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How to Attune to the Divine plan of your life?

In the beginning there was nothing. The Big Bang resulted in the Universe which is now about 13.8 billion years old. The Universe began as a tiny thick fireball that exploded. What caused this explosion is still anybody’s guess. The earth where we live is about 4.5 billion years old. The first life on earth appeared about 3.7 billion years ago. Life then were microscopic organisms. (microbes) From mineral age to plant to animal age and then the homo sapiens appeared. That was between 2,00,000 – 3,00,000 years ago. They developed a capacity for language about 50,000 years ago. Archaeology also suggests that at the same time the human beings had developed tools, cave art, complex technology and cultures.

The 18’th century was agricultural age where farmers ruled and owners of fertile land were prosperous. The 19’th century belonged to the Industrial age when factory works boomed and owners of factories made sizeable profits. The 20’th century is the Information age where data, knowledge is ruling supreme.

For life to function it needs an equipment through which life expresses in the form of a plant, animal, human beings or microbes or viruses… Our human body is made of ten trillion or more cells. The Creator of the Universe is phenomenally creative. The Creator ensured that no two people are alike, no two leaves are alike, no anything are alike. Every DNA is unique to each person although the DNA is composed of the same Nitrogen based molecules. More than 99% of the DNA is same and it is less than 1% DNA which differs among individuals. DNA is in everything. Cells, skin, muscle, bone, teeth, semen, saliva, mucus… It is fundamentally clear that no two people are alike, yet comparison kills our peace!!

Six million sperms dart into the vagina and the successful sperm fertilizes the egg. This is called Zygote. This is the first stage. It then divides to become a blastocyst and travels down the fallopian tube to the uterus. After about 10 weeks it is called a fetus. At the end of 280 days the child is born. Chromosome is a part of the cell in living things that decides the sex, character, shape etc... Every egg from a female has an X sex chromosome. A sperm can either have an X or a Y chromosome. If the sperm that fertilizes the egg has an X chromosome, the baby is female; if the sperm that fertilizes the egg has an Y chromosome the baby will be a boy. A gene is a unit of information inside a cell which controls what a living thing would be like. Genes are passed from parents to children.

There is a gap between conceiving, fertilization and soul entering the body. The soul enters the body between 40 – 50 days after fertilization of the egg and the sperm. (Source Sadguru’s YouTube talk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnwLEMfpBMA) This soul carries with it the subconscious mind of the jiva (individual who had last passed away. The soul is eterna. Nothing can destroy it. Depending on many factors of the “Existential wisdom,” the right soul with its accompaniment (the subconscious mind) with its past desires, tendencies, attachments get inside the body of the mother. The whole idea is that the Jiva (individual) is given a suitable place and circumstances to exhaust its vasanas.

The two central beliefs of Hinduism are Karma and Reincarnation. Karma works on “Cause and Effect.” Reincarnation means that the soul goes out of the body upon death and lives in a world beyond the physical world. It does not leave the world but finds another new body after some years where it can continue its journey. The soul carries with it our subconscious mind with its memories, tendencies that we have developed in the previous life times. These tendencies are called “Vasanas.” The whole purpose of Life is to realize God who is your Creator. You are a spark of the same fire said J. Krishnamurthi, the great philosopher. We are Jivatma (microcosm) and are a part of Paramatma (Macrocosm). The moment we realize this we would be freed from the shackles of bondage – birth and death, that is stated when we reach the Samadhi, we become one with the Whole.

The parents we are born to, the place we are born at, the circumstances and situations we would be facing, the religion the parents belong to the tendencies, desires that were unfulfilled and accumulated, the attachments our subconscious mind had during past births will determine where, when one would be born again. This is not by trial and error. The Universal wisdom determines where, when, to whom you are born to, and the Universe gives you a body, mind and intellect to act in the fields of Objects, Emotions and Thoughts. We the “Limited Ego” act as “Perceiver, Feeler and Thinker” the only work to do to save ourselves from bondage is to burn the “Vasanas” and escape the cycle of births and deaths thereby liberating ourselves.

All along during its journey in the mother’s womb the fetus was in a state of deep meditation without its knowing. After coming out into this world the baby starts seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching and where does it send the impulses? It sends it to the mind which perceives everything through the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin and responds through the 5 modes of action through legs, hands, vocal cord, genitals and anus.

The Ego comes into picture as the child becomes the perceiver, feeler and thinker. When we are born, we are so innocent. That innocence lasts for a while when we start participating in the world outside. Then the mind comes into picture. The mind is the chief fortress. It can make a heaven out of hell or make a hell out of heaven. Life is a tragedy for those who feel, a comedy for those who think. One of the most important things a parent can teach their child is Yoga, Pranayama and Meditation, to go back to where it belongs – The source, the source of all sources. Meditation is a noun. When one contemplates, he reaches Meditation. That is one of the best education a parent can give their children.

