29 May 2021
[A spiritual discussion was conducted on Shivarātri on March 11, 2021, in which several devotees participated. The questions of devotees answered by Swāmi are given below.]
[A question by Śrī. Hrushikesh]
Swami replied: The first Energetic Incarnation of the unimaginable God is God Datta. When the same God Datta was involved in the creation of this world, He was called Hiraṇyagarbha. He later also became God Brahma Datta with four faces. The four faces indicate that He is the author of the four Vedas. Later on, the same God Datta was involved in ruling this world and was called Nārāyaṇa. He later became God Viṣṇu Datta with one face, which indicates the oneness of the unimaginable God. Later on, the same God Datta was involved in the destruction of the world and was called Īśvara. He later became God Śiva Datta with five faces indicating the destruction of the five elements with five types of fire (pañcāgni vidyā).
Hence, Hiraṇyagarbha was the first form of the unimaginable God or Parabrahman and is the first Energetic Incarnation of the unimaginable God, as said in the Veda (Hiraṇyagarbhaḥ samavartatāgre...). Hence, we can take the first original God Datta as Brahma Datta. This is the reason why God Brahmā is not expressed and worshipped widely like God Viṣṇu and God Śiva. The main portfolio of God Brahma Datta is preaching spiritual knowledge and due to this, He is the author of the entire Veda. The word ‘Veda’ itself means knowledge (Vidul jñāne). God Datta is called Guru Datta or the Divine Preacher of spiritual knowledge since He is the author of the Veda or Knowledge. His associated power is Goddess Sarasvatī, who dwells on His tongue, representing spoken words. The preacher (Guru) is preaching knowledge through speech. Creation of the world is the first step and hence, the first visible God is Hiraṇyagarbha alone.
Hiraṇyagarbha appeared at the beginning to create the world with the central face of Brahmā. His two other faces on the two sides were the faces of Śiva and Viṣṇu. Later on, the same God Datta appeared as Nārāyaṇa with the central face of Viṣṇu having the faces of Brahmā and Śiva on the two sides. Later on, at the end of creation, the same God Datta appears as Īśvara with the central face of Śiva, with the faces of Brahmā and Viṣṇu on the two sides. God Datta is the single God possessing the three potentialities of creation, control and dissolution of the world. These three potentialities were also separately personified as Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva, in the course of time. These latter three energetic forms of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva are the Incarnations of the same God Datta. There are several other Energetic Incarnations too. When earth and human beings were created, Human Incarnations of God Datta also appeared. God Datta is the permanent residential address of the unimaginable God. There is no trace of difference between God Datta and the unimaginable God. Hence, God Datta is also directly called Parabrahma.
In the sequence of the creation of this world, Hiraṇyagarbha or God Datta created the space. Hiraṇyagarbha is mediated God having a form similar to that of a human being. Hence, this first Energetic Incarnation is called Ātman or ‘Soul’. When the Veda says that Ātman created space (Ātmana ākāśaḥ...), it means that this first Energetic Incarnation created space. This space created by Hiraṇyagarbha was the first of the five elements called bhūtākāśa. The space occupied by Hiraṇyagarbha was directly created by the unimaginable God Himself, even before the expression of Hiraṇyagarbha. That space occupied by Hiraṇyagarbha is called parama vyoma or eternal space. This space never gets destroyed, even after the dissolution of the entire creation made by Hiraṇyagarbha.
As per one Vedic statement, in the beginning, the unimaginable God created energy. This stage is even before the expression of Hiraṇyagarbha. That first energy created existed in two forms: (1) the subtle form or eternal space and (2) the gross form, which was used in the formation of the energetic body of Hiraṇyagarbha (Tat tejo’sṛjata). Hence, the unimaginable God created energy in the very very beginning, even before the formation of Hiraṇyagarbha and the Vedic statement, “Tat tejo’sṛjata”, describes it. The second Vedic statement (Ātmana ākāśaḥ...) describes the creation of the non-eternal elemental space by the first mediated God or Hiraṇyagarbha (Datta). The Ātmā mentioned in the statement refers to this Hiraṇyagarbha (Datta). Further, the same God Datta also incarnated on earth in the form of Human Incarnations. Any Incarnation (energetic or human) thus contains the same God Datta, who always contains the unimaginable God. Hence, in the very basic sense, we can say that every Incarnation is the Incarnation of Parabrahman (unimaginable God) or the Incarnation of God Datta, the first Energetic Incarnation. This is the systematic story of the creation of this world.
But this is only the sequence of steps in creation. The process of creation remains unimaginable. This is because, in this process, God the cause, creates creation, which is the effect, without any reduction in His quantity. This is a wonder! God is not only the intellectual cause (nimitta), but also the material cause (upādāna) of this world. Apart from the above-said unimaginable wonder related to God as the material cause of creation, there is also an unimaginable wonder related to God as the intellectual cause of creation. This wonder is that God thought of creation, even before the creation of awareness! Thus, from both angles, the process of creation is unimaginable. It is unimaginable from the angle of the material cause since God created this world without any reduction in the quantity of the cause (Himself). It is unimaginable from the angle of the intellectual cause because God thought and planned creation, without being awareness.
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