Religion, Philosophy and Conflicts

[Q.What is the difference between religion and philosophy? Why there are quarrelling sub-religions in Hinduism? (This question is part of a mahā satsaṅga or a great spiritual discussion between Swami and several devotees who had come from various places, seeking the clarification of their doubts.)]

Swami replied:- Religion is a collection of traditions relating to external culture formulated by certain devotees for the sake of their followers. Philosophy is the spiritual knowledge completely related to the personality of God. Religions differ much, but, philosophies unite to a large extent. Whether it is religion or philosophy, sharp deep logical analysis is necessary. The reason is that there are some good traditions established by good followers and there are certain bad traditions established by egoistic and bad followers. Even in the philosophy, there are certain theories looking wrong and certain theories looking right. We can easily bring the correlation between various theories of philosophy or spiritual knowledge because there is underlying stream-theory that unites all the theories. Theories in philosophy look wrong when these theories are viewed from the context of a different level of disciples, but, they are correct to a different setup. The traditions have no such value as possessed by the theories of spiritual knowledge. Sometimes, we can neglect the difference between some different traditions also understanding the difference in the psychologies of human beings, but, on analysis, some traditions are found harmful and such traditions shall be bluntly rejected. Analysis is the torch light that shows what is what. Based on this, you can accept or neglect or reject a tradition. Every theory in the philosophy is useful to a set of followers existing in a specified level and hence, no theory from the spiritual knowledge shall be neglected or rejected since correlation between various levels is possible in spiritual knowledge. Spiritual knowledge is always blessed by God whereas traditions are blessed by the intelligence of human beings, which may be straight or crooked. Anyway, you shall not blindly follow the traditions of a religion or the theories of philosophy because both are imaginable and understood by your brain, which are not like unimaginable miracles.

In ancient India, there were four main sub-religions:- 1) Shaakteyam, which is worship of God as Shakti in female form. 2) Hairanyagarbham or Braahmam, which is worship of God as Brahma. 3) Vaishnavam, which is worship of God as Vishnu. 4) Shaivam, which is worship of God as Shiva. The second sub-religion was followed by all sages and now sages disappeared and hence, the second sub-religion also disappeared. In the middle age, third and fourth sub-religions became very prominent and the differences were so high leading to serious consequences. All these differences are not at all related to the spiritual knowledge, but, are related to blind devotion without analysis.

All these four forms of God are only the external media (energetic bodies) in which the unimaginable God or Parabrahman is present in merged state without any internal division due to His unimaginable power. The gender is also related to the external medium only. Kaalidaasa wrote one verse about the three divine forms of God, called Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The verse says “only one God appears divided in to three. The priority of one form among these three forms is just a formality of the context. Sometimes Shiva is greater than Vishnu and sometimes vice-versa. Sometimes Brahma is greater than Vishnu and Shiva and sometimes vice-versa” (Ekaiva muurtih bibhide tridhaa saa...). Parabrahman is the basic ultimate real primary actor. This primary actor acts in His primary role, called Datta or Ishwara or Hiranyagarbha or Narayana or Sadaa Shiva or Paraa Shakti (or Father of heaven of other religions). Datta becomes again a secondary actor to act in secondary roles (with respet to Parabrahman) like Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti (Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati). Let us take a specific example:- Parabrahman is the primary actor acting in His primary role, called Datta. Datta becomes secondary actor to act in a secondary role, called Vishnu, who is the secondary role (w.r.t. Parabrahman). Vishnu acts as tertiary actor to act in tertiary role (w.r.t. Parabrahman), called Krishna. Any role can become an actor to act in its next role because of the primary actor (Parabrahman) only. Hence, all this is the play of the single ultimate actor, called Parabrahman. One role (that has become actor) may become master and the other role (that has also become actor) may become servant. The difference between master and servant may be an external formality giving enjoyment of play through which an important spiritual concept is conveyed. We shall see only the concept conveyed by roles and shall not enter deeply to recognize the actors in the roles because the final fundamental basic actor is only one, who is the unimaginable God or the absolute ultimate reality. All this is internal unity in external diversity.

Rama is the role of Vishnu and Hanuman is the role of Shiva. Every role is actor from one side and is role from the other side. All the souls with their specific bodies are roles only and not actors due to the absence of Parabrahman in any role. Of course, Advaita philosophers claim that they are also roles and actors simultaneously since Parabrahman is present in them also!

The followers of Vaishnava say that Vishnu as Rama is being worshipped by Shiva as stated in the Vishnu Sahasranaama Stotram (Eshvara uvaacha:- ShriRaama Raama Raameti...). They say that Shiva is the top most devotee of Vishnu (Parama bhaagavatottama). They say that God Vishnu treats His devotees more than Himself and hence, Shiva must be worshipped as per their Tadiiyaaraadhanam, which mans worship of devotees of Vishnu along with worship of Vishnu, called Tadaaraadhanam. But, they don’t worship Shiva and some even don’t enter the temple of Shiva! My objections:- 1) Vishnu became Mohini, who became wife of Shiva and gave birth to a son also called Shaastaa. Shiva is the husband of Vishnu! 2) The Veda says that Shiva is Vishnu (Shivashcha Naaraayanah). 3) Vishnu worshipped Shiva with 1000 lotus flowers every day, got tested by Shiva and got the Lordship of the world – this story exists in the Puraanam.

If the followers of Shiva treat Vishnu as wife and devotee of Shiva as per the above information to insult Vishnu, My objections:- 1) Why Shiva is repeating the name of Rama, who is the incarnation of Vishnu? 2) Why Hanuman, the incarnation of Shiva became the servant of Rama, who is incarnation of Vishnu? 3) Raadha is the incarnation of Durvaasa, who is the incarnation of Shiva. Krishna is the incarnation of Vishnu. Shiva became the wife of Vishnu! (Reverse of gender of Mohini and Shiva).

Regarding the funny gender fights between male God and female Shakti:- 1) Parvati worshipped Shiva through penance (male domination). 2) She became Ardhanaariishvarii resembling monistic incarnation in which God and devotee become equal. 3) She became Mahaakaalii, who danced on Shiva (female domination) resembling the dualistic incarnation in which the devotee becomes master and God becomes servant. Some show difference even between Rama and Krishna, who are the incarnations of same Vishnu!!

Hence, all these stories are funny for entertainment in the external sense since there is internal unity in all divine forms of God. These stories convey some important spiritual concept, which can be understood if you take only the external roles and not the internal actors. We shall take Ravana as a bad demon and enemy of Vishnu from the external role and shall not say that Ravana is a good devotee of God Vishnu based on the actor, who is Jaya, the gate-keeper of God Vishnu! In dualistic incarnation in which God and devotee with separate existence are attached to each other so that God becomes servant and the devotee becomes master. God Vishnu says that He is controlled by His devotee (Aham Bhakta paraadhiinah). Based on this, the master-servant relationship gets exactly reversed! Lack of the background knowledge is the reason for the quarrels between the sub-religions of Hinduism and also between the religions of the world. Hinduism is a micro-model of the macro-universe!

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