Posted on: 01 Feb 2023
1. Why is there a difference between the gospels of Matthew, etc., and those of John?
[Shri Anil asked: Padanamaskaram Swami, please give answer to the following questions-At Your Lotus Divine Feet -anil. The New testament was written by 4 different authors. Mathew, Mark, and Luke present the gospel in which Jesus is delivering the knowledge in Dvaita mode (messenger or Son of God etc). However, in the gospel written by John, Jesus is in the mode of Advaita (I and My Father are one and the same etc). What is the reason for this difference?]
Swami replied: The first is for the people, who do not believe in the human incarnation of God and the second is for the people, who believe in the human incarnation of God.
2. Why was Peter, who denied Jesus, made the leader to lead the church?
[In the Bible, John is said to be a disciple whom Jesus loved the most. However, Jesus gave leadership to Peter who denied Jesus thrice, to lead the church after the death of Jesus. What is the reason for this?]
Swami replied: A leader to lead human beings in the Spiritual path must be of human nature, which is to err. John belongs to the devotees of the climax level.
3. Did God leave Jesus during His crucifixion?
[During the punishment of the human being component of Parashuraama (Aavesha Avatara), God quits Parashuraama. During the crucifixion of Jesus, did God leave Jesus or not?]
Swami replied: Since God leaves the human body during death and confines to the soul only, such real prayer to God comes out. In the case of Parashuraama, God left Him while He was alive because He was an Aavesha Avataara or a Temporary incarnation.
4. Was the hunter who killed Krishna punished or excused? Was this also the case when soldiers crucified Jesus?
Swami replied: The hunter repented a lot and hence, was excused by God Krishna. The soldiers were thrown into hell because there was no repentance.
5. “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). What is the meaning of this?
Swami replied: This means the complete attraction towards God.
6. Does this verse say that all those who came before Jesus were only messengers of God?
[Hebrews 1:1, 2: “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.” Does this verse say that before Jesus all prophets who came were only messengers of God?]
Swami replied: God preaches the humanity in three ways 1) He speaks through His liberated disciples, called Prophets (Dualism). 2) He speaks through His Son, who is a part of God (Qualified Monism). 3) He speaks directly through Human form (Monism). The Human incarnation expresses itself as each of these three depending on the deservingness of the receiver. If the receiver is 100% egoistic, 1st type is expressed. If the receiver is 50% egoistic, 2nd type is expressed. If the receiver is 0% egoistic, 3rd type is expressed.
7. What is meant by Jesus in the following statement?
[Matthew 5:18: “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Written Law until everything is accomplished.” What did Jesus mean by this statement?]
Swami replied: This means that the law of God is eternal.
8. In the case of Judas, he self-punished through suicide. Swami, can You please compare his case with that of the Gopikas?
Swami replied: Judas committed suicide due to repentance. Gopikas committed suicide due to climax love to God.
9. Why did Jesus ask Peter three times if he loved Him?
[Jesus Reinstates Peter John 21:15-19: When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of My sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love Me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed My sheep. Why did Jesus ask 3 times?]
Swami replied: Devotion exists in three levels as explained in the answer for the 6th question.
10. What is the meaning of the following verse?
[The Prophet said: Allah said: The son of Adam hurts Me by abusing Time, for I am Time; in My hands are all things and I cause the revolution of night and day. Sahih al-Bukhari 7491. What is the meaning of this?]
Swami replied: The worldly human being abuses time (like saying “I am running bad time”) without recognising its past bad deeds. Even though God is the final controller of everything, He abides to His constitution written by Him.
11. Why did Muhammad compare the world to a prison?
[Prophet Muhammad said: This world is a prison for the believer and a paradise for the disbeliever. The Messenger of Allah took hold of some part of my body and said: ‘O ‘Abdullah, be in this world like a stranger, or one who is passing through, and consider yourself as one of the people of the graves. Sunan Ibn Majah: 4113 & 4114. Why did Muhammad compare the world to a prison?]
Swami replied: In prison free will can’t be used. The human being following God’s constitution does not use free will in this world and behaves like a prisoned soul.
12. What is the Jihad referred to here by Muhammad?
[A man asked the Prophet "What deeds are the best?" The Prophet said: "(1) To perform the prayers at their stated fixed times, (2) to be good and dutiful to one's own parents, (3) and to participate in Jihad in Allah's Cause." Sahih al-Bukhari 7534. What is the Jihad Muhammad refer here?]
Swami replied: Jihad referred by Mohammed here is the severe mad fight between two devotees based on the wrong concept of plurality of God. Prophet Mohammed fought against this type of severe religious fight based on plurality of God.
