Posted on: 29 Jul 2007
God created this world with happiness and misery, which are alternate cyclically like the spokes in a rotating wheel. God arranged the fruits of good and bad deeds in an alternating manner even though the good or bad deeds may be done repeatedly in sequence. This reshuffled arrangement of happiness and misery resembles sweet and hot dishes in a meal or a movie containing scenes of both happiness and tragedy in an alternating manner. This system of alternating arrangement of happiness and sorrow gives continuous entertainment not only to God but also to the individual soul. Thus, the basic intention of God is only to entertain Himself and also all the individual souls. Any one thing, either happiness or misery, gets boring, if it is continuous. Boredom itself is misery. If you compel God to give happiness continuously through your prayers and worship, God will drag the happiness from your future life cycle like the premature enashment of a fixed deposit with reduced value, and hand it over to you. However, He will not give any happiness to you if there is no balance of good deeds [in your file of karma]. As an impartial judge, He will not give happiness to you if there is no good deed in your list. Therefore, asking God for continuous happiness is the most foolish solution because it bores you, giving misery to you at the expense of good deeds. You are purchasing misery with your hard earned cash! Moreover, when all the good deeds are exhausted, you will have continuous misery alone in all your future births. Therefore, praying to God to solve a problem is the most foolish path of ignorance. Happiness attained in this way is temporary. Hence, the permanent solution is only to learn to enjoy both good and bad results and attain continuous happiness without getting bored. This is real bliss.
Bliss is the state of God, who is entertained by this world having alternating scenes of happiness and misery. You have already learnt to be happy while enjoying the happiness. Now through spiritual knowledge and continuous practice, learn to equally enjoy the misery also. Then, your enjoyment becomes continuous and without boredom, due to the absence of any single continuous phase (happiness or misery). You have attained the state of God, which is possible through effort. Now you can say that you are God because the maximum possible state of God that one can achieve, has been achieved (Madbhavamagatah…—Gita). Creation, Ruling and Destruction of this world are impossible to attain for any individual soul in spite of any amount of effort. Hence these three capabilities are irrelevant to the spiritual effort. If you attain that goal which is attainable, it is certainly complete success. Then you can claim that you are God to the maximum extent that this is possible.
If you are irritated with misery, you are indirectly criticizing God for His creation of misery in this world. A poet becomes fully happy, if you are entertained by each poem written by him. If you are irritated with some poems, the poet will be unhappy with you. The poet himself is happy with each poem written by him. Therefore, if you dislike anybody or anything in this world, it amounts to disliking a particular poem of the Poet. If you love even the greatest sinner, who is your bitterest enemy and if you like every situation in this world, then it means that you like every poem of the Poet in his epic (world). This is the best way of pleasing God. The producer and director created a movie and if you are his beloved servant, you should like every scene and every role in the movie created by him, while you are giving company to him in watching the movie. Anything created in this world exists because God liked it. Hence, if you dislike anything or anybody, it means that you dislike a part of His creation, which exists because He has already liked it. If you are a true devotee and a loyal servant of God, His liking must be your liking. Everything and everybody exists in this creation only because God likes everything and everybody in this creation. If He does not like anything or anybody, such a thing or such a living being would not be created at all. Whatever is exists, is created by God and it was created because God liked it. You must also like everything and everybody in His system since it was created by Him. Even the atheist, who scolds God, is liked by God like a hot dish of chillies in the meals. In fact, God requested His loyal servant, Jaya, who stands before His gate, to take the role of Shishupala and scold Him continuously a hundred times! God wanted to eat a hundred hot dishes one after the other, since He was bored with the continuous sweet praises of devotees. You must know that the producer and director of the movie pays the actor of the villain-role also, because without the villain the hero cannot shine at all.
If you want to attain the attainable state of God, you must also like the atheist like hot chillies in your meals. When the hatred, rejection or repulsion to anything and anybody completely disappears from your heart, I assuredly tell all of you that such a person has attained the possible state of God completely and you can call Him as God. When there is no break in the continuous love of everything and everybody and when there is continuous bliss, I assuredly tell all of you that such a person has really become God.
