There is a fundamental hermetic principle referred to as “the principle of correspondence”. The famous aphorism, “As above, so below” reflects this principle. It is one of the seven foundational principles from the ancient Egyptian and Greek Hermeticism. This principle is also popular in ancient Indian philosophical and yogic texts too, as “Yat pinde tat brahmande”. When translated, it means, “Your body is a miniature universe. Whatever is in the microcosm is also in the macrocosm.” This principle essentially gives us the truth that there is always a similarity and harmony between the laws and phenomena existing in the large domains, and the small domains of existence. This realm that we live in is fairly well known to us. There are many other smaller and bigger realms beyond our present knowledge. The principle of correspondence says that if we use our knowledge of how life and systems work in our known world, we can use that knowledge to understand how the world unknown to us works similarly. There is a remarkable similarity in the way life is organized in different domains.
For instance, if we know how the solar system is organized around the sun, we can apply that knowledge to understand how subatomic electrons are similarly organized around the nucleus. It is like the Russian matryoshka nesting dolls of similar shape and design, differing only in their sizes. Likewise, Life is nested in different domains, but largely designed in the same manner, and they remain ‘entangled’. The analogies we use in various narrations that we use in our everyday life too work on a similar principle. Therefore, analogies are crucial in fostering a logical appreciation for concepts and their evaluation.
To understand the working model of Sanatana Dharma, one needs to completely comprehend three essential characteristics of our “LIFE”. They are briefly recapped below, before discussing the working model.
Proof? When both the body and mind were awake and agile, the ‘I’ factor was witnessing whatever happened in the body-mind’s wakeful state. The same ‘I’ factor is aware, again, in the dream state because the same ‘I’ factor is witnessing whatever happens in the dream state that the mind produces. Note that in the dream state, the body was in unconscious sleep, but only the mind was agile and busy producing dreams. In the deep sleep, dreamless state, where both the body and mind were asleep, the “I” factor was still witnessing and the next day it reported to itself that “I slept well last night”. Hence, the “I” factor is not the body nor the mind. It is the ever present, ever agile, ever witnessing self-awareness, which is “Prajnanam” in Sanskrit. “Consciousness” is the English word. In common parlour, Prajnanam/Consciousness is synonymous with “Life”. The body and mind start to disintegrate when this ‘I’ factor, life, is removed. When the “I” (Prajnanam/Consciousness) expands, individuals become increasingly aware of a broader range of existence and become more and more full of life.
- The “I” factor: There is only ONE non-dual, formless, eternal God, which is “Brahman”. Brahman is Ever Existing, All Conscious and is an existence of ever renewed bliss – all rolled into ONE undifferentiated, and formless amalgam. Brahman did not “create” a world using any extraneous materials, for there was nothing existing before the creation anyway; Brahman would have only partially transformed itself into the multiple ‘things’ of this universe. Everything, including humans, therefore, would logically only be the Brahman self-transformed. This would mean, everything, including humans, are different degrees of camouflaged existence-consciousness-bliss, which is what Brahman is. But we do not realize this core nature of ours because we are wrongly identifying ourselves with our body and mind. To fully comprehend our true essence, we must first identify our incorrect identifications and re-identify our true essence of existence, consciousness, and bliss. Correcting this identity-error requires reaching a certain level of expansion of consciousness and self-awareness. Then, and only then, we become aware that the feeling of “I” in us is NOT our body, NOT our mind, but that feeling of the “I-ness” in us is that faculty of Consciousness.
| Typically, it is commonly believed that the universe was “created” by God. Many theologians also believe this. There are many versions of genesis, depending on who you ask. Then, the question arises as to who created God? The ultimate, logically consistent explanation available is that the Universe was self-created from an eternal field of supremely conscious, formeless, shapeless, intelligence. That happened when there was no time, no space nor matter existed. The common synonym for this Supreme field of conscious intelligence is “God” in the common parlour. Everything is self-evolved from this conscious field of intelligence, and everything exists in this very same field. There was nothing outside this field, and there is nothing outside of it, nor will ever be there anything outside of it. This field is called Supreme “CONSCIOUSNESS” in the English language and “Parama PRAJNAN” in Sanskrit. Scientists also acknowledge a factor known as ‘consciousness’ today. In this paper, capitalized words like “CONSCIOUSNESS” or “PRAJNAN” will be used to denote the Brahman or the highest intensity of Supreme “CONSCIOUSNESS”. This is because the rest of our existence is the same consciousness, but it is much less intense. To distinguish these lower intensities “CONSCIOUSNESS”, the word “Consciousness” or “Prajnan” with a capital C or P will be used. A section of the Newtonian scientists believe that Consciousness is a by product of the brain (matter) and there is no God sitting somewhere and creating space, time, energy, or matter. Another Section of the Scientists (who cannot be called “Newtonian” any longer), based on Quantum Mechanics, vehemently argues that “CONSCIOUSNESS” spontaneously brought forth the matter, energy, and information. In other words, their contention is that the “formation” of the Universe is a spontaneous quantum event. The dispute between these two groups of scientists is currently a fervent debate, causing the “Hard Problem of Science”. In Quantum experiments, it is only when an observer observes a ‘wave’ that the wave collapses as a ‘particle’; when the observer is NOT observing, the particle turns back into the wave. The three Nobel Laureates who shared the prize in Physics in 2022 conducting ground-breaking experiments using entangled quantum states, established that two subatomic particles