B. B. Bodhayan - The Purity Principle: Finding Authenticity in the Age of Deception

rla Saccidnanda Bhaktivinoda hkura

Swami B. B. Bodhayan

These days in society, qualities like spirituality, religiousness, simplicity, generosity, and so on, are widely talked about and appreciated, but those who have developed affinities for these qualities may wonder about their source along with their connection to our origins. Wise and thoughtful persons may consider that these qualities may be attributed to the source of our existence, and thats what makes them so attractive. If we look deeper and examine these qualities, we will easily come to the conclusion: God is their source.

Someone once asked a tree, Who are you? The tree responded, I am known by my fruits (phalena pariciyate). God is the source-tree of all living beings; hence His qualities, His fruits, by definition, are reflected in all beings, and through those fruits the tree is revealed. God, being the Supreme Creator, has all qualities in full. He is also eternally blissful, peaceful, and full of love.

Although we are His parts and parcels, however, these qualities are not found in us. Why? This is because we are suffering the consequences of our previous misdeeds, which have covered us with myriad unwanted material desires that impede our ability to manifest our spiritual qualities. These qualities are actually present in all of us but in a dormant state, and as soon as we become purified from the contamination of material desires through spiritual practice, the qualities will automatically be revealed from within. Each age recommends a specific spiritual practice. In this age, the age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the Age of Kali, the prescribed practice is to chant the holy names of God.

The living entities are not their temporary material bodies; they are eternal souls who have emanated from God (the Supersoul). At the time of death, the soul, being eternal, gives up whatever temporary body it is inhabiting and takes another birth. This is part of a perpetual cycle of birth and death known as samsara. Due to the fruits of its actions (karma-phala), the soul acquires a particular type of new body after each death, and this continues life after life. Lord Brahma is the first living being in the material creation and the predominating deity of the mode of passion, and is responsible for creating the various types of bodies for the living beings. Through meditation, he came to the realization that Lord Krishna is the Supreme Being (God) and the source of all souls. Lord Brahma expresses this point in the Brahma-samhita, which provides scriptural evidence that Lord Krishna is the origin of all. Sri Krishna Himself declares this in the Bhagavad Gita: mamaivamsho jiva loke jiva bhuta sanatana All living entities are My eternal separated parts and parcels.

Although science tries to make sense of the world around us, it is not free from controversies, debates, and uncertainties. Scientific theories and facts are based on tangible evidence, but over time and through advancements in technology, theories change. We can define changing theories as impermanent ideas, and conclude that impermanent ideas are unreliable; they cannot be considered facts, or truth. For example, in their search for truth, scientists have come up with the theory of evolution still a hotly debated topic both in religious and scientific circles. Note the word theory here. Although scientists claim to have evidence proving evolution by natural selection, that evidence is not conclusive and the subject matter remains, therefore, theoretical. It cannot be taken as fact. Rather, it is a hypothesis, or supposition. Hypothesis is another way to say theory. There are subject areas in the theory of evolution, such as transmutation of species, that have remained controversial even among biologists and scientists in other fields.

It is worth noting that science has a muddy idea on the origin of life. Some theories state that life began as a single-cell microorganism billions of years ago, that humans evolved from primates and therefore share a common ancestor with primates. When analyzed deeply, however, we see that Darwins theory of evolution contains a number of flaws. His idea of evolution through natural selection doesnt answer all questions on how certain living organisms came into being, and there is nothing substantial for some of his propositions, since they are only theoretical ideas.

In our spiritual tradition we do not believe that we evolved from either microorganisms or primates, nor do we believe that we share common ancestors with either of these. Rather, we are the direct descendants of Manu, the progenitor of humankind. Manu was the son of Brahma, as scripture states. The knowledge weve received from the scriptures is unchanged, unmodified, and completely perfect because it comes down from the Perfect Person, God, Sri Krishna. This knowledge is eternal and is accepted as the ultimate truth, without debate.