Divine Discourses Vol-9
Divine Discourses Vol-9
Volume -9
By
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Contact Information
Donations (Guru Dakshina) may be made to:
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PRICE OF THIS BOOK
The price of this book is your Guru Dakshina,
which may be in the form of the sacrifice of the fruit
of your work (money) or may be in the form of the
sacrifice of work (propagation of this book to the
right readers). The Bhagavad Gita praises the former
as karmaphala tyaga and the latter as karma
samnyasa. You can pay the price of this book in one
of these two forms or in both forms according to
your ability (Yatha shakti), your devotion to the
Lord (Yatha Bhakti) and your convenience
(Yathavakasha).
There is one more way to pay the price of this
book. You can contact spiritually rich people and
suggest to them to establish a spiritual foundation in
their name, under their management and print this
knowledge in the form of a book or books (in other
languages also) and propagate to the world. By this
way also you can attain the divine grace of God. In
the Ramayana, Sita says to Hanuman that one can
attain the good fruit even by a word (vacha dharma
vapnuhi…). She says that Hanuman can enjoy the
fruit of a good deed just by passing on a word to
Rama about her safe existence in Lanka.
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Shri Datta Swami Parabrahma Sutras
When I enter the human body in becoming the human incarnation, the
human beings who are egoistic and jealous do not recognize Me, the Lord of this
world. They treat Me as a human being and repel against Me due to their inherent
repulsion towards any greatness seen in their co-human beings. Instead of
accepting Me as the greatest, they hate and even insult Me.
—Bhagavad Gita
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as Lord Dattatreya, who has come down in human form for preaching
the spiritual knowledge. Swami’s words exactly coincided with the
words of the Nadi astrologer. Please do not tell this information to
anybody”.
Actually on that day when Swami (Datta Swami) was talking to
this devotee, who is my friend, on the phone, Swami was in my house
and I was just before him hearing the same. I felt that this information is
thrilling and will make the devotees happy. Therefore, I told Swami
Vishnu Dattananda about this information with a lot of happiness.
Swami Vishnu Dattananda also felt very happy and directly phoned to
Swami about this information. Swami laughed and told him, “The
devotee wanted to keep this information secret because if I come to
know of this, I may ask him about the necessity of approaching an
astrologer when I Myself had told him the same. He felt that I may
question his confidence and devotion in Me. But he has full faith in Me
and all this happened only by My will. This becomes a supporting
evidence for My statement. When that devotee told to keep this
information as a secret, it means it has to spread fast according to the
present terminology of human beings”. Swami laughed loud while
stating this.
One day I heard Shri Ganapathi Sachidanada Swamiji also telling
in His divine discourse that one Nadi Shastra speaks that a scholar from
South India will come and spread divine knowledge which will capture
the entire world. Swamiji stated that from that time onwards Lord
Dattatreya will lead this world and Thursday will be declared as a
Universal holiday.
We are also told that the famous book on future written by
Nostradamus mentions about the appearance of a scholar from India
who will establish the Universal Religion in the world so that the
differentiating boundaries of all the religions will disappear.
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CONTENTS
1. WHAT DOES PARABRAHMAN INDICATE?.............................................1
Experience of Parabrahman.........................................................................1
Brahman.......................................................................................................2
Maya and Prakriti ........................................................................................3
2. UNIMAGINABILITY OF GOD....................................................................12
Importance of Astrological Time ..............................................................13
Leaving Family for Self-attainment ..........................................................14
3. DESCRIBING UNIMAGINABILITY OF GOD...........................................17
Knowable Items to Represent God............................................................17
Why Awareness? .......................................................................................18
Shankara Implied Human Incarnation.......................................................20
Three Similies for God ..............................................................................22
Multi-dimensional Dance of Shankara......................................................23
Subsequent Levels and Final Level...........................................................24
4. HYPOTHETICAL ASSUMPTIONS OF SHANKARA ...............................26
Meanings of Maya .....................................................................................27
Practical Considerations of Shankara........................................................31
5. PERMANENTLY UNIMAGINABLE GOD.................................................34
Temporary & Permanent Unimaginability................................................34
Metaphors in Spiritual Preaching ..............................................................38
Utility of Imaginable Items .......................................................................40
God in a Human Body ...............................................................................42
6. TOP MOST DIVINE SECRET ......................................................................45
Can Devotee Become Human Incarnation? ..............................................45
Creation Can Never Become Creator ........................................................47
Move From Guru to Satguru .....................................................................49
Can Man Become God?.............................................................................50
Energy And Work......................................................................................51
7. STOP CRITICIZING INCARNATIONS ......................................................52
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Superimposition.......................................................................................209
Salvation ..................................................................................................216
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Chapter - 1
WHAT DOES PARABRAHMAN INDICATE?
Experience of Parabrahman
O Learned And Devoted Servants of God,
[Krishnashtami Day 3] What does Parabrahman mean? It means
something, which is other than Brahman. This word does not directly
tell us anything about the nature of Parabrahman, since it is impossible
to know Parabrahman. Sages have indicated Parabrahman by negative
analysis, which means, discarding every item of the creation (Neti
Neti—Veda) [as not being Parabrahman]. The reason for this is that all
the Vedas and the Gita say that Parabrahman is so unimaginable that we
cannot use even the sentences like “It exists” or “It does not exist”
(Nasattat Naasaduchyate—Gita). In that case, why can’t we say that the
Parabrahman does not exist at all? Since Parabrahman gives us
experience regarding its existence, we have to say that it exists. But we
cannot say what It actually is (Asteetyeva—Veda). How is this
experience given? The unimaginable Parabrahman enters an imaginable
item of the creation, pervades all over it and identifies with it, so that
Parabrahman’s existence has to be accepted. We see only the external
imaginable item and its characteristics. Since the information regarding
Parabrahman Itself and Its characteristics is not available, we have not
known anything about It. It remains unimaginable and yet It gives Its
experience to us. It is like the invisible electric current giving its
experience through the visible metallic wire. Through which medium
does Parabrahman give Its experience? It gives Its experience through
the human incarnation. The various mediums through, which
Parabrahman gives Its experience are:
1) The pure awareness, which is called as the
original Maya (Suddha Sattvam or Mula Maya).
2) Energetic forms like Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva
3) The material human form made of the five
elements like Krishna or any other human incarnation.
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Brahman
When Parabrahman enters, pervades and identifies with the pure
awareness, we call it as Brahman from the point of pure awareness.
Brahman means the ‘greatest’ and since pure awareness is the greatest
item in the creation, you can call it as Brahman. The word Brahman
indicates Parabrahman along with pure awareness. The same pure
awareness (Mula Maya) becomes Maya [will or wonderful power of
God], which consists of the three qualities (Sattvam, Rajas and Tamas).
Then Brahman becomes Ishwara, who is identified with Maya and this
means that Parabrahman is identified with Maya. What is difference
between Mula Maya and Maya? The Mula Maya is the pure awareness,
which is the knowledge of itself due to the absence of any other item of
creation. Since knowledge is Sattvam, this Mula Maya is also called as
Suddha Sattvam or pure awareness. Maya is the awareness of things,
which are other than itself. After creation starts, Maya is the knowledge
of other things. Thus the awareness or knowledge is in two states:
1) The awareness of itself [awareness of the awareness itself]
2) The awareness of other things.
Why not call the Brahman as the Ultimate? Brahman is not the
ultimate because the pure awareness is also only an item of creation [It
is the first item of creation]. The awareness of itself exists in the state of
self-meditation [When a person meditates on the self or Atma, his Atma,
which is awareness, is aware of itself alone]. This state disappears in the
waking state and dream states. In both these states, the awareness is
aware of other things. In deep sleep, both the awareness of itself and the
awareness of other things disappear. Therefore, this is the dissolution of
pure awareness or the awareness of itself. Therefore pure awareness is
not eternal and it cannot be ultimate. The second state of the awareness,
in which the awareness is aware of other things, exists in the waking
state (Jagrat) and in the dream state (Swapna). This state of awareness
of other things disappears in the state of self-meditation as well as in
deep sleep and thus such state is also not eternal. Therefore the
conclusion is that the awareness in both the states is not eternal.
Moreover the energy produced by the respiratory and digestive systems
due to oxidation of food, enters the nervous system and is transformed
into nervous energy or awareness. Thus it is clearly established in
science that awareness has generation or birth. Awareness, which is
born, also disappears as said above. Therefore awareness cannot be the
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Some scholars have applied this word to the human body of every
human being and are misled in concluding that the Lord is present in
every human being. If Para Prakriti or Atman is taken to be Purusha,
then the Lord is Purushottama (Yasmat Ksharat—Gita). However if you
treat Atman also as an item of Prakriti (Para Prakriti is only a sub
division of Prakriti), the Lord is called as Purusha (Atha Purushoha—
Veda; Prakritim Purusham—Gita). The Lord stated in the Gita that His
Para Prakriti is modified into the soul. Therefore, this word Para Prakriti
indicates His Satvika Maya before modification and thus maintains the
world (Ya edam—Gita). If you take the word Para Prakriti as a soul it is
against the line “Jiva Bhutam”. Thus Para Prakriti is the cause and is
modified into the soul.
Parabrahman created Mula Maya or Suddha Sattvam when
Parabrahman desired to create this world. The desire itself is Mula Maya
or pure awareness. This pure awareness is aware of itself and therefore
it is called as Shuddha Sattvam. Now you should not think that
Parabrahman is pure awareness. The desire is the characteristic of
awareness. Parabrahman can desire even though Parabrahman is not
awareness. By the characteristic of desire, you should not conclude that
Parabrahman must be awareness. The awareness is an item of creation
and your imagination can never cross that final limit of creation, which
is pure awareness. With the help of the characteristic ‘desire’, you can
end only in Mula Maya, but you cannot cross Mula Maya and touch
Parabrahman (Mamamaaya Duratyayaa—Gita). This proves that
Parabrahman is beyond logic. Logic is limited only to the items of
creation and cannot touch the Creator or Parabrahman.
This Mula Maya becomes Brahman when Parabrahman pervades
and identifies itself with the Mula Maya. Therefore, Brahman is not
simply Mula Maya. The Mula Maya itself, before identification with
Parabrahman is called as ‘Mahat Brahma’ (Mama Yonih Mahat
Brahma—Gita). This Mula Maya is the greatest item of all the items of
creation and therefore it is twice stressed as great. Infact Mahat means
great. The word Brahman also means great. The repetition stresses the
greatness of Mula Maya. Now when Parabrahman enters the Mula Maya
and pervades all over it, such Mula Maya is called as Brahman, which is
referred to by all the three Acharayas (preachers) in their commentaries
(Tasmin Garbham—Gita).
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Chapter - 2
UNIMAGINABILITY OF GOD
only through the soul (Path). Due to lack of analysis of His preaching,
the unfortunate crucification took place.
3) When one says God is unimaginable, that statement itself
‘imagines’ that Lord is unimaginable? If God is unimaginable then,
why do we imagine him to be unimaginable?
In such case, you cannot use the word “Unimaginable” at all!
Then, why that word is created? What is the meaning of that word? If
you choose that way, silence only indicates God and some have
followed this way also. Suppose you say, “I cannot utter that”. Does this
mean that you have uttered that? Therefore, it is one and the same to
indicate God through silence or through the word unimaginable. If a
word is not assigned, mention of God becomes impossible in the
spiritual knowledge. The Veda uses the word “Unimaginable” for God
(Atarkyah…, Aprameyah…).
Importance of Astrological Time
4) Is there any importance to time (astrological) if one is taking any
decision, and if one is under the guidance of Satguru?
It all depends on the intensity of your faith on Sadguru, provided
your Sadguru is real. The concept of time satisfies others around you
who will criticize you if something goes wrong even by its own fate. By
following the time to satisfy others, you are not loosing anything or you
are not sacrificing anything to an undeserving person as in the ritual to
get the sin. If you are conducting the ritual blindly to satisfy others and
sacrifice some thing to undeserving priest, you are purchasing the sin.
The case of time is not like that.
5) Some devotees distribute food, as a part of alleviating their sins,
is it not injustice, since the receiving person undergoes the sin of the
giver [presuming it happens so]? Also it is told that sin of a
particular soul has to be suffered by itself or by the Lord in Human
form when He is pleased by the souls selfless service, in that case the
distribution of food may contradict this aspect, if it is done with this
selfish motive?
When the receiver is deserving like a devotee, God is pleased with
you and suffers for your sake for the sake of the devotee, whatever may
be your aim. If the receiver is a beggar, your sin is not cancelled but you
will get heavenly reward separately. If the receiver is not deserving,
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of the soul. Since, the Lord selects only His most beloved soul (Son of
God), such mutual exchange is not an issue.
9) One of the attributes of Lord is the full knowledge what are the
other attributes?
The full knowledge is useful for the guidance of all the souls and
therefore, it always exists with the God and it is treated as almost the
identity mark of God. The other attributes are according to requirement
of the divine program of God. God can take up any attribute as per the
requirement. Even bad attributes may be used in tests. Since God is
above all the attributes, it does not matter in anyway. The attributes are
only the colors of His shirt. But the human being is shirt itself and the
attributes matter very much since they are responsible for the actions.
10) According to the Bible it seems that Jesus was the only fullest
human incarnation. Then, what about others, who came before
Him, like Eliah, Elisha, Amose, Mosses etc?
When God comes down in human form, It is full incarnation.
When His servant comes down, charged by the power of God, he is a
prophet or messenger. According to the level of your requirement, the
principal assigns the teacher and the principal himself comes as a
teacher to any class according to his plan. The soul need not analyze the
divine plan as long as the suitable teacher is available. The student
should be alert only about a substandard teacher. Jesus was the only full
incarnation in the list mentioned by you.
11) What is soul? If it is produced from food then, when food stops
soul is destroyed?
Soul is pure awareness, which is a special work form of energy
produced by the oxidation of food. Its generation requires the function
of several biological systems also like lungs, stomach, nervous system
etc. When any one of these fail, the energy is not produced and
awareness in general disappears as in the deep sleep in which the
nervous system takes rest. But the subtle body, which is a bundle of
strong feelings (Samskaras), which are the waves of awareness, is not
destroyed and it leaves the body for final enquiry. The enquiry is
conducted by God based on these Samskaras only and not mere pure
awareness, which is common in every soul. If you mean the subtle body
for the soul, it is not destroyed. Even in the subtle body, pure awareness
exists like gold in the jewels.
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Chapter - 3
DESCRIBING UNIMAGINABILITY OF GOD
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evaluated. But that is not the case with God. Hence, any knowable item
of the creation can be made as the representative of God. The only
knowable experience about God is that God exists. This is established
by the knowable experience of the unknowable nature of God. The
unknowable nature of God is experienced but such nature cannot be
analyzed and hence such nature is always concluded as unknowable. For
example a small boy (Krishna) lifting up the huge mountain is seen and
the existence of the unknowable nature of the boy is experienced. Since,
such nature could not be analyzed. It remains always as an unknowable
item. Hence, the Veda says that only the existence of the unknowable
God is experienced (Asteetyeva…).
Why Awareness?
Since, there is full freedom in selecting any knowable item to
represent God, the best and most suitable item for explaining the status
of the unimaginable God is awareness, according to Shankara. As long
as awareness stands as the simile, there is no harm in selecting it to
represent God even though it is not eternal. If awareness serves the
purpose of explanation of the actions of God, we need not worry about
its longevity. The age of a doctor is immaterial if he is capable of doing
the surgery needed by the patient. It becomes an irrelevant point. The
awareness (Soul) is like the electric current and the Jeeva, a bundle of
very strong qualities, is like the chip of information. The Jeeva is eternal
because even during deep sleep, the information is stored in the inert
chip, which is re-expressed as it is even after waking up from deep
sleep. The Jeeva is eternal during the time of death and even after death
he is eternal, since he leaves the gross body. In the beginning of the
Gita, the Lord described this eternal Jeeva alone and not the awareness,
which is born and dies daily (Athachainam…).
Also the Lord was referring to an ordinary human being alone and
not a realized soul. A realized soul is like a fresh disc without any
information, since it was erased after a lot of effort. There is not much
difference between a fresh inert disc and inert electric current except
that the former is matter and the latter is energy (the concept of storing
information by energy is also indicated by the electro magnetic disc).
Since matter and energy are essentially one and the same, you can call
both these together [Atman or Awareness] as a realized soul. But once
the information recorded on the chip exists, such a chip of information
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(Jeeva) predominates and hence is mainly referred to [as Jeeva and not
Atman] in any ordinary human being. You have superimposed the
information (Jeeva) on the disc (Atman) and hence the disc also means
information alone. The gross body is superimposed on the Jeeva and the
Jeeva is superimposed on Atman. The gross body (Deha) is separated
from Jeeva and Atman but Jeeva and Atman are not separated and are
together called as the possessor of the gross body (Dehi).
What made Shankara select awareness as the representative for
God? God created this world for entertainment and therefore God must
be treated as awareness to enjoy His own creation as in the case of a
daydreamer, who enjoys his own imaginary world. Mud cannot enjoy
the beauty of the pot although the pot is its own creation, because mud
is inert. I know you will immediately exploit this point, without any
patience, and straightaway say that the awareness itself is God. There
are several points opposing this conclusion such as the temporary nature
of awareness, the dependence of awareness on food, air and the nervous
system etc. Such opposing points will immediately control you from
drawing such a hasty conclusion. You must remember that awareness is
only a representative of God to explain certain actions of God like
entertainment etc. God can enjoy the creation-dream without being
awareness. Do not forget that God is omnipotent. Do not bind God by
your rules of the physical world and its consequent logic. If God were a
worldly item, definable by the four dimensional space-time model, then
certainly your logic would be valid. If I say that some scene entertains a
worldly object, then certainly you can say that the object cannot be inert.
The actions of unimaginable God are also unimaginable as stated by the
Veda “Apanipado…”, which means that God can run without legs and
can catch without hands. If you apply the same worldly logic, you will
object to this and say that God must have legs and hands to run and
catch. Similarly, when we say that God wishes to create the world or
when we say that God is enjoying His creation, you should accept that
God wishes and enjoys without being awareness. Therefore, do not try
to make God imaginable or knowable by applying the logic of the
physical world. The Veda clearly says that He is beyond logic
(Atarkyah…, Naisha tarkena…etc).
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case of God. At the same time the Sankhya school also is ruled out since
it states that the soul is the product of the inert item called as
Pradhanam. These two similes are given to show that the logic of cause-
effect fails in the case of the production of the universe from God. These
three similes mean that this wonderful universe, which is constituted by
imaginable items, emerged out from the unimaginable God through an
unimaginable way, which is called as “Anirvachaniyata Khyati” by
Shankara.
Multi-dimensional Dance of Shankara
Shankara played different roles for the sake of different human
beings for their upliftment. It is a multi-dimensional dance (Tandavam)
of Lord Shiva. He introduced the self-God concept (Advaita) to atheists
to uplift them to the next step of theism. But the already existing theists
started following Advaita and hence Shankara corrected them by
swallowing molten lead and declared that He alone is God. For their
sake, He composed several prayers on God. By that time the atheists
also became theists and worshipped the Lord through the same prayers.
But the attitude of those who were already theists was to remain as the
humble servants of the Lord forever. The attitude of the atheists, who
were recently converted in to theists, was quite different. They wanted
to become God by the grace of God Himself. The former were made
God because even if they are made God, they always remember
themselves only as the servants of God (Dasoham—Ramayana).
Hanuman was made Creator (God) and Adisesha was made God as one
of the ten incarnations (Balarama), who is given the post of the
Maintainer of the world. But both always remember themselves only as
servants and they never felt that they became God (Soham) by sitting on
the throne of God.
The latter (atheists converted into theists) can never become God
even if they claim that they are already God. They are worshipping God
just to become God. They have accepted and worshipped God only to
get rid of the Vikshepa (practical effect of the ignorance) since Shankara
said that unless one worships God, the Vikshepa cannot be removed.
This was a trick of Shankara to make them worship God, while
continuing their desire to become God. If this desire had not been
maintained, they would have reverted back to atheism. In course of
time, due to long worship of God, Shankara expected them to slowly
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change and become real devotees. The present Advaitins, who are
worshipping God, have to be helped by God alone in course of time. He
alone can give them the right direction. God only guides as Satguru and
will never put His finger in your spiritual effort. The teacher will teach
well in the class and clarify your doubts any number of times but as the
invigilator in the examination hall, he will never help you. Therefore,
there is a lot of variation in the results obtained by student-souls. One
soul may get a gold medal, another soul may get a distinction, another
soul may get a first class, another soul may get a second class, another
soul may get a third class with just passing marks and yet another soul
may be a failure. The teacher is not at all responsible for the result.
Subsequent Levels and Final Level
Shankara came as Ramanuja and Madhva to show the further path
to the real devotees. After the school level, the levels of college and
university are always subsequent. In the middle level of Ramanuja, a
middle position is proposed, which is a state of reduced desire. The
desire to become God is reduced to the composite-part relationship
between God and soul. According to this, God is a composite like fire
and the soul is a part of God like the spark. But remember that
Ramanuja clearly stated that the soul is not the real part of God but is a
thread (part) of the shirt (world) of God. However, the consolation in
this level is that atleast the shirt is on the body of God and can be treated
as almost the body of God. Thus one can treat the thread, which is a part
of the shirt on the body, as a part of the possessor of the shirt. This is
again another clear psychological trick to pacify the desire atleast partly.
Finally Madhva declared the ultimate truth. The world is a cloth used to
clean the divine feet of God and the soul is a thread of that cloth in this
final level. This means that the soul is always a servant of God even if
the soul is made to sit on the throne of God and is made God. Madhva
kept Hanuman as His Guru, who is made God (Creator). But Hanuman
still says that He is only the humble servant of God in the service of the
creation of the Universe.
The fourth and final Acharya or Satguru is this Very Datta Swami,
who is at the level of a research laboratory conducting the Ph.D
program. He continues the philosophy of Madhva as it is and the
additional contribution is that God is in the form of the contemporary
human incarnation on the earth for the sake of living human beings.
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Only dead human beings go up and attain the upper world in energetic
bodies and only for for their sake, does God exist in the energetic form
called as Narayana (as called by Ramanuja and Madhva). If devotees
conquer ego and jealousy and overcome the repulsion between common
media, they can understand God present in the human form before their
eyes. Hanuman is a monkey and is lower than the human level. To
worship Rama as God, Hanuman did not want to be a human being,
fearing the possibility of repulsion between common media. The nature
of any soul is to neglect the common medium and worship the higher
medium. The human being worships the higher medium of energetic
form and the animal worships the higher medium of human form. The
Gopikas became ladies of lower caste and both these factors suppressed
their ego because Krishna was man of higher caste. Arjuna was a man of
the same caste as Krishna and hence could not get rid of the ego in spite
of the very first hearing of the Gita. Therefore, do not look down upon
women and the lower caste. The soul has to take the birth of a lady of a
lower caste to get final salvation as in the case of the Gopikas.
Otherwise, the Gopikas were the top most sages and need not have been
born as ladies in the lower caste.
Shankara aimed at the divine society in which every human being
deserves to become God like Hanuman. For the sake of encouragement
and to give confidence He used Advaita in advance. The present tense
can be used to indicate the immediate future. When He stated that you
are God (Tattvam Asi), it refers to the immediate future, in which you
are expected to become God. Lord Shiva is famous for unlimited
kindness even towards demons. He revealed the whole truth gradually in
the form of Ramanuja and Madhva subsequently. The Lord is always
kind. Even hell indicates His intense kindness. The severe punishments
in hell are for the transformation of the soul as early as possible, so that
the soul can be uplifted as early as possible. There is no contradiction
between the three spiritual preachers. Their intention is one and the
same. The methods of treatment vary due to variations in the levels of
the souls. All the methods of the three Acharayas are only subsequent
steps to the subsequent levels of the devotees.
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Chapter - 4
HYPOTHETICAL ASSUMPTIONS OF SHANKARA
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sun is modified into electricity. Therefore, the third item (power of God)
is now created as the meaning of the word Maya. The power of God is
also wonderful and is also a permanently unimaginable item like God,
which is beyond space and can never be analyzed by science. The
follower of Ramanuja is again mocked at by the followers of Madhva
(along with the followers of Shankara) who objected to the modification
of the power of God. When the modification of the power of God is
treated as the body of God by Ramanuja, the modification of the body of
God is also equally objectionable like the modification of God Himself.
