As I continued to read on revelation and the dialogue followed1, more questions came to me than finding a clear answer from these discussions. After the reading, I sat quietly for some time trying to recollect what I read. Then sincerely I shared my doubts to the Lord. Though I closed the poem by saying that as I cannot convey what kind of message that I received in my atman from the Lord and also said that as no one will accept it or believe it, it is better to stop there itself.
But when I retired to bed (around 1.00 am), I continued to think on this subject. As my own reason for refusing to accept my argument that the message that I received from the Lord is beyond communication, I debated how to express my thought in words. And the conclusion is this:
God is not limited by any human categories—including this word ‘God’. Everything that we use to convey our ‘encounter’ with God is only a ‘nimit’ (incident) alone. This includes even the Muktiveda and also the Lord. Yes the INCARNATION is an incident for God to reveal who He is to us. In His own nature the Lord is beyond our comprehension. For me INCARNATION shows not only the GRACE of God but His MERCY to come down to our level so that we can comprehend Him in our atman. Then what we try to experience and then express is only human agency. But there comes the revelation. This revelation is very personal for each individual which she cannot convey to others by any means. At the same time as Oberhammer rightly said, ‘…Ultimately, man also needs human relations in order to maintain his religious experience, since they actually allow him to encounter transcendence’,2 in order to maintain this spiritual encounter which each individual experienced, we use words and thoughts to communicate to others.
Those who write poems and other kinds of writings need to use their mind/buddhi. But the flow of thought and the arrangements of words are beyond their ability, they have to use their mind to convey it. Though I am not bragging or exaggerating, I wonder why everyone cannot write or talk in the same way as those who do it? Of course each has her own talent which is a gift. But for anyone to use that gift, mere talent is not enough. There comes the inspiration or revelation.
Though millions and millions of written works are there in the world, the way one book as Muktiveda gained some unique status and few scriptures gained as Veda and smrtis in India etc. shows that these are mere ‘nimit’ (incident) for God to use His revelation to the seekers. Here again what Oberhammer says will help me to convey my thought: If God can create man only by allowing him to ‘reach out’ for Him, if man thus is a creature who can only be himself by reaching for God, then it is God himself who challenges him in this way…the assertion was not made that God is experienced by man as an ‘object,’ but rather as an ‘encountering’ infinity of which he expects the fullness of his existence.3
Having said this, if there is a God of our understanding and experience that we try to convey in our own terms and languages cannot be limited by any of my efforts, including the Scripture written by humans. At the same time, as all cannot write poems, articles, book reviews etc. etc. they gain some special status not remaining one among the several printed texts like. The same is with Scripture(s). Though God used human agency, still they gained this special status as Scriptures as they managed to bring radical changes in the lives of so many. What we encountered in our atman we conveyed through our words. That encounter, again initiated by God through Her REVELATION makes Scriptures UNIQUE.
But to receive that revelation one should have RELATIONSHIP with God as a PERSON and not have mere theological/philosophical concept. In that relationship God will limit Herself to reach us. She will also use only our bhuddhi to understand. But it won’t remain mere emotional or sentiment but more and more Personal. Then all other things that temporarily served their purpose, including Scripture will stand by to serve us rather than limit either God or us in developing that relationship.
26-8-16, Mathigiri, 11.50 pm.
1 (see previous song 492 and Gerhard Oberhammer, Revelation in Hinduism; Questions and Interventions, in Andreas Bsthe (ed.), Hinduism questioning Christianity: Christian Faith in the Encounter with Hinduism, vol. 1, Modling, 2007, St Gabriedl Publications, originally first published in German: A. Bsteh (ed.,), Der Hinduismus als Anfrage an christliche Theologie und Philosophie (Studien Zur Religionstheologies; 3). Modling, 1997, Translation by Ingeborg Bogensberge, Vienna, in cooperation with John MMercer and Adrianne Nagy DaPonte, Boston, pp. 87-125,)
2 ibid. p. 102
3 ibid. p. 105
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