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Dr. Nikhil asked: I understand that the essence of Spiritual knowledge is practical philosophy or Karma Yoga. Please bless me to become efficient in this practical line in the service of God.
Swami replied: Theory of spiritual knowledge is the most important fundamental step since it is the mother of practice. Fundamental care should be always on theory. If this spiritual knowledge is perfectly true without caring for pleasing the audience with the aim of getting petty materialistic benefits based on selfishness, the truth of the knowledge generates emotion or power in the mind that helps the soul to implement the knowledge...
त्रिधा प्रमाकरणं तर्क्यते हि।१।
tridhā pramākaraṇaṁ tarkyate hi|1|
The authority is in three ways, logical analysis is sufficient.
[The authority of these spiritual points is given by scripture, logical analysis and experience as found in the narrated ancient stories like the Ramayanam, the Bharatam, etc...
Shri Karthik asked: We hear the penance done for years together by an individual sitting in one place and closing the eyes. How do You correlate this with Your idea that penance means logical analysis of spiritual concepts?
Swami replied: The Veda says ‘analyze the concepts...that is penance’ (tat vijijnaasasva...taddhi tapah). The Gita also gives stress on any ritual to be done as propagation of knowledge that generates devotion and the last word of the Gita is also logical analysis (vimrushyaitat...). Unless you yourself analyze the concepts with sharp analysis, if necessary, taking the help of debates with other scholars, you will not have total satisfaction...
दत्त धर्म सूत्रं व्याख्यास्यामः।१।
datta dharma sūtraṁ vyākhyāsyāmaḥ|1|
We shall explain the points of ethics as formulated by God Datta...
Dr. K. Sudershan Rao (Doctor in Global Hospitals, Hyderabad) asked: Your answer contains perfect logic. But, the problem is that we have heard this way of doing rituals since from our childhood from our elder forefathers. How to discard this suddenly?
Swami replied: My main point is that you shall examine with your own maximum capable analysis both logics of My answer and the sayings of our forefathers. After deciding, which is correct logic that alone can establish the truth, one may immediately realize and practice it. Others may realize and practice after sometime only. Once you hear something, you should analyze and then come to the decision...
Dr. Annapurna asked: Is logical analysis alone sufficient in finding out the truth?
Swami replied: To find out truth in theoretical phase, logical analysis in the positive right direction alone is the torch light provided it is not twisted towards the negative side to result in dry bad logic leading to wrong and dangerous conclusions. It helps to confirm the truth in theory. Theory is very important because it is the source of practice. If the theory is wrong, practice will be wrong and the fruit received by practice...
Dr. Sudershan Rao (Doctor in Global Hospitals, Hyderabad) asked: 1) What about the human beings present in Western countries to develop spiritually in the absence of this Vedic culture in those countries?
Swami replied: You sympathized foreigners missing Vedic culture due to your kind and good heart aspiring universal benefit. But, if you follow My analysis, you will know the truth, which is otherwise. What is the meaning of the word ‘culture’? Is it external language like Sanskrit in which the Veda is composed and external religious practices? If this is the meaning of the word ‘culture’, such culture can’t take any human being to the God. If the meaning of the word ‘culture’ is the internal spiritual knowledge...
Dr. Nikhil asked: Padanamaskarams Swamiji, I would like to submit the following questions related to ananda at Your divine feet. Your servant, Nikhil. 1) Could You please explain the terms lokānanda, rasānanda and brahmānanda in the three contexts of unimaginable God, the human incarnation and the ordinary human being?...
Swami replied: The word ‘ananda’ means the happiness that is continuous without any break (aasamantaat nandati iti). There are two aspects of happiness: 1) The quantitative value and 2) The continuity without any break...
Shri G. Lakshman: Padamanamaskarams to Swami!! I put forth my humble question to you. 1) Does all the souls in the upper world able to identify the human incarnation on the planet Earth or is it only the Bramharakshasas able to identify (referring to the Bramharakshas who directed Vishnudatta to the Lord). Does the spirits that live on the earth also able to identify and chase the Human Incarnation for their upliftment. At the lotus feet of Sri Dattaswami, Regards, Lakshman
Swami Replied: Living being in the upper world is made of sattvam (awareness) and rajas (inert energy) along with a trace of inertia (tamas) associated with energy. Any living being has all the three qualities associated with each other...
Dr. Nikhil Asked: Padanamaskarams Swamiji, I would like to bring the following questions related to the Ṛg Veda and Indian culture. I seek Your clarifications on the same. At Your Divine Feet, Nikhil.
1) Are the deities mentioned in the Ṛg Veda, the human incarnations of God or different devoted angels from the upper worlds, who have periodically incarnated on Earth to guide humanity?...
Swami replied: The power is of two types:
i) Power of unimaginable domain, which can’t be touched by any human being through any instrument at any time and in any place and ii) Power of imaginable domain, which is sub divided into a) Power so far achieved by human beings and b) Power to be achieved in future through research...
Shri Nikhil asked: Padanamaskarams Swamiji, I would like to bring the following questions from the perspective of atheists who feel that theism and religions are mere human inventions that are based on the misunderstanding that extraterrestrial aliens, who have been visiting Earth since ancient times, are gods. I seek Your clarifications on the same. At Your Divine Feet, Nikhil.
1) Why are intelligent life forms on other planets not possible?
Swami replied: Living beings in materialized bodies do not exist in the upper worlds or planets or galaxies. Except this one earth, all other planets contain living beings in energetic bodies called as Deva, Gandharva, Siddha, Chaarana, Asura, Naaga etc., who can’t be visualized by human beings...
