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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00017 Apr 2003

 
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Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:

Dear Shri Soundararajan,
I am apoligizing immediately because, I am not going to reply based 
on our scriptures & tradition but solely based on my views.

> When I ponder over this question that I am going to present, I 
always get a very unsettling, unhappy, even a shocking or a jittery 
feeling. 

- I can empathize with you. I have been through the same exact thing 
sometimes back.

> The question is this: WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF GOD?? 
This question presupposes that GOD "exists" and only his origin is a 
mystery. Now, how conclusive are you about your premise?

> Well, every "thing" should have an origin, atleast according to 
human perception. 

Nietzsche calls this the deception of language and grammer. GOD 
becomes a "thing" ( a false premise ) and hence every "thing" must 
have an origin ( false inference from a false premise ).

> If Sriman Narayana is God, what about his origins, I mean, has he 
always been resting on the bed of Sesha?? The question thats arising 
in my mind is, shouldn't he have an origin, or something that created 
him?? 

How sure are we that Shriman Narayana is God? Why not Allah or 
Yahweh? 
We can trace the origin & worship of an Indian God called Vishnu-Hari-
Narayana-Vasudeva etc. from literature and history, but we cannot 
prove that he is the God (with bit 'G').

> Well, if you cite the First Law of Thermodynamics which 
states, "Energy can neither be created nor be destroyed", and somehow 
relate that energy to God, then I can be partially convinced. 

According to quantum physics, energy could come out of nowhere even 
in vacuum and then disappear. Well, you shouldn't take it as a 
refutation of the First Law of Thermodynamics though. I have trouble 
calling the physical quantity "Energy" (measured in Joules or 
Calories) as God. To quote a physicist (was it Steven Weinberg?), "If 
you say God is energy, you can find him in a lump of coal". 

> Only partially because, the human intelligence (ahem!!) in me will 
then question the origin of that energy!! 

It is a 400 year old question now! Why there is "something" instead 
of "nothing" ? I haven't come across a single convincing answer.

> Can I take convunce myself by saying that since I am only "human" 
and anything that's linked to being human, be it thoughts, 
perception, or whatever, is subject to being imperfect?? 
And therefore understanding those high issues is beyond the realm of 
my limited, imperfect intelligence??

What are we going to do? Our sense organs are (ahem) flawed indeed, 
but they are the only instruments we have got!

> I was thinking about this last night when I was just about to 
sleep, "who created God??", and trust me, I didn't have good sleep at 
all, infact I woke up to a nightmare.

Believe me, I can relate to these words. I had exact same experience 
some 3 years back. It was actually depressing ( the fundamental 
meaninglessness of this universe and existence. All our beliefs are 
arbitrary and whimsical. It really doesn't matter if I accept Jesus 
as my Savior of Hari as my Lord. I had chosen Lord Narayan previously 
because I come from a family of Shri-Vaishnavas. Would I have done 
the same thing, if my parents were, say Roman Catholics? ).

I apologize to everybody for this off-beat reply! 

Warm Regards,
KK





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