Posted on: 03 Mar 2018
Shri Anil asked: Padanamaskaram Swami
Kindly give Your answers to the following questions from internet
1) An ISKCON devotee state that Krishna has an eternal spiritual body and when Krishna came here His body was not ordinary body but this special body only by quoting the below verse from Brahma Samhita and its translation given by somebody. By this he wants to state that Krishna do not come in ordinary human body. Kindly clarify.
First Stanza of Sri Brahma-Samhita
isvarah paramah krsnah
sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
sarva-karana karanam
Translation: Krsna who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.
Swami replied: The above verse does not say that the body of Krishna is eternal. The body of Krishna made by five elements perished here and Arjuna performed all the ending rituals of the dead body of Krishna. He says that He enters the human body (manusheem tanumashritam) and also says that His body has birth (janma karmacha me…). Of course, after the destruction of materialistic body, the soul of Krishna, which is charged by the unimaginable God, went up to goloka in energetic body and this is common in the case of any soul going to upper world in energetic body. Any soul goes to the upper world in an energetic body. The difference is only that the unimaginable God existed in Krishna while He was in the materialized body and while He is in the energetic body after the death of materialized body. It is only the excess of unimaginable love of ISCKON devotees towards Krishna to deal the body or medium also as the unimaginable God. This point is also true since it is said that God pervades the medium internally as well as externally (antarbahishcha – Veda). Since His body also became unimaginable God, His tender finger could maintain the huge mountain on it for seven days continuously. But, when the first energetic incarnation (called as Datta or Narayana) entered the human body of the son of Vasudeva, the divinity of human body is truth. But, when the first energetic incarnation wished to quit this world, He gets withdrawn from the external gross body. Even while the unimaginable God exists in the human body, He will not interfere with the six states (shat vikara) of the body and hence, the boy Krishna grew to become adult and finally old man. Lord Krishna said that He will incarnate in this world whenever there is a necessity (yada yada hi...). This proves clearly that the materialized body of Krishna had both birth and death. This is the setup of divine administration of God in the case of human incarnation. Continuous living of the human body excites the people and makes them unable to ask questions in spiritual knowledge. Such unnatural things have negative effects. A fresh human body with birth and death always keeps the humanity in ignorance to think Him as ordinary human being by which freedom and flexibility in asking doubts are naturally achieved. Just to show the example that God is omnipotent, God Hanuman lives forever, but is not seen by anybody in order to avoid the excitation. Your wish for the eternality of the human body of human incarnation has several negative points, if analysed on sharp analysis. The setup of God is always excellent containing all merits without any defect. You have to follow the divine setup and shall not wish as you like. The spiritual knowledge preached by the human incarnation is most important standing as guide light in the spiritual path for anybody in any generation. Leaving this main aspect and concentrating on such childish thoughts shows your appreciable devotion, but not knowledge of proper balance of the divine administration in doing proper things even though omnipotent. One person was taking rest in the day time under the shadow of Peepal tree. He thought that the tree is mighty but its fruits are tiny. He thought that planning of God was improper because a mighty tree must have mighty fruits. After thinking like this, he slept for sometime under the shadow of the tree and he awoke after sometime. He found the tiny fruits of the mighty tree on his body, which were fallen down. Then he thought that the planning of God was proper since if the fruits are mighty, his head must have been broken! In view of the passengers taking rest under the shadow of the tree, the tiny fruits were planned for the mighty tree! He realized that his criticism was foolish. Hence, the administration of God is always perfect in which all the positive and negative points are properly weighed before taking the final decision!
2) How can Ram be a God if he mercilessly killed lower caste (Shudra) 'Shambuka' for merely attaining knowledge?
