Why Do You Contradict Vyaasa in Saying That the Soul is Different From God?

[Q. Even sage Vyāsa says that the soul itself is God (Brahmātmaikatva lakṣaṇam). Then why do You say that the soul is different from God? [This question is part of a mahā satsaṅga or a great spiritual discussion between Swami and several devotees who had come from various places, seeking the clarification of their doubts.(This question is part of a mahā satsaṅga or a great spiritual discussion between Swami and several devotees who had come from various places, seeking the clarification of their doubts.)]

Swami replied:- The same sage Vyaasa wrote several sutras continuously in the first paada of first Adhyaaya itself of ‘Brahma Sutras’ that soul is not God (Netaronupapatteh etc.,). Soul becomes God even along with its external body when God becomes energetic or human incarnation. Every soul has equal opportunity to become God like every student in the class has equal opportunity to become gold medallist. Here, in the case of soul becoming God, not only the effort of the soul but also the willingness of God is in fact, more important. The effort of the soul is to eradicate its aspiration to become incarnation and to maintain the self constantly to be the servant of God only. Even after becoming the incarnation, the energetic (or human) being-component must be with constant idea that it is only the servant of God and this idea alone maintains the merged God to continue in the incarnation. Without knowing the knowledge of existence of unimaginable God in the fundamental level, reading scriptures will lead anybody to confusion only (Avijnaate paretattve, shaastraadhiitistu nishphalaa—Shankara). You must be alert in carefully recognizing the context to know whether it is speaking about incarnation or about ordinary soul. Otherwise, one context will be taken for the other context resulting in wrong knowledge.