20 Feb 2023
O Learned and Devoted Servants of God,
(On Shivaratri day, devotees visited Swami and a few of them asked questions for which Swami gave the following answers.)
1. Swami! Will there be satsanga today?
[A question by Smt. T Sudha Rani (on phone)]
Swami replied:- Satsanga means discussion about God with a devotee, who is very sincere about God. Therefore, the requirement for Satsanga is two devotees and their tremendous interest on God. This is sufficient and no third devotee is required. Even if more than two devotees exist, the number of devotees must be minimum (maximum three to six) so that unnecessary diversions are avoided. For example, if many devotees exist in Satsanga, all may not be of the same level of maturity. A devotee of less maturity will stand-up and say “I have to bring vegetables. Please excuse me.” and will go away. After this, immediately every devotee will think that whether he/she has forgotten any personal duty and will not concentrate on the divine discussion. In order to avoid such polluting persons, the number shall be minimized as far as possible. Even two are sufficient provided both have intensive interest on God. Shankara told that two or three or maximum five or six are sufficient for satsanga (dvitrāḥ pañcaṣā vā). Jesus told that only two or three are sufficient. Quality of the participants is very important and not the quantity. For a political speech, the Politician requires as many people as possible because he requires the majority of votes.
2. A devotee says Shiva gives boons that later trouble Vishnu. How to answer him?
[Shri PVNM Sarma asked: One devotee of God Vishnu says that God Shiva gives boons to demons and due to this, God Vishnu faces many problems. How to answer this devotee?]
Swami replied: I have become very furious about this question because today is the holy festival of God Shiva. I am a strong devotee of God Vishnu and I find no difference between God Shiva and God Vishnu since the Veda says Śivaśca Nārāyaṇaḥ (Shiva is Vishnu). Since you have scolded God Shiva, to preach you properly, I must scold God Vishnu. But, My criticism about God Vishnu is not from My heart but is coming from My tongue only because you have forced Me to change you by answering this question. Unless I criticize God Vishnu, you will not change. The criticism on God Vishnu is that His son God Brahma is giving boons to more number of demons than God Shiva. God Vishnu being Father of God Brahma is unable to control His own son in this aspect. When He could not control His own son, how can He control the whole world as administrator? Moreover, God Vishnu as Mohini is the wife of God Shiva. The proof for their marital life is God Manikantha, who is born to Goddess Mohini. You are praising the wife and scolding the husband. As per our Hindu tradition, wife is the servant of her husband (Karaṇeṣu Dāsī).
Again and again, I am saying that the above criticism is only to give a strong dose of medicine to your strong disease of criticizing God Shiva. In fact, God Brahma, God Vishnu and God Shiva are one God Datta only. These three abilities or capacities (power of creating, power of ruling and power of destruction) of God Datta are God Brahma, God Vishnu and God Shiva only. If you criticize any one of these three divine forms, the other two forms are automatically criticized because any criticism strikes God Datta only, who is God Brahma, who is God Vishnu and who is God Shiva.
3. Kalabhairava is very frightening; how can such a frightening form give bliss?
[Mrs. M Swathi asked: In the recent miracle told by Karthik mentioning the experience of Hrushikesh, it is told that Karthik got bliss while thinking that Swami is Kalabhairava. Then he told that he phoned to Hrushikesh to share his experience with him. But, before sharing this experience, Hrushikesh himself told the experience of his own miracle i.e. Swami appeared as very frightening Kalabhairava with powerful light for a long time seeing whom he derived a lot of bliss. In this miracle I have a doubt, which is that Kalabhairava is very much frightening and how did such a frightening form give bliss?]
