Thursday, August 29, 2013

God, Belief, Science.


God, Belief, Science.

I am a serious scientist who seriously believes in God. But to many more people, I am someone just like them. A scientist can believe in God because such belief is not a scientific matter. By contrast, religious statements are not necessarily falsifiable.

Why do I believe in God?
As a physicist, I look at nature from a particular perspective. I see an orderly, beautiful universe in which nearly all physical phenomena can be understood from a few simple mathematical equations. I see a universe that, had it been constructed slightly differently, would never have given birth to stars and planets, let alone bacteria and people. And there is no good scientific reason for why the universe should not have been different. I believe in God because I can feel God’s presence in my life, because I can see the evidence of God’s goodness in the world, because I believe in Love and because I believe that God is Love.

Does this belief make me a better person or a better physicist than others?
I know plenty of atheists who are both better people and better scientists than I. (however) I do think that this belief makes me better than I would be if I did not believe.

Am I (theist) free of doubts about God?
Hardly. Questions about the presence of evil in the world, the suffering of innocent children, the variety of religious thought, and other imponderables often leave me wondering if I have it right, and always leave me conscious of my ignorance. Nevertheless, I do believe, more because of science than in spite of it, but ultimately just because I believe. As the author of Hebrews put it: “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Being atheist how do you recognize belief?
Despite the fact that I’m an atheist, I recognize that belief offers something that science does not.

Why along eons the religious belief remains relevant?
It might be argued that religious belief remains relevant because of the comfort it can provide.  But this one doesn’t do much for me. Solace; is not benign when reality proves the solace to have been misplaced, nor are beliefs that reduce anxiety when the belief system is so often what generated the anxiety in the first place.

So why is belief still relevant?                                                                
To this I’d offer a very a-scientific answer. It is for the ecstasy. I mean those instances where you’re suffused with gratitude for life and experience and the chance to do good where every neuron is flooded with the momentness of feeling the breeze on its cellular cheek.              A scientist or a  consumer of science may feel ecstatic about a finding—that it will cure a disease, save a species, or is just stunningly beautiful—but science, as an explanatory system, is not very good at producing ecstasy. By contrast, the potential for ecstasy is deeply intertwined with religiosity, where the mere possibility of belief and faith in the absence of proof is where it can be an ecstatic, moving truth.

Does scientific attitude require any faith?                                              
Science itself employs a kind of faith, a faith all scientists share, whether they are religious in the conventional sense or not. Science is built upon a faith that the world is understandable, and that there is logic to reality that the human mind can explore and comprehend. It also holds, as an article of scientific faith that such exploration is worth the trouble, because knowledge is always to be preferred to ignorance.

Is there a genuine place for faith in the world of science?
Indeed there is. Far from standing in conflict with it, the hypothesis of God validates not only our faith in science, but our sheer delight at the gifts of knowledge, love, and life.

Is the belief in God a delusion?
We do not abandon science because our human efforts to approach the great truths of nature are occasionally hampered by error, greed, dishonesty, and even fraud. Why then should we declare faith a “delusion” because belief in God is subject to exactly the same failings? Albert Einstein once wrote that “the eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility.” Today, even as science moves ahead, that mystery remains.

Did science make belief in God obsolete?
It depends. The answer turns on whether one emphasizes belief or God. Science does not make belief in God obsolete, but it may make obsolete the reality of God, depending on how far we are able to push the science.
On the question of belief in God, the answer is clearly no. Surveys conducted in 1916 and again in 1997 found that 40 percent of American scientists said they believe in God, so obviously the practice of science does not make belief in God obsolete for this sizable group. Neither does it make absolute for the hundreds of millions of practicing Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and members of other faiths, who both believe in God and fully embrace science.
Of course, reality does not bend to the psychology of belief. Millions of people believe in astrology, ghosts, angels, ESP, and all manner of paranormal phenomena, but that does not make them real.

