It is not easy to obtain the precious human birth; having obtained it, it is not easy to follow dharma; following dharma, it is not easy to perform even a little tapas; following tapas, it is not easy to reveal the essence of tapas, divine grace, and divine mercy. Having received divine grace and divine mercy, it is not easy to transmit it to others, but this is precisely the path of the saints.
So, we continue the text “Ishvara Gita,” a very important text presented as the first eleven chapters of the “Kurma Purana.” The “Bhagavad Gita,” the “Avadhuta Gita,” the “Ishvara Gita” — different songs about God reveal different facets of divine reality. The “Avadhuta Gita” reveals to us the essence of Dattatreya — it is the song of non-duality; the “Ishvara Gita” reveals to us the principle of Ishvara. Brahman, Ishvara, and Atman are three aspects of divine truth that are examined both in Vedanta and in Shaivism.
Northern and Southern Traditions
In Vedanta, great importance is given to Brahman, Atman, and the realization of the connection between them, to the revealing and purification of Atman, and to the affirmation of the identity of Atman and Brahman. The ultimate goal of Vedanta, the northern tradition of Sri Shankaracharya, is the proclamation of the mahavakya “Aham Brahmasmi,” but the path to the mahavakya “Aham Brahmasmi” lies through understanding the mahavakya “Tat Tvam Asi.” The mahavakya “Tat Tvam Asi” prescribes understanding the identity and difference of jiva and Shiva (the soul and God), at what level they are identical and at what level they are different. If you want to understand and practice the meaning of “Aham Brahmasmi,” you need to study the mahavakya “Tat Tvam Asi,” its essence according to such texts, for example, as “Vedanta Panchadashi” by Vidyaranya and, of course, “Viveka Chudamani” by Sri Shankaracharya — these are two root texts.
The southern tradition gives greater importance to the principle of worshiping God as Ishvara. If Brahman is the zero tattva, the para-tattva, then God as Ishvara is the first tattva, the second tattva, and the third and fourth, of course. Ultimately, whether in our practice we emphasize the northern tradition or the southern one, we must establish a connection with divine reality and, having received grace, reveal our own nature of Mind, reveal Atman — this is the path of liberation.
Advaita Vedanta is jnana-pada; jnana-pada speaks of sayujya-mukti, one of the highest levels of liberation. The Siddha tradition (southern), the tradition of Shaivism, also speaks of jnana yoga; it also speaks of bhakti yoga, of Ishvara yoga, and presupposes the realization of:
sarupya-mukti (attainment of a body like God’s) through merging with Ishvara or attaining a divine illusory body
sarshti-mukti (possession of energy like God’s)
samipya-mukti (dwelling near God, in direct proximity to God in the higher lokas)
salokya-mukti (dwelling on one of the divine planes) thanks to purification of the mind, purity, faith, devotion, worship (upasana), and receiving grace
The Four Padas of Spiritual Life
The northern and southern traditions in no way contradict each other; they complement each other, they describe all four padas. Advaita Vedanta (the northern tradition) is jnana-pada; the southern (Shaivite tradition) is charya, kriya, and yoga-pada; together they make up all four stages of the entire spiritual life. Dharma is strong when all four padas (pada means stage), all four stages of spiritual life, are represented in it.
For example, there is a religion that says: “Observe God’s commandments, or God will punish you; be pure, observe such-and-such commandments, labor in renunciation for the sake of God, perform service” — this means charya-pada. Sometimes they say: “Be devoted to God, worship God, revere Him with all your heart, follow the commandments, follow the path of bhakti yoga” — this is kriya-pada.
But if a tradition does not go beyond this, then it lacks at least two padas: yoga-pada and jnana-pada. They are, of course, present in any religion, but if they are not widely represented, they become esotericism. For example, in the Christian tradition there is yoga-pada, but as such it is absent for the broad masses. By yoga-pada I mean inner practice: mental prayer, hesychasm; even practices similar to kumbhaka were performed by some priests in ancient times, but later some authority condemned this as navel-gazing. Kumbhaka is concentration on the navel; where did Christians get this knowledge from—shat-chakra-yoga and pranayamas—when the first communities were practicing it back in ancient Egypt?
