True or False
Once, when we were speaking to Sri Swamiji, the discussion went towards whether our world is false, true, or temporary. The earth contains our country, other countries like ours, seas, mountains and more; the cosmos contains innumerable planets like the earth, stars, and so many wonders in space that have not even come under the purview of science yet! But Advaita siddhantam says: All of this false; it is only your mind’s imagination.
After this conversation with Sri Swamiji, I came and laid down, but could not sleep. A short movie clip was received in my mobile and I watched it. That scene, its theme, the incidents it portrayed… everything was very sad and tragic. As it is, I could not sleep; Now this movie clip also affected me a lot. I tried to console myself saying that this was only a story, a mere avenue of entertainment, only a media that plays with our emotions, yet it was not easy to quieten my mind. My thoughts began to swirl around the movie clip. Seeing this present state of mine, I also could understand the state of others!
In the movies, If a genuinely virtuous person acts a villain with despicable character, then the world will only see him as a vile person. If a person without good character acts in many movies as a virtuous person, he is generally seen only as a virtuous person by the world. All the heroic acts that he performs on screen are generally believed to be his true character by the world. Such people are even worshipped as gods and their words are regarded as the scripture. People even believe that anything is possible for them!!
My thoughts were whirling about this way. A light was faintly visible at the end of the tunnel…
When I see a movie, I am unable to just see it as such and the related matters as obviously false. It affects me as if it is the truth to an extent that I see and breathe it as true. When this is the case, how is it possible to see the world – which has been truly perceived by everyone for ages and ages – as just a false appearance alone?
To me it appeared that, as of now, such an idea that the world is false, is in itself a huge falsity! Then I closed my eyes and all these thoughts along with my world slowly faded to the darkness of my sleep!
M.K.Ramanujam
