Krishna revealed His Cosmic Form to Duryodhana too. But was the Kaurava prince able to acknowledge Krishna? Instead, he claimed that Krishna was performing a trick. When Krishna revealed His Cosmic Form to Arjuna on the Kurukshetra battlefield, Arjuna was terrified.

          Valli was eagerly waiting to wed Muruga. The Lord did appear, but it was in the form of an old man, and Valli failed to recognize Him.

          Adi Sankara was on a pilgrimage to Kasi, seeking the blessings of Kasi Viswanatha. He felt thirsty. A cobbler offered him water from his leather container. Adi Sankara grew furious and said, ‘Low-born! Move away!’, to which the cobbler retorted, ‘Whom are you asking to move away: this body or the Atma within this body?’ Only then did Adi Sankara realize that it was Kasi Viswanatha Himself who had assumed the form of a cobbler to enlighten him.

            Persons maintain their own perceptions of how God must be. Otherwise, why could Adi Sankara not perceive the God in the cobbler? Even the Mahaans were initially misled by external appearances.

            Bhadrachala Ramadasa was an ardent devotee of Lord Rama. But he failed to comprehend Rama when He presented Himself to him in the form of a buffalo. There have been instances of Shirdi Baba presenting Himself in the form of a black dog or a cat. But his devotees failed to recognize him.

          Yogi Ram Surat Kumar, a Mahaan at Thiruvannamalai hills, had a dog that he used to fondly address as ‘Sai Baba’. A foreigner, devotee of Sai Baba, presuming that the saint was ridiculing his Master, told the yogi, ‘If I had money, I would buy a dog and name it Ram Surat Kumar’, to which the saint replied smiling, ‘My father will be highly pleased.’ The person apparently looked down on animals. But the Yogi considered everything as a divine form, and calling out to his dog everyday was his way of keeping in touch with Sai Baba. How will persons ever understand the ways of Mahaans?

          Someone asked a question, ‘Where is God not?’ A person replied, ‘Some persons say God is everywhere. Some others say He is nowhere. He is now here.’ See how the same word gives two different meanings when split differently.

          Karaikkal Ammaiyar (a saint) states, ‘They referred to You as being in the Heavens, whereas I know you as the One dwelling in my heart’. (Unnai vaanathaan enrar, yaano en Nenjathaan enben iniye). Appar says, ‘He who dwells in my mind, initiates my thoughts and implements them’ (Manathaanai, Manathil ninra karuthaanai,  karuttharindhu mudippan thannai’).

          Those who comprehended God have comprehended Him within themselves and never outside. Musk deer is in constant search for the elusive fragrant smell that seems so near. Only when it breathes its last, does it realize that the fragrance emanates from its own body. Similarly, it is only when a person is on his deathbed, does he realize that he has squandered away his life, seeking outside, what had always been within him.

                                                                            Siva Shankar Baba does not offer any external prayers. God is enshrined in the temple of his heart and he offers Him his prayers every second. God relishes a temple constructed in the heart more than a temple constructed of bricks.

A Pallava king constructed a temple and fixed a date for the Kumbhabhishekam (consecration). When he requested the Lord to grace the Kumbhabhishekam, the Lord asked him to fix some other time, since He had to attend the Kumbhabhishekam at the temple constructed for Him by Poosala Nayanar. God had acknowledged the invisible temple that Poosala Nayanar had raised in his heart.

When you construct a temple for God within you, you become charged with the Divine. If God can present Himself in statues, God can present Himself within you too. Do not ever assume that God is confined to any particular location.

There is a temple for Venkatachalapathy in Tirupati. But wherever you pray from, your prayers get fulfilled. If His powers can be felt at Tirupati only, it means He is a mere address. His Force must be felt anywhere you think of Him. Only then is He a Supreme Power.

This question leads to elaborate answers. God is something that can never be explained. You have to experience Him. Any attempt at explanation would trigger more questions only.

A person went to Buddha with several questions. Buddha was prepared to answer them, provided the seeker observed Him silently for a year, without raising a single query. After a year, Buddha summoned the person and asked him to put forth his questions. But the man replied that he had no questions to ask, and was content with sitting silently in the nearby garden. Hearing the sound of derisive laughter nearby, the seeker turned to find another person seated under the branch of a neighbouring tree, quipping, ‘I also came to Buddha with questions’.

          Krishna was always with Arjuna. Arjuna could only look upon Krishna as his friend, but never as the Lord Himself. Krishna revealed His cosmic Viraat Viswaroopa form to Arjuna. The entire universe was contained in that Form. Arjuna closed his eyes in awe and requested Krishna to re-assume His human form. The Lord was revealing His original form but Arjuna could not take it, he was frightened to witness that Rudra Roopa. Arjuna requested Krishna to reveal to him a simpler form, and Krishna revealed Himself standing with the conch and the discus. Arjuna’s confusion increased. He said, ‘A single being is able to take on the Viraat Viswaroopa and a human form. Do you have any other form?’ Krishna replied, ‘I am none of these. I am in the form of Light’, and revealed Himself in the form of Jyothi.

          Light seems elongated in a tube light; it seems smaller in a 40 watts lamp; it is just a flicker in a candle. But everywhere it is light only, is it not? Is there anything like a small fire or big fire? Fire is fire.

          Persons try to measure God with the yardsticks they have, and hence fail to comprehend the Truth.

          This is why Gnana Sambandar says, ‘Do not attempt to gauge Him. This Light pervades everywhere. There is no end to this research’ (Sodhikka venda. Mikku parandhulan Jothiyaan. Kilakka venda. Pugin Alagillai.)

(Baba's reply for other questions continues next week....)

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