UPANISHADS:THE SCIENCE OF HUMN POSSIBILITIES 

  An in-depth perusal of the contents of all Upanishads reveals the homogeneity of the principal theme underlying an apparent diversity of presentation. It is true that these philosophical treatises often extol many apparently differing conceptions; one Upanishad may emphasize certain ideas or certain views more than the rest; some of them seem to specialise in a particular topic. Such differences in perceptions are unavoidable as these are revelations that occurred to different sages over a period of time, each of them trying to express what he realized in his inimitable style. However the central theme of all Upanishads is Brahma Vidyā and the ways and means of achieving it. An important feature of Upanishads is that these are reports of the insights that occurred to ancient Indian sages and saints who were ‘not builders of systems but recorders of experience’.

     Brahma Vidyā or Atma Vidyā: The science that is elaborated in Upanishads deals with God, world and man, the eternal curiosities of human mind. Upanishads (Vedānta) presented God as Sat-chit-Ᾱnanda, pure existence or Truth, pure Consciousness and pure Bliss. That is, in other words, the infinite Brahman. All Upanishads emphasize only one aspect and they are all engaged in only one task: to prove that “Just as by the knowledge of one lump of clay we have the knowledge of all the clay (and its modifications) in the universe, so what is that knowledge knowing which we know everything in the universe?” The central theme of all Upanishads is the ‘spiritual unity and solidarity’ of all existence.

    Although the fundamental theme of Upanishad doctrine is god-realization and thereby attaining the ultimate, everlasting liberation from all human miseries, certain ideas emerge as central to the teaching of almost all Upanishads. The most important of them are the value of knowledge (jñāna) and the need for complete detachment (vairāgya).  To the great Ṡankara Bhagavatpada these two aspects represent ‘the two wings that are indispensable for the spirit to sour to the heights of spiritual  splendour .

 THE TWO FACES OF SCIENCE : THE CREATOR AND DESTROYER

Science has played a pivotal role in the progress of human life. All our comforts and conveniences are due to the progress we have made in  science and technology. However, science is a double edged  sword which can cut on both sides; in other words the influence of science is both positive and negative in our life. It can create, at the same time it can be a destroyer as well.

THE CREATOR

    The advent of science revolutionized human life in all its varied facets. Science has contributed to human values such as Truth, Beauty, and Goodness, and has become such a useful instrument in the hands of man that he has not only produced innumerable items to live in comfort and luxury, but is now thinking in terms of extending his life span and youth. The spectacular advancement of science and technology has generated a faith in the omnipotence of science. As Russel says, ‘one hundred and fifty years of science have proved more explosive than five thousand years of pre - scientific culture’. At present science has infiltrated into every aspect of human life, even though many are unaware of its presence. Thanks to scientific progress people can speak across continents and oceans, see events occurring thousands of miles away, photographs speak and sing, and rapid advancement in communication and mode of transport has reduced distances between nations and the world as such has become a global village! New drugs and drug delivery systems, spectacular advancement in surgical procedures, and rapid methods of diagnosis, all have alleviated human suffering to a large extent and progress in medical sciences has reflected in the advancement of human life span all over the world.  Psychical anomalies are cured through proper counselling, methods of hypnosis, dream analysis, electric shock treatment and mental hygiene. No longer do people believe that demons cause diseases and priests cure them.

     Food production, food processing, catering are areas where science has played a stellar role and the contribution of science in agricultural production and farm output has definitely helped in the fight against poverty and hunger. So also the new scientific disciplines developed in the latter half of the 20^th century, such as genetic engineering, biotechnology, and nuclear medicine have immensely contributed towards alleviation of human suffering and enhancement of human welfare. The electronic and technological inventions have revolutionized human activities in every sphere of life. Machines are programmed as per requirement and robots replace human labor and scientists are thinking of creating artificial intelligence. Revolution in communication systems has made continents nearer, countries smaller and human beings closer.

