Refuting Misconceived Advaita (Part-2)

Note: This article is meant for intellectuals only

Part-1   Part-2

Avidya (ignorance) cannot be the material of anything. Ignorance is the absence of everything or something. In the case of a layman, all the knowledge is absent and thus, it is full ignorance. A person who knows Sanskrit may not have the knowledge of English and in this case, the ignorance of English only exists which is partial ignorance. A person who is ignorant of any language has full ignorance. Both these people cannot speak in English. In the case of the Sanskrit scholar, he can speak in Sanskrit but not in English. In the second case, he cannot speak anything. Therefore, the speech is made of the knowledge of some language and not is made of the ignorance of any language. When you are imagining, your imaginary world is made of your mental power. If you forget yourself also and sit alone, your imaginary world is absent. The cinema is made of power. If you sit with ignorance, neither the imagination nor the cinema is created. This world is made of matter and energy. Thus, matter and energy are the material cause of this universe. The electricity associated with the film is the material cause of the cinema and thus, energy and matter are involved here also. The mind is also energy and thus energy is the material cause of your imagination. Since matter is energy, you can say that energy is the material cause of the creation of this Universe or your imagination. Ignorance is absence of everything and cannot be the material cause of anything. Either matter or energy or mind is a positive entity and can be the cause of the creation. Ignorance is a negative entity and cannot be the cause of anything. In such case, how can you say that the causal body is made of avidya (ignorance)? When avidya is a negative item, the causal body is a negative item, which means the causal body is absent. Ignorance can be the cause of entertainment. When you forget yourself, you can enjoy fully the cinema or your imaginary world. Thus, ignorance exists and can be the cause of entertainment. From this point of view, Shankara gave a third place to ignorance as a causal body. But remember that ignorance cannot be the material cause. The soul (Atman) is awareness or work or energy and thus, the soul is only the material cause of the imagination. Thus, the soul is the main or primary causal body (Maha Karana shariiram).

The Mula Maya is the same awareness and is the main cause of this universe. At the level of this human body, the soul is the main cause and at the level of the Universe, the Mula Maya is the main cause. God or Parabrahman is beyond the soul or Mula Maya at both these levels. We can simply say that God is beyond awareness. Awareness is different from ignorance because awareness is a positive item and ignorance is a negative item. Therefore, the soul is beyond avidya (ignorance) as per Shankara. There is difference between Maya and avidya. Maya is positive item, which is awareness or energy and is a material cause of this universe. The letter ‘A’ in avidya means the negative aspect and this letter is not in the word Maya. Maya means a wonderful positive entity. The soul is a drop of infinite Maya.

When the drop is positive, the ocean must be positive. When God or Parabrahman enters the Mula Maya, God is called as Brahman. But Mula Maya itself is Brahman, which is the greatest item in the Universe. Thus, the word Brahman denotes the Mula Maya with or without God. Here comes the confusion. In the Brahma Sutras, the first Brahma Sutra refers to the word Brahman, which means the Mula Maya, pervaded by God. In the Gita, the same word Brahman denotes the Mula Maya without God (Mama Yonih Mahat Brahma…). The word Parabrahman is separately used in the Gita (Anadimat Param Brahma…). In the Brahma Sutras, there is no reference to this word Parabrahman. Vyasa is the author of both these scriptures. In the Brahma Sutras, the ultimate is Saguna Brahman, which means God pervading the awareness. Therefore, the last Sutra also ends with reference to this Saguna Brahman only. The imagination of any human being cannot cross the Saguna Brahman. The Brahma sutras are meant for any human being. In the Gita, the Lord preached the knowledge not only with reference to Arjuna but also with reference to Himself. When He spoke with reference to Himself, He introduced the word God or Parabrahman (Nirguna Brahman) also. All the Acharyas have also preached with reference to the limits of human intelligence only. Therefore, they stopped at the final point of the creation, which is awareness (energy). They have shown awareness in which God exists as Brahman. Such Brahman is the cause of this universe and is called as Eshwara. There is no difference between Brahman and Eshwara except one small negligible point. In the state of Brahman, the awareness contains the creation in condensed state (Avyaktam). The cinema is in the film. The producer is simply associated with the film and not seeing the cinema because the film is not expressed or exhibited. The same producer seeing the cinema exposed on the screen is Eshwara. Brahman or Eshwara is not having any trace of ignorance in real sense. The ignorance is only imposed or apparent. God gets only apparent entertainment through Brahman or Eshwara. In the state of Brahman, the entertainment is only that He has the whole cinema in His store.

In the state of Eshwara, He sees the cinema and gets some entertainment. Such entertainment is not full because the knowledge of self continues and it is not removed completely. The ignorance is like the shadow of the evening in which the light and darkness are mixed. But the soul is in complete ignorance and is fully entertained. The ignorance is very intensive so that the soul forgets even the concept of entertainment. A producer with film is Brahman. A producer seeing the cinema is Eshwara. An actor, who is seeing the cinema is a realized soul. But this actor is neither producer nor director nor has any right to close the cinema. The producer-cum-director can close the cinema at any time. Both the producer and the actor are the spectators and have the apparent ignorance and both are having apparent entertainment. These common points cannot make the actor to become the producer. Thus, there is fundamental difference between Eshwara and even the realized soul. This fundamental difference is referred by several Sutras in the first chapter itself (Anupatteh… etc.). This scripture clears this fundamental difference later on also as the difference based on creation, direction and dissolution of the Universe. The fundamental difference between the two spectators is that one is the producer and the other is simple actor. The Veda says about this difference very clearly that the producer is the employer or the master of this actor (Atmeshwaram). Suppose the producer also becomes the actor of the cinema. This state is the human incarnation. This state contains all the aspects in a mixed state. Krishna is the human incarnation. Krishna is Brahman because after the dissolution of the world, He possesses the film. Krishna is Eshwara because He is the spectator of the film being exhibited as cinema with apparent ignorance. Krishna is the realized soul because He is actor who is the spectator with apparent ignorance. Thus, Krishna is Brahman, Eshwara and is also a realized soul. Sometimes an actor may be seeing the cinema with full ignorance. He forgets himself completely and gets full entertainment. Such state of actor is Jiiva. Only in the state of Jiiva, the full entertainment is possible. Infact in this state even the word entertainment disappears.

