05 Oct 2025

Datta Vedaantah - Jiiva Parva: Chapter-7: Avidyaa Guna Karma Tattva Jnaanam

Note: This article is meant for intellectuals only

(Knowledge of The Qualities and Deeds Based on Ignorance)

O Learned and Devoted Servants of God,

Awareness has four functional faculties:- 1) Mind or Manah, which causes thinking in one way and in other way also. 2) Intelligence or Buddhi, which does logical analysis and arrives at conclusion. 3) Basic ego or ahamkaara, which indicates the individual soul as the central part of awareness denoted by a constant thought pulse ‘I’ and 4) Identification and memory or chittam, which grasps information of any external thing through senses (samjnaanam) and stores it for memory (smaranam) based on the root word (citī – saṃjñāne smaraṇe ca). The first three faculties are of lower category (Aparaaprakruti) whereas the fourth one called chittam is the higher category (Paraaprakruti) of creation. All these four are called internal instruments (Antahkaranams).
The category called chittam is given special place because it does the basic function of awareness to grasp the information of any object received by the five knowledge-senses. This is the basic inherent characteristic of the awareness. Apart from this, the faculty stores the grasped information so that the object seen again is immediately identified with the help of the stored information. The word chittam is the same as chit or awareness. Aparaaprakruti does not mean inert creation because in it, mind, intelligence and basic ego exist. It only means lower nature.
The above type of classification is seen in the Gita. The chittam indicates the individual soul (Jīvabhūtām...) Since chittam indicates the storing disc of information, we can say that the individual soul is a bundle of thoughts. The information on disc exists as inert pulses in materialized form in the brain. The awareness associated with such disc is jiiva or individual soul. In the deep sleep, the awareness is absent and only the materialized inert disc exists in the brain. At the time of death, the awareness carrying on the thoughts of this disc (disc contains only the inert pulses of thoughts called spotaas) is called individual soul. This individual soul exists in awaken state, dream state and at the time of death. It does not exist in deep sleep, but, we can say that the individual soul exists in deep sleep as inert disc.
Strictly speaking we shall not call the disc as individual soul because the individual soul must be always non-inert whereas the disc is inert. We are saying only that the inert disc represents the individual soul. A human being printed on the film before and after the exhibition of cinema-show is like the inert disc. The printed inert human being on the film (disc) becomes active and alive when it is associated with light energy (awareness) projected on the screen. The conclusion is that the individual soul exists clearly in awaken state, dream state and time of death whereas in the deep sleep, the individual soul is absent due to the absence of awareness. The individual soul is like an active alive person whereas the disc is like his inert photo.
Unable to understand clearly this difference between disc and individual soul, some scholars thought that the individual soul exists even in deep sleep and enjoys the bliss generated by the resting nervous system and brain. When the awareness is totally absent, how can there be enjoyment, which is the activity of awareness? The question is that how the brain sending signals to all the physical systems like lungs, heart, kidneys, digestive system etc., can be said to be inert in the deep sleep? The answer is that the signals sent by the part of brain (not taking rest at all) to the systems are inert and mechanical pulses only. The part of brain related to awareness is different, which takes rest in the deep sleep.
The awakened soul after deep sleep feels that it slept happily and this does not mean that the awareness enjoying the happiness of the rest existed in the deep sleep. Such experience is not found with any person in the deep sleep. As soon as the deep sleep ends and awaken state starts, the entire happiness of the long rest is suddenly felt by the individual soul from which it infers the past undisturbed happy sleep. The feeling is about past (I have slept well) and not about present (I am sleeping well). By this misunderstanding, scholars thought that the individual soul is eternal existing in awaken, dream, deep sleep states, during birth, during death and after death. God did not condemn the possibility of daily birth and daily death of the individual soul and took it as alternative expression of truth as indicated by Atha and cha (Atha cainam… Gita).
The individual soul is in superconscious state while experiencing the divine events of God. It is in conscious state while experiencing the external world in the awaken state. It is in sub-conscious state while dreaming mainly the experiences of past birth (of course, some strong experiences of this birth also exist). It experiences the strongly impressed forcible trends of impressions of very long past births, which guide the direction of actions and this is the unconscious state based on which one does actions even in unwilling state (Atha kena prayukto'yam… —Gita). This fixed unconscious state is called the nature of the individual soul (Prakṛtiṃ yānti...—Gita), which is quality-action (guna-karma) and this decides the caste of the soul as said in the Gita (Guṇa karma vibhāgaśaḥ). The caste is related to the internal nature (qualities) deciding the direction of actions (Suukshma Shariiram) and not at all related with the birth of this physical gross body (Sthuula Shariiram).
