Life is more than molecules and matter
One view of human life is that it is just complex biochemistry. Common sense and modern science affirm our identity with the material world. We think and feel, enjoy and suffer with the physical body and the neural system that comes with it. Each one of us is different, living in separate bodies and private minds. No physical pain or pleasure can be transferred to another, however dear and beloved he or she may be. There is mute Nature with matter and forces, particles and fields and creatures that have evolved from it all.
The Gītā proclaims otherwise. It tells us that aside from physical nature (prakriti) there is a subtle experiencer (purusha). Purusha is a spark of the Divine. In everything we do, we must remember the link of the individual with the cosmic. The purpose of action, apart from physical sustenance, is to seek out communion with the supra-physical.
Self-centered acts, common as they are, signify little in the cosmic scheme of things. They blur our vision of the grander purpose of life. The notion that we do this and we do that, as if we are in full control, is a paltry view of what life is all about. It arises from ingrained ignorance, even as the geocentric picture, however convincing to the superficial observer of the skies, proves to be a grossly mistaken appraisal of what the universe actually is. When we begin to recognize that there is something loftier to life than the satisfaction of the senses, our actions begin to take on greater meaning and relevance. This recognition comes from a deeper understanding of one’s self, indeed of the nature of the self: the intangible center of our innermost experience.
The self in the embodied state goes through terrestrial life many times before merger with the Absolute. The body ages, grows decrepit and dies, but the self exists for ever, unaffected by the elements of the physical world. Understanding this, we must work with our inborn talents and abilities. Self-discovery will lead to true fulfillment, not actions inspired by imitation or envy. We all have our respective roles to play in society, our duties. The religious mode is to discharge these duties with commitment and dedicate our actions to the higher Spirit that undergirds the world.
Spurts of Thought 