    Scientists have been making new discoveries, formulating new theories, and inventing new machines, at a growing pace for the past four hundred years, although this period represents only a minuscule of the recorded history of mankind. In such a short time man has achieved a remarkable insight into the mysterious working of nature and used such information to make his life more comfortable. Man has achieved this feat by making himself more flexible in his adaptation to the outside world.  No other animal has achieved so much. Today man has the technological skill to survive in extreme climates, to travel over land, to tunnel or to swim, or to fly as he wishes. Electronic revolution that we have witnessed in the 20^th century has enabled man to do his banking, shopping and an array of jobs he wants, by sitting in his bedroom and simply using a phone or computer. He has invented language, communication skills and innumerable mechanisms of information storage so that knowledge accumulated in one generation can easily be transmitted to the next generation or generations to come, a feat which comes very near to the Lamarckian dream of progenics acquiring the skills developed by their parents in their lifetime. By developing technologies such as genetic engineering and cloning, man today can even produce made-to-order progeny, almost like playing God!

 THE DESTROYER

     Spectacular achievements in science and the marvels of technology have provided man with immense power to mould nature for his own selfish interests. Man used the power of science and technology to enhance his comforts and conveniences without the necessary social wisdom and enlightened consciousness to use them well. The result is innumerable instances of the dark side of the scientific knowledge and its application. The achievements in science and technology and the resultant comfort and convenience have whetted human greed to acquire more and more, beyond what he really needs. He has become so selfish about his own needs that he is not often bothered about other species of animals in the biosphere. Environmental degradation, pollution, habitat destruction, over-utilization of natural resources etc. are but a few examples of the consequences of human greed and selfishness aided by science and technology. The total degradation of the value based living is a result of the materialistic outlook, which in turn  is the by-product of enormous power and wealth generated by human beings with support from science and technology. At present the technological marvels such as internet, computers and cell phones, which make human life on this planet very comfortable and easy, are also toys in the hands of a few men to create violence, discord and endless miseries to fellow human beings. Science has definitely helped nations to accumulate weapons of mass destruction, and the threat of a nuclear war appears very much real. Unfortunately, a situation has emerged in which man is afraid of his own shadow. It is certain that the gifts of science and technology are wrapped up with so many undesirable elements which pose a threat to the very survival of human species.

VEDᾹNTA AND HUMAN NATURE

     Science provides information which man can use or misuse. Man is unique among organisms in this world in that he has the discretionary power of choosing the right or wrong path of action. Science and technology are mere tools which man chooses for whatever end he likes to achieve. However, to arrive at a conscientious decision, human nature has to get civilized and man must know himself thoroughly. The wrong steps man takes are due only to the aberrations in human behaviour, owing to a breakdown in the moral value system. Human nature and values are all out of step. Science is not responsible for such a state of affairs in society, but man himself is to be blamed. As Einstein stated, ‘science can denature plutonium, but it cannot denature evil in the heart of man’.

    Ancient sages of India embarked on a mission to understand human nature, and the science they developed for the emancipation of human mind is Vedānta, the science of human possibilities. Vedānta is a system of philosophy, a religion and a science all three combined. As a philosophy it reveals the inner core of man as Ᾱtman, and paves the way for the realization or experience of the absolute Reality, Brahman. It gives a unified vision of the universe, at the same time revealing the relationship between individual beings and the absolute Reality. As a religion it provides the personal aspect of God as Ῑṡvara, for the ordinary mortal to love and worship. However, religion, according to Vedānta, is the super sensual, transcendental, knowledge of the Absolute. It has to be emphasized, at the same time, that this knowledge is not a supernatural revelation. As a science Vedānta gives valuable insights into the phenomena of cosmology, creation, evolution and the facts of human nature and practical ways of further evolution of human species by the development of the positives and the degeneration of the negatives of human mind. Vedānta gives a practical methodology for the ethical and moral emancipation of Homo sapiens.

