Spiritual centre of gravity - Deccan Herald - Opinion - Oasis (15-Nov-2022)

Spiritual centre of gravity

It is beneficial to be aware of our spiritual centre and stay close to it since it is within one’s own body, and keeps us inwardly focused

The scientist Archimedes taught us through physics as a subject that a point in any object where the distribution of weight is equal in all directions is the centre of gravity. It keeps an object in balance when acted upon by gravitational force.

There are many exceptions. Like when this point is high-up and causes the object to topple.

Also, a tightrope walker has a mountain of a challenge to balance high up in the air while the same individual is steady on the ground.  For an individual, it is important to be aware of the body’s centre of gravity and, while bending over, to keep this point as close to the body as possible, if not, the probability of rolling over and falling down is high.

It is beneficial to be aware of our spiritual centre and stay close to it since it is within one’s own body, and keeps us inwardly focused. An individual strives to journey outward with the help of sensory organs to be deeply involved and firmly attached to the worldly knowledge of a plethora of objects.  

The run from one object to another is exhausting, to say the least, and a perennial race against time to find solace in the ever-evading goal outside.  Applying the law of diminishing returns, one loses interest in a so-called new object and aspires for the next, nonetheless each a temporary satiation of the desire. The centre of gravity for a seeker is the all-pervading Atman that exists in each one of us, the subject, so to speak.

Connecting to and walking a tight-rope for an inward journey entail travelling towards that centre of gravity, which is the right step for a spiritual seeker. 

The direction is known, the initial steps can be tentative, but the goal is never out of sight. This can be a path one can traverse only with God’s blessings and a learned Guru’s direction.  

Adi Shankara says in his magnum opus, Vivekachoodamani, that one of the most gifted things is to take birth as a human. Being born as a human, , let the centre of gravity always be within us to provide balance in life and confidence in the attainment of goals. The centre of gravity within us should indeed be our centralised goal.