Bajji is a special snack, which is prepared by frying chillies[1] that are dipped in a batter of gram flour. It is the hottest dish. There are three types of chillies. The chillies from the Ballari region are mild. The chillies from other regions are medium hot. The chillies from the Guntur region are the hottest. The bajjies prepared from these three types of chillies represent misery of mild, medium and high intensities. Some people weep even for mild difficulties. Some people weep for difficulties of medium intensity. All people weep for the topmost difficulty, which comes at the time of death, while leaving this gross body, when one has to cut bonds with everything and everybody. Thus, death can be compared to the bajji made from Guntur chillies. The Gita says that if one can remain in bliss even in the state of death, such a person is in the permanent state of God (Esha Brahmi Sthitih…—Gita). In the last stage of Lord Krishna’s life, while His foot was bleeding, Lord Krishna was smiling as He narrated the future of this world in the coming Kali age to Sage Narada. Jesus did not fear or weep even on the cross and He was preaching about God even in that last state by assuring salvation to the person next to him, who was also crucified but had surrendered to Jesus. Rama jumped into River Sarayu with a smiling face. Hanuman tore open His own chest with His nails without any trace of sorrow on the face. Therefore, if you can also enjoy the bajji of Guntur chillies (death), you are sure to have continuous enjoyment. I belong to the region of Guntur!
While eating a hot dish, you will be breathing hard, tears will be flowing from your eyes and your tongue will be throbbing. All these are external symptoms of misery and your internal enjoyment in eating the hot dish is not indicated by these external symptoms[2]. Such equal enjoyment of good and bad results is called as Yoga (Samatvam Yoga…—Gita), which means the possible attainment of the state of God. Without attaining this yoga, there is no meaning if an Advaita philosopher says that he is God since his soul and God are the same pure awareness. All other meanings attributed to Yoga like physical and mental exercises are misinterpretations of the word Yoga.
What is Real and What is Unreal?
The happiness and misery in this world are based on the bonds you have with items present in the world. Real matter and real energy constitute these forms. The forms are only unreal designs of matter and energy. In a movie all the items are unreal designs of real energy [light] alone. In a drama all the items are mostly unreal designs of real matter and some energy also exists in the drama as the light focused on the stage. For God, this entire world is a movie, which is just the imagination of the awareness or nervous energy. Therefore, there is no difference between a movie and an imaginary world except that the movie is made of visible light energy and the imaginary world is made of invisible nervous energy or mind. For individual souls, this world is a drama consisting of real materials and real human beings having an equal status as observers (individual souls existing in human bodies called as human beings). Hence, the world is equally real as the observing individual soul. But in the case of a movie, the observer is real matter, whereas the movie is real energy, which is weaker than matter in expression. Hence, the observer is at a higher status in view of the strength of expression. If you take the imaginary world, which is made of the weakest real energy or mind, the observer is at a far higher status. In the case of God observing this world, God is at the highest status as the ultimate absolute reality whereas the world is totally a relative reality. However, from the view of God or the individual soul, the bonds in the world are totally unreal and illusory. They are related to the totally unreal designs of energy and matter. One bond is full of love for a particular design and another bond is full of anger for another particular design. Since the design is unreal, the related bonds must be unreal.
The design does not exist before its production and after its destruction. That which did not exist in the past and will not exist in the future cannot exist in the present also. Therefore, its existence in the present is only illusory. The love and anger in those bonds are foolish and if you analyze, even love and anger are unreal because they are qualities. A quality is also an unreal design of the mental energy. Hence, the love from somebody and the anger from someone else are also unreal and your love and anger based on such qualities are also unreal. Therefore, your bond based on the unreal design, which defines the individuality of a human being like wife, son, father, mother etc., must be also unreal. Your bond based on the personality of unreal qualities must be also unreal. Therefore, when Shankara said that the world is unreal (relatively real), it means that only the world made of these unreal bonds is unreal for individual souls. Matter, energy and awareness (also a form of energy) are real for individual souls and hence the world made of these three items is not unreal. But, for God, the entire world is unreal. However, for both God and the individual soul, the common world consisting of the unreal bonds is unreal, which is the basis of the entertainment.
