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"They
are atheists and of weak intellect, ad continually remain
sunk in the depths of misery and pain who do not believe
in, know, and commune with, Him who is Resplendent,
All-glorious, All-Holy, All-knowledge, sustainer of
the sun, the earth and other planets, Who pervades all
like ether, is the Lord of all and is above all devatas.
It is by the knowledge and contemplation of God alone
that all men attain true happiness." RIG VEDA: I, 164,
39.
1.
There are more Gods than one mentioned in the Vedas.
Do you believe this or not?
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A.~
No, we do not; as nowhere in all the four Vedas there
is written anything that could go to show that there
are more gods than one. On the other hand, it is clearly
said in many places that there is only one God.
2.
What is meant by the mention of various devatas (Gods)
in the Vedas then?
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A.~Whatsoever
or whosoever possesses useful and brilliant qualities
is called a devata, as the earth for instance; but it
is nowhere said that it is God or is the object of our
adoration. Even in the above mantra it is said that
He, who is the sustainer of all devatas, is the adorable
God, and is worthy of of being sought after, They are
greatly mistaken who take the word "devata" to mean
God.
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204
He
is called devata of devatas - the greatest of all devatas,
- because He aloneis the author of Creation, Sustenance
and Dissolution of the Universe, the Great Judge and
Lord of all. The Vedic text "The Lord of all of all,
the Ruler of the universe, the Sustainer of all holds
all things by means of thiry-three devatas" has been
explained as follows in the fourteenth chapter of the
Shatpatha Brahman:-
- Heated
cosmic bodies
- Planets
- Atmosphere
- Super-terrestial
space
- Suns
- Says
of ethereal space
- Satellities
- Stars
These
eight are called Vasus, because they are abode of all
that lives, moves or exists. The eleven Rudras are the
ten pranas - nervauric forces - enlivening the human body
and the eleventh is the human spirit.
These
are called Rudras because when they desert the body,
it becomes dead and the relations of the deceased, consequently,
begin to weep. The twelve months of a year are called
Adityas, as they cause the lapse of the term of existence
of each object or being. The (all-pervading) electricity
is called Indra, as it is productive of great force.
Yajna (assembly for the purposes of teaching and learning)
is called Prajapati because it benefits mankind by the
purification of air, water, rain and vegetables and
because it aids the development of various arts, and
because in it the honour is accorded to the learned
and the wise.
These
thirty-three aforesaid entities are called devatas by
birtue of posssessing useful properties and qualities.
Being Lord of all and greater than all, the Supreme
Being is called the thirty-fourth Devata who alone is
to be worshipped. The same thing is written on the other
Shastras. Had people consulted these books, they would
not have fallen into this error, viz., the believe that
there are more gods than one mentioned in the Vedas.
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205
"By
One Supreme Ruler is this universe pervaded, eve every
world in the whole circle of nature, He is the true
God. Know Him, O man! and covet not unjustly the wealth
of any creature existing. Renounce all that is unjust
and enjoy pure delight - true spiritual happiness -
by the practice of justice and righteousness which is
another name for true religion.YAJUR VEDA 40:1
"God
teaches in the Veda "I, O men, lived before the whole
universe came into being, I am Lord of all, I am the
eternal cause of the whole creation. I am the source
and giver of all wealth. Let all men look up to me alone
as children do to their parents. I have appointed different
foods and drinks for all creatures to give them sustenance
so that they may live in happiness." RIG VEDA 10: 48,
5.
"
I am God Almighty, I am the Light of the world like
the sun. Neither defeat, nor death, can ever approach
me. I am the controller of the universe, know me alone
as the Creator of all. Strive ye diligently for the
acquisition of power and wealth such ( as true knowledge).
Ask ye of me. May ye never lose my friendship. I give
true knowledge, which is real wealth, unto men who are
truthful. I am the revealer of Vedas which declare my
true nature. It is through the Vedas that I advance
the knowledge of all. I am the prompter of the good
and true. I reward those who devote themselves to the
good of humanity. I am the cause, I am the support of
all that exists in this universe. May ye never turn
away from me. May ye never accept another God in my
place, nor worship him." RIG VEDA, 10:48, 5.
"God,
O men existed in the beginning of the Creation. He is
the Creator, Support and Sustainer of the sun and other
luminous worlds, He was the Lord of the past Creation.
He is the Lord of the present. He will be the Lord of
the unborn universe. He created the whole world, and
he sustains it. He is Eternal Bliss. May ye all praise
and adore Him as we do." YAJUR VEDA, 13:4
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206
3.
How can you prove His existence?
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A.~ By the evidences
of direct cognition, Inference, Testimony and History.
Q.
But there can be no evidence of direct cognition,
with regard to God?
A.~
"The knowledge which is the result of the direct
contact of the five senses - optic, auditory,
olfactory, gustatory and tactile - and of the
mind, with light, sound , smell, taste and touch;
with feelings of pleasure and pain, truth and
untruth is called direct cognition. But this knowledge
must be free from error and doubt". Niyaya Shastra
1,4.
