Swami answers a question of an Advaita follower on Brahman and Parabrahman (Part-3)

Note: This article is meant for intellectuals only

Part-1   Part-2   Part-3

THIRD PART

[Dr. Nikhil asked:- I need clarification: Advaitins never say that the unimaginable God mediated by awareness is Īśvara. According to them, awareness is Brahman. The same awareness when limited by a small (vyashti) upaadhi is an individual, and when ‘limited’ by the infinite or limitless (samashti) upadhi, is Ishwara.

The concepts of “unimaginable God mediated by awareness” or “unimaginable God mediated by an energetic body containing awareness” are both part of Swami’s philosophy. Advaitins never speak about them.]

Swami replied:- In both these words (unimaginable awareness and imaginable awareness) the common word is awareness, which means to know about itself (Atma jnaanam) and to know things other than itself (Para jnaanam). Anything other than awareness is inert. This awareness has characteristics like thinking (mind or manomayakosha), deciding with logical analysis (intelligence or vijnaanamayakosha) and feeling extreme happiness (bliss or aanandamayakosha). These three are the main faculties of awareness. Any felling like sorrow anger, greediness, sex, ego, fascination, jealousy, sacrifice, kindness etc., are also the related characteristics of awareness only. All these are absent in the case of inertness. Food (Annamayakosha) and life (Pranamayakosha) are also inert. Life means simply the process of respiration in which oxygen is inhaled and carbon dioxide is exhaled. Plants have life but, do not have awareness. All items having awareness need not have respiration and all items having respiration need not have awareness. Plants have respiration but, lack awareness. Energetic living beings have awareness but, lack respiration. Referring to this earth, plants (Botany) are different from beings having awareness (Zoology). On this earth, zoological living beings alone have both respiration and awareness. Botanical living beings have respiration but no awareness. We should not confuse that living beings mean only zoological living beings since botanical living beings also have life (without awareness) or respiration and can be called as living beings. To avoid confusion, it is better to distinguish both these botanical and zoological living beings. In zoological living beings apart from respiration system, extra nervous system exists. Even the unicellular Amoeba is zoological living being and not a huge multicellular tree. Awareness requires inert energy and functioning nervous system. Matter and energy are inert. The inert energy working in functioning nervous system made of matter is transformed into a specific work called awareness, which is transfer of information from senses to brain. Just like cutting work is specific to cutting machine and grinding work is specific to grinding machine, Awareness is specific to the specific nervous system including brain. This transfer of information takes place with the help of a specific form of energy called neurons. Any inert item like stone (inert matter having inert energy) or light (inert energy) can’t have awareness due to absence of nervous system. Even plants (inert matter having bound inert energy along with some free inert energy available for work) do not have awareness for the same reason.

In fact, if you analyze all this background of awareness, there is nothing extra other than inert energy and inert matter. The awareness (called soul or individual soul strictly) is a specific work form of inert energy only generated by a specific functioning inert nervous system and hence, this awareness seen in the creation is also said to be inert (jada) only by sharp scholars. The background as well as the essential form of awareness is only inert and nothing else.

Generally, we confuse that a living being is having awareness. Plant is a living being, but, has no awareness. Inert energy alone is not sufficient and functioning nervous system is also essential to generate awareness. Functioning grinding machine is necessary to generate grinding work and mere presence of electricity will not generate the grinding work. In fact, respiration is also done for the generation of free inert energy to be available for the specific work to be done. The oxygen inhaled helps the oxidation of food to generate inert energy. Oxygen is also used for purification of blood and certain other exothermic chemical reactions are also useful in generating the inert energy. Directly or indirectly oxygen plays an important role in the generation of inert energy without any problem. In the energetic beings, same free inert energy is directly available for work and hence, respiration is not necessary. In those energetic beings, digestive system is also absent since food is not necessary to generate inert energy by oxidation. Drinking water is also not necessary in energetic beings like angels etc., since the inert energy is available freely for work. By some supernatural (not imaginable by today, but imaginable by tomorrow) mechanism, the information is transferred to the soul of energetic being. The background of materialized systems is not necessary in the case of an energetic being.

With all the above scientific background, we are sure that the awareness is generated in human being or any other zoological living being with the help of available free inert energy (with the help of materialized systems like respiration, digestion etc.) and the functioning materialized nervous system. We can understand the generation of awareness in energetic beings also since the available free inert energy is transformed into awareness using certain supernatural scientific mechanisms present in the place of materialized systems. This awareness available in Zoological living beings on this earth and energetic beings in the upper worlds is called imaginable relative awareness since the background of generation of such awareness is clearly understood by science. This awareness is also called relative imaginable awareness because it is a part of this relative world or imaginable creation. Relative truth means that truth which is depending on the reality and existence of the cause even though by itself it is unreal and non-existent without its cause. Mud with associated energy to generate the form is the cause. The form of the pot generated from such cause is the product, which is relatively true with reference to the existence of its above mentioned cause (mud with energy). The mud with energy is absolute reality, which alone exists before the generation of the pot, during the existence of pot and after the destruction of pot. The absolute truth alone exists in all the three times (past, present and future) called as cause. The product (pot) is absent before generation and after destruction.