You can get entertained only with unreal items. The entertainment is not at all got from matter, energy and awareness, which are three uniform phases without any difference[3]. The difference alone causes the design and brings about limits which cause individuality. The cosmos is a single phase. It consists of matter, energy and awareness which are inter convertible and can be reduced to a final single phase of cosmic energy. This cosmic energy (cosmos) is called as Brahman, in the form of creation (Karya Brahman) and this cannot give any entertainment. If you try to analyze God (Karana Brahman), it is also a homogeneous phase of an unimaginable entity[4]. Shankara represented God by this single-phased cosmic energy in the form of awareness or Karya Brahman. Awareness is a special work-form of energy. This clearly means that neither is Karya Brahman God nor does God charge Karya Brahman homogeneously. If such charging were to take place, there would be no difference between the seer and the seen. Such charging takes place only in the case of a human incarnation because if an individual soul is charged by God, that human incarnation can be the seer of the rest uncharged world (cosmic energy).
Beyond Unreal Love and Hatred—Universal Spirituality
Therefore, analyze both love and hatred and realize that both are foolish as far as worldly bonds are concerned. Based on such foolish ignorance, if you become corrupt in your life for the sake of some unreal bonds and as a result if you are thrown into hell, you are the biggest fool. All this happens due to the lack of analytical spiritual knowledge. If you destroy these foolish ignorant bonds from your heart and entertain yourself continuously with these unreal bonds, you will be called as a Sthitaprajna (Prajahati Yada…—Gita), which means a person whose intelligence is firm by constant analysis. Divert your entire unreal love to God, who is the absolute reality and your love also becomes an absolute reality. Divert all your unreal hatred towards the above-said foolish ignorance and then your hatred becomes real and meaningful.
By this you can also avoid the unreal love towards your own religion, which is called conservatism. Religion is also an unreal design having individuality and limits. Then, you can avoid the hatred towards other religions based on the same analysis. There is one God and there is one message from God to all human beings on this earth. That message is Universal Spirituality. All the merits of each religion are concepts of Universal Spirituality. The unity in diversity among various forms of God and among various branches of philosophy, related to different levels, is an aspect of Hinduism that can be appreciated. Love and compassion leading to social service of the needy, in the name of God, should be appreciated from Christianity. Sincere faith in God and a disciplined life must be appreciated from Islam. Control of desire through analysis carried out by intelligence (Buddhi), leading to justice and social service must be appreciated from Buddhism. Non-violence even towards animals and birds by avoiding non-vegetarian food, must be appreciated about Jainism. Avoiding the projection of non-God items as God through a systematic analysis of the world must be appreciated about science.
The Truth About Brahma Loka
People think that Brahma Loka is a place like America[5]. Brahma Loka means the life in contact with the God existing in human form on this earth and the God existing in an energetic form in the upper world. If a person on earth is in contact with the human incarnation of God and subsequently after his death, he comes in contact with the energetic form of God in the upper world, such a person is said to be in the eternal Brahma Loka, since he recognizes God here and there. This is stated as eternal life with God or Paramdhama (Tat dhama paramam mama—Gita). The soul is in a human body on this earth and is in an energetic form in the upper world. Therefore, God exists in the same common medium as that liberated soul, to give His eternal association to that soul (Nasapunaravartate…—Brahma Sutra). There are devotees, who in this world, have worshipped a statue of an energetic form of God, or have worshipped a past human incarnation instead of the contemporary human incarnation, due to ego and jealousy. They will reach the energetic form of God in Brahma Loka, but they will return back due to the repulsion between common media since they will also be in the same energetic form (Punaravartinorjuna…—Gita), when they come in contact with God.
People have misunderstood that one who reaches God, who is present in some medium (Karya Brahman), reaches the original God (Parabrahman or Nirguna Brahman), when the God in the medium (Karya Brahman) dissolves into the original God during the final dissolution of the world. Even if the medium dissolves, the soul cannot reach the unimaginable God because when the medium dissolves, the soul also dissolves. The soul is a part of creation called as Para Prakriti in the Gita. The original single state of God before the first creation will not be attained again because God is not foolish to destroy the creation, which was created for His entertainment. You may say that God has the power to create it again. A producer of a movie may be very rich to create the movie again but if he does so, he will certainly be called a fool.
