Mind, soul and our true identity

Question: I was reading in the Bhagavad Gita that we are not really the doers of our actions. These are the verses I was reading:

The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature. BG 3:27

The place of action [the body], the performer, the various senses, the many different kinds of endeavor, and ultimately the Supersoul — these are the five factors of action. BG 18:14

Whatever right or wrong action a man performs by body, mind or speech is caused by these five factors. BG 18:15

Therefore one who thinks himself the only doer, not considering the five factors, is certainly not very intelligent and cannot see things as they are. BG 18:16

If this is the case, which it certainly must be if Krishn says it is, then who are we behind all of that? If we are not the actual doer then who are we? What is our individual identity once we break free from maya? Do we even have an individual identity? Does each jiva have individual characteristics in the spiritual world that define us the way that we do here in the material world?

I know that in essence we are all jivas (souls) but we also have individuality in this world as defined by our personalities and other characteristics that define us materially. I also understand that those characteristics are worldly and temporary. Are we, then, as individual souls, any different from each other once we reach the point of shedding the body or in reality are we all the same/equal in the spiritual sense?

Answer: Our true identity is the Divine soul. The soul, being infinitesimal, has no form (is nirakar), so it is impersonal. Along with the soul, we eternally have a material mind and senses which are part of our personality. The same mind and senses have been with us since eternity and go with the soul when we change bodies (die). The soul has a personal identity when it has a mind. When the soul gets liberation, the material mind and senses are dissolved back into the mayic energy and only the pure soul merges into formless God. In this state, the soul still exists. The soul can never cease to exist. However, the soul no longer has a personal identity, because it has no mind or body or senses. But soul retains its impersonal identity as an individual soul merged within God. This is the situation when a soul receives mokch or mukti and merges into impersonal God (nirakar brahm).

When a soul attains the personal form of God (sakar brahm), then that soul receives a Divine mind, senses and body, and thus retains his personal identity. He enters into the abode of the form of God which he attained. The individual traits of that soul's (Divine) personality are unique to him because they are determined by how he loved Krishn during his devotional period, what his relationship is with Krishn, what kind of desires he had from Krishn while doing devotion, how he likes to interact with Krishn, etc. So the Saints in Krishn's Divine abode are all very individual in their behavior, personality, love for Krishn, etc. In the Divine world, there are tall Saints, short Saints, young Saints, old Saints, skinny Saints, hefty Saints, quiet Saints, loud Saints, playful Saints, serious Saints, bashful Saints, bold Saints, etc. In other words, you are still you, even after God realization. Your personality remains, but you have become Divine.

Regarding the soul being the doer (karta) of actions, or being a non-doer (akarta), we find both kinds of references in our scriptures. Soul on its own cannot think or know or experience or do anything. Soul with a mind can think, know, experience and act. Technically, it is the mind that thinks, knows, experiences and performs actions, but it only does so because the soul is giving life to it. Since the mind cannot do anything unless the Divine soul is giving life to it, so from that point of view, the soul could be said to be the doer. But since it is actually the mind with which we think, and soul cannot think without a mind, so the mind is said to be the doer. The mind is made of maya, and the soul is Divine. Since the mind is made of maya (as are the senses and body), so it means the mind is made of sattva, raj and tam (the 3 qualities of maya). Each person thinks and performs actions according to the quality which predominates in his mind at that time. When sattva predominates, then a person's thoughts and actions will be good. When tam predominates, then a person's thoughts and actions will be bad. When raj predominates, then a person's actions will be selfish, but neither good nor bad. According to a person's quality of mind, so will be the quality of his thoughts and actions, thus the mind is said to be the doer. The soul is beyond sattva, raj and tam because the soul is not mayic. Thus, the soul cannot be sattvic or rajas or tamas, but our mind is. So, the soul cannot be said to be the doer of any sattvic or rajas or tamas action. It is the mind which is the doer. For all of these reasons, our scriptures say that mind is karta and soul is akarta.

