Is it possible for the Lord to come in human form?

How can one argue that the Lord cannot come down in the human form? If He is incapable of doing so, He cannot be omnipotent. One need not argue that though the Lord is capable, there is no necessity of such human form. You may not have that necessity. Are you the only human being on this whole earth? Have you taken the opinion of all the human beings to say like this? There are several devotees who belong to Nivrutti and desire for the Lord in human form to see (Darsanam), to touch (Sparsanam), to hear the knowledge and clarify their doubts (Sambhashanam) and to live along with the Lord (Sahavasa) for achieving these three for a long time. The main purpose is preaching the divine knowledge and clarify the doubts.

The statues or photos or energetic forms or space cannot preach the knowledge and that is against the universal observation (perception). Preaching of the knowledge by the human forms of the Lord like Krishna, Jesus etc is observed universally and accepted perception. Such universal observation is according to the rules of the nature. When something is possible through a simple way by following the rules of the nature, is it not foolish to do the same simple thing in the complicated way violating the rules of the nature?  When water is available in plenty from the tap, what is the necessity of producing water by forcing Hydrogen and Oxygen to react with the help of an electric arc? To show the production of the water by this reaction, this experiment can be performed once but not every time whenever water is required. To show the super power of the Lord a statue or a photo or the energetic form or even formless space may talk once.

 But to preach the spiritual knowledge continuously, the Lord need not talk continuously through statues or photos or energetic forms or space. Some devotee might have experienced such super power in some place and in some time. Such experience is not supported by simultaneous universal observation. When you are seeing the moon in the sky, others are also observing the same moon simultaneously. This is required to authorize any experience. When this authorization is absent, your experience may be true or might have been due to some psychological disorder. The existence of such psychic experience is also observed in this world. Therefore we cannot isolate the possibility of these two cases in your experience

Therefore there is a necessity for the human form of the Lord and since the Lord is omnipotent, He is coming down in the human form. There cannot be any further argument on this point. I know you are worried that the Lord is modified into the human body and thus the unchangeable Lord has to be changed. Do not worry about this point, because the Lord is never modified into the human body. He only entered into the human body. The word “Asritam” in the verse of Gita “Manushim tanumasritam” means the entry of the Lord into the human body and not the modification of the Lord as a human body. Lord Krishna in Gita clarified this in the verse “Avyaktam Vyaktimapannam”.

At the lotus feet of His Holiness, Sri Datta Swami

Dattaji

http://www.universal-spirituality.org/

The Only proof for real existence of Unimaginable God

The scientific atheists say that the cosmic energy is the ultimate God from which this entire creation is generated through big bang, maintained and destroyed. He says that another unimaginable God as generator of cosmic energy is unnecessary. If we say that an agent of intelligence is required to maintain all this creation in such a systematic manner, the atheists disagree saying that randomness with probability based on theory of evolution can be the reason for such systematic administration. We cannot completely rule out this answer of the atheists.

In such case, the unimaginable God disappears and the imaginable cosmic energy becomes God. The concept of energy is clearly understood only through intricate scientific analysis like thermodynamics etc. and hence, an entity understood with difficulty can be treated as unimaginable for the time being. If we say that the genuine miracles stand as perfect proof for the real unimaginable concept, the atheists still weaken us by saying that there is at least 50% probability in the future for the revelation of such genuine miracle also.

When such situation stands before us, the only concept of perfect unimaginable concept is the existence of infinite entity. This cosmos is infinite without beginning and end. Its boundary is perfectly unimaginable since even scientists agree that it can never be reached. Even if you reach the boundary of cosmos, will there be a compound wall indicating the limits of the universe? If such compound wall exists, what is present beyond that compound wall? Therefore, in this case, the real unimaginable boundary of the infinite cosmos has to be accepted even by science.

There is no trace of possibility in future to explain the boundary of cosmos. This is the only proof for the real existence of an unimaginable concept indicating the unimaginable God. We can say that God exists beyond the limits of the universe and thus, it means that God is always unimaginable. Arjuna had the vision of this infinite cosmos containing infinite matter and energy. The only statement given by Lord Krishna is that there is no end to this cosmic vision, which clearly means that the limits of the creation are infinite and unimaginable (Naantosti mama …).

The Gita introduces two types of classifications. In the first classification, the two categories are prakruti and Purusha. In the second classification, three categories are mentioned, which are prakruti, purusha and Purushottama. The first classification was favored by Shankara and the second classification was favored by Ramanuja. In fact, both are not mutually contradicting each other. There are only two items. The first item is the unimaginable creator and the second item is the imaginable creation. This is very clear classification. But the problem is that the unimaginable God enters the creation.

He enters a human being. The human being is a part of creation only. This part of creation charged by God is called as Purusha. In fact, this Purusha is also the creation itself, being part of the creation. Thus, in the real classification, only one category is leftover, which is creation since the creator is counted in the creation itself through human incarnation, being identified as the part of creation.

