Man is engaged in the quest to come to terms with the concept of change, instability and impermanence that characterise worldly existence and seek the permanent. ‘Brahman is devoid of any difference though He is the sole potential behind all the differences manifest in creation. The differences are due to the name and form of each object and being. The entire range of activities in the universe and the changes in it are controlled by Brahman.’ This is Yama’s explanation to Nachiketas about the integral relationship between the world of movement and change and of the eternal unchanging Brahman, pointed out Swami Suprajnananda in a discourse. The sun remains static though the world experiences sunrise and sunset regularly. The important truth is that the sun, fire, etc, have their reality in Brahman and derive their potential from Him.
Avidya or ignorance is the cause of delusion that fails to see the truth behind the appearance of change. To realised souls, the cause of change which is the basic characteristic of the universe is of no consequence. A jnani sees the world as unchanging since he sees only the Brahman. If one sees a snake in the rope, he reveals his lack of knowledge of the truth. If he sees the rope as a rope, he sees the truth and is fearless and crosses the cycle of birth. The advice is to see the all pervading Brahman in the entire universe including the individual selves and the objects and beings and also to understand that Brahman remains beyond the manifest multiplicity of the world. Space is all pervading. Is there a difference in the space present in an array of pots of varying sizes and shapes and in the space outside? Such a perception goes beyond delusion.
