Posted on: 19 Jul 2024
O Learned and Devoted Servants of God,
(Part-1 of Satsang: Following Satsang took place at Hyderabad attended by Shri Kunal Chatterjee, Smt. Suchandra Chatterjee, Ms. Noishadha and some local devotees such as Shri JSR Prasad, Shri PVNM Sarma, Smt. Annapurna, Shri Abhiram, Smt. Sudha Rani and Ms. Thrylokya.)
1. How to detect the human incarnation by one point without any confusion?
[How to detect the human incarnation simply by one point without any confusion? There is a female devotee of God Rama and she is describing several new incidents of the life of Rama. Is she genuine?]
Swami replied:- The purpose of God coming down to earth is simply only one point, which is that He should help humanity in Pravrutti or Nivrutti or both. In every activity of the human incarnation, this point should be clearly projected. The reason is that God has no selfish need like earning money, earning name and fame, etc., since He is completely satisfied due to His omnipotency. Whether it is excellent spiritual knowledge or true love shown towards devotees or miracles performed, the basic aim shall be to benefit the human souls only. God tries to help even atheists through miracles. If this one point is missing, we should conclude that such a person is only a scholar exhibiting deep knowledge or a demon performing miracles for the popularity of his/her name and fame.
Based on this concept, you can judge whether the devotee is genuine or not. If the new incidents revealed by her about God Rama have a direct or indirect aim to help the worldly life or spiritual life or both of any human being, she is certainly the incarnation of God Rama because God Rama is living in her to help humanity.
2. When souls were perfectly following justice, how was God entertained in the Kruta Yuga?
[In the first Kruta Yuga, souls were perfectly doing justice and were maximum devotees. In this age, how is God entertained? If the cinema is running as per our will, we do not get entertainment. But, God created the world for entertainment.]
Swami replied:- In the first Kruta Yuga, the souls were climax devotees of God. Devotion or love is the climax of entertainment. Hence, in the Kruta Yuga, God was entertained by the marvelous devotion or love of all the devoted souls. After a long time (about 32 lakh years), the souls got bored with the strict discipline given by God. It is just like a father, knowing that his children are bored, tries to give some freedom to them. God gave only a little freedom to the souls and the freedom of a soul is within certain limits only. Just like the father, after giving some freedom to the children, always preaches them the rules of discipline so that the children will not be damaged, God also comes down to earth to preach the true and complete spiritual knowledge that protects the souls from the damage of sins caused by the freedom. Due to this, the devotion of the souls is either false or zero. But, God cannot be entertained by the false or zero devotion of souls. Now, since God has no entertainment, is He not bored? The answer is ‘No’ because God is entertained by the work of preaching spiritual knowledge to the souls, who have become the most complicated due to the freedom. Dealing with complicated patients increases the work of doctor and due to such increased work, God is fully entertained. Hence, God will take care of His entertainment in all the times.
3. Does a devotee also need the help of God?
Swami replied:- If the devotee is a climax devotee, there is no need of any help from God, just like a perfectly healthy person does not need the help of a doctor. Even if the health is spoilt a very little, one runs to the doctor. Therefore, a devotee also needs the help of God if his/her climax devotion is disturbed even by a trace. Majority of the human souls is lacking even a trace of true devotion and all their devotion is only false devotion because they love God for their own selfish worldly benefits. Hence, among all the human beings, either atheists with zero devotion or theistic devotees with false devotion alone are present. A hundred percent true devotee having fully real love to God based on only his/her attraction to the personality of God and not based on any other desire is very very rare. Therefore, to speak the absolute truth, every human soul needs the help of God either in Pravrutti or Nivrutti or both. Just like the patient only needs the doctor, every soul needs the direction of God since every soul is qualitatively a patient having the disease of selfishness — corona virus in different quantitative percentages. A real climax devotee does not need the help of God just like a perfectly healthy person does not require the help of a doctor.
4. How is mere theoretical devotion useless without practical devotion when love is a feeling?
[Swami, love is only theoretical since it is a feeling. But, You say that mere theoretical devotion is useless without practical devotion. How is it when love is the highest?]
