Serving the Living Incarnation Is the Highest

O Learned and Devoted Servants of God,

[Message on Dasara, Day-7] Today Goddess Saraswati is worshipped, who is always associated with Brahma. Saraswati is different from Brahma but is constantly associated with Brahma. Saraswati represents the special divine knowledge (Prajnanam) and Brahma represents God in human form. This means that the divine knowledge is separate and is an associated sign of God but can be treated as inherent sign due to its constant association.

Any state in the spiritual path is to be appreciated relatively with respect to the lower step, but it is criticized relatively with respect to the higher step. You are encouraged by showing the lower steps, but you are inspired to become active by seeing the upper step. If you become lazy assuming that the step attained by you is final, the upper step is to be shown to you. If you are discouraged by seeing the higher steps, you are encouraged by showing lower steps. A theist, who worships formless God, is better than atheist. Such theist is lower than the theist, who worships statues and photos because God with some form is easy for concentration. Again, such theist worshipping statues is inferior to the theist, who worships God in human form or at least the best devotees. This is the ladder of spiritual path. The devotee worshipping the alive human incarnation cannot be criticized because there is no higher step than that. Hanuman and Gopikas, who worshipped alive human incarnations of their times were highest devotees. Similarly, the lowest step is atheism below, which there is no another lower step. Hence, an atheist can never be appreciated. Thus, the highest step has no criticism and the lowest step has no appreciation. In between these two extreme ends, all the other steps have both criticism and appreciation according to the requirement of the situation of the devotee.

Therefore, in My divine knowledge, the rituals and worship of the idols have both appreciation and criticism with respect to the state of devotee. If you are on the ground, I will appreciate the first step before you. But if you climbed the first step, I will appreciate the second step and criticize the first step with respect to its higher step. Therefore, My appreciation and criticism vary from one level of devotees to the other level of devotees.

You should not misunderstand that My criticism means condemning that totally in all directions for all the levels of human beings. The sacrifice (Yajna) should be performed and I am not condemning the Yajna as the followers of Jnana do. I am only condemning the misinterpreted practice of Yajna. If Yajna is performed in the right sense, it is far far greater than Jnana (knowledge) and Bhakti (theoretical devotion). The sacrifice is practical devotion or service to the deserving human beings like human incarnation, devotees, poor people etc.

Yajna does not mean burning the food in the fire, which is criticized by the Lord Kapila in the Bhagavatam. The fire is only a means to cook the food (Yajna Sadhanam). Fire is not the deity (upaasya) of Yajna. The Sadguru is the deity of Yajna, who acts as the priest and is personified as fire (Yajnasya Devamrutvijam— Veda) due to the radiant light on His face and hunger-heat in the stomach. Fire is characterized by light and heat. Today, in the Yajna, the priest, who does not know the meaning of the Vedas, is acting as Sadguru. In the olden days, Sadguru who knows the meaning and essence of the Vedas acted as priest. Everything is reversed. Here again I am not condemning the priests. I am only criticizing them. Due to their lack of knowledge, they are giving food to the physical fire. I am only advising them to learn the Sanskrit language in which the Vedas exist. They should study the Shastras to give right interpretations. For example, in Yajna, to understand the personification of fire as Sadguru, the knowledge of figures of speech (Alankara Shastra) is required. Sadguru is told by the word ‘fire’ through metaphor (Rupaka). These priests do not know even the language and knowledge of Shastras is far beyond the expectation. This Yajna, which is looked as a very low path of karma, is now the highest state of spiritual path, which is the practical sacrifice and service to Sadguru or at least to devotees or at least to poor people. Such Yajna in the line of correct interpretation is greater than the knowledge and theoretical devotion. The scholar and devotee without service are useless.

Veda Pandita and Veda Pathaka

When the fate of the scholar of the Vedas without practice is in such useless state, what is the fate of the present priest who does not have even the basic knowledge of the Vedas? Only a scholar of the Vedas should be called as Veda Pandita. The present priest, who simply recites the Veda without knowing its meaning, should be called as Veda Pathaka. Ignorant people are calling the present priest as Veda Pandita, since they do not know the difference between these two words. The present priests may be angry with Me misunderstanding that I am spoiling their livelihood. No no. I am only increasing their status both financially as well as by their honor. The Sadguru will be paid much more by the public and will be honored equal to God.

