23 Jul 2023
[Shri KS Pavan Kumar asked:- I belong to the tradition of Shri Madhva. We believe that souls are entangled in the cycle of deeds and fruits rotating in an endless cycle. Why not the omnipotent God give salvation to all souls, which He can do in a fraction of a second?]
Swami replied:- A wealthy person established a college and was engaged in its administration to pass time with entertainment. Why not declare all students as having passed the examination so that all students will be happy? Everybody will tell that this is injustice. Even if you pass an undeserving student or pass all students, both are criticized as injustice. If all are passed, you are not justified. God also created this world for entertainment (Ekākī na ramate… Veda). The entertainment can’t be criticized if it is not involved in any injustice. Hence, God always follows justice even in entertainment. For entertainment, if injustice is done, it is sadism. In this divine entertainment, there is no trace of sadism. If no soul is getting salvation, you can criticize the system. Similarly, if no student is passing in the examination, the above said college can be criticized. Those, who are not following the rules and regulations alone are failing since they are not studying well. Similarly, those who are not following the rules and regulations prescribed by God in the ethical scriptures alone are entangled in the cycle of deeds and fruits. This is not the fault of the institution or the establisher of the institution. Since you have failed, you alone can give such a suggestion whereas all passed students say that the system is best. If all say that this suggestion is good, God can think of considering it. This suggestion belongs only to failed candidates. You can never blame God that His entertainment is responsible for the failure of some students. Since the system is justified, the establisher can’t be blamed.
Q. What is needed for salvation? Is it knowledge, devotion, or practice?
Swami replied:- All these three are essential. The first step is knowing the spiritual knowledge (Jnaana yoga) or knowing all the details of the soul, the path in which the soul has to travel to reach God. The second step is theoretical devotion (Bhakti Yoga). Both these steps are theoretical only, but important since theory is the mother of practice. The third step is practice (Karma yoga), which is practical. Practice is the proof of theory. This third step consists of sacrifice of service (Karma samnyaasa) and sacrifice of fruit of work (Karma phala tyaaga). Knowledge is the water and devotion is the manure. Practice is the mango plant that alone yields the fruit. But, without water, the plant will die and without fertilizer, the plant can’t grow into a tree to give the fruit. You may have hundred tanks of water and hundred bags of fertilizer, you can’t get even a single mango fruit. Hence, all the above three are important. After hearing the details of God, you will develop mental attraction towards God and this is theoretical devotion. In the final step, you will do service and sacrifice. All these three steps are possible only in the case of God in Human form called as Sadguru. Sadguru gives true knowledge by which you will not enter a wrong path. Sadguru gives complete true knowledge so that you will reach the goal in the right path. Sadguru is both Guide and the Goal.
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