However, if we understand the situation more deeply, we see that the mind is not our true self and cannot do anything without the energy it receives from the soul. It is a very subtle matter, and the analogies I am about to give you do not exactly capture the truth of the matter, but they point us in the right direction. First of all, understand that the soul and mind are completely together, like if you pour water (the mind) into milk (the soul), then you cannot visually see any separation between the two. They apparently are one. Like this, the mind is adhyasth (established) in the soul. Secondly, understand that the potential for all thought and action resides only in the soul. The mind is a lifeless energy since it is part of maya. So mind has no life, and it cannot think or do anything on its own. The potential for thought and action lies within the soul, just like the potential to see lies within the mind and the subtle sense of sight (with which you see the dreams). However, just as you cannot see unless your physical eyeball is in place, you cannot think unless you have a mind. The eye is just a physical thing and the real sense of sight is subtle and lies within the mind, yet without the lens of the eye in place, the potential to see cannot be realized. Similarly, the mind is just a lifeless mayic energy, yet without the mind in place, the potential to think which lies within the soul cannot be realized. Another analogy is that of the engine of a car, which produces potential kinetic energy. The firing of the pistons turns the drive shaft which has the potential to move the car forward. However, unless the drive shaft is connected to the axle of the car, the wheels will not move forward. Similarly, the soul provides the energy for all of our activities, but without the mind, that potential energy cannot be put into action. Thus, from this point of view, soul is said to be karta (the doer).

Now that I have laid out these basic points, let me address the specific verses which you mentioned.

The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature. BG 3:27

The meaning of these verses is very abstract is a part of the Sankhya philosophy. It is a very dry and intellectual philosophy which in gist tells us that we are not the mind, we are the soul. If you know that much, it is enough. Nonetheless, I will elaborate a little on these verses to clarify things and eliminate any confusion. When Shree Krishn says that you are not the doer - the 3 gunas of maya (sattva, raj, tam) are the doers - it doesn't mean that you are not responsible for your actions. You are. It means that your mind, which is made of sattva, raj and tam, is the doer. But you are not the mind. You are not a mayic being. You are the Divine soul. Depending on the quality of your mind, you will perform actions accordingly, but the soul is beyond sattva, raj, tam. So the soul cannot be said to be the doer of any sattvic or rajas or tamas action. But the person who is deluded by the effect of maya, who is not beyond ego, believes that he is his mind and he is his body. So he performs all of his actions with attachment in the world. The main point is that you are not mayic, so don't be attached to the mayic world. You are Divine and you belong to God, so love Him. The one who believes himself to be the mind and body believes that he is enjoying the pleasures of the world and suffering the pains of the world. In fact, it is just the interplay of the mayic gunas. Your mayic mind and senses indulge in the mayic objects and then experience pleasure or pain. But none of this has anything to do with the soul. The soul is Divine and desires only God. Therefore, live in the world without attachment, moving through your life and fulfilling your duties with your attachment in God. Then you will not perform any binding actions, because the binding quality of an action is due to the worldly attachment. That means that while performing all of the actions, you will not be performing any actions, because you are doing them without any attachment. This is the "non-action action" of the Gita, which is also called karm yog.

The place of action [the body], the performer, the various senses, the many different kinds of endeavor, and ultimately the Supersoul — these are the five factors of action. BG 18:14

Whatever right or wrong action a man performs by body, mind or speech is caused by these five factors. BG 18:15

Therefore one who thinks himself the only doer, not considering the five factors, is certainly not very intelligent and cannot see things as they are. BG 18:16

In this sequence of verses from the 18th chapter, Shree Krishn elaborates on what factors are involved in performing an action. As I explained above, soul alone cannot perform any action. Here Shree Krishn mentions five factors: body, senses, mind, cheshta (effort) and daiv, which means destiny (in this case, the destiny being referred to is our sanskars, which affect the state of our mind and influence our moods and desires). All are involved in carrying out any action. Krishn also mentions that not only what we do physically counts as karm, but also what we say and what we think. Then He says that if someone believes that the soul alone can perform actions, then they are mistaken. The soul plus the mind, senses, body, etc. performs the actions. In the 17th verse He tells Arjun again that if he performs his actions without attachment, then those actions are non-actions (they will not bind him).

