AW: Lesson 2 - Creation

[Guest guest]

Hare Rama Krishna

---------------

 

Namaste all. I submit my answers to SJVC Lesson 2:

 

Q1. Try to define the role of God in your life.

 

God is mysterious, the greatest of all, the creator, maintainer and

destroyer of everything. He is time, he is the universe, he is the silent

witness within and without, very far and very near. He is always aware of us

but we are not always aware of him. He is beyond sensual perception and

empirical logic yet can be easily understood by loving devotion.

Understanding god is only possible through the association of a wise soul

who has realized Him through penance, knowledge and loving devotion.

God is kind and impartial, even to those who forget him or do not believe in

him. He is very patient, supremely wise and our best friend. I trust that he

will always guide me further on the path of self realization, somehow or

other. He wants us to realize that we are sat chit ananda and that our

real home is beyond the illusory samsara but this takes time, sometimes many

lifetimes, and many a kick in the school of hard knocks. To realize Him is

the greatest of all achievements and THIS is the real goal of my life, even

though I am still wasting a lot of time with trivial pursuits.

Q2. What have you done in the past one year to come closer to God?

 

I have done a short daily sadhana of chanting mantras, stotras and

devotional songs. Furthermore, I have been trying to fulfil my dharma as a

husband and father, hoping that this will please God. Last but not least, I

have made an attempt to advance in the study of jyotish which is a spiritual

science and brings us closer to God as well.

Q3. Which statement is more relevant?

a. God is all, or

b. All is God.

 

In my mind, "God is all" is more appropriate and accurate. "All is God"

could be a bit misleading. Better to say: "All is part of the energy of

God" or " all is the energy of God". A pebble, a blade of grass and even a

piece of garbage are also part of the energy of God but we cannot worship

the piece of garbage as god. If "all is god" is taken to its extreme, it

would be redundant to go to the temple or church. We could then worship any

object as divine. But no one (or not many?) is really doing that and rightly

so, because there is a difference between God and his energies, just like

there is a difference between the gold mine and the gold ring. Both are gold

but one is huge and is the source while the other is small and is the part.

Similarly, "all is god" is true in the sense that all is an emanation of God

and is ultimately His eternal energy (sarvam khalu idam brahma) but the part

can never be the whole. God is the complete whole and the creation, which

includes the jivas, is his emanation. So "God is all" because he is the

original source of all and all is his energy. But not all is God because the

part is not the whole.

Personally, I do not consider myself to be god. I am His minute parcel event

hough I am of the same nature like Him (mat bhavam agatah). So we could

possibly rephrase "all is God" into "all is godly" and that might be more

befitting. This is the view of the Vaishnava tradition. Those who follow the

line of Acharya Sankara might disagree with my reasoning and that is fair

enough.

 

Q4. How is the role of a Jyotisha different from a priest.

 

The jyotisha and the priest work towards the same goal but with different

methodologies. Both jyotisha and Kalpa (rituals) are vedangas or auxilliary

vedic sciences. The goal is vedanta or God realization and the astrologer

and the priest assist us in this pursuit. The jyotisha shows us our dharma

and helps us to choose the best time for our prescribed rituals while the

priest performs those rituals on our behalf. The jyotisha is a spiritual

guide who shows us the way. The priest generally does not provide spiritual

guidance but helps us to purify our life through the celebration of pujas

and the recitation of mantras. Four of the vedangas (siksha, chanda,

vyakharan and nirukti) are meant for understanding the veda. The remaining

two - jyotisha and kalpa (rituals performed by the priest) are meant for

applying the teachings of the veda. Both are equally important. Each vedanga

is a vast field of study. Generally, it is not possible to become expert in

more than one. That´s why one usually becomes a priest or a jyotisha, but

not both.

 

Regards,

Arno