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--- In tiruvenkatam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Sudarshan K Madabushi" 
<mksudarshan2002@xxxx> wrote:

Dear friends,

Here is an little story worth contemplating upon:

The disciple one day asked of the Master: "Sir, I have a question 
related to "tarkA" (logical dialectics). Pray help me find an 
answer.The Master said, "Ask."

"Would it be correct to state that God is a logical absurdity?"

The Master was silent for a moment and then said, "Explain yourself".

The disciple continued: "The 'sruti vAkya' (the word of the Vedas) 
says that God is both "Ekathvam" (Unity) as well as "Anantham" 
(Infinite). In the Upanishad, at many places, Brahman is sought to 
be described. It is said, "sa ekah:", "He is One". At other places 
in the 'sruti', with equal certainty, it is said Brahman 
is "anantham" (e.g "satyam, gnyAnam, anantham brahmA" in the 
Taittriyam). Other scriptures too like the Vishnu Sahasranamam refer 
to God as being both "ekah", "Unity"; and "anEkah", the "Infinitude".

"Unity ("ekah:"} and Infinity ("anantha:), we know are logical 
identities diametrically opposed to each other. If a thing is to be 
called "ekah", it must possess the quality or "guNa" of unique-ness. 
If it is not unique, it cannot be described as "manifold" 
or "anEkah". Conversely, if a thing is found to be variegated or 
manifold in an infinite number of ways, it cannot be described as 
unique. It would be contradiction in terms, nay, absurd and 
meaningless, to characterize something as either "infinite Unity" 
or "unique Infinitude". But since, this is exactly what the Vedas 
and the Upanishads say, and since the "sruti vAkya" are to be taken 
as infallible, we have to conclude, therefore, that God must be a 
logical absurdity" for how can one ever hope to find "Unity within 
Infinity" or "Infinity within Unity".

                      *********************

The Master then replied:

"Show me your palm".

The disciple stretched out his palm to the Master.

Holding the disciple's hand, the Mater said:

"Ingrained in this palm of yours are finger-prints... thousands and 
thousands of whorls, curves, loops, peaks and valleys. In this 
world, every person is born with similar finger-print patterns. The 
prints are similar but the patterns and configurations in themselves 
are immeasurably manifold. If there are six billion humans on earth, 
you can imagine the infinite variety or eternal series of patterns 
that exists. They are, in other words, "anantham"... And it is 
probably the reason why the poet, Willim Blake, once wrote: if only 
you could grasp the Truth of the matter, you could easily "hold 
eternity in the palm of your hand".

"And yet, amidst all that infinite variety, every person's finger-
print pattern is wholly unique to himself, isn't it? Just imagine, 
no two persons amongst the 6 billion beings on earth can ever be 
found to have exactly the very same pattern. Every individual is 
unique --- He is "ekah"! If a century from now, the number of humans 
on earth increases by another couple of billions, mathematically you 
would have immeasurably more finger-print patterns to imagine. And 
yet, in spite of it all, each individual would still have a unique 
and inimitable set of patterns on his palms. 

"Thus", said the Master to the disciple, "Deep within the mind-
boggling number of an infinite series, how is it that there lies 
too, for all to see, an unquestionable and inalienable unique-ness? 
Do we not perceive here Unity and Infinity blending, "ekatvam" 
and "anEkatvam" happily cohabiting with each other? Do we not 
conceive here Unity and Infinitude mirroring each other perfectly? 

"Would you want to characterize it all" asked the Master of the 
disciple, "In the end, would you want to characterize it all as 
nothing but mere "mental conundrum" or "logical absurdity"? 

                          **************

The disciple, grateful for a new, insightful lesson learnt that day 
in the finer nuances of "tarka-sAstra", bowed at the feet of the 
Master.

Regards,

dAsan,
Sudarshan
--- End forwarded message ---









 
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