Conversations with My Master His Holiness Shri Datta Swami

[dattaswami]

32.   What is Samadhi? Is it God Realization? [Dec. 31, 2007]


‘Sam’ means complete, ‘a’ means forever and ‘dhi’ means determination. When the determination is complete and eternal in the God’s mission, it is called Samadhi. When Jesus was arrested, He did not go back. He determined Himself to carry on the cross because that was the work of God and will of God. He has taken the determination to do the work instead of so many insults. So many people insulted Him, inspite of all these insults; He determined to do the work of God. Such complete and eternal (not shaken by any problem and by any opposition) determination is the Samadhi. A complete and full determination that which leads to practice is known as Samadhi. In fact, Jesus determined to accept the crucifixion as God’s will.

Samadhi does not mean to become ‘unconscious’. It is the misinterpretation of the word Samadhi. Shankara determined to leave His old mother. In that, several people would have argued with Shankara by saying no, no, you should not leave your old mother. He determined that God’s work is more important than His mother. He told that God would save even His mother. For God, nothing is impossible. Even if I stay with My mother, I may not be able to save her. Suppose Shankara lives with His mother and she goes to the river and just slip and drown, can Shankara save? No. Even if He goes for God work and even if she slips into the river, God will help her and she will reach the bank of the river. The strong firm determination to do the practical work of God in spite of anybody’s opposition and not to be carried away by anybody’s advice is known as Samadhi. It is not closing eyes and becoming unconscious to the world etc. You can get such Samadhi even by using drugs and everybody goes to Samadhi in deep sleep. Some people take some injections and drugs and some people smoke and become unconscious and say that they have attained Samadhi! These are all the misinterpretations of the word Samadhi.

Thus the word Samadhi means complete determination and decision taken with conviction and intelligence standing strong on the decision all the time irrespective of the outside influences. In such state of determination, the external body is not affected by any other thing or thought. The thought is the complete absorption in God, remembering God only, and continuing in that all the time. This is the internal sense of the word Samadhi. If you are firmly involved in some work, you will not mind external disturbances. For example, Jesus was firm about His belief in God, even during His crucifixion and torture. He was fully absorbed in God through determination and firm decision.

[dattaswami]

33.   The qualities of human beings should not be criticized since God created them?

God created the basic material for the qualities and we create the qualities. God created water. We create waves in the water. The material of the quality i. e., nervous energy is created by God. Quality depends on us also. Quality diverted to wrong side is bad quality. The diversion itself is a bad quality. You are only responsible for the choice of the diversion. Therefore, you are completely responsible for your choice. He created the material and we create direction. God is not responsible for the diversion. For example, take the quality anger. It can be diverted to God or to world. Any quality is created to direct it to the right direction. The choice of wrong direction is by the soul only.

Soul can never cross the space, which is the Mula Maya. When God comes in human form, He also comes under the world. Only when He does some miracle, which is of unimaginable nature, He goes to imagination state. Rest of the time, Human Incarnation feels that this world is real. He goes to imagination state only while performing miracle and not while preaching or not in His behavior in this world.

[dattaswami]

34.   Whether eating the non-vegetarian food is a sin?

Growth is not a characteristic of life. A crystal grows in a solution. Nail grows. Life and respiration is also there in a plant. You will say that we will give some injection to the animal so that it will not feel pain during killing. This you do it by force. If you do not give injection and kill, the animals can have full expression of life and lead an enjoying life; that you are opposing. The dormant nature of conciousness already exists by itself. Suppose you donot give injection; it can entertain and enjoy its life. In the case of plant, God has already given the injection to it. It is an arrangement made by God.

However, in case of killing animal, God has not made such arrangements. Eating non-vegetarian food is not at all a sin, because if you analyse, once it is killed it not a sin. It is killed beause you eat non-vegetarian food. Sin will come only for the killing. After it is killed, it becomes as good as an inert body. Eating flesh is not a sin. But, the animal is killed to eat the flesh. In Hindu religion, there is a set of people called as Bhairava religion. They eat dead bodies. Is it not a sin? No. They have not killed. It is not a sin because there no is killing involved. The dead body is as good as a chapatti. Eating flesh is not a sin. Killing the living being to eat flesh is the sin.