The unimaginable God can now be indicated by the finger as a human being or Purusha. Otherwise, the creator as unimaginable God cannot be even mentioned since He is indicated by silence. In the first classification, such super human being, or human incarnation representing the unimaginable God, stands for the word ‘Purusha’ denoting the creator. In this first classification, the word Prakruti indicates the creation in which the inert creation along with all the living beings including all the ordinary human beings exists. Therefore, in the first classification the word purusha stands for God in human form only and never indicates an ordinary human being.

The reason for this logic is that the ordinary human being is already included in prakruti. The three faculties of the human being (mind, intelligence and feeling of ‘I’) are included in apara prakruti and the fourth faculty (chittam) constitutes the para prakruti. These four parts constitute the four faculties (antahkaranams), which are the human being. The body of the human being constitutes the five elements mentioned in apara prakruti, which are inert matter and inert energy. The human being or awareness is only a special work form of inert energy in the functioning nervous system, which is inert matter. Thus, the human being and the human body are strongly inter-related and are inter-convertible forms only as work, energy and matter. Hence, there is no problem in including the human being in the inert creation.

The entire creation is just the various modifications of the basic cosmic energy only. Therefore, you need not call the ordinary human being as Purusha and try to separate from the prakruti. When you are using the purusha as a separate word differing from prakruti, the purusha stands for the creator only since the unimaginable creator is clearly different from the imaginable creation. Even though, the word purusha stands for an ordinary human being also, here in this context, the word purusha should not indicate ordinary human being due to the above said reason. However, the usage of purusha meaning ordinary human being is justified in this context also since the creator is visible through the ordinary human being only as the medium charged by Him. Hence, the conclusion is that in this context, the separate word purusha does not mean every ordinary human being but means only that specific human being charged by God.

Based on this context, the purusha suktam in the Veda explains about the process of creation from purusha, who is any specified human being charged by God like Rama, Krishna etc. Hence, purusha suktam is establishing human incarnation as the creator of this universe, who is the absolute God. Hence, the human incarnation, Krishna, stated that He is the creator (Aham sarvasya jagatah …).

In purusha suktam, it is said that purusha is this creation (purusha evedam sarvam…). You need not doubt that the ordinary human being is this creation as a mini model since the human being consisting of four faculties of awareness and the human body consisting of five elements, represent the entire nine constituents of the universe. The human being along with the human body is a mini cosmos. This interpretation is also possible and in such case, the word purusha is limited to ordinary human being. In such case, the necessity of third category comes and therefore, the creator is mentioned as Purushottama.

The word Purushottama contains the word purusha, which means that the absolute God is in a specific human being or purusha. However, the above statement in purusha suktam can also be interpreted in a different way, so that there also the word purusha stands for creator only. In this different way, the creation controlled by purusha can be said as purusha in the above statement. The state controlled by the king Kalinga is called as Kalinga itself. This interpretation is given by Ramanuja and surprisingly such interpretation supports the first classification favored by Shankara thereby indicating that Ramanuja and Shankara are supporting each other only.

The interpretation of Ramanuja indicates the real world controlled by the real God. In the view of the soul, the world is real. Since Ramanuja is Adisesha, a soul only, he has given the interpretation in view of the soul. The world is unreal in the view of God and Shankara interprets this in His view since He is the human incarnation of Lord Shiva, the God. In this interpretation, this world is God because the unreal world does not exist and the real God only exists. The unreal snake is told as the real rope. Thus, both these interpretations are correct as per the view of soul and as per the view of God. Shankara mentioned both these concepts as separate views of soul and God. Hence, according to Him, the world cannot be said as real or unreal in the same angle (sadasat vilakshanaa…). People misunderstanding Shankara say that the world is unreal.

Therefore, the classification of prakruti and purusha is not the classification of non-living and living. Such classification comes in the study of creation only as in the subjects of science. In philosophy, the classification is between creator and creation. Prakruti includes living and non-living. Even purusha includes living and non-living because the human body is made of non-living elements where as the human being is made of four living elements of awareness.

Purusha means the human being along with human body. The purusha containing God also is a couple of the same human being and human body. Similarly, there is another classification called as kshetra and kshetrajna, which again does not mean living and non-living. Kshetra means known and kshetrajna means knower. A knower also becomes known, when that knower is known by other knower. Therefore, kshetrajna also becomes kshetra for another kshetrajna.

When you know about mediated God like Krishna, the human form of God, even such God becomes known to the knower. The absolute God is always unknown and unimaginable to any knower and Krishna is a mediated God. Hence, throughout the Gita, God means only the mediated God. In the Gita, it is said that God is to be known (Jneyam yat tat…). You should not take absolute God here, which can never be known. The known is only the human incarnation to be differentiated from the other human beings. Here, the word known means such identification of the special human being differentiated from the other human beings.

If you identify such special human being, we can say that you have known the absolute God also since the absolute God is identified with such special human being like the electricity being identified with the electric wire. Hence, in the same verse, after saying that God is to be known it is going to be said, the absolute God is mentioned (Anaadimat…). This clearly shows that there is no other way than this in knowing the absolute God as said in the Veda (Naanyah panthaa…). Hence, kshetra does not mean non-living and in fact, the awareness is mentioned in kshetra only (chetanaa dhrutih…).