But later either some ecumenical council or some authority said that all this was navel-gazing, concentrating the mind on the navel—why do that, one should concentrate on God. And reports began to appear that they puff themselves up like frogs and then concentrate on the navel. All of this was condemned: this is not our religion, not our faith. That is, yoga-pada exists, but for hermits, because a hermit in any tradition, while practicing, will nevertheless understand that there is energy, there is an energy body, there is consciousness, there are levels of immersion, there are dhyanas, and one must work with them, but this is not spoken of widely. This means that yoga-pada is absent in some religion, that is, inner practices are absent. But how, if you are going to God and do not at least master your energy body, do not come to know the chakras, kundalini, the control of the winds, do not open the dimension of the subtle body, do not open the causal dimension—how can you go to God without opening all these dimensions? They will inevitably be revealed.
But yoga-pada teaches you to consciously study and work with this. Or, for example, if a religion has charya, kriya-pada, and yoga-pada, but lacks jnana-pada. Jnana-pada is what gives the conclusion to everything, what completes everything, draws the line, what unites everything in nonduality, what says: “You and the deity are one; you yourself are eternity, infinity, and absoluteness; there is no distance between you, there is no difference between you”—that which completes everything in nonduality, Vedanta (the end of all things). This means that such a religion also stops somewhere; it stops at duality or at the methods of yoga, but it lacks the completion of everything. All four padas are a sign of the fullness of spiritual life, and when you follow a tradition that contains all four padas, it is a great merit, a sign of great fortune in spiritual life.
Ishvara said:
Listen, all of you, O rishis; I shall tell of the greatness of Isha Parameshthi, as she is known to those who know the Vedas.
Isha Parameshtha means the all-surpassing, transcendent lord. This world has a lord. This world, this Universe, is not unconscious, not merely matter that acts blindly according to mechanical laws. Only the gross part is unconscious—the gross parts called impure tattvas; after the karma-indriyas, after the jnana-indriyas, in the thirty-six tattvas come the tanmatras, after the tanmatras come the five elements, and the grossest part of the Universe, consisting of the tanmatras and the five elements, is indeed gross, mechanistic, and unconscious. It has certain laws—these are the laws of gross material Prakriti.
But all the higher tattvas are consciousness, and they are divine forces, divine energies that stand behind the gross energies, and all gross energies are governed by conscious, divine forces. That is, the impure tattvas, the gross tattvas—earth, water, fire, wind, space, ether—are governed by the pure-impure tattvas and the pure tattvas, that is, by divine and semi-divine beings. The entire Universe is conscious for the most part, and finally it has a highest, supreme lord, the one who governs this Universe.
If our consciousness is capable of being aware, manifesting energy, and performing the function of control, then to what extent can the superconsciousness that governs this Universe do this? But religions that deny Ishvara deny the governing functions of consciousness and make the following gradation: there is gross matter (mechanistic matter), there are living beings of various classes, and there is pure impersonal consciousness; and in this world everything is carried out interdependently through combination, resonance, the law of karma, the consciousness of these beings, and gross matter.
But it is logical to assume that if there are beings of different levels, of a low level, then there are beings of a very high level and of an utterly transcendent level, who control the subtlest dimensions, gross matter, and the dimensions of the Universe. These beings are the lords of shakti (shaktimans), those who govern time, space, and causality — this is pure, ultra-subtle consciousness that governs all these processes, and Ishvara is supreme among them. That is, this is Brahman endowed with functions, energy, and governance over all living beings in the Universe.
Parabrahman is transcendent Consciousness that does not engage in the functions of governance, creation, destruction, or observation of beings; its quality is different — it is absolute incomprehensibility, absolute detachment — it is being in itself. But Ishvara is Brahman that has begun to reflect, has begun to become aware of itself, in which the processes of prakasha, radiance, pulsation, spandana, brahma-sphurana (the emanation of divine reality) have begun; the processes of vimarsha, reflexive awareness, have begun, which grow into the will, into the desire for divine creation. And that being, Brahman, living at the level of the reflection of self-awareness and the desire for divine creation, manifesting power in relation to all forces, all worlds, all energies — this is Ishvara. That is, Ishvara is Brahman that has become pregnant with creation, intending to create, having decided to manifest shakti, having realized itself as shakti and decided to manifest itself as shakti.
Question:Can it be said through sat-chit-ananda that Parabrahman is sat, and Ishvara is chit, while ananda is as if constantly immersed in sat, constantly sensing it, remembering it?
