Question from Rohan K: Is God Sakar or Nirakar? That is, does He have his own special form or is he formless? I ask because some well known/trusted trusted socio-spiritual associations like "Swaminarayan Sampradaya" strongly claim that God is sakar, not nirakar and we should avoid listening anything about God from those people who claim that he is Nirakar. While on the other hand there are other saints who speak he is nirakar. What are your views on this? Dear Rohan, You will not find consensus on this topic among the scholars of different traditions. Even within the vedantins, there are different schools of thought on this. Naturally, the Advaitins (and all the myriad non-dual schools) believe that ultimate reality is one without a second, and this means they consider Brahman to be Nirakar (formless). However, at the same time, due to its omnipotence, the same Nirguna Bhrahman has the power of appearing as Sakar (or Saguna Brahaman) for the sake of its devotees. This is like water changing form and becoming ice. Although the form changes on the outside, the essence remains the same on the inside. Given that the whole world is a "bhogha-bhoomi" (a place to experience enjoyment and suffering) for the Jeeva (individual personality), Ishwara (God) is no exception. Thus, in a completely secular and free system, devotees get to enjoy God the way they want, without any restrictions imposed by others. Thus, in Bhakti marg, the ultimate reality is Saguna, whereas in Jnana marg, the ultimate reality is Nirguna. Let us be understanding and compassionate towards both perspectives. See, there will always be such differences in beliefs. At its core, these difference arise due to the way we approach the truth, whether we give more importance to the head or the heart. It is important that we do not get lost in these differences, but instead attempt to see the underlying unity behind the diversity in belief systems. With Love, -Sudhir
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:03:56 +0000
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