On
reflection it will be clear that it is only attributes
that can be known through the senses and the mind,
not substances, in which those qualities inhere.
As for example, we are cognizant of a solid substance
when it gives rise to the sensations of touch,
smell, etc., by coming in contact without four
senses, such as the tactile sense, and the senses
with the mind, and the latter with the soul; similarly
we are cognizant of the existence of God by observing
such qualities as design and intelligence in this
world.
Besides,
instantly the soul directs the mind and the latter
directs the senses to the pursuit of a certain
object either good - such as acts that promote
public welfare - or bad such as theft, they all
incline to the desired object and at that very
moment, feelings of fear, shame , and distrust
arise in the self consciousness if the action
be sinful, and those of fearlessness, courage,
and satisfaction of felicity, if it be good; these
feelings are prompted not by the human soul, but
by the Divine Spirit.
Lastly
when the soul, freed from all impurities, devotes
itself to the contemplation and realization of
God through Yoga, it becomes cognizant of both
- itself and the Divine Spirit. When we can be
directly cognizant of the existence of God how
can there be any doubt. His existence by inference
and other evidence, because the cause is inferred
from its effects.
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207
4.
Is God All-pervading or does He reside in some particular
locality?
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A.- He is All-pervading. If He were localized to some
particular place, He could never be Omniscient, Inward
Regular of all, Universal Controller, Creator of all,
Sustainer of all and the Cause fo resolution of all
things into their elements, as it is impossible for
the doer to do anything in place where he is not.
5.
Is God Just as well as Merciful
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A.~ Yes, he is both.
Q.
These two attributes are opposed to each other, since
Justice consists in giving a person the just amount
of pleasure or pain - neither more nor less - according
to the nature of his deeds, while mercy consisted in
letting the offender go unpunished. How could He be
both merciful and just at the same time?
A.-
Justice and mercy differ only in name. The object served
by justice is the same as accomplished by mercy. Now
the object of infliction punishment through justice
is to prevent people from committing crimes and thereby
enable them to be freed from pain and misery. What is
the object of mercy but to rid people of misery? Your
definitions of justice and mercy are not correct, because
the infliction of just punishment in exact accordance
with the amount of crime is called justice.
If
the offender be not punished, mercy will be destroyed,
for suffering one such criminal, a a robber, to go unpunished
amounts to giving pain to thousands of righteous and
law-abiding people. What mercy can ther be, the, in
allowing one man to go unpunished and making others
suffer? It will be an act of mercy indeed to that robber
to keep him in prison and thereby prevent him from further
commission of crimes. It will also be an act of mercy
to thousands of other people to rid them of that robber
or dacoit by putting him to death of keeping him in
prison.
Q.
What is then the object of having two terms - mercy
and justice- both having the same meaning? It is useless
to have two terms, it would have been far better to
have only one. This shows that they do not mean the
same.
A.~
Is not an idea expressed by more than one word, and
cannot one word be expressive of more than one idea?
Q.
Yes, it is so.
A.-
Why did you doubt it then?
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208
Q.Because
we hear it said in the world.
A.-
We hear both true and false statements being made in
this world, but it is our duty to discriminate between
them after due reflection. Behold the infinite mercy
of God that He has created all things in this world
for the good of all, and given them all freely! What
mercy can be greater than this? On the other hand, the
inequality in the condition of men - some are in a state
of misery - while others in a state of happiness - is
a clear proof of the operation of His Law of justice.
They - mercy and justice - only differ in the fact that
the intense desire in one's mind to bestow happiness
on all and accordingly i mercy, whilst the outward action
- such as the just infliction of punishment on an offender
by imprisoning him or putting him to death is - justice.
The one object served by both is to rescue all from
sin and consequent suffering
6.
Has God a form or is He formless?
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A.- He is formless, because if He possesses a form He
could never be Omnipresent, nor, therefore Omniscient,
since a finite substance can possess only finite attributes,
actions and nature. Besides, He could never be free
from hunger and thirst, heat and cold, disease, imperfections
and injuries. This proves, therefore, that God is formless,
If He were to possess a body, another person would be
required to make the different organs of His body, such
as eyes, ears and the like, for He, who is the product
of the combination of the different parts, must have
an intelligent formless maker. Here if it be urged that
God Himself made His own body simply by willing it,
this too goes to prove that He was formless before He
made His body. It is clear, therefore, that God is never
embodied. Being without a body He is able to make the
visible universe out of invisible causes.
7.
Is God All-powerful or not?
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A.- Yes, He is, but what you understand by the word
All- powerful is not right. It really means that God
does no require the least assistance from any person
in all His works such as Creation, Sustenance and Dissolution
of the Universe, and administration of Divine Justice.
In other words, He does all His works with His own infinite
power.
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209
8.
But we believe that God can do whatever He likes.
There is no one above Him.
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A.- What does He like? If you say that he likes and
can do all things, we ask - "Can God kill Himself?"
