Posted on: 30 Sep 2021
[This is the revised version of divine message circulated on 21st Sept 2021]
[Ms. Lakshmi Thrylokya asked: Can You please give a detailed explanation and comparison of God Datta and Ādiparāśakti. -At Your Divine Lotus Feet, Laxmi Thrylokya]
Swami replied: There are two separate parts to Ādiparāśakti. They are respectively, the causal power form and the effect-power form of Ādiparāśakti. Simply stated, they are the cause and effect in the context of creation.
As per one terminology, the cause and effect forms can be called the Kāraṇa Rūpa Śakti and the kārya rūpa śakti respectively.
(1) The Kāraṇa Rūpa Śakti is the cause of creation. It is also known as Māyā, which is God’s unimaginable power. God’s unimaginable power is not different from the unimaginable God Himself. This is because; any power cannot be isolated from the possessor of the power. This is true even in the imaginable world, where, for instance, sunlight (power) cannot be separated from the sun (possessor). Moreover, when both the power (Māyā) and its possessor (unimaginable God) are unimaginable, they fundamentally cannot be different. There can only be one unimaginable item. So, the Kāraṇa Rūpa Śakti or Māyā is nothing but the unimaginable God.
(2) The second part of Ādiparāśakti is the kārya rūpa śakti. It is this creation, which is the product or the effect. This creation-effect has emerged from the cause, which is the Kāraṇa Rūpa Śakti or Māyā. The kārya rūpa śakti is also known as prakṛti or jagat.
Although we have said that there is a cause-effect relationship between the unimaginable God (Māyā) and creation (prakṛti), it is not the usual worldly cause-effect relationship. An example of a worldly cause-effect relationship is the case of mud and a pot made out of the mud. The mud, which is the cause, pervades all over the pot, which is its effect. However, this does not apply in the case of Māyā, the cause, creating prakṛti, the effect. Māyā does not pervade all over prakṛti. In this context, Māyā means the unimaginable God or Parabrahman, who is the cause. Prakṛti, which is creation, is the effect that has emerged out of the Māyā-cause. But except for this one fact that Māyā created praṛkti, there is no other commonality between this special cause-effect relationship and other worldly cause-effect relationships. All the other characteristics of worldly cause-effect relationships are not applicable to the case of Māyā creating prakṛti. For instance, when the mud is converted into a pot, the original mud gets consumed. However, when Māyā (unimaginable God) creates creation, there is no reduction or modification in the original unimaginable God. This case of Māyā (unimaginable God) creating prakṛti (creation) is unique because only the effect (creation) is imaginable while the cause (unimaginable God) is unimaginable. In all worldly cause-effect relationships, both the cause and the effect are imaginable. Thus, when we speak of Ādiparāśakti, we must remember that it has these two parts of cause and effect. They are the Creator (Māyā or Parabrahman) and creation (prakṛti or jagat) respectively.
As per another terminology, the cause and effect forms of Ādiparāśakti can be called Ādiśakti and parāśakti respectively. The word Ādiparāśakti is a compound word consisting of these two words, namely, Ādiśakti and parāśakti. (i) Ādiśakti means the root-cause of creation. Śakti means power, which is a feminine noun in Sanskrit. The word ādi means original or the root and it qualifies the noun śakti. So, Ādiśakti means the power which is the root-cause. It is the unimaginable power, which is the same as the unimaginable God, as explained above. It is the Creator (Māyā or Parabrahman). (ii) Parāśakti is creation (prakṛti or jagat). The word parā qualifies śakti and it means great (feminine). So, parāśakti literally means the great power, but more specifically, it means the great creation. The word parā also specifically refers to souls, which have awareness (Apareyaṃ itastvanyāṃ prakṛtiṃ viddhi me parāṃ; jīvabhūtāṃ mahābāho yayedaṃ dhāryate jagat—Gītā). Awareness is the greatest item (parā) in creation, because the rest of creation is only inert. So, parāśakti means the creation (śakti), which contains souls having awareness (parā). An important point to note here is that souls are only part of creation. They are not part of the Creator. We must also thoroughly remember that Ādiparāśakti has the cause and effect parts and not mix up the two.
So far, we have said that Māyā means the Kāraṇa Rūpa Śakti or the Ādiśakti. It is the unimaginable power of the unimaginable God which causes creation and it is one and the same as the unimaginable God or Parabrahman. However, based on its root meaning, the word māyā can be applied to both the Creator and creation.
