Posted on: 22 Jun 2023
1. Please let us know what else we can do in addition to sacrificing money and having spiritual discussions.
[Smt. Lakshmi Lavanya K asked: Namaste Swami. I have tried to spread knowledge to many people for Your happiness. In the end, I and my two friends were left. After reading Your knowledge we discuss among ourselves, we continue to try to move forward on the spiritual path even though our angles are different. We are helping each other in practice when needed. Asking You our doubts. Some of our salary is offered for God's work. We are trying to distance ourselves from the rest of the bonds of the world by increasing our bond with God. Please let us know what else we should try.]
Swami replied:- Please stick firmly to what you are already doing.
2. What is the condition of the Gopikas who failed the exams?
[The 12 Gopikas who passed the 3 tests of Krishna gave no help for the Lord's mission (knowledge propagation). What is the condition of those who fail in the exams?]
Swami replied:- The passed Gopikas also come down to the earth in helping the mission of God. The failed candidates also come to the earth to help the mission at a lower level. Every devotee of God participates in the mission of God.
3. How was Krishna pleased with the Gopikas before their sacrifice, or did He love only those successful in the tests?
[You have described the love of Krishna over the Gopis in the Gopika Geeta. In the last answer, You said that the Gopikas are in bhakti yoga. How was Krishna pleased with them before making any sacrifice, or did Krishna love only those who were successful in the 3 tests?]
Swami replied:- The successful candidates live with the Lord in the upper divine abode of God. The other candidates are also trying to reach the highest level by participating in the work and sacrifice to God.
4. What is the meant by upasana?
[Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji said I should always remember you which means you should occupy a place in My mind. He said that you should do upasana for that. What does Upasana mean?. Thank You Swami.]
Swami replied:- You bring half the concept from somebody else and want to complete the concept with the help of Myself. You shall follow one Guru only atleast in one concept. Upaasana means practical devotion and there is no place for mental thoughts and intellectual discussions.
5. You are the inspiration for all the deeds I do.
[Namaste Swami. You are the inspiration for all the deeds I do. The world is a disturbance to attain You and so I am trying to stay away from the world. Learning knowledge leads in attaining You and hence, I am learning the spiritual knowledge. The devotees belonging to Your inner circle, who are like Your family members, can always be in touch with You by doing Your service. So, they enjoy Your company. But it is not possible for me. But through the wonderful feeling of seeing God in 3D form through Your darshan, my detachment to this world, attachment towards You increases and my resolve become stronger. Looking at your photo is like watching a teacher doing a science experiment. Seeing you is me doing an experiment in the lab. I am learning knowledge to attain you but not you for knowledge. Even though You have no use by my visiting You, it is like an energy drink for me to progress in my spiritual efforts. No happiness in the universe can compare before experiencing God with the five senses. The determination to make this happiness permanent drives me forward in my spiritual efforts. Thank You Swami.]
Swami replied:- You should proceed in your own way because you are neither fully aware nor fully ignorant. You should take the concepts of the Sadguru, but you have a lot of independence to arrange and interpret those concepts to your liking. Total surrender to the Sadguru means following the concepts of the Sadguru as per His interpretations to the concepts without any independence. Sadguru is more important than the path because the goal is not inert like a city. The goal as well as the guide is the Sadguru, who is the embodiment of the unimaginable awareness. You are having full concentration on the inert path feeling that the goal is inert and thinking that the traveler (yourself) alone is awareness. This is the reason why you don’t take My interpretation of the concept of practical devotion. You understand well what I mean. My concept is that God is greater than His service, which can be done by Himself in a fraction of a second. When Rama showed selfishness by saying to Ravana that He will go back if Sita was returned, Hanuman did not misunderstand God for His exhibited selfishness. Hanuman gave more importance to Rama than killing Ravana in the war. Actually, killing Ravana is the background mission and stealing Sita is only a superficial cause created for killing Ravana.
Hanuman, the incarnation of God Shiva also joined in this mission to help Rama. But now, Rama is telling that He will go back if Sita was returned. This is absurd since killing Ravana is the ultimate aim and not getting Sita back. On hearing this Hanuman shall quit the war because Rama forgot the ultimate aim in the fascination of Sita. But, Hanuman did not do so because Hanuman is in the role of servant to the Master-God. Ekabhakti means that the devotee-servant must concentrate on God only and not on His mission. God can finish His mission in a fraction of second. It is only an opportunity given to the devotee to prove his sincere true love on God. If the devotee has no full faith on the Sadguru and doubts Him, the low class devotee will quit serving the Sadguru and concentrates in the service of the mission of the Sadguru. Serving the mission will give good result of heaven in anyway and it is better to concentrate in that line than serving the doubtful Sadguru. Such an attitude cannot be Ekabhakti. The devotee shall not miss the Sadguru under any circumstance and under any condition. God is the root source of everything and one shall not doubt God in any case.
6. What is the difference between Ravanasurudu and Saindhavudu?
[Smt. Lakshmi Lavanya K asked: Namaste Swami. Thank You Swami.]
Swami replied:- What is the use of such questions, which do not involve the nature of God ? Ravana brought Sita misunderstanding his insulted sister. Draupadi was like a sister in view of relationships and Saindhava tried to spoil Draupadi due to lust. Certainly, Ravana is better than Saindhava. The justice falls down from Tretaa Yuga (Ramayana) to Dvaapara yuga (Mahaa Bharata).