Mandalam Musings – Day 4 - Spirituality is a Subjective Science

 

Mandalam Musings – Day 4

Spirituality is a Subjective Science

To fully appreciate the importance of pursuing a spiritual path that is a subjective science, we should look at the world with an inquisitive mind. Everything that we see, or experience must have a cause, and causation-hunting is a pre-occupation of the human intellect in general. In subjective science, we try to study not just the object of interest, but the subject that is interested in that object. That is, I need to look at ‘me’ as an individual who is interested in knowing the cause behind an object ‘out there’. 

My eyes see an object, but if my mind’s attention is not focussed, I am not going to see that object. That leads to my mind as the eye that ‘sees’ what is being ‘taken in’ by my physical eyes. If the mind is not ready to process the information, then also the object has no relevance or existence.  Even beyond my mind, I should be aware of the mind that perceives an object. So, who is that ‘me’ who is aware of ‘my’ mind? 

Who am I? That is the question that perplexed humans forever and Sanatana Dharma provides guidance for us to get a glimpse of ‘who I am’. There is no magical potion that can get us an answer to this; nor are there godmen waiting to open doors to this knowledge divine. However, Indian scriptures are full of stories and episodes which demonstrate various methods one can pursue, depending on his proclivity towards certain types of experiences. Thus he gets a vision that would make him realize higher levels of truth in accordance with his readiness and his stage in life.

Indian Scriptures allude to this universal concept by quoting a mind-boggling number of gods and goddesses in the pantheon—330 million! Why are there so many gods in the scriptures when the scriptures talk of the Ultimate Reality, Truth or Param Porul, as the One? God is one, but there is an infinite number of Devatas – exalted beings because everyone has the right and responsibility to inquire and know the Truth on his or her own terms. Nothing more, nothing less. An independent, but tough choice to make in life. The Ayyappa culture takes us through the path of self unfoldment by which we can realize the essence in us as the essence in the universe. Rites or acharams are crucial in continuing the legacy of great culture and that is why we have a rather rigorous set of rituals to follow as we prepare for the pilgrimage to see Lord Ayyappa.