Opponent:- The form generated by the mud with energy (energy is supplied from the work done by the pot maker and this work done by hands is associated with the work done by the brain in imagining the form and hence, work is a form of energy only since awareness is also energy. Even the imagination of awareness is energy only since awareness is also a specific work form of inert energy only) is existing by itself independently. Hence, we are able to bring water with the pot and we are unable to bring water with the mud associated with energy before the production of the pot. Hence, the form has independent existence, which is different from the energy associated with mud before the generation of the pot. Therefore, the relative existence is also absolute existence.

Swami:- The energy associated with the mud itself is the form of pot and hence, there is no form separately other than the energy associated with the mud. The mud with its associated energy is the cause and there is no separate product called the form of pot other than the cause.

Opponent:- The cause is not one but two:- Mud, the material cause (upaadaana) and energy supplied by hands of pot maker, who is the intellectual cause (nimitta). We will call the mud as the cause and the associated energy (supplied by hands as per the direction of imagination of the pot maker) itself as the product. Hence, both cause and product exist side by side from the beginning (starting from the process of preparation of pot by pot maker) itself.

Swami:- If you say that the energy associated with mud itself is the product, you should be able to bring water with the mud associated with the energy itself since such energy itself is the product. Hence, the energy associated with mud is transformed to become separately existing product that can bring water. Actually, with the help of energetic imagination in the mind of pot maker, inert energy supplied by two hands of pot maker entered the mud transferring the mechanical energy into the mud to become the form of pot. Hence, before production of pot, mud remained only as a lump and the above said energy (mechanical energy from hands following the imagination in the mind maintained as nervous energy) entered the mud only during the process of preparation of mud into pot. The mud is associated with the energy only when the process of preparation was done and after the process only the pot is ready. Hence, you are unable to bring water with the simple lump of mud (Upaadaana) without the energy (Nimitta). Before the production of pot, simple lump of mud is not the total cause. The mud is only half of the cause and the energy, the rest half of the cause is entering mud during the process of preparation of pot by the pot maker to become the form of pot. The entry of this energy into mud takes place through the process of production of pot. When the entry of energy is over, the form of pot is appearing. Hence, when the cause is complete, then only the pot is prepared to bring the water. Cause means both material and intellectual parts.

Opponent:- If the cause is mud and energy, the transformation of the energy into the form of pot is the process. The form of pot is certainly the transformed energy (supplied by the hands of pot-maker under the guidance of his imagination energy), but, the supplied energy itself is not the form. If this energy itself is the form, the form of the pot should have appeared even before the process. Hence, the form of pot is separate from the total cause and exists independently.

Swami:- The inert mechanical energy supplied by hands associated with the imagination-nervous energy itself is the form. The association of both these forms is completed during the completion of the process of preparation of pot. Hence, after the process only, the association of both forms is completed and this combined energy (mechanical energy + imagination energy) itself is the form of the pot. Hence, there is no separate form of pot except i) the mechanical energy, ii) the imagination energy and iii) the combining process of these two energies in the mud so that after the process, the combined energy is appearing as the form of pot based on the mud. Since the process of combination of two types of energy is work and since work is also a form of energy, we can simplify these three types (mechanical, imagination and work form or process) as one item, called energy. We can conclude finally that the cause is of only two parts:- energy and matter (mud). We can also further simplify that there is only one cause, which is energy since matter is also a form of energy. Hence, except the cause, there is no separate product and this is the theory of relativity in depth. First, we say that the product can’t exist separately without the cause and then we say that except cause there is no product. This final stage is told by the Veda that only cause (Brahman) exists always. Based on this only, Gaudapaada said that the product is not generated at all. This is correct in one angle. This angle is further supported by the miracles done by the cause in the product. Miracle can’t be done if the product is real and hence, the product must be unreal. Except real and unreal, there is no third item to be partially real and partially unreal. Even the impossible partial reality of the product is opposed by miracle. Miracles clearly prove that the product (world) is unreal. The other angle is that the product (world) is generated separately, exists separately as full reality with full clarity to give full entertainment to God. If the product is not separately real and clear, real entertainment is impossible for the cause or God and you can’t say that God is omnipotent if everything is not possible for Him. In the worldly logic, when two angles clash with each other, we withdraw one angle due to absence of omnipotence in any item of the world. But, in the case of God, such clash can be easily allowed because God is omnipotent.

