This is a question I heard in different discourses and scientific documentaries. People are pondering into this question and trying to figure out there own answers. A lot going on in this regard.
Alright, let me elaborate a bit; I mean the eternal question "why the life exists?" or "what is the purpose of life?". Down the ages great philosophers and scientists reduced these questions to "why are we here?".
But isn't this very question fraudulent?
The idea "why we are here?" leads to:
"we could be somewhere else",
"here (this) is something different and we are imposed on it",
"we are something else and here (this) is something else", etc.
How these assessments can be made?
What is the basis of this distinction?
In my understanding the basis on this assessment is only one that "we are able to identify ourselves as a distinct entity through our senses".
Now the question arises; is this assessment true?
"No", my candid answer.
If we try to see ourselves from the lens of Chemistry, then we are not more than a heap of chemicals, how complex it might be; so is everything else!
If we try to dig deeper into the atomic and sub-atomic world, then we are nothing more than just vibrating energy; so is everything else!
Then, what is distinct?
I can find the only one distinct character, that is; Awareness.
Livings and non-livings are divided into two categories only and only based on one simple characteristic: Awareness!
That awareness might be extremely inferior in single cell bacteria and extremely developed in human being, but it is just the awareness which make livings, distinct from non-livings.
Now getting back to the original question, "why we are here?".
Since the notion, "We", which denotes "Living creatures", proved to be just "Atomic energy" in certain arrangement, being aware of itself; thus we can safely change the question to:
"why 'Awareness-Atomic Energy Combination' is here?".
Let have a look at the three different elements of the above question, "Awareness", "Atomic /sub-atomic energy" and "Combination".
Atomic/sub-atomic energy:
It is discovered by scientists that everything is "Vibrating atomic energy" in its deepest (thus far) layer/level, thus it cannot be presented as a distinction against non-livings. Hence the very presence of "Atomic /sub-atomic energy" can be dropped from the question.
Combination:
In absence of second element, no any single element can be combined, thus the word "Combination" becomes irrelevant.
Awareness:
Now remains the only element "Awareness".
Due to these above factors the question moves further to, "Why awareness is here?".
But wait a moment, do we really know what awareness means?
Isn't it more like 'beauty', we all can experience it, but can't say what it is?
or like 'love', we can have it, but we can't know what it is?
So, isn't it more correct to ask, "What awareness is?", rather than, "Why awareness is here?".
The above is general section, bellow comes my personal section.
For me, here comes Upanishads in picture, which defines "Brahm (ब्रह्म)" (in English dictionary usually refer as "Brahman") as that "Basic Element", which we call Awareness or Consciousness etc.;
when it says:
What is Brahm?:
सर्वं तत्प्रज्ञानेत्रम् प्रज्ञानेप्रतिष्ठितम् प्रज्ञानेत्रो लोकः प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठा प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म
sarvam tat pragyanetram, pragyane pratishhthitam, pragyanetrah lokah, pragya pratishhtha, pragyanam brahm
- ऐत्रेयोपनिशद (AitreyaUpanishad) - 3.3
Translation:
sarvam (सर्वम्) - All/Everything
tat(तत्) - That
pragya (प्रज्ञा)- Intelligence/Consciousness
pratishhthitam (प्रतिष्ठितम्) - Situated
loka (लोक) - Place/World/Universe
Simple Meaning:
Everything is Consciousness, situated in Consciousness; in the world of Consciousness, Consciousness situates; Consciousness is Brahm.
What is Atma?:
(Atma is roughly translated as Soul)
अयमात्मा ब्रह्म
ayamaatma brahm
- बृहदारण्यकोपनिशद (Brihdaranyak Upanishad) - 2.5.19
Translation:
ayam (अयम्) - This/Here
aatma (आत्मा) - Atma
brahm (ब्रह्म) - Brahm
Simple Meaning:
This Atma is Brahm
What is the attribute of Brahm?:
सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म।
sarvam khalvidam brahm
- छान्दोग्योपनिशद (Chhandoya Upanishad) - 3.14.1
Translation:
sarvam (सर्वम्) - all/everything
khalu (खलु) - indeed/certainly
idam (इदम्) - This
brahm (ब्रह्म) - Brahm
Simple Meaning:
Everything indeed is this Brahm!
