Posted on: 30 Aug 2005
[Krishnashtami Day 5] The human incarnation is also present in this world. The analysis of this Super Man gives a clear idea of the unimaginable God. Thus a practical experience regarding the unimaginable God also exists here. Hence the philosophy has a practical validity in this world. All this analysis is only from the angle of the soul. Before creation, there was no soul and there was no universe. In such a state, the unimaginability also did not exist because the God was imaginable to Himself. Therefore even the Maya, which is the unimaginability, also disappears and hence even Maya must have birth. The unimaginability exists only with reference to the existence of the imaginable Prakriti. But when Prakriti did not exist, even this unimaginability was absent. In such a state only Parabrahman existed and not even Maya (Ekameva Advitiyam—Veda).
The entire creation is due to Parabrahman alone who is like the hidden Father. Interaction of the father and the mother is a hidden concept and it appears to the world as if the mother alone created and delivered the child. Actually, the child is born due to the father alone but the world cannot see the father creating or delivering the child. The father secretly created the child in her womb and is the indirect or actual cause of the child but that remains secret. It appears as if the mother herself created and delivered the child from her womb. Similarly the Mula Maya appears as if she has created this universe but actually Parabrahman created this universe through Mula Maya. Parabrahman remains as a secret like the father. This is told in the Gita (Mayadhyakshena, Beejam mam, Aham Beejapradah, Tasmim garbham). Therefore Parabrahman is the cause of the creation and every item in this creation. It appears as if the items of the creation form a chain of cause and effect. For example even if a tree has produced a flower, the actual cause of the production is Parabrahman and is like the hidden father. The tree is like the exposed mother appearing as if it is the cause of the flower. When the Veda says “Aatmana Aakasah”, it means the pure awareness produced space. The pure awareness (Mula Maya) is like the exposed mother generating space. But actually the hidden Parabrahman in the pure awareness has produced the space. Similarly Parabrahman is the cause of any work. When the Brahman desired to create, it is the Parabrahman hidden in Brahman that desired so. Brahman means the pure awareness in which the Parabrahman is hidden. When we say that Parabrahman desired to create, we will immediately assume that Parabrahman must be awareness. It is the logic of nature that anything that desires, must be awareness [this logic is valid only in nature]. But Parabrahman is beyond this logic, and therefore Parabrahman desires and at the same time He need not be awareness. The Veda says that Parabrahman runs without feet and catches without hands (Apani Pado Javano…). This means that Parabrahman does everything but cannot be detected through its action. By this, you will avoid indicating the Parabrahman by the word ‘awareness’. Thus Parabrahman is the cause of every work but at the same time, it gives fame to the items of its creation. Fire burns things and it appears as if the fire has the power to burn and convert anything into ash. But the same fire could not even heat a blade of dry grass thrown by Parabrahman. This is explained in the Kenopanishad. It means that the burning power of the fire is the very power of the Parabrahman. But the fire is given the fame. Thus Parabrahman is the real hidden cause of this world and of everything that happens in this world.
To fulfill the validity of the statements of the divine scriptures of which He Himself is the author, He comes down to preach the true knowledge of the scripture and also proves the validity of every statement. Jesus told the same. Thus every statement of the Veda and the Gita is the constitution for any spiritual argument. The scientist only takes the universe containing human beings, for establishing the validity of the knowledge. His basic argument is that perception followed by practical experience and associated with logical analysis alone, can result in valid knowledge. But why is he denying the Super Man [human incarnation of God] who is visible and is giving wonderful knowledge and doing miracles?
The Lord is donating His supernatural powers to several representatives to prove the existence of the unimaginability called Maya (Yadyat Vibhutimat—Gita). If the existence of Maya is established, the existence of the possessor of Maya is also simultaneously established. However to give the proof for His possession of Maya, the human incarnation appears as the Super Man. If the human incarnation does not come, people may end only by establishing the existence of Maya, which is His power. The power requires the existence of its Possessor or the Source of power. Otherwise, every demon will claim himself to be the possessor of the power. In fact, they even claimed so in the past. Such demons were rejected by sages since the demons lacked the wonderful divine knowledge, which is a part (Sattvam) of God’s identity.
