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Leaving for Holy Places in Oldage [22—05—1994, 05.30 am]: In the old age people think to go to holy places and live there so that they think that they will be far from the worldly issues involving their grand children. First of all you are wasting your energy and time by such thoughts in your house. Do you think that all those who stay in holy places got salvation? Do you think that all those who stayed in their houses did not get salvation? There is one psychological clue here. When you stay in congenial atmosphere, your mind will run to the opposite atmosphere. When you are at home, your mind goes to the holy place. When you are in holy place, your mind goes to home. Your mind always gets repelled by whatever is before you and is attracted to whatever...
For Scholars Posted on: 11/02/2017Dr. Nikhil asked: In the ninth chapter of Datta Veda (dated 10/01/2017), there was a discussion on the four states as mentioned in the Mandukya Upanishad. I seek a few clarifications related to it. Before posing the questions, I would like to summarize my understanding of the Upanishad. I request You to kindly confirm or correct my understanding. In the first section, the Upanishad explains that the symbol OM (AUM) indicates Brahman (God) in relation with the three stages in creation namely creation, maintenance and destruction. These three stage are represented by the three syllables ‘A’, ‘U’ and ‘M’ respectively. There is also a silence following the three syllables and this fourth non-syllable...
Swami Replied:
Original Amaatra State: All the adjectives given to the first Amaatra state clearly indicate that the state of unimaginable God is explained here very clearly. This unimaginable God enters the created item to become mediated God or incarnation. The medium must be imaginable to us so that we can indicate the unimaginable God with our finger through such known medium. The three components of the creation are awareness...
For Scholars Posted on: 11/02/2017Answers to Dr. Nikhil's Questions
1) Could You please clarify the apparent differences in terminology regarding the four states from the Mandukya Upanishad?
[The terminology used by Shri Shankara and Shri Gaudapada in the discussion of the four states from the Mandukya Upanishad, differs slightly from the terminology used by You. At the macrocosmic level, the two Advaita preachers have used the terms Vaishvanara/Virat, Hiranyagarbha, Ishwara and Brahman/Atman for the A, U, M and the Turiiya states respectively. But while explaining Shri Ramanuja’s theory, You have used the terms Vishva...]
Swami replied: The fourth isolated state is not mentioned by any preacher except Datta Swami for the fear that a separate fourth state may lead to the negation of God due to His unimaginable nature. Even though Shankara showed this state separately...
Shri Anil asked (on phone): In the recent answers, you told that Peter failed in the Nivrutti test of God. But, Peter offered his life to save the life of Jesus. Does it not prove that he is a high devotee of the level of Nivrutti?
Swami replied (On phone): In the question paper given by God, which is referred by you, Peter failed. Peter might have passed in chemistry paper, but, failed in the physics paper conducted in March examination. The result given for that March is that Peter passed in chemistry but failed in physics. In the next September examination, Peter might have passed in the physics paper also...
Swami Replied: All such deeds indicate the climax of ignorance and foolishness resulting due to lack of proper spiritual knowledge. The action is...
Shri Anil asked: Padanamaskaram Swami, 2) BIBLE: Acts 5:: Ananias and Sapphira Kindly give the message behind the following incident in bible. [5 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet...
Swami Replied: A father has Rs.100/- with him. He kept some money for his requirements and gave the rest of money to his issue. The issue wanted more money and the father says that he does not possess any more money with him. Since the son is not omniscient, he believed his father and went away with satisfaction
Shri Balaji (on Phone): Swami! Two colleagues become emotional to scold a concept not liked by them and I too become emotional. Please advise me.
Swami replied (on Phone): While doing propagation of spiritual knowledge to humanity in this word, the first required quality of the preacher is to have lot of patience without any trace of emotion. In the commentary of the first Brahma Sutra, Shankara prescribed the patience as the first required quality (Shama damaadi...). Due to emotion, mind gains strength...