I will conclude by mentioning that to correctly understand any spiritual philosophy, it is imperative to learn it from a God realized Saint. This is why I strongly recommend all people to read the books and listen to the speeches of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj in order to understand the teachings of any scripture, including the Gita. By reading these scriptures directly, we multiply our confusion, not our understanding. Only a true Saint can distill the knowledge of the Gita and other scriptures into a form which is understandable to ordinary souls like us. His book "Prem Ras Siddhant - The Philosophy of Divine Love" and his speeches "Brahm Jeev Maya Tattva Gyan" and "Main Kaun Mera Kaun" are treasures of knowledge which clear all a devotee's confusions and give him correct spiritual knowledge. These are available (or will be available soon) from the JKP bookstore.

The soul is ansh of God, part of jeev shakti, anu chit, ansh of sat chit anand, thus desires sat chit and anand.

Choosing a particular tradition, Guru & aspect of God

I'm unsure about how to choose a particular denomination in Hinduism. How would someone new to Hinduism pick a particular tradition, Guru, aspect of God, etc.? What influenced you to decide to worship Radha Krishn and to follow Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj?

The term we use in Hinduism for denomination is 'sampradaya', which means a lineage or tradition within Hinduism which was established by the followers of a particular Saint after he left the earth planet. The truth is that the original Master doesn't start the sampradaya. All Saints essentially teach the same thing: to surrender to God to receive His Grace and through His Grace attain Divine Bliss. This is the essence of Hinduism and the essence of the teachings of all true Saints in history. Internally all Saints are one; and essentially, their teachings are the same. However, the details of their explanations of the Hindu scriptures may appear to differ, but only on the surface. It is difficult (or impossible) for a material mind to reconcile these apparent differences, yet, essentially, all Saints taught the same thing: to surrender to God. A Saint may teach his followers a particular way of worshiping God which differs from what another Saint taught. But the reason for worshiping is the same: to become surrendered. So you see, the essence is the same, but the details differ. A Saint teaches the form of devotion which will be most helpful to those people at that time. Once he leaves, then people continue to follow his teachings, but what often happens is that they rigidly follow the outer formalities and forget that the real goal is to become surrendered. Thus, a sampradaya is born and is followed for many generations. Often the followers of different sampradayas bicker and criticize each other. They debate over the differences in the philosophical descriptions of their original Masters and argue about which form of worship is right. This is all a waste of time. Sampradayas are formed and eventually disappear. But the original teachings of Hinduism in the Vedas, Upnishads, Gita, Bhagwatam and other scriptures are eternal. And the original and eternal path to God (bhakti or surrender) is above differences in physical formalities of worship and above any sampradaya.

Thus, you do not need to choose a sampradaya. However, you do need to choose a goal. Hinduism teaches that the search for happiness can be directed either towards maya (the material world), or towards God. Those who direct their search towards maya find disappointment because there is no lasting happiness in the world. Those who direct their search towards God find perfect happiness. But even those who direct their search towards God need to be more specific in what their ultimate goal is. Why?

Because God has 3 main aspects, called bhagwan (loving God), parmatma (almighty God), and brahm (formless God). These are 3 aspects of one single God. The way to attain any of Them is the same: bhakti. Devotion to formless God is called gyan yog. Devotion to the personal form of God (either loving or almighty) is called bhakti yog. In all cases, complete surrender to God to receive His Grace is required. Those who ultimately attain formless God are freed from all kinds of suffering forever, but then merge into formless God and remain in a state of Divine peace which is unknown to them because they have no body, mind or senses with which to experience. Those who attain almighty God (Whose main forms are Vishnu, Shiv and Durga, and Whose many affiliated forms include Ganesh, Lakchmi, Parvati, Saraswati, Kartikeya, Kali, Gauri, Amba, and others) receive a Divine body, mind and senses and go to the the Divine abode of their worshiped form of God forever. There they experience unlimited Divine Bliss (included in this is the release from all sorrows forever). Those who attain loving God receive that, and more. What is more? They not only get to see God in His Divine abode (like those who attain almighty God) but they get to have close personal interaction with Him. The form of loving God is Radha Krishn, Whose more reserved form is Sita Ram.