Ramanuja treated the modified product of the power of God, as the body
of God. In that case, the changes in the inert world and the sins of the
souls, would also affect the body of God since Ramanuja treated souls
also as a part of the body of God. In order to avoid all this criticism
totally, Madhva treated the material of the world as a separate
independent item like mud and treated God as only the pot maker
(designer). This ended the criticism finally and the process of creation is
explained well without any objection to all the devotees.
Adi Shankara stands in the beginning point of preaching for
atheists (Purvamimamsakas and Buddhists) and Anjaneya stands for
giving a message to the topmost devotees, who recognize the
contemporary human incarnation and render even personal service to
please God. Shankara preached a lot through debates and Anjaneya
preached only through practice. Both these incarnations of Lord Shiva
cover both the extreme ends of the spiritual chain and in between come
Ramanuja and Madhva. Madhva is very close to Anjaneya since He
claimed to be Anjaneya’s youngest brother. The preaching started with
Shankara and ended with Madhva. In the case of Anjaneya, we find
service, which should be the final modification of knowledge. The
silence of Anjaneya on preaching shows the realization of the top most
truth and the final stage of service to the contemporary human
incarnation. The final truth of the entire preaching is found with Adi
Shankara also and that is the alternative meaning of the word Maya,
which means that Maya does not exist at all. But this alternative
meaning should be confined only to the power of God and not to God or
to the world, since both God and the world (in deeper layers) exist and
are wonderful permanently and temporarily respectively. Both God and
the world are Maya in the sense of wonder alone which is the first
original sense of the root word.
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of Maya is now applied to the power in its full sense. In that case, all the
above objections come into picture (direct modification of God, changes
in the world affecting God etc.) since God becomes the direct material
cause. All these objections can be simply ruled out by one stroke i.e., by
saying that the unimaginable God creates the world in an unimaginable
way. This point is already indicated by Shankara by the word
“Anirvachaniyata Khyati” which means that the process of generation of
the world from God is unimaginable. This is the absolute truth and
Shankara knew this very well. This point can be supported by a simple
argument i.e., there cannot be two unimaginable items like God and His
power. When you say that you do not know what is present in a locked
room, will anybody ask you “Whether one unknown item is present or
two unknown items are present in the room?” When what is present is
unknown, how can you say that it is one or two or several?
Practical Considerations of Shankara
In that case why did Shankara not say this directly throughout His
theory? The reason is a practical point.
If a student comes and asks the preacher “What is God?” and the
preacher says, “God is Unimaginable”; then the student asks again
“How did God create this world?” and the preacher says, “The process
of creation is also unimaginable”, the student will think that the preacher
does not know the answers for his questions and will leave the preacher.
This is the practical problem in revealing the absolute truth. The
preacher should answer in a positive way and the answers should satisfy
the logical faculty of the student. Now you should analyze the basis of
the logical faculty of the student. The basis is the observation of this
world containing all imaginable items alone. Hence all his logic is based
only on the observation of the nature of imaginable items and the
relationships between the imaginable items. This means that the
preacher should say that God is an imaginable item and the imaginable
process of the generation of the imaginable world from the imaginable
God is also in an imaginable way. Every sentence of the preacher should
be imaginable to the student and then alone will the student get satisfied.
The introduction of the word “Unimaginable” by the preacher leads the
student to think that the preacher is ignorant. Hence to satisfy the
student and to solve this practical problem, the preacher has to make
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Chapter - 5
PERMANENTLY UNIMAGINABLE GOD
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grace of God, because such planes are within the limits of the space.
The scientist is misled at this precise point. Sometime back, he did not
know certain deeper planes of the world. Now he has succeeded in
analyzing those unknown planes. Due to this, scientist becomes blind
with ego. Based on this success, he feels that he will analyze the final
truth of the unimaginable limits of the infinite space (world) in future.
This is not correct.
The reason for this is that the planes which were not known to him
and which are now known to him are all within the limits of space. Still,
there are deeper planes, which are not known as of today. In the case of
these planes, I assure success for the scientist because these planes are
also within the limits of space. But he should know that on no day can
he cross the dead limits of space and God is beyond such space. Since
God is the generator of space (Atmana Akashah…Veda), we can only
touch the edge of God in the unimaginable limits of space. We can say
that once we have touched the limits of space, we have touched God.
Let Me even say that the unimaginable limits of space are God. The
scientist agrees to the existence of these unimaginable limits of space
and therefore the scientist is agreeing to the existence of God. Even the
common man is experiencing the existence of these unimaginable limits
of space by seeing the space with his naked eyes. The scientists see the
space through the telescope and arrive at the same conclusion.
Human intelligence cannot cross the four-dimensional space-time
model at any cost on any day. The beginning and end of space (limits or
boundaries) are always untouchable and unimaginable for the
intelligence of even the topmost scientists. If the scientist crosses the
limits of this space, certainly he can touch (know) God, who is beyond
space or who exists at the limits of space. The unlimited space stands
forever reminding the scientist regarding this eternal truth. Thus, the
universe is visible to all human beings at all times, exhibiting the
unimaginable item through its unimaginable limits. This universe is a
practical proof and the clear miracle of God available to all to declare
this basic concept for every human being on this earth. Nobody needs
the demonstration of any miracle other than this to indicate the
unimaginable God. Miracles are not available to all and at all times.
Even if some miracle is demonstrated, people may conclude that it is an
illusion or a coincidence of events. But in this demonstrated example of
the unimaginable limits of space, there is no such controversy.
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Here the word Prakriti stands for the world with unimaginable
limits and it does not stand for any imaginable item in the world with
definite limits. Similarly, the person charged by God (human
incarnation) can be treated as God but not every person. The world with
unimaginable limits and the human incarnation with unimaginable
miracles can be treated as God (Vishwam Vishnuh.., Vasudevah
Sarvamiti…) and this does not mean that the world or the human body
of human incarnation itself is God (Avyaktam Vyaktimapannam—Gita).
The world and the human body of the Lord give the proof for the
existence of God beyond the world and God beyond the human body of
human incarnation respectively. You have not perceived the electricity
in the wire and you have only experienced the existence of the
unperceivable electricity through the medium of the wire and electricity
is separate from the wire. Ofcourse, electricity is imaginable for
scientists and here it is used, only as a simile for God and the
unperceivable nature of electricity is a comparison for the unimaginable
nature of God.
Metaphors in Spiritual Preaching
Except God, all are imaginable items and hence there is no way
other than to choose an imaginable item as a comparison for the
unimaginable God. We take an unperceivable item or an item, which
can be imagined with a lot of difficulty as a comparison for the really
unimaginable God. Awareness is an item of the world, which can be
imagined with a lot of difficulty and hence is selected as the best
comparison for the unimaginable God. Unfortunately, the concept of
comparison has been lost and awareness itself is [mistakenly] thought to
be God directly. One day the electricity in the wire compared to God by
Me may also become God! Another reason for such misunderstanding is
the metaphor, which is a figure of speech like a simile. The simile
reminds one constantly that God and awareness are different items. But
the metaphor easily misleads ignorant people into thinking that
awareness is God. Only scholars can recognize the metaphor carefully.
If you say that a person is like a lion, it is a simile. The word “like” acts
as the torchlight to constantly separate the person and the lion. In a
metaphor, we say, “The person is a lion”. This misleads ignorant people
into thinking that the person is actually a lion and they think that every
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lion (person) of the “Lions club” (a club of important persons who serve
the society) is actually a lion, which will kill people!
The Veda is the greatest poetry of the greatest poet—God (Kavim
Kavinam—Veda). Advaita scholars are also great scholars of all the
Shastras and they know this figure of speech very well. Alankara
Shastra deals with figures of speech. They know the truth very well. But
they are already so intensely attracted by the concept that the soul itself
is God that they cannot come out of this sweetest dream in which they
get the highest without the least effort! The dreamer knows that it is
only dream but the sweetness is so much that he does not want to come
out of it. A scientist is relatively better than this Advaita scholar, who is
caught by the powerful ghost of Mohini, because the scientist thinks of
himself as an ordinary soul and not as God. You may say that the
scientist denies God, which is the greatest sin. I agree to it, but if you
analyze, even the Advaita scholar is also an indirect atheist. He is
denying God apart from himself, which also means an indirect negation
of God.
After the establishment of a simile, the metaphor is used further in
all contexts. A great person is compared to a lion and once this simile is
established, the metaphor is used further and every important person is
called as a lion. Thus, the lions of the Lion’s Club mean important
persons and not actual cruel animals (wild lions). Similarly, it is
established that God is compared to the soul and the universe is
compared to the human body. Therefore, the word soul can stand for
God as the word lion stands for the important person. Hence, in the
Veda the word Atman (soul) is used to mean God in some places. It
does not mean that the word soul stands for the actual soul, just like the
word lion in the Lion’s Club does not stand for an actual lion. Atleast in
the first case the great person and the lion are both imaginable items and
we can use the word ‘great person’ without lion. But in the second case,
God is unimaginable and always needs an imaginable item for
comparison. This problem becomes more significant when God comes
in the form of a soul (human incarnation) where the word soul has to be
used as the external cover (Upadhi) to indicate the direct address of
God.
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soul is the greatest in the universe. This may also be taken as a metaphor
comparing the soul with God.
You can keep the statue to represent God as a model (Pratika) in
the beginning. The Veda says that you can worship the inert globe of the
sun as representative model for God but it immediately says that the sun
is not God, and that the sun fears God and God is not in any inert object
(Adityam Brahmeti…, Nedam tat…, Bhishodeti…, Natasya Pratima…).
The tradition of Advaita and the tradition of the worship of inert objects
as models for God are good as long as they are limited to their specified
levels. They should not be over extended for the exploitation of oneself
and other souls.
Maya, in the form of permanently unimaginable miracles, is seen
in an imaginable worldly item having definite limits like a particular
human being called as the human incarnation; but such Maya is not
there in every human being. The Maya is also present in the
unimaginable limits of the universe but not in any other item of the
universe except the human incarnation. Thus, you see the evidence of
Maya, which is a proof for the existence of the God in the limited
human incarnation and in the unlimited boundary of the universe.
Krishna as the finite human incarnation and His cosmic vision
with infinite limits, simultaneously stand for this concept. The
exhibition of the universe with unperceivable and hence unimaginable
limits is the only aim of the Lord in showing the cosmic vision to
Arjuna (Nantosti…Gita). Such exhibition also simultaneously indicates
the unimaginable nature in the core of Krishna. Thus both the vision of
the infinite cosmos and the vision of the unimaginable nature through
the miracles in the human incarnation together prove that God is
unimaginable in the limits as well as in the core. This vision concludes
that the limits of the universe and the nature of the human incarnation
are unimaginable simultaneously. This vision also gives the
simultaneous conclusion that any item in the universe except the human
incarnation is imaginable and hence, does not indicate the existence of
God in any imaginable item except the human incarnation. The final
conclusion of cosmic vision is that unimaginable God exists beyond (the
limits of) the universe and God also exists in the human incarnation.
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knowledge by looking into the sky with the naked eyes or through a
telescope. In any case the final conclusion is that the world has infinite
unimaginable limits. Then what is the use of the same vision given by
the Lord to Arjuna, which anyone can get by simply looking into the
sky? The essence of the cosmic vision is also stated by the Lord as one
point; i.e. this cosmos is endless (Nantosti…Gita). Arjuna also draws the
same conclusion (Nanto nachadih—Gita) on seeing the vision. The
specialty is not in the vision because anybody can very easily obtain the
same vision by simply looking into the sky. The knowledge behind this
vision is important without which the simple cosmic vision is useless.
The knowledge in this cosmic vision is that the existence of the
permanently unimaginable item is exhibited by the unimaginable limits
of the infinite cosmos to everyone. One need not recognize the existence
of the unimaginable nature by searching the human incarnation and its
miracles. The unimaginable nature is an indication of the unimaginable
God. Hence, the proof for the unimaginable God is exhibited to
everyone through this infinite cosmos. This is the essence of the
knowledge of Vishwarupam.
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Chapter - 6
TOP MOST DIVINE SECRET
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highest goal of becoming the full human incarnation. Above this goal,
there is nothing higher and hence, I say that this is the only highest goal.
Creation Can Never Become Creator
The devotee can become Krishna or Jesus but cannot become God
(Parabrahman) who is hidden in the human body of the full incarnation.
This is impossible because the creation can never become the creator. If
the creator and creation become one and the same, the original purpose
of creation (entertainment of creator) is lost. The soul is a part of
creation (Para Prakruti) and I have already given several arguments in
this context, which need not be repeated here.
You can become Krishna but you cannot become Parabrahman
because even Krishna did not become Parabrahman. No alive wire is
transformed in to current directly. To become Parabrahman is the
impossible highest goal and this is a defect even in Krishna. If you want
to become greater than Krishna (by becoming Parabrahman), this means
that your ambition is always endless. Therefore, Satguru reveals the
truth only when the deservingness is completed. If you desire to become
greater than Krishna, then the best medicine for you is only to say that
you can never become even Krishna. Therefore, to reveal this divine
secret that you can become Krishna is always hidden by Me till now.
When the goal is impossible it is not a goal at all. Even in Krishna, God
pervaded all over the body and soul of Krishna and God entered Krishna
like the current in the alive wire. The word ‘Ashritam’ in the verse
[Manushim Tanumashritam…] means, entry of God into human being
and not becoming human being. It is separately clarified that entry of
current into wire does not mean that current became the wire (Avyaktam
Vyaktimapannam…Gita). From the angle of this point only, Mohammad
said that God can never become the human being. Jesus, who was just
before Mohammad, was misunderstood in this point only and was
crucified. For all practical purposes, the alive wire is current and
similarly for all worship and service, the human incarnation is God for
devotees. There is no other way than this to serve and experience God
directly without the medium (Nanyah Panthah…Veda).
Hanuman is the full incarnation like Rama. Lord Shiva is in the
body of Hanuman. Similarly, Rama is the full incarnation of Lord
Narayana. In both Shiva and Narayana God exists since both are
energetic incarnations. When you say that Hanuman is incarnation of
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need not leave him in the school, college and university. If you go back
to the simile, what should be done in the case of a wife or husband
wrongly selected by emotion? You should stick to her or him by
adjusting yourself. But this is valid only in worldly affairs (Pravrutti). If
she or he opposes you in spiritual path and does not change in spite of
your repeated efforts, you should leave her or him. Ramanuja left His
wife for the sake of Nivrutti in such situation. Similarly, Meera left her
husband on the advice of Tulasidas for Nivrutti. Ofcourse, even in
Pravrutti, if she or he is creating a constant hell here itself, you can leave
him or her in the extreme case and this is justified because such a hell
here is disturbing you from Nivrutti also indirectly.
Can Man Become God?
[Mr Antony said that some of his friends say that if a human being
is created by cloning, man could become the Creator or God.]
God created space, matter and energy just by His will as you
create a dream of your imagination by your will. The dream
qualitatively resembles the universe. But the magnitude or power is
infinitely large in the creation of the universe from God. Therefore, your
dream is not as real as the universe. But you are talking about the
creation of items of the universe. Certainly you are not going to create
the human beings which are the items of this universe by your will. You
cannot create even a real atom by your will. Therefore, the comparison
with God is absolutely meaningless. Assuming that you have created the
human being, you are creating the human being with the help of some
living matter and energy supplied to you. Even there you are creating a
living item from another living tissue only and not from inert materials
and inert energy. Parents also create a baby from living tissue like sperm
and ovum. In what way is your new process of creation (by cloning)
different from the conventional reproduction as far as the basic point is
concerned? Therefore, you are far from your dream of becoming God by
millions and millions of miles.
You can represent the creator and the process of creation as a
representative model when you generate an imaginary world by your
will in a daydream and control that day dream by your will. The Lord
gave this ability to you as a representative model so that you will
understand the concept of creation of the universe by the Lord, when He
preaches the divine knowledge in His human form. A model only
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Chapter - 7
STOP CRITICIZING INCARNATIONS
Devotees’ Enquiry
[August 10, 2006. The following question was asked by Devi and
Nikhil to Swami.]
Padanamaskaram Swami,
We have a question about Shri Satya Sai Baba. We are aware that
You have said that He is a complete incarnation of Lord Datta and
we completely believe that. However our question is based on the
perceptions of the majority of ignorant people. We beg Your
forgiveness due to the impudent nature of the question given below.
At Your Divine Feet
Nikhil and Devi
How can the reports of the scandalous actions of Shri Satya Sai
Baba be explained?
[Detailed Analysis] We recently came across a website describing
the various scandals pertaining to Shri Satya Sai Baba. Apparently there
have been hundreds if not thousands of cases of alleged (homosexual
and mental) abuse of men and young children. There have also been
cases of murder. Some of the abuse cases have firsthand witnesses or
the abused persons have themselves reported their own experiences.
There are just too many cases to simply dismiss them as rumours. If
these incidents had been rare or few in number, one could neglect them,
considering to be special exceptions, such as the affairs of Krishna with
the Gopikas. Lord Rama who killed Vali from the back, which was a
violation of Kshatriya Dharma but it can be argued that He did so only
to protect Sugriva who had approached Him for help. So Lord Rama
was only proving that He can even violate dharma for the sake of a
devotee who approaches the Lord. Not only that, He also suffered the
consequences of this violation during Krishna Avatara. Lord Rama
certainly did not have multiple "murder cases" pending on Him. All the
other people that He killed were killed only while following Kshatriya
dharma on the battlefield. Moreover, the people who He killed were evil
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people. Thus the violations of dharma done by Rama and Krishna were
only in exceptional cases.
However in case of Shri Baba these ‘exceptions’ seem to be very
common. If the Sadguru who is an incarnation, abuses (mentally or
sexually) or even murders a very close devotee who is on the path of
Nivritti, then it is acceptable. It can be considered as an advanced test
for an advance devotee. However based on the sheer number of Sai
devotees, who have had such experiences, it is unlikely that all these
people were advanced seekers on the path of Nivritti. This is because, at
any given time, there can be only a handful of such highly advanced
devotees. Even though the abused persons believed in Him as God, they
cannot be technically said to be on the path of Nivritti. This is proved,
since they objected to the abuse; an advanced devotee like Gopikas
would not have objected. This means that the abused people were on the
path of Pravrutti.
In dealing with people who are in Pravrutti, doesn’t the Lord
follow the rules of dharma? If we take the example of Shri Ganpati
Sachchidananda Swami, we see that He recommends rituals, chanting,
singing etc. This shows that He is dealing with devotees who are in
Pravritti. He does not show any such extremely negative qualities and
does not have any such cases pending on Him. Shri Baba too, based on
His general teachings, appears to be dealing mostly with people in
Pravrutti. However His tests are so severe that they can only be justified
for the path of Nivritti.
Even if these cases of abuse or murder are treated as tests of Shri
Sai for His devotees, how can one justify the abuse of young children
who are too young to either gain any knowledge or to understand that
they are being subjected to spiritual tests? Suppose those souls were
sinners and had to undergo suffering or abuse in this life, then they
could have got abused by anyone or died at the hands of anyone else.
Such incidents are common in the world. What is the necessity that they
had to come to Shri Baba just to exhaust their karma, which could have
been done by anyone else?
The identification of a human incarnation becomes extremely
complicated, if not impossible in the case of a personality like Shri
Baba. From the point of a common ignorant man Shri Baba can either
be an incarnation of a demon like Ravana or an incarnation of God.
Ravana showed many fantastic miracles, he was also a scholar of the
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is inevitable. I never try for fame. This unlimited fame naturally grows
the jealousy to climax. Therefore, such reactions come out. I keep silent
to such abuses because My children who are suffering with jealousy-
fever should get some relief. Such abuses pacify their jealousy and they
gain normal health. Therefore, I am happy that My children have been
relieved from the stress of jealousy. A dancer came to attract Me in
Shiridi. She failed in the very first step. A saint came from Himalayas
and scolded Me for My involvement in the function arranged to honor
Me. He fell on My feet on seeing Me inside the body. Even the sage
Udanka tried to curse Me on the charge that I have got killed so many
people in the war of Kurukshetra. Gandhari cursed Me that I have killed
her sons by cheating. Vali cursed Me for killing him hiding Myself. The
demon Hiranyakasipu was furious on Me for killing his brother. Tulasi,
the wife of Jalandhara cursed Me for spoiling her in disguise and she
forgot that she craved for Me in the previous birth. Therefore, all these
are not new to Me since the history always repeats.
Causes of Criticism
If you realize that all the incidents in this world are designed by
Me only for My full entertainment, which always needs a variety
always, you will not be perturbed over these incidents. A picture
contains villain also. A meal contains chilies also. Both summer and
winter, praise and abuse, worship and insult are for the full
entertainment only. Infact, I come down to this earth in quest of chilies
only because I am bored with the sweets in the upper world. Once, I
asked all My devotees in the upper world to scold Me once so that I can
have atleast one hot dish because I was bored with the continuous
praise-sweets. No devotee came forward with fear. But the watchman
standing before My gate came forward to please Me with the required
service. I told him that he should give one hundred hot dishes
continuously, since I cannot get those again. The watchman was born as
Shishupala and scolded Me hundred times as desired by Me.
Immediately, after doing this exceptional service, I was so much pleased
to unite him in Me. Even during scolding, people have observed Me
smiling, which indicated My happiness on enjoying the hot dish. I have
created Satan who is also remunerated like the villain booked in the
Cinema. If you understand My divine leela [play], you can never get any
disturbance.
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Such insults are planed with several background uses also. Even
the best devotee develops some jealousy hidden in the subconscious
state of mind. Especially when such immense fame is observed, this is
inevitable. Even though the devotee is pained, the jealousy in his
subconscious state gets satisfied and thus I protect My devotees in this
way also. Such incidents also test the firmness in the faith of My
devotees. Thus, any incident in My creation is multi-dimensional. Such
incidents of Rajas and Tamas are fabricated and superimposed on Me
due to My will only. Then My personality looks like a multiple choice
question which contains one correct answer and three wrong answers.
Your digested knowledge about Me is tested by this. Do not forget that
the wrong answers are also prepared by the same setter of question
paper, who examines you after teaching the subject. Therefore, you
should not misunderstand those people who fabricated all these wrong
answers to confuse your faith, which has to be tested. I know the extent
of your faith and for Me there is no need of this examination. The
examination is only for your sake because you are thinking that you
have perfectly understood the subject. The examination reveals the
extent of your understanding to yourself only. This helps you so that
you will rectify the deficiency and progress further. Thus, this
examination system (Datta Pariksha) is not for My entertainment based
on saddism. It is only meant for your spiritual progress. Often you think
too much about yourself and feel that you have perfect faith on Me. Due
to this, egoism also enters into yourself. This leads to your fall. Only to
save you, is the test conducted so that you will realize the real position
of yourself and put further efforts to rectify your deficiency. Thus you
have to understand My tests in the right direction which are totally
aimed at your spiritual welfare only.
The cases in the courts, police station and jails are not new to Me.
I was born in jail when I incarnated as Krishna. A case was filed on Me
in court and I was enquired when I was in Shirdi. Infact such insults
give Me immense pleasure because such things are impossible in the
upper world. You can find Me with a radiating smile in such situations,
which indicates My full enjoyment. The souls acting as My enemies
were also appointed by Me and they are given good remuneration for
performing the duties of their roles in My service. Therefore, you can
never find hatred in Me. This is the secret of My constant bliss.
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Phenomenon of Incarnation
When I enter the human body, there are two ways. I may enter a
created human body in the womb of My mother. Such human body also
is a composite of gross, subtle and causal bodies. The qualities in such
subtle body are not accumulated from the previous births because such a
created body has no previous birth. Yet such human body contains all
the three qualities to be mixed in various proportions, required for My
play and it differs from an ordinary human being. In ordinary human
being these three qualities exist in certain already mixed proportions,
which are the Vasanas from previous births. Sometimes I enter a human
body of a liberated soul, which also is a composite of those three bodies
containing all the three qualities to be mixed in various proportions as
and when My play requires. The liberated souls have the three qualities
and their mixtures do not exist due to already burnt Vasanas. Thus, there
is no difference whether God enters a created human body or the human
body of a liberated soul. Rama was the example for first case and Bala
Rama was example of the second case. Lord Narayana entered in the
body of Adisesha and therefore, Bala Rama is in equal status with Rama
in the ten incarnations. Sometimes, I enter the body of even an ordinary
human being who is My devotee. Parashurama was a sage and has the
Vasana of egoism already. When I came out from his body after My
work, his vasana was expressed in the natural way. When I killed the
egoistic people through the body of Parashurama, I have used his
egoism which was required for My work and which already existed as a
prepared mixture. All these three are respected as equal incarnations
because I existed in all those human bodies. You are respecting Me
through the human body and therefore, you should not worry about the
qualities of the human body.
