In science as we know it, there are living things and non living things.
What are the characteristics of living beings?
1. They grow.
2. They eat/consume .
3. They excrete.
4. They grow old.
5. They die.
6. They are born.
There are creatures that hibernate for centuries. Some hibernate for months. During this period, they do not eat or excrete. So, partial fulfilling of these conditions could still qualify as living, right?
Consider the human hair. It meets all the conditions above. Is the hair on our body a living thing?
Consider the things in our house. On a bad day, we find that things get misplaced more often. They are tired at the end of the day. They are better in the mornings.. even the air around us talks.
Can you imagine the difference in our perspective if we were to treat everything as if it were alive, like us? A part of the same Brahma ?
Tat tvam asi, means, you are That.
Sah Aham Asmi, means I am That.
Aham Brahma asmi, means, I am the Supreme Knowledge. I am the Brahma.
Between them, these three lines unite every living thing with each other, and with the Supreme Creator.
तत त्वम असि.
स: अहम अस्मि.
अहम ब्रह्मास्मि.
What are the characteristics of living beings?
1. They grow.
2. They eat/consume .
3. They excrete.
4. They grow old.
5. They die.
6. They are born.
There are creatures that hibernate for centuries. Some hibernate for months. During this period, they do not eat or excrete. So, partial fulfilling of these conditions could still qualify as living, right?
Consider the human hair. It meets all the conditions above. Is the hair on our body a living thing?
Consider the things in our house. On a bad day, we find that things get misplaced more often. They are tired at the end of the day. They are better in the mornings.. even the air around us talks.
Can you imagine the difference in our perspective if we were to treat everything as if it were alive, like us? A part of the same Brahma ?
Tat tvam asi, means, you are That.
Sah Aham Asmi, means I am That.
Aham Brahma asmi, means, I am the Supreme Knowledge. I am the Brahma.
Between them, these three lines unite every living thing with each other, and with the Supreme Creator.
तत त्वम असि.
स: अहम अस्मि.
अहम ब्रह्मास्मि.
Believe me,I always thought I had a lot of knowledge in this sphere of life.I was wrong..I have learnt today the real meaning.T hank you.It is a great post.I intend keeping a copy in my records.
ReplyDeleteyou should have been a teacher. with your quizzes and such type of small logic that means so big, you are made for a different career...
ReplyDeletevery informative
ReplyDeleteWe are projections from the One.
ReplyDeletedo you read bhagvad gita??
ReplyDeleteMakes sense :P :P
ReplyDeleteyes, I believe that there is God in all of us.... which makes us do good things....
I think if we did treat every thing as a living thing they/it would be better taken care of. Good idea.
ReplyDeleteChowla sir: What a great compliment, coming from you! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi Mampi: i totally agree... some things come really naturally to me.. being in a classroom and being in a couseling setup are pretty much the top of the list. :-) u got me there.
Hi Anju: Thank you!
Hi Shubhajit: yes, thats the point of the post. Thanks for dropping by. Am really glad that you did.
Hi Isshita: Read it once.. long ago. Was totally impressed and it changed my whole perspective on life.
Hi OG: And a devil too? ;-)
Hi Exseno: Hows the grandson now? I was so sorry for him.. hope he is better.. isnt he the same grandson who wrote brilliant composition? Tell him he is a VERY bright boy.
hey there!!!
ReplyDeletei thought so coz i am currently reading it and those sanskrit lines are what attracted me towards ur blog...lemme tell u i loved the post...m looking forward to some more of these kind...
take care
What a beautifully succinct way to describe "Advaita”. I used to explain it to my kids as the concept of “oneness”. The idea that God (or the life force of the universe, whatever you want to call it) and each individual are indivisible, “just as a pinch of salt dropped in the ocean.”
ReplyDeleteBeautiful..agra ye soch jeevan ka aadhaar ban jaaye to kitna sukhmay ho jayega ye sansaar!!
ReplyDeleteWe're all a part of Divinity if only we realise it.
ReplyDeletenice perspective...but i still go with science.
ReplyDeleteA very good thought. Some time back when i was completing Asimov's foundation series he introduced in one of his book the concept of Gaia i tried searching it on Wiki and i found out this : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_hypothesis
ReplyDeleteThe thoughts here are so profound and ever-green.
ReplyDelete"Between them, these three lines unite every living thing with each other, and with the Supreme Creator." Agreed.
ReplyDeleteScientifically speaking: Everything in this universe, whether living or non living, is made up of a combination of molecules, which are but an arrangement of atoms, which in turn comprise of neutrons, protons and electrons OR energy. So, everything in this universe is some form of energy, whether living or non living. So, what's the difference between me, my hair, or any other object??
Have been attending some spiritual classes for a year now and it has changed my perspective completely. Apart from the lines that you have quoted, I also like the evergreen lines Purnamadah purnamidam,
ReplyDeletePurnat purnam udachyate,
Purnasya purnamadayah
Purnamewa avashish shyate....
Do We Know How a diamond shines?
ReplyDeleteWoke up this morning thinking of this post, and had to share this memory: When my dad passed away four years ago, my older son was 10 years old. He had just learnt, in a science class, that energy cannot be destroyed. He told me that he thought "Grandpa was still all around" him "as an energy", because "life is an energy and energy cannot be destroyed." Science and spirituality all rolled into one. Out of the mouth of babes...
ReplyDeleteabout being a part of the same Bramha, i agree... i only call Bramha 'nature'. we are all a part of the same system... the complexity in living things are more and thus we do things that science says only living things do (eat, sleep, breath, get irritated)... but the so called none living things are also the part of the same system... so they can do so too... but that happens at such a meta level that it is not perceived by our senses. i completely agree by what you have said. nicely put.
ReplyDeleteHi Isshhita: Aww.. i dont do too many posts of this kind, but am glad you liked this one.. there is one more that i did long ago.. called Leela Hai! you might like that one also (u cld just search from the blog search window on top)
ReplyDeleteHi suman: Loved both ur comments.. thank you! and am amazed at ur son's perceptiveness.. this is a perspective that we need so much!!
Hi my space: True! Sach hai.
Hi D: Yes, so true.
Hi Rabbit: By all means.. :-) but science also says the same thing..please read Vivek Sareen's comment and the concept.
ReplyDeleteHi Vivek: I read.. what a facinating concept!! Thanks a ton for sharing this!
Hi Onkar: Thank you.
Joshi sir: what a wonderful, succint way to put it! Just what i was also trying to say..
Hi Aparna: Please also tell us the meaning of these lines..
Hi Varun: Tanik vistaar se bataiye..
ReplyDeleteHi lala: "that happens at such a meta level that it is not perceived by our senses." - so true.. i agree completely!!
how do we know?
ReplyDeleteInternal Reflection.. Simple Physics.
Focal point within yourself.. Meta Physics.
Now,
do we know how?
Hi Varun: Uff!! u talk in such cute riddles.. love ur posts and ur comments.
ReplyDeleteHi HDWK
ReplyDeleteDo you know what you are talking about ? Have you gone thru Gaia concept already ?
If yes, we will sit one day.
Take care
Manish
Hi Manish: Sit with you after reading the Wiki page of the concept? Hardly likely.
ReplyDeleteWhatever little i know is from that Wiki page, so maybe i dont know what i am saying.