Eternity: A Post-Modern Reappraisal of the Upanisads

Knowledge will never meander into your lap by chance as you sit around, eat, sleep, and make merry. It has to be sought.

The search for the answer to the question, "Who am I?" is the worthiest of all searches ever undertaken by man. The search is beautiful despite its immense difficulties, and the answer to the question, if ever found, justifies the concentrated effort required to unravel the truth of one's identity. A life spent in that search is not a life lost. Rather, it is a glorious journey that, in the end, reveals to the seeker the truth about himself. When that revelation comes, the seeker will realize that the question he pursued also answers two other seminal questions: Where have I come from? And where do I go after death?

The secret behind the Unsolvable Trinity lies in the study of the static and dynamic aspects of a very specific field-a field that creates the illusion of the self, much as a pond reflects the image of the enchantingly beautiful woman peering into it. Paradoxically, the image of the self is not unreal, despite the illusion.

What about the enchantingly beautiful woman peering into the pond? When you truly know her, your self must cease to exist. For, in her lap, the illusion ceases, and with it ends the miseries of the self.

About the Author:

AVIK ISHANI MUKHERJEE was born in Calcutta and brought up in Bombay before graduating from Presidency College, Calcutta. A practicing advocate in the law courts of Delhi, he holds a law degree from CLC, Delhi University, and a second degree in IPR from ILI. He began writing in 2004 and has authored twelve books of fiction and non-fiction. He has presented academic papers on various branches of philosophy at conferences in India and abroad. 'Eternity' is one of two manuscripts on India's timeless theories of eternity that evolved over many years of search.