Posted on: 09 May 2022
Note: This article is meant for intellectuals only
1. Is God dimensionally constrained by the imaginable creation?
[Shri Anil asked: Padanamaskaram Swami, The unimaginable God is surrounding the imaginable universe; in such a case, God is formed into a geometrical dimension having imaginable core as the universe (assuming the universe is like a sphere, God is surrounding the sphere like a wrap). Thus, God is dimensionally constrained by the imaginable creation. Kindly please answer this point. At Your Divine Lotus Feet-anil]
Swami replied: When space is absent in God, we cannot say that the unimaginable God surrounded the imaginable sphere of universe like an external sphere. To say like that, we are provoked from the point of our faculty of understanding. Actually, this means that the unimaginable God exists everywhere around us in an unimaginable way. It is a mode of our assumption to represent like that for the sake of the convenience of our imagination. It is only in the effective sense and not in the physical sense. In this effective sense only, the Gita said that the unimaginable God is surrounding the universe (Sarvamāvṛtya tiṣṭhati). If we say that the unimaginable God surrounds us in an unimaginable way, the strain in understanding the concept becomes more complicated. Not only the nature of unimaginable God is unimaginable but the ways of His actions are also unimaginable. God Datta is not different from the unimaginable God. We can imagine that God Datta is surrounding the universe. But, here also, effective sense can be taken because God Datta need not surround the universe in physical sense. In effective sense, God Datta is surrounding the boundary of universe because God Datta is omnipotent due to unimaginable nature.
2. Why can’t the associated characteristics be the inherent characteristics of God?
[Shri Anil asked: Padanamaskaram Swami. Kindly give the answer to the following questions related to “Parabrahma Prakaranam”. At -Your Divine Lotus Feet-Anil. God’s associated characteristics are known but not His inherent characteristics. Creation, sustenance and destruction are some of the associated characteristic. Why are these characteristics not His inherent characteristics?]
Swami replied: When an architect builds a wonderful mansion, do you say that the construction of the mansion is an inherent characteristic of the architect or an associated characteristic of the architect?
3. Shri Anil asked: How can it be said that both space and energy are the first items created in the beginning of creation itself?
Swami replied: Since space itself is subtle energy, we can say that space or subtle energy is created as the first item from which rest of the creation is created by God.
4. Why is it said that space and energy were created in the beginning by God and other items were evolved from its predecessors?
[Shri Anil asked: Why it is said that both first items (space and energy) were created in the beginning by God and other items like matter, gross energy, liquid, awareness etc. were evolved from each of its predecessors? For instance, for evolving gross energy to matter, some intelligence agency shall be there, how it can evolve itself without the external agency (God)?]
Swami replied: The creation of energy or space from the unimaginable God is unimaginable. You can explain the creation of air molecules from energy by saying that matter is condensed energy. But, the actual process of condensation of energy into matter is not perfectly understood even by scientists. However, the process of condensation of energy into matter is quantitatively understood by E=Mc2. From air molecules, gross energy (fire) is generated. From fire, water is produced. There is again an unimaginable process regarding the production of liquid from fire and air. The most wonderful point is that hydrogen and oxygen molecules combine to give water, only in the presence of moisture as catalyst. Then, how was the first water (moisture) generated? From water, solid is generated and this is pure condensation that can be done by any scientist. Food generates awareness, but, the same food cannot generate awareness in a dead body.
On observing all this, the conclusions are i) The Unimaginable God created imaginable space or energy through unimaginable process. ii) From the first imaginable item, which is energy, the rest of the creation proceeds in a scientific way involving imaginable items. iii) Even though the imaginable domain is created and extended further, now and then, unimaginable miracles are exhibited here and there. All these steps can be understood in the angle of the creation of the imaginable domain for the sake of entertainment of God and for this purpose only, awareness is created and souls are generated. The entertainment drama contains both inert items as well as non-inert items called roles in which the permanent actors enact the play. God created both the unimaginable (miraculous powers) and imaginable domains so that both the domains get recognition and significance. Since souls are imaginable and part of the imaginable creation, the imaginable domain is handed over to the soul-issues. God also helped the souls in discovering the various physical laws of the imaginable domain, which were created by Himself. God kept the unimaginable domain (miraculous powers) with Him as His personal share of property. The Father has divided the property between Himself and the soul-issues. The soul is not satisfied with his imaginable domain-property share and is craving for the property of his Father to attain the miraculous powers and become God. If this aspiration is absent and even then, if the love of God continues without aspiring for anything in return from God, such love is the real devotion by which God is extremely pleased and merges with such a rare soul so that the soul becomes God.
Even without aspiration, the soul is getting the entire status of God along with all the powers. The entire aim of the whole play of creation is only to find out such exceptional souls having real love towards God. On experiencing such real love, God becomes an infinite ocean of bliss and this point alone is the main aim of the creation. It should not be misunderstood that God is simply wishing to entertain Himself by killing time in some way or the other so that the boredom of loneliness is removed. Such aim is very cheap and may fit to an ordinary human being but not to the omnipotent God. Unless, you understand this main aim of God, you cannot understand the plan of mixing imaginable and unimaginable items in the process of creation of this universe. The aim of God is not merely time pass since He was suffering with boredom of loneliness.
