30 Aug 2024
O Learned and Devoted Servants of God
1. Why was Vidura not selected by Bhishma as a king?
[Smt. Anita asked: Paadanamaskaaram, Swami. Guru Datta Shri Datta Prabhu Datta! In Mahabharata, Vidura was the most knowledgeable person who had all sattva gunas, but, Bhishma Pitamaha chose Dhritarashtra as king, who had bad qualities. Why was Vidura not selected by Bhishma as a king?]
Swami replied: Ambika and Ambalika were the wives Vicitravirya. Only the issues of Ambika and Ambalika could become kings because they were the wives of the two brothers belonging to the same dynasty. Ambika and Ambalika also belonged to the royal dynasty and the son of Ambika was Dhritarashtra and the son of Ambalika was Pandu Maharaja. Therefore, only the royal dynasty heirs could become kings. Vidura was born to a servant maid, who did not belong to a royal dynasty. Hence, Vidura could not be made as the king. If Vidura was made the king, the very root purpose of protecting the dynasty gets defeated as per the view of Bhishma. But, since Vidura was a very knowledgeable person, he was made as the minister, which was also a very powerful post. In India, the Prime Minister is more powerful than the President. Whatever the Prime Minister Vidura suggests must be accepted by the king (the President). So, Vidura was also given a very high and important post.
[Smt Anita asked: Paadanamaskaaram]
2a. Swami! Were the atheists of Shankara’s time and devotees during Ramanuja and Madhva’s time, the same souls?
Swami replied: It is a question of changing the philosophical path i.e. the tradition. Shankara changed atheists into theists and theists were also changed into devotees by Shankara Himself. The devotees asked Him, “If we are God, why are we not having the superpowers and miraculous powers of God?” Then Shankara told, “You must worship God and you must become the devotees of God. Your mind should be purified. Then only, you can attain the divinity in practice (practical divinity)”. The people, who changed from atheism to theism, became theists and their children were also theists. Whatever is learnt by their fathers will be induced into their children upto that stage only. So, even to their future grandsons, the same knowledge upto that stage is only induced. Even during the time of Ramanuja, the descendants of the followers of Shankara still followed the same stage of knowledge induced by their great grandfathers. So, this indirectly means that the great grandfathers were coming to the time of Ramanuja by the way of stage of the knowledge though not in person. They came not only to the time of Ramanuja but also to the time of Madhva.
Let us understand the question. The question here is that in the time of Shankara, some A, B, C, D were there. During the time of Ramanuja, who stressed on theoretical devotion, some devotees turned to Him and clarified their doubts. These devotees are not A, B, C, D and the same A, B, C, D did not come continuously in the three generations. Then, how can you say that the same individual soul continues from Shankara to Ramanuja to Madhva and develop itself from an atheist to theist, from a theist to devotee and from a devotee to practical servant? This kind of question in Telugu is called “Cappadandu Prashna”. A foolish fellow measured the length of the stomach of a buffalo and the length of a long grass plant. He found the former is lesser than the latter and questioned, “How can this long grass be accommodated in the stomach of the cow or buffalo?” This is that ‘Cappadandu Prashna’. Therefore, the children of A, B, C, D were also in the same level of the knowledge of A, B, C, D. Let some 10 generations pass by. It indirectly means that A, B, C, D are only continuing till the time of Ramanuja and A, B, C, D were turned into X, Y, Z, F. Then, till Madhva’s time came, their children and their grandchildren were in that level. So, that X, Y, Z, F only came to the time of Madhva. Hence, you have to view it from the point of the level of their spiritual status and not their individual status because the sons, the grandsons, great grandsons were in the same state as their great grandfathers.
b. If they have taken re-birth, how could they remember the previous knowledge of the past birth?
Swami replied: I have already answered this question. The A,B,C,D present in the time of Shankara have not taken re-birth to become X, Y, Z, F in the time of Ramanuja. It is only the question of development of the level of knowledge and variations in the philosophy. It is not connected to individuals. You must remember that their sons, their grandsons, their great grandsons were also in the same level of the philosophy as their great grandfathers stood. If these people standing in the same level are turned, it means that those originals were indirectly turned.
