Posted on: 09 Apr 2022
Ms. Thrylokya asked: Every incarnation of God shows some merits and defects. How do these merits and defects affect the devotion of a devoted soul? How does the soul's ego affect its devotion to God? At Your Divine Lotus Feet, Thrylokya
Swami replied: God is beyond both merits and defects whereas the soul is under the control of both and hence, the soul shall always try to come out of the grip of defects. The entire creation is just the will of God. Merits and defects, which are part of creation also appear, sustain and disappear just by the will of God just like the entire creation. Devotion has some wonderful connection with merits and defects of God that are exhibited by Him just by His will. Let us observe the connection of love with merits and defects in the world since the same applies to the case of God also in toto. Love for a loved person increases with the merits of the loved person as the merits get understood. There is nothing great in this because this happens in the case of everybody since it is natural everywhere in the world. But, if love increases by the understood defects, it is very great because such love is really an exceptionally very strong love. Parvati was doing penance for God Shiva. Shiva came in disguise and started describing all the defects of God Shiva. Parvati was not at all discouraged and her firm love on God Shiva did not even shake at all. She said that her mind is strongly fixed on God Shiva irrespective of His merits and defects because God Shiva is beyond all merits and defects. Note that there is difference between God and souls. If the marriage of a bride is fixed with a specific bridegroom and if the bride comes to notice a certain serious defect in the case of the bridegroom, the bride shall not behave like Parvati!
Ego will certainly spoil the devotion to God. If somebody is rich and spends lavishly with a grown ego, God will punish such a rich devotee so that the ego vanishes. Ego makes even the devotee hurt a good soul. When the good person suffers, the egoistic devotee is punished by God immediately here itself. One shall not aspire to become rich if he has no talent of dealing one’s ego because such an incapable person undergoes severe punishments given by God and all his sins are based on the ego rooted in his wealth. Money is a very powerful power. If you don’t have sufficient insulation covers on your body, you shall not do the job of an electrician. God alone has that extraordinary power to keep the entire Goddess Lakshmi in His iron shelf like heart! Every human soul must aspire for only the needed limited wealth. The coins of wealth are like lions and only the talented ringmaster in circus can control the lions. If an ordinary person tries to control the lions, he will be eaten by the lions immediately. Even miraculous powers can be controlled by an incarnation of God only and if a spiritual aspirant tries to possess those miraculous powers, he will be like the above-mentioned ordinary person trying to control the lions!