Vishwadarshan, A Glimpse of the Universe

By Mahatma Ramratna Thapaliyal

Vishwadarshan is an insight into the workings of life and the universe, its inception, creation, and cessation, received as a revelation by Mahatma Thapaliyal as a consequence of his seventeen-year-long penance in the Himalayas. From the tiny ant living on Earth to intuitive revelations about the solar and lunar systems, this work touches various universal aspects. The seer brings a fresh perspective to how the ever-constant Supreme Consciousness and Prakriti together conceive the universe, in the form of Brahma and Saraswati, how sustenance of the universe is taken care of by Maha Vishnu and Maha Laxmi, and its ultimate destruction by Shiva and Mahakali. Mahatma Thapaliyal's work comes highly recommended by the likes of Sri Aurobindo, Gurudev Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, and Madan Mohan Malaviya. They, and others, considered this smriti to be unique in the annals of philosophy and spirituality. Rupa and A.K. Srikumar' s lucid English translation makes this seminal work a must-read, particularly in this harrowing time when mankind is searching for its moorings.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fingerprint Publishing
• Release date: May 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9789354404290

Book preview

Preface

I salute that knowledgeable, truthful, intelligent, blissful super soul which, through its truthful inspiration, manifests for the well-being of the world, illuminating knowledge in the intellect of His devotees. The bodies of living beings are formed in this infinite universe by the power of its pure merit and, consequently, living beings cannot be happy without the knowledge of truth.

I was not competent to have written Vishwadarshan without assistance, but the super soul is omnipotent and the soul itself is the super soul. This book is merely the experience of the soul. Not one word has been written that has not actually been experienced. Working through pure knowledge is beneficial. Great souls, while redeeming themselves, are also able to redeem the world. The soul is omnipotent. There is nothing beyond the competency of the soul. The creation of a dream, the visualisation in the dream, can all this be the work of an incompetent? If we judge Him incompetent, who then may be considered capable of creating dreams? The difference is only this, that the foundation upon which the omnipotent and all-knowing one creates dreams with its infinite ability, is unreal. That is why the created dream, as it forms, does not remain the same upon waking. If the base had been real instead of unreal then the dream too would have been real.

The point being made here is that the creator of dreams is omnipotent and manifest in creating many dream-creations, but the basis of such dreams is unreal. That is why upon waking, the dream is no more manifest. Will you then call a dream real or unreal? For you are able to remember the dream, but its created image is not there.

If you contend that the dream is unreal, how come its memory is so real? How come you remember it? If, on the other hand, you hold that the dream is real then why don’t you see its image clearly upon waking? Truth is manifest.

I shall now tell you whether dreams are real or unreal. The creator of dreams is real, and consequently his creation also is real, which you are able to recall upon waking. But the screen used as a surface for the creation of that dream by the creator of dreams is unreal, which dissolves on waking from sleep. That is why the creation thereon also gets destroyed and upon waking, the creation disappears.

This is the situation with reference to dreams, but what happens in life and death? Please consider carefully. What are we, and since when are we? This alone will be conclusive. What were we before this body that we are manifesting in now and earlier than that also? We must certainly have been something before manifesting in this body, and earlier too. If we continue to search for the frontiers of our existence in this manner, we will one day comprehend our reality.

If you claim that we are composed of the five elements and upon their destruction, nothing remains, then in accordance with this contention also the mortal remains must continue to exist even after death. When what you are able to see is consigned to flames or interred in the earth, some of it still remains because it continues to exist as the five elements even after being reduced to ashes or having decomposed. Now pause to consider that our body having perished, blends into the elements; where do these elements go when destroyed?

Listen! When the sun, moon, and stars are extinguished and destroyed in their elemental form, they transform and remain in darkness. This is like fire disappearing in darkness upon being extinguished. Darkness also does not exist. This we can deduce from the fact that at night it is dark, and as soon as the sun rises darkness does not exist. Likewise, darkness, whether of small extent or overwhelming, has no existence. Supreme darkness also disappears at its time limit, but what does it merge with? Beyond darkness is the influence of the immutable consciousness, into which it blends. Whatever path you chose now, you will gain knowledge of your true form.

The real existence of each one of us is that influence of consciousness. All of the universe – cosmos merges with it and is created all over again upon transition in time due to its activity.

The Almighty with His activity creates the universal cosmos upon a screen which is unreal like the dream. That is why upon its destruction, the universal cosmos loses its existence.

