Dr. Vijai S Shankar MD.PhD.
Published on www.academy-advaita.com
The Netherlands
9th May 2017
Earth 1
“Light”
The earth is made up of matter, which is solid, liquid or gas. Matter in turn is made up of fire, air and water. Fire, air and water are an illusion of light. This implies that earth is an illusion of light as well.
How could man understand that earth is an illusion of light is the question? What he sees and feels makes him believe that earth is solid, liquid or gas. By deep understanding of the earth itself, man will understand that what he sees and feels as earth is an illusion of light.
The earth has vegetation, which grows from seeds within the earth. Animals and humans are on earth and not within the earth. They, however, do grow by eating what comes out of earth.
In the case of carnivorous animals, wisdom understands that the first sperm or ovum of an animal existed in earth, but knowledge does not understand this. Knowledge understands that a sperm or ovum exists in animal and not in earth.
A seed of vegetation has life within it which evolves as particular vegetation. A single seed with vegetative life within it further evolved as a single seed with animal life in it. This seed with animal life within it later evolved to be either a carnivorous animal or a vegetation-eating animal.
The existence of the first seed of vegetation in earth can never be determined by knowledge. Wisdom understands that as every atom of a seed is light, it indicates that the first seed of matter or vegetation in earth has evolved as an illusion of light.
Colour is an illusion of light and this fact is evident because, when light passes through a glass prism, it appears as the seven colours of a rainbow. Also, the colour of cloth is different outside the shop under direct sunlight than in the shop.
The colour of a leaf, fruit, plant or tree is an illusion of light that is present within the vegetation seed. So too the colour of animals and human beings on the earth is an illusion of light that is present within an ovum and a sperm.
The earth has many chemical elements within it and a chemical element is matter. Every matter is made up of fire, air and water, which in turn is an illusion of light as described in the article ‘Matter’.
Therefore, whatever that is present within the earth and over the earth is an illusion of light. This implies that earth too is an illusion of light.
The enlightened have rightly declared that the world, man and mind is a play of light and sound.
Author: Dr. Vijai S. Shankar
© Copyright V. S. Shankar 2017
Editor’s Note:
We call it Mother Earth for it is known by man as the giver and sustainer of life. Man loves Mother Earth and has celebrated its life-giving qualities in some cultures by according it the status of divinity. The understanding of the wise, however, reveals that the earth and all that it provides for man is the gift of life, albeit an illusion of light and sound.
Julian Capper, U.K
German Translator’s Note:
The earth is our livelihood, so far the understanding of man goes. But by pondering deeper, we can conclude that the earth has existed long before mankind. This implies that man has evolved from earth and will become earth again, when he dies. Man and earth are therefore one and the same substance, which is no substance at all but it is light. As earth has no free will, before the evolution of man from earth, how could man, meaning earth as man, have free will? A deep insight into the nature of man is possible through the detailed explanations by Dr. Shankar what earth really is.
Marcus Stegmaier, Germany.