Or "can He make other Gods like Himself, become ignorant,
commit sins such as theft, adultery and the like? Or
can He be unhappy?" Your answer can only be in the negative,
as these things are opposed to the nature and attributes
of God; hence your contention, that God can do all things,
does not hold good. Our meaning only, therefore, of
the word All-powerful is true.
Q.Is
God Anadi or Sadi?
A.-
He is Anadi, that , He has no cause or beginning.
9.
What does God desire?
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A.- The good of all, and the happiness of all, but He
does not, by the caprice of His own will, subordinate
one person to another without an offence.
10.
Should we glorify God, pray to Him and commune with
Him?
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A.-
Yes.
Q.
Will God by one's doing so suspend His laws, and
forgive the sins of His devotees?
A.
No.
Q.
Why should we then worship God?
A.
Its object is altogether different from the one you
mention.
Q.
What is it?
A.-
Glorification gives rise to love of the Supreme
Being, reformation of one's nature, character and attributes
in accordance with the nature, attributes, and character
of God. Prayer crates humility, courage, and
obtains divine help. Communion results in union
with the Great Being and in direct cognition of HIm.
Q.Will
you Please explain it in detail?
11.
GLORIFICATION
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A. Glorification is of two kinds:- Positive and
Negative.
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210
Positive
glorification consists in praising God as possessed
of positive attributes in the following manner:-
"That Supreme Being overspreads all. He is entirely
spirit, All-energy, All-powerful, Pure, Perfect, Omniscient,
Inward Controller of all, Ruler of All, Eternal and
Self-existent. He has from all eternity been teaching
uncreated immortal human souls, the true knowledge of
things through the revelation of the Veda - His eternal
knowledge." YAJUR VEDA, 40:8
Negative
glorification consists in praising God as devoid
of such ungodly qualities as passion and malice in the
following way:-
"He is never embodied, is never born, is never liable
to division and is free from nervous or arterial systems,
never commits a sin , is never subject to pain, grief
and ignorance and the like." YAJUR VEDA, 40:8.
The
object of Glorification is reform one's nature,
attributes and character after the nature, attributes
and character of God, for instance let him be just as
God is and so on. He who praises God like a flunkey,
but does not reform his character does himself no good.
12.
PRAYERS
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Prayer to God is to be addressed in the following
way:-
"Endow us, O Lord, who art All-glorious, through thy
mercy, at this very instant with that wisdom which the
wise, the learned, and yogis pray for." YAJUR VEDA32:
14.
"Thou
art Light, be merciful and shed that light into my heart.
Thou art Infinite energy, through Thy grace endow me
with unfailing energy. Thou are Infinite strength, endow
me with strength. Thou art Infinite power, endow me
with great power. Thou art wrathful with the wicked,
make me also wrathful.
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211
Thou
art moved neither by slander, nor by praise. Thou art
forbearing towards those who offend against Thee, make
me also forbearing." YAJUR VEDA 20: 9.
"May,
O Ocean of Mercy, through thy grace my mind - the mind
that in the wakeful state travels long distances, and,
possesses brilliant qualities, which self-same mind
- light of the senses - in sleep attains to the state
of profound slumber and in dreams wanders over different
places - always entertain pure thoughts for the good
of the self as well as for that of all other living
beings. May it never desire to injure any one." YAJUR
VEDA 34:1.
"May,
O Omniscient God, my mind - which is the source of all
activity and which, thereby, enables men of learning,
piety and courage to perform acts of great public good
and heroic deeds on the field of battle and other occasions,
which possess wonderful powers and admirable qualities
and rules the senses - harbour only righteous desires
and completely renounce sin and vice." YAJUR VEDA 34:
2.
"May,
O lord, my mind - the mind which is the repository of
the highest form of knowledge, is the faculty for consciousness
and judgement, is the light of the senses, and is immortal,
the mind without which a man is powerless to do even
the most insignificant thing - aspire for purity and
shun wickedness." YAJUR VEDA 34: 3.
"May,
O Lord of the Universe, my mind - the mind which is
the medium through which all yogis acquire knowledge
of the past, the present and the future which becomes
the means of the union of the immortal human soul with
the Supreme Spirit and thereby makes it cognizant of
the three periods of time (past, present and the future),
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212
the
mind which is capable of conscious exertion and is closely
united with the five sense, the faculty of discernment
and the soul, and is the means of the advancement of
that great Yajna called yoga - be endowed with true
knowledge and yoga and thereby be freed from all kinds
of pain and ignorance." YAJUR VEDA 43: 4.
"May,
O Great God, Wises of the wise, through Thy grace, my
mind - which like the hub of a wheel into which all
the spokes are inserted, is the repository of the Rig
Veda, the Yajur Veda, The Sama Veda and also the Atharva
Veda, the mind in which Omniscient, Omnipresent conscious
Being - the Witness of all - makes Himself known - be
freed from all ignorance and be endowed with the love
of knowledge." YAJUR VEDA 34: 5
"May,
O Lord, the Controller of the Universe, my mind - which
is like a driver who can swing the horses around in
all directions, sways men hither and thither, is seated
in the heart, possessed of great activity and extreme
energy - restrain all the senses from treading the path
of wickedness and always direct them in the path of
righteousness. Mayestt, Thou O Lord, of Thy kindness
grant me this prayer." YAJUR VEDA 34: 6.