Swami Replied: This story of Shambuka is created insertion by atheists to bring splits in Hinduism by negative interpretation of the caste system. Rama refused salvation to all the sages in Dandaka forest even though they praised Him as God. He said that He knows Himself as human being only. But, He gave salvation to Shabari, a lady of Scheduled Caste, who served Him with tasted fruits without aspiration for any fruit in return. In His next incarnation as Krishna also, He gave salvation to the ladies of the Scheduled caste (Gopikas). The point to be understood here is that a specific ritualistic path is not the only way to God. Even non-ritualistic path involving true devotion becomes the real right royal path to reach God. One can reach the center from the road starting from his house and need not travel in cross direction to reach the road from other house to reach the same center. The devotion in the path is important and not their ritualistic or non-ritualistic characteristics of a path. Shambuka was preached this concept by Shri Rama, who realized the truth and travelled through non-ritualistic path that starts from his house straightly going to the center. Gopikas reached God through non-ritualistic devotion and did not become sages to do penance again to reach God. This story is twisted and is based on the caste politics used for exploitation to bring splits in Hindu religion.
3) How could Lord Krishna stop people from worshiping Lord Indra in the story of lifting the Govardhan Hill, even though Lord Indra is the Supreme Vedic God??
Swami Replied: Indra means the first energetic incarnation called as the Lord (idi-eishvarye) as said in the Veda (Indro maayabhih…). Such Indra is Narayana as said in the Veda. But, this Indra is not the Indra worshipped by the villagers neglecting Krishna. This Indra is just the king of angels and is not incarnation of God at all. This angel, Indra, is more attractive in his energetic body like a peon appearing in silk dress. Krishna is the actual unimaginable God existing in the common materialized human body. People in cotton dress neglect even the district collector present in same cotton dress due to repulsion between common media! Same people honor the peon of the collector appearing in silk dress! This is the main concept here. Indra means i) first energetic incarnation of unimaginable God called as the Lord or Ishwara and ii) an angel, which is a soul existing in the energetic body as a king of all the other angels, who is the servant of the unimaginable God.
4) Atma (spirit) is gender less, so what makes it be born on Earth as a man or woman? Is it karma???
Swami Replied: Exactly the specific mode of deeds as the resultant fruit (praarabdha) becomes the cause of the present birth as male or female. But, the final salvation comes to a female of low caste only (like Shabari and Gopikas) because the ego due to caste and gender does not exist in such birth. As long as ego exists, salvation is a day dream only. Hence, the luck as felt by human beings is always reverse in the eyes of God, Who makes the first as the last and the last as the first! The soul along with its attitudes towards God is the most important factor in the spiritual effort and not the caste by birth and not the gender, which is appearing by a few slight modifications of the physical body. In the view of ultimate truth, God alone is said to be male maintainer (purusha or creator) and all the souls are maintained wives (prakruti or creation) of God irrespective of their gender as said in the Veda.
[Shri Kishore Ram asked: Padanamaskaram Swamiji]
1) Can you please give a comparative study of spiritual knowledge and astrology?
Swami Replied: Both are exactly one and the same. In spiritual knowledge, we say that the unimaginable God punishes you for your sins and rewards you with good fruits for your good deeds. These fruits are given by the unimaginable power of God in unimaginable ways. Similarly, in astrology, we say that the planets give good and bad fruits for your deeds in unimaginable ways. The main concept here is that you cannot escape the punishment of sins by escaping the law of this world. You can call these planets as the unimaginable powers of unimaginable God giving corresponding fruits for your deeds.
The word ‘planet’ means the deity existing on the physical planet. These deities are unimaginable and should not be mistaken with their physical planets. The subject dealing with the physical planet is astronomy. The subject dealing with deities of the planets in giving the fruits of corresponding deeds to souls is astrology. Eclipse of sun and moon are concepts of astronomy and you should not rub the miraculous concept on this scientific aspect. The rules imposed in the time of eclipse are not valid since they are not accepted by astronomy. But, the planets giving the fruits of deeds in the scheduled times is dealt by astrology and science cannot poke its nose in this unimaginable domain. ‘Jyautisha Shastram’ means both astronomy and astrology. In astronomy, we deal with the physical planet and in astrology we deal with super natural deities of the planets, which catch you in any place to give the result of your deed. Graha means that which catches you in the right place in the right time to pass on the right result of your deed (gruhnaati iti grahah). Philosophers over extend the spiritual knowledge on the astronomy, which should be refused. Scientists extend their knowledge in the super natural administration of the deities of the planets or the unimaginable powers of God. Both astronomy and astrology should be maintained separately so that the innocent public is not exploited by either the philosopher or scientist. Mixing both these domains leads to fooling the public in both the fields.
