Posted on: 16 Apr 2006
Note: This article is meant for intellectuals only
Such entertainment is not full because the knowledge of Himself continues and it is not removed completely. The ignorance is like the dim light of the evening in which light and darkness are mixed. But the soul is in complete ignorance and is fully entertained. The ignorance is very intense so that the soul forgets even the concept of entertainment. A producer with the film is Brahman. A producer seeing the cinema is Ishwara. An actor who is seeing the cinema is a realized soul. But this actor is neither the producer nor the director nor has any right to stop the cinema. The producer-cum-director can stop the cinema at anytime. Both the producer and the actor are spectators and have apparent ignorance and both have apparent entertainment. These common points cannot make the actor become the producer. Thus there is fundamental difference between Ishwara and even the realized soul. This fundamental difference is referred to by several Sutras in the first chapter itself (Anupatteh…etc.). This scripture clears this fundamental difference later on too, as the difference based on creation, direction and dissolution of the universe. The fundamental difference between the two spectators is that one is the producer and the other is simply an actor.
The Veda mentions about this difference very clearly that the producer is the employer or the master of this actor (Atmeshwaram). Suppose the producer also becomes an actor in his own cinema. This state is the human incarnation. This state contains all the aspects in a mixed state. Krishna is the human incarnation. Krishna is Brahman because after the dissolution of the world, He possesses the film. Krishna is Ishwara because He is the spectator of the film being exhibited as a cinema with apparent ignorance. Krishna is the realized soul because He is the actor who is the spectator with apparent ignorance. Thus Krishna is Brahman, Ishwara and also a realized soul.
Sometimes an actor may see the cinema with full ignorance. He forgets himself completely and gets full entertainment. Such a state of the actor is Jeeva. Only in the state of Jeeva, is full entertainment possible. In fact in this state even the word ‘entertainment’ disappears. He is so much involved that He forgets even the concept of ‘entertainment’. Unless this state comes, there is no full involvement, which is the basis of full entertainment. But if the concept of entertainment is totally lost, what is the use of such full involvement? Thus the Jeeva is unfortunate because he has lost the very concept of entertainment. Even if a trace of the concept of entertainment exists, a trace of corresponding self-realization must exist. This is the difference between the human incarnation and the human being. In the case of the human incarnation the full involvement exists but the concept of entertainment is not completely lost because the concept of self- realization exists as a trace at least. In the case of a human being even this trace is lost. This happens because in the case of a human incarnation, God exists in Him and in a human being, God does not exist. The awareness associated with God is eternal and therefore self-realization is also eternal. In the case of the human being, the awareness is not eternal because of the dis-association with God. Even in the case of a realized soul, the awareness disappears in the state of deep sleep and thus is not eternal. In the human incarnation, the ‘self’ is God and therefore the awareness of God is eternal. In the human being, the ‘self’ is awareness itself and therefore awareness is not eternal.
Awareness—Greatest and Most Fragile
Awareness in the state of meditation is like a lump of gold [without any particular form of ornaments]. Awareness in deep sleep is ignorance, which is a negative item. This means awareness is absent in deep sleep. In deep sleep, since the awareness is converted into its cause (inert energy), the deep sleep cannot be treated as the complete absence of everything. The pot disappears and becomes a lump of mud, when the pot is destroyed. This is the absence of the pot but not the absence of mud. Therefore, it is not the absence of everything. Hence, the pot can be created again from the mud. It is only a point of the inter-conversion of awareness (pot) into inert energy (mud) in deep sleep. In the waking state, the inert energy is again converted into awareness. A major portion of the inert energy remains in its constant inert form and maintains the other systems like respiration etc. Thus, if you consider the awareness essentially as inert energy, it is eternal. This eternality of inert energy is also relative only with respect to matter because when the world is dissolved matter disappears and the inert energy remains. Now you may plead that the inert energy is still eternal because it remains in the form of a film [as the unmanifest, even though the cinema is not projected any more]. But before the creation of the film the inert energy did not exist since the film was not created at all. God alone existed before the creation of the universe. If God wishes, even the film can be destroyed. Therefore, only with respect to matter, is the inert energy said to be eternal and not with respect to God. Such relative constancy is praised in the second chapter of the Gita while stating that the soul is eternal (Ajo Nityah…). This constancy of the soul is not absolute but only relative with respect to the body i.e., matter. Here the Gita states clearly that the soul is eternal while the body is non-eternal as it is destroyed (Na hanyate Hanyamane Shareere). In order to prove this, Krishna created exact duplicate souls[1].
This is the main knot of the ignorance of the Advaita philosopher. The main problem lies with the word ‘self’. The prime minister and the peon use the word ‘I’ commonly. The word ‘self’ can indicate both the prime minister and the peon. Up to the item of awareness, both the soul and the human incarnation are one and the same. But there is a difference beyond this item. You are only traveling up to this common item. Beyond this, the field of unimaginability starts. Therefore, you are dropping your journey at this point and saying that both are one and the same. Advaita ends with this common point, which is the ultimate limit of creation. Beyond this point, God exists and the realization of God is only possible by experience. Logic ends at the limits of the creation. Beyond this creation only experience is valid. But you need not do away with logic. You must travel up to the ultimate limit of creation (awareness) with logic, but the aim of this logic-weapon should be to prove that no item of the creation is God. Thus logic is meant for this positive purpose. The use of logic is lost when the final item of creation is attained.
