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A Harmonious World Order Through Interfaith Dialogue :77
superior to nature, nor in nature opposed to man. Both coexist and interact with a spirit of sharing. Nature is intertwined into the human predicament. The entire Indian tradition of literature and art-dance, drama, music paintings etc. is replete with this specific view of the world.
This does not mean that man has no value of his own in the Indian view of the universe. On the contrary, man has a specific role to play because God has given him the capacity to think. The speech which is identical with consciousness has been given to all beings, but it has fully blossomed in man from the stage of 'Para', the state of Absolute Monism, where there is no distinction between the things said and the saying to the grossest ordinary form of spoken and heard speech through the desire of speaking and the medial words and meaning in the intellect. Thus, man is the only one equipped with the power to articulate proper thought.
Therefore, he who can speak has the responsibility of understanding others. Such a distinct position of man in his own universe does not entitle him to a privileged place. Instead, he has to ensure the welfare of other beings. In fact, the idea of interdependence permeates the entire Indian view of the universe. One cannot live without the other. As a result, abandoning one's own narrow interest for the good of other and ultimately overcoming the problem of the narrow 'Ego' and individualism is reflected in the highest goal of all the schools of Indian philosophy.
This view of the universe based on the notions of multicenteredness, integration, interdependence, and sharing is an alternative to the anthropomorphic view of the universe and it offers a more flexible view of spirituality also.
We can say that spirituality according to the Indian schools of philosophy is a method designed to attain permanent peace by tacking the problem of the 'Ego'. Bhartphari, a noted philosopher and an exponent of philosophy of language, writes in fourth century A.D. "Attainment of Brahman is nothing more than going beyond