2) Which is more important? Conversion of atheists into theists? Or leading the theists in the right spiritual path?
Swami Replied: Both are important programs, which are simultaneously done by every human incarnation of God. Every human incarnation does a few or many miracles for the first program, which is the conversion of atheists into theists. Simultaneously, right direction in this spiritual path is also given by every human incarnation to the already existing theists. Lord Krishna did both the programs by doing several miracles and also by preaching the Gita. Both are equally important. Sometimes a specific human incarnation concentrates on one program only and the second program is done with slightly lesser concentration. The need of the hour decides the program on which the concentration is to be done.
Shankara concentrated on the second program by giving the basic co-relation between various sub-religions of Hinduism. He tried to convert atheists into theists by the second program itself, which is the logical discussion through commentary to covert atheists into theists. In those days, in which much scientific development did not exist, the atheism could be answered by logical discussion without exhibiting miracles. But, today, the scientific development is so much that mere logical discussions were not sufficient and miracles are really needed. Hence, for the conversion of atheists in to theists, Shankara used logical discussion whereas Shri Satya Sai used miracles also. The conversion of atheists into theists is the basic program, which is attracting the children roaming in the fields to the school by giving chocolate, which is that soul is already God. Unless this chocolate was given, the atheist will not look even the face of theism!
Bhagawan Shri Satya Sai Baba did both the programs extensively. The conversion of atheists into theists through exhibition of various miracles is done very intensively before the gatherings of public so that the basic program, which is very important in this age of development of science, is very much considerable. His disciple, Dattaswami is more concentrating on the second program of giving co-relation and right direction by the command of His Guru or Shri Satya Sai Baba, the human incarnation in which God Datta containing unimaginable God merged. Hence, Dattaswami salutes every day to the chain of His preachers, which consists of three items: - i) Unimaginable God or Parabrahma, ii) The first energetic incarnation called as Datta in whom the unimaginable God merged and iii) The human incarnation called as Shri Satya Sai in whom God Datta along with unimaginable God merged (Parabrahma Samaarambhaam, Shri Dattatreya Madhyamaam, Shri Satya Sai Paryantaam, Vande Guru Paramparaam - is the verse composed and recited every day by Dattaswami).
Every propagation of knowledge shall be done by the direct command of God. It will be very successful because God takes up the basic responsibility. Hence, Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa said that the direct commandment from God is necessary for doing the propagation of true spiritual knowledge. Otherwise, there is every danger of slip in giving the interpretations. However, anybody can do the propagation of spiritual knowledge following the track strictly, which was already setup by the human incarnations. Interpretation of a concept is always in right direction if God is basically supporting the interpretation. After the conversion of atheists into theists (first program) by Shankara, Ramanuja followed the further second program of leading the converted theists in the right direction of spiritual path. In the initial first program, miracles are very much essential and these unimaginable miracles are also exhibited from the unimaginable God only. In the subsequent program of giving right direction to the already existing theists also, support of God is very much essential to the extent that the spiritual preacher shall really feel that every interpretation is given by God only and not by His brain. The projection of self or ego or liking for the fame should be always controlled by the spiritual preacher realizing the basic fact that the exhibitor of miracles and author of the concepts of the spiritual knowledge is the ultimate unimaginable God only. The spiritual preacher should realize that he is acting just as an inert mike (audio system) for the speaker-God in the spiritual knowledge. Similarly, the human being component of the human incarnation shall always feel that it is just a medium through which God is expressing His unimaginable miracles. As long as this basic concept is maintained, the human being component of human incarnation continues to be the God-component, which always tries to give fame of His works to the human being component! Parashurama is a failed human being-component of human incarnation, who felt that he killed all the kings. Shri Rama is a successful human-being component of human incarnation, Who told the sages that He is just a human being only. Of course, in the case of Krishna saying that He is God, it is the direct speech of the unimaginable God through the medium of Krishna. Hence, that gospel is called as the Bhagawat Gita (direct gospel of the ultimate unimaginable God) and not Krishna Gita (gospel told by Krishna). You must differentiate this point between Rama and Krishna.