The Advaita scholar uses the logic positively with respect to every item of the creation, but when the final item of creation is attained, he is misleading himself. He is able to remove all the obstacles with this logic-sword throughout the path by the process of elimination. But when the final item is reached, he is cutting his own throat. Thus, his is the most pitiable case. Of course there is reason why he gets misled. The reason is that the awareness is the final obstruction and he does not find any obstruction beyond that. [This analysis proceeds by finding something that is higher or superior to what we think as the ultimate. Each item that we think as the ultimate is an obstruction in finding what is actually ultimate. When a higher item is found, the lower one can be eliminated as not being the ultimate.] As long as he finds the next [higher] obstruction, he cuts the present obstruction, but when he reached the final obstruction (awareness) he does not want to cut that also because beyond that he does not find anything. He should realize that though he does not find anything further by logic, he can find the item beyond that awareness also by experience. Therefore, at this point, he should throw that weapon of logic and take up the weapon of experience to realize that God beyond this final item.
Suppose there are four machines in a factory, which are doing four types of work like cutting, grinding, printing and packing. This factory is the nervous system (Nadi Mandalam). The four machines are the four internal instruments (Antahkaranams). Mind, which does the function of desiring and thinking otherwise [opposing] (Sankalpa and Vikalpa) is the cutting machine. Intelligence, which takes the final decision after intensive discussion within the mind, is the grinding machine. Ahankara, which maintains the concept of ‘self’ is the printing machine, which prints the name of the company. Chittam, which packs the information, is the packing machine. These four Antahkaranams (Manas, Buddhi, Ahankara and Chittam) are machines from the point of the material aspect or the aspect of matter. Thus these four are the four special parts of the nervous system. From the point of the work form of energy, these four are the specific works [functions] called cutting, grinding, printing and packing. If you take the aspect of the work form of energy, you can call these four as the four parts of awareness. Now where is the work form of energy (awareness), if these works are absent?
In deep sleep these four works are absent. Therefore, it is a very simple conclusion to say that awareness (work form of energy) is totally absent in the deep sleep. There are four types of ornaments, like a chain, ring, bracelet and bangle, in a house and they get stolen. Now is there gold in the house? No, the gold was also lost along with the ornaments; this is the state of the deep sleep. The awareness is lost along with these four works. But in the state of meditation the ornaments disappear but the lump of gold is present. Awareness of itself exists here without any type of work. In deep sleep, the awareness is lost but it is converted in to its essential form, which is the inert energy. Suppose you have converted the lump of gold into a lump of iron by artificial radioactive transmutation. Now, you can say that the gold is not lost even in deep sleep because it exists in the form of inert energy. When the machines stop work, the electricity that is being converted into various types of work through these machines exists in its original form of electrical energy coming from the thermal power station. Thus, if you view the work in its essential form of energy, it is eternal and remains even in deep sleep. But there is a difference between the electrical energy and work of cutting. Unless the electrical energy is associated with the machine, the work of cutting cannot appear. Therefore, unless the inert energy is associated with the nervous system, awareness is not produced. Neither the nervous system nor the inert energy can alone produce the awareness.
This inert energy is produced by the combined action of food (Annamaya Kosha) and oxygen (Pranamaya Kosha). The electricity is produced by the combined action of coal and air in the thermal power station. When the coal is burnt in air, energy is produced, which is converted to electrical energy. When this energy flows through the machine, work is generated. Similarly the Annamaya Kosha and Pranamaya Kosha produce energy (shakti) by their combined action and when this energy flows through the nervous system, (consisting of the various machines) the various types of work or awareness (Antahkaranams) are generated. In the absence of any of these items, awareness cannot be produced. Thus, the awareness is not an independent item even as food, oxygen, inert energy, nervous system etc. Of course, all of them are ultimately controlled by God alone and the other items have at least temporary independence. But the awareness does not even have that temporary independence and it exists only as long as the above four items co-exist. Awareness is the greatest item because of its special characteristic of knowledge, which is not present in any other item. But in all other aspects, awareness is most delicate and the most relative item. Hence, awareness is the weakest form of the energy called as Lalita—the most tender form that flows through the most tender brain and nerves. It is the strongest item only in its essential form as inert energy. Thus, the inert energy is the strongest in all aspects but it has one defect i.e., it has no knowledge. Awareness is the greatest due to the specialty of knowledge but it is the most relative and the weakest.
Attain God With Logic
Thus, you should search for the defect in every item of creation so that it can be rejected as not being God. For the discovery of such defects a very powerful logical analysis by your intelligence is always needed. Hence, Krishna gave this buddhi yoga in the beginning of the Gita itself and He stated that one can attain God only by this analysis. What does this mean? When God is beyond logic, how can you attain God by logical analysis? Here you have to understand it like this: You can eliminate everything which is not God by logic and thus you can stop logic and realize God by experience. Unless you have eliminated every item in creation by logic, how can you come to final realization of God, who is beyond the creation? Thus, logic is the main indirect cause for the realization of God. Unless you travel all along the path of logic you can not come to the end of logic. Unless logic ends, the experience of God cannot start.
