dattaswami

Imaginable and Unimaginable actions of God Action means dynamism. Energy means dynamism. Even the matter is condensed energy. Therefore, the entire creation is just energy or dynamism, which means action. Action is never independent. Without actor or acting material (Karta) there is no action (Karma). This actor is the unimaginable absolute God. We are noting His actions, which constitute the entire creation. Certain actions of God or imaginable and certain actions are unimaginable (miracles). A miracle is unimaginable in the sense that its background is unimaginable. Miracle is an imaginable action with unimaginable background. A small boy called as Krishna lifts the huge mountain on His tender finger. Krishna, His finger, the huge mountain and the lifting - action are clearly seen and are imaginable. The background of this miracle is unimaginable, which is the unimaginable God. When a boy lifts a small object on His finger, not only the visible external scene is imaginable but also the background, which can be explained by the laws of Physics. The background of this imaginable scene as well as its imaginable background is also the same unimaginable God. By the will of God, the background of the first scene becomes unimaginable and the background of the second scene becomes imaginable.

Meaning of Spiritual Knowledge, Devotion and Service Jnanam, Gaanam, Dhyanam and Daanam should be clearly understood on this day. Jnanam is the spiritual knowledge related to intelligence (Buddhi) represented by God Brahma. Gaanam is the expression of knowledge and devotion related to words (Vaak) represented by God Vishnu. Dhyanam is the devotion or meditation related to mind (Manas) represented by God Shiva. Daanam is the donation or service related to action (Karma) represented by God Datta. The first three constitute the theory and the last constitutes the practice. Theory should lead into practice. This point is represented by Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva becoming Datta by union before the sage Atri. It is also said that Atri got three sons : 1)Chandra representing Brahma, 2)Dattatreya representing Vishnu and 3)Durvasa representing Shiva. It is further said that the middle Dattatreya or the form of Vishnu attracted Brahma and Rudra into Him and became the God representing the three forms. The concept of this story is that the middle form, word, indicates both knowledge and devotion for expression. If we understand the stories in the light of concepts, it will be useful for our spiritual effort (Sadhana). It is also said that the original God Datta is expressed in three divine forms i.e., Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. This is also clear in the concept because the action (Karma) representing Datta is basically present in knowledge, word and devotion.

Let us stop fighting in the name of religion and God This entire earth is the property of the absolute God since it is created by Him. No human being created any region of this earth and therefore the absolute right of this entire earth belongs to the absolute God only. It is the climax of foolishness of human beings to fight and kill each other for the sake of the borders of divisions of countries and for the ownership of any region on this earth. The representatives of all the countries on this earth should unite and form a Central Government to control the terrorism in any country. It should be responsible for the peace of the entire world. If the peace is achieved in entire world in this way, it is a real achievement of the success of this holy Christmas.

Fanatic Terrorism Hindu/Muslim view But today, the difference between religions has gone to the level of terrorism and the peace is not only cracked into pieces but also ground to fine powder. The ignorant fanatics of a religion are killing the innocent people of other religion. Such killing is not Jihad of Islam and also not Dharma Yuddha of Hinduism. You may argue that Mohammad brought the unity of religions through sword and therefore conversion of other religion into your religion must be through violence. In the time of Mohammad, the religions were many and were quarrelling with each other by swords and that was affecting the peace to a great extent. Mohammad preached the unity of religions and finally had to use the sword only to stop several swords fighting with each other. That is not the situation in the present time. In every country all the religions are co-existing peacefully like the different members of the same family. The reason is that the humanity is well advanced in education and improved a lot in the faculty of logic through advancements of science and technology. Of course, you are free to teach your religion or even prove the defects of other religion through arguments and debates. If people are convinced, they will follow your religion. If not, you have to leave them peacefully. Q’ran says that one should preach about Allah and leave the person with safety. Mohammad never said to use the sword when the religions are co-existing with peace and love to each other. Gita came out from a war. But the war was not based on the deference in the religions. It was based on eradicating the injustice used to grab the property of some brothers by their brothers. Lord Krishna tried a lot for compromise. It was a war based on the division of property and not on the division of religions. Even in that war, innocent people living in villages and cities were not killed through terrorism. Only selected soldiers fought with each other in a selected place called Kurukshetra. You should not say that Aswatthama killed the people in sleep in the midnight and this is a part of Dharma Yuddha [Jihad]. But Aswatthama killed the soldiers of other side only and never entered the city of Pandavas and killed innocent people as done by terrorists today. Seeing these cruel activities of terrorism based on the difference in the religions, all the three human incarnations [Krishna, Jesus and Mohammad] from heaven are deeply pained because the same absolute God exists in all the three forms, who is the single creator of the entire humanity. The father is terribly pained if one of his sons kills the other son.

