Posted on: 28 Mar 2010
The devotee should develop unity in mind, speech and practice especially in spiritual side. The devotee calls a saint as Swamiji. What is the meaning of the word Swami? Swami means the Lord or the owner of this entire creation in which the devotee is also included. Therefore, one should know the meaning of a word before uttering the word. The devotees recite long prayers in Sanskrit without knowing their meaning. At least, let the devotee know the meaning of a simple word like Swami before its usage. The devotee does not completely believe the saint as God (Lord) but has a doubt whether the saint is God. The devotee calls the saint as God (Swami) based on the faith of probability. Most devotees are not complete believers in God. They believe in the existence of God due to selfishness and probability. Their logic is that if the unseen hell exists after death and if the unseen God also exists, let their prayers and worship please the probably existing God to protect him or her from the probably existing hell. There is nothing lost, if God and hell do not exist. Since the limits of infinite space are not found, there is a 50-50 probability for both the existence and non-existence of God and hell. Therefore, this logic of probability guides the devotees everywhere in the spiritual field. If such probability is the basis, the devotee should address the saint as God limiting himself or herself to the part of receiving knowledge only form the saint. Such devotees should not enter into practical service to God in the form of saint, which involves the total surrender of everything in practice.
Surrender and Practical Sacrifice to the Saint
If the devotee has a doubt about the God-ship of the saint, the total surrender in practice should not be done. The sacrifice in the practical service should be also limited to a few rupees in the form of Dakshina and not to the total wealth. The sacrifice should be proportional to the extent of your faith. If you sacrifice more than your faith, you will repent later on. Therefore, confirm the full God-ship of the saint before you do the total surrender in practice.
If somebody sacrificed totally in practice and realizes later on that the Godship of the saint is not true, what will be the fate of the devotee? The devotee will be blessed by God even though the saint is not God. The reason here is that the devotee sacrificed with a view on God and hence, God will respond through the saint even though the saint is not God. The saint stands as a representative model of God. God is answering you through an inert statue and will He not answer you through a living being? Therefore, there is no loss to the devotee if the faith stands still. The faith should not be disturbed in any case. If the faith is disturbed, the result is lost. What will happen to the saint, who is not God? If the saint claimed that he is God, the saint shall be punished by God. But, if you have created the faith by yourself, the saint is innocent. Therefore, the saint should not declare that he is God and should always keep silent. It is better if the saint says frankly that he is not God. But, sometimes, the real human incarnation also says that He is not God to test your faith. Hence, your own analysis is important and final.
Ego and Jealousy Are the Causes for Abusing False Saints
However much knowledge or devotion you may have, unless your basic ego and jealousy are removed, there is no use of your knowledge and devotion. From the starting moment itself, your inner ego and jealousy work in yourself to find the opportunity to disprove your faith on the saint as God. You praise the saint as God based on the probability for your protection here and there after death. Once you find that the saint is not God, you will have lot of happiness and energy in your mind to scold the saint as a cheat. The people, who abuse the false saints, are happy because they discovered the fact externally. But, they should be unhappy to discover the internal fact that they are happy because of their ego and jealousy on a co-human being. Such devotees can never be blessed by the contemporary human incarnation of God. The first step in the spiritual effort (Sadhana) is to eradicate ego and jealousy on the co-human beings and unless this is achieved, all the knowledge and devotion are totally waste.
Even in the real human incarnation, the characteristics of the medium are not disturbed by the internal God. People think that the characteristics of God are opposite to the characteristics of nature of the medium. This is not correct because the characteristics of God are unimaginable, which do not contradict any imaginable characteristic of this creation. God remains God in any medium. Electric current remains as current in any metallic wire. Therefore, God does not bother about the good or bad characteristics of the medium. The characteristics of the medium called Vishnu are good since they are of Sattvam. The characteristics of the media called Brahma and Shiva are not good since they are of Rajas and Tamas. Brahma has the pride (Rajas) of His Vedic knowledge. Shiva has the indiscrimination (Tamas) in killing both good and bad people in the end. But, the same God exists in all the three forms and the God is not touched by any quality of the medium. Therefore, the characteristics of the medium in which God exists in the case of human incarnation like hunger, sex, illness, birth, death etc., exist in the usual way, which do not touch the internal God. These characteristics of the medium are maintained in the natural way so that God in human form can easily mix with the human beings. You are excited on realizing somebody as God and you will not freely move with Him to clarify your doubts. On seeing the common external characteristics, your anxiety and excitement get neutralized so that you will freely mix with God thinking of Him as a normal human being. This point is limited to God only. Every soul is affected by the characteristics and therefore, you being a soul should not imitate God.
Krishna and Ravana
Recently, I heard that some judge gave a ruling in the court that that sex before marriage is not wrong and he quoted the case of Radha and Krishna[1]. Krishna lifted the huge mountain (Gowardhana). Let everybody follow Krishna’s example only after first lifting the mountain! The same Krishna in the form of Rama practiced the way, which should be practiced by every human being[2]. You should imitate Rama in practice and follow what Krishna said in the Gita. Krishna showed the nature of God, which is untouched by any quality. Rama showed the nature of every human soul. You should know God through Krishna and should know yourself through Rama. Krishna was after married ladies (Gopikas) and Ravana was also after married ladies. Both lifted huge mountains. In fact, Ravana lifted a bigger mountain called Kailasa[3]. Then, what is the difference between Krishna and Ravana? Both should be God as per the logic.
Krishna lifted the mountain to protect the true devotees. Ravana lifted the mountain to exhibit his ego. Apart from this, Krishna preached wonderful knowledge in the form of the Gita, which is the guide for any spiritual aspirant. Ravana did not preach so. Therefore, the final indicating sign to recognize God in human form is only the infinite wonderful knowledge given by God. Hence, the Vedas say that God is the true infinite knowledge and this means that you should recognize God by His true knowledge only in the ultimate filtration. The knowledge is also the characteristic of the medium only and can be treated as the characteristic of God due to its constant association. A married lady is recognized by the yellow thread in her neck and it can be treated as the original characteristic of the lady due to its constant association[4]. Actually, God is unimaginable and no characteristic of God is imaginable.
[1] Radha and Krishna were the divine lovers in Vrindavan, when Krishna was a young boy. Radha was his greatest devotee.
[2] Lord Rama had vowed to have only one wife. In those days it was customary for kings like Himself to marry many women. But He remained utterly loyal to His only wife Sita throughout.
[3] The demon king Ravana lifted Mount Kailasa to please Lord Shiva and extract a boon from Him.
[4] This sacred yellow thread (or its variant, a golden chain with black beads) is called the Magalasutra. It is constantly worn by a married Hindu lady.