He is so much involved that he forgets even the concept of entertainment. Unless this state comes, there is no full involvement which is the basis of full entertainment. But if the concept of entertainment is totally lost, what is the use of such full involvement? Thus, Jiiva is unfortunate because he has lost the very concept of entertainment. Even if a trace of the concept of entertainment exists, a trace of corresponding self-realization must exist. This is the difference between the human incarnation and the human being. In the case of human incarnation, the full involvement exists but the concept of entertainment is not completely lost because the concept of self-realization exists as a trace atleast. In the case of human being, even this trace is lost. This happens because in the case of human incarnation, God exists and in human being, God does not exist. The awareness associated with God is eternal and therefore, the self-realization is also eternal. In the case of human being, the awareness is not eternal because of the dissociation with God. Even in the case of a realized soul, the awareness disappears in the state of deep sleep and thus, is not eternal. In the human incarnation, the self is God and therefore, the awareness of God is eternal. In human being, the self is awareness itself and therefore, awareness is not eternal.

Awareness in the state of meditation is a lump of gold. Awareness in deep sleep is ignorance, which is a negative item. This means awareness is absent in deep sleep. In deep sleep since the awareness is converted into its cause (inert energy), the deep sleep cannot be treated as the complete absence of everything. The pot disappeared and has become the lump of mud, when the pot was destroyed. This is absence of pot but not the absence of mud. Therefore, it is not absence of everything. Hence, the pot is created again from the mud. It is only a point of inter-conversion of awareness (pot) into inert energy (mud) in deep sleep. In the case of awakened state, the inert energy is again converted into awareness. A major portion of the inert energy remains in its constant form and maintains the other systems like respiration etc. Thus, if you consider the awareness essentially as the inert energy, it is eternal. This eternality of inert energy is also relative with respect to matter only because when the world is dissolved matter disappears and the inert energy remains. But you may plead that the inert energy is still eternal because it remains in the form of film. But, before the creation of film, the inert energy did not exist since the film was not created at all. God alone existed before the creation of the universe. If God wishes even the film can be destroyed. Therefore, with respect to matter only the inert energy is eternal and not with respect to God. Such relative constancy is praised in the second chapter of the Gita while stating that the soul is eternal (Ajo Nityah…). This constancy of soul is not absolute but relative only with respect to body i.e., matter. Here, the Gita states clearly that the soul is eternal while the body is non-eternal as it is destroyed (Nahanyate Hanyamane Shariire) and to prove this Krishna created exactly duplicate souls. This is the main knot of ignorance of Advaita philosopher. The main problem lies with the word ‘self’.

A Prime Minister and peon use the word ‘I’ as a common word. The word ‘self’ can indicate both the Prime Minister and the peon. Up to the item of awareness, both are one and the same. But there is difference beyond this item. You are traveling up to this common item only. Beyond this, the field of unimaginability starts. Therefore, you are dropping your journey at this point and say that both are one and the same. The Advaita ends with this common point, which is the ultimate limit of the creation. Beyond this point, God exists and the realization of God is only possible by experience. The logic ends the limits of the creation. Beyond this creation only experience is valid. But you need not do away with logic. You must travel up to the ultimate limit of the creation (awareness) with the logic but the aim of this logic-weapon should be to prove that any item of the creation is not God. Thus, logic is meant for this positive purpose. The total aim of the logic is lost when the final item of the creation is attained. The Advaita scholar uses the logic positively with respect to every item of the creation but when the final item of the creation is attained, he is misleading himself. He is removing all the obstacles with this logic-sword throughout the path by the process of elimination. But when the final item is reached, he is cutting his own throat. Thus, he is the most pitiable case. Ofcourse there is reason for such misleading. The reason is that the awareness is the final obstruction and he does not find any obstruction beyond that. As long as he finds the next obstruction, he cuts the present obstruction but when he reached the final obstruction (awareness), he does not want to cut that also because beyond that he does not find anything. He should realize that though he does not find anything further by logic, he can find the item beyond that awareness also by experience. Therefore, he should throw that weapon of logic at this point and should take the weapon of experience to realize God beyond this final item.

