Answers to some questions raised by a reader on another forum:
Q 1. We know that human Soul takes birth and gradually develops to higher state. Same is with people who occupies higher positions gradualy with effort, which may span to more than one birth. I wonder what about Gods like Lord Vishnu, OR Siva etc. As any body created them so that by birth they are Superior (Gods)? Or they too intially born as ordinary Souls in the begining of universe and reached to that highest state? If latter is correct, what is the practice they might have done to reach that highest state?
Answer: Except Narayana or His forms (Vishnu etc.) everybody else starting from Brahma, then Shiva, Parvati, Saraswati, Durga, Kali, Skanda, Ganesha, Indra, Agni, Vayu, Varuna etc. (all 33 crores of devas and other devatas) are Jeevatmas like all of us. They are appointed to these “posts” based on the Balance of Karma at the time of their birth. For example, When Narayana created Brahma, he assigned the soul with the highest balance of good karma and decided to call him by the title “Brahma”. Thereafter other creations were created by Brahma. Shiva was created by Brahma. Ganesha by Shiva and so on. There individual souls that pervade Brahma, Shiva, Ganesha etc, existed even before their birth in that body – they were merely assigned to that body, just as we, the individual souls, have taken on this human body. The final purpose of human life as well as the lifes of these devatas is attaining Moksha. So even Shiva and Brahma are very much seekers of the same Moksha, you and I are seeking. Karma is the only criteria used to take birth as one of the devatas. You must have extra-ordinary balance of positive karma in order to get that birth –however, if you attain Moksha, you become more powerful than these devatas – so why aspire for a lower form of birth? If you strive for it, it is possible to attain Moksha in this life-time itself!
Q2: We see many millioniers around. What poorva punya they might have done to become So rich?
Answer: You see so many devatas also – there are 33 cores of them – what might have been their poorva puna? Can any of these millionaires even equal 1% of Indra’s wealth? Your focus as an individual soul should not be the wealth – it should be Moksha – because on attaining Moksha you don’t have any use for all that wealth. Even as a seeker of moksha, you don’t care for millionaires or their wealth because the Lord is the real owner of all the universe’s wealth and why He is even the Owner of those millionaire’s souls!
Q3: I wonder how Lord Krishna was fond of flute, like any human being fond of something. Is there any spirtual/practical reason behind it? Though some times, by listening to flute, I felt like isolating myself from all worldly matters, relations, the Soul gets isoltaed, gets only Joy and feels like moving towards Lord Krishna Himself. (This may be true with many, of course). Is this the power of flute (Basuri)? That is why Krishna had chosen it as His favorate? and also wanted to tell people that "get isolated, fill only with joy and move towards me (Him)"?
Asnwer: The Lord uses different methods to attract people to come to Him in order to get them interested in Moksha. For the Gopikas he used the flute. One such Gopika was Chintayanti. She achieved Moksha simply listening to Krishna’s music. But when it came to saints and mahatmas, he used different means – for Gyana Yogis he gave them the Bhagavad Gita to rip-apart with their intellects. Whatever you are attracted to, if you see it is a tool provided by Krishna to attract you to Moksha, you cannot go wrong.
Q4: But, even it is so, it may not be ultimate state of moksha, as at that stage, if i am correct,
the Soul has to be completely detached, including from joy !!
Answer: Not necessarily – you can be attached! But be attached as closely as possible to the Lord – His creations – If you can see Him in all things that you are attached you – that would be a way to Moksha. Afterall Ajamil was attached to his last son, whom he had named Narayan. Did he not attain moksha uttering his son’s name in the end at the time of death?
Q5: Does God show bias?
Though in strict sense the answer looks to be yes, However, it is confusing to know correctly.
For:
Does he show bias towards His devotees?
If he does not why people touch his feet?
Yogakshemam vahamyam…. Says, whoever remembers me, I take care of them.
Then, what about people who do not remember Him? Does He bother?
If one believes God keeps the steering wheel of Karma of every one in His hand (like wheel of stock market in the hands of some big corporate/industrialists), then within the boundaries of individual karma, does He manipulate the wheel for his believers here and there so that suffering is diluted
and does not do the same for non-believers? ---- if so, in principle, is it not a bias?
Against:
On the other hand, He also says in Geeta that He has neither affection nor hate to anyone,
He is equal to everyone.