The child’s desires can be fulfilled – red color car, blue color doll, green color pencil, violet color rubber, yellow color ribbon etc… The 6 stages of a human life are: infancy, toddlerhood, pre-school, early school, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood and late adulthood. Take any stage in life - How much ever one can get things on the world outside we can get definitely get almost everything - “Everything” for a price.” This is possible. Although we can get anything and everything if it’s possible, we can’t get that thing called “NOTHING!” This NOTHING is the source to which our limited ego would have to go to in order to get liberated. This NOTHING is the state of deep Meditation, SILENCE, THOUGHTLESS STATE, ACTIONLESS STATE, BEING STATE as we were in the mother’s womb. Even if one has 10 cars, 10 bungalows, 10 aircrafts, piles of money he has achieved through his work and everything he had wanted his mind is not fully satisfied. There is still some hollowness. The limited ego craves for reaching the state of “Meditation” which is a person’s deep nature, but it doesn’t know that. It thinks that by buying a property or anything worldly, getting fame, getting power, getting money, having influence can satiate and make him happy. Those are all pleasures and not happiness. True happiness is “Inside out.”

Whether one lives in Alaska or Tasmania or any village in India fundamentally there are 4 human pursuits. They are called “Purusartha” in Sanskrit. The most commonly 2 Purusartha sought after are Artha and Kama. That means “Security and Pleasure.” Security means economics, social, emotional, real estate, gold, relationships… This could provide some form of security to the ego. Kama means anything that is pleasurable from sensory inputs – ice cream, food, seeing a scenery, music, travel, sex or from a relationship.

The next 2 Purusarthas are Dharma and Moksha. Dharma means a mind that seeks its source as harmony and derives pleasure out of it. For example, good friendship, helping someone who is in need of something – it could be financial, your time and energy, advice, all this shows our inner maturity and sensitivity which make us feel we are all connected and are part of the whole. Dharma also means social order.

The most important of the goal of the human pursuit is “Moksha” the most important Purusartha. It means “Liberation.” Moksha means Freedom from the things that I do not want. When you see yourself as “Secure and Pleased with yourself” you are free. We must see ourselves as free from the fetters and be pleased with ourselves and feeling secure. ONENESS is the word best described to this status. However, we always have a tendency to accumulate, more and more of desires, more attachments, craving, striving for things that may not be of need. It is just for satisfying our ego and our ego is never satisfied. More and more is the ideology of a cancer cell.

So, why this life? What is the purpose? What is the goal?

The purpose of life is Self-Realization. That you know that you are One with the Whole, and that you lack nothing and you are secure. Tat Tvam Asi (तत् त्वम् असि) You are That (OR) “Aham Brahmasmi” (अहं ब्रह्मास्मि महावाक्य) that is “I am Consciousness, Existence, Bliss.” These two statements are called “Mahavakyas - important philosophies in Advaita Vedanta. We can call this state as God. (Oneness) I am God in disguise is a reasonably good understanding.

The journey inside that is when the mind is turned inward there are layers and layers of your unfulfilled desires, attachments, all thoughts, feelings, your emotions, your memory - everything has to be foregone. Burnt. But how? By slowly turning your mind’s attention to the Higher. God is not a matter of just belief, God is a matter of alignment. The mind that is directed outwards you get all that is sensory, physical, mental, emotional. When it is directed inwards through Yoga you begin your inner journey. (there are many steps and is just not Hatha yoga, which is very preliminary) By following ashtanga yoga or Pathanjali yoga (eight limbs of yoga) you tend to move more towards Him. That is the approach to the end goal in life.

This life one should construe as a game, a Lila. It is like playing “snake and the ladder game.” Assume that you are playing chess with God. You move first. He moves next, then you, then Him. Your moves are called choices, His moves are called Consequences. The game gets exciting, tougher in each move; when you are playing the game extremely well (that is removing all your vasanas) God wins the game by allowing you to win the game and be a part of Him. You will be liberated from the cycles of births and deaths. This is the ultimate Purpose and Goal.

On the world outside, for all of us one should study well, study the scriptures, do yoga, contemplate on the Higher, conduct well, have humility, gratitude, positivity, kindness, enthusiasm. Refrain from negativity, cunningness, treacherousness, anger, attachments and most importantly desire. All religions say that desire is the stumbling block between you and God. Working in the world outside without desire is not possible but working with “ungoverned desire” is possible. Reduce the desires. Don’t compare. There will be something unique in your capabilities – like being good in math, science, engineering, accounts, finance, sports. Shine in that to the best of one’s abilities. Have a great life. Spare no expenses.

Yoga in this article’s context means “Union with God.” Yoga means to join, to yoke. “Karma Yoga” means doing actions with selflessness and surrendering the results of actions to God as “Prasada,” (Offering) If anyone works this way the existing vasanas get reduced and new vasanas are not created. Karma Yoga is the best means to start one’s journey to get liberated. Karma yoga is an attitude, not just action. I went to a movie, I ate food, I slept, I ran are all karma but not karma yoga.

Karma Yoga prepares one for the state of Samnyasa (through Sankhya Yoga) to reach Samadhi (the state of Oneness)

You + God is a terrific partnership. Take God in your side. God means Atma, Spirit, Light, Love, Oneness, Spark of Energy, Consciousness.

Summarizing: Do Selfless Service. Do actions with Karma Yoga bent of mind. Do Sankhya Yoga to reach God and get liberated. Not easy, but possible…

S. Ramkumar