[dattaswami]

35.   How do you know that there is a God?


The straight answer for it does not require quoting scriptures etc. because a non-believer will say that scripture is also some theoretical imagination. The only proof for God is the human incarnation coming into the world, and directtly performing the unimingable miracle and by that He proves the existence of the unimaginable God. He also preaches about the unimaginable God. You are unable to know the unimaginable miracle He performs. Neither you analyze nor do you perform the miracle. Thus, human incarnation is the authority for human beings. Jesus told I came to fulfill the statements of scriptures. The scriptures are fulfilled by the arrival of the human incarnation. Jesus arose a person who died three days back. Nobody can do it. It is not possible for an ordinary man. The same Jesus told that there is God. You cannot analyze this miracle and also, cannot understand the miracle and hence, the performer of the miracle is the sole authority in this field.

You should either perform the miracle and say that God does not exist or accept the miracle performed by the human incarnation and the existence of God. But, you should do it in genuine way. Somebody acts as if he is dead and asks him to rise afterwards; not like that. Such things are magic. If you can also do the miracles and say God does not exist, then we will agree and we will say that all these scriptures are just bogus. That is why these scientists and atheists fight with miracles. They are only catching their throat. They are always enemies to the miracles. That is the only hard nut for them. If they cross that hard nut then they have won. Scriptures alone cannot stand unless something is demonstrated. That is why Jesus told I came to fulfill the statement of scriptures. I demonstrate or perform the theoretical knowledge preached in the scriptures. Only human incarnation’s miracle is the only answer for these atheist and scientists.

[dattaswami]

36.   How are the qualities generated from food?

Food is the source of awareness. In 18th chapter of the Gita, three types of foods are mentioned i. e., Satvik, Rajasik and Tamasik food. Food, which is stored for long period, is tamasic food. For example, the fermented food produces ethyl alcohol. Ethyl alcohol produces some drowsiness, laziness, inertness etc. Like this food has effect on qualities.
If somebody takes some fatty food, it gives some sort of ego and pride. Thus, to certain extent food influences the qualities. The association with other persons and with environment etc., also effect the formation of qualities in a person.

[dattaswami]

37.   What happens to the medium at the time of death?
The jiva leaves the body only with a medium, during death. An energetic body is formed as soon as the jiva leaves a body in death. It takes Yathana Shariram to go to hell and takes Bhoga Shariram to go to heaven.

[dattaswami]

38.   Kindly explain the meaning of ‘Jnanaagnihi sarva karmani’?


By the knowledge given by the satguru, not only future sins are dissolved but the past sins are also dissolved. What is the necessity of punishment when soul is transformed? There is no need of punishment in such case. However, the fruits of past good deeds remain. The fruits of bad deeds are removed. The knowledge can dissolve everything. Knowledge is like fire. That is why Yohan (John the Baptist), told that the one who comes after me will bathe (baptize) you with fire. After complete purification by fire of knoweldge, you are relieved from all the sins. When you are relieved from future sins, you are automatically relieved from the past sins also. Jesus told that He would excuse the past sins.

[dattaswami]

39.   In the Gita, Krishna told that caste system is created by Me. Why?
God has given the classification of caste based on qualities and their deeds but not by birth. Son of a scholar need not be a scholar.

[dattaswami]

40.   In the Gita, it is said that ‘No work binds Me’. What is the meaning of this?

God does not aspire for any fruit. He does not have any selfish aspiration. Therefore, He will not do any selfish work. Here, karma means the work done to achieve selfish goals. Such work will not touch Him and cannot bind Him. He will not be bound by the work for achieving the selfish goals because He does not have any selfishness. There is nothing for Him to achieve for Himself. Work means work done to achieve a selfish goal. Unselfish work will not bind. Always a fellow is bound limited by selfish work only. Unselfish work never binds. Suppose you are doing a job. If you go to work with the attitude like ‘this is my job’, ‘I have to maintain my family’ etc., then you get tension. Suppose you attend the job of your friend, you do it without any selfishness. You are trying to help somebody else when some problem comes. There will be not any tension for you.