Unity of Hinduism and Islam Hindus and Muslims lived together from a long time in India. You will find Muslims going to Hindu temples and Hindus going to Dargahs of Islam. The Nawab of Hyderabad brings the pearls for Lord Shri Rama every year. The unity of Hinduism and Islam was much stressed by Shri Shiridi Sai Baba, who looked like Muslim and preached the unity of the both religions. The unity of Hinduism and Christianity is very much indicated by Shri Satya Sai Baba, who looks like a Christian father in dress and preaches the unity of all religions. The difference between two religions was never exceeding the limits of a deep debate of the scholars of both the scriptures in Hinduism.

Christians and Muslims are actually cousins In fact, Christians and Muslims are actually cousins because both are the two branches of same ancestor Abraham. One branch was headed by Ishmael, which became Islam. The other branch headed by Isaac became Christians. Muslims recognize Jesus also as the precedent prophet to Mohammad. Mohammad was very much pained at the crucifixion of Jesus and hence resisted the concept of human incarnation, which can never be relished by the co-human beings due to ego and jealousy. This is not difference of policy but it is due to the heart felt pain by Mohammad about Jesus. Hindus were always co-operative with every religion and you can find the peaceful co-existence of Christianity and Islam in India with out any violence. In fact, Hinduism itself is a mini model of Universality of Religions. There are several sub-religions in Hinduism like Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktayism etc., which co-existed based on unity in diversity. In fact, Shankara co-related all the sub-religions and brought the unity based on single God called Brahman appearing in different forms like Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti etc. The same process of unity of religions in one region was carried on by Mohammad, who established the concept of single God called as Allah. Of course, Shankara brought such unity by powerful logic and debate, where as Mohammad brought the same unity through powerful sword. The powerful knowledge is represented by sharp sword as said in Gita [Chchittvaa jnaanaasinaa….]. According to the circumstances and the mental level of the then existing people, knowledge or sword was used. In the time of Shankara, the quarrel was between scholars of various religions through arguments. In the time of Mohammad, the quarrel was between the heads of various religions through swords. The final result was one and the same.

Veda says that no trace of food shall be wasted Only Veda, the word of God, is authority. Today is Naga Chaturthi. People are pouring the milk in the abode of snake, which is wasted in the soil. Milk is complete food. God created food to feed the human beings so that they become energetic to worship God. If you are wasting it, you are insulting God. Veda says that no trace of food shall be wasted (Annam na parichaksheeta…). You are doing against Veda, which is the constitution written by God. A Sanskrit verse written by a human being cannot be authority. Only Veda, the word of God, is authority. Nowhere in Veda is this practice mentioned. Pour the milk in the hungry stomach (potta) of a devotee or a beggar instead of wasting it by pouring in snake’s abode (putta). After drinking the milk, you will become energetic to remember and praise the king of snakes (Adisesha), who was born as Lakshmana and served Rama, the contemporary human incarnation. You will be tested in your faith in your service. Lakshmana left his wife for fourteen years and served Rama, who was with His wife. Rama showed intensive love for His wife by weeping continuously in her separation. Still Lakshmana did not feel anything for the separation of His wife and concentrated only in the search of Rama’s wife. This is acid test. You are leaving Maya to worship God, but God appears to you associated with the same Maya! You have to identify Him embedded in the Maya rejected by you and maintain the full faith on Him! If you can understand this concept of Lakshmana, today, you have performed this festival successfully in the real sense. At the Lotus Feet of His Holiness Sri Dattaswami Anil Antony www.universal-spirituality.org Universal Spirituality for World Peace