The body is said to be kshetra, which covers awareness also (Idam shariram…). The knower of the body is kshetrajna (etat yo vetti…). The body also includes knower and hence, a knower also comes under kshetra. God is also a knower like a human being (kshetrajnam chaapi maam…). This means God has awareness like the human being, even though awareness of God is differing from the awareness of human being in several ways. The similarity is qualitative, which means that the process of knowing is one and the same. Thus, it is clear that the classification of known and knower is also not strictly followed in the classification of kshetra and kshetrajna.

The Gita says that in the body of human incarnation, there is a different knower other than one knower, the soul, and this different knower is the absolute God (dehesmin purushah parah…). Due to omnipotence, absolute God has the potency to know. Here, the word ‘para’ means different. This shows that the human incarnation has two knowers in the human body as said in the Veda (dvaasuparnaa…).

Here the word ‘asmin’ indicates the specific body of Krishna, the human incarnation. Shankara has taken this verse totally in different direction since He has to preach atheists in that time, who do not believe in God, other than themselves. He took the word ‘asmin’ to mean every human body. He took the word ‘para’ to mean best and not different. The resulting meaning is that in every human body, there is only one best knower, who is God. This results in saying that there is only one knower, who is God in every human body.

The original version was taken by Ramanuja since he is preaching the theists in his time. The diversion of the original version by Shankara is for the sake of the then existing atmosphere of atheists in His time. Such diversion is inevitable since the aim was to slowly convert atheists to theists. By accepting the existence of their soul, they accept the existence of God since soul is God.

The text of Krishna allows both the versions to suit the situations in different times. It is like a legal document written by a document-writer, which is interpreted by both the lawyers to suit their parties. You should not take this controversy to be present in the text or to be present between the commentators. This controversy should be taken as the controversy existing between theists and atheists. The same statement preaches both with different angles like a two edged knife. Krishna is such double edged knife to cut the ignorance of both the parties opposing each other in the same time.

At any time, both theist and atheist exist. In the Gita, it is said that God is not involved in the deeds of the human being or qualitative soul present in the human incarnation (na karoti na lipyate…). He extends this concept to atman, the soul, taken as the basic inert energy not involved in the deeds of qualitative soul (jeeva) and the soul is compared to another inert object called space (yathaa sarvagatam…). This means that if the qualitative soul (jeeva) identifies itself with its basic form, the inert energy or soul, the human being is completely detached from the world and can enjoy the world as God enjoys the world by detaching Himself as the creator.

The creator is detached from the creation through the basic point that creator is quite different from creation since creator is always beyond creation. The soul can be also detached from the rest of the creation and the reason for such detachment cannot be as above because the soul is not creator. Yet, the soul can be detached from the creation through another way even though it is a part of the creation. Such way is that the qualitative soul should think its own basic form as inert energy, which cannot be involved in any deed and in the enjoyment of any fruit. The human being can enjoy the creation as qualitative soul or awareness and at the same time get itself simultaneously detached by identifying itself as basic inert energy. In this way, both God and human being can enjoy the creation with detachment even though the process of detachment differs. The difference cannot affect the final detachment.

At the Lotus Feet of His Holiness, Sri Datta Swami

Dattaji
http://www.universal-spirituality.org/

The Total Concept of God

Krishna gave two statements in the Gita. The first statement is that He is unimaginable because nobody can know Him (Maam tu veda na kashchana …). The second statement is that He entered a human body (manushim tanumaashritam …). These statements together give the total concept of God. God is beyond spatial dimensions and hence, He is beyond imagination. In order to preach the spiritual knowledge to give the correct direction to the humanity, He comes down to the world of human beings by entering a human body. The human body means a human being. The inert material body associated with inert energy consisting of awareness with different feelings (jeeva) is the human body. Human body does not mean mere inert body containing inert matter and inert energy only. Such a body cannot be even a living body due to absence of life.

If you say living body, it may mean the body of a bird or an animal also. Such living body cannot deliver the knowledge to the human beings. The human body consists of five inert elements, out of which space and fire are the two parts of inert energy. Space is the invisible energy, whereas fire is the visible spectrum of energy. Apart from these two, the other three are air, water and earth, which constitute the three states of inert matter, i.e., gas, liquid and solid.

Apart from these five inert elements, the mind, intelligence and the feeling of ‘I’, constitute life and the awareness being the work of nervous system. These three are the different forms of the work of inert energy in a functioning nervous system. The fourth work form of nervous energy is storing of information in the brain. Brain is made of inert matter in the form of chemicals. The information is stored in the form of electrical pulses, which are inert energy only.