Has faith has any relevance in our scientific age?                                             
In the end you have no answer to why science works, why the physical logic of natural law makes life possible, or why the human mind is able to explore and understand nature. And I agree that there is no scientific answer to such questions. That is precisely the point of faith–to order and rationalize our encounters with the world around us. Faith is human, and therefore imperfect. But faith expresses, however poorly, a reality that includes the scientific experience in every sense, and therefore
 
Here is my honest problem with your position, the same problem that drove me from believer to nonbeliever: if God is, in your words, "without form, immeasurable" and exists "in a dimension that cannot be quantified or depicted by science," how do you know God exists? How can I–or anyone else for that matter–know God exists?  As corporeal beings who form beliefs about the world based on percepts (from our senses) and concepts (from our minds), how can we possibly know a being who by definition lies outside of both our percepts and our concepts?
Indeed, it is not possible to prove that God exists; we cannot be sure, and people of faith do doubt. Such doubt is not restricted to my own tradition. Paul Tillich, a Protestant theologian, asserted that the basis of true faith is doubt.

So I have one final question for you: why believe in God at all? Why not just be an agnostic?
Why believe? I have no rational answer. This is the cognitive dissonance that people like me live with, and with which we often struggle.

Atheists assert God does not exist. How do they know?
It is a matter of assumption, just like blind faith. That blind faith is what drives people to fly planes into the World Trade Center or to launch Inquisitions.

CONCLUSION: Atheist or theist; objection is not to the rational belief in God or Religion, but to the extremists’ superstitious attitude on both sides, which has potential to harm.

‘This stimulating conversation has moved from the question of whether science has made belief in God obsolete to the question of whether, on balance, society would be better off with or without religious faith’.

“If only religious believers throughout the world were as thoughtful, open-minded, ecumenical, and tolerant then, indeed, we could imagine no 9/11, no 7/7 bombings in London, no suicide terrorists, or abortion clinic bombers.”

“We want people of religious faith and without religious faith to act with genuine concern for the well-being of others. In the end, I think we should agree with Charles Darwin that in matters of faith all of us must make our own decisions”.

This is an abridged summary of the essays and debate on 'Does science make belief in God absolute?' with respect to 'Belief'.












Thursday, August 22, 2013

Desires Determine the Destination.

 Desires Determine the Destination.

-          “If I wish I can smoke a cigarette, but I can’t wish to wish”. A quote, source is unknown.
-          “We die only when are ready to die”. From ‘Will to Live; by Dr. Hutschnecker.
-          The universe is itself the manifestation of the Divine Mind, which willed,
       “एकोहम बहु स्याम "I am One, let “Me” become many!" as per the advaita doctrine (Rev. Adi Shankaracharya), the birth of the Universe is by the will of Devine mind.

Right from a trivial incidence of smoking to not only life and death, but also to the creation of Universe, the Desire can be considered as the driving force behind any happening. So let us try to understand in some details this important motivating force.

Definition of Desire, (Ref. Merriam Webster Dictionary).

1: Conscious impulse toward something that promises enjoyment or satisfaction in its attainment.
Synonym of DESIRE
Desire, wish, want, crave, and covet.

Desire - stresses the strength of feeling and often implies strong intention or aim (desires to start a new life).
Wish - sometimes implies a general or transient longing especially for the unattainable (wishes for world peace).
Want - specifically suggests a felt need or lack (wants to have a family).
Crave - stresses the force of physical appetite or emotional need (craves sweets).
Covet - implies strong envious desire (covets his rise to fame).


Experts in the field have deliberated on different aspects in the field of ‘desire’. One such useful reference is Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
It is seen that though lot of research is in progress, the conclusions are not able to deduce facts which a layman can easily understand.  For the interested readers it may be worth to refer the entire original article.