In one sense of the term, māyā means that which is wonderful (maya – vaicitrye). The unimaginable power of the unimaginable God is the greatest wonder. We experience this unimaginable power in a miracle. In a miracle, the effect is seen and experienced by us, but its cause cannot even be imagined by us; since it is the unimaginable power. We see and experience the effect even in the absence of any imaginable cause. So, we are filled with the greatest wonder. In fact, genuine miracles even shock us! The same unimaginable power that causes miracles has created this creation. We experience creation, but we can never imagine the causal unimaginable power (unimaginable God) that created it. Therefore, the unimaginable power (unimaginable God) can most certainly be called Māyā since It is most wonderful.
To a lesser extent, creation (prakṛti) too is wonderful and hence, it can also be called māyā. A superficial observation of creation seems to indicate that creation is merely following scientific laws and logic. So, at first, creation does not seem to be wonderful. But when we analyse any part of creation deeply, it is seen to be wonderful. It is said in the Gītā that māyā is prakṛti (Māyāṃ tu prakṛtiṃ viddhi). In one sense, this can mean that creation (prakṛti) is wonderful (māyā). Note that we are merely saying that creation is wonderful. We are not saying that creation is Māyā in the sense of the causal unimaginable power (Kāraṇa Rūpa Śakti or Ādiśakti) which is identical with the unimaginable God. Creation (kārya rūpa śakti) can be called māyā because it is a great wonder. The Creator (Kāraṇa Rūpa Śakti) can be called Māyā because It is the greatest wonder. But the Creator and creation are totally different.
Any item, which is wonderful, can be called as maayaa irrespective of the quantity of wonderfulness just like both 1 gram of salt and 1kg of salt can be called as salt. Shankara called the unimaginable causal power, which is the greatest wonder as Mahaamaayaa, which means that the wonder is greatest and called the lesser wonder or creation as simply Maayaa. He addressed Mahaamaayaa as the wife of ParaBrahman indicating that Mahaamaayaa is of the level of ParaBrahman (Mahāmāyā viśvaṃ bhrāmayasi ParaBrahmamahiṣi! – Soundarya Laharii). Shankara also created the word ParaBrahman for unimaginable God to mean that ParaBrahman is beyond the word Brahman since ParaBrahman is beyond words and can be indicated by silence only (Maunavyākhyā prakaṭita ParaBrahma tattvam yuvānam… – Dakshinaamuurthi Stotram). Even though the absolute God or ParaBrahman can be called also as Brahman, the word Brahman can mean several greatest items like food, life, mind, intelligence, bliss, the Veda, soul etc., among their corresponding categories and ParaBrahman or the absolute God is greater than all these greatest items. Hence, it is better to call the absolute unimaginable God as ParaBrahman and the unimaginable power of ParaBrahman be called as Mahaamaayaa. Note that both ParaBrahman and Mahaamaayaa are one and the same since two unimaginable items must result as one unimaginable item only.
In another sense of the term, māyā means that which is not absolutely real (yā mā sā māyā). Prakṛti or creation is basically unreal with respect to the unimaginable God. But it has been granted the status of absolute reality by God for the sake of His entertainment. So, it can neither be said to be absolutely unreal nor can it be said to be absolutely real. Fundamentally, it is absolutely unreal to the unimaginable God while simultaneously existing as an absolute reality due to the absolute reality granted to it by God. This reality of creation is called a relative reality. The unimaginable God is the absolute reality and all of creation including all souls constitutes the relative reality. Prakṛti literally means the great creation created by God (Praśastā kṛtiḥ). This great creation of God is only a relative reality (yā mā sā). Hence, it can be called māyā, in the sense of not being absolutely real. Here again, we must avoid any confusion. By saying that creation (prakṛti) is māyā in the sense of being a relative reality, we are not saying that the unimaginable God, who is also called Māyā, is also a relative reality.
Prakṛti, jagat or the kārya rūpa śakti means creation and it is called māyā in both senses—of being wonderful and being relatively real. The unimaginable God or the Kāraṇa Rūpa Śakti is called Māyā only in one sense of being the most wonderful or unimaginable. Hence, Māyā as the Kāraṇa Rūpa Śakti, is totally different from māyā as the kārya rūpa śakti. Just because the same word māyā can be used to refer to both, we should not confuse the two to be the same.
