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[Shri Anil asked: Pādanamaskāraṃ Swami! Please grace us with Your response to the following question. I read in the following verses from the Quran that the universe was not created for play: “And We created not the heaven and the earth and all that is between them without purpose! That is the consideration of those who disbelieve! Then woe to those who disbelieve from the Fire! (Saad 38:27). We created not the heavens and the earth and all that is between them for a (mere) play (al-Anbiya’ 21:16)”...
Swami replied: O Learned and Devoted Servants of God! It is certainly true that God did not create this world for the play of human beings. So, human beings are not supposed to behave as they like, using their free will. They have to lead their lives in full discipline, as per the instructions given by God in the ethical scriptures. They should not play as they like in their lives. Instead, they should lead their lives...
[Shri Anil asked: The Quran says that charity can wipe out sins, as per the following verses: “Charity extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire. Allāh will expiate your sins by virtue of your charity. Fear Allāh wherever you are, and follow up a bad deed with a good deed, it will wipe it out.” Swami, as per Your preaching, no good deed can cancel a bad deed and only the realization of the sin, repentance and its non-repetition can cancel the sin. How can these two views be reconciled?]
Swami replied: The charity mentioned in the Quran is to be understood to be practical devotion, which is the offering of the fruit of one’s work. It is the most important ultimate step in the spiritual effort. Who will do such practical charity? The person who does not have any selfishness alone, can do practical charity. Every sin is based on selfishness. When a person does not repeat the sin, it means that his selfishness has vanished. Only then can he do practical...
[Shri Anil asked: Abraham, who is mentioned in the Bible, the Quran, and the Jewish scriptures prepared to kill his only son when the voice of God from the sky asked him to do so. It proved the value he gave to God and was prepared to kill his only son, even when God was invisible and spoke from the sky. If we consider Islam, they do not believe in God coming to this world, but only in prophets. They believe that Holy Muhammad...
Swami replied: The concept of Human Incarnation has been rejected even in Hinduism since Swami Dayānanda Sarasvatī, the founder of Ārya Samāj opposed this concept. Outside of Hinduism, Prophet Mohammed opposed this concept. Swami Dayānanda opposed this concept due to the several atrocities done by devotees who worshipped God with a form. The devotees included idol-worshippers...
[Shri Anil asked: Jesus healed a blind man who was blind from birth. People asked Jesus the reason for the blindness of the man. They wanted to know whether the blind man was born due to his own sins or due to his parent’s sins, to which Jesus replied that it was neither due to his sin nor due to his parent’s sin, but that it had happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. But the truth is that unless a person has committed a sin previously, he will not suffer in this world. Then why did Jesus say so?]
Swami replied: A good question indeed! After healing a sinner, sometimes, Jesus would also say that the sins of that sinner had come to an end on that day and hence, he was healed. This means that it is indeed true that diseases and worldly problems are the punishments of one’s own sins. But Jesus wanted to glorify God by that miracle. He wanted to draw the attention of the people to the aspect...
[Shri Anil asked: In the Bible, there is an incident in which a close devotee of Jesus named Lazarus died four days ago and the news came to Jesus when He was away from the place of Lazarus. Hearing this news, Jesus said that Lazarus was just sleeping and that He is going to awaken him from the sleep and the disciples who would be present there with Jesus would witness this miracle, which would glorify God. However, when Jesus reached Lazarus’ house...
Swami replied: Jesus wept for the sake of the weeping devotees and not for the death of Lazarus because He knew fully well that He was going to raise...
[Shri Bharath Krishna asked: Namaśśivāya Swami, I was having a discussion with one of my friends related to different religions. I shared with him some of the discourses given by You related to religions. Following is the summary of the conversation that happened between us.
Bharath: It is the same God who came in many different forms and gave us the required spiritual knowledge.
Friend: How could Mohammed destroy all the idols of God whom people respected so much?...
