The Pilgrim’s Lesson on the Goal of Life

There is a story. A spiritual aspirant went to a saint and said to him “Holy sir, I have studied science, logic, philosophy, scriptures. I have studied all branches of learning
but I find no peace. I have heard from people like you that he who knows his Self or God
within he overcomes grief. Grief has been my Lord. Show me the way to overcome grief and find that peace which is beyond understanding.

Then he began to teach him. After much discussion he gave this truth: The Infinite is the source of joy. There is no joy in the finite. The Infinite is immortal, the finite is mortal. One who knows meditates upon and realizes the truth of the Self, the Infinite being. Such a one delights in the Self. A reference in the Self rejoices in the Self. He becomes master of himself and master of all the world, slaves are they not.

Now the question is what is the proof of the existence of this Self or God? What is the Truth for the Existence?

Swami Prabhavananda The Supreme Goal of Life Pilgrim Vedanta

Can our reason or intellect conceive of that? You know one great seer philosopher of
India pointed out that you can give proofs, even scientific proofs for the existence of God.
Now again there are other intellectuals who can come and through logic, through reasoning, can prove the non-existence of God. In fact in India there has been a great
philosopher who said “there no God because there is no proof for the existence of God.”

Now again where is the real proof? Scriptures. We find in the scriptures Christ or Moses or Krishna or the great seers of the Upanishads had experienced God. Does that satisfy us? When you are hungry if I eat food for you, does that satisfy your appetite? When one is sick and I take the medicine for him, does that cure that patient?

Now again, let me point out Truth is of two kinds – what is known as direct perception to
the senses, this is one proof and then also from the data given to us through our senses we infer something which is also a proof and this is I’ll say empirical. But religion or God
cannot be known or seen through the senses and inference.

Yes many philosophers in the West, from the known have come to prove unknown existence of God or the Absolute but here is the question: what guarantees there that idea of God – it is only an idea of God? That he proves talents with the reality of God. So there’s another kind of truth, and that is the spiritual truth. And which is perceived through subtle super sensuous power of Yoga.

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