When I enter the human body, the qualities of the human body or
Upadhi are not changing. When the current enters the wire, no property
of the wire like length, thinness etc. is disturbed. The current flows
through the wire and does its work by resolving the fan without any
disturbance to the nature of the medium. Therefore, the devotees
observe the medium with its own properties without any variations even
if I am present in it. I am experienced through the medium and only the
medium is perceived. The devotee must perceive the medium and
experience Me through that medium. When you sip the coffee from a
cup, you do not taste the cup but you taste the coffee from it. Ignorant
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people observe the medium and experience its properties only. By the
influence of such observation of the properties of the medium, some do
not experience Me and some neglect My experience. Therefore, such a
situation is the test for the knowledge of the devotee. The devotee
expects the medium to be totally different and expects that the medium
should exhibit new properties or atleast should not exhibit its properties.
The devotee expects the human incarnation to live by taking the energy
directly which is a new property of the medium. Atleast he expects that
the human incarnation should not eat the ordinary food. A lady-devotee
broke a coconut on the feet of a human incarnation! The body of human
incarnation suffered a lot for ten days with the swollen feet!
I told in the Gita “Manusheem Tanum Ashritam”, which means
that I have entered the human body. I have not become the human body.
I have become one with the human body without changing its
properties. You have to experience the current which is flowing in the
wire without changing the nature of the wire. When you touch the
electric wire, you can experience the current by shock. But if you are
insulated with the cover of egoism and jealousy, you cannot experience
Me and then the human incarnation is as good as any human being. The
difference lies between God and soul existing in the human bodies. The
two human bodies are one and the same. The difference is only in the
inner God and soul. The king and beggar are different but their shirts
may be one and the same. If you cannot recognize Me and experience
Me without neglecting the natural properties of the medium, there is no
other way for you to experience God because one cannot experience
God directly. When a political leader does some good work to the
country, the people are appreciating neglecting his personal life, because
he belongs to their category of souls. All the souls constitute the
opposition party, since God is the ruling party. A party neglects the
defects of their own party-members but magnifies even a trace of defect
which is not even real if there is a chance to criticize the ruling party.
Avoid Criticizing God
If you understand the God in the cosmic form (Vishwarupam), you
can realize that all the three qualities (Good Satvam and Bad Rajas and
Tamas) are created by Him only (Ye Chaiva—Gita) and exist in His
body only. The Veda says that the creation is like His body
(Prithivi...Shariram). Everyone recites “Vishwam Vishnuh” which
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means that the universe is Lord. When all the qualities are seen existing
in the universe, does it not mean that these are existing in God? The
basis for the bad qualities also is God. Where can they exist leaving the
basis? The human incarnation is a micro form and it is simultaneously
the macro cosmic form. Krishna appeared in micro form as a human
being but showed His simultaneous macro cosmic form (Vishwarupam).
Does it not clearly mean that all the good and bad qualities are existing
on the basis i.e., God only? In such case, where is the feeling of hatred?
Unless you go beyond the difference between Dharma and Adharma,
you cannot digest the concept of God (Sarvadharman—Gita). That
which pleases God is good and that which displeases God is bad. The
hunter, Kannapa, killed the innocent animal and offered the flesh to
Lord Shiva. He was given the final abode due to the love which is the
basis. Dharmaraja did not tell a lie even though Lord ordered. He went
to the temporary heaven only. After all, the aim of following Dharma is
only to please God. How can you keep Dharma above its aim? In the
case of the souls, you have to follow Dharma and maintain the balance
of the society. If you disturb the balance, you will be punished. Demons
were killed for the same reason. But when you enter the Nivrutti, you
have to keep God above Dharma. None and nothing should be greater
than Him (Na tat samah—Veda). If you cannot cross Dharma for the
sake of God, you must remain in Pravrutti. Did God force you to come
to Nivrutti? You yourself have recognized the value of Nivrutti and
entered into it. It is told that Pravrutti is expected nature of human
beings, where as Nivrutti is highest unimaginable fruit
(Pravruttiresha…). Now you should not talk about Pravrutti. If you
cannot stand in Nivrutti, go back to Pravrutti. God will not stop you. If
you remain in Pravrutti, God is neutral to you since everything happens
according to the constitution and Pravrutti is only the expected behavior
for which there cannot be a big reward. If you do your job, you need not
be specially rewarded. He will not punish you for not entering into
Nivrutti.
You can question the Lord in Pravrutti and the Lord will answer
your argument standing in the upper court. You can also point out the
Lord even in Nivrutti. He will show the background and will submit His
argument. Thus, both Pravrutti and Nivrutti come under the rule of
justice only. In one birth you request for something from God and when
He gives it in the other birth, you are scolding Him. When the Gopika
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desired for Lord, the Lord refused for which the Gopika became angry
and scolded the Lord. In that birth also she was a married lady. Why she
neglected dharma? In the next birth she scolded the Lord for fulfilling
her previous desire criticizing that the Lord violated the same Dharma.
If she is a real devotee, she should not criticize the Lord in any birth
whether the desired fruit is given or not given or given in undesired
way. This shows that her devotion is mixed with ignorance and egoism.
The situation is also to be viewed in another angle. Her own husband
went to Kailasa to fight with Lord Shiva, since he wanted to marry
Goddess Parvati. The war was going on; Lord Shiva was unable to kill
him due to the power of Tulasi. Thus she is supporting the same
injustice for which she is scolding the Lord. Unless that is done, Lord
Shiva cannot kill him. Therefore, the action of the Lord is perfectly
justified from all the angles. The action of Tulasi is perfect injustice
from all the angles if analyzed properly. The Lord is the protector of
justice. The justice has surrendered to Him in the form of a cow. It is
ridiculous if you criticize Him for injustice and try to protect the justice.
Please do not take My criticism also in the real sense because you
should not forget that all this fight is within this world which is for Me,
a cinema only. Therefore, you can find only the arguments from Me but
not any trace of anger on My face.
Even though an evil soul is abusing Me, I am not disturbed
because the entire world including the primary energy (Mula Maya) is
unreal from the view point of Myself. Here the soul is acting according
to its accumulated anti-divine vaasanas. When he suffers in the hell,
then also I smile at him since the hell is also unreal in My view. But, the
soul suffers in the hell since the world is real for it because it can never
cross the level of Mula Maya. But sometimes I Myself book My own
devotee to play this role! In such case, I enjoy the entire scene because I
am the producer, director and story-writer of such divine play arranged
within the limits of this world-cinema. In such divine play, those who
criticized Me were also directed by Me in the rehearsals behind the
screen. Therefore, My anger on such critics is not true with respect to
the background. Therefore, I am enjoying My criticism also in the same
manner as I enjoy the praise. The devotee and the demon are acting in
their roles and are uttering the dialogues written by Me only. I will be
really angry if they show any deficiency in enacting their roles in such
divine play. Thus, I am pleased in such divine plays, if My critics have
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played their roles well with a lot of sincerity. From My point of view,
this entire universe is relatively true like an imagination. Therefore,
anybody scolding Me does not disturb Me because both the scolding
person as well as the scolding are unreal in My view of My absolute
reality. Whether the person abusing Me is a liberated soul like
Shishupala or not, there is no difference for Me, because both the divine
play arranged by Me and the world-cinema are unreal to Me. The sense
of scolding by Shishupala is My drama within this drama of Universe,
which is also My drama in the final absolute sense. Shishupala has
reached Me after the role, but the followers of Shishupala reach the
liquid fire in the hell. The liquid fire is also unreal in My view of the
final absolute reality. Therefore, the followers of Shishupala are not
reaching Me. Ofcourse from My view both Shishupala and his followers
are unreal and hence, I enjoy equally. But, Shishupala played the role on
My desire. The followers are playing their roles on their own desire. Do
not scold even a pseudo-human incarnation, because I am there to take
care of such fellows. Krishna punished Poundraka Vasudeva who was a
false incarnation. The follower of Shishupala should take the divine play
up to killing the Shishupala so that he should know that he will be
punished. The spectator should take the drama enacted on the stage only
but should not see behind the screen. By not scolding the pseudo human
incarnation, one is not going to hell. But by chance if it happens to be
real human incarnation, then the hell is inevitable. Therefore, if you
doubt anybody, leave him silently. If you have faith, worship Him. But
do not abuse anybody, in which high risk is involved. To analyze and
decide the human incarnation, lot of care is needed because you may
miss the real human incarnation by just a hair margin. Either worship if
you have faith or leave the human incarnation if you have doubt, but
never criticize Him due to the high risk involved in it.
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Chapter - 8
NOSTRADAMUS’ GENIUS
Astonishing Truth
[December 7, 2006 This article was drafted by Dr. Nikhil, Dept. of
Energy, University of Florida, U.S.A.]
Michel Nostradamus was a brilliant French prophet and physician
of the 16th century. He made deeply insightful prophecies in the form of
encrypted verses called as quatrains. Large portions of his prophecies
have come true. In his letters to his son César Nostradamus and King
Henry II of France, he clearly revealed that his prophecies were divinely
inspired. He was a great devotee and made these prophecies on the
command of God. He had a sound knowledge of astrology and planetary
movements. Although the visions were natural or instinctive to him, he
integrated them with astrological calculations and planetary events.
However, he lived in the troubled times of the Inquisition. To avoid
persecution and the hatred of evil people, he codified the prophecies into
obscure verses such that their literal meaning hardly makes any sense.
The language used by Nostradamus was highly symbolic and he often
additionally encrypted his prophecies by the use of anagrams,
scrambling the order of events, using different languages, etc.
He admitted that he knew and saw much more than what he wrote.
However he did not reveal all that to the public since the majority was
not prepared to understand all that he had to say in the right spirit. Thus
today we have only a small fraction of what Nostradamus saw; the rest
was censored by him due to its unsuitability for the public and due to the
inevitable negative reaction of political and religious leaders towards
predicted future changes.
The censored part was not simply details of future events as one
may be tempted to think but it also contained the philosophical content,
which formed the background of the future events. It was mainly this
philosophical content that Nostradamus was afraid of revealing in his
time of the Inquisition, when anything different from what was accepted
by the Church, would be quickly branded as heresy. Thus when we read
his quatrains, especially those with some philosophical significance, we
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have to be sensitive not only to what is said but also to what is left
unsaid.
Numerous authors, thinkers and amateurs have delved into the
details of these quatrains, sifting for some clue to the unraveling of
critical future events and personalities such as World War III, the
Antichrist, changes in world politics and global catastrophes. However
the prophecy that is most spectacular and has the potential for maximum
benefit to humanity is the prophecy of the Great Genius.
There is considerable agreement that a great scholar will emerge
from the land bounded by three seas. He will be well versed in the
scriptures and science and Thursday will be holy to him (cI-50). He will
uproot fanaticism and establish his spiritual philosophy (cIII-95). This
quite obviously indicates that the said scholar will be a Hindu from
India. Contrary to some opinions, He will not be a military general. His
conquests will not be military conquests but they will be philosophical
conquests—spiritual conquests. With His compelling philosophy He
will demolish all fanaticism, rigidity and misinterpreted twists in all
religions. A significantly noteworthy point is that He will not only
correlate all the world religions, but He will also correlate science and
spirituality and establish a universal spiritual philosophy (cVII-14).
Although Nostradamus has accurately predicted some of these details of
the Great Genius, he has left a great deal unsaid about the identity of
this Great One.
Away from the din of contradicting opinions and speculations
among commentators and scholars, about the identity and time of arrival
of the Great Genius, He has already taken birth. True to prophecy, He
was born in a small town in south India (Peninsular India) and is a great
scholar of the Hindu scriptures and the scriptures of other religions. He
is also a scientist and a professor. However, he is not an ordinary
scientist or scholar of the scriptures. He is known to His closest
devotees as an incarnation of Lord Dattatreya.
Lord Dattatreya (Datta) is God in the three forms, Creator,
Maintainer and Destroyer of creation. This God, who is beyond creation
manifests through a human form called as a human incarnation or
Avatara. Thus God gives Himself to His devotees. Datta is this God who
is ‘given’ to His devotees in the form of an incarnation. Thursday is the
day that is particularly auspicious for the worship of Lord Datta. This
Great Genius, who is an incarnation of Lord Dattatreya, is known as His
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Holiness Shri Datta Swami. Shri Datta Swami has preached Divine
Knowledge that is so revolutionary and outstanding that highly elevated
spiritual souls and scholars and have declared that such knowledge has
never been revealed before to mankind. His Divine Knowledge consists
of a logical and scientific analysis of the knowledge given in the
scriptures and which supports experience. It explains the nature of the
soul, the spiritual goal, which is God, and the path to reach Him.
Complete assimilation of this knowledge leads to devotion and service,
which brings the ultimate grace of God.
In the past, the coming of Christ, the Savior was similarly
prophesied by prophets before Him. Their prophecies were also in a
symbolic language. But many people took the prophecies literally.
When the Christ actually came, He was neither a king nor a freedom
fighter who would free the Jews from the tyrannical Roman rule. He
neither established a kingdom of the Jews nor did He destroy the Roman
Empire. He was a king in the symbolic sense. Infact He was the King of
kings. He established the kingdom of God on earth. He freed people
from the slavery of ignorance. The Christ came, accomplished His
mission on earth as per the prophecies and went back to the heavenly
abode. Two thousand years have passed since; yet some ignorant people
have still not recognized Him. They are still waiting for the Savior to
come!
We are in a similar situation today. The prediction of the Great
Genius is in a highly symbolic and encrypted language. Mature and
sensitive people quickly grasp the inner meaning of prophecies and
scriptures. Rigid and immature people lack insight and are under the
grip of ego and jealousy. They insist on the literal meaning, however
ridiculous, and refuse to accept the reality that is staring them in the
face. The prophecy of Nostradamus is not scripture. However
prophecies similar to the prophecy of the Great Genius occur in many
scriptures. This is indeed the same as the second coming of the Christ
mentioned in the Bible and the incarnation of Kalki mentioned in the
Hindu scriptures. In these scriptures again, similar symbolic language is
used. Whether it is the prophecy of Nostradamus or the words of the
scripture, ignorant people are sure to miss the real meaning. They fail to
derive any benefit out of it.
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Chapter - 9
THE REPLY OF GENIUS
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misled. Datta stays always in this Datta Swami”. I was shocked by the
climax of the infinite kindness of Datta on an undeserving devotee like
Me. This statement of Maharaj has some previous reference to My old
statement. Whenever I preached the divine knowledge, I used to say that
Datta enters Me and preaches this and after the preaching Datta goes
away. My devotees believed this. Therefore, the statement of Maharaj
was referring this. Here also I was telling the lie because such a Holy
Datta can never enter this unholy devotee. Datta is only transmitting the
knowledge into Me like a power station sending current (knowledge) to
a house situated in most dirty slum area. If I say this truth, My devotees
will not believe Me at all and there is no other alternative than this. I
cannot also say that this knowledge is generated by Me because that will
be also a lie since such wonderful divine knowledge can be created only
by God. I am telling the absolute truth everywhere because I do not fear
for the public here, but I have tremendous fear for Lord Yama, who
punishes a liar especially in the spiritual field. (Swami gives message to
devotees by this, that one should not boast about himself and this is the
style of Swami to keep Himself in the place of a devotee whenever He
likes to preach the devotees. – Devotees)
Never Become Preacher By False Ways
The spiritual field is most important because it is related to the
eternal welfare of the soul. If you mislead a soul in the spiritual path,
that is the greatest sin and you will have to face the highest punishment
in the hell. Never become a spiritual preacher through false ways and
face the highest punishment. Only by the command of God, one should
become the spiritual preacher as told by Shri Ramakrishna
Paramahamsa. The spiritual preacher must have the complete and
correct knowledge. The incomplete correct knowledge is allowed if the
students are up to that level only. But here also, you should expose the
necessity of further level of knowledge and should not say that the level
known to you is the highest. A schoolteacher has a low degree that is
required to that standard. But, he should show the path to college and
university after the school. He should not say that the school is the
ultimate highest level. If he says like that, the student stops there only.
But, the wrong knowledge is dangerous, whether complete or partial
like treating a wine bar as a school. To attain the complete and correct
knowledge, you must analyze the scriptures with the most powerful
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logic and the latest science. Unless you complete this, do not enter the
position of the spiritual preacher. So, My dear friends! I am just an
ordinary soul like anyone of you from the point of the material of body
(Matter and energy) and soul (Pure awareness). I am lower than any
soul on this earth from the point of the good deserving qualities of the
soul (good qualities of Sattvam). I have Rajas and Tamas only with a
trace of Sattvam because the three qualities have to co-exist always.
My dear devotees! Realize that submissiveness (Vinaya) is the
divine fruit of the divine knowledge (Vidya Dadati Vinayam). The
egoism and jealousy are the harming insects for the knowledge-plant.
Jesus told that the more you keep yourself down, the more you will be
raised by God. But My friends! Do not down yourself expecting the
corresponding raise!! God is omniscient and knows your hidden
expectation. You should keep yourself always in the lowest possible
state with all sincerity. Lord Datta, who is the king of all the spiritual
preachers, appeared as the most ignorant cobbler before Shankara and
submissiveness is the real sign of Lord Datta, who is the solidified
divine form of divine spiritual knowledge (Prajnanaghanah…Veda)
[Knowledge Personified or Jnana Swarupa].
All of us are employees of this divine service of God. I am just the
cook and all of you are in the catering section to propagate this divine
knowledge of Universal spirituality, which is the dream of
Nostradamus. Do not aspire for any fruit for this divine service of God,
because the opportunity given to serve this divine mission of God itself
is the divine fruit. Any human being on this earth can join this divine
service at any moment. Any devotee, who is in this divine service can
resign and go out because the work of God will not stop under any
circumstances. The person who joined this divine work has obtained this
rarest divine fruit in the joining time itself. The devotee who leaves this
service has not left the work but lost the divine fruit. A human employer
may fear to fill the post of a talented employee. But God has no such
fear because the power of talents of all employees of God is coming
from God only who is like current entering various electrical
instruments to do various works.
Wealth or money is the highest ruler of this world (Pravrutti) but it
is the lowest servant in the spiritual field (Nivrutti). Goddess Lakshmi
(money) is the highest respectable divine mother for all the souls but she
is sitting at the divine feet of the Lord in His service. Wealth involved in
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the rule of the world without divine service is like a widow mother
controlling her children.
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Chapter - 10
FLASHES FROM DIVINE MESSAGES
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Reaction to violence
When one throws fire on you if you throw fire against him in
return, can your fire extinguish the opposite fire? The fire thrown by
you cannot pacify the injuries caused by your enemy’s fire on your
body. The injuries caused by your fire on the body of your enemy will
increase the strength of your enmity with him. If you throw water
against his fire, your water can extinguish the opposite fire. The water
fallen on your enemy generates repentance in your enemy and the
enmity ends forever. A scholar shows love as an answer to violence. An
ignorant person shows anger as an answer to anger.
Art of Living—Heart of Loving
In the word ‘living’, the second letter ‘i’ is a semi circle (when
written by hand) and it becomes full if it is written as ‘o’. Then the word
‘living’ becomes ‘loving’. Now to the word ‘art’, add the word ‘He’ in
the beginning. It becomes ‘heart’. ‘He’ means God. The Veda says
‘Purushohavai’ i.e., God is the only male. So ‘He’ means God alone.
Thus when you add God, the semi circle of life (incomplete life)
becomes full and fruitful.
The word living indicates life, which is the simply consciousness
that is not associated with the world. It is only static energy. The word
‘loving’ indicates the ‘thought’, which is the consciousness associated
with the world. Without thought, life is like a mere stone. A plant is a
living being but what is the use of its life without any thought? Life
(living) is useful when it has a blissful thought of love.
When a wave dissolves in a river, simple water results. The water
is the thoughtless life energy as in a living plant. The wave in the water
is like a man with thoughts. By un-cycling the thoughts (negative
cycles, or canceling thoughts in meditation), you are dissolving
thoughts. Simple life energy results on dissolving thoughts. This energy
is like inert electrical energy. This is the state of a stone and the
scriptures say that sinners are born as stones.
So, invite thoughts of bliss into your mind and shut down your
mind when violent bad thoughts enter and disturb your peace. Peace is
the absence of both bliss and worry. The dissolution of bad thoughts
brings peace but not bliss. Peace is better than worry and so this
dissolution process can be recommended when bad thoughts have
already entered the mind. But if you can shut down your mind to the
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which alone can be a good break in His case. Lakshmana advised Rama
to not weep and further said, ‘Weeping (minus point) will not bring Sita
back. It will further weaken You and You will not have sufficient
energy to search for Sita’. This is the best advice for any man to stop the
minus point from entering his brain. But for Lord Narayana, who came
down especially in search of the minus point as an interval in His
continuous bliss, this cannot be the right advice. Rama appeared as a
man to eyes of Lakshmana due to His Maya and so Lakshmana out of
ignorance, gave this advice to Rama thinking that Rama was a man.
Lord Rama just nodded His head and smiled at the advice of
Lakshmana!
Krishna and Shishupala
Several serpents surround the pot of Divine Nectar while plain
water is freely available in a well or river surrounded by pleasant
flowers. Similarly, several negative points may surround God and the
world may be associated with apparent plus points. Anybody would
want to taste the Divine Nectar alone and not the water in the river.
Similarly one should try to taste God and not the world. If you compare
Krishna and Sisupala from the point of view of Princess Rukmini,
Sisupala was a better match. If Rukmini had married Sisupala, she
would become the Queen of Chedi (Sisupala’s kingdom) and Sisupala
would be a better match because he would not marry any other lady
later. He did not having any illegal affairs with other women. Krishna
was famous for having illegal affairs. Such a fellow was sure to marry
other ladies and so there was no guarantee that Rukmini would become
the Queen of Dwaraka (the kingdom of Krishna). Chedi was a large
country and Dwaraka was just a city. The parents and brothers of
Rukmini discussed this matter deeply and took the decision to give
Rukmini to Sisupala in marriage. The fruit of becoming the queen of
Krishna was not certain. Rukmini would have to face the problems with
the other wives of Krishna. In spite of these negative points, Rukmini
wanted Krishna only because a Sadguru like Narada taught her about
the greatness of Krishna compared to anyone else in the world.
Similarly a devotee must not expect any benefit from God, as
Rukmini never aspired for the position of queen. The devotee must be
prepared to suffer the negative points shown by God i.e., God may give
troubles even after your worship but still the devotees must love God.
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to God. Even if they give some money to God, they want several times
more from God in return. If you give some money to God’s work,
without aspiring for anything in return, you are viewed very highly in
the eyes of God. Donation of money proves your real love. You are
giving all your money to your children. So your real love is only for
your children. You have served them in their childhood. When they
become adults, even if they do not serve you in return or even if they
insult you, you are giving all your property to them alone. But in the
case of God, you are not giving even one rupee to God, doubting
whether He will help you after taking this one rupee in advance. You are
treating God just as an outsider. He is nowhere near your children.
Just think of the Gopikas who gave all their stored money (butter)
to Lord Krishna alone, without giving any even to their children. Just
think about Shabari, who gave her meal of fruits to Lord Rama. Just
think about Kannappa, who gave his meal of flesh to Lord Shiva. All
these devotees offered even the little food that they had, to the Lord
without satisfying their own hunger. In Shri Kalahasthi, the serpent gave
its hard-earned gem to Lord Shiva and got salvation. The spider gave its
web built by its own saliva, to Lord Shiva and got salvation. They
offered their wealth to God without aspiring for anything in return.
Kuchela was suffering with a lot of poverty. He did not ask anything
from Lord Krishna. Even in that condition he offered a handful of rice to
the Lord. He returned back without asking for even one rupee from the
Lord. Lord gave him infinite wealth. Since Kuchela developed the real
bond with God, he got infinite wealth.
Scriptural References for Sacrifice of Money
The scriptures also say that your sacrifice of money is the highest.
