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Theism - roots and reflections in human life (Ishwara Vishwasa Aur Usaki Falshrutiyan): Vangamaya Vol-56

Faith is a natural quality and essential requirement of human life. Philosophy states – “we think because we believe…., we live because we have faith in life….”. But, what is faith in life? Is it the faith in the eternal existence of life-force or in the origin, growth and continuity of life? The very definition of faith implies its intrinsic roots and internal expansion in the deep cores of consciousness and hence supports the above assumptions in affirmation. Intrinsic faith in the piety of the soul and its eternal omnipresent source – is a sublime impulse of spirituality, …., a reflection of inner inspirations and the basis of inner strength….
Faith in God means faith in divine values – expressed in truth, love, amity, unity, honesty, purity, austerity, objective creativity, enthusiastic assiduity, zeal, etc, which maintain the certainty and dignity of human life….. Lack of faith in thee would mean negligence of compassion, altruism, integrity and discipline in every sphere of life…. Total absence of faith would give absolute freedom to selfish desires, inconsumable passions for sensual pleasures and materialistic possession and comforts. It would also reduce control on audacious autocracy driven by ego, lust and avarice in people’s life in general. This impact would sooner or latter result in moral and social anarchy which might eventually destroy the edifice of humanity…. What would be the shape of our life and that of our society then? Will there be any place for peace and happiness?
Great thinkers and propagators of human culture have always emphasized the need for inculcation of faith in high ideals of humanity and moral values emanated from conceptualization and realization of divinity. This has indeed been the basis of religion and theism….. Acharya Sharma’s trenchant literature, eloquent deliberations and in-depth analysis of different aspects of human life encompasses the deciphering, scientific elucidation and creative implementation of the reality and psychological impact of “theism”. This volume, in particular, presents the nectar of his gigantic knowledge, spiritual sagacity and deeply inspiring views on this topic – derived from his perfect realization of human psychology and inner sentiments. It also presents authentic illustrations of the implications and positive impact of “theism” in the physical (worldly), mental and spiritual domains of human life.
In Acharya Sharma’s views, “theism or faith in divinity” is best manifested in – self -confidence, strong willpower and immense strength of the inner self…. A “theist” should therefore have absolute faith in his own reality in the truest sense of the word. The blows of adversities or cyclones of hardships cannot perturb him from his ideal path. He can never be lost in the ‘eddy currents’ of untoward passions. In the same sense, one who knows his own truth and has firm and non-prejudiced confidence in himself is a theist in reality. This definition and interpretation of theism is in perfect consonance with the Vedant Philosophy of “Ayamatma Brahma” or “Tatwamasi”….. It explains the meaning of “theism” in the light of prudence and guides the righteous way of worshiping the deity of life….
The selfish attitude of people today, has narrowed down the definition of divinity and practices of theism as those pertaining to some rituals of worships or religious rites as per the customs of their own community… For most people, the expression of believing thou power revolves around worshiping a deity or praying at sacred places of religious activities….. However, as Acharya Sharma’s prudent analysis shows, this kind of faith is nothing more than an illusion or a deception…. ; rather than inspiring total surrender– of ego and self centered attitude, which is an essential condition for true worship, such misconceptions and blind faith virtually make one a helpless creature who begs before his imaginary God for petty things as part of his ‘prayers’. The so called ‘atheists’, who have faith in the potentials of human mind and who respect the moral dignity of humanity, are better worshipers or believers of divine order as compared to the ‘theist’ of above kind….
The illusions and misconceptions spread in the name of religion and theism since the medieval era have nurtured orthodox faith and superstitions in majority of the ‘theists’ and as a consequence, created some sort of dejection in the minds of the rational thinkers and intellectuals for whom ‘faith in God’ is nothing more than a sign of ignorance, illusion or emotional excitement. Such a mélange of extremes of misconceptions has given rise to a crisis of faith. This is more threatening than any other crisis ever faced by the human society.
Having blind faith or no faith – both extremes are pernicious for the human psychology. Morality, prudence, liberty, justice, eco-friendly mode of life, compassion, mutual trust and co-operation too are shaken under the subtle but deep effects of these extreme states of mind. How could the trend be reversed? How could we inculcate prudent faith in the present and future generations of human society? Trenchant thoughts of Acharya Sharma provide us invaluable guidance in this regard along with enlightening our minds and hearts with the knowledge about the realities and necessities of having faith in our divine origin and thy disciplines.
Acharya Sharma describes the eternal realization of thee in absolute consonance with the deeper depths of human mind and core of sentiments. There is no place for blind faith, ambiguity, confusion or dejection in his deliberations. In his words – “if it is a must, we may define God as an absolute ensemble of righteous tendencies, ideal virtues; as the eternal source of intrinsic enlightenment and ultimate evolution of consciousness….”. Therefore, thou worship or faith in his omnipresent existence is meaningful only if it inspires adoption of divine virtues and consistently augments the prudence of intellect, generosity and bliss of the heart and purity and strength of the inner self of the devotees (theists)….
The views of renowned scientists, thinkers and great personalities of the modern era are also cited in this volume to support the scientific reasoning, logical basis and relevance of faith in divinity…. The list of references in this context includes – Albert Einstein, Heisenberg, Karl Jung, etc. The author himself represents a remarkable conjugation of a sage and a scientist, whose life was a perfect example of what he defined as absolute faith in thou. His eloquent explanation of theism in scientific light, his character and deeds, have the potential to educe our faith in divinity and arouse our virtuous tendencies accordingly.
The volume does not attempt proving or disproving anything by arguments, rather, it makes us rethink, introspect, analyze and realize the ultimate truth ourselves. Most importantly, it offers unique solution to the unlimited complications of life created by man today because of his negligence of the subtle world of his sentiments, intrinsic aspirations and soft mental tendencies…. It helps us understand how our faith in the – continuity of life, possibilities of rebirth and the realities of natural punishment in return of sins and immoral actions and boons in return of altruist service and other noble deeds…, supports our moral elevation and adds to the maintenance of the ideal order of Nature. Hence it also motivates our creative contribution to the progressive and happy survival of the world.
Faith in God, as Acharya Sharma explains, increases our faith in thy creation…. To a true theist therefore, the whole world, the entire expansion of Nature appears as a reflection of thou activities. He therefore has natural love for all living beings…. Whole world appears to him as his own and he enjoys the beatitudeous state of “raso vaisah”. There is no place for fear, tension, evil tendencies, bitterness of relations, agonies or scarcities in the life of a true theist.
The nectar of absolute bliss, for which, the soul strives in every life against ego, avarice and selfish attachments, is naturally showered by the feeling of thy presence in every moment of life….
In essence, faith in God and realization of thy presence, divine blessings and guidance appear to offer a source of immense bliss, peace and righteous progress of human life. Foresighted wisdom should therefore endeavor inculcate and elevate true faith in the eternal disciplines and love of thou.