Vedanta Society of New York---Divine Law

Divine Law

Swami Tathagatananda
Spiritual Leader: The Vedanta Society of New York
The following article is from author's book, Healthy Values of Living,
published by Vedanta Society of New York.

God who is intra-cosmic, is the only source of all laws, physical, biological, psychical, moral and spiritual. These laws are only an expression of particular modes of God's manifestation. It is the eternal law that keeps all things within their limits, so that harmony and rhythm and order are always maintained and chaos eliminated. The objects in nature which are constructed and regulated in their functions and movement according to definite and immutable laws work not only for particular ends, but work together in perfect harmony for the preservation and welfare of the whole universe. The great scientists of all centuries of our civilization have paid tribute in some measure to the Power or Principle at the back of the Universe---the titanic First Cause which still mother's creation. Recent science is accepting a holistic view of the universe. Physics has entered into the realm of mysticism and is looking forward to a higher kind of determinism or super-determinism" which controls, transforms, shapes, sustains and determines the universe at a deeper level.

God: the Universal Intelligence

Hinduism accepts pure consciousness as the ultimate reality. It is non-dual, non-relational, non-compound, unitary and universal. It is prior to every form of existence. It is the datum, the starting point of all experiences. It is self-existent as well as self-luminous. The reality, in Hindu tradition, is known as Brahman (an entity whose greatness, power or expansion none can measure). Shankara gives an idea of Brahman in Brahma Sutra (1.1.2):

"That omniscient and omnipotent source must be Brahman from which occur the birth, continuance and dissolution of this universe that is manifested through name and form, that is associated with diverse agents and experiences, that provides the support for actions and results, having well-regulated space, time and causation, and that defies all thoughts about the real nature of its creation."

"This universal intelligence", says Swami Vivekananda, "is what we call God" (Complete Works, II. p. 210).

God the Reservoir of All Excellences

In Hindu philosophy, God has two aspects: cosmic and acosmic, relative and transcendental. There is no real conflict between the two aspects; one is dynamic and the other is static. We are here concerned with the immanent God who permeates the universe. The acosmic aspect of God is beyond time, space and causation. This all-pervading, self-effulgent God is regarded as the only reservoir of all excellences, beatitude, peace, wisdom, power, knowledge, etc. He is pure, benevolent, dearest friend, most affectionate parent, the most loving savior. "The Goal, the Supporter, the Lord, the Witness, the Abode, the Refuge, the Friend, the Origin, the Dissolution, the Substratum, the Storehouse, the Seed immutable" (Bhagavad-Gita, IX-8).

God is the Indweller of Everything

God is the supreme Self, that brings forth all existence, conscious and unconscious, the animate and inanimate. The unity of existence is one of the distinguishing features of Hinduism. Says Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita (VII-7):"Beyond me, Dhananjaya, there is naught, all that is threaded on Me as a cluster of beads." Hinduism is perhaps the only religion in the world which holds that there is just one Reality, and that supreme Reality creates and evolves, sustains and dissolves the entire objective world out of Itself and permeates through every bit of it. "The world is an ordered cosmos, God is the only source of orderliness, as He is the greatest law-giver. The laws of nature are the expression of the divine mind. God is the Overlord of karma" (Svetasvatara Upanishad, 6-11). He entirely gives Himself in his law. God is the only source of all laws, physical, biological, psychical, moral and spiritual. These laws are only an expression of particular modes of God's manifestation. As the efficient and personal first cause, God is Sarvantaryami,( all-knowing) dwells secretly in all objects, sentient and insentient, animating the various forces in nature. The eternal presence of the Divine within is revealed by this law. It is this sublime truth which has been delineated thus: "The One who dwells in the earth and the heaven, within the earth and within the. heaven, whom the earth and the heaven do not know, whose body earth and heaven are, who pulls the earth and the heaven within." (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, III.7.3). Every object, every being is aglow with God's pulling power and vitalizing presence.

God Rules the Whole Gamut of the Cosmic Process

He is not extra-cosmic, but intra-cosmic. He is the soul behind man and the universe, whose subtle presence illuminates our understanding and enables us to unravel the secrets of nature. This perennial law or ground rules the whole gamut of the cosmic process.

"By the command of that Akshara, the imperishable, O Gargi, heaven and earth stand apart. By the command of that Akshara, O Gargi, what are called moments (nimesha), hours (muhurta), days and nights, half months, months, seasons, years, all stand apart. By the command of that Akshara, O Gargi, some rivers flow to the East from the White mountains, others to the West or to any other quarter." (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 3.8.9)

"For fear of Him the fire burns; for fear of Him shines the sun; for fear of Him do Indra, Vayu, Death, the fifth, proceed with their respective functions." (Katha Upanishad, II : 3.3)

The unalterable laws of the cosmos are an expression of God's divine energy. God is ever watchful to maintain His creation. It is the eternal law that keeps all things within their limits, so that harmony and rhythm and order are always maintained, and chaos eliminated. (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, IV : 4.22)

God is the Custodian of the Cosmic and Moral Order
The objects in nature which are constructed and regulated in their functions and movement according to definite and immutable laws work not only for particular ends, but work together in perfect harmony for the preservation and welfare of the whole universe. These laws will also tell us that mere chance is absolutely excluded from-the operation of these laws. In the Vedas, this concept of law is known as rita, "The fixed ways or course," in other words, "The settled order of things" (Rig Veda, 1.1.8). God is the custodian of rita, "the binding Soul of the universe, the Unity-in-difference of the cosmic and moral order (Rig Veda, 10: 190. 1). This rita is regarded as the principle of rightness and justice. God is spoken of as dradhavrta (holding of the law), ritasyagopa (Jealous Guardian of Law), rita-jna (Knower of Law) and so on. It stands for cosmic order, the immutable law of nature, by which the universe becomes systematized and integrated and avoids chaos and confusion. The doctrine of karma is the counterpart of this law of causation in the moral world. The law of karma is the direct corollary of rita. There is a coordination between natural law and moral law.

