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Concept of God in The Gita


We encounter three concepts of God in the Gita:

1. Absolute Self, bound to individual ego - mind stuff, called Jivatman

2. Absolute Self, associated with its non-manifest Primal Power - Maya, called Ishwara

3. Absolute Self, independent of any power or adjutant, called Brahman

Initially Arjuna sees Sri Krishna as Jivatman. Therefore, when Sri Krishna says to Arjuna that, in ancient time, He had given the Knowledge of Yoga to the Sun, etc., Arjuna is perplexed and replies: How can it be! "O Krishna, Your birth is recent, while the sun was born many ages before; therefore, how am I to know or believe that at the dawn of creation - many eons earlier - you had told this Yoga to the sun?" The Gita; Ch. IV: 4

However, this misconception about the birth of Avatara is natural to ordinary soul like us. We see all others as best as Jivatman, including the God Incarnate! We cannot understand the reality of Incarnation of God easily. Even Sri Krishna himself tells that due to lack of discrimination, and because of the limitations of human intellect, it is not easy to understand Incarnation of God. Thus, "The ignorant people who do not know my Divine Nature, inadvertently, think me to be an ordinary Jivatman. They take me as any other human being subjected to the pain and pleasures of body and mind - having birth and death." The Gita; Ch. IX: 11

Later Sri Krishna tries to explain his nature as Ishwara - Brahman associated with his Maya Shakti. Sri Krishna expounds the concept of Divine Incarnation in many verses in the Gita. For instance, chapter IV: 6 clearly states that although God is Unborn and Eternal, still by taking the help of His Prakriti (Maya) He incarnates as Ishwara, and is the essence of all beings. In the next two verses, the Lord elaborates the purpose and the necessity of incarnation. Decline in dharma and consequent plight of the pious and sincere seekers after the Truth (sadhakas and sadhus) stimulates Brahman to incarnate as Ishwara. This omniscient, omnipotent, and all-powerful Ishwara is the cause of annihilation of the wicked and wickedness that come in way of sadhakas engaged in the spiritual disciplines to realize God. The Gita; chapter IV: 7,8

In chapters IX (verses 4, 5, 13) and XV (verses 16, 17, and 18), Sri Krishna presents Himself as Brahman, the Absolute. Here he says: "All this world is pervaded by Me in my unmanifested form; all beings exist in Me, but I do not (exclusively) dwell in any one of them." And "Nor do beings exist in Me (in reality), behold My Divine Yoga! Bringing forth and supporting the beings, My Self does not dwell in them." And still further in chapter XV, the Lord says: "As I transcend the perishable (Jivatman) and am above even the imperishable (Non-manifest Maya), therefore, am I, in the world, and in the Vedas, celebrated as Purushottama, the highest Purusha."

Thus, all the three currents of Vedanta viz. Dvaita, Vishisthadvaita, and Advaita are incorporated in the Gita. All the three are correct in their own places; it is up to us - the sadhakas - to elevate ourselves to see Absolute Monism preached in the Gita.

Finally, in the last chapter (XVIII; 66) Sri Krishna guides Arjuna: "O Arjuna, Give up all the Dharmas and surrender yourself to me (or take refuge in me, or come under my shelter). I will free you of all the sins (ignorance). Do not grieve." Here Sri Krishna assures us that if we want to go beyond all Dharmas (actions and endeavours to become Free), the desire that springs from the sattvik guna of Prakriti, the only recourse left to us is to seek God without the adjunct of Maya. This is Advaita, pure monism!

Since, however, the concept of Absolute Monism can never be put in words, without reducing it to qualified Monism, many sincere sadhakas and students of the Gita get confused about the real appeal contained in it. Is it Dvaita, Vishisthadvaita, or Advaita? The answer is clear one; the Gita preaches the ultimate Truth of Nirguna and Nirakara Brahman. However, to reach this state one has to start with the concept of God with Form, as clearly explained in chapter XII, verse 5.

The important point to remember here is that as a concept, Sri Krishna preaches only Advaita, but as method - Yoga - to reach that level of Absolute Consciousness, to realize the Highest Truth in principle (the Tattva of it) one has to start with the worship of God with adjuncts of Maya -the personal God or Ishwara.

In chapter VII Sri Krishna elucidates the nature of Maya or Prakriti. He, as the Absolute Principle, is the controller of Maya, but can never be controlled by it. The universe is the aggregate of eightfold constituent (five elements, intellect, mind, and ego) known as Apara Maya lower Prakriti, while 'Absolute Consciousness is My real Nature', says Sri Krishna. In fact, the whole Maya, and its reflection as the universe, comes to light and becomes manifest only because of Absolute Consciousness. (As one of the Upanishads says: Brahman is the eye of the eye, ear of the ear, etc.) Like the single thread holding various flowers in a garland, Absolute Consciousness pervades every sentient and insentient aspect of Maya. The Maya appears bewitchingly live and tempting only because of its association with ever-sentient Pure Consciousness or Brahman. Sri Krishna says, 'I am that support - the Para Prakriti.' Here the word Para Prakriti is used to emphasize Sri Krishna's real nature that is qualitatively different and higher than Apara Prakriti, the Maya.
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