Role of Science
Science plays a very important role in the spiritual knowledge. Science is the logical analysis, which is present in the analysis of this world as well as in the analysis of the divine knowledge. In fact, sages have analyzed the items of the creation with logic and finally concluded that no item is God. In fact there is no direct way to indicate God. The only way leftover is the elimination of all items of the creation through logical analysis as said in the Veda (Neti neti). Thus the entire spiritual knowledge is only full of science because you cannot analyse God who is beyond creation. Thus Jnana Yoga, which is the identification of the Lord in human form, requires the elimination of fraud human incarnations through logical analysis. The Gita says that the constant association of spiritual knowledge (Jnana) with science (vijnana) always continues (Jnanam teham savijnanam, Jnanavijnana triptama).
The knowledge ends when the Lord in human form is recognized. Upto this point there is every possibility of slipping and therefore science should be in your hand like a glowing torch. When you reach the house, the torch is put off and now the next step is to please the Lord in human form. You require blind love and blind faith in Him. Therefore logical analysis should be shut down because the Lord is beyond logic. From this point onwards, devotion (Bhakti) starts. For example, in selecting a girl for marriage, you can examine several alliances with logical analysis. But once you marry a girl, you should not continue to look for new alliances and go on continuing with logical analysis. Devotion finally leads to service. In both the stages of devotion and service, scientific analysis must stop.
Thus science is the torch that helps you examine yourself and conclude that you are not already God [the misinterpreted Advaita philosophy erroneously claims that each individual is God already]. Science also acts as a torch in detecting the true path to reach the Lord. Science or Vijnana is also called as Buddhi or Vijnanamaya Kosha. This is the driver who leads you in your car up to the place of God. Therefore the Gita starts with this driver (Buddhi Yoga). This torchlight is also useful to eliminate the wrong house. That means you can distinguish the real human form of God from other fraud incarnations. But once you enter the house after deciding that it is the correct house, there is no need of the torch because the house is full of lights. The Sadguru is full of knowledge and logical analysis.
Apart from such excellent participation in the spiritual knowledge, science also helps you to earn your livelihood. Earning one’s livelihood is a part and parcel of the Lord’s work. But science should not divert you to earning money without limits and leading you to hell due to over enjoyment. In this context, science, knowledge or the part of Veda related to the world, is condemned by the Gita (Vedavadaratah).
Even the attainment of the self by eliminating the gross body and the subtle body is done by logical analysis, which is science. With the help of science, Yajna (sacrifice) becomes possible. Yajna means cooking food and offering it to the divine preacher and devotees along with money as Guru Dakshina. To earn money, scientific work is required. This is stated in the Veda (Vijnanam Yajnam Tanute Karmani). The Gita also says that God gives the Veda or knowledge. Knowledge leads to work and sacrifice is the result of the work (Karma Brahmodbhavam). Thus science is required even in the sacrifice of work and the sacrifice of the fruit of work. It forms the very foundation of the entire spiritual knowledge. Science leading to over enjoyment should be cut down and this is proved by the present environmental pollution. It is going to severely harm humanity, which is the result of over enjoyments by over-application of science. Such science is condemned by the Lord (Traigunyavishayah—Gita). Here science means knowledge and the Veda also means knowledge. Therefore here the Veda refers to science, which is used to earn money.
However, science shuts its mouth before the supernatural human incarnation. A scientist need not be an atheist. He should either try to explain the miracles of a Godly man or he should accept the theory of miracles preached by the Godman. Instead of this, if a scientist rejects the miracles as mere magic tricks, he is not open-minded. He is another specimen of conservatism of science-religion [Religions are commonly seen to be conservative. A scientist must be open-minded. If he is not open-minded then he is as good as a religious follower. He can be called as the follower of the religion called science]. When some sacred ash is produced by a miracle, you cannot condemn it by saying that the same ash can be produced by some magic trick. There may be two different paths of production of the same thing. If you can generate it by one path, it does not mean that the second path to generate the same thing does not exist.