1) The Gita says ‘Jnanat dhyanam vishishyate Dhyanat Karma Phala
Tyagah’: i.e., Bhakti (devotion) is better than Jnana (knowledge)
and sacrificing the fruit of your work (money) is better than
Bhakti.
2) The Gita says ‘Sarva karma phala tyagam prahuh tyagam
vichakshanah’ i.e., if you can give the entire fruit of your work to
the Lord, then that is real sacrifice.
3) The Veda says, ‘Na karmana, Na prajaya, Dhanena, tyage naike
Amritatvam Aanasuh’ i.e., you cannot attain God by selfish work
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kindest Lord protected the prestige of sages in the eyes of the world.
When sages were after Him in the previous birth, He was alone with
them. See the kindness of Lord towards His devotee!
Fasting
Upavasa (Fasting) means forgetting food, when you are immersed
in God. (Upa = Near God, Vasa = Immersed). But today people are
fasting by force, suffering with hunger. This is not Upavasa. When you
do such fasting, Yogi Vemana says ‘Kuudu Vidachi Malamu Kudchura
Upavasai’. This means a little excretory matter is left over in the
digestive system after motion. When you fast the digestive system
assimilates this little excretory matter. So on that fasting day, one has
eaten the excretory matter instead of food! Similarly if you do not get
sleep due to thinking of God, that is ‘Jagaranam’ (Not sleeping in the
night. But people are stopping their sleep by force.
There should not be force to stop eating or sleeping. If they are
stopped without force, automatically due to immersion in God and then
only ‘Upavasa’ and ‘Jagaranam’ are fruitful. Aspiring some benefit,
people are doing Upavasa and Jagaranam by force. Such acts are waste
and useless. The right knowledge is necessary in any religious deed.
Caste System
This is the cancer for Hinduism. The Gita says ‘Chaturvarnam…’,
i.e., the four castes are created based on their qualities and deeds. The
Veda says ‘Brahmmanosya …’ i.e., the four castes are born from the
four parts of the body of God. All of them are brothers as God is Father
of all the human beings as the Gita says ‘Aham Beeja’. They are like
present teaching community, doctor community etc., based on their
talents and profession. Greatness is not by birth but by the work done as
said ‘Janmana Jayate…’ Rama and Krishna are non-brahmins whose
feet are washed by Brahmins today in temples. Ravana was a Brahmin
and he did not have any temple. Does this not clearly show that
Hinduism is not based on the caste?
The untouchability is also meaningless. Shabari and Kannappa
(Hunter) are the so called untouchables, whose photos are present along
with God in the house of every Hindu. Bhurisravasa belonging to the
caste of pot makers was the president of a sacrifice performed by sages
(Refer Bhagavatam). The actual meaning of untouchability is forgotten.
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Chapter - 11
SHANKARA BHASHYAM
What is Brahman?
O Learned And Devoted Servants of God,
[June 15, 2006] Chit [awareness] is gold and Jnanam is a
wonderful design expressed in that gold. All the value is for that
wonderful ornament and not for the lump of gold present in it. Brahman
means great. The greatness is of that ornament and not of gold. A lady is
attracted to the ornament but a businessman sees only the weight of the
gold. Similarly an ignorant person thinks that chit is Brahman where as
a realized scholar thinks that a great preacher with exceptional
knowledge like Shankara is Brahman. Chit is the awareness present in
every living being and thus for an ignorant person every living being is
Brahman. Ofcourse, a living being is the greatest among all the inert
items and thus can be called as Brahman in that context. Similarly a man
is the greatest among living beings and is Brahman in that context.
Among human beings, Shankara is the greatest and is Brahman in that
context. Therefore, you must specify the context while using the word
‘Brahman’. If you call Shankara as Brahman simply for the reason that
He is a living being, then, what is the specialty of Shankara? Why did so
many follow and worship Him if He was not special? Brahman need not
follow and worship Brahman! Self-praise and self-worship are
condemned by the Shastras as sins.
The commentary of Shankara was for the majority that existed in
His time. The majority of His time consisted of atheists, who were fully
egoistic and jealous to accept the God in human form. They did not
accept even the concept of God, what to speak of God in human form!
They can accept the word ‘God’, provided you say that God does not
exist separately; other than themselves, and provided you say that they
are God. You can realize this point by talking with an atheist of today
itself. Any little deviation from this point will not be acceptable to any
atheist. Buddhists said that everything is ‘nothing’ (Shunyam) and so
God is also nothing. Purva Mimamsakas said that everything depends
upon the action and its corresponding fruit and therefore there is no God
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Absolute God. But scriptural evidence as found in the Gita itself shows
a violation of this tradition. The Veda, the greatest book among all the
scriptural books is called ‘Brahman’ (Brahmaakshara samudbhavam).
Thus the word ‘Brahman’ is used starting from the lowest-greatest
to the highest-greatest. The word ‘ruler’ can be used for anyone starting
from the head of a village to the head of the country. Similarly, the word
‘Brahman’ is used for anything starting from the animal sitting on a
heap of inert stones up to the Absolute God. Only the contexts or circles
differ.
Every human being of that time thought that he or she was
Brahman, simply because he or she has awareness or a soul. Therefore
nobody followed and worshipped Shankara because nobody is different
from Shankara viz., Brahman. But four disciples followed Shankara and
worshipped Shankara throughout His lifetime, because they realized the
whole secret. Infact, according to Shankara’s commentary, they need
not have followed and worshipped Shankara, since it means worship of
themselves as everybody was Brahman. Perhaps you think that those
four were ignorant in understanding the commentary, where as all the
others were scholars. But it is reverse. Those four were real scholars and
the rest—the entire majority—was ignorant. The commentary was for
the ignorant majority. Shankara revealed the truth to the minority alone
because only that minority deserved it.
If He revealed the secret to the majority, they would have crucified
Shankara like Jesus. The statement of Jesus “I and My Father are one
and the same” spread and reached the majority. Shankara told the
deserving minority “Shivah Kevaloham”, which means that He alone is
Shiva and this indicates the concept of the human incarnation that God
comes down in a human body. Krishna never preached the Gita to the
public, in which Krishna declared Himself as God and asked Arjuna to
worship Him alone for eternal salvation. In public life, Krishna behaved
and talked like a normal human being. Had Krishna preached the Gita in
a public meeting, He would have been shot dead on the spot. The Gita
was a secret preaching to Arjuna which was known only to Sanjaya and
Vyasa. Even the message of Shankara given to the minority, leaked out
and He was killed by the black magic of the Kapalikas.
Therefore, the preacher has to look at the context of the majority
and the technique to be followed to introduce the Truth based on the
psychology of the public. He has to estimate the repercussions of his
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preaching. The word ‘Brahman’ was meant for indicating the Absolute
God by the ‘Yoga-Rudha’ tradition. But Shankara followed the ‘Yoga’
tradition and used it for every living being as it was necessary at that
time. People mixed up these two traditions and thought that every living
being is Absolute God. Such a misunderstanding was necessary for
Shankara to make an atheist atleast to utter the word God by the mouth,
which was the first step. It was Herculean task to bring the animals
[animal-like humans] to the path of spirituality. Making a dullard pass
the examination is greater compared to making an intelligent student get
a first class. Thus the achievement of Shankara was greater than that of
Ramanuja and Madhva. Infact, Shankara was Lord Shiva (God) Himself
who came down for such an impossible task.
Theoretical and Applied Philosophy
Shankara revealed the highest knowledge personally to the
minority as the Gita was told only to Arjuna. While preaching to
Duryodhana in the court in public, which was also attended by several
sages, Krishna never preached the Gita. Krishna was preaching for
peace in the court, yet the Gita was not revealed. He was preaching to
Arjuna to fight and kill even his grandfather and in that context, the Gita
was revealed. Infact, the Gita should have been revealed in the court for
the sake of peace but the receiver did not deserve the highest
knowledge. Although it was not the proper context [time-wise and
situation-wise], the Gita was revealed to Arjuna because he deserved it.
Therefore, the deservingness of the receiver is the most important aspect
of preaching.
Deserving ones are always in a minority. A professor has handful
of research students. An elementary school teacher has a large crowd of
students. Today people are judging the value of the preacher by the
number of followers. A school teacher is greater than a professor! When
the knowledge descends to a low standard, followers increase. But, that
is also required. A school teacher is as important as the professor;
perhaps even more important. But if you or the school teacher says that
the school teacher is greater than the professor due to larger number of
followers, it becomes absurd. When the spiritual knowledge is
commercialized under the name ‘Applied Philosophy’ (like ‘Applied
Physics’ etc.), a small well of followers suddenly transforms into an
ocean of followers.
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and after this precious human life. There is no hurry for that because
that is not the main aim of human life in the eyes of God as the case of
the government. The purpose of creating separate upper worlds and the
purpose of postponement of the results to these upper worlds after
human life is only this that the time on earth is meant for a different
purpose. This earth (Bhuloka) is actually meant to be the campus for
doing the work of God and to achieve the grace of the Lord (Karma
Loka). The word ‘karma’ in philosophy does not mean ordinary worldly
actions. It only means divine work, which is service to God.
Differentiating it from worldly work, this divine work is called as
‘Karma Yoga’. The word ‘yoga’ means the achievement of God in
human form, after perfect identification (Brahma Jnana), for doing His
service (karma) directly. Service to temples is indirect, but even that is
greater than worldly work, because the concept of doing work for God
exists even in that type of representative worship. Something is better
than nothing and everything in the beginning is only ‘something’ [in the
beginning, even great things have small beginnings]
The ignorant person invites happiness and wants to avoid misery
with the help of God. The priests are exploiting this at a micro level and
some of the present spiritual preachers are exploiting the same point at
the macro level in a dignified way. A businessman exploits the public at
a micro level directly. A politician exploits the public at a macro level
indirectly under the name of ‘social service’. Ofcourse, there are good
people in both categories doing real social service. Shri Ramakrishna
was a good priest and Swami Vivekananda was a good preacher.
Secret of Continuous Happiness
The realized person invites misery and not happiness. Kunti
requested Krishna to always give her troubles, which alone keep the
person in devotion to God. Penance is a form of artificially creating
misery. Only in misery, does one becomes active and approach God
sincerely without egoism. Misery is the guiding force in spiritual
journey.
The liberated soul, who came down in a role to this earth along
with the Lord to enjoy this world-drama by direct participation, invites
both happiness and misery equally like sweet and hot dishes in a meal.
Anything becomes boring if it is continuous. Entertainment does not get
boring even if it is continuous. But entertainment through continuous
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words, mind and intelligence but not through work and the fruit of work.
The service is theoretical but not practical. In this stage, the coverage of
ignorance (Avaranam) is removed but the practical effect (Vikshepa) is
not removed. He realizes the Truth but is unable to practice it. In the
final stage God’s grace dawns on him and the ignorance is removed
theoretically and practically. Ignorance may exist in this stage too, as a
helper for getting full entertainment. Such ignorance may appear real
from the view of the liberated soul also, but it will be removed by God
whenever the scheduled duration ends. Such real ignorance is imposed
by God on Himself too, and it goes after the fixed schedule ends.
Ignorance is the essence of entertainment. The reality of
entertainment increases with ignorance. The only word that stands for
the ignorance is ‘Avidya’. Maya is not the word for ignorance. Vidya is
knowledge and Avidya is ignorance. Maya means wonderful, which is
the unimaginability [associated with God]. Wherever Maya is seen,
there God exists, and He is the only unimaginable item. The soul may
know about itself but can never know God (Maamtu Veda Na… Gita).
Thus the soul can never cross this root ignorance (Mula Avidya). The
soul can never get rid of the Avidya completely because God always
remains unimaginable. The awareness that is associated with self-
ignorance is Atman or soul (Avidyophahitam… Shankara). But the self
can get rid of its own ignorance by self-realization, in which case the
‘Jeeva’ dissolves in the self. Jeeva is a bundle of qualities, which are
waves of awareness and they subside in the soul on self-realization. The
jeeva dissolves in the soul along with the dissolution of self-ignorance.
Therefore, Jeeva is characterized by ignorance (Avidyaavachchinnam…
Shankara). The soul is only associated with such ignorance because the
soul does not disappear on dissolution of such self-ignorance.
Thus ignorance is of two types. One is ignorance of God (Mula
Avidya) and this is never referred to, because such ignorance is neither
associated, nor the characteristic of the soul. If it is associated
(upahitam), the soul should be able to get rid of it. If it is characteristic
(Avachchinnam), the soul should dissolve on realization of God, which
is impossible. Jeeva dissolves on realizing the soul, which is its source.
The soul may or may not dissolve, but realization of its source, God, is
impossible. The dissolution or eternality of the soul depends on the
angle of your view. The soul is eternal if you consider it as inert energy
in basic source. In deep sleep or at the time of the dissolution of the
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contain any design of the world. Before the creation of this power, God
alone existed (Ekameva… Veda). This inert energy developed the
design of the world, when it was associated with its special form called
as awareness. The association of any property with any item is only due
to God and should not be claimed as the characteristic of any entity.
Any property becomes characteristic of any item only as long as God
wishes. This was proved by God to all angels in the Veda, when God
appeared as Yaksha. Thus the energy (Sat) acquired this property of
awareness (chit) only by the will of God. Since I used the term ‘will of
God’, you should not say that God is awareness [since all entities that
will or wish must have awareness]. God is unimaginable and is the
source of all items and all associated or characteristic properties. God
need not be awareness to wish. This logic applies only to all the items of
creation [not to God]. If some created item wishes, you can say that that
item must be awareness. God is the source of awareness. Awareness is
only a property or a special work-form of energy. Both the energy and
awareness are created by God. God is the root source.
‘Sat’, which is the inert energy, existed in the beginning before the
first creation (Sadeva—Veda). It is also called as ‘Asat’ (Asadvaa
Idam—Veda) because the design was absent in it. When the ‘Sat’
acquired the ‘chit’ property, the design of the world was created in it
(Tatovai sadajayata—Veda). The first word ‘Sat’ denotes the inert
energy. It is also called as ‘Asat’ due to the absence of design. The
second word ‘Sat’ denotes the design, when the energy acquired the
‘chit’ property. All this is about the stage before the first creation.
Now, let us apply the above Vedic statements to the stage after
each dissolution time of the world. In Maha Pralaya, the awareness in
this world disappears because the awareness associated with the initial
(primordial) energy also disappears. This means, God is not willing to
see the world-cinema anymore or to participate in the cinema. Then the
movable items of the cinema become immovable i.e. living items
become inert items. All the souls become parts of the inert film.
Everything becomes the inert energy only (Sat). Science also agrees to
this. Only God along with inert energy containing the inert design is left
over. This is the state of ‘Ekaki’ (alone).
God is still only in the Saguna state [state with quality or attribute]
because the energy along with designs covers [envelops] God as an
‘Upadhi’ [attribute]. The ‘Nirguna’ state (absolutely alone) of God,
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which existed before the first creation, is never achieved because the
inert film is never destroyed. Since except God, everything that exists is
inert, the state of ‘Ekaki’ is [as good as] maintained as it was before the
first creation. Therefore, the world exists as ‘Sat’ (inert energy), before
and after the dissolution of creation, where as during the existence of the
creation, it exists as Sat and Chit. When the Sat is associated with the
property of Chit, the drama is alive as a running show, giving
entertainment to God. During Maha Pralaya, Chit disappears and
everything remains simply as inert energy or Sat. Therefore, before the
second creation, the Sat exists along with the design, which is not
expressed (Avyaktam). The absence of expression of the design is
meant by ‘Asat’, which was the word used for the same Sat with the
design. The second Sat means that the design is expressed or that the
cinema has started again.
Inferring the Ultimate Cause
The first stage is pure science. In this we analyze nature (Prakriti)
and conclude that the womb of the mother is the root cause of the birth
of the child. This womb is a part of the mother alone and is not the
father; this womb is the chit or awareness. The child does not realize
that the father is its root cause because the interaction of the father [with
its mother] is a hidden secret. It can only be inferred (Anumanam) and
not perceived (Pratyaksham). Biology, which is the scripture [in the
matter of reproduction] and the [faculty of] inference are only the two
means to realize that the father is the cause of the birth. Kalidasa says
that this ‘father’ can be understood from inference obtained from the
scriptures (Aapta vaaganumaanaabhyaam Saadhyam…).
The soul as awareness goes into its basic form, which is the inert
energy in the time of deep sleep or in the dissolution state. This inert
energy is Para Shakti or Brahman. More specifically it is referred to as
Karya Brahman and is the first item of creation. It is inert because it is
under the control of its source, which is God (Parabrahman). This is
called as Mahat Brahma in the Gita, which is the first cover (Upadhi) of
God. By this, for the first time, the attributeless (Nirguna) Brahman or
God becomes Saguna, which means that God is qualified by the
medium. When the will or awareness enters this inert energy from God,
the inert energy generates the plan of the world as its issue [offspring].
The Gita says the same (Tasmin garbham…).
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This is the concept of the hidden Father and visible mother. This is
a joint approach of philosophy and science. One accepts both inference
and perception together. This is the concept of God and Para Shakti
(first created inert energy). The Para Shakti charged by God is called as
Brahma and the awareness-energy is called as Saraswati. Both these as
Creator and the first creation are treated as father and daughter. Then the
entry of God into the energy is like the secret union of the father and the
mother. The energy then materializes into matter, which is Lakshmi
(wealth). All materialized forms appear as issues. The hidden father is
not visualized by scientists. Theists agree to the presence of both the
Father and the Mother as the causes of creation. They do not leave the
perceived basis (mother) but accept the inferred Father. Without
understanding this inner concept, people have misinterpreted that
Brahma married His own daughter. Such a concept should not even
come up in the given simile. There is no object in the creation, which
can stand as an exact simile for God, the Creator.
If you leave science and travel only with philosophy, the father-
daughter concept comes, by which you can understand that God created
even that first creation (energy). [Thus, God becomes the ultimate Cause
of creation]. In this final step, you will end in the root cause (God). He
is the cause of even the mother and also the cause of every action of the
mother. When the mother gives milk, that milk is purchased by the
money of the father alone. The work involved in giving the milk by
mother to the child is also due to the energy gained by the food eaten by
the mother. This food was purchased by father alone. The father appears
inactive to the child, but is the cause of the birth, milk and work
involved in giving milk etc., done by mother. In the final stage, the
devotee realizes that even the primordial nature (energy) was created by
God and so finds God as the sole cause of the entire creation. “Atmana
Akasah” is told by the Veda, which means that space came from the
soul. Here the word ‘soul’ means the basic form of the soul (awareness),
which is the inert energy. This means that space is a modified form of
energy, which is accepted by science today.
Thus the Veda starts from the primordial inert energy (indicated
by the word Atman), which is the mother. This is science. Even the
word Brahman in the Veda, which is explained in the Veda as the cause
of creation is this primordial energy on a macro scale. In deep sleep, the
soul is transformed into basic inert energy. The body (matter) is another
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form of inert energy. The surrounding space, objects etc., are also forms
of inert energy. Thus in deep sleep the soul is mixed in Brahman like a
drop of water in the ocean. Awareness is a limited form that arises after
waking up from deep sleep. But if you view even this awareness as a
special work-form of the inert energy, now in all the states, only an
ocean of energy results as a continuum.
The Veda says this ‘All this is Brahman’ (Sarvam khalu Idam…).
But in deep sleep, this continuum is clearer since only two forms (matter
and energy) exist. In Maha Pralaya all matter dissolves and only a
continuous ocean of inert energy results. In Maha Pralaya, matter and
awareness disappear due to the destructive form of energy (Parvati) and
thus only an ocean of inert energy is left over, which is called as Para
Shakti (Paraasaya Shaktih… Veda). Awareness (Saraswati), matter
(Lakshmi) and destructive inert energy (Parvati) stand for the work-
energies of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Thus the final single form of
inert energy is Adi Para Shakti (the initial greatest energy) and this is
called as Maha Maya or Mula Prakriti. This Maha Maya can be called as
Brahman, when it is charged by God. It is the first qualified Brahman,
Karya Brahman or Hiranya Garbha. The destructive inert energy and the
final inert energy are qualitatively same and thus Parvati and Adi Para
Shakti are qualitatively one and the same.
Jesus is said to have been born only to the mother without a father.
Yet He always praised the Father and did not regard His mother so
much. When a lady cried that His mother was great, He said that the
follower of the instructions of His Father is really great. What is the
inner meaning of all this? Does this mean that He disregarded His
mother and praised the non-existing father? No. In His language the
Father is God. The mother is the primordial energy. He had gone to the
final stage of divine knowledge and realized that God is the root of the
root cause. An atheist does not accept the Father and believes in the sole
existence of the mother (nature). A theist believes in both. A realized
devotee believes only in God, since nature is also created by God.
Without realizing this inner concept, Christianity is divided into two
schools of Son and mother, taking everything in a physical sense. The
Son of a virgin means the concept of science, which says that a child is
produced from nature which is in the form of parents. In science, both
mother and father are equally important representing the sperm and the
ovum. This is the material sense, which is not to be taken here. In the
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perception. They too depend upon inference, but their inference is based
on perception. The fire is inferred from smoke, because the relationship
of fire and smoke is already seen (perception) in the kitchen. Therefore
awareness, the inferred ‘God’ of the Advaitin is imaginable and even
perceivable through intricate modern instruments. Such inference is
based only on perception. The inference of God should be based on
scriptures like the Veda. The interaction of the father and mother can be
inferred by seeing the interaction of another couple later on. Such
inference is perception-based. But the interaction of God [with the inert
energy] is never perceived, because God is never perceived; God is
beyond even the imagination.
Maha Karana Pralaya represents the dissolution of energy
completely, which means the disappearance of space. The situation
becomes unimaginable. The space of the dream [your imagination] may
disappear [when you imagine the disappearance of space] but still your
brain exists in the absolute space. The mind (nervous energy) requires
absolute space for its existence. Thus existence of absolute space
(Paramavyoma) is required for the existence of God. Since no item in
the creation can stand as a perfect representative of God, this problem
comes. The existence of Paramavyoma again speaks about the existence
of energy in a more subtle form. The dissolution of energy to the fullest
extent leads to a completely unimaginable situation, which was exactly
the situation before creation. Such a great devotee leaves science and
perception completely. He believes only in the Veda. He believes only
in God as the absolute cause every time after Maha Pralaya. Such a
great devotee never falls as he depends only on God as the root of the
root cause (Maha karanam).
Jesus believed God in such a way. Shankara’s Advaita is actually
this same concept. An atheist cannot travel to this distance and so He
(Shankara) stopped at the concept of awareness so that every atheist is
attracted and feels that the Absolute is in him and finally he can become
the Absolute God. Even the concept of Pralaya was not brought in and
awareness was declared as eternal. For the sake of a theist, awareness is
eternal and remains in deep sleep and also in Pralaya. But the atheist
should realize that awareness is not present in deep sleep since one is
not aware of even the soul, which is the awareness of the awareness
itself, as found in meditation. The enquiry of the source of ‘I’, which
represents the fundamental characteristic of awareness in deep sleep,
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reveals the whole story. The inert energy is the source of ‘I’ as realized
from the analysis of deep sleep.
The word Atman is also used for God. When God enters the
human body, He pervades all over the three bodies. Atman means that
which pervades (Atati iti). According to the Veda, God created space
first (Atmana Akashah) and God also created energy first (Tat tejah).
Since space is energy it is one and the same whether you say that space
was created first or energy was created first. In this sense, Atman stands
for God. If Atman is the awareness present in the human being which
creates the dream-space relatively, then the absolute space, in which the
awareness is present, also exists. If you say that the human being exists
in the absolute space, but that the awareness does not, then where is the
awareness without the human being? If awareness is beyond space, why
does it exist only in living beings and not in inert things and thus in the
entire world? Science clearly proves that awareness is nervous energy
and energy requires space for its existence and propagation. If you
accept the existence of an absolute space, it means space is eternal and
creation does not have any beginning. If space is eternal, energy is
eternal and matter, a form of energy, is also eternal. Then the word
creation itself is meaningless. Therefore awareness or inert energy
requires the existence of space.
Certainly they did not exist before the first creation. Even the film
did not exist before the production of the cinema-film. Then only the
Vedic statement “Ekaki…” becomes meaningful, which means that God
was alone before creation. Therefore energy or space did not exist
before the first creation. If space was absent, your intelligence and logic
cannot imagine that situation even if it tries for a million years.