When you do your work, imagine that it is not your work and it is somebody else work you are doing then you will be relieved from tension. When such is the state that even by assumption, you are relieved of tension and then if you really work for others, you will be really relieved from tension.

[dattaswami]

41.   Why Advaitins take food?

Though all the qualities are destroyed in an advaitin, some energy is needed for the body to function and so the food is necessary. Even though all the qualities are destroyed, the awareness is maintained and functions in an advaitin. The awareness thinks atleast the space. When everything disappears in the mind, the mind becomes blank. What is this blank? It is nothing but space. The mind is thinking about the energy. So, the process of thinking is going on. It is imagining the space. The awareness is still functioning. The process of knowing is still continuing. The process of knowing is completely withdrawn in deep sleep and there it becomes inert energy. Then also, energy is necessary for the functioning of respiratory system, heart etc. Hence, food is needed.

[dattaswami]

42.   How God is truth?

Truth means existence. Not every existence is God. God exists. Pot exists, house exits but pot is not God and house is not God. God is bliss. God is having bliss. Not every bliss you get is God. God is truth but truth is not God. Here, truth is taken as existence. The only information about God is that God exists or God is the truth.

[dattaswami]

43.   In the Gita, it is said that God is without beginning, middle and end. How?

Known items have beginning, middle and end. For unimaginable God, there is no beginning, middle and end; since He is unkowable.

[dattaswami]

44.   What is to be inferred after seeing the universal form of Lord Krishna?

Here, the universal form shown by Krishna proves existence of God. God is the basis of the universe. God existed in Krishna. When universe is shown in Krishna, Krishna is proved to be the basis of universe. Krishna was God because God was in Krishna.

[dattaswami]

45.   Both in the Gita and the Veda, lot of logic and reasoning are used which is not found in other scriptures. Please explain?

This difference is due to the difference in the receiver and their need. The requirement in those countries at that time was only to preach the Pravrutti. In India, the requirement was Nivrutti. The logic was well developed in India. So, the reasoning and final conclusion was given here. The Bible and the Quran teach about the good behavour of the human beings towards other human beings. First, the existence of God has to be established there. But, if you see the scripture like the Gita, Nivrutti is mainly stressed. The metaphysics was well developed in India.
Nobody knows God. No soul can know. Realization of existence of God is only the ultimate.

[dattaswami]

46.   Suffering should disappear if people repent completely. However, we do not see it in all cases? [Dec. 31, 2007]


Jesus told that I would excuse all your sins if you have changed. What is the aim of the punishment? It is only reformation. Why God is punishing? Is it for revenge? Certainly, God will not punish for revenge. Punishment given by God is only for the transformation of the soul. If the soul repents and the soul is transformed, what is the need of punishment again? There is no need. However, in some cases we do not see the abrupt stoppage of suffering.
This is because, you certify your repentance and change, but God has to certify your repentance and change. Sometimes, you might have changed only 60%, 50% or 40%. You may think it is 100%.

 You may think that you have repented and changed fully. But, you may repeat the sin in some other new circumstances. Therefore, the certificate is to be given by God. He has to examine and He has to convince that you have transformed completely. Once God gets convinced that the soul has got completely transformed then certainly the miseries will disappear. Even if one gets such state, he will become the liberated soul. He has liberation from all miseries and all the karmas. But a liberated soul cannot keep silent. He has to enter the world to serve the mission of God and he almost has the same state of God. God wants to entertain Himself and in the entertainment, He wants misery also. In that case, He gets misery but not attached by misery. He enjoys the misery. It is completely different.