Swami replied:- There are two kinds of love. One is instrumental love or false love and the other is goal love or true love. A poet is praising a king for some materialistic benefit. The love shown by the poet on the king in the poetry is false theoretical love since his aim is only materialistic benefit and the king is an instrument to achieve that benefit. This is called as false love or instrumental love or instrumental devotion (Saadhana Bhakti) to God. A climax devotee praises God purely based on his/her attraction towards the wonderful personality of God and not for any other desire. This is the true love or true devotion or goal devotion (Saadhya Bhakti) to God. Hence, mere theoretical devotion without even a trace of practical devotion is totally false love unless the devotee has practically nothing in his/her hand to perform the practical devotion as sacrifice. Theoretical devotion is simply showing the feelings of mind. Theoretical knowledge is simply showing the ideas of intelligence. This is called ‘Asambhuuti Upaasana’, which means that it is not clearly expressed because any feeling or any idea is not clearly expressed due to the lack of materialization. Practical devotion is the sacrifice of fruit of work, which is matter or material that is clearly expressed and hence, is called as ‘Sambhuuti Upaasana’. The second type is the proof of the first type, giving value to the first type. The second type, which is the sacrifice of matter or material like food, money, clothes, etc., is Karma Phala Tyaaga, which is the sacrifice of matter. The sacrifice of feelings (theoretical devotion) and ideas (theoretical knowledge) are the sacrifice of energy since feelings and ideas are made of nervous energy and are not made of materialized matter.
5. Why is Karma Samnyaasa, which is a sacrifice of energy, included in practical devotion?
[If sacrifice of ideas (knowledge) and feelings (devotion) is also the sacrifice of nervous energy, then, the sacrifice of physical energy or work called as Karma Samnyaasa will also come under the theoretical phase of sacrificing energy. Then, why is Karma Samnyaasa included as a sub-part of practical devotion or Karma Yoga?]
Swami replied:- The service (Karma Samnyaasa) done by human beings is also the sacrifice of work or energy and comes under the first theoretical phase only because theoretical phase is characterized by the sacrifice of nervous energy (ideas and feelings) or physical energy (service work like pressing feet and propagating knowledge, etc.). In such case, the theoretical phase or sacrifice of energy is one category, which includes Jnaana Yoga (sacrifice of ideas), Bhakti Yoga (sacrifice of feelings) and Karma Samnyaasa Yoga (sacrifice of physical work like pressing feet or propagating knowledge by speech, etc.). The other category will be the practical phase that includes Karma Phala Tyaaga only, which is sacrifice of matter. In this type of classification, following is the result:-
1st Type (Theoretical Phase or Sacrifice of Energy) includes Jnaana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma Samnyaasa Yoga.
2nd Type (practical phase or sacrifice of matter) includes Karma Phala Tyaaga only.
In this classification, the second type is far far superior than the first type based on the relationship of energy and matter (E=mc2), which concludes that very little matter is equivalent to a very huge lot of energy.
Another way of classification is:-
1) Jnaana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga come under the 1st type or theoretical phase. Here, in Jnaana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga, very very weak nervous energy in the form of feelings and ideas flows in very tender nerves.
2) Karma Samnyaasa Yoga, which is the sacrifice of strong physical energy and Karma Phala Tyaaga Yoga, which is the sacrifice of matter come under the 2nd type of practical phase.
Whatever may be the way of classification, Karma Phala Tyaaga stands as the highest that strictly represents practical devotion or Karma Yoga. Hence in the Gita, it is told that Bhakti Yoga is greater than Jnaana Yoga and Karma Phala Tyaaga is greater than Bhakti Yoga (Jñānāt Dhyānam…Dhyānāt Karma phala tyāgaḥ). Here, instead of telling Karma Yoga, Karma Phala Tyaaga is mentioned, which places the total Karma Yoga or sacrifice of matter as the highest. This is again a support for the second way of the above classification in which mere Karma Phala Tyaaga is mentioned representing the entire practical devotion or Karma Yoga.