3. Is not the love of parents also instrumental to some extent?
[Shri Ganesh asked: Paadanamaskaaram Swami! When children do not follow the wishes of their parents, we see that parents do not talk to the child for years, sometimes even decades. For example, with career choice, marriage, etc. So, the love of a parent is also instrumental to some extent. Isn’t it? At Your Divine Feet.]
Swami Replied: The love of the parents and love in general is a good quality. But, love to world or love to God is the point here. Whether the parental love is inducing love to God or not–that point is not clear in the question. Love also helps but helps in which direction? Somebody loves Ravana and somebody loves Rama. If love increases, it helps. Does the love to Ravana help the love to Rama? No. But, the love towards Ravana is also love only. So, love is not important but the direction of love is very important. Are you loving Me or are you loving My enemy? The word ‘love’ is common. This is actually the Advaita philosophy. What they say is: i) Narendra Modi is the Prime Minister. ii) Narendra Modi is a human being. iii) I’m also a human being. iv) Therefore, I’m the Prime Minister (Dustarkaḥ suviramyatāṃ śṛtimataḥ tarko'nu sandhīyatām...). Shankara takes the common word ‘love’.
In both, love to Ravana and love to Rama, love is common. Love must help love, fire must support fire, water must support water, is it not? Likes support each other. Taking the common ‘love’ between both, does loving Ravana help the love towards Rama? Loving Ravana is destroying the love to Rama and love to Rama is destroying the love to Ravana. They are not supporting each other just because love is common. The object of love is important here. People misunderstand that by loving God, the family bonds and the worldly bonds will be destroyed. The truth is that if you love God, in course of time, as your love towards God goes to the climax state, the love towards the worldly bonds just drops away spontaneously. Those bonds do not get destroyed. Suppose I was drinking coffee previously. I need not leave coffee to attain the divine nectar because leaving coffee is not a prerequisite to attain the divine nectar. Divine nectar does not say that unless you leave the coffee, you cannot approach me. There is no prerequisite to attain the divine nectar and nobody asked you to leave the coffee. Therefore, you need not hate the worldly bonds.
Now, when you got the taste of divine nectar and loved the divine nectar, automatically your interest on the worldly bonds is lost, which means that the worldly bonds themselves are dropped. There is no enmity here. Since I drank the divine nectar and since that taste is an unimaginable taste, I don’t like to take coffee now. I am not an enemy to coffee. I don’t scold coffee, saying, “You bloody coffee! You dirty coffee! How dare you? How tasteful is divine nectar?” I never scold the coffee. After tasting the divine nectar, I am unable to drink coffee or any other worldly drink like goldspot, etc. So, there is no enmity at all. They themselves got dropped spontaneously. When the boil on the skin is healed, the medical bandage will drop by itself and you need not take it away by force and throw it. If you do so, the boil will become a big wound which needs more serious medication. The worldly bonds drop off automatically after tasting the divine nectar. Therefore, even here that enmity and hatred is not there. But, Jesus told one statement, “Unless you hate your father, mother, spouse and children, you cannot be My disciple”. He used the word ‘hate’ that is quite against this theory of dropping out, is it not?