Therefore the unimaginable God exists before the creation and He is
always unimaginable. The unimaginability is for the souls, which did
not exist before the first creation. It means that unimaginability (Maya)
did not exist at that time since God was imaginable to Himself. In Maha
Pralaya or even in Pralaya, the souls exist in an inert state; Maya does
not exist for souls. Maya never exists for God. Thus Maya in the sense
of unimaginability does not exist to souls in Pralaya or Maha Pralaya.
But Maya in the sense of wonderful energy or power exists in Pralaya or
Maha Pralaya. But even in that sense, Maya did not exist before the first
creation.
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awareness is in every human being), His close disciples would not have
worshipped Shankara as God. If everybody is God, the worship of
Shankara becomes self-worship. The disciples fell at the divine feet of
Shankara praising Him as the Lord. This would have meant that they
fell on their own feet even after realization!
The inert energy is produced from food and Oxygen (Anna and
Prana). This inert energy flows through the brain and the nerves, which
are in the state of functioning and develops the property of awareness.
Such awareness-energy is called as the mind, which is not associated
with any external knowledge. The awareness simply makes some
desires without any analysis. Such desire (Sankalpa) is often altered
(Vikalpa) because logical analysis is not developed due to absence of
any external knowledge. In this state, the awareness (mind) makes the
human being equal to a bird or animal. When the external knowledge is
associated with awareness, logical analysis develops which results in
decision without making any alteration. Then the awareness is called as
intelligence (Buddhi) or Vijnana. The mind is blind and when the mind
is the ruler, the human being is just like the blind king Dhritarashtra. If
the awareness is associated with the knowledge given by the external
Guru, the human being is like the kingdom ruled by Dharmaraja
associated with the Gita, which is the divine knowledge, given by Lord
Krishna. The mind by itself is like a blind sense-organ (Manah
Shashthani—Gita). The mind is like the untrained driver. The
intelligence is like a trained driver. The intelligence alone can make the
determination which leads to correct practice. Therefore, the soul (your
self) is like the owner. Your body is like the car. The mind is like the
steering wheel. The untrained driver is like the inert steering wheel
which is the mind. The same mind (awareness) becomes a trained driver
due to the association of the divine knowledge given by the Sadguru
who is the correct guide for training. The correct knowledge in driving
alone makes the difference between untrained and trained drivers.
Therefore, your first responsibility is to search for the Sadguru to obtain
the correct trained driver (Buddhi) in your body. Therefore, the Gita
starts with the Buddhi Yoga. The Gita starts with Jnana Yoga. Shankara
gave the entire credit to Jnana Yoga, which is the correct knowledge in
driving that is obtained from the Sadguru. Therefore, do not proceed
with the mind like an animal or an ignorant person in the spiritual
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kept this state as his final goal, which is the state of a tree. It is said that
one becomes whatever he desires (Yat bhavam tat bhavati). If this
philosopher dies in this state only as the final goal, he achieves the same
state by taking birth as a tree. The state of Avadhuta is a severe state of
Advaita philosopher, where the person is almost in the state of deep
sleep. In deep sleep the awareness attains the eternal basic form, which
is the inert energy. Such a person ending in this state shall be born as an
inert stone which is the inert energy present in the form of matter. It is
not a curse but it is the desired state and is the fixed final goal of the
aspirant only. The aspirant aspired for such state and lived in such a
state for a long time and wishes to remain in that state continuously.
Therefore one need not be angry with Me in this point.
Both the above states (Sanyasa and Avadhuta) are the fruits of
achievement of self-realization in practice which is appreciated as self-
attainment (Atma Yoga). The self attainment should not be the end of
your spiritual effort and is not the final goal. If the self attainment is the
final goal of this precious human life, the future birth as a tree or a stone
is inevitable because of the strong desire about it. But if this self-
attainment happens to be the middle stage of your journey, such
attainment is appreciable. By such self-attainment you are undisturbed
like a stone. You are firm in your determination like a rock. All this
state is only a training given to you to make you fit for the service of
God. If you end with this training, there is no difference between
yourself and a stone. The final goal is not to become a stone. The final
goal is to stand firm like a stone in doing service to God. Therefore after
attaining the self, we have to search for the super self, which is available
in the human form in your present generation. Then you have to serve
Him in His mission like a rock. For such dedication, you have to
withdraw yourself from all the worldly bonds and become like the firm
mountain. If you withdraw from all the worldly bonds and remain idle
without doing the service to God, then you are just a stone with
awareness. What is the use of such withdrawal (Pratyahara)? You are
given training to become a soldier. If you do not become a soldier and
fight in the war, what is the use of your training? You should not end
with the training. The training must have its application. The self-
attainment is training. Its application is in the service to God.
The all pervading homogenous single phase of finest form of inert
energy is space. The space has no awareness as per the scientific
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analysis and as per the practical experience. Then how can we say that
awareness is all-pervading? How can we say that this entire world is
awareness? The awareness is an available item in the creation. The Veda
says that no item of creation is God (Neti Neti). The awareness is a
special form of energy propagating in the nerves. It is in the form of
waves, which requires space. It is a definable item of space having the
three geometrical co-ordinates. The awareness exists in the awakening-
state and disappears in the state of deep sleep. Thus it is bound by time.
God is beyond the four dimensional space-time model, which is the
inherent essence of the creation. Ofcourse, it is very difficult to
understand or imagine awareness (Sukshmaya sukshmadarsibhih—
Veda). But it is not completely unimaginable. It may be unimaginable
for an ordinary man. But for scholars and scientists it is perceivable and
imaginable. The Gita says that scholars or scientists can see it
(Pashyanti Jnanachakshushah). But regarding God, the Veda and the
Gita say that God is completely unimaginable (Yasyaamatam—Veda,
Maamtu Veda Na—Gita). For any statement the direct sense (Abhidha)
must be preferred. The indirect sense (Vrutti) should be taken only in
the case of impossible situation. For example, if you say that a village
exists in Ganges, you have to take the indirect sense because it is
impossible. Therefore, it means that the village is very near and is just
on the banks of Ganges. Such approach is called as ‘Lakshana’. The
village and Ganges are visual items. The impossibility rises here in
visual items. But in the case of God, God is not a visual item and thus
there is no basis for you to think about any impossibility in an invisible
and unimaginable item. If your decision is that everything is
understandable to your mind, then such indirect sense can be taken.
Then you can say that the unimaginable God means the God who is
imagined with lot of difficulty. In that case you are contradicting the
Veda and Gita due to egoism. Even Lord Yama says that he could not
understand God (Kathametat Vijaniyam—Veda); the Advaita scholar
who shivers even seeing the messengers of Lord Yama is boasting that
he can understand God. Even though the best scholar and the best
devotee who is going to become Brahma (Hanuman) is not stating that
he is God, our Advaita philosopher who is ‘greater than Hanuman’ is
stating that he is God! If every soul is God, Hanuman being God should
not have waited to meet Rama, the human incarnation, on the instruction
of his mother. If every soul is God, Hanuman can find any person as
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God and need not wait to meet a specific human being, who is Rama,
the human incarnation.
Mahat Brahma
This world is essentially a homogeneous phase of inert energy,
which is space as the finest form of energy. The creation comes from
space or finest energy. The space has come from God. This is explained
by the Veda (Atmana Akasah). The space or the finest energy is called
as Mahat, which is infinite. From the space all the world gradually
comes out by the will of God. Even the space came out from God by His
will only. If you do not recognize God, the energy being inert cannot
plan the creation. The link between God and this space (Mahat) is
unimaginable and is stated as Avyaktam. The Veda mentions this
unimaginability (Avyaktam) as the intermediate item between God and
Mahat (Mahatah Paramavyaktam…). You should not fix this Avyaktam
to a particular item only. It is simply a word which means unimaginable
and can be used in any context to mean any item by anybody. Suppose a
student is unable to understand the higher concept. For him such
concept is unimaginable. Therefore, the word unimaginable (Avyaktam)
has a general sense and can be used in any context. This word is also
used to the subtle and invisible state of the world in the energy as a
micro impression also after the final dissolution of the world. Similarly
the word Brahman can be used to any greatest item depending on the
context. It can indicate anybody starting from God to the head of a
village. The Veda says that God is beyond this link (Avyaktat Purushah
Parah). Space is imaginable but God is unimaginable. Therefore, the
link between unimaginable God and imaginable Mahat also becomes
unimaginable. Only the link between two imaginable items is
imaginable and can be understood. The unimaginability is experienced
and the unimaginable God identified with the perceivable human
incarnation is experienced. Therefore, the concept of unimaginability is
proved by the basic validity of authority through experience and
perception. The Veda says that you can see God
(Pratyagatmanamaikshat). If Lord Krishna or Jesus is not seen and if
they do not establish the concept of unimaginability through their
actions, the existence of unimaginable God can be ruled out. Since there
is only one Krishna or only one Jesus, you cannot say that every living
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logic says that sound is the characteristic property of space. But sound
cannot travel in vacuum. It requires particles to vibrate mechanically for
the propagation. Thus mere theoretical logic called as dry logic also
goes wrong in several places. Science is never wrong as far as the
analysis of the creation is considered. In the case of God it is incapable
to touch God. Incapability is not wrong. Science accepts its incapability
by not speaking about God like Buddha. Infact this is the correct way of
explanation about the unimaginable God. Shankara says that silence is
the best explanation for the unimaginable God called as Parabrahman
(Maunavyakhya Prakatita Parabrahma Tattvam). Atleast science does
not pose to give wrong conclusions in the case where it fails because it
understands its limits. The Advaita philosopher is just opposite to
science. He is also incapable of understanding the unimaginable God
like science. But he does not accept his incapability and poses that he
has understood God and presents every living being as God. Silence is
far better than the misled and misleading Advaita Philosopher. Buddha
is far better than the present Advaita philosopher. Buddha kept silent
about God and such silence is the correct interpretation in the case of
unimaginable God. The Veda says that every word fails in the case of
God which means that one has to keep silent about the explanation of
God. In the Veda it is mentioned that a son of a sage came to his home
after studying the spiritual knowledge. When his father asked about
God, the son kept silent and the sage certified that his son has completed
the spiritual knowledge.
Approaching God Through Medium
God is unimaginable only to those people who like to approach
God directly. But the devotees experience God through a specified
human form. The devotees may not know the real nature of God but
they have experienced God. The Advaita scholar opposes this concept
and tries to experience God within himself or within every human being.
He does not experience God because he poses that he knows the real
nature of God as awareness. The devotees accept the unimaginable
nature but experience God. A blind man enjoys the taste of a sweet kept
on his tongue even though he does not see it or realize its appearance.
This is the case of a devotee who believes the human form of God. A
person is not blind but he is eating some mud claiming it as the sweet.
He has seen the mud and can explain the nature of it. But what is the
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and you have entered the wrong path. A photo or statue of Rama can
represent the actual Rama but cannot be Rama directly. The photo or
statue is good because it inspires you and develops your devotion. But
remember, that your inspiration or developed devotion is only
theoretical and there is no trace of practical devotion in it. It is only the
beginning stage of devotion. A better stage will be to practically
worship any human being representing Rama. The photo has developed
your theoretical devotion but if you worship the photo practically, it is
foolishness. If you apply scent to the photo, it is waste, because the
photo can not enjoy the applied scent. Instead of that, you select a
devotee of Rama as the representative of Rama and apply scent to him.
Even though he is not Rama, he is enjoying the scent. Thus your
practical devotion is atleast fruitful and meaningful. Instead of rubbing
the sweet on the mouth of the statue of Rama, give the sweet to a
devotee of Rama and be satisfied that Rama has enjoyed the sweet
through that devotee. Infact, God lives in the heart of the devotee and
really receives your practical worship. Even if the human being is not a
real devotee, atleast the human being can be assumed as a representative
of Rama. Thus service to human beings can be assumed as service to
God. The humanity can be assumed as a representative item for God.
But serving the devotees is far better than the social service. Atleast
while serving the humanity, you should do the service in the name of
God so that the society of human beings can be treated as a
representative of God. Try to develop the devotion in the human beings
while serving them. However, such a service cannot touch God directly
or indirectly. It only develops the devotion in you. Therefore, Shankara
condemned the school of social service without relating it to God (Loka
Sevaka Mata Khandanam). Shankara did not oppose the social service
in the name of God. This school considers the society as God directly
and pleads that service to society is the direct service to God. This point
was refuted by Shankara. Therefore mere social service done by atheists
is of no use. Such social service gives only heaven from which one has
to return to Earth after enjoying the fruit of the service for a short time
(Kshine punye—Gita). Thus serving any human being in the name of
God or keeping him as a representative of God is better than serving the
humanity without any mention of God. The direct worship to God is
possible only if you can catch the present human incarnation. The God
who lived in the body of Rama is present in the human body of the
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present human incarnation. Only blessed and liberated souls can get
such rare divine fortune. The human incarnation is the best and real
address of God. The next best address is a devotee. When you eat the
sweet, you are directly happy. When you hear that your son was given
that sweet, then also you will feel happy because you have eaten the
sweet indirectly through your son. In these two cases only, God is fully
pleased. Since it is very rare to recognize and approach the human
incarnation, the best convenient way for all is to worship the devotee.
Devotees are available in plenty. Among the devotees, select the best
one by doing analysis. Leaving the atheist, who prepares the sweet and
eats himself saying that there is no God, all the other devotees are good,
but their levels are different. If you are a beginner, you are not
criticized. An LKG student should not be condemned. Only a boy who
does not come to the school at all (atheist) is condemned. But you will
be also criticized if you sit in LKG class throughout your life. You
should not be beginner only till your death. You know life is very rare.
Christianity and Islam say that there is no re-human birth. Even
Hinduism says that human birth is very rare, which means almost
impossible. In such a case, should you sit in the LKG class only
throughout your life? You can worship the statues and improve your
inspiration, which is the theoretical devotion only. The devotion should
become practical. There is no fruit for the theoretical devotion. It
becomes fruitful only when it is expressed as practical devotion, which
is service or worship. You have to leave the statue when you start the
practical devotion. If a devotee is not available, serve any human being
and try to convert him as a devotee so that your worship can be
continued with that person. If a human being, who has become a
devotee already, is available, your effort becomes easy. When you are
worshipping the devotees, in course of time, God in human form will
approach you. You are almost an atheist if you try to use God for
solving your personal problems. All your love is only on the solution of
your problem and not on the instrumental God. When your son gets
fever, you are taking him to doctor. You show all the respect to the
doctor. Your respect is not real because the reason for that is only your
love to your son. You serve your son without aspiring anything in
return. Such love to God is the goal which you have to achieve. Arjuna
used Lord Krishna as his driver in the war meant for solving his
personal problem. This state is the ground state on which almost all the
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human beings stand. Arjuna sitting on the ground at the feet of the Lord
represents this state. Hanuman is on the flag which is on the top of the
chariot, representing the goal. Hanuman served the Lord for the personal
problem of Lord, which is not even related to the upliftment of
humanity. Rama told Ravana on the first day of the war that if Ravana
returns back Sita, He will go back. This means Rama is interested in
getting back Sita only and not to kill Ravana for protecting the World.
Service to society is not greater than the personal service to God
because God is far above the society. Hanuman did not aspire for
anything in return. When a garland of pearls was given to him, he
rejected it. The whole Gita aims in the transformation of yourself who is
present on the ground like Arjuna to the state of Hanuman who is flying
on the flag. Your present state is represented by Mahabharata. Your goal
is represented by Ramayana. Bhagavatam is an unimaginable state of
devotion, which cannot be achieved by effort. Radha and Gopikas
became mad about Krishna. Madness cannot be achieved by any effort.
Especially madness of God is impossible. Only one in millions and that
too in some birth out of millions of births, becomes mad about God.
Madness is the ninth state and the final tenth state is only death
(Unmado maranam tatah).
God is Beautiful & Anything Unrelated to Him is Ugly
Only God is beautiful and anything related to God is beautiful.
Thus among the human beings, the most beautiful is His devotee.
Devotion is the beauty since it is related to God. Valmiki said that
Hanuman is most beautiful. He named the part of Ramayana relating to
Hanuman as Sundarakanda. Hanuman is a monkey. Normally a monkey
stands for the climax of ugliness. We mock a person with ugly face
calling him as a monkey. Therefore, the beauty is not related to the
external gross body. The beauty is also not related to the internal subtle
body which is made of qualities. The king Bali was famous for his
generosity, which is a good quality. He never broke his word given and
this is also a very good quality. But Bali was pushed down to the
lowermost world by the Lord. Therefore the good qualities like truth;
generosity etc. also have no value when they are not associated with
devotion. Anything which is not related to God is ugly. Anything which
is related to God is only beautiful. Thus mere social service which
exposes the good qualities is of no use without God. It is said in the Gita
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that even a person with bad qualities is great and good if he is a devotee
(Apichetsa duracharah…). The hunter of animals, supposed to be the
highest sinner, was blessed by Lord Shiva for his devotion and he
reached the eternal abode of Lord Shiva. Dharmaraja was the
embodiment of all good qualities. The Lord asked him to tell a lie in the
war. But he refused to tell the lie. He gave importance to the good
qualities than the Lord. At the end Dharmaraja went to heaven only. He
enjoyed the fruits of his good deeds for sometime. He did not go to the
abode of God. Mahabharata says that he went up to heaven only
(Swargarohana Parva). The angel Cupid (Manmatha) was having very
handsome external gross body but he went against God and all his gross
body was turned to formless ash. Hanuman, having ugly face is praised
as the most beautiful person in the creation by the sage Valmiki because
He dedicated all His life to the service of God. His God was a human
being who did not exhibit any miracle. The required service for Rama
was purely personal family work. Hanuman is having several
supernatural powers. In these circumstances, even recognizing Rama as
God is impossible. But Hanuman recognized with infinite faith and
served practically. Therefore, Hanuman is the most beautiful person.
Lord Shiva is a very powerful energetic form with the third eye. Still the
Cupid could not recognize Lord Shiva and tried to disturb Him with
egoism. The result is that the cupid is not having even a basic form. This
concept of beauty should be understood by the present youth.
A boy loves a girl or vice-versa based on the form of the external
gross body. That love disappears when the girl or boy becomes old or
deformed by some disease or accident in the life. Some youngsters are
giving importance to the good qualities under the name of internal
beauty. The qualities are certainly more valuable than the form of gross
body because the quality is more subtle than the form of gross body.
The gross body is made of matter whereas quality is made of awareness.
Awareness is more subtle than matter. But the good qualities are not
having any relation to God. Ofcourse the good qualities should be
appreciated than the bad qualities in the context of keeping the balance
of society. But by good qualities and good deeds, one can only get the
temporary heaven and not the permanent place of God. The gross body
and qualities are in the same phase of creation without any reference to
God. Suppose in a dream you are presented with a gross object and
somebody is presented with a subtle and more valuable object. Since
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both are unreal, there is no greatness in the subtle body. Similarly, when
the forms of matter and qualities are not having any reference to God,
there is no basic reality in them. Only God is the ultimate basic reality.
That which is not based on God is unreal and it is meaningless to make
any difference between two unreal items. If these are based on God,
they become real. The quality of devotion can be more valid than the
external appearance of a devotee. Here, both the quality and form are
real since they are related to God. Therefore, the most beautiful and
valuable item is the quality of devotion. You must search for a devotee
in selecting your life partner because the sole aim of the human life is
only to please the God. The life partner is expected to co-operate with
you in your spiritual effort. The selection of life partner should be based
on the devotion, which can alone help you in achieving the grace of the
Lord in this human life which is the main goal.
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Chapter - 12
REVEALING TWIST OF SHANKARA
Background
O Learned And Devoted Servants of God,
[August 24, 2006] In a spiritual discussion, the two persons
discussing, should have co-operation with each other because both of
them are jointly searching for the truth. Thus the person questioning and
the person answering are building up the search and their common aim
should only be to find the truth. Whoever finds the truth should not feel
like a winner and the other person should not feel like a runner-up
(loser). Both are equal and responsible for finding the truth. Both the
runner-up and winner are rewarded with prizes equally. Unless Arjuna
had asked questions at every step, Krishna could not have delivered the
Gita. The final discovery of the truth should be the common goal for
both because both are benefited by the truth. Unless this common goal is
realized by both, the final realization of truth cannot result. The debate
between Shankara and Mandana Mishra was of this nature. If both
persons take it in terms of success and defeat, the debate will never end
and the truth is never exposed.
Both Shankara and Mandana Mishra were strong scholars of the
scriptures. When both were scholars of the scriptures, why was
Shankara on the right path while Mandana Mishra was on the wrong
path? Both had tremendous knowledge of the scriptures. Both had full
knowledge. Both were convinced without any doubt about their own
fields. Since knowledge is proportional to practice [extent of practice is
an indicator of the extent of knowledge of a person] and since both had
full knowledge, both had perfect practice in their own lines. Now when
both had full knowledge and perfect practice, why was there a
difference between them and what was the necessity of such a long
debate between them? Neither of them had any trace of ignorance in
their lives regarding the scriptures.
The difference was due to the right knowledge and the consequent
right practice, which was the case of Shankara and which was totally
opposite and different from the wrong knowledge and wrong practice of
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Mandana Mishra. The difference between them was not in the quantity
of scriptural knowledge but the difference was of quality. Shankara had
one ton of diamonds whereas Mandana Mishra had one ton of gravel
stones. The reason for the difference in the quality is that Shankara got
the right interpretation of the scriptures whereas Mandana Mishra got
the twisted wrong interpretations of the scriptures. Therefore you should
not be impressed merely by the quantity of scriptural knowledge.
Ravana had the full knowledge of all the scriptures but all His scriptural
knowledge was only misinterpreted and twisted knowledge. Therefore
the point here is, knowing the basic concept, which is not known by
Mandana Mishra. The point is to know the real interpretation of that
which is known. If one concentrates on this point, the difference is
appreciated and the right interpretation is selected by logic, based on the
experience in the world. The difference is not in the quoted scriptures
[since both parties quote the same scriptures] but the difference is in the
correct interpretation of the quoted scriptures. In arriving at the correct
interpretation, you must accept the logic and infact it is better to accept
science, which is experimentally proved logic in rejecting the non-God
items. If the item proposed as God is subjected to such experimentally
proved logic [modern science] instead of dry theoretical logic [ancient
logic], whether the item is God or not God can be clearly understood. If
the logic succeeds in proving it as a non-God item, certainly that item is
not God. If the logic fails, it can be taken as God. For such a method of
approach, the authority is the scripture, which says that God is above
logic (Atarkyah, Naisha Tarkena—Veda).
I am not refuting the Advaita philosophy of Shankara with
reference to atmosphere surrounding Him in His time. Without referring
to this atmosphere, people have misunderstood Shankara. Thus the
present Advaita philosophy is a twisted or misconceived concept of
Shankara’s teaching, as a result of forgetting the atmosphere in His
time. Neither was Shankara wrong nor are the present Advaita
philosophers, who enter into debate with Me. Shankara was not wrong
because of the atmosphere in His time. The present Advaita philosopher
is also not wrong because he sincerely conceived the misconceived
Advaita philosophy which was passed onto him by the middle brokers
[some scholars between the time of Shankara and the present time].
Both God [Shankara] and the devotee [present Advaitin] are good but
only the priest in between them is mischievous. Therefore the present
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be shown to him in every step. The Gita says that ignorance is inevitable
in the beginning. The tradition is built up with this psychology. It is said
that if you simply utter the name of the River Ganga, then by that
utterance itself all your sins are destroyed and you will reach the Shiva
Loka [Abode of Lord Shiva]. Actually, there are several steps after this.
You have to go to Varanasi, take a bath in the Ganga, worship Lord
Vishwanath, become a devotee, and get divine knowledge about the
Lord from the Sadguru etc. The above-said fruit can be achieved only in
the final step. However, the fruit is shown in the first step itself to attract
the person exploiting the person’s attitude of getting the highest fruit
with no effort. It also serves as an encouragement for the person to
climb the first step from the ground.
Shortening the Journey-Time
What I am trying to do is to change the curved path of the river
into a straight path so that the time of the journey is reduced. Therefore I
am revealing the twist. The first part is attaining the self, which is the
pure awareness present in the human body (Atma Yoga) by realizing the
super imposition (Adhyasa) of self on the body and by knowing the real
nature of the self, which is pure awareness. By this, one is detached
from the body and the worldly bonds. He becomes very strong in mind
due to detachment from attractions which cause worries and tensions.