In the awaken state, the nervous system is functioning and therefore, you can memorize any bit of information that is stored. In deep sleep, the brain and storage of information (chittam) exists as it is, and difference is only that the nervous system is not functioning due to rest. Mind is only the process of variation in the analysis. Intelligence is the process of conclusion in the analysis. The process of functioning of nervous system stops in deep sleep and hence, mind and intelligence naturally disappear since they are also processes of functioning only.

The feeling of ‘I’ is just like a pulse (sphota) like any other feeling representing the total human body. The process of functioning means only work, which is not a pulse. Therefore, in deep sleep, there is no mind and intelligence since both are work forms only. Even though the pulses exist in the storing faculty of brain, they remain in their original nature, which is inertia. When the pulses are associated with the work of functioning nervous system, you are calling the resultant work as awareness. Therefore, awareness is defined as the work of nervous system involving the interaction of pulses or feelings.

When there is no interaction of any pulse, the nervous system may still function and it looks like a working grinding machine without grains in it. Such a state is called as pure awareness and this is the state of transcendental meditation. The grinding work of grinding machine without the grains to be ground is this state of meditation. The awareness without any feeling is called as pure awareness. In deep sleep, the grains or feelings are stored in the overhead tank of the machine, called as brain, as inert pulses. The static grains in the tank are the inert pulses present in the chittam in deep sleep.

In the awaken state, the grains are moving into the grinding machine and the grinding work is going on. Even without grains, the grinding work may go on due to function of the machine. Similarly, in the meditation state, the awareness exists without feelings. In deep sleep, the machine is not working and the grains are static inert pulses. This means that in deep sleep, the awareness is absent and the feelings are in the form of static inert pulses.

The basic form of the grinding work is the electrical energy. Similarly, the basic form of awareness is inert energy. In deep sleep, the inert energy does not enter the nervous system, which is either stored in the human body or functions in other forms of work of other functioning systems like lungs, heart etc. When the grinding machine stops, the electricity is either in the battery or in other forms of work existing in other functioning machines.

There is difference between the pure form of awareness and basic form of awareness and you should not mistake one for the other. The pure form of awareness is the work form of functioning nervous system without feelings in the state of meditation. The basic form of awareness is the inert energy present elsewhere in the body since the nervous system is not functioning in the deep sleep.

The pure awareness exists in the human being in the state of meditation. The impure awareness exists in the human being in the normal awaken state. The basic form of awareness exists in the human being in deep sleep. Therefore, awareness is only a special work form of inert energy existing in the functioning nervous system. This work depends upon the availability of inert energy that is generated from food by oxidation with the help of respiratory and digestive systems. This work also depends upon the functioning condition of nervous system. Thus, awareness is the work depending on several systems.

Generally, any work is not an independent entity and depends on the system. Awareness is the process of knowing, which is the work of functioning nervous system. Awareness is not an independent entity since it is work. It looks like an independent subject. Similar subjects are talk, walk etc., which are also works since talk is the process of talking and walk is the process of walking. Hence, awareness, talk, walk etc. are looking like independent subjects, but if you analyze, they are works only depending on the condition of several systems.

If you say awareness is God, God also becomes dependent on some systems. The awareness of a human being has birth in the awaken state and death in deep sleep (athachainam …) and it depends on the functioning condition of nervous, respiratory and digestive systems. When you speak about awareness of God, it is also the work of God and is not independent entity. The unimaginable God does not require these systems for the generation of awareness but still the awareness is generated by unimaginable way. The generated awareness of God is the same awareness of a human being in qualitative aspect. The awareness of omniscient God is aware of all the things by unimaginable way and the awareness of human being is aware of few things only by imaginable way. This is quantitative difference only and not the qualitative difference.

The cause of God’s awareness is unimaginable, which is the unimaginable God, but the God’s awareness itself is an imaginable item. The gold produced from a metallurgical furnace is the same gold generated by a miracle from the space. The process of generation and the cause of generation are only differing but not the product of generation. In both the cases, gold is one and the same imaginable item, which is the product of generation. The process along with the cause of generation in a miracle is unimaginable and the same in the case of furnace is imaginable. Similarly, the unimaginable awareness of God means that the process of generation along with the cause is unimaginable, but the awareness is imaginable item only.

The imaginable awareness of human being means that the awareness along with the process of generation and cause is totally imaginable. Therefore, the awareness of God and the awareness of human being are one and the same qualitatively and both are work forms of the basic inert energy only. In such case, the dependable work form of awareness cannot be the independent God. Even the awareness of God is depending on God just like the awareness of human being depends on human being.

When God entered the human body, it means that God entered the human body having the work facility of awareness. If you say that a student is admitted in the college, it means that the college is running with academic work and the college does not mean mere static inert buildings. Therefore, the unimaginable God is not only different from the inert human body but also different from the awareness, which is the special working facility of human body. He entered the human being, which is nothing but the human body along with its inherent facility of awareness.