Since you are having a lot of fascination towards worldly bonds, at least in the initial stage, you must reduce your fascination so that you can spend some time and energy to introduce yourself to the knowledge of God. If you are always fascinated to worldly bonds, you cannot even enter the field of God. Suppose you are fascinated towards earning money for the family (worldly) and you came to know that somebody is giving a speech on the Bhagavad Gita from 5–7 pm in the evening. You will think that, “I can do some work and earn more money for my family during that time. Why should I go to hear that bloody Gita speech?” Then, how can you be attached to God? When you are not able to even attend and hear a speech on the Bhagavad Gita, you must first reduce your fascination towards the worldly bonds. That is necessary in the initial stage and not afterwards. Once you are attracted to hearing or attending the Gita speech, you will automatically go to the speech again the next day. Then, these worldly bonds cannot affect you. Initially, you have never heard the Gita and that is the initial stage. In that stage, you must put some initial effort in reducing the fascination towards the worldly bonds so that at least the field of God i.e., spirituality can be introduced to you. Introduction must be done by your effort only and for your effort, reduction of fascination towards worldly bonds is needed at the initial stage. Later on, that is not needed at all. The fascination to worldly items itself will be dropped by the taste of the divine nectar, which is true spiritual knowledge of God. So, Jesus was talking about that initial stage, where you cannot be His disciple unless you hate the worldly bonds. That refers to the initial stage of going to the first lecture on the Bhagavad Gita. Once the interest develops, you are automatically attracted and these fascinations will drop by themselves. They cannot influence you anymore. So, what Jesus told is not against the theory and it indicates only the initial stage, where you require some effort to reduce your fascination to the worldly bonds to attend the first lecture of the Gita. Without attending the first lecture of the Gita, how can you develop your attachment to God?
Jesus is talking about that initial stage and He is not against the theory of spontaneous detachment from worldly bonds after attachment to God. It is shown in the later part of the Bible, where the worldly bonds of Jesus are dropped, which was proved when He was in spiritual discussion (Satsanga) with His devotees. One day, the mother and other brothers of Jesus come to meet Him and some devotee informs Jesus that His mother and brothers are waiting to talk with Him. Jesus replies, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers? You are My mother and you are My brothers. I don’t have mother, brothers and all that. Mother and brother are not greater than the devotees”. This shows the latter developed state after drinking the divine nectar since He practically refuses to meet His family members. Therefore, the first statement of Jesus to hate the family bonds is restricted to the initial stage of a person only, where one must put some effort to reduce one’s fascination to the worldly bonds to attend that first lecture of the Gita thinking, “I am already earning all the time and giving to my family bonds. What is that I will get at the end of my life? Let me hear the Gita from 5-7 pm at least and spend some time for God. Let me stop earning at least for 2 hours”. Do you know what the materialistic mad people say about you if you go to the Gita lecture neglecting worldly bonds? – “See this useless fellow, who could do some part time job from 5-7 pm and earn more is now spoiled”. Then, later on, when the situation goes to hell, this fellow, who attended the Gita lectures, will be honored. Those fellows, who did not go to the first lecture of the Gita, influenced by the materialistic mad fellows will go to third-class hell. These materialistic mad fellows, who spoiled others will go to first-class hell. There are different compartments in ordinary hell and there are severe hells other than ordinary hell. This ordinary hell is managed by god Yama Dharmaraja and the severe hells are managed by God Kaalabhairava. Normal grilling of souls happens in the ordinary hell, which is like a normal hospital providing first aid treatment.
There are 28 severe hells, which are like super specialty hospitals namely Rourava, Maha Rourava, Kumbhi Paaka, etc. On seeing the hell of Yama Dharmaraja itself, our life will be lost! If you see God Kaalabhairava, you will be simply smashed! So, all these things will be realized in course of time. I wonder why these people are so much mad about materialism! What is the ultimate use of materialism? It is just to earn basic needs. Beyond basic needs, even a multi-millionaire is not enjoying. Do you know that multi-millionaires, being advised by a doctors, take limited food and enjoy luxuries less than even a poor man? The doctor says to this multi-millionaire to avoid eating tasty food items and to eat some little rice, ragi malt, etc. The rich man is living and enjoying the materialistic field lesser than a poor fellow! Therefore, what is the purpose of accumulating millions of rupees? It only gives a lot of tension along with income tax problems. Your own relatives and friends will be begging for your help for all their problems. Even though you help almost everyone and do not help one fellow, he will murder you in anger! Shankara says in the Bhaja Govindam (putrādapi dhana bhājāṃ bhītiḥ, sarvatraiṣā vihitā rītiḥ) that even your son will kill you for the property. That’s what Aurangzeb did to become the king!
