18 Jun 2023
1. What is the use of entertainment which doesn't give any result?
[Ms. Bhanu Samykya asked: Padanamaskaram Swami, in one of Your discourses You said- "If you develop the attitude to work for entertainment without the attachment to profit and loss, you will never be lazy". But what is the use of entertainment which doesn't give any result? Is it not equal to timepass? Should one work just only for entertainment? Please guide me to correct my understanding. -At Your Divine Lotus Feet, Bhanu Samykya.]
Swami replied:- God also created this universe for entertainment. Do you mean to say that He wasted His time without any final result? When the soul also does not need anything to achieve, such a soul also entertains in life without attachment to anything. The ordinary soul is ignorant and attached to worldly things. You are taking the enlightened soul as useless and the ignorant soul as enlightened. With the standards of blind people, you are estimating the intensity of sunlight!
2. What is the difference between the inertness of Ahalya and Parvati?
[Ahalya is said to become human from stone (inert) nature by the touch of God Rama. Parvati Devi is said to be of hill (inert) nature and is praised. What is difference of their inertness? Ahalya had to let go of inertness to become normal whereas Parvati Devi is said to be topmost devotee by Her quality of inertness? What is the difference in their inertness? Please excuse me if there is any fundamental mistake in my petty understanding and please guide me to correct understanding.]
Swami replied:- The inertness of Parvati is towards good direction. Ahalya acquired inertness due to the curse given by Sage Goutama for her sinful nature. Rigidity has both good and bad sides. Rigidity in good work is always appreciated like the rigid penance of Parvati. Rigidity in bad direction is punished by God as in the case of Duryodhana and Raavana. Since the inertness is due to curse in the case of Ahalya, she could not become normal unless the curse given to her is cancelled by God Rama. In the case of Parvati, the same inert nature or firmness made God to marry her. Nature is not important, but direction is important.
3. Lord Jesus did innumerous healings but didn't heal His disciple Little James. Why?
[Lord Jesus has done innumerous healings and miracles all over His life but didn't heal His disciple Little James who was physically handicapped. Is this really true? What is the spiritual lesson to learn from this?]
Swami replied:- A true disciple never aspires for any selfish comfort. God is always having a very good impression about such a devotee, who feels that the soul shall undergo the punishment given by the judgement of God for its own past deeds.
4. How to see the following story mentioned by You in the correct angle?
[You said a story of 2 friends travelling to Varanasi. In that story the one who practically worshipped Lord Shiva went to hell because his mind was attracted to a prostitute. But the one with the prostitute went to the abode of Lord Shiva because of His mental attachment to God irrespective of any practical service to God. Now this story is violating the concept- "result comes only to practice but not to theory" right? How to see this story in the correct angle?]
Swami replied:- The soul did not worship the contemporary human incarnation of God, but worshipped a representative model of God, which cannot be told as service to God. In the case of the devotee, who was with the prostitute, his mind was detached from the prostitute and was attached to God even in such a negative atmosphere! This is the real detachment from the world. Detachment does not mean the absence of worldly bonds but it means the absence of fascination to worldly bonds even though the soul is surrounded by worldly bonds.
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