As per the Gītā, God is neither existent nor non-existent (Na sat tat nā’saducyate…). This means that God cannot be said to be existent because we can only say that an item exists, if we can at least imagine it. One cannot say that something exists, when it cannot be understood or even imagined! But one is forced to say that something unimaginable exists because of the miracles that are perceived. Miracles are said to be unimaginable events because, even though their outcome or effect is perceived, their source remains beyond imagination. Thus, miracles indicate their unimaginable source, which ultimately, is the unimaginable God. This finally means that one cannot say that the unimaginable God exists, based on perception. But one can say that the unimaginable God exists, based on inference. Even though God’s existence can be inferred, His nature cannot be inferred or even imagined. It remains permanently unimaginable.
The soul is a part of creation. It is not the creator or even a part of the creator. The creator is the absolute reality, whereas, creation is the relative reality, which means unreal by itself. The relative reality or unreality of creation is with reference to the creator and not with reference to the soul. The soul is a part of creation alone and hence, the soul is also part of the relative reality. When a soul creates an imaginary world (daydream) for its own entertainment, the imaginary world is relatively real with reference to the soul who is the creator of that imaginary world. But the same imaginary world is absolutely real with reference to itself and entities within the imaginary world.
The soul can perform any miracle like the creation of any item in the relative imaginary world created by it. One absolute reality cannot perform any miracle in another absolute reality and hence, the imaginary world created by the soul must be accepted to be relatively real with reference to the soul. The same story applies in the case of the unimaginable God. God is the absolute reality and creation (including all souls) is relatively real with reference to God. But creation is absolutely real with reference to the soul within creation. Our real world is the imaginary world of God. It is just like the imaginary world created by the soul for its own entertainment (Ekākī na ramate…—Veda).
But there is a difference between the omnipotent God and the impotent soul. The imaginary world of the soul does not appear to be as clear as the real world is for the soul. Hence, it is unable to give real and full entertainment to the soul. This is because the soul’s imaginary creation is based on its weak mental creative power called avidyā. But creation, which is God’s imaginary world, appears to be as clear to God as the real world appears to the soul. Thus, creation is able to give full and real entertainment to God. God creates creation using His unimaginable power, māyā, which is very powerful. So, even in the view of God, His relatively-real world is fully clear to Him, as if it were an absolute reality like God Himself.
On the contrary, in the view of the soul, its relatively-real world is very weak and not very clear to give complete entertainment.
Finally, this world is equally clear to both God and the soul. The world is only relatively-real before God, while, before the soul, it is equally real as the soul. Yet, as far as its appearance is concerned, it appears completely real to both God and soul. The essentially unreal nature of the world from God’s point of view means that God can perform miracles in it. Its real appearance to God means that God gets full and real entertainment from it.
That which is real, appears clear to us and that which is unreal, appears unclear to us. But the world is unreal to God and yet it appears clear to Him. This self-contradiction of the natures of reality and unreality is forcibly suppressed by the power of māyā, which is praised in the Gītā (Mama Māyā duratyayā…). Hence, both Śaṅkara saying that the world is unreal, allowing God to perform miracles and Rāmānuja saying that the world is real because of its perfect clarity, stand true simultaneously.
In fact, Śaṅkara said that this world is neither real nor unreal. He said that it is different from both and hence undefinable (Sadasat vilakṣaṇā mithyā). Thus, Śaṅkara and Rāmānuja both stand simultaneously true, even from the same point of view of God. Madhva’s philosophy follows Rāmānuja’s philosophy, treating creation to be real. This impossible simultaneous coexistence of the two contradictory natures of creation is made possible by the unimaginable power (māyā) of the unimaginable God.
-By Shri Datta Swami
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Universal Spirituality for World Peace
Simultaneous Coexistence of Reality and Unreality
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