Now, let us analyze some facts of life. While dying and leaving this body, can anybody take anything with them? Not even one paisa can be taken! Every materialistic possession is leftover here only. One may think that the excessively accumulated wealth will help one’s own children and grandchildren. One may even do a lot of injustice or sin in earning excessive wealth. But, the fact is that the sinful money will destroy his own generations. Not only his first generation but also further generations forever! As long as the sinful wealth exists in the family, his sons and grandsons will be destroyed in misery. Had the sinful money not existed with them, those poor fellows would have come up in life by their own effort and enjoy the happiness blessed by God for following justice. They could have earned a good life if that sinful wealth was not there. Hence, there is no merit in materialistic life except that it provides the basic necessities of life. To achieve that bloody materialistic life, people are dying for career development! They are giving so much value to the worthless materialistic life that they consider it as ‘failing in life’ if excess wealth is not achieved! They feel that they have passed in ‘distinction in life’ for accumulating materialistic wealth! Is it meaningful to use these terms just to achieve the worthless materialistic wealth? I am giving this advice especially to the youngsters, who are committing suicide just for failing in examinations. What is the ultimate purpose of passing in examinations? To fulfill basic needs of life only. Even if you achieve an excellent career, you will only fulfill the basic needs and nothing more than that. Even some ancestral property is sufficient for basic needs. Why should one commit suicide for this?
4. The parents expect children to do something in return. Are they aspiration-free?
[Ms.Thrylokya asked:- Paadanamaskaaram Swami! You said “apatya bhakti” is the highest devotion, which means considering God as son and serving God as we serve the children, but even in apatya bhakti (parental love), parents expect children to do something in return. Expectation is still there, but You are also telling not to expect anything in return but giving the example of apatya bhakti?]
Swami replied:- You are asking why I have given ‘Apatya Bhakti’ (love of parents) as an example for aspiration-less true love when the parents also expect their children to do some service to them. I accept that aspiration in return does exist in the love of parents. Even though the aspiration in return is there and even though such aspiration fails due to ungratefulness of their issues, the parents don’t change their will and give all their hard-earned wealth to their issues only. Since the parents invested something in bringing up their issues, the issues must do some service to the parents. Even if it is not done, the parents may scold their issues very badly, but, their will written for the issues will not change at all! Suppose a son is not serving and is at fault. The parents identify this defect in the son and will scold him very emotionally, “You dirty fellow! How much service we did to you and now, since you got your wife, you have become her servant and you are not minding us at all”. They scold for hours and days together. But, they don’t change their will, which is already written to their son. Therefore, this Apatya Bhakti, which is mentioned as the best type of devotion by Me is actually the best to the power of infinity! Don’t you see that the love of parents is a blind love which is the strongest love?
I know several examples to say about the blind love of parents towards their issues. One son got married and his father wanted to go back on the 3rd day after wedding. The father-in-law wanted the party to go on the 4th day. The father insisted on the 3rd day as per the tradition. The new wife whispered something in her husband’s ear. Immediately, the son came out and slapped his father with his chappal in front of all relatives. The father fell down weeping. Still, the father did not change his will of property written in the name of the son! Therefore, the Apatya Bhakti is the best to the power of infinity. I am not criticizing blind fascination, but, such blind fascination must be shown towards God. Regarding the son, who ill-treated his father in front of everyone, the administration of God will punish him. He will be beaten by his son in the same way more intensively because a serious deed is very powerful in giving its fruit here itself, in a similar way (Atyutkaṭaiḥ pāpa puṇyaiḥ, ihaiva phalamaśnute)! Very serious sins and very serious merits give results in this life and here only. The punishment will be given in future before this same public. Otherwise, the public will say that the sin is not punished. Hence, the parental love is really the highest blind love. Of course, fan love is still higher than the parental love (Apatya Bhakti) because the fan is not getting any benefit from his hero. He is also not aspiring for any benefit from the hero and when the hero dies, the fan commits suicide! This is higher than the highest (Apatya Bhakti) and you can call this mad love of a fan as Unmaada Bhakti.