Hence, if there is capability of doing the practical devotion or Karma Phala Tyaaga and if it is not done due to greediness, the entire theoretical devotion (Jnaana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma Samnyaasa Yoga) is false and a waste. If you see the relationship between energy and matter, which is E=mc2, even a small trace of matter is equal to a huge lot of energy. Therefore, matter is far far greater than energy and stands as the practical proof of the theoretical devotion. A saint has no capability to do practical devotion (Karma Phala Tyaaga) and is only capable of doing physical service by sacrificing work or energy (by sacrificing nervous energy along with physical sound energy in propagating knowledge by speech) and therefore, sacrifice of service is limited to the saints only. You cannot expect the sacrifice of fruit of work from a saint since he begs others even for his food. This means that Karma Phala Tyaaga (sacrifice of matter) is greater than Karma Samnyaasa (sacrifice of more gross physical energy in works like pressing feet, propagating knowledge by speech, etc.) and Karma Samnyaasa is greater than Bhakti Yoga (sacrifice of mental feelings, which are very weak nervous energy) and Jnaana Yoga (sacrifice of ideas, which are weak nervous energy). Matter (Karma Phala Tyaaga) is stronger than energy and within energy, strong energy (Karma Samnyaasa) is greater than weak energy (Jnaana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga). Nervous energy (feelings and ideas) is the weakest form of energy that flows in the tender nerves of the body. Pressing feet, speaking knowledge to others by spending sound form of energy, etc., (Karma Samnyaasa) is better than Jnaana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. Sacrificing materialized items like food, money, etc., is sacrifice of matter, which is better than Karma Samnyaasa.
6. Is the highest Karma Phala Tyaaga of Satyabhaama lesser than the theoretical devotion of Rukmini?
[Satyabhaama sacrificed all her jewels for the sake of God Krishna whereas Rukmini sacrificed only a small leaflet of Tulasi plant. Does this not mean that the highest Karma Phala Tyaaga (Sacrifice of matter) became lesser than the theoretical devotion of Rukmini?]
Swami replied:- Rukmini also sacrificed a leaflet of Tulasi, which is also matter. She did not say that she is putting all her spiritual knowledge or theoretical devotion in the pan of balance. Here, Satyabhaama is full of rajas or ego, which is not pure devotion. Pure theoretical knowledge and pure theoretical devotion are also necessary along with practical devotion. Mere mango plant (Karma Yoga) alone is not sufficient to get the mango fruit if water (Spiritual Knowledge) and fertilizer (theoretical devotion) are absent. Mere water (theoretical knowledge) and fertilizer (theoretical devotion) are not sufficient to get the mango fruit without the mango plant (practical devotion or Karma Yoga). Satyabhaama has done practical devotion, but her theoretical knowledge and devotion are not pure due to her ego. The ego being made of a thought can be cut by another thought (like theoretical knowledge and theoretical devotion), which cannot be cut by materialized activities like practical service or practical sacrifice. Hence, her donation itself being an inert activity cannot remove her ego, which is an awareness–thought. Therefore, the inert practical activity like sacrifice can co-exist with the theoretical ego without damaging the ego. God is not in need of anything and hence, He cannot be pleased with mere practical devotion. If you throw a coin on the face of a beggar, who is in need, he is pleased because he is needy. You shall not sacrifice to God treating Him as a needy beggar. Theory is the source of practice and shall be associated while doing practical devotion in the form of egoless obedience, fear and shyness as said in the Veda. Satyabhaama was egoistic and careless to purchase God Krishna with her jewels. Her case is like a mere mango plant without water and manure. The final conclusion is that all the three (Jnaana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga) are essential and equally important.