Devotee Vs Human Incarnation The difference between a devotee and a human incarnation is that, God entered the devotee to become human incarnation. The devotee is a tree (body) and its bird (soul). In human incarnation this tree contains two birds (Soul and God). Whether he is a devotee or a human incarnation, the soul of devotee should be aware that it is not God and should pass on the credit to God. If the soul takes credit, even the human incarnation gets insulted by God as in the case of Parashurama. The devotee and human incarnation worshipped as God must be always in Dvaita. Every devotee has equal chance of becoming human incarnation. The devotee should rise to that level. Therefore, there is no need of any jealousy towards any human incarnation. Ego should never appear and God – bird will quit the tree as soon as even a trace of the smell of ego appears. The devotee becomes human incarnation for a particular work of the divine mission.

Live worship of God Vs indirect worship There are two types of worship to God. In the first type, an object is selected to stand as a representative of God (Pratika Upasanam). In the second type, an object pervaded by God like electric wire is worshipped (Saakshat Upasanam). In both types of worship, you must treat the object as God and this is Advaita meant for devotees. In the first type of worship both living and inert objects can stand as representatives. A statue or a devotee can be worshipped. The extent of worship is limited in the case of the statue and is unlimited in the case of a devotee. You can give food, clothes, money, etc., to the devotee and these are not necessary for the statue. Only cleaning and decoration are required for the statue. God will never enter the inert objects (Natasya Pratima). He enters only the human being (Maanusheem tanumaasritam). Therefore, the extent of worship is unlimited in the case of a devotee or human incarnation. Hence, while worshipping you need not worry that whether he is a devotee or a human incarnation. Whether he is a devotee or a human incarnation, you should have full faith that he is God and the worship should be complete in all aspects. You need not do the complete worship for a statue. If you do so for a statue, the priest behind the statue will snatch away the fruits of your worship. If the priest is a real devotee, it is well and good since it becomes the first type of worship.

Soul is not God In the imaginable creation, both gross and subtle items exist. The subtle soul must be distinguished from the gross body. Both the soul and body are imaginable. The Advaita philosophers think that the soul is unimaginable God and the body alone is imaginable creation. Before the distinction between unimaginable God and imaginable creation, a prior training is given to distinguish imaginable-subtle-soul and imaginable-gross-body in the beginning chapter of Gita. This distinction gives training to the spiritual aspirant to become capable in distinguishing unimaginable God and imaginable creation. The subtle soul stands for unimaginable God but not actually is the unimaginable God. At the Lotus Feet of His Holiness Sri Dattaswami Anil Antony www.universal-spirituality.org Universal Spirituality for World Peace

God never became imaginable When you experience God in human incarnation, God still remains unimaginable. Only the existence of unimaginable God is experienced and not God (asteetyeva…Veda). You have experienced the existence of current by touching the electric wire and this does not mean that you have understood the electricity. Hence, the experience of existence of unimaginable God does not mean that God became imaginable. You can have two or more electric wires simultaneously. Due to difference in the works like a wire for fan, a wire for tube light etc. Similarly, due to different programs, you can have many human incarnations simultaneously in the same time. If you mistake that a particular electric wire is only the current, then the problem comes. Here you have mistaken that the wire and current are one and the same. Here the knowledge of Dvaita is required. Then only you can understand that the same electricity is flowing in different wires. Some people think that a particular electric wire in the past (past human incarnation) alone is the current, even though that wire was destroyed and does not exist today. These people are many who think that a particular past human incarnation like Rama, Jesus, etc., alone is God. At the Lotus Feet of His Holiness Sri Dattaswami Anil Antony www.universal-spirituality.org Universal Spirituality for World Peace