The statement, “Māyāṃ tu prakṛtiṃ viddhi”, can be interpreted in two ways. Simply stated, it can either mean, “Know Māyā to be prakṛti” or “Know prakṛti to be māyā”. Let us understand this in greater detail. (i) The first interpretation takes the Cause or the Kāraṇa Rūpa Śakti as the subject. The literal meaning of the statement becomes “Know māyā to be prakṛti.” Here, instead of taking prakṛti in its usual sense of being a great creation (praśastā kṛtiḥ), an alternative meaning is taken. Prakṛti is taken to mean the root cause of creation (Prakṛtir mūla kāraṇe). It means that Prakṛti is the Creator of the excellent creation (Prakṛsṭaṃ kriyate anayā iti prakṛtiḥ). So, as per this interpretation, “Know māyā to be prakṛti”, means, “Know Māyā (unimaginable God or unimaginable power) to be the root cause of this creation”.
(ii) The second interpretation takes creation or the kāryā rūpa śakti as the subject. Here, the statement, “Māyāṃ tu prakṛtiṃ viddhi”, literally means, “Know prakṛti to be māyā”. Here the word māyā means wonderful (maya vaicitrye) and prakṛti means a great creation (praśastā kṛtiḥ). So, the statement “Māyāṃ tu prakṛtiṃ viddhi”, means, “Know the great creation (prakṛti) to be wonderful (māyā)”.
Keeping the above two forms of Ādiparāśakti in mind, let us try to understand the process of formation of Datta, the first Energetic Incarnation of God. Initially, ParaBrahman, Ādiśakti or the unimaginable God alone existed as the absolute reality. This unimaginable God is referred to in the Veda as Tat, which means ‘That’. Tat is a neuter-gender pronoun in Sanskrit, which is so chosen because the concept of gender cannot exist in the unimaginable domain. On the other hand, Ādiśakti is a feminine noun in Sanskrit. God (unimaginable God) is a masculine noun in English. ParaBrahman, Tat, Ādiśakti and unimaginable God mean the same. The genders of each of these terms are only part of the language. As such, the concept of gender in the unimaginable domain is altogether meaningless.
Adiśakti or ParaBrahman (Tat) created the first energetic form called Datta. It consisted of an energetic body and an energetic soul. That form of Datta occupied some space and was composed of energy. This means that space and energy were created and the first energetic form was created out of them. This first space occupied by the first energetic form is called the Paramavyoma, which means the ultimate space. The first energy out of which that first energetic form was made is the primordial energy. The ultimate space and the primordial energy are one and the same since space is the subtlest form of energy. The Vedic statement “Tat tejo'sṛjata”, which means, “That (Parabrahman) created energy”, refers to this very first creation of the primordial energy by the unimaginable God (Tat).
Adiśakti or Parabrahman (Tat) then entered and merged with this first energetic form of Datta (Tat sṛṣṭvā tadevā'nuprāviśat—Veda). The merging was total and permanent. The Ādiśakti (unimaginable God) homogenously merged and became identical with both the energetic body and the soul of Datta (Sat ca tyat cā'bhavat—Veda). Here, Sat means unimaginable God or unimaginable power. Tyat means the first energetic form containing energetic body and energetic soul of Datta. This statement means that unimaginable God while remaining as He is in the original position became Tyat (first energetic form of Datta) as Himself due to unimaginable power or omnipotence (Generally, the cause is consumed when its effect is generated.). ParaBrahman is the unexpressed unimaginable God whereas God Datta is the expressed unimaginable God and hence, there is no difference between ParaBrahman and God Datta. God Datta thus became identical with the unimaginable God. The energetic form of Datta, upon the merging of the Ādiśakti (unimaginable God) into it, became the first Energetic Incarnation of God; Datta became God Datta. God Datta is also called the mediated God, which means the Ādiśakti (unimaginable God) in the medium of the first energetic form. ParaBrahman means non-mediated God (NirgunaBrahman) and God Datta means mediated God (SagunaBrahman).
The merging of the Ādiśakti (unimaginable God) with Datta is eternal. The unimaginable God will never leave the body and soul of Datta. Due to the merging of the Ādiśakti (unimaginable God) with the energetic form of Datta, the primordial energy and the ultimate space (Paramavyoma) constituting that form has also become eternal. It will never get destroyed, even during the total dissolution of creation. God Datta is thus, the permanent residential address of the Ādiśakti (unimaginable God) in creation.
