Thursday, January 7, 2016

The Concept of God (Sahaj Marg Angle): Dr. Sanskrit Kannan

         From time immemorial, man has been worshipping God, either as impersonal Power or the Creator or the Base, or the personal God, Ideal, Lover, Protector, or in any other form according to his aesthetic pleasures.  Simultaneously, there had been also a question as to the need of accepting a God and if He exists, the nature of such a God.  Different systems of philosophies have advocated different views.

         If we go back to the Vedic period and pre-Vedic period, we see that the people were worshipping the Nature as God (ādhibhautika).  Then, they started worshipping the different powers behind the Nature (ādhidaivika).  In the g Veda, we have hymns addressed to different deities – Indra, Varua, Agni and others, glorifying each one of them.  But, we can also see that they worshipped these gods either out of fear or expecting for some fortunes, health, removal of enemies etc.  Then the prominence of Śiva, Viṣṇu and Brahma Trinity, as they are called, with their respective functions as destroying, protecting and creating.  But when the Vedantic system and especially the Advaita gained popularity, the God was conceived as attribute-less (nirgua) while other systems considered God as with attributes (sagua). 

The Sahaj Marg system of Raja Yoga meditation, currently guided by its Spiritual Master, Shri. Kamlesh D Patel, goes far beyond all these conceptualisations.  Rev. Babuji Maharaj, the founder president of Shri Ram Chandra Mission (www.srcm.org) and the spiritual Guru of Sahaj Marg, has said that God is neither ‘Sagua’ nor ‘Nirgua’, but beyond both.  He is what He is.  In fact, Rev.Chariji Maharaj, the successor of Rev. Babuji Maharaj has pointed out many a time that the concept of God as Sat-Cit-Ānanda, as advocated by Advaitins is still at a lower level.  The scriptures too support His view.  The Nāsadiya Sūkta of the g Veda says, “Nāsadāsīnnosadāsīttadānīm” (“There was neither sat (existence) nor asat (non-existence) at that time) while referring to what was there in the beginning before creation.  

In the Upaniads, we find contradictory statements: The Chāndogya Upaniad (6.2.1) says, “sadevasaumyaidamagraāsīt”, i.e., “Oh, dear, only existence was there in the beginning”. The same Upaniad (3.19.1) says, “asadevaidamatraāsīt”, i.e., “non-existence was there in the beginning”.  Rev. Babuji Maharaj has very correctly called ‘THAT’ as ‘Non-being-Being”.  

The Bhagavad gītā also supports the view of Rev. Babuji Maharaj.  Lord Kṛṣṇa (II.16) says,
nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sata
Ubhayorapi dṛṣṭo'ntas tvanayos tattvadarśibhi
(The Unreal does not have existence and the real does not cease to exist.  The truth has been realised by Seers by going beyond both these).

         While seeing the Cosmic form of the Lord, Arjuna (XI.37) says, “tvamakarasadasattatparayat” (“You are the Imperishable and are what is beyond Sat and Asat”).  Hence, there is no room for duality when we transcend both.  Therefore, Rev. Babuji Maharaj has very rightly called ‘That’ as “Non-being-Being”!  Coming to the aspect of ‘Cit’, Rev. Master has said that if we accept ‘Cit’ we should accept the manas (mind).  But Rev. Babuji Maharaj has said, “God is mindless”, which is reflected in the Muṇḍaka Upaniad (II.1.2) also “aprāo hi amanaśubhro hi akarātparatapara”.

            As for Ānanda (Bliss), Rev. Babuji Maharaj has pointed out that we have to transcend bliss[1].  Therefore, the concept of Sat-Cit-Ānanda as representing the Ultimate Reality is not the final end and Sahaj Marg goes far ahead of this.

         As for worshipping God as ‘Power’, Rev. Chariji Maharaj pointed out once during a discussion that “if we accept God as power, we have to accept disintegration in God, for when power is generated, there is disintegration.  Hence, God will cease to be omni-pervasive.  So, Sahaj Marg looks at this aspect also from a different perspective, that God is beyond power.  Regarding idol worship, Rev. Babuji Maharaj and Rev. Chariji Maharaj have repeatedly pointed out the limitation of such worship.  Therefore, Sahaj Marg says that God cannot be seen, heard of, touched, smelled or tasted by the organs (indriyas) – we can only experience the condition.  That is why the Sahaj Marg mission prayer says “..to bring us upto that stage”.  Rev. Babuji Maharaj has rightly cautioned that no one should talk of God unless he has experienced ‘That’.  Further, it cannot be taught, but can only be felt by the grace of the Guru, who comes in the human form to take us all to that Base, Bhūma, Tam, Zero, Nothingness, otherwise known as God or Brahman.  Hence, we say that “Guru is God”.




[1]Complete Works of Ram Chandra (Volume I) (p.13) “..the end of Reality is the real Bliss.  When that too is gone, we have reached the destination.  That is the highest mark which is almost inexpressible in words”.

31 comments:

  1. Very well depicted. The confusion and the quest to understand God. Thanks kannan sir for the educating post.

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  2. Very well depicted. The confusion and the quest to understand God. Thanks kannan sir for the educating post.

