10 Aug 2025
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QA:72-77
(Some of my friends, who are atheists, have asked these questions on sweet devotion and related topics. I have sent those questions to H.H. Shri Datta Swami, who has answered these questions. - Ms. Thrylokya)
72. Is my following assumption correct?]
[Ms. Thrylokya asked: Suppose all the souls in the creation follow sweet devotion or support sweet devotion without caring about justice, there would be no soul wanting God to follow justice and hence, God will be happy to have sexual union with every sweet devotee in His real form only without creating His illusory forms and there would be no need to create a personified embodiment of His own power as wife for the sake of dualistic entertainment. Isn’t it?]
Swami replied:- All this is theoretical assumption only, which never happened from the beginning of creation and will not happen in future also. Can you say that mother Yashoda can become a sweet devotee? In your assumption, there should be no soul with a male body because in your assumed sweet devotion, only God and all souls with female bodies have to exist. The sweet devotion is a test for the bond of spouse. In the absence of males, any female cannot have spouse and where is the question of defeating all the worldly bonds including the spouse-bond (Daareshana)?
By telling God to unite with sweet devotees with His real form, why are you insisting God to do something, which is criticised by some sages? In fact, God is so holy that He can burn any sin even if done by Him just like the fire can burn any bad material also into sacred ash. Even the deity of justice can’t question Him even if He does injustice. In spite of these two facilities, God is not doing the sin in anyway. Moreover, there is a strong logic to prove that it is not sin since He is not the biological father. In spite of all these available ways to escape the falsely assumed sin, He is not doing so to satisfy some sages taking their own argument. Just imagine the divine personality of God thinking about which, always tears flow down from My eyes.
This supposition of “all the souls in the entire creation are in the path of sweet devotion only” is an impossible assumption because there are other paths of devotion in the creation equally in line with sweet devotion as other parallel ways. For example, in the case of devotees like Hanuman, Shabari etc., one can never expect the path of sweet devotion whatever may be its merit. However, I am considering such impossible situation also as an imaginary assumption and answering your question. You mean that God is assumingly involved in sexual activity with every soul. In this question, there are several angles involved affecting the direction of the answer.
These angles are with reference to the view of devotee about God:-
a) Treating God as the fundamental unimaginable God.
b) Treating God as only the human being-component with gross body, individual soul, four internal instruments and hormonal activity.
c) Treating the human being-component as God-component due to perfect merge (In this angle, you must realise that God-component is not bound by the rules of merge as in the case of two imaginable items like copper and gold. The God-component is totally free to be bound by the human being-component or may separate from the human being-component without any interaction. If two iron rods are welded together and if one iron rod is hot, the other iron rod must also become hot. But, in the case of God-rod, God may become hot or may not become hot as per His wish. For example, in the case of the incarnation of Parashurama, the human being-component got ego whereas the God-component is not touched by the ego).
Simplifying these angles, the points are whether the soul treats God Krishna as the inherently unreal human being-component or as the absolutely real God-component or the absolutely real God-component in certain contexts and the inherently unreal human being-component in certain other contexts because God has full freedom to identify with the human being-component or to separate from the human being-component. Hence, we can treat the incarnation as an electron having dual nature of matter and energy (In the case of energy, the electron can be treated as wave based on wave mechanics and in the case of matter, the electron can be treated as a discrete quantum of energy based on quantum mechanics). The reason is that electron exhibits both natures of its properties in different contexts.
These angles are with reference to the view God about devotees:-
The internal sense of your question is like this: You treat God as a human being having both possibilities, which are:-
a) God loves the sweet devotee inherently, but controls His romantic love due to some forcing external parameters like justice, social norms etc.
b) God has no romantic love to any sweet devotee since He is always fully satisfied within Himself since He is the infinite ocean of bliss.
But, here, the first possibility alone stands as correct in the case of an ordinary human being and the second possibility alone stands as correct in the case of the fundamental God-component called Parabrahman or the unimaginable God. Neither God nor ordinary human being has the choice of both possibilities. The compositions of both are totally different and you can’t find fault neither with God nor with ordinary human being.
