The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda
by Srila Narayana Maharaja | 2003 | 1,508,963 words | ISBN-10: 8175053925 | ISBN-13: 9788175053922
"The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda" compiles the teachings and writings of Swami Vivekananda, capturing his vast influence as a pivotal figure in the introduction of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world. Swami Vivekananda, a chief disciple of the mystic Ramakrishna, delivered profound lectures across the United States and Europe af...
On Conceptions of Godhead
Man's inner hankering is to find some one who is free, that is, beyond the laws of nature. The Vedantins believe in such an Eternal Ishvara, while the Buddhists and the Sankhyas believe only a Janyeshvara (created God), that is, a God who was a man before, but has become God through spiritual practice. The Puranas reconcile these two positions by the doctrine of Incarna tion. That is, they say that the Janyeshvara is nothing but the Nitya (Eternal) Ishvara, taking by Maya the form of a Janyeshvara. The argument of the Sankhyas against the doctrine of Eternal Ishvara, viz "how a liberated soul can create the universe", is based on false grounds. For you cannot dictate anything to a liberated soul. He is free, that is, he may do whatever he likes. According to the Vedanta, the Janyeshvaras cannot create, preserve, or destroy the universe.