The Veda says that God was not entertained in monism and wanted entertainment in dualism (Ekākī na ramate sa dvitīyamaicchat). These two statements have deep meaning of the concept. By this, you cannot compare God to an ordinary human king going for hunting the deer even though he was not in requirement of the meat of the deer (Lokavattu - Brahasūtram). If this is said to be the bliss of human level (mānuṣa ānanda), the divine bliss of God is far far higher (Sa eko Brahmaṇa ānandaḥ). Even though God was enjoying the ocean of bliss in monism, He wanted to enjoy the bliss in dualism as a different variety. In the bliss of monism, He is loving Himself. In the bliss of dualism, He is loved by the devotee and in return He loves the devotee. This bliss of dualism is more attractive. Prahlada, Meera etc., are such examples of climax love without aspiration of any fruit in return. To achieve the taste of such dualistic love, God created the entire drama containing all other filler details. Even though you enjoy the climax scene of the cinema, the entire show of the cinema is to be seen for the sake of that special climax scene.
In view of all this final climax, God arranged the tendencies of souls in such a way that they are attracted by the miraculous powers of God and among such souls a search is done for the soul having true climax love towards God. When such a rare devotee is found, God is very much pleased with such dualistic love and exchanges His dualistic love also in return so that the climax of happiness is experienced by God as a different variety in dualism. Hence, unimaginable and imaginable items get mixed with each other for the sake of attraction of devotees and such attraction has no place in true love. In this way, there is a very big plan of God about the play of entertainment even from the beginning of creation. This point is a very deep point that can be understood by devotees on thinking in a careful and detailed manner.
5. Can God not maintain space without matter and awareness?
[Shri Anil asked: Einstein says that space is nothing, it is only geometrical. As per his theory, if matter disappears, space also disappears (It indirectly means that God cannot maintain space without matter and awareness, except this one power God possesses all other powers!!) But God is more authoritative than Einstein. Swami supports Vedic thinking. Knowledge present in the Veda is presented by God who passed through the beginning of creation, creation process etc; Einstein existed later on. Kindly explain these points.]
Swami replied: Please read the topic on space and energy presented in ‘the knowledge of God’ (Brahmajñānam).
6. Shri Anil asked: Space consists of a higher frequency energy than X rays, Gamma rays etc. Please elaborate.
Swami replied: Please refer the above topic.
7. Shri Anil asked: The mahapralaya or dissolution process is exactly in reverse to the creation process. Kindly explain.
Swami replied: The generation of space is the first scene in creation and the disappearance of space is the last scene in the dissolution.
8. In nuclear reactors, only a small fraction of mass defect is converted into energy. Kindly explain this concept in more detail.
[Shri Anil asked: Scientists cannot produce matter in the laboratory (as per the equation E = mc2). In the nuclear reactor, only a very small fraction of mass defect as the binding energy is converted into energy. Kindly explain this concept in more detail.]
Swami replied: The formula pertaining to converting mass into energy and reverse is found out by scientists by the grace of God. But this conversion is not practically in the hands of the scientists and hence, no scientist can produce matter from cosmic energy.
9. Ancient logic and science are proved wrong in different contexts. How to correlate these two?
[Shri Anil asked: Padanamaskaram Swami. Kindly answer the following questions, at Your Divine Lotus Feet -anil. Swami You proved that science is wrong in stating that space does not have an independent existence (It depends on the existence of mass and gross energy). But ancient logic also made some mistakes e.g. stating that sound travels through vacuum. There science has proved that the concept is wrong. How to correlate these two aspects?]
Swami replied: If ancient logic is wrong and science is correct, we agree to it without any hesitation. But, when the reverse happens, you should also agree without any hesitation. Such a tendency is essential for the seeker of the truth.
10. What is the spiritual significance of the concept that space is not nothing but subtle energy?
[Shri Anil asked: What is the spiritual significance of the concept that space is not nothing but subtle energy? Is it purely a subject of science? What is the use of this concept in the spiritual line?]
Swami replied: Science does a thorough analysis of the creation and such analysis is related to spiritual knowledge also so that we know that no item of creation is God by any chance. Space is directly generated from God as the first imaginable item. Analysis of space helps us understand the nature of God (associated characteristics only).
11. Is God the cause for items created after space or is it just Evolution?
[Shri Ganesh V asked: Padanamskaram Swamiji, During the Satsang on 30th April 2022, You said that God is the cause for the creation of Space and Energy alone. God is not the cause for the creation of Air. But without God's grace, evolution cannot happen. So that should mean God should be the cause for all parts of the creation. I am a little confused here. Please enlighten me on this point. At Your divine feet, Ganesh V]
Swami replied: God is the cause in every step of the creation. God created air from space. The creator is only God and not the space. God created air through space. God gives the credit of causation to space.