05 Oct 2006
Note: This article is meant for intellectuals only
O Learned and Devoted Servants of God,
[Message on Dasara,Dasara, Day-4] The Advaitin says that by attaining self, which is just pure awareness, one attains infinite bliss. This is absurd since it contradicts the practical experience. In every living being, the soul (pure awareness) exists but every soul is not blissful. If you say that the impurity in the soul hinders the bliss, one can easily achieve the pure awareness at least temporarily during meditation by little practice. In such meditation, peace is experienced but not bliss. Peace is not bliss. Zero is not plus. Relatively zero may appear as plus with respect to minus. But with respect to plus, zero is relatively minus. In meditation, you are relieved from the worldly stress for some time and such relief may appear as bliss relatively with respect to the stress you had. You may feel it as bliss since you have not tasted the real bliss separately. If peace is bliss, God could have been entertained with the bliss through peace without this creation. When bliss exists already, there is no need of any entertainment. Bliss is higher than the entertainment. In such case, the Veda could not have said that God was not entertained when He was alone in peace without the creation (Ekaki Na ramate). Entertainment is needed for happiness and the state before entertainment should have been without happiness. If God is not having entertainment before creation, it means that God was not happy. In such state, how can you say that He is blissful? Assuming that God was happy even before the creation, He should have been bored with such continuous happiness and the state of boring shows lack of happiness.
Only after the creation, which consists of variety by alternating comedy and tragedy, He derived continuous happiness as per the Veda. Such happiness continues throughout the existence of creation and therefore, God is blissful. The state of boring is removed by the alternating disturbance in the creation. Bliss is defined as continuous happiness. The word Ananda (bliss) is a composite of Aa and Nanda. Aa means continuity. Nanda means happiness. The reason for the continuity of happiness of God during the existence of creation is His detachment to the creation during tragedy. The tragedy removes the boring obtained from the previous comedy and the detachment to the tragedy avoids misery. This totally means entertainment, deriving happiness continuously without boring. God is like the spectator of the cinema (Sakshi cheta- Veda) and after sometime, God is like the actor acting in a role in the drama, when He enters this creation (Tadevanu Pravishat- Veda). In both the cases, He covers Himself with the ignorance of Maha Maya and Mula Maya and becomes equal to the individual soul. But He is in full realization of the awareness of the unreal nature of Maya. [At this point, a devotee asked a question.]
Devotee asked: Can You please explain the terms, Mula Maya, Maha Maya, and Maya. I did not know that there are three forms of Maya.
Swami replied: Here, it is important to understand the terms, Mula Maya, Maha Maya and Maya. Mula Maya is the primordial energy (subtle energy) created by God, which is nothing but space. It is the first of the five elements that constitute creation. God then made some of this primordial energy (space, subtle energy) to differentiate into gross energy (fire) and matter in the three states, namely gas (vayu), liquid (apah) and solid (prithvi). These are the five elements that constitute creation. Later, awareness was also created, which is a work form of gross energy. Mula Maya is the first element, which is space, while Maha Maya constitutes the remaining four elements as well as awareness. Along with these four elements, space is also indirectly participating in the formation of creation and hence, space with the remaining four elements and awareness forms Maha Maya. In Maha Maya, space is indirectly participating because without space no element can exist. When you take space directly as the single element, it is called as Mula Maya. Maya is the different forms of that matter, gross energy, and awareness. Each form has its own name. So, Maya constitutes names and forms. Maya also includes the names and forms in the awareness. All thoughts, including our attachment (attraction) to different sense-objects are part of Maya.
An example will make it clear. The round shape of an earthen pot is Maya. The mud out of which it is made is Maha Maya. The space, which is the primordial energy, out of which the clay is made is Mula Maya. Human beings can physically break the pot. Thus, the shape of the pot, which is Maya is destroyed. All physical and chemical processes that humans can do are only modifications to the Maya. One can also mentally detach from the various thoughts and remain in the state of pure awareness (in meditation). In that state, all thoughts, names, and forms are treated to be unreal. Therefore, human beings can physically and mentally cross Maya, even though they cannot maintain that state for long.
