04 Sep 2024
[Shri Anil Antony asked: Padanamaskaram Swami. Please give answer to the following questions, at Your Lotus Divine Feet-anil. What is the meaning of the following sayings of Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa: “Tamas kills and rajas binds. Sattva no doubt releases man from his bondage, but it cannot take him to God but it shows him the way.”]
Swami replied:- Tamas is complete ignorance and it leads to destruction. God Shiva is predominant Tamas destroying the total creation without discriminating good from bad due to ignorance imposed by Himself. Rajas is basic ego (If it grows in a wrong direction, it becomes pride.) that is needed for identification of self. Brahma is Rajas and He creates each item having specific identification that is based on basic ego. Sattvam is the discriminating knowledge with logical analysis. By this, the soul can come out of blind bonds called salvation. Vishnu is Sattvam and Vishnu is said to give salvation (Mokṣa micchet Janārdanāt). Mere liberation from worldly bonds can’t give closeness to God. Mere relief from one institution can’t give the appointment order in other institution. You must get the appointment first and then only you must relieve yourself from the old institution. Similarly, you must be associated with God first and then only get salvation. Association with God spontaneously relieves you from the worldly bonds. Hence, by salvation you can’t reach God. But, in the initial stage, salvation from worldly bonds to a certain extent is essential so that you can get sufficient time to put efforts to associate with God. In this way, salvation to some extent in the initial stage shows you the way to reach God gradually.
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