 

 ANALYSIS OF THE MIND : VEDANTIC VIEW

     Psychology, in simple terms, can be defined as the study of the mind and its operation. According to Vedānta (Upanishads) the mind, the sensory system and the vital force (manas, indriyas and prāņa) constitute what is called the subtle body of man (sukshma ṡariram). This comprises our psycho-physical system which is the source of all our experiences, emotions and awareness of the phenomenal world. Of these the mind is the principal organ responsible for our existence, awareness and the total experience that constitutes life itself. Ᾱchārya Ṡankara makes this amply clear, “When it (mind) is destroyed, everything else is destroyed, and when it is manifested, everything else is manifested” (Vivekachudāmani, 169). All human experiences are rooted in the mind and our world of experiences is woven out of the mental sheath. Once this source is destroyed, the universe ceases to exist for man. However, yogis through rigorous practices arrive at this no-mind state and at this state they transcend the phenomenal world to reach Samādhi, the spiritual unity with the Absolute. The Zen philosophy also speaks of such transcendental state.

    “The universe is moved to and fro by the mind in the manner of clouds moved by the wind” (Yenaiva bhrāhmyate viṡvam vayuneva abhra mandalam); that is how Ᾱchārya Ṡankara describes the operation of the mind (Vivekachudāmani, 180). At the operational level mind has many layers each pertaining to a particular aspect of experience. All sense objects, gross or fine, without exception are products of the mind. The differentiation of objects in terms of body, name, caste, order of life, and tribe (ṡarira varnāṡrama jatibhedān) are all products of the mind. The differences in. The sense of likes, dislikes, pleasure and pain etc are all mental creations. Even the sense of communal and social identities of human beings originates at the level of the mental faculty.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              SPIRITUAL REALIZATION

Upanishads talk about the ultimate reality as unknowable giving an impression that the teaching is agnostic. however, when they speak of the unknowable nature of the ultimate Truth, they mean only that the ultimate reality cannot be made an object of any ordinary mode of contemplation. By hypothesis, as the ultimate Reality is all comprehensive , It cannot be understood in any familiar way of intellectual pursuits. However, Upanishads vehemently declare that although It cannot be understood intellectually, can be realized or experienced. in other words, although Brahman cannot be known, one can become Brahman and come to the realization that "I am Brahman" (Aham Brahmasmi). However, as Upanishads declare, the path towards the spiritual realization is so difficult to tread as like walking on the sharp edges of a razor. But with consistent control of the mind and the mental faculty, following a life of austerity and penance,and concentrating on the final destination, one can achieve God-realization as many of the ancient sages and several modern saints have shown by their own examples.

 

BRAHMA VIDYA OR ATMA VIDYA : THE SCIENCE OF INDIAN SPIRITUALITY

The science that is elaborated in Upanishads deals with God, world and man, the eternal curiosities of human mind. Upanishads (Vedānta) presented God as Sat-chit-Ānanda, pure existence or Truth, pure Consciousness and pure Bliss. That is, in other words, the infinite Brahman. All Upanishads emphasize only one aspect and they are all engaged in only one task: to prove that “Just as by the knowledge of one lump of clay we have the knowledge of all the clay (and its modifications) in the universe, so what is that knowledge knowing which we know everything in the universe?” The central theme of all Upanishads is the ‘spiritual unity and solidarity’ of all existence.

Although the fundamental theme of Upanishad doctrine is god-realization and thereby attaining the ultimate, everlasting liberation from all human miseries, certain ideas emerge as central to the teaching of almost all Upanishads. The most important of them are the value of knowledge (jñāna) and the need for complete detachment (vairāgya). To the great Ṡankara Bhagavatpada these two aspects represent ‘the two wings that are indispensable for the soul, if it should soar unrestricted to its eternal home of freedom and peace’ (Viveka chudāmani). Only when the significance and relevance of these two conceptions is explained in terms of spiritual aspirations of the seeker, one can really get to know the central teaching of the Upanishads.