Similarly, I am not condemning the worship of idols. I am only requesting all of you to know the right aspect in such worship. All the idols are in the human form. Such worship is a training to serve the human form of Lord. Since, you are having repulsion to worship a co-human being as God, such training is given to minimize your repulsion. You must know the point behind such worship. It is said that Brahma has no worship. This means that the absolute God can never be worshiped directly since God is unimaginable. The next step is worship of Shiva in the form of a stone without human form. This step is for such egoistic demons, who do not like to worship even a stone if it is in the human form. This is the reason why demons worship only Shiva in the form of a wave but not in human form. The wave represents energy or power. Demons worship God only for power so that they like to become God in human form through exhibition of superpowers. The third state is Vishnu in the human form represented by any statue in human form. Let not the followers of Vishnu condemn Lord Shiva to be the God of demons. Shiva exists in human form also represented by such statue, which becomes the third state of Vishnu.

The Veda says that Shiva and Vishnu are one and the same. Demons by exhibiting the superpowers are also serving the divine mission, since superpowers alone can turn the atheist to become theist. It is a service at the basic level. God is not foolish to give boons (superpowers) to demons. The fourth state of the spiritual path is Datta. Datta means Sadguru, who is the alive human form of God. Service to Datta is the final stage.

The statues can be used to develop theoretical devotion by inspiration. But the statues are useless for practical devotion, which is practical service that is confined only to life and should not be extended to the inert objects. Innocent people are fooled by the priests, who say that God is receiving the practical service through statues. This is utter lie. The priest hiding behind the statue is receiving your service. If the priest is real devotee or at least a poor fellow, your service to the statue is meaningful. In such case, your sacrifice goes practically to the priest directly according to the degree of his deserving state. The statue is only a drama of undeserving people to extract more service from you.

Another drama is to put money in the hundi kept before the statue. Such money is again monitored by the management of temple. You may have the satisfaction that the undeserving priest is avoided. But the management is also not spending the money in right path. Though the management is personally not enjoying the money like the undeserving priest, your money is wasted in building up the constructions in the temple in the name of service to visitors. The devotee, who goes to temples, should not enjoy the facilities. In olden days, the temples were on hills and forests so that the devotee faces lot of stress to reach God represented by statue. The facilities will hinder the spiritual progress like the superpowers. Such money should be spent on the scholars and talented devotees to spread divine knowledge and devotion to God. Such money can also be spent to help the beggars but such service should be associated with preaching spiritual knowledge and devotion to them. I do not criticize the management of temples stating that they are enjoying the God’s money. But I criticize them for not spending the divine money in the correct sense. The divine money should not be touched by the Government for social service. The money collected by tax is only meant for it. The management of temple should be constituted with perfect scholars of the divine knowledge and not with mere administrators (officers) of social service. The saints, scholars and devotees should be the management of temples but not ordinary people having worldly education (IAS Degrees) only. The whole system is in wrong direction and should be rectified properly so that the grace of God will shower on the humanity and the Government also will get good name with success.

The uneducated and undeserving priest stealing your service and the innocent management wasting the money is one extreme end. The Advaitin, who eats the food offering to himself assuming that he is the God, is another extreme end, which is the selfish greediness in disguise. In between these two extreme ends, which are totally unreal, the middle golden path of truth is serving the deserving beggars, the deserving devotees and Sadguru in increasing order of importance. Sadguru is God in human form directly and is more pleased if His real devotees, who participate practically in His divine mission, are served. God likes such real devotees (having practical devotion) more than Himself. Between God and real devotees, the real devotees are more important for Him. God will tolerate if He is insulted (Bhagavadapachara), but will never tolerate if His real devotee is insulted (Bhaagavataapachara). Ramanuja left His wife since she insulted the real devotees. Lord Vishnu did not react when Hiranyakashipu scolded Him, but reacted vehemently when His real devotee, Prahlada was insulted. Between beggars and God, God should be more important. Jesus supported His personal service of applying scent to His feet than serving the beggars. He told that beggars are always present, but the chance to meet Him is very rare.

A hungry person should be fed immediately as emergent service. Even if he is an atheist, the human life should be saved because there is a chance of change in him in future if his life is saved. The social service involving helping the poor is always appreciable provided such service is followed up by the divine service i.e., propagation of knowledge and devotion.

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