Spiritual Truths are Beyond the Purview of Physical Science
Let us have a little digression. Today science has gripped our mind, we want to verify truths of religion in the light of scientific knowledge. Whatever is not authenticated by science, our rational mind does not want to accept. But we must remember that truths of religion are discovered by the illumined souls through their intuitive knowledge. The spiritual world is the world of abiding values, of beauty and goodness, the world of truth and soul of which science takes no cognizance, only because spiritual world is not amenable to quantitative measurements. Religion is an intuitive attempt of the human spirit to comprehend the comprehensive truth of Reality which is transcendental as well as immanent. That supreme divine truth is flashed in pure mind free from all blemishes of human life.
Science is a rational attempt of knowing a partial truth of nature by employing methods of observation and experiment. Science is quantitative rather than qualitative. It is tentative or provisional; it embodies no eternal and absolutely certain truth. Space, time and causality are the categories on which science is built and if these are eliminated, nothing else would be left. Sir Arthur Eddington has remarked, "I repudiate the idea of proving the distinctive belief of religion either from data of physical science or by the methods of physical science" (The Nature of the Physical World, p. 333). Despite the differences between science and religion, science today is less dogmatic. There is a marked tendency among some scientists to respect the time honoured truths of religion and mysticism. Physicists have shown deep interest in the metaphysical foundation of contemporary science. For this reason, we want to show how contemporary science is eager to share the age-old views of metaphysics.

Wisdom of God is Noticed in the Uniformity of Nature
Nature is uniform in her behaviour; science also accepted this theory of determinism, but of late it has received a jolt from Max Planck and Heisenberg. So, we find difficulty in accepting determinism as envisioned by Newton. But two reasons can be cited in support of the theory of complete determinism in nature. First, there is our reliance on the permanency and the uniformity of the laws of nature, by which we mean that certain phenomena always happen in a certain way. Second, the current epistemology of science postulates a deterministic theory, or else universal skepticism will create chaos in our mind. Einstein and Max Planck are firm believers in determinism. It is significant that Russell thinks "too much fuss" has been made about the uncertainty principle which, in his view, does not have "the kind of philosophical importance that is sometimes attributed to it". "Planck himself was convinced that perfect accord between the conceptual systems and observational results must be brought about not by rejecting the law of causality, but by 'enlarging and refining it' so as to meet modern discoveries" (Where Science is Going, p. 221, cited in: Causality in Science and Philosophy, by Dr. B. K. Bhattacharya p. 186).
The wisdom of God is noticed in the uniformity of nature, and this orderly arrangement has been highlighted by Einstein.
"The great scientists of all centuries of our civilization have paid tribute in some measure to the Power or Principle at the back of the universe---the titanic First Cause which still mothers creation. Something exists and its laws are immutable .... Any man who looks forward in the darkness of the night to daylight a few hours hence or who believes that the snow-covered wheat field will yield a golden harvest in the following summer is no atheist. He has faith in an orderly Principle though he may quibble over a name for it" (N. K. Brahma, Causality and Science, p. 68).

Physics Enters into the Realm of Mysticism
In 1964, J. S. Bell made "the profound discovery of science". One of the implications of his theorem is that "at a deeper and fundamental level, the separate parts of the universe are connected in an intimate and immediate way" (Gary Zukav, The Dancing Wu Li Masters, p. 302).
The theory has laid the foundation of "neo-deterministic interpretation of contemporary micro-physics." Having achieved a satisfactory verification of Bell's theorem, David Bohm envisions the universe of "Unbroken Wholeness". Thus, physics has entered into the realm of mysticism and is looking forward for a higher kind of determinism or "super-determinism" which controls, transforms, shapes, sustains and determines the universe at a deeper level. There is a stage where causes and effects lose their significance; indeterminism belongs to that stage which is other than physical.
The physicists who are looking beyond causal determinism are also physicists who have transcended the region of so called rigid classical science. Recent science is accepting a holistic view of the universe, where mass, energy and consciousness are interrelated at a deeper and fundamental level.
Comments on this article can be sent to:
SwamiTatha@hotmail.com or VedantaSoc@aol.com

Books by Swami Tathagatananda:

The Vedanta Society of New York -- A Brief History, 2000
Mahabharat--Katha (Bengali), 1998
Ramayan Anudhyan (Bengali), 1996
Healthy Values of Living, 1996
Meditation on Swami Vivekananda, 1994
Meditation on Shri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, 1993
Glimpses of Great Lives, 1989
Shubha Chinta (Bengali), 1988
Smaran--Manan (Bengali), 1987

You can order these books from The Vedanta Society of New York.
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