DIVINE DISCOURSES Volume 3 HIS HOLINESS SHRI. DATTA SWAMI Copyright: © 2007 Sri Datta Jnana Prachara Parishat, Vijayawada, India. All rights reserved. Shri Datta Swami Sri Datta Jnana Prachara Parishat CONTENTS 1. GANESH CHATURTHI 6 Insulting Depictions ............................................................... 6 Food and Ganapati ................................................................. 7 Interpretation of Symbolism ................................................... 9 2. ENRICHING CHRISTIANITY 11 True Love ............................................................................. 11 God and Creation ................................................................. 12 Brahman, Ishwara and Avatara ............................................ 14 God Experience .................................................................... 16 Partial and Complete Incarnations ....................................... 17 Primary Standard in Spirituality ........................................... 19 3. CHAIN OF COLORED GEMS 21 Cream of Christianity and Hinduism.................................... 21 Common Philosophical Framework ..................................... 24 Practical Spiritual Effort ....................................................... 27 Recognize God as the Supreme Controller .......................... 29 Human Incarnation of God ................................................... 30 4. HINDUISM AND CHRISTIANITY—STRONG TIES 32 External Differences ............................................................. 32 Bad Qualitites in God ........................................................... 33 Testing Devotees .................................................................. 35 5. DATTA JAYANTI 38 Creation By Whose Will? .................................................... 38 Samnyasa.............................................................................. 41 Knower of Atman ................................................................. 42 Detachment From Desire ..................................................... 45 Avidya and Maya ................................................................. 47 Service Without Aspiration .................................................. 48 Recognition of the Lord ....................................................... 50 Master of World, Family, Body and Soul ............................ 51 Mixture of Reality and Imagination ..................................... 53 6. LORD OF PRAVRITTI AND NIVRITTI 58 Gratefulness in Pravritti ....................................................... 58 2 Shri Datta Swami Sri Datta Jnana Prachara Parishat Contentment in Pravritti ....................................................... 59 Richness of Swami ............................................................... 61 7. CHRISTMAS EVE MESSAGE 63 Establishing in Atman .......................................................... 63 Beyond Qualities .................................................................. 65 Shri Ajay Reveals a Secret ................................................... 69 Swami’s Message ................................................................. 69 8. SHANKARA’S TEACHING 71 Mithya .................................................................................. 71 Creation Is Not Unreal to the Soul ....................................... 72 9. EKADASHI MESSAGE 73 Sacred Directions and Times ................................................ 73 Lord’s Personal Service ....................................................... 74 Eternal Bliss ......................................................................... 76 Sacrifing Bonds for the Lord ................................................ 77 Avoiding Constant Association ............................................ 79 Salvation—Free Gift From God? ......................................... 80 10. MAKARA SANKRANTI 82 Concept of Sankranti ............................................................ 82 Transformation of Swami ..................................................... 84 Deviation from the Worldly Path ......................................... 85 Society, Family and the Human Incarnation ........................ 86 11. DEVOTEE CATCHES GOD 94 Offsprings of a Cat and a Monkey ....................................... 94 Individual Effort ................................................................... 94 Love and Sacrifice in Ignorance ........................................... 96 12. MAHA SATSANGA 98 Sin and Punishment .............................................................. 98 Cycle of Deeds ................................................................... 101 Destroying the Seed ........................................................... 103 God and Three Qualities .................................................... 104 No Human Incarnations of God in Other Religions? ......... 105 What about Minor Religions? ............................................ 106 Generous Atheist or Selfish Theist ..................................... 106 Cause of Fear ...................................................................... 107 3 Shri Datta Swami Sri Datta Jnana Prachara Parishat Worldly Talents .................................................................. 107 Divine Knowledge ............................................................. 108 Loving God above Family .................................................. 108 Does God Need Material Possessions? .............................. 110 Can Man Become God? ..................................................... 113 Dangers in Spiritual Journey .............................................. 113 Easiest Way to Please God ................................................. 114 Was Jesus God? .................................................................. 116 Significance of the Present human incarnation .................. 118 Revelation of the Human Incarnation ................................ 121 13. GOD, CREATION AND SOUL 129 Shankara’s Difficulty ......................................................... 129 Unimaginable God ............................................................. 129 14. BEYOND CONTEMPORARY ADVAITA 134 Clarification of Shankara’s Teaching ................................. 134 Qualitatively and Quantitatively Different ......................... 136 15. MAHA MAHA SATSANGA 138 Form of the Formless ......................................................... 138 Is the Universe God? .......................................................... 140 Vivarta and Parinama ......................................................... 143 Awareness as God .............................................................. 144 Worship—Only Through the Incarnation .......................... 144 16. REMOVAL OF EGO 151 Recognition Is Sufficient .................................................... 151 Diverting To The Right Direction ...................................... 152 17. JEALOUSY AND EGO 155 Training for Reducing Ego and Jealousy ........................... 155 From Training to the Goal .................................................. 156 18. NARAYANA 161 God’s Incarnation ............................................................... 161 Parabrahman and Brahman ................................................ 162 Creation by Modification ................................................... 164 Why is Divine Knowledge the Most Difficult? .................. 165 Self Attainment or Recognition of God? ............................ 166 Islam, Voilence and Spirituality ......................................... 167 4 Shri Datta Swami Sri Datta Jnana Prachara Parishat 19. ‘I’ IN DEEP SLEEP 170 Chittam—Storage and Receiving Medium ........................ 171 Awareness is a Type of Work ............................................ 172 Atman—Causal Body ........................................................ 175 Unimaginable Creator and Imaginable Creation ................ 175 Awareness is Inert for God ................................................. 179 20. MORE ON ‘I’ 183 Awareness Is Not God........................................................ 183 Necessity of Logic .............................................................. 186 Secret of the Real Nature of God ....................................... 188 Inevitability of Law of Karma ............................................ 193 21. PURIFICATION OF BRAHMIN PRIESTS 195 Become Great Preachers .................................................... 195 No Need for Recitation ...................................................... 197 Do Not Disgrace Your Ancestors ....................................... 198 God’s Agents ...................................................................... 199 Psychology in Preaching .................................................... 199 The Great Declaration ........................................................ 201 Caste Connection ............................................................... 201 Veda and Brahman ............................................................. 203 Divine Infrastructure .......................................................... 206 5 Shri Datta Swami Sri Datta Jnana Prachara Parishat 1 GANESH CHATURTHI Insulting Depictions [September 9, 2005] It is pitiable to depict Lord Ganapati [Ganesha] with the head of the elephant and offer grass and leaves to Him, treating Him as an animal. The story itself is absurd because the story says that Lord Shiva cuts the head of Ganapati, who was prepared by Goddess