Isvara
The chief beneficiaries of Paramatma are - creation of this universe, bringing up and tending to life, giving knowledge about the Vedas and finally, to give bliss to the liberated atma at the time of dissolution of the creation.
Acquisitions of all the glories in the world, such as wealth, power, honor, qualification, talents, divinity, accomplishments and good social-relations should not be performed for hollow egoistic demonstrations or personal satisfaction, but these acts should be directed for Isvara realization.
Isvara-adoration
Isvara is our mother, father, guru, king, and lord. He is worthy of our adoration and reverence and we are like his son, student, citizen, servant who adores him.
Through reverential praise of Isvara, one can inculcate detachment from this world and with loving prayers to him, we can destroy arrogance, and through His adoration, Isvariya qualities like bliss.
There is a difference between the pleasure of bliss when one is near Isvara and the pleasure derived from worldly things. The bliss of Isvara is permanent and only it gives full satisfaction whereas the pleasure from worldly things is temporary and mixed with sorrow.
It is the ultimate reality that whenever we are calling out to Isvara with our true heart, He is ready to adopt us. Mahatma Gandhi used to say ‘It is true that I am alone in this room, but it is also true that the Paramatma is also present right here with me.’
The practitioner with his abilities alone can not see (feel) Isvara. He needs to receive the special knowledge to trace the path of Isvara. This possibility occurs with the grace of Isvara.
After knowing Isvara, the yogi feels that whatever one might know, he knows. Whatever he had to know, he received from Isvara, and there is nothing else to know or receive.
The most important work in human birth is to realise Isvara and experience him. Those who leave what has been obtained are called virakta. Isvara being omnipresent is present in all substances and so from this perspective he is not virakta.
Isvara does not harbour attachment for living beings or material things. Attachment occurs towards the best substances that are perceived different from oneself. Since no living being or worldly things can better Isvara, there is no feeling of raga within him.
Paramatma resides within as well as outside this universe. The entire creation constitutes only a fourth part of him.
Paramatma gives us knowledge everyday and every second. Whenever the living being desires to do any good or bad action, there occurs inside of him/her the feelings of bliss, enthusiasm, fearlessness and fear, shame and doubt.
This prodding of the mind and conscience occurs with the knowledge given by Isvara by which the living being can discriminate amongst good and bad actions. There will not be an absence of Isvara in this world.
This world shall dissolve at the moment of pralaya and yet Isvara, jiva and prakrti shall remain and exist separately at such a time, just as they do now. Isvara, Jiva and prakrti exist in all three kalas.
The Paramatma does not reside in the body. That is why he is never diseased nor old. He does all the work through his capability. The Paramatma is sacred. He is justiciable, therefore he does not do injustice and sin nor does. He inspires for committing injustice and sin.
Even if a person’s life works out fine without the worship of Isvara, still there remains a need to worship. By worship of Isvara, qualities like subtle and special knowledge, strength, bliss and peace are realised. The Isvara-puja seeds and kindles these powers.
Isvara never forgives or refrains from delivering the fruit of evil deeds. There is no precedent of forgiveness for errors, mistakes, faults and sins either. In forgiving the sins (hypothetically).
He earns the sin of being unjust, and knowingly promotes evil doers and deeds in this world. That is why there is no remission of sins. One who worships Isvara with devotion, i.e. performs bhakti, receives inspiration from him to refrain from bad actions in the future. Such a bhakti is granted, the power to tolerate terrible sorrow, troubles, and distress of this world.
Though Isvara is benevolent towards living beings, yet he does not stop sinners from doing evil deeds. The living being is free to do any action. That is why Isvara does not restrain anyone by holding their hands, but generates subtle signals like fear, doubt and shame in the mind of the person about to commit something wrong.
Isvara does justice to all. He does not make anyone blind, or gives a maimed or dismembesed hand, or crippled, ugly, poor, weak or stupid and neither is anyone made beautiful, wealthy, strong or talented because of him.
Isvara with his will does not distribute any gunas or avagunas, handicaps or beneficiencies. He only allocates the fruits of individual karma to each according to his past actions.
Isvara has been said to possess both the qualities of judiciary and kindness. There is no conflict between the words justice and kindness. Isvara is justified by giving in punishment to evil people and by keeping them in restraint prevents further evil deeds by them.
The restraint and punishment is the due allocation of the fruits of evil karma, which keep the evil doer bound in this life or the next. Thus, the sinner is restrained from committing further evil onto others. Hence he is kind.
Isvara is said to be omnipresent. He is entirely different from the burning paper, torn cloths, masticated bread, peeled log of wood, broken iron and other inanimate material things that are bound by physical laws. He is indifferent to the effects of burning, tearing, cutting etc. because he is not constituted of substances but is consciousness himself.
Isvara gives the fruits of actions in time, in accordance with his laws, not before. This occurs just like the way fruit, flowers and grains ripen on time.
(Excerpted from the book Divine Transformation: Building Blocks for Englightened Life, Ideal Nation & Peaceful World by Acharya Balakrishna)
Along with adoration and worship of Isvara, theist people should also commit to vows, perseverance and penance for obtaining wealth, strength, knowledge, health, security and freedom. Those theist who do not perform these duties are not able to realise the happiness of the permanent kind and often lapse into sufferings.
Even the inanimate physical objects like bricks and stones are pervaded by the Paramatma. These do not contain a living atma and hence remain immobile. The Paramatma keeps his Consciousness under control. That is why there is no movement in inanimate things like bricks and stones.
Paramatma has magnetic energy, by the virtue of this energy he himself does not move but moves all inanimate padarthas.
Paramatma does not send any living atma specifically to any place, time or group specially. If he does so, he would not be all-beneficent, but partial and be unjust by interfering with the laws of nature.
Isvara does not know all the things about the future. Yet he knows the desires that arise in the mind.
