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World
is one, but everything in it can be looked at from two levels. The
individual & the cosmic. The individual level is called ‘Vyashti’ and the
cosmic is referred to by the word ‘Samashti’. Both of these pertain to the
micro and the macrocosm respectively. The consequences of identifying with
either of the level is very different, because in the center of vyashti
vision stands the concerns of an individual, while in the center of
samashti vision stands the compassion & welfare of all.
Individual
view brings about selfishness and all its subsequent problems. Even though every
person has some fundamental responsibilities towards him or herself, but
that alone should never be the sole objective of life. Everyone should take
care of one’s basic necessities, but even to fulfill these objectives one
has to look beyond oneself – to begin with towards one’s family and later
towards the society as a whole too. Any person who is obsessed with his or
himself so much that he doesn’t have anytime even for the family around is
always a potential danger, they are demons in the making. Such people look
at their children & other relatives too as pawns to be used for their
own selfish ends. They have no love in their hearts, or rather do not know
the real meaning of love. Their life is dry and lonely, and inspite of
their obsessive & blinding concerns for themselves they do not
satisfactorily fulfill even those objectives for which they are so
concerned about. They definitely seem to be on the wrong path.
The
Cosmic view on the other hand brings about love for all. A person sensitive
to others alone has a heart full of love & peace. Such a person is also
obliged to take care of his basic needs, but this is never an issue for
him. He has a large family who are equally sensitive to his needs. Man is a
social being, and therefore can never even think of living an isolated
life. If this is so then any tendency to be insensitive to others is
contradictory to the very structure of social order. The essence of Dharma
is to be sensitive to others. A virtuous act is defined as that wherein a person
does unto others as he expects others to do unto him. This is possible only
because of his high degree of sensitivity & love for everyone around.
Person of such a disposition is a indeed a godly person.
Thus
vyashti & samashti are two ways of looking at the world, and it should
be a sincere endeavor of everyone to slowly expand his or her vision so as
to embrace more & more people. However, one thing should also be
understood that even though the cosmic view brings about relatively greater
virtues, love & peace, but this cosmic view also is not the absolute
view. The very usage of these words together shows their relativity,
both are inter-dependent, and require the existence of each other for their own existence & identity. Totality implies the sum total of all
individuals, and individual is a unit of total. This division comes
into existence only after we
identify with our body-mind-intellect (BMI) complex, and thus bring about an
identity which is different from the whole. Existence in a relative
dimension is always fraught with limitation & dependence, and thus
there will always be absence of total satisfaction. The redemption is only
by directly knowing that which is absolute.
In
order to know that which is absolute one should discover an identity which
transcends and yet pervades the existing identity of one being this BMI
complex. Taking resort to the precepts of Vedanta one should learn the art
of dissociating oneself from this complex and then realizing that which
exists thereafter. By awakening to that which is absolute, one experiences
that which is referred to by the phrase ‘peace that passeth all
under-standing’ - the nectarine ambrosia which quenches the thirst of the
heart. Thus one should start on a journey to first having a cosmic view,
and then alone work to awake to the one non-dual absolute truth. A person
having samashti drishti alone is qualified to go into the secrets of the
knowledge of Vedanta which reveals to us the absolute truth. So do
undertake the divine journey from vyasti to samashti and then to the
absolute. Bon Voyage.
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