This seems to be correct as there are people who are great believers, but suffer. there are people who do not do even prayers and do not visit temples etc.. and very well off, successful.
Conclusion: No clear-cut answer to this question.
Answer: God does not show bias when it comes to worldly matters. He goes strictly by the rule book that He created (Vedas) before He began creation. Balance of Karma decides everything from your birth, to re-birth to Moksha. The criteria that Balance of Karma should be Zero to attain moksha is universal and applicable to all the paths you may follow – Karma, Gyana, Bhakthi and others. You may choose any path to spend your Karma to bring it to Zero. Having exhausted your karma, when your Karmic balance becomes Zero, that very instant you are ready to leave for Moksha. Moksha is the ultimate state a Jeevatma can aspire to attain – because in Moksha you rise to a level higher than the devatas to live in the Lord’s world – Sri Vaikuntha. Even people such as Arjuna who were very close to Krishna during that avatar have not seen Sri Vaikuntha. Why even Brahma and Shiva have not seen that world. The devatas can meet with Sriman Narayana only at the Milky ocean (Thiruppaar Kadal) not at Sri Vaikuntha. Entry to this world is very highly restricted.
That said, if you are a seeker of Moksha, when it comes to granting Moksha and Moksha alone (this definitely does not include granting you good health and wealth and other mundane pursuits), He is biased towards the followers of one particular path called Sharanagati. There again, I cannot say he is biased – He has declared it in the shastras therefore it is there in the rule-book He created. He has pointed to a short-cut to cut down on your sanchita karma and take the shortest path to Moksha. To those that perform Sharanagati – those who consider that He is everything and don’t have any interest in worldly pursuits – those that see Him in everything and are “Attached” (not detached) to Him and only Him – sure He grants them the ultimate desire and aspiration – of attaining Moksha.
Q6: Is law of karma (action-time delay-reaction) one to one map?
For example, if X beats Y, it is not necessary that Y will get back same as a reaction to pay his dues. If one does God’s prayers consistently and/or do remedies, then Y may get diluted reaction OR may even completely get rid of the reaction? If this Is true? Then, the karma rule is not so rigid for some and rigid
for some.
Hence does it amount to a bias?
Answer: The law of karma is not what you have stated as (action-time delay-reaction)! Karma is to be interpreted as accumulation of points for your actions that you then expend through other actions. Reaction happens because of nature or involvement of other stakeholders. Neither you nor the Brahmam controls the reaction. You cut down a tree – nature will react. Now let us come to your example: X beat Y. You could react in one of the following ways: 1. Hit X back. 2. Remain quiet and do nothing 3. Shout back, give X a mouthful of foul language. X acquires karmic bad point whatever the reason for hitting Y. If X does prayaschitta, he could nullify that bad-point. If Y does reaction no. 1, Y gets a karmic bad point. If from the blow he received from X, Y is in deep pain, he is expending some of his past karmic bad points. If Y does reaction no. 2, he does not get a karmic good point, but then he does not get a karmic bad point either. If Y does reaction no. 3, he would receive a different number of karmic bad points than reaction no 1. Y can again nullify the bad points acquired in this transaction by doing prayaschitta or repentence (heart-felt). If not, the karmic bad points accumulate in the sanchita karma baggage that keeps getting wider from every such action we take in daily life. If one does “God’s prayers consistently and/or do remedies” – you don’t necessarily gain karmic good points. If your prayer is directed to Sriman Narayana (and Him alone) and you request cancellation of some/all of your karmic bad points, He is bound to ask you, “what have you done that you are asking for cancellation of your Karmaic bad points.” If you have done some Karma (action) that He is pleased with, He could cancel some or all your Karmic bad points from a particular transaction or phase of previous life. Sriman Narayana alone reserves the right to interfere in your Karmic balance – no other devata. Other devatas can give you what they are capable of – they can give you wealth, better health etc. But your Karmic balance, you have to expend through enjoyment (you are spending karmic good points) or suffering (you are spending karmic bad points).
The law of karma – that you get karmic good points for good deeds and karmic bad points for undesirable deeds, and no points for some deeds is universal – there is no bias in the award of these points to anyone whosoever – including the devatas starting from Brahma.
