THE SOUL HAS BEEN MISTAKEN TO BE GOD

[Shankara Jayanthi] If the spiritual knowledge is perfect and complete, the devotion and practice are the spontaneous subsequent steps for which there is no need of any effort. If the practice is perfect and complete, the fruit is spontaneous. Therefore, all the efforts should be put only to gain the perfect and complete spiritual knowledge. Hence, Shankara told that knowledge alone can achieve fruit (Jnanadevatu…). The perfect and complete spiritual knowledge is possible only from God. But, God is unimaginable and therefore, the unimaginable God comes down in human form to give this perfect and complete knowledge. For this purpose, which is most important, God will never enter inert medium. The human form means the soul or awareness associated with the human body. Whenever God enters this world, the soul is always an associated medium with Him. You should not say that the soul or awareness alone is the associated medium. If you say like that, the soul exists in birds and animals also and these birds and animals cannot give the spiritual knowledge to humanity. Therefore, the soul should mean the soul existing in human body only. In the Veda, the soul is always referred as medium for God and this danger of extension to birds and animals comes up in the Veda. To rectify this defect, the Gita says that God is associated with human form (Manusheem tanum…). Hence, the Gita is the reformed essence of the Veda.

Due to constant association of God and soul, you can address the soul as God. This is possible due to “Lakshana”, which speaks that you can address X through Y if there is constant association between X and Y. You can call the bearer of apples by the word ‘apples’ since the bearer is constantly associated with the basket of apples. As far as the context is confined, the bearer and apples are inseparable. However, this does not mean that the bearer is always associated with apples or vice-versa. As long as you are confined to the context of the bearer carrying on the apples, this Lakshana is valid. Similarly, as long as you are confined to the context of human incarnation of God, you can say that God is inseparable from the human soul and vice-versa. Hence, this does not mean that God does not exist without human form and this does not also mean that human form does not exist without God. In short, you can say that whenever God is recognized by you, He is always associated with the human soul or human form. But, reverse is not true. It means that you should not say that wherever human form is seen, God is associated with that human form. The king is always seen with red shirt. You can recognize the king through the red shirt. But, this does not mean that every person wearing red shirt is the king. At this point, the Advaita Scholars mistook the concept and slipped by extending the concept to every human form. The wrong concept developed by them is further misunderstood by thinking that every human soul itself is God. It is further misunderstood to think that every soul existing in all living beings is God.

The final misunderstood essence of the concept made God as the soul or awareness and hence, God is imaginable. The soul or awareness is imaginable through deep analysis. The awareness is a special work form of energy resulting in the special machine called nervous system. Matter is clearly perceivable and easily understood. Energy in visible form like light is also easily understood. Sound, magnetism, electricity etc., are also understood through senses. The basic form of energy, which is the wave-nature or particle-nature in the form of quanta, is also understood through analysis with the help of intricate equipments like electron microscopes. But, the work form of energy is the most difficult form of energy to understand, which can be only inferred through analysis and never perceived by senses. Let us take the example of grinding work. You can see the current as waves through equipment. You can see the grinding machine with visual eyes. You can see the pulses before and after grinding. You can see the movement of grinding machine. But, the actual grinding work is invisible and can be inferred only. Even if you call the movement of the machine as the work, the actual movement is not seen except the machine in different points of movement. However, the work is also understood since it is the knowledge of inference. Therefore, work is also an imaginable item of creation. Therefore, awareness being the work form of inert energy is also imaginable and cannot be the unimaginable God. The awareness is constantly associated with the unimaginable God, whenever He comes down in the human form. You should not take the reverse of the concept and finally claim that awareness itself is God.

What Does Advaita Mean?

Advaita means the unity of two items. It does not mean that the item is one only. It means that God and soul are united in the human incarnation and that both are inseparable and hence, cannot be taken as two. This does not mean that God is soul or soul is God. The current in the wire is inseparable from the wire. Both are united and can be treated as one but both are not actually one. Current is stream of electrons and wire is chain of metallic crystals. Both are different. When the current leaves the wire or when the current does not enter the wire, the difference is clearly understood. The unimaginable God becomes imaginable and perceivable through the human form since both are united and inseparable as long as the human form exists. Before the entry of God, the human soul exists and the same soul exists after the exit of God also. God is one item before the entry and after the exit. Similarly, the soul is one item before the entry and after the exit of God. The soul can be treated as God during the stay of God in it. Advaita means that both can be treated as one and not actually one. All this discussion is confined to the Human Incarnation only and should not be extended to every human soul. There is no need of discussion in the single God or in the single soul. Even the human soul present in the human incarnation is not subjected to this discussion before the entry and after the exit of God. When Shankara took wine, every disciple took the wine claiming himself as God, since Shankara told that He is God (Shivoham). They thought that drinking wine is the common characteristic to God and themselves. Next day, Shankara swallowed molten lead, which could not be swallowed by them. Then, Shankara declared that He alone is God (Shivah Kevaloham). However, this does not mean that a demon also, who can perform this miracle is God. This miracle differentiates 90 percent of humanity from God.

The demon, who can perform this miracle, cannot preach the excellent spiritual knowledge like Shankara and hence, can be eliminated. Therefore, majority can be eliminated by the miracle and minority can be eliminated by the spiritual knowledge. The spiritual knowledge is the final identity and is most important because you are going to achieve the divine fruit only through the perfect and complete spiritual knowledge as said in the beginning.

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