16 Nov 2024
O Learned and Devoted Servants of God
[Shri Ramakanth asked:-]
1. What is the role of ego and jealousy in Nivrutti?
Swami replied:- Ego and jealousy play a negative role in Pravrutti as well as in Nivrutti.
2. Did the sages take birth as Gopikas to subdue their male ego at the end of their spiritual journey?
Swami replied:- Male ego can be subdued by taking birth as a female and not by becoming a female using miraculous power. Hence, God Rama asked the sages to take actual female birth.
3. Is attaining thoughtless awareness beneficial on the spiritual path?
Swami replied:- Thoughtless awareness is nothing but taking rest without any mental work. Rest is necessary when the mind is blasted by thoughts in various works. After such rest called as meditation, concentration on God is very effective. Some people continue in the meditation pleading that meditation itself is concentration on God. Such people mistake self itself as God.
4. What is the true role of imagination in our lives with respect to spirituality?
Swami replied:- Thinking about God even in imagination is penance for God through mind (Mānasaṃ tapa ucyate - Gita).
5. What is meant by permanent association with God?
[Swami, You said that continuous association with You will be subjected to Maya and negligence occurs in course of time. Then, what is meant by permanent association with God? How can it be permanent when our individuality is never taken away from us and we still can fall? Swami, please correlate above two.]
Swami replied:- Individuality need not be taken away from the soul for the sake of permanent association with God. The basic individuality called as Ahamkaara (basic ego) is one of the four internal instruments that help to reach God. When this basic ego develops in wrong side, pride is generated. This pride is also called as ego or Ahamkaara. Due to this, confusion of concept comes. Basic ego must be maintained in dualism to enjoy the love of God. Basic ego will not modify into pride if it is totally surrendered to God. In total surrender also, the basic ego remains.
6. Is the state of pure awareness and thoughtless awareness the same?
[Swami, is the state of pure awareness and thoughtless awareness same? How to attain the state of pure awareness of the soul? Is it helpful in the path of Nivritti?]
Swami replied:- Pure awareness means thoughtless awareness only. Attaining pure awareness is called Aatma Yoga, which is necessary to detach from worldly bonds. The superimposition of basic ego (I) on the body becomes the root cause for these worldly fascinations. Hence, Shankara stressed on this superimposition (Adhyaasa) very much. After achieving Aatma Yoga, the worldly bonds become weak. These worldly bonds will not be completely eradicated with Aatma Yoga. After succeeding in Aatma Yoga, one must concentrate on Paramaatma Yoga, which will be easy due to the already weakened worldly bonds.
7. Can You please comment on Varna-Sankara?
Swami replied:- Varna means colour. The real colour of any human being is the colour of the soul, which shall not be decided by birth. The colour of the soul is called the strong nature or Prakruti. In the Gita, God emphasized in several places that this Prakruti dominates and strongly directs the soul into its congenial action. This Prakruti is nothing but the qualities accumulated in several past births, which are solidified Samskaaras. Based on this, three types of castes result, which are the castes of Saatvika, Raajasika and Taamasika qualities. Based on this concept, it is always better to avoid the inter-caste marriage and stick to the marriage in own caste. This means that the Saatvika caste shall not marry Raajasika and Taamasika castes. God clearly told that the caste system is established by Him based on qualities and subsequent actions (Cāturvarṇyaṃ mayā sṛṣṭam, guṇa karma vibhāgaśaḥ). He says that He is the establisher of such logically based caste system (Tasya kartāramapi mām) and also clearly says that He is not the establisher of the caste system based on birth (Viddhyakartāra mavyayam). Varna Sankara means inter-caste marriage, which again means the marriage between Saatvika caste with Raajasika or Taamasika castes.
8. Is Samaashrayanam indeed started by Ramanuja?
[Swami, what is the real meaning of Samaa Shrayanam? What is the essence of the Pancha Samskaara (Tapa, pundra, nama, mantra and yaga) and putting a symbol of Shankhu and Chakra on shoulders using a heated stamp (Tapa)? Is it indeed started by Ramanuja?]
