Vishnu, Shiv, and Durga - The 3 forms of Almighty God

Response to a question: In one of your lectures, you have said that there are 3 main forms of the Almighty - Vishnu, Shiva, and Durga. Isn't the third main form of the Almighty Brahma? I thought Durga was a part of Shivji. Can you kindly clarify my confusion?

This is a very good question and a common misconception. Brahma is actually a celestial god (note that it is written with a small or lower case 'g'). He is a devta, not bhagwan. Devtas or celestial gods are under maya, which means their abode is temporary and is destroyed when the universe is dissolved. Supreme God (big or upper case 'G') or Bhagwan's abode is beyond maya, Divine and eternal, so it is not affected by the dissolution of the universe. If somone worships a celestial god (like Brahma, Indra, Vayu, Agni, Varun, Kuber, etc.), they go to the abode of that celestial god. But they don't stay forever. They return to this world and take birth again. If someone worships any form of supreme God (like Krishn, Ram, Vishnu, Shiv, Durga, Ganesh, Kartikeya, Kali, Gauri, Amba, Lakchmi, Saraswati, Parvati, Hanuman, etc.) then they go to the supreme Divine abode of God which is beyond maya and they stay there forever, never to be reborn in this world under the bondage of maya.

To address your questions directly, yes Shiv and Durga (or Parvati) are one. Durga is shakti and Shiv is shaktiman (the base in which the power resides). The three main almighty forms of God are Vishnu, Shiv and Durga, because all the other almighty forms are affiliated to them. Lakchmi and Saraswati are affiliated to Vishnu; Ganesh, Kartikeya and Hanuman are affiliated to Shiv; and Kali, Gauri, Amba, etc. are affiliated forms of Durga. So all those forms are Divine and almighty, but Vishnu, Shiv and Durga are considered main. Beyond the almighty forms of God (and including Them and all Their powers) are the loving forms of God Krishn and Ram (which included Radha and Sita).

Where does Brahma come in and why do we talk about Vishnu, Shiv and Brahma? In the creation of the universe, Krishn's almighty power, Maha Vishnu of Vaikunth abode, creates the whole universe and becomes omnipresent in it. The universe is endless. In the endless universe, uncountable number of planetary systems, or brahmandas are created (a brahmand includes an earth planet with its sun and other planets, and a corresponding swarg (celestial abode) and narak (hellish abode). In every one of those brahmandas, God Vishnu and God Shiv take avatar in order to manage the affairs of that planetary system. In every brahmand there is also a Brahma who is assigned to be the creator of that brahmand. He creates with the power given to him by supreme God. Vishnu maintains the brahmand and Shiv destroys it in the end. These are the three governors of a brahmand. Both Vishnu and Shiv are avatars of God from the Divine world. Their abodes in this brahmand are also Divine, like embassies of the Divine abode, here in the material plane. Brahma's abode is the topmost celestial abode, and Brahma himself is not a form of supreme God, he is a celestial god.

To review, Brahma is one of the three governors of a brahmand, along with Vishnu and Shiv. However, Vishnu and Shiv are forms of supreme Divine God, and Brahma is a celestial god.

Swami Nikhilanand, JKP Radha Madhav Dham. © 2011. All rights reserved.  

Why should one not seek liberation and why it is not good for us?

The reason for not desiring liberation can be understood in several ways:

1) We all want perfect happiness. Liberation is a state of no experience, or absolute peace. This means that you are not experiencing any pain or any happiness. We attain such a state every night in deep dreamless sleep. While in that state we do not experience anything. Only when we awaken or when we start dreaming do we start experiencing pleasure and pain again. A state of no experience that extends forever and ever is the state of liberation. So liberation is undesirable because it is not a state of happiness, it is a state of no experience. However, if you attain God in His personal form (sakar brahm) then you get to experience Divine happiness, which is perfect and unlimited and you are also free from pain.

2) In the state of liberation, the soul loses its personal identity and merges into formless God (absolute non-dual state). The soul still continues to exist, but has no personal identity because the body and mind are destroyed forever and only the soul remains. Without a body or mind, the soul has no means of experiencing anything, not the world nor God. So even though the soul has merged into God, there is no experience of God or even any self awareness that you exist. So liberation is undesirable because you remain bereft of any experience of God. However, if you attain God in His personal form, then you receive Divine mind, body and senses with which you can experience God. You can see God, touch God, hear God, etc. You are not separate from God, but at the same time, there is a duality which allows you to experience God and God's Bliss. You enter into God's Divine abode and stay there forever.

3) The Bliss of liberation is called brahmanand. This is the Bliss of formless God which is unlimited, but which is unexperienceable once you merge into God. The Bliss of Radha Krishn is called premanand. This is the Bliss of Divine love. It is said to be uncountable times greater than the Bliss of formless God. Liberation is undesirable because if you get liberation, you remain bereft of premanand forever.

4) If you attain premanand, it includes liberation. You are automatically liberated from maya and the cycle of birth and death when you attain God's love.

Swami Nikhilanand, Radha Madhav Dham. © 2011. All rights reserved.