20 Jul 2024
O Learned and Devoted Servants of God
(Part-2 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. For Part-1 of Satsang click here)
1. How is Shiva giving boons to demons justified?
[The demons do penance just for boons only without any real devotion to God. God Shiva gives the boons immediately. How is this justified?]
Swami replied:- God is the real Father and the real Mother for all the souls since beginning of this creation till the end of the creation, which involves millions and millions of births. The biological parents are involved in a single birth only. Before understanding the parental love of God to the souls, let us understand the love of the biological parents, who are just confined to this single birth only. Suppose there is a rowdy son among several children and he does not have any respect or love towards his parents. He is hungry and came to home asking his mother in a harsh voice “Give me food at once”. Will the mother give the food immediately or not? Will she become angry for his rude behaviour and stop giving food? Even the father will immediately say to his wife “Give the food immediately since he is very hungry”. Even the parents confined to this single birth give food to the rowdy son without caring for his respect and love towards them, what will be the case of God possessing parental love from millions and millions of births on all souls continuously? The worldly parents may be foolish with blind love towards their rowdy son and may not try for inducing discipline into the son through harsh punishment. But, God is not having such blind fascination for even indisciplined issues. If God is in the form of those parents, the parents will give a harsh advice to the rowdy son after he finishes the meal. A wise parental love always aims at the welfare of the issue through discipline. Similarly, God in the form of Shiva gives boons to the demonic soul (just like the mother gives food to the rowdy son). The same God in the form of Vishnu punishes the demonic soul for its indiscipline so that the soul becomes disciplined with fear (just like the father gives harsh treatment to instill discipline in the rowdy son). Hence, you must treat the love of God towards the souls as the wise parental love.
2. I could get clarity with Your spiritual knowledge. What is Your advice?
[I now develop a very clear understanding about Jnaana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga. I could not get such clarity in the past by reading several books. What is Your advice?]
Swami replied:- You don’t worry about the past since you cannot recover the past by any type of compensation. Present is yours and if you take care of the present, the future will be taken care of. Past can neither influence the present nor influence the future. The present influences the future completely because based on your present effort, your future fruit will appear.
3. Today is the journey of the chariot of Jagannatha in Puri. Please give Your divine message in connection with this festival.
Swami replied:- Jagannatha means the ultimate God of creation and such God is Parabrahman (Unimaginable God) in unmediated state. Simultaneously, the same unimaginable God in mediated state is God Datta. Hence, the Lord of the creation Jagannatha means the ultimate unimaginable God Datta called by three names such as Hiranyagarbha, Narayana and Iishvara. The name ‘Datta’ simply means the unimaginable God given (Datta) to the world of human/energetic devotees for meditation or worship through energetic/human incarnations. The statue of Jagannatha represents this ultimate unimaginable God in mediated state called as Datta. The chariot (ratham) surrounding God Jagannatha (Datta) is the energetic/human body as said in the Veda (Śarīraṃ rathameva ca). Hence, the word ‘Rathayaatraa’ means the Shariira Yaatraa or the program of the journey of mediated God as incarnation. The word Shariira Yaatraa (Rathayaatraa) is used in the Gita (Śarīrayātrā pi ca te). It means the propagation of true and complete spiritual knowledge to humanity in this entire world. The Gita says that the most liked program by God is the propagation of true and complete spiritual knowledge (Jñāna yajñena tenāham). When we see a program involving physical materials, we must understand the background knowledge of such physical program (Śreyān dravyamayāt yajñāt, Jñāna yajñaḥ paraṃtapa - Gita). Such understanding and practice accordingly bring the real divine fruit. Ignorant people just follow the physical sense of the physical program only.