God enters the creation in the form of a human being Brahma means anything, which is greatest among the items of a category. Veda is said to be Brahma by Gita (Brahmaakshara Samudbhavam…). Similarly, food is Brahma, respiration is Brahma, mind is Brahma, intelligence is Brahma etc., are the statements of Veda. This Knowledge is supported by the above concept also, because the imaginable creation cannot be the unimaginable God. God enters the creation in the form of a human being. In that human being God exists. The support enters into a supported item. You need not think that the other items of the creation have lost the support because the support entered into one item only. This problem comes only when the support is having spatial dimensions. Since God is beyond spatial dimensions, this problem does not arise. Without understanding this concept, some people feel that a part of the support only entered the particular item. The concept of ‘whole’ and ‘part’ again requires spatial dimensions. Therefore, God being the support of the entire creation can also exist in a particular petty item simultaneously. Now the particular item into which God entered is identified as God similar to an electric wire identified as electricity. Identification includes both monism (Advaita) and dualism (Dvaita). The electric wire is current because you are experiencing current by touching the wire anywhere and therefore, monism is true. Even then, wire is wire and current is current and therefore, dualism is also true. Therefore, both Sankara and Ramanuja are correct, because the same truth is viewed in different angles. These angles exist only in an electric wire and not in a wire where there is no electricity. Therefore, it is meaningless to discuss about Advaita and Dvaita in the case of an ordinary soul, which is always separate without God like a wire without electricity. The Advaita philosophers should understand that the discussion about Advaita and Dvaita is confined to human incarnation only. At the Lotus Feet of His Holiness Sri Dattaswami Anil Antony www.universal-spirituality.org Universal Spirituality for World Peace

Veda says that God created this Universe only for entertainment The analysis to know that God is beyond analysis is also analysis only. Therefore, the direct meaning of the word Aakasha Deepam is that God is unimaginable, since He is beyond spatial dimensions. The extension of this concept is useful to the spiritual aspirant. The entire creation is within the dimensions of Space. Since God is beyond Space, it automatically means that God is beyond creation (Neti Neti…). He is not the creation. He is only the supporter of creation. Pot is not mud. Mud is the supporter of the pot. If God is creation, the purpose of creation is lost. Veda says that God created this Universe only for entertainment (Ekaaki Naramate…). If God is the creation itself, again God becomes alone and cannot have any entertainment. For entertainment only, He wanted a second item, which must be different from Him (Sadviteeyamaichchat). The support is quite different from the supported item. You cannot say that both are one and the same. Entertainment is of two types. In the first type, you see the drama from outside. In the second type, you enter the drama in a role and entertain yourself. While acting in a role, you are also seeing the entire drama. If you are the single actor and become everything in the drama, you cannot have any entertainment. If you become everything, there is no possibility of entering the drama. Veda says that God entered the creation (Tat Srustva Tadevaanu Praavishat). Unless the creation is different from God, how can He enter the creation? One cannot enter himself. If you bring the statement of Veda that all this creation is Brahma (Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma…), this contradicts the other Vedic statement, which says that nothing in the Creation is God (Neti Neti…, Nedam tat…). Hence, the word Brahma in the first statement must have a different meaning other than God. At the Lotus Feet of His Holiness Sri Dattaswami Anil Antony www.universal-spirituality.org Universal Spirituality for World Peace