Now you know very well that you have been omnipotent from the beginning of time, but having lived in the expanse of darkness for an eternity, you have lost the knowledge of your omniscience, because you are unaware ignorance has set in. The great souls who are able to see the scenario as it is through self-realisation can be omniscient in any form.

The topics in this book have been dealt with succinctly for the benefit of the people of this world. Each issue is so profound that if I had been able to muster up the courage to write in detail on every subject, I would not have been able to deal with it adequately in this lifetime. It is also worth examining: have I been able to do justice to the topics in committing them to writing by representing them exactly as I am able to perceive each one of them?

Writing this scripture only on the basis of my own experience will seem implausible to people of the universe. The description of planets, in particular, would be especially surprising. Let me offer a small example in this regard. A farmer knows through his knowledge and hard work how to make sugar by growing sugarcane. Another person asks him: From which market did you buy this sugar? I grew sugarcane in my field and made sugar myself, the farmer replies, but the person asking does not believe him, because according to his information, sugar is only available in the market. But had he been sensible, he would not have disbelieved the maker of sugar, because the sugar that comes to any market is definitely grown in the field in the form of sugarcane, and that has been created by someone or the other. Then why is there scepticism about the farmer producing it? Similarly, all scripture is born of the field of somebody’s intellect, and someone or the other has written and given it form.

All scriptures are subject to the intellect; the intellect is not subservient to them. There can be no myth in the knowledge of the omniscient. Doubt comes only through ignorance and limited knowledge.

Astronomers also would probably be sceptical about the description of planets—how can the claims of a human being resident upon earth be considered valid on this subject? Results based on computations made employing instruments are easy to believe these days, but how can anybody place faith in personal experience?

There is a clarification offered here that accurate calculations regarding the planets in the expansive sky are impossible using only instruments. How can the supreme sky’s distances be measured by instruments? Even with the availability of instruments, it is only possible through experience. In case we accept a conclusion based on measurement with instruments, then the object we see with our naked eyes, and the same as seen through a telescope or other instrument is likely to present marked differences in size. If the same object is seen through another large contraption then there will be an even greater difference in its form. Which form, then, do we accept as the correct shape of that object? The one visible to the naked eye that is seen through binoculars or the one seen through a huge telescope? Deciding is quite a problem.

In case the form seen with the unaided eyes is considered to be the real one then seeing on the basis of instruments would appear to be unreal. In case the one seen on the basis of instruments is treated as real then the one seen through normal vision is unreal. If we hold that normal vision is unreal then the conclusion is inescapable that ordinary vision can see properly only through binoculars and other instruments, which too is incredible. Now, which do we consider true vision?

The normal vision of the eyes is inadequate to see the real form of any object if we wish to perceive the truth. Because, like the telescope or other instruments which are only substitutes, the physically created eyes are also but substitutes. The task of seeing is performed by light; the eyes only see by means of that light. That is why blind (without light) eyes are unable to perceive form. If we could only give up trying to see with these eyes and perceive by means of our internal illumination, we can see the true form of any object.

The question now is, if the eyes also cannot be trusted to see, where then is the real light, which can see? I might remind you that there are times when you do see by means of that illumination, without the help of the eyes. You might have had dreams, on occasion. The dream-creation that you saw, was it seen through your eyes? No, it was not seen through the eyes, because in the state of sleep the eyes remain shut.

Consider once again, then, how the dream was seen. It was seen by means of that very light, which enters your eyes to enable you to see. However, the created dream also is not seen through pure light. In the state of sleep, the curtain of ignorance and grossness which envelopes the body of living beings acts as a substitute in the pure light. If, in its stead, the state of complete consciousness can be attained, and visualisation takes place through that, then the atom to the cosmos of the infinite universe will be perceived in its true form. Treat only that vision as real, because the task of seeing cannot be done without light. As we see objects in a house by the light of a lamp and the objects upon Earth are seen by the light of the sun, similarly, the mysteries of the infinite universe cannot be seen without the supreme light. We call that the supreme light, which illuminates all the stars in the sky, the moon, the sun, lightning, fire, etc. That is spontaneous light. It is the illuminated power of its consciousness that we call true knowledge of the intellect.

