THE HIDDEN MYSTERIES OF NATURE & SCIENCE

By Wor. Bro. Dr. V. V. CHETTY P.R.G. Br. V. S. L., P.G.Tyier.

The ritual of the second degree enjoins us to extend our researches into the hidden Mysteries of Nature
and Science in pursuance of which we are exhorted to study the Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The words 'Research' and 'Hidden' hint us that this is not an easy task. We have therefore to dive deep
into the Science of Life to unravel these Mysteries. The Word 'Liberal' refers to those Arts and Sciences
which tend to liberate the soul from the thraldom of the flesh. The obvious reference is is to
Brahmavidya (the Knowledge of the self).

Certain special qualities are required of a research scholar in any branch of study. Likewise the subtle
qualities required of a deligent student of nature for probing these are

1. A purified heart - purified of every beneful and malignant passion.

2. A chastened intellect acquired by constant study and reflection; and

3. Faith and a relentless pursuit in the path of Truth the Faith required is the faith in the reality of
Divine Wisdom and the capacity to attain it.

The Upanishads declare "God willed that the One shall become many" and they Universe came into
being from out of Himself. The Mantra portion of the Vedas contains many expressons of wonderment,
joy and ecstasy at the vision of beauty in Nature's exuberance and infinite vastness. Our ancient Rishis
in their immoral songs sang the dignity of the Mountains, the majesty of the Sunrise, the beauty of the
Moon the grandeur of the Ocean, the orchestar of the forests, the mission of the rivers, the dynamism
of the Lightning and the ferocity of the Storms etc.

All these wondrous phenomena compelled them to accept an imperceptible cognition of an elusive
Cosmic Power behind these phenomenal creation and happenings. That Authority, Might or Power
belongs to and is The Supreme Reality - The Self.

At the vastness of Nature, the little ego should drop down its well of vanity and false strength and
come to stand naked meedly surrendering itself to the influence of The Cosmic Power. Further, only
when man understands his own individual insignificance in the context of the Total Universe that true
Prayer rises up.

The world outside is indeed a great University in which all of us are free students. Nature (which
includes not only the physical world but the entire field of experiences at the level of the intellect) is
every day, moment to moment, giving us a variety of chances to learn from innumerable experienes.
Man provided with a mind and intellect is the only being who can read and understand this unwritten
script of Nature's Language. But most of us even after having gained knowledge from Nature
unfortunately do not act up to that gained knowledge due to our egocentric stupidity.

Besides the vastness of Nature and the Cosmic Shakti there is, behind this Universe and
interpenetrating it, the creative purpose of God. His action in creation was not blind or haphazard; the
G.A.O.T.U. has drawn the Plan or Life on His Trestle Board. Despite the presence of turmoil and
apparent tendency to chaos, He intends to evolve what our fraternity aims to establish, namely, a
society of enlightened men, ruled by wisdom, working in harmony for the common good, exalting only
those things found to be worthy when tested by the Square, the Level and the Plumb and always
advancing the cause of strict loyalty to Truth.

With this purpose, He conducts the world according to fixed laws of right action - a Cosmic Dharma
and expects us to conform to those laws based on our nature and station in life. We should therefore see
that our character, conduct and action in life are fuided by love and friendliness and by the ardent
desire of contributing and by the ardent desire of contributing to the stability of society, the
maintenance of social and the general welfare and prosperity of all mankind. This spirit of Dharma
should be woven into the very pattern of our lives.

To know God in His absolute transcendental form is difficult. But it is easy to approach Him through
His relation with Nature which is a projection of His unmanifest to the Manifest state. This method is
of course more natural. Towards this method of approach Lord Krishna teaches Arjuna this hidden
mystery - "the secret of the art of seeing the unseen (unmanifest) through the seen (manifest)". The
Lord gives Arjuna some specific examples in Nature and thus provides him with an acid test in
knowing what exactly constitutes the Divine presence in the World He proclaims "whatever thing there
is endowed with glory and grace and vigour, know that to have spring from me." While all things are
supported by God, things of beauty and splendour reveal Him more than others. Every dead of
heroism, every life of sacrifice and every work of genius is a revelation of the Divine. It is of course
easy to comprehend the Divine in Rama; but we must be able to dive deeper to perceive the same
Divinity in the wicked Ravana. Though manifest differently in Rama and Ravana, it is the same
Supreme power present in both.

