Shri Dattaguru Bhagavat Gita: Kaalabhairava Khanda: Chapter-15 Part-3

(Song of Preacher – God Shri Datta)

Kālabhairava Khaṇḍa—Part of Kālabhairava

Fifteenth Chapter- Shri Datta Viśvavyāpaka Yogaḥ

(Vision of Omnipresence of Shri Datta)

47. Many people have no real faith in the existence of God and are greatly attracted only to their worldly bonds, with money and family. Yet, they worship God by reciting prayers and singing songs. Reciting prayers, singing devotional songs or meditating are only related to words and the mind. It is called theoretical devotion, which involves only mental or verbal expression of the love for God. These clever worldly people adopt theoretical devotion for getting protection and benefits from God, just in case God exists. They balance both the possibilities of the existence and non-existence of God by adopting only theoretical devotion and avoiding practical devotion. Their intention is that if God exists, He will be pleased with their theoretical devotion, while if God is non-existent, there is no loss to them since they have avoided practical devotion, which involves practical service and the sacrifice of their money for God. Such theoretical devotion done with the expectation of practical boons from God, is called prostitution-devotion. These people are like a prostitute, who only makes a pretense (acting) of love through her sweet words and songs (theoretical) to get practical benefits from people. These clever people belong to the fields of spiritual politics or spiritual economics.
48. Spiritual commerce can be seen in a type of devotion called as business-devotion. In this type of devotion, the devotee adopts practical devotion. It means that he or she practically serves God or sacrifices his or her money for God. But the practical devotion is done for obtaining practical boons from God. In other words, practical sacrifice is done in exchange for practical boons from God. From a very narrow point of view, this type of devotion is somewhat justified because there is an exchange of two similar entities. Both the exchanged items, namely devotion and boons, are practical. So, it is fair business. However, from a broad point of view, this type of devotion is also as defective as prostitution-devotion. The reason is that the devotee sacrifices practically to God in exchange for boons, only due to his or her fascination for the worldly bonds of money and family. There is not even a trace of real fascination for God.
49. The only real devotion is when the devotee’s devotion for God is like issue-devotion. Parents practically serve and sacrifice to their children (issues) without aspiring for anything in return. It might seem that parents do aspire for their children to serve them when they are old. But that aspiration can be ignored, since the parents never turn away from their practical sacrifice to their children, even if the children do not serve them and treat them badly. Of course, God is different from our children since He is not in real need of our service and sacrifice. He only tests the truth of our devotion through our ability to practically serve Him and sacrifice to Him. Also, God does not like mere practical devotion without theoretical devotion. Mere practical devotion just becomes business-devotion. The real and total devotion includes both the theoretical and practical forms of devotion. In fact, theoretical devotion, which is the love for God, is generated from true spiritual knowledge alone, and the theoretical devotion alone generates practical devotion. But mere theoretical devotion, without the next practical step, is useless.
50. One should believe in the existence of the unimaginable God based on the authority of direct perception since unimaginable miracles are directly seen in this world. This world is imaginable to us. But the boundary of this world is permanently unreachable to us. We can neither reach it physically nor can we reach it mentally through our intelligence or imagination. So, the boundary of this imaginable world is unimaginable. The world can be said to be infinite in this fundamental unimaginable sense. On the other hand, if we think that the boundary of the world is located at an infinite distance, it is the conventional (commonly-understood) concept of infinity. As per this conventional understanding of infinity, when we say that the boundary is located at an infinite distance, we mean that the boundary is farther than any large distance that one can think of. This means that the distance is an extremely large number. But it is still a number, which is basically imaginable. It is not something that is fundamentally unimaginable by the human mind. It implies that the domain that exists beyond the boundary of this imaginable world is still imaginable. Then one would immediately ask, where the boundary of that imaginable domain would be, and so on…endlessly. So, the conventional understanding of the infinity of the universe leads to the logical error of infinite regress (Anavasthaa dosha). The correct understanding of the infinity of the world is that an unimaginable domain exists beyond the boundary of the world. The essence of the entire imaginable world is space. So, the boundary of the world is the boundary of space. Only an unimaginable domain can exist beyond the boundary of space since any domain beyond space cannot even be imagined! All this is logical spiritual science.
51. The unimaginable God is beyond the concepts of finite and infinite. Energetic or Human Incarnations consist of energetic or human bodies respectively. These bodies are the mediums for the entry of the unimaginable God. Each medium consists of the external body and the internal soul. Both Energetic and Human Incarnations of God, are called as mediated God. Both are always finite from the angles of the external body as well as the internal soul. When the unimaginable God merges with the finite medium, we cannot say that the infinite became finite, since the unimaginable God is beyond the concepts of both finite and infinite. The Incarnation is finite externally as well as internally. This is the essence of the four great Vedic statements from another angle. The first three great statements (Aham Brahma asmi; Tattvam asi; Ayam Atma Brahma) respectively mean that the mediated God is finite like Myself, Yourself and himself externally. The fourth great statement (Prajnanam Brahma) means that the mediated God is also finite from the point