Now he is eligible for the Paramatma Yoga, in which the Lord in human
form is recognized and the devotee serves Him in His mission. In doing
service, a strong mind with full determination and complete detachment
from worldly bonds is required. Such a state can be obtained by Atma
Yoga. In doing service to God, one should not aspire for any fruit
because the service to God itself is the fruit. God does not require the
service of anybody. The service is only for their upliftment. Therefore
serving God is serving themselves. For such real devotion, which is
proved by service, God is ready to give anything. Such a devotee can
become God or even become the master of God. Hanuman got Atma
Yoga from the Sun-god, who was his Guru. Then He recognized the
Lord Rama [the human incarnation of God of his time] and joined His
service without aspiring for any fruit. He became God because He was
made the future Creator of this universe. The Veda says that He, who
creates, also maintains and destroys this universe. Therefore, becoming
the Creator, also means becoming the Maintainer and the Destroyer. It
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categories. Out of all these greatest items, the cosmic energy is the most
meaningful sense of this word, because it satisfies all the aspects of
Brahman mentioned in the Veda. All the items of the world are
generated, maintained and dissolved by this cosmic energy (Yatova—
Veda). This entire world is essentially cosmic energy (Sarvam Khalu—
Veda). Even the soul (pure awareness) is only this cosmic energy
because in the absence of the supply of food, which generates energy,
the awareness in the living being disappears, which is called as death.
This means the energy is transformed into awareness (Annat
Purushah—Veda).
Now the four Mahavakyas can be clearly understood even if you
mean that the words Myself, Yourself, He or She and Prajnanam (if you
take Prajnanam only in the sense of mere awareness) are this cosmic
energy or Brahman. In this context itself, you can clearly understand
that the transformation of awareness into energy or matter is impossible.
If that were possible, the awareness would be able to transform itself
into heat energy and a starving person would not die by losing body-
heat. The awareness can only transform into a feeling or quality. In that
case, how can you think that awareness is the Brahman, which is the
source of creation? All Vedic statements oppose this way of thinking.
You can say that awareness is the soul because the soul is made of
awareness. It is not a special point because it is just like saying that a
ring is made of gold. You can say that only awareness can wish to create
the world [the desire or wish to create the world can exist only in an
aware or conscious entity]. Except this one point, all other aspects
oppose calling awareness as Brahman. Ofcourse this very point stands
as a disadvantage for the cosmic energy because it is inert. Therefore,
for this single reason, we reject the cosmic energy to be called as the
absolute Brahman. Moreover, the cosmic energy requires the
dimensions of space for its definition because electromagnetic radiations
(energy) propagate in space. Therefore the cosmic energy or space
cannot be Brahman, which is beyond space. As you see, awareness also
cannot be Brahman for many reasons. The final outcome of all this is
that neither cosmic energy nor awareness could become Brahman
because both these are defined by spatial dimensions existing in this
relatively real world. If you say that you are the unknowable or
unimaginable Brahman, it means that you do not know yourself! Only a
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person who is highly intoxicated with heavy drink does not know
himself.
Where is Ishwara?
You say that Ishwara is in relative reality. This means that the
Ishwara is definable by spatial dimensions. However, we see no such
relative item that can satisfy the expected nature of Ishwara. The cosmic
energy cannot wish to create. The awareness cannot create. If you can
associate the divine will with cosmic energy, then a possibility is
opened. However, here also the unimaginable potentiality to do this
wonderful design [of creation] is expected. A simple combination of
mere awareness and energy cannot do this work. The human being is
such a combination (assuming that the matter of the gross body is
energy as per science) and it cannot do this work. [Thus a human being
is not Ishwara] Even an angel, which is the direct combination of energy
(here energy means energetic form of body) and awareness cannot do
this work. [So. even an angel is not Ishwara]. Therefore the
unimaginable God must be embedded in this combination [of awareness
and energy] to do this unimaginable work. Now what is Ishwara in this
combination? Is it the external energy, which is the medium required for
you to imagine Ishwara? If so, even the isolated energy should be
Ishwara. But it is not so. Is the will (awareness) Ishwara? If so, the soul
should be able to do the work of designing creation. But it is impossible
for the soul. Then, is the unimaginable God, Ishwara? If so, Ishwara
would also be unimaginable like God and would not be present in the
relative reality. Therefore Ishwara must be God possessing such
unimaginable potentiality embedded in the medium of energy and
awareness.
Now there is no occasion when God does not have this
potentiality, whether the universe is created or not. Even if you call this
potentiality as an associated characteristic (tatastha lakshnam), it should
be treated as the inherent characteristic (swarupa lakshnam) for two
reasons: The first reason is that this potentiality cannot be separated
from Brahman. The second reason is that this potentiality does not exist
in any other item. If the bell-belt in the neck of the cow is not separated
from the cow at any time and if the bell-belt is not present in the neck of
any other cow, then the bell-belt can be treated as the permanent identity
mark of that cow. The first Brahma Sutra says that Brahman is the
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because both are relative items. However, Brahman being the absolute
item, even an attempt to isolate Brahman from Ishwara becomes
meaningless. You can isolate two imaginable items but you cannot
isolate the unimaginable item from the imaginable item.
Brahman is the unmodified cosmic energy [primordial energy]
charged by the absolute Brahman or Parabrahman or God. Before
charging this cosmic energy, a very little part of this cosmic energy is
modified into the cosmos. Thus Brahman does not charge the universe.
The cosmos is maintained by His will. Therefore the changes in the
universe do not touch Brahman. Brahman is the spectator (subject) and
the cosmos is the scene (object). Since Brahman neither is in the cosmos
nor is It the direct basis of the cosmos, the status of Brahman as a
separate [detached] spectator is not disturbed (Sakshi Cheta Kevalo
Nirgunashcha—Veda). The world is made of qualities and Brahman, the
Spectator, is beyond qualities (The word Nirguna in the Veda denotes
this). The will [present in living beings] in the cosmos is just a property
of awareness, which is controlled by the presence of a nervous system
and brain. Therefore the souls in the cosmos are objective and not
subjective. Also the knowledge of the soul due to this limitation
becomes only limited. The knowledge or awareness is a work form of
energy and its source is God. God is the source of all items of the world
and there is no specialty of the will or knowledge having absolute
Brahman as the source. The will does not identify God as awareness. If
you do that, all the other properties, which are in the world being
generated from God only will make God as their corresponding items.
In the Brahma Sutra it is told that the Veda says that God eats the entire
world in the end. The fire is called as Sarvabhakshakah, which means
that He eats everything. Then God should be fire (Atta Charachara
Grahanat—Brahma Sutra).
Suppose a man by name Pandey is an officer. Another man by
name Mishra is a peon in his office. Both Pandey and Mishra are men.
Therefore, you my say that Pandey and Mishra are one and the same
man (the word man here is taken in the sense of ‘race’ or ‘Jati’
according to the ancient Indian logic). Now you say that Mishra is
Pandey. Slowly you will say that Mishra is the officer and Pandey is the
peon. This entire logical sequence becomes meaningless. First of all, the
entity called as ‘race’ does not exist practically apart from the
individuals. There are only two items here who are Pandey and Mishra.
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There is no third item called as ‘man’. This itself opposes your effort in
the fist step itself. Similarly Brahman is Ishwara, who is the controller
of the universe. Atman or Jeeva is the controlled item in the creation.
Apart from Atman (or Jeeva) and Ishwara, where is the Brahman just as
there is no ‘man’ as the third item apart from Pandey and Mishra? The
non-existing ‘man’ is as good as the non-imaginable Brahman even
though Brahman exists. For all practical purposes, God cannot be
touched directly. You cannot even use a word to indicate God with the
positive sense of a word, because the nature of God is completely
unimaginable. Suppose Pandey left the office, came home and is
spending time with his family. Similarly, Mishra also left the office and
is spending time with his family. Now you take the similarity in both
and say that both are one and the same and indicate both by one word
‘man’. Similarly, you have brought Ishwara into this absolute reality and
also the soul into this absolute reality and call both of them by the single
word ‘Brahman’. The essence of all your philosophy is just this. If you
carefully analyze, this logic becomes meaningless. Even if Pandey
returned to his home, if some issue of emergency is referred to him, he
will act as an officer and will respond to it from his house itself. Pandey
retains the potentiality of the officer in him even without being in the
office. However, Mishra cannot do the same. Then how can you claim
that Mishra is Pandey? You cannot separate Pandey from the officer
because when Pandey is in the house, no other person is acting as the
officer in his office. Pandey as an officer in the office can also answer
some issue conveyed by his wife from home. Therefore Pandey and the
officer are inseparable. Similarly Mishra and the peon are inseparable
(in this simile only the time of their tenure in their post should be
considered since Brahman never retires from the post of Ishwara).
Therefore assuming that both the states of absolute reality and the
relative reality are imaginable and attainable states by the soul, still the
oneness of Pandey and Mishra could not be achieved. How can you
imagine the unity when the absolute reality is beyond space and
unimaginable?
Remarks on Concepts of Advaita
Before giving detailed answers to specific questions, the following
remarks on your concepts are projected so that you will come down to a
neutral stage to grasp our theory after realizing the defects in your own
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arguments. Our theory cannot enter if you are biased with your own
theory without doubting your own points. When you understand the
remarks on your points, you will come to a middle neutral state, which
is congenial to receiving the truth without any prejudice.
1) You say that the serpent visualized in the rope is Pratibhasika
[illusion or imagination]. The rope is Vyavaharika [relative reality or
the world we see around us]. The Brahman is Paramarthika [absolute
reality]. The rope is real and the serpent is unreal. Similarly, you can
realize that the rope is unreal if it is resolved into threads. The thread
can be unreal if it is resolved as cotton material. If the cotton material
is resolved you can find atoms. The atom can be resolved into
subatomic particles. These particles can be resolved into energy but
you cannot resolve the energy. Space is the finest form of energy.
You cannot resolve space because you cannot go beyond the space.
Therefore how can you get God as Paramarthika in such chain of
relative items? You have to stop with space or energy. You cannot
achieve God by such analysis of the chain of relative items. The final
item, energy, can be your Paramarthika. How can you give examples,
which consist of two items that are defined by space and time as a
simile to God and the world when one of the two items that is God is
beyond space? The link between two relative items (Adhyasa or
superimposition) cannot be the link between the absolute and relative
items. You cannot say that the blue colour is superimposed on the
unperceivable space (refer to the beginning of the commentary on
Brahma Sutras by Shankara). Here space is the final relative item in
the world and how can it be the absolute item? Moreover space is
perceivable because when nothing exists, we say that vacuum (space)
exists in a room. However, why has Shankara taken this concept as
His theory? The answer for this is that at the time of Shankara, the
development of logic was limited only to a particular level, in which
it is thought that space is vacuum or nothing (Gaganam Shunyam).
Based on that level, Shankara had built up this twist for the sake of
the atheist to convert him into a theist. Today logic (science) is very
much developed and is more accurate due to experimental
verification. Today it is proved that space bends as per the special
theory of relativity and thus space is not ‘nothing’ but a form of
energy. Now based on this concept, the twist is revealed because
today the atmosphere consists of several theists and there is no need
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of any twist. The same God, who is revealing this knowledge through
this human body, revealed knowledge to Shankara at that time. God
does not get educated more and more in course of time because He
knows the total knowledge of the future also at any time. His
knowledge is beyond time. However, the knowledge of the souls has
the dimension of time and therefore it is becoming sharper and
sharper. The sharpness of this knowledge is not due to any change in
God but due to the change in the souls. The same God is revealing
deeper and deeper knowledge according to the greater and greater
sharpness of the knowledge of the receiver.
2) Energy is absolute (Paramarthika), matter (rope) is relative
(Vyavaharika) and the serpent (unreal) is illusionary (Pratibhasika).
In the chain of such relatively true items, you can only have two
concluded items, which are absolute and relative. Thus the rope is
absolute and the serpent is relative. The energy is absolute and the
rope (matter) is relative. Therefore there is no need of the third item
as illusionary in this chain. The first item of this chain can be
absolute, which is God and the last item (unreal serpent) can be
called as illusionary. However, during the illusion, the unreal serpent
is experienced as real and hence it can come under the relative
category. The first item in this chain (God) is not obtained by the
logical analysis of this chain and therefore it cannot be an item,
which is defined by the dimensions of space. The existence of the
first item is known from scripture, from inference and finally from
the experience given by the human incarnation. Since only the
existence is experienced, God remains unimaginable (Astityeva—
Veda). Therefore there is no contradiction in realizing the existence
of God as the first absolute item. However, the objection is only
about the knowledge of the nature of God because the Veda and the
Gita say that God cannot be touched even by logic, which is the
cream of knowledge.
3) How can you fix the word Brahman in God only based on Brahma
Sutras, when the Veda and the Gita, which have come from the
mouth of God have used this word to mean various greatest items in
relative fields? The Brahma Sutras were written by sage Vyasa and
cannot be superior to the Veda and the Gita because Vyasa Himself
praised Krishna as God in His own writings. The Veda has called
food, life, mind, intelligence, bliss, knowledge, space etc. as
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Brahman. The Gita used the word to mean the Veda, which is the
greatest scripture. Even the Brahma Sutras talk about the enquiry of
Brahman, which does not mean the knowledge of Brahman
(Brahmajijnasa). Vyasa is in line with Vedas because the Veda also
says that scholars try to know (enquire) Brahman (Brahmana
Vividishanti). The word Vividisha means only enquiry and does not
mean the knowledge of Brahman. Every word should be used after
realizing the meaning. A word gives the meaning only of a known
object and not of an unknowable object. Therefore, you cannot use
any word for God. The word Parabrahman means ‘that which is
beyond Brahman’. It does not convey the meaning in anyway. It only
gives the existence of something, which is not Brahman. Therefore
Brahman is an unknown item. In Brahma Sutras also, the word
Parabrahman is indicated by the word Param (Paramabhidhanat).
The devotee reaches Brahman (cosmic energy) and the Brahman ends
in God. The cosmic energy by itself cannot do anything since it is
inert. It can do anything only by the will of God. If you identify God
as awareness due to will [His will to create], you have to identify
God as every item in this world because every item, every property of
the item and every action are only from the God, who is the chief
source. Thus you can take the meaning of the fifth Brahma Sutra like
this: Due to the will of God, the inert energy (Brahman) cannot be
taken as God, because in the Veda, will is attributed to God. However
if you are very particular of using the word Brahman alone as God,
then you have to take the inert energy (which is upadhi) charged by
God, as Brahman. In that case due to the presence of God, the energy
could create the universe. In such case, since God is identified with
the inert energy, you can take the will of God as the will of the
medium (Upadhi) too. However, a problem here is that Brahman is
used to mean various items and the confusion comes with that word.
Parabrahman is the best word, which cannot be treated as word
[positive defining word] since it does not mean any item directly.
Shankara and Krishna have mentioned this word very clearly and
even the Brahma Sutras have used this word in short form i.e. Param.
4) The rope is a form of matter and the illusionary serpent
(imagination) is a form of awareness. Therefore both the forms are
based on the two relative items called as matter and awareness
respectively. If the basis is lost in both cases, the form cannot
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According to your theory, the city should disappear there. When you
speak about the soul in the world, you should follow scientific logic.
Ofcourse in the case of the unimaginable God, due to His
omnipotence, there is no objection to Drishti-srishti vada. But if you
apply the same theory to human beings, even children will laugh at
such poetical statements.
9) Realization is the stage of determination in the knowledge.
Liberation is its practical consequence. Realization should be based
on the right knowledge so that the liberation is really attained as the
immediate consequence of the right knowledge. Suppose you are
bound by a rope. Suppose you find a knife very near to you, which
can be taken by you in the mouth and the rope can be cut. Such right
knowledge gives you liberation. The determination to use the knife
leads to implementation and the fruit is liberation. Suppose the knife
has no sharpness. In such a case the determination and
implementation cannot give the result. Suppose the knife is just made
of a piece of wood, then also no liberation is possible. Thus if the
right knowledge is not intensive or if the knowledge is twisted and
wrong, no liberation is possible. Therefore the most important thing
for liberation is not only realization but it should be the right
intensive knowledge given by the Sadguru.
Knowledge and God
Spiritual knowledge or philosophy (Vedanta) is generally based on
logic (Tarka). God is certainly above logic and thus logic cannot touch
Him (Naisha Tarkena—Veda). Nobody can show God by pointing with
a finger. The Veda clearly states that God is beyond words, mind,
intelligence and logic and the best way of explaining about God is
silence. If that is so, there is no necessity of spiritual knowledge,
because God cannot be known or imagined. Then what is the use of all
these scriptures? Why are there so many discussions and debates? Lord
Yama says in the Veda that angels and sages are still discussing about
God and have concluded that God is unknowable. Here unknowable
means unimaginable even by logic. They have not conducted such long
discussions to know simply that God is unknowable because God cannot
be the object of knowledge as my friend says! If God is said to be
unimaginable, what is the subject of the discussions? The answer is that
the logic used in the long discussions is not about God but about all the
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light falling on the object forms an inverted image of the object in the
eye [retina]. This image is communicated to the brain by another
inversion. This has full experimental proof. Therefore, the modification
of the mind (Phala Vyapti) of the old logic is discarded. If the mind
takes the form of the object traveling out through the senses, a pot in
darkness must also be known and light would not be necessary.
You say that awareness being the knower (Jnata) can never
become the object (Jneya) and therefore the awareness of the self never
becomes the object of knowledge. You say that the Jnata never becomes
Jneya and therefore, the Jnata being completely different from Jneya,
can be called as Ajneya. This is the meaning you have brought for the
word unimaginable item (Ajneya)! This is the result of dry logic, which
is a gymnastic feat of words, which has neither experimental
verification nor practical experience.
Here, the word Ajneya means that item, which can never be
known by any Jnata. However, you have twisted the meaning and called
the Jnata as Ajneya in the sense that Jnata is always different from the
Jneya. Let us take an example and see what the result of dry logic is. Let
us take a statement “Physics is unknown (Ajneya) to Me”. I am Jnata
(subject) and physics is the object to be known (Jneya). The subject (I)
is not the object (Jneya) and therefore, the subject is also non-object
entity (Ajneya). Therefore, both physics and Myself are unknown
(Ajneya). Therefore, I can conclude that am the unknown physics.
Since, I know myself; I should know the unknown physics. Now this
dry logic gives the result that I know the physics without studying it,
which is not at all true. Here, the word Ajneya in the case of Brahman
(physics) is in the sense of unknown but not in the sense of the non-
object entity—subject. You have combined both these senses in one
word ‘Ajneya’ and created a wonderful confusion! The clarification is
very long, which takes lot of time and energy to explain and you must
have patience to go through the clarification. Confusion requires very
little energy and little time.
Knowledge, which is a process of work, requires both the subject
(Jnata) and the object (Jneya). If the object disappears, the work
disappears and the subject also disappears. Awareness is the subject.
External items are the objects. When you close your eyes, the external
objects are disconnected from the awareness. In this case, the
imaginations in the brain become objects and thus the process of
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analyze your experience, there is a very subtle point here. In this state,
even though all imaginations are cut off, still a very subtle imagination
of the very awareness itself exists in the brain. This imagination is the
reflection (Pratibimba) of the subject and not actually the subject
(Bimba). Meditation will lead you to the state of deep sleep after
sometime, when this last imagination of itself in the brain also is cut off.
In the state of meditation, knowledge or awareness is very weak and
remains based on a single imagination of the subject, which is the only
remaining object in the brain. It resembles the fire that remains due to
some last pieces of burning coal [embers]. When this coal also
disappears by becoming ash, the fire or the process of burning is
completely extinguished. This represents the state of deep sleep.
Awareness means knowledge and knowledge certainly requires an
object, which is to be known.
A scientist said that the life is a secret like the sound produced
from the drum and drumsticks. The sound is the work-form of the
kinetic energy that is applied to the drum through the drumstick, and is
propagated as mechanical vibrations between the colliding air molecules
(again the ancient logic is wrong, since it says that sound is the
characteristic of space or vacuum. However, only space having air or a
medium can propagate sound). Thus sound is the specified work, which
is generated by the combined effort of the drum, drumstick, applied
kinetic energy, generated mechanical vibrations and molecules of air.
None of these is sound. Sound is essentially the applied kinetic energy
but the kinetic energy itself is not sound. Sound is a specified form of
the kinetic energy and the specification is the combined effort of all
these items. The same kinetic energy applied to a wheel produces
circular motion of the wheel. These cases, (the circular motion and
sound) are essentially the kinetic energy. However, the specifications
(sound and circular motion) differ due to the difference in the other
specified items. Thus awareness or knowledge is a specified work form
of the inert energy that is produced by the oxidation of food in
association with other items like brain, nervous system and the object of
knowledge. The same inert energy entering the lungs produces
mechanical work. The same inert energy produces some shine (light) on
the face of a living body. Thus, any work is inexplicable form of the
energy, which cannot be isolated from the system. This awareness,
which is already a specified work-form of energy, is further subdivided
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long as the total system continues its function. Therefore, if you isolate
and give independent status to awareness, it disappears. Similar is the
case of any work. Awareness can be the best example for comparison
with God due to aspects of will and planning [of creation]. Awareness
can be the best simile for God as far as the will of creation is concerned.
God also exists and only His existence can be experienced (Astityeva—
Veda) like work. God is also not perceived by the senses like work. If
you observe the work-process of burning, the work is not perceived as
an isolated item. You observe the stick and after sometime you see ash.
You observe the fire in the form of light. The work-process of burning is
neither the light nor the stick nor the ash. The work is abstract and only
its existence can be experienced. Thus work stands as the best simile for
God. However, there is a lot of difference if you consider the
background of God and the background of work. God does not depend
on any other item for His existence. However, work depends on the total
system for its existence. Therefore, the simile is limited to comparing
God and awareness (or any work) only in the apparent level and not
with reference to the entire background. When you consider God as the
designer of this world, you have to compare Him with the specified
form of work called awareness or knowledge.
A simile is always limited only to a particular aspect. A person’s
face is compared to the moon only in the aspect of pleasantness. If you
take the other aspects like black spots on the moon, which do not exist
on the person’s face or if you take the nose, eyes etc. present on the
person’s face, which do not exist on the moon, the simile cannot be
used. Therefore neither is the moon the person’s face nor is the face the
moon. Similarly, if you consider the other aspects of God and
awareness, the simile disappears. The other aspects of God are the
creation of this entire universe, control and dissolution of it. The
awareness does not have such aspects and can neither create even a
small particle nor can it dissolve the particle. It cannot control even the
function of internal organs like kidneys, heart etc. present in its own
body. In the Veda, it is told that when God so wished, the fire could not
burn even a dry grass blade. However, if your awareness wishes and
even if it concentrates, the fire will continue to burn even a heap of
grass! Thus neither is awareness God nor is God awareness. God is like
awareness only in a particular aspect i.e., planning the design of
creation.
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You are applying logic, which is valid for the items of creation to
God. You should not apply logic in the case of God since it is limited
only to the items of this creation. The Veda repeatedly says that He is
beyond logic. God can burn anything and this does not mean that He is
fire (or burning) and therefore it also does not mean that fire is God.
God is compared to the work of burning (fire) in this aspect only. Fire is
a process of burning and fire is neither the stick nor the ash and nor the
light. Similarly, awareness is knowledge. The Veda says that God can
run without legs and can catch without hands (Apanipado…). According
to your logic, He should have legs since He is running. Similarly, you
conclude that He must be awareness since He designed the creation. He
can design the creation without being the awareness. He can burn the
world without being fire. He is not any item of the creation, which can
be identified by its specified work or specified potentiality.
The word creation or srishti indicates the process of creation,
which is work. It means neither the creator nor the created object. You
can easily find that any worker or work material is also a form of work
alone. The pot maker (worker), the mud (work material) and the pot
(product of work) are matter and therefore, these three are energy alone,
since matter is energy. The process of making the pot is directly work.
Since energy is dynamic, it is also work alone in its basic sense.
Therefore, the entire creation consisting of the worker (Karta), process
(Kriya), work material (Dravya) and product of work (Kriyaphalam) can
be concluded as energy, which is basically work alone. The awareness
present in the pot-maker is also inert energy in deep sleep and therefore
the awareness is also work. Infact, awareness is proved as special form
of work in the other states as well. For work, the worker is essential. If
somebody is walking the walking-person (worker) and walking (work)
exist. In this case, the work material and product of work are absent
unlike the case of the pot maker. Therefore, the work material and
product of work may or may not exist but the work always needs the
existence of the worker. Even in the case of the pot-maker every item is
proved as work alone.