4. Please explain the meaning of the verse written in Gayatri meter.
Swami replied:-
i) The first letter is AUM, in which A stands for the creator Brahmaa, U stands for the ruler Vishnu and M stands for the destroyer Shiva. The Parabrahman is responsible for these three activities. The mediated Parabrahman or God Datta is the creator, the ruler and the destroyer of the creation.
ii) Bhuuh, Bhuvah, Suvah (or Svah) mean:- (1) Bhuu Loka (matter or wealth or Goddess Lakshmi or power of Vishnu), (2) Bhuvar Loka or Jyotir Loka or Dyu Loka (energy or Goddess Parvati or power of Shiva) and (3) Suvar Loka or Svar Loka (awareness or Goddess Sarasvati or power of Brahmaa). The three basic components of the creation, which are inert matter, inert energy and non-inert awareness are mentioned.
iii) These three basic components, which are tamas (matter), rajas (energy) and sattvam (awareness) are the constituents of the energetic/human body of the incarnations because all these three qualities always exist together. The body of the energetic incarnation is made of energy and awareness (neglecting the subtle matter or inertia of the energy) whereas the body of the human incarnation is made of matter, energy and awareness. But, the inertia denoted by the rest mass indicates that the energy is always associated with inertia or matter (rest mass) or minute trace of matter. Hence, these three qualities co-exist in the medium of both energetic and human incarnations. However, matter is very subtle in the body of energetic incarnation whereas matter is very predominant in the body of human incarnation. Hence, the above said three components of the creation are mentioned to indicate the energetic/human incarnations of God. Since human incarnation is related to the earth, we have to consider the human incarnation of God or Sadguru as the goal object here.
iv) Till now, the achieved meaning is that the ultimate unimaginable God doing creation, ruling and destruction of the world is mediated in an energetic body and is called as God Datta or the first energetic incarnation. This God Datta forms other energetic and human incarnations so that all other incarnations can be treated as the incarnations of the ultimate unimaginable God (Parabrahman) only because Parabrahman merges with every incarnation through God Datta only. Parabrahman exists in God Datta and God Datta exists in every incarnation (energetic or human).
v) The direct meaning of the verse in proper order of words:-
Dhīmahi (We meditate upon), Tat (That), Devasya–Savituḥ (God–Creator’s), Vareṇyam (Best), Bhargaḥ (Component of the three components).
Yaḥ (Who), Pracodayāt (Can initiate), Naḥ (Our), Dhiyaḥ (Intellects).
vi) This verse establishes the goal as the human incarnation called as Sadguru because:-
a) The three components of creation are clearly mentioned with equal importance by the three clear words and hence, the incarnation is only human incarnation. If it is energetic incarnation, the component of matter should not have been mentioned with equal stress because it is very subtle in the case of energetic incarnation.
b) The best component is mentioned as the awareness and the Gita also says that this component is the best item of creation (Paraa Prakruti), which is non-inert unlike the other two components (energy and matter). This means that God will mediate in the non-inert medium (awareness) only and not in the inert media (matter and energy).
c) This means that God is mediated in the awareness only but not in matter and energy. But, awareness itself is not independent and requires a container like energetic body (made of energy with subtle inertia representing trace of subtle matter) or human body (made of energy + matter). Hence, awareness must be associated with a container made of energy (with trace of subtle matter) or matter (with energy as binding energy). Since the awareness cannot be worshipped independently, the awareness present in the energetic or materialized container alone can be worshipped.
d) If you take the awareness that is present as basic awareness pervading all the living beings since we say that the awareness is pervading all living beings from ant to the creator (pipiilikaadi caturmukha paryantam praani jaatam nivishtah), you cannot achieve the awareness as omnipresent because awareness is not pervading all the inert items of the world. Hence, the word ‘best item of creation’ is simply based on the non-inert nature of the awareness and not on the omnipresence of awareness.
e) Hence, the best item in the creation called awareness associated with a materialized container (living human body) is mentioned here.
f) You cannot take this best item as mere basic awareness (cit). The reason is that the third line says that such a personality (awareness with materialized human body as container) is initiating the intellects of human disciples. The basic awareness present in all living beings (like insects, birds and animals) cannot have that potency to initiate the intellect of a human being because the basic awareness means general awareness and does not mean super intellect. Therefore, by this, the Sadguru must be a human incarnation of God only having special and excellent intelligence. This brings the human Sadguru as the ultimate goal of worship to receive the true and complete spiritual knowledge.
vii) We can divide the words of this verse into three categories:-
i) Words related to the side of mediated God:- Tat (N), Devasya (M), Savituḥ (M), Vareṇyam (N), Bhargaḥ (N), Yaḥ (M).
ii) Words related to the side of devotees:- Naḥ (M and F), Dhiyaḥ (F).
iii) Verbs related to both sides, which are neither M nor N nor F:- Dhīmahi, Pracodayāt.
