Triveni Journal
1927 | 11,233,916 words
Triveni is a journal dedicated to ancient Indian culture, history, philosophy, art, spirituality, music and all sorts of literature. Triveni was founded at Madras in 1927 and since that time various authors have donated their creativity in the form of articles, covering many aspects of public life....
VEDANTA IN EVERYDAY LIFEtc "VEDANTA IN EVERYDAY LIFE"
Vedanta teaches men to have faith in themselves first. As certain religions of the world say that a man who does not believe in a personal God outside of himself is an atheist, so Vedanta says that a man who does not believe in himself is an atheist. Not believing in the glory of our own soul is what Vedanta calls atheism. To many this is, no doubt, a terrible idea; and most of us think that this ideal can never be reached. But Vedanta insists that it can be realized by everyone. One may be either man or woman or child; one may belong to any race – nothing will stand no bar to the realization of this ideal, because, as Vedanta shows, it is realized already; it is already there.
Vedanta recognizes no sin, it recognizes only error. And the greater error, says Vedanta, is to think that you are weak, that you are a sinner, a miserable creature, and that you have no power and you cannot do this and that. Every time you think in that way, you rivet, as it were, one more link in the chain that binds you down. You add one more layer of hypnotism on to your own soul. Therefore, whosoever thinks he is impure is wrong and throwing a bad thought into the world.
We must always bear in mind that in Vedanta there is no attempt at reconciling the present life-the hypnotized life, this false life which we have assumed – with the ideal. But this false life must go, and the real life, which is always existing, must manifest itself, must shine out …. Everything is ours already – infinite purity, freedom, love, and power.