‘To desire is to be in a particular state of mind. It is a state of mind familiar to everyone who has ever wanted to drink water or desired to know what has happened to an old friend, but its familiarity does not make it easy to give a theory of desire. These varied states of mind (which has different types of desires) have all been grouped together under the heading of ‘pro attitudes’, but whether the pro attitudes are fundamentally one mental state or many is disputed. Desiring is a state of mind that is commonly associated with a number of different effects: a person with a desire tends to act in certain ways, feel in certain ways, and think in certain ways. If Nora desires tea, for example, then Nora will typically make herself a cup of tea; if she does not get herself some tea right away she will nonetheless typically feel the urge to do so; she will find the thought of tea pleasant and will find her current lack of tea unpleasant; she will find her thoughts repeatedly turning to the idea of tea; she will judge that tea seems like a good idea; and so on. These various effects have been the focus of efforts to develop theories that are theories of desire’.

The article mentions “Desires feature prominently in theories of mind, action, free will, and morality (and more!) And, since there are no established approved theories for all these, the ‘Desire’ too is surrounded with lots of controversies”.

Let us turn to some other views which deals in-depth with ‘desire’ which is related to non-matter i.e. Mind.


DESIRE the reason for Being and Having.


The origin of Desire.

Do you know what your desire is right now? It is for sure that you want something because the mind is continuous stream of desires. Desire has the power to achieve anything, but where from the desire crop up? The moment desire is identified, you can act; but before this moment, where from it emerges? What is the origin?

Vedic Conception of Sound in Four Features - PARA, PASHYANTI, MADHYAMA, VAIKHARI.
(Originally published in "Tattva Prakasha" Volume 1, Issue 7; available online at www.indiadivine.org/)

The origin of sound is described in four stages as below. The origin of the desire can be considered to follow the same path as sound. (Replace the world 'sound' with the word 'desire')

Para. (परा) - Para is the transcendent sound. Para means highest or farthest, and in this connection it indicates that sound which is beyond the perception of the senses. On the stage of para there is no distinction between the object and the sound. The sound contains within it all the qualities of the object.
Pashyanti. (पश्यन्ती ) - Pashyanti is the second level of sound, and is less subtle than para. Pashyanti in Sanskrit means "that which can be seen or visualized". This sound is intuitive and situated beyond rigidly defined concepts. On the stage of pashyanti , speech is intuitively connected to the object. There is near oneness between the word and the experience described. Pashyanti is the finest impulse of speech. The seat of pashyanti is in the navel or the Manipur Chakra. When sound goes up to the naval with the bodily air in vibratory form without any particular syllable, yet connected with the mind, it is known as pashyanti.

MADHYAMA (मध्यमा) VAIKHARI (वैखरी) - Vaikhari is the grossest level of speech, and it is heard through the external senses. When sound comes out through the mouth as spoken syllables it is called as vaikhari.
Madhyama is the intermediate unexpressed state of sound, whose seat is in the heart. The word Madhyama means "in between" or "the middle". Madhyama refers to mental speech, as opposed to external audible speech. It is on this level that we normally experience thought.
In the manifestation process, after sound has attained the form of pashyanti, it goes further up to the heart and becomes coupled with the assertive intelligence. At this point it manifests itself in the form of vibratory mode madhyama. Only those who are endowed with discriminative intelligence can feel this.

Illustration – In case of desire of food the stage wise description could be as follows.

Para: -       From no desire stage to the generation of some impulse of restlessness.
Pashyanti: - Search for the cause of the impulse, search indicates the feeling of      hunger, say breakfast.
Madhyama: – Self talk viz. what type of food is preferable within the available   options? What do I prefer out of 4-5 options?  Shall I go for veg sandwich?
Vaikhari: –    You reach a restaurant and order for the veg sandwich.

Karma chakra, the instinct behind PARA.
(The Law of Cause & Effect, By Subhamoy Das, About.com Guide).

What is the cause even behind Para? As per the Karma theory it is your past accumulated Karma.