Swami replied: History is written by some person, who might have misinterpreted the facts due to some ill intention. This is quite possible with human beings. There might even be a good person, who might have properly interpreted, whatever he observed. But the second possibility also exists, which is that some followers might have meddled with the script and they might have interpreted...
[Shri Ganesh asked: Dear Swami ji! I cannot see other lokas through my eyes. But I want a proof of the existence of other lokas through logical analysis. As I was thinking about it, I had an idea that in order to break worldly bonds, it is impossible to do this, if the entire universe is in one plane. Moreover, today, I read a different discourse that was published on Facebook which said that God created death in order to break...
Swami replied: O Learned and Devoted Servants of God! Certainly, there are two planes of existence. In one plane, earth and other planets seen in space exist. The second plane is composed of the upper sub-worlds of the Bhu Loka in which we live, in addition to the upper worlds and the lower worlds. The upper sub-worlds of the Bhu Loka include Preta Loka, Naraka Loka and Pitṛ Loka. The upper worlds include Jyotirloka...
Shri Soumyadip Mondal asked: I was good in my student life as far as marks obtained in the exams are concerned. I faced hurdles first when I entered BARC. I am not strong mentally. So when pressure came both from personal and professional life, I reported to the psychiatrist and since 2007 I am under medication which has become a lifelong affair for me. Whenever I grow strong in confidence, I stop taking medicines and begin...
Swami replied: Keep a picture of God Hanumān with you and pray...
[Shri Durgaprasad asked: Pādanamaskāram Swami! This doubt came to me during a recent spiritual Satsanga. Dharmarāja did not seek any guidance before going to play the gambling game with Duryodhana. Had he asked for help, Lord Kṛṣṇa would have advised him to not play that game. This matter is purely related to materialism. Dharmarāja might not have asked the Lord either due to ego or it might be due to the fact...
Swami replied: God is omniscient and omnipotent. There is no need of asking God for any type of help since God knows everything at all times, especially regarding His devotees. He is watching all His devotees and is aware of every situation faced by His devotee. We have to report our problems to other human beings so that they may help us in difficult situations. This is because they cannot know...
[Mr. Martin asked: Sri Datta Swami, Praṇāms. Every time I sit for meditation or bhajans almost immediately the area between my eyebrows slightly above on forehead there is a high intensity radiating energy feeling. When in group bhajans I would not lead a bhajan as the intensity is too much. The feeling is not out of control just very intense. This has been going on for twenty-five years. I don’t concentrate on the intensity, but just am aware of it. What place does meditation have in a devotee’s spiritual life? Should I continue meditation? Thank you, Praṇāms, Martin]
Swami replied: Meditation means concentration on the personality of God alone, neglecting the concentration on other personalities, other subjects and other things. Such meditation should come naturally, without any force. Sometimes, forced meditation is also done by people to fulfil certain aspirations. Meditation is nothing but interest (śraddhā), which should be without any aspiration in return. Such interest alone is natural...
[Ms. Laxmi Thrylokya asked: Pādanamaskāram Swami! Swami, Your Divine Knowledge is transforming our lives completely. We are highly indebted to you. My friend Ashwath asked me why Swami does not reveal more of His photographs. He feels that any person would be more interested in seeing photographs and watching videos rather than reading mere text.]
Swami replied: Dr. Nikhil is already doing good service regarding videos through YouTube. Some photographs already exist on the website. The most important...
[Ms. Laxmi Thrylokya asked: In the Bhagavad Gītā, Chapter 10, verses 20 to 38 describe the glories of God. I am not able to understand why God describes Himself as the Lion among animals and the Shark among fish, although they are cruel beings. You said that God is kind and full of love. Why did Lord Kṛṣṇa describe God as Gangā among rivers when God is actually Unimaginable? Please enlighten me.]
Swami replied: The meaning of all those similes is to say that God is the highest force...