The rules of Science are broken only by the will of God A devotee asked Swami about Aakasha Deepam, which is said to guide the devotee after death to the abode of God if it is lit in this month of Kartika. Swami replied: “If this oil lamp lit by you has such power, let it prove a small fraction of its power now itself. You lit the lamp here and go outside in the darkness. Let this lamp show you the path outside”. If this lamp cannot have even such small power while it is burning, how can we believe that it has power after a long time when it does not exist? Everything in the creation happens according to Science only. The rules of Science are broken only by the will of God. Unless you please God and get His grace, such miracles will not happen just by doing certain actions. The word Aakasha Deepam has lot of spiritual message, if you analyze patiently in depth. The word Aakasha means Space (Aakaashogaganam Shunyam). The word Deepa means Knowledge or analysis (Jnana Deepena Bhasvata). This means, the analysis of space will lead you to understand the nature of God and then you are near God. God is the generator of Space and Space is His first creation (Atmana akaashah…). God is just above the space, since God is the cause and space is the first effect. Mud is the cause and pot is the effect. Unless you destroy the pot, its cause, the lump of mud cannot be visualized. Unless space is dissolved God cannot be seen. You may try for millions of years to imagine the situation after dissolution of space. It is absolutely impossible to go beyond space. You can imagine anything with some minute spatial dimensions only, which may be very very small. Your intelligence is limited by spatial dimensions. It cannot cross the three co-ordinates, which are length, width and height called as spatial dimensions. This means, God is absolutely unimaginable to the intelligence and analysis (Yo Buddheh Paratah…). At the Lotus Feet of His Holiness Sri Dattaswami Anil Antony www.universal-spirituality.org Universal Spirituality for World Peace

Lie in spirituality The mother tells a lie to the child while giving food that if it eats the food the moon will come down. Such lie is good since it is for the welfare of the child and cannot be considered as sinful. But the mother cannot use the same lie for her elder grown up son who has taken a Ph.d. degree in astronomy while serving the food. Shankara says that such traditional tricks, which are called as Arthavaadas meaning lies applied to achieve welfare in the case of ignorant people, fail if applied to realized souls. He says that a knife cuts successfully a vegetable but utterly fails in cutting a stone (Shilaaprayukta Kshuradivat….). The lie should be protected and applied in the case of ignorant person standing on the ground before climbing the first step. But the same lie should be revealed by spiritual knowledge (Jnana Yoga) in the case of the devotee standing on the first step forever. Therefore, Vedas preached the instrumental devotion through performing sacrifices (Yajnas) to the beginners and finally revealed the truth through Upanishats so that the instrumental devotion is transformed into goal-devotion. The meaning of Narayana is the statue in the temple for the beginners who stood on the ground. The real meaning of Narayana, which means the source of Knowledge (Nara = Knowledge and Ayana = source) i.e., the contemporary human incarnation preaching you the truth. The people on the first step should go to Satguru for further guidance to reach the second higher step.

Both God and world (family) are quite opposite to each other Gita classifies the two paths : One is North (Devayaana) towards God and the other is South (Pitruyana) towards your family bonds. Here the words North and South are not meant in the sense of directions in space or time. They only mean that both God and world (family) are quite opposite to each other (Duramete Viparite Vishuchi – Veda). When you say that two people are opposite to each other like North and South poles, it does not mean that one person is turned towards North side and other person is turned towards South side! It only means that their attitudes are quite opposite in directions like North and South poles. Thus, the North gate means your attitude or feeling turned towards God from your family. The South gate means your attitude or feeling turned towards your family from God. God competes with your family and tries to find out your true love. Lord Krishna stole the butter from the houses of Gopikas. Some Gopikas were very happy since they are turned towards God from the family. Such Gopikas are standing before the North gate. The other Gopikas who were turned towards family became angry and fought with Krishna by complaining to His mother. They are standing before the South gate. Even if you are in your house, even you have not taken bath, if you are turned towards God sacrificing your blind love to your family bonds; you are before the North gate of the Lord and reached His temple. Even if you are standing before the North gate of the temple after taking bath in the early hours with selfishness for fruits, you are actually standing in the South gate before the Lord and in fact you have not reached the temple at all. Unless, the tradition is analyzed and the real meaning is revealed, people will be carried on in the wrong direction of the devotion even though the first step that is the recognition of existence of God is attained. Then only they will climb the next step, otherwise they will sit on the first step only through out their lives.

