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God to Man and Man to God
ASPIRANTS AND GOD REALIZED BEINGS BEFORE GOD REALIZATION advanced aspirants pass through states of consciousness that are akin to the state of God realization. For example, Mad Masts and saints of the higher planes are completely desireless and immersed in the joy of God intoxication: since their only concern is God, they become the recipients of the happiness that is characteristic of the God state. They have no beloved except God. They have no longing except for God. For them, God is the only reality. They are unattached except to God, and remain unaffected by pleasures and pains. They are happy because they are face to face with the Divine Beloved. Different states of aspirants Advanced aspirants not only participate in some of the privi leges of the divine state, they also possess occult powers and per ceptions. They belong to different types according to the kind of powers they possess. For example, on the first plane, the aspirant sees lights and colours, smells perfumes and hears the music of the subtle world. Those who advance further see and hear at any distance. Some see the entire physical world as mirage. Some take a new body immediately after death. Some have such control over the physical world that they can change their bodies at will; they are called Abdals in Sufi tradition. But all these achievements pertain to the phenomenal world; the field of their powers is itself a domain of illusion, and the apparent miracles they perform do not in themselves mean that they are nearer to the God state. In their consciousness, too, aspirants belong to various types, get intoxicated with extraordinary powers, and in the temptation of using them have a long pause in their Godward march; they get held up in the consciousness of the intermediate planes. There are some who become dazed, confused and self deluded. There some who get caught up in a coma. There are some who with difficulty try to come down to physical consciousness by repeating e physical action or an identical sentence a number of times. ere are some who, in their God intoxication, are so indifferent the life of the physical world that their external behaviour pears to be that of mad persons; and there are some who cross e path while performing their worldly duties. Owing to their exalted states of consciousness, some advanced aspirants are adorable but their state is in no way comparable to at of God realized persons, either in respect of the spiritual duty and perfection of their inward state of consciousness, or in respect of their powers. All aspirants to the sixth plane, are limited by finite consciousness, and are in the domain of duality illusion. They are mostly happy, due to their communion with God. For some, the joy of the inward companionship of the Divine Beloved is so great that they become unbalanced in behaviour, and in their unsubdued state of God intoxication may abuse people, throw stones at them or behave like ghosts. Their state is described as that of the Unmatta. Owing to the exuberance of uncontrolled joy in inward contact with the Divine Beloved, they are regardless of worldly standards or values, and owing to the fearlessness which comes to them through complete detachment they may often allow themselves such self expression as would be mistaken for exaggerated idiosyncrasies. Poise comes on the seventh plane Only when the soul attains God realization on the seventh plane does it get full control over its joy. Only with realization does the unlimited happiness, which is eternally his, in no way unbalance a person, for he is now perman~ntly established in non duality. No longer for him is the extravagance of newly found love. The occasional unsettlement due to the on flow of increasing joy at the closer proximity of God is also over because he is now inseparably united with him. He is lost in the Divine Beloved and merged into him, for he is one with the infinite ocean of unbounded happiness. The happiness entered into by the God realized person is un conditioned and self sustained, eternally the same, without ebb and flow. He has arrived at certainty and equanimity. The are some who get caught up in a coma. There are some who with difficulty try to come down to physical consciousness by repeating some physical action or an identical sentence a number of times. There are some who, in their God intoxication, are so indifferent to the life of the physical world that their external behaviour appears to be that of mad persons; and there are some who cross the path while performing their worldly duties. Owing to their exalted states of consciousness, some advanced aspirants are adorable but their state is in no way comparable to that of God realized persons, either in respect of the spiritual beauty and perfection of their inward state of consciousness, or in respect of their powers. All aspirants to the sixth plane, are limited by finite consciousness, and are in the domain of duality and illusion. They are mostly happy, due to their communion with God. For some, the joy of the inward companionship of the Divine Beloved is so great that they become unbalanced in behaviour, and in their unsubdued state of God intoxication may abuse people, throw stones at them or behave like ghosts. Their state is described as that of the Unmatta. Owing to the exuberance of uncontrolled joy in inward contact with the Divine Beloved, they are regardless of worldly standards or values, and owing to the fearlessness which comes to them through complete detachment they may often allow themselves