"Lead
us, O Bestower of all happiness, Omniscient, Supreme
Spirit, into the path of rectitude and thereby inspireus
withh all kinds of knowledge and wisdom, rid us of all
that is false and sinful in our conduct, and make us
pure. To ths end, we in all humility repeatedly praise
and adore Thee." YAJUR VEDA 40: 16.
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213
"Mayest
not, Thou, O Punisher of the wicked, destroy our young
ones, nor our old ones, foetuses, mothers, and fathers,
nor those who are dear to us, nor our relations, nor
our bodies. Direct us to that path by following which
we may not be liable to punishment by Thy Law." YAJUR
VEDA 16: 15.
"Lead
us, O Supreme Spirit, Teacher of teachers, from falsehood
unto rectitude, from darkness into light of knowledge,
from death and disease to immortality and Eternal Happiness."
SHATPATHA 14:3,1,30.
Prayer
is said to be Positive or Negative according
as the Deity is looked upon as possessed of good attributes
or as free from bad qualities, faults and imperfections.
A
man should act in accordance with what he prays for.
For example, if he prays for the attainment of highest
wisdom, let him do his utmost to attain it. In other
words, prayer should be addressed to God for
the attainment of an object after one has strenuously
endeavoured to attain it. No on should pray in the following
manner, nor does God ever answer such a prayer:-
'O
lord! destroy my enemies, make me superior to all. Let
me alone be honoured by all, make all other subordinate
to me, etc.' For, if both enemies were to pray for each
other's destruction, should God destroy both of them?
If some one were to say that of the two let that man's
prayer be granted who bears more love to God, we answer
that the enemy of the man whose love is less, should
also suffer destruction in a lesser degree. If people
began to address such foolish prayers, the next thing
they will do, will be to pray in this manner, "O God!
Cook our food for us, put it on the table for us, scrub
our houses, do our washing, till our land, and do a
bit of gardening a well for us." The greatest fools
are they who, trusting in God in this wise, remain slothful
and indolent; because who so-
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214
ever
will obey God's commandment to work assiduously will
never be happy. God commands thus:-
"
Let a man aspire to live by doing work for a hundred
years, i.e. as long as he lives. Let him never be lazy."
Behold! all the animate and the inanimate objects in
this universe perform their respective functions. The
ants and other creatures are always active, the earth
and other planets are always in motion, the trees are
always growing or decaying. Man should take a lesson
from these. As men help him who helps himself, so does
God help him who works righteously, just as servants
do their work only if the master himself is active and
not lazy.
Only
a man with eyes and with a desire to see can be made
to see and not a blind man, likewise God lends his help
in answer to those prayers only that aim at the good
of all, and not those that are meant to injure any one.
He who only keeps on saying 'sugar is sweet, sugar is
sweet' can never taste the sweetness of sugar, nor obtain
it but he, who tries for it, sooner or later is sure
to get it.
13.
COMMUNION
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iii. Communion(upaasanaa). On this subject the
Upnishad says:-
"No tongue can express that bliss which flows, from
communion with the Supreme Spirit, into the soul of
that man whose impurities are washed off by the practice
of yoga, whose mind being abstracted from the outside
world is centred in the Supreme Spirit; because that
happiness is felt by the human soul in its inner self
alone."
The
word upaasanaa literally means to come close
to. All that is required in order to come close to God
by the practice of the the Octapartite (eight parts
or stages) yoga and directly see the Omnipresent, Omniscient
God should be accomplished.
14.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
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- Let
him cease to bear malice to any living being, let
him always love all.
- Let
him always speak the truth, never an untruth.
- Let
him never commit theft, and let him be honest in his
dealings.
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- Let
him practice self-control, never be lustful.
- Let
him be humble, never vain. "These five together comprise
the first stage of Upaasanaa and are called Yamas."
YOGA SHASTRA SADHANPAD, 30.
Next come the Niyamas which are also five:-
- "
Let a man be clean internally by renouncing all passions
and vicious desires, externally by the free use of
water, etc.
- Let
him work hard righteously but neither rejoice in the
resulting profit nor be sorrowful in case of loss.
Let him renounce sloth and be always cheerful and
active.
- Let
him keep his mind unruffled no matter whether he is
happy or miserable, and do righteous deeds.
- Let
him always study the books of true knowledge, and
teach them as well, and associate with good and pious
men, and let him contemplate and mentally recite Aum
which is the highest name of the Supreme Spirit.
- Let
him resign his soul to the Will of God." YOGA SHASTRA
SADHANPAD, 32. These five together constitute the
second stage of Upaasanaa Yoga.
The
remaining six stages can be studied from Yoga shastra
or our book called "An introduction to the Exposition
of the Four Vedas."
