before Das i want to b Vaishnav and before Vaishnav i want to be Human -part 4

[samil]

Lord Swaminarayan's Philosophy

"I have incarnated upon this earth, not to kill demons, but to uproot the demonic elements from the human mind; not to liberate man temporarily from the poverty and pain of this life but to emancipate him forever from the transmigratory cycle which lies at the root of all pains and poverty."

 

 

 

Parabrahman or Purushottam is the highest reality, the supreme Godhead, one and unique. He is, at once, superior to everything and immanent in everything. He is concrete reality with perfect personality. The Jiva, Ishwar, Maya and Aksharbrahman constitute the body of Parabrahman - and Parabrahman is their Soul.

 

Aksharbrahman (Akshardham or Brahman) is superior to Jiva, Ishwar and Maya but subservient to Parabrahman. It is a buoyant, all-pervading and pure consciousness. It serves the supreme Lord in a two-fold manner : In its personal aspect it serves the Lord wherever He incarnates Himself. He is the ideal devotee and the most appropriate medium for the aspirant striving to reach the supreme Lord. On the other hand, in its impersonal aspect, it serves the Lord by being His divine abode which is formless, infinite and all-pervading and in which infinite muktas (liberated souls) serve the Lord. It is also the basis of all that is subservient to it.

 

Maya or Prakriti is an inert primordial substance from which the universe comes into existence. It is constituted of three gunas (modes) and causes confusion and delusion in the Self.

 

Ishwar is a cosmic self, a conscious spiritual being conditioned by the adjuncts of Maha (higher) Maya. There are innumerable Ishwars and each is assigned the duty of taking care of a universe, or at least a department of it.

 

Jiva or soul is the finite individual Self - a conscious spirit, knower, enjoyer and doer of things. It is conditioned by the adjuncts of Maya. It pervades the whole body and yet its power of knowing and willing ultimately depends upon God and is governed by God. Salvation consists in the realization of Ekantik Dharma comprising dharma (righteousness), jnana (knowledge), vairagya (detachment) and bhakti (devotion unto God). This is the goal to be pursued under the guidance of a saint who is in constant rapport with God, the manifest form of Aksharbrahman. This is the highest state one can realize now, in an embodied state of this worldly existence.