Fig. 14It will be noted that each element of this phenomenon is nothing but a particular com-
bination of Dharmas which have become manifest at a particular moment of time. It
does not matter whether we consider the phenomena within a limited sphere like our
Solar system or within the unlimited sphere of the Universe for they all take place
within the realm of Prakrti. It is thus possible, beginning with a particular situation, to
arrive at another situation by two or more alternative paths.
These paths followed by the course of events in the phenomenal world are not
of purely mechanical origin, as the materialists would have us believe. They, in some
mysterious way, bring about the fulfilment of the Eternal as has been pointed out
above. The lower phenomenal world does not exist for its own sake (being merely a
law of mechanical necessity) but for the sake of fulfilling the Eternal. Its object is to
bring about certain ‘changes’ in the higher spiritual worlds, these ‘changes’ being the
very object of its existence. The use of the word ‘changes’ in connection with the
Eternal is no doubt extremely incongruous but the student should understand that it is
employed, for lack of a better term, to indicate that subtle and mysterious reaction
which our life in the phenomenal world has on our eternal being. A specific instance
will perhaps make the point clear. The unfoldment of the perfection which is latent in
every human soul is the object of the reincarnations in the lower worlds through which
it is made to pass. The different kinds of experiences through which the soul passes,
life after life, stimulate gradually its spiritual nature and unfold the perfection which
fincts its consummation in Kaivalya. Now, the type and number of these experiences
do not really matter as long as the objective is reached. A particular individual may go
through a hundred lives of the most intense and painful experiences or he may take one
thousand lives containing experiences of an entirely different nature to attain perfec-
tion. The path does not matter, it is the attainment of the goal which is important. The