behave like a single unit even when light years separate them. This is the proof that the entire universe is one entangled entity. Look at how Deepak Chopra so beautifully explains this in his video here. He said, “God did not create the Universe; however, God is not difficult to find; in fact, God is impossible to avoid”. His explanations are paraphrased here in summary below:“There is no ’cause-effect’ relationship in Quantum events. Everything is spontaneous and without cause in Quantum Mechanics. And it works! All the calculations of Quantum Mechanics are now helping to create technology, even though Quantum Mechanics does not imply causality or even strict determinism. Quantum Mechanics only implies possibilities, that reside in a transcendent realm. It implies unpredictability. It implies quantum leaps of information and energy, which means discontinuity of events. Furthermore, it implies self-organization, self-regulation, self-evolution, and total autonomy, spontaneity, uncertainty, and creativity. There exists a realm of existence that is not perceptual, but the source of perception. That realm cannot be 100% conceivable, but it is the source of all conceptual ideas; that realm is the source of infinite possibilities, uncertainty principles, spontaneity, quantum leaps of information and energy, implying discontinuity. If that realm of existence is awareness, then it also operates through attention and intention. If that transcendent field, unified field, or singularity, or whatever you call it, then the infinite formless is all possibilities, and also spontaneity. That realm follows the uncertainty principle and can remain localized to itself through attention and intention; We have a solution to the hard problem of science here, that the universe came from a transcendent realm of all possibilities. That realm might be self-aware and transcendent, and it interacts with itself. Through attention and intention, it creates species-specific experiences or Universes; it goes along in entanglement with the biological organisms, that are experiencing these universes. It is a self-aware, all entangled, all encompassing ONE single existence, appearing differently.” In Deepak Chopra’s paraphrased words, “it is impossible to miss God. God did not create the universe, God transformed himself into the universe, which is a quantum event”. Everything remains in a quantum entanglement within the beingness of God. |
- Levels of Existence: Existence can be both visible and invisible. When one is at the lower end of awareness (lower degrees of expansion of Prajnanam/Consciousness) one thinks that something has “life” only if it is visible and moving or self propelling. In Sanatana Dharma, the entire universe is a living entity. Anything that exists has “life”, and it is alive. It is not necessary that all living things need to be visible, nor is it necessarily be self-propelling.
Proof? It is the same H2O that becomes the non-self propelling solid piece of ice, liquid water with self-propelling ability in certain limited directions and the invisible vapour with the ability to propel in all directions. This proves that existence can be found in the increasing levels of visibility from invisibility (vapour, water, ice). This also proves that existence can be found in decreasing levels of mobility (visual liveliness) from immobility to total mobility (ice, water, and vapour).
Anything invisible can have life and existence? Certainly, yes! Gravity is invisible, but everyone knows that Gravity exits. Even ideas and concepts have true existence, although they do not have visibility. Love is, similarly, an invisible idea or concept. Love is conscious and love exists. That is why love expands and grows to make physical things move. In Sanatana Dharma, if one can think of something, talk of something, it has existence, it has ‘life’ and it exists as Prajnanam/Consciousness. That is why in Sanatana Dharma, one’s thoughts, words, and actions should be with ultimate responsibility.
In Sanatana Dharma, “movement” is the stirring of energy in Consciousness. If Energy does not stir itself in a unit of Consciousness, it will not move – yet, it is ‘alive’. A piece of stone is alive as a cat; the only difference is that in the stone, the energy is immobile, and the Consciousness is in less expanded in the stone. If a human can think of something, that ‘thought’ becomes a living entity, albeit, of low potential Prajnanam/Consciousness with an inbuilt power to expand itself and manifest itself in higher and higher levels and Potentialities. That is why, in Sanatana Dharma, absolute purity of thoughts, words, and action is one’s Dharma!
In Sanatana Dharma, there are four levels of existence. They are, (1) Gross visible existence with a body (“Sthoola”); (2) Subtle and still with an invisible body (“Sookshma”); (3) Subtler bodiless existence as a mere presence of a force-field (“Shoonya”); (4) the subtle most presence of forceless force (“Siva”). Even science talks of four fundamental forces of the universe today, namely Gravity, Electromagnetism, Strong Nuclear Force and Weak Nuclear Force. It is proof enough that things exist without visibility or mobility.
- Karma & Rebirth : Karma and Rebirths are not a punitory system of crime and punishment. Karma is an impersonal, neutral law of cause and effect. It corresponds to Newton’s third law of Motion in our physical world. Newton’s third law states that there is an equal and opposite reaction for every action. One can see the Hermetic Law of Correspondence at work here. In addition, “Cause and Effect” itself is one of the Hermetic principles. Everything is connected by the principle of cause and effect. Each cause is just a result of something else, going back to the beginning. In the physical world of time, space and matter, it is Newton’s third law that operates. In the non-physical quantum domain of Consciousness (Souls) the same principle work as Karma and Rebirth. The laws of motion of Newton aren’t a system for rewarding and punishing people, so are Karma and Rebirths not meant to punish souls. It is an auto-regulated training and development mechanism for the souls with a body and mind for self-learning. It is often through painful experiences, humans (souls with a body and mind) learn what is absolutely Dharmic. For some, it takes a very long time. Self-learning is a fast process where the consciousness is an expanded state. Proof? Numerous childhood memories from past lives are well-documented; Past Life Regression Therapy is a recognized treatment approach in psychiatry today.