However, human beings cannot destroy the mud, which is matter and energy. Crossing Maha Maya would mean destroying matter, gross energy, and awareness. It means converting them back into their source, which is primordial energy (space). This is impossible for human beings to do physically. Human beings can only do it in their imagination. They can imagine that matter, gross energy, and awareness are converted back into space, so that nothing but space remains. In their imagination they can think that these are unreal forms of the primordial energy. Even the inter-conversion of matter into energy in an atomic reactor is not the crossing of Maha Maya. Matter and awareness are only forms of energy. So, their inter-conversions are only part of Maya. Moreover, the inter-conversions are goverened by strict natural laws which human beings cannot overcome.
Crossing Mula Maya is totally impossible for all individual souls either in physical stage or in the state of imagination. It means destroying the primordial energy (space) totally so that only its Source, which is the unimaginable God remains. Not only is this physically impossible for souls to do, but even imagining the condition of the absence of space is impossible.
Finally, for human beings:
[Swami continued…] Only God has complete control (omnipotence) over Mula Maya, Maha Maya, and Maya. Yet, God in human form restricts Himself to the lowest level of Maya like the individual soul. Such knowledge of unreality of Maya in tragic situations keeps Him in the continuous entertainment (bliss). Such technique is possible for the soul also because the soul is also above Maya and can attain the knowledge of unreality of Maya by self-analysis. The difference between God and the soul is that God is really above the Maha Maya and Mula Maya also, whereas the soul is not really above Maha Maya and Mula Maya. Of course, God also gets controlled by Maha Maya and Mula Maya like the individual soul by imposing ignorance on Him. The difference is that God is controlled by apparent and artificial ignorance whereas the individual soul is really controlled and there is no point of ignorance in the case of individual soul. God crosses Maha Maya and controls Mula Maya by removing His apparent ignorance only when He has to perform some miracles in emergency. Even a blessed soul can perform miracles by the grace of God by crossing the Maha Maya and controlling the Mula Maya. In fact, the soul cannot cross really Maha Maya.
The soul is awareness, which is a component of Maha Maya. The soul cannot cross itself. The soul cannot control Mula Maya because the soul can never dream of crossing Mula Maya because soul is also a product of the space like other created items. Hence, soul cannot cross its cause, which is the space or Mula Maya. Therefore, whenever an individual soul performs miracles, only invisible God performs miracles in the name of the individual soul. Demons do not realize this and become egoistic thinking that the soul performed the miracles. The demon-soul as well as the spectators are under the illusion that the individual soul is performing the miracles. The devotee realizes this and reveals the truth to the public whenever a miracle happens through him. God can cross Mula Maya also, if God likes to withdraw the world including the space. Mula Maya is the primary energy or space. Such a situation is possible but it is never happening.
The primary energy exists continuously like the roll of the film even after the show along with the subtle impressions of all the items of the world (Avyaktam). The producer can destroy the film but he is not a fool to destroy it to satisfy you regarding his capability to destroy the film! When God enters in to this world through the human form, He remains in the status of a realized individual soul only by crossing only Maya and keeping Himself controlled by Maha Maya and Mula Maya. In such state, the entire drama of His divine play is also limited to Maya only. There is no need of crossing the higher Maha Maya and control the highest Mula Maya to do a miracle unless the emergency is required, which is very rare. God is reluctant to perform miracles frequently because the miracles have a side effect on the devotees by making them selfish and get attracted to use the superpower of God for selfish ends. God stands just in the position of the realized soul to set an example for the ignorant soul, which is controlled by Maya. Such ignorant soul laughs and weeps alternatively facing the corresponding scenes of happiness and misery.
You can propose that such ignorant soul can cross Maya and be in continuous happiness (bliss) like God by its own self-effort (self-attainment) following the above divine technique. But you cannot attain the divine technique of God without the grace of God. In such case, you may also say that God is unnecessary because such bliss can be attained by even self-attainment. This is not correct because the soul can attain only peace but not the bliss by the self-attainment. However, you may say that peace can be treated as relative bliss with reference to misery and therefore, real bliss is not desirable. Even then, such self-attainment cannot be continuous without the grace of God. The higher Maha Maya disturbs your state by insulting you since you cannot cross the Maha Maya. Since the Maya is under the control of Maha Maya, you will fall again to the state of ignorant soul and even the Maya will insult you under the instruction of superior Maha Maya.
