इंद्रहुँ संपति लहि इन इंदि्रन मिटत न कैसेहूँ काम ।
मन अति चपल चपलताहूँ ते चलत रहत बसुयाम ।
हौं हरायों समुझाय विविध विधि नहि मानत गति बाम ।
रसिकन कही मानि अब तुम्हरी शरण गही घनश्याम ।
ब्रज रह देहु पिलाय 'कृपालिहंु' भटकत थकि गय पाम ॥
(Prem Ras Madira)
In this padh, a soul is asking Shree Krishna for His unconditional love. It is said that we shouldn't ask for anything from God, but why we are asking for His love? Is asking for unconditional love of God bad? Swamiji explains the intriguing philosophy.
A devotee humbly asks Shree Krishna, “ O Nandakimar Krishna, when will I meet you? All the four Vedas tell that You are my mother, father and Beloved. When will that day come when I will see You? Please listen to my humble cry.
O Shree Krishna, You have uncountable Divine associates but You alone are my only refuge. I have suffered all kinds of pain in this world. Please listen to my cry.
You have been quietly watching me taking birth after birth in this world in unncountable species. Now at least listen to my cry.
Your maya is bahiranga shakti (lifeless, external and amazing power). All the souls and gods and goddesses dance to its tune. Please listen to my humble cry for You.
Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj says in the words of a devotee-O shree Krishna, maya is Your personal power. What can a soul do when even Bramha and other great gods remain under its influence? So, O my beloved Krishna, please listen to my humble cry (and Grace me with Your love).”
Ajamil was a sinner of no bound. In his death bed, he started yelling out his son's name which happened to be "Narayan". This act of Ajamil caused a confusion between Yamdoots and Vishnudoots. Yamadoots said that since Ajamil was a sinner, they have come to take him and Vishnudoots said that since he took name of Lord Narayan, they have come there to take him to Lord's Divine abode.
This story from Shreemad Bhagwatam is often misinterpreted.
People assume that simply by taking Lord's name, without actually thinking of Him, Ajamil went to Vaikunth. But, it is not so. In the lecture below, Shree Maharajji clearly illustrates the complete story of Ajamil, what happened to him after he heard the dialogue of Yamdoots and Vishnudoots and how he went to Vaikunth, later. Shree Maharajji also beautifully explains the importance of mann (mind) while chanting God's name.
One of the most important requirements for spiritual progress is single minded devotion to God, i.e. Ananyata. 'Ananya' means 'no other', exclusive, or undivided devotion.
'Ananya Prem' means to love just one - God and nobody else. We have learnt earlier that there are three eternal truths: God, Soul and Maya (an eternal, cosmic and lifeless power of God). If a soul does not love God, then which 'other' entity does he love? It has to be people or objects under the influence of maya, since there is no fourth entity or realm for the soul to love. Souls who have not attained God as well as all other inanimate (material) objects are classified as mayic.
If an individual's mind is attached to anyone or anything other than God, then he will not be called as an 'Ananya' follower. Loving God alone is what ananyata means. Consider the honest and truthful Harishchandra. He never lied throughout his life. Hence, he was honored with the name, 'Satya' Harishchandra. If he had lied just once, then his honesty could be questioned. In the same way, even if we have 0.1% attachment (of the mind) for any person or material object, our devotion to God will not be exclusive or single minded.
This popular and simple shlok from the Puranas say:
tvameva mātā cha pitā tvameva,
tvameva bañdhuśhcha sakhā tvameva
tvameva vidyā draviṇam tvameva,
tvameva sarvam mam deva deva
This shlok reminds us to use the word 'only'. That means "You (God) are my real mother. You are my real father." The one who gave birth to me is not my real mother. She is the mother of this material body. You are a soul and your real mother, father everything is God, i.e. all your relationships are with God alone. The soul is spiritual by nature and its subject of interest is God, who is Divine. If anything other than the Divine enters the mind, it becomes an obstacle in reaching the state of 'exclusivity'.
