Inquiries Into the Absolute: Digest 126, Soul's progress, Planetary

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Digest 126, July 3rd, 2005. Answers by His Holiness Romapada Swami Maharaja

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Soul's progress, Planetary systems, Phases of Absolute Truth

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Question:

1) What are the different lokas in this universe? Bhuloka is the material world

in which we live. Other than this, I believe there are many other lokas where

different levels of souls exist. For example, Gandhiji's soul is supposed to be

in Satya Loka. So, what are these lokas? In which loka does the Supreme God

exist? What is the hierarchy these worlds?

 

Answer:

The planetary systems within the universe are generally categorized into either

3 or 14 planetary systems. Of these, bhu-loka or the earthly realms belong to

the middle planets and there are seven upper planetary systems and seven lower.

Note that all of these 14 are within this material world only. The upper

planets, which include the Sun and Moon, are considered heavenly while the

lower planets are generally hellish. The topmost planet within this material

world is Satya loka, the abode of Lord Brahma.

 

All of these planets are inhabited, but many of these higher realms are

inaccessible to our gross sense perception; they are made of subtle material

elements and their inhabitants also have subtle bodies. It is stated that those

who are 100% sinless and have remained perfectly celibate since birth are

eligible to attain Satya loka.

 

According to Vedic scriptures, there are innumerable such universes floating in

the Causal ocean, all of which are material, a place of birth and death. Beyond

this material cosmic manifestation is the spiritual sky, which is eternal, full

of knowledge and bliss. (Cf Bhagavad Gita As it is 8.16-20

http://vedabase.net/bg/8/en, 15.6 http://vedabase.net/bg/15/6/en) In the

spiritual sky, unlimited spiritual planets are situated. These are the abodes

of the many plenary expansions of Lord Narayana. The topmost of these spiritual

planets is Goloka Vrindavan, where Lord Krishna presides as the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. Detailed descriptions of the structure of the universe

are given in the Fifth Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam

(http://vedabase.net/sb/5/en), and also explained in the Brahma Samhita

(http://vedabase.net/bs/5/en).

 

Question:

Does man's evolution progress from one world to another?

 

Answer:

The soul's evolution, or transmigration, is based on his actions. When a human

being acts piously, he is eligible to ascend to the higher realms but once his

pious credits are finished he has to come down again to the earthly-planets.

(Cf. BG 9.20-22 http://vedabase.net/bg/9/20/en) Those who act impiously are

forced to enter the lower hellish planets or the animal species and in this way

conditioned souls undergo repeated birth and death, wandering within the

material cosmos. But when one fully awakens his dormant relationship with God,

he becomes eligible to quit the material world and return to the spiritual

world for an eternal life.

 

Question:

I have come to understand from many spiritual readings and also from hearing

after-death experiences of people that there is a huge divine light that is

there up in the heavens and this Divine Light is God. If the truest form of God

is only Divine Light / Pure Light, I wonder how something so impersonal as

Light be God? Is Krishna a manifestation of this Divine Light? And how can this

Light manifest Itself as Krishna, Rama, etc? How is this Light greater than all

the suns in this universe, greater than all the minds in this material world,

and how could It have created this wonderful creation - planets and universes?

 

Answer:

According to Vaishnava understanding, there are three phases of understanding

the Absolute Truth - Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan. (SB 1.2.11

http://vedabase.net/sb/1/2/11/en) Brahman is the all-pervading impersonal

aspect; Paramatma is the localized partial representation, perceived as the

Supersoul within everyone's heart; and Bhagavan is the Original Personality of

Godhead. Srila Prabhupada explains: these three divine aspects can be compared

respectively to the sunshine, the sun's surface and the sun itself. One who

studies the sunshine only is the preliminary student. One who understands the

sun's surface is further advanced. And one who can enter into the sun planet

and meet its presiding Deity is the highest. Similarly, the Brahman feature is

only the glaring, all-pervasive effulgence of Bhagavan, and understanding the

Bhagavan feature is the highest and fullest realization of God.