When
a man desires to engage in Upaasanaa (communion),
let him resort to a solitary, clean p;ace and get comfortably
seated, practise Praanaayaama (control of breath)
reatrain the senses from the pursuit of outward objects,
fix his mind on one of the following places:- the navel,
the heart, the throat, eyes, the top of the head or
the spine. Let him, then, discriminate between his own
soul and the Supreme Spirit, get absorbed in contemplation
of the latter and commune with Him. When a man follows
these practices his mind as well as the soul becomes
pure and imbued with righteousness. His knowledge and
wisdom advance day by day till he obtains salvation.
He who contemplated the Deity in this way for even one
hour out of the twenty-four hours always continues to
advance spiritually.
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216
15.
THE PRACTICE OF COMMUNION
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Upaasanaa is positive when God is contemplated
as possessed of such attributes as Omniscience, and
it is said to be negative when the human soul being
deeply absorbed in the Supreme Spirit - who even pervades
such a subtle thing as the human soul - contemplates
on Him as free from such qualities as malice, colour,
taste, smell and touch. Its result is that the soul,
by coming close to God, is rid of all its impurities,
sorrows and griefs, its nature, attributes and character
become pure like those of God Himself, just as a man
shivering from cold ceases to suffer from it by coming
close to fire.
Therefore
it behoves all to worship God - praise Him, pray to
Him and commune with Him. Leaving out the other results
that accrue from Divine Worship the gain in spiritual
strength is such that even the approach of pain or sorrow
of the greatest magnitude cannot disturb the mental
tranquility of the devotee. He is able to bear it most
patiently. Is this a trifling thing? Besides, he who
does not worship God is ungrateful as well as most foolish,
because it is nothing but extreme ingratitude and foolishness
to forget the kindness of that Supreme Spirit who has
freely given away all things of this world to his creature
to cease to believe in His very existence.
16.
How can God do the work which can only be done through
sense organs when He is devoid of them?
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A.-"God has no hands but grasps and moulds all things
by virtue of His Omnipotence. He has no feet but transcends
all in speed by virtue of His Omnipotence. He has no
eyes but sees all perfectly, no ears but hears all,
no internal organ of thought but knows all. No onecan
know His limits, has been eternally existing. He is
the Supreme Spirit that pervades all." SHWETA SHWETAR
UPANISHAD, 3, 19.
In other words, though devoid of senses and mind, He
does all His work by virtue of His Omnipotence.
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217
17.
Many persons say that He is 'void of all activity
and attribute.' Is this true?
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A.- "The Great Eternal Spirit undergoes no modifications,
requires no instruments to work with, has no equal nor
any superior. He is the Supremely Powerful Being, endowed
with innate Omniscience, Omnipresence and Infinite activity."
SHWETA SHWETAR UPANISHAD 6, 8.
Had God been destitute of activity, He could never create
the world, sustain it and reduce it to its elementary
form. He, therefore, being Omnipresent and Omniscient,
also possesses activity.
18.
When He acts, is His action finite or infinite?
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A.- In whatsoever space and time He wants to act, in
the same He does, neither in less nor in more; because
He is All-wise.
19.
Does God know His own limits or not?
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A.-
The Supreme Spirit is All-knowledge. For what is knowledge
but the cognizance of things just as they are. God is
Infinite, therefore His knowledge of Himself as Infinite
is true knowledge - the reverse is ignorance. To conceive
a thing as infinite when it is really finite or vice
versa is called ignorance. The conception of the nature,
attributes and character of things as they are is called
true knowledge. Therefore the Yoga Shastra defines God
thus:-
The All-pervading spirit, who is free from all pain
and grief (such as ignorance), and from desire for all
those deeds which are productive of results that are
good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant, or of a mixed character
and who is distinct from and superior to all souls,
is called God.
20.
Can the existence of God be proven by Direct Cognizance
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Q - "The existence of God cannot be proved owing
to want of evidence of direct cognizance, and "in the
absence of evidence of direct cognizance, there can
be no inferential and other evidences"; SANKHYA SHASTRA,
1,112; besides "from the absence of the relation of
Vyaapti (the relation of the
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218
pervader
to the pervaded) there can be no inference." SANKYA
SHASTRA 5,10,11. Both these kinds of evidence - Direct
Cognizance and Inference - being unavailable, other
kinds of evidence, such as Testimony of a truthful witness
are out of question. Therefore the existence of God
cannot be proved.
A.-
No, what the above aphorisms really mean is that the
evidence of direct cognizance is wanting not in order
to prove the existence of God but to prove Him as the
Material cause of the universe, for in the same chapter
occur the following aphorisms :-
"If the All-pervading Spirit be the Material Cause of
the universe, He would be transformed into various material
objects just as the primordial matter by the combination
of invisible and minute atoms becomes metamorphosed
into various visible and tangible objects. He is, therefore,
not the material cause of the universe but the efficient
cause." SANKHYA SHASTRA, 5,8.