ek bharoso ek bal, ek ās viśhvās
bhrātā bhartā cha bañdhuśhcha pitā cha me rāghavaḥ
more sabaī ek tum svāmī, dīnbandhu ur antaryāmī
Lakshman said "O Ram! You are my father, You are my mother, You are my brother, You are my everything. The rest (Lord Dashratha), are not mine. Those relations are material and confined to this material body." This is such a strong statement that Lakshman said to Shree Ram who was an embodiment and personification of dignity and respect. Devotion and respect to mother, father and elders were
his principle ideals. But Lakshman said, "I am not ready to accept this principle and my ideal is only one, Shree Ram. My material father and mother are growing old and will soon die. They are not my eternal parents. The soul is related only to God. You are my shelter and You are my everything, hence I shall come with you." Shree Krishna says in the Gita:
māmev ye prapadyante māyāmetām taranti te
"The one who comes under my shelter alone and surrenders completely to me, I will free him from the clutches of Maya. If you do not apply the word only, then I am not responsible." 'Ananya' implies that the mind should be exclusively attached to God and nowhere else. 'Else' refers to the realm of Maya. Maya has three modes - sattva gun (mode of goodness), rajo gun (mode of passion) and tamo gun (mode of ignorance). A person of sattva gun is considered to be a good person. A person of rajo gun is considered to be a normal person and the one with tamogun is considered to be a bad person.
There are 8.4 million species on the earth planet. Amongst them, the human form of life is the only one where spiritual practice is made possible to get rid of all sorrows and attain eternal happiness. This human life is so rare that even celestial Gods long for it. This human form can only be attained by the ultimate grace of God.
We are already aware that Supreme God, Shree Krishna is synonymous with Bliss. Therefore, this proves that the attainment of God is the only goal of human life, since we all seek happiness. We also know that the only way to achieve this is to practice Bhakti (Devotion). In Bhakti, all we need to do is remember God in our mind and keep increasing our love for Him. We have to increase the longing for His Divine vision. This alone has the power to purify our hearts and when the process is complete, our guru will bestow upon us the priceless Divine love of Shree Radha Krishna.
There are many types of Bhakti, but three of them are most significant: - Shravan Bhakti, Kirtan Bhakti and Smaran Bhakti.
Shravan Bhakti means to listen to knowledge related to God, understand it and follow it. To chant, sing and immerse ourselves in the Divine names of God, His virtues, His glories and His pastimes is known as Kirtan Bhakti.
Smaran Bhakti is to deeply meditate on the form of God in your mind. This is called as Roopdhyan. Every individual is qualified and has the right to do Bhakti, unlike other paths (Gyan and Yog) where there are many rules, conditions and pre-requisites.
There are three main conditions which every follower of the path Bhakti has to fulfill.
trinādapi sunīchen tarorapi sahiṣhṇunā |
amāninā mānden kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ ||
Humility trinādapi sunīchen- A devotee must be more humble than a blade of grass. A devotee must realize and consider oneself to be more humble than a blade of grass. When you crush grass under your feet, it never protests or complaints. It bends as directed and then becomes straight after a while. In the same way, one should always be humble in his/her behavior.
Forbearing / Tolerance tarorapi sahiṣhṇunā - A devotee must be more forgiving/tolerant than a tree that bears fruits. When someone throws a stone at the tree, it does not get angry but in return, gives us a fruit, is it not amazing! It replies to your anger with a sweet fruit for your benefit! Svayam na khādanti phalāni vṛikṣhāḥ. The tree itself does not eat the fruits. It feeds everybody.
Respect for others - A devotee should not be looking for praise or compliments, but rather have respect for others. A devotee should always give respect to others and should not desire respect in return.
In this way, one should lead a life filled with humility, tolerance and respect for others. A devotee should always chant, sing and remember God, His pastimes, His grace and virtues with affinity every moment.
Having respect for others without seeking any compliments, being humble and always forgiving, all of these virtues can be expressed in one word, Humility. It is the foundation of devotion. Devotion starts, stays, and develops only on the basis of humbleness. Any touch of pride and ego spoils it, just like a pinch of salt spoils a cake. Pride or ego is an obstacle in devotion. Humbleness of a devotee develops dedication to his master and dependence on God's Grace.
Annual Sadhana Shivir (October 17th-November 22nd, 2010) in the auspicious presence of Shree Maharajji has begun in Rangeeli Mahal, Barsana. Sharat Poornima and Shree Maharajji's birthday was celebrated there on 22nd of October.
It is a fact that every individual performs actions with a
specific aim. No one can remain inactive even for a moment and no action is
performed without a purpose.
The Darśhan Śhāstra declares-
prayojanamanuddiśhya mando̓pi na pravartate
However, we can say that every individual performs various
actions every moment with a single purpose. It may appear strange but it is
true. Some do good deeds and some perform bad ones. In reality, everyone
performs actions that give them happiness.