It can be said that way as well; in general, according to the thirty-six tattvas, sat-chit-ananda is the first tattva, and that is precisely it. But in fact, with regard to absolute reality, you can never say anything rigidly, because absolute reality is nonlinear; it is, so to speak, fractal. Do you know what a fractal is? Modern science is only now arriving at this concept. A fractal is a repeating structure at every level, for example, at the micro level, at the middle level, at the macro level, repeatedly copying itself, self-reflecting. This means that you will find the concept of sat-chit-ananda at all levels, beginning with the lowest being and ending with Parabrahman.
Question: When the impure tattvas, as they are called, are they also vibrations?
Of course.
Question:Why, then, is it unconscious?
For us it is unconscious; for Shiva it is conscious.
Question:Is there no such concept as living and nonliving?
Yes, of course, but for us it is unconscious, because with our indriyas and mind we are not capable of coming into contact with this consciousness; it is so deeply veiled by the kanchukas that in fact we see only mechanistic laws, the laws of physics, for example. But as soon as you transcend the laws of physics, for example, a miracle manifests; this means that mechanistic matter has begun to manifest consciousness, it passes into the quantum level, and divine consciousness is already manifesting through it.
The one creator of all worlds, the one protector of all worlds, the one destroyer of all worlds, I am the eternal essence of everything. I am the inner ruler and father of all things, abiding in the middle and at the end of everything, but I do not abide everywhere. My own form, together with the wondrous states revealed to you, is only my likeness, O sages, and is revealed by the power of my maya. I abide within all things. I govern the entire universe. This is my kriya-shakti. This universe obeys it, following its own nature. I, as time, rule the entire universe, which is a part of myself.
The form of God is only his emblem, one might say, a logo, that is, that through which we can somehow make contact. For example, we see various gods: Ganesha has two ears, a trunk, and a belly, but in reality Ganesha is omnipresent. This is a space of light, and if necessary, Ganesha can appear as Vishnu, as Shiva, as a man, as a woman, as a crocodile, as a snake, as a turtle, as a deer; for him, form is something like an avatar on the Internet is for us. We can choose any picture, upload it to social networks, to a profile, and have such a form. We understand that there are no limitations; we can choose any one out of a billion pictures, and likewise we can choose any anonymous name, call ourselves whatever we like.
It is the same for Ganesha: he may call himself Ganesha, in other worlds something else; he is called Vinayaka, in Buddhism he is called Buddha Vinayaka; he has a thousand names in the “Ganesha Stotra” or one hundred and eight names. And then, when we reflect, “Who is Ganesha, actually? Is he a little elephant, or is he something more?” we understand that he is a deity, while the rest is our human notions, conditioning; but he was depicted as a little elephant, for some it was easier to perceive him that way, and there are various stories.
It is the same with Dattatreya, the same with Shiva, but when we recognize the essence of a deity, we understand that all these are his attributes, which resonated somewhere with the karmas of people; perhaps these karmas manifested five thousand years ago. Perhaps if it were now, that is, Shiva then—at that time many ascetics living in the mountains lived like that: a trident (a means of protection), a bull in the mountains, even a horse is inconvenient there, bulls are still there to this day, convenient to ride, matted hair, rudraksha rosaries, a seat made of tiger skin—many yogis lived like that; that is, the divine reality resonated with people’s karmas and manifested itself in that way.
Perhaps if Shiva were to manifest now in America, for example, he might walk around in a top hat with a cane; and if he manifested in Russia, in Ukraine, perhaps he would wear jeans and a T-shirt, and such a form would be worshiped. Five thousand years later, people would worship Shiva’s original form in a beautiful T-shirt, protective glasses, jeans, and Adidas sneakers, and people would say, “This is his ancient primordial form,” because people of the future would dress completely differently; they would not wonder why he had such a form, they would simply say it was an ancient form.
But if Shiva wanted to manifest and establish a connection, a contact, with the souls living now, he would have to take a form similar to ours. Why? Because, for example, cats can talk to other cats, but cats cannot talk to fish or eagles; there is no connection at all, different indriyas, different karma-indriyas and jnana-indriyas. In the same way, a deity, resonating with and responding to the karmas of living beings, manifests the form that corresponds to their karmic conditioning. If Shiva wants to subdue the asuras and become their Guru, he manifests as a great asura, as the Guru of the asuras, Shukracharya; Shukracharya is an incarnation of Shiva in the world of the asuras, he manifests as a perfect asura. Or if Dattatreya wants to subdue hungry spirits, he manifests as a perfect preta (Maha-preta).