You can keep Apatya bhakti or parental devotion in the highest and leave about the mad devotion as exceptional record break since it happens very very rarely. So, the best is parental devotion and the funniest thing here is God Datta wanted His devotees to be His parents and Himself to be their adopted son (Datta Putra). Immediately, the clever devotees understood the concept. It means that we must sacrifice to God Datta considering Him as our son without aspiring anything in return from Him. It also means that He doesn’t respond to our prayers and we should not mind this fault since He is our son. They realised this plot of God Datta and changed this plot saying, “O God Datta! You are our mother and You are our father. We are your children” (Tvameva mātā ca pitā tvameva). This means that even if we insult God Datta, He should give boons to us since we are His children! The word ‘Datta’ means ‘given’ to the world of devotees as adopted son. Along with your children, you can also share a part of property to Him. Being adopted son, you may not see Him as equal to your biological sons. But, you can share something at least with the adopted son. For that also, “No” is the answer from the parent-devotees because the parents have become the children and the child became both parents! They replied, “O Datta! You are our adopted Father and adopted Mother.
When a childless father adopts somebody as son or daughter, he gives his property to the adopted child. Therefore, You please give Your property to us. If not the entire property, kindly grant our desired boons”. No soul in the creation is cleverer than the human being souls! The mood of the human beings always keeps changing frequently and the human mind is not constant (Cala citta). Today, he will keep you above the sky. Tomorrow, he will bring you to the earth. By day after tomorrow, he will throw you into the Paataala. Sometimes, God thinks not to create human beings in the future and create only energetic beings, who are very straight and innocent. But, God doesn’t get the timepass with energetic beings as much as He gets with human beings! Therefore, He can neither bear nor leave the human beings!
5. For others, the system will take care. Isn’t it?
[A question by Shri Kunal Chatterjee]
Swami replied:- There is no need to take care of energetic beings because they manage themselves. God’s administration is very easy and smooth in other worlds unlike the world of human beings. Even with other demons also, there is no problem since God can just take a sword and kill them off. They will come again and God will kill again. Bhuloka i.e., world of human beings happens to be the center middle world of creation. There are seven worlds below and six worlds above it. The upper worlds are called as Istha lokas and the lower worlds are called as Anistha lokas and this middle world is called as Mishrama loka. The upper worlds are very good, the lower worlds are very bad and this middle world is both good and bad. The problem is that no one knows when the human soul will be good and when it will be bad. Even God doesn’t know in which mood a human being is and it may be towards rajas and tamas. But, when it’s mood is towards sattvam, it gives very deep intellectual entertainment to God.
Swami said:- One thing I am telling to all of you, I do not know these questions till now. I am answering spontaneously now. Thrylokya, did you tell Me the questions before?
[Ms. Thrylokya replied:-]
6. No, Swami. These questions are shared to me just before the starting of the Satsanga by Surya Sir.
Swami said:- I am mentioning this because some people are in the impression that I refer some books and ask somebody else to prepare answers for the questions I receive. One fact is that this knowledge did not exist till now. In order to remove such misunderstandings or the wrong impressions, I am conducting these online Satsangas. And one more interesting thing is that the answers I give spontaneously to the questions of the devotees are far better and effective than the answers I give in writing.
The reason is that when I reply in writing, both the God component and the human being component interfere with each other and when I give spontaneous replies, only the God component replies.
7. If any other religious poster or person is seen, I get furious. How do I come out of this?
[Shri Jitendra Datta asked:- Jai Guru Datta! Guru Datta! Shri Datta Prabhu Datta! I’m a follower of Hindu dharma. Due to my living atmosphere or my polluted mind, I don’t know the exact reason but if I see any other religious poster or persons, I get furious and start hating them internally. I can’t control myself. Why I’m behaving like this? I know it’s wrong, but how do I come out of this? Is there any solution? kindly help me.]