The dissolution of creation means closing the show of the movie on the screen; but, the movie is stored in the form of a film. Such a subtle state of creation is called as Avyaktam. Therefore, there is no question of dissolution of God present in a medium (Karya Brahman or Ishwara). Since the medium exists, the soul also exists and hence the association with God becomes eternal. If you say that the soul has to dissolve in God, like sugar dissolving in water, the molecules of sugar remain separate along with the molecules of water. Here, the sugar exists separately in water in an invisible microscopic state. If you say that the sugar must be transformed into water, the molecules of sugar have to be re-arranged into molecules of water by the re-arrangement of fundamental particles (protons, neutrons and electrons). Then the total number of water molecules increase. It means God will increase in size after the transformation of the soul into God. This is not acceptable because God is constant without any change. Alternatively, the soul should disappear and this is possible when the film is destroyed. But God is never such a fool! The single state of God[6] is possible because it existed before the first creation and if God wishes, it can be attained again. We do not say that it is impossible for God. We only say that God is wise enough to continue the creation in microstate[7] of a film, so that it can be projected for entertainment again and again. Hence, when the devotee reaches Ishwara, the devotee has reached the original God also.
The original God may even enter the devotee like electric current entering a metallic wire which is in contact with a live wire. In such a case, you can say that the soul became God from a normal external point of view and you can call this as monism (Advaita). But in subtle view, God charges the soul and therefore dualism exists even in this monism, upon deep analysis. When sugar dissolves in water, you may say it is monism but in the subtle view, dualism exists because the invisible sugar molecules exist separately along with the molecules of water, as you can see through a microscope.
The Secret to Rising Higher
The high devotees of God serve His office (society or world) as employees and take a salary. God is pleased with them also. The Pandavas served God in establishing justice in the world for which they were paid a salary (in the form of a kingdom) in this world and the attained heaven after their death. The Pandavas went up only to heaven (Swargarohana Parva). The higher devotees of God serve His family members or His closest devotees belonging to His innermost circle. Hanuman served Sita by protecting her through the war. He also served Lakshmana by bringing the Sanjeevani herb and He served Bharata by saving his life. Even today Hanuman serves the real devotees of God. Hanuman became God and His protecting the devotees of God can continue as usual. The highest devotees of God serve Him directly like the Gopikas. They were given Goloka where they can continue their direct service to God. There is not much difference between the higher and the highest devotees. God is extremely pleased in both cases because God loves His innermost devotees equally as Himself. He does not differentiate between the service done to Him and the service done to His closest devotees.
Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhva, Meera etc., carried out the propagation of knowledge and devotion related to God alone. Hence they are also the highest devotees. Since the propagation was aimed at the majority of human beings, which suffers from ego and jealousy, they did not take the concept of contemporary human incarnation. For this majority, they selected the suitable forms of God which are: (1) God in the medium of awareness which was named as Awareness by Shankara, (2) God in the medium of an energetic body like Narayana or (3) God in the medium of a past human form like Krishna. Thus the devotees will reach Brahma Loka temporarily, but shortly such devotees will reach Brahma Loka permanently by overcoming their ego and jealousy towards the contemporary human incarnation.
If you want to rise in life to higher and higher levels, you need not pray to God for that, because God is always anxious to bring you up to the highest level. God wants every soul to come up to His level or even to rise up higher than Him. This is the attitude of a father towards all His children. God created all the souls and hence He is the Divine Father of all the souls (Ahambija pradah pita—Gita). He is the constant Father in all the births of the soul unlike a father-soul[8], who is limited to the present birth alone. His affection towards the souls is far superior to ordinary paternal affection. Therefore, He always dreams to and is ready to bring any soul up to the highest level. Then what is the hurdle? The only hurdle that stops Him is the consequence of your behavior after you are given the highest level. Your ego will increase tremendously and as a result of this ego you will fall down to a level far below your feet. Instead of such a drastic fall, your present position on the earth[9] is far better and hence God is not helping you to come up. Therefore, learn humbleness and be submissive always. If God gets the confidence that you will not fall down after reaching higher levels, God will immediately push you up. As you suppress your ego more and more to lower and lower levels, God will bring you up more and more to the higher levels.
