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Dec-07-2009
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Synopsis
Part IV of the Introduction to Hinduism defines dharma or virtue. It introduces the concept of cosmic-man and provides a poetic introduction to what is universe. I explain how the poetic concept of universe is related to the modern sciences, specifically its relevance to theoretical physic"s ideas of the origin of universe.
Dharma is virtue. Hinduism advocates that every one should live dharmic life, which is the highest level of Hindu living. It is basically moral and ethical foundation for Hindus. Dharmic persons are considered to be close to God or Bhagwan. Characteristics of the immortal dharma are identified below.
The relationship between cosmic forms described in Gita and that of the understanding of modern sciences is presented in notes to Part IV.
Immortal Dharma (Virtue)
1. A prefect devotee dear to God is free from wants; s/he is pure, alert, unconcerned, untroubled, and renounces all undertakings or commencements.
2. Such a person full of devotion neither rejoices, nor hates, nor grieves, nor desires and renounces good and evil.
3. A person dear to God is free from attachments, is the same to foe and friend, in honor and dishonor, in cold and heat, and in pleasure and pain.
4. For a steady-minded person dear to God censure and praise are equal; such a devotee is silent and content with anything.
5. A devotee dear to God is endowed with faith in the immortal dharma or values of life in pursuit of Supreme God.
Cosmic-Man and the Cosmic-Form Divine
The Gita explains that the entire universe is one reality, the Self and provides various paths or yogas for a mortal to cognize the reality, the Self. In a world bound by the space-time continuum cosmic objects and things of the world exist separately from one another.
Keeping in mind the diversity of individual intellectual levels, the poet Vyasa (the author of Mahabharata) illuminates each idea in every chapter of Gita at various intellectual levels. For example, in addition to four key shlokas or verses quoted in notes given below 40 of 54 verses in chapter 11 amplify ideas of the cosmic universe and Cosmic-form divine.
Many ideas of modern sciences - physics, chemistry, behavioral science and psychology, etc - were known to ancient Indians of Vedic, Upanishad and Vedanta periods. Of course, these sciences were not as developed then as they are now. Lacking any evidence for the experimental verifications the ideas by the ancient Hindus of Vedic, Upanishad and Vedanta periods, their ideas should be regarded as equivalent of theoretical physics and other sciences (see also Sankhya system, Part V).
We understand the world in a way that was not possible for ancient people. Many present day ideas were identified by ancient Hindus but the supporting evidence was in a primitive empirical form relative to advances made in sciences especially in last two centuries. Suffice it to mention that Hindu scholars have managed to incorporate many scientific ideas into Hindu theistic scriptures; for this reason Hinduism is regarded as a philosophy more than a religion.
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References & Notes:
Cosmic-Man and the Cosmic-Form Divine
. In a world bound by the space-time continuum cosmic objects and things of the world exist separately from one another. If the concept of space-time is totally blotted out, all objects will immediately come together into a happy embrace and will represent as one congenial homogeneous whole. For the mind of Cosmic-Man, the vision of the world is that of the singularity without the space-time continuum.
. Unlike a singularity of the modern sciences or a property called unitarity of the quantum physics, God is the ultimate singularity and all singularities are beyond or unbound by the space-time continuum of Einsteins theory of relativity. The laws of relativity dont apply to what falls or disappears into the black hole created by the collapse of space-time associated with the cosmic universe and they certainly do not apply to God.
. In cosmic universe with the space-time continuum any object - an idol - is a prop or a dot relative to size of cosmic universe governed by the laws of modern sciences.
. For most of us without a tangible experimental verification, we do not have an intellectual capacity to imagine and understand concept of the black hole - a region of empty space with a point-like singularity at the center - or the big bang theory that scientist tells us was responsible for an explosion of a singularity 13.5 to 14.7 billion years ago giving birth to the cosmic universe that is inter-connected and governed by the laws of gravity.
. Gita (11.10-13), states at the students request Krishna, the Lord of yoga gave the student (Arjuna) a glimpse at the vision of the Cosmic-man, etc. Gita (11.12-13) states, "If the light of a thousand suns suddenly arose in the sky, that splendor might be compared to the radiance of the Supreme Spirit. Arjuna saw in that radiance, the whole Universe with all its infinite parts standing as unity in the body of the God of gods." A panoramic view of the cosmic universe is intellectually painted in four verses. The same cosmic universe came to existence with the big bang according to the modern science about 14 billion years ago.
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