10 May 2025
Saturday
Brahmanda, the macrocosm, is regarded as Virataswarupa (the Cosmic form), and the microcosm is regarded as the atomic nucleus. This is a wrong view. What is present in the atom, is present in the Cosmos. There is no difference between the two. A small seed carries within it the potential of becoming a big tree. The Cosmic Form is not a mere aggregation of various objects. It does not signify the one in the many. The Cosmic Form means that which contains within itself everything. You cannot see the vast tree contained in the tiny seed. Likewise, the atomic principle contains the macrocosm in the microcosm. Equally, the divinity present in God (the macrocosm) is present in man in a subtle form like the fire in a matchstick. You cannot get fire out of a damp matchstick. Man is filled with the fire of divine wisdom and sacredness. But it is not perceptible in spite of spiritual exercises, severe penance, and many good deeds. The reason is the fact that the mind is dampened by ahamkara and mamakara (the sense of 'I' and 'Mine'). It is only when this dampness is removed by the sunshine of vairagya (detachment) that an illumined life becomes possible.
From Swami’s discourse of 23 November 1992
Brahmanda, the macrocosm, is regarded as Virataswarupa (the Cosmic form), and the microcosm is regarded as the atomic nucleus. This is a wrong view. What is present in the atom, is present in the Cosmos. There is no difference between the two. A small seed carries within it the potential of becoming a big tree. The Cosmic Form is not a mere aggregation of various objects. It does not signify the one in the many. The Cosmic Form means that which contains within itself everything. You cannot see the vast tree contained in the tiny seed. Likewise, the atomic principle contains the macrocosm in the microcosm. Equally, the divinity present in God (the macrocosm) is present in man in a subtle form like the fire in a matchstick. You cannot get fire out of a damp matchstick. Man is filled with the fire of divine wisdom and sacredness. But it is not perceptible in spite of spiritual exercises, severe penance, and many good deeds. The reason is the fact that the mind is dampened by ahamkara and mamakara (the sense of 'I' and 'Mine'). It is only when this dampness is removed by the sunshine of vairagya (detachment) that an illumined life becomes possible.