7. Is it necessary that a soul take female birth as the last birth to get salvation?
Swami replied:- Generally, it is necessary because the gender ego will not go away unless there is a clear change of gender in the body. But, in very special cases, the gender ego will go by their mental and intellectual confirmed thinking that the soul is always a female and the wife of God irrespective of the gender of the body (Striyaḥ satīḥ puṃsaḥ… Veda). This gender ego is a very strong feeling and can be cut by other strong feelings of knowledge and devotion only. This gender ego cannot be cut by any external physical action like taking cold water bath in the early morning. Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, while staying in Brundaavanam for one month, behaved internally and externally as a Gopika by wearing a saree and jewels every day. Hanuman was successful in cutting the gender ego in the present male life. He tore His heart with hand nails and showed God Rama in His heart in place of the feeling of ‘I’ (basic Ahankaara). He showed God Rama in the place of His individual soul. He plucked the ego with roots! Gender ego is the plant and the basic ego is its root. Since the work of God Rama was over, there was no necessity of basic ego further to do the service to Rama.
8. The surrender of body to God is possible in sweet devotion and hence, it is the highest. Please clarify.
[You said that sweet devotion is the greatest because all the three instruments or Trikaranams (mind, word and body) are surrendered to God. In other lines of devotion, surrender of body to God is not possible and hence, it is felt that sweet devotion is the highest through which Gopikas reached God. Please clarify.]
Swami replied:- Surrender of body to God is an action (a form of work) of sex. But, body can be surrendered in other types of works or actions of service to God. The three instruments of action are mentioned as Mano-Vaak-Kaaya-Karma, which means the action done by mind (desire), the action done by speaking words (praising God) and the action done by body (like physical services done by body like pressing feet, etc.). It is a false notion to fix the meaning of the action of body as sex only, avoiding other types of actions like physical services. For example, when Hanuman jumped over the sea, is it not the action or service done by body? All the monkeys participated in the war, which means that they surrendered their bodies even for death. Is this not the highest surrender of body? Hence, the form of love is not important but the weight of love is important to decide the value of devotion. The sweets made of sugar can be in the form of donkeys and swans. Whatever may be the form, the rate is hundred rupees per kilogram. You cannot say that swan is a better form than donkey and hence, one kilo of sugar-swans must be two hundred rupees and one kilo of sugar-donkeys must be fifty rupees. Draupadi, treating God Krishna as her brother, tore her saree to band the cut finger whereas all the romantic bonds (wives and Gopikas) ran in all directions for a small piece of cloth for bandage. The finger of God Krishna was bleeding and they (wives and Gopikas) did not mind the time for searching a piece of cloth in which more blood will be lost. Draupadi thought like this and immediately tore her new saree worn by her to save much loss of blood. The brotherly bond was proved to be far far greater than the so-called highest romantic bond!
9. Brahma Muhurtam is very much suitable to concentrate on God. Please explain.
[Swami, It is told that Brahma Muhurtam is in the early morning and that it is very much suitable to concentrate on God. Please explain.]
Swami replied:- In the ancient days, people used to go to bed early in the night and awake early in the morning naturally without the help of any alarm because the brain had full time of rest. Therefore, in the early morning time, just after waking up from sleep, the mind would be very very fresh and hence, very very strong. It was advised to apply this fresh and strong mind on God for some time till the sun was fully expressed rising the temperature of the atmosphere. Hence, the fresh mind was also co-operated by the cool atmosphere in the early morning before the full expression of sun. In this way, this time was called as Brahma Muhurtam or very much convenient time to pray God.
Here, the time is not important, but the conditions of the rising person and atmosphere are important. The rising person must be very fresh and this is possible only when the person has taken full stipulated rest in sleep. The condition of the atmosphere is also very important because before the full expression of sun, the atmosphere is very cool. Suppose a person slept at 1 a.m. due to long work and rises up in the early morning with the help of an alarm piece, such early morning is not Brahma Muhurtam for that person since the person has not taken full stipulated rest. Hence, the Brahma Muhurtam is specific to each individual and is not a general time for everybody. Suppose that person awoke at 10 a.m. with full fresh mind and suppose the atmosphere in his room is maintained cool due to a functioning air cooler, the Brahma Muhurtam for him is from 10 a.m. onwards because the above said two stipulated conditions of the person and atmosphere are fulfilled in this case also. Brahma Muhurtam means the time for the prayer of Brahman or God and such time is characterized by the following parameters:-
1) The mind of the rising person (not ‘raising’ person meaning that the person is raised forcibly by the alarm piece) is fresh and strong since the brain has taken its full stipulated rest and the person rose from sleep naturally without any force.
