THE THREE PHILOSOPHIES CONFINE TO HUMAN INCARNATION ONLY

Shri Hemantha kumar, Advocate, asked: I am very much interested in the correlation of three philosophies of Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhva (Trimata Samanvaya). Can you give it to me?

Shri Swami Replied: Shankara told monism (Advaita) between God and soul preaching that both are one and the same. Madhva told Dualism (Dvaita) between God and soul preaching that both are totally different since God is the master and the soul is His servant. Ramanuja told an intermediate state of special monism (Vishishta Advaita) existing between monism and dualism stating that God and soul are inseparable like fruit and its taste indicating monism, but, both are different due to dualism and God can be treated as a total composite (fire) while the soul is a part of it (spark) indicating qualitative monism and quantitative dualism. All the three agreed that both God and soul are basically the awareness. This is about these three philosophies as per the general presentation. I am giving a brief essence of the three philosophies now and detailed knowledge can be found out from several messages given by Me in the website:

www.universal-spirituality.org

The greatest slip in understanding these three philosophies lies in just one basic point. That point is that these three philosophies are confined to a special case of human incarnation only in which God and a human soul co-exist in the same human body as per the Veda (Dvaa suparnaa...). God enters a human body existing with its soul as per the Gita (Manusheem tanumaashritam). In the human incarnation, God merges with the soul in the human body identifying Himself with soul like the current entering metallic wire. The soul is Paraprakruti (awareness) and the body is (Aparaprakruti). Hence, the soul and body constitute a single item called body (Prakruti). Therefore, God enters the human body (as per the Gita) means that God enters the body in which two components (para and apara) exist. It is like a flat given to the President, means a house (apara) associated with servant (para). The electrified metallic wire itself is called as electricity and this is monism. The electricity is a stream of electrons whereas the wire is a chain of metallic crystals and both the electricity and wire (God and soul) are totally different items (dualism). Electricity is the major component of power and the wire is minor material component. God treats the soul in the human incarnation as His important part of the body like eye (we hear a father saying about his two sons as two eyes indicating composite-part relationship). Hence, all these arguments of the three philosophies are confined to one special case only, which is called as human incarnation like Rama, Krishna etc. This main point slipped and these three philosophies are wrongly applied to all the human souls and God. The simile here is: we discussed about electricity and wire in the case of electrified wire regarding the Monism or Dualism or intermediate inseparable Dualism treated as Monism. Up to this, these three types of discussions are perfectly right as long as all these discussions are confined to the electrified wire only. But, now the situation is totally different because we are discussing about the electricity present in the power station and several non-electrified wires present in our house. These discussions cannot apply to the case of non-electrified wires at all because the electricity is not present in the wire. The Monism says that electricity (energy) and the wire (matter) are one and the same since matter and energy are inter-convertible forms. If it is correct, the non-electrified wire also should give shock. The Dualism says that both are different from each other and this is quite logical since electricity is in the power station and non-electrified wires are in our house. Both are far from each other and also totally different items. The special Monism says that electricity and wire are inseparable and this also looks odd since both exist separately far from each other. The statements of Shankara and Ramanuja should be confined to the electrified wire (Human Incarnation) only where we can say that the all pervading electricity (God) and metallic wire are one and the same for all practical purposes (Shankara) and both can be treated as one since both are inseparable (Ramanuja).

The Veda says that God entered this creation (Tadevaanu Praavishat). Such entry need not be total so that we have to say that God exists in the entire creation. Here, God is thought to be awareness. In such case, awareness does not exist everywhere in this world. If it exists everywhere, every item of the creation should be non-inert with awareness. But, we find the presence of awareness in few items only. Hence, we have to agree that the entry is not total but partial only. If we say that a person entered a house, it does not mean that the person can be found everywhere in the house. The person will be found only in a room (part) of the house (composite). Once we agree that the entry is only partial, the entered part may be big (hall) or small (room). Therefore, the entry does not mean all the living beings with awareness (hall), but a specific devoted human being only called human incarnation. God is not characterised by mere awareness, but is characterised by special knowledge (Prajnanam) to be given to humanity. Here also, we should not forget that the unimaginable God is not the imaginable awareness or imaginable special knowledge. It only means that God is associated with special knowledge and is addressed as special knowledge since associating item can be addressed as the associated item (Prjnananam Brahmah).