Now, one point appears here, which is that since God is omnipotent, He can behave without any constraint in both the above possibilities. The point is certainly correct. As told by you, if the assumption becomes true so that God can enjoy every sweet devotee with true love since there are no external objecting forces, two objections still stand as follows:-
1) Sometime later, a sage or an angel with powerful logic may appear to criticise God although not at the present time. God may be objected by somebody (the sage like Hanuman) following one version only, which is that even though God is not the biological father, He can be treated as the ultimate Father. Hence, from the beginning of creation, God followed the technology of creating illusory forms so that such criticism will never arise at any time. The illusory Gopikas are not at all cheated in anyway (I explained this elaborately several times. I am once again projecting the main points:- a) The human being-component of the real Krishna is also illusory like any other human being in the world. There is nothing extra in the medium of the real Krishna. The trace of illusory happiness is also exactly one and the same that arises in the case of Radha and real Krishna or in the case of Gopika and illusory Krishna. The word illusion shall not be taken in any negative sense because the illusory world is already gifted with absolute reality of God. b) The infinite bliss of God is untouched by the momentary illusory happiness of the union of gross bodies, individual souls, internal instruments and the hormonal activities. c) In fact, only the interacting visible gross bodies are generating this trace of illusory happiness. The other items like individual souls etc., are invisible even though existing. Parabrahman or God-component is unimaginable, which is beyond visible and invisible.).
2) When the unimaginable God doesn’t require any illusory happiness being the absolutely real bliss, forcing Him to become a receiver of illusory happiness becomes totally illogical.
However, if one points out that the unimaginable God is just a mechanical machine without a trace of romantic love, which becomes a defect in His divine personality like a spot of leprosy present on the body of a very beautiful girl, it can be refuted by showing the love between Radha and Krishna. In this case, you can’t blame that God being the infinite bliss is aspiring illusory happiness from the creation because Radha is the personified embodiment of the power of God. This is exactly equal to the infinite bliss of a divine celibate like Adi Shankara enjoying within Himself. This will remove the above said foolish blame and at the same time, the sacred celibacy of God is not disturbed at all.
Closing the mouth of the critics without cheating either the sweet devotees or the critics is the unimaginable talent of administration of the unimaginable God. Sages are the most dearest devotees of God since the beginning of the creation because of their constant interest in God. I assuredly tell that the above assumption of God enjoying sweet devotion with created souls, in the absence of any sage watching it, is impossible in the creation. It did not happen so far and hence, will not happen in future. Your assumption was not true, is not true at present and will not be true in the future. Hence, the answer will be also an imaginary assumption that has no factual ground at any time.
73. The difference between Brahmaloka and Goloka is sweet devotion only. Does it prove that God bends to sweet devotion?
[Swami, You said that in Goloka, God becomes a servant to Gopikas. The difference between Brahmaloka and Goloka is sweet devotion only. Doesn’t this prove that God bends down to sweet devotion becoming a servant to sweet devotees?]
Swami replied:- Gopikas were the sages from millions of births. They were doing penance for God from the beginning of the creation in which they were constantly undergoing deathlike agony to attain permanent association with God. They are the most dearest souls for God even before they took birth as Gopikas. Sages are so powerful that they even cursed the heavenly dancers disturbing their penance. Even when they insulted God, God accepted them happily. Sage Duurvaasa cursed God Datta to wander in the world and this is accepted by God Datta since it is helpful for the propagation of spiritual knowledge. Now, the curse of the sage is used to develop the computer and internet technologies through which the spiritual knowledge is propagated in the entire world. Sage Bhrigu cursed Lord Brahma not to have any worship. He also cursed God Shiva not to have worship of His form except the worship of His representative model called ‘Shivalingam’. He kicked on the chest of God Vishnu, but, God accepted it with a smile. This same climax love of God was shown on the sages when they were born as Gopikas. God bends for true devotion in any form. God doesn’t love Gopikas because they are females. God loves Gopikas because they are the sages doing penance for God from the beginning of this creation. These powerful sages were asked by God to play the roles of Gopikas to demonstrate the concept of sweet devotion so that the sinful souls in Kali age can be saved from going to hell by diverting their uncontrollable lust towards God. If Gopikas really had uncontrollable lust, they would have had illegal affairs with other men even before meeting God Krishna. They were in perfect Pravrutti, but, they played the roles representing the actual sinful devotees in the Kali age.