If Shiva wants to help unawakened samsaric gods, he manifests as a samsaric deity, as some god of samsara, as a teacher, for example Brihaspati, his incarnation in the world of samsaric gods, taking into account the karmic vision in which beings abide. But in reality, when we reflect on the nature of God, it is an infinitely dimensional, divine, conscious space of pure divine light, filled with bliss, with grace; this term is paripurna (infinitely filled with divine grace), infinitely free (svatantrya), infinitely powerful (aishvarya), omnipresent, omniscient, and all-pervading.
With one part of myself I create the entire Universe, O great sages; with another part I fold it up; both these states are mine. Free from beginning, middle, and end, I am the initiator of the essence of maya. At the beginning of creation I set both in motion: Purusha and Prakriti; from them, united with one another, the Universe arises. Mahat and the rest are produced in order by my power; Hiranyagarbha, Martanda, who is the witness of the entire Universe, turning the wheel of time, arises from my body. At the beginning of the kalpa I give him my authority, the eternal yoga of knowledge, the four Vedas, born from myself, O twice-born ones.
The Process of Creation through the Tattvas
In the process of creation, Parabrahman, reflecting, becoming aware of itself, separates its parts, and thus the pure tattvas appear. Shiva-tattva is God's self-awareness, the principle of sat-chit-ananda; Shakti-tattva is God's self-consciousness, in which the first will of creation, of manifestation, arose. Then Sadashiva-tattva appears, when God begins to feel, to perceive as a more separate being. Ishvara-tattva is that which begins to manifest tirodhana (the concealing energy), manifesting the material Universe, creating the material Universe; finally, Sadvidya-tattva is connected with the energy of pure spiritual knowledge, with the energy of revelation.
The Spiritual Path and the Unpredictability of the Divine Will
Usually, when we walk the spiritual path and hear the teaching about meditation, about the nature of Mind, and that the main thing is to abide in the nature of Mind, to discover the nature of Mind, to receive direct introduction to the nature of Mind and to engage in the practice of contemplation, first cultivating the mind through fullness of attention, through concentration, meditation, then all of this is understandable. And although it leads to mystical experiences, it concerns us directly. It concerns our life, even our everyday life, our spiritual path, and we build our spiritual life, our spiritual path, roughly planning it in order to pass through certain meditative experiences.
There are certain algorithms, even schemes: to accept the Symbol of Faith, to begin basic practices, to accept the status of karma-sannyasi or purna-sannyasi, to assess the probability of liberation in one status or another for us, to assess who we are — vira, pashu, or divya according to the scale of qualities, to assess our qualities, to assess the status that gives certain benefits, advantages and, conversely, problems, difficulties.
For example, the initial status of a grihastha gives a ten percent possibility of liberation; the status of a karma-sannyasi raises the stakes — this is, of course, conditional, said jokingly — thirty percent liberation; the status of a vanaprastha — forty percent; the status of a sannyasi, purna-sannyasi — a fifty percent probability. These are all probabilities of liberation, even for a purna-sannyasi. But status says nothing by itself; status simply implies tapasya of a certain level, a more complex sadhana, and since the tapasya is more complex, the probability also increases.
For example, if a purna-sannyasi holds the status but does not perform tapasya, and performs tapasya at the level of a karma-sannyasi, then he remains at the same thirty percent. And conversely, if a karma-sannyasi performs the tapasya of a purna-sannyasi, then he rises in his status to fifty percent, because behind the status stands a certain power of spiritual life, the power of spiritual self-discipline, and only then the status. This is what is meant; that is, even theoretically, a grihastha, if he performs tapasya at the level of a purna-sannyasi, can attain. It is just that the status, rather, already confirms your choice; it defines you in society.
And conversely, even if someone has the status of a purna-sannyasi, but does tapasya at the level of a grihastha, does not control the senses, does not control the mind, sleeps until ten o’clock, does not meditate, then psychologically he is in the status of a grihastha, although he wears vows and orange robes — this is the law, this is clear. We do not have such sannyasis, but theoretically.
For example, in the community of Shakyamuni Buddha there was such a case: there was a monk named Charka, and he was attached to his wife, and he was so attached that he would periodically run over to her to talk, to meet, even though he had become a monk; he simply loved to talk with her. It is unknown what else he did, but other monks found out about it, told the Buddha, and the Buddha wrote a rule. The rule stated: not to sit alone with a woman, regardless of whether she was a former spouse or whoever else, simply not to sit alone.