 

In other words, Krishna is not a manifestation of the Divine Light; conversely

this Divine Light called Brahma-jyoti is the effulgence emanating from the

transcendental person of Lord Krishna, and His Personal feature is the source

of everything, there being nothing above and beyond Him (Cf. BG 10.8

http://vedabase.net/bg/10/8/en, 7.7 http://vedabase.net/bg/7/7/en)

 

The Brahman effulgence emanates from the Supreme planet of Goloka, mentioned

above, and within this effulgence all the spiritual planets are situated. The

entire material cosmos is also situated in the Brahma-jyoti like a speck of

cloud. Krishna declares in the Bhagavad-gita that He is the basis of the

Brahman effulgence. (BG 14.27 http://vedabase.net/bg/14/27/en) Just as the

source of all energy in our earth is a reflection of the sun, similarly all the

suns in the material world are a mere reflection of this Effulgence.

 

Question:

Somehow, the words "I Am" and "I created this World for my Play" seem

inadequate to explain creation. Where did this God/Divine Light come from? Why

is God there? Why all this Play? Why did we souls come into existence, even

before we came to this earth? I read in Back To Godhead a very beautiful

article on why and how we souls came to the earth - the article was like a

story where it was said that we souls wanted to enjoy separately from Krishna

and Krishna, out of His Compassion and Love, sent us to the earth. Is all this

true or was the article a metaphorical illustration of why we came to earth?

 

Answer:

The article you describe is a factual portrayal of this cosmic manifestation as

described in Vedic scriptures. God, who is known as Krishna, meaning

"All-attractive", is the source of everything while He Himself has no source or

beginning. The Upanishads describe Him as being an embodiment of enjoyment -

raso vai sah; and therefore He expands Himself into many and enjoys with His

part-and-parcel living entities, who are co-eternal with Him. This indeed is

the purpose of our existence - to enjoy eternal happiness in our loving

relationship in service to God. Unfortunately, due to a miscalculated desire to

enjoy separate from Him, the conditioned souls come to the material world which

is full of strife and suffering, but once they rectify this desire they can

return to the spiritual world.

 

Question:

Are there many souls in the other worlds who are serving Krishna with full

devotion and do not want to come back to this world? Are liberated souls always

playing and singing happily around Krishna? Or do they become submerged in

Krishna and do not have any soul-body or soul- identification?

 

Answer:

Yes, there are unlimitedly far more perfect living entities in the spiritual

world than there are conditioned souls in the material worlds. They are called

nitya-siddha (eternally liberated). They maintain their individual identity and

engage in devotional service in five types of relationship with Krishna viz.

neutrality, servitude, friendship, parenthood, and conjugal love.

 

There are also some souls who sometimes choose to merge into the bodily

effulgence of Krishna, i.e. Brahman. Those conditioned souls in the material

world, who are frustrated with this life and want to end it all, sometimes

aspire to become liberated and merge into Brahman in this way. However, the

soul by nature is always seeking enjoyment, whereas merging into Brahman is a

dormant state of existence devoid of the positive pleasure that comes from

loving exchanges with the Lord. Therefore this is a temporary position and such

souls sooner or later tire of remaining dormant and return to the material

world.

 

Question:

I keep reading a lot of spiritual topics, but I have so many unanswered

questions. I do know that the questions I have asked here are all jumbled. But,

I earnestly hope you will be able to understand what exactly I am asking, and

if these questions are found relevant to be answered, I would be very glad to

hear the answers.

 

Answer:

I hope these answers provide some clarity to your questions. Vedic scriptures

are vast and there are many intriguing and apparently contradictory concepts,

what to speak of the so many other schools of thoughts prevalent today. But by

systematically studying the Vedic literatures beginning with the Bhagavad Gita,

under proper guidance, one can find authoritative and definitive answers to all

questions and get a comprehensive picture of reality - of our spiritual nature,

of God, our relationship with Him, the material world and our duty here. I

would like to encourage you, if possible, to study the Bhagavad-Gita As It Is

(http://vedabase.net/bg/en, and you would find much valuable insights into

these topics.

 

This digest on the web:

http://iskcondc.org/cgi-bin/renderphilo.pl?digestname=digest126

 

All previous digests in one file (with responses to about 400 questions):

http://iskcondc.org/cgi-bin/renderphilo.pl?digestname=digest00

 

Responses to Some Frequently Asked Questions (Karma, free-will, demigods, Lord

Siva, why are we here, how to control the mind, Deity worship, marriage, Jesus

Christ, spiritual and material relationships and morality of Lord Krsna's

conjugal pastimes, spiritual master, spirit soul/jiva/living entity):

http://www.iskcondc.org/cgi-bin/renderphilo.pl?digestname=digest999_faq

 

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