North and south in tradition-the meaning Tradition involves certain lies for the sake of implementing the action for developing the devotion. What is the significance of North gate here? In India, the North side is considered to be auspicious due to the sweet Ganga river flowing from pure snow mountain (Himalaya). The South side is not considered so much auspicious due to presence of salt-ocean in the border. The North India is said to be pious land (Punya Bhumi) and the South India is said to be the land of worldly work (Karma Bhumi). When the Sun turns to North, it is said to be pious (Uttarayana) and when the Sun turns towards South it is called inauspicious (Dakshinayana). This classification of North and South based on mere geographical direction and mere turning of Sun is utterly meaningless, if you take it only in the background. Several pious people die in Dakshinayana and several sinners die in Uttarayana. There are several pious people born in South India like the three Achaaryaas (Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhva), who have opened the eyes of entire India regarding God. There are several sinners born in North India like Duryodhana, Shishupala etc., The classification is only to show that devotions to God and world are quite opposite to each other like North pole and South pole. Except this one point, there is no significance of North and South by way of place and time.

1st and further steps in spirituality If you want to progress in the spiritual line, you should not look back and feel satisfied. Then, you will see the ground by looking back and get satisfied with your position on the first higher step. With this satisfaction, you will sit on the first step forever. I therefore, appreciate people following the tradition with real love for fruit, which shows false love to God. My appreciation to these beginning devotees is with reference to the atheists sitting on the ground. A teacher should appreciate the student for his success in achieving the first higher step from the ground. This gives confidence and encouragement to the student. But, if the teacher stops with this appreciation only, the student will sit on the first step only forever without looking forward towards the second higher step. Therefore, the teacher should immediately show the second step and criticize the student for not climbing the second higher step. The student can sit on the first step for some time to take rest for putting the efforts to climb it from the ground. But he should not sit on the first step only lifelong! Hence, the treatment of a teacher towards the student should be a mixture of cold water (appreciation) in the summer and hot water (criticism) in winter. Winter follows the summer. Criticism should follow the appreciation. Therefore, it is My duty to open the eyes of the people of instrumental devotion towards climbing the next step of goal-devotion. In the first step it is one way - traffic of aspiring the flow of love from God towards devotee. In the second step also it is one way-traffic only, but it is flow of love from devotee to God without any aspiration for fruit. All My efforts in preaching the spiritual knowledge are only for just change of direction of devotion. The material of devotion is not changed except its direction. In instrumental devotion you want God to love you without aspiration for any service from you. In goal-devotion God wants that you should love Him without aspiration for any fruit from Him.

