From Cosmic Potential to Manifested Worlds: Relational Cuts in Vedic Thought
Vedic and later Hindu cosmology treat the cosmos as an unfolding of potential, realised through multiple perspectival instantiations and constrained by cosmic law (Ṛta / Dharma). Unlike the Babylonian-Assyrian model, which prioritises codification and hierarchy, the Vedic-Hindu worldview foregrounds cyclical emergence, multiplicity, and layered realities, producing a highly flexible relational ontology.
1. World as Emergent Cosmic Potential
(Shift: Emergence through Ṛta and cyclical manifestation)
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The universe begins in unmanifested potential (Brahman / Prakṛti).
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Manifestation arises via cosmic ordering principles (Ṛta), which orchestrate the unfolding of worlds, beings, and phenomena.
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Relationally: system = structured potential, instance = world actualisation, construal = perspectival awareness.
2. Gods as Functions of Emergence
(Shift: Multiplicity as relational differentiation)
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Deities (Indra, Agni, Varuna, etc.) represent distinct functions of cosmic and social order, not ontologically independent entities.
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Each god illustrates a particular relational cut, governing a domain of potential actualisations.
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The Trimurti (Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva) embodies meta-operations of creation, preservation, and dissolution — processes of perspectival instantiation across cosmic cycles.
3. Humanity as Co-Participants in Cosmic Ordering
(Shift: Human and divine duties as relational engagement)
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Humans participate in Ṛta-compliant action (dharma) to sustain cosmic balance.
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Agency is relational, not autonomous: actualisations depend on aligning inclinations and abilities with systemic potential.
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Ethical and ritual actions are techniques of sustaining perspectival coherence, not commands enforced from above.
4. Meaning as Relationally Enacted
(Shift: Knowledge and insight emerge via meditation, recitation, and ritual)
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The Vedas encode knowledge of cosmic structures as patterns of potential and constraints, not mere factual data.
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Recitation, meditation, and yajña are practices of instantiation, turning systemic potential into intelligible phenomena.
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Knowledge is experienced first-hand, illustrating construal as a first-order phenomenon.
5. Ontology as Cyclical and Layered
(Shift: Reality as multi-stratum manifestation)
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Time, worlds, and beings unfold in cycles (yugas, kalpas).
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Each cycle represents a new cut through potential, producing distinct instances intelligible within the overarching system.
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Even destruction (pralaya) is reabsorption into systemic potential, maintaining the integrity of the unmanifested base.
6. Relational Signature Line
| Concept | Relational Ontology Equivalent |
|---|---|
| Brahman / Prakṛti | Systemic potential |
| World cycles | Instantiating actualisation |
| Ṛta / Dharma | Coherence and intelligibility conditions |
| Gods / Deities | Functional relational cuts |
| Humans / Rituals | Perspective-based construals |
Liora Micro-Myth: The Banyan of a Thousand Worlds
A soft voice said:
“To touch one leaf is to make a world appear.To ignore the others is also to let them be.All potential flows; your finger only selects a perspective.”
Liora smiled, understanding that each choice was a relational cut through infinite possibility, yet the tree itself remained unbroken and whole.
Three-Line Takeaway
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Vedic-Hindu cosmology foregrounds emergent, cyclical, multi-layered relational cuts.
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Systems (Brahman/Prakṛti) contain potential, worlds are perspectival instantiations, and beings enact first-order construals through alignment with Ṛta/Dharma.
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Unlike Babylonian-Assyrian codification, this ontology remains open, flexible, and continuously self-sustaining, offering a clear illustration of relational potential actualised through instantiation.
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