15 Mar 2023
[Shri Lakshman asked: Padanamaskaram Swami,
Question 1: This is with reference to the newly added shloka (11) to the Jivatma Tatva Prakaranam, where You mentioned that the mediated God (God Datta) is also past eternal. So can we conclude that all human incarnations are also past eternal.]
Swami replied: God Datta is mediated unimaginable God. Here, there is one energetic medium only. In the case of Krishna, above God Datta, a human medium exists. The first case is God with silk shirt and the second case is the same God with cotton coat above the silk shirt. Whatever conclusion was derived in the case of God Datta, the same conclusion is arrived in the case of God Krishna. Before God Datta enters the human medium, such human medium is only a medium without God and hence, we can call such medium as Krishna and not God Krishna. Once God Datta enters and merges with Krishna, Krishna becomes God Krishna. Similarly, before the entry of unimaginable God, the energetic medium (energetic body with soul of imaginable awareness) is called Datta and not God Datta. Once the unimaginable God enters and merges with Datta, Datta becomes God Datta. Whatever status exists for God Datta, the same status exists for God Krishna. Hence, if God Datta is past eternal, God Krishna is also past eternal.
Why is God Datta past eternal? Let us start the whole episode with the Parabrahman or unmediated unimaginable God, who is past eternal. The whole story starts with Parabrahman only and not with God Datta. The unmediated Parabrahman wanted to become mediated for the sake of meditation of devoted souls. Parabrahman created the first energetic medium (energetic body and soul of imaginable awareness) from some created energy and required space called Paramavyoma to accommodate the energetic medium. This created energetic medium is called simply Datta and not God Datta. Parabrahman entered and merged with Datta so that Datta became God Datta. Datta is only the dress for the person called Parabrahman. When we utter the word ‘God Datta’, the word is indicating the Parabrahman only and not the dress. The dress or Datta is certainly past-non-eternal, but, God Datta or Parabrahman is past eternal because there is no difference at all between Parabrahman and God Datta since Parabrahman is naked without medium and God Datta is the same Parabrahman with medium. Our erroneous impression is that God Datta means the medium or dress and not the person (Parabrahman) wearing that medium or dress. Hence, whatever status exists for Parabrahman, the same status exists for God Datta. You cannot say that the Prime Minister naked in the bathroom alone is the Prime Minister and when he comes out with dress is not the Prime Minister. In such a case, he has to attend all meetings with dress as an ordinary person and not as the Prime minister!
2. Does shloka 12 of the same Prakaranam mean that Datta becomes detached from the soul in the human incarnation during deep sleep?
[Question 2: In the 12th shloka of Jivatma Tatva Prakaranam, in the deep sleep case of the human incarnation, as mentioned in the Mandukya Upanishat, only Ishwara is present. Does it mean that God Datta is detached from the soul component in the human incarnation during deep sleep? At the lotus feet of Swami, I remain, G Lakshman]
Swami replied: The incarnation is always a two-component system in single phase. One component is God and the other component is a selected-devoted-human being. The single phase is the visible human being-component since the God-component is invisible. In deep sleep, the human being-component disappears because the imaginable awareness is not generated from the resting brain-nervous system i.e., related to the thinking process because the rest part of the brain directing other systems is always active and working. In such case, the soul exists as the single God-component. I will illustrate this with an example. A ring is made of gold (God-component) and copper (human being-component). The ring is the soul. If the copper-component disappears, the gold-component remains and hence, the ring remains. This is the case of any incarnation (energetic or human). In the case of an ordinary human being (or energetic being), the ring is made of copper-component only and hence, if copper disappears, the ring disappears. Hence, in deep sleep, the soul exists as God in incarnation whereas in the case of an ordinary human being, in deep sleep, the soul disappears and hence, the experiencer is absent. As a result of this, the deep sleep is full of ignorance only without the experience of any knowledge.
In these answers, the word soul that strictly stands for inert energy is used loosely to mean the individual soul, which is awareness. The word soul in strict sense should be taken as individual soul only.
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