74. Swami, please comment on my following understanding.
[Swami, please comment on my understanding as follows:- Since God is unimaginable, God has no consciousness (Manassaakshi) like that of humans. Since He is beyond the creation, He has no particular character of justice. Since He is an ocean of love, He speaks and acts differently with each soul in the creation like a customised divine satisfaction-delivery-machine for the sake of each soul’s upliftment.]
Swami replied:- Consciousness is the deepest layer of awareness, which is highly concentrated. When He has no awareness, how can He have consciousness? Neither He is awareness nor He has awareness. But, still He thinks with the help of His omnipotence even in absence of awareness. Similarly, He takes justified conclusions even though consciousness is absent.
Even though He is the protector of justice and justice is His subordinate, He follows justice in order to make the souls to follow justice for the sake of discipline in the creation created by Him. In fact, He is the creator of justice through the divine constitution. He also protects justice by destroying injustice. A teacher in the classroom also becomes the same machine, who loves all the students and encourages them through Arthavaadaas to make them reach their desired noble goal.
75. Swami, please comment on the following.
[Swami, God appears to be very much interested in sweet devotion and He encouraged it to the fullest: i) by giving the highest fruit of Goloka, ii) by not objecting it as injustice, iii) by marrying and having children with thousands of wives, iv) by romancing with the 12 passed Gopikas, v) by romancing with the 1000 failed Gopikas, who haven’t broken the bonds of wealth and issues, vi) by romancing with Kubja, who was previously Shurpanakha, desiring to enjoy God and vii) most importantly making the test of spouse-bond mandatory for all souls by giving them final female births. Please comment on this.]
Swami replied:- All your points are perfectly correct. I just add one point only, which is that:- The unimaginable and unmediated God-component is the infinite ocean of bliss and does not receive the momentary traces of sexual happiness and thus, He is not involved in the sweet devotion since there is no trace of any necessity. The interaction of the medium of God with another medium of same God does not bring any real dualism and hence, God is always one absolute reality. The interaction between gross bodies, individual souls, internal instruments and hormonal activities are one and the same and in addition to that, the similar form of the gross body of real Krishna is in the gross body of unreal Krishna also. Similar form does not mean same form. Both are actually two different forms having similarity. This means that the form of real Krishna is not transferred to the gross body of unreal Krishna. If the form of real Krishna is transferred to unreal Krishna, the form of real Krishna should have disappeared in its original place and real Krishna should have become formless. Real Krishna created a different form of gross body of unreal Krishna, which is similar to the form of His gross body. Everything, which is other than the unimaginable God is exactly one and the same in both real Krishna and unreal Krishna. All the sweet devotion (action, words and feelings) is one and the same in both cases. This will avoid the criticism of some sages about God. The final fruit, Goloka is also one and the same for both cases. The real Krishna becomes the King and His power personified as Radha becomes the Queen of Goloka maintaining the positions of God and soul everywhere. The sexual life of Gopikas in Goloka also is the same sexual life that happened in Brundaavanam. The constant association of real Krishna at general times is common to all Gopikas in Goloka. All this arrangement is done by Radha, the omnipotent power of Parabrahman-Krishna.