This monk went and thought: “I must observe the rules given by the Buddha, the rules of the community.” He thought: “I will not sit, I will stand,” and continued to communicate with her. The monks were indignant again: “What is this, Bhagavan, you wrote a rule, we all observe it, and he goes again.”
He is invited for a conversation by the Guardians of the Dharma, and they ask: — How are your vows?
He says: — Everything is fine.
— But you went to your wife, didn’t you?
— Ah, but I did not sit, I stood; the rule was observed, what is the problem?
They went to the Buddha and told him. The Buddha thought, “Yes, not an easy monk,” and wrote a second rule: not to stand alone with a woman. He goes again, and again they ask him:
“Did you break the rule?”
“No, I did not break it.”
“You did not sit?”
“No.”
“You did not stand?”
“No.”
“And what did you do?”
“I walked in circles and talked.”
The Buddha wrote a third rule: not to stand, not to sit, and not to talk while walking in circles around her. This is how the Vinaya rules (monastic rules) were born; they were born by precedent, on the basis of precedent, that is, it is impossible to foresee all the precedents that may take shape in the minds of living beings.
For example, in the time of the Buddha there were no computers, no mobile phones. Suppose there were rules—we have various rules, for example, not to use a computer on Sundays. Two thousand five hundred years ago they would have said, asked: “What computer at all?”—or not to create social media accounts unrelated to missionary work—this is an entirely new technology, a new rule, place, time, and circumstances.
So, we assess our status, our spiritual level, and begin spiritual life by accepting the Creed, accepting a status, performing basic practices, and studying. Further study, deepening, retreat practice, life in self-giving, the prescribed stages of behavior, say, tantric: bee, deer, mute, madman, lion, dove, and dog-pig, and we move through these stages, hoping to attain awakening and come to the experience of non-duality.
All this, it would seem, is well described; it exists in the texts, exists in the upadeshas, in the instructions, and is embedded in the culture of sadhus, in the culture of monastic training, or in the culture of training karma-sannyasis. But there is one more unpredictable element—and that is God. That is, this is an absolutely unforeseeable, unpredictable object, which is in fact the most important, and we can control only what concerns us, what concerns our spiritual life.
But what concerns God, His grace, His realization, His mercy—we absolutely cannot control; therefore there is such a saying: “Spiritual practice is in our hands, but its fruits are in the hands of God.”
Two Sides of Spiritual Life
When we follow our path as the path of human beings, this is only one side of the coin of spiritual life, only one. And if we see only this one side and do not see the other, do not pay attention to it, then sooner or later our spiritual life closes in on ourselves, on our problems. The problems merely become refined, become subtler, spiritual, but they do not end, and this leads to the soul falling into a certain illusion, into refined egoism, a refined, subtle-material ego.
But when we include God as number one in spiritual life, when we include this unpredictable element—absolutely unforeseeable, spontaneous, transcendent, perfect, indescribable—in our life, only then does spiritual life begin to be truly spiritual and truly blessed. Then our spiritual experiences take place for the sake of God, and then even our liberation is part of a relationship with divine Reality.
Notice that after liberation these relationships do not end. For example, we see all the sages described here: Vasishtha, Sanatkumara, Sanaka, Sanandana, and many other sages, and they are all liberated. But for some reason they ask Shiva about the Absolute, about His qualities; they express reverence to Him.
This means that after enlightenment, after liberation, spiritual life does not end, but it changes qualitatively: from samsaric life, from suffering, from karma, it passes into divine play; from being completely dualistic, it passes into new facets, aspects—into dual-nondual, into completely nondual, very refined relationships. But relationships with God are never exhausted for the soul; they simply rise to an entirely new level.
Many do not understand this when they follow Advaita; their view is something like this: you experience samadhi, attain enlightenment, and that is it, and after that there is no more life. And people ask them: “And what then?” That is all, there is nothing afterward; subject and object have merged, there is no one to ask, who is asking the question, there is no one, the mind has stopped. But then the mind again: “And what then, in general, who will I become?” — that is, the teaching of Advaita is so transcendent that a person cannot understand it; it is impossible to express it in a way that one could follow.
Omnictive Reality after Liberation
But after liberation, after enlightenment, life exists, but it does not exist as we imagine it; it exists in another reality. Scientists call this reality omnictive; I even thought perhaps it comes from the word “Om.”