Sage Charvaka was a scientist and an atheist. His scientific approach was appreciated and his theory was given place among the six theories (Shat Darsanas) by Vidyaranya. He said that a soul or awareness is just a conversion of food in to energy. In fact this is the exact elaboration of the Vedic statement “Annat Purusha”. But he denied the experience of God beyond this logic. What is the difference between the Advaita scholar and an atheist? The Advaita scholar too denied God beyond awareness like an atheist. But the Advaita scholar said that awareness itself is God. The atheist said that awareness is also not God because God does not exist. Thus, science is appreciated but not atheism. All scientists are not atheists and all atheists are not scientists. I put a simple question to the scientist who is an atheist. How are you denying the experience when it is also based on physical observation? How are you denying the miracles shown by the human incarnations? In such a case you also have to deny the fan, its movement and the experience of the air coming from it.
For a sensitive person, even physical miracles are not necessary. He analyzes every simple incident in his life and experiences the existence of God. Even in such analysis leading to the experience and realization of God, a sharp analytical process called as buddhi yoga or jnana yoga is essential. According to Shankara, this torch light should never be put off. Even after recognizing the human incarnation, this torch light should be switched on continuously because the doubts created by some ignorant people will certainly mislead you. The identification of God in Krishna is called as Jnana Yoga or Samkhya Yoga. Samkhya means complete knowledge. When you have decided the existence of God in Krishna without any doubt, it is the complete knowledge. The medium or the human body or Krishna is the cup that contains the God-nectar. If you neglect the cup and break it, you cannot drink the nectar. Only through the human body can you have complete and direct experience of God. Through the incidents in your life or through the possibility of the existence of the cause of this world (Anumana pramanam; inference) or through the scriptures explaining about the God (Shabda pramanam) you can only experience the existence of God but not directly experience God Himself.
Even when you see a miracle, you accept the existence of the concept of unimaginability and thereby the existence of the unimaginable God. Therefore, nowhere is the direct experience of God possible except in the human incarnation. When this jnana yoga is complete, karma yoga (service) to the medium starts. Yoga means the attainment. The attainment of only the medium in which God exists, is possible. You can take the nectar only through a cup and not directly. Therefore, unless jnana yoga is complete karma yoga will not arise. When the karma yoga appears, jnana yoga must have been completed. You find only karma yoga in Hanuman and this means that jnana yoga was completed in His case, which was attained by Him from the Sun-god. Therefore the Gita says that both these, jnana yoga and karma yoga, are inseparable like God and flesh or like nectar and the cup (Ekam Samkhyam cha Yogamcha…)
Your questions and My answers are at a very deep level and resemble the argument that I had with Mandana Mishra while I was in the body of Shankara. I am very much pleased with you for your quest for the right path and the right goal. By keeping the torch light of knowledge on, you have attained the knowledge of the self, the knowledge of the Super Self, the knowledge of the present human incarnation and you are doing service in the mission of the Lord, which alone can please the Lord. In fact, you were prepared to sacrifice your job, wife and even your beloved child for the sake of the mission of the Lord. Whenever I remember you, tears of Love flow from My eyes with immense emotion.
In the case of the human incarnation, the self is God or Parabrahman or Paramatman, which is like the sun and is always in the complete state (Purnam). In the case of a human being, the self is Jeevatman. If the human being is a realized soul, the self is Atman. The difference between Atman and Jevatman is that Atman is pure awareness without qualities and is like standstill water without waves. The jeevatman in any ordinary human being is disturbed pure awareness with qualities and is like vibrated water. Both Atman and Jeevatman differ from Paramatman because Atman and jeevatman are imaginable items, which are made of awareness. Awareness is nothing but a special form of work of the inert energy flowing through nervous system. Paramatman is unimaginable and is beyond all the items of the creation. Any item of the creation is under the purview of the four dimensional space–time model. Therefore, any item of the creation has spatial limits or boundaries and its existence is bound by time. Matter is an item of creation because it has spatial limits.
In this world you find matter and energy. Thus, matter is limited and energy is also another limited item. When the dissolution of the world takes place, matter disappears and is converted into energy. Therefore, matter has spatial limits and also has the limits of time. Similarly, energy did not exist before creation and therefore energy also has limits of time. Energy has spatial limits because of the co-existence of matter. Space also has limits of space and time. When everything is absent we say that space or vacuum exists there. When something is present, vacuum or space does not exist there. Therefore, space has spatial limits. Before the creation, space did not exist. God created the space (Atmana Akasah—Veda). Therefore, space has limits of time. When energy has limits of space and time, naturally awareness, which is a special work form of energy, must also have limits of space and time. Thus, every item of creation like matter, energy, space, awareness etc., has limits of space and time and is under the realm of the four dimensional space-time. This is proved in science by the topmost scientist (Einstein).
Any item of creation, which has the limits of space and time along the co-ordinates of the four dimensional space-time model, is called as a kosha in the Veda. Thus, the human body is made of food or matter and is called as the Annamaya Kosha. The inert energy is included in this matter itself because matter is a condensed form of energy. When you eat hot food you are taking in both energy and matter together. Next comes the Pranamaya Kosha, which is the item, air (mainly oxygen). Food and oxygen react and a combustion reaction takes place in which inert energy is released. When this energy passes through the nervous system, a special work form of energy is produced and this is called as awareness. This awareness is divided into four types of special work forms, which are called as the four Antahkaranams (Manas, Buddhi, Ahankara, and chittam).