The point to be noted here is that all the words related to the side of God are either in masculine gender (M) or in the neuter gender (N) but not in feminine gender (F).
Conclusion:- Hence, the goal to be worshipped is either in neuter gender (the unimaginable God) or in the male gender (God Datta entering into every incarnation). Here also, the feminine gender is not insulted because God Datta enters into both media of male and female genders. God Datta exists in God Shiva as well as in Goddess Durga as the inner God and the outer form or body in both cases is creation or Prakruti, which is feminine gender. Now, you may say that we have shown the partiality of gender because the inner God or first energetic incarnation (God Datta) is in male gender. Goddess Anaghaa is said to be the wife of God Datta. When God Datta was created as the first masculine energetic incarnation, simultaneously Goddess Anaghaa was created as the first feminine energetic incarnation, which existed in God Datta simultaneously. The males having masculine partiality could see the first energetic incarnation as male God Datta and the females having feminine partiality could see the same first energetic incarnation as female Goddess Anaghaa simultaneously. The souls having equal partiality to Datta and Anaghaa could see both God Datta and Goddess Anagha together existing simultaneously. This is the exact story in the case of God Brahmaa and Goddess Sarasvati. Just like God Datta did not create Goddess Anagha as His daughter, God Brahmaa did not create Goddess Sarasvati as His daughter. The unimaginable God created Datta and Anagha, Brahma and Sarasvati, Vishnu and Lakshmi and Shiva and Shakti simultaneously and merged in every pair simultaneously. All these four pairs are the simultaneous incarnations of Parabrahman. Hence, you cannot treat God Brahma as Parabrahman and say that God Brahma is the Father of Goddess Sarasvati. Datta, Brahmaa, Vishnu and Shiva are the incarnations of Parabrahman. Parabrahman merged with the first pair (Datta and Anaghaa) and later on, God Datta and Goddess Anaghaa merged with each pair of the three pairs. In the case of every pair, the male is the possessor of power and the female is the power. Both the possessor and the power cannot be isolated and are one and the same only even though each pair appears as two separate forms to satisfy the minds of devotees accustomed with dualism. The same one appears as two even in worldly examples. When you mistake the rope as serpent, both can simultaneously appear to you when you have a doubt whether it is rope or serpent. When you don’t have any doubt, rope appears as single rope only. Monism is in the angle of divine nature whereas dualism is in the angle of human nature. But, these two angles are confined to the cause and causal power and are not to be extended to cause and product. This means that the unimaginable God and His inherent power called Maayaa are one and the same appearing as two for human angle. The world is the product of unimaginable God or His power Maayaa. The unimaginable God and Maayaa are called together as one cause only. This concept should not be extended to the cause and effect so that you can say that God and world (Prakruti) are one and the same. Maayaa and Parabrahman are one and the same to be called as the cause. The world is the product of cause (Parabrahman or Maayaa) and you cannot say that the cause (Parabrahman or Maayaa) and the product (world) are one and the same. Maayaa is Kaarana Shakti (causal power) and Prakruti is the Kaarya Shakti (effective or productive power). There is no difference between causal power and cause. Similarly, there is no difference between productive power and product or effective power and effect. The Parabrahman is one and the same with causal power or Kaarana Shakti and is different from product or Prakruti (productive power) or effect or Prakruti (effective power) or kaarya shakti. Parabrahman is the possessor of causal power or Maayaa or Shaktimaan and is one with the causal power or Maayaa or Shakti. It is said that both possessor of power and power are one and the same (Śakti śaktimatorabhedaḥ).
When God Krishna told that He is the Father of all souls (Ahaṃ bīja pradaḥ pitā), it means that the unimaginable God present in Him is the Father of all souls since all souls were created by the unimaginable God. If you take Krishna as the Father, how can He marry so many souls (His children)? Hence, the unimaginable God present in God Brahmaa created both Brahmaa and Sarasvati. If you foolishly say that God Brahmaa created Sarasvati and married her as daughter, then all the souls created by God Brahmaa become brothers and sisters and how can there be marriages between the souls (brothers and sisters)? If you say that the marriage between father and daughter is wrong, the marriage between brother and sister must be equally wrong.
