Posted on: 09 Jan 2022
Note: This article is meant for intellectuals only
[Shri Lakshman asked: Padanamaskarams Swami. The below extract is from the 7th shloka of the 18th chapter of Trailokya Gita.
“In Advaita philosophy the original God is the unimaginable God, Who can never be concentrated upon as said in the Gītā (avyaktā hi gatir duḥkham). For this reason, only, Patanjali said that the concentration shall be done on the first energetic incarnation called as ‘Īśvara or Datta’. This God Datta exists in human incarnation as hidden inner item. The impression of human forms is coming in the mind of the devotee since past several births and such impression (Vṛtti) is hiding the inner God Datta. Vṛtti or impression in false state can be removed only by the concentration of the true Vṛtti or impression of God Datta only.” The Advaitins would refute this point, saying that the first energetic incarnation called as Isvara or Datta is also an impression (Vritti) formed in the mind, how do we overcome this. At your divine feet. Your servant, G Lakshman]
Swami replied:- Certainly the form of Ishvaraa or Datta is Vrutti only because Vrutti (impression) is relative reality only. Inside Datta, the unimaginable God or Parabrahman exists and we are meditating upon Parabrahman only through the meditation of the external form of Ishvaraa or Datta. The unimaginable God can never be meditated upon. In fact, in Advaita philosophy the unimaginable God is awareness only, which is imaginable if high effort of concentration is put up. Regarding the unimaginable God, the meditation is actually impossible. In the case of Advaita philosophy the meditation upon the ultimate unimaginable God is totally impossible because such absolute unimaginable God is beyond space and time and hence, totally impossible to imagine. Every philosophy takes God as not unimaginable, but, imaginable with lot of difficulty. The impression about awareness is possible, but, very very difficult to retain it continuously because awareness has no form and is only formless phase of energy. Name and form are required for easy meditation. If the meditation is difficult, the soul is forced to do the meditation. But, if the meditation is impossible, there is no use of any amount of force since the meditation is fundamentally impossible.
In My philosophy, Vrutti can be possible only with a clear name and form. There is no need to tell that the meditation of unimaginable God is difficult because it is impossible. Hence, in My philosophy there is no need of any force to do meditation on the ultimate goal, which is unimaginable. Meditation can be done only when the ultimate God is mediated by a medium. Yet, we recognize the importance of the fundamental unimaginable God for all purposes. Only for the sake of meditation, worship etc., the mediated God is selected. Even if you apply scent on the body of a person, the awareness in the body is becoming happy. Similarly, the meditation of mediated unimaginable God through the medium reaches the unimaginable God even if you consider unimaginable God as awareness. At least, there is some meaning if such awareness is unimaginable awareness without any logical background. The whole tragedy results when they say that the ultimate God is the awareness that is generated from food in the functioning nervous system and by this God is totally dependent on His own creation.
We agree that the form of Ishvara before the merge of unimaginable God is simply vrutti or relative reality with reference to the absolute reality called as unimaginable God. But, we are not meditating the form of Ishvara before the merge with unimaginable God. We are meditating the form of Ishvara after the full merge of unimaginable God only. We are not eating the food item prepared from flour directly, but, we are eating it after getting it soaked in sugar solution and we are naming the food item as sweet (Rasagulla or Gulab jam) indicating the homogeneous presence of sugar in the food item. God Datta or Ishvara is the name of unimaginable God mediated in the energetic medium and it is not the name of the medium only before merge with unimaginable God.
Rasagulla or Gulab jam is the name of the sweet after soaking it in the sugar solution and this name is not used for the food item prepared from the flour before soaking it in the sugar solution. We are not eating the flour alone, but, we are eating the flour mixed with sugar in the entire bulk. Ishvara or Datta is the name given to the first energetic form after perfect merge with the unimaginable God only and it is not the name of the form before merge with unimaginable God. Hence, Ishvara or Datta means unimaginable God only given (Datta) to the world for meditation through the medium taken by the unimaginable God Himself for the purpose of easy meditation of the worldly souls.