There are four machines in factory, which are doing four types of work like cutting, grinding, printing and packing. This factory is the nervous system (Nadi Mandalam). The four machines are the four internal instruments (Antahkaranams). Mind, which does desiring, and thinking otherwise (Sankalpa and Vikalpa) is the cutting machine. Intelligence, which takes the final decision after intensive discussion, is the grinding machine. Ahankara, which maintains the concept of self is the printing machine, which prints the name of company. Chittam, which packs the information, is the packing machine. These four Antahkaranams (Manas, Buddhi, Ahankara and Chittam) are the machines from the point of material aspect or the aspect of matter. Thus, these four are the four special parts of the nervous system. From the point of work form of energy, these four are the specific works called cutting, grinding, printing and packing. If you take the aspect of work form of energy, you can call these four as the four parts of awareness. Now, where is the work form of energy (awareness) if these works are absent? In deep sleep, these four works are absent. Therefore, it is a very simple conclusion to say that awareness (work form of energy) is totally absent in the deep sleep. The four types of jewels like chain, ring, bracelet and bangle are stolen away. Now, is there gold in the house? The gold is lost along with the ornaments in the deep sleep. The awareness is lost along with these four works. But in the meditation state, the ornaments disappeared but the lump of gold is present. Awareness of itself exits here without any type of work. In deep sleep state also, the awareness is lost but it is converted in to its essential form, which is the inert energy. Suppose you have converted the lump of gold into a lump of iron by artificial radio-active transmutation. Now the gold is not lost even in the deep sleep because it exists in the form of inert energy. When the machines stop work, the electricity that is being converted into various types work through these machines exists in its original form of electrical energy in the Thermal power station. Thus, if you view the work as essential form of energy, it is eternal and remains even in the deep sleep. But there is difference between the electrical energy and work of cutting. Unless the electrical energy is associated with the machine, the work of cutting cannot appear. Therefore, unless the inert energy is associated with the nervous system, the awareness is not produced. Neither the nervous system nor the inert energy can alone produce the awareness. This inert energy is produced by the combined action of food (Annamaya Kosha) and oxygen (Pranamaya Kosha). The electricity is produced by the combined action of coal and air in the Thermal power station. When the coal is burnt in air, the energy is produced. When this energy flows through the machine the work is generated. Similarly, the Annamaya Kosha and Pranamaya Kosha produce energy (shakti) by combined action and when this flows in the nervous system (the various machines), the various types of work or awareness (Antahkaranams) are generated. In the absence of any of these items, the awareness cannot be produced. Thus, the awareness is not an independent item even as food, oxygen, inert energy, nervous system etc. Ofcourse, these are ultimately controlled by God only and these items have atleast temporary independence. But the awareness has not even that temporary independence and it exists as long as the above four items co-exist. The awareness is the greatest item because of its special characteristic of knowledge, which is not present in any other item. But in all other aspects, awareness is most delicate and most relative item. Hence, the awareness is the weakest form of the energy, called as Lalita, the most tender form that is flowing thorough most tender brain and nerves. It is the strongest item in its essential form as inert energy only. Thus, the inert energy is strongest in all aspects but it has one defect i.e., it has no knowledge. The awareness is the greatest due to the specialty of knowledge but it is most relative and weakest.

Thus, you should search for the defect in every item of creation so that it can be rejected as not God. For such discovery of defect, a very powerful logical analysis of intelligence is always needed. Hence, Krishna gave this Buddhi Yoga in the beginning of the Gita itself and He states that one can attain God by this analysis only. What does this mean? When God is beyond logic, how can you attain God by logical analysis? Here, you have to understand like this. You can eliminate everything, which is not God by logic and thus, you can stop logic and realize God by experience. Unless you have eliminated every item of the creation by logic, how can you come to final realization of God who is beyond the creation? Thus, logic is the main indirect cause for the realization of God. Unless you travel all along the logic, you cannot come to the end of logic. Unless logic ends experience of God cannot start.

The sage Charvaka was scientist and atheist. His scientific approach was appreciated and his theory is given place among the six theories (Shat Darshanas) by Vidyaranya. He told that a soul or awareness is just a conversion of food into energy. This is the exact elaboration of the Vedic statement (Annat Purusha). But he denied the experience of God beyond this logic. What is the difference between the Advaita scholar and an atheist? The Advaita scholar denied God beyond awareness like an atheist. The Advaita scholar said that the awareness is God. The atheist said that awareness is also not God because God does not exist. Thus, science is appreciated and not atheism. All scientists are not atheists. All atheists are not scientists. I put a simple question to scientist who is an atheist. How are you denying the experience when it is also based on physical observation? How are you denying the miracles shown by human incarnations? In such case you have to deny the fan, its movement and the experience of the air coming from it also. For a sensitive person, even this physical miracle is not necessary. He analyses every simple incident of his life and experiences the existence of God. Even in such analysis of realization of God through experience, a sharp analytical process called as Buddhi Yoga or Jnana Yoga is essential. According to Shankara this torchlight should never be put off. Even after recognizing the human incarnation, this torchlight should be switched on continuously because the doubts created by some ignorant people will certainly mislead you. The identification of God in Krishna is called as Jnana Yoga or Samkhya Yoga. Samkhya means complete knowledge. When you have decided the existence of God in Krishna without any doubt, it is the complete knowledge.

The medium or the human body or Krishna is the cup that contains the God-nectar. If you neglect and break the cup, you cannot drink the nectar. Only through human body, you can have complete and direct experience of God. Through the incidents of life or through the possibility of existence of the cause of this world (Anumana Pramanam) or through the scriptures explaining about the God (Shabda Pramanaam), you can only experience the existence of God but not directly the experience of God Himself. Even when you see a miracle, you accept the existence of the concept of unimaginability and thereby the existence of unimaginable God. Therefore, nowhere the direct experience of God is possible except in the human incarnation. When this Jnana yoga is complete, the karma Yoga (service) to the medium starts. Yoga means the attainment. The attainment of medium in which God exists is only possible. You can take the nectar through a cup only and not directly. Therefore, unless Jnana Yoga is complete Karma Yoga will not arise. When the Karma Yoga appears, Jnana yoga must have been completed. You find only Karma yoga in Hanuman and this means the Jnana Yoga was completed, which was attained by Him from the Sun. Therefore, the Gita says that both these Jnana Yoga and Karma Yoga are inseparable like God and flesh or like nectar and cup (Ekam Samkhyam cha Yogamcha…).