For scientists, omnictive reality is a reality in which the observer is the main figure. It is a quantum reality in which the observer determines the laws of that reality. For us, it is reality in non-duality; it is life in the mandala, life in the game, when our consciousness is integrated with external elements, everything is one with the mind, everything is a manifestation of the mind. That is, it is a mandala, when everything is divine, and our consciousness abides as if at the center of the Universe, our consciousness deified, one with the Absolute.
If it is not one with the Absolute, it will never abide at the center of the Universe, because the center of the Universe is the Absolute. The only way to abide at the center of the Universe, to enter omnictive reality, is to unite with the Absolute. If we develop some qualities of the ego, some abilities, we still cannot abide at the center of the Universe, because it already has a center.
Of course, there have been such attempts in the history of the Vedic tradition. For example, Hiranyakashipu wanted to abide at the center of the Universe; he practiced Advaita too, and when Prahlada tried to explain to him the truths about Ishvara and that the ego cannot abide in Advaita, Hiranyakashipu took great offense. In the end, he fell into such an angry, uncontrolled state that he decided to destroy Prahlada. Prahlada manifested his understanding, and he was under God’s protection, and divine forces protected him. In the end, Hiranyakashipu himself was killed by Narasimha; that is, Prahlada was in a more non-dual state, so the forces of nature, magical forces, avatars came for his sake and stood up for him.
Another example is Ravana. Ravana was also a devotee of Shiva, but he understood Advaita in his own way, and I read that a “Ramayana” was even published in which Ravana was portrayed as a positive hero, a creative interpretation in which a very pure, very tender love for Sita was shown. He simply loved Sita, loved her to distraction; he was ready for various acts of madness, he even challenged the avatar Rama. He simply loved Sita; it was such an exalted, pure, devoted love that he laid down his head for love, while Rama simply did not understand his love. Such an exalted, pure, devoted love that he laid down his head for love, while Rama simply did not understand his love and followed the dharma of that time: the wife had been abducted, the husband had to return her, take revenge, punish — that was it; he came and destroyed. This interpretation is held by the inhabitants of Lanka, who consider Ravana their landmark.
The Divine Hierarchy of Creation
“God Brahma, obeying me, exists by my existence and always bears within himself my divine power. He, the arranger of all worlds, knows everything as inseparable from me. Having become four-faced, he creates the universe as arising from himself. He who is Narayana, Ananta, the eternal manifestation of the worlds, is my supreme form, which creates preservation. Lord Rudra, the essence of time, who is the destroyer of all beings, constantly destroys by my command; he is my body.
The Fire that carries the sacrifice to the gods, and the kavya to those who partake of the kavya and prepares food, does this by my power. Bhagavan Agni Vaishvanara prepares food day and night, obeying Ishvara. Varuna, the best of the gods, the source of all waters, bestows life upon everything, obeying Ishvara.
The god Vayu, who abides within and outside beings and sustains bodies, exists only by my command. Soma, who gives life to people and amrita to the gods, acts in obedience to me. Surya, who with his light always illuminates the entire world and sends rains, acts by the command of the self-born one. The god Shakra, the lord of all, who rules the whole world and bestows the fruit of sacrifices, acts by my command. The god Yama (son of Vivasvan), who punishes the unrighteous, carries out his judgment in obedience to the God of gods.
Kubera, the patron of all riches, who bestows wealth, always acts in subordination to Ishvara. The god Nirriti (lord of the rakshasas), who bestows the fruit of tamas, always acts under my subordination. Ishana (master of the hosts of vetalas and bhutas), who gives the fruit of enjoyment to devotees, also abides by my command. Vamadeva, disciple of Angiras, head of the Rudra ganas, protector of yogins, abides by my command.”
As spiritual practice progresses, the divine Universe begins to reveal itself. At first we see only the Guru and his disciples; when we look more closely, we see the Guru-parampara, an entire line of saints, a philosophical school, sacred texts. As we move further, we see the Ishta-devata, divine beings and those on the altar whom we invoke and worship. We recognize certain aspects of Vedanta: Ishvara, Atman, jiva, Brahman. Then we begin to recognize the diverse energies of God, personified, personal energies, various divine beings who govern the elements, the elemental principles, nature, and functions.
