What is advaita. Does advaita mean we become God. How can we be GOD. Does God get entangled in his own Maya.If yes then how ?Is advaita supported by the Gita or any ancient Hindu texts
—Niraj, India
Dear Niraj,
You are right, we can’t become God. God is beyond form, beyond our present reality of maya. However, we can become one with God, or even better, we can realize our oneness with God. Yoganandaji described it as the ocean and the wave. As waves, we are part of the ocean, but we can’t pretend to be the whole ocean. The higher the wave (the ego), the further away it is from the ocean, and appears to be separate. The lower the wave, the more we see it to be part of the ocean itself. One of our chants says, “I am the bubble, make me the sea”.
Shankaracharya described it as union with the Absolute, Satchidananda: Existence (Sat), Consciousness (Chid), Bliss(Ananda). We can reach this state through techniques such as those taught in meditation, and by devotion to a fully enlightened master (who has already realized oneness), to symbols of God, such as deities, or to one or more of God’s qualities as described by Patanjali: (Divine) love, joy, light, sound, peace, calmness, wisdom, or power. We might say that the meditation techniques take us to our inner self where God dwells, and that devotion helps us develop ardor and enthusiasm for that practice. Although God’s reality is beyond form, it’s difficult for the human mind to develop any kind of a personal relationship with something formless, hence the need for symbols and forms. Ultimately, however, we progress beyond the form and come to experience that oneness, (Samadhi).
“Eternity and I, one united ray,
A tiny bubble of laughter,
I am become the Sea of Mirth.”
From Paramhansa Yogananda’s poem, Samadhi.
I hope this answers your question. Many blessings on your spiritual journey.
Joy to you, Nayaswami Sadhana Devi
