Posted on: 03 Apr 2024
O Learned and Devoted Servants of God,
(Following Satsang took place at Hyderabad attended by Smt. Priyanka from Canada, Shri Kunal Chatterjee, Smt. Suchandra Chatterjee, Shri Soumyadip Mondal, Smt. Chhandaa Chhandra, Shri Surya, Smt. Bhagya and Shri Srivatsa Datta from Mumbai; Shri Phani and some other local devotees. Satsanga happened from 22nd to 25th March 2024 and on the last day, Swami gave Satsang continuously for 10 hours.)
1. When God Krishna preached the Gita of 18 chapters to Arjuna, do You think that all the soldiers in the war waited silently till the Gita was over?
[A question by Shri Kunal Chatterjee]
Swami replied:- Space is a primary relative whereas time is a secondary relative. The omnipotent God could play with space itself, which is a primary relative. In the small space present in the mouth of child Krishna, the entire infinite space containing all the universe is shown to His mother. The infinite space is included in the smallest space present in His mouth. The two planes of space were mutually correlated by God Krishna. Time is only a secondary relative for which the primary relative space is the reference just like God is the reference to space. Can’t He play with time, which is the secondary relative? Two scales of time were created there. 18 hours of time taken for preaching the Bhagavad Gita became 18 minutes for all the soldiers. The actions of the unimaginable God or Parabrahman are always unimaginable. Since He is beyond space and time, He can control space and time as He likes.
2. Please explain the concept of ‘Individual soul’ elaborately.
Swami replied:- Soul (Aatman) is inert energy like raw gold. When this inert energy enters the brain-nervous system, it is transformed into a specific work form of energy called awareness. The specific nature of this specific work called awareness depends upon the specific nature of the system in which the conversion takes place. The same electricity enters a cutting machine generating cutting work and the same electricity entering into a grinding machine generates another specific work called grinding work. Hence, the specific nature of the product is due to the specific nature of the system. This pure awareness is immediately contaminated with thoughts and becomes the individual soul or Jiiva. The thoughts become very very strong and are solidified into gunaas or qualities. The qualities are basically classified into three main groups called sattvam, rajas and tamas. The three qualities are always together and no single quality is isolated. The predominant quality makes the nature of the individual soul. If sattvam is predominating, he may be called as a saattvika soul, but a little rajas and tamas will be also there. In the saattvika actions of such a soul, sometimes you will find a little raajasika action and taamasika action now and then. In the brain, only a very small part is related to awareness. In deep sleep, such small part will be taking rest without any function. The other parts of the brain send mechanical signals to other systems of the body like heart, kidneys, lungs, etc., and the small part of the brain (related to awareness) has nothing to do with the other systems. This individual soul takes a new energetic body at the time of death and goes to the upper worlds to enjoy the fruits of its deeds. After such enjoyment, the individual soul comes down through rain, enters a specific grain of a plant that is invariably eaten by the father soul and enters the womb of the mother through the sperm to fertilize the ovum of the mother. Hence, the individual soul enters the womb of the mother in the beginning itself and this is clearly explained in the Brahma Sutraas. The individual soul is spread all over the body as nervous energy made of neurons (awareness) flowing in all the nerves. The ultimate guiding path is that small part in the brain.
3. The same energy acts in different forms. What is the principle responsible for this difference?
Swami replied:- When the same electricity enters into a radio, sound energy is produced. The same electricity entering into a bulb produces light energy. Even though the input energy is the same, the plans of the systems are different to bring this difference in the output energies so that it will appear in different specific forms. It is very clear that this difference is due to the difference in the appliances or systems or plans of the systems since the entering energy is one and the same. The Veda also says this same point, “The energy created by God is one and the same. But, due to different plans of the systems associated with energy, different forms of energy are generated. The same energy appears as awareness, matter and work-energy.” (Parā'sya śaktiḥ vividhaiva śṝyate, svābhāvikī jñāna bala kriyā ca).
4. Once a devotee becomes a climax devotee, he/she gets salvation. What is the work or sadhana of that soul after getting salvation?
Swami replied:- After getting salvation, the liberated soul will always be associated with God in His mission on this earth. The constant association with God is the ultimate divine fruit.
5. Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was an incarnation of God. Was it necessary to do all types of spiritual efforts (Saadhanaas)?