Eventually we discover that we live in a very complex Universe governed by divine beings, and our life depends entirely on these divine beings, on this Universe; it is very complex and everything in it is interdependent. As our consciousness is purified, we can come into contact with different facets of this divine Universe. For example, I was told that one person knew Brahmananda but did not believe in him as a saint, and he did not believe until Brahmananda appeared to him together with the rishi Vishvamitra, spontaneously appearing at his home in a subtle body.
Gradually, through dreams, meditation, and spiritual experiences, we begin to perceive this other side of the Universe, in which there are gods and saints, which is governed by divine beings, and in which there are very many facets, very many nuances, very many mandalas. And we understand how complex the world we live in is, and how small a person is with his illusions, his limited life, his karma, his ego, and how great the divine hierarchy is. We begin to perceive the divine hierarchy, to discover other dimensions and worlds, and to determine our place within it.
We understand that we have lived for a very long time as a soul, that we are immortal, and that the body we received in our incarnation is simply a certain karma with which the soul has connected. We will continue to live on, and our place in this Universe, our role, conditions, and environment are determined by how we manage our present life, as well as by what subconscious samskaras and vasanas, subconscious impressions, continue to exist in the stream of our causal and subtle bodies.
The Process of Liberation through the Tattvas
The process of liberation means moving through these hierarchical layers of the Universe, leaving the impure tattvas and entering first the mixed tattvas, the pure-impure ones, and then the dimension of the pure tattvas. Samsaric deities abide in the dimensions of the pure-impure tattvas and therefore are closer to our material reality, while the higher divine beings abide in the dimension of the pure tattvas. The process of liberation is the purification of one’s own inner tattvas, the revelation of the principal pure tattvas, and identification with them.
“Vinayaka, who is revered by the entire Universe, the remover of obstacles, the patron of dharma, arrives at my word. Lord Skanda, the best of those who know Brahman, the commander of the army of the gods, eternally abides by the command of the eternally self-born. The great rishis Marichi and the other patrons of created beings create various worlds by the command of the Supreme. The goddess Shri, the consort of Narayana, who bestows incomparable prosperity upon all, acts by my grace. The goddess Saraswati, who bestows beautiful speech, acts in obedience to Ishvara. The goddess known as Savitri, who saves all people from the terrible hell, does so by the command of God.
Parvati, the supreme Devi, who gives the knowledge of Brahman, contemplated as the sovereign, also follows my words. The infinite Anandashesha (lord of the immortals), who bears the world upon his head, also obeys God. Agni, who constantly takes the form of Vadava, drinks up the entire ocean by the command of Ishvara. The fourteen Manus, who, extending their power in this world, preserve the offspring, are all subject to him. The Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, Maruts, both Ashvins, and other deities all abide by my command. The Gandharvas, Garudas, rishis, rikshas, siddhas, sadhyas, charanas, yakshas, rakshasas, and pishachas abide in obedience to the self-born.”
The Hierarchy of Beings in the Universe
When we become acquainted with the hierarchy of creation, with the hierarchy of the Universe, we define ourselves as manushya. Manushya means the human race, those who are endowed with consciousness, endowed with reason, and we roughly determine our location in the Universe. We are humans (the manushya race); below us are less conscious beings, for example, pretas, pishachas, rakshasas—that is, spirits, ghosts, animals, hellish beings dwelling in Naraka.
Above and near us are the pitris (ancestral spirits), connected with lineages—these are former humans who have acquired a subtle body; they are considered higher because they control the subtle body and live in the subtle body.
Then above the pitris come gandharvas, vidyadharas, yakshas, various beings of a semi-divine nature, kinnaras (divine musicians), dancers, and pilots of vimanas. Above them come siddhas (perfected beings), who may once have been humans. Then come gods of even higher classes; finally, above them come those who are called maha-devas (great gods).
Great gods means those who possess great kriya-, iccha-, and jnana-shakti and belong to the higher five tattvas, for example Mahakala (the deity of time), or the goddess Saraswati, or Ganesha. All of these are the class of great gods—the class of lords of creation who live in shuddha-adhvas (pure space-time continuums). Their main quality is inseparability from the Absolute; they are one with the Absolute and, in fact, they are the creative forces, the energies of the Absolute itself.