Swami replied:- I will just give a personal experience before replying this question. Smt. Sudha (mother of Ms. Thrylokya) has asked Me a question once, “Swami, suppose some Muslim terrorists come to You and say that if You do not change Yourself into a Muslim, we would kill You. Then, what will You do? Will You change Your Hindu religion to Muslim or will You leave Your life for the sake of Hindu religion?” I replied that even before those Muslim terrorists come, just on hearing the news itself, I will shave My beard to half and put a white cap. When they come, I ask them in return, “To what extent have you done the conversion of other religions into Islam? You must do the work sincerely, otherwise Allah will become angry”. She (Smt. Sudha Rani) was shocked and confused about My reply. I explained that I have not done even an atom of sin by talking like this because I have changed from Hinduism to Islam and both religions believe in God. Both are theistic religions only. I just changed My external culture. Muslims call God as Allah and we call Him as Parabrahman or Brahman. So, what’s the big difference? The person is same and one only, the external dress is different. Suppose instead of Muslims, some atheists come to Me with guns, I’ll not turn into an atheist even if they kill Me. I’ll never become an atheist. But here, changing from Hinduism to Islam, it is like moving from one room to another room in the same house. There is no sin here. Moreover, I have shown the knowledge of Universal Spirituality by doing like that. Therefore, by understanding this logic, you will not become furious when you see other religions.
8. How come a person in deep sleep wakes up when somebody pinches him?
[Shri. Diwakar asked: Paadanamaskaaram Swami! You explained that in deep sleep, awareness completely shuts down due to non-conversion of inert energy into awareness in the brain nervous system. So, how come a person who is in deep sleep wakes up before completing his sleep when somebody pinches him? Please correct me Swami if there are any mistakes in the question itself.]
Swami replied: The only mistake is that you studied engineering and not biological sciences! The human brain contains several parts. A small part of the brain deals with the awareness and other parts give mechanical signals to various functioning systems in the body like kidneys, heart, lungs, blood circulation, etc. So, when you pinch a person in deep sleep, the mechanical signals activate that part of the brain which is taking rest and awareness is generated suddenly which means the person becomes awaken. It is simply a mechanical signal, just like the traffic signal. The other parts of the brain are functioning without awareness, sending mechanical signals even in deep sleep. Sometimes, a mechanical signal appears as if it is a signal of awareness just like an ignorant person thinks that somebody is mechanically controlling the traffic signals. In fact, there are so many mechanical processes which appear as if they are controlled and being implemented by intellectuals.
If the person was having awareness (even in deep sleep) and you are nearing to pinch, on touching you he will question you loudly saying, “Why are you trying to pinch me?” He will move away and not even allow you to pinch him. So, the awareness does not exist during deep sleep. The entire inert energy you get after oxidation of food in your stomach, is not converted into awareness completely. Only one part of brain has awareness and that part only takes rest during deep sleep. Other parts of the brain convert the inert energy into mechanical signals to run other biological functions in both states of awaken and deep sleep. During deep sleep i.e., when the awareness-part of the brain is taking rest, even though inert energy is available, it is not converted into awareness just like a spoiled cutting machine cannot do cutting work even if you send electricity. Both the electricity and an active machine are needed to perform any work. Similarly, inert energy and active brain are needed to create awareness. Simply, answer to this question of Mine, “Is anyone getting any experience in deep sleep?” If someone is getting any experience, he must be in a dream state and not in deep sleep state. If awareness is existing, he can get any kind of experience. Suppose there is nothing to be experienced, he must at least get the experience of the nothingness, which is called as ignorance. In deep sleep, even that ignorance is not experienced. So, even the Advaita preacher is also not getting any experience in his deep sleep, but, he is telling that awareness is present in deep sleep because the Advaita philosophy supports this. Advaita philosophy says that awareness itself is God and if that awareness disappears in deep sleep, God also disappears, which contradicts the fact that He is eternal. To resolve this contradiction, they tell that awareness is present in deep sleep also.