Here are some questions I came across from a person I have interacted with in the past on a forum. I will try to answer to the best I know:
Q 1. We know that human Soul takes birth and gradually develops to higher state. Same is with people who occupies higher positions gradualy with effort, which may span to more than one birth. I wonder what about Gods like Lord Vishnu, OR Siva etc. As any body created them so that by birth they are Superior (Gods)? Or they too intially born as ordinary Souls in the begining of universe and reached to that highest state? If latter is correct, what is the practice they might have done to reach that highest state?
Answer: Except Narayana or His forms (Vishnu etc.) everybody else starting from Brahma, then Shiva, Parvati, Saraswati, Durga, Kali, Skanda, Ganesha, Indra, Agni, Vayu, Varuna etc. (all 33 crores of devas and other devatas) are Jeevatmas like all of us. They are appointed to these “posts” based on the Balance of Karma at the time of their birth. For example, When Narayana created Brahma, he assigned the soul with the highest balance of good karma and decided to call him by the title “Brahma”. Thereafter other creations were created by Brahma. Shiva was created by Brahma. Ganesha by Shiva and so on. There individual souls that pervade Brahma, Shiva, Ganesha etc, existed even before their birth in that body – they were merely assigned to that body, just as we, the individual souls, have taken on this human body. The final purpose of human life as well as the lifes of these devatas is attaining Moksha. So even Shiva and Brahma are very much seekers of the same Moksha, you and I are seeking. Karma is the only criteria used to take birth as one of the devatas. You must have extra-ordinary balance of positive karma in order to get that birth –however, if you attain Moksha, you become more powerful than these devatas – so why aspire for a lower form of birth? If you strive for it, it is possible to attain Moksha in this life-time itself!
Q2: We see many millioniers around. What poorva punya they might have done to become So rich?
Answer: You see so many devatas also – there are 33 cores of them – what might have been their poorva puna? Can any of these millionaires even equal 1% of Indra’s wealth? Your focus as an individual soul should not be the wealth – it should be Moksha – because on attaining Moksha you don’t have any use for all that wealth. Even as a seeker of moksha, you don’t care for millionaires or their wealth because the Lord is the real owner of all the universe’s wealth and why He is even the Owner of those millionaire’s souls!
Q3: I wonder how Lord Krishna was fond of flute, like any human being fond of something. Is there any spirtual/practical reason behind it? Though some times, by listening to flute, I felt like isolating myself from all worldly matters, relations, the Soul gets isoltaed, gets only Joy and feels like moving towards Lord Krishna Himself. (This may be true with many, of course). Is this the power of flute (Basuri)? That is why Krishna had chosen it as His favorate? and also wanted to tell people that "get isolated, fill only with joy and move towards me (Him)"?
Asnwer: The Lord uses different methods to attract people to come to Him in order to get them interested in Moksha. For the Gopikas he used the flute. One such Gopika was Chintayanti. She achieved Moksha simply listening to Krishna’s music. But when it came to saints and mahatmas, he used different means – for Gyana Yogis he gave them the Bhagavad Gita to rip-apart with their intellects. Whatever you are attracted to, if you see it is a tool provided by Krishna to attract you to Moksha, you cannot go wrong.
Q4: But, even it is so, it may not be ultimate state of moksha, as at that stage, if i am correct,
the Soul has to be completely detached, including from joy !!
Answer: Not necessarily – you can be attached! But be attached as closely as possible to the Lord – His creations – If you can see Him in all things that you are attached you – that would be a way to Moksha. Afterall Ajamil was attached to his last son, whom he had named Narayan. Did he not attain moksha uttering his son’s name in the end at the time of death?
Q5: Does God show bias?
Though in strict sense the answer looks to be yes, However, it is confusing to know correctly.
For:
Does he show bias towards His devotees?
If he does not why people touch his feet?
Yogakshemam vahamyam…. Says, whoever remembers me, I take care of them.
Then, what about people who do not remember Him? Does He bother?
If one believes God keeps the steering wheel of Karma of every one in His hand (like wheel of stock market in the hands of some big corporate/industrialists), then within the boundaries of individual karma, does He manipulate the wheel for his believers here and there so that suffering is diluted
and does not do the same for non-believers? ---- if so, in principle, is it not a bias?
