Doubt About the Body

1. The listener said, "The speaker has put forward thoughts about Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma, and Lord Shiva, but in actual life they are not seen and seem to be absent.
2. The processes of creation, preservation, and destruction are said to be carried on by Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, but when thinking about them and trying to see them, they are not actually experienced.
3. Brahma the creator is said to have four faces, but there is no experience of this for the body. Vishnu the sustainer is said to have four arms, yet this is also is known only by hearing about him.
4. It is said that Shiva is the destroyer, but how is this to be experienced? In the ancient mythological books (Puranas) the greatness of Shiva in the form of the Lingam is spoken about quite differently.
5. Who is the creator of the Primal Illusion (Moolamaya)? This must be understood. The appearance of the forms of the three gods has come after the Primal Illusion.
6. The Primal Illusion is the mother of creation. From her arises the stirring or arousal of the attributes (the gunas). From this arousal of the attributes (gunakshobhini), comes the birth of the three gods (with their qualities of creation, preservation, and destruction).
7. It is said to be like this by the writers of the ancient scriptures and by people who are scholarly, but when asked how to gain the experience of this, they mostly just get irritated.
8. Therefore, one cannot ask them, and the experience cannot be gained from them. Without experience, various efforts only become tiresome and make one weary.
9. For example, if one calls himself a doctor, but does not have any actual experience or knowledge, and engages in various medical activities, he is merely a fool who gets into trouble.
10. The thought here is similar. One has to make a determination and gain experience. Without having actual experience there is darkness and ignorance on both the side of the guru and of the disciple.
11. How can any blame be put on the so-called 'wise' people? What they say is correct, but we kindly ask the speaker to please give us the proper explanation.
12. If we say that Illusion is made by the three gods, the fact is that the forms of the gods are themselves found only in Illusion. If we say that Illusion is made by Illusion, that implies that there is some second Illusion.
13. If we say that the elements created Illusion, we can see that the elements are only present in Illusion, and part of it. If we say that Illusion is created by Parabrahman, the Absolute Reality, this cannot be true, because by definition there is no doing in Parabrahman.
14. If we say that Illusion is true, then Brahman must somehow be involved in the activity of Illusion as the doer, and if Illusion is said to be untrue, then where is there any question of any doership?
15. Now all of this must be explained so that experience can be gained, and the mind will be satisfied. Something such as this must be explained through the benevolent teaching of the Sadguru.
16. The Vedas cannot exist without words, words cannot exist without the body, and bodies cannot be created without other bodies.
17. Among all bodies, the human body is best, and among human bodies, the body of a brahmin priest, who is an authority on the study of the Vedas, is considered superior.
18. So, the question is, from where have the Vedas come, and what are all of the various bodies made up of? Furthermore, how have the three gods appeared? How has all of this happened?"
19. Like this, the doubts of the listeners were strengthened. Therefore, answers that offer satisfaction must be given. The speaker says, "Please listen now with alert attention."
20. If one tries to observe and gain experience of all this, much confusion arises, and everything seems upside down. Thinking about these things from one moment to the next, one indulges in guesswork and speculation and a lot of time gets wasted.
21. People have many different ways of thinking and many various opinions, and the scriptures give various different assertions as well. Therefore there is no uniformity of experience, and it is difficult to determine the Truth.
22. If we try to hold on only to the authority of the scriptures, even then such confusion cannot be escaped. And if one tries to resolve this confusion by oneself, the differences and dissension among the scriptures becomes more evident.
23. Now the problem arises as to how to explain the knowledge that is stated in the scriptures and gain actual experience. This is done by first explaining the "primary premise" that is given in the Vedas, as well as to move beyond that, and explain the "final conclusion," or siddhanta, in such a way that both the wise and the dull-minded will understand.
24. According to the scriptures, the "primary premise" presented in the Vedas is to be given, and then later on, that primary premise is revealed to not really be true. Understanding this, there should be no criticism of the contradictions that are seen.
25. Nevertheless, some explanation should be given so that one protects and appreciates what is said in the scriptures. The listeners are now respectfully asked to attentively listen to what is said while utilizing the power of discrimination.