Present Misinterpreted Context is Extension of These Philosophies to Non-electrified Wire

If you apply these three philosophies in the case of electrified wire, each philosophy is fully applicable to the specific case. We can also bring correlation of these three philosophies by saying that each philosophy is a specific angle of view of the same case. Thus, all these three philosophies are the three simultaneous angles of three different spectators viewing the same electrified wire. The electricity flowing in the wire is identified with the wire for all practical purposes since the wire gives the shock of electricity touched at any point. This is the Monism. Simultaneously, we can view through powerful microscope separately the stream electrons (electricity) flowing through the chain of crystals (wire) and hence electricity and wire are totally different. At the same time, one can feel an intermediate state between Monism and Dualism on observing the same electrified wire since even though both are totally different items (Dualism), both can be treated as one item (Monism) since both are inseparable during the flow of current and this comprehensive view (special monism) also exists simultaneously. Thus, we can have the correlation of three philosophies existing simultaneously and mutually not contradicting each other (Trimata Samanvaya). But, if you bring these three philosophies in the case of the power in the power station and the non-electrified wire present in your house, which is used in binding a gunny bag, it is horrible and highly mocked. The non-electrified wire may exist on the walls of your house in to which there is a possibility of entry of electricity in future whenever the electrical connection is obtained. Such non-electrified wire can be compared to souls of higher level. But, there are many souls in lower level, which can be compared to non-electrified wires used in binding the gunny bags in the case of which there is no possibility of entry of electricity. In such case, how can you call every soul to be God in monism? The original context was the special case of electrified wire and the present misinterpreted context is extension of those concepts of electrified wire to all the non-electrified wires.

In all the three philosophies God is said to be the awareness. The awareness being common in both God and soul, Advaita says that the soul is God. Dvaita says that due to total difference between the qualities of God and soul, both are different. Vishishta advaita also speaks the above difference but the isolation of the soul from God will not be possible resulting in assumed monism. Here also, the background is totally missing. The background of this crucial point that God is awareness, means that the incarnation of the God takes place only with the association of awareness. Awareness means a specific human soul selected by God for the sake of coming down as incarnation. This means that God will not enter the inert items of this creation. God enters the items of creation and that too, the awareness present in a specific human body. The associating item (God) can be called by the associated item (awareness or soul). The bearer of apple fruits is called by the name of apples. We call him by saying “oh Apples! Come here”. Actually God is unimaginable and not any imaginable item of the creation like awareness. You have to eliminate every imaginable item of the creation saying “Not this, not this...” (Neti Neti... Veda). Even the Gita says that nobody knows God (Maamtuveda na). The Veda says that God is beyond imagination also (Naishaa tarkena..., Yasyaamatam...). God is generator of space and has no space in Him. God is beyond space (spatial dimensions) and hence is unimaginable. Awareness is imaginable item. You need not worry that God cannot think if He is not awareness. The omnipotent unimaginable God can think due to His unimaginable power and for this sake He need not be awareness. Your logic can apply to these worldly imaginable items only, which cannot be applied to the unimaginable God. In this way, we have to understand the statement that God is awareness.