Some other people say that awareness is not there, but, consciousness is existing in deep sleep. I simply put one argument, “There are only two types of items in the world, which are inert and non-inert. Awareness is not-inert. If consciousness is different from awareness, consciousness must be inert. When it is inert, then there is no experience. If it is awareness, then that's what we are telling”. All these are foolish questions to project their over intelligence. The general psychology of a human being is that it wants to project itself as a very great intellectual and that is the general tendency. There is one Sanskrit shloka about self-projection. A poet asks to project yourself in any way and become famous. He suggests to take a pot to the center of the village and break it suddenly (ghaṭaṃ bhindyāt) so that everyone around will see you and you become famous. You just tear your shirt (paṭaṃ chindyāt) or cry like a donkey (kuryādvā gārdabha svaram, yena kenā pyupāyena). Whatever may be the way, you should earn fame (prasiddhaḥ puruṣo bhava). Ordinary people do this to gain everybody’s attention by saying that the other person is wrong. Suppose somebody gets some doubt in practicing tradition and goes to enquire about it, the attention-seeking elder will immediately say that it is wrong although it is correct as per the scripture. He wants to prove that you are ignorant and he is wise. Just like the tiger is grabbing a goat, he is proving you as ignorant by swallowing you by saying that you are not correct. The other fellow will think about himself as ignorant and this elder or guru as a wise scholar gets salutations from the other innocent person.
9. Can You please share Your view on the demand for a separate Hindu Rashtra?
[Shri Jayesh Pandey asked: Swami ji, here in North India, a person named Shri Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, Head of Bhageshwar Dham, who manages the administration of that place, a blessed devotee of Lord Hanuman, propagates the ideology of Hindu Rashtra aggressively. Is this Ideology of Hindu Rashtra correct? Also, will it be correct to say that Lord Hanuman also wants it?]
Swami replied: There are two solutions for this question. Hindu Rashtra need not be desired provided the other religions which are staying in India do not cause any difficulty or problem to Hindus in India. They should live like brothers and shouldn’t cause problems to Hindus. Even if a Hindu causes a problem to another Hindu, will that another Hindu keep silent? Ravana was a Hindu and Rama was also a Hindu. Ravana caused problem to Rama and Rama fought against him. Here, there is no question of religion and the point is whether you are causing some unjust problem or not - is to be enquired and not about your religion. If ‘X’ is causing unjust problems to ‘Y’, then ‘Y’ will also start causing unjust problems to ‘X’. Otherwise, ‘X’ will think that ‘Y’ is a dummy fellow. If ‘X’ doesn’t cause any problem in return and if he is very peaceful living like a brother, then this separate Hindu Rashtra is not justified.
When Pakistan was separated from India, Muslims asked for a separate state. Gandhiji was resisting a lot against separation. Therefore, it depends upon the other religions to decide if they want to live peacefully with Hindus or not. If peaceful co-existence occurs, the demand for Hindu Raashtra becomes meaningless. Muslims are also theists and not atheists. They also believe in God, heaven and hell. They also believe that if they do any mistake, they will be punished by Allah. Since Islam is also a theistic religion, they must take this problem in a soft way and consider that Hindus are their brothers, who also believe in God. Both Hindus and Muslims believe that if injustice is done, it will be punished by God. Both have the same belief but only the names of God are different. Both believe in heaven and hell. Hindus need not separate them as non-vegetarians because even in Hindus, there are non-vegetarians. So, there is no ground on which you can separate them except one ground, which is that they shouldn’t cause unnecessary unjust problems to Hindus. If anybody causes an unjust problem, be he a Hindu or a Muslim, he shall be attacked by everyone if he doesn’t change through peaceful message. Therefore, it should not be a question of separation based on religion because both religions have the same basic concepts of God, heaven and hell. If a problem or an issue comes based on injustice, then the reaction is justified irrespective of religion. In both Hinduism and Islam, basic concepts are exactly same. In worldly life (Pravrutti), God exists, God supports justice and God opposes injustice. In spiritual life (Nivrutti), God can be achieved by extreme devotion, which is exceptional love to Him. In every theistic religion, both Pravrutti and Nivrutti are common and this analysis of Mine is a double-edged sword which kills the ignorance present in the minds of all people of all religions.
