The Trinity of Vedas

Vedas called that entity Ishwar / Brahman / Satchidananda. Many called God. The Rishis called that “The Absolute One”. 

Photo: The Daily Star

Imagine in a fine morning you are standing before a vast ice topped peak of a mountain in a mountainous resort. A symphony of happy feelings in you may start to churn into an immensely pleasant mood.

That’s absolutely fine.

And now, please pause at that moment of staring to the magnificent galore of nature.

Let’s explore some other angle.

What are you seeing? – An immense mountain top.

Who are seeing that? – You of course.

What do you feel? – Unbound Joy no doubt.

Through which organ are you seeing? – Your eyes of course.   

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Now there are three things;

The seer (watcher/witness); which is you

The seen (Drshya/object of seeing); is the mountain

The enabler of seeing (which helps you to see); the eye

Here, the seer is an “Actor”, who is performing a task and enjoying the fruit (in this case beholding the mountain and having the joy)

Then, the process / course of performing is “Action”, (in this case setting the sights on the mountain)

And finally the “Enabler”, which is enabling the “Actor” to perform particular “Action”.

Likewise any action in the world, whatever it is, has an actor (who decides to act/ who acts) and a process to perform the action. Between the “Actor” and “Action” there is an “Enabler”, that is nature. In our above example, the eyes are the tools of beholding. Eyes are the parts of the body. Our body is the part of “Nature/ Prakriti”.  Without the “Prakriti / Nature” there will be no actor or action.

In other word, in order to perform an action, there has to be three point link; the Actor (Krta), the Action (Karma) and the Nature (Prakriti). You may decide to paint, may launch a business venture or what so ever, there must be a doer/decider of the work (actor), doing/performing the work (action) and process of doing / performing the work (enabler/prakriti).

Actor decides, performs and enjoys the fruits of action. Even in the case of thinking abstract, we (actors) thinks / performs (act) through the mind / intellect (the enabler / prakriti).  Without the “enabler / prakriti”, no actions could be performed, even if there is an actor. Or we can say, there will be No Sense of an actor. If the brain is dead, is there any possibility to be consciously doing any kind of work?

Now this is what happens in nature.

But, if we broaden our gaze towards the vastness of the nature, we see the all-pervading system performs continuously in a systematic way through its own principal / law. If we see this immense natural phenomenon as an action, its own laws / principals (like gravity) are the enabling tools then invariably comes the ultimate question! Where is the actor?

Or in other words, WHO IS RUNNING THE NATURE?

Vedas says;

Dva suparna sayuja sakhaya,

Samanam vrksam pari sasvajate.

Tayor anyah pippalam svadu-atti

Anasnan anyo abhi cakasiti. (Rig Veda 1/164/20)

There are two birds (individual soul / jivatma and Supreme soul / Paramatma/ Brahman), united with the bond of friendship, reside on the same tree (the material world). One of them (jivatma / individual soul) enjoys the fruits (result of his own action), whereas the other (Supreme Soul / Paramatma / Brahman) witnesses everything without enjoying its fruits (not affected by the result of actions)

An example will free up the meaning;

In Vedic Literature, God is called Satchidananda. It’s a compounded Sanskrit word consists of Sat, Chit and Ananda.

“Sat” means eternal, being, existing, enduring, real, beautiful, good etc. Whatever exists eternally is known as real and out of the cycle of life and death. Nature in some form or other has continuous existence in the form of a Universe as we see it or any other form what we maybe unknown to us, according to the Vedic literature. So, nature is “Sat”; real and continuous.

Then comes “Chit” means consciousness; that can think, understand, comprehend, discriminate, discern etc. Living beings like animals and Humans have that capacity. They were as real as existing part of the nature. From the minutest living entity like Amoeba to the most matured animal like Humans, has the basic understanding of say; survival in their own way. This understanding of survival, the faculty of basic discrimination (ascertaining what is helpful and what is harmful) is the consciousness.

Finally the “Ananda”; Bliss. Like a fully blossomed flower, when exposed completely to the nature, “ananda” or bliss is a supreme attainment of satisfaction or a state of supreme consciousness.

WHO IS RUNNING THE NATURE?

Who is eternal, conscious and blissful? In other words, who eternally exists, real, all conscious and radiantly blissful to the extent of an omniscient? Who acts with all pervading universal consciousness? Who is the ultimate source of bliss, which needs not any happiness, any fruits of action?

I think, you have got the answer by now.

Vedas called that entity Ishwar / Brahman / Satchidananda. Many called God. The Rishis called that “The Absolute One”.  

That is the blissful bird on the tree witnessing everything with universal eyes disinterested of results.

Krinvanto Vishyamaryam; May the world become Arya.

Namaste

Ayan Chowdhury