2) The atmosphere is cool without heat, co-operating with the fresh mind for its concentration on God in the prayer (This heat of the sun is controlled inside the room by an air cooler, which was not possible in the ancient days). Hence, the control of heat leading to cool atmosphere is the essential point here and not any other point. Hence, for this person, who slept late at night, Brahma Muhurtam exactly starts from 10 a.m. onwards only. Without knowing this analysis of the concept, ignorant people feel that Brahma Muhurtam means only the early morning time alone for every human being in this creation!
If you say that Smruti (secondary scripture) says that the early morning only is called as Brahma Muhurtam, we say that the author of Smruti mentioned that concept in view of the ancient times in which he lived. In ancient times, everybody went early to bed and rose in the early morning spontaneously. Moreover, remember that Smruti is not the absolute authority and it is only secondary authority following the Shruti or the Veda (Śṛti smṛti virodhe tu, śṛtireva garīyasī).
If you say that the Ayurveda – Doctors say that the digestion of a human being is influenced by the heat of the rising sun and hence, the Brahma Muhurtam must be related to the rising sun, it is not correct because the digestion of a human being is related to the heat of the rays of the sun at a specific frequency, which changes as the sun is expressed more and more clearly. Hence, the digestion of a person is linked to the variation of frequency of the heat (whether the source of heat is sun or a heater) inside his room and therefore, you cannot link Brahma Muhurtam specifically to the heat of a specific source that is sun rays only. Digestion is a specific chemical reaction that takes place at a specific temperature created by the heat energy with a specific frequency. Even the photosynthesis in plants is a chemical reaction that takes place at a specific temperature by the heat of sun in the morning time. The same chemical reaction takes place in natural atmosphere or created artificial atmosphere provided all the parameters (like temperature, pressure, etc.) are arranged correctly.
10. Swami, why is twilight selected as a precious time for worship of God?
Swami replied:- In the twilight time, both darkness and light co-exist. The light or day and darkness or night cannot co-exist simultaneously because they are opposite contradicting each other. You cannot call the twilight time as either day or night because neither light alone nor darkness alone exists at that time. As per the principles of nature, light and darkness cannot co-exist. But, God is omnipotent and is beyond the laws of nature. Twilight is the best example where day and night co-exist because you can’t call twilight either as day (light) or night (darkness). This is the best possible example in which we can find the omnipotent God making impossible as possible by forcing light and darkness to exist simultaneously even though they contradict each other. We can take the twilight as the best possible example of the omnipotent power of God. Hence, this time can easily remind us about the omnipotent God. Hence, the worship of God in twilight will be very much congenial to remember the omnipotent God through prayers. Therefore, ‘Sandhyaa Vandanam’ means worshipping God in the twilight (Sandhyāyāṃ daiva vandanam) and not worshipping the twilight (Sandhyaayaah Vandanam). Ignorant people formulate this twilight as Goddess Gayatri and worship Gayatri instead of worshipping the unimaginable-unmediated-universal God. Gayatri is only a meter in which this mediated unimaginable God is worshipped through prayer. In the Sandhyaa Vandanam itself, Gayatri is told as meter and Savitaa, the unimaginable creator is mentioned as God (Gāyatrī chhandaḥ – Savitā devatā).