10. Isn’t it better to follow secularism with Hinduism or some religion in particular?
[Ms. Thrylokya asked: Swami, You also said that in the name of secularism, we are actually moving to atheism practically saying that all are equal. Instead of allowing such a secularism which is practically atheism, isn’t it better to go for a secularism with Hinduism or some religion particularly?]
Swami replied: I already wrote the same in My answers previously. Whatever answer is given by Me is uttered by you sentence by sentence, word by word as question. I can only repeat the same as answer again!
I just criticized the secular policy of our government because they should give equal importance to all religions. There is same medicine in different bottles and secularism means to take medicine from the first bottle today, from the second bottle tomorrow and from the third bottle on the day after tomorrow. It is anti-secularism if you say that since the same medicine is present in all bottles, I don’t take medicine at all! Not being religious is not secularism. They are misunderstanding that anti-religion and non-religion is secularism. But, Secularism means being religious and instead of following one single religion, you follow all religions. You must be religious and give equal respect to all religions. That is real secularism. That is the spirit of secularism. If you are taking medicine from each bottle, every day from one bottle, that shows that you are believing that the same medicine is present in all bottles, which is the real Secularism.
11. Please comment on the following.
[Swami, there are people out there fighting for Hindu Rashtra and currently, it is secularism but practically it is going to atheism.]
Swami replied: When the fight came, then they are referring to secularism or non-secularism. But, what they follow is non-secularism. An atheist is non-secular because when the word ‘religion’ comes, he fights and tells that this is not secularism. He is actually non-secular. Secularism means accepting every religion and it is not non-religious. Whether it is food from MP or food from UP or food from Bengal or food from Kerala or Tamil Nadu or Andhra Pradesh, all foods contain same carbohydrates, same proteins, same minerals and same vitamins. You can eat any food and these components are supplied to the body and this is secularism. Now, current secularism means–don’t talk about food! Food shouldn’t be talked about! You shouldn’t take food because we are secular. The sense is completely smashed.
When we go to a court, they ask you to promise on God and all the religious books are present. The Bible or the Quran or the Bhagavad Gita is given so that you can promise on that, which is secularism. It is believing that all religious scriptures are divine and written by God. Sometimes, they are including one facility also. You need not promise on any book, but, just promise on your heart. What bloody heart? Everybody knows what is your heart and how dirty it is! You and your family members know how polluted is your heart. They provide that facility called as Aatmasaakshi (one’s own awareness). What is his consciousness? He is always conscious about wrong things and can he promise on his consciousness? When people like Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa or Jesus say, “I promise on My consciousness”, then there is value to it. Every Tom, Dick and Harry can’t use that! That is again non-secular. It is not secular at all because there is no God, no religious book and no scripture. This new option given to all citizens is non-secular and providing only holy religious scriptures like the Gita, the Quran and the Bible, etc., is secularism. Providing a facility of promising on one’s own consciousness in the court of law is purely atheism, getting support of the word ‘secularism’ in a false way. Even though secularism does not support non-religiousness, they are fooling us because we are not able to analyze it.
[A devotee from the crowd said:]
12. In India, all the religions are co-existing for many years.
Swami replied: Just mere co-existing is not enough! Co-existence with love, peace and brotherhood is very important. If love, peace, etc., are absent, what is the use of co-living? It is better to separate. Suppose all the sons are quarreling, the father will say, “Divide this property and get separated, but, please live peacefully”. Living with love and brotherhood is the best solution. But, if you are unable to live like that and often quarrel with each other, is it not better to get separated and live peacefully?
To be continued...
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