Practical Vedanta

Practical Vedantamen. Everything begins, as it were, from certain seeds, certain rudiments, certainfine forms, and becomes grosser and grosser as it develops; and then again it goesback to that fine form and subsides. The whole universe is going on in this way.There comes a time when this whole universe melts down and becomes finer andat last disappears entirely, as it were, but remains as superfine matter. We knowthrough modern science and astronomy that this earth is cooling down, and incourse of time it will become very cold, and then it will break to pieces andbecome finer and finer until it becomes ether once more. Yet the particles will allremain to form the material out of which another earth will be projected. Againthat will disappear, and another will come out. So this universe will go back to itscauses, and again its materials will come together and take form, like the wavethat goes down, rises again, and takes shape. The acts of going back to causes andcoming out again, taking form, are called in Sanskrit Sankocha and Vikâsha,which mean shrinking and expanding. The whole universe, as it were, shrinks, andthen it expands again. To use the more accepted words of modern science, they areinvolved and evolved. You hear about evolution, how all forms grow from lowerones, slowly growing up and up. This is very true, but each evolution presupposesan involution. We know that the sum total of energy that is displayed in theuniverse is the same at all times, and that matter is indestructible. By no meanscan you take away one particle of matter. You cannot take away a foot-pound ofenergy or add one. The sum total is the same always. Only the manifestationvaries, being involved and evolved. So this cycle is the evolution out of theinvolution of the previous cycle, and this cycle will again be involved, gettingfiner and finer, and out of that will come the next cycle. The whole universe isgoing on in this fashion. Thus we find that there is no creation in the sense thatsomething is created out of nothing. To use a better word, there is manifestation,and God is the manifester of the universe. The universe, as it were, is beingbreathed out of Him, and again it shrinks into Him, and again He throws it out. Amost beautiful simile is given in the Vedas — "That eternal One breathes out thisuniverse and breathes it in." Just as we can breathe out a little particle of dust andbreathe it in again. That is all very good, but the question may be asked: How we,it at the first cycle? The answer is: What is the meaning of a first cycle? There wasnone. If you can give a beginning to time, the whole concept of time will bedestroyed. Try to think of a limit where time began, you have to think of timebeyond that limit. Try to think where space begins, you will have to think of spacebeyond that. Time and space are infinite, and therefore have neither beginning norend. This is a better idea than that God created the universe in five minutes andthen went to sleep, and since then has been sleeping. On the other hand, this ideawill give us God as the Eternal Creator. Here is a series of waves rising andfalling, and God is directing this eternal process. As the universe is withoutbeginning and without end, so is God. We see that it must necessarily be so,because if we say there was a time when there was no creation, either in a gross ora fine form, then there was no God, because God is known to us as Sâkshi, thefile:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Chitra%20Selva...oksBySwami/PracticalVedanta/PracticalVedantaPDF.html (80 of 113)2/26/2007 12:24:34 AM