Preface

 

“Jnanena Akasakalpena, Dharmanyo gaganopaman;

 Jnayabhinnena sambuddhah-tam vande dvipadam varam”

(Gaudapada’s  karika on  Mandukya Upanishad)

 

I bow to that best among men who by means of knowledge, which is like space and non-differentiated from the object- of –knowledge, has realized the nature of the individual selves, which are again like space.

Who is God? Where is God? And why is God? These are the fundamental questions asked by millions of human beings during the last millennium. From the Geologist’s point of view, that the present is the key to the past and we have to proceed from the known to the unknown, an attempt is made to turn the searchlight inwards, in the serene, calm and cool environs of Tarakeswari, in the middle Himalayas. A tiny little dust particle clinging to the feet of Jagadguru Kamili baba, one of the greatest Mystics of 20th.century,who distilled the spirit and meaning of Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita in a capsule form “‘Swaprakasa sarva sampoornam bhavathi”, somehow  got detached from his holy feet and got attached to a cute looking green grass blade. A heavy wind later blew it hither and thither and took it to the concrete jungles of Hyderabad. During the long period of its stay in Hyderabad, due to the manifestation of its luck, it was carried on to the top of Somanatha Kshetram and got attached to the feet of Sri Somanatha Maharshi. There its sense of spiritual knowledge got watered and nourished well. As the time passed on it was subjected to whirlwinds and got agitated and disheartened. Somehow with the God’s grace, the tiny little dust particle rested for some time in Swami Rama’s Ashram. (Of ‘Living with Himalayan Masters’ fame.) In Tarakeswari, the body of the dust particle is cooled and its mind was quieted. Then only it turned its inquisitiveness inwards and started questioning as to why is God? Who is God? And where is He? After a while, it could recognize that the source where the questioning arose/started is the same source from where answers to the very questions arise. In a common parlor, the questioner only answers the questions. In that silent valley where 600 year old Devadaru trees join heaven and earth, it started understanding the intricacies of Mandukya Upanishad with Gaudapada karika and also The New Background of Science by James Jeans, two profound books in their own fields and in all the fields of spiritual and scientific knowledge. It could understand the intimate relationship between the  Sanathana dharma followed by Hindus and propagated by Saints and sages; Maharshis and preceptors and the most modern advances in the scientific fields of cosmology and quantum filed theories , followed by  great Scientists like Einstein,  James Jeans, Heisenberg, Stephen Hawking.ET.all.

-i-

When the mental lake is quieted, the thought waves acquired legibility as alphabets of modern language. In order to share it,s profound joy obtained after at least technically understanding that similar dust particles at one time or other constitute the cosmic dust, the source of our mother earth, (Our own sun formed some five thousand million years ago out of a cloud of rotating gas containing the debris of earlier supernovas), it started downloading  thought waves on to the lap tap. Two thousand years ago Gaudapada anticipated what Science is beginning to guess in regard to ‘causal’ relation without a knowledge of which Vedanta can never be understood.

When you visit a calm quite beach, your toddler is very happy just to move on the sand. Slightly aged children enjoy by  building structures with wet sand and destroying them later. Slightly grown ups collect shells and conchs. Parents go out for swimming and enjoy. Only a few courageous persons can dare to dive deep into the ocean and such people only can collect gems and diamonds. The degree of happiness depends on the struggle you undertake. Acquiring the knowledge of ‘Self’ is extremely difficult and it may take the whole of your life. But the permanent bliss you get even if you technically grasp the nature of ‘Self’ is infinite and eternal. Take the first step and stop not till the goal is reached. The individual Self gets merged with the divine experience of all soul, the Eternal and immortal by meditating regularly upon the silent aspect of Aum. Silence is Atma. (Santoyam Atman.) Many have realized ‘Self’. Why not you? “Nivruthe sarvadukhkhanam eesanam prabhuravyayah;Advaitah sarva bhavanam Devas thuryo vibhuh smrutah”(M.Up.1st.C/10th sl.) “In that which is indicated as the changeless of Supreme lord, there is total cessation of all miseries. It is one without a second among plurality. It is known as Thuriya, the ever effulgent, all pervading.” Substance as per science is that which has properties and finite. The subject is the eternal factor, life force, the divine spark. It is pure consciousness and pure knowledge.

This ego-centric individual jeeva moves with the name  “Annapragada Krishna Murthy, son of late A.Koteswararao and resides at C/53, Steel and mines complex, Srinagar Colony, Hyderabad. This jeeva bows in obedience to  Lord Viswanatha, who prompted Sri Vemuri Viswanath, son of Sri V.Venkatesh, to surgically operate odd bumps of ego and literary mistakes. Lord Narayana transmitted his divine grace through Prof. S.P.Kumar,(Retired Professor of J.N.T.U.C. Hyderabad,India) to give proper shape to the draft write-up. Vasudeva, the omniscient and omnipotent Swaprakasa, gave final form, sound and meaning to the Silent  Thunder through Dr.Akkiraju Narasimha rao,doctorate of philosophy in Energy Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and retired Professor in Mechanical Engineering,  from Anna University, Madras. Sri B.V.Subramanyam, a close disciple of Somanatha Maharshi stood behind me throughout this project from the start.   I am highly grateful to Dr.V.Ramesam and Sri K.V.Krishna Murthy for helping me to bring out this publication.

Harih Ohm. .Krishnamurthy.