The tradition is good provided its actual aim gets fulfilled Today is Vaikhunta Ekaadasi and devotees see Lord Narayana through North gate. This is our tradition. Tradition is always action or Karma. Karma generates Samskara or feeling. Devotion is feeling about God. Therefore, tradition is aiming at the development of devotion in devotees. Karma generates Samskara and this Samskara again generates Karma. The quality of stealing leads to the action of stealing. While doing stealing, the quality of stealing gets more and more developed. Both these are mutually contributing to each other. Therefore, the tradition set up by our ancient sages is always with good aim. Today, tradition says that you should take bath in the early hours of the day and visit the temple to see the Lord from North side. All this is practice or action only, which is expected to generate the devotion to God. Today people gather in very large crowd before the North gate and sometimes the crowd is so much that some children or old people are wounded and some times we hear their death also. People feel happy about such deaths praising that they have reached Vaikhunta, the city of Lord! I say again and again that the tradition is good provided its actual aim gets fulfilled. If you go into the full picture of this original aim of the sages, who have set this tradition, it is that you should develop the devotion, which should be one way traffic towards God without aspiring any fruit in return from God. But today, if you investigate really, the devotion developed by this tradition is truly one way traffic but in reverse direction! Devotees expect that God will be pleased by this vision through North gate and He will sanction some benefits in this world and even after death one will reach the city of God and enjoy the divine bliss forever. Aspiration of this divine bliss after death is also polluted with selfishness and hence Shankara says in one prayer that He does not ask God even for salvation (Namokshasyaakaamkshaa). True, the devotion is developed but not in the right direction. It is developed in exactly the opposite direction. You are seeing the Lord through North gate but your devotion is running out in the opposite direction through South gate from your heart! The devotion should be on God without the aspiration for any fruit. Such devotion is the real love to God. The opposite path is that you love God for the sake of fruit, in which your real love is on the fruit but not on the God. In this type of devotion, your love to God is not your aim (Saadhya) but your love on God is instrumental (Saadhana). Here God is the instrument to arrive your desired fruit. It is called as instrumental devotion (Sadhana Bhakthi). If you love God for the sake of God only without even a trace of aspiration for any fruit, such love is Goal-devotion (Saadhya Bhakthi). Therefore, the original aim of the tradition is not fulfilled at all. Of course, we agree that this instrumental devotion is better than atheism in which one puts own efforts to achieve the fruit since God does not exist in this line. In the instrumental devotion, at least there is recognition of existence of God even though there is no real love to God. This can be treated as the first step, which is far better than the ground atheism.

Reaching and seeing God is not important. Even demons have seen God very closely but they were destroyed finally because God was not really pleased with them. These demons did penance and got boons by force. Their penance was only chanting the name of God and meditation. So they sacrificed only words and mind. They never sacrificed anything practically by participating in the mission of the Lord. Therefore the people who want to get boons from the Lord by sacrificing just words and mind only are by no means different from the demons. Today, people are sacrificing only words and mind and sometimes even their tears. These words, mind and tears cannot be sold in the market even for a single penny. The people who sacrifice their work and the fruit of their work (money) for the sake of God and do not aspire for anything in return, are angels and sages. A man in between these two stages sacrifices practically but sometimes asks for selfish boons when an emergency arises. Sacrifice of the fruit of work is also sacrifice of work because the fruit of work is a different form of the work itself. Therefore, both these come under ‘sacrifice of work’. In the Gita, sacrifice of work is called Karma Sanyasa Yoga and sacrifice of fruit of work is called Karma Phala Tyaga Yoga. Since both only mean the sacrifice of work, both put together is called ‘Karma Yoga’ or ‘Service to God’.

Show reality to God You are not doing these two in the case of the Lord. Other than these two, you do all the other things for the Lord like chanting, meditation, praying, Yoga etc., All these are related to words, mind and intelligence only. You are not doing all these things for your children. If all these were the proof of real love, why are you not doing these things for your children, whom you love truly? Why don’t you chant the name of your child? Why don’t you meditate upon your child? Why don’t you write a diary on your child and study it every day as you study the scriptures like the Bhagavatam or Bible? Why don’t you write a will sacrificing the fruits of all these ‘works’ to your children? Why don’t you write a will sacrificing all your property for the work of the Lord instead? When these questions are put, any scholar or devotee will run away; especially by the last question! You yourself have separated the ways of loving the Lord and loving your children. Why don’t you reverse your ways of loving the two?