God Datta, the first Energetic Incarnation of God is a masculine form. He is referred to by several other names including Īśvara, Hiraṇyagarbha, Nārāyaṇa and the Father of heaven. He is referred to in the Veda as the masculine Divine Person (Ātman or Sah as in Aatmanah Aakaashah or Sa idam sarvamasrujata etc.), who carried out the rest of the process of creation (Ātmanaḥ ākāśaḥ…annāt puruṣaḥ). The precise meaning of this is that the Ādiśakti (unimaginable God) present in God Datta (Ātman), carried out the rest of creation. The rest of the process of creation began with the creation of space (ākāśa), followed by gaseous matter (vāyu), visible forms of energy (agni), liquid and solid forms of matter (āpaḥ, pṛthivī), living plants (oṣadhayah) which yield food (annaṃ) and finally, living animals and humans having awareness (puruṣa). In the final dissolution, entire creation and the five elements are dissolved and drawn into God Datta, where it remains in subtle form (Avyaktam), until it is manifested again during the next cycle of creation. The first Energetic Incarnation however, remains unaffected by these repeated cycles of creation and dissolution. The energy and space in His form also remain eternal since they are pervaded by the unimaginable God.
Other Vedic statements also refer to this first masculine Energetic Incarnation, God Datta or Īśvara, wishing to create and then creating the world (So'kāmayata bahusyāṃ prajāyeyeti). So, we see that the Veda refers to the unimaginable God as an Entity with a neuter gender and the first Incarnation of God (Īśvara) as a masculine Entity.
Śrī Durgaprasad asked: Is the awareness (Annāt puruṣa—Veda) produced at the end of the process of creation, the awareness of an ordinary soul or the awareness of the first Incarnation, Datta?
Swami replied: The awareness that was created at the end of the chain of creation is called relative awareness. It is part of creation which is the relative reality. This relative awareness is basically a converted form of energy. On Earth, which is a material world, the digestion of food releases inert energy in the body, which gets converted into awareness in the material nervous system. In the upper worlds inhabited by energetic beings, the awareness in them is also relative awareness. It too is only a converted form of energy. The only difference is that energetic beings do not consume any material food and they do not have a material nervous system. Even the awareness in the first energetic form of Datta, before the entry and merging of the Ādiśakti (unimaginable God), was only relative awareness. After the Ādiśakti (unimaginable God) merged into it, it became an unimaginable awareness.
The most important point to note is that the Ādiśakti (unimaginable God) only merged with the first energetic form of Datta to become the first Energetic Incarnation. There was no merging with the rest of creation. So, Ādiśakti (Māyā, unimaginable God) only merged with a finite part of prakṛti (jagat, creation) and not the whole of prakṛti. So, in Ādiparāśakti, there is no overall merging between the cause and the effect. The Cause (Ādiśakti) only merges with a finite part of the effect (parāśakti), which is the energetic body and energetic soul of Datta.
Śrī Anil asked: When the merging of the Ādiśakti (unimaginable God) with the energetic form of Datta occurred, was the rest of creation already created? How can we understand the merging of the cause with only a finite part of creation?
Swami replied: Initially, only the first energetic form of Datta was directly created by Ādiśakti (unimaginable God). The rest of creation was not created. The Ādiśakti (unimaginable God) merged with the first energetic form resulting in the first energetic Incarnation. The rest of creation was created by Ādiśakti (unimaginable God) only through God Datta in due course. After the entire process of creation is complete, we find the unimaginable cause merged only in the form of the Incarnation, which is only a finite part of the entire creation. Please remember that now only we are saying that the 1st energetic form is a finite part of the entire creation and now refers to the present time while we are speaking this statement. This statement was not told by us standing in the beginning point of time as soon as the first energetic form was created by God.
In most of the above explanations, as far as possible I have avoided the use of the words, Parabrahman or unimaginable God. I have used the terms, Ādiśakti, Kāraṇa Rūpa Śakti or Māyā, which mean the unimaginable power. Of course, these terms mean the same as Parabrahman or the unimaginable God. But by avoiding the use of the words, Parabrahman or unimaginable God, both the Creator and creation become Śakti, which means power and which has a feminine gender in Sanskrit. This feminine terminology is used by the Śākteya School (followers of Śakti).