Swami replied: Kalabhairava is a tremendously frightening form and no other form of God is more frightening than His form. Seeing that form, one shall get fear and grief. But, that form is giving bliss to Karthik and Hrushikesh. I don’t say that both these devotees are more frightening than Kalabhairava (just a joke)! The reason for the frightening Kalabhairava to give bliss to devotees is that the inner intention of Kalabhairava is very good, which is to reform the climax sinners after giving very intensive punishments in special hells, which are very much different from the ordinary hell headed by Yamadharma Raja. Kalabhairava is the head of these special intensive hells and Kalabhairava gives Yaatanaa (very intensive agony) whereas Yamadharma Raja gives Vedanaa (agony). The intensive punishments indicate the anxiety of God Kaalabhairava to reform the soul from sins as early as possible. Hence, bliss is experienced on getting the vision of Kalabhairava. If revenge is the intention of punishments, the vision would have given the experience of high fear and grief. The creation of hell and the special hells by God is for the reformation of souls only and not for any revenge. Hence, hell and special hells indicate the love of God on the souls and not anger and revenge.
4. Why does God choose only punishment for reformation?
[A question by Mr. K Abhiram]
Swami replied: The best method for permanent reformation is spiritual knowledge given by the divine preacher or Sadguru. Even the punishment gives only temporary reformation. When a thief is given third degree of treatment by police, the thief comes out with a change in mind but his mind is not reformed. Such a thief after sometime again moves to do theft by the influence of co-thieves. This means that punishment gives only temporary relief and not permanent reformation. A soul may hear the spiritual knowledge from the divine preacher, but, such a soul may not digest it due to its mental setup (samskara or vaasana) even though the preacher preaches the same knowledge to all with equal attention. But, some only absorb it and get benefitted. Some due to their past acquired mental setup cannot absorb even a trace of that knowledge and the total preaching is a waste in such a case. Even though you put good seeds accompanied by good rain everywhere equally, the fertile soil will be benefitted and the rocky soil is a waste without any fruit. These two cases are the extremes. A middle case, which is slightly sandy soil becomes fruitful if some fertilizer is used along with the rain and good seeds. Similarly, special attention of the preacher will be useful in the case of such middle level. In spite of all this story, punishment is also necessary to bring at least a temporary change of mind. This can act as the first aid treatment. Therefore, both the procedures of punishment as well as preaching are necessary in view of different types of souls in this world.
5. How did Shankara go into depression before the Goddess Adiparashakti?
[Smt. K Devi asked (on phone): You have advised that when depression comes, we shall enter into monism of Shankara to feel that we are God so that we can come out of the depression. But the same Shankara went into depression before the Goddess Adiparashakti or Anagha. Please explain this.]
Swami replied: I agree that I told the devotees to use monism to come out of depression and after coming out, the monism shall not continue further. You can use a powerful medicine to cure a powerful disease, but after its cure you should leave the use of the medicine. Shankara behaved like an ordinary devotee to prove that monism shall not continue after its purpose is over so that an ordinary human being can realize this concept. This concept of monism is like the Brahmastra (very powerful divine weapon) used in a war to destroy enemies. But, you cannot use this weapon to fight against God Brahma Himself. Similarly, you can use monism to defeat depression because after all, depression is simply a thought only. You cannot use any weapon against God Himself. Goddess Adiparashakti wants to teach this concept to Shankara (please remember that Shankara is incarnation of God Shiva and He is only playing the role of an ordinary human devotee). The Divine mother withdrew the power from Shankara and hence, Shankara fell on the earth without power even to walk. She appeared as a girl and asked Shankara about the reason for His fall. He replied that He fell because power is not present in Him to walk. Then, She told Him that He should accept the existence of power or shakti because power and possessor of power are one and the same especially in the case of unimaginable items. This means that the Unimaginable God and unimaginable power are having indistinguishable boundaries resulting in one unimaginable item only. Hence, the Unimaginable power called Maayaa and the possessor of unimaginable power called Unimaginable God are one and the same. Hence, the unimaginable power of Maayaa is absolutely real. This means that you can use monism when the real context for it appears (like depression). Based on this, you should not go to a temple and stand before God telling that you are God. In such unsuitable context, you will be taught a proper lesson by God.
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