The Veda mentions only two items of awareness i.e., Manomaya Kosha and Vijnanamaya Kosha (Buddhi). In these two items, the other two items are always included. The mind (Manomaya Kosha) does sankalpa (desire) and Vikalpa (alternative possibilities of desire). The intelligence (Buddhi or Vijnanamaya Kosha) does Nischaya (determination, decision). While these works are done, the concept of I is maintained continuously and therefore the awareness of ego (Ahankara) is always maintained simultaneously. Since all these forms of works are maintained in the awareness-energy, the Chittam (storing capacity) is also simultaneously included. Thus, the first two items Annam and Prana mention the five elements. The next two items Manas and Buddhi include the four Antahkaranams.
These nine items are called as Navaranams [nine coverings], which are referred to in the concept of Shri Chakra. These nine items are the nine walls, which have to be crossed to reach the Atman or self. These nine items constitute the gross and subtle bodies. The gross body is made of five elements and subtle body is made of four Antahkaranas. If you cross these nine items, you will reach the undisturbed pure awareness (Suddha Chit) or Atman or the soul. This is called as self-attainment. The last item is Ananda, which is only a quality of awareness. Ananda is defined as the infinitely intense and continuous happiness. Ananda means the concentration of happiness is infinite and the continuity is also unlimited. But Ananda is a quality, which is also an item of creation. A quality (Guna) must have both the limits of space and time. If happiness were really unlimited and had no limits of space and time, there would not have been misery at any place and at any time. If one says that he has unlimited happiness, it is not correct. Thus happiness is only a quality of awareness. In deep sleep, the awareness is absent and therefore happiness is also absent. When the happiness itself is absent where is the question of bliss? You experience happiness or bliss only after the deep sleep but not during deep sleep. Therefore, bliss is time-bound. Bliss exists only in the human being and does not exist in a stone. Therefore, bliss has spatial limits. Bliss is only an item of creation and not the Creator. After all, bliss is also a special work form of energy, flowing in the nervous system. Bliss is only a type of awareness. Therefore, Ananda is also mentioned as a Kosha in the Veda. The infinity of intensity and limits of happiness in the word bliss are only figurative and not actual. The word infinity means only excess and not really infinite. Thus, Ananda is only a Kosha.
Chit (Awareness) and Ananda (Bliss) are the characteristics of only the soul present in the human being. In the case of God, the characteristics are unknown and therefore, Chit and Ananda cannot be the characteristics of God. Of course, you can say that Chit and Ananda are items that are constantly associated with God. They are not the real characteristics (Swarupa Lakshanam) of God. They are only associated characteristics (Tatastha Lakshanam). But you can treat these two as real characteristics because they are constantly associated as the marks of identification of God. The two also exist in the soul. Chit exists in every living being. Chit is not knowledge but is mere awareness. Jnanam is again not the characteristic of Chit but the reverse is true. Wherever Chit is present, knowledge (Jnanam) is not seen. But wherever knowledge is present, Chit is always seen. Similarly, Ananda is also like knowledge. Wherever Chit is present, Ananda is not necessarily present but wherever Ananda exists Chit always exists. In a human being, Chit exists but Ananda may not exist, because misery is also seen. Therefore, misery and happiness are only qualities.
Thus the Veda introduced this fifth Anandamaya Kosha only to discuss about the concept of qualities (Gunas). Qualities are treated separately from the Antahkaranas. Qualities like happiness, misery, fear, generosity etc., come under a separate headline called as Gunas. But remember that qualities are also special work forms of awareness, which is the energy flowing in the nervous system. When you attain the self, all the misery is lost because all the worldly bonds and the feelings are destroyed. Such state of liberation (moksha) gives happiness. But such happiness is intense and is more permanent than material happiness and therefore, can be called as bliss. The intensity and continuity are again not absolute as in the case of the bliss of God. Therefore, such bliss of the soul can only be happiness with limits (Kosha). Actually it is only peace, which arises due to absence of misery. The absence of loss can be assumed as profit. But it is not a real profit when it is compared with the real attainment of profit. It is a profit only with respect to loss. Thus, peace with respect to misery can be treated as bliss. But this bliss (Anandamaya Kosha) is not the real bliss compared to the bliss of God. Of course, the difference is only quantitative and not qualitative. Thus, the bliss of God is also an item of creation and is only an associated characteristic but not the real characteristic. Ananda of God may be infinite but such Ananda is still only an item of creation.
The word infinity cannot be real unimaginability. An infinite item can be imaginable and can be perceived. For example, the universe is infinite but is perceived. Infinity cannot bring unimaginability. Therefore, there is no use in calling infinite bliss as the characteristic of God. Infinity cannot make the bliss unimaginable and therefore infinite bliss cannot be the unimaginable God. Infinite bliss can only be a characteristic that is associated with God constantly and thus can be assumed as His real characteristic although really it is not His actual characteristic. Similarly, Jnanam [knowledge] is a special development of Chit. The material of Jnanam is only Chit. The Jnanam may be exceptionally special and can be infinite, but it is still only an item of creation since Jnanam is Chit and Chit is only a special work form of energy. However wonderful may be the ornament, it is made of gold alone after all.
