“TO BE OR NOT TO BE,” a non-believer.
This essay is dedicated to the next generation, because the conflicts are many, resolutions so few.
Jay Mathur
I always thought that after being educated in a Christian Mission Public School where Bible class was mandatory, doing my secondary education in a Sikh Public School, graduating from an Arya Samaj institution and having read Quran during the summer vacations of my 18th year of life, if I still chose to practice Sanatan Dharm, then I must have had an unquestionable trust in Vedic philosophy. Not quite so. The news of a person blowing himself up in the service of God, and leaving a two years old child and a young widow behind without guilt, rocked my own belief from the very foundation.
A question started to mushroom within me and wouldn’t go away. What makes me so sure that the faith I have is not just as irrational as the faith of those who will blow themselves up, a few non-believers will die. Who is a non-believer, infidel or a pagan? All depend on, whom you ask.
Only through the faith in Allah and his prophet, says one belief.
Come unto me and the kingdom of God shall be yours, says the other.
Only through Me, says Shri Krishna in Gita. The English translation of the two examples of the above, are given below;
Text 13 Bhagavad-glta Gita Press, Page 89
“On the other hand, Arjuna, great souls who have
embraced the divine nature, knowing Me as the
prime source of all lives and the imperishable
eternal, worship Me constantly with none else in
mind. (13)
Text 14 Bhagavad-gita Gita Press, Page 89
Constantly chanting My names and glories and striving for My realization, and bowing again and again to Me, those devotees of firm resolve, ever united with Me through meditation, worship Me with single-minded devotion.” (14)
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For some time, it tormented me day and night. Then came the gift of a book through one of my nephews. I don’t know what made him give me this book titled “Many lives, Many Masters” by Dr Brian Weiss, Chair, Department of Psychiatry, The School of Medicine, The University of Miami,
What I read was a recorded account of incarnations and the role that Gods play in the process of births and deaths. Dr Weiss calls them “Masters”. He came across this during the “hypnotic regression” of one of his patients, an acceptable treatment modality in psychiatry. He taped recorded each session and printed it verbatim in this book. Dr Brian Weiss is Jewish, never had any exposure to Hinduism or it’s offshoots.
Let me quote a few paragraphs from this book. One of his patients with blue-collar background, a limited education and intellect, went on to reveal profound knowledge of events and places under hypnotic regression. In a tape-recorded account the patient, Catherine also revealed very private details of Dr Weiss’ life that she had no way of knowing. Here it goes;
“In a series of trans states, Catherine recalled “past-lives” memories that proved to be the causative factors of her symptoms. She also was able to act as a conduit for information from highly evolved “ spirit entities, and through them she revealed many of the secrets of life and of death.”
A comparative narration of Vedanta Vs Dr Weiss’ patient is given below:
Vedanta says, “ Aham Mitrunjay” (I am immortal).
Under hypnotic regression Catherine says, “ Human kind is immortal, and what we are doing now is learning our lessons. We are all in school. It is so simple if you can believe in immortality.”
Page 210:para 2
Vedanta says, “ Aham Bramashmi”(I am God).
Catherine says, “We are beyond space and beyond time. We are the gods, and they are us.” Page 173:Para3
Vedanta says, “ Aham Sampurnam.”(I am complete).
Catherine says, “ The diamond is perfect, not a flaw. The only difference among people are, the number of facets cleaned. But each diamond is the same, and each is perfect.” Page: 21:para 5
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Krishna in Gita says, “ Karmanya Vadikaraste Mahafeleshukadachan”.
“Your right is to work only, but never to the fruit thereof. Be not instrumental in making your actions bear fruit, nor let your attachment be to inaction.”
Text 47, Bhagavadgita Gita Press Page22
Catherine says, “ The reward is in doing but doing without expecting anything. Doing unselfishly.” Page: 85:para5
Krishna says, “As a man shedding worn-out garment, takes other new ones, like wise the embodied soul, casting off worn-out bodies, enters into others which are new.”