There are two kinds of sciences - the secular and the spiritual. They are not contradictory to each other
but are on the other hand, complementary. The growth of the one without the other is not conducive to
the good society.

The achievements of Science and Scientific technology in the various fields have been stupendous
within the last quarter of century. But this growth has outmatched the necessary spiritual wisdom and
enlightened conscience to use them well. Science places in our hands gifts of its labour but the question
of ends not its task. It is for us to judge and apply them to just and proper use gulded by the principles
of ethics and morality. Atomic energy, for example, can be used for peaceful means like production of
electric and motive power. It can also be used to efface the whole human race from this world.

Science however has its own limitations. In truths are relative. It grows from less precise to more
precise, less perfect to more perfect and less comprehensive to more comprehensibly things. In other
words there is no finally scientific knowledge. It is therefore represented as a never resting and never
ending march to an ever receding goal. It is also incapable of grasping the Absolute Truth.

Newton regarded space as a fixed entity but when he could not provide a logical proof, he took shelter
in God. To him then space represented the omnipresence of God in Nature. The failure of the human
intellect to comprehend mystery beyond was humbly acknowledged by him thus. "I do not know what
others think of me but for myself I am like a little child picking a few pebbles here and a few she there
on the sea shore while the great Ocean of Truth is spread before me." Einsein too when faced with
similar situations in his studies sorted to the theme of God. He was converged more than any other
about the cosmic telligence behind the creative mechanism of Nature. Little wonder that most of the
grest scientists all the world over are intesely religious in their general outlook on life.

The scientist has little light to throw on what we feel and why we feel elated on hearing the melody of
a Subbalakshmi, or looking at the frescoes at Ajanta or reading a Kalidasa or a Shakespeare. There are
no scientific instruments to measure the depth of a mother's love for her child or that of the husband for
his beloved. Science can only say how the silkworm produces silk but not why it produces. Where
Science ends philosophy begins.

Science has given us much confort and ease but it has not increased the happiness of mankind. A great
scientist once remarded: "We have learnt to fly through air at supersonic speed and trael on land and
sea with astounding rapidity but we have not learn how to live on earth in peace. There is everywhere
in the world, trouble, tension and turmoil; the spirit of hatred, jealousy and lust has darkened man's
horizon individually and in a collective way. For the resolution of these criese, it is therefore necessary
to cultivate the higher or spiritual values of life. For man's integral evolution, his natural progress must
keep pace with spiritual principles and standards. Albert Einstein the most eminent scientist of the
present century said

Science without religion is lame and religion without science is blind." By religion he meant of course
the Universal Love and Service to mankind.

To conclude, we must comprehend through spiritual practices the Supreme as the G.A.O. T. U. who
controls the many sided actions of Nature and dwells in the heart of every being in it. We have to
discover our spiritual unity with God and so with all His creation. As the children of Hindu culture who
understand this Divine Principle as the source of all beings in the world, we cannot but respect every
other member o four society as we respect ourselves.

We should then be able to understand and appreciate this Spiritual Socialism which is the panacea for
the ills of the World. As Aurobindo pertinently puts it "We should achieve a synthesis between Science
and Spirituality which and harmonious Society." And what then is the Hidden Mystery of Nature and
Science ? It is TRUTH.

POWER OF PRAYER

There is eternal struggle raging in man's breast between the powers of darkness and of light, and he
who has not the sheet-anchor of prayer to rely upon will be a victim to the powers of darkness.

The man of prayer will be at peace with himself and with the whole world; the man who goes about the
affairs of the world without a prayerful heart will be miserable and will make the world also
miserable....

Prayer is the only means of bringing about orderliness and peace and repose in our daily acts... Take
care of the vital thing and other things will take care of themselves. Rectify one angle of a square, and
the other angles will be automatically right.

MAHATMA GANDHI