Today, I was travelling in the bus to office and it takes 90 minutes to reach. All along the way my mind is usually empty :-) and as you know 'An empty mind is a devil's workshop'. But I do try to shoo the devil off by following a modified idiom, 'A good thought a day keeps the devil away!'.
So what is a devil? Isn't it a manifestation of bad thoughts and actions? There are so many other examples on the good side too, like Laxmi for wealth, Saraswati for education and Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesh for creation-preservation-destruction. Such representations exists in other religions as well.
In Hinduism, an evil man will go to Patal (Hell) and will be tortured. A virtuous man will go to Swarg (Heaven) and experience eternal bliss. And then what happens? Does he stay there forever? Hindus say that a man will go on reincarnating (Janm) in this world (Prithvi) until we know how to detach ourselves (the Soul) from the body (Mukti) and permanently bind to the Almighty (Paramatma). Does that means that a man will be sent back to Prithvi for another stint with incarnation? Is it like a packaged tour to Hell or Heaven, that we end up on Earth (Prithvi) again and again?
I seriously do not believe so. I think Swarg, Prithvi and Patal are manifestations of the same world. It is right that we keep on reincarnating but only on Earth (unless there is another habitable planet :-)). Whether you are sent to Hell or Heaven only means whether the birthplace on Earth is Hell or Heaven. There are two perspectives to this. Firstly, whether you perceive it as Hell or Heaven and secondly, whether the place is really rotten! But I think the former is true. Because it is finally on how you perceive it. One sibling in a family may feel it is the best place he could be, and the other sibling may sulk and curse it all the way.
If you are virtuous and kind then you will be promoted to Heaven in you next Janm. If you are vicious then you will be demoted to Hell. But all is in this very world. I mean look at it, there are plenty of places which are suitable to be either one of the extremes.
I agree with your interpretation that Hell and Heaven are just a perception. The 2 siblings analogy was an interesting ingredient. Come to think of it - same applies to any job, product, place.
ReplyDeleteRest - you filled in quite a bit of philosophy in there - all of which flew right over my head!
Yes, you are right. I am sorry about the philosophy I put in, just wanted to get into the context. :-)
ReplyDeleteI am amazed Akshay! Never knew this facet of yours :-) Anyway,a thought provoking one, this.
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