Your questions and My answers are at very deep level and resemble the argument that I had with Mandana Mishra while I was in the body of Shankara. I am very much pleased with you for your quest for right path and right goal. While keeping on the torchlight of knowledge, you have attained the knowledge of self, the knowledge of superself, the knowledge of the present human incarnation and you are doing the service in mission of the Lord, which alone can please the Lord. Infact, you were prepared to sacrifice your job, wife and even your beloved child for the sake of the mission of the Lord. Whenever I remember you, the tears of love flow from My eyes with immense emotion.

In the case of human incarnation, the self is God or Parabrahman or Paramatman, which is like the sun and which is always in the complete state (Purnam). In the case of human being, the self is Jiivatman. If the human being is a realized soul, the self is Atman. The difference between Atman and Jiivatman is that Atman is pure awareness without qualities and is like standstill water without waves. The Jiivatman in any ordinary human being is disturbed pure awareness with qualities and is like vibrated water. Both Atman and Jiivatman differ from Paramatman because Atman and Jiivatman are imaginable items, which are made of awareness. Awareness is nothing but a special form of work of inert energy flowing through nervous system. Paramatman is unimaginable and is beyond all the items of the creation. Any item of the creation is under the purview of the four-dimensional space–time model. Therefore, any item of the creation has spatial limits or boundaries and its existence is bound by the time. Matter is an item of creation because it has spatial limits. In this world you find matter and energy. Thus, matter is limited and energy is also another limited item. When the dissolution of the world takes place, matter disappears and is converted into energy. Therefore, matter has spatial limits and also has the limits of time. Similarly, energy did not exist before creation and therefore, energy is also having limits of time. Energy has spatial limits because of the co-existence of matter. Space also has limits of space and time. When everything is absent, we say that the space or vacuum exists there. When something is present, vacuum or space does not exist there. Therefore, space has spatial limits. Before the creation, space did not exist. God created the space (Atmana Akasah- Veda). Therefore, space has limits of time. When the energy has limits of space and time, naturally awareness which is a special work form of energy must also have limits of space and time. Thus, every item of creation like matter, energy, space, awareness etc., has limits of space and time and is under the realm of the four-dimensional space and time. This is proved in science by the topmost scientists like Einstein.

Analysis of the Koshas

Any item of creation, which has the limits of space and time along the four co-ordinates of the four-dimensional space–time model, is called as Kosha in the Veda. Thus, the human body is made of food or matter and is called as Annamaya Kosha. The inert energy is included in this matter itself because matter is a condensed form of energy. When you are eating hot food, you are taking both energy and matter together. Next comes, the Pranamaya Kosha, which is the item of air (mainly oxygen). The food and the oxygen react and combustion reaction takes place. The inert energy is released. When this energy passes through the nervous system, special work form of energy is produced and this is called as awareness. This awareness is divided into four types of special work forms, which are called as the four Antahkaranams (Manas, Buddhi, Ahankara and Chittam). The Veda mentions only two items of awareness i.e., Manomaya Kosha and Vijnanamaya kosha (Buddhi). In these two items, the other two items are always included. The mind (Manomaya Kosha) does sankalpa (desire) and Vikalpa (alternative possibilities of desire). The intelligence (Buddhi or Vijnanamaya Kosha) does Nischaya (determination). While these works are done, the concept of ‘I’ continuously is maintained and therefore, the awareness of ego (Ahankara) is always maintained simultaneously. Since all these forms of works are maintained in the awareness energy, the Chittam (storing capacity) is also simultaneously included. Thus, the first two items Annam and Prana mention the five elements. The next two items Manas and Buddhi include the four Antahkaranams. These nine items are called as Navaranams, which are referred in the concept of Shri Chakra. These nine items are the nine walls which have to be crossed to reach Atman or self. These nine items constitute the gross and subtle bodies. The gross body is made of five elements and subtle body is made of four Antahkaranas. If you cross these nine items, you will reach the undisturbed pure awareness (Suddha Chit) or Atman or the soul. This is called as self-attainment. The last item is Ananda, which is a quality of awareness only. Ananda is defined as the infinitely intensive and continuous happiness. Concentration of happiness is infinite and the continuity is also unlimited. But Ananda is also an item of creation which is the quality. A quality (guna) must have both the limits of space and time. If the happiness is unlimited and has no limits of space and time really, there should not have been the misery at any place and at any time. If one says that he is having unlimited happiness, it is not correct. Happiness is a quality of awareness only. In deep sleep, the awareness is absent and therefore, happiness is also absent. When the happiness itself is absent where is the point of bliss? You are experiencing happiness or bliss only after the deep sleep but not during the deep sleep. Therefore, bliss is time bound. Bliss exists only in the human being and does not exist in a stone. Therefore, bliss has spatial limits.

i) Bliss is only an item of creation and not the creator.

ii) After all, bliss is also a special work form of energy flowing in the nervous system.

iii) Bliss is a type of awareness only. Therefore, Ananda is also mentioned as Kosha in the Veda.

