Philosophy of Divine Love
Just as a formless soul takes on a body, Brahman too
Impersonal and Personal
Brahman
Some people are curious to know what a descension
is. They think God to be only formless. But the scriptures
clearly proclaim God to be an abode of opposing qualities.
The Vedas clearly state-
ajiiyamiino bahudhii vijiiyate
(Veda)
"He, the Supreme Being, is without a body, yet He
possesses one: He is unborn, yet he takes innumerable births."
dve viiva brahmar:JO rupe murtaril caiviimurtaril ca
(Veda)
God has two forms, Impersonal and Personal. Now the
question is, if God possesses a form, how can He possibly
pervade subtle things. Besides, he would have been seen in
the world at some time or the other if he did have a form.
Actually, even the soul is formless-
biiliigrasatabhiigasya satadhii kalpitasya ca
bhiigo jivaJ:t sa vijneyaJ:t sa ciinantyiiya kalpate
(Suetiisuatara Upani~ad)
cinmiitraril sri harer arilsaril su~mama~aramavyayam
(Veda)
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takes on a form. The only difference is that the individual
soul being under the control of Maya, takes on a material
body, the nature of which depends upon his past karma,
while God takes on a Divinely blissful form according to His
own free will through His power Yogamaya, in order to shower
Divine bliss on souls. To raise the objection that if God had
a form, He would surely have be seen by us at sometime,
is childish, because God is Divine, and our vision is material.
A Divine form can never be perceived through material vision.
It is only when an individual becomes deserving through the
practice of devotion that he attains Divine vision through
God's grace, and sees the Divine Personality everywhere in
Personal form. The experience of Saints provides evidence
of this truth.
Isn't it silly to presume that the Almighty, All-powerful
Supreme Being, who gives form to innumerable solar systems
and countless subtle elements, cannot take a form Himself?
God has innumerable, incomprehensible transcendental powers.
When He has such unlimited powers, what is so surprising
about Him assuming a form? We have examples of formless
substances taking form, in the material world itself.
tasmiid vii etasmiidiitmana iikiisaJ:t sambhutaJ:t
iikiisiid viiyuJ:t....
(Veda)
"God made the element ether. Ether does not have
the property of touch, but from it came air which possesses
the qualities of both sound and touch. From air came fire,
and from fire came water, from which came the element
earth. From the earth came the trees and plants, and from
the trees and plants we have food ... " Observe, from the
formless element ether which is devoid of even the quality
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Philosophy of Divine Love
of touch, we have the earth, which contains the properties
of touch, taste, smell, sound, etc. Now isn't it absurd to argue
that the Almighty, All-powerful God Himself cannot assume
a form?
The. next objection raised by people is equally childish.
They offer the argument of the disintegration of clouds after
water is formed through condensation. When vapour forms
into clouds, the cause, viz. the vapour, disappears. In the
same way, when the All-pervading, Formless Absolute takes
form, He can no longer be All-pervading. These people who
argue thus, fear destruction of the formless Brahman if they
accept God with form. But there is nothing to fear at all.
Material causes have different powers of action, whereas God
possesses powers capable of all kinds of actions. This is the
reason why God is referred to as Almighty, and the Cause
of all Causes. Material causes do not have these powers. If
they did, they would not be material. Therefore, it is na'ive
to measure the immeasurable Almighty, All-powerful God
according to the standard of our limited worldly powers.
Some people offer another argument. They state that
if God is all-powerful, He can also destroy Himself. The
possible implication of these people may be that if God were
to get into a temper some day, He could destroy himself
and we would be free of Him. We could then carefreely
engage in sinful activities without fear of pUnishment. Those
who argue thus are obviously ignorant of the fact that a
power is always in accordance with its nature. It can never
be contradictory to its nature. Observe, fire is said to be
capable of burning all. But the fact that fire burns everything,
does not imply that it can consume or burn itself. This is
absolutely impossible, because it is contradictory to its nature.
An acrobat can never climb upon his own shoulders and walk.
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Philosophy of Divine Love
Then again, some people question that if God can create
innumerable Brahmalf<;las (cosmic systems), can He not make
innumerable Gods in the same way? They probably think
that if innumerable Gods were to come into being, there would
be competition between them, and in this process they would
get special concessions. But this is impossible. To think that
the existence of innumerable Gods will result in benefit similar
to worldly competition, is absurd, because this is against spiritual
law. Besides, God did in fact assume innumerable forms in
the Maharasa (Divine Dance). But we must remember that
He assumed forms which were expansions of Himself. All
these assumed forms were obviously God Himself. After
assuming these innumerable forms in one descension, He again
becomes one. Moreover, actions of attachment, hostility, or
material nature, are not performed by God.
Thus, Divine powers (like the example of fire) cannot
function contrary to their nature. If they did, then it would
mean that God is under the control of his own powers. But
as God is the master of all His powers, these arguments
have absolutely no place here. The Personal and Impersonal
forms of God have been clearly referred to in all the scriptures
from the Vedas to the Ramayana. This truth is well-known
in the world too, hence doubt about this subject is totally
absurd. Besides, we have already pointed out that worship
of the formless, Abstract Brahman is extremely difficult for
embodied beings. First, there is the requirement of deservedness
for entrance to the path. Secondly, there is a special difference
in the Divine bliss experienced in the state of ultimate
attainment. However, if there is someone who is determined
to worship the Impersonal Brahman, then he can do so only
after fulfilling the rules of deservedness, which have been
specified by the scriptures. covered in a
previous chapter -
not crucially
269 important to project
direction