परबह, भगव�न, परम�तम� ದ�ವರ�, ಭಗವ�ತ, ಪರಮ�ತ��

God

Vijayananda JKrishna Kadiri1st May 2013

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Agenda

• Opinions and Questions around God• Definition and Qualities of God• Pramana for God (What is not Pramana for God)?• Answers to some basic problems• Paramatma and Sadhana• Paramatma and Moksha

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Paramatma

• What is your idea of God? • List your questions on God

– Example: Does Paramatma have one nose or two noses?

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Common Opinions, arguments

• God cannot be seen, heard or even experienced. So he does not exist.• Can God create a stone that He cannot lift? If yes, He is not all-powerful. If no, He is not all-capable.• If God is merciful, why are there tsunamis, earthquakes and such disasters, in which innocent people die?• If God is merciful, why are his devotees in trouble? Did Pandavas not suffer for such a long time? Prahlada etc.• I am devoted to God. But another person is more successful. If God existed, he will help me only. Therefore God does not exist.• God likes goodness and devotion. If you are good to others and do not harm others, it is sufficient. No need for AchAraNe.

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Common Opinions, arguments ... contd.

• God may be all-powerful but His avataras are not. See, Rama cried when he did not find Seeta. He had to depend on Hanuman and other monkeys for help.• All Gods – Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, Indra etc. – are different forms of the same God.• Shiva is the real God• There is no ONE real God. Each God just plays his role. • It is not He, but a ‘She’. Adi-shakti is the mother of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. She created them. She is the real Goddess.• God does not have any form. It (not He or She) is nirAkAra.• God is pure energy and consciousness. It does not have any qualities – nirguNa.

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Common Opinions, arguments ... contd.

• Why did God create? What was his purpose? Did he have some lacuna before creating us?• After seeing the above questions, I have one - Why take trouble trying to know about God? Let Him be happy wherever he is. I will be happy here. These detective pursuits, trying to find out God, are useless.

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In pursuit of answers

• True, why take trouble trying to know about God? What is the use?• How do we find if there is a purpose or not? Which pramANa will tell us if there is a purpose or not?

– Not pratyakSha because the purpose can be atIndriya– Not anumAna because the purpose is not inferable; because God’s preference is not known through pratyakSha or anumAna.

• Only Agama can come to our rescue. Only it can tell us about God. And also, if there is any use in knowing more about Him.• Not All Agamas, only those which are in tune with the Vedas - sadAgamas

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So what do sadAgamas say..

यत� व� इम�नन भ!त�नन ज�यनत$ । य$न ज�त�नन ज&वननत ।यत पयनतयनभस)नवशननत । तन+नजज�ससव | तद बह$नत |Because of whom all beings are born, because of whom all beings sustain, and into whom all beings go.. Attempt to learn more about That. That is known as Brahma.अथ कसम�द2चयत$ बह$नत । ब5हनत� हनसमनग2ण�9Why is He called Brahma? In whom, all qualities are complete, full.न त$ नवषण� ज�यम�न� न ज�त� द$व मनहम9 पर) अनत) आप ।O Vishnu, no god who is already born or to be born can ever acquire your infinite powers.तम$व नव+�न अम5त इह भवनत । न�नय9 पनथ� अयन�य नवदत$Only by knowing him, one becomes ‘immortal’. There is no other way. (अम5त = mokSha, only bliss, no misery, no boring lectures. Wow!)

’ नपय� नह ज�ननन� अतयथ> अह) स च मम नपय9“A jnAni is dearest to Me” says Paramatma

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More on Paramatma

• य9 सव@ग2णसमप!ण@9 सव@द�षनववरजत9• Two main qualities:

– Guna-paripurna and sarva-doSha-vivarjita– Full of Infinite excellent qualities and not even a trace of fault– guNas = ज�न, आन)द, बल, व&य@, ओजस, त$जस, सFदय@..... सव�त)तय– No such Doshas = अज�न, द29ख, द2ब@ल (अलपबल), वJषमय, नJर5@णय.... अप!ण@त� (तददचN� च)... प�रत)तय

• Infinite forms, Infinite qualities, each quality is infinite. • No infinity is higher than Him. Infinity above him is a logical impossibility (like ‘round-square’).• No difference within himself.• Obviously superior to everything else.

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More on Paramatma

• Antaryami – antar niyAmaka• Of everything else: jaDa, jiiva• What about space, time, numbers?• For them too! • So Vishnu is Paramatma’s name?• Yes, but all names are His. So what does a name signify? Why do we tease somebody as ‘fatty’ or address the milkman as milkman, when they both have names?• Then Shiva is same as Vishnu?• Lord Vishnu can be called as Shiva because he is ‘shiva’ (means auspicious). Can Shiva be

called Vishnu? No, because Shiva is not all pervading (Vishnu = all-pervading).• So who is Shiva then? A jIva (though of very high yogyatA) who is also auspicious• How did this Shiva jiva become auspicious? Because Vishnu granted him auspiciousness• Summary: Vishnu (Paramatma) and Shiva (Jivatma) are different. But the word ‘shiva’ refers to Vishnu and Shiva both. But it refers primarily to Vishnu.

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Now answer those questions

Remember the following:• God is known through Vedas and other such sadAgamas.• He has infinite guNas and totally devoid of doShas.• He does not have doShas such as अज�न, द29ख, द2ब@ल (अलपबल), वJषमय,

नJर5@णय.... अप!ण@त� (तददचN� च)... प�रत)तय• Sarva-svami including Prakriti• If we don’t get answers, we will go back to sadAgamas.