Like an evil person finds happiness in harming others, a
Saint performs actions for the welfare of others which give Him happiness. The
motive behind achieving wealth, health, wife, son, fame, beauty is one -
HAPPINESS. This proves that without any teaching or training every individual
wants happiness and nobody wants sorrow, grief or pain because
ānando brahmeti vyajānāt (ved)
Happiness, Bliss, peace are other names or synonyms for
God. Now arises a question. What is the relationship between our desire
for happiness and God being Bliss personified? Yes, there is a relation.
īśhvar añśh jīv avināśhī (rāmāyaṇ)
The relation is that every individual soul is an eternal
part of God, and God is Bliss Personified. Therefore being an eternal part of
Him, every individual soul naturally seeks happiness. No soul can ever
wish for sorrow.
Since infinite lifetimes, all of us are searching happiness
in this material world but according to our scriptures (Vedas) and our personal
experiences, there is no doubt that worldly happiness is short lived. It is
finite and illusive. When we eat a rasgulla (an Indian sweet) for the first
time, we experience great pleasure. But if someone asks us to keep eating the
same sweet, we feel like vomiting. So if there is pleasure in rasgulla or any
such object, then we should experience this pleasure for ever. But this is not
the case. Why don't we derive constant happiness from that object? In the same
manner, the pleasure from wealth, spouse, children, food etc. keeps on
fluctuating and finally comes to an end. So why haven't we attained true happiness till now? Because
we have not understood, realized and decided the true nature of happiness.
Where is that kind of happiness? How can we attain it? Surprisingly, despite
our continuous efforts to achieve happiness, we have not understood what and
where we will get this happiness. Happiness is that which is unlimited, ever
increasing and ever lasting. Sorrow cannot overccome it, like darkness cannot
overcome light. So where is this kind of happiness? The answer to this
question can be categorized into two areas (which are intensely debated) -
materialism and spirituality. According to materialism, there is no entity or
authority called God and one will get happiness through material objects.
Whereas, according to spirituality, only God is Bliss and by attaining God we
can be happy for eternity. There is no other way to the attainment of happiness
and removal of pain and suffering.
raso vai saḥ
The Vedas declares that even the most intellectual cannot
comprehend God because He is beyond our material senses and by the grace of God
even a fool can know God. Thus, every individual seeks happiness and since God
is Bliss, everyone is a seeker of God. Every person will work continuously till
he attains true happiness and peace.
The materialists deny the existence of God, but they can
only claim that there is no entity called God if according to the scriptures,
we do not attain God even after surrendering to a Guru and performing devotion.
The conclusion is that we must believe in the existence of
God. But a question arises: what is our purpose of worshiping Him? Yes, there
is a purpose. We are all selfish in nature, and whoever satisfies our
self-interests, we get attached to that person. We all long for unlimited,
everlasting happiness and that happiness is only in God. All our self interests
will be fulfilled by worshiping God, and without understanding Him we cannot
attain true happiness Therefore, having a human body, if we do not understand
God, that will be our greatest mistake. We would have to suffer in the cycle of
8.4 millions species of life, because only in the human form, we can attain God
and acquire the knowledge of God, to attain our ultimate goal of Divine Bliss.
Radhopanishad is saying that the personality whom Shri Krishna worships, is known as Radha. And the personality whom Radha worships, is known as Krishna. Both worship one another. The Vedas are saying that one personality has assumed two forms. Again, Radhopanishad states, "Radha and Krishna have one intellect, one mind, one soul, and even one face. They have one knowledge. This is why there is no difference between these two. If someone thinks there to be a difference, it is an offence." It is a different matter altogether that someone says it from the point of view of nectar-but to actually think that Radha is greater, or Krishna is greater, leads one to a hell named Kalasutra for as long as the sun and the moon are in existence, in other words, till the dissolution of the universe. Considering Radha and Krishna to be different is such a serious offence. So, both are the same.
Narad Pancharatram states that She is the Supreme Personality, beyond whom there is no other. Vrishbhanu’s daughter, Radha, is the primordial nature, from whom everything came into being. ‘Ra’ and ‘Dha’ mean, “one who creates, one who preserves, and one in whom creation merges.
Narad Pancharatram again states that Shri Krishna’s half part is Radha, and Radha’s half part is Krishna. Shri Krishna says, “I have assumed the form of Radha.” Radha Ji says, “I have assumed the form of Krishna.” Radha is saying, “The form of Krishna is none other than Myself.” “When I assumed the male form, people started calling me Shri Krishna.”
So, again, Narad Pancharatra says that Just as milk and milk’s whiteness are the same, likewise Radha and Krishna are the same. The whiteness of milk cannot and should not be separated from milk itself. In the same way, no one can separate milk from the whiteness. Both are the same.