"If
the Conscious Being - God - be the material cause of
the universe, He being possessed of infinite power,
the world also should possess infinite power. But such
is not the case. Therefore, God is not the material
but the efficient cause of the world." SANKHYA SHASTRA
5, 9.
"The
Upnishad also describes the primordial matter alone
as the material cause of the world" SANKYA SHASTRA 5,
12 as in the following verse:-
"the primordial matter is transformed into the diverse
objects of this world." SHWETA SHWETAR UPANISHAD 4,
5. Matter being subject to change is transformable,
whereas God - the All-pervading spirit - being unchangeable
is not metamorphosed into any other form or shape. He
is unchangeable and always resides in the interior of
the heart. Therefore, whosoever calls the sage Kapil
- the author of the above aphorism - an atheist, is
himself an atheist. Similarly,
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the
authors of the other Shastras, for instance, Mimaansaa
from the mention of the words Dharm and Dharmi, Vaisheshika
from that ot the word Ishwar (God) and Niyaaya from
that of Atmaa - All-pervading Spirit, are not athiests.
He, who is Omnipresent, Omniscient and even pervades
the human soul, is believed in by all of them - Mimaansaa,
Vaisheshika, etc. - to be God.
21.
Does God incarnate or not?
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A.- No; because it is said in the Yajur Veda. "He is
unborn." Again "He overspreads all." He is pure, is
never born and never takes on a human form." It is clear
from these quotations that God is never born.
Q.
But Krishna says in the Gita, "Whenever there is
decay of virtue, I take on a human form." GITA 4: 7.
What is your answer to this?
Being
opposed to the Veda, it cannot be held to be an authority.
Though it is possible that Krishna, being very virtuous
and being extremely anxious to further the cause of
righteousness, might have wished that he would like
to be born again and again at different times to protect
the good and punish the wicked. if such was the case,
there is no harm in it; because 'whatever the good and
the great possess - their wealth, their bodies, aye
eve their hearts - is at the service of humanity? In
spite of all this Krishna could never be God.
22.
Why do people then believe in the twenty-four incarnations
of God?
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Q.If this be the case, why do people then believe
in the twenty-four incarnations of God?
A.-
From want of knowledge of the Vedas, from being led
astray by the sectarians and being themselves uneducated,
people are involved in ignorance and, therefore, no
wonder, believe in and say such false things.
Q.
How could such wicked men as Raavana and Kansa be destroyed
if God did not incarnate?
A-
Firstly, whosoever is born, is sure to die. Secondly,
what are Kansa and Raavana, when compared with the Almighty
God,
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who
without being incarnated has created this world, is
sustaining it and can resolve it into its component
elements? He being Omnipresent also pervaded the bodies
of Kansa and Raavana and could at His will cut their
vitals and instantaneously kill them. What shall we
then call such a man but a fool who says that the Supreme
Spirit possessed of Infinite Power, attributes and activity
takes on a human form and becomes subject to births
and deaths in order to kill an insignificant creature.
Were
anyone to say that God incarnates for the salvation
of his devotees, then too it could not be true, for,
if the devotees conduct themselves according to the
Will of God, He is powerful enough to save them. What!
Is the destruction of a Kansa or a Raavana or the lifting
of a mountain, such as Govardhan, even more difficult
that the creation, sustenance and dissolution of the
sun, the moon and the earth and other planets? Whosoever
ponders over the great things that God has done in this
universe, cannot but come to the conclusion that "There
is no one like Him, nor shall ever be."
Nor
can the incarnation of God be demonstrated by reason,
just as as the saying of a man, that space entered a
womb or was put in a closed hand, can never be true,
for space being Infinite and Omnipresent can neither
go in, nor come out; similarly, God, being Infinite
and All-pervading, it can never be predicated of him
that He can go in or come out. Coming and going can
be possible only if it be believed that there are places
where He is not. Then was not God already present in
the womb and was not He already present outside that
He is said to have gone into and come out of it? Who
but men devoid of intelligence, can believe in and say
such things about God? Therefore, it should be understood
that Christ and other were also not incarnations of
the Deity, fear and grief, births and deaths, they were
all men.
23.
Does God forgive the sins of His devotees or not?
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A.- No; for, He were to forgive their sins, His Law
of Justice would be destroyed, and all men would become
most sinful. Knowing that their sins will be forgiven,
they will become fearless and will be greatly encourage
to commit sins. For example, if the ruler of a country
were to pardon the criminals, they would be encouraged
to commit crimes greater still. For knowing well that
the king
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will
not punish them, they will be confident in their minds
that they will get the king's pardon by folding their
palms and doing other acts of humility. Even those who
are not criminals, being no longer deterred by any fear
of punishment, will begin to commit crimes. Therefore,
it is but meet that God should give souls the just fruits
of their deeds and not to forgive their sins.
24.
Is the human soul a free-agent or otherwise?
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A.- It is a free-agent in the matter of performing deeds,
but it is subjected to the laws of God in the matter
of reaping the fruits thereof; He alone is said to be
a doer who is free to act.
