Śrī Rājīva Uvāca:-
[Śrī Rajiiv Spoke]:-

[You have very well presented the correlation between monism and dualism, even though it is very difficult to correlate these two opposite poles. But, how are You going to correlate the qualified monism of Śrī Rāmānuja in this context?]

Śrī Datta Bhagavān Uvāca:-
[God Śrī Datta Spoke]:-

[So far, we have dealt God and servant (We have assumed here that Śrī Rāmānuja stressed on theoretical devotion and that Śrī Madhva stressed on practical devotion of the servant to God. In fact, both preachers stressed both aspects.). We have presented the theoretical devotee as an ant and the practical devotee as a housefly. The servant-ant is with least ego and the devotee-fly feels higher than the servant and hence, the devotee is treated as a fly. There is a difference of ego between theoretical and practical devotions.]

[The reason is that first Śrī Śaṅkara came and propagated spiritual knowledge called Jñāna Yoga. Later on, Śrī Rāmānuja came and propagated theoretical devotion called Bhakti Yoga. Finally, Śrī Madhva came and propagated practical devotion called Karma Yoga.]

[Knowledge, devotion and practice are the logical sequence in the spiritual path as three subsequent steps. Hence, these three steps are attributed to the subsequently arrived Divine Preachers called Śrī Śaṅkara, Śrī Rāmānuja and Śrī Madhva. This is My logical arrangement. In fact, both Śrī Rāmānuja and Śrī Madhva stressed on devotional service. In spite of that, I have arranged the ladder of union with God (Yoga) in this way.]

[The intention and practice are always bound together. The intention is the cause and the practice is the effect. From intention, one can imagine the future practice and from the past intention, one can easily imagine the future effect. Both intention and practice are like very very close friends.]

[We cannot separate theoretical and practical devotions by giving independent status to any one of these two. The difference between them is very formal. Therefore, Śrī Rāmānuja and Śrī Madhva are like the two stars in the sky called ‘Viśākhe’.]

[When the ego is destroyed, the devotee becomes a servant and due to the same reason, the servant becomes a slave. The destruction of the ego takes place due to the knowledge of God.]

[When the soul compares itself with another devotee or servant or knower of God, the ego will not be destroyed permanently. When the soul compares itself with God, the ego is completely destroyed forever before the unimaginable and wonderful personality of God. This is a golden point stressed by Śrī Madhva.]

[If ego enters a fly, it becomes big in size by self-bloating. In such case, we cannot neglect the fly like a small ant. If the same fly leaves ego, it becomes small like an ant and even smaller than even an ant.]

[As the soul hears the mighty qualities of God, the soul realizes its own insignificance and becomes smaller and smaller, finally becoming the smallest. Such a soul, due to total surrender of self to God, gradually becomes almost nil. In such case, the monism results really.]

[Like this, even in the presence of the slightest dualism, monism exists. Here, the slightest dualism means mere existence of the soul without ego. In order to achieve monism, dualism need not be destroyed completely. Destruction of complete dualism means the destruction of the soul itself. We have already explained the monism of God with soul in the presence of even this slightest dualism.]

[Whether the soul is a devotee or a servant, the dualism with God does not result based on the mere existence of the number of items. Based on the quantity of ego present in the devotee or the servant, monism or dualism results. This means that if the devotee or servant is egoless, there is monism between God and that soul. If the devotee or servant is with ego, the dualism between God and soul results.]

[When the ego is completely destroyed in a soul, that soul disappears as per the identity of the number. Only God remains in such situation. Even though the soul is present, it can be treated as if it is absent. Since the devoted and egoless soul is present for count, Śrī Rāmānuja says that God is the whole (like total body or śeṣī) and the egoless devoted soul alone is His part (like a limb or śeṣa).]

[Such nomenclature of Śrī Rāmānuja does not interfere with the above-said theory in any way. Therefore, Śrī Rāmānuja is completely correlated with Śrī Śaṅkara and Śrī Madhva, who are already explained as perfectly correlated in the previous chapter.]

[Śrī Rāmānuja further told that God is the supporter maintaining His own creation and this is the relationship between God and the creation (Ādhāra-Ādheya sambandha). The Veda also says this (Yena jātāni jīvanti). He also further brought the relationship of whole-part (Śeṣi-Śeṣa sambandha) from the Veda (Yathā sudīptāt pāvakād visphuliṅgāḥ), keeping God as the whole (big fire) and the soul as its spark.]