Thus, Chit and Ananda cannot give any information about God. Of course, Sat [existence, reality] is the common point between the Creator and the creation. Both the Creator and Creation exist and therefore, both are Sat. Of course, the existence of creation is very negligible compared to the existence of the power (Maya) of the Creator. Again the existence is qualitatively one and the same. If the creation were totally absent (Asat), the entertainment of God would be absent. Then God becomes incapable and inefficient of creation.
Grace of God
The existence of God is attained only by His grace and not by your effort. You can grasp the existence of any item of the creation by your effort and logical analysis. This is possible because you are a part and parcel of creation. But since God is beyond creation, His existence is realized only through indirect experience, that too, only when sanctioned by His grace. The Advaita philosopher does not depend on His grace and tries to find God by his self-effort of self analysis. Therefore, he imagines God by his intelligence and he fails. Awareness is the weakest item of creation, which is like a tiny rat as it has several defects such as generation and dissolution every day. The only special merit that it has is knowledge. It has one merit and all other defects. Inert energy is the strongest and constant item and has several merits. It has only one defect i.e. inertness or non-awareness. Inert energy is like a lion, which has all merits but one defect that it cannot create a hole in the mountain. The rat is a tiny creature having all the defects but has one merit that it can create a hole in a mountain. The Advaita scholar did not even capture the lion after digging the big mountain of creation. He captured only this tiny rat. The awareness is the greatest item in creation only from the single point of knowledge.
Shankara’s Necessity
The analysis of the five koshas was introduced by the Veda and the aim of this is to find out whether God is a human being, which is the composite of all these five Koshas. It is the search for God in the creation. All the five Koshas are rejected by the process of elimination. The gross body, which consists of the five elements (matter and energy), represents the first two Koshas (Anna and Prana). The four Antahkaranams are mentioned by the next two Koshas (Manas and Vijnana). The fifth Kosha (Ananda) stands for all the qualities (gunas) like knowledge, bliss etc. All the four Antahkaranams and all the qualities together are the work forms of the awareness-energy only and thus these three Koshas (Manas, Vijnana and Ananda) stand only for the subtle body. All these are just the waves of the pure awareness. The third body is the Atman (soul or pure awareness), which is beyond all its vibrations or waves. Avidya (ignorance) cannot be a positive entity and therefore cannot stand as the absolute causal body. It is the cause of the entertainment and therefore, it is included in the main causal body itself as a secondary causal body. Here, the main causal body (Atman) is a positive entity, made of the awareness-energy and the secondary causal body (Avidya) is only associated with the Atman. Therefore, Avidya need not have a special place. We have no objection even if you give the third place to Avidya and make Atman as the fourth item. In such case, Avidya is the secondary causal body (Karana) and Atman is the primary causal body (Maha Karana). This sub-division is not at all a point to be considered.
According to the concept of Shankara, giving the third place to Avidya had a different purpose, for the sake of the Buddhists of that time. Shankara wanted to keep Atman beyond the three bodies and say that Atman is Brahman. The word Brahman again was meant in the sense of the greatest item in creation. Buddhists misunderstood Brahman as Parabrahman and came to the path with an attraction that the Atman present in them is God. The Purva Mimamsakas also came to the correct path by this attraction. Shankara wanted Atman to be beyond the three bodies and make Atman as God because it was a familiar point that God was beyond the three bodies. In reality Atman is also a body and God is beyond the three bodies. If this is stated, the atheists cannot be attracated. Therefore, Shankara created Avidya as the third body (causal) because Avidya is also a cause for entertainment in the creation. Shankara kept silent about the real God, who is beyond the three bodies. When Avidya became the third body, naturally Atman can be assumed as God. In this trick, the possibility of Atman being called as Brahman also helped Shankara. Thus, the atheists thought that Atman is Brahman and that means that Atman is God. The fourth place of Atman created by Shankara also helped attract the atheists. Thus, this entire plan had a specific purpose for Shankara. Today that situation does not exist because atheists are in minority and therefore such tricks are not necessary. Therefore, I give the third place to Atman and make it as the third item called as the causal body. Thus, the human being is just a composite of these three bodies.
Ramanuja’s Improvement
Ramanuja introduced this concept after Shankara. The human being forms a part and parcel of the body of the Lord. Ramanuja says that the inert matter and energy together with the awareness constituting the four Antahkaranams and all the qualities form the body of the Lord. All the inert matter and energy are indicated by the word ‘Achit’ by Him. All the antahkaranams and all the qualities are indicated by the word Chit by Him. He says that the Lord is “Chidachit Vishishtah”, which means that God is beyond both awareness and non-awareness. The awareness indicates the subtle and causal bodies, which constitute all the Antahkaranams, qualities and pure awareness. The non-awareness constitutes the inert matter and energy, which is the gross body. This is the analysis of the three bodies and Ramanuja said that these three bodies become the body of the Lord. Actually this is the analysis of the human incarnation because in the case of Lord Krishna, God exists beyond these three bodies. In Krishna, you find the gross body consisting of the five elements, the inner subtle body consisting of the four Antahkaranams and all the qualities and finally the innermost causal body consisting of the pure awareness. If you end with these three bodies, Krishna is just an ordinary human being. But the fourth item, God, exists pervading all over these three bodies. Ramanuja has extended this concept to Ishwara also. In His language Ishwara is indicated by the word Narayana. People get confused with this word and think that the word Narayana stands only for Vishnu. The actual meaning of Narayana is the God, who is the source of the special spiritual knowledge. Vishnu is God involved in the maintenance or ruling of the universe. Brahma is God involved in creating the universe. Shiva is God involved in the dissolution of the universe. Thus, God present in the three divine energetic bodies as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva is called as Narayana and He is preaching the spiritual knowledge to all the angels and divine sages. Such special spiritual knowledge is the Veda. Thus, the word Narayana has a broad significance and should not be limited to Vishnu only. God proved this concept through a special energetic body called as Datta, in which all the three faces of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are visible together.
