MAN THE UNKNOWN: HUMN EVOLUTION : FULFILMENT

 

The realization of the inner divinity, the infinite dimension within, the Ātman, is the only way to life- fulfilment. The sages of the Upanishads discovered this truth many thousands of years ago. The Ṡvetāṡvatara Upanishad reveals this fact in no uncertain terms when it says, “Even as a mirror stained by dust shines brightly when it has been cleaned, so the embodied one when he has seen the (real) nature of the Self becomes integrated, of fulfilled purpose and freed from sorrow” (2.). There are several such passages in various other Upanishads extolling the virtue of Self-realization. The sages also realized that in reaching the ultimate truth in the Ātman they had also reached the ultimate of knowledge, peace and joy. They communicated their discovery as satyam, truth, jñānam, knowledge, and ānanda, bliss. They also discovered the fact that the true meaning of the entire course of cosmic and organic evolution, especially of human evolution, lies in this final fulfilment.

 

The fulfilment, as sought by all organisms is the end and aim of all activities recognised by modern biology. Upanishads proclaim this by the concepts of freedom and fullness, freedom from all bondage and fullness in terms of existence absolute (sat), knowledge absolute (chit), and bliss absolute (ānanda). Every human being, knowingly or unknowingly, wants to enjoy this freedom and enlighten himself to the status of Buddha. Human activities like education, science, culture, socio political processes, all are directed to enlarge the bounds of human experience and awareness which aid in the process of final achievement of fulfilment. The highest level of freedom is the perfect freedom of the human spirit. This can only be achieved through the liberation of the spirit from all organic limitations enforced by the physical nature of man and thereby realizing the true nature of the human being as immense repository of love, tolerance, compassion and bliss. 

 

The realisation of the true nature of humanity will provide an opportunity for man to overcome all evil tendencies and utilize his intellectual power for human progress and welfare. However, the realization of the Self is possible only when supported by a stable and sustained moral life. Indian sages envisaged a system of practical course of action, eons ago, to achieve this kind of spiritual emancipation of man in the form of Vedānta or spiritual science or Ātmavidyā.