Your Karma is your own Doing. Every person is responsible for his or her acts and thoughts, so each person's karma is entirely his or her own. Western world see the operation of karma as inevitable pre-determined. But that is far from true since it is in the hands of an individual to shape his own future by schooling his present. The law of cause and effect forms an integral part of Hindu philosophy.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English defines ‘karma’ as the "sum of person's actions in one of his successive states of existence, viewed as deciding his fate for the next". In Sanskrit karma means "choice based action that is undertaken deliberately or knowingly". This also dovetails self-determination and a strong will power to abstain from inactivity. Karma is the differentia that characterizes human beings and distinguishes him from other creatures of the world.

The theory of karma harps on the Newtonian principle that every action produces an equal and opposite reaction. Every time we think or do something, we create a cause, which in time will bear its corresponding effects. It is the personality of a human being with its positive and negative actions - that causes karma. Karma could be both the activities of the body or the mind, irrespective of the consideration whether the performance brings fruition immediately or at a later stage. However, the involuntary or the reflex actions of the body cannot be called karma. So the instinct behind your desire is the past karma. Once the desire is emerged, a person has option to act. How this choice is made?

Un-conscious Mind and the Karma choice:   (Ref. Spontaneous Evolution Questions & Partial Answers from brucelipton.com)
There are two parts to the mind: the conscious, creative mind connected to Source, and the subconscious which is a record-playback device programmed by developmental experiences. While we believe and perceive we are running our lives with our conscious mind, neuroscience now reveals that more than 90% of our behaviors are controlled by our programmed subconscious mind. Most of the thoughts and actions we assume are “our own,” are really the “invisible” and largely unquestioned thoughts and beliefs of others (accepted by us). So, constant effort with full awareness is essential to improve the karma.
We should not do what we like but do what is right. The analysis of desires based karma can broadly be done in two type viz. Sreyas and Preyas, as follows.

Types of the Karma. (Ref. Book, “Sreyas – Preyas” Published by: Swami Vivekananda Yoga Prakashana)
In the journey of life we often find ourselves standing at the junction of two paths, the good and pleasant [Sreyas and Preyas]. The quality of our life depends upon what we chose between the two. We need to exercise this choice in our day to day life until we reach moksha, the ultimate Freedom. Choice has to be made between good and pleasant. What appears pleasant in the beginning may not be good and vice versa.
Preyas is pleasant, which is attractive, tempting. Sreyas is good, which serves our highest purpose. That which is wholesome may not appear desirable in the beginning. Preyas is opposite of Sreyas. Preyas may look very nice in the beginning but may bring misery later.
Preyas seems to make us happy temporarily but later on causes misery. To understand, comprehend this truth requires some space, patience, some leisurely time to contemplate.
Men rush to objects like moths rush to the fatal attraction of the flame and destroy themselves. Objects first attract, bind and then destroy- may not be immediately like a flame destroys a moth but gradually. Indulgence is like slow death. Take the example of drug addicts. Initially one feels ecstatic but slowly when the person is hooked, he encounters untold misery till he is extinct.
Beware! What appears beautiful may not be so in reality! There are so many attractions in this world like power, position etc. Attractive objects give us some pleasure temporarily then trap us. We get trapped like an addict. The drug gets into the chemistry of the body making a person helpless. A weak mind opts for Preyas. Most of the people opt for Preyas and sometimes in the garb of Shreyas.
If one opts for spiritual knowledge for material benefits then even that comes under the category of Preyas.  All the sins in this world are committed due to attraction, Preyas. When one is possessed by lust, anger and greed then it is for sure that he had been following Preyas. Kama (lust), krodha (anger), dwesha (jealousy), these three vices is gateway to hell.  If there is something that pleases your ego then it is Preyas, not Sreyas.
Sreyas may not look so attractive in the beginning but later on it shows you are Sacchidananda. In the beginning it is difficult. It involves a lot of tapas, control of sense-organs. A person who advises us not to be the slave of senses may look like an enemy, though he may be our own teacher. Shreyas and Preyas sometimes come mixed up and may be difficult to separate one from the other. Preyas may come in the garb of Shreyas making us happy temporarily but real Shreyas is that which gives us everlasting happiness. People who give license to our fancies may appear very desirable but they are not. A person needs to see clearly what is proper and what is improper. Otherwise one has to suffer later on.
It is not only human beings who seek pleasure, all the creatures on this earth do. Even animals are pulled by the forces of ahara, nidra, bhaya and maithuna. Food, Sleep, Fear and Sex these are the basic urges both in human beings and animals alike. Our thirst does not get quenched by satisfying these desires. It increases more and more. It is an unquenchable thirst. A person following the path of Shreyas sees through and through this. Not that he develops a negative attitude towards the objects but he sees their limitation.  
Preyas:  Pleasant, Attractive, Tempting, May look very nice in the beginning but bring miseries later. Attractive objects give us pleasure temporarily and displeasure in the long run. Anything which pleases person’s ego may be Preyas.
Sreyas: Good, Serves our highest purpose, it may not appear desirable in the beginning. May not appear so attractive in the beginning but in the long run it will realize our real welfare. It involves lot of efforts and perseverance.