The infinite intensity and limits of happiness in the word ‘bliss’ is only figurative and is not real. The word infinity means only excess and not really infinite. Thus, Ananda is also a Kosha. Thus, Chit (Awareness) and Ananda (Bliss) are the characteristics of the soul present in the human being only. In the case of God, the characteristics are unknown and therefore, Chit and Ananda cannot be the characteristics of God. Ofcourse, you can say that Chit and Ananda are constantly associated items with God. They are not the real characteristics (Swarupa Lakshanam). They are only associated characteristics (Tatastha Lakshanam). But you can treat these two as the real characteristics because they are constantly associated as the marks of identification of God. These two exist in the soul also. Chit exists in every living being. Chit is not knowledge but is mere awareness. Jnanam is again not the characteristic of Chit but the reverse is true. Wherever Chit is present, Knowledge (Jnanam) is not seen. But wherever knowledge is present Chit is seen. Similarly, Ananda is also like knowledge. Wherever Chit is present, Ananda is not present but wherever Ananda exists Chit exists. In a human being, Chit exists but Ananda may not exist because misery is seen. Therefore, misery and happiness are qualities only. Thus, the Veda introduced this fifth Ananda Maya Kosha only to discuss about the concept of qualities (gunas). Qualities are separately treated from Antahkaranas. Qualities like happiness, misery, fear, generosity etc., come under a separate headline, called as gunas. But remember, that qualities are also special work forms of awareness only, which is the energy flowing in the nervous system. When you attain the self, all the misery is lost because all the worldly bonds and the feelings are destroyed. Such state of liberation (Moksha) gives happiness. But such happiness is intensive and is more permanent than happiness and therefore, can be called as bliss. The intensity and continuity are again not absolute as in the case of the bliss of God. Therefore, such bliss of the soul can be only happiness with limits (Kosha). It is actually the peace only, which arises due to absence of misery. The absence of loss can be assumed as profit. But it is not a real profit when it is compared with the real attainment of profit. With respect to the loss only it is a profit. Thus, peace with respect to misery can be treated as bliss. But this bliss (Anandamaya Kosha) is not the real bliss compared to the real bliss of God. Ofcourse, the difference is only quantitative but not qualitative. Thus, the bliss of God is also an item of creation and thus, is only an associated characteristic but not the real characteristic. Ananda of God may be infinite but still such Ananda is only an item of creation. The word infinity cannot be the real unimaginability. An infinite item can be imaginable and can be perceived. For example, the Universe is infinite but is perceived. The infinity cannot bring unimaginability. Therefore, there is no use in saying the infinite bliss as the characteristic of God. The infinity cannot make the bliss to be unimaginable and therefore, the infinite bliss cannot be the unimaginable God. The infinite bliss can be only an associated characteristic of God constantly and thus, can be assumed as His real characteristic but not really His actual characteristic. Similarly, Jnanam is the special development of chit. The material of Jnanam is only chit. The Jnanam may be exceptionally special and can be infinite but still it is an item of creation only since Jnanam is chit and chit is a special work form of energy only. However much may be wonderful the jewel but after all, it is made of gold only.

Thus, Chit and Ananda cannot give any information about God. Ofcourse, Sat is a common point between the creator and the creation. Both Creator and Creation exist and therefore, both are Sat. Ofcourse, the existence of creation is very negligible compared to the existence of the power (Maya) of the Creator. Again, the existence is qualitatively one and the same. If the creation is totally absent (Asat), the entertainment of God is absent. Then God becomes incapable and inefficient of creation. The existence of God is attained by His grace only and not by your effort. You can grasp the existence of any item of the creation by your effort and logical analysis. This is possible because you are a part and parcel of the creation. But since God is beyond creation, His existence is realized only through indirect experience that too, sanctioned by His grace only. The Advaita Philosopher does not depend on His grace and finds God by his self-effort of self-analysis. Therefore, he imagines God by his intelligence and thus, he fails. The awareness is the weakest item of the creation, which is like a tiny rat as it has several defects like generation and dissolution in every day. The only special merit is that it has the knowledge. It has one merit and all the defects. The inert energy is strongest and constant and thus, has several merits. It has only one defect i.e., inertness or non-awareness. The inert energy is just like a lion, which has all merits but one defect that it cannot create a hole in the mountain. The rat is a tiny creature having all the defects but has one merit that it can create a hole in a mountain. The Advaita Scholar did not capture even the lion after digging the big mountain of creation. He captured this tiny rat only. The awareness is greatest item in the creation from the single point of knowledge only.

The analysis of the five koshas was introduced by the Veda and the aim of this is to find out whether God is the human being, which is the composite of all these five Koshas. It is search for God in the creation. All the five Koshas are rejected by elimination process. The gross body, which consists of the five elements (matter & energy) represents the first two Koshas (Anna and Prana). The four Antahkaranams are mentioned by the next two Koshas (Manas and Vijnana). The fifth Kosha (Ananda) stands for all the qualities (gunas) like knowledge, bliss etc. All the four Antahkaranams and all the qualities together are work forms of the awareness-energy only and thus, these three Koshas (Manas, Vijnana and Ananda) stand for the subtle body only. All these are just the waves of the pure awareness. The third body is Atman or soul or pure awareness, which is beyond all its vibrations or waves. The Avidya (ignorance) cannot be a positive entity and therefore, cannot stand as the absolute causal body. It is the cause of the entertainment and therefore, it is included in the main causal body itself as a secondary causal body. Here, the main causal body (Atman) is a positive entity, made of awareness-energy and the secondary causal body (Avidya) is only associated with the Atman. Therefore, Avidya need not have a special place. We have no objection even if you give the third place to Avidya and make Atman as the fourth item. In such case, Avidya is the secondary causal body (Karana) and Atman is the primary causal body (Maha Karana). This sub-division is not at all a point to be considered. The concept of Shankara giving third place to Avidya has a different purpose for the sake of the then Buddhists. Shankara wanted to keep Atman beyond the three bodies and say Atman as Brahman. The word Brahman again was meant in the sense of the greatest item in the creation. Buddhists misunderstood Brahman as Parabrahman and came to the path with an attraction that Atman present in them is God. The Purva Mimamsakas also came to the correct path by this attraction. Shankara wanted Atman to be beyond the three bodies and make Atman as God because it was a familiar point that God was beyond the three bodies. In reality, Atman is also a body and God is beyond the three bodies. If this is stated, those atheists cannot be attracted. Therefore, Shankara created Avidya as third body (causal) because Avidya is also a cause for entertainment in the creation. Shankara kept silent about the real God who is beyond the three bodies. When Avidya became third body, naturally Atman can be assumed as God. In this trick, the possibility of Atman being called as Brahman also helped Shankara. Thus, the atheists thought that Atman is Brahman and that means that Atman is God. The fourth place of Atman created by Shankara also helped to attract the atheists. Thus, this entire plan has as a specific purpose for Shankara.

