02 Jan 2021
O Learned and Devoted Servants of God! Today is Datta Jayanti and on this day, all of us remember and worship God Datta. We go to temples of God Datta for doing prayers. The reason for giving importance to a specific day and a specific place for worship is that we do not remember God Datta at every place and on every day. Such specific holy places and specific holy days are designated for the sake of the people, who are always immersed in their thoughts and activities related to worldly life alone, at every place and every time. Such people relish these holy places and days because they serve as gaps or a change from their continuous involvement in worldly life. It is just like eating a sweet dish in between the continuous eating of hot dishes. Hence, the devotion expressed by a soul, only at a specific place and specific time is not real devotion to God Datta. You are eating this sweet dish, just for a change from the continuous eating of hot dishes. You are not eating the sweet dish due to your attraction towards it. Hence, such devotion confined to a specific time and place is not real devotion. Real devotion means the real attraction to God Datta. It is recognized when you remember and worship God Datta at all places and times. Reality is that which is always permanent. It is that which is not absent in the past, present or the future. That which does not exist in all the three times cannot be real. It must be unreal, as said by Śaṅkara (Yadanityaṃ tat kṛtakaṃ hi loke...).
Of course, defects are unavoidable in the beginning. We must introduce the concept only in small measure to a beginner. If we want to stop a fisherman from catching fish and develop non-violence in him, we have to introduce the concept in a limited measure to him in the beginning. We say to him that he can catch fish at any place except the holy Kāśī city. This is imposing a limitation of place. We further say to him that he can catch fish on any day other than the holy Mahā Śivarātri day. This is imposing a limitation of time. By introducing this initial plan to him, we expect that he will slowly develop a value for non-violence. Eventually, he is expected to follow the permanent plan, which is not catching fish at any place and on any day. This permanent plan is called mahā vratam by Patañjali and it means adhering to the concept at every place and time (deśa kāla anavacchinnaṃ, mahā vratam).
We are celebrating Datta Jayanti today at a specific place. This is only the beginning of the journey towards achieving the stage of mahā vratam. We will achieve the full grace of God Datta, if we achieve mahā vratam in our lives. We will be called the achievers of mahā vratam when we remember, pray and worship God Datta, at all places and at all times. That alone is true devotion to God Datta. Such devotion must be based on the real attraction towards God Datta’s divine personality. Reality always continues to exist permanently. Hence, if our devotion is real, it must exist continuously, irrespective of place and time.
Datta Jayanti means the birthday of God Datta. The original absolute unimaginable God having no birth or death is called the Parabrahman. This Parabrahman created inert energy with the idea of creating a second item other than Himself. That second item other than the Parabrahman is inert energy. It is the first item created by the Parabrahman. This inert energy is called mūla prakṛti, which is the source of matter and awareness. Inert energy is the root cause of creation and the word prakṛti means root cause (prakṛtiḥ mūla kāraṇe). Inert energy being the root cause means that it is the root cause of creation and not the root cause of the unimaginable God (Parabrahman). The unimaginable God is the root cause of even the inert energy or mūla prakṛti. Inert energy in the subtle state is space or ākāśa and in the gross state, it is called fire (radiation) or agni. Inert energy in a highly condensed state becomes matter. The gaseous state of matter (air or vāyu) itself is a highly condensed state of inert energy. The liquid state of matter (water or jalam) is an even higher level of condensation. The highest level of condensation is the solid state of matter (earth or pṛthivī). Thus, the five basic elements of inert creation are space, fire (gross energy or radiation) and the three states (subtle energy) of matter. The process of creation further gives rise to plants (botanical beings) and animals (zoological beings). In animals, the inert energy gets converted into awareness in the functioning brain and nervous system. Awareness is thus a specific work-form of the inert energy. In this way, inert energy itself has become the five inert elements and awareness. The three items namely inert energy, matter and awareness, are the fundamental constituents of the entire creation.
As soon as the inert energy was created, it was expressed in both its subtle and gross states. The subtle state of inert energy is space and its gross form is radiation (agni). With the help of these two states of inert energy, an energetic form was created by the unimaginable God. Both subtle space (ākāśaḥ) and gross radiation (agni or tejaḥ) are said to be created simultaneously in the beginning because the same inert energy in its subtle state is space and in its gross state is radiation. Space is misunderstood to be nothing. In this context, Einstein erred in one point. He said that space exists relatively with respect to the existence of matter, due to which, space disappears on the disappearance of matter. Actually, even if the whole creation including gross energy, matter and awareness, disappears, space which is subtle energy, need not disappear. This state in which space alone exists is vacuum.