If you say that Īśvara is the masculine possessor (Māyī) of the unimaginable power called (māyā), then it is in accordance with the Vedanta school. In fact, as per Vedanta, the unimaginable God is the substratum and the neuter-gender term Parabrahman is used for it. The difference between the Śākteya and Vedanta schools is only a difference in terminology. It is important to focus on the common concept and not get into silly gender-based quarrels regarding whether the absolute Divinity is masculine or feminine. In fact, it is neither since the concept of gender itself is not applicable to the absolute unimaginable domain! Māyā is the unimaginable power and Parabrahman is the unimaginable possessor of the power. Both are identical since there can only be one unimaginable Entity and that unimaginable Entity is altogether beyond the concept of gender!
In the Gītā, it is said that Īśvara or Datta is the possessor of Māyā (Māyinaṃ tu Maheśvaram). Here Māyā means Ādiśakti or the unimaginable God. Māyā (unimaginable God) created the first energetic form (Datta) and then merged with it. The form of Datta is thus, like a container containing Māyā (unimaginable God). In this sense, Īśvara (Maheśvara) or Datta is said to be the possessor of Māyā (unimaginable God). It means that the first energetic form is not simply an energetic being containing an energetic body and an energetic soul. It also additionally contains Māyā (unimaginable God) in a merged state. As a result, that first energetic form acquires an unimaginable nature or unimaginable powers. That first energetic form Himself becomes the unimaginable God or unimaginable Māyā. The unimaginable God (unimaginable Māyā) is unimaginable and invisible to all souls. But through the first Energetic Incarnation, the unimaginable God or unimaginable Māyā becomes imaginable and visible to souls. So, the first Energetic Incarnation is called Datta (the Given One). He is the form in which the unimaginable God or unimaginable Māyā has given Itself to souls for their vision and worship.
The conclusion is that Datta is a finite part of Prakruti into which Aadishakti or Maayaa (Mahaamaayaa) is merged perfectly. Aadiparaashakti means the Aadishakti or Maayaa (Mahaamaayaa) and the entire Prakruti without merge between both. Since both Aadishakti (Maayaa or Mahaamaayaa) and Paraashakti (Prakruti) exist in both Aadiparaashakti and God Datta, we can say that both God Datta and Aadiparaashakti are one and the same.
If you take Anaghaa, also called as Madhumati (A lustful woman also called as Madhumati as wife of God Datta was different, who was cursed by God Datta), we can see Anaghaa as a finite part of Prakruti into which Aadishakti (unimaginable God) in the form of God Datta is fully merged. In this way, there is no difference between God Datta and Anaghaa because both are finite parts of Prakruti into which ParaBrahman or Aadishakti in the form of God Datta is perfectly merged. God Datta and Anaghaa are exactly one and the same as far as the basic actors are concerned. But, as far as the external roles in the divine drama (to preach Spiritual concepts and devotion to devotees) are concerned, God Datta is God and Anaghaa acts as devotee even though She is also God as the basic actor. In this way, Anaghaa is in lower status than God Datta by virtue of Her role. Similarly, God Brahmaa, God Vishnu, God Shiva etc., are different forms of God as actor as well as role. Goddess Sarasvati, Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Paarvatii etc., are different forms of God as per the basic status of actor, but are devotees as per the status of their roles. The ParaBrahman or unimaginable God or unimaginable Maayaa acts in different roles to pacify the interest in acting different roles also.
Raadhaa was the incarnation of God Shiva and was actually God. But, by the virtue of the role, Raadhaa became the devotee of God and acted in the divine drama to preach ordinary souls like Sages or Gopikas to become even masters of God in Goloka through climax madness of devotion to God. These Sages or Gopikas were ordinary souls only in the status of basic actor as well as the external role. Still overwhelmed by their mad devotion, God became their servant in Goloka! Hanumaan was also the incarnation of God Shiva and was actually God. But, by the virtue of His role, Hanumaan became the devotee of God and acted in the divine drama to preach devotion to devotees. Hanumaan limited Himself up to climax of devotion (not mad devotion) to serve God in the climax level by virtue of the limiting boundaries of the devotee in the role of a servant. Hence, Hanumaan reached Brahmaloka to become future Brahmaa.