Posted on: 06 Aug 2017
Note: This article is meant for intellectuals only
Ms. Shyama Kamala Lochana asked:
1) While answering the question of Vena Datta, You told that the human incarnation is like sugar dissolved in water and the sweetness of water is due to sugar only. This means that God-component and human being-component are always separate in the finest level, which means that dualism is ultimately correct and not the monism. Can You explain this point?
Swami replied: I have taken the solution of sugar dissolved in water as a simile to express the dualism in monism in view of certain devotees, who do not like perfect monism in the ultimate level due to some extent of jealousy in them towards co-human beings. This is dualism in monism taking the example of human incarnation in view of devotees having some jealousy that makes them not to accept perfect monism in the ultimate level also. This is one possible situation of omnipotent God. Similarly, there can be monism in dualism. A strong devotee like Hanuman, Radha etc., is seen separately from God. This is external dualism. In this dualism, internally, there is monism. Such a strong devotee is actually the God because whatever the devotee wishes, God performs it spontaneously. Such a devotee is showing dualism externally, but, keeps monism internally. A human incarnation like Parashurama shows externally monism, but, internally dualism like the sugar solution. Parashurama killed all the devilish kings along with their armies with single hand. This proves external monism so that we can believe fully that Parashurama is God. Since Parashurama got the ego, the internal dualism made Parashurama to separate from God at the finest level like sugar molecules existing separately from water molecules. The human being-component (Parashurama) was insulted by God to remove his ego. Hanuman or Radha as a devotee of God (external dualism with internal monism) is certainly greater than the human incarnation, Parashurama, (with external monism having internal dualism).
God is omnipotent and is capable of performing all impossibilities together at a time even if these contradict each other. An item of creation, bound by logic, can be either cold or hot in single instance of time. God, beyond logic, can be simultaneously cold and hot in the same instance of time! For an imaginable item, there are certain possibilities and certain impossibilities. For unimaginable God, all impossible things are possible. Hence, God can maintain perfect monism with the human being-component so that the human being-component is perfectly God in and out without any difference with God. In such state, all the water molecules are converted into sugar molecules and yet, the state of solution is maintained (if all molecules are sugar molecules only, the solid sugar need not result). This is perfect monism of God with human being-component for the devotees, who wanted God to appear directly before their eyes. Such devotees are satisfied with such perfect monism only and hence, the omnipotent God exists in such state appearing externally as its human being-component. Here, monism is external as well as internal as per the Veda (antar bahishcha). God pervades all over the human being so that there is nothing other than God, which is not pervaded by God. This means God appearing as Krishna is totally God and there is nothing else, which is not God. Here, Krishna is just another name of God and this is called as the perfect state of monism (Advaita) projected by Shankara. The monism of Shankara is indicating only the human incarnation and not every human being. Of course, based on the surrounding external atmosphere of many atheists, He extended it to every human being in order to bring the atheists to the spiritual line.
There are certain devotees, who accept the concept of human incarnation, but do not accept that God and human being are one and the same in the deepest level. This is due to some amount of jealousy and ego existing in them to accept a co-human being as total God. They accept the human incarnation to be greater than human being, but, do not accept perfect monism between God and human being-component. They accept external monism due to devotion, but, feel internal dualism due to the effect of jealousy. This is called as intermediate state and for them the human incarnation is Son of God and not the ultimate God. Here, both God and human being-component are separate items (dualism), but, can't be separated from each other (apruthakkarana of Ramanuja). Due to impossibility of separation, you can treat both as one externally, but internally both are separate. Sugar dissolved in water is an example for this second intermediate state. The concept of Ramanuja is after Shankara. At the time of Shankara, the atheists were full of ego and could accept only perfect monism with God. These atheists were converted into theists and became devotees of God in order to attain the forgotten monism with God. After some period of devotion, their ego was reduced to a large extent, but, it did not disappear completely. Devotion based on dualism continued along with monism according to their intermediate state of psychology. This is a state of special monism or Vishishta Advaita (the word 'Vishishta' can be used in the sense of specialty also). In this stage, the human incarnation remains in intermediate stage in which God actually remains in intermediate state of external monism (due to impossibility of separation) and internal dualism. The human incarnation for these devotees is not God, but the Son of God. Son has the same blood of father (monism) and exists as a separate personality (dualism).
The third category consists of devotees, who do not believe in monism at all in human incarnation. For these devotees, God is beyond the creation. Some of the energetic beings in the upper world neither believe the energetic incarnation nor the human incarnation of lower world as God. On this earth, some human beings are of two types: a) some believe in isolated God (beyond creation) only like the above energetic beings and b) some believe God in the energetic incarnation present in the upper world, but, do not believe in the human incarnation present on this earth. In both these sub-categories ('a' and 'b'), the common concept is repulsion between common media existing before eyes as a result of which the human incarnation seen by eyes is never accepted. This is perfect dualism (dvaita) propagated by Madhva. For these devotees, a trace of specialty of human incarnation is acceptable because they treat the human incarnation as a special human being selected by God to propagate His divine spiritual knowledge. For these, the human incarnation is only a Messenger of God. For the sake of these devotees, God remains beyond creation (or at least beyond this earth as energetic incarnation) and the human incarnation propagates His divine spiritual knowledge as a Messenger only. The dualism in the human incarnation is both external and internal. These devotees give one percent respect and devotion to human incarnation since they are filled with ninety-nine percent ego and jealousy only. God satisfies them and keeps perfect dualism with the human incarnation. Due to this point only, God exists in isolated state even though God incarnates through a medium. Due to omnipotence, God does not disappear from the position of beyond creation by entering a medium in the incarnation.
Now the most important point is that the omnipotent and unimaginable God exists in all these three states (monism, intermediate and dualism) simultaneously in the same instance of time to satisfy all these three types of devotees. These three states contradict each other and can't exist simultaneously at one place as per the rules of logic. But, God is beyond logic and hence, all these three states are simultaneously possible for Him to cater to the convenience of a devotee's level. When three types of devotees approach the human incarnation in the same time, God exists in these three states simultaneously to satisfy the three different levels of psychologies of devotees in the same instance of time.
I gave the solution of sugar dissolved in water as an example to the devotees of intermediate state that covers partially both monism and dualism. This state should not be taken as the single ultimate state of God. Of course, in the case of sugar solution, this single state is the ultimately real state. But, when you take a simile in the imaginable domain itself to compare (so that both compared items are imaginable only), even then comparison can be only in one aspect and can't be in all aspects. For example, when you compare face to moon (both are imaginable), the compared aspect is only pleasantness. Face and moon differ from each other in all other aspects. Here, when I compare unimaginable God with an imaginable item like sugar, there is total difference because God is unimaginable and sugar is imaginable item. We cannot take any imaginable item as a perfect simile to even another imaginable item. In such case, can you have an imaginable item as simile to unimaginable God for representing all aspects? You have to take the simile of sugar solution only to the intermediate state of God (external monism and internal dualism) specifically in the context deserving to the intermediate level only. Preaching can be done starting from the existing level of psychology of devotees only so that initial preaching can be easily digested. A human preacher can't preach to different levels of students contradicting to each other. But, the unimaginable God can not only preach but also exists in all the contradicting levels simultaneously due to His omnipotence. When I gave the example of sugar solution, I clearly told that this point will pacify the devotees having some jealousy to co-human form.