Posted on: 20 Apr 2011
Note: This article is meant for intellectuals only
The word ‘Atman’ means both the soul representing energy as well as the body representing the matter. The soul or energy creates the imaginary world, maintains and dissolves it. The soul has full control on the imaginary world and can do anything. Similarly, God creates, maintains and destroys this world. God is omnipotent since He can do anything in this world. All these are good aspects of comparison. But, there are defective aspects of limitations. The soul is converted into imaginary world whereas, the unimaginable God is not converted and hence, the process of creation of this world becomes unimaginable. There is one total important aspect in which the soul utterly fails. A part of the soul is converted into imaginary world and therefore, the soul partially becomes the imaginary world. Due to entry of such soul in the imaginary world, like mud in pot, you can detect the soul in the imaginary world. There are certain living beings in the imaginary world. Therefore, the awareness or knowledge can be detected in the imaginary world, which exists in these beings.
People try to say that the entire world is a modification of the awareness only and hence, the awareness exists everywhere in the world like the mud in pot. But, awareness is present partially in the living beings only and there are several inert materials. They support their argument by saying that the imaginary world, which is the modification of awareness only, also contains inert items. They say that the inert items in the imaginary world are also awareness and therefore, the inert materials in this world are also awareness. This is wrong due to limitation of simile. The awareness creating the imaginary world is awareness as specific work form and basically inert energy. Thus, the awareness has two aspects:
In the imaginary world, both these aspects entered. But, in the actual world, since both these forms exist, if you say that God is also specific form and basic inert form, several complications arise. If God is work form, there should be a materialized system before the production of God. The nervous system exists before the production of awareness. In such case, God cannot be the creator due to pre-existence of matter and inert energy, which are essential for the production of awareness. Based on this point, people try to detect God in living beings and therefore, conclude that this awareness is God. They quote the Veda to support their point. The Veda says that God created this world and entered it (Tadevaanupraavishat…). But, the Veda also said that God is the special knowledge (Prajnanam), which can be found only in specific human beings like Krishna, etc. You reduce the meaning of special knowledge to mere basic awareness and say that God is in every living being. By this also, you should not conclude that God is the special knowledge in real sense because even in this context, God is only associated with the special knowledge and becomes bearer of the special knowledge to be called as the special knowledge. Leaving this one occasion of human incarnation, which can be explained only with the help of unimaginable power of God, the general logic clearly demonstrates that God can never exist in this world. The reason for this is that the world has spatial dimensions and God has no spatial dimensions. For this concept, you can take ‘Atman’ in the sense of human body as a simile to God because the human body never enters the imaginary world. Thus, the second meaning (human body) of the word ‘Atman’ becomes fruitful in this context.
God Enters Only the Human Form; Not Inert Items
The word ‘Atman’ standing for soul (Awareness) as well as the human body is significant in the human incarnation. When God enters the human being, the entry is not only into the soul, but also into the human body. The special knowledge preached by Krishna stands for the soul or awareness, since any knowledge is only modification of awareness. Due to unimaginable power of God, this special knowledge becomes unimaginable knowledge. The unimaginable knowledge does not mean that the knowledge is unimaginable and cannot be understood. It only means that the concepts and the presentation of the concept are so wonderful that you call such knowledge as unimaginable. The human body of Krishna also becomes unimaginable since it lifted the huge mountain. Thus, the body and soul are charged by the unimaginable God. God identifies with not only the soul, but also with the body in human incarnation. Due to identification with body, God becomes visible and even touchable. Even the knowledge is heard with the help of the throat, which is a part of the body only. Identification of God with matter does not mean that the statues or photos are also identified with the entry of God. God never enters the inert statues because the main purpose of preaching the knowledge cannot be served. If it [preaching of knowledge] is done through statues, people will be shocked with wonder and they will not understand the knowledge. They can understand only from a human being since it is the natural mode. Therefore, God identifies with the inert matter only when it is associated with awareness. Hence, the human incarnation is the only possibility.
However, the statues or photos can stand as representative models of God to develop the devotion. You will understand the concept of spiritual knowledge in the right sense provided you analyze it from all directions. If you are unable to analyze, you must read the analysis also from all directions. The analysis gets magnified as the quality as well as the number of counter arguments increase. I am ready here to answer any counter argument provided you have the un-biased capacity of receiving the truth. You need not fear that the counter argument means that you are opposing Me. More the counter arguments, more will be the answers. More the answers, more will be the clarification of the subject. Arjuna posed several counter arguments and the various answers of the Lord brought the clarification of the subject in the Gita. In fact, Arjuna helped Krishna to clarify more and more. Therefore, attacking Me with more arguments is also a part of the divine service to bring more clarification. Mandana Mishra was the incarnation of Lord Brahma, who argued with Shankara for several days. Shankara was the incarnation of Lord Shiva. All his counter arguments helped Shankara to construct the subject. Mandana Mishra knows the truth, but argued opposing Shankara only to construct the subject for the sake of the world. Both Brahma and Shiva are one and the same. Even Krishna said that He is Arjuna. Arjuna also questioned Krishna in several ways to get more clarification for the sake of the world.