When the same Narayana comes down to the earth in the human body (Nara), He is also called as Datta (given) to the human beings for preaching this special knowledge. When God preached the Veda to angels and sages, He was in the energetic body and such energetic body was also Datta because He was ‘given’ to angels and sages through that energetic body for the purpose of preaching. Thus, Datta means ‘God given to the world’ through a medium for the sake of preaching. The medium may be a divine energetic body for angels or may be a human body for human beings. Therefore, we human beings are concerned only with the human body given (Datta) to us as the preacher (Narayana). We are not concerned with the energetic body given to angels and sages because we are not in the celestial bodies like angels and sages.
But we always neglect the human body due to the principle of common item [since the human body seems too ordinary to us]. We always respect energetic bodies. Therefore, Ramanuja explained this concept with the help of the energetic body and not the human body. Of course, He introduced the concept of human body also as Vaasudeva [Krishna]. But to draw our attention more and more, He always indicated the energetic body through the word Narayana.
Jeeva is Brahman But Not Ishwara
Shankara limited the same concept to the human body only and since He Himself was a human incarnation, He did not extend this concept to energetic bodies. Of course, He praised the energetic body through several prayers. But the stress of Shankara was on the human body because the context was with reference to the human beings on this earth. The exact meaning of the statement of Shankara “Jivo Brahmaiva Naparah” means that when God comes as a Jeeva, such a Jeeva is really God because whatever is spoken by Him is actually the speech of God. Shankara was very direct. He stressed on the human incarnation and He declared Himself directly as that human incarnation. As Lord Krishna declared Himself as God to Arjuna, Shankara also declared Himself as God to His disciples. But Arjuna was only one disciple and he could digest this concept because he conquered the egoism and jealousy due to his long association with Narayana in several past births. Therefore, Krishna had no problem with Arjuna. But the disciples of Shankara did not have such divine background. The problem of egoism and jealousy entered. When Shankara declared that He was Brahman (Aham Brahmasmi) and that He is Ishwara (Shivo’ham), the disciples repeated the same.
Then Shankara swallowed molten lead and corrected the statement by stating that He alone is Ishwara (Shivah Kevalo’ham). He did not correct the statement that He was Brahman. The word Brahman has a double meaning. Brahman stands for God as well as for the pure awareness, which is the greatest item of the universe. The human being as the composite of the three bodies also is the greatest item of creation. Even a realized human being, limiting himself to Atman is the greatest item because pure awareness is the greatest item from the point of the specialty of knowledge. Therefore, Shankara kept silent and allowed that statement to pacify their egoism and jealousy. All this was the practical problem, which was faced by a teacher in a practical situation. All of you do not know this practical situation because I was the preacher in the body of Shankara, who actually faced this problem at that time. Therefore, you cannot understand Shankara as I can.
The analysis of the five Koshas helps in detecting God because such analysis eliminates the human being to be misunderstood as God. Ramanuja only clarified the concept of Shankara by stating that the soul is also a part and parcel of the body of God. The word ‘self’ can be used for the gross body also. Everybody means the gross body alone whenever the word self is used under the superimposition. In this way also there is no objection to use the word self for the gross body, subtle body, causal body (pure awareness) or for the composite of these three bodies.
God’s Existence Alone Can Be Experienced
The word ‘Sat’ can be used for the identification of the unimaginable God, because we say that God exists. Sat means existence. But in the case of God, the word Sat also is inferred existence and not perceived existence. You are saying that God exists not because you have perceived God directly. Your statement of the existence of God is based only on the inference (Anumanam) and is not based on perception (Pratyaksham). Even in the human incarnation, the human body (all the three bodies) gives the inference of the existence of God but not the perception of existence of God. By touching the electric wire you are inferring the existence of electricity but you have not perceived the existence of electricity directly because you have not perceived electricity directly. It is as if only the yellow thread of the married lady is visible[2] and the married lady is invisible. By catching the yellow thread, you have perceived the existence of the yellow thread but you have not perceived the existence of the married lady directly. Based on the existence of the yellow thread, you say that the married lady exists. Therefore, the existence of the married lady is only indirect.
