SRUTI - PAM's Encyclopedia
Z
ZERO |
ZERO
Now if one person gets absorbed in God and another in His material
manifestation, what will each one of them attain? The one, the Reality and the
other the imitation. Can God be blamed for that? Certainly not. The Divine flow
is the same in both the cases, but each of them partakes of it in accordance
with his capacity and merit. I feel myself one with all my associates, being
attached to the same common Master, God, without the slightest idea of being
high or low, great or small. As a matter of fact, one in the human form, though
considered to be big or great in respect of humanity may be really the smallest.
In fact his very smallness may itself constitute his greatness, though in his
personal capacity he may be no more than a Zero. The Zero has its own importance,
since when added to a number it raises its value, ten times. This is what Devotion
may finally bring us upto. (SS-199)
In order to understand the conception of God or Ultimate Reality,
let us start with the stand taken by an atheist, that there is no God. This
is to say in mathematical terminology, that no positive or negative value can
be assigned to it. The mathematical sign for that which has no positive or negative
value is 'zero or 'naught.
Now let the atheist be faced with the question as to what exists.
A consistent agnostic can doubt and deny the existence of everything but not
of his own self, viz. that which doubts or denies. Speaking again in mathematical
terminology it may conveniently be expressed as 'one.
Look at the magical function of 'zero. As you go on adding
more and more of that which does not exist, i.e. 'zero to the right side of
that which exists, viz. 'one, it goes on swelling and multiplying itself. There
is hardly a comprehensible limit to this expansion, and the Upanishads
have rightly characterised this expanded Infinite as bigger than the biggest
(mahato mahiyan). Then start adding 'zero to the left side or negative
side of 'one, with the function of negativating will, i.e., the decimal point.
The addition of more and more 'naughts will gradually bring the 'one closer
and closer to the 'zero. Again there can be hardly any limit to this shrinkage
of the 'self and the Upanishads have rightly characterised it as smaller
than the smallest (anoraniyan).(WU-11,12)
For the sake of understanding we may call the goal or God as
Zero or Centre or Base. No prakriti and no universe can stand without the Base.
There must be a backing for the existence and that backing is God or Brahman,
the Ultimate Reality. It is the Bhuma a Substanceless Substance and a Forceless
Force. (WU-12)
Have you understood the idea of 'Nothingness or 'Zero? This
is the greatest philosophy I am revealing. People may grasp it or not in the
beginning, but in due course they will surely begin to realize it as such. (ERY-57)
Please refer NOTHINGNESS also.