Posted on: 01 Oct 2023
1. a) Can devotees discuss spiritual knowledge among themselves without Your permission?
[Smt. Chhanda asked: Padanamaskaram Swami, in a spiritual discussion we were stuck with the following points. Please clarify them. a) Among the co-devotees, can we not discuss spiritual knowledge without asking Your permission as we all know and accept that the source of this knowledge is You only?]
Swami replied:- You can discuss spiritual knowledge with your co-devotees freely. But, when you draw conclusions and if those conclusions are not found in My spiritual knowledge, please refer them to Me so that I will give you the final version. Knowledge is the foundation and there shall be no flaw in that stage because such flaw will enter further into devotion and subsequent practice.
b) Are devotees’ discussions the same as Vivekananda propagating spiritual knowledge in World Parliament?
[b) As Swami Vivekananda had to wait for His Sadguru’s permission to propagate the spiritual knowledge before the World parliament of religion, does our discussion come under the same category?]
Swami replied:- It will come under the same category provided I give the permission for propagation. This is the reason of My suggestion to complete the training under My guidance. My guidance means that you should verify the new conclusions drawn by you with Me before starting the propagation. If your conclusions already coincide with My old conclusions, you need not verify with Me.
c) If devotees discuss among themselves and try to understand the logic given by You, will that be alright?
Swami replied:- In such adventures, it is in your welfare only to once verify with Me.
d) What shall we do if some new points come through in the discussion?
[If we are finding out some new points through that discussion, what shall we do? And what to do about the conclusions drawn from that discussion?]
Swami replied:- I have already told you that your crowns will not fall down if you verify with Me just once!
e) If the knowledge is discussed with a new person, is it propagation without Your permission?
[e) If we happen to discuss spiritual knowledge with a new person, what should be our approach? Will that be treated as propagation without Your permission? Please put the light on this?]
Swami replied:- You can discuss the knowledge with a new person, but, if the context is developed in such a way that you have to give your new conclusions as answers, either you give your new conclusions on the spot and say that you will clarify further in future and consult Me immediately to send the clarification. If there is difference between your conclusion and My clarification, clarify to that person. Or, alternatively, you can tell that person to wait for sometime in that point, consult Me and clarify to that person. If you have conquered your ego, there is no difficulty in following this procedure. However, if your ego is not conquered by you, please wait till you conquer your ego to do the propagation. At any cost, an erroneous concept shall not be propagated.
f) Can we not say the knowledge that makes us feel more attracted towards You (God), is the true knowledge?
Swami replied:- Certainly truth has climax attraction and climax clarity.
g) Can this attraction happen through wrong knowledge also? If somehow it happens, what to do?
Swami replied:- Wrong knowledge can attract you provided you are already wrong. If you already right, wrong knowledge can never attract you.
h) Can a devotee share his understanding of his Sadguru’s knowledge with others without any ego?
[h) If a devotee accepts from his/her heart and tells everyone without any ego that the source of the spiritual knowledge is his/her Sadguru, can he/she not share his understanding of knowledge with others?]
Swami replied:- Certainly you can share the knowledge of your Sadguru with others provided you are thorough with the knowledge of your Sadguru. There is no place for ego in this context.
i) If a devotee approaches another devotee to understand the knowledge, what shall the devotee do if he has no permission?
[i) If someone approaches some devotee for understanding of spiritual knowledge, as personal association with Sadguru may not be possible all the time, what shall the devotee do if he/she has not got the permission?]
Swami replied:- Here, permission is not an important point. The only fear is that you may be misled by the erroneous interpretation of the other devotee. Hence, I request you to finally consult your Sadguru before you draw conclusion on that concept. You can have some patience in contacting your Sadguru. Also, such occasions will not be many since the knowledge of your Sadguru (I also read it thoroughly!) is very very clear. The best procedure will be that you shall ask your Sadguru about each small doubt also so that the world will benefit.
j) What is the difference between propagation and discussion? When we discuss among co-devotees, is it propagation or discussion?
Swami replied:- Propagation means preaching the spiritual knowledge to new people after becoming thorough with the spiritual knowledge of your Sadguru. Discussion means efforts to clarify with your co-devotees in which I am advising you to consult your Sadguru in the final stage.
2. Why did Paramhamsa say that “if Swami Vivekananda identifies himself, he will leave the world”?
[Why did Sri Ramakarishna Paramhamsa tell when Naren (Swami Vivekananda) will identify himself, he will leave this world? And it happened also in the same line. What is the significance of this Swami?]
Swami replied:- The identification of Swami Vivekananda as sage Nara was masked by the sage Narayana (Paramahamsa) with the help of His superpower. When the real identification comes, it means that the work of sage Nara is over in this world and all this is the will of Paramahamsa. When the work is over, unnecessary stay in this world is not liked by God or by His associated servant in the divine mission.
3. What are samadhi and mahasamadhi? What is the difference between these two?
Swami replied:- Samadhi means full concentration on God with perfect faith continuously. Mahaa Samaadhi means leaving the gross body.
4. Radha said that her pride belonged to Krishna. What does it mean?
[When Gopikas told that Radha is very proud and Radha replied that this pride belongs to Krishna only, what is its significance? May I be always at Your divine lotus feet Swami. Chhanda]
Swami replied:- Pride is a quality, which has both good and bad faces. When pride is turned towards its bad face, the pride of wealth, knowledge, strength of relatives, beauty etc., comes into picture. When the pride is turned towards its good face, the pride of the qualities of God for whom you are a devotee comes into picture.
5. Does climax devotee mean only the devotee, which becomes incarnation?
[Padanamaskaram Swami, does climax devotee mean only the devotee, which becomes incarnation? Or can some other devotees also be the climax devotee? always at Your divine lotus feet. By Chhanda Chandra]
Swami replied:- Any devotee reaching the climax position of devotion is a climax devotee. One of such climax devotees will be selected by God to become the incarnation.