Swami replied:- The incarnation always behaves like a devotee. Even God Krishna was doing many rituals like sandhyaavandanam in the morning and the evening. Even God Rama did like that. Of course, we can answer regarding Rama by saying that He incarnated as the ideal human being and hence, to stand as an example for human beings, He did all the rituals but even Krishna did all the rituals like Rama. Hence, the background concept is that if a great person like Krishna avoids doing rituals, every ordinary human being will follow Him and reject the doing of rituals. For the welfare of ordinary human beings, the incarnation performs all types of prescribed rituals and related saadhanaas. This is called as Lokasamgraha as explained elaborately in the Gita (Lokasaṅgrahamevāpi…-Gita).
6. What is meant by Sthitaprajna? Please explain more clearly.
[A question by Smt. Chhandaa]
Swami replied:- You know very well about a Gopika, who has become fully mad when God Krishna left Brundaavanam. All such Gopikas confined to the Brundaavanam garden only without attending to any worldly duty. Suppose that such a Gopika is able to control the sweet devotion on God Krishna in her mind only and is able to do all the worldly work with full detachment since the mind is already filled with God. Such a Gopika will be called as a Sthitaprajna. Controlling the climax devotion in the mind does not mean that devotion is decreased. An example that really happened a long time back will make this more clear. A farmer heard that he got a lottery of one lakh rupees and due to his weak heart, he was unable to control the pressure of the pleasure and immediately, he died due to heart attack. Such a farmer is the Gopika with sweet devotion. There are several farmers, who controlled their emotions and without expressing this news with anybody, fearing that somebody may snatch the lottery amount, went secretly and encashed the lottery and returned back after getting the amount transferred to their accounts. Such people are called as Sthitaprajnas. If the devotee becomes mad due to inability to control the emotion, such a devotee cannot do even God’s work. But, God does not find fault with the poor devotees, who have become mad. He will take care of their worldly duties and grant salvation to them. The Sthitaprajna is appreciable not because he is doing the worldly duties, but he is appreciable because he can do the service to God. Since both reached the climax point of the devotion and since both never fall from that point, as far as the devotion related to God is concerned, both are equal in the eyes of God. In the eyes of the world, the Sthitaprajna may look better since he is performing the service to God efficiently by controlling his devotion. God is concerned about Himself only and hence, sees only the devotion. Since we, the people of this world, also see the world with equal importance, we feel that the Sthitaprajna is better than a mad Gopika. So, God and devotee differ to agree at this point. Even if God is not touched in this topic and if you take only worldly life as the total field, this principle of doing work without any attachment certainly gives success in the work because all your energy is concentrated on the work only since you are detached from the fruit. Such a worldly person is not Sthitaprajna because his heart is not filled with devotion completely and he did not become the climax devotee of God. This principle exists in spiritual knowledge (Karmaṇye vādhikāraste - Gita) and in science also (Q=E+W).
7. How can You link awareness with rajas and tamas, which are non-awareness?
[Prof. JSR Prasad asked:- Bhaava means thought made of awareness. Rajas and Tamas are inert non-awareness. A bhaava can be sattvika because both bhaava and sattvam are awareness. But, rajas and tamas are inert non-awareness. How can You link awareness with non-awareness?]
Swami replied:- Every thought is made of sattvam. But, the thought can be influenced by inert items also. When you are hungry and see a delicious food item, you are very much attracted to the inert food. Your attraction is a thought made of awareness. There are three types of jewels of gold. In the first jewel of yellow colour, yellow-coloured stones are fixed. In the second type of jewel, red-coloured jewels are fixed. In the third type of jewel, blue-coloured stones are fixed. These are gradually sattvika, rajasika and tamasika bhaavas respectively. Knowledge is sattvam and if your thoughts are influenced by knowledge, such thoughts are sattvika thoughts. If you have a lot of physical power, the physical power is inert rajas energy. If your thoughts become proud due to your physical energy, the ego, which is made of awareness only is influenced by the inert power. Such thought of ego (awareness) is influenced by the rajas quality. If you have a lot of materialised wealth, you become ignorant and your ignorant thought influenced by materialised tamas is a tamasika thought. Rajas is energy and tamas is matter. Hence, awareness can be influenced by the items of non-awareness.
8. For getting salvation, is it necessary to become a climax devotee?
[Shri Soumyadip Mondal asked:-]
Swami replied:- Unless you are completely absorbed in God, you will have the awareness of worldly bonds by which you will be dragged back by those bonds. If you are completely immersed in God continuously, a stage will come when you forget yourself and your worldly bonds. This is the salvation from worldly bond. The best example is that when you are completely immersed in watching the cinema, you are not aware of the bites of even mosquitoes and blood-bugs.
9. What are the intermediate states in the journey of a person from an ordinary soul to the climax devotee?
Swami replied:- If the ordinary soul is 0 and the climax devotee is 100, every point between 0 and 100 is an intermediate state of devotion.