[Ms. Laxmi Thrylokya asked: Swami, You have preached that we should change our family members into devotees, as far as possible by passing True Spiritual Knowledge to them. You have also said that we incur sin by donating money to undeserving people. If my elders are trying to do so, then should I tell them a word and leave them to their fate. Or should I forcibly stop them? At Your feet, Laxmi Thrylokya]
Swami replied: Both the ways mentioned by you are extreme. Telling them in just a single word...
[Shri Ganesh V. asked: Dear Swamiji! I am Ganesh V. from Mettur. I have read a couple of Your divine discourses. You have mentioned that one should worship the Human Incarnation without any selfish desire. Only then will the Lord be pleased and grant you His grace. Now, I’m helpless because I cannot think about anything other than my selfish needs. How do I develop true devotion towards You?]
Swami replied: You can attend to your selfish needs, which are also justified in this field of pravṛtti (worldly life). Pravṛtti stands as the basic foundation for nivṛtti (spiritual life). When you develop natural interest in the Human Incarnation, you will naturally develop devotion, which is both theoretical and practical. The practical devotion alone gives the practical fruit. The practical devotion is the sacrifice...
[Sri Sai Krishna Chaitanya asked: Pādanamaskāram Shri Datta Swami! My name is Sri Sai Krishna Chaitanya. I have started reading divine knowledge given by You. I was introduced to this divine knowledge by Thrylokya and I am taking guidance from Nikhil sir. Swami, I wanted to ask You a couple of questions which were constantly running in my mind. I have experienced tragic incidents since last month. On July 9, my mother’s elder brother passed away due to a heart attack. He battled strongly for 9 days in the hospital to survive but unfortunately, he passed away. When he was admitted in the hospital...
Swami replied: You keep two photos of God Hanumān and God Subrahmaṇya in your pocket as well as in your home. As far as possible, try to repeat their names “Oṃ śrī hanumate namaḥ” and “Oṃ śrī subrahmaṇyāya namaḥ” in your leisure time. Advise your family...
[Shri Kishore Ram asked: Just as dressing in a dignified way is important for presenting yourself before people, is language also important in presenting knowledge?]
Swami replied: O Learned and Devoted Servants of God! It depends on the psychology of the set of people before whom you are presenting your personality. If the group of people before you give value to the dress, you have to take care of your dress too. But if there is a larger group before you and, out of them, only a small number of people give importance to the dress, then you should wear a simple dress because you have to satisfy the majority. Several people are afraid...
[Shri Anil asked: Padanamaskaram Swami! Kindly grace us with Your answer to the following question. It is mentioned in the Bible that when Jesus was born, three magis (wise men) from the east, visited the baby Jesus and presented gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They followed a moving star to reach the birth place of Jesus. Swami, what is the significance of this incident?]
Swami replied: O Learned and Devoted Servants of God! Gold indicates God. Hiraṇyagarbha means the mediated God in whom God is hidden like gold. Both frankincense and myrrh are perfumes with a slight difference that the first one is a perfume that quickly evaporates in air while the second one is an oil perfume. The fragrance of the first perfume is lost in air quickly and it indicates the path...
[Shri Anil asked: Jesus was born in a stable when nobody gave place to His pregnant mother Mary for delivery. What is the message in this? Please enlighten us on why God in human form took birth in very lowly conditions.]
Swami replied: The birth of God in human form in an atmosphere of simplicity and poverty shows that God reaches out even to poor people of low status. His intention...
[Shri Anil asked: Jesus mentions in the Bible that He had not come to call the righteous, but sinners. Many people criticised Him for allowing sinners like tax collectors etc. to come near Him. Please enlighten us on this.]
Swami replied: It is quite logical that only a patient needs the doctor and not a healthy person. The purpose of the Incarnation...
[Shri Anil asked: When Jesus was preaching by travelling in villages and cities, He encountered a lot of people. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.” Kindly enlighten us on this passage.]
Swami replied: The harvest field represents the field of spiritual knowledge, which is very much sufficient for humanity. The servants of God...
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