The All-Pervading Sea: How Vedanta and Marine Ecology Reveal the Interconnected Nature of Reality
A meditation on the Sanskrit concept of Viśvatomukham, the Bhagavad Gita, and the astounding biodiversity of the ocean.
Vedanta, Bhagavad Gita and Marine Ecology. Focus on the sanskrit term Viśvatomukham (all-pervading nature of God), and the wonderful biodiversity of the sea. Guests: Jayashankar Krishnamurthy (Vedanta teacher) and Renée Carlton (Marine Ecologist).
The Vedanta philosophy and the Bhagavad Gita, an ancient Indian scripture, offer profound insights into the interconnected nature of existence. A key Vedantic concept is Viśvatomukham, which means 'with faces on all sides'. This poetic expression signifies the all-pervading nature of God, Brahman, the Supreme Reality. As Swami Parthasarathy writes, "Anything all-pervading, like space, cannot have a form."To understand Viśvatomukham is to perceive the divine in all beings and in all of existence. As the Gita states, "He who recognises the supreme Self in the manifold beings is endowed with Jñānacakṣu, Eye of Wisdom." With this wisdom, one sees beyond surface forms to the deepest unity underlying diversity.
The sea, in all its diversity, offers a vivid embodiment of this principle. As marine ecologist Renée Carlton observes, "The ocean contains the greatest diversity of life on the planet. From tiny plankton to enormous whales, vibrant coral reefs to deep sea vents, the sea is teeming with millions of interconnected species." Each lifeform, no matter how small, has a role to play in the harmony and balance of the whole.By perceiving Viśvatomukham, the all-pervading divine, in the ocean's astounding web of life, we begin to comprehend our own place within the vast, interdependent system of existence. Vedanta and marine ecology thus illuminate each other, and point to the same eternal truth - that in the deepest sense, we are all one. Jayashankar Krishnamurthy, a teacher of Vedanta, notes "The same consciousness that pervades the sea, pervades all beings. When we realise our shared existence in this infinite consciousness, we find peace and unity."In exploring Vedanta and marine ecology side by side, we discover that these apparently different fields of study converge on a single insight - the indivisible unity of all life. They invite us to see with the Eye of Wisdom, and perceive the Supreme in all.
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