The Big Picture and context in Sanatana Dharma
Our limited knowledge and awareness has led us to believe that “life” is the short period between our birth and death – a short period of only eighty, ninety or one hundred and twenty years. However, in Sanatana Dharma, “LIFE” is an existence far greater than the little “life” we currently consider in our thoughts. The large “LIFE” is beyond the confines of time, space, and matter that we currently experience. Our brief existence with a physical and mental body is just one part of the larger picture of our existence. If we imagine our vast existence as a book, then our current brief existence as body-mind-organism confined to a space-time continuum of a few tens of years, is a page in the middle of that book. There will be other pages before this one page, and there will be other pages after it. As directed by the laws of Karma and Rebirth, before this one little “life”, we have taken many other little “lives” and will continue to do so. All of that together is the big picture of our “life”, our existence. And, that ‘life’ of ours is entangled with the lives of everything else existing, much like the Russian matryoshka nesting dolls.
The highest knowledge in Sanatana dharma is the knowledge that we are not really this body or mind, both of which are merely two sets of tools that we have borrowed from the earth. We are truly “living souls” temporarily using these tools. Our current state of suffering and death is due to our lower levels of consciousness/awareness and the limited identification with our current body, mind, and other material possessions. With this limited identification, we make several mistakes in our interpersonal interactions with everything around us. These mistakes cause a chain of events that lead to Karma and Rebirths. Undergoing repeated experiences of psychophysical pain, suffering, and the eventual physical death, we gradually learn to exist without making such mistakes. In Sanatana Dharma, the entire life as we experience today is to help us graduate through this very process. This short life is not a punishment, it is a great opportunity to practice and perfect the art of living and graduate to a higher life. Everything in Sanatana Dharma is a component of the process of “becoming” through the expansion of Consciousness/awareness, which is the core of our being.
This short life, therefore, needs to be lived in a specific way to ensure that Consciousness/awareness expands steadily. Furthermore, we need to undergo the experiences triggered by the past events from our previous short lives in such a way that we do not trigger fresh cycles of Karma and Rebirths while undergoing the present allotment of experiences. This short life is like a university, designed to train us to expand the Consciousness that we are and develop our souls to the next higher level of existence. In fact, it is technically incorrect to state “our Consciousness” or “our souls” etcetera. We ARE a unit of a certain level of expanded “Consciousness”. A unit of “Consciousness” is the “soul”. We are “Consciousness”; “Consciousness” is not something that we possess. As an analogy, it is like the sugar crystals correctly saying “I am sweetness” instead of wrongly saying “I have sweetness”. There is, indeed, a meaningful difference between the two statements. There is ‘duality’ in the latter, whereas there is non-duality in the former.
“Life”, therefore, is not just the time between birth and death. Life in Sanatana Dharma is one large life from the time Jeevatmas are formed out of the one and only Paramatma until the time these Jeevatmas are called back into Paramatma through Paramatma’s own volition. Both the Paramatma and the Jeevatmas are essentially the same thing, consciousness/awareness, differing only in the intensity. They are similar to Russian nesting dolls, where the ONE Paramatama with an infinite intensity of CONSCIOUSNESS/awareness is nesting an infinite number of Jeevatmas with finite and diminishing intensities of Consciousness/awareness. What we presently call “my life” is nothing but a schooling opportunity for Jeevatmas to learn to expand themselves to higher levels of existence.
“Life” in Sanatana Dharma is considered ONE whole Paramatma with all its nesting and entangled Jeevatmas. Each one of us, as well as everything that exists, is a member of the same nested Russian dolls designed and carved basically out of the same Paramatma Consciousness/awareness, differing only in the magnitude of Consciousness/awareness. Some nested dolls (souls or Consciousness/awareness) have a certain type of body and visibility, while others do not have either of them. The lower the Consciousness/awareness, the higher the visibility, as a thumb rule.
In conclusion, our little life is, in fact, an academic life – a learning opportunity to expand our consciousness. Students can study on their own at this university of life, but they have to follow certain rules. This is the context of Sanatana Dharma
A Working “Model” of Life in Santana Dharma
The all-inclusive nature of life as explained above is the first and foremost thing to understand in Sanatana Dharma. The next thing to understand is that everything in this world of ours is designed and remains in existence for the sole purpose of evolution of Souls. Now, here is the analogy to understand how the essential concepts of Sanatana Dharma described earlier work and function together. Only when different concepts work together, they become a “Shasthra” or “Science.” The essential principles in Sanatana Dharma are all working together in this analogy to make perfect sense out of it. The analogy of a student entering the university education system in our known world can help us understand the working model of “LIFE” in Sanatana Dharma.
Consider each of our lifetime as a period of academic study at a university, where we are studying a specific course syllabus. The name of that university is “Varnashram University”. The literal meaning of the word ‘Varna’ is colour, which is used to distinguish a course of study. “Varna” is not one’s skin tone, nor is it one’s birth circumstances, either. The corresponding word in contemporary lingo for “Varna” is “school”, similar to “the school of engineering”, “the school of fine arts,” and so on. Likewise, the word “ashram” should not be mistaken as a synonym for the word ‘hermitage’ in this context. The word “Ashram” refers to a particular phase of life, such as infancy, childhood, old age, and so on. “Semester” is the contemporary word in the modern parlour for “Ashram”. There are different levels of responsibilities and codes of conduct for each semester.