People often find fault with God saying “Why shall God create these bad qualities, which mislead the soul to do sins and then punish it? Is it not proving that God is a sadist getting entertainment from our miseries?” This is totally wrong because God never created any good quality or bad quality separately. Every quality is either good or bad depending on the direction in which it is used by the soul. God created all the qualities expecting that His issues (souls or individual souls) will use these in good directions only. Based on these directions used by souls, the souls become good or bad. Hence, there are some good souls also apart from bad souls. God has explained the good and bad directions of every quality through scriptures, incarnations and messengers in this world.
Let us state the so called bad quality like anger. If it is shown on bad people, it becomes good quality and if it is shown on good people, it becomes bad quality. The knife is good if used in cutting vegetables and is bad if used to kill a good person. Let us take the so called good quality called peace. If it is shown towards good people, it is good quality and if shown to bad people, it is bad quality. If the milk is given to dog it protects your house with full honesty. If it is given to a serpent, it bites even the giver after drinking it. Bhishma and Drona were silent when Kauravaas were insulting Draupadi and hence, were punished by God in the war with horrible deaths.
Intensive desire for sex is called a bad quality. But, if it is legal, done with wife to get children, it is good quality (Dharmāviruddhaḥ… Gita). The same done in rape is a bad quality. Greediness is stamped as bad quality. But, if it is shown towards undeserving receiver, it is good quality and if shown towards a deserving receiver, it is bad quality. God said in the Gita that these three qualities (sex, anger and greediness) are the main gates of hell, which means that these three qualities used in bad directions only are bad standing as the main gates of hell. Hence, whatever is created by God is good only and ignorant fools only criticize God and His creation. God said that He is the Father of souls (Ahaṃ bījapradaḥ pitā— Gita). Will any father harm his own issues for entertainment like a sadist?
Fascination is said to be a bad quality. Fascination to God is good quality and fascination to worldly bonds is bad quality. Ego or pride is said to be a bad quality. Ego or pride in feeling that you are the devotee of God Datta is good quality since it gives lot of confidence in doing good deeds. The same quality used to do sins is bad quality as we find in demons. Jealousy is listed under bad qualities. But, with jealousy on a good classmate, if a student works hard to get more marks in the examinations, it is good quality (Spardhayā vardhate vidyā). If the student harms his classmate due to jealousy, it becomes a bad quality.
Charity is said to be a good quality, which is compulsory in honouring the priest through Dakshinaa at the end of the ritual provided the priest improves your spiritual knowledge and devotion to God. He shall not aspire anything from you in return for conducting the ritual and must be an excellent scholar of the meaning of the Veda (Śrotriyasyācākāmahatasya— Veda). If the priest recites the Veda blindly without knowing its meaning and demands money from you, he is undeserving. Charity to deserving is rewarding merit and charity to undeserving is punishable sin and hence, one must have the knowledge of discrimination of receivers before doing charity as said in the Veda (Saṃvidā deyam).
Every soul is controlled by lower illusions called Avidyaa (rope appearing as serpent etc.) and not to speak of very high illusions called Maayaa (God appearing as inert energy and inert energy appearing as matter). The soul can control its Avidyaa (Avidyāvacchinno jīvaḥ) and God can control His Maayaa (Māyāvacchinna Īśvaraḥ). The soul can become God only when it controls Maayaa. Ancient sages could get rid of Avidyaa through knowledge caused by their predominant sattvam quality. Their traditions were perfectly correct. Later on, the priests of recent middle age became ignorant and egoistic due to their predominant Rajas and Tamas. The present souls missed the original true traditions of sages and are trapped by twisted traditions of priests. Due to these traditions, even the worldly life (Pravrutti) is spoiled and spiritual life (Nivrutti) is out of their vision.
The souls are fixed in feeling that their castes are by birth of the body and not by qualities and deeds as told by God in the Gita. The ego due to caste and gender is followed blindly. When a child is born in the family of Brahmanas, there is maximum possibility of that child picking up the qualities and talents of that caste because the children are developed in their atmosphere. This is the reason for the issue of Brahmana to become Brahmana, but, this is misunderstood that the issue of Brahmana is certainly a Brahmana because the qualities of a caste are transferred by genes but, genes carry on only certain specific manners and not the qualities. Irrespective of birth, the caste shall be decided by the qualities and deeds corresponding to that caste. Let the qualities be imbibed through the congenial atmosphere in the childhood or be developed due to the interests of the soul coming from previous birth, the caste is decided by seeing qualities and deeds of the soul only. Once the qualities and deeds are confirmed, the corresponding caste must be assigned to the soul irrespective of the reason for attaining those qualities and deeds.
The fifth untouchable caste contains souls from all the four castes involved in terrible sins. They were boycotted from society like the bad students debarred from the school and this is not with revenge but, due to the idea of bringing reformation in them. The issues of untouchable castes need not be untouchable if they are reformed. The ignorant and rigid priests established the false tradition that the issue of untouchable is also untouchable. By this, Hindu religion is split and weakened. Even the discrimination due to gender is ignorance. The word Purusha does not mean male since it means the soul or awareness pervading any living body. When the soul is addressed as Purusha, these priests become ignorant to deny the study of the Veda to females! Even the spiritual knowledge is denied to females and certain castes!