Whether by instruments or through normal vision, I now move on from talk of objects far away, to discuss the correct perception of what is close at hand. Make four or five people measure a distance of one inch using a ruler. When all of them by dint of their intelligence have done with measuring out one inch, ask a supervisor to verify the measurement made by each one of them. Upon scrutiny, a minuscule difference will definitely be seen in their measurements. It will still not be certain whose measurement of the distance of one inch is the true one. If only the measuring scale could be perceived by true vision then the length of an inch too would have been accurately arrived at.

The language employed here is simple, so as to make it comprehensible to the lay reader. It is quite likely that those addicted to romance will find this subject dull, firstly because philosophic and scientific subjects do seem uninteresting to ordinary people, not to speak of romance lovers. My focus has only been upon drawing a picture of the goal. Despite my comprehension of the subjects, I often had to encounter difficulties in expression and meaning, so that this might be intelligible to everyone. How difficult was it to maintain the chronological order of each subject (beginning, middle, and end) without help? Scholars may judge for themselves.

I invite the attention of ladies to the sacredness of family life, and I have great respect for virtuous ladies. In creating this holy book, my better half Pratima Devi cooperated whole-heartedly. Although she was not erudite herself, yet, the virtuous woman that she is, she helped by taking the entire burden of the household upon herself so as to enable me to work freely and in peace, and without this peace and freedom it would have been difficult for me to create this holy treatise.

It is only upon feeling the pangs of hunger that we think of satisfying it. Being satiated with pleasures we hanker for prestige; on its attainment, we seek domination, and when the thirst for power and influence is quenched, we yearn for knowledge of the Divine. Ancient India had reached the pinnacle of this highest civilisation, but high as the ascent was, equally sure and steady has been the decline up to the present age. That India, whose seers through their knowledge of the precepts of divine (true) knowledge remained strong and secure over many transitions of time, now sees her progeny falling prey to the temptations of decadent, illusory pleasures to become weak and diseased, and dying prematurely by the time they are forty or fifty. Each topic related to the gross body has been discussed in Vishwadarshan, and it has been explained adequately as to what portions of particular substances protect and nourish the body, and those that drain and destroy it.

Human beings shall receive actual knowledge of their well-being through this book. The book is written in simple language, for the benefit of ordinary folk. This book deals with subjects such as living beings’ purpose of activity, creation – action of the universe, philosophy, the relationship of planets, gross body composition, vegetation, art – science, literature, ethics – religion, and the living being and its well-being.

The revelation for this book was thus received—the Sun God gave knowledge of water – earth, the moon and Earth gave knowledge of vegetation, and the ‘Supreme light’ which brings about the development of the entire universe bestowed all knowledge contained in this book upon the intellect.

The power of auspicious resolve, evening meditations, and conservation of pure semen made me the creator of this book. Through these three, my intelligence became profound – serious, discriminating, developed, and illuminated. Just as a clean wick cannot be illuminated without pure oil and fire in the lamp, likewise without auspicious resolve, pure semen, and evening meditations upon mysteries, the intelligence cannot be illuminated in a pure form.

During meditation, the mystery of the evening incantations guides the discriminating intellect, and aided by this the intelligence, gradually over a period of time, receives the sun’s light and from there reaches the ‘supreme light’ that illumines the entire universe. Upon reaching there, the intelligence is able to perceive the entire form of supreme nature in the same manner that a mountaineer having arrived atop a mountain peak is able to easily see all that lies below. Thus frequently, while reaching the supreme light through evening meditations and descending to one’s own level, the intelligence gains knowledge of the universal and physical elements with great ease.

On perceiving true knowledge, intelligence sees this divisible body as indivisible, containing the supreme universe. Then in that state, the mind, like the body, is able to move easily through all the realms of the universe and the different levels thereof, and experiences them all. In that state, the intelligence sees as its own self that super soul, which contains, protects, and illuminates the entire universe. In that supreme light, before which no mystery remains hidden, the intelligence perceives all and also recognises its own actual form. It sees itself in the form of supreme nature. In that state, the intelligence also comprehends the point of its meditation. ‘The supreme light form of soul, the super soul develops and protects my universe containing body.’ That is why, being fully aware of the super soul’s completeness and its own and its body’s incompleteness, it considers itself duty-bound to meditate upon the complete super soul, and desiring its own completeness and thereafter for the well-being of its incomplete universe containing body, meditates upon the complete super soul. Although resident in a puny human body, such an intelligence gains the authority to bring about the well-being of the entire universe, and treats the task of universal well-being as its actual purpose.