13. Why did the Prophet say the following?
[Allah's Messenger said, "Satan comes to one of you and says, 'Who created so-and-so? 'till he says, 'Who has created your Lord?' So, when he inspires such a question, one should seek refuge with Allah and give up such thoughts." Sahih al-Bukhari 3276. Why did Prophet say so?]
Swami replied: Satan is posing as if he is the creator of God and such thought should be rejected by a devotee.
14. Why did the Prophet say the following?
[Allah's Messenger said, "When night falls (or it is evening), keep your children close to you for the devils spread out at that time. But when an hour of the night elapses, you can let them free. Close the doors and mention the Name of Allah, for Satan does not open a closed door." Sahih al-Bukhari 3304. Why did Prophet say so?]
Swami replied: This means that night is the ignorance and closed door means refusing to hear atheistic comments.
15. The Messenger of Allah said: “Indeed, he who does not ask Allah, He gets angry with him.” Sunan Al Tirmidhi 3373. Why did the Prophet say so?
Swami replied: This means that every devotee must feel that he is a beggar before God.
16. Why do diseases like cancer and diabetes have no cure?
[The Prophet said, "There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment." Sahih al-Bukhari 5678. If then why diseases like Cancer and diabetes have no cure?]
Swami replied: The disease is created by the sin of the soul and God created its remedy. If a disease has no remedy, it means the sin is inexcusable.
17. The Prophet said, "Angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or there are pictures." Sahih al-Bukhari 5949. Why did the Prophet say so?
Swami replied: Dog means a Spiritual preacher who alerts the soul against the sin. Picture means picture of God that reminds the presence of God, who punishes the sin. In both these cases, angels will enter the house. Angels do not enter if pictures of worldly animals and human beings are kept because such pictures are not holy. Dog is considered to be especially unholy.
18. In the following statement, does Prophet Muhammad refer to Himself as Allah?
[The Prophet said "None of you will have faith till he loves me more than his father, his children and all mankind." By this statement was Prophet Muhammad referring Himself as Allah Himself?]
Swami replied: Prophet Mohammad is the mediated Unimaginable God and the medium is Human form. When He speaks this, God is speaking through Him.
19. How is 1% of reality attributed to creation?
[When creation is in unmanifest stage, only 1% reality is attributed to it. The creation in unmanifest stage means in subtle stage in which it exists as the mental plan of God without materialising it. If that is the case how 1% reality is attributed to it? Kindly clarify this thinking is correct or not?]
Swami replied: 1% reality means that the item that is existing in very dilute condition and this does not mean that the reality is diluted. Reality is reality and reality is the same whether the concentration of the item is 100% or 1%. The 1% reality appears as if it is unreal. Hence, the dilution is superimposed on the reality.
20. In the case of Ahalya, why was Indra not punished?
Swami replied: Indra was punished by Sage Gautama to have 1000 holes on the body.
21. Swami, kindly give a reply to the following comment from an atheist.
[An atheist remarked: A soul at peace with itself can say that since it is at peace, God is unnecessary. Necessary things exist for everyone to experience, but unnecessary things only exist for those who want them to. Since God is unnecessary for a soul to be at peace, God only exists for tortured souls that want Him. Swami kindly give a reply to this.]
Swami replied: Peace is not bliss. Peace is neither profit nor loss. After peace, profit like bliss exists, which is desired by the soul from God.
22. Swami, kindly give a reply to the following comment from an atheist.
[Regarding the superimposing of Your photo on Prophet Muhammad, an atheist said the following: It is a blasphemy and the greatest sin to represent Islam and Muhammad with any face or idol. Swami kindly give a reply to this.]
Swami replied: It is only done to project that the Single God exists in all religions. It is not a representation of Mohammad, while it is the same actor present in the role of Mohammad. In a cinema, an actor can act in any holy role and do you pass the same comment on him also?
23. Why did the Divine Knowledge not prevent the Islamists from occupying India?
[An atheist asked: Islamists occupied India for more than 1000 years where >80 millions [estimated] Indians were killed. India was supposed to be filled with high degree of divine knowledge since 5000 years ago from the Vedas. Why is the Divine Knowledge [medicine] when administered could not prevent the terrible evils of the Islamists from occupying India for >1000 years and killing > 80 million Indians.]
Swami replied: Assuming that your blame is correct, what shall we do now? Shall we try to prevent such things in the future through propagating Universal Spirituality or shall we also kill 80 millions of muslims so that this incident of killing other religious people goes on repeating alternatively without an end in the future continuously?