of view of the soul internally. The soul or awareness, which always exists only in the finite body, is also finite. Note that awareness is never seen out of a body; simply in space. In spite of considering prajnanam to mean the basic awareness, this concept is fully satisfied. Undoubtedly, this concept is also satisfied if prajnanam is understood in its correct sense as God’s Incarnation, who is the Possessor of exceptional knowledge. Thus, we see that this concept fully satisfies all the four great statements. The Incarnation becomes infinite and all-pervading only in an effective sense; not in the physical sense. This sense is conveyed by the great statement “Prajnanam Brahma” (Prajnaanam means omniscience attained by omnipotence without being omnipresent.). The mediated God, being physically finite, is not omnipresent. Yet, He is omniscient, due to His unimaginable omnipotence. Omniscience is exceptional knowledge (prajnanam). But being omniscient without being omnipresent, is the greatest unimaginable wonder. Greater the unimaginable nature of an entity, the closer the entity is to the absolute unimaginable God. If God’s Incarnation had been omniscient because He was omnipresent, it would have been less of a wonder. According to worldly logic, one must be present before something in order to get knowledge of it. So, to have all knowledge (omniscience), one must be present everywhere (omnipresent). If we say that God is omniscient only because of His omnipresence, we are trying to bend God before worldly logic. When it is said in the Gita that the (finite) Son of Vasudeva is everything (infinite), it is said in this effective sense alone (Vaasudevah sarvamiti—Gita). This statement can also be understood in the sense that the whole world is under the control of Vaasudeva, who is the Human Incarnation. Krishna, sitting in Dvaarakaa, knew that His devotee Draupadī, was being insulted in far away Hastinaapuram, due to His omniscience. He protected her while sitting in Dvaarakaa itself, due to His omnipotence.
52. Neither is God this entire world itself, nor has God pervaded the entire world. The mediated God is always finite in external body and internal soul. This finite God is omnipotent and omniscient, due to which, omnipresence is achieved in an effective sense; not in a physical sense. The next question is whether the world is in God or whether God is in the world. Both concepts are valid. The first concept is indicated in the Gita, where it is said that the unimaginable God exists surrounding the entire world (Sarvamāvṛtya tiṣṭhati). The second concept, which says that God is in the world, indicates the mediated God Krishna existing in the world. With reference to the unimaginable and mediated states of God, both concepts are respectively true. The world is in (the unimaginable) God and (the mediated) God is in the world. Trying to correlate both concepts taking God only in the unimaginable state or only the mediated state, can lead to confusion. But even such a case can exist. Krishna showed the entire world in His entire body (Visvaruupa darshanam) to Arjuna. He also showed the entire world in His mouth to mother Yashoda. In this case, the entire world is present inside the mediated God, while He is present in the world. Whether the entire volume of the world exists in His whole body or in His small mouth, it is still a mutual contradiction. Such a contradictory statement is also found in the Guru Gita (Gurumadhye sthitam vishvam, Vishvamadhye sthito Gurruh). This contradiction can be resolved only when the proper reference is selected. Both these contradicting states indicate the unimaginable nature of the mediated God. World is in the mediated God and the same mediated God is in the world, which is again the unimaginable nature of the mediated God. For both states, only one word ‘Guru’, which means God, is used. It indicates that there is no difference between the unimaginable God and the mediated God, who has the same unimaginable nature. The Veda says that this entire world can be pervaded (Vaasyam) by God. That statement does not mean that the world is already pervaded by God (Eshaa vaasyam). The Veda says that the ‘little world’ (yatkincha, yacchha kinchit jagat) is present in this ‘huge world’ (jagatyaam) and it is pervaded by (the unimaginable) God internally and externally (Antar bahishcha). This ‘little world’ means both the finite body and finite soul of the mediated God.
53. After obtaining divine nectar, one can taste it and develop a very strong attachment to it. The detachment from coffee then comes naturally due to the attachment to the taste of the divine nectar. After tasting the divine nectar, You need not put any effort to get detached from coffee. But before obtaining the divine nectar and tasting it, You have to put in a lot of hard effort to achieve the divine nectar. Since You have not tasted the divine nectar, You are tempted to drink coffee and You have to forcibly avoid coffee. Similarly, You have to put some effort forcibly to detach from Your worldly bonds before attaining and tasting God. This is the starting trouble, in which the majority of humanity is trapped.
54. Initial detachment from unnecessary worldly matters has to be achieved through force. Such detachment includes avoiding unnecessary talking and listening to the gossip of worldly people, reading unnecessary worldly books and seeing unnecessary worldly films. Such forcible detachment saves energy, time and money. This wasted energy, time and money can be used for God instead, following the principle of waste-to-wealth. In this way, the starting trouble can be overcome and one can at least reach God temporarily, and taste His subject (knowledge and devotion). Once the person is attracted by the taste of God, any further effort for worldly detachment is not necessary. Detachment then takes place naturally. In this initial stage, there is no need be afraid that as a result of pursuing the spiritual path, one might develop so much detachment that one might not be able to fulfill one’s worldly duties. The reason is that only one soul, among millions of souls and that too only after millions of births, reaches the highest state. It is only in that highest state that one’s worldly duties get dropped. But even in that climax-state, God performs the worldly duties for that rare soul! So, there is no reason to fear that the duties will get neglected!

(Fifteenth chapter is completed.)

★ ★ ★ ★ ★