25.
What is free-agent?
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A.- He is called a free-agent who has the body, the
vital forces, the senses and the mind subordinate to
his will. If the soul were not a free-agent it would
not reap the fruits of its deeds - good or bad. Jus
as soldiers acting under the direction of their commanding
officer are not held guilty of murder even on killing
many on the field of battle; similarly, if God were
to influence the course of human conduct or if human
actions were subordinate to His Will, it would not then
be the human souls that would have to bear the consequences
of those actions but God Himself.
Being
the prompter He alone would suffer pain or enjoy happiness.
Just as that man alone who murders another with some
kind of weapon is arrested and punished for the crime
and not the weapon; likewise, the souls subordinate
to the Will of God could not justly be made to reap
the fruits of their deeds - sinful or virtuous. It follows,
therefore, that the soul is free to act according to
its capacity, but once it has committed a sinful act,
it becomes subjected to the operation of the laws of
God, and thereby reaps the consequence of its sin. In
other words, the soul is a free-agent in so far as the
performance of deeds is concerned but it has to submit
to Divine laws in the matter of suffering pain and misery
for its sins.
26.
Had not God created the soul and endowed it with energy,
it could never have been able to do anything; hence
whatever a human soul does is done solely through
Divine impulse
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A.- The soul was never created. It is beginningless
like God and the material cause of the universe - primordial
matter. The body and bodily organs were made by God,
but they are all under the control of the soul. Now
whoever performs an act - good
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or
evil - reaps the fruit thereof and not God - the Maker
of his body and bodily organs. This we can illustrate
thus :- A man dug iron-ore out of a mountain, a merchant
bought it of him; a blacksmith bought it from the latter's
shop, and made a sword out of it and sold it to a soldier
who killed a man with it. It is not the miner, nor the
iron merchant, nor the blacksmith, nor the sword that
are held responsible by the king for the crime of murder
and punished. It is the soldier alone, who killed another
with the sword, that is apprehended. In the same way,
it is not God - the Maker of the body and bodily organs
- Who reaps the fruits of the deeds done by the soul.
On the other hand, He it is Who makes the soul bear
the consequences of its acts. Had God been the actual
doer, no soul would ever have committed a sin, because
being Pure and Righteous, He could never prompted any
soul to commit a sin. It, therefore, follows that the
soul is a free-agent in doing deeds and the same may
be predicated of God.
27.
What are God and the soul in essence, and what are
their natures, attributes and actions?
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A.- In essence they are both conscious entities. By
nature both are pure, immortal and virtuous, etc., but
the creation of the universe, its sustenance and dissolution
into elementary form and its control, the awarding of
the fruits of their deeds - good and evil - to souls
are the righteous actions of God; whilst the reproduction
and rearing of children, the distribution of knowledge
and arts, etc., are acts of the soul which may be virtuous
or sinful. Eternal knowledge, Eternal bliss and Omnipotence,
etc., are the attributes of God whilst those of souls
are :-
Desire
for the acquisition of things; repulsion, activity,
feelings of pleasure, feelings of pain, sorrow, displeasure;
consciousness, inspiration and expiration, nictation
- closing and opening of the eyes, organic growth, discernment,
memory and individuality, movement, regulation of the
senses, internal changes and disorders, such as hunger
and thirst, joy or sorrow, etc., are the attributes
of the soul which distinguish it from God. The existence
of the soul is known only by these attributes. as it
is not material nor perceptible by the senses. These
attributes manifest themselves only so long as the soul
is present in the body, but cease to do so as soon
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as
the soul leaves it. Those qualities that manifest themselves
in the presence of a substance and cease to do so in
its absence belong to that substances alone; as for
example, light is the property of the sun and of the
lamp, because it is absent in their absence and present
in their presence. Similarly, God and the soul are known
by their attributes.
Q.
28.
God being cognizant of the three periods of time (the
past, present and the future), knows all things about
the future, and as God knows so has the soul to act,
consequently the soul ceases to be a free-agent. God,
therefore, cannot be justified in punishing it for
its misdeeds, because it acts in accordance with what
God before knew.
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A.- It is foolishness to speak of God as being cognizant
of the three periods of time, because what ceases to
exist is called the Past, and what does not exist but
will come into existence is called the Future. Now is
there any kind of knowledge that ceases to exist with
God or that He does not possess in the present but will
possess in the future? Hence God's knowledge is always
uniform and uninterrupted. He always lives in the Present.
The past and the future relate to the human soul only.
It is true, though, that the knowledge of three periods
of time can be said to exist in God when it is spoken
of in relation to the actions of the soul, but not absolutely.
As
the soul acts by virtue of its free will, so does God
know, what it does, by virtue of His Omniscience, and
as God knows, so the soul acts. In other words, God
possess the knowledge of the past, the present, and
the future and gives soul their deserts; whilst the
soul is a free-agent in whatever it does and in possessing
a limited knowledge of the present. Just as God's knowledge
of actions of human souls is beginningless, so is His
knowledge of awarding just punishment. Both kinds of
knowledge in Him are true. Can it ever be possible that
the knowledge of actions, be true while that of doing
justice be false? Hence your objection does not hold
good.