There are four academic study programs, namely Shudra, Vaishya, Kshatriya, and Brāhmaṇa. In modern parlour, they are the School of Shudra, the School of Vaishya, the School of Kshatriya, and the School of Brāhmaṇa. All of us must successfully complete all the four schools to attain the ultimate graduation from the university of our ‘embodied life’. The School of Shurada is just the beginning of studies on the topic “How to Serve fellow beings.” Being enrolled in the Brāhmaṇa School is nothing more than a continuation of the same topic, “How to Help Others,” at a higher level. One school is not more important than the other. They are all equally significant and equally indispensable, like the studies one does in first standard and the post graduation.
All of these four schools teach essentially only one core subject, ‘Service,’ but with increasing levels of responsibilities with added course materials. Each of these four schools will have distinct uniforms and classroom layouts. Technically, it is possible to successfully complete all the four schools in one academic term (in one lifetime) if we are adept enough. However, the lower levels of Consciousness that we currently are and the pressure of existing Prarabdha Karma make it impossible for us to complete our study in one go in one lifetime. We take actually thousands of academic terms (lifetimes) to complete the entire course of studies. Every time we come to the campus at the start of a new academic term (a new rebirth), we have to start from the same syllabus as we left off in the previous one. All the lessons that have not been studied until then or that have been forgotten will come back in the revised syllabus. A demotion can also happen if our studies are too bad, giving us another chance to learn what we’ve forgotten. Varnashram curricula do not punish any students for failures, but only ensure that the lessons intended are irrevocably learnt in that intended sequence before allowing to progress further.
The term’semester’ refers to our time on campus, how much of the allotted academic time has elapsed in our the above four schools in the order listed above. The comprehensive evaluation of student performance is conducted in accordance with the stipulations and guidelines applicable to each of these four academic terms.
Varna code (School’s name) and Ashram code (Semester) together, the education system is known as “Varnashram”. “Varnashram” effectively means ‘semester-based Specialization School’. The “Varnashram” system is a sort of coding system for distinguishing various stages and levels of studies. In short, “Varna” is the curriculum level and “Ashram” is the semester level. “Varnashram” collectively denotes the current semester and curriculum level for which one is enrolled for the current academic period. When the university authorities (Ishwaras and Devathas) observe how one handles each of their interpersonal interactions, they immediately come to know of how they progress on their studies. They check their Varna curriculum code and their semester stage. They would then immediately recognize the progress made in attaining proficiency relative to the expected competence standards. Lessons will be repeated accordingly to ensure that no lessons are left unlearned. (When certain experiences repeatedly happen to us in life, we should recognize that we have not learnt everything that needed to be learnt last time when a similar experience presented itself).
| The “Varnashram” system has nothing to do with the ‘caste system,’ as it is often accused of and mistaken for. The agitated individuals who express their dissatisfaction with the ‘Varnashram” system after wrongly mistaking it as a ‘caste system’ bear resemblance to the meaningless rants that some students engage in to express their dissatisfaction with the University curriculum. One can see the “Varna” based curriculum is a worldwide phenomenon, and not specific to India. Occupation-based individual names are quite common even in western countries. Examples are: ‘Wright’ (The Old English word “wryhta” means “worker”, often woodworker). ‘Smith’ (metalworker, like in Goldsmith). ‘Cooper’ (The Latin word “cupa”, meaning “cask,” was very common in the old Dutch, German, and English world, where the term for a cask maker was ‘couper’ or ‘cowper’.). “Fletcher” is a maker of arrows. “Webster” is the old term for a weaver, derived from the Old English ‘webbestre’. There are numerous other examples. All members of a society are valuable assets and totally interdepend for the harmonious and joyful functioning of the whole. One can see such a highly organized community-based work patterns in the animal kingdom too, like ants and honeybees. In the early stages of human refinement, this system worked very well, as it works in ants and honey bees. Later, premature mixing up of the students of different schools and curriculums took place. The technical term for this in Sanatana Dharma is “Varna Sankara”, which means “Mixing up of Schools. Since the entire curriculum is based on self-studies, until one reaches a certain degree of raise in own awareness (expansion of consciousness) and gain mastery of the topic of Service, these types of errors can occur. Even this error, however, will be eventually autocorrected through suffering, pain, Karma and Rebirth. At times, members of senior schools with the required level of mastery and competency will be seen mixing with junior schools to correct the errors and mentor them. Making mistakes is a necessary part of self-learning. Recollect the Involution (Pravruthi) and Evolution (Nivruthi) stages discussed earlier. These errors need to be corrected through mentoring, legislation, or even exemplary use of force. That is the reason for stating that ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ are not ‘absolute’. It depends on the context, and intention of the participants in the interactions. But, ‘dharma’ is absolute – All thoughts, words, and actions intending to the highest evolution of Jeevatmas are ‘dharmic’. Dharma includes ethics, but not only ethics. |
The main syllabus of the Level-1 school is based on the theme “Giving Service”. The main topic is learning to give Dharmic service to other beings by practising it every day. The subjects of study in the other three higher levels of schools are also related to the subject of “Giving Service”. Therefore, “Giving Service” is the basic course. There are many other sub-topics. But the main topic is always “Giving Service”. “Basic Service” is taught as the main subject in a Varna School named “Sudra Varna”.