Devotion and Service: Beyond Science
When the Lord in human form is achieved, blind faith, blind love and blind service are essential to please the Lord. The reason for this is that He exhibits both Rajas and Tamas (bad qualities) to test your firm devotion. The quality of Sattvam represents good qualities and the two qualities Rajas and Tamas represent bad qualities. Unless your devotion is unshakeable, it cannot rise above the three qualities (Sattvam, Rajas and Tamas) and withstand His tests (Sagunan samatitya—Gita). The three qualities are the main components along with pure awareness in Maya. Since Parabrahman is above the three qualities and also pure awareness, It is above Maya and even Mula Maya. Parabrahman is the source of even pure awareness (Brahmanohi Pratishthaham). The Lord Krishna in Vrindavanam, once told a lie about a maiden to her mother-in-law and the maiden was beaten by her mother-in-law. If the maiden (Gopika) were not above the three qualities or feelings, she would have become angry with the Lord. But due to her blind love for Lord Krishna, this incident did not affect her love for Krishna in any way.
The Lord said that He alone is the preacher of the divine knowledge (Jnanitvatmaiva—Gita). He also stated that He would come as a divine preacher in every generation and sometimes as several divine teachers in the same generation due to the requirement to teach differently to different various levels (Jnaninah tattvadarsinah). The Lord said that when you are matured in Yoga, you will get the divine preacher and the divine knowledge from Him (Kalenatmani—Gita). Yoga means the training in which you become eligible to withstand the tests of the divine preacher. Whenever the Lord praises the divine knowledge (Jnanagnihi, Jnanaplavenaiva), the praise goes to the divine preacher who is the human incarnation and from whom alone, the divine knowledge comes out. After reaching the Lord in human form through perfect logical analysis, if you doubt Him, you have slipped forever (Samshayatma—Gita). The reason for the doubt is that His external gross body, which follows all the rules of nature, like birth, death, hunger etc., and the exhibition of His Maya, especially Rajas and Tamas, which are bad qualities present in the subtle body.
The word Atman in the Gita is mentioned in the sense of self or causal body. Sometimes the word Atman is used in the sense of human form of the Lord because in Sanskrit, the word Atman can mean the external human body also. The word Atman can sometimes be interpreted in both the meanings: self as well as the divine preacher in human form. For example: When the Lord says that ignorance is to be cut by the knowledge-sword of Atman, it may mean the self-analysis done by yourself or the divine knowledge of the Lord in human form (Jnanasinaatmanah, Atmavantam—Gita). Even the word Brahman is used as the self or as the Lord. For example: when he says that a Yogi becomes Brahman (Yogi Brahmabhootah), the word Brahman means the self. When one fixes Himself in the self (Brahmani sthitah) he becomes a Yogi since he attains peace. But when the Lord says that a devotee reaches Brahman and attains bliss (Sa Brahmayoga Yuktatma), here the word Brahman means the Lord in human form. In this verse, the Lord has already told in the earlier line that by attaining the self, one gets happiness. Therefore in the second line He cannot repeat about the same self getting the bliss which is infinite happiness. People misunderstand that the Lord said that an elephant, a cow and a divine preacher should be seen equally (Brahmane Gavi Hastini). Practical experience opposes such an interpretation. The divine preacher receives you well. But when you go near the elephant, you get beaten. The meaning of this verse is that the Atman, which is the pure awareness, is the same in all human beings [and animals] but the difference in their behaviours is due to the difference in their subtle bodies, which are the mixtures of the three qualities in various proportions. When the equality at the level of the self in every living being is realized, the person is not only fixed in his self but also in the self of every living being with equality. He will realize that the souls in all the living beings are one and the same and therefore all living beings are only his co-actors in different external roles. In that case he will not steal the wealth of other human beings for the sake of the comfort of his family members and he will also not kill any living being for food (Sarvabhutahite ratah).