Today, that situation does not exist because the atheists are in minority only and such tricks are not necessary now. Therefore, I give the third place to Atman and make it as the third item, called as the causal body. Thus, the human being is just a composite of these three bodies. This concept is introduced by Ramanuja after Shankara. The human being forms a part and parcel of the body of the Lord. Ramanuja says that the inert matter and energy together with the awareness constituting the four Antahkaranams and all the qualities form the body of the Lord. All the inert matter and energy are indicated by the word Achit by Him. All the antahkaranams and all the qualities are indicated by the word Chit by Him. He says that the Lord is “Chidachit Vishishtah”, which means that God is beyond both awareness and non-awareness. The awareness indicates the subtle and causal bodies, which constitute all the Antahkaranams, qualities and pure awareness. The non-awareness constitutes the inert matter and energy, which is the gross body. This is the analysis of the three bodies and Ramanuja said that these three bodies become the body of the Lord. Actually, this is the analysis of the human incarnation because in the case of Lord Krishna, God exists beyond these three bodies. In Krishna, you find the gross body consisting of the five elements, the inner subtle body consisting of the four Antahkaranams and all the qualities and finally the innermost causal body consisting of the pure awareness. If you end with these three bodies, Krishna is just an ordinary human being. But the fourth item, God, exists pervading all over these three bodies. Ramanuja has extended this concept to Eeshwara also. In His language, Eeshwara is indicated by the word Narayana. People confuse that the word Narayana stands for Vishnu only. The actual meaning of Narayana is the God, who is the source of the special spiritual knowledge. Vishnu is the God involved in maintenance or ruling of the Universe. Brahma is the God involved in creating the Universe. Shiva is the God involved in the dissolution of the universe. Thus, God present in the three divine energetic bodies as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva is called as Narayana and He is preaching the spiritual knowledge to all the angels and divine sages. Such special spiritual knowledge is the Veda. Thus, the word Narayana has broad significance and should not be limited to Vishnu only. God proved this concept through a special energetic body called as Datta, in which all the three faces of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are visible.

Meaning of Datta

When the same Narayana comes down to the earth in the human body (Nara), He is also called as Datta (given) to the human beings for preaching this special knowledge. When God preached the Veda to angels and sages, He was in the energetic body and such energetic body was also Datta because He was given to angels and sages through such energetic body for the purpose of preaching. Thus, Datta means God given to the world for the sake of preaching through a medium, which may be the divine energetic body for angles or may be a human body for human beings. Therefore, we, the human beings are concerned with the human body only given (Datta) to us as the preacher (Narayana). We are not concerned with the energetic body given to angels and sages because we are not in the celestial bodies like angels and sages. But, we will neglect the human body due to the principle of common item. We always respect the energetic body. Therefore, Ramanuja explained this concept with the help of the energetic body and not the human body. Of course, He introduced the concept of human body also as Vaasudeva. But to draw our attention more and more, He was always indicating the energetic body only through the word Narayana. Shankara limited the same concept to the human body only and since He Himself was the human incarnation, He did not extend this concept to the energetic body. Of course, He praised the energetic body through several prayers. But the stress of Shankara was on human body only because the context is with reference to the human beings on this earth. The exact meaning of the statement of Shankara “Jiivo Brahmaiva Naparah” means that when God comes as Jiiva, such Jiiva is really God because whatever is spoken by Him is actually the speech of God only. Shankara was very direct. He stressed on the human incarnation and He declared Himself directly as that human incarnation. As Lord Krishna declared Himself as God to Arjuna, Shankara also declared Himself as God to His disciples. But Arjuna was one disciple only and he could digest this concept because he conquered the egoism and jealousy due to his long association with Narayana in several past births. Therefore, Krishna had no problem with Arjuna. But the disciples of Shankara were not having such divine background. The problem of egoism and jealousy entered. When Shankara declared that He is Brahman (Aham Brahmasmi) and that He is Eeshwara (Shivoham), the disciples repeated the same. Shankara swallowed the molten lead and corrected the statement by stating that He alone is Eeshwara (Shivah Kevaloham). He did not correct the statement that He is Brahman. The word Brahman has a double meaning. Brahman stands for God as well as for the pure awareness, which is the greatest item of the Universe. The human being as the composite of the three bodies also is the greatest item of the creation. Even a realized human being limiting himself to Atman is also the greatest item because the pure awareness is the greatest item from the point of the specialty of knowledge. Therefore, Shankara kept silent and allowed that statement to pacify their egoism and jealousy. All this was the practical problem which is faced by a teacher in a practical situation. All of you do not know this practical situation because I was the preacher in the body of Shankara who actually faced this problem at that time. Therefore, you cannot understand Shankara as I can.