God is not fond of sweet devotees, but, God is fond of the welfare of the sweet devotees. God has general love on all the souls. When the soul has chosen the path of sweet devotion towards God, which is justified from the viewpoint of the soul, God will have to encourage the devotee in the same path as part of His devotional justice in Nivrutti. Always remember that sweet devotion is neither initiated by God nor appreciated by God. It is managed by God through His omnipotent power so that the devotees can reach God is their chosen path. God is omniscient and we are of very little knowledge. Hence, the decision of God is justice, which may look like injustice due to our misunderstanding. Every decision made by God is absolute justice even though it sometimes looks like injustice for us due to our little power of understanding. God has infinite power of understanding due to His omniscience and omnipotence. We must always have full faith that whatever God does is always correct.
76. Did Krishna manage the jealousy of Radha towards the Gopikas with His sweet words?
[Swami, even after listening to Your explanation about the arrangement of illusory Krishnas, I am not able to get convinced that Krishna is a celibate. Somehow, I still feel that Krishna has hidden romantic interest in created female devotees and enjoyed the sweet devotees in His real form only. He would have enjoyed at least the twelve successful Gopikas with His real form only. There are famous songs saying that Radha was jealous of Gopikas, who are equally enjoying Krishna on par with her and Krishna skillfully manages her with His sweet words. Please enlighten me.]
Swami replied:- Angels will be easily convinced. Humans will be convinced with efforts. Demons will not be convinced. By the program of spiritual knowledge, 2/3rd of the world can be reformed. There are some souls (may be humans or angels), who are imbibed with demonic nature temporarily. Even such souls can be reformed, but, in their case, God may have to put strenuous efforts. God will not mind to put such strenuous efforts because of His infinite love towards the souls. He will succeed to reform such souls also. In such souls, ignorance is only imbibed nature and not inherent nature like the white moon appearing red for some time in the evening. Madhumati, the wife of God Datta, became a demon due to her negligence about God by trying to embrace her husband while He was engaged in God’s ritual. Due to the curse of God Datta, the Tamas of devilish nature was superimposed on her. God Datta became Shaasta (who incarnated as God Manikantha on earth in Kali Yuga) and killed her with His arrows. This should not be taken in physical sense. His arrows are the powerful arguments of the spiritual knowledge of God Datta. The death of demon means the removal of rigid ignorance of Tamas quality, which makes any soul to blame God.
Suppose there are two bags of sugar each weighing 50 Kg. Both are the same in quality and quantity. The 2nd bag is distributed to sweet devotees and the 1st bag is given to Anaghaa. The 1st bag and 2nd bag are separate. Since the two bags are qualitatively and quantitatively similar and since the 2nd bag is distributed to sweet devotees, the 1st bag is not at all distributed to sweet devotees. Here, Radha is Anaghaa and Gopikas are the sweet devotees. Moreover, there is also difference between the 1st bag and the 2nd bag in the quality of sugar. In the real Krishna (1st bag), the God-component is present and hence, the quality is high. In an illusory Krishna (2nd bag), the God-component is absent and hence, the quality is low. In fact, Anaghaa/Radha is also the 1st bag of sugar having the same God-component. Radha is higher than Gopikas by herself and she is also enjoying the 1st bag of sugar with superior quality. In both ways, Anaghaa is superior than sweet devotees. Even then, Radha is weeping by saying that she is not superior to sweet devotees because she is covered with full ignorance like Rama for the sake of the role of ideal devotee to be played by her. She neither realizes herself nor realizes the real Krishna. Therefore, she feels upset that Gopikas are feeling that they are enjoying the real Krishna only. But, Gopikas are encouraged to reach God by such feeling and it is called as Arthavaada (beneficial meritorious lie). Gopikas themselves don’t know that it is Arthavaada. But, Radha says that both forms are one and the same although the sugar (Krishna) is different and also the quality (real and illusory) of sugar is different due to the presence of Parabrahman in the real Krishna. Even though Radha has got the real Krishna, nothing extra can be enjoyed by her compared to a Gopika because she has to play the role of an ideal devotee. Here, Parabrahman is playing the two roles of Radha and Krishna. The 1st role is devotee-role and the 2nd role is God-role. Suppose you brought two pots of water from a river. You used the first pot of water to clean the temple and the second pot of water for cleaning the idol of God. Can you say that the second pot is higher and the first pot is lower? Both contain the same water and both have equal status. Just because God is playing the role of an ignorant devotee, it does not reduce His original status. As a devotee, Radha has to make mistakes and get reformed by the preaching of God Krishna so that other devotees will follow the same lesson. Even if you place the diamond in mud, its value will not change.