Again, Narad Pancharatra says that Mahalakshmi, the consort of Mahavishnu, the creator of countless universes, was manifested from Radha’s left side. Durga, Jayanti, Kali, Bhadrakali, Kapalini, Durga, Kshama, Shivadhatri, Svaha, Tvadha, and Vaishnavi are all born from fractions of Kishori Ji.
Countless Vishnus are born from the toenails of Kishori Ji, not just one.
Ved-Vyas Ji explained the meaning of the name ‘Radha.’ The one who fulfills desires of an individual who sheds a few tears, is known as Radha. This is in the Brahma Vaivarta Puran. Devi Bhagavat Puran says, "First utter the name of Radha; then Krishna. One who does keertan in this manner, attains Golok." Radha’s name is uttered first. No one says KRISHNA RADHA. Everyone says RADHA KRISHNA or SHYAMA SHYAM. So, the word Radha is described in many places. Rasik saints have spoken so much on Radha that there is no end to what they have said. In our Braj there came great Jagadgurus, great Acharyas, like Vallabhacharaya and Nimbarkacharya, Gaurang Mahaprabhu, Ramanujacharya, Madhavacharya. Madhvacharya and Raanujacharya, these two Jagadgurus, were devotees of Lakshmi-Narayan. The remaining saints and acharyas of Braj were all devoted to Radha-Krishna. Madhvacharya was devotee of Lakshmi-Narayan. His disciple Madhavendra Puri was devotee of Radha-Krishna. His disciple Ishvar Puri was a devotee of Radha-Krishna, and his disciple Gaurang Mahaprabhu was also a devotee of Radha-Krishna.
So, only Vallabhacharya says only one thing, and that is that Radha is not equal to God, and that She is God Herself. She is Brahm Herself. And Nimbarkacharya says that Radha is the power, and Krishna is the powerful one. According to him, power and the powerful one are non-different but also different from one another. This is why both are one and also two. Gaurang Mahaprabhu says that Radha and Krishna are eternally two, and eternally one and the same. This is to say that all Acharyas are accepting Radha and Krishna to be one and the same. Even Ramanujacharya and Madhvacharya, who are devotees of Lakshmi-Narayan, also write in their respective philosophies that Mahalakshmi is worshipped as Radha also.
So, this is why we must not think Radha and Krishna to be two separate entities, but from the point of view, Radha is more important.
Who is Shree Krishna? What is the nature of His birth? Why should we be concerned with His Birth? To get the answers, we shall approach the Vedas for they are the greatest authority.
भूतं भव्यं भविष्यं सर्वं वेदात्प्रसिद्ध्यित
To find out anything about the past, present or the future, we must go into the Vedas. Why? Although there are numerous scriptures in Hinduism, yet
अनादिनिधना नित्या वागुत्सृष्टा स्वयम्भुवा
The Vedas are eternal. They were not written by anyone. They are not someone’s brainchild. Not even God’s. The Vedas are without a beginning, just as God is. Since when have the Vedas existed? As long as God has. And since when has God existed? As long as the Vedas have.
वेदो नारायणः साक्षात्
You can call the Vedas Vedas, or you can call them God, Narayan. Just as God is beyond the reach of a material mind and intellect, so are these Vedas. The Vedas say –
नावेदविन्मनुते तं बृहन्तम्
He who does not know the Vedas, does not know God.
आचार्ववान् पुरुषो हि वेद
We can know the meaning of the Vedas if we let someone who knows the Vedas, guide us. It is only through the guidance of a Divine Teacher, a Guru, that we can comprehend the meaning of the Vedas.
Some naïve people say that Shree Krishna was in the human form, and that which has form cannot be eternal. There is a part of the Vedas called Upanishad. The Upanishads contain the real essence of the Vedas. Even western philosophers have lavished praise on these Upanishads. Schopenhauer studied the French translation of the Upanishads for many years. He acknowledged, “In the whole world there is no study so elevating as that of the Upanishads. It has been the solace of my life. It will be the solace of my death.” Max Mueller said, “If these words of Schopenhauer required any confirmation, I would willingly give it as a result of my life-long study. And I also say that the Upanishads cannot have been written by a human.” The illustrious German philosopher Paul Deussen writes in his book titled ‘Philosophy of Upanishads,’ “There never was a scripture that could equal the Upanishads, nor is, nor will ever be in the future.” The French philosopher Victor writes, “The Upanishads are unequalled. They cannot be compared to any other scripture.” The great German philosopher Frederick says, “The Upanishads are like the sun, and all the other philosophies of the world are like the rays.” It is these Upanishads that will tell us about Shree Krishna.
