Swami Krishnananda-Essays in Life and Eternity, en
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
ESSAYS IN LIFE
AND ETERNITY
by
Swami Krishnananda
The Divine Life Society
Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh, India
(
Internet Edition: For free distribution only
)
Website: www.swami-krishnananda.org
CONTENTS
Preface
4
Introduction
5
Part I – Metaphysical Foundations
11
I - The Absolute And The Relative
11
II - The Universal And The Particular
13
III - The Cosmological Descent
15
IV - The Gods And The Celestial Heaven
17
V - The Human Individual
19
VI - The Evolution Of Consciousness
21
VII - The Epistemological Predicament
23
VIII - The World Of Science
25
IX - Psychology And Psychoanalysis
28
X - Aesthetics And The Field Of Beauty
31
Part II - The Social Scene
33
XI - The Phenomenon Of Society
33
XII - Axiology: The Aims Of Existence
35
XIII - The Nomative Features Of Ethics And Morality
37
XIV - Civic And Social Duty
40
XV - The Economy Of Life
43
XVI - Political Science And Administration
45
XVII - The Process Of History
48
XVIII - Education And Culture
51
Part III - The Development Of Religious Consciousness
54
XIX - The Inklings And Stages Of A Higher Presence
54
XX - The Exploration Of Reality
57
XXI - The Epics And Puranas
60
XXII - The Role Of Mythology In Religion
63
XXIII - The Ecstasy Of God-Love
65
XXIV - The Agama Sastra
67
XXV - Tantra Sadhana
69
XXVI - The Yoga-Vasishtha
72
Essays in Life and Eternity by Swami Krishnananda
1
XXVII - Philosophical Proofs For The Existence Of God
75
XXVIII - Empirical Systems Of Philosophy
77
XXIX - The Mimamsa Doctrine Of Works
80
XXX - The Gospel Of The Bhagavad Gita
82
XXXI - The Path Of Divine Devotion
84
XXXII - The Integral Philosophy Of The Vedanta
88
XXXIII - Fundamentals Of The Spiritual Ascent
91
XXXIV - The Art Of Meditation
94
XXXV - The Recession Of Effects To Causes
97
XXXVI - Experiences In Meditation
99
XXXVII - The Yoga System Of Patanjali
101
XXXVIII - Life After Death
104
XXXIX - Moksha: The Final Liberation
107
Part IV - Regarding Justice, Judgment And Human Solidarity
110
XL - On The Concept Of Righteousness And Justice
110
XLI - In Defence Of A Proper Philosophical Analysis
123
XLII- Creation And Some Of Its Implications
128
Understanding
133
Essays in Life and Eternity by Swami Krishnananda
2
PREFACE
The publication of Essays in Life and Eternity by the well known author who needs no
introduction is a veritable hallmark stamped on the various writings come from the
same source dealing with such themes of study and enquiry as perhaps do not leave
anything pertaining to human life unsaid or unexplained. The value of this new treatise
can be assessed only by an actual reading of it with the requisite concentration. The
subject of the thesis has been arranged systematically in an order of ascent and
relatedness comparable with the order of the manifestation of life as could be gathered
through an investigation of the structure of Nature and the obvious processes of the
universe.
Here is something absorbing which seeks to fulfil the longings of both the individual in
society and the spirit that is eternal.
THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY
Shivanandanagar,
31st December, 1989.
Essays in Life and Eternity by Swami Krishnananda
3
INTRODUCTION
This is an attempt to present in a sequential order certain ideas that may be said to
appertain to an outlook of life which would adequately comprehend within itself the
process of the envisagement of values that are supposed to form the structure of the
general pattern of our existence. It is fairly obvious that we do not start thinking without
a basis on which it has to found itself, an acceptance of what may be called indubitable
and certain for all practical purposes. Usually, such a sheet-anchor of human enterprise
goes by the name of a philosophy of life, a general concept of what things are, or what
they ought to be, in the scheme of the universe. Not only do we not think in a vacuum
and do have some substantiating factor remaining always there at the back of thoughts
and actions, but also we conduct our life processes from what is considered as more
primary and unavoidable to what is secondary or what follows from the original
requirement as a corollary from a theorem. Effects follow causes, even as causes precede
effects. While the effects are important enough to require necessary consideration, the
causes have a precedence and determine all such considerations. The effects are often
the visible and tangible things; the causes are not always direct objects of perception.
It is common knowledge that we occupy ourselves principally with visible phenomena,
inasmuch as the immediate impact of the world is on our sensations, and even our
thoughts seem to become operative after the senses receive impressions of things
outside as cast in the moulds of their own individual areas of organisation. Rarely do we
think before we see or hear; we seem to be mentally active after sensations stimulate
psychic functions. This is an aspect of our life which has been excessively taken
advantage of by the empiricist schools of philosophy, psychology, sociology, economics
and politics, though it, indeed, remains as a valid segment of the way in which we
acquire knowledge. There is, however, the other side of the story, namely, that
knowledge is not a mere unsolicited import from a foreign land, and that there is an
inner need that decides the nature of the product arising as the outcome of sense
impressions. But the vehemence of sensory activity is often so impetuous and aggressive
that there is mostly an acquiescence on the part of everyone in the belief that events take
place only in the ‘outer’ world and human history is caused by the behaviour of ‘other’
people. That there has been latterly a gradual trend of thought along these lines in
modern times does not need an explanation. Only it would show that humanity is
drifting downwards into the more exteriorised, mechanised and devitalised forms of
existence than what should be expected from an essentially self-conscious human
individual whose very self cannot be other than an indivisible consciousness, a fact
which all types of empiricism seem to be ignoring entirely. The rationalist emphasis,
too, may not always be able to avoid the erroneous judgment of confining consciousness
merely to intellectual activity, not paying sufficient attention to the nature of reality
which sweeps over a much larger area than logic and reason.
The arrangement of thought in these essays can be viewed either from the point of view
of the cause manifesting itself as its natural effects, or the effect evolving gradually into
the substance of the cause. Perhaps the former impression may be created in the mind
of a reader when the book is studied from the beginning to the end in the order of
succession, and it may have the feature of the latter if the chapters are read in the
reverse order especially from Chapter XVIII backwards, concluding with the themes of
Essays in Life and Eternity by Swami Krishnananda
4
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