5. How do I get rid of this gender ego?
Swami replied:- Any bad quality can be deleted by knowing the true concept of spiritual knowledge completely. The jealousy or hatred towards a gender is also a quality, which is a thought or a feeling. Another thought can cut this bad thought just like a diamond can cut another diamond. Knowledge is built up by various concepts, which are thoughts only. Hence, the knowledge, which is in the form of thoughts only can cut the wrong thoughts. Other than this, there is no other way because one phase can’t cut another phase.
6. How are nails both inert and non-inert?
[Demon Hiranyakashipu asked God Brahmaa that he should not die by inert or non-inert weapons. God Narasimha killed this demon by hand-nails, which are neither inert nor non-inert. Please explain such nature of the nails.]
Swami replied:- Of course, nails are inert due to lack of awareness. Even plants are inert for the same reason even though plants have respiration. Hence, nails are not non-inert. People say that nails and hair grow even after cutting them and hence, they are non-inert. Since they do not feel any pain during cutting, they cannot be called as non-inert. This logic is given by people. But in fact, growth is not the characteristic of non-inert awareness. Even a crystal grows in size suspended in its solution. Even plants grow. This much scientific analysis did not exist in those ancient days. They took growth as the characteristic of non-inert awareness since growth is seen in living beings having awareness. There are living beings without awareness like plants. The respiration that is present in plants is only Praanamaya Kosha. To feel the pain, awareness is necessary, which is in different forms like Manomaya Kosha (Mind), Vijnaanamaya Kosha (Intellect) and Aanandamaya Kosha (Bliss). Some people mistake respiration as awareness and this is wrong. Respiration can be told as life. Therefore, the living beings are of two types:-
i) Living beings not having awareness (plants - Botany) and
ii) Living beings having awareness (birds, animals, human beings, etc. - Zoology).
Now, the question that comes is that since nails are inert, why did God Narasimha kill the demon with the inert nail-weapons? The answer for this is that in those days, the public opinion was that nails were neither inert nor non-inert. The nails cannot be both inert and non-inert due to self-contradiction. The knowledge of the then public had one merit and one defect.
Merit:- Nails are inert since awareness is absent due to their no-pain during cutting. Pain is related to mind (awareness). Similarly, plants have no pain during cutting and hence, plants are inert. Plants are living beings (due to respiration) but have no awareness.
Defect:- Growth is the characteristic of awareness. Growth appears in plants (Botanical living beings without awareness) and in inert items also (like growth of a crystal in its solution). Growth also appears in living beings with awareness (zoological beings). But, the then public mistook growth as the characteristic of living beings with awareness.
Based on the above merit and defect (defect was also misunderstood as merit), the then public concluded that nails are neither non-inert nor inert. This idea must be the basis of the scientific knowledge of the then public. Even the demon must have known this point. In that case, the demon should have asked three types of boons that he should not be killed (1) by inert weapons, (2) by non-inert weapons, (3) by weapons, which are neither non-inert nor inert (nails). The demon mentioned (1) and (2) types of weapons only and not the 3rd type. You cannot argue that since nails are inert weapons only, nails must have been excluded by God. This is not correct logic. This logic is based on present science. The then public and the demon clearly were treating nails as 3rd type only. In such a case, the demon should have mentioned the 3rd type also. God considers the public opinion based on the development of science in the corresponding time. Hence, the demon slipped by not mentioning the 3rd type. Even Ravana excluded humans and monkeys in the list of items that can bring death to him. Such slip is exploited by God because the demon must be killed for the safety of the creation.