Shri Balaji asked: Respected Swamiji, Kindly clarify the following questions which came up during discussions with my friends Shri. Shriram, Shri. Chandan and Shri. Sohan: 1) Today, many religious conservatives agree that the different religions are messages from the same God. But they add a point saying that "Other religions were messages relevant only to a particular time, region, and section of people. At that time and place, people were at a lower level spiritually...
Swami replied: Every religion has various levels of knowledge corresponding to different levels of devotees. In every language of every country, the education system varies from LKG to PG level. Of course, metaphysics was deeply developed in India compared to other countries. All these levels are related to theoretical level. Practical level is far higher than the theoretical level of devotion. The achievement of practical level depends...
(Smt. Bhavani got a dream in which Lord Datta appeared saying “I will now tell you three important points”. She suddenly awoke and found Swami sitting on His bed, who told her “following are the three important points: 1) don’t brood over past and plan for future dream. 2) Concentrate in the present time to do the important work and 3) no soul here, about which you are so fascinated, will at least even recognize you there after death. She was shocked to realize that same Lord Datta appeared in dream continued the message through Swami! That was the last day of their visit to that holy place and the next visit happened on 20—07—1993. After the above incident, the couple, Smt. Bhavani and Shri C B K Murthy returned to Vijayawada along with Swami to their house. Smt. Bhavani became very anxious...
God’s association with creation: When I incarnate, My creation (prakṛti) is associated with Me through which only I can become close to human beings, which are parts of creation. At the same time, this prakruti also misleads the human beings from Me by her talent. When I came as Rāma, this associated prakṛti didn’t show any miracle, so that the human beings are easily misled. The most unfortunate aspect is that every human being decides God through miracles only. It is proper also that unimaginable miracles indicate the unimaginable God. But, you should not decide God just by miracles, which are exhibited by devils and demons also. God gives miraculous powers to demons due to their rigidity in devotion...
[Spiritual Preachings of Shir Datta Swami at Srisailam,31-03-1993, 4.00 am.] God Brahma is in the upper most world called as Satya loka or Brahma Loka sitting above 1000 petal lotus flower. Brahma is said to be the creator existing before creation. This means that Brahma represents the unimaginable God existing before creation as creator. Such God is the unimaginable God present above the intelligence (lotus flower), which conducts logical analysis in thousand (many) ways (petals). This means that you have to first recognize the unimaginable God, who created the entire world, by many ways of analysis in rejecting every item of creation not to be God. The first energetic incarnation of unimaginable God is Brahma Datta, who continues forever even if the creation is over...
Dr. Nikhil asked: Padanamaskarams Swamiji, I had an amazing dream of You as a Professor last night. You were in an auditorium with Your students. But You were not on the stage, You were casually addressing a crowd of students, who were standing around You. You were wearing a greyish-brown suit and looking so handsome that it is impossible to describe in words. Some of Your devotees including me...
Swami replied: The dream is always an index of two contexts: 1) Ideas from level of consciousness (this birth) and level of sub-consciousness (previous births) projected as dream and 2) God enters the dream to give you some message. The dream you got belongs to context No 2...
For Scholars Posted on: 14/01/2017[30-03-1993, 5.00 pm] Soul may be God as per Shankara. Soul may be part of God as per Ramanuja. Soul may be totally disconnected from God as per Madhva. But, the reality is that soul is awareness whereas God is unimaginable beyond awareness and hence not awareness. God is neither non-inert awareness, nor inert energy and nor inert matter. He is beyond all this imaginable creation made of matter, energy and awareness, in which both visible and invisible components exist. God is unimaginable and hence invariably invisible. But, you should not mistake God to be invisible component of imaginable creation. Light is visible component of imaginable domain (creation). X-ray is invisible component of imaginable...