 

VEDANTA AND HUMAN EVOLUTION

On a review of the evolutionary process, it is evident that with the emergence of the human species on the evolutionary firmament, the organic evolution in the strict biological sense lost its significance and relevance as to the direction of further progress in the evolutionary ladder for the human race. Structurally and functionally a superior human can conjure up wonders as demonstrated in his ability to think, discriminate, discover and create a knowledge bank in his memory. His achievements in science and technology, literature, philosophy and communication are mind-boggling. However, further evolution of human species should be in the psycho-social realms that too based on moral and ethical principles. The gist of the opinions of many right thinking personnel such as Sir Julian Huxley is that the world today is in need of a science that provides a methodology of human progress based on higher human values of love, compassion, tolerance and cooperation. In other words, such an evolutionary process should involve a change in the moral and ethical outlook of human beings leading to a total spiritual emancipation of the human soul: a methodology of progress that results in the release of human beings from the legacy of his animal ancestry, a release from the slavery of negative prospects and perceptions about life. Sir Julian Huxley termed such a program of the evolution of man as the ‘Science of Human Possibilities.’

In this regard it is worthwhile to recall what Bertrand Russel said, “Man has been disciplined hitherto by his subjection to nature. Having emancipated himself from this subjection, he is showing something of the defects of slave-turned-master. A new moral outlook is called for in which submission to the powers of nature is replaced by respect for what is best in man. It is where this respect is lacking that scientific technique is dangerous. So long as it is present, science, having delivered man from bondage to nature, can proceed to deliver him from bondage to the slavish part of himself” (The Scientific Outlook, pp.29 8-99 ). It is clear that without a moral and ethical emancipation of human mind, all scientific and technological progress may herald the death knell of human species.

Ancient sages of India, thousands of years ago, understood the potentialities of human beings to overcome negativities such as selfishness, hatred and enmity in order to evolve into morally, ethically and spiritually emancipated saints. Gautama Buddha, Sri Ṡankara, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Vivekānanda are but a few of such souls who realized the full potential of human life in their own lifetime. The science that the ancient sages realized through metaphysical intuition in super sensory perception is Vedānta, the science of human possibilities.

 REALITY

Philosophically the Real is the self which is identical with the Brahman revealing itself in all, becoming the permanent background of the world-process. Religiously it is envisaged as the Divine Self-consciousness, pregnant with the whole course of the world, with its evolution and involution. Throughout its long career the oneness of the ultimate Spirit has been the governing ideal of the Hindu religion. The Rig Veda tells us of One Supreme Reality of which the learned speak variously. The Upanishads make out that the one Brahman is called by many names, according to the spheres of reality in which it is seen to function. The conception of Trimurti arises in the epic period, and is well established by the age of the Puranas. The analogy of human consciousness, with its three fold activity of cognition, emotion, and will suggests the view of the Supreme as Sat, Chit, Ananda - reality, wisdom and joy. The three gunas Satva or equanimity , born of wisdom, Rajas or energy, which is the outcome of spirited feelings and Tamas or heaviness, due to lack of enlightenment and control, are aspects of all existence and even God is not considered  to be an exception to this law of the multiplicity of all being. The three functions of Srishti or creation, Sthiti or maintenance, and Laya or destruction are traced to the three gunas of Satva, Rajas and Tamas. Vishnu the preserver, of the universe is the Supreme Spirit dominated by the quality of Satva ; Brahma, the creator, of the universe is the Supreme dominated by the quality of Rajas; and Siva , the destroyer , of the universe is the Supreme dominated by the quality of Tamas. The three qualities of the Supreme are developed into three distinct personalities and each of these representations of the Supreme is said to function through its own respective Sakti or energy. Brahma, Vishnu and Siva have Saraswati, Lakshmi and Uma as their respective Saktis. Strictly speaking all three qualities and functions are so well balanced in one Supreme that it cannot be said to possess any quality at all. The one incomprehensible God who is Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent appears to different minds in different ways.