Saguna and Nirguna Brahman
And the Path to Liberation
Part Two

I mentioned that in the Sanatana Dharma of India there are said to be 330,000,000 gods! And yet according to the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad:

Then Vidagdha, the son of Sakala, asked him: "How many gods are there, Yajnavalkya?
Yajnavalky said, "As many as are indicated in the Nivid of the Visvadevas - 300 and 3003."
"Very well," said Sakalya. "How many gods exactly are there, Yajnavalkya?" "Thirty-three."
"Very well," said Sakalya. "How many gods exactly are there, Yajnavalkya?" "Six."
"Very well," said Sakalya. "How many gods exactly are there, Yajnavalkya?" "Three."
"Very well," said Sakalya. "How many gods exactly are there, Yajnavalkya?" "Two."
"Very well," said Sakalya. "How many gods exactly are there, Yajnavalkya?" "One-and-a-half."
"Very well," said Sakalya. "How many gods exactly are there, Yajnavalkya?" "One."

How many gods exactly are there?

ONE

So... Who is this "One God"? This Ek Devata?

This is where faith and belief enters.

Hebrews 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith.

And so we each must determine what we believe as individuals and place our faith in that. As has been said, being born in a bakery doesn't make one a bagel. Each of us must decide what we believe about these issues. Not doing the research into spiritual truth or deciding not to exercising faith is in itself a decision.

Do I judge and condemn those who lack faith and/or have never studied these things? Of course not! That would be ridiculous! I don't understand how my computer works, what makes my car go, why it rains or why it doesn't... not fully... Why? Because I have not felt inclined to study these matters. This life did not lead me in that direction. Perhaps your life has not lead you to spiritual things. That's fine! No worries! Perhaps it not your time!

One of the biggest problem in religion today is that there are so many people who pretend to believe who do not! Prophet Y'shua discusses these people:

Revelation 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

It's OK not to believe! Missionaries, please go home and take a nap! When people are ready for God they always come. As the old saying goes, "When the student is ready the teacher comes and when the teacher is ready, the student comes." Don't confuse the people with threats of hellfire or guilt trips!

There is nothing more important than being where you feel you are supposed to be and being open to what to comes next! The process this leads you through is the spiritual Path. In India this is sometimes called Marga, the course you take.

Some people will be Christians, some religious Jews, some Muslims or Pagans, others Sikhs or Taoists or Pagans... however regardless of the Path we choose to sojourn, we should do so because we believe it to be the correct and best Path for us as individuals. We should find God and establish our relationship with Him.

This is the Meaning of life. But whether you believe or not, whether you seek or not, God is always there directing your path. I love the Bob Dylan song about this very topic:

You may be an ambassador to England or France,
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance,
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You might be a rock 'n' roll addict prancing on the stage,
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage,
You may be a business man or some high degree thief,
They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk,
You may be the head of some big TV network,
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame,
You may be living in another country under another name

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a construction worker working on a home,
You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome,
You might own guns and you might even own tanks,
You might be somebody's landlord, you might even own banks

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride,
You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side,
You may be workin' in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair,
You may be somebody's mistress, may be somebody's heir

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Might like to wear cotton, might like to wear silk,
Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk,
You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread,
You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-sized bed

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may call me Terry, you may call me Timmy,
You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy,
You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray,
You may call me anything but no matter what you say

You're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody.
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Not to place to fine a point on this, but in this material world
You're gonna serve somebody.

Part One

This is: Part Two

Part Three
Part Four

---

Om Jai Jagannatha!	Sanatana Dharma Home Page
	Bhagavad Gita translated by Jagannatha Prakasa
	Gitabhasya of Jagannatha Prakasa