Posted on: 16 May 2023
[Devotees asked some questions during some recent Satsangas and Swami replied to them, which are given below.]
[Ms. Thrylokya asked:- Swami, yesterday in the Satsang, You spoke about real and unreal superimposed by concentration and dilution. Please explain this more clearly.]
Swami Replied:- When a gross item becomes subtle, we think its reality is diluted. Actually, real is real and unreal is unreal and there is no intermediate stage like dilution in reality. Whatever may be the degree of dilution, the reality of the item exists till it disappears completely, which can be, then only, told to be unreal. This is explained by the Gita in the verse “Nāsato vidyate bhāvo, nā'bhāvo vidyate sataḥ”. Only the substance is diluted and concentrated. We superimpose this dilution and concentration of the substance on the reality of that substance and say that its reality is diluted or concentrated. Hence, the degree of dilution or concentration is only for the item and not for its reality. For reality, there are only two states:- one is real and the other is unreal. When Shankara entered the bolted doors of Mandana Mishra, the doors were appearing to the disciples of Shankara and they were not appearing to God Shankara based on the simultaneous viewpoints of God and souls due to omnipotence of God since God wished that angle of inherent unreality of a part of the creation (doors). The same God can wish the angle of absolute reality of the doors for His entertainment, in which case, the doors will appear really. Only the doors disappeared, and the wooden framework of the doors existed and thus, this is partial reality, which should not be misunderstood as the degree of reality. This means that only a part of the entire gate (framework) alone exists since there is no partial reality or partial unreality. When the doors disappear, the doors can disappear completely or even go to subtle state, which does not obstruct the entry of Shankara.