ABOUT GOD or THE CREATOR, Part (1)

Just as the soul acquires a childhood body, a youth body, and an old-age body during this life, similarly, the soul acquires another body after death. This should not delude the wise. (See also 15.08) (2.13)

Just as a person puts on new garments after discarding the old ones, similarly, the living entity or the individual soul acquires new bodies after casting away the old bodies. (2.22)

All beings are unmanifest (or invisible) to our physical eyes before birth and af­ter death. They manifest between birth and death only. What is there to grieve about? (2.28)

All actions are performed by the forces (or Gunas) of Nature, but due to delusion of ego or ignorance, people assume themselves to be the doer. (See also 5.09, 13.29, and 14.19) (3.27)

There is nothing higher than Me, the Supreme Being, O Arjuna. Everything in the universe is strung on Me like different jewels are strung on the thread of a necklace. (7.07)

After many births, the enlightened one resorts to Me by realiz­ing that everything is, indeed, My manifestation. Such a great soul is very rare. (7.19)

            All this is, of course, the Spirit because everything is born from, rests in, and merges into the Spirit (ChU 3.14.01). All this is Spirit. The Spirit is everywhere. All this universe is, indeed, Spirit (MuU 2.02.11). The Bible says: You are gods (John 10.34). The Vedas and Upanishads declare: (1) Consciousness is Spirit (AiU 3.03 in Rigveda). (2) I am Spirit (BrU 1.04.10 in Yajurveda). (3) You are Spirit (ChU 6.08.07 in Samaveda). (4) The Spirit is also called Atma (or Brahman, Brahm, Brahma) (MaU 02 in Atharvaveda). That which is One has become all these (RV 8.58.02). The entire creation and every or­der of reality are nothing but another form of divinity.

            The male musk deer, after a vain search for the cause of the scent of the musk, at last will have to find the musk in himself. After God-realization, one sees that it is the Spirit of God (or Consciousness) that has be­come the universe and all living beings. Everything is con­sciousness. Creation is like countless waves appearing in the ocean of con­sciousness by the wind of divine power (Maya). Everything, including the primordial divine energy called Maya, is nothing but part and parcel of the Absolute.

GOD IS THE ORIGIN OF EVERYTHING
But GOD HAS NO ORIGIN !!

Neither the celestial controllers nor the great sages know My origin because I am the origin of celestial controllers and great sages also. (10.02)

One who knows Me as the unborn, the beginningless, and the Supreme Lord of the universe, is considered wise among mortals and becomes liberated from the bondage of Karma. (10.03)

Discrimination, Self-knowledge, non-delusion, forgiveness, truthfulness, control over the mind and senses, tranquility, pleasure, pain, birth, death, fear, fearlessness, nonviolence, equanimity, contentment, austerity, charity, fame, ill fame ¾ these diverse qualities in human beings arise from Me alone. (10.04-05)

The great saints, sages, and all the creatures of the world were born from My potential energy. (10.06)

One who truly understands My manifestations and yogic powers, is united with Me by unswerving devotion. There is no doubt about it. (10.07)

I am the origin of all. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who understand this adore Me with love and devotion. (10.08)

            That which is One has become this all (RV 8.58.02).

My devotees remain ever content and delighted. Their minds remain absorbed in Me and their lives surrendered unto Me. They always enlighten each other by talking about Me. (10.09)

I shall fully describe the Supreme Being ¾ the object of knowledge. By knowing this one at­tains immortality. The beginningless Supreme Being is said to be neither eternal nor temporal. (See also 9.19, 11.37, and 15.18) (13.12)

            In the beginning there was neither Eternal Being (Sat, Brahma) nor temporal (Asat, Divine Beings, Devas)  ¾ no sky, no air, neither day nor night. There was nothing whatsoever other than the Absolute Supreme Being (RV 10.129.01, AiU 1.01). The Absolute is beyond both Divine Beings (celestial controllers, Devas) and the Eternal Being (Spirit) (Verse 15.18). Therefore, He is neither temporal nor eternal. The Supreme Being or the Absolute is also both temporal and eternal (Verse 9.19) and beyond temporal and eternal (Verses 11.37, 15.18) because He is everywhere, in everything, and also beyond everything. Therefore, the Absolute is all three ¾ neither temporal nor eternal, beyond both temporal and eternal, as well as both temporal and eternal ¾ at the same time.

The Supreme Being has His hands, feet, eyes, head, mouth, and ears eve­rywhere because He is all-pervading and omnipresent. (13.13)

He is the perceiver of all sense objects without the physical sense organs; unattached, and yet the sustainer of all; devoid of the three modes of material Nature, and yet the enjoyer of the modes of material Nature by becoming the living entity. (13.14)

            Self walks without legs, hears without ears, performs many actions without hands, smells without a nose, sees without eyes, speaks without a mouth, and enjoys all tastes without a tongue. All His actions are so marvelous that one finds His greatness utterly beyond description (TR 1.117.03-04). The Supreme Being may be de­scribed only by parables and paradoxes and in no other way. (See also ShU 3.19). Self expands Himself as the living entity to enjoy three modes of material Nature.

            God does not possess a body like an ordinary being. All His senses are transcendental, or out of this world. His potencies are multifarious. Any one of His senses can perform the action of any other sense. All His deeds are automatically performed as a natural consequence.