The space occupied by the first energetic form created by the unimaginable God is called parama vyoma, which means eternal space. This first energetic form also contained relative awareness or its own soul. Since this relative awareness was created right in the beginning of creation, it can neither be called the unimaginable awareness of the unimaginable God nor can it be called the imaginable awareness of a soul. The soul of this first energetic form is called divine awareness (divyātmā). As soon as this first energetic form was created, the unimaginable God merged with the energetic form and its divine soul. This first energetic form thus is the first Energetic Incarnation of the unimaginable God and is now the permanent residential address of the unimaginable God. This first energetic form along with its divine soul is eternal. It does not disappear at anytime. It will also not disappear in the future, even if all the rest of creation disappears. This eternal energetic form is called an aprākṛta śarīram by Ramānuja. Hence, the space occupied by this first Energetic Incarnation of Parabrahman, including His energetic body and His divine soul, are permanent and eternal.
In the form of this first Energetic Incarnation, the unimaginable God thus ‘gave’ Himself to the souls, which were to be created subsequently. The unimaginable God can neither be seen nor even imagined by any soul in creation. But through the first Energetic Incarnation, He becomes visible. Due to this reason, the first Energetic Incarnation is called Datta or ‘the Given’. The Parabrahman has neither birth nor death and hence has neither a birth anniversary (jayanti) nor a death anniversary (vardhanti). The first Energetic Incarnation called Datta only has a birth or jayanti, but no death or vardhanti. All living beings in creation, along with all inert items have both jayanti and vardhanti. In this way, we must be enlightened about Datta Jayanti. This God Datta creates, controls and destroys the entire creation that took place after the first creation of inert energy by the unimaginable God. God Datta also creates all the subsequent Energetic and Human Incarnations by entering and merging with the corresponding energetic and human media respectively. In this way, God Datta is the one who created, is ruling and will destroy this creation. God Datta alone becomes all the subsequent Energetic and Human Incarnations of God in this creation.
[After this discourse, Swami answered the following questions posed by devotees.]
1. How can we please God Datta?
God Datta Himself as Kṛṣṇa said in the Gītā that He will be greatly pleased with the propagation of this true spiritual knowledge (Jñāna yajñena...).
2. What is the ultimate aim of this true spiritual knowledge?
The ultimate aim of this spiritual knowledge preached by God Datta is always the final third step. The first step is knowledge or jñāna yoga, the second step is devotion or bhakti yoga and the final third step is practice or karma yoga. Karma yoga means the practical sacrifice done to deserving receivers. Karma yoga or practical sacrifice can be done in three ways. (1) The first way is by sacrificing or offering one’s service. (2) The second way is by sacrificing or offering the fruit of one’s work, which is one’s hard-earned wealth. (3) The third way is the to do both together. Out of these three ways of doing sacrifice, celibate saints can only do the first. Householders follow the third way since the first and the second ways are included in the third.
3. At the most basic-level, who are the receivers to whom we should offer our service and the fruit of our work?
On an emergency-basis, you should offer service and the fruit of your work (wealth) to provide the basic needs of beggars and poor people, who are dying due to the lack of food, clothing, shelter and proper medicines. Beggar homes must be constructed in which all these basic needs of such people are provided. With this, God Datta will be greatly pleased.
4. Why does providing the basic needs of the poor please God Datta?
God Datta is the Father of all souls as said in the Gītā (Ahaṃ bīja pradaḥ pitā...). If a child is dying due to the lack of food, clothing, shelter and medicine, who grieves the most? It is the Divine Father, God Datta! He is pained to the highest extent and not other souls who are mere brothers and sisters of the dying soul.
5. When so many of our own brothers and sisters are facing untimely death, what are we, the rest humanity, doing?
We are preparing and serving all types of food items to our relatives and friends. It is true that they too are our fellow-brothers and sisters. But they are already rich enough and they already have plenty of food and other facilities, far more than what they need. To such people, we are offering our service and wealth. The only reason for this blind sacrifice of ours is that they are our relatives and friends.
6. Will the Divine Father, God Datta, be pleased by such foolish sacrifice done by us?
No, not at all! I hope that this will kindle the fire of knowledge in the brains of the devotees of God Datta on this auspicious occasion of Datta Jayanti. We need not worry that this message, which is jñāna yoga, is a waste because its practical application is very difficult. I agree that it is difficult, but this knowledge-fire will burn the practical ignorance of people, one day or the other and bring pleasure to God Datta. You can remember the saying that the wheels of justice may move slowly, but they grind surely. I visualize a day when God Datta will be immensely pleased because all human beings arrange functions in which only beggars and poor people are fed and they totally stop feeding their friends and relatives.
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