The analysis of the five Koshas helps in detecting God because such analysis eliminates the human being to be misunderstood as God. Ramanuja only clarified the concept of Shankara by stating that the soul is also a part and parcel of the body of God. The word “self” can be used for the gross body also. Everybody means the gross body only whenever the word self is used under the superimposition. In this way also there is no objection to use the word self for the gross body or the subtle body or causal body (pure awareness) or for the composite of these three bodies. The word Sat can be used for the identification of the unimaginable God because we say that God exists. Sat means existence. But, in the case of God, the word Sat also is inferred existence and not the perceived existence. You are saying that God exists not because you have perceived God directly. Your statement of the existence of God is based only on the inference (Anumanam) and is not based on perception (Pratyaksham). In the human incarnation also the human body (all the three bodies) is giving the inference of the existence of God but not the perception of existence of God. By touching the electric wire, you are inferring the existence of electricity but you have not perceived the existence of electricity directly because you have not perceived the electricity directly. The yellow thread of the married lady is only visible and the married lady is invisible. By catching the yellow thread, you have perceived the existence of the yellow thread but you have not perceived the existence of married lady directly. Based on the existence of the yellow thread, you say that the married lady exists. Therefore, the existence of the married lady is only indirect. Therefore, when you say that God exists, such existence is inferred only. But if you analyze carefully at this point, there is no difference between perceived existence and inferred existence. After all, existence is existence whether it is perceived or inferred. It makes no difference. But you may become egoistic by this and say that you have captured the existence of God by your effort. To avoid this, we remind you that the captured existence is only indirect because such captured existence is only the existence of the yellow thread and not the existence of the married lady directly. This is the meaning of the verse in the Gita (Param Brahma Nasattat Nasaducchyate). The verse means that you cannot say that Parabrahman exists and you cannot say that Parabrahman does not exist. You cannot say that Parabrahman exists because you have not captured the direct existence of Parabrahman. You cannot say that Parabrahman does not exist because the existence of Parabrahman is inferred and there is no difference between perceived existence and inferred existence and thus, you can say that Parabrahman exists. Why is this beating on both sides? This means only one thing. You can say that Parabrahman exists because there is no difference between perception and inference as far as the existence is concerned. But you should not become proud and egoistic to feel that at least you have captured Parabrahman through the point of existence. All this game is done only to save you from the egoism of capturing Parabrahman. If you are not egoistic, we have no objection if you say that Parabrahman exists. Therefore, the Veda says “Astiityeva Upalabdhavyah”, which means that God exists. The Gita is an extension of the Veda. The Veda has given the existence of God through inference but unfortunately you have become egoistic and claimed that you have captured God. Immediately, the Gita enters by saying that the existence of God captured by you is only by inference and not by perception. When your egoism is removed by the Gita, you can go back to the Veda and say that God exists because there is no difference between perceived existence and inferred existence basically.

But My friend! Limit yourself to Sat only as far as God is concerned. Don’t extend this to Chit and Ananda. If you extend this analysis to Chit and Ananda, the danger comes. If you say that God exists, by this, the unimaginability of God is not contradicted. When you infer that something exists it does not mean that something is imagined. There is no problem as far as the existence is concerned. If you have realized the existence of something it does not mean that you have realized the real nature of that some thing. But if you say that God is Chit, immediately it means that you have realized the real nature of God and God becomes imaginable. The visible yellow thread is associated with the invisible married lady. By catching the yellow thread, you have inferred the existence of the married lady. Up to this, there is no problem because by this existence, the real nature of the married lady is not revealed at all. But if you say that the married lady is yellow, based on the yellow thread, the problem comes. The married lady becomes visible because the yellow color cannot be inferred since the color can be perceived. Even if the color of the lady is only inferred, since color is the characteristic of the lady, the real nature of the lady is imagined. Therefore, the Chit is like the yellow color of the thread. The Advaita Scholar has erred at this point. This first error leads to the infinite chain of errors. By this starting error, he concludes that every living being which has Chit is God. By such generalization, since he is also a living being, he wants to become God.

Errors of Advaita Scholar

This first error is to be eliminated by stating that the knowledge is God. Every living being cannot be God because every living being has mind but not the intelligence. Therefore, the error is now limited to human beings only because every human being has intelligence. The error is minimized at least. The Advaita scholar is happy because he finds his place in this minimized error also. Since he is also a human being, he does not object this. Now the error has to be still minimized by the elimination process. We have to proceed from the statement “Jnanam Brahma” (knowledge is God) to “Prajnanam Brahma” (special knowledge is God). This means that every human being is not God. Only a scholastic human being is God. This means that mere intelligence is not God but special intelligence is God. The Advaita Scholar is still happy because he is a special intelligent Scholar. He is not objecting because he is finding his place still in this process of minimization of error by the elimination process. But the poor fellow does not know that he is finally going to be eliminated in course of time! The final interpretation of Prajnanam comes. No Scholar can be Krishna or Shankara or Ramanuja or Madhva or Jesus or Buddha etc. The poor Advaita Scholar slips from this point, because his preaching cannot be the Gita or the Bible etc. He lost his place in this final filtration and the final selection. The competition process of election ends here because the human incarnation alone stands in this final selection of the interview. This elimination process is mentioned in the Veda as “Neti Neti…”. Thus, Vaasudeva alone stands in the final selection and gets elected. Now the egoism and jealousy in the Advaita Scholar bursts like a bomb! From this point, he slips and deviates from the theory. He becomes mad and deviates his theory. In his madness of becoming God, he does not mind to extend and generalize the error and say that the Chit is God, which means that every living being is God. This is the explosive reaction of egoism and jealousy only. The kindest Lord tries again and again to bring the Advaita Scholar to the path. If you analyze the background of the Advaita Scholar, who was this fellow originally? He was either Buddhist or Purva Mimamsaka who was an atheist and he became the Advaita scholar by the attraction that he is God. Therefore, you cannot expect any thing more than this with him. When that single attraction shown by Shankara disappeared, he goes back to his original atheism. Shankara kept him in the path of theism without further analysis, because Shankara was sure of his revolutionary attitude. As a Jiiva you have to try again and again to convince him because the kindest Lord wants to uplift every human being.