At the time of writing, I had to often confront terrible dangers and difficulties, which tried to suppress my brilliance by encircling me, and they were so horrible that mighty spirits also would have lost their courage; but by the grace of the Divine I kept myself engrossed in my work and my brilliance kept increasing. By the grace of both the obstacles and the auspiciousness, I became competent to do this work.

The Sun God, moon, Earth, and dispenser of ignorance, the supreme light super soul, bestowed the knowledge of Vishwadarshan. Encouragement for compiling this scripture and the means for it came from like-minded people.

Until the third edition, the task of completion and revision of the book was carried on in the manner of a farmer who, tilling fallow land in the hope of a good crop, keeps removing stones and pebbles from the earth and then fills it with fine soil. In exactly the same way, I have carried out revisions until I was satisfied, in the undaunted hope of a pure human harvest. It is only natural, therefore, that there are some changes from earlier editions. Rectification of great enterprises thrice over is beneficial for total success. I am now completely satisfied with the book.

I am deeply beholden to all those whose commendations have been published in the beginning or at the end of this work.

May all be auspiciousness!

– Ramratna

CHAPTER 1

We and Our Needs

This boundless universe is composed of an immeasurable number of spheres. This planet Earth that we inhabit is a microcosm of the universe. Innumerable species of living beings exist upon this Earth. The human being also is one such life form. All living beings toil lifelong to fulfill their needs. This is the ‘battle for survival’, so to speak. Eating – drinking, walking – peregrinating, reading – writing, farming – commerce – business, art – proficiency, and theatre—each one of these activities involves a struggle that constitutes this ‘battle for survival’. In this battle for survival, living beings are faced with social and political conflict. Like the personal, social, and political conflicts of human beings, other life forms also must undergo this struggle.

Honey bees toil every day of their lives to fulfill their needs, and for the satisfaction of individual needs, they unite to create a social movement. They also have an organised political setup to carry forward this effort.

Monkeys, too, are socially and politically organised for meeting their requirements. So are grasshoppers and ants. Like humans, many other living beings have their setups, but in fact, humans and other living beings upon earth are so organised for the attainment of bliss.

It is quite another matter that due to ignorance, humans and other beings, instead of achieving joy, end up becoming miserable. But the actual objective of this struggle of life is to achieve bliss.

What is ‘bliss’? What is the real goal worthy of achievement by all life forms? To all intents and purposes, the global human community comprehends happiness in terms of wearing good clothes and flashy jewellery, delectable food and drink, a wife and son to one’s liking, a high standard of living, and a grand house with a courtyard. Likewise, it is evident that happiness for all living beings is dependent upon brightness.

Like human beings, other organisms also are joyful in light. Moths and many insects even get burnt in the luminosity of lamps in their craving for joy. Deer and snakes get charmed by sweet sounds. Likewise, all living beings, it appears, are dependent for their happiness upon brilliance.

So we proceed further, carrying the brightness of all those objects that enthrall us, to that grand lustre before us. What do we gain there?

The centre of this luminescence beckoning to us and all other beings is the sun; its light makes the day, without which there is only night. What do we obtain from sunshine during the day, and what do we get in the darkness of night, in the absence of sunshine?

In the dark of night, humans and many other beings come under the spell of slumber, and become unconscious. In the darkness of night, like on the new moon night in the rainy season, most people are afraid to venture out of their sanctuaries, and not many beings are seen moving around in the darkness. Thus, fear is experienced in darkness, but as soon as day breaks and sunshine scatters, all beings become fearless. That is why brightness is the harbinger of fearlessness. In the inky gloom of night, nothing can actually be perceived. But when it is light all objects, and their shapes and colors, can actually be appreciated in the sunshine. Thus, in daylight, the sunshine makes us naturally conscious, fearless, and perceptive. The dark of night, on the other hand, renders us insensible, fearful, and lacking perception.

Besides sunshine, there is the radiance of the moon, stars, light, fire, and jewels that makes us happy. This proves that there is a light source greater than the sun which provides lustre to the sun, moon, stars, light, fire, and other objects in the world. That supreme light is the source of complete bliss for us. To attain it is the ultimate joy for humans and other beings. It manifests as super-consciousness, fearlessness, and supreme knowledge, which bring absolute bliss.

Likewise, in the expanse of the sky, we see a darkness thicker than the gloom of night. In