Therefore, when you say that God exists, such existence is only inferred. But if you analyze carefully at this point, there is no difference between perceived existence and inferred existence. After all, existence is existence whether it is perceived or inferred. It makes no difference. But you may become egoistic by this and say that you have captured the existence of God by your effort. To avoid this, we remind you that the captured existence is only indirect because such captured existence is only the existence of the yellow thread and not the existence of the married lady directly. This is the meaning of the verse in the Gita (Param Brahma Nasattat Nasaducchyate). The verse means that you cannot say that Parabrahman exists and you cannot say that Parabrahman does not exist. You cannot say that Parabrahman exists because you have not captured the direct existence of Parabrahman. You cannot say that Parabrahman does not exist because the existence of Parabrahman is inferred and there is no difference between perceived existence and inferred existence and thus you can say that Parabrahman exists. Why is this beating on both sides? This means only one thing: You can say that Parabrahman exists because there is no difference between perception and inference as far as the existence is concerned. But you should not become proud and egoistic to feel that you have captured Parabrahman in the least through the point of existence. All this game is done only to save you from the egoism of capturing Parabrahman. If you are not egoistic, we have no objection if you say that Parabrahman exists. Therefore, the Veda says “Asteetyeva Upalabdhavyah”, which means that God exists. The Gita is an extension of the Veda. The Veda has given the existence of God through inference but unfortunately you have become egoistic and claimed that you have captured God. Immediately the Gita enters by saying that the existence of God captured by you is only by inference and not by perception. When your egoism is removed by the Gita you can go back to the Veda and say that God exists because basically there is no difference between perceived existence and inferred existence.
But My friend, limit yourself to Sat only as far as God is concerned. Don’t extend this to Chit and Ananda. If you extend this analysis to Chit and Ananda, the danger comes. If you say that God exists, by this, the unimaginability of God is not contradicted. When you infer that something exists it does not mean that something is imagined. There is no problem as far as the existence is concerned. If you have realized the existence of something, it does not mean that you have realized the real nature of that something. But if you say that God is Chit, immediately it means that you have realized the real nature of God and God becomes imaginable. The visible yellow thread is associated with the invisible married lady. By catching the yellow thread, you have inferred the existence of the married lady. Up to this, there is no problem because by this existence, the real nature of the married lady is not revealed at all. But if you say that the married lady is yellow, based on the yellow thread, the problem comes. The married lady becomes visible because the yellow color cannot be inferred since the color can only be perceived. Even if the color of the lady is only inferred, since color is the characteristic of the lady, the real nature of the lady is imagined. Therefore, the Chit is like the yellow color of the thread.
The Advaitin Blunders
The Advaita scholar has erred at this point. This first error leads to an infinite chain of errors. By this starting error, he concludes that every living being, which has Chit, is God. By such generalization, since he is also a living being, he wants to become God. This first error is to be eliminated by stating that knowledge is God. Every living being cannot be God because every living being has a mind but not intelligence. Therefore, the error is now limited only to human beings because every human being has intelligence. The error is minimized at least. The Advaita scholar is happy because he finds his place even in this minimized error. Since he is also a human being, he does not object this. Now the error has to be still minimized by the elimination process. We have to proceed from the statement “Jnanam Brahma” (Knowledge is God) to “Prajnanam Brahma” (Special Knowledge is God). This means that every human being is not God. Only a scholastic human being is God. This means that mere intelligence is not God but special intelligence is God. The Advaita scholar is still happy because he is an especially intelligent scholar. He does not object because he finds his place still in this process of minimization of error by the elimination process. But the poor fellow does not know that he is finally going to be eliminated in course of time! The final interpretation of Prajnanam comes. No scholar can be Krishna, Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhva, Jesus, Buddha etc. The poor Advaita scholar slips from this point, because his preaching cannot be the Gita or Bible. He lost his place in this final filtration and the final selection. The competitive process of selection ends here because the human incarnation alone stands in this final selection for the interview! This elimination process is mentioned in the Veda as Neti Neti…. Thus, Vaasudeva alone stands in the final selection and gets elected.
Now the egoism and jealousy in the Advaita scholar bursts like a bomb! From this point he slips and deviates from the theory. He becomes mad and deviates his theory. In his madness of becoming God he does not mind to extend and generalize the error to say that the Chit is God, which means that every living being is God. This is only the explosive reaction of egoism and jealousy. The kindest Lord tries again and again to bring the Advaita scholar to the path. If you analyze the background of the Advaita scholar; who was this fellow originally? He was either a Buddhist or a Purva Mimamsaka, who was an atheist. He became the Advaita scholar by the attraction that he is God. Therefore, you cannot expect anything more than that from him. When that single attraction shown by Shankara disappeared, he goes back to his original atheism. Shankara kept him in the path of theism without further analysis, because Shankara was sure of his revolutionary attitude.
As a Jeeva you have to try again and again to convince him because the kindest Lord wants to uplift every human being. You have to help the Lord in His mission with patience and you have to pity your fellow human being. But My friend, don’t lose your path in such trials. Keep your identity in such efforts and do not lose yourself in such a mission and become an Advaita scholar. You must know that association is very powerful and instead of you converting him, you may get converted. Shankara and Ramanuja end with the identification of human incarnation. Here again due to egoism and jealousy, the concept of human incarnation is limited to the past incarnation Vaasudeva only and people do not recognize the human incarnation existing in their time and generation. This is again like a virus attacking the computer. Even after finishing the program, this point lies as My total effort in this time. Thus, the program of human incarnation gets completed.
