been calling to us with its unrelenting and unstoppable force since the world was created. What message does it convey to all of humanity now? When we consider our responsibilities in this world after birth, the message is essentially one of obligation. Life presents impersonal values to us at every stage, moment, and scenario. It is neither lovely nor ugly, dear nor awful.

-Asutosh Satpathy