[In the Gītā (Mamaivāṃśo…) and in the Veda (Yasya ātmā śarīram), the soul is told to be a part or body of God. Here, we should take this as a figure of speech. A dearest devotee is told by God in the Gītā as His eye or hand and this does not mean that the devotee is a real part of the body. Similarly, the world is told to be the body of God by the Veda, which means that the body is like worn cloth (Vāsāṃsi jīrṇāni…- Gītā). Scholars, who know the knowledge of the figure of speech, talk like this. Therefore, there is no difference between Śrī Rāmānuja and Śrī Madhva.]

[Another relationship brought by Śrī Rāmānuja between God and soul is that God is the enjoyable item, whereas the soul is an enjoyer. Here, this does not mean that God is eaten by the soul. It only means that the infinite bliss of God is enjoyed by the soul also along with God. This is told in the Veda (bhoktā bhogyaṃ preritāraṃ ca). To remove this misunderstanding, the Veda states that God is the controller and not the soul. In fact, in the final dissolution, the soul is dissolved by God (Yatprayānti – Veda).]

[Even Śrī Śaṅkara told the same as told by Śrī Rāmānuja and Śrī Madhva that God is the whole and the soul is a part. In a prayer to Lord Jagannātha, He said that God is like the ocean and the soul is like a wave in it (Sāmudro hi taraṅgaḥ…). In this way, all the three Divine Preachers are perfectly correlated.]

[The Veda says that God is eternal among several other eternal items (Nityo nityānām). By this, Śrī Madhva considered that God and other items (soul and world) are eternal. Śrī Rāmānuja already supported this. As per Śrī Śaṅkara, the world containing both inert and non-inert items becomes real due to the gifted reality of God, just as a pot is real due to the reality of mud. All the three Divine Preachers agreed that after final dissolution also, all the world including souls exists forever in a subtle state. By this, the soul and the world attained eternality.]

[Shri Shankara told that this world is ‘Mithya’. This does not mean that the world is non-existent. This only means that the world was non-existent before its production and is eternally existent after production. This brings a difference between God and the world. God exists in three times (past, present and future) and the world exists in two times (present and future).]

[Before the creation of this world, you were not present to say that the creation existed even before its production. At the same time, due to your absence before the production of the creation, you also cannot say that creation existed. Due to the absence of perception, which is the basis of scientific logic, this conclusion is common in the minds of both Śrī Śaṅkara and Śrī Rāmānuja. This conclusion is in view of the angle of scientific knowledge based on perception. In this way also, correlation is possible.]

[The world is not having destruction anymore and hence, can be treated as eternal. Whether the world is having absence before its production or not, what is the damage for the soul to do its spiritual efforts in the present time?]

[When nothing is lost, the debate is like grinding further and further the paste that was already ground to maximum climax. This is called as a discussion with dry logic. The debate must always be analysing and discussing further and further regarding the practical utility of any concept to the spiritual aspirant.]

[Even Śrī Rāmānuja and Śrī Madhva agreed that one of the many eternals is supreme, which is God. One cannot interpret it like one goat among several goats. Therefore, there is no difference of opinion among the three Divine Preachers.]

[Even the Veda says that the distinguished supreme eternal item (God) fulfils the desires of many. Hence, even the Veda is stressing the greatness of one eternal item called God. We can neglect the absence of an item before its production (Prāgabhāva) and can say that an item is eternal if it does not have destruction in the future. By such simple adjustment, all the three Divine preachers are correlated. All the three agreed that the world will never be destroyed even in final dissolution because the world is saved in subtle state (Avyaktam) after final dissolution.]

[One person has been a millionaire since his forefathers. Another has become a millionaire in the course of time with self-hard work progressing gradually. The income tax officer will not distinguish between them in taxing the income. Both are one and the same for him. The absence in the beginning (Prāgabhāva) is not considered.]

[What Śrī Madhva told is that the world existed from the beginning of its creation by God. What Śrī Śaṅkara means is that the world did not exist in the beginning before its production. The present status and the future status are very important when discussing the existence of any item. With this view only, Śrī Rāmānuja and Śrī Madhva told that the creation is true and eternal.]

[Even Shri Shankara told that without enquiring about superimposition, the spiritual knowledge of God becomes a useless exercise. Similarly, here also, without neglecting the unknown beginning of creation, the exercise to correlate the three Divine preachers also becomes useless.]

Iti Śrī Datta Svāmi viracita Śrī Rājīva Gītāyāṃ Viśiṣṭādvaita Vicāra Yogo Nāma Aṣṭamādhyāyaḥ|

[Like this, in Śrī Rājīva Gītā, composed by His Holiness Shri Datta Swami, the Eighth Chapter called ‘The Association of Enquiry of the Qualified Monism’ is completed.]