Re: GOD within Us
Namaste Anirudh,
Originally Posted by
Anirudh
1. I understood your explanations through the dream, dreamer, characters with in the dream example. Characters within the dream can't act independently, but the dreamer can. But the dreamer i.e. us are governed by the gunas of Prakruthi. Then what exactly is a free will?
Free-will is also within Prakriti just like i-ness (AhamkAr) and is closely associated with AhamkAr and intellect. Characters in the dream seemingly act independently even though they get powered by Consciousness of the dreamer. The dreamer doesn't know how a particular character is going to act in the dream next moment ... e.g. you may find that a friend suddenly turns violent and slaps you hard or a snake comes out from nowhere and bites you or a flood comes from nowhere and you are swept away etc. So, even though these dream-characters have no independent existence apart from the Dreamer's consciousness, they seemingly act independently. Similarly, even though all of us get our conditioned consciousness by the all-pervading Infinite Pure Conscious which is God through ChidAbhAs we apparently act as different individuals and act seemingly independently.
See, Brahman/Self which is Infinite and everywhere has power of projection and veiling the Reality which is called MAyA or Prakriti. This Prakriti acts by the power of God/Brahman/Self and creates five mahabhUtas, observing and memorising mind, intellect and ahamkAR (I-NESS) etc. Even though these arise within Prakriti, these create different virtual beings with the different combination of the above and attaching with past impressions.MAyA or Prakriti is beginningless and so are past impressions. These impressions (also called Karmas) keep creating this world and the beings again and again in different yugas.
2. What is the difference between Maya and Free will? If Maya is there to make me believe my actions have originated because of me or I am doing them then how can this Maya be removed from me?
If Maya is to be shunned then why do we need a free will?
MAyA and Freewill cannot be separated because as I stated above, Freewill arises due to AhamkAr, intellect, past impressions etc. which are product of MAyA. What I just wanted to say that even though MAyA arises due to Brahman and all beings arise due to Brahman and Brahman is the substratum or essence of everything, Brahman is neither MAyA nor the beings. Brahman, remains witness and keeps records of all actions (as it is underlying Consciousness).
3. How can all of us are in him but he is not in us?
Very difficult question ! In fact, he says in other place in Bhagwad Gita, "I am the self in the heart of all beings" and still He is not there in the beings ! See, there is nothing but Infinite Consciousness and therefore, there is nothing which can be outside that Infinite Consciousness which we also call God. So, the whole creation including all of us are within Him.
However, even when virtual being has arisen on the bosom of Infinite Consciousness due to effect of MAyA, Brahman remains changeless and unaffected as everything happens as Mithya apparently. That is due to special characteristics of Brahman and MAyA. So, when Brahman always remains the same even though apparently a whole lot of events keep taking place ... Brahman doesn't change its position and therefore, God says that He is not there in the beings. This is a paradoxical situation where He is there in one sense and He is not when seen differently.
Why does He say that He is in the heart of all beings ? "Heart" means "core" or "essence". God is essence of all beings and of everything and therefore it is said that He is there in the heart of all beings. In fact, the only Truth, the only Reality is God/Brahman/Self and everything else is Mithyaa.
OM
"Om Namo Bhagvate Vaasudevaye"
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