The Confusion between Sakar (Form) And Nirakar (Formless) God.

Since the very olden days in India, there have always been the practice of worshipping God in both the forms i.e. Sakar and Nirakar. For attaining Samadhi also it refer to both these types i.e. Savikalpa (form) Samadhi and Nirvikalpa (formless) Samadhi. But in olden days there was no confusion among the people about these ways of worshipping. Our old rishis/saints had already written about them in detail in the scriptures which the common man would believe very easily. But nowadays lot of confusion has started among the people because our old and most sacred scriptures like Srimad Bhagvad Gita and Srimad Bhagvatham are being looked with question and disbelief. Instead they have started believing the western based spiritual gurus, their teachings and theories, predictions etc. which is very sad and really very unfortunate. Specially the so-called educated and modernized/civilised city based people now don’t believe in any type of idol worship, mantras, rituals, festivals etc. and even question the authenticity of our epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, the existence of Lord Sri Rama and Lord Sri Krishna which is very shocking indeed. Instead they have started referring to formless (nirakar) God with some new names like unseen force or power, energy, consciousness etc. and would also make futile attempt to meditate on it. According to Srimad Bhagvad Gita, God is easily realised through sakar sadhna comparing to nirakar sadhna as lot of pain and patience is needed in the latter one (Ref. 12th Chapter-Bhakti Yog). I don’t understand when you don’t respect your elders how can you claim to be civilised or developed similarly our old scriptures are like our most oldest elders and the lifeline of our country and also the basis of our spiritual knowledge and without attaining this knowledge how can you claim to be spiritually enlightened? Without proper knowledge how devotion can arise? And without devotion how can you talk about nirakar (formless) God and/or consciousness.
To kill an evergreen tree forever it is necessary that you should cut it from the root so thats why the western gurus now suggests to not to believe our scriptures since they are our roots of our spiritualism. Somebody asked someone that when God is everywhere then why there are so many temples in India on that he answered that air is everywhere but why we still need a fan to feel it. In a same way God is everywhere but to see him / to feel him/to express our for love him/ to serve him we need a medium and an idol to connect to the almighty God. If we look back at our history we will find many incidents where God has shown lot of miracles through its idols in front of the devotees and even today those miracles are happening all over our country. Swami Vivekananda also had removed the illiteracy of Maharaja of Khetri about idol worship by telling him to spit on the oil painting picture of his Father. When he objected, he said why to worry it is only a piece of paper and it is not really his father but still he could not spit on it. Subsequently, the Swami clarified that the Maharaja cannot spit on it because spitting on it would make him feel as if he is spitting on his father himself similarly we feel the presence of our beloved the almighty God in the idols and love him as our father, master, friend, child, lover etc. How can you express the God in a nirakar form by merely giving him a name of consciousness or energy who cannot be expressed in words. It is like asking a dumb fellow to express the sweetness of jaggery. You are unconscious about our old traditions, idol worshipping, sacred scriptures, mantras, rituals and claim about God realization under the name of consciousness which is very funny. For this only one thing could be said that boasting and realization are two different things. Nirakar sadhna can only be achieved after knowing/feeling God through Sakar sadhna and after you know Him you stop talking/boasting. In Gita’s 11th Chapter, when Lord Sri Krishna showed Arjuna the Vishwaroopa, He told him that this Vishwaroop is only a small portion (say 1/4th) of His original form, actually it is so vast and endless (it has no starting or ending) that it is difficult for Arjuna to see and this vishwaroopa is only for the understanding of Arjuna. So from this we can make out that God is beyond our any kind of imagination and so we should stop getting confused over the issue of Sakar or Nirakar and instead we should concentrate on pure devotion.
Jai Govinda!

THE CONCEPT OF GURU (SPIRITUAL GUIDE)

Nowdays lot of people are coming into the spiritual world very often and very soon they loose their interest and would return back to the material world. Such persons enter the religious world due to different reasons such as imitating each other in workplace/relatives/friends/place of living, due to the personal problems, mental stress/agony etc. but the failure to continue in this world happens due to lack of proper devotion towards God/scriptures, lack of knowledge about the concept of Guru and subsequently devotion towards Guru. Everybody knows the literal meaning of Guru as one who takes you from darkness to light or one who guides you towards salvation. In my opinion, when a baby takes birth in this world, the most important thing he needs is his parents who take his utmost care and just because of them only that small baby subsequently grows up properly. Similarly, when a person enters the spiritual world for the first time, he needs Guru who with utmost care guide him how to proceed properly in the spiritual world and just because of Guru’s proper guidance and care only that person achieves his goal easily. For people like us we definitely need Guru in a physical (sakar) form as it is very difficult to concentrate on formless (nirakar- Ref. Srimad Bhagvadgita 12th Chapter). It is much easier to achieve Guru Bhakti if your Guru is in a physical form otherwise for the nirakar form lot of pain and patience is required. According to Srimad Bhagavatham Lord Ram/Lord Krishna who were the Supreme God even they also had Guru in a physical form because Lord himself had told in Gita that for him there is no karma or there is no need to do any karma but still he takes birth like a normal human being among us just to show how to live an ideal life or what are the basic duties of life in all aspects whether it is worldly life or spiritual life. Then after the avtaars many big saints and devotees have taken birth in our country and they also had Guru in a physical form. One famous saint of Bengal used to say that Brahman is in everywhere but it is only Guru in whom Brahman is specially visible and without whom’s anugraham or mercy it is absolutely impossible to know or see the Brahman. Therefore it is not sufficient just to know the literal meaning of Guru as Guru is beyond that. In Guru-Gita, it is said that Dhyan Moolam Guru Murti (for meditation Guru’s Physical form), Puja Moolam Guru Padam (for worshipping Guru’s feet again in physical form), Mantra Moolam Gurum Vakyam (for mantra look out for your Guru’s instructions/words), Moksha Moolam Guru Kripa (for Salvation is only by Guru’s pure anugraham). When knowledge about Guru or Guru’s greatness is not known then how bhakti for Guru will arise? And if Guru Bhakti is not there then how one will succeed in the spiritual field. It is said that if Sri Krishna is angry on you only Guru can save you from his anger but if Guru is angry on you then nobody in this universe can save you. It is also said that while doing sadhana if anybody commits any mistake in doing rituals or chanting mantras properly, it is only Guru who can save you from the wrath of the respective Devtas. In Srimad Bhagvad Gita also when Arjuna surrendered to Lord Krishna and asked him to become his Guru as He is only JagatGuru, Lord Krishna then only gave knowledge about Gita and the result of it is known to everybody. If you think yourself in a thick dense forest on a darkest night and you could not see or find your way to get out it, Guru only shows you the way by giving a sharp torch light and helps you out. And the most important thing, you are not so competent to find your own Guru, it is only Guru who finds you. You can only pray from the deepest core of your heart to the Lord to help you and he certainly does by coming in the form of Guru. That is why it is said that Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwara, Guru Sakshat Parabrahma, Tasmayesree Gurave Namah.