The Lord mentioned that the awareness is the ninth part of His creation or Prakruti. Prakruti means the famous creation (prashastaa krutih). The human awareness is the ninth part of His creation, which is called as para or the best of all the items of creation in view of its most subtle technology, which is very difficult to imagine but not unimaginable (vimudhaa naanu pashyanti …). However, the technology of God’s awareness is unimaginable. Apara consists of eight parts and para consists of ninth part. The ninth part of the creation is only creation but not the creator. If it is creator, it cannot be called as prakruti or creation.

If you say that prakruti means root cause and hence, para prakruti is God, there will be two objections.

1) In that case, the other eight parts, which are also called as prakruti, should be also God. In such case, the entire creation is creator and there is no difference between creation and creator.

2) The Gita says God as purusha and the creation as prakruti (Prakrutim purushamchaiva …). Moreover, God says that the awareness is His para prakruti (prakrutim viddhi me paraam…). If He and para prakruti are one and the same, the word ‘His (me)’ should not have been used.

People mistake paraprakruti as God since the Gita says that this world is maintained by paraprakruti (yayedam dhaaryate jagat…). If you take paraprakruti as chittam, the storing system of information, here the word world means the world of informative pulses. If you take paraprakruti as the basic inert energy (since work is a form of energy only), the word world means the real materialistic world that is maintained by the basic inert energy. The basic cosmic inert energy is generating the world, maintaining it and finally dissolving it by the will of God. The basic inert energy present in a human being is qualitatively the same cosmic energy. The difference is only quantitative and hence, the limited basic inert energy of a human being represents the unlimited cosmic inert energy in qualitative sense. In this way, the inert energy of human being representing the cosmic energy is told as the maintainer of this real materialistic world.

The whole confusion came since the awareness is called as ‘Brahman’. Brahman means the greatest. The soul or awareness is greatest among all the items of creation as long as God does not come into picture. God is greater than this greatest and hence, is greatest in the total sense. But, soul is also greatest item as far as all the items of the creation are concerned. Therefore, the soul is greatest in the creation and God is greater than this greatest soul. Hence, God is finally greatest and stands as the final meaning of the word Brahman.

At the same time, any greatest item in a category can also stand as the intermediate meaning of the word Brahman. To avoid all this confusion, God is called as Parabrahman, which means that God is greater than Brahman (soul). The word Parabrahman has another meaning also according to which God is different from Brahman (soul). The word Brahman can be also used to the greatest item in any category. For example, the Veda is called as Brahman and the Gita says that Brahman (Veda) is created by God (Brahmaakshara samudbhavam …).

The Gita says that Parabrahman is the beginning-less absolute God about which you can neither speak that it exists nor you can speak that it does not exist (Anaadimat Parambrahma na sat tat naasaduchyate…). If you say that the unimaginable God exists, it may mean that you have understood God, because generally everyone speaks about the existence of known items only. If you say that the unimaginable God does not exist, it is also wrong because actually the unimaginable God exists, and if He is absent this creation could not have been created. Therefore, Shankara says that the best expression about the absolute unimaginable God is silence (Maunavyakhyaaprakatita Parabrahmatattvam …).

At the lotus Feet of His Holiness, Sri Datta Swami

Dattaji
http://www.universal-spirituality.org/

Violating Ethics for Sake of God is Correct

Gopikas were the sages born as ladies. The sages propagated the ethics as word of God for the sake of balance of the society. During such propagation, some sages were overcome by the sacredness of ethics and thought that God became sacred by ethics, since He was always supporting ethics. Such sages, born as Gopikas, failed to reach the Lord in the night when His flute was heard. The sages, who always thought that the sacredness of ethics is always due to God only, could run to God violating the ethical tradition.

The reality is that the value of any ethical principle is due to the fact that it is valuable since it is the word of God. It means that every word of God is ethical and it does not mean that God speaks only ethical principles. The ethical principle has no individual value and its total value is due to God only. God said that you should speak truth always (Satyam vada - Veda) and everyone should follow this because it is the word of God. Otherwise, speaking truth has no individual value. Krishna asked Dharma Raja to tell a lie in the war. This applies to that individual and to that context only. Otherwise, the word of God as the Veda is applicable to everybody in every context.

God is greater than ethics and the reverse is not true. Dharma Raja did not follow the instruction of Lord to tell the lie because the word of God is greater than the God Himself in his view. He felt that the ethics has individual value by itself and the value of God is due to His sincere following of ethics. God told that you should always follow ethics (Dharmam chara – Veda). But, He gave salvation to Gopikas, who violated ethics by running after Him. The difference between Bhagavatam and Bharatam is the difference between nivrutti and pravrutti. Nivrutti is the subject of realization of God as ultimate with highest value. Pravrutti is the subject of the realization of ethics as ultimate with highest value. Pravrutti is true as long as God does not enter. When there is a competition between God and ethics, God should be voted against ethics. God is the protector of ethics and not reverse.

