Isvara keeps his divine bliss in his possession. Only those who he think are capable and worthy are granted a share of his bliss. He does not reward the undeserving ones.
Isvara is infinitely powerful. He knows the foulness of matter, especially the pollutions of this world, and yet remains indifferent and perturbed by these externalities.
Isvara can neither kill himself nor can create any one like him. The meaning of Isvara being supremely powerful is that all possibilities are completed with his energy.
Bhagvan is not under the control of devotees but the devotee wants to be under the control of Bhagvan.
The devotion, prayer, dhyana (meditation) and worship of Paramatma is not only done through some special mantras, sutras and slakas but can be performed in one's language and according to one's will. But with the medium of mantra it can be done in the condensed form and with the purest of rituals.
The appearance of Paramatma (in the form of Devi and Devatas) is only the diverse manifestations of the formless one according to qualities, action and behaviors accessible or perceptible or revealed to the sadhakas or bhaktas, who call the Paramatma with different names.
Paramatma is one, and to accept him as many is untrue. Also, those who accept Paramatma to be many, have conflicts among themselves regarding their deity being greater than the others. They fail to realise that the partial manifestations do not constitute the full picture of infinite oneness.
The worship of Isvara leads one into the samadhi state, where one can realise special knowledge, and qualities like strength, bliss, patience, tolerance, enthusiasm, bravery, unattachment etc. Along with these, the y0ga-practicioner benefits with self-realization of atma and the consequent destructions of all avidya and dosas (ingnorance and defects).
Isvara does not take the help of other living beings to deliver the fruits of a being's actions. The one who performs true worship, the true form of Isvara is revealed to them. With qualities like justiciability and omnipresence, he participates in the bliss of Isvara. This participatory realization is real meaning of seeing the Isvara manifestation.
Isvara protects His worshippers. During the times of hardships, hostilities, or obstructions and oppositions, He bestows on the devotees qualities like enthusiasm, strength, knowledge, bravery, patience and tolerance, which give them the confidence to tide over crises. This is meant by his protection.
A person who does pratyaksa (practise for Isvara realization) for Isvara realises godly qualities like bliss, peace, fearlessness, truth, supreme good, unbiasedness, unattachment in his life, speech and behaviour. Such a person does not remain sad, worried, attached, jealous or biased.
In the state of samadhi, Isvara enlightens the antahkarana of worshippers with knowledge in and resolves their doubts.
Paramatma has demarcated boundaries and fixed karmic responsibilities for various tasks in various realms. For example, he is not dealing in insentient and gross material objects, and therefore he does not make buildings, or bakes bread etc. for us. These actions are delegated to living beings such as humans.
Just as we can not drink all the water of a river but drink a little to quench our thirst, likewise we should try to know about Isvara, at least to the extent by which moksa is obtained. For realising even a little truth of Him, dedicated sadhana is required.
Isvara is generous, which means that Isvara possesses an innate disposition towards generosity. Generosity is wanting others to benefit, progress their welfare and happiness. The greatest kindness of Isvara is that He created the best of materials and substances in this universe and nature for the progress and happiness of living beings. He does not expect anything in return for this. One of the form of Isvara's kindness is that he helps those desevering humans that need help.
The violence, fraud, deceit, and disasters that plague the world are not His doings. Living beings are free, and the mismanagements and sorrows in this world are spread by them. Similarly, the Earth also experiences changes due to its nature. These affects and events are not because of Isvara.
A brick cannot take the space of another brick without displacing it. In this sristi there already exists the prakrti and jiva. An omnipresent Isvara can not take their place without displacing them. The solution is that the padartha of consciousness - Jivatma and Isvara - do not occupy any space and that is why Isvara and Jivatmas can be present along with the physical, material padarthas like prakrti and jivas.
Humans get attracted towards the energy of Isvara only when they are afflicted, e.g. if they are tormented with diseases and separations of dear ones or dissatisfied with worldly material enjoyments or when dreadful accidents befall on them. Sometimes, they are positively attracted to Isvara after listening to spiritual discourses.
It is not correct to say that there in no power of Isvara just because he is not seen through the gross eyes. There are various padarthas in this world that are not seen through the eyes but still people accept them, like air, hunger, thirst, happiness, sorrow, mana, buddhi, electrical waves etc.
Do the mother and father possess complete knowledge about the constituents of their child's body, even as they created it? It is not so. Even today scientists have not understood human body completely. Hence the body of a child is not made by his father and mother but it is Isvara who made it.
In the 40th chapter of Yajurveda, the 18th mantra describes Isvara as 'Akayam' i.e. formless. So, Isvara does not do the dharana of a body.
Brahma, Visnu and Mahesa are the names of one Isvara and He is responsible for the creation, maintenace and destruction of this srsti.
The biggest cause of rivalries and oppositions in this world is the prevalence of various beliefs, cults and religious systems which have foolishly imagined a false form of God instead of the true one, which is formless.
(Excerpted from the book Divine Transformation: Building Blocks for Englightened Life, Ideal Nation & Peaceful World by Acharya Balakrishna)
To feel oneself in the presence of qualities of the formless Isvara, like knowledge, bliss and peace is the meaning of a pratyaksa or Isvara-realization.
A belief of our times is that there are different paths to obtain Isvara but the final destination of all the paths is one. This assumption is not correct. All the paths do not lead to the Isvara, and most paths end in abysses of misery. In today's spiritual landscape, various types of worship-techniques and religious texts are gaining popularity. Different methods have been prescribed and their goals are entirely different from dharmic /mzra-realization. Therefore the different spiritual journeys and the promised destinations are not the one as promised in the axiomatic different paths one destination statement.
For Eg. some of us have the goal to reach the seventh heaven, some want to find the fourth heaven, some Paramdhama, some Aksharadhama and some are looking for gau-loka, vaikunthaloka or kailasa. Knowing this, can we now say that all the goals are one? Whatever thoughts we have sheltered in our minds, regarding beauty, success, prosperity, fame, religion, spirituality, happiness, enjoyments, love etc., we are directed likewise in our modes and means of actions to realize and prove those beliefs correct. How shall we judge whether the assumptions sheltered in our minds are true or not? If we feel paramsanti (absolute peace) within us every second, and we realize that our consciousness is rising upwards i.e. getting refined, powers is developing within us, and most importantly if the emotions begotten by, rage, greed, pride and jealousy and an exhibitionist mindset are on the decline, then we are on the correct path. We must then realize that our assumptions are true and we must work harder to realize them. Otherwise we must find a way towards more correct assumptions or beliefs.
Only the well versed in truth, with pious and pure atma, followers of dharmic virtues and yogis can realize Isvara.
