February 04, 2007

Gita XIII (addendum)—The Individual self

Our intellectual nature produces self-consciousness; it leads to the emergence of the human individual from its original solidarity with nature. Most of us, by finding our specific place in the social world, give a meaning to our life and gain a feeling of security, a sense of belonging. Any sense of satisfaction and security derived by submission to external authority is bought at the price of the integrity of the self. By developing our inner spiritual nature, we gain a new kind of relatedness to the world and grow into freedom, where the integrity of the self is not compromised. We then become aware of ourselves as active creative individuals, living, not by the discipline of external authority but by the inward rule of free devotion to truth.

The individual self is a portion of the Lord, a real, not an imaginary form of the supreme, a limited manifestation of God. The soul which derives from the Supreme Isvara is not so much an emanation as a member of the Supreme. The soul’s substantial existence springs from the Divine intellect and its expression in life is effected by virtue of its vision of Divine who is its father and its ever-present companion. Its distinctiveness is determined by the divine pattern and the context of the senses and the mind which it draws to itself. The universal is embodied in a limited context of mental-----vital-physical sheath. No individual is quite like another, no life repeats another’s and yet a single pattern runs through all of them. The essence of ego, the distinguishing characteristic of human personality is a certain creative unity, an inner purpose, a plan which has gradually shaped itself into an organic unity.

8 comments:

Agnikan said...

Is this comment related to a particular verse in chapter 13? It sounds like your interpretation fits squarely within the Sri Ramanuja school of Vedanta -- a refreshing perspective, given the innumerable Mayavadins running around these days.

Russell CJ Duffy said...

i buy into this one hundred percent.
surely it is the very ability of humankind to recognise spirituallity that puts us aside from the rest of the animal kingdom?
you have a beautiful faith and one, if no one minds, i regulary 'lean' on.

Paul said...

I like it. For myself, belief in a particular metaphysical explanation that tries to account, say, for how it is that consciousness exists, or whether there's an afterlife, or how the world came into being, isn't the key to spiritual life. Still I find some metaphysical accounts more consonant with - maybe call it my spiritual consciousness - than others.

In general, it's been the contemplatives in the Christian tradition (who are completely overlooked by right wing Christianity) and eastern religions that I've preferred. Wish I still had the time/physical ability to do some reading. Although I went to a good divinity school, eastern religions were barely touched on, which disappointed me. I do know a bit about Buddhism, but that was from reading I did on my own many years ago.

Glad to be able to learn something about Hinduism here.

Joyce Ellen Davis said...

Gautami T. I love your places--they are beautiful. If I were not a Mormon I would surely be Hindu. Believe it or not, we share many of the same perspectives.

I'm glad Poetry Thursday brought me to your sites!

Joyce Ellen Davis said...

PS I discovered Rumi through reading Deepak Chopra (whose books I adore). I met him once when he came through Salt Lake City. I had been to hear him speak, and afterward, while I was sitting on the sidewalk outside waiting for my son to pick me up, he came by and asked me if I needed a ride...I should have said, sure do!

gautami tripathy said...

dharmashaive: no. I do not conform to school. These are just my thoughts after reading the Gita.

cocaine: Thanks. Exactly my thoughts. Hinduism does lay a lot of stress on Karma. A few don't understand that very well. I will try to cover that aspect soon.

paul: Welcome. For this blog you are the inspiration. I loved your darius blg and this was the outcome. Do keep coming. I will write more.

pepektheassassin: You are welcome to visit all.

I love rumi too.

DINTOONS said...

look!
it's the One Beloved
playing the roles of the many
in the timeless eternal Now!

:)

AMIT said...

Very good information found here.

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