If this truth is understood in pravrutti itself, the real background of pravrutti is realized. Then, nivrutti is very easy and will not contradict pravrutti. If you have not realized the true background of pravrutti, nivrutti is also not understood. Therefore, Gita says that ignorant people do not understand both pravrutti and nivrutti. It means that if either is not understood, the other is misunderstood. However, nivrutti should not be misinterpreted and misused. Thinking that a cheat is God, ethics should not be violated. You have to confirm the human form of God and should not violate the ethics misunderstanding an ordinary human being as God. You should not tell a lie based on the advice of an ordinary human being. A lady should not run after her illegal lover stating that he is the human form of God.

On the advice of Krishna, Arjuna killed his grandfather. This should not be misused. On the advice of some cheat, you should not kill your grandfather. Shankara left His old mother and Prahlada agreed for the death of his father for the sake of God. For other purposes, this should not be allowed.

Buddha left His wife, son and wealth for the sake of God. This should not be done for other purposes. To satisfy the followers of ethics, God interprets the violation of ethics as ethical procedure only. If nivrutti is not understood, it is better to follow the superficial ethics at least to support the balance of the society. The killing of Bhishma was explained as the punishment for his silence over the insult of Draupadi before him. Such explanation makes the Lord to bow before ethics and satisfies the blind followers of pravrutti in the interest of balance of peace of society.

The sages, who wrote ethical scriptures, were tested by God regarding their realization of the real background of ethics. They were born as women and it is very difficult to break the ethical tradition in the case of a woman than a man. Those who understood the real background of ethics became successful in the test and violated ethics for the sake of Lord. Their husbands were unhappy about this, who were their wives in their previous birth. The wives of the sages were also unhappy since their husbands were interested in God neglecting them. The same state continued in the next birth also. As husbands, they became unhappy since their wives were always interested in Krishna, who is God. Gopikas could recognize Krishna as God and hence, they could boldly violate ethics for the sake of God.

Narada says this point in Bhakti Sutras (Maahaatmya jnaana…). They clarified this point in their songs called as Gopika-Gitas in Bhagavatam (Nakhalu gopikaanandano bhavaan …). Since they have understood the real background of pravrutti, they did not feel for violating ethics for the sake of the Lord. The songs of Gopikas clearly mention the sexual interaction between Krishna and Gopikas (suratavardhanam …).

You should not run away from the truth and you should give the careful analysis to explain the truth. There is nothing to fear if the truth is understood in its original sense. If you have murdered somebody, accept the truth and explain the special background of it, instead of hiding your crime and negating it. The explanation of the special background may justify your act limited to that occasion only without generalization.

Of course, misuse is very easy and fearing for this only, some have interpreted that Krishna was a small boy and all this is not true. There is a saying that a scholar should be tested in understanding the reality of Bhagavatam (Vidyaavataam Bhaagavate parikshaa …). The above explanation is the critical reality to be understood and to understand that Krishna is a child is not that much critical reality! If the truth is not understood, the topic becomes very delicate and the ignorant people of other religions try to mock at this and they do not know that they are mocking at their own Lord only because there is only one God in different forms, who created this one earth and one humanity!

At the lotus feet of His Holiness, Sri Datta Swami

Dattaji
http://www.universal-spirituality.org/

The Highest State of Enjoyment

The essence of the entire message of Lord Krishna, Bhagavad Gita, is to develop the highest state in which you can be in the state of continuous enjoyment and happiness through entertainment. If you can enjoy the problems also, such continuous state of happiness is possible. The human being has always the worst tendency to pick up negative things only in the life and go on brooding over those things. Either you should avoid thinking about those negative things (dhyayato vishayaan …) or you should be able to enjoy those negative things also like the dish of chilies in meals.

Avoiding the thinking of negative things in the life is impossible since they touch and penetrate the mind in the practical life. Therefore, the only alternative way is to enjoy those things also and be happy in every minute of life. Such state is called as Brahmi sthiti (Eshaa brahmi sthitih …), which means that you should continuously enjoy your life containing both positive and negative things like God enjoying His creation containing both good and bad. You become equal to God in this state of enjoyment and this is the only possible monism (advaita). You are in the state of maintained creation and you are enjoying the creation like God. You are not in the state before creation, in which you cannot be equal to God since He is creating everything and you cannot create anything. You are not in the state of final dissolution of the world in which He is destroying everything and you cannot destroy anything. You are in the best state of maintenance of creation in which you cannot be differentiated from God since you are enjoying the creation like God. There is no trace of difference as long as the aspect of enjoyment of the world-cinema containing both scenes of happiness and tragedy is concerned. Even the extreme tragedy, the death, is not an exception to such entertainment (sthitvaasyaamantakalepi …).

Krishna followed this in His life and His preaching, the Gita, was perfectly implemented in His practice. He was enjoying His own death while the foot was bleeding, hit by the hunter. He consoled the hunter and removed his tension over the incident. He enjoyed the genocide of His family members as a spectator in the end. He enjoyed the defeat in the hands of the enemies like Jarasandha, who flew away to construct a new city in the island present in the ocean. He enjoyed while Shishupala was repeatedly scolding Him and was never subjected to any tension. He enjoyed while He was called as the thief of butter in other houses. Except entertainment and enjoyment, even a trace of tension could not touch Him in His entire life. You may say that God is enjoying the world-cinema since He is away from it.

