27 Dec 2022
[Sri JSR Prasad asked: Sashtanga Pranamas Swami. In the Gita, God said that the creation is in Him and also not in Him (Matsthāni sarva bhūtāni…, na ca matsthāni bhūtāni). How to correlate this?]
Swami Replied: The clarification is given in other verses like ‘bhūtabhṛt na ca bhūtasthaḥ’ (I am the possessor of the creation and not present in the creation.), ‘mayi sarvamidaṃ protam’ (all this creation is possessed by Me), na tvahaṃ teṣu te Mayi (I am not in the creation but the creation is on Me.) etc., reveal that God is the basic substratum (ādhāra). The shape of the pot is based ‘on’ the mud atoms whereas, the shape of the pot is not present ‘in’ the mud atoms. The creation is present ‘on’ God (aupashleshika saptamii vibhakti), but not ‘in’ God (abhivyaapaka saptamii vibhakti). The saptamii vibhakti (locative case) in Sanskrit means both ‘on’ (aupashleshika) and ‘in’ (abhivyaapaka). I am possessing the shirt means that the shirt is ‘on’ me. I am possessing blood means that blood is ‘in’ me. Both these statements belong to the same locative case. If we take the locative case only, there is no difference between ‘on’ and ‘in’. Of course, it is clearly said that the locative case has both the separate meanings, which are both ‘on’ (aupashleshika) and ‘in’ (abhivyaapaka). In this locative case, another meaning is also said, which is ‘vaishayika’ (subject) and the example here is that I am a scholar ‘in’ grammar. But, this third meaning also is adjusted in the ‘in’ (abhivyaapaka) only as per English language.
When we take similes for the creator and the creation, people take mud and pot as a simile in which we have already told that pot is based ‘on’ mud particles (aupashleshika). If we take the simile of magician and magic, the creation or magic is based ‘on’ the magician since the magic is appearing outside the magician. Here also, ‘on’ (aupashleshika) is used in the verse Aham ātmā… sarvabhūtāśaya sthitaḥ. Here, God is said to be the basic substratum of the creation. The word ‘jalaashaya’ which means lake, tells us that the lake is the basic substratum of water (jala). The word Aatmaa is used for God because just as the soul is the basic substratum of the body maintained, God is the basic substratum of the creation. The word Aatmaa means that which is extending (atati). God extends as the basic substratum for this entire creation. The word Aatmaa need not be taken as soul only, but, in general, can be taken as any basic substratum that extends below the supported items.
God referred to in this context is the first mediated God called Iishwara or Naaraayana or Hiranyagarbha. Since medium has spatial dimensions, ‘in’ and ‘on’ are suitable for usage. But, if you take the unmediated, unimaginable God, He has no spatial dimensions and words like ‘in’ and ‘on’ have no meaning. In His case, we can only say that He is not affected or contaminated by the creation (asaṅgohyayaṃ puruṣaḥ- Samkhya). The reason is that the absolute reality of the creation is not inherent to the creation, but, the absolute reality of the unimaginable God (Parabrahman) is gifted to the creation by the unimaginable God Himself. Depending upon the nature of God and medium, we have to use the words like ‘on’ and ‘in’. Even in worldly items, we have to follow this. For example, in the case of space, we can never use the word ‘on’ because space is not showing its boundaries. We can say that the air is ‘in’ space, but, space is not contaminated by air (Yathākāśagato nityam… Gita). Krishna says that He is sitting at the centre of the entire creation rotating the entire creation (īśvarassarva bhūtānām). The word ‘hṛddesśa’ means the centre of gravity which is the essential part for rotation. We say the essential meaning of the poet as ‘kavi hṛdaya’, which does not mean the physical heart of the poet. God told that He is extending Himself for the entire creation as the basic support (mayā tataimdam). God also told that He is ‘Aatmaa’, which means the basic support that is extending for the entire creation so that no part of the entire creation is leftover without the support (Ahamātmā…). The word ‘sarva bhūtāśaya sthitaḥ’ can be taken as 1. sarva bhūtāśaya stitaḥ which means that God is standing as the support, 2. The word ‘āśaya’ may be taken as the alternative of ‘hṛddeśa’ or centre of gravity to rotate the entire creation.
Logic says about four types of Abhaava (absence):- 1. Praagabhaava means that which did not exist before its production. 2. Pradhvamsaabhaava means that which will not exist after destruction. 3. Anyonyaabhaava that which does not exist in a different item and vice versa. 4. Atyantaabhaava means that which never existed at any time. This creation has praagabhaava because it did not exist before its first production. This creation has no second type of absence because in destruction, it only goes from gross state to subtle state. The creation has third type of absence because it exists based on God and God also exists in the creation as incarnation. The creation has no fourth type of absence because it exists forever after its production by God for the sake of His entertainment. The gross state is the film show and the subtle state is the film reel. The reel always exists after its generation because no fool destroys the reel after the first show and reconstructs it for the second show. The shape of the pot is always associated with the eternal existence of the mud and only a fool destroys the pot, which is useful to bring water.
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