Preface
From the time when man evolved as a thinking creature, homo sapiens, he or she has looked up into the sky above in order to contemplate the existence of a creator. He has wondered at the world in which he lives, how it came to be as it is, and to question who he is. In his mind, he has conceived the presence of a force that he does not understand, a guiding spirit that will be his invisible companion. He has symbolized this guiding spirit in nature, conjuring up limitless forms as identities of this spirit – be they of wood or stone, the arc of the ‘metallic’ sky, the deep void of the ocean, or the hidden depths of the earth. He has entered into the world of the seen and the unseen to locate his creator.
Man has given the creator innumerable names, and has devised acts of worship in his name, to ensure safety, prosperity and happiness of his own life. In his creator’s name, he has laid down rules and regulations for communities, and counted them sacred and inviolable, to ensure peace and harmony in his life. These have been passed down from generation to generation and have gained the authority of tradition, of mores: the customs and practices of our ancestors that help to preserve our identity as to who we are; familial, social and national. In every corner of this earth, in every community, however diverse, man has described his belief in and devotion to his creator and his creation in a singular and often dramatic manner to be the truth. Each and every expression of this devotion is precise and valid, as far as beliefs go.
But, man has remained the same: anger, hatred, jealousy, doubt and unhappiness, to mention a few continue to plague man. So in every generation man has contemplated on the existence of a creator through every conceivable means found in religion and spirituality, has proposed many a belief system to explain the world in which lives and how it must be lived, has formulated many theologies, philosophies and dogmas to support his beliefs, and devised countless methods, ranging from the quite extreme, to the utterly illogical, to achieve enlightenment, to dispose of the mind which troubles him, and to live in bliss. But all in vain, for man has continued to find life to be as it always was and man also.
Love seems to break down at the mere mention of a word; peace seems to be further than the horizon. Pain and misery seem to be the order of any day; freedom seems elusive and bondage inevitable. So the question arises as to whether the creator or the creation itself could exist in the manner man is made to believe. But those who have wondered at the world, in which they live, and have successfully contemplated on the existence of a creator, have come to understand how it came to be as it is, and have realised who man really is. They have proclaimed that life is a manifestation of ‘Light’ and ‘Sound’. They are known as Sages or enlightened beings. They have realised that God or life is pure light, pure intelligence, pure energy, and that this potential resides within man, and also within every speck of this manifestation and within every moment of life. Science is not far behind in accepting that light or energy is not only information, but also the very building units of all forms of life.
Life’s intelligence must not be misunderstood or underrated. This play of light and sound, known as ‘Bindu’ and ‘Nada’ in Sanskrit, creates an optical and auditory illusion - ‘Maya’ as it is known in Sanskrit, which man calls his world. This is exactly what this volume describes in vivid detail: Kaivalya means ‘Absolute’ and Gita means within this context ‘an understanding’. The Kaivalya Gita comprises no less than 60 volumes, of which the present volume is the first. Collectively, the volumes explain with utter clarity the illusory nature of everything that the mind has come to know: every day life issues, every emotion of the mind, every belief, knowledge itself, religion, spirituality and even science. The volumes reflect life as it is – as a singular movement of forms, shapes and sounds, which appear as words with their meaning to the mind - all illusory though - a drama of sorts, in which separate events and actions have no real existence, but only appear to have, as an optical illusion.
That time, action, mind and individual do not exist in life becomes apparent as the reader begins to digest the understanding the volumes offer. The intelligence of life to manifest a sophisticated illusion every moment will become evident in every page. To convey the wisdom of this volume to those who believe that the creator is outside themselves is no easy task.
Nevertheless, it urges us to see what we do not see, and what we do see it confirms vividly to be non-existent; it encourages us to hear what we do not hear, and what we do hear it explains with clarity to be illusory; it beckons us to understand what we do not understand, and what we do understand it emphasizes lucidly to be knowledge that is dead and not alive. And yet it sees precisely what we see; it hears precisely what we hear; and it understands precisely what we have come to know, but as being illusory and not real, every moment. In this volume there is no hint of division or duality; no hint of criticism or condemnation; no hint of confrontation or opposition; and no hint of doership or the possibility of it.
The mind is a total stranger to the revelations contained in these pages; they are wholly foreign to its perception and attitude to life and to everything that takes place in it. The mind will not be willing to accept the truth of what shines out of its examination. And yet, there really is no choice or decision but to realize and understand the little pond - the mind - we have all opted for! It also shows the resistance to being shown that it is so small, and that it is only a little pond, with nothing whatsoever to do with life. Such deception is woven by the mind. This volume offers a unique understanding of life in every specific context of man’s most central and most burdensome misunderstandings. In our honest search for relief from pain for ourselves and for 'others', we have had to settle for and dispense more pain - quite ironic this life we are convinced we are leading!
How deep run the convictions we hold - or rather that hold us. And yet, whilst we are now observing these convictions, the power of this book’s guidance removes the sting, if not the thing itself. The Kaivalya Gita was written by Dr. Vijai S Shankar and, indeed, was first spoken, in the English language. It is not the outcome of any research; it is the compilation of spontaneous talks given over a number of years by Dr.Shankar. These talks still continue spontaneously, uncontrollably and unpredictably, as does life itself! The understanding and compassion pervading every treatise within the first volume of ‘Kaivalya Gita’ is very moving. The contents touch the most sensitive core of the human being - at the point where he is ‘divine’. It offers an understanding that has no beginning and no end!
Peter Julian Capper
MA (Cantab) UK
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