Posted on: 17 Oct 2022
1. Do the functions of mind, intelligence, and ego happen in other worlds also?
[Shri Divakar asked: Padnamskaram Swami. Mind, Intelligence and Ego are the working faculties of the mind. The soul performs these functions when it is on martya loka which is earth. Does the soul perform these functions on other lokas also such as Narakaloka, Pitruloka and Bhuvarloka etc.]
Swami replied: Mind, intelligence, ego and the remembering faculty are the four departments of awareness. As long as awareness or soul exists, whatever may be the place, the awareness is fully active with all its four faculties.
2. If we observe on a micro level, are both the soul and awareness the same?
Swami replied: Soul is actually the inert energy that is transformed into a specific work form of inert energy while it functions in the active brain-nervous system. Awareness is the design of chain whereas the inert energy is the gold material of the chain. Due to this reason, the awareness is seen in the form of energetic waves on the screen of electronic instruments. These waves are actually the waves of inert energy only. The information is in the form of these pulses or electric signals. Gold is not the chain and soul is not awareness. But if you remove the soul from the awareness, everything disappears.
3. Does God entertain through a devotee’s sincere devotion?
[In last week's discourse, You mentioned "God never recommends Nivrutti and always recommends Pravrutti only" but at the same time, I understood that You created this creation to get entertainment through the sincere devotion of devotees, can You clarify this point, Swami?]
Swami replied: Of course, God knows that some souls will be very much interested in Him and such interest in Him is not for mere entertainment. The activities of all other general souls will be involved in the worldly life only. Some souls may mix both spiritual life and worldly life. In such mixed souls, some will have spiritual life for the sake of the welfare of worldly life and some other souls will have worldly life as a support for spiritual life. All these possibilities are well known to God even before He created the souls because He is omniscient. God has no prior intention about spiritual life, but knows about the development of spiritual life in the case of some souls due to His omniscience. Having known that the spiritual life of some souls is possible in the future, God wanted to enjoy it with utmost attention. His desire for such sincere enjoyment of true devotion of devoted souls need not be mistaken as Himself to be the creator of the spiritual path or Nivrutti.
4. Which soul pleases You the most: souls along Nivrutti or Pravrutti?
[Which soul pleases You the most: souls leading a life of Nivrutti or souls leading a life of Pravrutti sincerely? Regards, Divakar, servant at Your lotus feet.]
Swami replied: God made Pravrutti as mandatory and Nivrutti as optional. God gives the utmost importance to Pravrutti or worldly life even though His real enjoyment is in Nivrutti. Without Pravrutti, Nivrutti is not successful because can a person unable to touch the roof of his house touch the sky?