Against:
On the other hand, He also says in Geeta that He has neither affection nor hate to anyone,
He is equal to everyone.
This seems to be correct as there are people who are great believers, but suffer. there are people who do not do even prayers and do not visit temples etc.. and very well off, successful.
Conclusion: No clear-cut answer to this question.
Answer: God does not show bias when it comes to worldly matters. He goes strictly by the rule book that He created (Vedas) before He began creation. Balance of Karma decides everything from your birth, to re-birth to Moksha. The criteria that Balance of Karma should be Zero to attain moksha is universal and applicable to all the paths you may follow – Karma, Gyana, Bhakthi and others. You may choose any path to spend your Karma to bring it to Zero. Having exhausted your karma, when your Karmic balance becomes Zero, that very instant you are ready to leave for Moksha. Moksha is the ultimate state a Jeevatma can aspire to attain – because in Moksha you rise to a level higher than the devatas to live in the Lord’s world – Sri Vaikuntha. Even people such as Arjuna who were very close to Krishna during that avatar have not seen Sri Vaikuntha. Why even Brahma and Shiva have not seen that world. The devatas can meet with Sriman Narayana only at the Milky ocean (Thiruppaar Kadal) not at Sri Vaikuntha. Entry to this world is very highly restricted.
That said, if you are a seeker of Moksha, when it comes to granting Moksha and Moksha alone (this definitely does not include granting you good health and wealth and other mundane pursuits), He is biased towards the followers of one particular path called Sharanagati. There again, I cannot say he is biased – He has declared it in the shastras therefore it is there in the rule-book He created. He has pointed to a short-cut to cut down on your sanchita karma and take the shortest path to Moksha. To those that perform Sharanagati – those who consider that He is everything and don’t have any interest in worldly pursuits – those that see Him in everything and are “Attached” (not detached) to Him and only Him – sure He grants them the ultimate desire and aspiration – of attaining Moksha.
Q6: Is law of karma (action-time delay-reaction) one to one map?
For example, if X beats Y, it is not necessary that Y will get back same as a reaction to pay his dues. If one does God’s prayers consistently and/or do remedies, then Y may get diluted reaction OR may even completely get rid of the reaction? If this Is true? Then, the karma rule is not so rigid for some and rigid
for some.
Hence does it amount to a bias?
Answer: The law of karma is not what you have stated as (action-time delay-reaction)! Karma is to be interpreted as accumulation of points for your actions that you then expend through other actions. Reaction happens because of nature or involvement of other stakeholders. Neither you nor the Brahmam controls the reaction. You cut down a tree – nature will react. Now let us come to your example: X beat Y. You could react in one of the following ways: 1. Hit X back. 2. Remain quiet and do nothing 3. Shout back, give X a mouthful of foul language. X acquires karmic bad point whatever the reason for hitting Y. If X does prayaschitta, he could nullify that bad-point. If Y does reaction no. 1, Y gets a karmic bad point. If from the blow he received from X, Y is in deep pain, he is expending some of his past karmic bad points. If Y does reaction no. 2, he does not get a karmic good point, but then he does not get a karmic bad point either. If Y does reaction no. 3, he would receive a different number of karmic bad points than reaction no 1. Y can again nullify the bad points acquired in this transaction by doing prayaschitta or repentence (heart-felt). If not, the karmic bad points accumulate in the sanchita karma baggage that keeps getting wider from every such action we take in daily life. If one does “God’s prayers consistently and/or do remedies” – you don’t necessarily gain karmic good points. If your prayer is directed to Sriman Narayana (and Him alone) and you request cancellation of some/all of your karmic bad points, He is bound to ask you, “what have you done that you are asking for cancellation of your Karmaic bad points.” If you have done some Karma (action) that He is pleased with, He could cancel some or all your Karmic bad points from a particular transaction or phase of previous life. Sriman Narayana alone reserves the right to interfere in your Karmic balance – no other devata. Other devatas can give you what they are capable of – they can give you wealth, better health etc. But your Karmic balance, you have to expend through enjoyment (you are spending karmic good points) or suffering (you are spending karmic bad points).
The law of karma – that you get karmic good points for good deeds and karmic bad points for undesirable deeds, and no points for some deeds is universal – there is no bias in the award of these points to anyone whosoever – including the devatas starting from Brahma.
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