It provokes to investigate:
स होवाच याज्ञवल्क्यस्तत्त्वमसि त्वं तदसि, त्वं ब्रह्मास्यहं ब्रह्मास्मीत्यनुसन्धानं कुर्यात्
sa hovacha yagyavalkya, tat twam asi, twam tat asi, twam brahmasya aham, brahmasmitya anusandhanam kuryat
- पैंगलोपनिशद (Paingal Upanishad) - 3.1
Translation:
vacha (वाच) - Said/Spoke
yagyavalkya(याज्ञवल्क्य) - Name of sage
tat (तत्) - That
twam (त्वम) - You
asi (असि) - Are
brahmasya (ब्रह्मास्य) - Of Brahm
aham (अहम्) -Self
iti (इति) - Thus
anusandhan (अनुसन्धान) - Investigation
kuryat (कुर्यात्) - Should Do
Simple Meaning:
Yagyavalkya said: That you are; you are that; you are the self of Brahm; Thus Brahm should be investigated
It defies all logics:
ॐ पूर्णमद: पूर्णामिदम् पूर्णात्पूर्णमुदच्यते
पूर्णस्यपूर्णमादायः पूर्णमेवावसिस्यते
AUM, purnamadah purnamidam, purnat purnamudachyate,
purnasyapurnamadayah, purnamevavasisyate
- ईशावाश्योपनिशद (Isavasya Upanishad) - Invocation
Translation:
purn (पूर्ण) - Absolute/Whole/Complete
madah (मदः) - That
midan (मिदम्) - This
udachyate (उदच्यते) - Drawn/Drew
adeya (आदेय) - To Be Removed
vasisyate (वसिस्यते) - Remains
Simple Meaning:
That is absolute, this is absolute, absolute comes from absolute, by taking absolute from absolute, absolute remains.
It peeks beyond the understanding to mind:
ओमित्येतदक्षर्मिदँसर्वं तस्योपव्याख्यानं।
भुतं भवद् भविष्यदिति सर्वमोंकार एव।
यच्चान्यत् त्रकालातीतं तद्ब्भ्योकार एव।
aumityetadaksharmidamsarvam tasyopavyakhyanam
bhutam bhavadbhavishyaditi sarvamomkar eva
yachchanyat~trakalatitam tadabbhyomkar eva
- माण्डुक्योपनिशद (Mandukya Upanishad) - 1
Translation:
AUM (ओम्) - AUM
iti (इति) - Like that
tad (तद) - Then
akshar (अक्षर) - Imperishable
idam (इदम्) - This
sarvam (सर्वम्) - All
tasya (तस्य) - Of that
vyakhyanam (व्याख्यानम्) - Explanation
bhutam (भुतम्) - Created (past)
bhavat (भवत्) - Become/Becoming (Present)
bhavishyad (भविष्यद्) - Of Future
aumkar (ओंकार) - Sound of AUM
eva (एव) - Verily
Yatha (यथा) - just as
Anyat (अन्यत्) - other
trikal (त्रिकाल) - Three Dimensions of Time
atitam (अतीतम्) - Beyond/Surpassed
tadabbhyo (तदब्भ्यो) - That too
Simple Meaning:
AUM, that is imperishable, is whole; its explanation:
What has been created (past), becoming (present) and will become (future); verily, is AUM. Just as other too, beyond the three dimensions of time; verily, is AUM.
!!! beyond the three dimensions of time !!!
Again common part
If some one asks me:
Why are we here?
I'll say:
We are not here, we are here!