11. Swami, is the practical behaviour of God to be followed or not to be followed by devotees?
Swami replied:- If something is to be followed, the incarnation of God practices the followable trend for the sake of devotees. He practices it so that the devotees will practice it and this is called as Loka Samgraha, which is based on the practice of the highest incarnation inspiring the practice of ordinary human devotees (Yadyadācarati śreṣṭhaḥ - Gita). Sometimes, He practices such thing by which the devotee must know that the devotee shall not imitate God in this context (Tadanvīkṣya prayuñjānaḥ…). Both these contexts are contradicting each other, but you should take both these different contexts separately in different contexts, which are doing and not doing. You must take the concept of Loka Samgraha in the context of doing and you must separately take the concept of omnipotency in the context of not doing. Hence, you cannot take these two above said contexts as the self-contradiction of God through these two opposing contexts.
12. Is it correct to learn knowledge from various items of creation?
[It is said that we should learn messages from various items of creation. The Avadhuuta saint preached King Yadu that 24 items of the world exist as preachers (Avadhuuta Yadu Samvaada). Is this point correct?]
Swami replied:- This point is partially correct because the messages given by the inert items of creation have to be understood by us. The inert items do not preach messages like human preachers. Hence, there is every possibility of misunderstanding the messages because the message is to be built up by us, the ignorant souls. If you take the human incarnation preaching knowledge through a message, He/She preaches the message with perfect logic establishing the correct concept and there is no possibility of us misunderstanding the concept. You may doubt that how the human preacher is the creation because it is said that the creation shall be taken as the spiritual preacher. The unimaginable God, the creator of this creation comes as human incarnation by mediating Himself in a medium, which is a part of the creation itself. Part of the creation can be called as creation because both hundred rupees and one rupee are called as money only. Hence, the human incarnation appearing to our eyes is the visible and imaginable creation only. Therefore, if a human being becomes the divine spiritual preacher, it means that the creation or the human medium that is mediating the inner unimaginable God has become the spiritual preacher. Preaching by human incarnation is more meritorious since there is no possibility of our misunderstanding. Learning spiritual knowledge from part of creation (which is alive human body) shall be taken as the preaching by the human incarnation which is the better real sense. It is told that we shall treat the creation as God (Viśvaṃ viṣṇuḥ). The Veda also says that this creation is God (Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ Brahma). The visible body of the human incarnation called as ‘Pindaanda’ is qualitatively one and the same with the entire creation called as ‘Brahmaanda’. The nine components (eight Aparaa Prakruti and one Paraa Prakruti) called as ‘Navaavaranams’ are the same in the micro cosmos (human body) and macro cosmos (creation). The difference is only quantitative.
13. When worship of Gayatri is equal to worship of Brahmaa, then why shall we insist on worshipping Brahmaa?
[Even by worshipping Gayatri, the power of God Brahmaa, it is equal to the worship of God Brahmaa. In such case, why shall we insist on the worship of God Brahmaa instead of worshipping Goddess Gayatri?]
Swami replied:- Where there is sunlight, the sun need not be there. But, where there is sun, the sunlight exists invariably. I often advise people, who worship only Goddess Lakshmi to get the wealth permanently settled in their home that if they invite Goddess Lakshmi, she will come and sit for some time and takes leave after some time to reach her husband in His abode (Vaikuntha Loka). But, if you worship God Narayana and invite Him to stay in your house permanently and if He stays in your house forever, Goddess Lakshmi will stay in your house forever since Goddess Lakshmi is residing in His heart forever. Hence, you must worship the possessor of the power and not the power directly. Power cannot be isolated from the possessor of the power but the possessor of the power can stay isolated withdrawing its power. The sun in rainy season may look dim in the sky without the bright sunlight. But, the sunlight cannot exist separately when the sun is absent. I am not speaking this having gender difference because the sun is not male and the sunlight is not female. Goddess Durga is female and God Shiva is male. There is no difference between both even though we say that God Shiva is the husband and Goddess Durga is the wife. Both are of one and the same concept. In both cases, God is the inner possessor of power and in both cases, the external form or body is the power expressed. In both cases, possessor of power and the power co-exist. Both are different forms (media) of the same one unimaginable God. Hence, you must understand this concept based on the analysis of spiritual knowledge and not based on the foolish gender difference. In both cases, the same two items exist, which are God and His power.
