10 Nov 2006
Detachment from the world and attachment to one’s own self is also Nivrutti in relative sense. Nivrutti means simply detachment. The self is also a part of the world. Therefore, such detachment is from all the other items of the world. Thus, the self-attachment is not the complete detachment from the world since the self is also one of the items of the world. The real and absolute Nivrutti is from the entire world (creation) including the self. Buddhists established such total detachment from the world and ended in nothing (Shunyam). This is no doubt, the total detachment from the world, but there is no use of such total detachment from the world. Such state is that of a stone. In the self-attachment, the Advaitins think that self is the creator and not the part of creation. But this is against the Gita, which says that self is a part of world or nature (Prakruti), called as Para Prakruti (Jivabhutam…). Due to this misunderstanding, they feel that the self-attainment (Atma Yoga) is attachment to the creator and complete detachment from the world. The Visishta Advaitins and Dvaitins believe that attachment to Lord Narayana in the place of the soul is Nivrutti. The followers of ISKCON feel that attachment to Lord Krishna is Nivrutti. But today the human form of Lord Krishna does not exist on the earth. Lord Krishna exists as the energetic form in Goloka as Lord Narayana exists in Vaikuntha. Both these energetic forms (Narayana and Krishna) correspond to the energetic bodies of their devoted souls in their corresponding upper worlds. Thus, both such forms are irrelevant to the human beings existing on the earth today. We can atleast appreciate these devotees of Lord Narayana and Lord Krishna because God certainly exists in those energetic forms. But, the Advaitins are totally wrong because every soul is neither God nor atleast contains God. These energetic forms of God can be worshipped in this world for developing the theoretical devotion. But only the practical devotion, which is the result of real theoretical devotion alone can yield result. For such practical devotion, the energetic forms are not suitable to humanity and hence, such energetic forms are not appearing.
Same God exists in the human body of every human incarnation that is coming in every human generation. You are unable to recognize such human forms of God due to your inherent and inevitable egoism and jealousy. Instead of the human incarnation, you can worship the best devotees also. In fact, the human incarnation is very rare and even if it is identified, it is very difficult to accept and worship it due to egoism and jealousy. The devotees are widely spread and easily available. To worship a devotee, egoism and jealousy will not hinder so much because, the constant thought that the devotee is after all a human being like yourself, will satisfy yourself. Moreover, if you worship the devotee, God is more pleased than His direct worship. Therefore, the worshiping a devotee is very easy and has a better result also. It is said that insulting a devotee (Bhaagavat apachara) is more serious than insulting God (Bhagavat apachara). When Hiranyakashipu insulted Lord Vishnu, God was not serious at all. But when the demon insulted His devotee (Prahlada), God became very serious. This means that God treats His devotee more than Himself. The exact contrary concept of this is that God is more pleased with the worship of His devotee than His worship. However, this concept should not bring egoism in the heart of devotee that he is greater than God. The devotee should remember that the entire value of the devotee is only due to God. If you have both human incarnation and devotee together, you may feel that worshipping the devotee is better than worshiping God. Then you may neglect the human incarnation and worship the devotee for a better result, because your worship is always based on the result only. Then the real devotee will feel pained about it. In such case God becomes furious with you because His devotee is pained by you. But in this case, suppose the devotee feels proud of himself, then the total picture gets reversed. The devotee is infected by egoism and therefore, God will teach him a lesson to rectify the devotee. Once, the devotee Sudarshana became proud by the praise of Narada. Then he was born as Karthaveerya and the Lord in the form of Parashurama taught a lesson to him. Therefore, when you have the human incarnation and devotee together, you worship both equally. At least you treat the human incarnation as the best devotee.
Status Quo Maintained After Death
Goloka means the group of senses (Gavam Loka iti). This means the human body. The energetic body also is in the same form of human body and is having all the senses. Therefore, Goloka means both the human body and energetic body. When Gopikas were in the association of Krishna on this earth, they were already in Goloka. When Krishna and Gopikas left their human bodies and entered energetic bodies in the upper world called as Goloka, Gopikas are again in association with Lord Krishna only. This means that the state of Gopikas continued even after their death. The death does not change the state. If you attain the Jeevan Mukti, you can attain Mukti. The former is due to recognition of the human incarnation in this life on this earth. The latter is due to subsequent recognition of God in the energetic body in the upper world. Therefore, without the former, the latter is impossible. The Goloka is given higher status than Vaikuntha. What is the reason? Same God exists in both energetic forms (Narayana and Krishna). Both forms are equally energetic. Thus there is no difference in the forms of God. But there is difference between the levels of the devotees. The devotees in Goloka recognized God on the earth and in Goloka fully since they conquered egoism and jealousy. They are in the higher level. But the devotees in Vaikuntha could not recognize the human incarnation on this earth due to the principle of common repulsion (repulsion between the common human bodies). They worshipped Lord Narayana here through photos and statues with full devotion. The reason for their full devotion on this earth is due to the absence of the common repulsion. But the same devotees went to Vaikuntha and do not recognize Lord Narayana due to the same principle of common repulsion (repulsion between the energetic forms). But due to their Samskara of their full devotion to Lord Narayana on this earth, a partial devotion to Narayana develops due to reduction of full devotion by the common repulsion. Now if you compare the devotees in Vaikuntha with the devotees in Goloka, the latter are certainly in the higher level. The same teacher goes to graduate and post graduate classes. The difference in the levels of the classes is not due to the difference in the teacher but it is due to difference in the levels of the students. Therefore, the recognition of human incarnation in your present generation can alone lead you to the highest plane of God.
Lord Narayana exists always as energetic form only. But Lord Krishna existed as human form for sometime on the earth and then became energetic form and is continuing in the same. The devotees of Narayana and Krishna are in no way different from each other as on today, because today both are worshipping the energetic forms only due to repulsion towards human form. Both devotees on reaching the upper world will have reduced devotion due to principle of repulsion between common media. The case of Gopikas was quite different from the present devotees of Krishna, since they had the opportunity to worship the human form of Krishna when they were alive on this earth. Gopikas conquered egoism and jealousy and hence could worship Krishna in human form when they were alive on this earth. But the present devotees of Krishna could not conquer egoism and jealousy like Gopikas and hence, are unable to accept their contemporary human incarnation. They can never enter Goloka for this main difference. They can only enter Vaikuntha like the devotees of Narayana, who can also appear as Krishna to them simultaneously. These devotees of Krishna have already the concept of Narayana appearing as Krishna and hence, they can not object to this.
Concluding Remarks
The Veda says that unless one recognizes God here itself, who is present before his eyes, the future will be in great loss (Ihachet…, Yat Saakshaat Aparokshaat…). Unless one recognizes God existing in the same medium, the principle of repulsion between common media will hinder the full devotion. If the devotee missed God here, existing in the same medium (human body), the highest result can never be attained. Hanuman was equal to Gopikas in all aspects like recognizing and serving the contemporary human incarnation etc., but missed by a very narrow margin, since He fought with the Lord to protect Yayati. However, in the case of Hanuman, we should take Him as the role only because as actor He is the Lord Himself. The message was given by the Lord Himself through this role, which is that even the top most devotees may be polluted with the egoism and jealousy for atleast sometime during their life time.
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