Exposing the blunders of advaita philosophers - part 5

The case of the atheist is worst because he does not accept the sweet even in theory. He eats mud accepting it as mud. For him there is no sweet. Only mud is the ultimate reality. The Advaita scholar and the blind devotee eating mud as sweet are better than the atheist because they have at least accepted the concept of sweet in theory. They are eating the mud as a representative of the sweet. But the Advaita philosopher does not accept that the mud represents the sweet. He says that the mud is the sweet. The atheist says that the mud is the mud and there is no sweet. Now what is the difference between the Advaita philosopher and the atheist? The Advaita philosopher calls the mud as sweet. The atheist calls the mud as mud. Except this theoretical difference, both are practically eating mud only. At least the blind devotee who is eating the mud as representative of the sweet is better than these two because he recognizes the sweet separately from the mud. Since he is unable to get the sweet, he is eating the mud assuming it as sweet. Therefore in the representative worship (Pratika –Upasanam) the knowledge of the separate existence of the represented item and the representing item exists. Veda says that the inert sun in the sky can be worshipped as God (Adityam Brahma Iti Upasita). Veda says that you can worship the sun assuming the sun as God. This does not mean that sun is really the God. The same point is further clarified by Veda (Nedam tat yadida mupasate). The second statement clearly means that sun is not God because sun is worshipped as the representative of God. Such representative worship is the beginning stage of the correct path. Therefore if you worship a photo or a statue representing God, It shows only the beginning stage of the right path and it is not the wrong path at all. But if you believe the statue as the God directly, you have fallen even from the beginning of the right path and you have entered the wrong path. A photo or statue of Rama can represent the actual Rama but cannot be Rama directly. The photo or statue is good because it inspires you and develops your devotion. But remember, that your inspiration or developed devotion is only theoretical and there is no trace of practical devotion in it. It is only the beginning stage of devotion. A better stage will be to practically worship any human being representing Rama. The photo has developed your theoretical devotion but if you worship the photo practically, it is foolishness. If you apply scent to the photo, it is waste, because the photo can not enjoy the applied scent. Instead of that, you select a devotee of Rama as the representative of Rama and apply scent to him. Even though he is not Rama, he is enjoying the scent. Thus your practical devotion is at least fruitful and meaningful. Instead of rubbing the sweet on the mouth of the statue of Rama, give the sweet to a devotee of Rama and be satisfied that Rama has enjoyed the sweet through that devotee. In fact, God lives in the heart of the devotee and really receives your practical worship. Even if the human being is not a real devotee, at least the human being can be assumed as a representative of Rama. Thus service to human beings can be assumed as service to God. The humanity can be assumed as a representative item for God. But serving the devotees is far better than the social service. At least while serving the humanity, you should do the service in the name of God so that the society of human beings can be treated as a representative of God. Try to develop the devotion in the human beings while serving them. However, such a service cannot touch God directly or indirectly. It only develops the devotion in you. Therefore Sankara condemned the school of social service without relating it to God (Loka sevaka mata khandanam). Sankara did not oppose the social service in the name of God. This school considers the society as God directly and pleads that service to society is the direct service to God. This point was refuted by Sankara. Therefore mere social service done by atheists is of no use. Such social service gives only heaven from which one has to return to Earth after enjoying the fruit of the service for a short time (Kshine punye –Gita). Thus serving any human being in the name of God or keeping him as a representative of God is better than serving the humanity without any mention of God. The direct worship to God is possible only if you can catch the present human incarnation. The God who lived in the body of Rama is present in the human body of the present human incarnation. Only blessed and liberated souls can get such rare divine fortune. The human incarnation is the best and real address of God. The next best address is a devotee. When you eat the sweet, you are directly happy. When you hear that your son was given that sweet, then also you will feel happy because you have eaten the sweet indirectly through your son. In these two cases only, God is fully pleased. Since it is very rare to recognize and approach the human incarnation, the best convenient way for all is to worship the devotee. Devotees are available in plenty. Among the devotees, select the best one by doing analysis. Leaving the atheist, who prepares the sweet and eats himself saying that there is no God, all the other devotees are good, but their levels are different. If you are a beginner, you are not criticized. An LKG student should not be condemned. Only a boy who does not come to the school at all (Atheist) is condemned. But you will be also criticized if you sit in LKG class throughout your life. You should not be beginner only till your death. You know life is very rare. Christianity and Islam say that there is no re-human birth. Even Hinduism says that human birth is very rare, which means almost impossible. In such a case, should you sit in the LKG class only throughout your life? You can worship the statues and improve your inspiration, which is the theoretical devotion only. The devotion should become practical. There is no fruit for the theoretical devotion. It becomes fruitful only when it is expressed as practical devotion, which is service or worship. You have to leave the statue when you start the practical devotion. If a devotee is not available, serve any human being and try to convert him as a devotee so that your worship can be continued with that person. If a human being, who has become a devotee already, is available, your effort becomes easy. When you are worshipping the devotees, in course of time, God in human form will approach you. You are almost an atheist if you try to use God for solving your personal problems. At the Lotus Feet of His Holiness, Sri Datta Swami