7. Mother Nature
This chapter deals with the 3rd component of the universe, namely, Nature and its interaction with the other two components of the universe, namely, the Almighty Lord and the individual souls. The sentient beings (individual souls) come in contact with the physical nature and are granted the bodies and faculties to allow them to express themselves and perform the acts necessary to achieve self realization. What distinguishes human beings from each other is the way that they use the tools and techniques granted to them by the Lord. This chapter attempts to answer some questions related to the physical nature, its relation with individual souls and the Lord, and the nature of bondage.
7.1 Nature – Its Constituents
Q: What constitutes ‘Nature’?
A: Inert ‘Nature’ primarily consists of eight things. They are: the five basic elements of nature, namely, earth, water, fire, wind and ether, the mind, the intellect and the ego. These are essential constituents of the universe and interact with the individual souls, and act under the supervision of the Lord’s consort, Lakshmi, who is often referred to as ‘Mother Nature’.
Q: In what manner does inert nature interact with the Lord?
A: Both inert nature and its controller, Mother Nature act under the control of the Lord. The Lord and His consort Lakshmi utilize inert nature and give expression to individual souls through association with the elements of inert nature. The Lord is compared to a string that holds a bunch of pearls which refer to all other elements in the universe (inert nature, individual souls etc). Just as one normally does not see the string that holds a bunch of pearls, likewise the Lord holds the universe together but He is not seen. Just as one cannot see salt in sea water, but can experience it upon drinking, similarly the Lord resides in all objects but is never seen.
7.2 The Theatre of Activity
Q: What constitutes the ‘Theatre of Activity’ wherein the individual souls, inert nature and the Almighty Lord act?
A: There are totally 32 entities that comprehensively constitute the ‘Theatre of Activity’ in which the individual souls and the Lord act. The 32 entities are made up of 25 basic entities and 7 derived entities.
The 25 basic entities are:
The five basic elements of nature (earth, fire, water, wind, ether)
The six preceptor sense organs made up (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin) and the mind – organs through which living beings perceive things around them
The five sense organs of activity such as hand, legs etc
The five objects of preceptor sense organs (sight, sound, smell, taste, feel)
The cosmic intelligence (mahat), the intellect (Buddhi), the ego (ahamkaaara), and the primordial root (avyakta) which is the cause of material nature
These 25 entities result in 7 transformations which are:
The physical body
Desire
Hatred
Joy or Happiness
Misery
Courage or Determination
Extent or scope of the mind
Note that some of these are physical entities that one can touch and feel (such as the physical body), some are qualities (such as desire, hatred etc). By way of example, a person gets happy and content when he/she is fed with good, tasty food in the same way the same person feels happy when he/she hears good news. In the former case, the cause of happiness was a physical, tangible entity such as food, while in the latter case, the cause is mental.
Q: Are there specific categories among these 32 entities in the theatre of activity?
A: By way of illustration, let us examine the 3 entities – intellect, determination and joy. Each of these is of 3 types as explained below.
Intellect is of 3 types, Superior Intellect, Ordinary Intellect and Inferior Intellect. Superior Intellect is one that is able to distinguish between activities that immerse one is an endless cycle of births and deaths and activities that lead one to eternal salvation. Ordinary Intellect is the result of incomplete knowledge and leads to confusion between right and wrong actions. Inferior Intellect is when a person denies the existence and supremacy of the Lord and stubbornly indulges in negative activities.
Similarly, Determination or courage is of 3 types. Superior determination is when a person is focused on the Lord with total control of mind and sense organs, and dutifully performing naturally chosen activities. Ordinary determination is when a person approaches all activities egoistically with expectations of specific outcome. Inferior determination is the case when one is lazy, sleeps excessively, enveloped by ignorance and ignores the Lord.
Likewise, joy as experienced is also of 3 types. Superior joy is a result of activities which initially cause hardship but later yields endless pure joy by the grace of the Lord. Ordinary joy is borne out of activities driven by sense organs and while it initially feels pleasurable, the after effects are quite poisonous. Inferior joy is one where the activities performed are painful and poisonous at all times and the person performing is often deluded, tardy and ignorant.
Q: Given that there are these 32 entities in the theatre of activity, how then does one use these to attain spiritual knowledge and realize the Lord?
A: There are 20 special attributes that one needs to possess (and inculcate) in order to reach the Lord’s abode. They are enumerated below:
humility
devoid of conceit
non-violence
tolerance
being straightforward
obedience to one’s teacher
purity in thoughts and actions
conviction
control over mind and body
renunciation of sense pleasures
rid of ego
knowing that the various stages of life, namely, birth, death, old age, disease cause misery and imperfection
not overly attached to kith and kin
not elated with worldly success
not dejected with worldly failures
focused on the Lord only and not on lesser deities
content being lonely (as one is never lonely since the Lord is everywhere)
avoiding crowded places
interest in learning more about the Lord
pursuing spiritual knowledge to realize the Lord
7.3 Nature and Bondage
Q: How do the three qualities of material nature bind living beings?
A: The three qualities of material natures are –
Purity (Sattva)
Passion (Rajas)
Ignorance/Darkness (Tamas)
Living beings experience varying amounts of these qualities at different times. For example, one who engages sense organs such as ears in listening to spiritual discourses has heightened quality of Purity (Sattva). Likewise, one whose mind is occupied with worldly pleasures experience higher levels of tamas.
Sattva quality enables one to imbibe knowledge; rajas quality gives motion to pursue activities to earn worldly riches, while the tamas quality instigates laziness and ignorance.
Q: What are the characteristics of a person who manages to get beyond the clutches of the three qualities and attain the Lord?
A: Following are the typical characteristics of a person who is considered to have transcended the three qualities. Such a person:
Neither actively desires nor rejects association, involvement or attachment with issues related to worldly activities
is largely indifferent to mundane on goings in the world
is aware that all activities are entirely due to the will of the Lord
faces happiness and sadness with equal poise
does not distinguish between a pack of mud and a bundle of gold
is neither elated by praise nor dejected by abuse
handles moments of pride and shame with equanimity
treats friends and foes alike
does not indulge in activities solely related to worldly pleasures
Such an individual, who has indeed transcended the three qualities, performs naturally chosen activities without expecting worldly riches, while focusing on pleasing the Lord with pure, unadulterated devotion earns the pleasure of Sri Lakshmi, the Lord’s consort who then leads that individual to the Lord’s abode.
Q: It is said that to attain the Lord, one should move beyond the clutches of the three qualities of material nature, one of which is ‘Purity’ or ‘Sattva’, which is a desired quality. While it is understandable that one should move beyond the undesirable traits of ‘Rajas’ and ‘Tamas’, why should one move beyond ‘Sattva’ also?
A: Sattva quality can also refer to traits leading to noble, worldly activities, which however may not be performed as an offering to the Lord. For example, a scientist conducting research to understand the nature of some elements might be working exceedingly hard in a sincere way and this effort is indeed laudable. That scientist can be a role model to society. But if such work is not performed as an offering to the Lord, then it does not help one move towards the Lord even though it is Sattvic activity. Hence in order to achieve salvation, one needs to move beyond the three qualities of material nature and focus on the Lord in all their activities.
7.4 Takeaways
Inert nature is the third component of the triumvirate that comprises the universe
Inert nature is controlled by the Lord’s consort Lakshmi. The individual souls come in contact with nature and gain physical bodies with sense organs etc, whose sole purpose is to equip these souls in their journey to redemption
Contact with the qualities inherent in nature also binds the individual souls who need to transcend these qualities to escape bondage and move towards self realization