Bhagawadgita Chapter 2 Text 22, Gita Press, Page 17
Catherine Says, “ Our body is just a vehicle for use while we are here. It is our soul and our spirit that last for ever.” Page 140:para 2
“Krishna says, “For in this case death is certain for the born, and rebirth is inevitable for the dead.” Bhagavadgita Chapter 2, Text 27: Page: 18 Gita Press
Catherine says,” We come from one life, and, if lessons are completed, we move on to another dimension, another life.” Page 195:para3
Swami Shivananda in “What becomes of Soul after Death” quotes Vedanta, “There are seven planes. They are Bhuloka (Earth Plane), Bhuvarloka (Antariksha or astral plane), Svargaloka (heaven or the mental plane), Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka, Satyaloka (Brahmaloka or the world of the creator) Page119: para3
Catharine Says, “There are seven planes in all. Seven planes, each consisting of many levels, one of them being the plane of recollections. On that plane you are allowed to collect your thought. You are allowed to see your life that has just passed.
Page 171: Para 10
Those who have some exposure to the Vedanta philosophy will enjoy the following quotation from Dr Brian Weiss in which he is explaining messages from one of the “Masters” (we may call him a Devta) through the patient, Catherine. In one place he writes:
“It included past lifetime and spiritual planes between lives. And it talked of the soul’s progress through harmony and balance, love and wisdom, progress towards mystical and ecstatic connection with God.” Page 173:para2 Page3 of 5
The impact of this book on me was profound in more than one way. Firstly, if the “transmigration of soul” is true, the “theory of Karma is true”. If we all are part of one “divine energy” is true, then I am a believer of the truth, The Satya. What I believe-in, is not a blind faith. Hinduism is not a faith it is enlightenment. Secondly, it brought the reality to me like the acid tested article in a medical journal. Like never before, I felt so free within the bondage of the present life and content to enter the life that awaits me. This knowledge has set me free. I know the pathway, as I have travelled on it before, many times.
Others (who follow the path of Knowledge)
betake themselves to Me through their offering of
Knowledge, worshipping Me (in My absolute,
formless aspect) as one with themselves; while still
others worship Me in My Universal Form in many
ways, taking Me to be diverse in diverse celestial
forms. Text 15:Bhagawadgita Gita Press: Page 90
Why never in the recorded history of the world, Hindus ever invaded a country or a civilisation to change it to their belief system. On the contrary, the memorable history is burning with the examples after examples that countries and civilisation have been exterminated because of one faith or the other. The above text from Gita explains why Hindus had been exceptions.
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Some may worship the God, as formless “The Nirakar Brahm” within, The Atman, like the Arya Samajis. While others worship symbols like a Book or a Cross. Yet others may worship His manifestations, in the physically incarnated form, “Sakar Brahm”, Idols as object of worship. Symbols of worship abound, even a direction or a building could be the object. Krishna goes on to the extent of saying, IN MANY WAYS, taking Me to be DIVERSE IN DIVERSE CELETIAL FORMS.
To me it is the message from God. Righteous deeds, Knowledge of the self & the power of divine devotion, harnessed to become a stable person, irrespective of the Path you choose. This is the way of Ram & Krishna for the world to achieve the “Ram Rajya”. To live in love and peace and to let others choose the object and the style.
As a Hindu I am free to bring in divinity in my life in any form and in any way. A secular life entrenched in peace. “Shanti”...”Shanti…Shanti” until the secularity, the basic desire of the living- free to choose, is threatened. Then and only then Ram & Krishna, with a bow and arrow, become the deity of the day.
Author’s Note: Dr Weiss observed that transmigration often happens in “clusters”.
Think!!
Happy Diwali.
Bibliography
1. “Many Lives, Many Masters”- Published by Simon and Schuster. Author, Brian Weiss, Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Medical Centre in Miami Beach, Florida, and Clinical associate professor, Department of Psychiatry, at the University of Miami School of Medicine.
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2. “What becomes of the soul after death” – A Divine life Publication. Author, Swami Sivananada, Founder Divine life Society. A doctor, teacher & publisher.
3. “The Bhagwat Gita or The Song Divine”, Publisher Gita Press, Gorakhpur, India
4. “Hamlet” Act 3, Scene 1– Author, William Shakespeare.
Acknowledgement:
1.Without the editorial skills of Sangita,, the shape of this article would have been an intellectual blur.
2. Title referenced by Arti Premji
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