Most of you use a fan all the time in your home and office. Observe the fan constantly and learn a lesson from it. It will be your best spiritual preacher. The fan draws a zero in the space by every revolution. It is reminding that by itself is just a zero and that the real hero is the electric current that is making it rotate and give air. People think that the fan is giving the air. The fan should then develop ego due to the praise. But it is very careful in passing on the entire credit to the current, while it constantly feels that it is zero by itself. If the electric current is absent, the fan cannot move even an inch. Similarly, whenever anyone praises you for any good work, feel that you are zero like the fan and pass on the entire credit to God, who is the real hero. If you can develop this behavior, you will reach unimaginable heights very shortly. Instead, people want to hear their own praise from others. Some people boast constantly about themselves by narrating some incidents and they want others to appreciate them.
Best Worship
The best worship of God is not by offering flowers etc. Instead, constantly remember God’s help in past incidents of your life and feel grateful to Him with tears in your eyes. Try to express gratefulness for the past help and you will be helped in the present and future without asking for it. If you cannot recognize the contemporary human incarnation and if you cannot sacrifice in any way in His mission, at least remember the previous help and be grateful to the invisible God. Don’t ask for anything at least at that time. God will certainly be pleased with you and He will help you in your life. Regarding the case of devotees, who serve God in the present human form, without aspiring for anything in return, they will receive eternal love from God. The fruit of His eternal love is unimaginable!
Creation is Real For Souls
This creation consists of matter, awareness and energy as its components. Matter takes different forms like a pot, table etc. Energy takes different work-forms like light, heat etc. Awareness is also a special work-form of energy, which is generated when the energy functions through a special system called as the nervous system and the brain. The work-forms of awareness are ideas, which if they become firm, are called as qualities (Gunas). For example, charity is a quality, which in the initial stage is only an idea. This world is said to be constituted of the three fundamental qualities (Sattvam, Rajas and Tamas). But one must remember that this world is made of the three qualities only from the point view of God. This means that only for God is this entire creation imaginary. For a soul, it is not so. For a soul, this world is made of matter, energy and awareness. In fact, matter and awareness are also different forms of energy. Hence, basically creation is made of energy alone. Awareness is the weakest form of energy. Hence, the conclusion is that this world which is made of energy is the weakest for God. Thus, this world is just an imagination for God. For the soul, the world is very strong because the soul itself is awareness, which is the weakest form of energy. This is the scientific explanation for the creation being strong and real for the soul, while for God, the world is just the weakest form of energy or awareness that is modified into qualities.
For God, the imaginary world is made of awareness, which does not require the existence of a nervous system because the unimaginable God does not require the rules of nature as required by the soul. This is said in the Veda that God can walk without feet etc., (Apani Pado...). The knowledge-part is Sattvam, the static inert part is Tamas and the kinetic inert part is Rajas. All these three qualities exist in the imaginary world of God. God is said to be associated with this creation constituted of these three qualities (Trigunatmaka). Your spiritual effort also needs the existence of these three qualities and hence your effort (sadhana) is also constituted of these three qualities. Before making a conclusion, you must analyze the subject from various angles so that after the decision you must not have any doubt. This analysis is Sattvam. The firmness in the decision which stands like a rock, which cannot be shaken by your mind, your family or the public, is called Tamas. The conversion of this firm decision into practice leads to Rajas, because practice or work is Rajas. You must meditate on the God associated with creation, who is constituted of the three qualities, (Ishwara or Saguna Brahman) through your spiritual effort that is also constituted of the three qualities.
Need for Ishwara and Avatara
For meditation, Ishwara (God associated with Brahmanda or the world) is sufficient. But for direct service and for direct clarification of doubts, the same God in human form (Pindanda) is required. This is denoted by the three threads of the Yajnopavitam[10] given to you during Upanayanam, which means that you are taken towards God. The three threads are just a symbolic representation of the concept and hence one need not worry whether one wears the three threads or not. It is foolishness to think that the three threads will do something directly. If the concept is grasped, there is no need of the symbolic representative model. The realized soul (Sanyasin) throws away this symbol since the concept is understood. Without understanding this point, people are quarrelling with each other that the Upanayanam is done only for a fraction of people.
