Don't Try to Be God
There are many who claim that we are God and that we have just forgotten it. In other words, we are God, but at the present moment we are simply playing hide-and-go-seek with ourselves. Now all we have to do is come out of hiding and be God again.
But this philosophy contradicts logic and also the conclusion of the Vedic scriptures. Such a philosophy may be attractive to those who are less intelligent that through a process of meditation they can become God. After failing in so many ways in this material world, this would certainly be an easy way to be successful, that all you have to do is meditate for six months and you become God. But God is always God. He does not have to meditate to become God. The Supreme can never be covered by forgetfulness of His eternal identity.
In conclusion, our perfection is not to become God. Our perfection is to become a fully surrendered servant of God. The servant enjoys on an equal level with the master. So we should simply strive to fully surrender ourselves to the Supreme Lord, rather than trying to occupy His post.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
In my present life at least I am fortunate to enquire and try to traverse the spiritual path. I receive thought provoking e-mails from ISKCON, that is from you. Thank you very much. I am also a Chinmaya mission member and love the teachings of Swami Chinmayananda and his disciples who have become gurus. I have also read the teachings of other masters. But there seems to be a contradiction between what you teach and others teach.
The other masters whose teachings I've come across say that the soul is one and it is God. Ego is the false feeling of separation from God. But you teach that there are individual souls and a supreme soul. I don't know whom to believe. Please clear this confusion of mine.
Actually whatever it is I just want to know which is true because I really want to attain the highest bliss, as present life is very suffocating. I am traversing the spiritual path, doing good things like praying for myself and others, and doing good for others, helping others, just to gain that happiness. I have no adventurous willingness or curiosity to know the Supreme. Is it wrong on my part to take the spiritual path only looking for peace and happiness?
Prasanth
Trying to be God is what got us into the cycle of birth and death to begin with. Therefore if someone teaches us that self-realization means to become God, he is grossly misguiding us and should therefore be avoided.
Just as a nation has only one supreme court, there is only one Supreme Being. If everyone is the Supreme Being, no one is the Supreme Being. In other words, this philosophy that everyone is the Supreme Being is simply a covered form of atheism and will not make you happy.
Krishna, the real Supreme Being, clearly describes in the Bhagavad-gita that we are all eternal individuals, that at no point in the past, present, and future are we all merged together into one lump. If we were all one lump, love could not exist because there would no one around with whom to have loving dealings. The living beings depend on love to be happy. Therefore this "Everyone is God" philosophy kills love and happiness and should therefore be rejected.
There are various reasons that people seek the Supreme. There is no harm if you seek the Supreme for attaining peace and happiness. If you understand the Supreme as Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and fully surrender yourself unto Him, you will attain unlimited peace and happiness.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
But this philosophy contradicts logic and also the conclusion of the Vedic scriptures. Such a philosophy may be attractive to those who are less intelligent that through a process of meditation they can become God. After failing in so many ways in this material world, this would certainly be an easy way to be successful, that all you have to do is meditate for six months and you become God. But God is always God. He does not have to meditate to become God. The Supreme can never be covered by forgetfulness of His eternal identity.
In conclusion, our perfection is not to become God. Our perfection is to become a fully surrendered servant of God. The servant enjoys on an equal level with the master. So we should simply strive to fully surrender ourselves to the Supreme Lord, rather than trying to occupy His post.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Answers According to the Vedic Version:
Question: Is the Soul God?
My Humble Pranams to you, Sir,In my present life at least I am fortunate to enquire and try to traverse the spiritual path. I receive thought provoking e-mails from ISKCON, that is from you. Thank you very much. I am also a Chinmaya mission member and love the teachings of Swami Chinmayananda and his disciples who have become gurus. I have also read the teachings of other masters. But there seems to be a contradiction between what you teach and others teach.
The other masters whose teachings I've come across say that the soul is one and it is God. Ego is the false feeling of separation from God. But you teach that there are individual souls and a supreme soul. I don't know whom to believe. Please clear this confusion of mine.
Actually whatever it is I just want to know which is true because I really want to attain the highest bliss, as present life is very suffocating. I am traversing the spiritual path, doing good things like praying for myself and others, and doing good for others, helping others, just to gain that happiness. I have no adventurous willingness or curiosity to know the Supreme. Is it wrong on my part to take the spiritual path only looking for peace and happiness?
Prasanth
Answer: He's the Eternal Servant of God
The philosophy that the living being is actually God and that it is simply due to his ego that he has forgotten that he is God is an absurd philosophy. God is all powerful. He is omnipotent. Nothing can overpower Him because everything is His subordinate energy. Forgetfulness is also one of His energies. Therefore, being subordinate to Him, forgetfulness can never overpower Him.Trying to be God is what got us into the cycle of birth and death to begin with. Therefore if someone teaches us that self-realization means to become God, he is grossly misguiding us and should therefore be avoided.
Just as a nation has only one supreme court, there is only one Supreme Being. If everyone is the Supreme Being, no one is the Supreme Being. In other words, this philosophy that everyone is the Supreme Being is simply a covered form of atheism and will not make you happy.
Krishna, the real Supreme Being, clearly describes in the Bhagavad-gita that we are all eternal individuals, that at no point in the past, present, and future are we all merged together into one lump. If we were all one lump, love could not exist because there would no one around with whom to have loving dealings. The living beings depend on love to be happy. Therefore this "Everyone is God" philosophy kills love and happiness and should therefore be rejected.
There are various reasons that people seek the Supreme. There is no harm if you seek the Supreme for attaining peace and happiness. If you understand the Supreme as Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and fully surrender yourself unto Him, you will attain unlimited peace and happiness.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Comments
Post a Comment