Types of desires (Needs)
(Ref. McLeod, S. A. (2007). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - Simply Psychology. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html.)
Maslow stated that people are motivated to achieve certain needs. When one need is fulfilled a person seeks to full fill the next one, and so on. 'It is quite true that man lives by bread alone — when there is no bread. But what happens to man’s desires when there is plenty of bread and when his belly is chronically filled? At once other (and “higher”) needs emerge and these, rather than physiological hungers, dominate the organism. And when these in turn are satisfied, again new (and still “higher”) needs emerge and so on. This is what we mean by saying that the basic human needs are organized into a hierarchy of relative prepotency'.
Expanded model.  It is important to note that Maslow's five stage model has been expanded to include cognitive and aesthetic needs (Maslow, 1970a) and later transcendence needs (Maslow, 1970b).
1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc.
2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc.
3. Social Needs - Belongingness and Love, - work group, family, affection, relationships, etc.
4. Esteem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc.
5. Cognitive needs - knowledge, meaning, etc.
6. Aesthetic needs - appreciation and search for beauty, balance, form, etc.
7. Self-Actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.
8. Transcendence needs - helping others to achieve self-actualization.
The growth of self-actualization (Maslow, 1962) refers to the need for personal growth that is present throughout a person’s life.  For Maslow, a person is always “becoming” and never remains static in these terms.  In self-actualization a person comes to find a meaning to life that is important to them.
Maslow offers the following description of self- actualization: 'It refers to the person’s desire for self-fulfillment, namely, to the tendency for him to become actualized in what he is potentially. The specific form that these needs will take course varies greatly from person to person. In one individual it may take the form of the desire to be an ideal mother, in another it may be expressed athletically, and in still another it may be expressed in painting pictures or in inventions'. Maslow identified 15 characteristics of a self-actualized person. 
Characteristics of self-actualizers:
1. They perceive reality efficiently and can tolerate uncertainty;
2. Accept themselves and others for what they are;
3. Spontaneous in thought and action;
4. Problem-centered (not self-centered);
5. Unusual sense of humor;
6. Able to look at life objectively;
7. Highly creative;
8. Resistant to enculturation, but not purposely unconventional;
9. Concerned for the welfare of humanity;
10. Capable of deep appreciation of basic life-experience;
11. Establish deep satisfying interpersonal relationships with a few people;
12. Peak experiences;
13. Need for privacy;
14. Democratic attitudes;
15. Strong moral/ethical standards.
Behavior leading to self-actualization:
(a) Experiencing life like a child, with full absorption and concentration;
(b) Trying new things instead of sticking to safe paths;
(c) Listening to your own feelings in evaluating experiences instead of the voice of tradition, authority or the majority;
(d) Avoiding pretense ('game playing') and being honest;
(e) Being prepared to be unpopular if your views do not coincide with those of the majority;
(f) Taking responsibility and working hard;
(g) Trying to identify your defenses and having the courage to give them up.