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Few Answers• He creates for the sake of jiivas. To give them an opportunity to get mokSha. He has no purpose. • There cannot be any infinity more infinite than Him. So a stone that He cannot lift is a logical impossibility (like a round-square).• He has a form. He has infinite forms actually.• He does not have वJषमय, नJर5@णय• He gives karma-phala. Karma is beginningless. • He makes you do karma as per your svabhAva.

– Then punish him, not me, for any paapakarma?– No, he is just manifesting your nature, like electric current does with bulbs. If you were independent to do it, you would have done the same karma then.

• Good karma leads to good results. Bad karma leads to bad results.

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Paramatma and Sadhana

• Good karma leads to good results. Bad karma leads to bad results.• But both results will bind the person in samsaara. Imagine staying in the school itself forever!• Only karma done in a spirit of devotion and as service of Paramatma will help you get out of bondage.

– Can I then keep eating lots of sweets in a spirit of devotion and service of Paramatma?– No, karma that is vihita (enjoined on you). – How do I know them?– Through Shaastra. Not through guesses. Not through guessed benefits.

• So, AchaaraNe is not needed? Acharane is to cleanse the mind. Only then correct knowledge will stay there. Can you store clean water in a dirty pot?

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Paramatma and Sadhana

• Main saadhana is ज�न, भनO, वJर�गय (Acharane is for cleansing the mind).व$द�)श पञर�त�नण स$नतह�सप2र�णक�न ।ज�तव� नवषण2पर�न$व म2चयत$ न�नयथ� कनचत॥म�ह�तमयज�नप!व@सत2 स2द5ढ9 सव@त�ऽनXक9 ।स$ह� भनOररनत प�O9 तय� म2नOन@ च�नयथ� ॥ Only by knowing Vedas, Pancharatras, Mahabharata, Puranas as propounding Vishnu (i.e. only

through correct knowledge of Vishnu), one can get out of (very painful and boring) samsaara.• Bhakti means – Pure, extremely firm and exceeding affection that rises out of correct knowledge of Vishnu’s mahatmya. Only with this kind of bhakti does one get mukti.• What? But so many people are ‘devoted’ and ‘sincere’? • Yes, but correct knowledge is important. Even Hiranyakashipu was devoted and sincere.• How do we get correct knowledge of Vishnu, taratamya etc.?• By reading Srimad Anandatirtha's works – collectively called sarvamUla.

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Paramatma and Moksha

• All Good, but what will I get out of this?• Moksha – only bliss, no duHkha, no janma, no maraNa.

– Won’t that become boring after a while? – No, getting bored is a problem created by restless mind, made out of prakriti. That won’t be there in mokSha.

• Good, how long is the struggle?• Till you get it

– But others offer a fast-track service.– Their system is flawed. They won’t get you anywhere.– How do you know?– Shaastra!

• So it is a painful struggle?• No, if you focus on learning about Vishnu, his glories, his followers and their glories. It can be very enjoyable.• Ok, how will I know if I am on the right path?• Do guru-seva (lot of it), do niShkaama karma, try to study sarvamUla, develop good qualities… Paramatma will support you and even give you hints that he is supporting you.

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Paramatma and Moksha

• Tell me about Vishnu’s followers• Vayu is the foremost follower. No ignorance. No sloth (laziness). Full of knowledge and bliss.

– How do you know?– Shaastra – Balittha sukta etc.

• There are other Gods with decreasing yogyatA i.e. jnAna, bhakti etc. but they are all to be respected according to their yogyatA– How do I know their yogyatA?– Shaastra– Why should we worship them according to yogyatA?– To please Vishnu as their antaryAmi. And Vishnu’s sannidhana is more in jivas with more yogyatA. These devatas are aparoxa-jnAnis

• What is aparoxa-jnAna?• Direct perception of Lord. No involvement of indriyas, manas etc.• Wow!• Yes, and you will be more or less happy throughout after that.

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Summary

• Paramatma can be known only through sadAgamas.• He is guNapuurNa, sarva-doSha-vivarjita• We should do vihitakarma to please Him.• We should gain correct knowledge of Him through sadAgamas, after serving gurus.• We should love him in the correct way. Every instant.• If we get any more questions, we should search for answers in shaastra, with help from gurus. • What to do if other intelligent people don’t agree with our philosophy?• Do not worry. Vishnu will take care of them as well as you. If you too get questions, go back to shaastra. • Intelligent people can also get wrong in philosophical matters, if they don’t have Vishnu’s, Vayu’s blessings.

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श&मधव$शक5 षण�प@णमसत2ಶ^�ಮಧa�ಶಕdಷ�fಪgಣಮಸ�jshrImadhvesha-Krishnarpanamastu

What does ‘arpaNa’ mean?Good. Ask questions everywhere. There is no end to learning till moksha. arpaNa means offeringWhat are we offering?The Karma that we didBut wait, I don’t see the karma, I don’t take it in my hand and put it in Vishnu’s hand. So what offering are we doing?Offering karma means to recognize that Vishnu alone is the independent doer of these karmas, that he did them through mukhyapraaNa, who in turn got them done through devatas in us. There is no physical ‘give-n-take’ in this offering . Alright, ಶ^�ಮಧa�ಶಕdಷ�fಪgಣಮಸ�jGood. Do this for all karmas.