Thus Spake the Divine - Advaita or Dvaita – All at Lotus Feet of Parashakti - 4

Thus Spake the Divine

Advaita or Dvaita – All at Lotus Feet of
Parashakti

Ishvara is different and independent only to confer Advaita on Jeevatma. Once the seed of Advaita is planted by Him, then, isn’t it His responsibility to confer Advaita too on the Jeevatma? Who creates the desire has to also fulfi l it, isn’t it? So, He creates the desire of Advaita only to fulfi l it. When this is the case, would He disown His own Bhakta? He who starts the activity Himself completes it. Whether He completes it or not, it is His look out.

We, as Bhaktas, have nothing to do with that. Our job is just to worship Him in His Shakuna form. Let us not feel that by worshipping Him in His Shakuna form, we create some blemish on Him. It is He who has said: “I will appear in whatever form you think of me. After that, I will radiate in My real form”. Radiating His effulgence is His job. We cannot make Him radiate Himself. It is a waste of effort to try and do something impossible for us. It is equivalent to increasing our own problems.

According to Advaita, ‘There is absolutely nothing other than Him’. According to Vishishtadvaita, even if there is a Jeevatma who has life, Antaryami is the one who is the source of that life. As per Dvaita, He and we are different, but it is He who rules over everything. What we see and understand well is only Dvaita.

If we hold on to something that we know, He will let us know what more is to be known. At that stage, we will experience Him Who is the atom within the atom and life within life. Then, there will no difference in the feeling that we are experiencing Him and we will become Advaita.

All these have to happen with the Anugraha of Paramatma. What seems possible to us is only adherence to our Karmas. To the best of our efforts, we must perform our Karmas, considering them as directives of God and not driven by our own desires. We should espouse Bhakti on Him. That’s all. If someone says, “Don’t meditate on God; just be yourself as an embodiment of love”, it is absolutely not possible for us. So long as actions are there, there exist anger and animosity. But once we start dedicating all our actions to God, who is the embodiment of love and compassion, and extend Bhakti towards Him, we ourselves become an embodiment of compassion. This compassion is absolute bliss; this compassion gives fulfilment.

We are incapable of keeping our mind unwavering and resolute. We cannot thus experience the absolute truth, which is Brahmam. So, let us be happy and content by being Dvaita, viz. “We and He are different” and continue to espouse Bhakti on Paramatma. Thereafter, let Him radiate Vishishtadvaita as the life within Jeevatma or let Him confer Advaita on us.

It is the physical body that has made the distinction between Jeevatma and Paramatma. If we don’t treat Him as Antaryami inside this body and think of us being different from Him, then it is Dvaita. Even being Dvaita, we can still espouse Bhakti on Parashakti, an ocean of compassion and beauty from whom we can derive joy. Therefore, let us not yearn for Advaita. Let us also not yearn for Vishishtadvaita. Let us continue to remain the Dvaita way. “We possess this body; we are this body; let us use this body, whether it is possible or not, and keep meditating on the Paramatma, the Parashakti and enjoy the bliss. Why this body, let it even be the body of a tiny worm. Even if the worm is different from Him, if it can think of Him, and if He lets it into the Heaven, then, let us be different and be that worm.” This is the how we can be content.

As Appar Svami says, “Even if I were to be born as a worm, God, please grant me the boon that I never forget your lotus Feet”. We should forever remain engrossed in thoughts of God,

which is very important. The very state of ‘we’ in our thoughts, remaining submerged in Him is a unique bliss. When such a blissful state is available to us in our current state of ignorance, why should we lament that “the body does exist, the mind does exist; why not all these vanish and only Atma radiate?” Saying this is not so great for Appar Svami, who is a great devotee. Our Paramacharya, Sri Shankara Bhagavadpada, who is the Preceptor of Advaita, says in his Shivananda Lahari as follows:

“Let me be born as a worm or let me born as a mosquito. What is wrong in that? Or else, let me be born as a bull. If only the heart immerses within the great joy of constantly thinking of Your Feet, how does it matter the body in which I am born in?”

Whatever be the body form, whatever be the type of janma, as long as we are able to meditate on Paramatma as our Mother and surrender at Her Lotus Feet, it is enough. She is the Jnyanambika (embodiment of knowledge). She feeds the milk of Jnyana. She wipes away the impurities within our mind. Once the mind thus turns impeccably clean like a mirror, it becomes still and what radiates in this mirror is only the Purna Svarupa of Parashakti. She will naturally confer that state on us. Let us not tell Her how She should do this. As Vaikuntha or Kailasa, let Her rule over a world for Her and keep us by Her side, and give us the privilege of serving Her Lotus Feet; else, let Her give us the privilege of experiencing Her as life of life. Or else, let Her confer on us the Advaita, wherein we become “She”. Let Her give us whatever She wants.

That is a state of which we are unaware of. It is also someone else who is going to give us that state. All we know is Dvaita. Why do we know only Dvaita? It is because our mind is never still. Why does the mind wander all the time? Because we possess feelings of attachments, desires, anger, fear, animosity etc. With such churning within our mind, it becomes impure and refuses to be still and unwavering. What we fi rst need is the purity of mind (Chitta Shuddhi). The only way to attain Chitta Shuddhi is to keep meditating on Paramatma. Let us do it joyfully!

Once we start meditating on Paramatma, the meditation itself will give us a feeling of joy. We will not even think of purifying our mind. We will keep focusing on our Bhakti towards God. We will adhere to our Karmas and remain calm and composed. Parashakti will then confer Her Anugraha on us. We will neither pester Her nor will we ever have a mind set to pester Her. Let Her grant what She deems fi t, be it Vishishtadvaita or Dvaita or even Advaita. Let us surrender everything at Her Lotus Feet and continue to espouse Bhakti on Her forever.

This article is a snippet from the Book Thus Spake the Divine, is available online at www.giri.in and across Giri Trading Agency Private Limited, A chain of Specialty Stores dealing in all kinds of products needed in Indian Culture and Tradition.