Q7 updated on 24-07-2024
7. Why do You say that nearness brings negligence and farness brings fascination?
Swami replied:- Even the Veda said that you will hate the item present before your eyes and that you will love the item, which is far from your eyes (Parokṣa priyā iva hi devāḥ pratyakṣa dviṣaḥ) and the Veda says that this illness of human beings is common to even angels. This applies mainly to the human incarnation present among ordinary human beings.
i) Human beings certainly have ego-based jealousy and cannot tolerate even a greater co-human being. Can they tolerate the greatest co-human being (God in human form)? The human incarnation also appears as an ordinary human being only and such incarnation is seen as the greatest God by learned exceptional devotees, who are not having even a trace of ego and jealousy towards even any greater human being.
ii) Moreover, the God-component in the incarnation does not interfere with the properties of the human being-component (medium). This is just like the electricity not interfering with the metallic properties like leanness etc, of the wire (medium) in which it is flowing. The human medium of God has all its natural properties (such as birth, death, hunger, thirst, illness, sex, sleep, etc) like those observed in other human bodies. The already present ego-based jealousy flashes up by seeing these natural properties of the human medium of the incarnation just like the fire flares up by the additions of ghee. Due to this, the human incarnation present before eyes always burns the devotion of even great devotees. Exceptional devotees to be counted on fingers like Adishesha etc., are not to be analyzed by the majority of ordinary devotees.
iii) Another additional point is that the genuine human incarnation is not interested in name and fame on this earth because It is already bored by the constant praises of devotees in the upper energetic world. Hence, the genuine human incarnation does not perform miracles often like a demon, who is thirsty for name and fame on this earth. God performs the miracles in a hidden way to help real devotees. Due to such hidden divine behaviour of God in human form, the ego-based jealousy of the devotees does not subside at all.
iv) In order to save the devotees from this dangerous ego-based jealousy, the human incarnation always says that It is not God but is only a messenger of God. The devotees misunderstand such statements taking them in true sense and also reduce their devotion towards the contemporary human incarnation.
If a devotee stays far from God in human form, visiting Him now and then only, the devotion will certainly not be affected negatively. God Krishna developed the devotion of Gopikas to the climax level by keeping them far from Him throughout their lives. Radha always stayed far from God Krishna in Brundaavanam visiting Him in Dwaaraka now and then only.
8. Please clarify about Samnyaasa and Yoga.
Swami replied:- Samnyaasa means leaving all the worldly desires and their corresponding activities (Kāmyānāṃ karmaṇāṃ nyāsam - Gita). Yoga means close association with Sadguru or contemporary human incarnation of God. The Gita also says that Samnyaasa without Yoga is wrong (Saṃnyāsastu mahābāho, Duḥkha māptu This means that it is impossible to get liberation from worldly desires and subsequent worldly activities (Samnyaasa) without the close attachment to God. Mere liberation from the world without association with God is totally a waste and is also impossible. Unless you are attached to something, you cannot get detachment from the other thing. Unless you are totally absorbed in seeing the cinema, you cannot be detached from the biting of mosquitoes and blood bugs in the theatre. The main duty of Samnyaasa is told as the propagation of the true and complete spiritual knowledge preached by the Sadguru (the contemporary human incarnation of God). How can this propagation of spiritual knowledge (Samnyaasa) happen without the association with the Sadguru (Yoga)?
9. How do You compare worldly theists with atheists?
Swami replied:-
i) Worldly theists:- They accept the existence of God. But, their love to God is false love because they do not love God for the sake of God based on the attraction towards the personality of God. They love God only to use God as an instrument to achieve solutions for their worldly problems and to achieve worldly pleasures. Some of these devotees, who are well settled in worldly life, aspire God to help them reach heaven and to avoid hell. Such people are also equal to others of this category only because Shankara told that a real devotee having true love to God does not aspire for worldly benefits or benefits in the upper worlds (Ihāmutra phala bhoga virāgaḥ).
ii) Atheists:- They do not accept the very existence of God and they do not have any type of love (true or false) to God.
The worldly theists show a merit over the atheists by believing in the existence of God. But, what is the weightage of such merit? Their belief in the existence of God is only to use God for achieving solutions of their worldly problems and for their worldly benefits. Hence, their merit is almost 99.99% defect only. The 0.01% merit is only that such a worldly theist has some trace of hope to reform himself/herself to become a real devotee, who worships God based on the attraction towards the divine personality of God without any aspiration here in this world or there in the upper world. Such a trace of hope is about the future and if you limit to the present time only, the worldly theist is not at all different from the atheist!
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