Jesus and Peter

[sridatta]

Passing of Nivrutti Test Should Not be Based on Fear and Attraction

Shri Anil asked (on phone): In the recent answers, you told that Peter failed in the Nivrutti test of God. But, Peter offered his life to save the life of Jesus. Does it not prove that he is a high devotee of the level of Nivrutti?

Swami replied (On phone): In the question paper given by God, which is referred by you, Peter failed. Peter might have passed in chemistry paper, but, failed in the physics paper conducted in March examination. The result given for that March is that Peter passed in chemistry but failed in physics. In the next September examination, Peter might have passed in the physics paper also. The result is always given by the university based on the paper answered in a specific examination. Since Peter passed physics paper in September examination, you cannot demand the university to declare Peter to have passed in physics paper in the previous March examination also!

God asked Peter to kill animals, reptiles etc., and eat. Killing is highest injustice (ahimsaa paramo dharmah) and eating the raw flesh without processing for purification is also not justified in view of health, which is necessary for spiritual line also. Now, here, if some human being like the spirit of father of Peter asked him to do this, Peter should refuse so that justice can be voted against injustice in Pravrutti. He passes this Pravrutti test by supporting justice against injustice as far as the world is concerned (spirit of father comes also in to the category of the world). But, here, no human being or even human spirit is involved against which (injustice) you can vote for justice. Here, the ultimate God is standing in competition with justice. God is far far higher than even justice. After all, the ultimate aim of justice is God since the concept is that justice is a path to get good impression of God. The deity of justice in the form of cow surrendered to God Datta for protection. It is standing in the back side of God to say that it is only next to God! In fact, God is protector of justice (Dharma samsthaapanaarthaaya... Gita). But, here, He is expecting the devotee to vote for Him even against the justice.

This is only a rare case of test of a devotee and not the general policy of God. You must vote justice against injustice in the world for the sake of even your dearest human being. But, when God and justice compete with each other, you must vote for God. The Veda says that nothing or none should be even equal to God and not to speak more than God (Natatsamah...). God in the Gita says that you should vote for God against justice also and that will not be a sin to lead you to hell (Sarvadharmaan...). Had Peter followed God’s word and started to kill and eat those living beings, those will turn in to bread and butter in a fraction of second by the will of God since the test was over. Here, Peter voted for justice against God. Here Peter passed chemistry paper (test of Pravrutti by voting justice against unjust killing) and failed in physics paper (test of Nivrutti to vote for God against even justice by killing those living beings to eat). Hence, God gave pass result in the Pravrutti test by saying that justice is followed even if God wished otherwise. God did not give the failure certificate of Nivrutti by saying that Peter gave more importance to justice neglecting even God. This shows the positive attitude of God to encourage always the devotee.

We must understand one crucial point in the saying of God, which is that Peter followed justice without fearing for God. This has an inner meaning, which is that had Peter eaten by killing those animals based on fear from God, even such pass is failure in the test of Nivrutti. This statement given by God looks as if God is appreciating Peter for doing a righteous thing overcoming the fear for God. This is only a superficial meaning, but, the inner meaning is that even if one votes for God against justice due to fear for God, such voting for God is only a failure in the nivrutti test. This throws light or the background of Nivrutti test. This means that you should not vote for God against justice for the fear towards possible anger of God (that if I don’t vote to Him, He will punish me by throwing me in to hell there or giving difficulties here) or for the attraction to some special benefit from God (that if I vote Him, He will give heaven to me there and prosperity here). Passing the test of Nivrutti should not be based on these two backgrounds of fear and attraction.

You must pass the Nivrutti test based on your unimaginable love (devotion) to God. Then only, it is a real pass in Nivrutti. God asked Dharma Raja to tell a lie in war. The general rule is that if you tell a lie, you will go to hell and this is in the phase of world or Pravrutti. If you tell a lie and earn money for the sake of your dearest family, you will go to hell, where your family will say “we never asked you to do illegal earning for our sake. We don’t know how you earned. You brought and gave it to us for our enjoyment and we enjoyed! We can’t share your sin”. Dharma Raja, like Peter, didn’t agree to tell the lie even if God Krishna told. Dharma Raja went to hell for not telling the lie even if God asked! Lord Krishna tested Gopikas on real background of Nivrutti by saying “If you press Me to dance with house-holder like you, you will go to horrible hell”.

Then, had Gopikas told “O God! To hell! In such case we will not dance with you even if you press us! We thought that by dancing with You, You will be pleased to bless us with prosperity here, heaven there, save us from difficulties here and save us from hell there. We thought that this proposal is multi-benefit scheme with four benefits!”, Krishna should have withdrawn that Nivrutti test, which was based on fear and attraction only. Instead, Gopikas told “we don’t mind to go even to horrible hell for your sake. If you refuse us, we will commit suicide by jumping in to this Yamuna River for the failure of our love to you”. Gopikas passed this real test of Nivrutti.

You are talking about the offer of life of Peter for the sake of Jesus during crucifixion. But, is this Peter not the same one, who refused thrice (as predicted by Jesus already) to even identify Jesus after arrest? The human being is an unstable monkey jumping from lower plane to higher plane or reverse from time to time and is unpredictable. The Nivrutti needs standard devotion like a rock.

God in human form also exhibits His divine illusion (Maya) in Nivrutti test. Hanuman did not marry so that He can serve God effectively. But, God Rama Himself is a married person! Not only this, God Rama took service of Hanuman to search His stolen wife! In the place of Hanuman, if any one of us exists, we will think “I remained unmarried to serve this married fellow! Moreover, He is employing me in the service of searching His wife! Instead of this foolish service, I shall go back and get married to live happily”. But, Hanuman passed in this Pravrutti-Nivrutti test. Getting oneself married to lead life ethically is the justice in Pravrutti. Had we left Rama in this test, we will be certainly awarded Pravrutti certificate by Rama. Rama tested Hanuman again on the first day of war. Rama told Ravana “If you give back My wife, I shall go back without killing you”. Hanuman should have thought like this “I participated even in the foolish service of this married fellow without my marriage.

This married fellow is also highly selfish. He says that He will go back without killing Ravana, if His wife is returned. I tolerated even the foolish service given to Him so far with a hope that at least He will kill Ravana and do justice to this world. Welfare of the world should be always greater than personal welfare. By this statement, He proves that selfishness is far greater than even social welfare. If Ravana gives back His wife and continues all his atrocities (including forcible molestation of others’ wives) on the world as usual, Rama will not mind it! Rama is only a drama of selfishness! Let me leave this fellow at least in this last minute”. If we are in the place of Hanuman, I am damn sure that we will think like this only. But, Hanuman did not leave Rama in that night and attended the war throughout! Hanuman passed this test of Nivrutti, which is highly misleading! He proved that God is far greater than anything including welfare of the world!

Peter failed in the above test feeling that that scene (even though repeated thrice indicating that he will tell the lie thrice in the case of Jesus) is an illusion. If God appears in energetic form, we will feel it as eye illusion to escape the test! If God appears in human form, then also, we will leave the test by refusing the human form of God feeling that the human incarnation is not God and is only a cunning human being! The essence is that we should get a pass certificate without test! We especially avoid Datta since He tests us always! But, do you know that any God is only Datta in a specific role!

Hence, My conclusion is that Thomas always doubts theoretically and Peter always fails practically!