Question: I have been doing Gayatri mantra and some breathing exercises for a very long time. For last few years I have been reading complete works of Swami Vivekananda and the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. After reading these I have realized that self realization should be the only goal of man. I have also realized Swamiji’s words, to be true, that any misery that a man experiences is only because of some weaknesses in the man.
After reading Swamiji’s complete works and the Gospel, I started observing myself for whatever I did and whatever I felt. I found that any misery that I face, any lethargy that I feel and any fault that I find in others is only because of one weakness which is the feeling of lust. Though I have been very restrictive in my daily habits (such as food and company), I have not been able to control the inception of those feelings. I read in one of the lectures published by Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama that, the feeling of lust in a man and vision of snakes in the dream are the related things. I sometimes do have the vision of snakes in the dream and they are the scariest dreams of mine.
I found that observing the sensations and feeling has helped me a bit. But I want to go above these impulses and it seems my daily practices and restrictive habits are not helping me that much. Is it because I don’t have enough restlessness to go above these impulses?
Answer: You have put a wonderful question whether Vedanta will help you to realize the laws of physics. May I put you another question, whether studying of economics makes you realize the laws of physics. My answer lies in your answer to this question.
The Vedanta is the study of the inner world or in other words, one’s own self while the physics is the study of the manifested aspect of the reality. The manifested aspects are multifarious where as the unmanifested is one, the main source. This explains the unity in diversity. Now, the question is whether you want any particular aspect of the manifested science or the source of all science. The Indian philosophers first experimented with the external and when that could not give solutions to the problems of life they went inward and realized the Atman or Brahman or God or whatever the word you may use for that reality. As they found, all the manifested things are subject to changes while unmanifested is unchangeable.
You have to decide as to what thing you would really want and decide your course of action.
Do not give much importance to the dreams and get more and more worked up. You are a student of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda. Continue to read their books and it will give solutions to your problems.