Saturday, 18 February 2023

Is Everything Pre-destined?

Consciousness / consciousness. 

--

Past is memory and information. 

Present is how it is described.

Future is imagination, hope, fear, restricted within the limits of the known. 

In the strictly physical sense, in the physical time, we can sure chalk out and predict with 100% surity, how the things will happen. 

But as soon the number of factors increases, we see any prediction becomes rather more and more difficult and still we can somehow  predict accurately the expected result.

This is because this depends on information only. Thought is information. Memory too is information. Physics is about finding out the pattern that could explain the Laws. These presume a Time-model, a Time-frame, and according to the perspective of that model Laws are discovered. The Laws are subject to a pattern apparent to the observer.

Do and could we ever know about the nature of this "observer"? Essentially there is only "consciousness" irrespective of the observer or the observed. The same is then split into an assumed observer and the observed. The "consciousness" is ever-present and evident only reality and there nothing else like this "someone" / "observer", who emerges out from consciousness. Prior to and before this "observer" arises, there is neither "Time" or  Space - material or of any other kind.

The "observer" and the "observed" appear to happen in and because of "consciousness" that is Timelessness.

How to discover this truth? For truth is to be discovered and not to be formulated. Truth is never verbal. Truth could not be attained. Though could be and needs to be discovered only.

Still there is clue.

The six Darshana / दर्शन as are enumerated in the scriptures of Sanatan Dharma / सनातन धर्म  are verily six approaches / means to discover and find out what is the nature of "Truth". These six approaches are individually and mutually independent from each-another, perfect and independent too from the other five.

Here in terms of 'scientific', let us try to see how this has been dealt with in one of them, viz. The Yoga of Patanjali.

Patanjali begins with "vritti" / वृत्ति, and points out how (or if) the Truth could split into the "observer" and the "observed".

According to Patanjali the "observer" is विषयी, / the "subject", while the "observed" is विषय /  the "object". The Field / क्षेत्र of the interaction between the two is the "consciousness" / चेतना / क्षेत्रज्ञ.

As श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता / Shrimadbhagavad-gita points out through :

वेदानां सामवेदोऽस्मि देवानामस्मि वासवः।।

इन्द्रियाणां मनश्चास्मि भूतानामस्मि चेतना।।२२।।

(अध्याय १०, stanza 22 chapter 10)

And,

इदं शरीरं कौन्तेय क्षेत्रमित्यभिधीयते।।

एतद्यो वेत्ति तं प्राहुः क्षेत्रज्ञ इति तद्विदुः।।१।।

क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि सर्व क्षेत्रेषु भारत।।

क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोर्ज्ञानं यत्तज्ज्ञानं मतं मम।।२।।

तत्क्षेत्रं यच्च यादृक्च यद्विकारी यतश्च यत्।।

स च यो यत्प्रभावश्च तत्समासेन मे शृणु।।३।।

ऋषिभिर्बहुधागीतं छन्दोभिर्विविधैः पृथक्।।

ब्रह्मसूत्रपदैशचैव हेतुमद्भिर्विनिश्चितैः।।४।।

महाभूतान्यहङ्कारो बुद्धिरव्यक्तमेव च।।

इन्द्रियाणि दशैकं च पञ्च चेन्द्रियगोचराः।।५।।

इच्छा द्वेषः सुखं दुःखं सङ्घातश्चेतना धृतिः।।

एतत्क्षेत्रं समासेन सविकारमुदाहृतम्।।६।।

(अध्याय १३, Chapter 13 - Stanza 1-2-3-4-5-6)

Here Shrikrishna defines :

ज्ञान Consciousness, and चेतना "consciousness", as two distinct characteristics of "knowing".

The Consciousness Omniscient is the Truth, while the consciousness manifest through and within this individual physical body is the person.

Patanjali points out the same truth in the following words :

दृष्टा दृशिमात्रः शुद्धोऽपि प्रत्ययानुपश्यः।।२०।।

(साधनपाद / Patanjal-Yoga Sutra, Sadhanapada 20)

vritti / वृत्ति is the interplay between the object and the subject. "Time" assumes existence so long as this interplay continues.

(Hope to write the next part of this topic in the next post.)

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