All these three philosophies apply to human incarnation (electrified wire) only and do not apply to the ordinary human beings (non-electrified wires). Even though this is the basic truth, sometimes the preacher distorts the truth slightly in different way for the welfare of the then existing human beings. A scholar speaks the truth and does not bother about the receiver of knowledge. A preacher (Guru) is mainly worried about the transformation of the receiver, for the sake of which, even the truth is distorted by him. A patient with headache was under the illusion that a squirrel entered his brain. He could not be treated by any doctor speaking the truth. A wise doctor made the patient to sit and caught a squirrel without his notice and throw out the squirrel keeping his hand near the ear of patient. The doctor said that squirrel from his brain came out and the patient was cured at once. This doctor agreed to the patient and treated him by distorting the truth. Here, truth is not important, but, the curing treatment is more important. When Shankara came here, He had to be with all atheists only (Buddhists and Purvamimamsakaas). They say that God never exists. Then, Shankara told that the soul is God and since the soul exists, God must exist. This resulted to believe that every atheist is God. Since nobody can say he does not exist, the atheist said that God exists since he is God. This trick was needed to convert atheist to theist. He knows very well that every human being is not God and also knows that He alone is God since He is the human incarnation. First His atheistic student said that He is also God like Shankara (Shivoham…). Then, Shankara drinks molten lead and the student was unable to do it, who fell on His divine feet. Then, Shankara corrected him by saying the He alone is God (Shivah kevaloham). Here, the atheistic student was transformed into theist in the first stage through distortion of truth. In the second stage, the student was made to know that he is a soul only and not God. In the first stage, the truth was distorted. In the second stage, the distortion was rectified. You have to understand the time of preacher and the then existing mental status of the human beings. If you understand this, the distortion of truth by the preacher will not be mistaken by you. Shankara told that the grace of God is necessary for the soul to become God (Eswaraanugrahaadeva...). By this, the atheist-converted-theist is made to believe the separate God, who becomes the devotee. Thus, the concept of Shankara that soul is God true in the sense of human incarnation and this was distorted to say that every soul is God. Even the distorted statement indicates that every soul has the chance to become God. Hence, the distortion was always very little. This fruit of human incarnation cannot be achieved by the effort of devotee since it is the will of God. The devotee is continuing the devotion to God to become the human incarnation and Shankara left this world at this stage. When Ramanuja came, the circle was of devotees worshipping God to become human incarnations! The devotee is thinking that he will become the total God in future. Shankara exploited the weakness of over ambition of the human beings to convert the atheists in to theists.

Ramanuja thought that the converted devotee should not have so much ambition to become God and consoled the devotee by saying that he is already a part of God. This consolation was also distorted truth because the unimaginable God cannot have any known part like soul. If you open this truth of complete Dualism, the devotee will be shocked. Hence, Ramanuja gradually brought down the devotee to an intermediate state instead of a steep fall from the top of the hill to the ground-dualism. Afterwards, Madhva came and told that the devotee is not even a part of God because the unimaginable God cannot have imaginable parts (souls), but showed 1% consolation that both God and soul are made of the same awareness. The final truth was opened to the extent of 99% by Madhva through perfect Dualism between God and soul. Here the truth is that every human soul has a chance to become God as human incarnation. But, the unfortunate point is that as long as the devotee aspires to become God, such fortune to become human incarnation becomes impossible. To become human incarnation, ‘such will’ should not be on our side. The will should be on the other side only. If God wishes, any human being can become God through human incarnation. In the final fourth stage, at present, Datta Swami opened the total 100% truth without even 1% concession (God and soul are awareness only). The Present Datta Swami (Myself) says that there is no trace of common point between God and soul since God is unimaginable creator and the soul is imaginable nervous energy (proved by science), which is a part of the creation. The devotee need not be worried to stand on the lowest end since the fortune of soul becoming God through human incarnation by not having even a trace of such ambition is open to all human beings.

Thus, you can see the gradual transformation of an atheist to become a perfect servant of God without any ambition in the final stage. Such transformation cannot be started with the atheist in the beginning by opening the absolute truth of the knowledge. If the absolute truth was opened in the beginning by Shankara, the atheist refuses to become the devotee. Therefore, the final 99% truth was revealed by Madhva and 100% truth is revealed by Datta Swami now. Yet, the chance to become God is opened to every human being and thus, the philosophy of Shankara is always true even today in the final stage. Actually a devotee involved in the propagation of spiritual knowledge in this world has the required basic qualification to attend the interview conducted by God for the selection of the devotee to become human incarnation. What is the use of your ambition if you do not have this basic qualification? All the three angles are simultaneously true at any instance of time. The differences between these three based on distortions required in the then times are inevitable in view of the differences between stages of receivers. It is not the difference between the three preachers.

In the beginning of every ritual every human being was supposed to worship all the three preachers irrespective of his sub-religion (Advaita etc.) by chanting the Vedic hymn to praise all the three preachers (Trini Trini...). Unfortunately, in these days this step of worshipping the three sub-religions (Matatraya taambula) disappeared due to foolish conservatism of the rigidity in the followers of sub-religions. Shankara is Lord Shiva. Ramanuja is Lord Vishnu. Madhva is Lord Brahma. Lord Dattatreya is the unified resultant form of these three Lords representing the correlation of these three philosophies entered Me and is expressing the unification of these three divine philosophies. If you cannot unify these three sub-religions in Hinduism, how can you unify all the religions existing in the world as dreamt by Swami Vivekananda?

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