29.
Are the souls in different bodies distinct or is there
only one soul pervading them all?
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A.- Distinct. Had there been only one soul pervading
them all, wakeful state, slumber, deep sleep, birth
and death, union and
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disunion
(with the body and the senses) could never take place;
the nature of the soul, therefore, is finite, and so
is its knowledge; it is also subtle, whilst God is still
more subtle, Infinite, Omnipresent, Omniscient by nature.
Hence God and the human soul stand in the relation of
the pervader to the pervaded.
Q.One
thing cannot contain another at the same time; therefore,
God and the soul can only be in the relation of close
union but not in that of the pervader to the pervaded.
A.-
This law holds good in the case of things of the same
condition but not in that of different conditions; just
as iron is gross while electricity is subtle, the latter
pervades the former and resides in the same space with
itl Similarly, the human soul less subtle than God,
whist the latter more subtle than the former, therefore
it is that God pervades the human soul while the latter
is pervaded by the former.
Just
as God and the soul stand to each other in the relation
of the pervader and the pervaded, so do they do in the
relations of one who is served and the servitor, the
supporter and the supported, the Master and the servant,
the Ruler and the ruled, the Father and the son.
30.
If God and the human soul be different, how will you
interpret the following mighty texts of the Vedas?
- "I am God," Thou art God" and " The soul is God."
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A.- These are not Vedic texts at all, but quotations
from the Brahmanas. They nowhere called 'mighty texts'
in the true shastras. Their true meanings are as follow:-
We take the first quotation which does not mean " I
am God" but " I live in God."
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Here
is used what is called substitution of the thing that
contains or supports ofr the thing which is contained
therein or supported thereby'; just as we say "watch-platforms
are shouting." Now the platforms, being inanimate, do
not possess the power of shouting; hence it means that
the men on those platforms shout. Thus the platforms,
that support the watchmen, are substituted for the men
wo are supported by. Similarly it should be understood
in the above text that God the support is substituted
for the soul which is supported thereby or contained
therein.
If
you say that all things exist in God what is then the
special object of saying that the soul exists in God?
We answer that though it is true that all things exist
in God, nothing is so close to God as the human soul.
Being possessed of similar attributes, it is only the
human soul that can know God, and during the time of
salvation lives in the very presence of God, having
direct cognizance of Him all the time. Hence the relation
of God to the soul is that of a container or supporter
to the thing contained therein or supported thereby
and that of one companion to another.
It
is clear, therefore, that God and the soul are not one.
Just as a person says in reference to another 'He and
I are one', i.e., in complete harmony with each other,
in the same way, the human soul, being irresistable
drawn towards God by its extreme love for Him and thereby
completely immersed in Him during Samaadhi can say "God
and I are one", that is, in harmony with each other
as well as occuying the same space. That soul alone
can declare its unity or harmony with God by virtue
of similarities of attributes that becomes like God
in its nature, attributes and character.
Q.Well,
what meaning will you give to the second text "(tat)
God (twam) Thour (asi) art i.e., O soul! Thou art God."
A.-
What do you understand by the word (tat)?
Q.Brahma
(God).
A.-
How do you know that the word (tat) refer to Brahma?
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Q.Because
there is mention of the word Brahma in the sentence
preceding the above quotation. (Tadeva.......advitiyam)
A.-
It seems that you have never read the Chhaandogya Upanishad
(the book from which the quotation was taken). Had you
read you would not have made the wrong statement that
the word Brahma occurs in the said text. The true text
runs as (Tadeva....advitiyam). There is no such word
as Brahma there.
Q.What
do you understand by the word tat then?
A.-
That Supreme Spirit should be sought after. He is infinitely
subject. He is the Soul of the whole material universe
as well as of the human soul: The Self-same Spirit is
the Great Reality. He Himself is His Own soul. O my
dear son Swetketo! (Tat) "that Omniscient, Supreme Spirit
is within thee." For instance the great sage Yajnavalkya
say to his wife in the Brahadaranyak Umnishad " O Maitreyi,
The Great God reside within the soul and is yet distinct
form it. The ignorant soul does not know that the Supreme
Spirit pervades it. The soul is a body unto Him. In
other words, just as the soul resides in the body, so
does God reside within the soul, and yet He is distinct
from it. He witnesses the deeds - good and evil - of
the soul and gives it its deserts and thereby keeps
it under control. Do Thou know O Maitreyi, that the
ver same Immortal, Omniscient Being resides within they
soul."
Can anyone give a different meaning to texts like these?
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Now
about the third so-called 'mighty text' "This (soul
is God (Brahma)." Its true sense is that when during
the state of trance (samadhi) a yogi gets direct cognition
of God, i.e., sees God, he says: "This (the very God
who resides within me) is Brahma, i.e., pervades t |