You have to help the Lord in His mission with patience and you have to pity your fellow human being. But My Friend! Don’t lose your path in such trials. Keep your identity in such efforts and do not lose yourself in such mission and become the Advaita Scholar. You must know that the association is very powerful and instead of converting him, you may be converted. Shankara and Ramanuja end with the identification of human incarnation. Here again due to egoism and jealousy the concept of human incarnation is limited to Vaasudeva only and people do not recognize the human incarnation existing in their time of generation. This is again the virus coming on the screen of the computer. Even after finishing the program, this point lies as My total effort in this time. Thus, the program of human incarnation gets completed. Now the point comes how to please the human incarnation. Here comes Madhva, the final teacher. He showed Hanuman and Bhima as His elder brothers. Hanuman stands for the identification of human incarnation present in His time. Hanuman exhibited the error of confining to the old human incarnation and not recognizing the present human incarnation. By taking a special role He acted as if He did not recognize Krishna as God. He was present in both the generations and finally corrected Himself by recognizing Krishna. Hanuman gave the message that God comes again and again for every human generation. This is the exact meaning of the statement “Jesus will come again”. The essence of the total spiritual effort is only to conquer egoism and jealousy. That is the end of Sadhana, which enables you to identify the present human incarnation. If you are still attacked by that virus, at least you analyze the concept of human incarnation and realize that God is in flesh and not the flesh. After all, the prime minister needs a house to stay. This does not mean that the house is the prime minister. It also does not mean that the owner of every house is prime minister. Thus, such analysis will avoid the virus that attacks every time. Who is giving this divine knowledge? Lord Datta staying in Myself is speaking. Who am I? I am Venu Gopala Krishna Murthy, who stands for the house. The house is a composite of three bodies. I am only the house or medium through which God is speaking. Don’t misunderstand that the house is the speaker. You are standing before the house and seeing the house. The invisible speaker is in the house and is speaking from the house. The doors of the house are closed. Don’t mistake that the house speaks. The house cannot speak. The human being cannot give such special divine knowledge. Hanuman stands for the path to please the God. He stands for the service, which is sacrifice of work and fruit of work. Work and fruit of work are one and the same. The work is converted into fruit. Bhima stands for the faith, which is even beyond justice. Krishna asked Bhima to kill an elephant named as Aswatthama so that his guru Drona can be deceived and killed. Bhima did it immediately without any dialogue. Arjuna made several dialogues before following the order of Lord Krishna. Dharma Raja refused Krishna and said that Aswatthama, the elephant, was killed. But Bhima simply followed the order of Krishna without any dialogue. Thus, Hanuman and Bhima stand for the total faith in the human incarnation in doing the service without any logic. Thus, Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhva have completed the concept of total spiritual effort, which is the identification of present human incarnation and doing the service without any logic.

When God comes as human incarnation, the self is the Sun, which is always full. The ignorance of self and the corresponding worldly involvement can be ninety nine percent. Correspondingly the entertainment is also ninety nine percent. Atleast one percent self-realization exists however much He may be involved. The trace of light exists however much the Sun may be covered by the clouds. But in the case of the human being, the self is the moon, which becomes totally nil on the night of Amavasya day. The self-ignorance and the worldly involvement becomes hundred percent. Here we expect the entertainment to be hundred percent proportionally according to the rules of Mathematics. But alas! The entertainment becomes zero. In the case of a realized soul, the moon appears and grows day by day. As the self-realization grows, the self-ignorance and worldly involvement are proportionally reduced and therefore, the entertainment is also correspondingly reduced. A fully realized soul is never entertained in this world. All his entertainment lies only in God. But when the fully liberated soul comes down in association with God, He gets ninety nine percent entertainment like God. But Sir! Don’t claim the moon as the Sun by this common point. The moon is the moon and the Sun is the Sun. The liberated soul is not the Lord.

Why was this wonderful knowledge not revealed earlier?

[Shri Ramanath (Bombay) asked that why such wonderful knowledge was not revealed by previous human incarnations.

Shri Lakshman (Bombay) asked that why is My knowledge becoming sharper and sharper day by day.]

Swami Replied:- Both these questions have the same answer. The first question was in a macro scale and second question was in a micro scale. As generations passed, the human beings have become more and more sharp by the development of scientific logical analysis. Therefore, a better knowledge is revealed at present. Similarly, as My devotees become sharper and sharper, My knowledge is also becoming sharper and sharper. The same God existed in the previous human incarnations also, who possessed the complete knowledge. In this human body, the same God exists every day and God is not sharpened day by day! The Veda says that the body is the chariot (car). The senses are horses (wheels). The mind is the controlling chains of horses (steering rod). The soul is the owner of chariot sitting in the chariot (car). If the driver is an ignorant person, the car will meet with an accident and owner will die. Similarly, if you are proceeding in the spiritual path using your own intelligence or a wrong preacher as your driver, you are bound to go to the hell and fall in the liquid fire in the wrong path. If the driver is human incarnation like Krishna, you are sure to travel in the right path and reach the final goal successfully like Arjuna. In the darkness, your eyes cannot lead you in the right path and you will certainly deviate. But the human incarnation is like torchlight and will lead you in the right path. I am giving this divine knowledge step by step with certain gaps in between. The reason is that if the total divine knowledge is revealed, a real devotee will burst with surprise on understanding the total concept at single instance. A farmer got one lakh by lottery. He was informed that he got one lakh by lottery. He was shocked with surprise and died immediately. Therefore, this wonderful knowledge revealed in single instance will shock the real devotee. The devotee may become mad or may even leave the body. The Gita says that the devotee hears the knowledge from God with infinite wonder (Ascharyavat…). I am giving the gaps so that you are deviated by such intervals. The interval will immerse you in Maya and thus, dilute your seriousness and wonder. The Lord not only knows the divine spiritual knowledge but also knows the method of injecting the knowledge based on the withstanding capacity of the receiver.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★