Even Gayatri is denied to females and some castes. These priests think that a specific hymn written in the meter called Gayatri is the real Gayatri. Actually, Gayatri means the mode of worship of God through singing the praise of God and hence, the real Gayatri is with females only, who sing well. Upanayanam means becoming close to God through singing the divine songs. The holy three threads indicate that one shall worship the mediated God only and the medium (alive human body of human incarnation called Sadguru) consisting of Sattvam (awareness), Rajas (inert energy) and Tamas (matter) is represented by the three threads.
Every ritual became blind foolish procedure, which shall be in fact, the logical debate of spiritual knowledge and singing prayers on God. The ritual became totally invalid because it became a meaningless act of burning ghee in the physical fire. Ghee means food associated with ghee (by the concept of lakshanaa), which is cooked on the physical fire and eating it is to satisfy the hunger fire (Vaishvaanara agni) of the participants in the ritual. The physical fire meant for cooking the food is used to burn the ghee in it! The word Agni means the first worshipped priest with hunger fire, who eats the ghee-food to become hotaa (who offers the food) and simultaneously becomes havaniiya or agni (His burning hunger-fire possessed by himself) as said in the first hymn of the Rugveda. The priest offers the food to the hunger-fire possessed by himself and thus, becomes both offering person and offered fire as mentioned in this hymn.
When the sacrifice is performed in its actual sense, rains come since the eater of Ghee-food is satisfied in whose body all angels dwell as said in the Veda (Yāvatīrvai...). Otherwise, the same sacrifice done in the present sense causes terrible environmental pollution to stop the rains! All these misunderstandings are due to misinterpretations of priests, who blindly recite the scripture without studying its meaning. Instead of wasting so many years in blind recitations, the priests shall learn Sanskrit and study all Shastraas to understand the correct meaning of the Veda, which shall be propagated by them through rituals. In ancient days, the Veda was preserved through recitation due to absence of printing technology and now the scripture is well printed so that preservation by blind recitation is not necessary. Explaining the meaning of the scripture is real merit and not the blind recitation.
The Avidyaa or ignorance is so powerful that even the spiritual knowledge became the basis for splits and quarrels disturbing the peace in the society. Shankara told that God and soul are one and the same whereas Ramanuja told that Soul is different from God, but, is a part of God. Madhva told that soul is different and separate from God. These three philosophies resulted in hatred and quarrels between the disciple-souls. These three philosophies became different due to the fact of difference among the levels of receivers of knowledge.
At the time of Shankara the receivers were total atheists and monism between God and soul has to be preached to bring the atheists into correct path of theism. Shankara developed devotion also by saying to the converted theists that God has to be worshipped and to be served to clean the mind required for attaining monism practically. After some time, Ramanuja stressed on devotion advising the disciple that he is a tiny part of God and not the whole God Himself. Ramanuja acted as intermediate space-station for the falling person from sky (Monism) to earth (Dualism).
Finally, Madhva preached that soul is separate from God (Dualism) and stressed on the service to God. After passing through these three schools of knowledge, devotion and service, the atheistic soul became the theistic servant of God. All these three are the gradual subsequent steps for the soul to become God because God selects His servant to become incarnation for doing some welfare to the world created by Him. But, unfortunately people are divided and stuck to one of these three steps only criticizing the other two steps. In this way, not only Pravrutti, but also, Nivrutti is spoiled by the souls due to their ignorance (Avidyaa) that causes foolish rigidity without analysis and open mind.
The fascination to the own family resulted in cheating and corruption that cracked the worldly peace. The fascination to the own religion without identifying the misinterpretations in it resulted in criticizing even the merits of other religions cracking the spiritual peace. God Datta, fascinated to the peace of this world created by Him, is giving the correlations among sub-religions of Hinduism and religions of world to establish peace in the world. A person, who established a factory will be naturally interested to develop peace and harmony among the workers (souls) so that the factory (world) can run on smooth lines.

Iti Datta Vedānte Jīvaparvaṇi
Avidyāguṇakarmatattva jñānaṃ nāma Saptamādhyāyaḥ।।

The Seventh Chapter of Jiivaparva of Datta Vedanta, which is the Knowledge of the Qualities and Deeds Based on Ignorance, is completed.

Datta Vedaantah

Part-1: Brahmaparva: Chapter-1: Anuyogajnanam

Part-1: Brahmaparva: Chapter-2: Anuhya Parabrahma Jnanam

Part-1: Brahmaparva: Chapter-3: Ishvaraavataara Jnanam

Part-1: Brahmaparva: Chapter-4: Datta Vaishishtya Jnanam

Part-2: Jiiva Parva: Chapter-5: Jagattattva Jnaanam

Part-2: Jiiva Parva: Chapter-6: Jiivaatma Tattva Jnaanam

Part-2: Jiiva Parva: Chapter-7: Avidyaa Guna Karma Tattva Jnaanam

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