Q: Individual souls experience many births. God Almighty also incarnates Himself many times? What are the differences in these rebirths?

A: God reincarnates Himself at will, while individual souls are not aware of their various births and have no choice in the form they are born as it is naturally chosen by God. Individual souls get a physical body by coming in contact with primordial matter which is controlled by God. The Almighty appears in human form many times, but does not Himself have such a physical body as He has a transcendental body, which is beyond ordinary nature.

 

The Lord’s Activities

 

Q: It is evident that God reincarnates Himself at different times in history. On what basis does He choose the time to reincarnate and for what purpose?

A: While God does not need any reason or time to reincarnate Himself, in general, he appears in human forms whenever there is significant diminishing of righteous forces and ascent of unjust and wrongful influences in the society. Often He incarnates in a human looking form and leads a life by example to act as a role model for the population. Just as a mother who is teaching walking to her baby walks very slowly to allow the child to learn, similarly the Lord appears in human form and acts similarly to set an example to mankind. In some incarnations such as Lord Rama, He sets an example for others by showing the way to lead an ideal life. In other incarnations, such as Lord Krishna, He focuses on teaching to guide people on ways to lead an ideal life. As Krishna, the Lord taught Bhagavad Gita to Prince Arjuna (and to the rest of humanity) and also taught Uddhava Gita to another Prince called Uddhava.

 

Q: Does the Lord incarnate Himself at specific predetermined times?

A: No. The Lord Himself decides the right time to appear on this earth to provide guidance to people. In many instances, the Lord instructs other deities such Vayu, Indra, Agni etc, to incarnate themselves and guide the people based on need. Only in extreme circumstances where there is a complete breakdown of morals in the society and very high influence of evil forces threatening the very existence of righteous forces, the Lord reincarnates Himself to set the house in order.

 

Q: Does God ever get attached to any of His objects of creation?

A: Just as the sky which is omnipresent does not alter its characteristics by coming in contact with physical objects, God creates all objects in the universe, and gives bodies to souls but does not Himself get attached or entangled with any of His creations.

 

The Lord’s Consort

 

Q: Is there any other soul which has as much pervasiveness and has as much powers as God in all of universe?

A: The Lord’s consort (referred to as Lakshmi) is always with the Lord at all times and in all places and hence is as pervasive as the Lord, but she also operates under the control of the Lord. Just like the Lord, Lakshmi also has a transcendental, non physical body. The entire universe is supported by Lakshmi, who derives her powers from the Lord.

 

The Universe of Individual Souls

 

Q: How many souls are there in the universe and how are they organized?

A: There are infinite numbers of souls in the universe who are granted different physical bodies by the Lord at different times to enable them to move towards self realization. All these souls are under the control of the Lord and His consort Lakshmi. The souls differ in their learning capacities, knowledge, their prescribed duties etc. The supreme among them is the God of Life, Vayu Deva, who controls breathing in all living organisms through the powers granted to him by the Lord.

 

Takeaways

 

ü The Almighty Lord has infinite, auspicious attributes and the human mind is not capable of comprehending His greatness

ü One has to resort to the scriptures such as the Vedas to get some idea of the Lord’s attributes

ü The scriptures whose primary purpose is to describe the Lord are infinite, have no beginning or end and are not composed by anyone. They always existed, and always will

ü The Lord’s consort, Sri Lakshmi has always been and will always be with the Lord at all times and in all places

ü There are infinite individual souls moving at different velocities in their quest towards self realization

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The Circle of Life

Questions about the origin of the universe and its age have always fascinated human beings. While most people find it easier to accept the eternality of souls and also that of the Lord, the origins and age of the physical universe continue to confound mankind. Strong views have been expressed by camps belonging to either creation or evolution. Gita teaches us that life is actually a sequence of cycles within cycles forming a perfect tapestry. Aspects of science and theology co-exist and work with each other to reveal the secrets of ‘evolutionary creation’ where every aspect of evolution is planned, controlled, monitored and indeed executed by divine will and not a series of thoroughly improbable accidents. This chapter attempts to answer some questions on the Grand Cycle of universe and cycles within cycles.

 

The Grand Cycle

 

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