Although we are all, theoretically, capable of self-actualizing, most of us will not do so, or only to a limited degree. Maslow (1970) estimated that only two percent of people will reach the state of self-actualization.

Holy Gita.
.
Chapter 3, verses 39, 40 and 41.

O Son of Kunti (Arjuna)! Constant enemy of wise men is the un-abatable flame of desire, by which wisdom is concealed. 3/39.

The senses, mind, and intellect are said to be desire's formidable stronghold; through these, desire deludes the embodied soul by eclipsing its wisdom. Therefore, O Best of the Bharata Dynasty (Arjuna) first discipline the senses then destroy desire, the sinful annihilator of wisdom and Self-realization.  3 /40-41.

In contrast to Maslow Gita prescribes self-control in a different manner
The self-controlled person, moving among objects, with his senses free from attachment and malevolence and brought under his own control, attains tranquility.
~ Bhagavad Gita 2/64.

Three Kinds of desires can form the basis of Karma.
Satwik (सात्विक), Rajasik (राजसिक) and Tamasik (तामसिक) desires may result in Satwik, Rajasik and Tamasik karma respectively.
According to the ways of life chosen by a person, his karma can be classified into three kinds.
The satvik karma, which is without attachment, selfless and for the benefit of others.
The rajasik karma, which is selfish where the focus is on gains for oneself.
The tamasik karma, which is undertaken without heed to consequences, and is supremely selfish and savage.

The Discipline of Unattached Action
According to the scriptures, the discipline of unattached action (निष्काम कर्म) can lead to salvation of the soul. So they recommend that one should remain detached while carrying out his duties in life. As Lord Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita: "To the man thinking about the objects (of the senses) creates attachment towards them; from attachment comes longing; and from longing crops up the anger. From anger comes delusion; and from delusion loss of memory; from loss of memory, the ruin of discrimination; and on the ruin of discrimination, he perishes".
How can one be designed to have natural inclination of Satwik desires? Or inbuilt tendency to practice un-attached actions which Holy Gita terms as Nishkam Karmayoga (निष्काम कर्मयोग)?

Good things happen to Good people.

"बहुत सुकृताची जोडी म्हणुनी विठ्ठली आवडी"
You would develop liking for ‘good’ if you have acted for benevolence cause in the past. Your desires have origin in your past behavior, says the doctrine of saints. All those who wish to have good desires should resolve to practice benevolence in their daily life routine.

'Social Service' i.e. Benevolence – Why for everyone’?

This booklet is a compilation of articles written by Swami Vijnananand - The first thinker of 'New Way' philosophy. (Free down load available at Manashakti web site - www.manashakti.org) These articles were then published in Free Press Bulletin (India) during 1969-70. The booklet delineates rationally the point of 'social service' in the real sense of the term. Such a social service i.e. Benevolence is the inner requirement of a person, being the need of soul; which ultimately helps to keep the 'mind in peace' and lead tension-free life. Whatever be the category or profession - right from highest authority, officer, executive, rich, ambitious to ordinary worker, even sick, ailing, or student or say - atheist, believer, religious,-  'social service', if adopted as a 'way of life' by understanding its rationale, it will lead to the eternal benefit of individual and society.

By natural inclination we are selfish, self-centered. The Tamasik, Rajasik desires are inherently active. Deliberate nurturing efforts are required to develop liking for Satwik desire based karma. Gita recommended status of ‘the self-controlled person’ which is possible only on strong belief based hard efforts. Here; after putting in whole hearted efforts, the prayer comes to help.

Most of the religions have accepted the light as a medium of prayer. ‘Manashakti’ seekers also perform Flame Meditation which is normally scheduled at 7-30 p.m. with prayer followed by 12 minutes flame concentration. The prayer written by Swami Vijnananand includes words which are as follows:

O Light, you end darkness. You are the Sun. You define the day. You create the morning glow. May your revitalizing form make me pure outside and inside. May my vices vanish into the dark! May I get rid of arrogance and ignorance! Give me the strength to cooperate. May this awakening in our surroundings have divine desires”!


