Posted on: 15 Dec 2022
1. Is it better to concentrate on God and maintain relation with one or two people who can help us spiritually?
[Smt. Lakshmi Lavanya K asked: Swami, please give me clarity on some points regarding a discussion with my sister. She says that we should maintain good relations with devotees and discuss God's divine qualities among us regularly. I feel that although it starts as satsangam, it may lead to a misunderstanding and disturb us because of our ego and jealousy. So, is it better to concentrate only on God and maintain relations with one or two people who can help us in the spiritual line?]
Swami replied: Association with many devotees is not good because it may lead to compromise in quality. You must associate with devotees of very high quality so that you will be always benefitted. If you want to benefit others, you shall associate with devotees of lesser quality as well and help them to develop their devotion.
2. Should we share Your knowledge with everyone or with just those who want it?
[She says that we should motivate people around us again and again to follow You irrespective of their feelings. I say that we should introduce Swami's knowledge only to those who ask us. God is there to take care of all people. Please comment on this.]
Swami replied: We shall try to help any theist. Only association with atheists is dangerous and hence, better to avoid it. If your logical faculty (intelligence) is very strong, you can even associate with atheists and try to change them in to theists. God always likes very much when you try to help other people while existing in spiritual line.
3. Should we consider Your comfort or focus on the knowledge You preach?
[She says that when we are with You, we should think of Your comfort. I feel that I should focus on the knowledge given by You and You are the one who takes care of us. Please comment on this.]
Swami replied: Both of you are correct in your own angles. Seeing the comfort means doing service to the Sadguru. Focus shall be put on the knowledge preached by the Sadguru because it alone helps you in the spiritual line.
4. How can I know the spiritual stage of another person?
[Whenever I discuss knowledge with others, she says that I should consider their spiritual stage and then talk since they might feel uneasy otherwise. I feel that God is the only source of knowledge and I am only a mike. How can I know the spiritual stage of another person? Pada namaskaram Swami]
Swami replied: You can have a broad distinction of the stages of spiritual progress. Atheists are one type. Theists interested in the benefits of the worldly life with the help of God form the second type. The third type are the real spiritual devotees, who are very much interested in God due to attraction towards His divine personality. According to these categories, you can divert the line of your spiritual preaching to them.
5. When great saints leave their families for the sake of God, is it prarabdham of their family members?
[Smt. Lakshmi Lavanya K asked: Questions asked by my sister and colleague. Great saints like Buddha, Ramanujacharya left their families for the propagation of divine knowledge. Is it prarabdham of the family members? Did God take care of them (their families), what about their suffering. Why didn't they start propagation from their family members?]
Swami replied: Even in the case of ordinary families, which are not connected to spiritual line, such separations are taking place due to their past deeds. If you can take the cases of families of spiritual people also, you can apply the same cycle of deeds and fruits. Whatever may be the purpose of the person leaving the family, the person leftover is enjoying the fruits of past bad deeds only. In such case, why should you worry about the spiritual reasons of the person, who left the family? In fact, if the person, who left the family is doing so for the sake of God, God will certainly help the family and all the credit goes to that person, who left the family for the sake of God.
6. You always say fan devotion is best, recently You said propagation of divine knowledge is the best, rather than suicide. Please clarify.
Swami replied: You must take the fan devotion as the climax of divine love provided the matter of suicide is avoided since suicide is described as the worst sin by God Himself in the divine constitution called Dharma Shastra. Propagation of divine knowledge is always the best because God likes it very much. Suicide is objected from this point of view only. Even an atheist shall not attempt for suicide because the atheist is also trying to contribute to developments in worldly life.
7. Please explain the 177 Sutra or 16th Sutra in Kaivalya Paada.
[Please explain following verse న చైక చిత్త (తంత్రం) తన్ త్రం వస్తు తద ప్రమాణికం తదా కిం స్యాత్ ....177 వ సూత్రం, యోగ దర్శనం.]
Swami replied: If a person is very much emotional about a religion like Nagarjuna’s Shunya vaada (which says that world is non-existent) and does not see the world, does it mean that the world becomes really non-existent for all other people? If few people experience the world to be non-existent, it does not make all the other people to have the same experience. The creation is originally non-existent, but, the creation became absolutely real due to the God gifted absolute reality. Here, the original inherent characteristic disappeared completely, and the acquired characteristic gifted by God becomes the experience of all the people having mental normalcy. This world becomes non-existent at any time if God wishes so, but, this point is irrelevant from the point of all the normal souls.
8. Who are our relatives?
[A question by Smt. Lakshmi Lavanya K]
Swami replied: All your co-devotees helping your spiritual progress are your real relatives. Only they accompany you in future births as per the will of God to develop your spiritual progress. All others are only money lenders. You were a money lender to your parents and you are born to them to get the loan cleared. Your life partner and your issues are money lenders to you and came to clear your loan to them. After this birth, the loans are cleared and he will go as free bird to the next birth. Only your co-devotees accompany you and hence, only they are your real relatives.
9. How should the co-devotees be connected?
Swami replied: You should love them to the maximum and be united with them.
10. How are the devotees, who don’t have regular contact with You, be connected?
[One type of devotees are in regular contact with You and are stable minded. Others do not have such chance. How can these two types be connected?]
Swami replied: Any devoted soul who comes in to your contact, you shall have true friendship with such soul and no difference shall be shown based on contacts.
11. A devotee has a specific bond with God. Can another devotee interfere with it?
Swami replied: Where is the question of interference? All shall be united as a group helping each other in the spiritual progress neglecting the worldly matters.
12. When there is no chance to share knowledge, how can such devotees be connected?
Swami replied: When there is no sharing of knowledge, how can such soul be called as a devotee?
13. Some devotees are helping me a lot and I can be free with them. Is it wrong to give preference to them?
Swami replied: Any devotee helps you only by the will of God. You must give preference to God alone.
14. When You share Your knowledge with me, shall I grasp for myself or shall I grasp for others also?
Swami replied: You should grasp in both ways. God is very much pleased if you help other devotees of low level.
15. How do I keep my mind in balance?
[Sometimes, I feel to be with You alone without the presence of this world. Then, I get a lot of pain. How shall I balance my mind?]
Swami replied: Emotion and balance of mind do not travel in the same way, side by side. All these are theoretical dances, which fail before the divine dance of practical devotion, which is like Lord Shiva.