|
The Revealed Knowledge |
|
by Jai Maha Dev
Revealed Knowledge, or Revelation, is that body of knowledge that exists independent of human conception. It is that Knowledge which is inherent in the Creation; it is not something that is formulated from Creation. In other words, Revealed Knowledge is that special Knowledge with which this Universe, and preceding universes, and universes in the making, and universes yet to be made are formed, sustained, and ultimately dissolved. That body of Knowledge has been given the name ‘the Vedas’. The Vedas comprise that special Knowledge which exists even before this Creation exists. One might ask, “What exists before this Creation?” Many scientists now believe that before this Creation, that is, before the Big Bang, there was another Creation which was started in a similar manner (i.e., by another Big Bang), and so on and so on from eternity, and so forth into eternity. This is sometimes referred to as the ‘pulsating universe’ theory. Others now believe that there may be many universes simultaneously existing in what they call the Multiverse. Whether this Multiverse has always existed or came into existence at some Time is still under consideration (by the scientists who are considering this theory). According to the Vedas, this universe is extremely vast, and so vast indeed that we could certainly call it the Multiverse, as it appears there are universes, after universes, after universes in this Cosmos. Therefore, this writer prefers to call this Creation of many, many universes as the Cosmos, or simply, the Universe or the Creation. The Universe seems to appear and disappear in an endless cycle of Creation and Dissolution, figuratively called the Cosmic Day and the Cosmic Night. The Cosmic Night is known as PRALAYA, and lasts for a period of approximately 4.2 billion years; the Cosmic Day is of the same duration. Apparently, the Cosmic Day and Night do NOT refer to the entire Cosmos, because it is widely accepted that our universe is at least 20 billion years old, and probably much older. However, 100 years of Cosmic Days and Nights is the period of the Life, or Manifestation, of the Absolute and consists of approximately 8.4 billion years multiplied by 365, multiplied again by 100. Then follows the MahaPralaya, or Supreme Dissolution, in which the entire Universe (Cosmos, Multiverse, or whatever) is indeed dissolved and remains in the unmanifested state for a period of the same length of time as the Creation. Regardless what one accepts as the beginning or end of the Universe, most intelligent people will certainly accept that this Creation is not an ‘accident’ or random occurrence. Clearly, there is an ‘intelligent design’ to this Creation, as attested to by all scientific exploration, experiment, and theoretical analysis. An ‘intelligent design’ naturally presupposes an ‘Intelligence’. In order that this Creation exists with an intelligent design, it is necessary that the Intelligence by which it was designed must also exist, and must necessarily exist before the Creation could come into being. The Vedas emanate from that Creative Intelligence that created this Creation. Just as that Creative Intelligence saw fit to create all the necessary elements required for human survival on this beautiful Earth planet, leaving nothing to chance, It also manifested the wisdom necessary to make this human life worth living. When we observe how flawlessly this entire Creation has been formed in such a way as to ensure its harmonious functioning, why would anyone doubt that the wisdom necessary for human beings to live harmoniously with themselves and with others would somehow be omitted? Even if one says that the wisdom only came after civilizations came into being (which of course, doesn’t make any sense, since wisdom is required to begin with), one should still see that the wisdom exists from before the very beginning of the intelligently created Creation. Again, this wisdom is called the Vedic Wisdom. Because Intelligence is a characteristic of Consciousness, and not a quality of that which is not conscious, we can say the Creative Intelligence is a manifestation of Consciousness. If that Consciousness is all that exists prior to the Creation, then clearly that Consciousness can be said to be All-pervading (Omnipresent). If that Consciousness is all that there is prior to the Creation, it is certainly fair to say that that Consciousness is All-knowing (Omniscient). Since that Consciousness created this Creation with its own inherent Intelligence, surely we can say that Consciousness is All-powerful (Omnipotent). The wisdom that emanates from that Consciousness is the Vedic wisdom, and is also called the Wisdom of Consciousness. Through the Vedas, that all-pervading Consciousness teaches us about the nature of this world, ourselves, and about the nature of that Consciousness Itself. It gives us the insight to realize that something that came into being, surely had to come from somewhere. We learn from the Vedas that the material creation came from an immaterial substance known as PRAKRITI. [Prakriti is unmanifested primordial matter. Since this substance prior to manifestation is undetectable, we could also say that it is the state of non-being or nothingness, which simply means it is something that has not yet come into being or manifestation.] We also learn that we ourselves are more than just physical bodies and thinking minds. We realize that we too, like the Creator, are intelligent beings possessing consciousness. In fact, through self-study and meditation we directly experience that we are Conscious beings that possess a mind and body. Through deep meditation, we directly experience that our consciousness (our being) is pervaded by that same Consciousness that created this Creation, and which we call the Supreme Consciousness. This knowledge of the Vedas, or Vedic Wisdom, is the only Revelation that can reveal the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth. The Vedas are infallible because they are NOT of human authorship. They do not originate from the human mind or intellect. When we see the name of a Rishi (sage) associated with a Ved Mantra (a stanza from the Vedas), it has been shown there to indicate that this sage was a seer of the Mantra, meaning that the sage delved so deeply into the Mantra that he or she became illuminated by the wisdom contained therein. This is a lesson to all of us that we need not memorize many, many mantras, but should spend weeks, months, or years in deeply researching one, two, or a handful. The Wisdom of Consciousness tells us that the inquiry into the nature of Truth is not a ‘hit or miss’ egotistical pursuit of the unenlightened mind. We are not the first beings to inquire into the nature of Reality. The Truth we seek already exists, has always existed, and will exist forever. Many before us have tread the Path and reached that Ultimate Destination. By practice of open-mindedness (imagelessness), we learn from the Wise that we are the authors of our own Destiny and that we can reach our Final Destination (Absolute Freedom from all selfishness) only through the power of humility. This, and so much more, is revealed to the human heart (mind) when the mind is weaned away from self-involvement and guided to the path of Universal Truth. The Truth is here now; the Truth is within you; the Truth is in the core of your being. The core of your being is your pure state of consciousness devoid of all mental, egotistical superimpositions. That pure state of consciousness is your ATMA, your soul. Within your soul resides the Supreme Consciousness in the form of TRUTH. To realize the TRUTH we will have to leave the untruth; we will have to stop making the untruth real in our mind. When the mind is covered with falsehood, it is incapable of perceiving the truth. The Truth is revealed by the Wisdom of Consciousness, which removes all falsehoods and makes us see beyond our small self (ego). Glory, glory, glory to that Supreme Wisdom which frees the living soul from Ignorance.
|