Pleasing God—Madhva
Now the point comes as to how one can please the human incarnation. Here comes Madhva, the final teacher. He showed Hanuman and Bhima as his elder brothers. Hanuman stands for the identification of the human incarnation present in His time. Hanuman exhibited the error of confining to the old human incarnation and not recognizing the present human incarnation. By taking a special role He acted as if He did not recognize Krishna as God. He was present in both the generations and finally corrected Himself by recognizing Krishna. Hanuman gave the message that God comes again and again for every human generation. This is the exact meaning of the statement “Jesus will come again”. The essence of the total spiritual effort is only to conquer egoism and jealousy. That is the end of the sadhana, which enables you to identify the present human incarnation. If you are still attacked by that virus, at least analyze the concept of the human incarnation and realize that God is in flesh and is not the flesh. After all, the prime minister needs a house to stay. This does not mean that the house is the prime minister. It also does not mean that the owner of every house is the prime minister. Thus, such analysis will avoid the virus that attacks every time.
Who is giving this divine knowledge? Lord Datta staying in Me is speaking. Who am I? I am Venu Gopala Krishna Murthy, who stands for the house. The house is a composite of three bodies. I am only the house or medium through which God is speaking. Don’t misunderstand that the house is the speaker. You are standing before the house and you see the house. The invisible speaker is in the house and is speaking from the house. The doors of the house are closed. Don’t mistake that the house speaks. The house cannot speak. The human being cannot give such special divine knowledge. Hanuman stands for the path to please the God. He stands for service, which is the sacrifice of work and the fruit of work. Work and the fruit of work are one and the same. The work is converted into fruit. Bhima stands for faith, which is even beyond justice. Krishna asked Bhima to kill an elephant named as Ashwatthama so that his Guru Drona could be deceived and killed. Bhima did it immediately without any dialogue. Arjuna made several dialogues before following the order of Lord Krishna. Dharmaraja refused to obey Krishna and said that Ashwatthama, the elephant, was killed. But Bhima simply followed the order of Krishna without any dialogue. Thus Hanuman and Bhima stand for total faith in the human incarnation in doing service without any logic. Thus Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhva have completed the concept of the total spiritual effort, which is the identification of present human incarnation and doing service without any logic.
When God comes as a human incarnation, His Self is like the sun, which is always full. His ignorance of the self and the corresponding worldly involvement can be ninety nine percent. Correspondingly His entertainment is also ninety nine percent. At least one percent self-realization exists however much He may be involved. The trace of light exists however much the sun may be covered by the clouds. But in the case of the human being, his self is like the moon, which becomes totally nil on the day of new moon (Amavasya). The human being’s self-ignorance and worldly involvement becomes hundred percent. Here we expect the entertainment to be hundred percent proportionally, according to the rules of mathematics. But alas, the entertainment becomes zero. In the case of a realized soul, the moon appears and grows day by day. As the self-realization grows the self-ignorance and worldly involvement are proportionally reduced and therefore the entertainment is also correspondingly reduced. A fully realized soul is never entertained in this world. All his entertainment lies only in God. But when the fully liberated soul comes down in association with God, He gets ninety nine percent entertainment like God. But sir, don’t claim that the moon is the sun due to this common point. The moon is the moon and the sun is the sun. The liberated soul is not the Lord.
Knowledge—Clearer and Sharper Than Ever
Ramanath (Mumbai) asked that why such wonderful knowledge was not revealed by previous human incarnations. Lakshman (Mumbai) asked that why My knowledge is becoming sharper and sharper day by day. Both these questions have the same answer. The first question was in a macro-scale and second question was in a micro-scale. As generations passed, human beings have become more and more sharp by the development of scientific logical analysis. Therefore, a better knowledge is revealed at present. Similarly, as My devotees become sharper and sharper, My knowledge is also becoming sharper and sharper. The same God existed in the previous human incarnations also, and possessed the complete knowledge. In this human body the same God exists everyday and God is not sharpened day by day! The Veda says that the body is the chariot (car). The senses are horses (wheels). The mind is the controlling reins of horses (steering rod). The soul is the owner of chariot sitting in the chariot (car). If the driver is an ignorant person, the car will meet with an accident and owner will die. Similarly, if you proceed in the spiritual path using your own intelligence or a wrong preacher as your driver, you are bound to go to the hell and fall in the liquid fire in the wrong path. If the driver is a human incarnation like Krishna, you are sure to travel in the right path and reach the final goal successfully like Arjuna. In the darkness, your eyes cannot lead you in the right path and you will certainly deviate. But the human incarnation is like the torch light and will lead you on the right path.
I am giving this divine knowledge step by step with certain gaps in between. The reason is that if the total divine knowledge is revealed, a real devotee will burst with surprise on understanding the total concept at single instance. A farmer won one lakh [hundred thousand] in a lottery. He was informed that he won the one lakh rupee lottery. He was so shocked and surprised that he died immediately. Therefore, this wonderful knowledge revealed in a single instance will shock the real devotee. The devotee may become mad or may even leave the body. The Gita says that the devotee hears the knowledge from God with infinite wonder (Ascharyavat…). I am giving the gaps so that you are deviated by such intervals. The interval will immerse you in Maya and thus dilute your seriousness and wonder. The Lord not only knows the divine spiritual knowledge but also knows the method of injecting the knowledge based on the withstanding capacity of the receiver.
[1] This refers to the incident where a representative of Lord Brahma (Creator) hid Lord Krishna’s friends and their cows. To re-assure their parents and teach a lesson to him, Lord Krishna created exact replicas of the boys and the cows which went home as if nothing happened.
[2] Mangalsutra which traditional, married Indian women wear.