Necessity of The Grace of God
Sages were insulted even by Maya, when a beautiful dancer from heaven appeared! They were controlled by the Maya of the beautiful form. Their self-attainment was crashed. Totapuri is the best example, who was a realized soul by self-attainment. He could not over come the feeling (Maya) of stomach pain and tried to commit suicide. Therefore, one may cross Maya (forms and feelings) temporarily by self-attainment. Such state is temporary because he will be trapped by Maya again within a short span of time. Even during the temporary existence of such state, the soul enjoyed peace only and not the real bliss. (Misery is minus, peace is zero and bliss is plus.) Therefore, there is no use of even such temporary state because the real fruit, bliss, is not achieved. If you accept God and surrender to Him, the entire story changes. Your self-attainment remains permanent because Maya or Maha Maya will not try to disturb you by the grace of God. Shankara acknowledged the necessity of the grace of God in the path of self-attainment (Eeshwaraanugrahaadeva… - Guru Gita). By the grace of God, you can even attain the real bliss also from the world because your knowledge of the unreality of Maya is not disturbed and therefore, you will be enjoying even the tragic scenes continuously. Therefore, without the grace of God, all your self-effort is only a modification of your foolish and rigid egoism. Still, if you do not realize this truth in spite of the divine preaching of God, God will leave you to your fate.
You become a debarred and condemned soul. In such case, God blesses you to have the state of self-attainment permanently because you desired it so rigidly. The father will be vexed with the rigid son and leaves him after some state of advice. Now, what is the future of this rigid Advaitin? God sanctions the materialization of such intensive desire in the next birth of that soul because God is the creator (Father) of even such rigid soul. God has waited for the whole present birth hoping some change before the death. God is always kind and never have the aspect of revenge even if you scold Him. Unable to convert you, He sanctions your irrevocable desire in the next birth. You have continued in such state of continuous peace of pure awareness (Chit) throughout your life as per your strong wish. Such state of Chit is exactly found in meditation and even the self-awareness disappears in deep sleep. The state of meditation, which has no other feelings except a trace of self-awareness is the state of a tree (Here, the argument of Bose is considered, which says that trees have mind.). The state of deep sleep in which even that trace of Chit disappears by the total transformation of Chit in to basic inert energy is the state of a stone. The tree has almost complete peace whereas the stone has absolutely complete peace. An Advaitin as a Samnyasin is a tree in human form and as an Avadhuta is a stone in human form. God waits and still sees whether such a soul can change at least before a few minutes of death. When there is no hope of change, such soul will be permanently materialized as a tree or stone in the future birth. This is the fate of the Advaitin, who does not accept God other than the self.
The strongest desire always materializes (Yat Bhavam Tat Bhavati). People think that such materialization is the power of the soul. But it is not correct. The actual truth in this statement is that God sanctions the materialization of the strongest desire of the soul because every soul is the issue of God only. The soul is under the illusion that it has inherent power of materialization of its desire through strong will. It does not know that the materialization of its desire is taking place due to the will of God since it is not understanding the advice of God for a long time. The father advises the son to study well. But the son is rigid and does not study. The son wants to enjoy the wealth without study. Finally, the father is vexed and gives the part of the property, which was earned by him (father) only to the son (or daughter). Now the son thinks that his desire is fulfilled because of his own strong will of powerful self. He does not know that due to his foolish rigidity, the kind father who was unable to change him, gave him some self-earned property and fulfilled his desire.
The Advaitin thinks that the self can achieve any thing by its powerful will because self itself is God. They follow the path of continuously desiring for the fruit since they believe that the strong will always materializes due to the power of self. Can you become the king by constantly desiring to become king or by constantly thinking that you are already the king? The Advaitin thinks constantly that he is God (Aham Brahmaasmi) and he believes that he becomes God by such constant thinking due to the power of self, which is already God. Suppose, the foolish son thinks that the property given by his father as the property earned by himself due to his powerful desire, the Advaitin also can feel that he achieved the state of a tree or a stone by his powerful will. The Brahman (God) of Advaitin is pure awareness without any contact with the world and such Brahman representing perfect silence can be either the tree or stone. For a tree or stone also, Eeshwara is unreal as Advaitin believes.
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