There are many mantras in the Upanishads that say that God does not take birth. Yajurved, for example.
He is aja, He does not take birth. But He takes innumerable births. Such mutual contradiction. He does not take birth, but He takes innumerable births. We find such mutual contradictions sometimes even in the world. The hair on our head is devoid of consciousness. Our nails are also not conscious. And yet, hair and nails emanate from a conscious body. Stick a needle in any part of your body, and it will hurt. And yet you do not feel the slightest pain as you get a haircut or as you cut your nails. You will not even notice it if someone were to cut off your hair as you sleep. So you see, the mixture of that which is conscious and the non-conscious. On the rose bush, you have the beautiful flower and the prickly thorns. We see some mutual contradiction even in the world. It is natural, therefore, to find these mutual contradictions in God.
(Extract from explanation of above padh by Shree Maharajji)
Radha-Krishna's love for each other is very interesting. Both want to give pleasure to the other. So that is why the fight arises. Just like when two people are standing in front of a car and one says ‘first you’ and the other says ‘no, first you’. So a fight arises. So that is the kind of fight of Radha-Krishna. So what is the fight in this Jhulan leela.
The gopis, they made all kinds of arrangements, they decorated the Jhula on the bank of the Yamuna by a tree and they decorated it very nicely and once the arrangements were completed they invited Radha and Krishna to come there. So Radha Krishna reached there but then Radha Ji thought that Shri Krishna gets pleasure in serving me so She said that today I will sit on the Jhula (swing) and Shyamsundar will push me. At the same moment Shri Krishna thought that Radha Ji gets pleasure in my service so let me give Her my service today. So He said, today I will sit on the swing and Radha Ji will push. So now the fight started.
Radha and Krishna, both, were not willing to concede. So all the arrangements that had been made, the whole leela stopped there. The gopis were trying to convince them to agree to the other person but neither of them is agreeing. Shri |Krishna is saying that I will sit on the swing and Radha will swing me and Shri Radha is saying, no I will sit on the swing and Krishna will swing me. So this fight has arisen for the sake of the others happiness.
Now if one sees this fight – they are fighting all day long from morning to evening – it appears very strange. That these kinds of fights take place in the world between, worldly father, mother, brother, sister, wife, husband – they fight like this ‘I will do this’ – “no I will do this!” – and in Golok, Shri Krishna’s Divine Abode also such fights are taking place. How is that, is that Golok also like our material world. So Maharaj Ji says ‘no there is an internal secret to it – the fights in the world are the cause of sorrow and misery and those fights in Golok have got Divine Ras, Divine Bliss in them, which is experienced in that fight – fighting for seva so the things that we see in this world, anger, greed, envy – these defects which we see in worldly personalities; these defects exist even in Golok, in the God realised saints in the gopis – they also have anger, they also have greed but the difference is that the defects in them are Divine. They are not for their own happiness. They are for the sake of Shri Krishna’s seva.
So those defects have got divine ras in them – Divine bliss. Externally if you see, the activity will be the same – someone is getting angry and fighting in the world – someone is getting angry and fighting there (in Golok), someone is showing greed in the world and someone is showing greed out there (Golok). But the difference is internal. In the world these defects are due to maya and in Golok these defects and due to yogmaya. So in the world these defects result in unlimited sorrow and misery. And in Golok these same actions result in unlimited divine bliss. So the area of the two are different although the activity is the same.
Just like we cry for worldly relations – if your father passes away you cry. In the same way the gopis also cry for Shri Krishna. Now the activity of crying is the same but the experience is completely different. In India there is a very famous love, worldly love its called ‘Laila Mujnu’ – there was a couple called Laila Mujnu – it is folk lore about how tremendous their love was for each other and finally they committed suicide for each other. So it is famous, people say ‘oh you love each other like Laila Mujnu. So Maharaj Ji says that if you see Meera bai’s love for Shri Krishna, you will say she is also like Laila Mujnu. But Maharaj Ji says, no, externally it may appear to be like that. The saints also have a body like us, they also talk, hear, taste, touch etc., they also love like us, but the area is different. In worldly love the object is material and in divine love the object is divine. So because the object of our love is divine, that is why we get a divine result. Our mind becomes purified by loving a divine object. Just like if you have a dirty cloth and you wash it in dirty water, it gets dirtier, and if you wash the cloth in clean water it starts getting cleansed.