He is inside as well as outside all beings, animate and inanimate. He is incomprehensible because of His subtlety. And because of His omnipresence, He is very near ¾ residing in our inner psyche ¾ as well as far away in the Supreme Abode. (13.15)

He is undivided, yet appears to exist as if divided in living beings. He is the ob­ject of knowledge and appears as the Creator (Brahm|), Sustainer (Vishnu), and Destroyer (Shankara) of all be­ings. (See also 11.13, and 18.20) (13.16)

            One planet earth appears divided into so many countries; one country appears divided into several states; one state appears divided into counties, and so on; similarly, one Reality ap­pears as many. These are apparent divisions because they have the same order of reality. The term God is used for the Generator, Operator, and Destroyer aspects of Self.

The Supreme Being is the source of all lights. He is said to be beyond darkness of ignorance. He is Self-knowledge, the object of Self-knowledge, and seated in the inner psyche as consciousness (or Ishvara in verse 18.61) of all beings, He is to be realized by Self-knowledge. (13.17)

            I am the light of knowledge of the world. Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in the dark­ness of ignorance (John 8.12). One who knows the Almighty as much more radiant than the sun and beyond the darkness of material real­ity, transcends death. There is no other way (YV 31.18, SV 3.08). The Supreme is beyond the reach of senses and mind. It cannot be described or defined by words. Different means of attaining the Supreme continue below:

Thus, I have briefly described creation, as well as Self-knowledge and the object of Self-knowl­edge. Understanding this, My devotee at­tains My Supreme Abode. (13.18)

(2) About God or Brahman, Part 2: Brahman and Nirvana

One who says that I know Brahman does not know; one who knows the Truth says that I do not know. Brahman is the unknown to a person of true knowledge, it is known only to the ignorant ---Ken Upanishad 2.01-03

                  In Sanskrit the meaning of a word is based on the verbal root from which the word is derived.  The word “Brahman” (also spelled as “Brahma”) is a noun derived from the verbal root “Briha” which means to become big.  Thus the noun Brahman derived from the verbal root “Briha” means “bigness”.  In English, however, the word Brahman is not translated as bigness, but as Absolute Reality.  Let us first examine the meaning of Absolute Reality.  Absolute means ultimate, independent, existing all by itself or complete by itself, and reality means nature, quality, or substance of objects. Thus Absolute Reality means ultimate nature of objects, called Brahman in Sanskrit.  This word also means the substance that exists independent of all other substances and from which all other substances are derived. That from which the origin, sustenance, and dissolution of this universe are derived is called the Absolute (BS 1.01.02, TaU 3.01.01). Thus the Absolute Reality, the substance from which everything is derived, must be “Big” or limitless, because everything else is either derived from it or is included in it.  Because it is absolute, there is nothing else other than  the Absolute Reality, the substratum of everything. Thus Brahman is all encompassing substance --- the root cause of everything, known or unknown, seen or perceived, feelings or emotions, thoughts or things.  Everything is included in the “Bigness” of  Brahman. Nothing is left out --- including God.

                  Brahman is indestructible, dimensionless, beginningless, and limitless. It cannot be measured, seen, or described by a human being that is limited in everyway.  Brahman is ever present and beyond time and space. Actually time and space are included in Brahman. It is the ever present reality of all objects and is also called “Sat” or permanent in Sanskrit. It is also present in the form of consciousness (Chit) or awareness in all living beings that cannot be seen or felt. Brahman in the form of awareness is not present in non-living objects, but Sat is present in both living and non-living objects. Brahman is also limitless (Ananta). Thus Brahman is referred as Sat-Chit-Ananta, or Sacchidananta from point of view of all objects, living or non-living.

                  Everything, perceivable or non-perceivable, in the cosmos is nothing but an apparent transformation of Brahman. It is the cause of all causes. Thus there is Brahman and Brahman only and nothing else. Brahman has apparently assumed different forms like water assumes different forms such as ice, vapor, ocean, waves, ripples, etc. The entire creation is born in time and space, and the time and space abides in Brahman. Thus Brahman is the absolute reality of everything including me, you, the animals, plants, minerals, our thoughts, knowledge, ignorance, happiness, suffering, etc. Thus there is nothing other than Brahman.

                  Brahman is often described as formless, because its transcendental or subtle form cannot be perceived by our senses. It can take any form. All forms are nothing but an apparent change of Brahman from one form to another. Thus it cannot be formless in a real sense. Everything has a form --- visible or invisible to human eyes.  The process or the forces (Shakti) that cause this apparent change or creation is called Lord, the creator. The product of the change is called creation that includes both living and non-living beings.

                  Brahman itself is actionless awareness, and without Maya, the power of nature, it cannot create the world of objects, emotions and thoughts. This Maya, the efficient cause of creation is not separate from Brahman. Similarly, both the material of creation or the material cause of the creation is also in Brahman. Thus the Brahman is not only the entire creation, but also both the material and efficient cause of the creation. It is the creator as well as the creation, all in one. One who understands Brahman in this way can say: I am the limitless Brahman, called Atma, that dwells in the body-mind complex; and not this body-mind complex which is limited. With the dawn of the knowledge of Brahman, one gets rid of want, unhappiness and limitations and attains full maturity and bliss called Nirvana.

The purity of mind that comes from selfless service, KarmaYoga, is required to gain the knowledge of Brahman or the Self-knowledge. "Truly, there is no purifier in this world like the true knowledge of the Supreme Being. One discovers this knowledge within, naturally, in course of time when one's mind is cleansed of selfishness by KarmaYoga. (See also Gita 4.31, 5.06, and 18.78). (Gita 4.38)"