Dr Annapurna, Prof. Hindi, Central University of Hyderabad asked: Lot of stress is given on cow slaughter. What about the slaughter of other living beings like goat etc.?
Swami replied: The scripture says that a Brahmana should not be killed (Brahamano na hantavyah). Does this mean that you can kill people of other castes? You must know that the characteristic of Brahmana is soft nature, who does not harm even his enemy (Ghaatam na ghaatayet viprah). This means that any human being, who is of soft nature, is Brahmana irrespective of his caste by birth. The Gita says that caste system is based on characteristic qualities expressed by corresponding deeds...
Shri Anil asked: Padanamaskaram Swami, A question from a Muslim devotee is enclosed. 1) A muslim devotee, Imran Ahmed, on Qoura commented on the divine knowledge of Shri Datta Swami on re-birth as given below.
[Kindly give Your answer to this. Imran Ahmed. Jai Shri Datta
Your articles are very insightful and whenever I read them, I feel that it contains only truth. Thanks for your beautiful messages. In this article you have mentioned that : “Some people think that cancellation of the rebirth in this world is salvation! This is climax of ignorance.” During my spiritual journey so far, I had a conclusion that the key effort in spiritual path is to attain Moksha/Liberation...]
Swami Replied: Salvation means relief from the worldly tensions for which the worldly bonds are always responsible. One should not try for salvation or detachment without attachment to God. A bond breaks only by another stronger bond. A stronger bond with God can only break the worldly bonds. Hence, salvation from the worldly bonds (worldly tensions) should be a natural consequence of the stronger bond with God. The aim shall be attachment to God...
Kishore Ram asked: Please explain the inner essence of the worship of Lord Satya Narayana, which is frequently done by several people in this country.
Swami Replied: A few days back, one person came to My house requesting Me to act as a priest for this worship saying that on that day priests were not available. I agreed to be the priest. Then, he asked Me “How much is Your fees?”. I replied “the fees is according to your capacity (Yathaa Shakti) and according to your impression on Me (Yathaa Bhakti). Between these two, whichever is lower, that must be followed by you. I will explain this point. You may have high capacity (100 rupees) but if you have a low impression about Me (10 rupees), you must give as per the low impression (10 rupees). If you have low capacity (10 rupees) and have high impression about Me...
Shri G. Lakshman asked: In the light of your explanation of Mandukya Upanishat, please clarify the following: 1) Regarding the state of deep sleep of Human Incarnation like Krishna and, 2) Regarding the visible objects to the eyes of Angels in the upper worlds.
Swami Replied: 1) The Upanishat mentions four states, i) Awaken State or Consciousness (Jaagrat): The human being or Human incarnation observes this world in which objects constituted by inert energy, inert matter and awareness are seen. The seer in the human being is the individual soul made of awareness. The seer in the Human incarnation is the individual soul of the human being with which the unimaginable awareness or unimaginable God is mixed. Both God and individual soul are simultaneous seers...
12—08—1994, 04.00am You think that a specific area on this earth is especially pious because a deserving sage has seen Me in that area. I surely tell you that there is no specialty in that area to treat it as very pious place to be visited as pilgrimage. I appeared in that area because the deserving sage was living in that area. You can attach importance to Me and that sage but not to that area. People come to that area in crowds thinking that that area has My special grace. This is the climax of ignorance. Priests have stressed some importance on that area to attract crowds so that they can be benefited by their offerings...
(The following queries made by some people through emotional arguments, which were captured by Dr. Nikhil, a scientist and best devotee to God, are answered by Swami.)
1) How do you justify the detachment from family in spiritual path that hurts and harms the family members?
Swami Replied: Some people submit criticism to know the truths in the spiritual knowledge. If we answer them without deviating from truth (since we don’t aspire anything from them), such people will certainly convince. But, there are some people, who put forward their criticism with some other hidden background like greediness, ego, jealousy etc., they will never convince because of their different personal background. Such people are not seekers of truth...
Today Shri Phani asked: While explaining Mandukya Upanishat, You told that angels don’t sleep and hence there is no dream-state for them. But, the state of Taijasa represents dream only. Does this fact apply to angels (energetic forms of souls) and to Narayana also (energetic incarnation)?
Swami Replied: In the case of angels, there is no dream-state due to the absence of sleep. The deep sleep is also absent. Only the state of awakening is present, which is exactly similar to the dream state of human beings. In the dream state of human beings and also in the awaken state of angels...
Shri Anil asked: Some times, we find even just born babies are punished by suffering of severe diseases and accidents that lead to death. There is no possibility of doing any sin in this world in such early stage. If you say that their punishments are due to previous sins done in past births, the soul is receiving the punishments without the memory of its corresponding sin. The sinner is punished in this world by court so that the sinner is aware of sin responsible for the punishment. What is the answer for this?
Swami Replied: A good question indeed. When a soul is born in this world, the attitudes (samskaras or vaasanaas) follow it, provoking the soul to do related deeds and if these are severe, fruits are given in this world itself. Since sins and fruits appear in this life itself, the soul can correlate the fruit as punishment...
Shri Gangaiah Garu (Advocate & Great Scholar in Gita & Upanishads): Today we are observing several people suffering with several types of difficulties with lot of tension. If God created this world for His entertainment, is it not pleasure of a sadist?...
Swami Replied: I know very well that you are a strong theist. Hence, I know that you have raised this doubt only to know the truth about the planning and administration of God. First of all, we must have firm faith in God that He is omniscient and omnipotent and also that nothing goes wrong in His plan or administration. If any doubt comes, we must know that the doubt is only due to our ignorance...
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