such self expression as would be mistaken for exaggerated idiosyncrasies. Poise comes on the seventh plane Only when the soul attains God realization on the seventh plane does it get full control over its joy. Only with realization does the unlimited happiness, which is eternally his, in no way unbalance a person, for he is now permanently established in non duality. No longer for him is the extravagance of newly found love. The occasional unsettlement due to the on flow of increasing joy at the closer proximity of God is also over because he is now inseparably united with him. He is lost in the Divine Beloved and merged into him, for he is one with the infinite ocean of unbounded happiness. The happiness entered into by the God realized person is un conditioned and self sustained, eternally the same, without ebb and flow. He has arrived at certainty and equanimity. The happiness of the saints is born of proximity to and intimacy with the Divine Beloved, who, however, remains an externalized Another. In the happiness of the God realized there is no duality. The happiness of the saints is derivative; the happiness of the God realized is self grounded. The happiness of the saints is that of the outpouring of the divine grace; the happiness of the God realized is the divine grace itself. Differences in relation to the universe When a person attains God realization, he has infinite power, knowledge and bliss. The intrinsic characteristics of inner realiza tion are the same in all the God realized, irrespective of the differences that give rise to distinguishable types. These differ ences are extrinsic, belonging not to the relation with God but to the relation with the universe; they do not constitute degrees of spiritual status between the God realized, who are all perfect. Yet these differences exist only from the point of view of the observer; they do not exist for the God realized themselves, who are one with each other and with all existence. From the point of view of the outward creation, however, the differences between the God realized are not only definite but worth noting. After God realization, some souls drop their bodies, and remain eternally immersed in God consciousness. For them, God is the only reality and the entire universe is zero. They are so completely identified with the impersonal Truth that they have no direct link with the world of forms. Majzubs Some God realized souls retain their gross, subtle and mental bodies; but in their absorption of God consciousness are totally unconscious of the existence of their bodies. Other souls continue to see their bodies and treat them as persons incarnate, but these bodies exist only from the point of view of the observer. Such God realized persons are called Majzubs, in Sufi terminology. The Majzubs do not use their bodies consciously, because their consciousness is wholly directed towards God, it is not turned toward their bodies or the universe. For them, their bodies as well as the world of forms have no existence, so there can be no question of their using their bodies in the world of forms. However, though the Majzubs do not use their bodies consciously, they are necessarily the centres for the radiation of the constant overflow of the infinite bliss, knowledge and love, and those who revere these bodies derive spiritual benefit from this radiation of divinity. Some God realized persons have the awareness of the existence of others who are in bondage. But they know these souls to be forms of the Paramatman and that they are one day destined to have knowledge, they remain indifferent to the provisional and changing lot of those who are in bondage. They know that just as they themselves have realized God, these also will realize him. They are in no hurry to speed up the God realization of those who are in bondage, for they take no active interest in the time processes of creation. God Men Some of the God realized not only possess God consciousness but are conscious of creation and their bodies. They take an active interest in those who are in bondage and use their own bodies consciously for working in creation, so as to help others in their God ward march. Such a God realized one is called Sadguru of the universe, and everyone high or low, good or bad, is at the same distance from him. In the Sufi tradition, this centre is called Kutub. Through Kutub the universe is controlled. Avatar The God realized one who first emerges through evolution as the God man and helps others in bondage is known as the Avatar. Sadguru and Avatar have complete God consciousness, plus full consciousness of the gross, subtle, and mental worlds simultaneously, and have no difficulty in retaining normal human consciousness; but the Paramhansa and Jivanmukta, who have no duty to perform, have at times great difficulty in keeping their consciousness normal, and have to compel their minds to come towards material things an activities; they may ask for food or pull their hair or slap themselves to remain in the body. The Avatar has no difficulty in retaining normal consciousness at all times. He does not have to resort to physical activities in order to keep in the physical world. In fundamental characteristics of consciousness the Avatar is like other God men. None retains a finite and limited mind because after merging in the Infinite the mind becomes universal. The God man as well as the Avatar never loses God consciousness, although engaged in activities in relation to the creation. Both work through the universal mind when they desire to help others. |
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