Both Gopikas and illusory Krishnas have the gifted absolute reality of God, but, both real Krishna and Radha have the original absolute reality of God. Although all of them have equal reality at present, it does not mean that Radha is equal to Gopikas and the real Krishna is equal to illusory Krishnas since even in the concept of reality, the absolute reality of the real Krishna and Radha is the ultimate original reality, which is never unreal and the reality of Gopikas and illusory Krishnas is inherently unreal. Apart from this, the speciality of Radha and Krishna lies in having the unimaginable God-component. Assuming that the basic reality is one and the same, can the salt water of ocean and the divine nectar be one and the same based on the assumed equal reality? Both salt ocean and divine nectar may have commonality in the basic reality, but, both can never be the same. To recognize the speciality of God from the world and souls is the ultimate aim of spiritual life or Nivrutti.
Before the first creation, the creation was unreal. If you challenge God, He can make it unreal at any time. Hence, there is some inferiority in the status of the world due to the lack of inherent reality. World was not having equal status with the absolute reality of God before its first creation, when the world was unreal. But, the same world is not unreal at present and will not be unreal in future because God has gifted reality to it permanently. But, at present or in future, God can make it unreal if He wishes so. Hence, the original absolute reality of God is called Paramaartha Satta, whereas the gifted absolute reality of the world is called Vyavaraaha Satta or Mithyaa or relative reality. That is why gifted absolute reality is distinguished from absolute reality.
77. Is Krishna’s celibacy disturbed if suddenly a Gopika embraces Him while preaching knowledge?
[Swami, suppose a Gopika comes to the real Krishna for the sake of clarifications in spiritual knowledge and suddenly embraces Him while He is preaching spiritual knowledge. Then, doesn’t His celibacy get disturbed by this?]
Swami replied:- We are making an assumption in which suppose a Gopika being a sage comes to the real Krishna for spiritual discussion, the real Krishna will be involved in the discussion. Even if the Gopika suddenly embraces Him, He knows it before such romantic idea is going to appear in the mind of the Gopika since He knows the past, the present and the future (Tānyahaṃ veda sarvāṇi…- Gita). Since God Krishna is omniscient knowing the future, even before the Gopika embraces the real Krishna, an illusory Krishna will take the place of the real Krishna. In this way, Mahaa Maayaa makes the technical arrangement. Mahaa Maayaa is the greatest unimaginable power of God that can make any impossible thing to become possible. It is possible for God to involve in romance with the created souls such as Gopikas and still, remain as perfect celibate using His omnipotency. Even though it is possible for God, God will not do so because that will be showing the sinful rowdy nature in which one does the sin and simultaneously escapes the sin using his power. God has got the greatest divine personality, not only because He is omnipotent, but, because God follows justice although He is omnipotent to escape it. Hence, Mahaa Maayaa arranged the plan in such a way that Krishna encourages Gopikas in their chosen path of sweet devotion and at the same time, Krishna is really standing as a perfect celibate. The arrangement is that the real Krishna creates illusory (illusory means inherently unreal) Krishnas, who are just human beings involving in romance with Gopikas by actions, words and feelings having the similar form of real (real means always absolutely real and never unreal) Krishna. Gopikas will feel that they are with real Krishnas and reach the goal, which is God after death in eternal energetic form. At the same time, the real Krishna is not really involved in romance with any created soul by feelings, words and actions protecting His celibacy perfectly.
To be continued...
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