When we say that only one cause existed before creation, God must be both material and intellectual cause (Abhinna nimittopaadaana). Before creation, there was no energy and no matter. If energy itself was absent, there is no question of existence of matter also. If matter is absent, there is no nervous system. If energy is absent, there is no awareness since awareness is generated by energy and awareness itself is a specific form of energy. When awareness is absent, how God thought to create the world? Thinking is impossible without awareness. Even in the absence of awareness, God thought. This means that thinking was done even without awareness! Is it not unimaginable? If awareness existed to think, such awareness must be unimaginable. Either you should say that God is not awareness and can think even without being awareness due to His omnipotence or you should say that God is unimaginable awareness to think, which means very very clearly that God is not this imaginable relative awareness seen in this world that is produced from food (Annat purushah—Veda, Annat bhavanti bhuutaani— Gita).

Hence, whether it is Shankara or Datta Swami, the point told by them must be analyzed and if the point is proved to be correct, it is said by Shankara as well as Datta Swami. God Datta speaks through Datta Swami and Shankara is the incarnation of God Datta through whom also God Datta spoke. Whether the medium is limited or unlimited, how does it matter for the concept? The same typed order-letter is kept in two covers, one is small and another is big. Is there any difference in the letters kept inside the covers? Same God as Krishna (limited body) appeared as Īśvara or Vishwaruupa (unlimited body), which means that the merged unimaginable God (Parabrahman) is the same in both forms and unimaginable God has no spatial dimensions since He is beyond space. Krishna is in materialized human form and Vishnu is in energetic form and this difference between matter and energy is also immaterial because in both the merged unimaginable God is one and the same, who is neither matter nor energy. But, you should not take an ordinary human being in the place of Krishna and compare it with Vishnu and Īśvara. Ordinary human being is mere cover without the order-letter inside!

The two mistakes done by the followers of Advaita are:- i) to think God as this relative imaginable awareness, who should be either understood as an unimaginable omnipotent item having the power to think without being relative awareness or should be understood as unimaginable omnipotent awareness having the power to think (actually Shankara’s real intension is that God is unimaginable awareness and not imaginable awareness) and ii) to think that awareness covered by limited medium is Jiiva and the same awareness covered by unlimited medium is Īśvara. Both these points are totally wrong because relative awareness existing in limited medium is Jiiva and unimaginable awareness existing in limited or unlimited medium or materialized or energetic medium is Īśvara. You need not say that God is unimaginable awareness since it is sufficient to say that God is unimaginable item. The reason is that He can think without being this relative awareness and He can burn without being this relative fire. He has all the properties or powers of all these relative items without being these relative items. The powers of all these relative items came from Him only. If He wishes, these relative items will loose their powers. When He wished, the fire could not burn and the air could not move even a dry grass blade as mentioned in the Veda.

The followers of Advaita made Shankara to be treated as an atheist because He told that soul is God, which means that God other than soul does not exist. Shankara’s philosophy is based on i) knowledge of unimaginable nature (Anirvachaniiyataa khyaati):- Ex: The nature of unimaginable God, the existence and non-existence of world without mutual contradiction, unimaginable God maintaining unimaginable dualism in the mediated God even after perfect merge (or monism with medium) and several other activities (miracles) of unimaginable God. ii) Knowledge of existence (Satkhyaati):- The existence of unimaginable God. iii) Knowledge of non-existence (Asatkhyaati):- knowledge of non-existence of world including souls with reference to the existence of unimaginable God. iv) Knowledge of different state (Anyathaa khyaati):- Non-existent world becoming existent for the sake of full clarity to give real entertainment and existent world becoming as non-existent to allow the miracles. In the prayer Shivaanandalaharii, Shankara says that even the activities of God are unknowable and how God can become knowable (Viditam kim naama Shambho tava?)? When God is unimaginable and unknowable for the soul, how soul itself is God? Even sage Kapila was misunderstood as an atheist to call His philosophy as Niriishwara saankhya while He is incarnation of God. The relative awareness is already mentioned in the 24 items of Prakruti in which intelligence (Mahat), basic ego, mind are already mentioned as relative awareness by which soul is explained in Prakruti itself. The 25^th item is Purusha, who is the unimaginable awareness or God. But, Purusha is taken as relative awareness as repetition and hence, no place for God! If you take Purusha as the soul, the soul is already mentioned in Prakruti. Similarly, Buddha was misunderstood as atheist while He is one of the ten incarnations of God! His silence about God means that God is unimaginable and beyond words. His silence is misinterpreted as negation of existence of God!

To be continued...

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