Loving God atleast as much as your child Kannappa roamed in the forest and hunted. Finally in the evening he got some flesh and offered it to the Lord. He neither ate nor gave it to his family. He never chanted hymns, never meditated upon the Lord, never read the scriptures and never wore any sacred dress. He broke the bonds with his family and even with his own body for the sake of the Lord. He even plucked out his eyes for the sake of the Lord and got salvation. Shaktuprastha could not get food for ten days during a drought. Somehow he managed to get a little rice flour and cooked it. He was just getting ready to eat it with his family. But the Lord came in the form of a guest to his home and Saktuprastha sacrificed the entire food, which is the fruit of his work, to God. That sacrifice was not only a complete sacrifice but it was also the sacrifice of the fruit of his hard work. The Veda says that money should be sacrificed for the sake of the Lord’s mission (Dhanena Tyagenaike, Tyaktena…Kasyasvit Dhanam). The Veda used the word ‘money’, which may even mean the ancestral property also. But the Gita used the word ‘fruit of work’ which means ‘self-earned money’. The bond with self-earned money is very intense. Therefore the Gita gave the strongest concept. But Indians misinterpreted the meaning of ‘work’ as the work done by words and mind because they are unable to sacrifice their money, whether ancestral or self-earned. Therefore to avoid such misinterpretations every verse of Gita should be referred back to the Veda.

Why God is angry with us? You chant His name so many millions of times. Did He ever reply to you by uttering a single word? When you call a person by his name, he responds to you immediately. But such a great Lord, who has all the good manners, is not responding to you in spite of your millions of calls. Can’t you understand by this, how angry He is with you and how much He hates you? He does not need your love. You can go on with your limited family and rotate in this wheel of world. Who has objected to it? The Lord never asked you to love Him. You yourself went to the Lord and wanted all the benefits from the Lord in this world and in the upper-world. But you want to achieve those benefits by showing false love. You are trying to deceive Him and get those benefits. If you go to any one and try to deceive Him, will he not be angry with you? If you simply go your way, nobody interferes with you. You limit to yourself and to your family, face the final enquiry in the upper-world and quietly accept the corresponding results; the Lord is not bothered about you. But you are after the Lord trying to get His grace without showing even a drop of true love. You show all that true love only to your children. You want to sacrifice only words and mental feelings to the Lord and want all the benefits from Him. By such cheating you are making the Lord furious.

Recognizing the Human Incarnation When the Lord comes in human form, you have to recognize Him and serve Him. Even if you do not serve Him, atleast do not insult Him. Generally people insult the Lord in human form because of jealousy and egoism. To avoid this, try to love all your fellow human beings. This is called ‘Pravritti’ (righteous worldly living). By this, you will atleast not insult the Lord in human form. Rama preached Pravritti. Serving the Lord in human form is called Nivritti. Krishna preached Nivritti. The aim of Pravritti is only for reaching Nivritti eventually. Without this purpose, simply following Pravritti, which is social service without God, is a waste. You are accepting the statue prepared by a human being, but you hate the human being indicated by the statue. The human being is only a statue prepared by the Lord. The identity signs to recognize the human incarnation are knowledge (Jnana), love (Rasa) and bliss (Ananda). These three are the characteristic marks (qualities) of the Lord like the heat of fire. The Veda says the same (Satyam-Jnanam, Raso vai saha, Anando Brahma). These three signs are associated with sacrifice (Datta) because Datta means donation or sacrifice. Therefore knowledge means that He preaches the knowledge. Love means that He generates love in your hearts. Bliss means that He generates bliss in your hearts. If you go near the fire, you will experience heat. Similarly you must experience the knowledge, love and bliss from the human incarnation. If you do not experience, He does not possess these three characteristic signs and therefore He is a false incarnation. The Veda says that He possesses special knowledge, which is impossible for any other human being (Prajnanam Brahma). Such a special knowledge generates love for Him in our hearts and we are filled with bliss.

O Learned And Devoted Servants of God, When you see your son, your love for him flows spontaneously. Do you love him because he is serving you? No. Even if he beats you, you love him and you give your property only to him. But, what is about God? You love Him only because He removes your difficulties and gives you some benefits. If He keeps silent inspite of your prayers, you will remove His picture from your altar and put another picture there (another deity). If He gives you troubles in response to your prayers, you will even destroy His picture! But, you love your son, whether he serves you or not, and even if he troubles you.