The second higher Level is the school that majors in the graduate course “Dharmic Production and Dharmic Distribution of Material Resources”. It is learned and practised, providing the necessary training and flexibility to render dharmic ‘service’ in this important field critical to the existence of life on planet earth. The name of the school where this main subject is taught is “Vaisya Varnashram”.
The third higher Level is the school that majors in the postgraduate course “Kshatriya Varnashram”. The theme is “Dharmic Governance and Protection”. It is all about another indispensable service of providing protection and stability to fellow beings. The fourth doctoral school is “Brāhmaṇa Varnashram”. The lesson here is how one can evolve from his current dualistic awareness to non-dualistic awareness by realizing who and what one really is. The various Dharmic services studied in the three preceding schools are training grounds for this final study, where Dharmic Service to the totality of existence is the key topic. This is the method of study in “Varnashram University”. All the systems and sub-systems of Varnashram University exist for the sole purpose of teaching all living beings exactly what Dharmic service is. It provides opportunities for practising Dharmic services, and teaching that human beings can evolve further only through Dharmic living.
Sanatana Dharma teaches us that the souls are the students of this global schooling system called “Embodied Life on Earth”. The students can’t enter the campus without wearing the appropriate uniform for the school where they’re studying. (Here the analogy of the uniform is to the type of the physical body required for the specific studies being undertaken). Students can exit the campus only after completing the course. If, for any other reasons apart from the natural end of the allotted academic term, a student happens to remove the uniform, the student will go out of the campus; not only that, there are certain conditions to re-enter. The study cannot continue until all those re-entry requirements are first fulfilled. Upon gaining re-entry the student has to continue the studies exactly where the student left it. So, there’s no point in removing the uniform and leaving the University before one finishes one’s studies in the allotted time. It only unnecessarily delays the re-joining the course. Hence, no matter how hard the curriculum appears, one should stay put and do the best one can. When a student is sincerely trying to do the best regardless of the hardness of the curriculum, “grace” will be given to lessen the hardness. The purpose of the University is not to “punish”, but to consistently develop competency to move forward to the next higher level of existence of souls.
Apart from having such an auto-regulatory mechanism, once a student puts on the uniform and enters the university campus, another major challenge arises for the students. Every student in the uniform forgets the fact that he or she is a ‘jeevatma’ or ‘soul’. That means students forget who they really are. Instead, students identify so much with the uniforms they wear that they fall thinking they are limited and bounded by their uniforms. They falsely identify with the specific school they currently study; they start feeling an intense sense of difference from all others; they start getting influenced by what other equally self-distorted students say or do. With that kind of forgetfulness of their own identity, their awareness, memory, and abilities start diminishing further, just as the intensity of the light dims when a lantern is turned low. This lack of awareness of who they are creates a major obstacle to their learning. Furthermore, they do not recognize that all others around them are similarly suffering too. Even the sense of purpose of being in the university itself is lost. It creates huge challenges in learning. All this impacts their learning process, and they cannot satisfactorily study the lessons and pass within the allotted period of time. This is the state of humanity today.
Before the beginning of the four academic semesters, there is an “orientation” period. The “orientation” period is the first twelve years of childhood from birth. This period is not included in the semester study. Semester studies will start after this initial twelve years of preparations for the studies are over. The next twelve years are the first semester, and the following twenty-four years are the second semester. The third Semester is for the next twelve years. Then the entire remaining period of the semester is the fourth semester. This is how the semesters are structured.
All studies are conducted in “Practical” mode only through interpersonal interactions. All associated theories should be studied by self-research and self-practice. A large library of scriptures and their commentaries comprise the theory; teachers are available on the campus to provide the necessary help in learning them. They are more like mentors. There would not be any compulsion from anyone, as the methodology for studies is entirely based on ‘self studies’. This self-study method is often mistaken as ‘free-will’; Actually, there is no ‘free-will’, as everything is self regulated by the cause-effect principle and every action has a consequence. There is, therefore, no free-will as such, but only a semblance of it.
All things are available to those students who seek. Thus, “Varnashram University” is an independent self-study university. One has the option to either pursue learning or utilize the allotted time for leisure activities. But there are consequences of the action chosen. He repeats these courses until he first clears the memory of “who” he really is and fully learns all there is to learn. Mistakes made in each course will incur karmic consequences, and each repeat course will have to be repeated numerous times until such mistakes are not committed any longer. Everything that needs to be learned, should be learned on one’s own responsibility. If it is not learned as it should be, it will become increasingly more difficult one after the other. Thus, Varnashram University has a system of auto-governance and auto-scoring system.
One higher subject related to “service to fellow beings” should be studied in each semester. There are no other constitutional obstacles to studying and passing the entire four Varna Schools in a single academic year. If a student with a high level of awareness and a committed approach tries for that, it is possible. But for students who have lost even the sense of who they are, that’s just not happening. All required fees (required energy), required time (length of lifetime) and required books (Prarabdha Karmas, meaning allotted Karmas in each life) for one academic year are issued in advance along with the uniforms. Most of the students can’t learn and progress this way because of the distortions that have happened in an existing state of low awareness.