In fact, it should be done only for a fraction of people, who are interested in the spiritual effort and this should not be decided by birth or sex. Swami Dayananda tried to bring out this truth and save Hindus from internal hatred. Unfortunately He was opposed and killed by the ignorant selfish Hindus, who blindly believe in birth and sex as the eligibility criteria to reach God. Even Shankara stated that there is no caste or sex for the spiritual effort.[11] Shankara even fell at the feet of an untouchable scholar. He was also killed by black magic for such revolutionary reformation. Krishna clearly stated that the caste system introduced by Him was based on the qualities and actions of the soul and not on birth (Guna Karma Vibhagashah…—Gita).
Necessity of Correct Analysis
Shankara said that God is awareness. By this He means that God is always in human form for human beings. Awareness is not available independently anywhere without a gross body. Therefore, the awareness mentioned by Shankara, indicates the human body. Mentioning awareness eliminates statues and pictures, which are inert. Of course, statues and pictures are essential for worship for beginners, who cannot accept the human form due to ego and jealousy. Hence, you should not criticize idol worship otherwise the majority, which is trying to get rid of their ignorance gradually, will be hurt. You should not condemn idol worship but you should analyze the truth in it and try to help the beginners to reach higher.
Any effort is always defective in the beginning (Sarvarambhahi doshena...—Gita). Awareness is the identity card of God for humanity. This can be understood from Lakshana[12] from Tarka Shastra[13]. According to it, when you call out “Apples”, to a person selling apples in the street, the word ‘apples’ indicates the possessor of the basket of apples[14]. The apples are in the basket and the basket is on the head of the seller. This does not mean that the seller is an apple. Similarly, the awareness is in the human body and God is in the human body. God is neither the awareness nor the human body. God charged the human body that contains awareness. The main program of God is to give spiritual guidance. Hence, you cannot take a living being like a bird or animal, since it cannot preach the spiritual knowledge. Hence, awareness in this context, indicates human body alone. The specialty of awareness is that awareness is the basic material of knowledge. Hence, from the viewpoint of the importance of knowledge in spiritual guidance, the essential basic material (awareness) is indicated here. Every human being cannot give such spiritual guidance and hence every human being is not God. There is no question of calling every living being as God. Only the topmost spiritual preacher like Krishna, Jesus, Mohammad, Buddha etc., can be the human form of God. The other spiritual preachers, catering to the lower levels are the liberated souls, who are the servants of God, who have incarnated to help His mission. Without understanding all this, if you foolishly argue that awareness is God, and since awareness is in every living being, that every living being is God, you have not understood even an alphabet in the preaching of Shankara.
You require the knowledge of all the Shastras to understand the Veda and Shankara (Tasmat Shastram…—Gita). The Brahma Sutras also tell you that you can understand God only through the Shastras (Shastra yonitvat). The word Shastra is limited to the elaborate logic that is essential to understand the Veda. The Veda (Shruti) is the primary text. The Smritis like the Gita, are secondary texts. Yukti is logical analysis, which is the Shastram. Finally, Anubhava is practical experience and this is the most important. If anubhava is contradicted, your interpretation of the texts is wrong due to your wrong logic. Sometimes, the experience of a foolish ignorant person stands in the way and to negate it, logic is needed. The experience of scholars (Vidvadanubhava) should be taken. The experience of the majority is not the point here. The texts and logic help us avoid the experience of the ignorant majority. Let us analyze your foolish argument that since awareness is God, every living being must be God. In such a case, our practical experience is that awareness exists as discontinuous bits in different living beings, which are separate from each other. Now if awareness is God, either there are several Gods or God is divided into bits. Both these possibilities are denied by Shankara, who says that God has neither Sajatiya bheda (many Gods) nor Svagata bheda (God in bits). You cannot say that the space between two living beings is also awareness and hence the awareness is one, which pervades homogeneously. This is against practical experience of all, including scholars. The space between living beings is inert and the air in that space is also inert. If you claim that you are the only scholar who experiences awareness everywhere, then there is an equal possibility that you are mad. When there is an alternative excellent solution, why should you cling on to your madness?