Swami replied:- The Divine Preacher develops the philosophy and tradition based on the mentality of the disciples present around Him during His lifetime. As the time changes, the mentalities also change and accordingly the system is developed by the Divine Preacher. Standing in some other latter time, we should not mistake the earlier tradition. If you recognise this concept, you will not misunderstand any divine preacher.
9. Is the percentage logic in Karma Phala Tyaaga also applicable to Karma Samnyaasa?
Swami replied:- Since Karma Samnyaasa is also a sacrifice, the percentage logic applies in it perfectly. The physical strength or energy is the total wealth possessed by the devotee. If such a devotee does a little service and compare it to the very little service done by a very weak man, the service of the strong person may look more in value. In this case, the sacrifice of the very weak man is 100% whereas the sacrifice of the strong person is 10%. Since 100 is greater than 10, the very little service of the weak man is greater than the considerable service of the strong man.
10. What are Vishnu Granthi Vibhedinii, Rudra Granthi Vibhedinii and Bramha Granthi Vibhedinii?
[Swami, what are Vishnu Granthi Vibhedinii, Rudra Granthi Vibhedinii and Bramha Granthi Vibhedinii in the context of the real Yoga that You have taught us?]
Swami replied:- Brahma Granthi is the fascination to the ego of knowledge. Vishnu Granthi is the fascination to the ego of wealth. Rudra Granthi is the fascination to the ego of physical energy. Goddess Lalitaa is the power of spiritual knowledge that destroys all the above three fascinations.
11. Is it impossible to prove the existence of God through philosophy or theory alone?
Swami replied:- Existence of God can be proved by spiritual knowledge with the help of the Vedic spiritual knowledge (Shabda Pramaana) and the inference of logic (that such a systematic world must have been created by an unimaginable creator called God). Hence, Kaalidasa told that God can be proved by these two concepts (Āptavāganumānābhyām). Ignorant people need the proof through miracle only.
12. In the case of human incarnation of Lord, can we say - a) Vaishva = Vishva, b) Taijasa = Viraat, c) Praajna = Hiranyagarbha?
Swami replied:- In the case of human incarnation or even in the case of an ordinary human being, Vaishva means a materialised gross body. Taijasa means the energetic profile called subtle body. Praajna means Hiranyagarbha related to awareness with excess happiness called causal body. In the case of ordinary human being, the first two items (awaken state or jaagrat and dream state or svapna) are the experienced states, but the third item (deep sleep or sushupti) has no experiencer (awareness) at all to enjoy the happiness. In the case of human incarnation only, the third state applies. In the case of human incarnation, the fourth state called Turiiyam (unimaginable state beyond deep sleep) also exists whereas it does not exist in the case of ordinary human being.
13. Please explain the concept ‘All souls are not parts of God’.
[Swami, You said that as per Lord Ramanuja,
Vishva + Viraat + Hiranyagarbha = Narayana
Souls (awareness) are part of creation (Vishva), which is a part of Narayana. Hence, we (all souls) are all the parts of Narayana. But, we know that all are not parts of God. Can You please explain this concept Swami?]
Swami replied:- In your formula, Turiiyam is missing. Vishva + Viraat + Praajna + Turiiyam = Narayana or Hiranyagarbha or Iishvara or God Datta. The first three constitute the medium whereas Turiiyam is Parabrahman. An ordinary soul is matter + energy + awareness, which is a mini cosmos without Parabrahman or Turiiyam. Omnipresence of God is only in effective sense and not in physical sense. Ramanuja considered the entire creation or macro cosmos as external body of God Narayana on the basis of Vishvaruupa. The inner energetic body of Narayana was treated as the soul. The soul is always superimposed on the external body. Hence, part of the external body can be treated as part of the soul. Hence, the human being, which is a part of this external world can be treated as part of God Narayana. Ramanuja had to construct all this logic because He wanted to console the ambitious soul as a part of God even though the soul is not the whole actual God.
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