For a student who has reached the required levels of maturity and competence, there are no restrictions to go to the next higher class to advance in studies faster. If one is truly eligible, for example, one can wear the uniform of the Shudra School, and go to the Vaishya School, the Kshatriya School, the Brahmana School, etcetera. That is, the uniform one wears is never a limitation to advance in the studies if the true eligibility is reached. A student’s sense of purpose, concentration, self-study and effort are paramount in this regard. Because it is a self-study course, no one will prevent anyone from practising any course of studies. But doing that prematurely will harm the students themselves and harm others, which is clearly ‘adharmic’.
Also, students will be routinely “demoted” too if they forget what they’ve previously learned and practised but can’t use the previous knowledge on campus. That means a student wearing a Brahmin school uniform may have to sit in a Shudra School as well, regardless of their uniform. “Varna Sankaram” (mixing of schools) refers to a situation where a student who practices in a particular school where the uniform of that school does not match with his/her natural uniform. It is not relevant whether such a situation is brought about through demotion or promotion or volunteering. Discrimination is Adharmic. “Varna Sankaram” (mixing of schools) by itself is not creating any discrimination; on the contrary, it provides an opportunity for fast progression. Discrimination happens only when underdeveloped students cross-sit in different schools. Without understanding the way the system works, some sections of the cross-stting students create instability in the university, creating obstacles to the evolutionary journey of others. It is not only ‘adharmic’, it causes a hindrance to their own progress and development.
One universal rule in this university is that one can acquire the required qualification only through self-study and practice at one’s own effort and responsibility. The university also wants the students to keep meeting the eligibility requirements while they keep moving forward. All necessary facilities will always be available on the campus. One can learn and practice as fast as one wants, regardless of the uniform. But the aforesaid mixing (“varna sankaram”) can also potentially create mental discomfort among a few other students who have not yet attained conscious maturity in learning and who have not yet understood the way the system works. More unrest in the campus is being created by them protesting against miscegenation without understanding the functionality behind it.
It is possible to understand the difficulties that can arise when one crosses-sits in another school without attaining the pre-request levels of wisdom and learning. For example, think of the calamities that would arise if a student of Vaishya Dharma School enters a Kshatriya Dharma School before even completing his education in his previous two schools. Downward miscegenation can also occur instead of upward miscegenation. But often, such downward miscegenation is to correct certain rampant errors. Examples are personalities like Gautama, the Buddha, Jesus, the Christ, and Adi Shankaracharya etcetera who were all ahead of their times here to give the much-needed mentorships at that time.
Complaints about the “caste” system in the campus and the ‘adharmic’ events it creates are results of premature miscegenations. All this adds up to the current turmoil we see on the planet earth today. Dharmic conduct of interactions with everyone and everything, together with Swadhyaya (self-study) are the significant two components of the campus life. If a student ignores it, he will jeopardize his evolution as well as the evolution of others. This is clearly adharmic by definition. This is the reason Sanatana Dharma places great importance to Dharmic life. Yama and Niyama are the first and foremost two practices prescribed in the eight-part practices of Ashtanga Yoga. Yama is the dharmic way of maintaining a relationship with everything outside of us. Niyama is the dharmic way of maintaining a relationship with ourselves.
This simulation of a working model of Dharmic Life will help us to validate the necessity of experiences in life. When rightly understood, Sanatana Dharma will help us to recognize our mistakes, and to realize the need to correct our mistakes. In this working model, “uniforms” are the body-mind attire that a Jeevatma (a soul) receives at birth. These attires are not the Jeevatma or Soul. These are similar to the uniforms we wear in a professional campus here in our known world. In reality, “death” is nothing but the changing of the uniforms to continue our studies, until the time we successfully complete the studies and graduate. A similar analogy is echoed in Shakespeare’s renowned play “As You Like It,” where Shakespeare asserts, “All the world is a stage, and all the men and women are merely players”
Now, imagine that each of the nested Russian dolls in our earlier analogy start assuming that each of in them is the Mother Doll, and refusing to stay in a harmonious system with the rest of the dolls. In Sanatana Dharma, the concept of “Life” encompasses the entirety of existence, with the entire series of lives intertwined and entangled within one harmonious existence. In that harmonious state, there is joy and abundance for all.
Importance of Interpersonal Relationships
The intensity of Consciousness/awareness in human Jeevatmas is higher than that of minerals, plants, and animals. In Sanatana Dharma, evolution is a gradual process through the steady expansion of Consciousness through the bodies of the minerals to that of plants, animals, and humans. Accordingly, the freedom of existence too gradually increases to higher and higher joyful levels. It is similar to the freedom of water, which is not as high as vapour, but is much higher than the bondage of a piece of ice. Human beings possess the inherent capability to ascend to higher states of existence. This is similar to the ability of a piece of ice, which currently lacks the freedom of self-movement, to ascend to a greater freedom level of liquid water and even higher freedom levels of invisible vapour under the appropriate conditions. Likewise, a human Jeevatma can also “graduate” and move to higher levels of existence, under the right conditions. Life gives that precious opportunity to create those conditions!
