How Come 'Many' From 'One'?

Sri Shirdi Saibaba

Nana asked, "You say that Brahman is everywhere; you say it is pure bliss and it is one. If it is one, how is that visible to us in so many forms in this universe? You say that the pure consciousness is filling everything in the animate and inanimate world. And you say that its forms is pure bliss. Why then is there so much misery in this world? I am not able to understand this. How can one born blind in both eyes appreciate beauty? In the same way, how can pure consciousness which is the truth, abide in this world which is an illusion? If you say that the soul is the pure consciousness, how are there so many souls when the consciousness is one? Each soul has its own experience of pleasure and pain; happiness and misery. How can you say that a single pure consciousness abides in all and everywhere? The soul abiding in each body is different from the others. How can you say that the pure consciousness is the soul? Please clear my doubt."

Baba said, "Still your mind in concentration and peacefully listen to what I say. Take some pots of water and mix white, black, yellow, green, red and magenta colors in the water. They all look different from each other. But the water is the same in all pots. The water seems red in the red pot and yellow in the yellow pot. If the mixed colors are removed from the water, the same water remains. In the same way, the soul is one. The hearts are many. It is only when the soul and the heart are joined in one place that the happiness or sadness is experienced. The Atman has no division. It is the same everywhere. This is the truth."

(To be continued)