Now when the entire creation is work alone, there is a need for the
worker who should exist separately, beyond the work because walking
requires the existence of the walker. Walking cannot be isolated from
the walker and does not exist separately. The pot can exist separately
from the pot maker. Therefore, the worker of this entire creation is the
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absolute truth and this entire creation is only relatively true as in the
case of walker and walking. The God who is the worker is invisible
because you are a part of the work and not part of the worker. In the
case of the above two examples (walking person and pot maker) you are
in the place of the worker. Therefore, you can go beyond the work in the
case of world [since the example is of items in the world]. However, in
the case of God since you are a part of the work, you cannot go beyond
work and touch the worker. You can infer the existence of the worker
from the work.
The Veda says that the entire creation is His power, which has
mainly three items. The first item is awareness (jnanam). The second
item is matter (balam). The third item is work or energy (Kriya) (Jnana
bala kriyacha—Veda). Since matter and awareness are energy, the
whole creation is energy or work alone. From this work, the worker is
inferred because the work always requires the existence of the worker in
any case (Janmadyasya—Brahma Sutra). From this inference you can
only experience the existence of God, but not God (Astityeva—Veda).
To experience God directly, you have to search the item of creation, in
which He is exactly residing. By seeing the building, you can infer the
existence of engineer but when you want to talk with Him directly, you
have to search the room, in which the engineer is present. Such room is
the human incarnation. The human body is the bolted room and you can
talk with the engineer from outside through the bolted doors. The
preaching of the knowledge and the purpose of the guidance is over by
this. Therefore, when you approach the human incarnation the direct
guidance can be received from the God hiding in the human body.
Suppose you want to touch the feet of God. The touch (sparsa) can
be done indirectly as you touch the wall of the temple from outside and
you can feel that you have touched the shrine [sanctum sanctorium]
present inside the temple. Certain devotees like to touch the shrine
(God) directly. When they deserve for such grace, God inside the human
body pervades all over the three bodies as electric current pervades all
over the wire. Such blessed devotees touch the feet of God directly
because God in the human body acts like the electric current in the wire
in such special cases. Some devotees want to have co-living with God
and God fulfils that also in the case of such deserving devotees.
However, God gives a break after sometime because any devotee will
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reference to the soul only the work (creation) exists. The first part is
philosophy and the second part is science. Therefore, it is not possible to
link these two parts and God should have said that only world exists and
nothing else, from the point of the soul. However, in the second part
God introduced Himself as Lord Krishna or the human incarnation from
which God can be inferred. Therefore, the second part means that the
work or creation is based on the inferred God, who is not directly
perceived. The link between science and philosophy can be only the
human incarnation. You can utter both the parts of the verse, if you are a
human incarnation. Otherwise you should say “Tvattah
parataram...tvayisarvamidam,” which means, “Except You, nothing
exists from Your point of view. From my point of view, this whole
creation, which exists separately, depends on the God inferred through
You, the human incarnation.”
When the teacher calls the student a fool, the student should not
repeat the same word [“You are a fool”] to the teacher, if the student is
not really foolish! Thus with reference to God, you find the whole
creation, including yourself, as work (vritti) alone. Only with reference
to you, do you have the difference between the worker, work, work-
material and work-product. The Paramartha dasha is with reference to
God and the vyavahara dasha is with reference to the soul. The soul
becomes inert energy in deep sleep, which can be treated as the highest
sub-division (Paramartha dasha within the vyavahara dasha). The soul in
the states of waking and dream exists as awareness and this can be
treated as the lower sub-division of vyavahara dasha. The upper sub-
division of vyavahara dasha cannot be taken as the viewpoint of God.
You have to reject every item of the creation which might be
considered as God, by finding the defects of that item through logical
analysis. If you take the all-pervading inert energy, the defect is that it
cannot wish anything. If you take the awareness, which can wish, as
God, the defect is that it is discontinuous and not all pervading.
Therefore, due to these defects, neither energy nor awareness can even
be complete similes to God. Where is the question of energy or
awareness actually being God?
Petitioner (Purvapakshi or Advaitin): I will take both the
merits and propose the all-pervading awareness as God, which
does not exist in this world since it is beyond the world. Now
the all-pervading awareness is fully qualified to be God.
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that by this it is proved that the soul has the power of creativity like
God. However, if you carefully analyze, this argument is wrong. Such
animal may not exist in the real world, but the legs, tails etc. which are
the parts of that animal exist separately in different items. Therefore the
soul has not created previously non-existent parts. It has only joined
already existing parts and the composite animal is only a sum of those
parts. However, in the case of God, before the creation, neither the
composite items nor individual parts existed. Therefore God alone has
the real and original creativity while the soul has no genuine creativity.
Therefore based on this, you cannot say that the soul is God.
Parabrahman—Beyond Brahman
The meaning of the word Brahman is ‘greatest’. Any greatest item
within the boundaries of a category can be called as Brahman. In the
Veda food (Annam), life (Prana), mind (Manas), Intelligence (Vijnana),
bliss (Ananda) etc. are called as Brahman within the limits of certain
specified categories. Awareness, due to the quality of knowledge is also
called as Brahman. In the Gita, the greatest scripture (Veda) is called as
Brahman. The greatness is estimated by not only the quantity but also
by the quality. Inert energy, which is all-pervading and which is the
material causing creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe is
called as Brahman in the quantitative sense. Awareness or the soul is
called as Brahman from the aspect of its precious quality i.e. knowledge.
Even the entire universe being wonderful in quality and infinite in
quantity can be called as Brahman (Sarvam Khalu Idam—Veda). The
soul is qualitatively Brahman but in deep sleep, it becomes inert energy
and thus becomes Brahman quantitatively. Since God is greater than the
universe, God is the greatest, because He is greater than the greatest
universe. Therefore God can also be called as Brahman. Thus, there is
lot of confusion in the usage of the word Brahman. Basically there is no
danger if we take any item in the creation as Brahman because all the
greatest items in the creation in their corresponding categories can
ultimately become the single entity called as inert energy, which is
called as Brahman. Since there is homogeneity of the inert energy in all
the items of the creation, there is no confusion in the basic sense.
However, in the case of God, it is totally different. God is not any item
in the creation and therefore cannot enter into the homogenous phase
with any item of the creation.
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Every item of the creation is rejected by the sages as not God (Neti
Neti). The Veda and the Gita say that God is beyond even imagination.
Infact no word can be used to indicate God because the meaning of any
word is understandable. We have no objection if you use the word
Parabrahman in the sense that it is best and greatest item. The word
‘Para’ means very good. However, such meaning brings the above
objection [of understandability] even though grammar allows it. Now
the context is not an exercise on grammar. The context is that we should
use some word for God in such a way that by hearing the word you
should not understand the meaning of it [you should not feel that you
have understood it]. The Veda says that even angels have understood
that God cannot be understood (Yasyaamatam Tasyamatam). The Veda
also says that if anyone says that he has understood God, he has not
understood anything about God. Atleast the former is better because he
has atleast understood the un-understandable aspect of Brahman. The
Lord says in the Gita that no one can understand Him (Maamtu Veda Na
Kaschana). The word Parabrahman exactly suits this requirement. You
can take the sense of this word in another way, which is also accepted
by grammar i.e. “Param Brahmanah yat”, which means that God is
beyond Brahman. Since you have used the word Brahman for all the
greatest items of creation and also for the entire universe, now this word
Parabrahman means the God who is different from any greatest item of
the creation and which is also different from the entire creation. The
requirement is fulfilled without opposing the rules of grammar.
Shankara said that Parabrahman can only be explained by silence
since no word can be used (Mauna Vyakhya…) to describe Him. The
Gita also says that Parabrahman is beyond Sat and Asat. Sat means the
final absolute inert energy (Mula Maya) and the Asat means all the other
relatively true items like matter, awareness etc. Within the limits of the
Vyavahara Dasha (the view of the soul), the inert energy is a Paramartha
Dasha [upper subdivision of vyavahara dasha]. The soul is awareness in
the dream and waking state. However, in deep sleep the soul becomes
the inert energy. Thus the deep sleep state indicates the higher sub-
division and the other two states denote the lower sub-division. The
higher sub-division is absolute truth within the limits of the relativity
from the view of the soul. This higher sub-division (deep sleep) should
not be misunderstood as the absolute truth of God. In the final
Paramartha Dasha, even this inert energy becomes only a relative truth
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because the inert energy is the work of God. The worker is always the
absolute truth and his work is only the relative truth. In this stage, God
alone remains as the single absolute truth (Ekameva—Veda,
Mattahparataram—Gita). However, this state should not come from
your mouth applying it to yourself. You can speak of this state only with
reference to God, because the inert energy (yourself in deep sleep) also
disappears at this level. How can you speak about yourself when you do
not exist?
In the Gita, the word ‘Sat’ used in this verse cannot mean ‘truth’
because in that case, the word ‘Asat’ used in the same verse would mean
that Parabrahman is not true. If you say that, then the statement
immediately contradicts itself because in the same verse it is also told
that Parabrahman is not non-existent. Therefore the words ‘Sat’ and
‘Asat’ should not be taken as existence and non-existence, which
contradict each other. The word ‘Sat’ should be taken as inert energy
and the word ‘Asat’ should mean the modifications of inert energy. If
you call God covered by inert energy as Brahman, then also the word
Parabrahman means the hidden God beyond the energy. Shankara said
that Parabrahman cannot be explained by words but the Brahma Sutras
discuss Brahman with words. This means that the Parabrahman
indicated by silence is different from the Brahman discussed by words.
The word Parabrahman cannot be a word [in the sense of a term or
defining word] because it indicates something, which is not understood
beyond Brahman. The word has not positive indication since God can be
only indicated by negation of other things. This verse of the Gita has its
direct root in the Veda (Na sadaasit Nosadaasit). God is also said to be
existent or ‘Sat’ by the Veda (Astityeva) but God is never said to be ‘not
Sat’ [nonexistent] as in the above Vedic statement. The above ‘Sat’
means ‘understandable and experianceable existence’. The existence of
God is un-understandable but experianceable. The above existence, with
respect to its modifications can become non-existence with respect to
God. However, God’s existence will never become non-existence with
reference to any item. Thus the word existence should be differentiated
when used in different angles.
We say that the pot exists and we also say that the mud exists but
you have to differentiate the existence of mud from the existence of
God. The mud exists during the existence of pot and also after the
destruction of the pot. However, the pot exists only during its existence
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and does not exist after the destruction of the pot. You must realize that
you are only pot and not the mud. There is no harm in stating both the
above statements if the corresponding references are exactly mentioned.
The whole confusion comes due to the higher sub-division of Vyavahara
Dasha (where inert energy only remains) appearing as Paramartha
Dasha (where God alone exists and nothing other than Him exists). The
higher subdivision can be called as a relative Paramartha Dasha whereas
the Paramartha Dasha can be called as the absolute Paramartha Dasha.
Even in the relative Paramartha Dasha, you remain only as a part of the
inert energy (Mula Maya) and you do not become Brahman because
Brahman is the inert energy charged by God. Ofcourse you can call
yourself as Brahman even in the relative Paramartha Dasha in the sense
that the inert energy itself can be called as Brahman. Inert energy can be
called as Brahman because it is the quantitatively greatest item of the
creation. Thus the word Brahman brings several senses simultaneously
and confusion appears.
The four Mahavakyas can be explained in this sense. Myself,
yourself, and he or she is Brahman because basically all the three are the
final all pervading inert energy (Brahman). The last Mahavakya means
that awareness (Prajnanam) is also the final inert energy (Brahman).
Therefore in order to save God from this confusion of the usage of the
multi-dimensional word ‘Brahman’, a separate word Parabrahman is
introduced by the Gita and also by Shankara. You are stating that you
are already God without any effort, which means that God is converted
into yourself. Therefore God is in danger by your philosophy made of
confusion. I can appreciate if you can atleast put effort to convert
yourself into God, in which case God is not in danger. Infact Hanuman
converted Himself to God (Brahman and Ishwara simultaneously) by
doing real sacrifice and service to God.
Associated and Inherent Characteristics of Brahman
Certainly creation, maintenance and destruction of the world is an
associated characteristic (Tatastha Lakshana) of God but if the
associated characteristic cannot be found in any other case, it can be
taken as an inherent characteristic (Swarupa Lakshana). No other item
except God can create, maintain and destroy the universe. Therefore,
even though it is not an inherent characteristic, it can be treated as an
inherent characteristic and be used for identification. If you say that a
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certain cow is recognized by the cowbell around its neck, the objection
comes that some other cow can also have a cowbell and therefore
identification is not possible. However, suppose only one cow has a
cowbell around its neck and other cows do not have it. Then the cowbell
can be treated as equal to an inherent characteristic, which is the loose
skin hanging below the neck of the cow.
Other miraculous powers of God are transferable [God grants
those powers to people who do adequate penance for them]. However,
the miraculous power of creation, maintenance and destruction of the
universe is treated as an inherent characteristic of God. Therefore, Lord
Krishna gave the vision of Vishwarupam, which is the creation,
maintenance and dissolution of the universe. In this vision, the cosmos
appeared, remained for sometime and disappeared at last. Miracles are
also one of the identification marks of God (Satya kamah—Veda).
Every human incarnation did atleast one miracle in his lifetime. Rama
converted the stone into Ahalya. Ofcourse all the miracles are
transferable to any soul by the grace of God. The miracle is an
indication of the existence of the super power of God. The Gita says that
God is the possessor of the super powers (Mayinamtu Maheshwaram).
The Gita also says that any miracle observed anywhere indicates His
power alone (Yadyat Vibhutimat…). The photochemical cell captures
solar energy and that energy is emitted as light in a torch present in the
hands of a person. The light emitted, indicates the solar energy, which
has come from sun alone. Neither is the person handling the torch, the
sun, nor is he the possessor of the sunlight. Similarly any miracle
performed by anybody indicates the power of God and finally it
indicates God alone. It does not indicate the power of the person
handling that torch. The person cannot claim to be the sun and also
cannot claim to be the possessor of that energy. However the cosmic
vision [Vishwarupa] is a special power, which cannot be handled by
anybody except God. Therefore Arjuna asked for that special
identification.
Similarly the Prajnanam is the special knowledge that cannot be
delivered by any soul except God. Qualities, physical form etc may vary
from one human incarnation to another human incarnation from time to
time. But the special divine knowledge (Prajnanam) will never vary and
so it stands as the constant sign of God. Even within the lifetime of the
same human incarnation, the physical form and qualities may change as
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time proceeds and as the situation changes. But the Prajnanam remains
eternal, which is beyond time, physical form and qualities. Krishna and
Jesus may look totally different in their appearance, language, culture
and even qualities. But the similarity in the Gita and the Bible clearly
proves that the same God existed in both. Infact knowledge requires
awareness as the basis and it is only a quality of Sattvam. Again here the
impossibility of any other soul delivering such [extraordinary]
knowledge makes this associated characteristic, be treated as an inherent
characteristic.
The divine special knowledge delivered by God is understood by
you with full surprise, but this does not mean that the God who
delivered that knowledge is understood by you. The Gita was
understood by Arjuna since all the doubts were cleared by the Lord.
This does not mean that the Lord is understood as said by the Lord
Himself (Maamtu Veda Na). Therefore, Brahman remains unknowable
and unimaginable at any cost. You cannot derive that awareness (Chit)
is a special associated characteristic [that can be considered as an
inherent characteristic] because Chit exists in every living being and is a
perfect associated characteristic. Chit is a requirement for knowledge
but cannot be the knowledge. Wherever knowledge is present, Chit must
exist as in the case of human beings. However, wherever Chit exists,
knowledge need not exist as in the case of birds and animals. Since Chit
cannot be the identity mark of a human incarnation of God, every living
being is not God. Similarly knowledge cannot be the identity mark and
therefore every human being is not God. Only the special knowledge
present in a particular human being like Krishna, Jesus etc. and which is
not possible for any other human being (Prajnanam) to give, can give
the final precise step of the address of the human incarnation. The living
being [saying that God is in any living being] is stating the broad bottom
step of the address like the name of the city. It means God that is not
available in inert items. The human being [saying that God is in any
human being] gives the higher step of the address, which is the
particular street of that city. A particular human being, having special
knowledge (Prajnanam) gives the exact house number.
The unique adjectives for this special knowledge are infiniteness
and truth. No human being has the guts to stand on the truth while
delivering the knowledge except the Lord. Here God is said to be
knowledge, which means the personification of knowledge. You can
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respect to God (Asat), the matter and awareness, which are absolutely
true with respect to forms and qualities (Sat), have appeared. Thus both
these statements in the Veda do not contradict each other.
Since the whole creation is relatively true (Asat) with respect to
God, the only absolute truth (Paramartha Sat) is God. The creation is a
chain of alternative absolute and relative truths. Each item is absolute
truth with respect to the next relative item and the same is a relative
truth with respect to the previous item. The beginning of this chain is
God, which is the absolute truth. The end of this chain is form (rupa)
and quality (guna). Therefore God is the absolute truth (Paramartha
Dasha) where as the forms and qualities are absolutely unreal
(Pratibhasika Dasha). In between these two ends of the chain, lie matter
and awareness which are relatively real (Vyavahara Dasha). The gross
body is matter but the form of the gross body is absolutely unreal. The
soul is awareness, but a vibration of the soul, which is quality, is also
absolutely unreal. The awareness (soul) is captured by the absolutely
unreal forms of the gross bodies and the qualities of the souls. The soul
and the gross body are linked by the qualities, which constitute the link
called as subtle body (Jeeva). When the soul gets rid of these vibrations,
the soul becomes standstill without any thought (Sthitaprajna). Among
these thoughts, the forms of matter including the gross body also are
realized as unreal. Such self-realization brings peace but such person
can easily fall down (Savikalpa Samadhi) since his effort is based on
himself. However, if the grace of God is achieved by accepting the
Super Self, which is different from the self, then the self-realization
becomes eternal. Therefore realization based on the self-effort leads to
temporary liberation due to egoism. The same self-realization becomes
eternal on achieving the grace of the Lord through service and such
liberation is eternal (Nirvikalpa Samadhi). Thus realization leads to
liberation spontaneously because the determination results in practice.
Temporary liberation indicates incomplete realization. Complete
realization leads to permanent liberation.
The soul is the absolute truth with respect to its feelings and thus
the dream [composed of mental feelings and qualities] is a relative truth
with respect to the soul. This is a good simile for God and the creation
of the universe except for one difference. The dream is made of feelings
and the feelings are made of awareness. Thus the dream is a
modification of awareness. Even if it is a negligible modification, which
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word Prajnanam does not mean normal awareness. It means the super
special knowledge, which beyond the capacity of any human being.
Human incapability is clearly seen from the unimaginable design of this
universe; even top scientists are shocked by their incapability in finding
the final foundation of the universe when they search at deeper and
deeper levels.
The word Prajnanam is not used in the sense of awareness and
thus usage (Rudhi) contradicts your sense. Even the word ‘jnanam’ is
not used to mean awareness [Advaita equates Jnanam or knowledge
with chit or awareness in their analysis]. An animal having awareness is
said to be ajnani, which means ‘without jnanam’. If jnanam had meant
awareness, such statement would not have come. If you say that by
saying that God is awareness, you only mean that God is not inert
matter, the conclusion comes that you have understood God. If you say
that God is not this [not one specific item in creation], it means that you
have understood God. However, if you say that God is not any item in
this creation, which means entire universe, then it concludes in your
total unimaginability of God. Therefore partial negation makes God one
of the items of the world. You can only negate a partial item in the case
of another partial item. You can say that the pot is not cloth. However
“God is not cloth” cannot be stated because God is not a partial item like
a pot. Moreover all the items of the world homogeneously exist as all
pervading inert energy. Therefore if you deny any partial item, you have
to deny all the items of creation, since God is beyond inert energy. If
you say that awareness is God, then awareness is a special work-form of
inert energy that is produced by the oxidation of food (Annam) by
oxygen (Prana). The Veda says the same (Annatpurushah). Then how
can you deny food and oxygen, which are inert matter being God and
select only awareness? If you reject mud, there is no pot. Inert matter is
the source of awareness. Due to this reason alone does the awareness
become its original source (inert energy) in deep sleep; just like the mud
pot becomes mud on destruction. You must remember that the soul
becomes all pervading inert energy (Brahman) and in that state alone
can the soul can be said to be Brahman, which is the essence of this
entire creation (Sarvam Khalu idam—Veda). If you limit the soul to
mere awareness, it can never be Brahman because it is discontinuous.
However the word Brahman here means only inert energy and not God.
All the four Mahavakyas can be understood in this line, which means
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that myself, yourself and he or she are inert energy (Brahman) and
finally awareness or even knowledge of any state, is essentially inert
energy (Brahman). Therefore the negation of inert items is meaningless
in realizing the nature of absolute God. However the negation of inert
items can be a helpful broad step of the address of God, who comes
down in the human form into this world.
The third Brahma Sutra means that God comes down to deliver a
spiritual knowledge (Shastram). Therefore the fifth Brahma Sutra means
that God cannot be an inert object because of the requirement of
preaching since the spiritual knowledge preached by God is special and
is impossible for any human being to preach. The awareness of living
beings and the knowledge of human beings are only more and more
precise steps of the address. This Prajnanam, which is impossible for
any other human being to preach, is the most precise step in the address,
like the house number. The impossible special knowledge is already
supported by the point, which says that the knowledge of the creativity
and management of the universe is impossible for any human being in
the world. When this God who has that unimaginable knowledge of the
creativity of the universe comes down, certainly the spiritual knowledge
delivered by Him must be also wonderful and unique and must be also
impossible for any other human being.
Even in the case of the human incarnation, God’s nature is not
understood because God is hidden in the human form. Through the
unimaginable talents of that particular human form, the hidden God is
inferred. The existence of God is experienced or felt. Such experience is
not the knowledge of God. It has no reference to His nature. A blind
fellow feels the existence of the movement of somebody near him. He
has only experienced the existence but he has not understood whether
the moving item is a person or some animal. Similarly from the
wonderful talents of the human form, only the existence of God is
experienced. Since such experience of the existence of God is not
knowledge about God, God remains unknown because His nature is not
at all understood. The Veda says that only His existence is realized but
the knowledge of His nature is never attained (Astityeva
Upalabdhavyah). Here ‘upalabdhi’ only means experience; not
knowledge. The existence of God gives you the knowledge of the
unimaginable nature of God. You can only understand that He is not at
all understandable (Yasyaamatam—Veda).
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Sutra gives only a step of the broad address of the Lord. This step only
denies the inert items. If a person is in Delhi, it means that He is not in
other cities. To indicate that he is not in any city except Delhi, the
precise steps of the address (Aativahikah tallingat—Brahma Sutra) are
not necessary. We simply say that he is in Delhi. This does not mean
that he will be found anywhere in Delhi. Similarly God will not be
found in every living being. Then we say that He is in a particular street
in Delhi, which is like saying that He is in a human body. The wish to
create indicates the broad area of awareness which exists in all living
beings (Tadaikshata—Veda), which is like the name of the city. The
next precise step is the name of the street, which narrows the search to
human beings through the word ‘knowledge’ (Satyam Jnanam—Veda).
Knowledge exists only in human beings (Manusheem Tanum—Gita).
Again it does not mean that He can be found anywhere on that street.
The first step does not mean that every living being is God. The second
step does not mean that every human being is God. The third most
precise step is the house-number on the street, which is the particular
human body (Vasudevah sarvamiti—Gita) called as Krishna, Jesus etc.
If you enter the house, a person can be found very easily in that house.
Such a Superman is indicated by the special knowledge (Prajnanam).
Therefore all this analysis relates only to the steps of the address of the
human incarnation and the existence of God is experienced through that
human form. Therefore the unknowability of God is always maintained,
since the nature of God is not understood.
Realized Soul
If you can learn from God regarding His state of continuous
entertainment from the creation containing both pleasant and tragic
scenes, you have become God in this very important aspect. God’s
superpower and producership of the world etc are not at all required.
