People are not aware of the fact that,
there is no God can exist,
apart from formless soul or consciousness, the innermost self . If there is no soul, the innermost self , then there is no body,
world and their belief of god. They think that there must be a creator of this
universe. If one thinks self is body , then there is a creator, but if one thinks
the soul is Self, then there is nothing exists other then the soul.
If one objectifies and sees a universe, then he is bound to see
many things beside himself and postulate a God, the creator. Body, God and
world rise and set together from, and into, the soul. If God is apart from
the soul or consciousness, the innermost self , then He would be Self-less, that is, outside existence, that is,
non-existent.
In Isa Upanishad says:
MANTRA 10
Scholars
say that the path of Avidya [performing Aganihotra and other sacrifices] and
the path of vidya [worshipping gods and goddesses] produce different results.
Wise men confirm this. [X]
Vidya
and Avidya both are hindrances to Self-knowledge, but Vidya is even worse than
Avidya. The word Vidya is used here in a special sense; here it means
worshipping gods and goddesses. By worshipping gods and goddesses you will go
after death to the world of gods and goddesses. But
will that help you? The time you spend there is
wasted, because if you were not there you could have spent that time moving
forward towards Self-knowledge, which is your goal. In the world of gods and
goddesses you cannot do that, and thus you go deeper and deeper into darkness.
Avidya
is Karama and therefore a hindrance.
You perform Avidya - i.e., you perform Agnihotra and other sacrifices. This is
a roundabout way of purifying the mind, and it is also groping in the dark. But
it may not have as heavy a toll on your time and energy as the other.
The
final advice by sankara is: combine both work and worship. Together they may
quicken your pace towards Self-knowledge, because it will lead to Chitt
shuddhi, purification of the mind. When this happens your desire for enjoyments
will become less and your sense of "I' and "mine' will subside. This
is the way to Karama-Mukthi, gradual, or progressive, liberation, according to
Sankara.
MANTRA 11
He
who worships gods and goddesses [Vidya] and also performs sacrifices [Avidya]
attains immortality by sacrifices [Avidya] and attains bliss by worshiping
gods and goddesses [Vidya]. [XI]
The
condition in both cases worshipping gods and goddesses and performing
sacrifices is that the person should have no motive for personal gain. He
should not desire the fruits of his actions, such as going to the heaven of
gods and goddesses.
As
earlier explained, the word Vidya ¸ has a special meaning here. It means
worship of gods and goddesses. Similarly, Avidya ¸ also has a special meaning.
It is Karma that is, performing Aganihotra and other sacrifices. Such karamas
are obligatory, but if they are done without any attachment to their fruits,
they help purify the mind. Combining karama and worship is a path to gradual
liberation. Sankara approves this for those who are not yet ready to renounce.
But
suppose you follow the two paths separately. If you perform Avidya ¸ you will
go to Pitra loka (the world of your ancestors). This is a dark region, because
it is far removed from Self-knowledge. In fact, you will have to wait a long
time to attain Self-knowledge. But if you worship Vidya ¸ - that is, gods and
goddesses you go into still darker regions, and your attainment of
Self-knowledge is even further delayed.
True,
you go to Dev loka (the heaven of gods and goddesses), but you are caught in
the pleasures there, and you remain there until the fruits of your worship are
fully exhausted. You are then reborn as a human being, and your struggle
resumes from where you left off. This is why Vidya ¸ is considered worse. But
if you combine the two that is, perform the obligatory karmas without any
attachment to the fruits and at the same time worship gods and goddesses, again
without any desire to go to heaven - then you can get the benefit of both,
liberation and bliss. For those who are not yet ready to renounce, this path is
recommended.
It
proves that, the concept of God, karma, heaven and hell are ideas created by
religion, to help for those who are incapable of grasping the ultimate truth of Brahman.. The concept of god
and goddesses and karma are part of the ignorance. By worshiping god and
goddesses one accepts the false self as true self, thus he is unfit for Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana . Therefore concept of god is not the means to acquire the self
knowledge. That is why Buddha rejected concept of God.
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