For Scholars Posted on: 10/01/2017[30-03-1993, 4.30 am] Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhva are not only scholars but are also preachers (Gurus). A scholar always concentrates on telling the truth and condemning the false concept irrespective of the benefit or loss to the receivers. A preacher always concentrates on the immediate practical uplift of the receiver to the next step irrespective of the truth of the concept. The preacher also knows the true knowledge like the scholar. The preacher hides or twists a true concept in view of the immediate practical benefit...
For Scholars Posted on: 10/01/2017[30-03-1993, 1.00 pm] Datta Swami,The fourth Preacher:The three divine preachers told one point in common, which encourages any human being at least to a very little extent that God and soul are made of the same common material called as awareness. The common material of awareness is inevitable because God is selected as the imaginable item of creation only since the existence always needs its experience as imaginable item. You can’t select unimaginable item as God, which is always beyond experience since it is always beyond any extent of even the deepest imagination. Absence of experience leads to doubt non-existence and hence, God was never said as unimaginable by the three preachers since existence of any unimaginable item...
Smt. Padma Ram asked: Please explain Dharma sukshma, which is useful in the daily activities of a human being.
Swami replied: Dharma means justice. It is clearly known. To speak truth is justice. To speak a lie is injustice. “Speak truth” is called as vidhi dharma or justice insisted. “Don't tell a lie.” is nishedha dharma or negation of injustice. Apaddharma means the justice modified in certain cases. Dharma sukshma means the deep analysis of a case in which the apparent justice...
[Spiritual Preachings of Shir Datta Swami at Srisailam,29-03-1993, 4.00 am.] Generally, devotees think that if one has seen the energetic form of God, it is the highest stage. But, I assuredly tell you that it is the lowest step. There is nothing in it. Several times Ravana saw the energetic form of God (Shiva). But, Ravana was not blessed by the God and was bitterly killed along with all his family! Rama never saw God Shiva, but was blessed by God with grand victory. What you should aspire is the grace of God and not mere vision of God. As the Prime Minister goes in the street, you might have seen him. But, you are not favored by him in anyway. There is another person, who has not at all seen the prime minister. But, the Prime Minister was pleased with his application and sanctioned a big post to him. Between these two, who is the lucky person? Obviously the second person is fortunate. Hence, you must always try to impress the mind of God...
For Scholars Posted on: 01/01/2017Shri Anil asked: Padanamaskaram Swami, 1) Swami! In Your recent message You mentioned that this universe is infinite and its boundary is invisible but imaginable as the core is. Due to presence of unimaginable God around the boundary one will never reach the boundary of universe to see its edge. If core and edge of universe is imaginable then if a radius is drawn from center of universe to its edge, such radius shall be definable and measurable since it passes through imaginable domain. In such case the end point is also definable. Atheist may argue...
Swami Replied: 1)You cannot bring finite and infinite to the unimaginable domain (God). The reason is that you cannot make distinction between two unimaginable items since any number of unimaginable items become only one unimaginable item. Since you can distinguish infinite (universe) from finite (a tree), both these infinite...
Dr Nikhil asked: In the poem composed by Shankara there is a line “Shivah kevaloham”. The translation of this line can be done in two ways. 1) The word ‘kevala’ (only) stands as an adjective to God Shiva or 2) The word ‘kevala’ (only) stands as an adjective of Myself (Aham). The first way is preferred by Advaitins and thus every soul becomes God Shiva. How can you explain this verse in the second way only?
Swami replied: In the first way, the translation will be “the only President of India is Myself”. In the second way “only I am the President of India”. In both these ways “Myself is the President of India” is the result. Of course, in the first way the stress is given on the President and in the second way stress is given on Myself. Hence, the conclusion...
Dr. Nikhil asked (on phone): You said that atheist does sins since he does not believe in the existence of God. An Advaita philosopher also feels that he is God and hence, does not agree in the existence of God other than himself and hence, can we say that he also does sins like an atheist?
Swami replied: There is difference between Advaita philosopher and atheist. Atheist believes in his existence and believes neither that God other than himself exists nor believes that he himself is God. The Advaita philosopher believes in the existence of God...
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