Our Jeevatma-hood in the human body is an opportunity for “schooling” ourselves for that eventual possibility. We arrive at this planet as human beings and feel like we’re walking onto the university campus called Varnashram University. We pick up the necessary skills to ascend into higher realms of existence, freeing ourselves from our current state of being a limited being. However, sadly enough, due to our finite nature of diminished awareness and enamored with the newfound freedom of a seemingly independent existence, we start doing our egoistic things, disregarding the rules of the campus for the highest good of everyone. As a consequence, we soon fall out of the harmony and joy that the Larger LIFE really holds for us. This is our current state of affairs, and we suffer from the pain and agony of a repeated life on campus, each of which gets worse and worse before it gets better and better due to our continuing ignorance.
| All experiences are neutral in nature by themselves. They happen in line with the principles of cause and effect. It is the way we respond to them that makes all the differences. By mastering the art of conducting our interactions with everything in a dharmic way, we create the right conditions for our evolution. Each of our interpersonal interactions is a training opportunity to practice our ‘dharma’ that corresponds to our specific task in life at a given point in life and the specific responsibilities at that point. “Dharma” is absolute by definition – any thought, word, or action helping the highest good/evolution of another being is ‘dharma’; but that dharma should be performed as appropriate to the specific task on hand at the specific stage of one’s life. Here are some examples to illustrate this: The ‘dharma’ of a school student is to learn the allotted lessons in a manner that will not only be un-hindering to the learning opportunities for the fellow students, but it should also support their learning activities. A student in the Brahmacharya stage should not indulge in sexual activities, which is the legitimate activity of procreation for a married person in “grahastha” stage. A student should not indulge in politics, which is the legitimate activity of a Kshathriya. Likewise, a person in Sanyasa and Vanaprastha stage should not indulge in sexual or in business activities which are out of steps with the responsibilities at that particular stage in life. Similarly, a Kshathriya’s duty is to govern and protect. If a Kashthirya fails to prioritize the safety and security of the nation and its citizens, it is not dharmic. If he or she fails to punish the guilty, or refrains from engaging in war when it is necessary for the protection of the nation, his/her actions become incompatible with the principles of ‘Dharma’. Effectively, as a thumb rule, when any tasks voluntarily and solemnly accepted are performed as appropriate to the respective duties of life-stage (Ashrama) of the performer, for the highest good of everyone, is Dharma. Doing things only for one’s own good, disregarding the highest good of others, is not ‘dharma’. It is ‘adharma’. Our family life and social life will provide opportunities galore through interpersonal interactions to practice ‘dharma’ in our everyday life. Interpersonal relationships are critical opportunities to practice ‘dharma’ with awareness and understanding. Our birth-families as well as the families we get through marriages are very important in this regard. We need to cultivate each relationship in families ‘dharmically’ with care and attention. In the examination paper of life, interpersonal relationships in families are to be considered as compulsory questions. |
The first step in making fundamentally qualitative changes in life is to figure out who we really are, why we are here, and what our purpose is. We must realize that we are not this body or mind, but we are Jeevatmas temporarily holding on to a body and mind for living this Campus life and to graduate into our higher levels of existences. Therefore, the first step in Sanatana Dharma is to realize who really we are. The second step is to figure out how to evolve in life and free from the pain and suffering in this life. It is indispensable to understand the Dharmic course syllabus, related instructions, and the examination marking scheme to achieve academic achievement. Until we grasp this and begin to work with it, we will continue to fall into the same trap of ignorance and recurring events of life and death. Therefore, living a Dharmic Life is the only way forward in this University of life with an embodied existence.
The Devathas
There are plenty of misconceptions about the number of ‘Gods’ in Sanatana Dharma. To sum up and clear any confusion, there is only one God in Sanatana Dharma, which is ‘Brahman’. This God/Brahman is an ever-existing, all-pervading, all knowing, all-blissful, but formless, shapeless, and absolute intelligent existence. All these attributes are not distinct individual attributes, but they are all one amalgam of omnipresent, omnipotent existence, all rolled into one singularity. Brahman is not a person or thing. It is a Supremely Conscious field of existence that can be denoted by one single word – “CONSCIOUSNESS”, in the English language. In Sanskrit, it is “Parama PRAJNAN”. This Brahman that is “Parama PRAJNAN is unknowable and unapproachable to humans directly.
This Supreme “CONSCIOUSNESS”, at first, transforms a small segment of itself into five Ishwaras with the three distinct attributes, namely eternal existence (eternity and immortality), complete knowledge (Full-blown Consciousness), and ever and absolute bliss. One of them is the first formed, the Parama Ishwara or Supreme Ishwara, the Siva Principle. These Ishwaras too are formless supreme existences but with individualities, and definite attributes and hence approachable and knowable to humans to a great extent. All the five Ishwaras have all these three attributes, but with one of the three attributes remaining dominant over the other two. These Ishwaras are together causing and supervising further partial self-transformations. Therefore, all these three attributes of Ishwaras can be found in all their subsequent self-transformed secondary or tertiary products, but in diminishing degrees. They are all Consciousness itself , but will be in diminishing degrees. Eternity of Ishwaras will become mortal nature of humans; Complete Consciousness and knowledge of Ishwaras will become the limited and diminished Consciousness and awareness of humans, confined to the past, present, and future; Ever renewed blissfulness of Ishwaras will become fleeting moments of happiness in humans.
Ishwaras are responsible for the design, formation, maintenance, and dissolution of everything that came into existence. The process of bringing forth vibration, energy, and matter is essentially accomplished by a series of self-coordinated and self-arranged self-transformations of five Ishwaras. The entire process of the self-transformation of the singular and infinite Brahma “CONSCIOUSNESS” into the finite existence of infinite units of the universe happens through 36 Principles or Tatwas. These details are outside the present scope of this paper. These are all ‘quantum events’ happening outside the space and time framework. To watch a YouTube series on the 36 Tatwas, click here.