10. Which journey is more difficult – i) From an ordinary worldly man to a devotee. ii) From a devotee to the climax devotee.
Swami replied:- The most difficult is to transfer from 0 to the next adjacent point in the scale. That means an ordinary soul always immersed in worldly affairs is not transferred to the beginning state of devotion, which is to taste God for the first time. It is very difficult to make the kid to go to school every day unless a chocolate is shown because the child did not taste knowledge. After sometime, the child itself will go to the school after tasting the nectar-like knowledge. Once the student develops interest in knowledge, there is no need of any chocolate for the student. Similar is the case with devotees.
11. Does a person, who came to the Sadguru in this life comes to the Sadguru in the next life also?
Swami replied:- Once the human soul shows some interest in the spiritual line, God will grant the human rebirth so that the soul will continue its spiritual progress in the next birth. If the human being shows interest only in eating, drinking, sex and sleep only, such a soul is given the birth of an animal or a bird or an insect. The contact to the Sadguru is a very important point in the spiritual journey and hence, God will bless such a soul to come into contact with the Sadguru in the next birth also.
12. You said that a theistic person, who always thinks about the world is an atheist in the disguise of theist. Is it the absolute truth?
Swami replied:- A teacher scolds even a merit student saying that the student is worse than a donkey. This scolding is only to activate and improve the student in his studies so that he can top in the examinations. This should not be taken in literal sense. There are several students, who are worse than this merit student, who got scolded, but the teacher did not scold those worst students since the occasion did not come. You should take this case in such a similar sense. A devotee may be the worst, but is certainly better than an atheist. Something is always better than nothing.
13. Where are we compared to souls like Swami Vivekananda?
[A question by Smt. Suchandra]
Swami replied:- No human soul shall be discouraged in the beginning itself. If an effort is started, it should be continuous even though there is no considerable speed in the progress. The story of the tortoise moving slowly towards the goal got grand success, whereas the efficient rabbit slept due to ego and could not reach the goal. Similar to this rabbit, a soul discouraged in the beginning itself does not make a humble start and gets failure. There is no difference between the rabbit, which slept and the rabbit, which did not start. The tortoise started and continued the effort with whatever energy was given by God to it. It is said that even the divine eagle (Garuda) not making a start, does not move forward even by one foot (Agachhan vainateyo'pi, padamekaṃ na gachhati).
14. When I close my eyes in awakened state, I see God forms. Are they my own thoughts or visions given by God? What is the message to me?
Swami replied:- Whatever may be the process, both are good. Your thoughts about God in awakened state only bring such image before your mind. This is good for sadhana. It may be the image brought by God. That is also good for your sadhana. A sweet, prepared by you or gifted by somebody, tastes same sweetness.
15. What is the meaning of crossing ‘I’?
[Shri Satthi Reddy asked:- Does crossing of ‘I’ mean the crossing of only the gender-ego like how Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa wore saree and jewels like the Gopika and stayed in Brundaavanam?]
Swami replied:- Gender-ego is a part of the whole ego (ego of knowledge, ego of power, ego of wealth, ego of beauty, etc.). If a male is born as female in the final birth, he crossed at least the gender-ego without any effort, which is an advantage. The final female birth also has another angle:- The strongest bond of the mother among the three strongest worldly bonds (bond with wealth, child and spouse) is the bond with child about which only, a severe test can be conducted. The mother will have a stronger bond with the child than the father. Hence, if the final birth is female birth, the real test for such a strongest bond can be done. In this way, the female is given one advantage and one disadvantage. Every male soul need not get final female birth for testing to get salvation. If the soul becomes a Sthitaprajna, the soul need not be tested at all. It is only tested for the sake of the public to avoid the criticism of God that He has shown partiality on a devotee without test.
16. How did Prahlada, a child, have the same strongest mad love on God as the Gopikas?
[Gopikas are grown-up females and Prahlaada is a small boy. How can both of them have the same strongest mad love on God? I feel that female-devotees have more attraction to male-God since male-female attraction is inherently strong.]
Swami replied:- The type of the bond is not important but the weight of the love in any type of bond is important. Draupadi loved God Krishna as her brother and defeated all romantic bonds like wives and darling-Gopikas when the finger of God Krishna was cut and bleeding. She tore her new saree while all the wives and darlings of God Krishna ran in all directions for a small piece of cloth to be used as a bandage. The bond between God Rama and Hanuman was the type of master-servant. The bond between God Vishnu and Prahlaada was God-devotee.