Spiritual Evolution and the Path to the Absolute
As living beings, by practicing, we strive to occupy some place in this creation. Without a doubt, we cannot go anywhere outside this Universe—whoever we may be, whether we are born or die, we still are someone and occupy some place. Whether we are liberated or enlightened, or not liberated, we still live somewhere in some way, and we are someone. The only way to be free from everything is to identify with the Absolute (Brahman), to become one Ishvara and one Brahman.
But before this happens, we will change our role many times. For example, from a human being someone may become a pitri, or someone may become a vidyadhara, or someone a gandharva, a divine, angelic being; someone may become a siddha—different roles are possible.
The Scheme of Spiritual Ascent
Our scheme of spiritual liberation is quite clear:
First we become sadhus
From sadhus we become jnanis—those who have attained awakening
Even to become a sadhu, one must make an effort. We cannot become sadhus simply by receiving diksha; we must transform this diksha into the way of life of a sadhu and into the qualities of a sadhu.
When we attain a certain level of awakening, we become a jnani — one who has known Brahman in view, in contemplation, in personal experience, in samadhi. This is already a pass to liberation, a pass to the pure tattvas, to the higher dimensions, since we are already being guided by non-duality.
Then, as we continue practicing, we are able to become:
A perfect jnani, a siddha
A mahasiddha — one who has surpassed even the gods, the samsaric gods, in understanding the Absolute and has developed such power
A deva (one of the deities), who manifests the perfection of managing reality, the manifestation of jnana-, ichchha-, and kriya-shakti
One who belongs to the class of lords of the Universe (to the pati class), one who rises to the pure tattvas, the five pure tattvas, and becomes one of the deities who govern or manifest the pure tattvas
Deities of the Pure Tattvas
Who are they, what kind of deities are they:
Shambhavas — those who have realized the first tattva (Shiva-tattva)
Shaktas — those who have realized the second tattva
Mahamantreshvaras — those who have realized the third tattva, the fourth tattva
Ishvaras — those who have become Ishvara and have become capable of creating their own Universes
Shaktas and shambhavas belong to the category of beings called akala (having no form) — infinite, impersonal, omnipresent, omnipotent consciousnesses. Mahamantreshvaras are those who manifest powers capable of creating Universes and governing the universe.
Thus we move along the spiritual ladder of evolution, and now we are the class of human beings (manushya, sakalas).
Classification of Beings by Level of Realization
Sakalas is the general name for all beings who are unawakened and possess attributes, that is, those who have qualities.
All divine beings are already, if we do not count the pralayakalas (pralayakalas are special beings who have entered such a lower state and remained suspended there), then all divine beings are vijnana-kalas.
Vijnana-kalas means those who are endowed with knowledge of the Absolute, are one with the Absolute, and have eliminated the malas (limitations). Some have only anava-mala (ego) remaining, for example, samsaric deities, Indra. And the higher divine beings are vijnana-kalas, free from all three malas, that is, they are already so united with God (with the Absolute) that they do not separate themselves from the Absolute, yet they have personality, individuality, and a distinctiveness in the manifestation of energy.
Ishvara’s Words About His Omnipotence
Kalas, kashthas, nimeshas, muhurtas, days, nights, seasons, pakshas, months, abide in submission to the lord of progeny. Yugas and manvantaras abide in submission to me, as do paras, parardhas, and other divisions of time. The four kinds of beings, moving and unmoving, exist in submission to God, the supreme Atman. Patalas, all worlds, other Universes — all exist in submission to the self-born one; by my command, countless Universes with their elements and actions have passed, and other Universes with their inherent things will arise later by the will of the supreme Atman. Earth, water, fire, wind, space, mind, buddhi — these entities of Prakriti are governed by me.
Maya, which is the source of the entire Universe, bewitching all embodied beings, exists eternally in submission to Ishvara. Purusha — God, who sustains the body, constantly acts within it as the soul, submitting to Ishvara. Vidya, which reveals the supreme state, eliminating the influence of obscuration, acts in submission to Mahesha; therefore, what need is there to say much? The Universe is the essence of my shakti; everything is governed by me; in me it attains dissolution. I am Bhagavan, Isha — self-luminous, eternal, the supreme Atman, the supreme Brahman; apart from me there is nothing else. Having known this supreme knowledge, told to you by me, a person is liberated from the bonds of rebirth in samsara.
Thus, in the sacred “Kurma Purana,” in the first part, consisting of six thousand shlokas, the sixth chapter of the “Ishvara Gita,” called “The Vision of the Dancing Ishvara and Jnana Yoga,” comes to an end.
