Manoj Dwivedi IAS
Matter and energy are interconvertible. We all know. So every physical aspect of the world is nothing but energy. But something pervades this energy and makes it complete. This is consciousness. Both are inseparable. Our Hindu faith call this energy as Shakti and consciousness as Shiva. Various mythological depictions of relationship between Shiva and Shakti are there.
Universe is Shiv and Shakti. Shiv is the ‘being’ of Universe i.e it’s consciousness. It is the supreme Cosmic Intelligence. It is the universal soul.
Shakti is the manifestation of the Universe. It is the operational part of the Supreme Cosmic Intelligence. It is the universal body that embodies the universal soul.
Shiv is expressed in time and space through its Shakti. Hence, Shiv and Shakti complete each other – just like body is useless without soul and similarly soul cannot function in this world without body. Shakti is also seen as female counterpart of Shiv. The consciousness of the Universe goes through a cycle of creation, sustenance and destruction. This cycle is seen in microcosm as well as macrocosm. Hence it is spread over time and space. These are the three aspects of Shiv – brahma, vishnu and mahesh. Shakti also has broadly three aspects matching the three aspects of Shiva- brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the operator) and Mahesh (the destroyer). These are saraswati, Lakshmi and Kaali.
The cyclic creation, sustenance and destruction is manifested in form of the laws of universe. All energy-matter is bound by these laws. Physical manifestation of Shakti is called prakriti ( nature goddess). Prakriti- the all powerful mother nature.
Everything in this world has a soul which is a reflection of the Universal consciousness. It means that Shiv is present in everything. The difference is just that of the level of consciousness the ‘chetna’. If you identify a unit in space and time, it is bound to have a characteristic of shiv and shakti in it i.e it will have a soul and a body as mirror images of the universal soul-body.
A human being is also such a unit but with highest level of consciousness and most evolved physical formation compared to other living and nonliving entities of the universe. Hence it is the best reflection of the Shiv-Shakti. Therefore it is also said that God created Human beings in its image. When we evolve through levels of consciousness we get closer to God. Those who have attained these higher levels are called as Avatars ie. incarnations of God. Although each and every form of existence is an image of God still the forms that are of higher consciousness have been recognised as Avatars.
In Hinduism, the ancient scriptures of Vedas and Upanishads have used this understanding to define God as Universal Consciousness and its manifestation encompassing entire microcosm and macrocosm of existence. There is a description that I am God – ‘Aham Brahm Asmi’. This is based on the experience that everything in this universe shares the reflection of God. The level of consciousness within us only differentiates us and puts us into a progressive evolutionary process. In whichever forms we witnessed higher levels of ‘chetna’, mankind has seen them as superhuman, Godlike, Godmen, Sons of God, incarnation of God, messengers of God or even as God. It would be most appropriate to call them as incarnations or messengers. However, It would be inappropriate to call them God. In Hinduism we have many many incarnations and they are worshipped for their God like qualities treating them as role model for the society (Hinduism believes there are 33 crores devisand devtas).
If we look at other religions of the world we find there is a remarkable similarity. The Prophet had supreme qualities unlike an average human and he had a higher consciousness because of which he could know ‘Allah’- The God. He brought the message of Allah to the mankind which is enshrined in Quaran and practice of Islam. So Muslims believe in God and his messenger. Jesus Christ, similarly with his higher levels of consciousness could know God and brought us the message of God. We know him as son of God. So Christians believe in God and son of God. Gautam Buddha meditated and raised his consciousness to levels where he could bring us superior message of Humanity- peace and love. Buddhist believe in Buddha and his teachings. All religions of the world believe in one supreme self. This is the universal religion- The spiritual path for Humanity.
Every human can discover his/ her higher self and connect to the supreme consciousness. Hence the belief that I have been created in reflection of God and hence I am God. But the truth remains that there is only one God and that supreme consciousness pervades this universe – Its omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. It can manifest itself in any form and anytime. Hence, it a truth that all religions teach the same thing. Only our understanding or our interpretation may differ. The goal of all religious practices is elevation of our consciousness so as to be able to understand the supreme one and become one with the supreme one. This has been stated as ultimate goal by all religions. This is the spiritual path for evolution of Humanity.
Those who don’t believe in God, may not agree with this universal faith of the existence of supreme consciousness, but they cannot deny laws of universe and scientific evidences that have established many laws of the Universe. So in a way these atheist do connect to the aspect of the universe where one can discover infinite spread from subatomic particles to galaxies i.e from microcosm to macrocosm. This infinite manifestation has engaged greatest scientific procedures unfolding the mysteries of Universe one part after another. Atheist do believe in these.
So in one and many ways they are believing the manifestation of supreme intelligence to the extent which has been scientifically proven. All that which is yet to be proven by science in any case exists as a miracle with utmost precision. It sustains the Universe even if it is yet to be established by scientific procedures. So indirectly even atheist have not denied the existence of supreme intelligence without which this universe cannot sustain even for a fraction of second.
So meditating on the Higher self is the ultimate goal of Humanity. Once we start feeling the connection we can be selfless, we can rise above hatred and greed, we can experience love for everyone in this universe, we can break the bondage of limited existence and we can experience the joy of living gracefully. This puts us on the path of discovering the Shiv-Shakti within ourselves. This is liberation. This is nirvana.
(Manoj Dwivedi is an engineer by training and a Public servant by choice. He describes himself as a wanderer by spirit and loves spiritual pursuits. He is presently Joint Secretary in Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India)
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