Swami Prakashanand Saraswati: Question & Answer on the Nature of Reality and Transgressions
Swami Prakashanand Saraswati is a revered spiritual leader known for his profound insights into the nature of reality and the importance of devotion to Krishn. In his answers he highlights how our emotional attachments and illusions create suffering. His Q&A sessions provide invaluable guidance on navigating life’s challenges, such as understanding transgressions and purifying the heart through dedication and service to God.
Question & Answer:
- Question: Is this world fake or real? If it is fake, why does it appear to be real?
Answer: This world is not imaginary, fake or an illusion. Whatever it is, it is real. It does exist and will exist forever as it has been since eternity. In this world, your emotional pleasures and pains are imaginary, your hopes are illusions, your attachments are fake and are mentally created. Worldly love is fickle; it has no everlasting stability. Understanding this fact of life, you should bring your mind back to Krishn-love because it is real. Krishn Himself is Divine-love, but the love in this world with worldly people is just your emotion. In the world, negative emotion is called hate, and positive emotion is called love, but Krishn love is not mere emotion. He himself is the form of Love. So, your emotion for Him also becomes something real and tangible…not just imaginary. So, understanding the world and it’s illusions, bring back your mind to Radha-Krishn.
- Question: There are three actions: good, bad and devotional. How are they determined and categorized at the time of death?
Answer: In this world there is a power of God, and that is called Dharmraj or Yamraj. Both names belong to one personality. The power of God is also omnipresent in the world. Each and every thought and action of every individual is imprinted in his mind, so they remain as a permanent record. At the time of death, Dharmraj or Yamraj gives you the best possible destiny of your future life according to those imprints (past actions). God gives the full benefit of your devotional actions and only a part of your good and bad actions as your destiny; that is His kindness. When a person dies, and his soul takes rebirth, his future destiny is decided. But, ‘destiny’ only means the good and bad happenings in your physical life. Your devotional attitude is purely emotional and mental; it is not physical.
- Question: How can a devotee accelerate heart purification?
Answer: According to the degree of faith, dedication and service a devotee receives the grace of his Master automatically. It is the dedication which attracts the grace of a Saint, and that simultaneously purifies the heart. The grace of a Saint and Radha-Krishn are one single Divine power. So, a devotee’s dedication and service needs to be maintained to purify the heart.
- Question: Should we listen to our “inner voice?”
Answer: The inner voice is just your own sub-conscious mind, and the intuitions could be right or wrong according to the fluctuating sanskars (conditioned reflexes imprinted in the mind from present and past lives). God has no concern with your intuition and Saints are always one with God, so they have no such intuitions, they have God to directly govern their activities.
- Question: How do I ease the pain of knowing I have committed a transgression?
Answer: Every soul commits transgressions. Over-repentance is not good, but you must accept your transgression to receive forgiveness.
- Question: Can transgressions be avoided?
Answer: Transgressions are caused by ignorance and every soul has a material mind which is ignorant. Dedication is like a remedy, so you have to develop and improve your dedication through devotion and service.