Critical self-introspection, acceptance of own faults and be ready to willingly suffer the unpleasant consequence of own karma is the essence to make a progress in our life. Our noble desires only can fetch us noble reward. Swami Vijnananand not only preached the importance of self-purification but practiced this concept in his life till the last moment. His desire of highest self-purification is reflected in the prayer he has written on the opening page of all the books he wrote.

“Pardon me not, God,
Punish me for every fault,
For a single unjust pardon,
Will liquidate almighty Lord”!

 हरी ओम तत्सत ब्रम्हार्पणमस्तु I I 

 Vijay R. Joshi.  

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Know thyself, the True knowledge.


       
               

 Know thyself, the True knowledge. 

In earlier article we saw some vagueness in the definition of 'knowledge'. We will try to go through the concepts and definitions of 'knowledge' based on the views of some eastern sages, thinkers. Here one comes across the definition of the world ‘knowledge’ and also explanation of what can’t be termed as true knowledge.


Ref. Dasbodha (दासबोध) of Samarth Ramdas Swami, with commentary by Prof. K.V.Belsare, chapter 5, verse 5.

Universe  constitutes in two parts : 1. Soul (आत्मा, स्थूल , स्वयंप्रकाशी ) which is Non - Matter
                                                and  2. Non-soul (अनात्मा )  which is Matter (स्थूल , परप्रकाशी )
               In turn Matter is considered of two parts : 1. Visible Matter ( दृश्य स्थूल ), and 2. Invisible             Matter        (अदृश्य स्थूल ).

1. Whatever can be sensed by sense organs is visible matter. Mountains, oceans, trees, animals, men, women, houses etc. are covered in this type. Invisible matter includes anything which is not visible to sense organs but perceived by instruments, mind, intellect etc. Rules of nature, inner composition of atom, ambitions, virtues, values, passions, emotions etc. are covered in this class. The knowledge acquired through the study and research of the visible and invisible matters is termed as Science. This is considered as the highest knowledge but this is not a correct notion.

  1.  आदी करुनी चौसष्टी कला I  याही वेगळ्या नाना कला I  चौदा विद्या सिद्धी सकला I   हे ज्ञान नव्हे II         असो सकल कला प्रविण  विद्या मात्र परिपूर्ण I  तरी ते कौशल्यता, परि ज्ञान  म्हणोचि  नये II                              हे ज्ञान होयेसे भासे I परंतु मुख्य ते अनारिसे I जेथे प्रकृतिचे पिसे I समूळ वाव II 
Any person, expert not only in 14 vidya, 64 kala (१४ विद्या६४ कला), but also having abilities to perform in several faculties may be considered as very intelligent, savvy and competent person. We can consider him to have lot of skills, arts and proficiency but it cannot be termed as having real knowledge. The real knowledge has the ability to eliminate all the illusion and deception (माया) from its roots.
After clarifying what cannot be considered as knowledge, now we shall see the explanation of ‘true knowledge’.  Here one finds “knowledge” clearly defined.


3.       ऐका ज्ञानाचे लक्षण I ज्ञान म्हणजे आत्मज्ञान I पहावे आपणासी आपण I या नाव ज्ञान I I 
          मुख्य देवास ओळखावे I सत्य स्वरूप ओळखावे I नित्या नित्य विचारावे I या नाव ज्ञान I I
          जेथे दृश्य प्रकृती सरे I पंच भूतीक ओसरे I समूळ द्वैत निवारे I  या नाव ज्ञान I I
         मन बुध्दी अगोचर I न चले तर्काचा विचार I उल्लेख परेहुनी पर I  या नाव ज्ञान I I
         जेथे नाही दृष्य्भान I जेथे जाणिव हे अज्ञान I विमल शुध्द स्वरूप ज्ञान त्यासी बोलिजे I I 

To know entirely the own self, to know the ultimate truth, to visualize the everlasting reality, is considered as true knowledge. At this stage of realization the awareness takes the person beyond the duality (अद्वैत), minutest form of the matter.  Such true knowledge is beyond the reach of mind, logic and intelligence and the origin of sound vibrations (परा). At the stage of complete realization the sense of vision is subdued and the awareness gets melted. To reach such a state is acquiring the true Knowledge as delineated in Dasbodha.