In summary, out of the thirty-six principals, the first five are the principles of Ishwaras, as stated above. The next seven Principles are the broad concepts on how the highest intensity of the vibration and energy self-formed at the Ishwara level are further reduced in intensity to form energy joined with different levels of consciousness. The next 24 Principles or Tatwas are the principles governing the actual process of self-formation of matter-consciousness combinations, both invisible and visible to human eyes. Human beings are also one such matter-consciousness combination formed with a limited degree of Consciousness/awareness, mind, and memory. Then it is added with the organs of sensations and actions using the building blocks of matter. Before matter-consciousness combinations can be brought into actual existence, there needs to be concepts or working principles brought into existence first. All work in tandem.
It’s essential to note that all of these further 31 Principles or Tatwas falling under the domain of Ishwaras need innumerable sub-principles for life to happen the way it happens in the universe. There has to be sub-concepts to reduce the amplitude of vibration, and the energy. The analogy to understand this is to think of a large corporate entity having several departments, under which there are several sub-departments functioning. There are countless sub-concepts required for the universe to exist and life to happen in it. For example, there needs to be sub-concepts for causing and sustaining health, knowledge, communication, skill development, food production, water production, self-protection, disease formation, disease prevention, and the list is endless.
In other words, there are countless sub-concepts. Each concept and sub concept are the governing entities for their respective areas of specialization. They are to be thought of as a department manager to oversee the department’s functioning. Each concept is an “idea” that has a definite existence at a certain level. They exist as unspoken words, or as unwritten thoughts. It must not be forgotten that absolutely nothing can exist at all without a certain level of Consciousness, since everything that exists is a self-transformation series from the Supreme CONSCIOUSNESS. Hence, every Concept and every Sub-concepts are conscious existences, existing in CONSCIOUSNESS.
Concepts grow into action because concepts are live and powerful. Concepts are power–packed thoughts. Thoughts are movements of energy in consciousness. Thoughts are the precursor to words. Words are the precursor to actions. Concepts are more powerful than actions, since they are the mother to all actions. Concepts have power, thoughts have power, words have power, actions have power, all in decreasing degrees of intensity. In other words, the grosser something is, the less powerful it is.
These concepts and sub concepts function under the Ishwaras are called “Devathas” in Sanatana Dharma. So, in Brahman (CONSCIOUSNESS) which is the ONLY ONE source of everything that exists, there exists five Ishwaras and innumerable Devathas in charge of the multitude of functions that are required for LIFE to happen the way it does. Unfortunately, in the English language there is only one word, “God” to translate the different words with different meaning like Brahman, Ishwara, Devatha etcetera. This is the cause of confusion.
Deities and Temples
Deities are the symbolic representation of Ishwaras and Devathas. For example, the formula E=MC2 is a symbolic representation of certain scientific fact, written in English language, fully understandable only to those with the knowledge of Science and English language. To others who have no clue about science or the English language, “E=MC2” is just some strange marking, even though it is a living, pulsating concept packed with potential power. If there were some pictorial depictions for E=MC2 , more people, even without the knowledge of English and Science, will begin to understand it and will be able to make use of it. An example in context is the idea of ‘peace’ symbolised with a white dove or a white flat with a dove’s depiction on it. Deities are power-packed symbolic representations of powerful individual concepts that underlie the very transforming process of life. Unlike with Brahman, individual relationship is possible for humans with Ishwaras, Devathas and their deities. They have the power to transform human entities.
Temples are ergonomically designed for the energy level installations of the deities of Ishwaras and Devathas. The consecration of deities is done in away that their energy can be made available for the expansion of consciousness of humans visiting them. It is possible to develop a relationship with the energy of the deity, whoever is ready for it. Temples are not places to ask for personal favours; they are the places to benefit from its energy transmission, especially for those who have not yet developed enough for a personalized relationship with that energy.
Yoga Shastra
Yoga Shastra has eight steps. These eight steps are tailor-made process steps for humans to develop the necessary mental and physical acumen to expand their consciousness through an inner focus with clear, well directed intention and well calibrated practices. The goal is to evolve to the next higher level of existence. The health benefits Ashtanga Yoga gives are merely collateral effects. Using Yoga Shastra for health benefits is under utilization of the power of Yoga Shastra. It is intended for human evolution and expansion of consciousness.
‘Aacharaas’
Acharas are meaningfully designed routine way of doing certain activities in life, which were set up by ancient Rishis with higher levels of consciousness. They are meant for the regular practice of members of a society for the expansion of consciousness. This will be extremely useful even for those who have not yet attained the level of expansion of consciousness to figure out the reason behind such practices. It is like the ‘achara’ of asking an infant child not to play with matchboxes. This routine insistence is for the highest good of the child, even though the child would not understand the significance of it. Because of its blind nature and varying levels of development of individual consciousness, many unjustifiable ‘aachaaras’ would have also crept into the practice. Hence, some ‘aacharaas’ need to be corrected and made relevant to the times, as time marches on and the general consciousness of people automatically expands.
Conclusion
Sanatana Dharma is not a religion. It is not a form of religious sectarianism. It is a manner of living with the highest understanding that everything is one. Furthermore, it is a way of life that seeks to achieve the highest level of human evolution, harmonizing with all other forms of existence. Dharma is timeless; it transcends and includes morality. It protects and sustains everything uniformly throughout the universe. It is the only way for evolution to take place in human beings.