Posted on: 15 Dec 2023
Updated with additional points (highlighted in blue color) on February 18, 2024
1. a) Can we attain God through worship of formful God or formless God?
[Smt. Anita asked: Formful and Formless God: Koti Koti Pranam Swamiji 🙏🙇♀️🌺🙏 Thank You Swamiji for answering my questions with patience. Am forwarding some questions regarding Formful and Formless God. 1) Swamiji, it is stated that we can attain God through worship of formful God (Saguna Brahman) or formless God (Nirguna Brahman). When there is Unimaginable God in both types, why is this difference seen in worship?]
Swami replied:- There are two types of worship:- 1) Worship of the unimaginable God and 2) Worship of imaginable God. In the second type of worship only, both formless and formful God appear. You are imagining God as light and light is formless since the boundary of light is not having any specific design so that we are able to say that God is formful light. God is formless energy for Islamic religion and God is formful energy for Christian religion. In this way, both formful and formless lights come under the second type of worship. Islam religion fundamentally feels that God is beyond formful and formless entities of light. In such way, the ultimate Islamic God is unimaginable.
You have to be careful in using these four terms: imaginable, unimaginable, formless and formful types of God. All these four types have specific significance of meaning. Unimaginable-non-mediated type of God can never be imagined or meditated or worshipped at all. The imaginable type of God is the same unimaginable-non-mediated type of God getting mediated and can be either formful or formless. The first type of God is like the naked person in the bathroom, who cannot be seen by anybody. The second type of God is like the person coming out of bathroom wearing either formless cloth or formful cloth (stitched as shirt and pants). We call formless God if the person coming out of the bathroom is covered by a towel. We call formful God if the person coming out of the bathroom is covered by a stitched dress. The main point here is that the person in the bathroom can never be seen by anybody, which means that the first type of unmediated-unimaginable God is to be known as simply existing (Astītyevopa labdhavyaḥ - Veda) and is not useful for worship or even for meditation. Hence, this case need not be much discussed. The only useful form of worship is the person coming out of the bathroom with a towel covered on the body (formless) or with a stitched dress (formful). How does it matter whether the person is with a towel or with a stitched dress? Hence, you must know that both formless and formful types of God are imaginable-mediated God only.
February 18, 2024
Swami replied (with additional points): The formless God means a specific quantity of light without any form in its boundary. Since it is a specific quantity, it will have some irregular boundary and hence, it also comes under formful God. Religions speaking about formless God also represent their God in the form of light with irregular boundary. Hence, such light is also called as formful God only. Nirguna Brahman is the real formless God because it is totally unimaginable. How can you worship the unimaginable God? You can worship only the mediated unimaginable God and the medium may have a regular boundary of human form to be called as God Datta or Father of Heaven. At least, the medium shall have some irregular boundary so that you can meditate upon it and do some sort of worship. You are mistaking the light having some irregular boundary as formless item. Hence, in real sense, formless means that which is beyond your imagination and such unimaginable God is the meaning of formless God. None can worship such formless unimaginable God because He is beyond even imagination.
b) How come formless and formful God became imaginable when God is originally unimaginable?
Swami replied:- The answer is given in the above answer.
Swami replied (with additional points): God is unimaginable whether God is mediated or not mediated. When God is not mediated, you cannot even see God or worship God. But when God is mediated, you can at least see the medium in which the unimaginable God exists. The existence of the unimaginable God in the visible medium is known through inference (though not through perception) when the unimaginable God performs unimaginable events called as miracles that can be seen with the help of imaginable items.
c) Why is Prophet Muhammad loosely called as formless God?
Swami replied:- Mohammad is a formful God only. The formless God is the energy seen by certain Islamic Prophets. The Prophet Mohammad is the formful God since He is the human incarnation of God. For other Prophets, God Allah is the unmediated-unimaginable God. Some Prophets saw Allah as radiation of energy and such seen God is formless God.
Swami replied (with additional points): Prophet Muhammad is not formless God since He has perfect human form. He is loosely called as formless God because the minds of such people, who call Him as formless God are loose. You told that He is loosely called as formless God and hence, your question itself contains the answer.