  1.  A person on the pilgrimage of Truth endeavors to find answer to the fundamental query: ‘Who am I?  (कोहम?).’  A person is the unity of the body and a mind. Mind is nothing but the combination of the samskaras (संस्कार) of the past several lives. A conscious action, whether cognitive, affective or conative, assumes a potential and hidden (सूक्ष्म आणि अव्यक्त) form just below the threshold of consciousness. This is termed a samskara (संस्कार). The soul is the purest form of the mind and free from samskaras. Soul (आत्मा) is a very small fraction of the Supreme Soul (परमात्मा). The whole universe is the creation of Paramatma, who also occupies the contents of the universe in the form of Atma.

  1. The concept of real knowledge is also explicitly explained in chapter 13 of the Holy Gita (भगवत गीता) 
           क्षेत्राणि हि शरीराणि I बीजम चापि शुभाशुभे I तानी वेत्ती स योगात्मा I  ततः क्षेत्रज्ञ उच्चते I I 

The body is termed as Farm (क्षेत्र), the owner of the farm is the Soul. God has the full knowledge of all bodies and minds and souls. The God is termed as the Farmer (क्षेत्रज्ञ), who knows about the farm. Real knowledge (ज्ञान) as per Holy Vedas is to fully comprehend the concepts of body, mind, and soul. One, who possesses Dnyana (ज्ञान), is called as Dnyani (ज्ञानी).  Holy Gita chapter 13 describes in details both the concepts viz. Dnyani (ज्ञानी) and Adnyani (अज्ञानी).

While commenting on the Gita chapter 13, Rev. Vinobaji says: During the journey to know the self, one can’t totally rely on intelligence. This is because the soul and intelligence are separated by the layered partition of the samskaras accumulated during the past incarnations (पूर्वजन्म). The shell of the past samskaras has to be removed by the purification of the mind by practicing the penance. To acquire such a state of purified mind, is reaching the destination of Knowledge. Continuous efforts to shed the ego and efforts for qualitative progress of desires and karma from Tama (तम ) to Raja (रज ), Raja to Satwa (सत्व )and ultimately beyond Satwa (गुणातीत), is the mode for the mind purification.

6. Now, we have clearly understood the definitions of day-to-day knowledge, science and real knowledge. Step-by-step guidance to achieve the status of Dnyani; is also available from Rev. Vinobaji commentary on Chapter 13 of Holy Gita.

  1. To discriminate between self and others with the motive that ‘My gain is the goal and others are just means’. This is the stage of ignorance.
  2. To limit the sphere to ‘Me and my family and others’. My family is really the mean for my gain but I do some sacrifice from my family, and utilize others as means.
  3. As above. Here, I consider me and my family together for our gain and consider others say society as means for our gain.
  4. In the next step with some advance in attitude, person considers society as extension of own family and starts serving society along with self and family. This is termed as Karma Yoga.
  5. The attitude considering self as a servant and society as a master, matures to a stage where self turns into a devotee, the society turns into deity and all the available means of service as the offerings to the deity. Here the Karma yoga advances to the stage of Bhakti yoga.
  6. The highest stage of penance is reached which creates the feeling of ‘Self in the form of God, through all the available Godly means serving the society which also is in the form of the God’. At this stage the duality is entirely dissolved. The Bhakti Yoga gets transformed to Dnyana Yoga.
  7. This is the stage at which real Knowledge i.e. Truth is realised.                                                                                                                                                                                                                Every person has to identify and follow his/ her own path to reach the destination of Truth.“Objective reality, subjectively known, told with detached mind is truth”, says Swami Vijnananand while describing Truth in his book "God Reconsidered".

Vijay R. Joshi.