You may differentiate from God by this, stating that you are participating in the cinema. This cannot be accepted since God also entered the world-cinema as Krishna and participated in it like you. The only difference is that He is acting in the role, whereas you are living in the role by completely identifying yourself with it. Such divine knowledge applies to you also and Shankara preached this. The God is detached from the drama because He differentiated Himself from the role. You can also detach yourself from the role by identifying yourself as the soul, or pure awareness. The detachment and its continuous knowledge are the ground for entertainment and enjoyment in the drama forever. Thus, the philosophy preached by Shankara is perfectly applicable as far as this state of entertainment through detachment is concerned.

The perfect monism between God and a realized soul is achieved (Matbhavamaagataah…). This means that the soul and God are exactly equal as far as the detached enjoyment is concerned and this does not mean that God and soul are one and the same. The difference between God and soul is clear when the two states, i.e. before creation and the end of creation, are concerned. Even during the present state of maintenance of the world is concerned, God controls the entire world whereas the soul is a part of the world and is controlled by God.

The producer and director of the cinema is the total boss and can control even the running state of the cinema. But, his servant sitting along with him as the spectator of the cinema is exactly in equal state with him as far as the entertainment and enjoyment through detachment is concerned. The producership, directorship and control over the running of the show etc. are not relevant points and cannot differentiate the servant as far as the limited angle of entertainment is concerned. If you close your eyes serving the boss without seeing the cinema, you are hurting the boss, because he will be happy if you enjoy like him seeing his creation. Therefore, God is not pleased with those who run away from the cinema and engage themselves in His praise only.

Your enjoyment of His creation without any tension shows that you are totally appreciating His work and talent in creating this universe. If you are suffering due to some aspect in the creation that shows that His work is defective. Your tension indicates your dislike to some part of the creation. If you enjoy with every item and situation in the world, you have appreciated His creation totally in every direction. God will be extremely pleased with such state. He preached the detached participation of everybody in the practical life with continuous satisfaction and happiness. He never preached the continuous isolated devotion in the Gita.

After entertainment and enjoyment only, the devotion should come as appreciation to God. Such devotion will be real, natural and spontaneous. The continuous entertainment should become the cause of your devotion. Devotion without cause will be artificial. You have read an epic written by a poet and enjoyed it continuously. After that, you started liking the poet with immense love. Such love is based on a cause and will be real and natural. It is generated based on appreciation of his great work and is not based on any benefit from him. The love should have either basis of appreciation and attraction or aspiration for some benefit. Without either of these two, love cannot be generated.

If you like God based on the appreciation of His creation, your devotion is real. The monism preached by Shankara is limited to this aspect of appreciation through entertainment of creation, which has no scope for any tension and is always characterized by continuous happiness called as Brahmananda or divine bliss, which means that you are happy like God through the entertainment from the creation. The essence of the Gita is totally reflected in the commentary of Shankara. The monism means only the similarity in the state of entertainment during the maintenance of creation and does not touch the differences outside the state. The creation, control during maintenance and dissolution of creation clearly differentiate God and soul.

At the lotus feet of His Holiness, Shri Datta Swami

Dattaji
http://www.universal-spirituality.org/

Change the Soul

The sin can never be cancelled by any remedy except the realization and reformation of the soul. Realization comes through knowledge and the determination and subsequent practical implementation of knowledge brings reformation of the soul. Adhibhuta is the subject related to matter of human body. Adhidaiva is the subject related to energy of human body. Adhyaatma is the subject related to behavior and qualities of the soul, which is pure awareness. Knowledge is always inherently related to soul. With the help of knowledge you can change the states of matter and energy easily, but with lot of difficulty only you can change the state of soul since knowledge is inherently related to soul. Knowledge with top most intensity only can change the soul. The intensity of knowledge increases as the knowledge is coming closer to the truth. The true knowledge means the knowledge that is totally identified with the truth, which can be given by the human incarnation of God only and hence Veda said that the true knowledge is the real inherent characteristic of God (Satyam Jnanam..).

Except the human form of God, no other form can deliver the knowledge and this is the exceptional value of human incarnation. You may say that God can speak even through inert forms or other living beings due to His omnipotence but such exhibition of unimaginable power without real necessity indicates the brainless administration of God. When the human form is naturally available to serve the purpose, there is no meaning to use superpower through other forms for the same purpose. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was crossing the river by a boat paying one rupee to the driver. Another saint crossed the same river by walking on water to show his super power. Paramahamsa told him that the cost of his super power is just one rupee! God is not such foolish saint, but God is such wise Paramahamsa!