So here this fight was going on for the sake of each other’s happiness and the gopis were trying to convince both yugala sarkara, but neither Shri Radha nor Shri Krishna were listening. Then finally when there was no solution in sight then Kripalu Ji Maharaj came there. So Maharaj Ji came in between and He said, what is this fight going on in your Golok. So Radha Krishna said, ‘where have you come from, what is it to you’. So Maharaj Ji said – no, I’ve come from the material world – from Mrityalok – but I want to know what is this fight. So the gopis told Maharaj Ji what the fight was about, this is why Radha Krishna are fighting. So Maharaj Ji said “Ok, Ok, if that is the fight then I will tell you the solution. What we’ll do is that both of you, Radha Krishna, you both sit on the swing and I’ll push both of you – there is no need to fight”. So Radha Krishna they both laughed and they both sat on the swing and Maharaj Ji started swinging them.
Little Kanhaiya is getting up in the morning, and His eyes are looking very sleepy.
Filled with nectar, the eyes of the sweet Lord have reddish hue in them.
The partridge bird and the fish, both known for the beauty of their eyes, are standing in awe of the Lord’s infinitely beautiful eyes.
Known for wounding the heart, these dangerous eyes can do no harm as long as they are closed, just as a sword can do harm as long as it is within the shield.
Shyamsunder’s eyes are closed and He is yawning, while Mother Yashoda holds on to Him firmly, making sure He does not fall back.
Taking faltering steps He places His lotus feet on the ground, opening His eyes now and then.
Says Shree ‘Kripalu,’ “This heart-captivating beautiful scene must be seen to be believed.”
The padh itself is nectarous enough, but when Swamiji explains it, it becomes unforgettable.
Click Hereto watch the video of explanation of above padh in ENGLISH by Swamiji.
बहुरि 'कृपालु' न नर तनु पाइय बिगरी लेहु बनाई ॥
(Prem Ras Madira)
O mind! Take shelter of Shyamsunder's soft Lotus Feet.
Ones you call your own: mother, father, brother and son, will not accompany you after death.
Moreover, there is no other way of escaping from the clutches of demons like Lust, Anger, Greed, Attachment and Pride.
This world is like a mirage, containing not even a trace of happiness..
Wealth, youth and life are temporary, disappearing like camphor.
Says Shree ‘Kripalu’, “O mind! You will not be blessed with a human body again and again. Therefore, do not delay in improving your pitiable condition.”
Today is a special festival dedicated to Tulsidasji Maharaj, a sacred occasion, and some tribute should be offered to him. But how can we ordinary souls offer a tribute to such a great saint? It is beyond our capability. Our tribute to him is to speak on Shree Ram Who is the Beloved of his soul. This will give him great happiness, whether he be in Saket lok or Golok.
So we have to reflect on this Truth known as Ram.
Who was Ram? Let us look into the Vedas. The Vedas themselves give us a meaning “ramate yoginoute nityanand cidetamani iti rama padena paraBrahmabhidhiyate" (Ramtapani Upanishad).
That supreme Being in whom, yogis and self-satisfied, utterly desireless liberated soul revel (find enjoyment) is called Ram.
This is said by the Rig Veda. Then the Veda again says.
“Yo ha vai sri ram candrah sa Bhagvan"
(Ramtapani Upanishad)
This Ramchandra of Ayodhya is God-Bhagawan. What is this “Bhagwan”? Bhagvan is He in whom the six opulences reside to an infinite degree * (* The opulence’s are beauty, strength wealth, fame intelligence and renunciation according to Parashar Muni). That God manifests in three ways. We do not have three Gods’. There are three undifferentiated manifestations of one God.
Veda Vyas says that God's one form is known as Bhagwan, one is known as Paramatma and one is known as Brahm. These are three forms of which Brahm occupied the lowest position. This is the feature which is formless, without qualities or attributes. And its worshipers are the gyanis. This Brahm has all the powers, but they remain unmanifest. It simply exists. Shankaracharya and his followers have described It in detail:
“udasinah stabdah statam gunah sanga rahitah”.
This Brahm is indifferent and does not do anything.
“adrastam vyarhayam aggrahyam alakihanam, achirtyam arypds tam ekatma pratya saram”
Put a “cannot” in front of everything to describe Him. He cannot be seen, cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, cannot be tasted, cannot be felt, cannot come into your thoughts, cannot be determined. Such a Brahm is useless as far was we are concerned. What could we do with Him?