The alternative excellent solution is that a particular human being like Krishna alone is God. The awareness in Him is one and is homogeneous and hence there is no Sajatiya bheda or Svagata bheda. Also, because the awareness pervades all over the human body, it is called as Atman. This charged soul can be treated as God because a wire charged by electric current, can be treated as the current itself. The word Atman can be used for the gross body also in Sanskrit. Hence the entire human being is charged by God and can be treated as God. The little and tender finger of Krishna lifted the mountain for seven days and this proves that the entire human body was also charged by the unimaginable God. The human body became unimaginable and hence the mountain was lifted on the little finger. The wire charged by the electric current gets the property of the current and gives a shock. Similarly, the unimaginable nature of God is seen in that human body also. Such a miracle is needed for atheists. For theists, miracles are not necessary and spiritual guidance is sufficient.
Shankara said that God does not even have Vijatiya bheda. This means that there is no existence of a second item other than God. If you take this in the absolute sense, then there is no entertainment for God, since He always remains alone (Ekaki Naramate…—Veda). Therefore you should take this in a relative sense. The world exists as a relatively real item. The imagination of any person is relatively real. The awareness in the form of mind is the absolute reality in him. The imaginary world is relatively real and it does not exist at all if the absolute reality is absent. This means that this world is under the full control of God like the imaginary world is under the control of the mind of a person. Now, this is also possible in the case of Krishna, who can control this world, as He likes. But this aspect is not at all seen in the case of any other human being. Therefore, the world is almost unreal or unreal only for God. Hence there is no Vijatiya bheda for God or for Krishna who was charged by God. For any other human being, the world is more real and stronger than him. So you cannot say that Vijatiya bheda is absent, if an individual soul is to be treated as God.
Brahma Vidya is most difficult because you have to recognize a co-human form as God. This is possible only if you conquer your ego and jealousy. For training, you can start with removing your ego and jealousy towards other co-human beings. Do not be jealous of any human being and do not be egotistic towards any human being. By this training, you will conquer ego and jealousy towards co-human forms and shortly you will recognize God in human form. In the training period, you can treat every human being as God, to avoid ego and jealousy. But this is not truth and hence you need not worship a bad person without discrimination. You can worship all good people and especially all devotees of God. God treats His devotee as greater than Himself. God will bless you shortly by revealing His identity to you, if you complete the training successfully.
The Advaita philosopher treats every human being (living being) as God, not to love all as God, but only to treat himself as God. The intention is not to train himself to remove his ego and jealousy, but to increase his ego by becoming God! If you think that by saying that the Prime Minister is in Delhi, means that the Prime Minister is present in every house in Delhi, it is foolishness. You have to recognize his particular residence. If you think that he lives in some house that he actually does not live in, you are better, because at least your concept is improved. At least you know that he lives in one house and not in every house! Therefore, it is better to worship some deserving person like a poor devotee as God, instead of treating everybody as God. Treating a statue or a picture as God, is like treating a vacant inert house as the living Prime Minister himself!
Today is Guru Pournima[15]. If you recognize Guru as a particular human form of God, the Guru Pournima is meaningful and it becomes complete by this full moon. If your recognition is correct, the full moon is spotless. But the full moon has black spots, which are your defects of ego and jealousy towards the co-human form and this is the main black spot, even though your spiritual effort is full of devotion. The lack of perfect logical analysis is the black spot in this full moon-like full devotion of your spiritual effort.
[1] Peppers.
[2] Even though your external symptoms are of misery, internally you will be enjoying the hot dish tremendously.
[3] Difference here is in the sense of contrast which is needed to make any design.
[4] No part of God is imaginable. So He is homogeneously unimaginable.
[5] Place of eternal bliss and luxury.
[6] Alone; without any creation.
[7] Subtle state
[8] One’s father in this birth, who is a mere soul.
[9] Middle level; neither too high nor too low.
[10] The sacred thread that is worn after the thread ceremony (Upanayanam). The ceremony is somewhat similar to baptism.
[11] Refer to Shankara’s commentary on the first Brahma Sutra.
[12] Indications or characteristic identifiers.
[13] Ancient Indian Logic.
[14] In the sense of a metonymy (figure of speech)
[15] Full Moon Day of Guru.