A Saint represents the particular form of God which he has attained, and teaches devotion to that particular form of God. This is why different Saints taught devotion to different forms of God. It is a choice we need to make: which form of God do we wish to attain? This choice is made based on what Divine experience we wish to attain. Since we need the help of a Saint to follow the path to God, choose a Saint who is teaching devotion to that particular form of God you wish to attain.

So you see that you are not required to choose any particular sampradaya; but rather you choose to follow the guidance of a particular living Saint based on what your ultimate goal is.

I chose to follow devotion to Radha Krishn because They are the most loving form of God Who award the most intimate relation to the souls who surrender to Them. And I chose to follow Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj because he teaches devotion to Radha Krishn and clarified what the goal is for me, as well as teaching a simple and practical style of devotion.

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

Relationship of soul to soul and soul to God

The relationship between souls is that we are all brothers and sisters in the true sense because we all have the same Divine mother and father (Radha Krishn). However, the attachment of our mind should only be for Radha and Krishn because that will result in attaining Them and going beyond maya. If we attach our mind to any of our brothers and sisters who are bound by maya, that will increase our material bondage and result in rebirth.

Like all the waves on the ocean are related eternally to the ocean. They originate from the ocean, are established in the ocean and return to the ocean. The individual waves may meet up with each other (like the individual souls on this earth), but that meeting is only temporary. The relation of the wave to the ocean is permanent (like the relation of the souls to God).

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

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.  

Leelas of God

(Reply to a question on why Bhagwan Ram killed Sambuca)
There are some very important points to keep in mind when reading or listening to any leela of God. The first is that all of God's leelas are Divine. What does it mean that they are Divine? It means that since God has no personal reason to do anything, whatever He does is because of His unconditional kindness. Whereas, before God realization, a soul can only perform actions for the fulfillment of his own happiness, so all of his actions are material. Once he finds that happiness by attaining God, he becomes a Saint, and then that Saint also performs all of his actions for the benefit of others. So all the actions of God and God realized Saints are done for the benefit of others, because they do not need anything for themselves, and they are also beyond anger, greed, desire, etc. So their actions are considered Divine. They are already whole and complete and do not have any reason to do any action, but they still perform actions just to Grace the souls.

The second thing to remember is that we cannot understand all of the reasons behind every Divine action of God and the Saints. It is similar to how a 5 year old cannot understand all of his parents' actions, even if they try to explain them to him. When his intellect reaches the level of his parents' intellect, then he can understand all of their actions. So when we become God realized and we get a Divine intellect, then only will we be able to understand all the actions of God and the Saints.

For these two reasons, it is best not to allow our mind to indulge in asking 'why' when it comes to God's actions. We should assume that whatever Ram or Krishn did was all out of Grace and kindness, even if we can't understand how it is so. When we get to His level, with His Grace, we will understand. Regarding the specific instance to which you refer, the individual whom Ram "killed" was sent directly to Ram's Divine abode. This is true for all instances of "killing" in God's Divine leelas. When Ram killed Ravan, Ravan went back to Ram's abode, as did any other demon or person who was killed by Ram or Krishn or any other form of God. So the act of God "killing" someone is in fact just the act of God sending that person from this material world to His Divine abode. What greater Grace could there be?

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.  

What is the goal of human life?

The answer to this question is very simple. The purpose of human life is to attain God. Every human desires happiness, and only God is perfect happiness. Every soul naturally desires happiness because he is eternally related to God, Who Himself is perfect happiness. For a deeper explanation on this topic, please see the first chapter of the book by Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj, "Prem Ras Siddhant".

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