THE ULTIMATE REALITY

THE ULTIMATE REALITY


The starlit sky is such a romantic sight! But cosmology breaks down all these romantic notions; because the cold facts of our physical reality as understood through the study of astronomy hit us really hard. This planet, our solar system, the galaxy, clusters of galaxies – they appear so near yet are so far, so small yet are so large - these twinkling warm lights are actually gigantic fireballs! The everyday human concepts of space, length and time – all lose their significance when confronted with the vastness of just our solar family – let alone the immense, in fact infinite vastness of the Cosmos. Cosmology brings to fore the insignificance or littleness and fragility of our existence. Yet it also shows our exalted position in the midst of all creation – because it is only man – who is made in the image of God who has a mind and intelligence to probe and try to comprehend the incomprehensible. This reveals our greatness and superiority over all of creation!

Early man was in awe of nature – so he respected it out of fear. But modern man with all the information that Science has provided him with about the underlying principles of the working of Nature is today in a position to appreciate the immensity and intricacy of the mystery of God and His creation. Yet the more we gain knowledge about our cosmos, the more the total picture remains incomplete – as every answer brings with it a fresh set of questions to be answered. As we humans go deeper into the fundamentals of the basic building blocks of the physical existence of ourselves and our Universe, the more humbled we feel! Investigations in the fields of Cosmology and Astronomy are helping to build a picture of our Universe as regards its shape, size, extent and content. As the picture gets clearer, it further helps to make us realize our insignificance in the grand scheme of creation and the fraility of our existence. With this truth glaring at us in our face, a realization starts to dawn that one has to develop a larger perspective and rise above mundane, narrow selfish concerns. However, there is another greater truth awaiting – that – though there are limitations to one’s capabilities and abilities on a physical plane, but the scope of one’s abilities on the Spirit or mind level are limitless!!! It is after all in the expanded mind of the discoverer that the flash occurs about the idea and the mechanism of how he/she should go about making the discovery. You name any scientist, artist, philosopher, anyone who has made any bit of contribution to any branch of knowledge – and – he/she will have accepted this truth. Ordinary minds can only try to comprehend or imitate the ideas that germinate in these great minds. Even in our day-to-day life we come across innumerable instances when (without our realization) in a bit of expanded state of awareness, ideas have flashed in our minds regarding the solutions to our problems facing us at that point in time!

Thus as man now starts on a new journey into improving the capabilities of the mind – it brings to view further unchartered territories (akin to a scientist who first saw the sky with his naked eyes, then through the telescope more of the Universe was unveiled to him and today through the radio telescope the frontiers of that the observable Universe has are literally boundless) and he starts to understand that there are no bounds to the limits to which the mind can be raised! Gradually man realizes for himself through personal experience, the truth of the matter that man is not only made in the image of God but the fact that is written in the Vedic scriptures – “TAT TVAM ASI”, meaning “That thou art” is the ultimate reality.




Dr. POONAM MEHRA