Realization is the process of effort to change the soul and reformation is the actual change of the soul. If the soul is reformed, the proof for it is that the sin is not practically repeated. If this result is achieved, there is no need of punishment. The punishment is not for the sake of past sin, since past is past. The punishment is only to change the soul so that in future the sin is not repeated. The day you have stopped repeating the sin, you are excused by God for the past sin. This is the only way to stop the punishment of sin, which is in the form of problems of life. If you have stopped all the sins, your life will be the happiest and for this you need not pray even God. Prayer to God will not cancel even the trace of the sin. Ravana prayed Lord Shiva in several ways, but, he could not escape the punishment of his sin. If you are committing sin, you are violating the word of God and going against the will of God. God wants you not to commit any sin. His word is the ethical scripture, which says that you should not commit any sin. The sin will disturb the balance of the society since it hurts the co-living beings. Non-vegetarian food by itself is not a sin since the analysis of it shows that its contents are the same as exist in vegetarian food. The sin comes by killing a co-living being, which does not harm you at all. If you stop taking non-vegetarian food, killing of living beings is proportionally controlled. Do not say that you are not getting sin since you have not killed the living being directly. Killing is the highest sin, which gives highest pain to the living being. In the next birth, the killed living being will be born as human being, you will be born as the living being and you will be killed similarly by the human being so that your soul will realize the pain and get reformed. All the punishments are only for reformation of the soul and not for revenge.

The hell is created by God not with vengeance against sinners but due to kindness to reform the souls. God is always kind to reform the souls, which are His children since the souls are created by Him. The father will never have even a trace of vengeance towards his issues. Jesus always addressed God as father and He propagated this concept by saying that all your sins will be excused by God if you are reformed. Practical knowledge, the practical realization, which is the reformation, will cancel all your previous bad deeds or sins as told in Gita (Jnanaagnih….). Except this one way, there is no other way to cancel the sins and escape from all the present problems in the world and future torture in the hell.

The results of all your good actions will be separate and will not interfere with the cancellation of sins. God will give you good results for all your prayers and any prayer will not cancel even a trace of your sin. Similarly, your charity. If these good actions can reform you, then, your sins will be cancelled. Therefore, reformation of the soul is the only way by which God is pleased to cancel your sins.   Even if you do not believe in God, it does not matter. If you are not doing any sin, you are excused for all past sins and you will live with immense happiness in the world and after death also.

You cannot please God by prayers and service simultaneously doing sins. If you are doing a sin, you are going against the will of God and you are insulting God. You cannot please and insult God simultaneously. Therefore, every devotee and servant of God should be careful about the concept of the sin and about the only path to cancel the sin. Jesus tried to remove the cruelty from the hearts of the people so that in course of time people will change the non-vegetarian food. It is very difficult to oppose the strong nature in the beginning itself and therefore, He did not oppose the non-vegetarian food. It is the correct psychology of a teacher. Before Him, Lord Krishna existed and He also did not oppose the non-vegetarian food to certain communities at least in India, the reason being the strong ignorance. After Jesus, God came in the form of Mohammad but the time was not proper to preach against non-vegetarian food, since the time gap between them is almost nil. After some time, God came in the form of Buddha, who preached against non-vegetarian food strongly since the time gap was quite substantial for some change in the minds of the people.

In spite of several miracles exhibited and in spite of excellent preaching, Jesus was insulted and finally killed by the public. The reason is that it is very difficult to recognize the human incarnation of God. If you give the miracle as the inherent characteristic of God, Jesus showed several miracles. Krishna also showed several miracles and even the devotee like Arjuna could not recognize Him as God. If you say that the excellent knowledge is the real characteristic of God, even then, Jesus was not recognized since people could not properly digest it. Even after hearing Gita, Arjuna did not get down from the chariot even though Lord Krishna ordered. It means, Gita was not perfectly digested by Arjuna. Perfect digestion of knowledge means that it should stand in the blood forever. The disease that hinders the digestion of knowledge in this aspect is ego mingled with jealousy towards a co-human being. The way to remove this disease is to respect every co-human being without any insult and harm. Of course, this point should be exempted from the punishment given to a sinner and from the training of discipline to students.

You must treat every co-human being as the human incarnation of God and serve it with all humility and obedience. This is the meaning of “Manavaseva is Madhava Seva”.  The result of such training will be that you will never insult the real human incarnation of God coming across yourself in your life. Even if you do not recognize the human form of God, you will not insult it, since you are not insulting any human form. This is the best way to eradicate the ego and jealousy towards human form. This training is again misunderstood and it is propagated that every human being is really God. You must understand the real aim of the saying so that you will not be misled in wrong direction. Miracle is only a confined characteristic since it is meant only for atheist to prove the existence of unimaginable God through unimaginable events. Knowledge is the unlimited characteristic, which is needed by every human being existing at any level and this is the meaning of the Vedic statement that the true knowledge is unlimited (Satyam Jnanamanantam…..), which is God. This does not again mean that such knowledge itself is God. The characteristic of its possessor is addressed as the characteristic itself. You call the bearer of apples as apples or the bearer of red shirt as the red shirt itself. Hence, the possessor of such knowledge is called as that knowledge itself.

At the lotus feet of His Holiness, Shri Datta Swami

Dattaji
http://www.universal-spirituality.org/