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  3. Very helpful to understand the concept of God.

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  4. Well researched article Br.Kannan. This reminds me of a simple analogy of the sufis spiritual ascension. As beautifully summarising fana-annihilation in God and Baqa coming back and subsisting in God, they say Prophet's Mahammad; Maha-annihilation of self, ecstacy, and Madd -recovering and subsisting in God, meaning there is no running away from people but to come back and serve with complete God-consciousness, here we can say exposing the Master.

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  5. Very well explained. I never thought these many different expect of God worship.

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  6. Very good and detailed explanation. Thank you very much Br. Kannan

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  7. Very good and detailed explanation. Thank you very much Br. Kannan

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  8. Well Clarification about God. Has our Masters said GOD only felt by the grace of Guru, so Guru part play very vital role in spiritual life.

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  9. Well Clarification about God. Has our Masters said GOD only felt by the grace of Guru, so Guru part play very vital role in spiritual life.

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  10. Thank you very much for this enlightening article sir ! All of us who are spiritual seekers must read it again and again.

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  11. Thank you very much for this enlightening article sir ! All of us who are spiritual seekers must read it again and again.

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  12. Thank you very much for this enlightening article sir ! All of us who are spiritual seekers must read it again and again.

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  13. Thank you very much for this enlightening article sir ! All of us who are spiritual seekers must read it again and again.

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  14. Thanks Kannan sir for sharing your writings full of wisdom of ancient vedas, upanisads, Gita as well as Masters of Shri Ram Chandra Mission. We see god everyday but do not recognize him.....

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  15. A very complex and simultaneously simple subject at same time: ultimate nature of reality or God. If we try to understand with rational thinking mind, it will put us in knots since it involves concepts human mind cannot grasp or experience. But with heart it can feel and experience which the stilled mind can then slowly perceive. That's what Heartfulness approach of sahaj marg is!!

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  16. Dear all, for more details on this topic, please see my book " Yoga Vedānta and Sahaj Marg " vol.I.

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  17. Dear all, for more details on this topic, please see my book " Yoga Vedānta and Sahaj Marg " vol.I.

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  18. Excellent, nicely written. Appreciate that fact of finding similar references in ancient literature.

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  19. Whether Guru himself is God or Guru is means to reach, realize and experience God?. This has been clarified by Babuji and Chariji at several occasions.

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  20. God is an 'experience' which happens through Guru?

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  21. Yoga Vedanta and Sahaj marg is very good if read in depth. for that matter any good material if read when condition is good is very very effective.

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  22. It is difficult to understand right meanings of Vedas/ Upanishads with today's knowledge. This article gives fundamental meanings of those while redirecting them to the teachings of current time gurus and practice sahaj marg. This article indicates ancient proofs for sahajmarg philosophy.

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  23. It is difficult to understand right meanings of Vedas/ Upanishads with today's knowledge. This article gives fundamental meanings of those while redirecting them to the teachings of current time gurus and practice sahaj marg. This article indicates ancient proofs for sahajmarg philosophy.

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  24. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  25. God is simple. God is complicated to understand. Kannanji made us to see it simplified with apt correlation. Thanks.

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  26. Very nice article.Those who are interested to come and learn spirituality,they will get good idea about the God concept.What i understood ,even before meditation,was something different from what i experience with sahjmarg meditation under the guidance of our Masters and presently guiding our beloved Master Kamaleshji.God concept an example,there we can compare a blind man,and ask about god,he says God is within,because,he sees Him through inner light,but a person who can see from his eyes,says in a different way, but blind man easily understand,since his samskaras will be very less as compare with the other person who is not gathering unwanted matters day by day,as compare with the other.So when we do meditation,we are also becoming a blind man closing eyes to avoide to see the material world and bringing nothing in front,and concept is to see light in heart,in this case both are alike,is it?the difference is formal can attain God power easily than the other,The person who can see the material world will take time to develop faith in God,since he has to control 5 indriyas.So sahjmarg Masters teaching and guiding the aspirants and changing their inner condition with YOGIC TRANSMISSION.tHIS CAN BE ACHIEVED WITH CONTINUOUS PRACTICE under the guidence of a Master ,who has mastered the universe.We are very lucky,we got such Masters like,Lalaji,Babuji,Chariji and Kamaleshji ,who is the present Master.Now,when we search for God,we can experience through our Masters,that is the God concept of sahjmarg meditation.So i developed faith and continuing sahjmarg meditation even to day.With sahmarg meditation we are evolving day by day and changes are taking place with out our knowledge but under His full support of Masters.

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  27. I shall ever remain thankful for this knowledge,and also I wish to mention that ceartenain abhyasi mentioning to co anhyasis as having seem a light depicting a god ,my opinion to such erson is lease lnow that the mischievous mind playing fool.
    Such presentation to new comers will lead to confusion.

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  28. I shall ever remain thankful for this knowledge,and also I wish to mention that ceartenain abhyasi mentioning to co anhyasis as having seem a light depicting a god ,my opinion to such erson is lease lnow that the mischievous mind playing fool.
    Such presentation to new comers will lead to confusion.

    ReplyDelete