The spectatorship and entertainment is the only essence of this creation
(Ekaki na ramate—Veda). The spectator of the ‘movie’ can enjoy
equally with God even though the spectator has not produced the movie
[creation]. The producership of the movie has no relevance to the
enjoyment. In this aspect, the soul and Brahman become one and the
same (Advaita). When the sole purpose of the creation is entertainment
and that is fulfilled, even without the producership of the world, you are
unnecessarily canceling the producership of God by making the world
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unreal. You have done this because you cannot be God if God’s
producership is real; since you cannot produce the world. Now since the
very essence of the production of the world is attained by you through
the equal status of complete entertainment with God, you need not do
this unnecessary crime.
Petitioner (purva pakshi): You said that the entertainment
becomes continuous if you realize the unreality of the world.
As You said, there are three levels of unreality of the world.
At the first level, forms and feelings are unreal and this level
is called as Maya. The second higher level is Maha Maya, in
which matter, awareness, light, heat etc are unreal. The third
highest level of unreality is called as Mula Maya, in which the
primary energy is unreal. For the soul only the lowest level
called as Maya is unreal. The second and third levels are equal
and higher levels respectively and therefore cannot be unreal
for the soul. For God all the three levels are unreal. The world
may be unreal for God because it is totally unreal at the three
levels. For the soul, only the one lower level is unreal where
as the other two levels of the world are real. Therefore for the
soul the world cannot be totally unreal. Thus, God can have
continuous entertainment due to the total unreality of the
world for Him. For soul the world is partially unreal (one
third) and therefore the soul cannot be continuously and
deeply entertained like God. Therefore to keep equality in the
entertainment of God and the realized soul, you have to atleast
say that the realized soul is Brahman (God). Otherwise you
are making God selfish. In our theory Brahman is not selfish,
because as soon as realization comes, the soul becomes
Brahman and the world becomes unreal in all the three levels.
Mediator (madhyamika): For entertainment the aspect of
producer-ship of God is already proved to be unnecessary.
Therefore this aspect does not strengthen the problem of the
petitioner to any extent. Even though it is agreed that the
producership does not disturb the continuous entertainment,
the degree of the reality of the world cannot be overlooked as
raised by the petitioner. When the basis of continuous
entertainment is the unreality of the world and if there is a
difference between God and soul with regard to the basis
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another girl is not good looking. Beauty and ugliness are the
names of these two unreal forms. Based on these unreal forms
of matter, the feelings of love and dislike are generated. The
basis of these feelings is only the form of the body of the girl,
which is just matter. If both die at the same time and the
bodies disintegrate, the matter, which is the reality in both is
one and the same. Now the feelings are not different when the
matter in both the bodies is realized to be the same.
Entertainment is essentially a feeling. Similarly, suppose one
girl is red in colour and other girl is black. The light, which is
the common energy in both the colours, is one and the same.
Just because of the difference in the wavelengths of energy,
the different colours are seen. After death the common light
energy mixes with the cosmic energy and the colours are
unreal. Thus in the second level, matter and light exist as
realities for the soul, which do not cause any feeling. When
matter, light, awareness etc become the primary energy, then
the awareness itself disappears and even the basis for feelings
does not exist. There is no need of even dreaming to get
entertainment at that highest level. Thus you have assigned
names to the different unreal forms, which give rise to
feelings. Thus the unreal names and unreal forms constitute
the essence of the whole entertainment. Shankara says that the
world of these unreal names and unreal forms is unreal. The
world in this basic level of Maya causes various feelings and
thoughts like love for your family members, neutrality to
others etc. If this Maya can be crossed, then knowledge and
love for God can be achieved. Since anything related to God
is real, both divine knowledge and devotion are real. The form
of God is also real, based on the same reason. All these apply
to devotees also because the devotees are related to God.
Therefore the love for the form of God and His devotees is
completely real since the base (God) with which they are
related, is real. Therefore the God in human form and the
devotee related to God, become the items of reality and
significance. Thus in this sense too, the God in human form
and devotees attain the equal status of reality. Since both God
and devotees cross Maya, the entertainment is equal to them.
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bliss and love must also transfer the same to others. However,
he transferred fear and misery to several people. Therefore all
these aspects eliminate the non-God items and reveal the real
God. However, remember, all these are only characteristics of
the medium and not God directly because God is
unimaginable. They direct you to the address of the Lord with
collective effort. Thus special knowledge (Prajnanam
Brahma), miracles (Satyakamah), love (Rasovaisah) and bliss
(Anando Brahma) are the signs revealed in the Veda. They
indicate the address of the Lord.
Mediator: A devotee may also be mistaken as God due to his
superpowers, divine knowledge, love and bliss. In that case,
God is missed by a narrow margin because any higher level in
these four levels can be taken as the highest level and thus the
devotee may be mistaken as God [a devotee having fairly high
levels of superpowers to do miracles, divine knowledge, love
and bliss may be mistaken to be God, who possesses these
four to the highest extent].
Respondent: If you mistake a devotee as God, there is no harm.
After the human incarnation, the next address of God is only
the devotee. God will fulfill all your requirements even
through the devotee. God is more pleased with the fame of
His devotee than His own fame. The above signs are mainly
intended to isolate the demons and the scholars who twist the
knowledge. Ofcourse there is one miracle, which cannot be
transferred to the devotee and is limited only to God. That is
the creation, maintenance and dissolution of the universe.
However, unfortunately, God cannot exhibit this miracle to
any soul because to exhibit this miracle, first the entire
universe including the primary cosmic energy should be
dissolved by God. If that is done, the individual does not exist
any more and hence cannot be a witness to the dissolution.
When the universe is created again, the individual who does
not exist before creation cannot witness the process of
creation. Arjuna asked Krishna for this single miracle i.e. the
real proof of God. However, God only gave Arjuna a vision of
this (Vishwarupam) as there is no other way than this. Thus
Arjuna confirmed that Krishna was God by this miracle.
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between Ishwara and Jeeva is unreal. In reality, only gold exists, which
is the Brahman. However, in this simile, all the concepts are not clear.
Since the design is a relative reality, the difference between the crown
and ring can be unreal. Since it is totally unreal, the quantitative
difference is also unreal. However, what about the difference in the
quantities of the gold present in the ring and crown? Gold is the ultimate
reality. Now the difference is in the ultimate reality.
Petitioner: Since space (relative reality) is unreal, the
quantitative difference in the gold is unreal. Only qualitative
similarity holds good. You have to treat the gold [in this
similie] to be beyond space. Such example is not available in
the relatively real world. Therefore awareness is above spatial
dimensions and cannot have a quantitative difference.
Respondent: Any item, which is above spatial dimensions,
cannot have even qualitative identification. If you say that the
existence of Brahman alone is experienced as told by the
Veda and then if you say that the similarity between the Jeeva
and Ishwara is only the existence of some unknowable item,
then you can only say that both Ishwara and Jeeva have
‘existence’ in common. This means that the common item of
existence in both is Brahman. In that case how can you say
that Brahman is awareness (Chit)? If you confine the
Brahman only to the existence (Sat) of some common
unknowable item, we have no objection. Since the item is
unknown, even the existence of such unknown item has no
meaning and cannot become called as a similarity. If the
aspect of the similarity is unknown, it becomes meaningless to
say that some unknown similarity exists. Moreover, the
awareness is not mere existence of some unknowable item. It
is an item that can be realized and thus we use the word self-
realization (Atma Jnanam). Therefore apart from existence,
the nature of the item is also known. We also differentiate
awareness from inert items and thus awareness has defined
boundaries that come under spatial dimensions. Then how can
you say that awareness is above space? Therefore it is very
clearly proved that awareness is an item that can be defined
by spatial dimensions.
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If you are very fond of the word Brahman, let the soul have
that word as its name. We have no objection, because any
greatest item in a category can be called as Brahman based on
the root meaning. Infact, we too are very happy to call the
soul as Brahman because the soul, even though it has several
negative points that prevent its greatness, is the greatest in one
point. In that point it can be said to be similar to Brahman.
This similarity is that awareness is absent when isolated but
still gives its experience. Brahman is unimaginable but gives
the experience of its existence. The unimaginability and
absence can be viewed as similar even though fundamentally,
there is a vast difference. Absence means non-existence.
Unimaginability means existence, which cannot be
understood. In this point, the soul stands as an example to
understand the Brahman. Therefore if you call the soul as
Brahman, we will be happy to sacrifice that term, and we will
call the Brahman [God] as Parabrahman from now onwards. It
is just like the owner of one-lakh rupees being called as the
owner of a crore. We will call the actual owner of a crore as a
billionaire from now onwards. Infact, even this may be
painful to you because in that case, you may want to be called
as a billionaire. Therefore our new name for the owner of one
crore is “The person beyond one crore.” Therefore the word
Parabrahman [that which is beyond Brahman] does not have
any positive meaning, to which you may again be attracted. It
only has a negative meaning that it is something beyond
yourself (Brahman). However, unfortunately, you do not
agree to this proposal and want to stick only to the word
Brahman.
You are saying that Ishwara means the Creator, Maintainer
and Destroyer. You have limited Ishwara to this concept and
pushed Him to the relative reality making Him unreal. You
have clearly understood the reason, which is that you cannot
become Ishwara by any path. This concept is built up by you
so please stand on it. You say that Brahman is the word
introduced in the Brahma Sutras as the ultimate reality. The
characteristic of the Brahman is immediately revealed in the
second Sutra as the creation, maintenance and dissolution of
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under the subdivision Para Prakriti? In that case, the soul and
body are Prakriti and God is Purusha. Thus, there are only two
categories (Purusha and Prakriti), because both the soul and
the body are in the same category.
Petitioner: It is said that the Para Prakriti is Jeeva or the subtle
body in the Gita (Jeeva Bhutam) and not the Atman (causal
body). Therefore Para Prakriti is the subtle body and not the
soul.
Mediator: If the subtle body is Para Prakriti, it is said that the
Para Prakriti maintains the entire world (Yayedim Dharyte
Jagat) in the same verse. However, the subtle body is
definitely not maintaining the world. Since the inert energy is
maintaining the world, the soul here must refer to its basic
essential form, which is inert energy. Therefore here the soul
in the state of a bundle of qualities (subtle body) is not to be
taken; it should be taken in its basic form of inert energy as
attained in the state of deep sleep. Here the word Jeeva cannot
refer to the subtle body and the causal body either. It must
refer only to the soul in deep sleep, which is inert energy. The
word causal body means the standstill awareness of a realized
soul. This verse does not refer to the soul in the state of
vibrations (subtle body) as found in the states of waking and
dream.
Respondent: As the mediator explained, it is proved that the soul
in all the states (waking, dream, meditation and deep sleep)
can come under only the category of Prakriti. However, we
can show the reference in the Gita about the mention of the
soul as standstill awareness also under the category of
Prakriti. ‘Chetana’, which is just the pure awareness (Suddha
chit), is mentioned in the category of Kshetram, which
represents the body or Prakriti.
Petitioner: The word Purusha means the awareness that is lying
in the body. Therefore you cannot keep the awareness in the
category of Prakriti or body.
Respondent: In the Veda, the word Purusha frequently refers to
the Lord alone. It is said that this world is the body of the
Lord in the Veda (Prithvi Shariram, Vishwaatmanam etc.). If
you are so particular about a limited living body, you can take
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the Gita (Prakritim yanti...). The Para Prakriti means the best
nature of the Brahman, which means the real nature. That
means Para Prakriti itself is Brahman. Thus the soul becomes
Brahman.
Respondent: In that case the Apara Prakriti must also be the
other nature of Brahman. Nature being common, there cannot
be distinction between Para and Apara. In that case, the entire
created world (products) also becomes the nature of Brahman.
This means that the world itself is Brahman. There is no
distinction between cause and effect. This is the concept of
science and atheism.
Petitioner: The Brahma Sutra says that the soul is not a
modification of the food. It is independent awareness (vikarat
netichet na prachuryat). Since it is not a product, it can be
taken as the cause of the world.
Respondent: If something is not the product of another specific
item, it does not mean that it is the root cause of the world.
That Brahma Sutra is referring to the Vedic statement
“Purushah annarasa mayah”. If you take the Vedic statement
“Annat Purushah”, it means that the soul is a product of the
food. If you go to the beginning of this statement, it starts
describing that space came from Atman (inert energy), air
came from space, fire came from air etc. When you say that
the pot is produced from mud, it does not mean that the mud
by itself can produce the pot. The pot maker, wheel, fire,
water etc. are responsible for the production of the pot.
Therefore you cannot say that the pot is a direct modification
(vikara) of mud. Thus in all these productions [items of
creation], the will of the God is necessary, without which the
production cannot take place. The sand particles in course of
time form an aggregate called as stone and here the pot maker
etc. are not required. Such modification of sand into stone is a
direct [spontaneous] modification (vikara). Even though food
is the cause of the soul, the will of God must also be
associated for the production of the soul from food. It is not a
direct modification.
The same sense is referred to by the statement
“Annarasamaya”. The word maya (mayat) refers to the direct
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Superimposition
You have introduced the concept of superimposition in that the
person mistakes the body for the soul (Dehatmabhranti). By analysis,
you have removed the illusion of misunderstanding the body for the
soul. But you are captured by another most dangerous illusion that is
mistaking the soul for God (Brahman), which can be called as
‘Atmabrahmabhranti’. Both these superimpositions are similar. An
illusion or superimposition is born, based on one common property.
When you see the rope in mild darkness [dim light or twilight], the
physical appearance (the length, movement by air etc), which is the
common property between the rope and a snake generates the illusion.
Therefore, you should not conclude anything based on a single aspect.
You have to consider other aspects as well to decide anything. When
you switch on the torchlight, the difference is realized because the other
properties like absence of life, lack of hissing on trying to scare it, etc
are realized. Similarly, the single property of wishing [Brahman wishing
to create this creation] cannot prove that Brahman is awareness. Such a
conclusion only shows your illusion under ignorance as in the above
case. The different properties like the creation of the universe, the
original creativity etc. will differentiate Brahman from the soul. Even if
you separate the Jeeva from the Atman by removing all the qualities
(When the subtle body, which is a bundle of qualities is destroyed, the
causal body, which is pure awareness in the Nirguna [unqualified;
attributeless] state remains), still the soul of such a realized person does
not prove the potentiality of creation. You cannot remove the
potentiality of creation from the Brahman even in Its ultimate reality.
You do not have such potentiality to remove the hidden potentiality of
Brahman for fulfilling your ambition. It is most pitiable that you do not
achieve anything by removing such potentiality from Brahman. If you
remove such potentiality, Brahman cannot be the greatest and then you
cannot call such Brahman as Brahman. You cannot call such Brahman
as Brahman, because such Brahman loses the sense of the word
‘Brahman’. Do you want to become such incapable Brahman, which is
only a namesake Brahman? Instead why don’t you simply say that
finally you have become yourself?
Petitioner: There is only one superimposition and that is between
the body and Atman. There is no second item like Brahman,
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spatial nature of the item and so it is better not to use the word
Atman. Ofcourse you can use the word Brahman because it
means the greatest. The unimaginable item is always the
greatest among all the imaginable items of the world. Still it is
better not to use this word too because this word is used for
several greatest items in their categories. Only to avoid
confusion, we are opposing this word. The word Parabrahman
is the best because it means, that which is beyond any greatest
item in the world or even the greatest world. The soul is called
as Atman because the awareness pervades all over the body.
Atman can be Brahman in the sense that Atman is the greatest
item due to its critical and subtle nature. If you use the word
Brahman for inert energy, the soul can be called as Brahman
in the sense that the soul is essentially the all-pervading inert
cosmic energy.
Petitioner: We call the soul (Atman) as jeeva in the relative
reality and Brahman as Ishwara. In the ultimate reality since
the world is unreal, the potentiality of creating the world is
also unreal and so Ishwara as well as Jeeva become unreal. In
the ultimate reality only Brahman or Atman remains as the
ultimate reality.
Respondent: If Brahman and Atman are one and the same in the
ultimate reality, Ishwara and Jeeva also must be one and the
same in the relative reality. However you may say that the
difference between Ishwara and Jeeva is also unreal because
both exist in the relative reality. In that case, Ishwara, Jeeva
and the difference between Ishwara and Jeeva are the three
unrealities existing in the unreal world. Then, Brahman or
Atman is the only reality at any time. Then who is
experiencing this unreal world? An unreality like the horns on
the head of a rabbit can never be experienced. Shankara never
said that this world is unreal. He said that the world is Mithya,
which is neither real nor unreal (sadasat vilakshana). It means
that it is non-existent if isolated from Brahman, but it is
existent as long as it is based on the Brahman. When you see
the rope as a serpent, the illusory serpent exists based on the
existence of rope. If the rope is removed, the illusory serpent
disappears and becomes non-existent. But during the
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relieved from worldly bonds and you are expected to join the new
institution i.e. the service of the Lord. Such relieving is not like
retirement, in which you can stay at home in leisure, without doing any
activity. Similarly by self-realization, when you are relieved from
worldly bonds, it should not mean that you should continue in that state
without any bond. You are relieved from the old bonds to strengthen the
new divine bond with God. After leaving the old job, you are expected
to do the new job with more vigor. After cutting the worldly love, you
are expected to love God more vigorously. But the Advaita philosopher
is continuing in the state of no love after cutting the worldly love.
Instead of achieving a better goal, the case has become worse.
Anesthesia is given to you to perform an operation so that you are
relieved from the disease and so that you can live with greater
happiness. Even after the operation, some anesthesia may be given to
you, to relieve you from the pains. But the case of the Advaita
philosopher is unfortunate because he has gone into a continuous coma
after the operation. In that case it would have been better if the operation
had not been done so that atleast, he would live with the disease.
Here, self-realization (Yoga) is the anesthesia. The process of
operation is liberation (Moksha) from worldly bonds. After this
liberation, the liberated soul is expected to join the service of the Lord
with more vigor; just as after the operation, the patient is expected to
become more active in his life. But unfortunately after liberation, the
Advaita philosopher continues in the same state of self-realization
(coma). This unfortunate situation has developed because the patient
wants anesthesia and the operation only for getting into a state of
continuous coma. The goal is prefixed by the patient. Similarly, the
Advaita philosopher has fixed the goal of self-realization and liberation
as only the continuity of himself in the state of self-realization (self-
attainment). His goal is Brahman, which is pure awareness without any
quality or thought or feeling (Nirgunachit). Even if all the thoughts are
removed as in the state of meditation, the thought of self-awareness
exists. Therefore there is no awareness without thought (Guna).
Awareness without any thought, which is complete Nirgunachit, is
nothing but inert energy, which is the essential form of the awareness as
obtained in deep sleep (Sushuptyekasiddhah—Shankara). Such state is
nothing but the state of a tree or a stone, in which the mind (all the
thoughts) is totally destroyed (Manolaya Yoga). The childish Advaitin
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The lazy Advaitin is aiming for this worst state of mere awareness
without the potentiality of Ishwara without doing any effort. There need
not be any effort to fall from the hill. The effort is only needed to climb
the hill. The soul, which aims for the post of Ishwara, becomes Indra
who is the Lord of the three worlds. The word Indra itself means
Ishwara or the Lord (Idi Aishwarye). His aim is only power and
luxuries. He is often insulted by demons and the real Ishwara
(Narayana) has to protect him often. This shows that the soul cannot
manage itself in that post. But if you take Hanuman, He has both the
aspects of the Lord and the soul. From one angle He is Lord Shiva. He
is also a Jeeva (soul) from the angle that He is the son of a soul called as
Vayu. The angle of God in Him shows that only He can maintain the
post of Ishwara and therefore He was made the future Creator. But from
the point of the soul, it shows the possibility of the soul to even become
God. But this fruit was attained by Hanuman through selfless sacrifice
and service without aspiring for any fruit in return unlike Indra who did
a hundred sacrifices only for the fruit. The Advaitin is not even Indra
who appeared for the examination and failed. The Advaitin is the laziest
student who sits at home without even going to the school and claims to
already possess that degree, which is of no use to get a job.
Thus there is every possibility for the soul to become Brahman or
Ishwara. In such state, the soul is charged by Parabrahman or God,
which is the incarnation of God, maintaining the individual soul as a
medium. Thus we do not deny the possibility of the soul becoming
Brahman in the real sense. But what we say is that the soul is not
already Brahman because Brahman is always Ishwara simultaneously.
The world may be real (since it is not completely unreal) or may be
unreal (since it is a negligible quantity). The world may be in its
existence or may be in the state before its creation or may be in the state
after the dissolution. But Brahman can never be isolated from the
potentiality of Ishwara. For fear of the impossibility of becoming
Ishwara, you have made both Ishwara and the world unreal. But we are
giving you the assurance that you can become Ishwara through your
spiritual effort in the path of Hanuman.
Why become just Ishwara? You can even become the Ishwara
(Master) of Ishwara. The Lord has become the servant of Radha and
thus Radha is the Ishwara of Ishwara. Therefore you can become
Ishwara (simultaneously Brahman) and you can even become the master
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of Ishwara. But the path is full of real love, which is sacrifice and
service. Without any effort, you can become yourself because you are
already yourself. This is what Shankara said. You have not understood
Him properly. By this He meant that one cannot become anything
different from himself without any effort. He converted the atheist into
an Advaitin by this attraction. He said that the atheist was already God
so that the atheist had to accept the existence of God. Shankara was very
clever because when He called the atheist as God, He gave a new
definition for God, which exactly suits the existing state of the atheist.
By this He indicated that the atheist is in his original state by such
attraction. According to the new definition of Shankara, God (Brahman)
is just awareness, which is found even in an animal. By this, He
indirectly meant that the atheist in the present state, is an animal. Even
in the present state, the atheist does not accept any God other than
himself. He experiences himself like an animal. The animal has no God
other than itself. Therefore, Shankara cannot be blamed for the
unfortunate situation of the Advaitin in view of his atheistic
background. There is no other way than this for Shankara to attract the
atheist to climb atleast the first step.
You can understand the reality of Advaita from just two points.
The angel Yama, who is the son of the Sun-God did not say that He is
Brahman. He even said that the angels are still searching for Brahman
and have finally concluded that Brahman is unimaginable. No human
being is greater than Yama, whose messengers will drag out the soul of
an Advaitin in the end even though the soul is claiming that it is
Brahman! Hanuman is the greatest soul in this world in knowledge,
devotion and in having superpowers. He never said that He is Brahman.
In the Gita, the Lord said that He preached the Gita to the Sun-god in
the beginning of creation. If Advaita were the essence of the Gita, the
Sun-god must have told His own son (Yama) and His disciple
(Hanuman) about it. When Lord Krishna (human incarnation)
approached Yama, Yama folded His hands and got down from His
throne. Hanuman served the human incarnation throughout His life.
Even angels want to be born on the earth as human beings because only
in the human birth, can any soul do sadhana. In the upper world, no
further Karma can be done. People who worship only the energetic
forms like Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva reach the corresponding worlds
and remain near such energetic forms of God. Their sadhana is
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incomplete because they have not accepted the human form of God due
to their egoism and jealousy.
Above these three worlds lies Datta Loka, in which Lord Datta
(Ishwara) exists. Datta means God given to the devotee in the most
convenient medium to Him. Since Hanuman existing in human form,
recognized and served the human form, He reached Datta Loka and got
the highest fruit from Lord Datta. He is made God there. Above this,
exists Goloka where the Lord in the form of Krishna resides with
Radha, acting as Her servant. Radha worshipped the human form of
God. Thus the complete absence of egoism and jealousy towards human
form and the complete sacrifice and service to the Lord in human form
without aspiring for any fruit in return have brought these highest
results.
I did My best to save the Advaitin. Krishna told at the end of the
Gita that one should analyze His knowledge and only then accept
(Vimrusyaitadaseshena). The Lord also said that people will act only
according to the levels of their mentalities or Samskaras (Prakritim
yanti) and any amount of analysis cannot control them (Nigrahah kim
karishyati). The cloud rains the same water drops everywhere without
any partiality. The drop fallen in the sea becomes salty, the drop fallen
in the Ganga becomes holy sweet water, the drop fallen in the mud pond
becomes mud and the drop fallen in the pearl shell becomes a pearl. You
can neither blame the cloud, which has impartially rained the same
water drops nor can you blame the sea, Ganga, mud pond, or pearl-shell
because they have behaved according to their nature. The secret in the
third incidental dimension is that all this happens without any damage to
logic or justice for the pastime or divine play of the Lord, which cannot
be blamed from any angle.
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