Understanding Harmony in the

Nature and Existence - Whole

existence as Coexistence

UNIT-4
Understanding Harmony in Nature
• So far, we elaborated on harmony in the individual, family and society.
Now, we move to the next level, i.e. nature.

• Human order is a part of nature; hence, it is essential to understand the

nature and the participation of human being in nature for a mutually
fulfilling and sustainable way of living.

• After discussing nature, we will move on to understand the existence

as a whole which is in the form of units (nature) submerged in space.
Nature as Collection of Units
• Nature is the collection of all the units – the air, soil, water, plants, trees, animals,
birds, other human beings and even things that are at a distant from us like the
sun, the moon, the other planets, etc.
Classification of Units into Four Orders
Although the units are innumerable, they can all be classified into just four orders:
1. Physical order – this includes units like air, water, metal and so on.
2. Bio order – this includes grass, plants, trees, etc.
3. Animal order – this includes animals and birds.
4. Human order – this has human being only.
 Harmony among the Four
Orders
There is mutual fulfilment among the first three orders in nature.
• The soil-plant interaction is an example of mutual fulfilment between the physical
order and the bio order.
• Animals and birds (units of the animal order) depend on plants (units of the bio order)
for their food.

• At the same time, animals and birds help to spread the seeds of plants from one place to
the other. They protect plants from harmful insects and pests. Similarly, the units of
physical order, like air and water, are essential for animals to survive.
• In turn, animals enrich the soil – their dung and their dead bodies act as very good
manure which makes the soil fertile. This is amply visible in the forests. These three
orders are enriching for the human being too. This we can see from our day to day life.
• Now, is the human being fulfilling for the other three orders? This is a big question.
Human being is not only unfulfilling for the other three orders, rather it is dominating
and exploiting them, to the extent of global warming and climate change.
However, when we refer to our natural acceptance, we want to fulfil all the four orders. Ask yourself this
question, “what is naturally acceptable to you – to enrich these four orders or to exploit
them”? The answer is obvious – to enrich all the four orders.
Once human beings understand the mutual fulfilment among the four orders, they can be fulfilling for all the
orders.
 Interconnectedness, Self-regulation and
Mutual Fulfilment among the Four Orders of
Nature
• With the above discussion, we can conclude that there is
interconnectedness and mutual fulfilment among the four orders in nature.
• One can also see that there is self-regulation in nature. In a forest, the
proportion of soil, plants and animals of various species is self-regulated. It
never happens that the lions eat up all the deer or the deer eat up all the
grasses or that the plants grow to the extent that there is no space for deer
or that there is lack of soil for new plants and so on.
• The forest does not need to be regulated by human being to be in harmony.
With right understanding only, human being will also be self-organised, in
harmony within and participate in the harmony in the larger order.
Abundance in Nature
• Nature is organised in such a manner that the physical facility required for any order is available in
abundance. The quantity of soil is far more than that of plants and trees. And both of these are available in far
greater quantities as compared to the quantity of animals and birds.
• Human beings require all these three orders to survive, and the quantity of all these three orders together is
far more than the quantity of human beings. By its very being, nature is organised in a manner where quantity
of all four
• orders is in a sequence:
• Physical order >> Bio order >> Animal order >> Human order.
• Therefore, the requirement of any order is already available in abundance
Assignment 2
• What are the different values necessary in human to human
relationship? How do they lay the foundation for an
undivided human race?

• How do you differentiate between intention and competence,

when you have to judge the other? Why is it important?

Due Date: 23.06.2022

Realizing Existence as Co-
existence at All Levels
• In this lecture, we will explore into the harmony in existence.

Existence as Units in Space

• Existence is whatever exists.

• There are two types of basic realities in existence – one is space and the other is units. The units are
in space.

Understanding Units and Space

• There are innumerable units in existence. There is air, water, soil, earth, sun, moon, plants, trees,
animals, birds, human beings etc. These units are in space. The co-existence of the two is in the
form of units submerged in space.
Units are Limited in Size; Space is Unlimited
• We can observe units all around – they are limited in size. Coming to space, it is
unlimited. It is spread all around. It is all-pervading.
• There is no limited size of space. It does not have any boundary.
Units are Activity, they are Active; Space is “No-Activity”
• Every unit is an activity and it is active with other units.
• In itself, one or the other kind of activity is always taking place in the unit.
• Further, the unit is interacting with other units, i.e. it is active in relation to other
units.
• When it comes to space, it is no-activity. There is activity only in the units.
Understanding Submergence
Units are in space – they are submerged in space. It means units are in
space, they are inseparable from space. Where ever a unit is there,
space is also there
1. Units are Energised in Space
• Being in co-existence with space, every unit is energised, right from
the smallest atom to the largest planet.
2. Units are Self-organised in Space
• Being in co-existence with space, every unit is self-organised. It is in a
definite order.
• By being in a definite order, it exhibits a definite conduct – that is how
one can identify or recognise and study that unit.
3. Units Recognise their Relationship
and Fulfil it with Every Other Unit in
Space
• Being in co-existence with space, every unit recognises its
relationship with every other unit in space and fulfils that
relationship
Existence as Co-existence – Units
Submerged in Space
• Existence is co-existence, which is in the form of units submerged in
space.
• Units are energised, they are self-organised and they recognise their
relationship with other units and participate with them in a mutually
fulfilling manner (except for human beings without right
understanding).
The Holistic Perception of Harmony
in Existence
• Units are of two types – material units and consciousness units.
• Material units are temporary in time, while consciousness units (Self)
are continuous.
• Material units recognise and fulfil their relationship with other units–
their conduct is definite.
• Consciousness units recognise and fulfil their relationship on the basis
of assuming without knowing or assuming based on knowing – the
conduct of the human being is definite if it is operating on the basis of
assuming based on knowing; and it is indefinite if it is operating on
the basis of assuming without knowing.
• All material units are composed of other (simpler) material units. The smallest or
fundamental stable material unit is the atom.
• An atom may combine with another atom to form a molecule. These molecules
further combine to form molecular structure. Molecular structures can exist either
as lumps, or fluids.
• Fluids provide nurturing of cells and such cells combine to form plants, the animal
body and the human body.
• Coming to the domain of consciousness, there is just one type of unit which we
have referred to as the Self. We can classify all the units in existence into four
orders.
• Material units can be classified into two orders – physical order and bio order. The
animal order is the co-existence of consciousness (Self) and the animal body
(material).
• The human order is also the co-existence of consciousness (Self) and the human
body (material).
Development in the Existential
Sense
• Whatever we do with the material world is cyclic. It
will keep changing; keep going back to initial state, no
matter what we do. In that sense, there is no
development here.
• Only in the human order, there is a potential for
development or transformation in the Self which is
not cyclic.
• Development or permanent change is possible only in
the domain of consciousness.
2 types of Development in the
Existential Sense
1. developing right understanding (understanding co-existence) and
right feeling (feeling of coexistence) in the Self. It means awakening
to the activities of contemplation (of relationship, participation in
the larger order), understanding (of self-organisation, harmony) and
realization (of co-existence)

2. Living on the basis of right understanding and right feeling- part one
is updating all our desires, thoughts and expectations in line with
right understanding and right feeling; part two is the expression in
the form of behaviour, work and participation in the larger order.